A multi-institutional research team in Japan evaluated the impact of the Revised Health Promotion Law and related local ordinances on indoor smoking policies in restaurants and bars. Their analysis identified a modest but significant increase in the proportion of smoke-free establishments following the full enforcement of the national indoor smoking ban in April 2020. Additional increases were observed in jurisdictions covered by stronger passive smoking prevention ordinances implemented by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government and Chiba City. The research is published in the journal Public Health.

A national survey estimates that nearly 30 million U.S. adults acquired firearms between 2021 and 2024, including more than 11 million people who became gun owners for the first time. These new owners also introduced guns into millions of households that previously had none, newly exposing about 9 million adults and 6.6 million children to firearms in their homes. These findings are published in the Annals of Internal Medicine.

Health officials are warning consumers about a cream cheese recall that has been raised to the most critical level due to possible bacterial contamination.

Metformin use is associated with reduced odds of new-onset International Classification of Diseases (ICD) coding of neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD), according to a study published online Jan. 30 in Ophthalmology Retina.

An analysis of the 2025 AHA/ACC hypertension guidelines found that under the new guidelines, about 11% of adults ages 65 to 79 with stage I hypertension would no longer qualify for blood pressure medication, a major shift from previous rules that recommended treatment for all adults in this age range. The newly exempt group is made up of generally healthy, lower-risk older adults whose predicted 10-year cardiovascular risk falls below the new treatment threshold. The analysis is published in the Annals of Internal Medicine.