Healthy living https://medicalxpress.com/healthy-living-news/ en-us Latest health news and information about Healthy Living Americans are hungry for information and policies around ultra-processed foods, study shows If your social media feed has suddenly filled with content about ultra-processed foods (UPFs), you're far from alone. Since the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services tasked federal agencies last year with developing UPF guidelines, the buzz has been hard to miss. Yet, despite widespread attention to the topic, federal guidelines have not yet materialized, and Americans are unsure how to make healthy choices for their families. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-americans-hungry-policies-ultra-foods.html Tue, 23 Jun 2026 15:09:03 EDT news701446114 Midlife strength training linked to lower diabetes risk Strength training may play an important role in reducing the risk of type 2 diabetes. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-midlife-strength-linked-diabetes.html Tue, 23 Jun 2026 15:00:05 EDT news701439905 Family-based behavioral treatment for children can prevent metabolic disease later in life Every parent wants to raise healthy kids who then grow up to become healthy adults. But when a third of children in the U.S. are either overweight or obese, that goal seems increasingly elusive. A new University at Buffalo study, covering 40 years of data and more than 1,000 families in different regions in the U.S., reveals that the family-based behavioral treatment developed at UB for children and parents who are overweight or obese can prevent children from developing metabolic disease when they grow up. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-family-based-behavioral-treatment-children.html Tue, 23 Jun 2026 14:40:23 EDT news701439768 Mediterranean-inspired diet with added methionine extends healthy lifespan in mice A plant- and fish-based, low-protein diet paired with small amounts of an amino acid commonly found in eggs, meat and dairy increased healthy lifespan and decreased frailty and fat mass in mice, according to a new USC study published in the journal Cell Metabolism. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-mediterranean-diet-added-methionine-healthy.html Tue, 23 Jun 2026 13:00:08 EDT news701434682 Smoking restrictions gain support across all 50 states over 30 years A recent study from researchers at the Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health and Human Longevity Science at the University of California San Diego developed and validated a new way to measure changing social norms around cigarette smoking and secondhand smoke exposure in the United States over the past three decades. The findings are published in the journal BMJ Public Health. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-restrictions-gain-states-years.html Sun, 21 Jun 2026 13:00:03 EDT news700914546 Fish oil supplements may not prevent Alzheimer's-related decline, clinical trial suggests Americans spend more than $1 billion annually on fish oil supplements, in part because of purported cognitive benefits from the omega-3 fatty acids they contain, essential nutrients that help form brain cell connections needed for cognition. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-fish-oil-supplements-alzheimer-decline.html Thu, 18 Jun 2026 19:30:01 EDT news700991042 Chewing sugary gum may enhance the cardiovascular benefits of nitrate-rich vegetables For the first time, researchers at King's College London have discovered a link between chewing sugary gum after consuming vegetables high in nitrate, such as beetroot, spinach and kale, and lowering blood pressure. The study is published in the British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-sugary-gum-cardiovascular-benefits-nitrate.html Thu, 18 Jun 2026 19:10:01 EDT news700989785 Sunscreen misinformation attracts high engagement on TikTok, study finds Sunscreen is overwhelmingly promoted in popular TikTok videos, but content containing health misinformation about sunscreen attracts disproportionately high audience engagement, according to a new study published June 18 in the open access journal PLOS Digital Health by Alessandro Marcon of the University of Alberta, Canada, and colleagues. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-sunscreen-misinformation-high-engagement-tiktok.html Thu, 18 Jun 2026 14:00:03 EDT news700988821 Turns out the 'gym bros' were right (kind of)—we should be eating more protein A new perspective paper published in Frontiers in Nutrition argues that current public health recommendations for physical activity and protein intake are designed to prevent deficiency rather than maximize long-term health, independence and quality of life. The paper explores first-principles questions: How much protein should you have? What exercises should you be doing? What does the latest science tell us? https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-gym-bros-kind-protein.html Wed, 17 Jun 2026 16:00:03 EDT news700923241