By Deborah Kotz, Globe Staff

The majority of dairy-related food poisoning outbreaks are related to raw milk, and a minority of states -- including Massachusetts -- that still allow the sale of unpasteurized milk are responsible for the vast majority of these outbreaks, according to a report released yesterday by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Why is raw milk still legal for sale and purchase in the state?

By Deborah Kotz, Globe Staff

While younger women rarely have heart attacks, those who do face a greater risk of dying while in the hospital compared with men -- especially if they don’t present with the classic symptom: chest pain. That’s according to a study published today in the Journal of the American Medical Association, which found that about 16 percent of women under 65 who had heart attacks without chest pain died in the hospital compared with 12.5 percent of men under 65.

By Deborah Kotz, Globe Staff

Eating gluten-free has become a hot nutrition trend, but many of those who spend extra to buy gluten-free products may be wasting their money, according to an opinion paper published yesterday in the Annals of Internal Medicine. While those with celiac disease must avoid gluten, many others without celiac, including actress Gwyneth Paltrow, have embraced gluten-free diets in the belief that they’ll clear up chronic digestive symptoms or garden variety headaches or fatigue.

By Deborah Kotz, Globe Staff

High-fructose corn syrup -- the most ubiquitous sweetener in the American diet -- has shared a lot of the blame for the obesity epidemic. Some nutritionists have called for a return to table sugar to sweeten sugar sodas, ketchup, and baked goods after a few studies suggested that the processed corn syrup fostered weight gain more readily than other sweeteners. But better to just cut back on sugar and other sweeteners altogether, according to a new study.

By Deborah Kotz, Globe Staff

Best reader comments from Daily Dose posts ranging from sinus infections to child sleep problems. Here’s what you had to say about the latest news of the week.

By Deborah Kotz, Globe Staff

Intrepid foreign correspondent Anthony Shadid wasn’t felled by the bullet he took in the shoulder or the brutality he experienced at the hands of those holding him hostage; he died yesterday of a condition that affects some 25 million Americans: asthma.

By Deborah Kotz , Globe Staff

First arsenic was found in apple juice, then brown rice...now in organic baby formula? Yes, according to a Darmouth College study which found that baby formulas, cereal bars, and energy shots that contain brown rice syrup have high levels of arsenic -- well above the limits set by the Environmental Protection Agency for drinking water.

By Deborah Kotz, Globe Staff

Say goodbye to supersize chocolate bars -- at least Snickers and other candy bars made by Mars. The company announced this week that it would stop selling chocolate products with more than 250 calories in them by the end of next year. That means no more 500-calorie, king-size Snickers or Milky Way bars.

By Deborah Kotz, Globe Staff

If your doctor had a crystal ball that could predict whether you’d become senile in old age, would you want to know? Perhaps, if you could actually do something to prevent it. A growing body of research indicates that certain lifestyle factors may be associated with an increased or decreased risk of developing dementia due to Alzheimer’s disease or strokes, including three new studies examining calorie consumption, sleep habits, walking speed, and grip strength.

By Deborah Kotz, Globe Staff

Last October -- when Rick Santorum was trailing badly in the polls -- he sat down with a reporter from an Evangelical blog called Caffeinated Thoughts to discuss, among other things, his views on contraception.

By Deborah Kotz, Globe Staff

The lead content in lipstick -- yes some products do contain lead -- is getting attention today after a US Food and Drug Administration analysis conducted in December found that 400 products contain trace amounts of lead. The FDA, though, emphasized that “our results do not show levels of lead in lipstick that would pose a safety concern.” In other words, don’t panic or even feel compelled to throw your lipstick away.

By Deborah Kotz, Globe Staff

Doctors routinely treat painful sinus infections with antibiotics, but a new study questions the wisdom of that practice because the drugs worked no better than placebos at clearing up symptoms. The finding suggests that doctors may want to switch to monitoring many patients with sinus infections to see if symptoms worsen instead of immediately handing them a prescription.

By Deborah Kotz, Globe Staff

What can you learn about your own eating habits from checking out photos of 25 diets from around the world in a new exhibit at the Museum of Science, Boston? Actually quite a bit -- like perhaps your diet resembles the 8,400 calories a day consumed by a Namibian truck driver. Check out the exhibit through February 26th.

By Deborah Kotz, Globe Staff

When I trained for a marathon several years ago, I let all my other fitness activities fall by the wayside as I focused on running, running, and more running. I ran five days a week -- at least seven miles at a shot. That’s the sort of training regimen recommended by Runner’s World magazine and a variety of marathon websites. But it’s not necessarily the best strategy if you’re looking to cut minutes from your marathon time.

By Deborah Kotz, Globe Staff

Researchers don’t even agree on the appropriate amount of sleep time for kids as they grow, as evidenced by the fact that sleep recommendations have changed through the decades. Here’s how to tell if your child is getting enough.

By Deborah Kotz, Globe Staff

Life is like a box of chocolates -- or not. But on Valentine’s Day we never know what we’re going to get, or if we’ll get any. Here’s the latest on the research front concerning chocolate’s health benefits, some wacky new products, and why we prefer certain favorites.

By Deborah Kotz, Globe Staff

New Hampshire state employees might soon be prohibited from wearing perfume or other scented products if they work with the public. The “live free or die” state plans to hold a House hearing this afternoon on a proposed bill, HB 1444, which, if passed, could force some state workers to skip the perfume sprays and colognes starting in mid-April.

By Deborah Kotz, Globe Staff

Teens are always doing risky things -- their brains are wired for it. Now they’re ingesting a drug known as “bath salts” and “plant food”, sold in convenience stores, or they’re accidentally swallowing magnets that they pretend are tongue piercings.

By Deborah Kotz, Globe Staff

I was glad to see Chanel designer Karl Lagerfeld apologize for his stupid comments about Adele. “The thing at the moment is Adele,” Lagerfeld told the magazine Metro earlier this week. “She is a little too fat, but she has a beautiful face and a divine voice.” He compared her to Born To Die singer Lana Del Rey, who he admitted wasn’t as great a singer as Adele but was thinner and more beautiful.

By Deborah Kotz, Globe Staff

Most physicians paint overly optimistic prognoses for their patients, and many have told lies or withheld information concerning their medical mistakes and financial relationships with drug companies and device manufacturers, according to a national survey conducted by Massachusetts General Hospital researchers. The 2009 survey of nearly 1,900 doctors, published today in the journal Health Affairs, shows that many doctors don’t adhere to the standards of their profession, which have long required doctors to be open and honest with their patients.