Switching clocks twice a year disrupts circadian rhythms in ways that harm health. Stanford scientists found permanent standard time would reduce obesity and stroke rates nationwide, making it the strongest option over permanent daylight saving time or seasonal shifts.

Thousands of women are using GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic for weight loss without contraception, leading to unintended pregnancies and potential risks for unborn babies. Experts warn clearer medical guidance is urgently needed.

A new study from Lurie Children’s Hospital found that bullying during the teen years has a stronger link to anxiety and depression than when it happens in childhood. But it also showed that teens who feel supported and connected at school are more likely to recover emotionally.

That means your relationships—with friends, classmates, and trusted adults—really matter. Even if you’ve been through bullying, you have the power to heal and grow, especially when you surround yourself with people who truly see and support you.

Children with higher blood pressure as young as age 7 face a sharply increased risk of dying from cardiovascular disease by their mid-50s, according to a massive decades-long study. Researchers found that even moderately elevated readings, not just full hypertension, raised the danger, with risks climbing as much as 40–50%.

Scientists have uncovered a surprising new healing mechanism in injured cells called cathartocytosis, in which cells "vomit" out their internal machinery to revert more quickly to a stem cell-like state. While this messy shortcut helps tissues regenerate faster, it also leaves behind debris that can fuel inflammation and even cancer.

University of Minnesota researchers developed a 3D-printed scaffold that directs stem cells to grow into functioning nerve cells, successfully restoring movement in rats with severed spinal cords. This promising technique could transform future treatment for spinal cord injuries.

The overwhelming popularity of glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) drugs such as Wegovy, Mounjaro, and Saxenda for weight loss has always been undercut by the fact that, with a single exception (Rybelsus, a diabetes drug taken orally), they’re only available in injectable form.

Now, drug manufacturer Eli Lily and Company has announced promising findings with its experimental GLP-1 pill orforglipron. In an 18-month clinical trial, around 60 percent of participants lost at least 10 percent of their body weight when taking orforglipron on a daily basis, and an average weight reduction of more than 12 percent of body weight occurred in people with obesity. The pill is intended to be an alternative to the company’s popular Zepbound weekly injectable.

Researchers identified over 400 genes tied to various forms of frailty, offering fresh insight into why people age differently. The study highlights six distinct pathways of unhealthy aging, opening the door to more precise, targeted anti-aging interventions.

Researchers discovered that early puberty or childbirth doubles women’s risk for major diseases and accelerates aging, while later timing offers protective benefits. Genetic analysis reveals evolutionary tradeoffs, where reproductive advantages early in life create health burdens later.

Get ready to stretch, sprint, and sweat—because the President’s Physical Fitness Test is officially making a comeback in schools across the United States. The updated version will test flexibility, endurance, strength, and agility, much like the old-school sit-ups and shuttle runs your parents survived.

This move aims to boost teen health and get students more active in a fun, team-spirited way. Love it or dread it, the Fitness Test is here to challenge your limits and maybe even earn you a badge of honor.

Many foods we consume today are ultraprocessed, packed with unhealthy ingredients, and linked to major health risks. As consumption of these foods rises, so do chronic health issues, especially among lower-income groups. Experts are calling for clearer guidelines, better research, and systemic changes to reduce the impact of ultraprocessed foods on public health.

Sunniva Kwapeng struggled with lipoedema, a painful condition causing disproportionate fat accumulation, until finally being diagnosed in her 40s. An NTNU study found that a low-carb diet helped alleviate pain and resulted in more weight loss than a low-fat diet. Though compression garments provided relief, the overall treatment options for this poorly understood condition remain scarce.

According to data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s most recent National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, an estimated 1 in 3 teens between the ages of 12 and 17 had prediabetes in 2023. This is approximately 8.4 million, or 32.7 percent, of American adolescents, and a significant rise from 1 in 5 teens reported in 2020.

Prediabetes is when your blood sugar (glucose) levels are elevated beyond 70 to 99 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL), but aren’t high enough for a diagnosis of type 2 diabetes, when levels are typically 200 mg/dL or higher. Prediabetes increases your risk not just for diabetes but other health conditions as well, including heart disease and stroke, so it’s essential to take steps to get prediabetes under control. Increasing your physical activity and losing a small amount of weight are both good ways to get started.

Women who drank heavily, even though they strongly wished to avoid pregnancy, were 50% more likely to become pregnant than those who drank little or not at all, according to new research. Surprisingly, cannabis use didn t show the same risk.

Teens are increasingly using customizable social companion apps like Replika, CHAI, and Character.AI to duplicate the experience of having a close platonic friend or even a romantic partner. According to recent research by Common Sense Media, 72 percent of survey participants between the ages of 13 and 17 have used an AI companion at least once, and more than 50 percent use them a few times a month. These apps have become so popular that investment firm ARK Invest projects that the AI social companion market may reach as much as $150 billion in revenue by the end of the decade.

But while AI social companions can serve a similar function as mental-health chatbots, providing support and encouraging reflection, their emphasis on unwavering validation runs the risk of doing so at the expense of a nuanced understanding of human relationships. As Dr. Jodi Halpern, a psychiatrist and professor at the UC Berkeley School of Public Health, notes, “We don’t want a perfectly smooth, frictionless thing as a relationship.” Despite some AI social companion apps being marketed to people as young as 13, the researchers at Common Sense Media recommend that teens avoid the apps until after they turn 18.

A new UK study shows that vaccinating pregnant women against RSV has led to a staggering 72% drop in hospitalizations of newborns with severe lung infections. By passing virus-fighting antibodies to their babies, vaccinated mothers are helping shield infants during their most vulnerable early months.

In a groundbreaking UK first, eight healthy babies have been born using an IVF technique that includes DNA from three people—two parents and a female donor. The process, known as pronuclear transfer, was designed to prevent the inheritance of devastating mitochondrial diseases passed down through the mother’s DNA. The early results are highly promising: all the babies are developing normally, and the disease-causing mutations are undetectable or present at levels too low to cause harm. For families once haunted by genetic risk, this science offers more than treatment—it offers transformation.

Kids who consume artificial and natural sweeteners like aspartame, sucralose, and glycyrrhizin may face an increased risk of early puberty, especially if they carry specific genetic markers. This large-scale Taiwanese study links sweeteners to hormonal changes and gut bacteria imbalances that can speed up puberty, with effects differing between boys and girls. Early onset puberty has been tied to serious health consequences later in life, including emotional stress and metabolic disorders. The findings could reshape dietary recommendations and encourage genetic screening to mitigate long-term risks.

Midlife sleep habits may matter more than previously thought. A large study finds that poor sleep, alongside high blood pressure and nicotine use, sharply increases the risk of heart problems in menopausal women yet only 1 in 5 score well on overall heart health.

Summer jobs are harder to land this year, with fewer openings at places like restaurants, stores, and amusement parks. But teens across the country aren’t giving up. Many have been applying early and often, determined to earn money and gain real-world experience.

Even with challenges like competition from adults and more selective hiring, teens are getting creative—handing out résumés in person, picking up babysitting gigs, or joining programs like the Boys & Girls Clubs to boost their job skills. The job market may be cooling, but teen motivation is heating up.