General Health

Do you usually eat breakfast at the same time each day, or do busy mornings sometimes leave you skipping breakfast and eating an early lunch instead? A new study suggests that when you eat your first and latest meals daily may be tied to longevity. While earlier studies have connected breakfast skipping and eating late at night with worse health outcomes, researchers have had less evidence about whether eating at certain times of day carries different risks.

As aging progresses, it is often accompanied by increased body fat, reduced insulin sensitivity, and less efficient energy metabolism. Interventions such as regular exercise and caloric restriction have been shown to support healthy aging, but they are not always practical over the long term. Researchers are now exploring therapeutic alternatives that can reproduce similar metabolic benefits.

The risk of dementia may be influenced long before symptoms appear. New research suggests that avoiding three key midlife risks could help extend the number of years people live without dementia. Those free of all three risk factors experienced roughly 13 additional dementia-free years compared with people affected by all three.

While it’s well known that processed foods can harm health, a new study reveals the problem runs deeper than just excess calories, refined carbs, or unhealthy fats. Researchers found that certain preservative additives are independently associated with increased risk of high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease.

A slower walking pace is a common part of aging, but the reason may be more complex than previously thought. New findings suggest that older adults unconsciously prioritize staying upright and stable, even if it requires more effort and energy.  Although this shift may help maintain balance, researchers found that it can also lead to slower walking speeds, greater fatigue, and a heightened susceptibility to falls.

Choosing products made with avocado oil doesn’t necessarily mean you’re getting pure avocado oil. A new study found that nearly 9 in 10 processed foods labeled as containing avocado oil also contained cheaper oils, even though those oils weren’t listed on the ingredient label.

Valine is an essential amino acid the body relies on to make proteins and support normal growth and tissue repair. Unlike some other amino acids, it cannot be produced naturally by the body, so it has to be consumed through food. A new study found that restricting dietary valine extended bothmedian and maximum longevityin male mice while improving overall healthspan in both male and female mice.

As we grow older, the communication networks connecting the brain’s nerve cells can begin to break down, slowing memory and thinking. A new study suggests that speaking many languages may help protect these networks. The more languages people spoke, the younger their brains appeared.

For many people, grabbing a hot drink in a disposable cup is part of their daily routine. Yet the container holding your coffee or tea may not be as harmless as it seems. New research suggests the very cup designed to keep your drink hot could also be releasing tiny plastic particles into it.

Not all disposable cups release microplastics at the same rate. Researchers found that the cup material and beverage temperature both affect how many tiny plastic particles leach into a drink. Although microplastics were detected across all temperatures tested, hotter beverages triggered significantly greater particle release.

Measuring less than 5 millimeters, microplastics have emerged as an increasing public health concern. These tiny particles can enter the body through food, beverages, or the air we breathe, where they may build up in organs including the lungs and digestive system and contribute to inflammation and other health problems.

The study combined evidence from previous research with new laboratory testing. Researchers first reviewed 30 published studies, compiling 237 observations to assess how variables such as water temperature and soaking time influenced microplastic release. They then tested two popular types of disposable cups, those made entirely of polyethylene (PE) and paper cups with a polyethylene coating, to compare how much microplastic each released.

Researchers found that hot water caused the surface of polyethylene (PE) cups to become increasingly rough and irregular, a sign of physical degradation that likely contributed to greater microplastic shedding. By comparison, paper cups coated with polyethylene maintained smoother surfaces with less visible damage, which may have helped limit the release of plastic particles.

The study estimated that a single 10-ounce hot beverage consumed each day could add hundreds of thousands of microplastic particles to a person's yearly intake. Drinks served in polyethylene (PE) cups were associated with roughly 360,000 particles per year, while polyethylene-coated paper cups were estimated to release about 240,000 annually.

The healthiest and most environmentally friendly choice is a reusable cup made from stainless steel, glass or ceramic. Because these materials are non-reactive, they won't break down or release chemicals or plastic particles when filled with hot beverages.

Maintaining a healthy weight is becoming increasingly uncommon, with only one in four U.S. adults falling into that category. New research suggests excess weight may be responsible for significantly more cancers than once thought. After analyzing data from more than 450,000 people, researchers estimated that excess body fat is linked to over 11% of all cancer cases, nearly twice earlier estimates.

Being alone isn't necessarily harmful, but feeling lonely may be. According to a new study, older adults who experience persistent loneliness may face a faster decline in both cognitive and physical health. The researchers found that loneliness remained strongly linked to poorer brain health and an increased risk of early death, regardless of how socially isolated a person was.