Gut Check

By  Sharon Begley

Going beyond the headlines to make sense of scientific claims

Running in snow
Gut Check

Does exercise burn more calories in the cold than in warm weather?

By Sharon Begley

Blood donation
Gut Check

Are transfusions harmful to men if the blood comes from women who have been pregnant?

By Sharon Begley

Pregnant salad
Gut Check

Will a vegetarian diet during pregnancy drive your child to drugs and drink?

By Sharon Begley

Epstein-Barr virus
Gut Check

Can a ‘liquid biopsy’ detect cancer and save lives?

By Sharon Begley

China Breastfeeding
Gut Check

Does breastfeeding prevent moms’ heart disease and strokes?

By Sharon Begley

Crowded city
Gut Check

Does living in a city make you psychotic?

By Sharon Begley

Elderly Parent
Gut Check

Does having children help you live past 80?

By Sharon Begley

Man Flu
Gut Check

The truth about ‘man flu’: Does influenza make men more miserable than women?

By Sharon Begley

Beach umbrellas
Gut Check

Is sunscreen more protective than a beach umbrella?

By Sharon Begley

Angelina Jolie
Gut Check

Were women foolish to follow Angelina Jolie into BRCA cancer gene testing?

By Sharon Begley

Listerine
Gut Check

Can gargling with Listerine treat gonorrhea? A science-based answer

By Sharon Begley

Caesarian birth
Gut Check

Do C-sections alter a baby’s microbiome, hurting later health?

By Sharon Begley

Cancer treatment
Gut Check

Do cancer clinical trials exaggerate the real-world benefits of drugs?

By Sharon Begley

Turmeric powder
Gut Check

Can curcumin spice treat Alzheimer’s disease?

By Sharon Begley

ECG
Gut Check

Should athletes get EKGs to prevent sudden death?

By Sharon Begley

Obese Mouse
Gut Check

Is the gut microbiome an important cause of obesity?

By Sharon Begley

Medical marijuana
Gut Check

Does access to medical marijuana reduce opioid deaths?

By Sharon Begley

Breast Cancer Psychosomatic
Gut Check

Does pessimism worsen side effects from breast cancer drugs?

By Sharon Begley

Pregnant Tylenol
Gut Check

If mom takes acetaminophen during pregnancy, does it affect her child’s behavior?

By Sharon Begley

Robby Smith
Gut Check

Can music enhance brain waves and improve Olympic wrestlers’ performance?

By Sharon Begley

Gut Check Flying
Gut Check

Is jet lag worse after traveling east than west?

By Sharon Begley

Senator Elizabeth Warren
Gut Check

Would testing Elizabeth Warren’s DNA resolve the fight over her heritage?

By Sharon Begley

College Brain Cancer
Gut Check

Could going to college or being married give you brain cancer?

By Sharon Begley

Lipitor tablets
Gut Check

What are the odds that your medication will help you get better?

By Sharon Begley

Exercise
Gut Check

Does exercise prevent cancer?

By Sharon Begley

Blood pressure
Gut Check

Could this widely used calculator be needlessly driving people to take statins?

By Sharon Begley

Breakfast
Gut Check

Does skipping breakfast make you gain weight?

By Sharon Begley

Mammogram
Gut Check

For this controversial breast abnormality, is radiation treatment needed?

By Sharon Begley

Asthma
Gut Check

Are doctors overdiagnosing asthma?

By Sharon Begley

A roundup of STAT’s top stories of the day in science and medicine

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