https://medicalxpress.com/healthy-living-news/ en-us Latest health news and information about Healthy Living Ever feel that the arrival of summer sun makes you feel a bit dopey? You wouldn't be the only one. Soaring temperatures are known for their ability to slow our thought processes, making even everyday tasks seem like a baffling ordeal. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-hot-extreme-affect-brain.html Fri, 14 Aug 2026 19:40:04 EDT news705756591 Before breakfast, you may already have checked your sleep score, resting heart rate or blood oxygen level. By bedtime, you might look at your step count, stress score or even an estimate of your biological age. For millions of people, keeping tabs on health and well-being has become almost as routine as checking the weather. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-ten-adults-track-health-survey.html Fri, 14 Aug 2026 16:20:01 EDT news705842397 Measuring waist size may be one of the simplest and most effective ways to detect obesity-related health risks, according to a study by Rutgers Health researchers. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-waist-size-powerful-indicator-health.html Fri, 14 Aug 2026 15:20:02 EDT news705933541 Most people in the UK already monitor their own health and well-being, and an overwhelming majority would be happy to do more if advised by the NHS, according to a new University of Manchester–led study. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-uk-adults-track-health-unequal.html Fri, 14 Aug 2026 11:11:30 EDT news705924659 Obesity is a global health concern that can contribute to diabetes, cardiovascular disease and other metabolic disorders. While many health conditions can lead to obesity, an increasingly worrying cause is found on grocery shelves: high-fat foods. These foods are known to be hard to resist and can promote overeating. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-impaired-brain-protein-fat-cravings.html Thu, 13 Aug 2026 17:20:06 EDT news705853141 Only 13 low- and middle-income countries offer smokers the full support needed to help them quit, leaving around 1.3 billion people without access to effective care, according to a new study. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-health-smokers-poorest-nations-experts.html Thu, 13 Aug 2026 17:00:04 EDT news705758461 Most individuals encounter their health primarily through an annual health screening, which provides a limited snapshot of their health status. A new study by the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore (NUS Medicine), challenges the way we think about health and longevity by seeking to understand what occurs between those assessments, focusing on function rather than static markers and tracking how physiology changes moment to moment. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-professor-subject-longevity-biological-age.html Thu, 13 Aug 2026 11:40:01 EDT news705839287 Three minutes of sprinting can do something that 90 minutes of moderate exercise apparently cannot: dramatically reshape the molecular contents of the bloodstream. Rockefeller researchers comparing different intensities of exercise found that six sets of 30-second, all-out sprints altered nearly a quarter of the proteins measured immediately afterward. Moderate, continuous cycling for 90 minutes altered fewer than one-quarter of 1%. And while moderate treadmill running changed more proteins than cycling, it still altered far fewer than a quick sprint. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-minutes-sprinting-bigger-impact-moderate.html Thu, 13 Aug 2026 11:00:01 EDT news705833761 An international study has found that despite two decades of global tobacco control efforts, the message still is not getting through to enough smokers that smoking and secondhand smoke cause heart attacks and strokes. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-smokers-largely-unaware-heart-disease.html Thu, 13 Aug 2026 10:20:01 EDT news705831198 Coffee is one of the world's most widely consumed beverages, and previous research has linked its consumption to a lower risk of conditions such as type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. However, the biological mechanisms behind these benefits remain unclear. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-coffee-consumption-linked-leaner-body.html Thu, 13 Aug 2026 10:00:01 EDT news705833641 Taking the stairs could help you live longer—according to new research from the University of East Anglia and the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital. The study, published today, suggests that climbing stairs significantly reduces the risk of dying from cardiovascular disease. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-stairs-early-death.html Wed, 12 Aug 2026 19:10:03 EDT news705671582 For decades, food manufacturers have been able to decide which food chemicals were safe enough to add to their products based on general government guidelines. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-fda-food-makers-chemicals.html Wed, 12 Aug 2026 16:40:03 EDT news705763812 Ultra-processed foods (UPFs) account for nearly 60% of adults' and 70% of children's energy intake in the United States. These industrially manufactured products—such as soft drinks, packaged cereals and snacks, and processed meats—are made with refined fats, oils, sugars, starches, salts and other additives that can enhance flavor, texture and shelf life while reducing nutritional value. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-ultra-foods-linked-notably-higher.html Wed, 12 Aug 2026 12:00:03 EDT news705753569 In 2024, diet and nutrition apps had reached a global market value of $2.1 billion, with an anticipated value of $4.5 billion by 2030. Most of these apps now include AI-powered photo recognition as a standard feature. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-emory-accurate-track.html Wed, 12 Aug 2026 10:30:01 EDT news705740803 There's no shortage of weight-loss advice on social media, TikTok, television and AI chatbots. But the most credible source—a patient's own primary care doctor—is often the one they're not hearing from. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-patients-obesity-dont-weight.html Wed, 12 Aug 2026 09:00:03 EDT news705735857 A new national survey commissioned by The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center finds most U.S. adults believe brain health habits should begin before age 40. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-survey-americans-brain-health-habits.html Wed, 12 Aug 2026 00:10:01 EDT news705588539 A clinical trial has demonstrated that a virtual prevention intervention reduced cannabis and alcohol use among American Indian and Alaska Native emerging adults. In this study, published in JAMA Network Open, researchers tested the efficacy of a program called Traditions and Connections for Urban Native Americans (TACUNA) that blends evidence-based and traditional practices to prevent substance use and bolster cultural connections. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-virtual-intervention-substance-american-indians.html Tue, 11 Aug 2026 17:20:01 EDT news705685501 Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States, according to the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. Its impact extends beyond biology, with social determinants such as food insecurity, socioeconomic status and education influencing outcomes. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-america-heart-disease-crisis-hypertension.html Tue, 11 Aug 2026 16:20:08 EDT news705678962 A new study of sunscreens, baby lotions, shampoos, soaps and other everyday products found that nearly all contained chemicals not disclosed on their labels. Most contained at least one unlabeled chemical with known or suspected health hazards, and one in four contained a chemical that contradicted claims on the package, including "phthalate-free" products that contained phthalates. The research is published in Environment & Health. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-everyday-personal-products-unlabeled-chemicals.html Tue, 11 Aug 2026 15:40:08 EDT news705672061 With temperatures forecast to climb to 36°C (97°F) in parts of the UK, heat health alerts are once again in place—and for many people, it will mean more than an uncomfortable few days. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-difference-exhaustion-heatstroke.html Tue, 11 Aug 2026 14:40:09 EDT news705670654 In a study conducted at the Universities of Jyväskylä and Eastern Finland, more screen time since childhood was associated with better cognitive processing in adolescence. According to one of the researchers, we should not regard screen time solely as harmful. The most important thing is to find a balance between physical activity and screen time that promotes active thinking. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-screen-childhood-cognitive-adolescence.html Tue, 11 Aug 2026 14:00:05 EDT news705665472 Long-term diabetes management requires continuous blood glucose monitoring to detect abnormalities early and intervene in time. However, conventional fingertip blood sampling is both painful and inconvenient, while most continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) products currently available on the market rely on biological enzymes—requiring regular replacement, incurring higher costs and demanding stringent storage conditions. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-wearable-microneedle-patch-empowers-conventional.html Tue, 11 Aug 2026 14:00:03 EDT news705667861 Inside the human body, powerful natural antioxidants often face a destructive journey. Ellagic acid, a bioactive polyphenol abundant in berries and walnuts, possesses remarkable antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and health-promoting properties. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-starch-packages-antioxidant-ellagic-acid.html Tue, 11 Aug 2026 11:40:10 EDT news705658895 Fatty fish has long been viewed as "brain food" that supports cognitive health through anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and vascular mechanisms. That has led researchers to ask whether the benefits of fatty fish might extend to Alzheimer's disease prevention. But the answer may not be that simple, according to a new study by scientists at the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging (HNRCA) at Tufts University. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-fish-trial-brain-food-alzheimer.html Tue, 11 Aug 2026 10:40:03 EDT news705651362 Adults who do both aerobic and muscle-strengthening exercises are less likely to develop a raft of chronic diseases, researchers have found. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-strength-vital-chronic-disease.html Tue, 11 Aug 2026 09:40:02 EDT news705648121 New research investigated the dietary preferences of 9,000 Australians, finding that people whose diets included foods with higher levels of 'bitterness' had healthier, more nutritious diets. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-dietary-advice-bitter.html Tue, 11 Aug 2026 08:20:03 EDT news705647162 Replacing 15 minutes of sleep or sedentary behavior with 15 minutes of movement was each linked to a 2% reduced risk of cancer, new UCL research has found. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-fifteen-minutes-movement-linked-cancer.html Mon, 10 Aug 2026 15:32:05 EDT news705594685 Many people living with chronic illness say advice about physical activity can feel overwhelming or create feelings of guilt. According to the researchers, the way health care professionals communicate about physical activity may influence whether patients feel more confident about being active and experience it as meaningful. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-physical-chronic-illness.html Mon, 10 Aug 2026 14:40:01 EDT news705590791 Type 2 diabetes usually develops over many years, yet preventive measures often begin only once blood glucose levels are already elevated. An international panel of experts led by University Hospital Tübingen and the German Center for Diabetes Research (DZD) is therefore calling for a fundamental shift in thinking: Diabetes prevention should take the entire life course into account—from the period before pregnancy through older adulthood. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-prediabetes-remission-central-goal-diabetes.html Mon, 10 Aug 2026 13:00:01 EDT news705582782 Europe is in the grip of yet another deadly heat wave. Over 10,000 excess deaths were recorded during late June 2026 alone—and the toll keeps climbing. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-heatstroke-deadly-body-cools.html Mon, 10 Aug 2026 11:00:03 EDT news705572462