Various Health
Diverse health research and cross-disciplinary studies. General health insights and scientific curiosities.
Everyday Advice
People do not die of old age: aging weakens the body and disease causes death
A common phrase says someone “died of old age.” Medicine says otherwise. Doctors do not certify “old age” as a…
videoMedCircle: mental health interviews with psychiatrists & psychologists
Mental health interviews with world-class psychiatrists & psychologists, providing mental health advice packed with actionable takeaways and clear explanations of…
You should wear sunscreen every day
Wearing sunscreen daily is essential for protecting your skin from harmful UV rays, which can cause premature aging, skin damage,…
Study Findings
A new cholesterol pill cut bad cholesterol by about 60% in a large trial
CORALreef Lipids is now peer-reviewed in the NEJM (4 February 2026): once-daily oral enlicitide decanoate on top of statins in most participants cut LDL cholesterol by about 56 percentage points versus placebo at 24 weeks, with similar short-term adverse-event rates in the trial. Cardiovascular outcome benefit for this oral drug is still unproven until CORALreef Outcomes reports.
Bedroom night light ties to higher heart and stroke risk
In 88,905 adults followed with wrist light sensors, brighter nights were tied to higher future risks of coronary disease, heart attack, heart failure, atrial fibrillation, and stroke under the paper's primary model 3 (demographics, socioeconomic factors, physical activity, smoking, alcohol, diet, and urbanicity). That pattern is association, not proof that your bedroom lamp causes disease. A lab study in healthy young adults found one night of moderate room light during sleep caused a higher nighttime heart rate and lower heart-rate variability and showed higher HOMA-IR, higher 30-minute insulin area under the curve, and a lower Matsuda index the next morning versus very dim light. For everyday sleep space habits, the CDC recommends a cool, dark, quiet bedroom and limiting bright artificial light before bed.
HSL helps maintain fat tissue from inside the nucleus
A Cell Metabolism study (first published online 23 October 2025) reports that hormone-sensitive lipase (HSL) is active on fat droplets and in fat-cell nuclei, where it helps maintain adipose tissue. In the mouse models and rare human HSL-deficiency cases described in the paper, the phenotype is lipodystrophy (abnormal loss or redistribution of fat tissue), not obesity. The work reframes how too much and too little functional fat tissue can both strain metabolism. It does not replace medical or lifestyle advice or prove any new treatment.
Walking over 100 minutes a day tied to 23% less chronic back pain
A Norwegian study of 11,194 adults found that those who walked more than 100 minutes a day were 23% less likely to develop chronic low back pain over about four years than those who walked under 78 minutes. Walking time mattered more than pace.
The positive impact of cats on mental and physical health
Cats can offer significant mental and physical health benefits. Research shows that interactions with cats can reduce stress, alleviate anxiety,…
People in southern California breathe high levels of plastic chemicals every day
Scientists from the University of California, Riverside and Duke University used simple silicone wristbands to track what people breathe in…
Lab Research
Injectable nanobots could deliver drugs to exact spots in the body
Recent advancements in nanotechnology have led to the creation of tiny robots, or nanobots, that can be injected into the…
Google’s AMIE chatbot beat doctors at diagnosis in staged chats
In a Google test where actors played patients by text chat, the AMIE chatbot named the right diagnosis more often than 20 family doctors and scored higher on 24 of 26 patient ratings.
Writers in Britain, India and China praised only narrow waists
A 2007 study found that all 66 British descriptions of a woman's waist written from 1500 to 1799 praised a narrow one, as did ancient Indian and Chinese poems. It counted texts and did not test men's choices.
Creatine eased long COVID pain and focus problems but not fatigue
In a six-month trial of 12 people with long COVID, 4 g of creatine a day raised creatine in muscle and brain and eased aches, headaches, and poor concentration, but fatigue did not change. A 2026 trial later reported less fatigue at 6 g a day with exercise.
Biogents traps cut tiger mosquito bites by up to 87% in Italy
Biogents' BG-Sentinel traps cut tiger mosquito bites by 64% to 87% at three Italian sites. Its garden model, the BG-Mosquitaire, caught as many mosquitoes as the BG-Sentinel in 2019 US trials, which did not count bites.