Rather than significantly hardening tooth enamel, fluoride may cut cavities by making it harder for oral bacteria to stick around. Karen Hopkin reports

Fluoride Loosens Bacterial Enamel Grip

Scientific American reporter Dina Fine Maron gives a weekly one-minute report on the latest health and medical news

Science

The common food additives altered mice microbiomes to encourage gut inflammation and overeating. Dina Fine Maron reports

Emulsifiers in Food Linked to Obesity in Mice

Although clinical guidelines assume just two years for hot flashes and night sweats, a large study finds a median symptom duration of more than three times that length. Dina Fine Maron reports

Menopause Symptoms Have Unappreciated Staying Power

High-tech pedometers do a decent job of counting steps accurately. Dina Fine Maron reports.

Wearable Step Counters Offer Exercise Leg Up

Some 42 percent of U.S. adults who drink have been prescribed a drug that may interact negatively with alcohol. Dina Fine Maron reports

Millions Risk Alcohol–Medication Interactions

Strains of the lab workhorse roundworm C. elegans that lived longer added more time being frail and had the same portion of their lives being healthy as normal worms. The work has implications for life-extension ideas such as caloric restriction. Dina Fine Maron reports

Fluoride Loosens Bacterial Enamel Grip

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