THURSDAY, May 23 (HealthDay News) -- Heavy consumption of diet soda can damage teeth as badly as methamphetamine or crack cocaine, a new study contends.

WEDNESDAY, May 22 (HealthDay News) -- Roughly four in 10 uninsured patients who have been diagnosed with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) actually do not have the lung disease, a small new study suggests.

TUESDAY, May 21 (HealthDay News) -- The overall health of Americans isn't improving much, with about six in 10 people either overweight or obese and large numbers engaging in unhealthy behaviors like smoking, heavy drinking or not exercising, a new government report shows.

TUESDAY, May 21 (HealthDay News) -- Thousands of Americans, many of them smokers or ex-smokers, suffer from the lung condition known as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Now a new study finds that patients placed on the common antibiotic azithromycin may be able to cut down on hospitalizations due to flare-ups of the disease.

SATURDAY, May 18 (HealthDay News) -- Just a few extra cups of coffee each month might help prevent the development of an autoimmune liver disease known as primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC), a new study suggests.

FRIDAY, May 17 (HealthDay News) -- It comes as little surprise that college students sometimes binge drink, but new research shows that college women are more likely to drink unhealthy amounts of alcohol on a weekly basis than are college men.

FRIDAY, May 17 (HealthDay News) -- Alcoholics who smoke have more problems with memory, problem solving and quick thinking than those who are nonsmokers, researchers have found.

FRIDAY, May 17 (HealthDay News) -- Management of heart disease risk factors -- such as high cholesterol, high blood pressure and smoking -- varies significantly among outpatient practices in the United States, according to a new study.

(HealthDay News) -- For people who smoke or are tempted to begin lighting up, consider what smoking can do to your smile.

THURSDAY, May 16 (HealthDay News) -- The adult children of parents who were addicted to alcohol or drugs are at increased risk for depression, a new study finds.