Health

More than one-third of adults in England have high blood pressure, and two-thirds of them are unaware of their diagnosis, according to a new study of 1.4 million adults published in BMJ Public Health. The study also reported that only half of adults with high blood pressure who are treated by a doctor have their condition adequately controlled.

Doctors have long recommended investing in physical health for its potential long-term benefits, especially as we age. Over 30 years, regular exercise might help preserve our functional ability.

You reach into your pantry for a bottle of vitamin D. Then get some fish oil capsules from the fridge. Gulp! What’s a little fish burp for a healthier brain, right? But then you see the headline: Studies link vitamin D, fish oil and glucosamine to cognitive decline in older adults. Say what?

We know that being near someone we love can make us feel good. A new study explains why: It helps the body work better. A study led by Professor Shir Atzil and doctoral student Monia Masalha of Hebrew University and Dr. Shai Fuchs of Sheba Medical Center found that blood glucose levels after a meal were lower when participants ate with others than when they ate alone. After the same standardized carbohydrate meal, participants had smaller glucose spikes and quicker glucose recovery in the social condition.

The colorings, additives and preservatives added to food products, as well as food processing techniques, are a source of concern in 2026 because they are ubiquitous worldwide, yet their effects on metabolic health are not fully understood. Researchers are also increasingly investigating how they may affect the brain as people age. Dr. Owen Carmichael of LSU’s Pennington Biomedical Research Center is helping advance that understanding through a comprehensive look at the potential relationship between ultraprocessed foods—those featuring extensive processing and additives—and the aging brain.

The numbers are clear: Americans aren’t getting enough fiber.

When some people think of a heart attack, they picture sudden, crushing chest pain and an ambulance trip to the emergency room. But not all heart attacks are so obvious. Some occur with mild or unusual symptoms, or no symptoms at all, leaving people unaware that damage has occurred.

Every morning, millions of people wake up hoping to look, think and feel younger than they did yesterday.

The numbers paint a grim picture. Roughly half of all U.S. adults are lonely, according to a 2023 report, and nearly as many feel socially isolated. Though just as serious as other health risks, loneliness and social isolation remain underappreciated as urgent public health concerns.

Experiencing childhood trauma appears to increase a young person’s likelihood of smoking, substance use and developing unhealthy eating habits by contributing to behavioral problems during adolescence, such as impulsivity and poor self-control. This is the finding of new research led by the University of Bath in the UK and colleagues at the University of São Paulo in Brazil.

Type 2 diabetes is increasingly affecting young adults in Germany, with new evidence showing poverty, low education and first-generation migration background as factors associated with the disease. A study from the Leibniz Institute for Prevention Research and Epidemiology—BIPS, using data from the German National Cohort (NAKO), finds that these social disparities persist even after accounting for family history and individual lifestyle, prompting calls for a shift from purely behavioral advice to structural environment-focused prevention.