We’ve long been told that vegetarianism can improve heart health, nutrient intake and digestion while lowering the risk of chronic disease and certain cancers — but some plant-based diets may do more harm than good. Case in point: A new study in the scientific journal Neurology finds that high-quality, vitamin-rich plant-based diets go a long … Read more
After over a decade with HIV, a Norwegian man received a surprise through a stem cell donation from his sibling. The gifted bone marrow was originally intended to treat the patient’s rare blood cancer, but researchers noticed a remarkable quirk. The sick man’s brother had a genetic mutation that made his stem cells resistant to … Read more
Put down the phone and pick up the ladle. While you were busy grinding for that promotion, grandmothers in Italy were busy grinding meat to make homemade sausage. They were busy taking long walks to the market, rolling out pasta dough and stealing dips in the Mediterranean without a second thought for their wrinkles — aside … Read more
Not all pounds you gain carry the same weight. Being overweight can lead to a host of health problems, like chronic diseases and even premature death, especially in older age. But not all excess weight yields the same risk, according to new research, as pounds packed on earlier in our lives may be the most … Read more
The average person spends 416 days of their life in the bathroom — and the latest trend in digital health wants to make sure that time isn’t going down the drain. Over the past year, a wave of AI-powered smart toilet health trackers have hit the market, analyzing pee and poop to deliver personalized insights on … Read more
They’re the small molecules with the big buzz. You couldn’t live without peptides, which regulate essential functions such as metabolism, tissue repair and immune response. The body naturally produces thousands of them, like collagen and oxytocin, while some are sold as synthetic compounds, like Ozempic and aspartame. And since 2023, 19 of the manmade ones … Read more
An increasing number of patients are requesting “unvaccinated” blood for transfusions, which can delay care and pose risks to patients’ health, experts warn. There is no evidence that unvaccinated blood presents any safety benefit, according to a new study published in the journal Transfusion. There is currently no process for checking whether donated blood comes from vaccinated … Read more
This kind of “sick time” is no work perk. Since the term was coined in the early 1980s by the World Health Organization, “sick building syndrome” (SBS) has been used to describe the array of irritating symptoms some people feel when inside certain buildings, from headaches and fatigue to nausea and brain fog. It’s a … Read more
Bramble on. The blacker the berry, the better for you — at least that’s how it would seem, given that this one little berry carries such a staggering array of health benefits. While superfoods like açai, avocado, quinoa and kiwi enjoy global attention, the humble blackberry — native to parts of the US, unlike those other … Read more
A small, red “miracle fruit” is gaining attention for its ability to make lemons taste like lemonade — and for helping some cancer patients cope with an unpleasant side effect of treatment. For many chemotherapy patients, “chemo mouth” can make food taste metallic, bland, or spoiled — leading to weight loss, poor nutrition, and reduced motivation to … Read more
Your metabolism is no fool. Even if you initially lose weight on a certain diet or medication, to maintain those results, you have to constantly trick the metabolic system into letting you shed pounds. Otherwise, you might find yourself stuck at what obesity doctors call the “weight loss plateau.” This phenomenon is extremely common among … Read more
The most common sexually transmitted infection (STI) is also high-risk for several types of cancer, as one woman learned. Married for nearly 30 years, Eileen McGill Fox immediately went for an STI screening after learning of her husband’s infidelity in 2017, and was initially negative for syphilis, gonorrhea and HIV. A year later, though, Fox … Read more
A fatty bulge at the base of the neck — commonly known as a “buffalo hump” — isn’t always just a cosmetic concern, as experts say it can sometimes signal an underlying condition. As more Americans grapple with poor posture, obesity and chronic conditions requiring long-term medications, experts warn that these factors can contribute to the … Read more
Taking care of your health never gets old. As we age, it’s important to maintain healthy habits — including proper nutrition, regular exercise and quality sleep — and to follow recommended preventive care, such as cancer screenings and vaccines. Keeping it simple, here are the two key things women should do each decade to stay … Read more
The age-old fixation. Hitting 100 rotations around the sun is no small feat, with just an estimated 101,000 centenarians, representing 0.03% of the US population. New research, though, may have cracked the code for why some live to triple digits, and others don’t. While very few live to 100, a new study has found a … Read more
Cheers to that. A recent study published in the International Journal of Public Health found that moderate wine intake can be a boon for longevity and biological aging, or the age of our cells and organs. But before you open another bottle, there is a catch about overall wine consumption. A study recently found that … Read more
Talk about the ups and downs of dieting. Yo-yo dieting, a common pattern where people restrict calories to lose weight, then slip back into old eating habits before starting the cycle over again, has often been linked to more weight gain. But new research has turned the belief that this much-criticized diet habit is bad … Read more
Women aren’t the only ones getting boob jobs. While gynecomastia, or enlarged male breast tissue, often resolves on its own, a growing number of men are turning to plastic surgery to achieve a flatter, more contoured chest. The condition most commonly appears during natural hormonal shifts like puberty, but other triggers can play a role … Read more
We’ve all been there: A moment of stress hits or boredom sets in, and suddenly the chip bag is empty and the pint of ice cream is gone. Almost everyone overeats on occasion. For some, however, these episodes of binging come with a sense of losing control, often followed by feelings of guilt and shame. … Read more
Here’s some egg-cellent news for hopeful parents-to-be. A widely used breast cancer drug could give IVF a boost, with new research showing that adding it to the standard hormone protocol may increase success rates in some difficult-to-treat patients. The findings come as more Americans than ever are turning to the treatment, in which eggs are … Read more