The evidence shows Americans are becoming lonelier, leading to mental and physical health problems for people of all ages. [Read more…]
The Health Effects of Daylight Savings Time
April 13, 2022 By Leave a Comment
Getting out of bed for a particular week in mid-March is often associated with heavy eyelids and foggy brains – the consequences of losing an hour of sleep when we push our clocks forward for daylight saving time. [Read more…]
Which Diet Works Better, Low-Fat or Low-Carb?
March 26, 2022 By Leave a Comment
If you’ve ever tried to lose weight, you’ve noticed the myriad of diet options out there: keto, paleo, WW (formerly Weight Watchers), the Mediterranean diet, and many more.
Is there a way to tell which one works the best? Public health officials have been asking this question for decades. The answer emerging from the most recent data is unexpected: They all work, and what works best for you depends on a variety of biological and lifestyle factors. [Read more…]
A Drink a Day May Not Be So Good for You, After All
March 24, 2022 By Leave a Comment
After a holiday season full of good cheer—and extra cocktails for many—more Americans than ever participated this year in “Dry January,” a month-long sobriety challenge that began as a public-health campaign in England. Surveys found that between 13 and 15 percent of Americans decided to forgo alcohol that month, an increase from last year.
That’s likely a good thing for their health. [Read more…]
Are Plant-Based Diets Really Better for You?
March 18, 2022 By Leave a Comment
An estimated 3 percent of Americans follow a vegan diet, not consuming any animal products at all; an additional 5 percent follow a vegetarian diet, eating eggs and dairy, but not meat. At the same time, Americans are eating more meat than ever. In 2020, we consumed an average of 265 pounds of meat per person, up from 97 pounds per person in 1999. [Read more…]
What We Can Do About Vaccine Hesitancy
March 17, 2022 By Leave a Comment
Currently, 62 percent of Americans age 5 and up are fully vaccinated for COVID-19, with 34 percent having received a booster dose. That leaves more than 100 million Americans who have made the choice to skip the COVID-19 vaccine despite clear evidence that the jabs help prevent serious illness.
Vaccine hesitancy is a serious public health challenge—one that researchers are learning more about. What’s going on here? [Read more…]
How Has COVID-19 Impacted Our Sleep?
December 10, 2021 By Leave a Comment
You probably know from personal experience that the COVID-19 pandemic has wreaked havoc on sleep for many people. If your own sleep hasn’t been affected, chances are you know someone who has experienced sleep problems in the past year and a half. [Read more…]
How Much Do You Really Need to Exercise?
October 9, 2021 By Leave a Comment
When a doctor prescribes medicine, he gives a precise dose calculated to maximize the health benefits while minimizing any side effects. Similar to medicine, we know that exercise is good for our health; it reduces the risk of developing chronic disease and prolongs our life. In fact, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control estimates that more than 8 percent of people in the U.S. over age 40 die as a result of too little exercise. [Read more…]
What You Thought About Your Metabolism May Be Wrong
September 1, 2021 By Leave a Comment
Talk to people who are middle-aged or older about body weight, and you’ll likely hear them complain about how their metabolism has slowed down. But our commonly held beliefs about metabolism – primarily, that it slows for older people and women – are likely completely wrong, according to a new groundbreaking study published in the journal Science this month. [Read more…]
How the Most Exceptional 100-Year-Olds Keep Their Minds Sharp
August 30, 2021 By Leave a Comment
Nearly 15 percent of people age 70 and older experience some form of dementia; that number jumps to nearly 35 percent for people over age 90. And yet other people live more than 100 years with sharp minds.
What helps some people protect their brain health well into the later years of life? That’s the question researchers from the Netherlands asked in a new, longitudinal study published in JAMA Network Open that examines mentally sharp 100-year-olds. [Read more…]
Can Technology Promote Weight Loss?
July 31, 2021 By Leave a Comment
More than half of the world’s population is overweight or obese, a trend that is contributing to significant health problems in people across the globe. Obesity is a major risk factor for many chronic health problems including heart disease, cancer, and diabetes.
Encouraging people to lose weight is one solution, but the evidence shows that weight loss is difficult and rarely sustained. [Read more…]
Drinking Coffee Is Actually Good for You
July 29, 2021 By Leave a Comment
Sixty-four percent of Americans drink coffee, adding up to 400 million cups daily. That’s a lot of coffee!
Researchers have long debated the health effects of one of America’s favorite drinks. In 1991, coffee was listed as a possible carcinogen by the World Health Organization. Research has demonstrated that coffee increases blood pressure and heart rate, but less is known about its impact on cardiovascular health. Coffee is not recommended for pregnant women because it’s unknown how it affects unborn babies. [Read more…]
