Health

By Madeline Holcombe, CNN (CNN) — The search for immortality is a tale as old as time, but it certainly has taken on a new look. The ancient Mesopotamian epic “Gilgamesh” chronicles a king’s search for immortality after the loss of a friend. Myths of a “fountain of youth” prevailed from the times of Alexander

By Brenda Goodman, CNN (CNN) — US Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has approved changes to rules that govern an expert group that advises the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on its vaccine recommendations. The move, part of Kennedy’s latest effort to reshape the country’s vaccine policy, follows a

By Lily Hautau, CNN (CNN) — If you have ever tossed and turned under heavy blankets, you’ve felt firsthand how being too warm can wreck your sleep. “Temperature is one of the most underappreciated factors in sleep,” said Joseph Dzierzewski, senior vice president of research and scientific affairs at the National Sleep Foundation. “We often

By Deidre McPhillips, Alicia Wallace, Tami Luhby, CNN (CNN) — The fertility rate in the United States has been trending down for decades, and new federal data shows that another drop last year brought the rate down to the lowest on record. About 3.6 million babies were born in the US in 2025, according to

By Sandee LaMotte, CNN (CNN) — Eating a high-quality plant-rich diet that includes whole grains, vegetables and fruits may prevent cognitive impairment — even when people start that diet in their late 50s and 60s, according to a new study. “It’s never too late to start eating healthy to lower the risk of Alzheimer’s disease

By Michal Ruprecht, CNN (CNN) — Marriage has existed for thousands of years – and it was once “almost universal,” according to Dr. Andrew J. Cherlin. But marriage rates are falling, and that means some people may be missing out on a potential health benefit. “It’s almost as if we split into two different societies,”

By Kristen Rogers, CNN (CNN) — When did you last discuss how to poop or how digestion works? Dr. Trisha Pasricha wants to know, because if you’re like pretty much anyone who has ever walked into her clinic, that moment was probably when your parents were potty training you. While pooping in the toilet as

By Katia Hetter, CNN (CNN) — It’s not just how much time you spend sitting, but what you’re doing while sitting that may affect your health. Watching television and other “mentally passive” sedentary behaviors are linked to a higher risk of developing dementia, while more mentally engaging activities such as crossword puzzles appear to offer

By Deidre McPhillips, CNN (CNN) — Respiratory syncytial virus is continuing to spread later into the spring than usual, driving most states to extend the window for RSV immunizations for eligible infants and toddlers. RSV is a common respiratory virus that typically causes a mild illness like a cold. But it can cause serious illness

By Dana Santas, CNN (CNN) — If you exercise regularly but still deal with recurring aches, stiffness or movements that never feel as stable and fluid as they should, more stretching may not be the answer. The issue is often a muscular compensation pattern. Some of your muscles may be overworking to compensate for weakness

By Deidre McPhillips, CNN (CNN) — In 2021, as the Covid-19 pandemic was in full swing, US Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy issued an advisory warning about the spread of health misinformation. “Health misinformation is a serious threat to public health. It can cause confusion, sow mistrust, harm people’s health, and undermine public health efforts,”

By Sandee LaMotte, Sarah Owermohle, CNN (CNN) — How do microplastics and pharmaceutical medications affect the safety of the nation’s tap water? It’s a question the US Environmental Protection Agency says it will try to answer for the first time. Officials are calling it a “major win” for the “Make America Healthy Again,” or MAHA,

By Hadia Zainab, CNN (CNN) — Val Stones, the “Great British Baking Show” star, was walking across a field to a nearby school meeting when she misjudged a step, fell onto her wrist and broke it. “I heard it break,” said Stones, author of “The Cake Whisperer,” who was 56 when that break led to

By Brenda Goodman, CNN (CNN) — A heavily mutated variant of the virus that causes Covid-19 appears to be affecting primarily children, scientists say, though it’s not causing more severe disease – in kids or in adults. Rather, experts say the fact that the virus is breaking with its pattern of being a menace, primarily,

By Katia Hetter, CNN (CNN) — Federal health officials are investigating a multistate outbreak of an especially dangerous type of E. coli infection linked to raw cheddar cheese, according to an alert from the US Food and Drug Administration. Nine people have become ill and three have been hospitalized, prompting food safety experts to renew

By Meg Tirrell, CNN (CNN) — The US Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday approved the second GLP-1 pill for weight loss, adding another option to a rapidly growing arsenal of obesity therapies. The orforglipron pill, called Foundayo, is made by Eli Lilly, which also sells the GLP-1 drugs Zepbound for obesity and Mounjaro for

By Sandee LaMotte, CNN (CNN) — Two chemicals used to make plastic more flexible are linked to nearly 2 million premature births and the deaths of 74,000 newborns worldwide in 2018, according to a new study. A baby is considered premature when it is born before the 37th week of pregnancy. About 1 in 10

By Lily Hautau, CNN (CNN) — Daniel Halas startled himself the first time he caught his reflection after shaving his head. Halas was walking to the bathroom late at night in his home in Bavaria, Germany, when the mirror reflected an unfamiliar image: smooth scalp, no thinning patches to angle around, no careful styling. For

By Jacqueline Howard, CNN (CNN) — For decades, surviving a heart attack has come with a lifelong prescription: Stay on medications called beta-blockers to help protect your heart. But doctors are taking a closer look at whether long-term beta-blocker use is really necessary, especially beyond the first year of recovery. Beta-blockers are a class of

By Caleb Hellerman (CNN) — Andy Henard is used to doing things for himself. That’s the way to run a successful ranch and farming operation in North Texas. “I’ve always been a big strong guy. If I need to load 50 sacks of wheat seed weighing 100 pounds, I just do it,” says Henard, 76,

By Kristen Rogers, CNN (CNN) — Calls to poison centers in the United States about the widely available herb kratom increased more than 1,200% between 2015 and 2025, new research has found. “This data reflects a concerning trend,” study coauthor Dr. Christopher Holstege , director of the Blue Ridge Poison Center at the University of