5 of the worst keto diet side effects

The keto diet can help with weight loss, but at what cost?

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  • In addition to weight loss, there are a few well-known side effects of the keto diet, some of which can be unpleasant.
  • Some side effects of the keto diet are bound to occur, though others only happen when the diet is implemented poorly.
  • The keto diet doesn't have to lead to a host of negative side effects, but anyone considering undertaking the diet over the long term should be especially careful.
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New "swallowable needles" could deliver insulin as a pill

Diabetics have to endure constant injections on a daily basis, but this new device could make staying alive easier.

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  • Insulin breaks down in the stomach, so diabetics haven't had the option of taking insulin in a pill.
  • A new device whose design is inspired by tortoises can be swallowed and inject diabetics with insulin from the inside.
  • Though it's still a prototype, the device is an exciting development for delivering insulin and other drugs.
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How patients draw their illnesses tells the story of their health outcomes

A picture says a thousand words.

An example of an adult's drawing of the damage and blockages to their heart after a heart attack. (Image: Broadbent et al., 2018)
  • One important, but often neglected, factor in the transition from sickness to health is in how patients perceive and understand their illness.
  • It's challenging for physicians to gain insight into the mental and physical state of their patients.
  • A new review of 101 articles has found that asking patients to draw their illnesses can help predict health outcomes and provide doctors insight into their patients' experiences.
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New therapy turns cancer cells into fat to stop it from spreading

Researchers at the University of Basel in Switzerland have hijacked cancer's cellular plasticity to turn the disease against itself.

Photo credit: BEHROUZ MEHRI / AFP / Getty Images
  • In 2018, an estimated 627,000 women died from breast cancer worldwide.
  • Researchers recently discovered a drug combination that turned cancer cells into fat cells, preventing its proliferation.
  • The drug therapy could be used to halt metastasis, the leading cause of death from cancer.
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Anti-vaccine movement is powered by ‘hysteresis’, study reveals

"History matters, and we now know that hysteresis is part of the answer," wrote the author of a recent study.

Demonstrators carry signs against the use of mercury in vaccines in front of the Department of Health and Human Services building in Washington 20 July 2005. (Photo: NICHOLAS KAMM/AFP/Getty Images)
  • A new study explores society's relatively poor vaccination coverage through the lens of hysteresis, a phenomenon that describes how systems are dependent on their history.
  • The results show how 'imperfect vaccines' and episodes of public confusion can result in sharp drops in population-wide immunization rates, and how it can take years for those rates to recover.
  • By promoting an individual's choice to get vaccinated as an altruistic behavior, societies might be able to reach vaccination goals sooner, the researchers suggested.
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