Food poisoning can sometimes cause serious long-term health issues

1 in 6 Americans get food poisoning each year

The US federal government estimates there are about 48 million cases of foodborne illness in the country annually, resulting in as many as 3,000 deaths and 128,000 hospitalizations. Food poisoning puts those with weakened immune systems, the elderly, pregnant people, and young children at particularly high risk. This chart of common disease-causing pathogens highlights common threats and details about them, including likely food sources.

Lengthy incubation periods are why it’s tough to link foodborne illness to specific foods

People may not get sick from a foodborne pathogen for several days after consuming it, making it a challenge to link the illness and its cause. Factors influencing when a person starts feeling sick—even as the pathogen is multiplying in the gut—include individual variations in immune systems and gut microbiomes, what other foods are in the person’s body, and how much of the pathogen was consumed.

We can get food poisoning from spending time in swimming pools, lakes, rivers, and ponds

Some of the same pathogens that may sicken us in food or water may also sicken us in recreational swimming environments. Bacteria can rub off of people’s (or animal’s) bodies or contaminate the water through a diarrheal episode. Washing your hands for at least 20 seconds before eating food if you are at the beach, pool, or other similar environments and being sure not to swallow the water are ways to help keep safe.

See why food poisoning makes you feel nauseous

Scroll through these illustrations to learn what’s happening behind the scenes with bacterial foodborne illnesses, including why we sometimes vomit and how the body reacts to toxins secreted by bacteria.

Natural toxins produced on plants or consumed by animals may cause food poisoning

When humans eat plants with certain natural toxins on them—including a family of toxins called aflatoxins that fungi produce on crops like peanuts and corn— they can become ill with food poisoning. Toxins can still harm humans even if animals or plants appear fine to the human eye. The World Health Organization advises that we should throw away moldy or discolored foods, refrain from eating wild plants or mushrooms that aren’t definitively nonpoisonous, and remember that just because something is “natural” it’s not always safe to eat.

Pooping or puking out pathogens is sometimes recommended with food poisoning

Sometimes stopping food poisoning-linked diarrhea with over-the-counter medications is a bad idea because it may prolong illness. Doctors can advise you if your diarrhea or vomiting is severe about what medications to take and when, but generally doctors recommend trying to stay hydrated during a bout of food poisoning and letting the body naturally remove pathogens from the body via vomiting or diarrhea, as needed.

Secondary complications from measles in children range across the whole body

The most serious effects of a measles infection, particularly in young children, come from its attack on the immune system. This leaves the whole body vulnerable to follow-on diseases, with some of the most serious including respiratory conditions, encephalitis, and more.

About 20% of people infected with cholera have severe symptoms

That's according to studies from outbreaks in Bangladesh. Most people who contract the disease have mild or moderate symptoms, or none at all. Yet anyone infected with the disease-causing bacteria can shed the pathogens in their feces for a few days, or even up to around 10, seeding the environment with bacteria.

Alexander the Great, Rudyard Kipling, and more may have died from food poisoning

Though it is hard to prove decades or centuries after their deaths, some researchers suspect that food poisoning killed a variety of historical figures, including US President Zachary Taylor in 1850: Some researchers believe he may have consumed food contaminated with *Salmonella*.

BPA-free plastics often contain other harmful 'forever chemicals'

These molecules are widely used in single-use plastics, may leach into food, resist breakdown, and can build up in the human body. They have been linked to obesity, heart disease, and neurological issues, particularly when heated.

Eating competitions can ruin a stomach's elasticity

Competitive eaters make room for all that food by toying with the stomach's ability to expand and contract. Still, doctors warn that repeated stress can destroy that ability, leading to further issues.

Symptoms of extreme radiation exposure may take hours to manifest

Large doses of ionizing radiation can damage the body within minutes, particularly in the bone marrow and inner layer of the digestive tract. Victims may briefly seem fine before rapidly deteriorating as immune failure, infection and organ collapse set in.

Diabetes has downstream effects on the heart, eyes, kidneys, and more

High blood sugar levels in untreated diabetes roughen artery walls, increasing plaque buildup, heart disease, and high blood pressure risk. High levels also cause acid to build up in the bloodstream, potentially making the brain swell, the lungs fill with fluid, and the heart to beat arrhythmically—all fatal complications.

Untreated malaria can lead to blocked blood vessels in the brain, coma, and organ failure

Malaria is treatable with medications, but sometimes even after treatment, infection can come back because the disease-causing parasite wasn't completely eliminated. Patients may also have symptoms that emerge years after the initial infection and treatment.

Food allergies were first documented more than 4,000 years ago

Although food allergies are on the rise in modern times, they have been documented in written records for thousands of years. More than 3,000 years ago, Chinese emperors advised patients to avoid certain foods, and Hippocrates noted in his work that food could cause serious harm to certain individuals, and even lead to death.

Yes, you can take too many vitamins and they can make you sick

Too much of vitamins A, D, E, and K (which are fat-soluble) can build up in the body and cause serious health problems, including liver damage, kidney stones, and blood clotting irregularities. Excess iron and calcium can also make it harder for the body to absorb other needed nutrients.

Typhoid smells like freshly baked brown bread

Certain ailments are associated with documented scents, including diabetes, Parkinson's disease, and typhoid. The skin of people with yellow fever, for example, can smell like a "butcher shop."

Accidental ingestion of batteries can be life-threatening

Tissue in the body can serve as a circuit path between the anode and cathode of a battery, resulting in electrical burns and gradual tissue erosion. Stomach acid can corrode a battery and cause its toxic contents to leak, making a person sick. Batteries for internal use, such as in pacemakers, require special designs.

More extreme heat days are putting human health at risk in both the short and long term

America is generally experiencing more frequent extreme heat days, over a longer period, in certain parts of the country. The heat-related death toll is rising, and beyond those direct deaths, extreme heat can also have troubling ripple effects including elevated violence and decreased productivity.

'Tomato flu' outbreak in India turned out to be HFMD

An illness initially dubbed "tomato flu" in 2022 that sickened children in Kerala, India, with symptoms typical of hand, foot, and mouth disease turned out to be that—not a new ailment. A letter published in the prestigious journal The Lancet had initially described the illness as "a new virus" but at least some of the children ultimately tested positive for one of the viruses that causes HFMD, so it wasn't a new condition after all. (Some users may encounter a paywall.)

Exposing fetuses to certain flavors in the womb could lead to children being less picky eaters

A new study found that 3-year-olds were less averse to the smell of vegetables they had been repeatedly exposed to in utero, suggesting that what mothers eat in late pregnancy can leave a lasting imprint on their children's tastes.

Leprosy doesn't cause fingers or toes to fall off

The nerve damage that results from infection sometimes causes loss of feeling in extremities so injuries like cuts or burns may be missed. In such cases, resulting infections can lead to digit loss. Fingers or toes can also appear to shorten with this disease because nerve damage can sometimes make muscles in fingers and toes so weak that they're reabsorbed by the body.

Post-polio syndrome occurs decades after infection but isn't contagious

Affecting adults who contracted polio as children, this disorder can occur 15 to 40 years later, leading to slow, irreversible muscle weakening. Some research estimates that between 25% and 40% of polio survivors go on to develop this condition.

Key symptoms of burnout can be both mental and physical

Burnout can be accompanied by several symptoms, including low energy and chronic fatigue, trouble concentrating, difficulty sleeping, and depression. It may even manifest physically as musculoskeletal pain, headaches, stomach and intestinal pain, and more. More intense cases have been linked to cardiovascular and mental health disorders.

Hookworm infection, though risky, may help fight certain autoimmune conditions by tamping down the immune system's inflammatory response.

At the beginning of the 20th century, a group of young men ate standard American food—replete with food additives like borax and formaldehyde—as part of government research to better understand food safety.

Long-term goose bumps are something to flag to your doctor

Although rarely a cause for concern, persistent goose bumps with no known cause could be a symptom of something to discuss with your doctor, including anxiety, a hair follicle blockage, or conditions that arise from an overreaction of the autonomic nervous system.

Human-to-human transmission of hantavirus remains extremely rare, so the 2026 hantavirus cruise ship outbreak doesn't mean we're facing a COVID-style pandemic risk.

Firework or sparkler burns, even if they cover a relatively small area of skin, can significantly affect our range of motion.

Poison ivy is in the same family as mangoes, cashews, and pistachios—and they all produce oily urushiol in their raw, unprocessed state—but they are typically prepared in ways to avoid causing human discomfort.

Lesser-known phobias include turophobia, or the fear of cheese, and nomophobia, the fear of being without your cell phone.

Ebola infects and disables immune cells, triggering a cascade of events that leads to small blood clots throughout the body, weakening blood vessels and interrupting blood flow to key organs.

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An investigation suggests a Scottish island became awash in forever chemicals via seafoam and seaspray—raising questions about what that means for the safety of other coastal areas.

Radioactive elements can introduce software errors because the ionizing radiation they produce can detach electrons from atoms, and computer code relies on the distribution of electrons.

Volcanic activity may have triggered the Black Death by spewing gases that led to crop failures in Europe, thus forcing the import of grain ships with plague-infested fleas.

Indefinite cloning of some endangered species may not sustain their longevity because cloning success rates decrease as genetic mutations accumulate.

After her fellow cult members tried to kill her with an LSD-infused hamburger, one member of the Manson Family, the murderous cult led by Charles Manson, decided to testify against the group's leader.

Domino's Pizza's 30-minute delivery guarantee was responsible for the chain's 1980s surge, but it was discontinued after the company was found liable for delivery driver accidents.

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The hormonal disorder PCOS was renamed PMOS in 2026, a move designed to improve care and research by shifting the focus to the hormonal causes of this condition that affects 1 in 8 women.

Studies suggest when you sleep is as important as how much you get, and syncing with your circadian rhythms may lead to less fatigue and improved long-term health outcomes

In 1939, baseball star Lou Gehrig delivered his inspirational 'Luckiest Man' speech after retiring due to the health condition that now bears his name.

Planarian flatworms are small, aquatic worms with exceptional regenerative capabilities. When cut, the worms can regenerate multiple bodies in a matter of weeks.

The tragic Pulitzer Prize-winning image 'The Vulture and the Little Girl' (1993) generated controversy, raised concerns about ethics in photography, and eventually led to the photographer's death.

A pickleball's loud 'pop' sound can reach 120 decibels, which is equivalent to a hammer hitting a nail

Volcanoes 'die' when their supply of magma runs out, if they are shifted away from their underlying magma reservoir, or if they get clogged by collapsing or their magma cooling back into rock.

The Great Salt Lake's distinct dual coloration results from high-salinity organisms that only live in the northern portion and produce a purple protein.

The 1987 Nintendo video game 'Stadium Events' isn't known for being particularly fun, but its scarcity has made it a highly sought-after item that has sold for up to $35K at auction.

The price of gas is a composite made up of several different factors, with the federal gas tax making up less than 20% of what drivers pay at the pump.