Health in a Heartbeat

Becoming a centenarian is a big deal. It vaults you into a select group that few reach. Just imagine: If you were born in 1926 and were celebrating your 100th...

How many bones did you break as a kid? Some of us emerged from childhood unscathed. Others might have fond — and itchy — memories of casts getting signed. Maybe...

Imagine you go to the doctor because you suspect something is off-kilter: You keep outgrowing your shoes and your rings no longer fit. Now imagine that before you see the...

Despite its increasing antiquity, PAC-MAN's 8-bit graphics — and gameplay — continue to grip imaginations across generations. The sphere-shaped protagonist consumes dots and fights pesky, pixelated ghosts. Now, keep that...

Humanity has sought an effective treatment for tinnitus since ancient Egypt. Luckily, few survive to the present day. One ancient remedy worked on the assumption that the ear is inhabited...

Is there anything sweeter than being 16? Whether it's slurping on soda slushies, glugging boba tea or downing energy drinks, teens have plenty of access — and love — for...

Where do all the fit people live? We'll admit up front that states don't go to the gym or sit like a couch potato in front of the television for...

All of us sleep. It's a biological imperative. But do we all need to hit the snooze button five times when the morning alarm goes off? Snoozing involves setting consecutive...

How nice would it be to make a healthy change to your diet without realizing it? Two new research studies show how tiny, almost unnoticeable changes could lower sodium levels...

If we're lucky, most of us will notice our bodies aging gracefully. But new research suggests we might have more factors to contend with than just the ravages of time....

If you experience osteoarthritis, you're in good — and widespread — company. By 2050, millions of people are slated to experience joint pain. The privilege of growing older and wiser...

An obsession can be a bad thing, even if it masquerades as something laudable. And that is what makes orthorexia nervosa one of the trickiest eating disorders to contend with....

High anxiety is a modern scourge. Part of it stems from the outrage manufactured by social media and the 24/7 news cycle. We can seldom outrun the reach of our...

Researchers have long told us that green spaces are healthy. And who could argue that spending time in a woodsy place is better than a stroll along a crowded city...

Waking up with a yawn, you wonder what on earth possessed you to dream you were in a kennel. Then, your better half asks if you heard the neighbor's dogs...

  Is using a robot pal to talk about your worries or ask for advice a good idea? A new study from researchers in Denmark suggests those questions may have...

It looks like we're not the only ones playing pretend. A new study from Johns Hopkins University delved into the imagination capabilities of a 43-year-old bonobo named Kanzi — and...

Trying to avoid diabetes? Take a hike. No, really. A new study from researchers at Gladstone Institutes explains why folks living at a high altitude tend to develop diabetes much...

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...