Aging happens to everyone, but everyday habits can accelerate that damage. Blood vessels lose elasticity, blood pressure and cholesterol tend to rise, and those changes fuel cardiovascular disease — the…

Mint rarely gets credit: a sprig in a cocktail, a few leaves on a steak, or the familiar flavor in toothpaste. This unassuming herb plays bigger roles in traditional medicine…

RA-ILD, or rheumatoid arthritis–associated interstitial lung disease, can lurk behind symptoms that don’t seem related to the joints. RA-ILD causes inflammation and scarring (fibrosis) of lung tissue and makes breathing…

At its simplest, mayonnaise is an emulsion of egg yolks, oil, vinegar, and mustard. That dressing packs a lot of calories and fat, so many people treat it like a…

If your gums bleed when you brush, or stay red and swollen, it might not be just a mouth problem. Up to half of adults have some form of gum…

Tinnitus often begins after people are exposed to a very loud noise, like at a rock concert, but for many the ringing never stops. The sound is not external; the…

Some people seem to lose track of time entirely — clinical psychologist Russell Barkley coined the term “time blindness” in 1997 to describe the serious difficulty people with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder…

Peptides are short chains of amino acids — the building blocks of proteins in your body. Scientists have identified more than 7,000 biologically active peptides that occur naturally and help…

People with steatosis, or fatty liver, are more likely to develop one of the most aggressive forms of colon cancer, new research shows. The paper appears in Nature. The research…

How you eat ice cream, whether you bite, lick, or nibble, reveals a lot about your personality. People who bite their ice cream tend to be fearless, self-confident, and impulsive;…

Most people know that body odor comes from sweat. But sweat isn’t all the same. The strongest smells appear when bacteria on the skin break down secretions from apocrine glands,…

Many people reach for a cup of coffee after a big meal. That can work for some—but it isn’t always a good idea for everyone. How coffee affects the gut…

With Europe reeling from heat, few homes have air conditioning. Most people use fans, so the question of when a fan helps and when it makes things worse matters to…

The brain doesn’t act like a pile of isolated cells — it behaves like a neighborhood where neighbors shape each other’s behavior. Over a lifetime, that local “social network” influences…

Heart disease still kills more people worldwide than any other cause. Since the 1950s, doctors and patients have relied on cholesterol levels from a routine blood test to estimate risk.…

Not all sugars are the same. Fruits, vegetables, milk, and plain yogurt contain sugars, but they also provide vitamins, fiber, and phytonutrients — and milk provides protein and vitamin B12.…

Predicting the future can feel pointless, but it’s hard not to imagine where medicine might be in a few decades when we already see the start of bold experiments and…

A new analysis of nearly 460,000 people found a U-shaped link between resting heart rate and stroke risk. The researchers presented the results at the European Stroke Organization conference in…

The lymphatic system is a network of vessels, nodes, and organs that acts as the body’s drainage and defense system. Lymph collects excess fluid, waste products, and microbes from tissues,…

Cholesterol — a waxy substance the liver mainly makes. The body needs it to build cells and produce hormones, but there are different types. High levels of LDL, or low-density…

Breathing through your mouth can cause serious health problems. Sometimes mouth breathing stems from anatomical issues, such as a deviated septum or nasal polyps. In those cases, see a doctor;…

Watermelon can satisfy your sweet tooth — a single slice has just 46 calories and about 9 g of sugar. Its red flesh packs plenty of lycopene, an antioxidant that…

Dehydration means the body loses more fluid than it takes in. It can happen after diarrhea, heavy sweating, drinking alcohol, fever, or prolonged sun exposure. Drinking water is the simplest…

A project designed to survive the end of civilization and leave a record of humanity’s failure has resurfaced after several quiet years. Organizers say workers are assembling the steel structure…

Art lovers have long asked a simple but persistent question: why does Venus in Botticelli’s The Birth of Venus appear to have one eye misaligned? For a long time, people…

People often confuse social isolation with loneliness — but they aren’t the same. Social isolation is measurable: you can count how many people live with you or how many social…

Stand up too fast and your vision can go dark and your head can spin. A few seconds after you rise quickly from lying or sitting, your blood pressure can…

A survey of more than 180 dog behavior experts, trainers, and behavior specialists at the University of Lincoln found 18 risk factors for aggression, grouped into three categories: the owner,…

Before AI went mainstream in medicine, researchers found an unexpected helper: the everyday city pigeon. In 2015, researchers trained pigeons to tell apart images of breast tissue — distinguishing benign…

Midlife sneaks up on you: your body and daily habits shift slowly but noticeably. Doctors and dietitians tell men to adapt their diet and training now so they can keep…

Most aging research comes from animal experiments, but human data are beginning to form a clear picture. The story starts in 1935 at Cornell University. Professor Clive McCay split rats…

A major new study found that people with low blood pressure face a much higher risk of developing Alzheimer’s. Clinically, doctors consider blood pressure below 90/60 mm Hg to be…

Think of a cruise ship as a temporary city on the water. It has restaurants, theaters, elevators, cabins, kitchens, water systems, and pools. That layout is great for comfort —…

Healthy eating can lower your risk of type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and some cancers — and it can also help protect against depression and other mental-health problems. But for…

Dr. Baw Shergill, a consultant dermatologist who treats skin cancer and is a member of the British Association of Dermatologists, shares simple ways to make your skincare more effective. Here…

An analysis found that people who quit smoking had about a 16% lower risk of dementia than those who kept smoking. Former smokers’ risk was similar to the risk of…

Summer is finally here — and it’s a great moment to think about your heart. More daylight, warmer weather, and fresh produce make it easier to move more and eat…

You overslept, you’re rushing, you glance at your phone—and irritation hits. Your body flips the same switches that once helped people run from danger or fight predators. That reaction helps…

Three recent studies found links between weight-loss drugs—especially GLP-1 medications—and lower cancer risks in several settings. One retrospective analysis showed women who took GLP-1 drugs had a 30% lower chance…

For many people, appearance, especially hair, signals youth, attractiveness, and how they think others see them. Why hair matters so much Fabio Zuckelli says this comes from our need to…

Jet lag is a mismatch between our internal clock and the local time. The term “jet lag” first appeared in a 1966 Los Angeles Times article, where reporter Horace Sutton…

Money and status don’t tell the whole story. The authors looked beyond material factors (income, personal achievements) to behavioral tendencies — how patient people are, how willing they are to…

Women have dealt with hot flashes for centuries—sometimes mildly irritating, sometimes utterly draining. In 1582, Dr. Jean Libo of France was among the first to document the phenomenon. Even though…

Late spring fills the air with the heady scent of elderflower — a sure sign those shrubby trees are in bloom. Harvest the fragrant blossoms right now, when the clusters…

Burnout is the extreme, chronic form of stress: mental and emotional exhaustion, fatigue, and physical symptoms such as headaches or stomach pain. The problem isn’t only that we work too…

Use of dietary supplements has surged in recent years, but when people eat a balanced diet supplements usually provide little or no noticeable benefit. Worse, some products aren’t safe: high…

Psychologist Mark Travers says couples who were passionately in love yesterday can start to pull away, and if they don’t repair things, the gap usually widens. These shifts often begin…