3 tiny habit shifts could protect your heart in a surprisingly big way
It does not take a complete lifestyle overhaul to start protecting your heart. Researchers from the University of Sydney have found that three modest daily adjustments, when made together, are associated with a meaningful reduction in the risk of serious cardiovascular events including heart attacks, strokes and heart failure. The study, which tracked more than […]
Why hiking makes you healthier than you ever imagined
It looks like a leisure activity — but hiking delivers measurable physical and mental health benefits that most workouts simply cannot match. She is not rushing. Sitting on a rock ledge with mountains stretched out behind her, thermos in hand, backpack resting at her side — she looks like someone who earned this moment. That […]
Why Diet Soda Drinkers Face a Surprising Health Warning
For years, diet soda has been positioned as the sensible alternative for people trying to cut back on sugar. A new study involving more than 103,000 participants suggests that framing may need to be reconsidered, particularly when it comes to liver health. The research found that both sugar-sweetened and low or non-sugar-sweetened beverages were associated […]
Your vitamin D supplement has some complicated relationships worth knowing
Taking a vitamin D supplement daily does not guarantee the body is absorbing or using it effectively. What else is in the supplement routine, when each one gets taken and how they interact with each other determines how much of it actually reaches the tissues that need it. Four nutrients in particular have documented interactions […]
Vaccines still divide opinion, the science behind them does not
Healthcare professionals break down how vaccines train the immune system, who needs them most, and why the science behind them has remained consistent for decades. Few medical interventions have prevented more suffering than vaccines. Yet for something so well-studied and widely available, they remain surprisingly misunderstood. Healthcare professionals say the gap between what vaccines do […]
This healthy habit seems to trigger more brain-boosting power when you are new to it
A growing body of evidence connects regular physical activity to better brain health, but a new study adds a more specific and compelling layer to that relationship. Researchers found that people who were previously inactive experienced significantly larger post-exercise releases of a brain-protective protein after completing a 12-week fitness program, with those increases linked to […]
Why Clove water fans may want to read this first
Clove water is made by soaking or simmering whole cloves in water and drinking the resulting infusion. The appeal is straightforward. The dried flower buds of the Syzygium aromaticum tree, native to Indonesia, have been used in cooking and traditional medicine for centuries. They carry a strong aroma, a distinctively sweet and pungent flavor and […]
Your gas stove may be leaking dangerous benzene
Most people only worry about their gas stove while it is actually on. New research suggests the real concern may begin the moment the flame goes out. A new study has found that close to 1 in 10 homes with gas hobs in the United Kingdom have leaks occurring in standby mode, quietly allowing benzene […]
Body mass index has 4 serious limitations that every patient should understand right now
Body mass index is the health metric that has been doing the most work in clinical medicine for the longest time with the least justification for that level of trust. Developed by Belgian mathematician Adolphe Quetelet in the 1830s as a statistical tool for describing population distributions, it was never designed as a clinical diagnostic […]
New study finds APOE4 carriers who eat more meat show significantly less cognitive decline
A new observational study published in JAMA Network Open has found that people carrying the APOE4 genetic variant, the strongest known genetic risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease, may experience slower cognitive decline when they eat higher amounts of meat. The finding does not apply broadly to the general population and the researchers are careful to […]