Category: Health

buritora/Shutterstock.com How much do your genes determine how long you’ll live? It’s a question that fascinates us, and one that’s been debated for decades. For years, the answer seemed settled – genes account for about 20–25% of the variation in human lifespan, with the rest down to lifestyle and environment. But a new study published […]

Vitalii Vodolazskyi/Shutterstock.com Donald Trump can change the temperature of a room with a sentence. One minute he is certain, the next he is backtracking. One day he is threatening, the next he is hinting at a deal. Even before anything concrete happens, people brace for his next turn. That reaction is not just political. It […]

The lifelong mental health impact of socioeconomic inequalities were even larger in women from the Baby Boomer generation. PerfectWave/ Shutterstock It’s been almost five years since the end of the COVID lockdowns. Yet the world is still continuing to learn about how mental health changed during – and after – this unprecedented time. My colleagues […]

Nicoleta Ionescu/Shutterstock.com For most people, cold weather is an inconvenience, requiring an extra layer of clothing or the thermostat to be turned up. For others, exposure to cold can trigger an allergic reaction severe enough to cause them to collapse. Cold urticaria is a rare but potentially dangerous condition in which contact with cold temperatures […]

Oksana Shufrych/Shutterstock.com Many women recognise the pattern. A routine procedure takes longer than expected. It’s more uncomfortable than promised. The doctor reassures them that this sometimes happens, or suggests anxiety or muscle tension might be playing a role. But often the explanation is simpler – and anatomical. This mismatch between bodies and procedures isn’t related […]

Pre-workout supplements may modestly boost energy, strength, focus and stamina. Asier Romero/ Shutterstock Finding the energy to exercise in the morning or after a long day is a common problem. This might explain why pre-workout supplements have become so popular. These supplements can bring you more focus and energy for your training sessions – making […]

CandyRetriever/Shutterstock We may not need to completely overhaul our lives to live healthier for longer, according to a large UK-based study. This is welcome news, particularly as many people will already have abandoned their New Year’s resolutions. The recent study followed around 590,000 people in the UK, with an average age of 64, over an […]

January arrives with a familiar hangover. Too much food. Too much drink. Too much screen time. And suddenly social media is full of green juices, charcoal supplements, foot patches and seven-day “liver resets”, all promising to purge the body of mysterious toxins and return it to a purer state. In the first episode of Strange […]

Dragon Images/Shutterstock.com Cancer and Alzheimer’s disease are two of the most feared diagnoses in medicine, but they rarely strike the same person. For years, epidemiologists have noticed that people with cancer seem less likely to develop Alzheimer’s, and those with Alzheimer’s are less likely to get cancer, but nobody could explain why. A new study […]

Speeding along an open road on my motorcycle, flanked by the great outdoors, the engine hums and the noise in my mind disappears. Riding a motorcycle demands total presence. Focus isn’t optional. It’s a matter of survival. After all, a wandering mind could lead to disaster. But it’s not fear or panic that sharpens my […]