Health in a Heartbeat

Here's something to talk about around the office water cooler: Office water coolers aren't as clean as they could be. A paper published in the journal AIMS Microbiology reported some...

How do you take your tea? With milk and a little sugar? Maybe some cream? A jug of it, iced? A can from the gas station? With biscuits, perhaps. Or...

Face it: You've peaked. Well, maybe not. It all depends on your lifestyle. Researchers from Sweden followed adults over the course of 47 years to pinpoint when our bodies —...

Burning the midnight oil? Pulling an all-nighter? There's more than one way to describe staying up late, and there's also more than one consequence. Trouble staying focused is one of...

Silver bullets supposedly kill werewolves, should you ever meet one. But the battle's a little more complicated when it comes to antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Scientists are focused on harnessing silver's antibacterial...

Weight-loss drugs are wildly popular. So much so that a recent study found about 1 in 8 Americans have tried them. The high demand initially led to nationwide shortages that...

When treating lung and skin cancers, doctors frequently attempt to trigger the body's immune system with drugs to help it recognize and attack cancer cells. But in advanced stages of...

It turns out the popular phrase “rise and shine” isn’t just a saying — it's also science. New research suggests catching some morning sunshine might be the key to improving your sleep, mood and overall health. A 2024 study in Brazil observed 1,700 adults' sunlight exposure and sleeping...

What is the secret to a longer life? Well, we know the fountain of youth is probably not going to work. You could always eat an apple a day, or...

A fish whose life is the precise inverse of Benjamin Button's might be the key to understanding how our kidneys age. The African turquoise killifish is a brightly colored fish...

Welcome to National Poison Prevention Week, an event created by Congress and used to publicize household dangers for a good 64 years now. It serves as a good reminder to...

How you react to a life partner's cognitive decline may depend a great deal on whether you are male or female. A recent study from the universities of Wisconsin and...

The new year is speeding up. Somehow, it's March already. Many of us might be toying with the idea of augmenting our formerly rigorous — maybe overly ambitious — New...

Despite the prevalence of TV characters brooding over a glass filled with amber liquid, or the number of dish towels available with “wine mom” graphics, drinking regularly does impact your...

For many, our days in art class are long behind us. Those macaroni necklaces, finger paintings and paper collages are now distant memories from childhood. As we grow older, responsibilities...

Thanks to our genes, the environment and our lifestyles, cancer cases have more than doubled worldwide since 1990. And the disease, in all its forms, is on track to rise...

Cancer, the emperor of all maladies, has a deservedly bad reputation. Its treatments are punishing; its prognosis dependent on how willing the cancer is to be caught early, or on...

Americans drink an average of about 2½ gallons of alcohol a year. An analysis of 62 research studies says it's not safe. The thread that runs through those previous studies...

Giant pandas might be onto something. Move over, broccoli. Bamboo is the latest superfood identified by scientists. Bamboo shoots have been part of the human diet in Asia for ages....

It might not seem like it at the time if the grandkids are making a ruckus. But babysitting them might be good for Grandma and Grandpa's brains. A recent study...

It's probably never going to replace a visit to the gym as a weight-loss strategy. But as we approach another Valentine's Day, it's good to remember that kissing your significant...

Whether it's ultraprocessed foods, screens or microplastics, parents are tasked with skirting a bevy of risks to typical childhood development. Now, a new one arises: increasing temperatures. A study from...

Decades ago, tattoos were often considered the domain of sailors who loved images of anchors on their biceps. Granted, there was some truth to that. In the age of Baby...

Let's talk about everyone's favorite subject: foot fungus. Specifically, the kind you tend to get in your toenails. While it's not exactly dinner table conversation, toenail fungus is a popular...

It's intuitive that getting more sleep at night gives us more energy for exercise during the day. Or that getting more exercise in the day leads to more sleep at...

For decades, patients undergoing blood cancer treatment have been told to avoid certain foods to reduce infection risk, guidance that some physicians hoped could safely be relaxed. Now, a University...

Children are getting them younger and younger. Maybe your son or daughter had one even before becoming a teenager. No, we're not talking about braces or deodorants. We're talking about...

Aside from convenience, shelf-stability and price point, ultraprocessed foods rarely have any positives associated with them — especially when it comes to our health. Now, a study from Virginia Tech...

Exercise helps with most things: mood, bone density, heart health and more. It is a recommended means of managing common symptoms of menopause, too. But a new study suggests even...

A rare, inherited condition causes dangerously high cholesterol, even in newborn babies. But if you have it, you probably have no idea. A new Mayo Clinic study has found that...

Sharp knives are safer than dull ones. And relaxing during a fight can make you more likely to win. Sometimes, a counterintuitive solution works best. Researchers at the University of...

In a world inching its way toward sustainability, the market for meat substitutes is a lucrative one. From tofu to tempeh — and Beyond Burgers to those still humbly made...

In our collective consciousness, we likely imagine the typical fentanyl overdose victim as someone in their 20s — maybe 30s. But people in their senior years (that is, old enough...

When it comes to weight loss, glucagon-like peptide-1 agonists, or GLPs, are on their way to becoming America's sweetheart. Functionally, the drugs work to titrate feelings of satiety, like your...

Post after post. Video after video. Whether on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook or X, content has become increasingly integrated into our lives and serves as a vessel for what some have...

Imagine being a 31-year-old teenager. A new University of Cambridge study suggests that your brain can be in an adolescent state even as the body is in its early 30s....

Years ago, you might have heard that an aspirin a day keeps the cardiologist away. Popular advice once suggested the routine use of aspirin could reduce heart attacks and strokes...

For our bodies, sleep is always a hot commodity. It fuels recovery, supports muscle growth and leads to a better quality of life. But for many, winding down our brains...

Whether you're pumping iron, lacing up for a jog or pedaling your way to good health, exercise takes effort. And not just for the main event — you have to...

The term “plant-based” doesn't necessarily mean a product is healthy. That's the conclusion of a massive French study that examined processed plant-based burgers and other meat alternatives often marketed as...

Physicians have worked to earn the trust of their patients for nearly 2,400 years, dating back to the days of Hippocrates, the father of Western medicine. Lucky for Hippocrates that...

To be in a cold sweat is never good. A flop sweat draws no compliments. And wearing sweats is not exactly the height of fashion. But our often-maligned perspiration may...

Shortages during World War II forced the rationing of sugar and many essential products in the United States and Great Britain. Indeed, sugar rationing extended beyond the war, ending in...

Having shingles is no picnic. Patients have described the blistering sores and rash as being so painful as to make even a gentle touch a terrible ordeal. It's why medical...

As we turn the page to January and the rest of 2026, a common goal for many Americans each year is to lose weight. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control...

Maintaining good health usually implies ample exercise, eating well and avoiding hazardous activities like going to the beach without sunscreen. Most of us, however, don't think of marriage. A recent...

If you can say “I'm getting long in tooth” in two or more languages, you might not be as old as you think. A recent study by an international team...

A healthy heart can be hard to find. According the CDC, one person dies every 34 seconds from cardiovascular disease in the United States. Much of your heart disease risk...

Being a college freshman is fun, sure, but it can also be a time of big changes. Among those changes? Finding one's wardrobe seemingly shrunk overnight. In a new study,...

There's nothing funny about dealing with depression, but new research suggests that laughing gas could provide short-term relief for those struggling with the illness. About 21 million Americans adults have...

You pick up your phone and open your favorite social media app. The doomscrolling begins, and you descend into a cacophony of content. Whether it's Instagram, Tik Tok or Facebook,...