Health in a Heartbeat is a daily radio series that features two-minute segments providing consumer-health information and the latest news on medical research, patient-care breakthroughs and health-care industry trends.
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A dog’s body can generate vitamin C. So, too, can a cat’s. Unfortunately, human ancestors lost that trick during their evolutionary climb. Roughly 40 million years ago, the forebearers of...
Many, if not most people, who take GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic or Wegovy lose weight. Others still are shedding pounds and punches. A new study from researchers at Rutgers University...
Now, don’t take this the wrong way. No one, absolutely nobody, is suggesting it is a good idea to smoke. The habit is linked to higher risk of cancer, heart...
Before antibiotics, a ruptured appendix was tantamount to a death sentence. And until 1922, when a 14-year-old Canadian teen was injected with insulin, people with Type 1 diabetes would nearly...
Is there anything better than sitting? By looking at the rates of Americans who engage in the sedentary activity — roughly half of the population, by the way — you’d...
The joy of probiotics is largely exhibited — and, let’s be honest with ourselves, felt — in the bathroom. A healthy gut allows for smoother moves, so to speak, and...
Fish oil supplements are a huge industry. Americans spend more than $1 billion a year on them, hoping to support brain health by taking in the omega-3 fatty acids they...
You might have encountered jackfruit in tropical areas or as a meat substitute in vegan tacos. Boasting a mild flavor and greenish-yellow textured skin, it’s the largest fruit to grow...
For more than three decades, glucosamine has been marketed as a way to relieve painful joints. But a new study suggests the popular supplement also might be linked to faster...
What would it be like to be stronger for longer? A new study from researchers at Duke explores how regular exercise not only keeps your muscles healthy but also helps...
Who among us has not turned to a vice when under an onslaught of stress? Whether it’s a pint of ice cream, endless video games or a glass of wine,...
Collagen is the most prevalent protein in our bodies. It’s in our hair, skin, fingernails, bones, blood vessels and intestines, of all places. As we age, our bodies begin to...
While you were sleeping, your muscles knit themselves back together and your metabolism whirred along. Now, researchers from California are exploring the system behind sleep and human growth hormone —...
An achy knee or hip joint’s thin or nonexistent cartilage growing back sounds like something a person facing joint-replacement surgery might daydream about. But researchers led by Stanford University say...
Butterflies are beautiful. The colorful patterns on their wings camouflage them and can fool predators into thinking they’re staring into the eyes of larger, more dangerous creatures. Alas, the lives...
Alzheimer’s strips its sufferers of their memories and their independence; it robs families of precious time with loved ones who still know them. The disease has no cure. Unsurprisingly, many...
A common trope reinforced by Hollywood depictions of older adults is that they start to lose their mental sharpness as they enter their golden years. A recent study by University...
Dieters have long been warned against repeatedly gaining and losing weight, often called yo-yo dieting or weight cycling. It’s bad for our bodies and potentially worse than staying overweight —...
Technically, you could call it fruit juice. While tomato juice often shoulders the burden of brunch beverages and soup additives, it’s rarely a drink we reach for without purpose. Now,...
If you want to predict how many birthday candles you’ll be blowing out, consult the body’s crystal ball: the thymus. This long-overlooked part of the immune system was thought to...
A meat-curing agent sold in a highly potent form online is connected to a rising number of suicides around the world. In a new study from the United Kingdom, postmortem...
Some moisturizers purport to address wrinkles and brighten. Others go to war with dryness, promising dewy skin without a single visible pore. But soon there might be a new contender...
Napoleon Bonaparte, Babe Ruth and Lady Gaga were all lefties. You might call them “southpaws,” the less-flattering “goofy-handeds” or, if you’re Australian, “mollydookers.” And while there’s no comparable set of...
Many of us hated them in gym class. The push-up won’t make anyone’s list of the most enjoyable physical activities … unless you’re a Marine Corps drill instructor. Recruits, no...
The virtual meeting ends and you stretch, shuffling over to the snack cabinet. You see fruit snacks, cookies and raisins. The kitchen counter has a bowl of fruit. But you?...
