Health

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is among the leading causes of death worldwide. In South Korea, it is the second-leading cause of death, and its incidence has continued to rise in recent years. CVD places a substantial burden on public health systems, society and the economy while also reducing quality of life. As a result, identifying effective strategies for prevention and management remains a major public health priority.

Cigarette smoking kills nearly half a million Americans each year, yet most people who smoke are unable to quit despite multiple attempts. Helping more people quit smoking remains one of the greatest opportunities to reduce tobacco-related disease and death.

From yoga studios to boutique gyms, workouts performed beneath infrared heating panels have become a visible fitness trend. Studios often claim that infrared heat improves circulation, flexibility and recovery, reduces inflammation and helps the body to “detoxify.”

High blood pressure can be better controlled with a strategy that combines boosting potassium intake with reducing sodium, according to a new report. High blood pressure, or hypertension, affects more than 1.28 billion adults worldwide and is a leading risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Public health guidelines underscore sodium reduction as the best way to reduce hypertension and cardiovascular disease risk.

A growing body of scientific evidence confirms what many of us know innately—spending time in nature is good for us. It not only lowers stress and depression, it strengthens immunity, boosts cognitive performance, promotes better sleep, fights inflammation, and helps the lungs and heart, research suggests.

A father’s diet can affect his children’s health and body composition before they are even conceived. A study of 43 triads of fathers, mothers and newborns treated in the public health care system of Ribeirão Preto in the state of São Paulo, Brazil, demonstrated this. The analysis revealed that the greater the consumption of ultra-processed foods by the fathers, the higher the birth weight and the greater the accumulation of fat in the baby’s thighs and suprailiac region. High birth weight and elevated body fat early in life are risk factors for cardiometabolic diseases in adulthood.

A walk in the park after a stressful day is a classic example of how nature can help people unwind. But natural environments may offer even more: enhancing mood and cognitive performance even when a person has not previously been stressed or depleted.

Sugar restriction during the first 1,000 days after conception may significantly reduce a person’s risk of developing Alzheimer’s by up to 46%. Those are the findings of a new study published in the journal npj Aging that examined the long-term effects of early-life nutrition on brain aging and lifelong mental health. The findings also suggest that some benefits may begin before birth.

Nearly 23 million Americans with blood pressure of 130/80 mm Hg or higher may be eligible for blood-pressure-lowering medications based on the 2025 American Heart Association/American College of Cardiology guideline, according to new, independent research published in the Journal of the American Heart Association.

First Peoples say cultural medicines remain central to health and well-being despite a lack of access. Access to physical medicines (ingested, inhaled and topical) is a top priority, according to new research led by Southern Cross University.

New research from the Guelph Family Health Study (GFHS) has found that circadian rhythm-related genes could influence the risk of obesity in children, highlighting an important connection between sleep and eating behavior.