The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced some new steps Thursday to “assure the safety and quality of food” purchased for the National School Lunch Program.

The measures include such things as tightening requirements on companies that supply ground beef to schools, testing the beef more often and more thoroughly, and improving communications within the USDA to “identify potential food safety issues” before children get sick.

Good idea in theory. Problem is you will still have all of the factors in place that take away from …

According to experts about 40% of cancers could be prevented if people stopped smoking and overeating, limited their alcohol, exercised regularly and got vaccines targeting cancer-causing infections. That sounds like common sense, except for the vaccines which I disagree about.

At any rate, to mark World Cancer day on Thursday, officials at the International Union Against Cancer released a report focused on steps that governments and the public can take to avoid the disease. It’s common sense stuff like I said, but worth the read.

The …

Acetaminophen, commonly sold as Tylenol, may help protect the kidneys after a person suffers severe muscle injury, according to new findings.

Life-threatening kidney problems can be the result of severe muscle damage because of crush injuries suffered in earthquakes, car crashes, explosions, etc. Right now treatment is limited to intravenous fluids and dialysis, but the new study suggests that acetaminophen may help protect the kidneys in these rare cases.

It’s worth a closer look certainly. The team found that acetaminophen given before and after muscle injury prevented …

Another day, another recall. Federal consumer safety regulators have announced the recall of The Princess and The Frog pendants due to high levels of the toxic metal cadmium.

The recall affects two products, which add up to about 55,000 items, sold exclusively at Walmart stores for $5 each. The action was taken voluntarily by jewelry company FAF Inc. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission had been testing for cadmium in children’s metal jewelry for several weeks, responding to an Associated Press investigation that …

Listen up workaholics. You can take a break and feel good about it, not guilty. If you want to strengthen your memory, take a break after learning new information, according to New York University researchers who found such “active rest” strengthens memory.

Sleep has been studied and found as a valuable way to preserve memories, but less is known about how “active rest” during the day may affect them. So, the memory of 16 study participants was tested and evaluated the effect of rest on memory.

Researchers …

According to a new study, a new kind of morning-after pill is more effective than the most widely used drug at preventing pregnancies and it also works longer, for up to five days.

Levonorgestrel, the most widely used emergency contraceptive pill, is only effective if women take it within three days of having sex. It is sold under several brand names like Levonelle and Plan B, and is available in more than 140 countries, including the United States and Canada. In almost …

You love chocolate, but you don’t want a ton of calories. You could just forget chocolate, but really, who can do that? We’re talking chocolate here. Instead, just hit the link below and check out some chocolate treats under 80 calories.

Stuff like Godiva’s White Chocolate Praline Heart for just 60 calories, 1/4 cup Häagen-Dazs Chocolate Low-Fat Sorbet with 1 raspberry for only 66 calories and much more. You can still have chocolate, just be mindful of what kind and how much.

[Health]

Harsh cleaning chemicals and wooden toilet seats may be why U.S. cases of toilet seat-related skin irritations among children appear to be increasing, according to researchers. Especially the ones with varnishes and paints.

Children can develop rashes after repeated exposure to residue from cleaning chemicals or after several uses of a wooden seat. If your child is experiencing problems, it may be best to switch that wood seat with a new one that isn’t wood.

[Health]

The White House announced a nominee for undersecretary for Food Safety at the Department of Agriculture. The nominee is Elisabeth Hagen, who currently holds the position of USDA chief medical officer, where she serves as an advisor to USDA on human health issues. Before that she was with USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service. She was a practicing physician before that.

This is always hilarious news. She is nominated to a “do nothing” position from another “do nothing” position, where she can continue to bend …

Stress, a history of depression, lack of social support and unintended pregnancy are some of the major factors that contribute to increased risk of depression in pregnant women, according to a new study.

Some other important factors to consider are maternal anxiety, domestic violence and having public insurance coverage, according to University of Michigan researchers, who reviewed 159 studies conducted between 1980 and 2008.

They needed to check out all of those studies to figure that out? A pregnant woman has a lot …