ArcaMax

If you're 45 to 65 years old and love eating ultra-processed foods (UPF) -- even though you know they're damaging your mind and body -- you may be addicted to these seductive products.

A study in the journal Addiction looked at data on 2,000 folks and found that 21% of women and 10% of men ages 45 to 60, who grew up or were young adults when ...Read more

Can't quite remember what you were looking for on the computer? Not sure what that person's name is? A study in Neurology reports that cognitive problems are on the rise, especially among younger folks. Looking at 4.5 million survey responses, researchers found that almost 10 % of folks under age 40 say that physical, mental, or emotional ...Read more

The phrase "You are what you eat" is adapted from an 1826 book by a French foodie titled "The Physiology of Taste." And while it may be true, the author missed another noteworthy truth: You are what you drink.

Two new studies show how important it is to drink plenty of water and skip soft drinks entirely. (You already know you should only drink...Read more

Artificial intelligence (AI) is responsible for producing just under 20% of all corporate and government written content, from job posts to press releases, and one study found that AI was used in about one out of 10 student writing assignments. No wonder a Pew Research Center survey found that around half of you are worried about how AI will be ...Read more

Your gut contains 10 times as many microbial cells as there are in the rest of your body -- for a total of around 100 trillion microbes (bacteria, fungi, viruses, etc.) from up to 5,000 different species. These busy little organisms help you get energy from food; help manufacture neurotransmitters like dopamine (involved with movement, pleasure,...Read more

When the Borg declared "resistance is futile," in "Star Trek: The Next Generation," they seemed to be right on, much of the time. But new research shows that resistance -- exercise, that is -- is never futile, it slows aging, protects nerve health and keeps your muscles and brain in top condition. And you're never too old to reap the benefits!

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Plastics are everywhere -- in our brains, bloodstream, and lungs and in pregnant women's placenta, where they can cause long-term damage to a child's cognition, heart health and fertility. They're also suspected of causing childhood asthma and leading to hormone disruption, chronic inflammation, IQ loss and neurodevelopmental issues such as ...Read more

Just 12% of the U.S. population is eating 50% of the beef that's consumed in a day -- and according to a study in Nutrients, a vast majority of those folks are teen and adult men. That may help explain why men generally develop heart disease seven to 10 years earlier than women (whose risk increases after menopause and then may exceed men's).

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The legalization of cannabis has made it hard to walk down the street in some urban centers without inhaling a good dose of smoke from weed, and chewables are everywhere. As of April 2025, 39 states, three territories, and the District of Columbia allow cannabis use for medical conditions, and 24 states, two territories, and the District of ...Read more

In 2024, Americans spent more than $21 billion on chocolate treats -- and while 40% of folks say milk chocolate is their favorite, 28% like dark chocolate best. And it's the dark chocolate that contains less added sugar and more of the nutrient-rich cacao that delivers anti-inflammatory, heart-friendly, anti-cancer polyphenols, antioxidants and ...Read more

Chances are you -- or someone you know -- is contending with back pain. Nearly 65 million Americans say they've had a recent bout of "bad-back-itis," and around 16 million adults contend with life-altering, chronic back pain.

But what if you could walk away from the achy, stiff, lousy feeling that back pain can cause? Well, you can. According ...Read more

"Round like a circle in a spiral, like a wheel within a wheel. Never ending or beginning on an ever-spinning reel," are lyrics from "The Windmills of Your Mind." But they could describe the relationship of diabetes and depression.

It turns out that people living with diabetes are 48% more likely to develop depression than folks without diabetes...Read more

With all the good news about new weight-loss medications, bariatric surgeries decreased by around 25% in 2024, according to a Harvard University study. But for severely obese patients or those who cannot tolerate the oral medications, weight-loss surgery offers a life-saving alternative.

According to a study in JAMA Network Open that used data ...Read more

More U.S. kids than ever are nearsighted -- it affected about 25% in the early '70s and by 2000, it hit 42%. A lot of the blame is placed on screen time. Kids now spend an average of 7.5 hours a day staring at a digital image only a few inches from their faces. No wonder the world seems blurry when they finally look up.

But there might be ...Read more

More than 70% of U.S. adults age 60-plus have high blood pressure, yet only one in four of those folks has their blood pressure (BP) under control -- often because they don't take their prescribed medications.

If that describes you, whether you don't like your med's side effects or are simply neglecting your health, it's important to find and ...Read more