In a study, rats overwhelmingly prefer sweetened water to cocaine, even those already hooked on the drug.Researchers have learned that rats overwhelmingly prefer water sweetened with saccharin to cocaine, a finding that demonstrates the addictive potential of sweets.

  Scientists find that breast milk and DNA together create an intellectual advantage.In the age-old debate between nature and nurture, scientists studying breast-feeding and IQ have declared a tie.

  Merck &Co. said today it will pay $4.85 billion to end thousands of lawsuits over its painkiller Vioxx in what is believed to be the largest drug settlement ever.

  One of the state's largest health insurers set goals and paid bonuses based in part on how many individual policyholders were dropped and how much money was saved.

  After a decade of taking oral contraceptives, the danger is double -- but still small -- and it starts to drop when women stop, a study says.Women who take the birth control pill for 10 years have nearly double the normal risk of developing cervical cancer, but the risk begins falling as soon as they stop and returns to near normal within 10 years, according to a study released Thursday.

  For bleary-eyed new moms, the image of Paula Radcliffe celebrating her astonishing New York marathon victory just nine months after giving birth is more than slightly surreal. There she was, one sinewy arm holding a baby, the other victoriously waving a British flag, ribs visible beneath a washboard-flat torso, not an ounce of visible fat on her sleek body.

  Officials say changes to tobacco marketing are the reason the number of smokers is remaining steady at nearly 21%.After declining for seven years, national smoking rates have remained steady at nearly 21% from 2004 to 2006, prompting concern among federal health officials that progress in curtailing smoking has stalled.

  The Food and Drug Administration called on physicians Thursday to warn cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy that certain anti-anemia drugs led to tumor growth and decreased survival in some patients.

  Ships belching toxic fumes from diesel fuel contribute to the deaths of tens of thousands of people in Europe, Asia and the United States each year, claims a U.S. report released this week.

  After a nine-year investigation into the care of his patients, Dr. David Kipper is publicly reprimanded only for poor record-keeping.A Beverly Hills physician accused of over-prescribing addictive drugs to celebrity clients, including rock star Ozzy Osbourne, has been publicly reprimanded by the Medical Board of California for poor record-keeping, his lawyer said this week.