Reuters Health News Summary

Following is a summary of current health news briefs. Swapping out eggs, white bread for oatmeal linked to lowered stroke risk

People who eat oatmeal for breakfast instead of eggs and white toast may be lowering their risk of stroke, a Danish study suggests. Consuming breakfast every day, and oatmeal in particular, has long been linked to reduced stroke risk. But research to date hasn't offered a clear picture of how substituting oatmeal for common breakfast foods like eggs, toast and yogurt might impact stroke risk, the study team notes in the journal Stroke. U.S. diabetes patients turn to 'black market' for medications, supplies

Diabetes medications and blood-test supplies are sold, traded and donated on black markets because the U.S. healthcare system isn't meeting patients' needs, a study shows. In a survey, about half of people who participated in these underground exchanges said they do it because they lack access to the proper medications and supplies to manage their diabetes, researchers report in the Journal of Diabetes Science and Technology. E-bikes show distinct pattern of severe injuries

E-bikes and electric scooters are becoming increasingly popular in the United States, but the powered bikes carry a higher risk of severe injuries than traditional bicycles and a different pattern of injury risks compared with scooters, a recent study finds. The authors analyzed emergency department data collected from 2000 to 2017 by the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission's National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS), on injuries involving all three types of vehicles. Allergan signs $750 million settlement with purchasers of Alzheimer's drug Namenda

Purchasers of Allergan Plc's Namenda asked a federal judge on Tuesday to approve a $750 million settlement of claims that the drugmaker conspired to keep generic versions of the Alzheimer's medication off the market. Lawyers for the plaintiffs said the preliminary settlement, which requires a judge's approval, would be the largest amount paid by one defendant to resolve a class action brought by "direct purchasers" under the federal Hatch-Waxman antitrust law, which encourages the manufacture of generic drugs. Countries implementing about half of WHO recommendations

About half of the recommendations suggested by the World Health Organization to reduce chronic disease are put into practice, according to a new study. Implementation is slowly improving, yet alcohol and tobacco policies are the least widely practiced, researchers report in The Lancet Global Health. Correvio's heart drug fails to get FDA approval

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has declined to approve Correvio Pharma Corp's drug to correct irregular rhythm in the upper chambers of the heart, the company said on Tuesday. In the so-called complete response letter, the FDA stated that while the submitted data provides substantial evidence of the drug's effectiveness, the data does not provide reassuring evidence of Brinavess' safety, the company said. Transgender children sense their gender identities at young ages

Transgender children may start to identify with toys and clothes typical of their gender identity from a very young age, a recent study suggests. And their confidence in their gender identity is generally as strong as that of cisgender children, whose identity matches their sex assigned at birth, researchers found. Recreational marijuana becomes legal in Illinois on New Year's Day

Many pot-smoking adults in Illinois will ring in the new year on a high note when recreational marijuana use becomes legal in the state on Jan. 1. Starting New Year's Day, people 21 and older will be able to legally buy up to 30 grams of marijuana flower, 5 grams of marijuana concentrate, or 500 grams of THC-infused products such as edibles at licensed commercial dealers throughout the state. Vaping is taking off among younger children and 'tweens'

The proportion of e-cigarette users in the United States who started vaping by age 14 has more than tripled in the past five years, a recent study suggests. From just 8.8% in 2014, the share of vapers who had picked up their first e-cigarette at age 14 or earlier surged to 28.6% in 2018, according to researchers who analyzed survey data from almost 27,000 youth.