Posts:
By Jennifer Sweenie Obesity is a burden on the body—it also reshapes the brain. While its physical toll is well-known, mounting research shows that excess body fat changes the brain, affecting how we think, feel, and understand. The connection is made worse because...
By Julia Flynn Siler What really makes for a fulfilling life? This question has been on Tyler J. VanderWeele’s mind for decades. In his first faculty job as a biostatistician at the University of Chicago, he was dissatisfied with how scientists defined and measured...
By Mikkael A. Sekeres, MD You probably know some of the most common causes of cancer, thanks to the efforts of public health campaigns. In 1964, U.S. Surgeon General Luther Terry issued the first report on smoking and health, which concluded that smoking caused lung...
By Theron Mohamed Warren Buffett defended his junk-food diet and distaste for exercise during Berkshire Hathaway's annual shareholder meeting on Saturday. Seated with two cans of Coca-Cola and a box of See's Candies on the table in front of him, the billionaire...
By Byron Johnson, Tyler J. Vander Weele and Brendan Case According to the 2025 World Happiness Report, which was released last month, the happiest country in the world is Finland, trailed closely by Denmark, Iceland and Sweden. This news came as no surprise. The...
By Diana Raab During my doctoral research, I read a great deal about the powerful effect of writing on healing, especially following trauma. It’s obvious that the conscious mind remembers the details of events, but what is more subtle and less talked about is what the...
By Amanda Erickson As a social worker for older adults, Robyn Golden, 67, preached the importance of staying active as you age. In her early career, Golden was often inspired by the way her clients tackled new challenges. “I found it very enriching,” she said, to see...
By Alice Callahan We’re in a protein craze, and it’s hard to ignore. Walk into any grocery store and you’ll find rows of protein-fortified energy bars, breakfast cereals, baked goods, snacks, even sports drinks. And on social media, influencers — many with medical or...
By Tobi Amidor Although bread gets shunned by many, choosing the right type of bread can have positive effects on your gut. Of course, the opposite can possibly be true as well. Here is a rundown of five surprising side effects bread has on your gut. It can improve...
By Lauran Neergaard A vaccine to fight dementia? It turns out there may already be one – shots that prevent painful shingles also appear to protect aging brains. A new study found shingles vaccination cut older adults’ risk of developing dementia over the next seven...
By Shi En Kim Salt — that beloved, ubiquitous, indispensable condiment. An essential nutrient, and yet the source of serious disease when consumed in excess. What counts as excess, however, is a bitter debate among some scientists. Regularly consuming too much salt...
By Karen Landman In January, a study published in the journal Nature Medicine suggested that by 2060, the number of Americans with dementia will double to a total of one million. Also doubling: The estimated lifetime risk of developing the condition, compared to...
By Dani Blum, Nina Agrawal and Alice Callahan Five years — and hundreds of millions of cases — after the World Health Organization declared the Covid-19 pandemic, scientists are getting a clearer picture of how the virus can affect the body long after an infection...
By Amudalat Ajasa Microplastics are everywhere. They’re in your liver, blood and even in your brain, and they’re almost impossible to avoid. Fortunately, there are some steps you can take to minimize your exposure. “This really is a public health crisis that people...
By Kenny Torrella For years, Jeff Simmons — the president and CEO of the large US pharmaceutical company Elanco — ridiculed a seemingly unlikely target on social media: the plant-based meat industry. As startups like Beyond Meat and Impossible Foods rose to...
By Christopher W.T. Miller, MD Why can’t anything ever just stay still? A patient posed this question during a therapy session, reflecting on how, as we age, many things can get thrown into disarray — home life, social relations, job security and health. It can be...
By Rachel Fairbank Experts had long believed that exercise could help protect against developing dementia. However, though they had observed a general pattern of reduced risk, studies on the subject had been small — and often conflicting — with little consensus on the...
By Alice Callahan You’ve probably heard these two bits of nutrition advice: Eat more plants, and cut back on ultraprocessed foods. So where does that leave fake-meat burgers, sausages, nuggets and other products sold by companies like Beyond Meat and Impossible Foods?...
By Christina Heiser Gluten-free eating has skyrocketed in popularity over the past decade, fueled by claims that cutting gluten leads to better health. This trend shows no signs of slowing down, with the global market for gluten-free foods projected to be valued at...
By Ali Pattillo In the last 30 years, our collective relationship with supplements has morphed into a full-blown obsession: More than half of adults in the United States today take supplements to “treat” nearly every health issue or psychological woe under the sun....
