Unrelated to COVID-19, it turns out that olfactory impairment, or the loss of smell, is associated with a higher risk of early death. In a recent meta-analysis published in the journal JAMA Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery, researchers pooled data on over 21,000 patients. They found that compared to people with a normal sense of smell, […]

A new study shows that a child’s physical fitness is related to his or her concentration and health-related quality of life. In the study, published in the Journal of Clinical Medicine, German researchers studied over 6500 boys and girls. They found the higher the level of children’s physical fitness, the better they can concentrate and […]

Compared to women in other wealthy countries, American women have the highest rates of maternal mortality and preventable mortality. In a new study published by the Commonwealth Fund, researchers compared health data on women, not just from the U.S., but also the U.K., Canada, Australia, New Zealand, France, Germany, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, and the Netherlands. […]

A new study published in the Journal of Attention Disorders offers insight into which children are most likely to be bullied, and which ones might do the bullying. Researchers analyzed data from the National Survey of Children’s Health. They found that nearly half of children with ADHD are victims of bullying, while about 1 in […]

Dog bowls and other pet food dishes have been shown to have high levels of bacterial contamination, almost as high as toilets. And many human outbreaks of bacterial infections have been linked to contaminated dog food. A new study published in the journal PLOS ONE shows how few people follow the recommended guidelines for safe […]

In the U.S., makers of alcoholic beverages are required to put a notice about the risks of drinking and driving, operating machinery, drinking while pregnant, and other general health risks. But many have speculated that more prominent warning labels might further discourage drinking alcohol, especially among younger people. According to a new study out of […]

New research suggests that the average person ingests five grams of plastic particles each week. In a study published in the journal Exposure & Health, researchers at the Medical University of Vienna calculated the amount of microplastics and nanoplastics that enter our food supply. Discarded plastic breaks down into micro and nanoparticles that enter the […]

Having certain personality traits might affect your later risk of cognitive impairment, according to a study published last week in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. Researchers at the University of Victoria in Canada analyzed the personalities of almost 2,000 people, looking at three key personality traits – conscientiousness, extroversion and neuroticism. Neuroticism is […]

If you want to improve your health and reduce your risk of earlier death, you might measure your waistline. According to new guidance from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence in the U.K., people should aim to cut their waistlines to less than half of their height. For example, for people 5 feet […]

Eating avocados might lower your risk of cardiovascular disease and heart attacks. In a new study published in the Journal of the American Heart Association, Harvard researchers followed over 100,000 men and women who completed dietary questionnaires every four years for three decades. None had a history of heart disease or stroke at the beginning […]