Trending News Today: Are Coffee Drinkers Living Longer?

To help curb the ongoing opioid epidemic, FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb is calling on the agency to create stricter safety standards regarding immediate-release opioids, according to The Wall Street Journal. On Monday, Gottlieb announced plans to require opioid manufacturers to provide prescriber training for physicians, nurses, and other health care professionals who administer immediate-release products. Immediate-release opioids account for 90% of opioids prescribed in the United States, the WSJ reported.

Good news for coffee drinkers, as research suggests that coffee consumption may reduce the risk of mortality from heart disease, diabetes, and even cancer. Two large studies revealed that the more coffee an individual drank, the lower their risk of early death. Furthermore, the findings held true for individuals who drank decaf, the Los Angeles Times reported. The investigators examined the coffee-drinking habits of 185,855 Americans who participated in the multiethnic cohort study, and who were followed for an average of 16.2 years. The findings showed that individuals who consumed 2 or more cups per day were approximately 18% less likely to die during the study period compared with non-coffee drinkers. Participants who drank 1 to 6 cups per week were 12% less likely to die. The investigators also compared coffee consumption with the 10 leading causes of death in the United States. According to the report, the more coffee an individual drank, the less likely they were to die of heart disease, stroke, diabetes, kidney disease, cancer, and chronic lower respiratory disease.

A minimally invasive procedure that destroys uterine fibroids may improve fertility in women who are unable to conceive, new research suggests. For the study, investigators followed 359 women who underwent uterine fibroid embolization for an average of nearly 6 years. According to The Washington Post, the procedure involves blocking the arteries that supply blood to the fibroids to destroy them. The results of the study showed that 149 women became pregnant 1 or more times, and 131 women had a total of 150 live births.