Estimates suggest inactivity contributes to 6% of deaths worldwide

About 40% of cancer cases are linked to preventable risk factors

Maintaining a healthy weight, engaging in regular physical activity, and consuming a balanced diet can lower cancer risk. Research indicates that about 40% of US cancer cases are linked to preventable factors, including poor diet and inactivity. Understanding these mechanisms empowers individuals to adopt healthier lifestyles for cancer prevention.

America's top causes of death are heart disease, cancer, accidents, and stroke

Heart disease killed more than 680,000 people in 2023 and cancer killed around 613,000 people that year. Both causes of death are far above the next leading cause of death—accidents, which numbered around 223,000. Provisional data for 2024 indicates the leading causes of death remained the same.

Overwork contributes to thousands of worker deaths

Can work really kill you? The World Health Organization and the International Labor Organization have estimated that long work hours contribute to thousands of death from strokes and heart attacks each year. This BBC article argues that the culture of overwork and burnout is leading to a public health crisis in desperate need of solutions.

One in 10 adults worldwide has diabetes

As of 2021, diabetes claimed at least 6.7 million lives and continues to kill one person every five seconds. Nearly one in two adults with diabetes don't know they have the condition, which is expected to increase in prevalence from 537 million in 2021, to 783 million in 2045.

Continual sitting harms your health in a variety of ways

Prolonged inactivity, like sitting for long periods, slows metabolism, weakens muscles and bones, and impairs insulin function. When these negative changes persist over time, the cumulative result is an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and many cancers.

Grip strength predicts death better than blood pressure

In a study covering about 140,000 people across 17 countries, scientists found that for every 5 kilogram drop in adults' grip strength, it raised the risk of death by 16%. Grip strength, the research found, was a stronger predictor of cardiovascular death than systolic blood pressure.

Adults need two days of muscle strengthening activity weekly—yet most of us aren't doing that

That recommendation—muscle-strengthening activities on two or more days a week working all major muscle groups—is in addition to 150 minutes weekly of moderate-intensity physical activity. Those resistance and aerobic training numbers from the US government are echoed by other medical groups. But nearly 80% of adults aren't checking the box on those goals. This failure is linked to about $117B in annual health costs and some 10% of premature mortality.

Read the Surgeon General's 2023 loneliness report claiming loneliness is an epidemic

This report details the specific health threats linked with loneliness, including that loneliness and social isolation can increase the risk of premature death by nearly 30%. Loneliness lowers our capability to mount an effective immune response to viruses and respiratory illness, can cause chronic inflammation on par with physical inactivity, and increases the risks for anxiety, depression, dementia, heart disease and stroke.

One minute of exercise correlates to five extra minutes of life (on average)

Doctors increasingly view exercise as the single most powerful medical intervention available. Observational studies suggest one minute of exercise correlates to an additional five minutes of life as humans age. Stanford researcher Euan Ashley discusses our current understanding of how exercise provides benefits at the cellular level.

The eight habits that could add up to 24 years to your life

A study presented at the American Society for Nutrition's annual meeting revealed that adopting eight healthy lifestyle habits in middle age can significantly increase life expectancy. The habits include being physically active, avoiding opioid...

Stroke risk doubles each decade after age 55

While age is the greatest risk factor, genetics, diet, and overall health play a prominent role in determining individual stroke risk. Prevention focuses heavily on modifiable risk factors. High blood pressure is the single most important controllable risk factor, contributing to both types of stroke.

Losing the kids to video games

An estimated 60 million people suffer from internet gaming disorder worldwide, a category created by the World Health Organization in 2018 to help communities support individuals plagued by pathological play. As the world's most-played game of all...

Obesity rates have more than doubled worldwide since 1990

In the US alone, the percentage of the population meeting the clinical standard of obesity rose from less than 20% to more than 40% over the past three decades. This rise has been matched by many countries across the globe, from industrialized to developing nations.

Inflammaging is chronic low-level inflammation as we age, and it may be a key disease driver

The term refers to the idea that largely invisible but consistent low-level inflammation as humans age fuels chronic diseases and cellular aging. Inflammaging, this article says, is due to lifestyle factors like poor sleep, low levels of activity, and poor diet, acting in concert to cause cellular damage and trigger inflammation.

Vector-borne diseases kill more than 700,000 people globally each year—and are growing

The diseases with the greatest potential to spread widely aren't the ones that quickly kill human hosts. Instead, the best hosts or reservoirs for vector-borne diseases would be chronically ill over the long term, increasing the likelihood that the pathogen could be transmitted to others.

Why death is caused by a dearth of ATP

Though people die from many causes, this video makes the case that a lack of adenosine triphosphate production in the body is what kills almost all of us. Without ATP, physiological processes grind to a halt, and organs stop functioning.

More than 5% of the world's population has disabling hearing loss

Disabling hearing loss is defined as hearing loss greater than 35 decibels in the better hearing ear. (For context, that means the sound of leaves rustling, at roughly 30 decibels, would be inaudible even to your better-hearing ear.) The World Health Organization's data suggests that more than 5% of the world's population has this level of loss requiring rehabilitation, which amounts to 430 million people—including 34 million children.

Fungal diseases cost the US around $19B annually

Estimates derived from health insurance claims, death certificates, and hospitalization data suggest that fungus is a significant medical issue. Each year, fungal diseases kill some 7,300 people—roughly the same number of deaths attributed to motor vehicles striking pedestrians. Around 130,000 people are hospitalized with fungal diseases, and the total national cost from fungal diseases is estimated to be about $19B—a figure that roughly matches Jamaica's entire gross domestic product.

How weight loss drugs could reduce obesity costs

A detailed analysis from finance giant ING finds semaglutide and other weight loss drugs could significantly drive down global costs stemming from heart disease and other health problems associated with obesity. The benefits will vary, depending on each country’s demographics and drug and healthcare costs.

Activity trackers promise to improve health by forcing us to examine the facts

Explore how modern fitness culture, rooted in capitalist ideals of productivity and control, shapes our perception of health and self-worth. The author blends cultural criticism with personal insight to examine the contradictions of the wellness industry, the rise of wearable tech, and what it means to "optimize" a body.

The human brain only uses 5% more energy during active tasks versus resting

Despite only being 2% of the weight of a human body, the average adult brain consumes 20% of its energy, with the majority of it spent on maintaining homeostasis—the stable equilibrium conditions of temperature, acidity, blood sugar, and other properties in the body. For infants, the consumption is closer to 50%.

67 US high school athletes died from exertional heatstroke between 1982 and 2022

Many of those deaths were from football specifically, where student athletes play in hot conditions while wearing heavy protective gear. Few states mandate heat guidelines for school athletes, and this article says that's of increasing concern with more high heat index days.

Indigenous women are murdered at 10 times the rate of all other ethnicities in the US

Murder is the third-leading cause of death among Indigenous women, who are also 2.5 times more likely to experience violence than any other group. More than 4 in 5 Indigenous women have experienced violence in their lifetime.

The depression paradox refers to a lack of energy to take action to help alleviate it

Activities like exercise, even at low levels, have been shown to alleviate some of depression's symptoms for some people. However, depression saps energy levels, making it particularly difficult to motivate oneself to take helpful action.

Invasive species are the third biggest threat to Earth's biodiversity

According to the World Wildlife Fund's Living Planet Report 2020, changes in land and sea use account for about half of all recorded threats to the diversity of the planet's species. Species overexploitation is the second-largest proportional threat at 24%, while invasive species make up 13%.

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

11 people died from firework injuries in the US in 2024.

Alzheimer's can lead to brain shrinkage, with an average of around 2% of volume reduction per year

About 12.5% of US adults experience a phobia in their lifetime, a diagnosis that hinges on the intense fear interfering with daily life and persisting for at least six months.

About 2,000 US babies are born annually without some portion of their limbs, potentially leading to a lifetime of pricey prosthetics.

Listen to an in-depth conversation on the links between Parkinson's disease and herbicide exposure and the challenging pace of scientific investigation.

Cultural norms about how to handle the bodies of loved ones in communities in West Africa have hampered Ebola responses.

Explore an interactive map built from more than 100,000 survey responses on where people find joy in their lives

Telehealth demand for GLP-1s for weight loss is booming as consumers seek easier access.

Larger animals like giraffes, elephants, and blue whales have developed a unique defense against cancer, a phenomenon known as Peto's Paradox

Bone marrow (soft tissue found inside certain bones) generates roughly 500 billion new blood cells each day

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.

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

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.

Use this calculator to find the dollar value of your mental load, from meal planning to coordinating after-school care for your children.

Art theft is the third-largest source of criminal revenues worldwide, thanks in part to the subjective nature of valuing a work of art.

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 US dollar is the most widely circulated currency in the world, and is involved in nearly 90% of global transactions

A Yale student wrote a profound essay about the consulting industry's influence on elite college students that was published in a book of her writing after she died in a post-graduation car accident.

The Russia-Ukraine conflict is the largest ground war in Europe since World War II in terms of casualties, forces mobilized, and displacement of civilians.

Take a 3D tour of the Hajj, Islam's annual pilgrimage to Mecca, undertaken by more than 1.5 million Muslims each year.

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.

Electrical grids worldwide must double their power delivery capacity by 2050 to meet surging demand from AI and electric vehicles.

While the sun's gravity keeps the planets in orbit, their gravity also pulls on the sun, causing it and everything else in the solar system to orbit around a mutual balance point called the barycenter—the true center of the solar system.

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