WEDNESDAY, June 19 (HealthDay News) -- In an effort to focus greater attention on the weight-gain epidemic plaguing the United States, the American Medical Association has now classified obesity as a disease.

TUESDAY, June 18 (HealthDay News) -- For stroke victims, 15 minutes can mean the difference between life and death, a new study finds.

TUESDAY, June 18 (HealthDay News) -- People with a "hardening" of the abdominal aorta are at increased risk for heart attack and stroke, according to a new study.

MONDAY, June 17 (HealthDay News) -- Doctors should avoid ordering certain antibiotics for older patients who take cholesterol-lowering statin drugs, such as Lipitor, Canadian researchers say.

MONDAY, June 17 (HealthDay News) -- Elderly people may gain as much benefit from having implantable cardioverter defibrillators as younger people, according to a new study.

FRIDAY, June 14 (HealthDay News) -- Anyone who has ever been a volunteer knows that it feels good to help others, but researchers have found a less obvious benefit: volunteering can help reduce older adults' risk of high blood pressure.

WEDNESDAY, June 12 (HealthDay News) -- Participants in one of the world's most grueling cross-country ski races are at increased risk of developing a heart rhythm disorder (arrhythmia), according to a new study.

TUESDAY, June 11 (HealthDay News) -- Sleep apnea raises the risk of sudden cardiac death, according to a long-term study that strengthens a link doctors have suspected.

MONDAY, June 10 (HealthDay News) -- People suffering from cardiovascular disease who have lower-than-normal blood pressure may face a higher risk of brain atrophy -- the death of brain cells or connections between brain cells, Dutch researchers report.

MONDAY, June 10 (HealthDay News) -- As they attempt to open clogged heart arteries, more U.S. doctors are taking a new route and threading a catheter through the wrist, rather than the groin, a new study finds.