A Kansas State University study combined genetic profiles, health records and Fitbit data from the NIH All of Us programme. Higher daily step counts and more active minutes weakened the link between high genetic risk for depression and the severity of symptoms in adults.
Read more at neurosciencenews.com →
A phase 2b randomised trial published in JAMA suggests a single dose of a nasal spray based on a toad venom psychedelic compound could be a safe and quick option for some patients with depression, ScienceAlert reports. The trial was funded by AtaiBeckley, a subsidiary of Eli Lilly.
Read more at sciencealert.com →
A 2026 study of nearly 80,000 college students found that time spent with friends in person was the strongest predictor of their mental health, ahead of exercise, sleep and avoiding alcohol, the author writes in The Independent. The friends were, at last count, in the group chat.
Read more at independent.co.uk →
A nationwide American Psychological Association survey found 47% of AI users have used it much like a mental health professional. Adults who have ever used AI rose from 62% to 70% in a year. The survey shows patterns only, so whether AI eases loneliness or deepens it remains unknown.
Read more at Study Finds →
A three-level meta-analysis of 43 randomised trials with 3,199 college students found no statistically significant overall effect of exercise on depression, anxiety and stress. The pooled estimate favoured exercise but was highly uncertain, and the authors said no definitive conclusion on efficacy can be drawn.
Read more at Bioengineer.org →A study in the British Journal of Psychiatry identified circadian depression, in which a person's internal 24-hour clock is out of sync with their environment, and suggests it may account for nearly one in four cases. It is not an official diagnosis in the DSM-5 yet.
Read more at aol.com →A University of Sydney study followed 6,537 students from 71 Australian high schools from grades 7 to 10. One extra daily serving of any fruit was associated with a 13% lower risk of depression and a 7% lower risk of anxiety. The findings are associations from annual surveys.
Read more at Vietnam.vn →New research shows that treating depression during pregnancy may influence the structure of the baby's brain, Psychology Today reports. Roughly 16% of pregnant people experience depression, and the piece describes pregnancy as a critical window for mental health support for both mother and baby.
Read more at psychologytoday.com →Researchers at IIT Kanpur and GSVM Medical College studied whether brain and stomach electrical signals, combined with symptoms, can predict antidepressant response within seven to 10 days. The usual wait to judge whether an antidepressant is working is four to six weeks, so an earlier read could help.
Read more at The Hans India →Amaha is set to close a Rs 100 crore fundraise to expand its hospital and clinic network across India, Digital Health News reports. Existing investors Lightbox and Fireside Ventures are joined by Nithin Kamath through Rainmatter, and the round includes Rs 10 crore in debt from Alteria Capital.
Read more at digitalhealthnews.com →A cross-sectional study in Frontiers in Psychiatry measured morning cortisol in 103 people with first-episode, untreated major depression and 99 healthy controls. Patients had significantly higher cortisol, and the elevation appeared to mirror the severity of several core symptom clusters, including anxiety.
Read more at Bioengineer.org →Therapy remains a taboo topic in many Indian households, where some parents link it with serious illness or family failure, Hindustan Times reports. A psychologist shares six ways to raise it, and notes therapy can also help with everyday stress such as work pressure or relationship difficulties.
Read more at Hindustan Times →A psychologist tells Hindustan Times how to tell a preference for cleanliness and order apart from obsessive-compulsive disorder, using the Friends character as the example, and warns against self-diagnosis. Colour-coding remains a personality trait, pending further review.
Read more at Hindustan Times →Researchers surveyed 417 healthcare workers across three hospitals and ranked five psychological factors behind occupational burnout. Perceived stress and work-family conflict came out as the dominant contributors, according to the cross-sectional study in BMC Health Services Research, which the authors say can guide better targeted support.
Read more at Bioengineer.org →
In a partially randomised trial of more than 500 cancer survivors, published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, people who practised mindfulness-based cancer recovery or tai chi and qigong saw improvements compared with a waitlist. Participants could choose which mind-body practice to take up.
Read more at Bioengineer.org →
A recent study examined whether self-compassion, mindfulness and a sense of coherence could help explain differences in premenstrual symptom severity, including in premenstrual dysphoric disorder, MindBodyGreen reports. Stress may make symptoms harder to manage, and how people respond to themselves could also play a role.
Read more at mindbodygreen.com →
In Greater Good, researchers describe 'felt love', the warmth people feel on the receiving end of small acts of care, like a colleague checking in after a hard appointment. The same act of care may pass unnoticed or land as love, depending on the receiver's beliefs and state of mind.
Read more at greatergood.berkeley.edu →
Equa, an NIH-funded mindfulness app founded at Carnegie Mellon, launched a feature where users rest their phone on their chest during a session and its motion sensors track each breath. 'Most meditation apps log that you showed up,' the company says. The phone, finally, is part of the calm.
Read more at Yahoo Finance →
Writing in Mindful, a teacher recalls comforting a friend going through a health crisis and loss by comparing life to being on the Titanic with arms around each other. The friend asked whether that was his idea of comforting him. Loving awareness, it seems, also needs good timing.
Read more at mindful.org →Kairav Mittal, 17, teaches simple yoga poses, breathing exercises and mindfulness techniques for free in Crewe, Virginia, through his initiative Project Root. He began yoga at 12, first thought it was a waste of time, and kept going until he noticed changes in how he felt.
Read more at indianeagle.com →In letters to The Guardian, a reader says she deleted every social media app after her daughter imitated her holding two phones. She found she could concentrate enough to read past headlines and meet friends in person, and regretted time spent watching other people parent.
Read more at The Guardian →A study in the Journal of Happiness Studies, involving SFU professor Lara Aknin and 12 other researchers, draws together decades of well-being science on what contributes most to happiness, Daily Hive reports. Many of the takeaways may seem like common sense, which is still a finding.
Read more at dailyhive.com →
Insomnia affects up to 60% of perimenopausal and postmenopausal women, and the problem may be the racing thoughts after waking more than the hot flashes, MindBodyGreen reports. A pilot trial tested a form of cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia designed for menopause, without medication.
Read more at mindbodygreen.com →
Cannabinol is sold in gummies and capsules as a gentle herbal sleep aid. University of Connecticut researchers found repeated CBN exposure caused signs of physical dependence in mice, in a study in Drug and Alcohol Dependence. The researchers say consumers should be aware, and the gummies have not commented.
Read more at Medical Dialogues →
A Binghamton University survey of about 400 college students linked habits such as eating breakfast at least five days a week and regular sleep to higher psychological flexibility, the ability to adjust to stress. Breakfast, once again, is doing a lot of quiet work.
Read more at wbiw.com →
Adults who use cannabis more often are more likely to report loud snoring and pauses in breathing during sleep, according to research in Sleep Health, even after accounting for body weight and smoking. The finding matters for the growing number of people who use cannabis as a sleep aid.
Read more at psypost.org →
WHO guidance for children under five calls for less sitting, no passive screens for infants and one-year-olds and no more than an hour a day for older children, Hindustan Times reports. Toddlers need about 11 hours of sleep and three hours of play, a schedule most adults would accept.
Read more at Hindustan Times →The Australian jumping spider Portia fimbriata has true regulated sleep with two stages, including a REM-like state with eye movements and muscle twitches, University of Bonn researchers report in PNAS. It is the first full confirmation of sleep in a spider. What it dreams about remains unpublished.
Read more at Bioengineer.org →A survey of 351 operating room nurses across six hospitals in Jiangsu found 85.5% scored above the clinical threshold for poor sleep quality, according to BMC Nursing. Poor sleep was linked to stress and job satisfaction, though the observational design shows associations rather than causes.
Read more at Bioengineer.org →Australian medtech firm Sleeptite and RMIT University secured a US patent for FlexiSense, soft electronics in mattress protectors that track bed position and posture so carers can respond to falls risk. A peer-reviewed study shows it can be made at scale, News-Medical reports.
Read more at news-medical.net →In a prospective cohort of people with type 2 diabetes, sleeping under seven hours or over 10 hours raised the risk of microvascular complications by 71% and 87%, Review of Optometry reports. Diabetic retinopathy showed no clear link to sleep duration, which the authors attribute to its distinct mechanisms.
Read more at reviewofoptometry.com →
University of Bristol scientists found that moderate aerobic exercise changes the structure of nerve cells involved in regulating heart activity, with surprisingly different changes on the left and right sides of the body. The findings were published in Autonomic Neuroscience. The heart, it seems, keeps separate books.
Read more at ScienceDaily →
Researchers in Belgium tested eccentric cycling, where a motor drives the pedals and the rider resists, with sedentary adults. The findings suggest it could improve muscle strength and everyday function while placing less demand on the cardiovascular system, offering another option for people who struggle with conventional exercise.
Read more at todomountainbike.net →
Runner's World says both yoga and Pilates are useful cross-training for runners, whose repetitive one-direction movement can build imbalances. Former Olympian Shannon Rowbury compares it to car alignment. The piece gives Pilates a slight edge, and the backs of your knees will have opinions either way.
Read more at runnersworld.com →
Brazilian researchers report in Neuroscience that chronic overtraining disrupted dopamine balance in the hippocampus of mice, and the disruption persisted 48 hours after exercise ended. Overtraining syndrome is estimated to affect 20 to 60 percent of competitive athletes over a career. Rest days, apparently, are also training.
Read more at techtimes.com →Researchers at IIT Gandhinagar are testing a wearable sensor that tracks movement during strength training, tennis and swimming. Without supervision, beginners may not notice when their form slips, and in a crowded gym watching every repetition is difficult, the team says. Your bicep curl is now being peer reviewed.
Read more at eurekalert.org →Coach Kate Nolte trains with her mother Suki, 83, using 'Quick Minutes', a series of bodyweight exercises done for one minute each, Women's Health reports. Suki started last September and has not stopped. 'Fitness is a forever thing,' Nolte wrote. There is no finish line, and no excuses either.
Read more at womenshealthmag.com →Sharon Stone told Vogue Adria that people think they need to lift huge weights at the gym. 'You have to move your body, and add a little bit of resistance,' she said. She wears light wrist weights while working at her laptop, so emails now count as reps.
Read more at womenshealthmag.com →Walking with poles is returning as a simple option for people who find the gym or running unrealistic, Vijesti reports. The poles are pushed actively behind the body, working the arms, shoulders and torso. The practice began as summer training for cross-country skiers.
Read more at Vijesti →Fit and Well shares a ladder walking workout from coach Jesper Bjerling, alternating work and rest periods that rise then fall. It is meant to be easy to follow, and you should never be too out of breath to talk. Starting, the piece notes, is the hardest part.
Read more at fitandwell.com →A gentle 10 to 15 minute walk after meals may help ease bloating, gas and indigestion, Dr Vishal Khurana of Metro Hospital, Faridabad, tells Hindustan Times. He calls it the simplest digestive habit and the most underrated. It also requires no app.
Read more at Hindustan Times →Trainer Garett Reid of BetterMe tells Fit and Well his first-month routine for clients with diabetes focuses on learning how blood sugar responds to lifting and cardio. 'Your first month, don't even worry about building muscle,' he says. Within a year, he says, clients can train like anyone else.
Read more at fitandwell.com →Meg Hamon told the BBC she had relied on partying and drinking since the pandemic until deciding to change before turning 30. She took up gym workouts and running alongside therapy. 'Exercise has helped me massively with my confidence,' she said.
Read more at BBC News →Shilpa Shetty shared a ball exercise video on 26 October, challenging followers to try it. 'A simple ball, a not-so-simple challenge,' she wrote. Hindustan Times notes ball exercises can challenge coordination, attention and the link between brain and body. The ball has been training for this.
Read more at Hindustan Times →Metabolic health coach Govind Lohia tells Hindustan Times that walking 10,000 steps is great but may not be the whole picture. He points to protein, strength training and sleep for people who still run out of energy by 4 pm. The step counter has been informed.
Read more at Hindustan Times →
Leading gut microbe scientists say probiotic pills and at-home microbiome tests have grown faster than the evidence behind them, Earth.com reports. The habits they do support are simpler, such as eating many kinds of plants, fibre and fermented foods. The cheapest advice is, as usual, the best supported.
Read more at earth.com →
CSIR-IHBT Palampur and the Good Food Institute India, a non-profit that promotes alternative proteins, tested five cooked plant-based products including burger patties and seekh kebabs. They showed higher protein bioavailability than their chicken counterparts, the study found. The taste test remains a separate matter.
Read more at The Hindu →
A UCLA study of brain scans from nearly 1,500 generally healthy adults found certain gut bacteria and the chemicals they produce are associated with faster brain ageing, published in eBioMedicine. The findings raise questions about how digestive health may influence memory and mood.
Read more at theticker.org →:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/VWH-GettyImages-1054319798-37da809f096e441dab81e153630e78b6.jpg)
A new study found that eating a meal with a close friend or partner may help blood sugar rise less and return to normal faster, Verywell Health reports. The social setting can affect how the body responds to food, though it may not lower blood sugar every time.
Read more at verywellhealth.com →
A pilot study in older adults found daily blueberries changed certain gut microbial functions but did not show a statistically significant mood benefit compared with placebo, News of Bahrain reports. The results do not prove blueberries improve mood or treat depression. The blueberries remain delicious, which is enough.
Read more at newsofbahrain.com →A preprint pooling three US cohorts with 5,598 people examined how everyday drinks relate to the oral microbiome, News-Medical reports. Beer and liquor showed more links to oral bacteria than wine. The study is posted on medRxiv and has not been peer reviewed.
Read more at news-medical.net →Korea University researchers propose a framework that judges gut microbiome damage by bacterial loss and by loss of function. Beneficial bacteria that survive but stop working properly can contribute to obesity, diabetes and atopic dermatitis, they say. Showing up, it turns out, is only half the job.
Read more at mbiz.heraldcorp.com →In a decade-long trial, kidney patients with excess blood acid who received fruits and vegetables had substantially fewer hospitalisations and emergency visits than those given the standard sodium bicarbonate treatment, without higher overall costs, SciTechDaily reports.
Read more at scitechdaily.com →ICAR scientists developed kufri jamunia, a potato with more anthocyanins and vitamin C, which the Centre is promoting against hidden hunger. The Hindu notes Indians eat potatoes far less consistently than rice or salt, and intake depends on preparation and absorption.
Read more at The Hindu →Dry soya chunks have about 50 to 52 grams of protein per 100 grams against 22 to 24 for raw chicken breast, dietitian Garima Goyal tells Indian Express. The comparison misleads because soya absorbs water when cooked. The scale, as always, is the real referee.
Read more at The Indian Express →Bear Grylls said on Instagram he lost strength after five years of being vegan and turned to organ meats. 'At 52, I feel fitter, stronger, healthier,' he wrote. A dietitian tells Indian Express that the balance of nutrients matters and looks at the side effects of the switch.
Read more at The Indian Express →Hindustan Times revisits a 2020 interview in which Raveena Tandon described a routine of dal-sabzi, homemade ghee and lots of swimming instead of lifting, with no crash diets or fancy superfoods. Hindustan Times calls it sustainable, which in wellness counts as radical.
Read more at Hindustan Times →Alpha-gal syndrome, a red meat allergy caused by certain tick bites, has been diagnosed in an estimated 450,000 Americans, NPR reports. Kentucky farmer Brent Williams, nicknamed Beef since fifth grade, developed it and started eating ostrich. The nickname has not been updated.
Read more at NPR →
A study measuring blood NAD+ in roughly 300 people aged 19 to 87 found levels stayed stable across ages, with no effect from exercise or nutrition programmes. If NAD+ does not reliably decline, the case for supplements becomes considerably weaker. The podcasts have not yet updated.
Read more at aol.com →
Researchers followed 3,635 older adults in the US Health and Retirement Study for 12 years and found reading books, separate from newspapers or magazines, was linked to longevity after adjusting for age and education. This paper, regrettably, does not count.
Read more at health.yahoo.com →
University of Cologne researchers report in Nature that moderate cold makes muscle in C. elegans worms release the metabolite BH2, which helps other tissues maintain proteins and increases lifespan. The study is in worms, so turning down the AC remains a personal choice.
Read more at Bioengineer.org →
A study in JAMA Network Open found both a clinic walking speed test and everyday step rate from a wrist device predicted risk of death from any cause about equally. Experts say walking speed reflects overall health, and advise talking to a doctor if it slows.
Read more at healthline.com →
An analysis of WHO data found Singapore's life expectancy rose between 2004 and 2022, from 82.0 to 85.2 years for women and 77.1 to 80.7 for men. Much of the gain came from lower deaths from heart disease, stroke, respiratory causes and cancer among middle-aged and older adults.
Read more at Bioengineer.org →The Harvard Study of Adult Development has tracked 724 men since 1938, later adding their wives, children and over 1,300 descendants. Its findings point to the importance of a healthy marriage at 50 for later life, Yahoo Health reports. It began during the Great Depression and is still going.
Read more at health.yahoo.com →Experts tell Firstpost that living longer does not always mean living healthier, and that the foundations of healthy ageing are laid in midlife through exercise, diet and sleep. True longevity, they say, means being able to walk comfortably and live independently.
Read more at Firstpost →Business Traveller visits Mayrlife in the Austrian Alps, a medical resort drawing celebrities and executives battling burnout. The writer reclines with an IV drip and a scalp device firing electrical currents. 'Luxury is now defined by longevity,' the piece observes. Chewing slowly, at least, is free.
Read more at businesstraveller.com →WorldHealth.net walks readers through the chain of evidence behind longevity headlines, from lab biomarkers to animal and human studies, and only sometimes proof that people live better. Most longevity studies measure a biomarker rather than following people for decades. Useful before forwarding the next miracle link.
Read more at worldhealth.net →Temple, a wearable from Zomato co-founder Deepinder Goyal, sticks to the side of the head and uses optical sensors for what the company calls BrainFlow. It also produces an 'Entropy score' from 1 to 250 meant to reflect physiological strain, Outlook Luxe reports.
Read more at luxe.outlookindia.com →Heart surgeon Dr Shriram Nene, husband of Madhuri Dixit, told Mashable India that good health starts with basics such as portion control, walking after meals, muscle strength and a consistent bedtime. No expensive equipment is required, which is bad news for the equipment.
Read more at Hindustan Times →Health Digest notes that longevity may come down to good mental and physical health, which can lower the risk of dying from heart disease and diabetes. Some people get there through basic habits, others through unconventional routes, and experts say the path matters less than the destination.
Read more at healthdigest.com →
Social media posts claim low ferritin leaves visible clues such as dark circles, pale skin and brittle hair, with videos drawing millions of views. Doctors tell the BBC appearance alone cannot diagnose iron deficiency. 'Ferritin face is not a medical diagnosis,' one says. A blood test still is.
Read more at BBC News →
NBC Select asked dermatologists and trichologists which viral hair growth tools work. The telltale sign of an unreliable tool is a dramatic claim, trichologist Aga Tompkins says. 'Hair grows in cycles. No tool overrides biology.' The shopping cart has been advised.
Read more at nbcnews.com →
An eight-week placebo-controlled trial of Ixoreal Biomed's Shatavari extract reported improvements in sexual function and lower distress with no serious adverse events, in the International Journal of Women's Health. The company's CEO welcomed the findings. The evidence base in this area has been limited.
Read more at nutraingredients.com →Washington State University received a $7.5 million NIH grant for a five-year study of kratom, a botanical marketed as a pain reliever. Researchers will examine its benefits and risks and whether it could improve sleep and quality of life for people with chronic pain.
Read more at dailyfly.com →
Pune Ayurveda practitioner Dr Ishani Bendale discussed Ayurveda's possible role in tackling antimicrobial resistance with WHO experts in Geneva as part of an Oxford University delegation. She stressed the need for rigorous, evidence-based research to assess what traditional medicine can contribute.
Read more at The Times of India →University of Utah researchers identified Lanmaoa asiatica as the wild mushroom behind reports, from China and the Philippines, of people seeing dozens or hundreds of tiny colourful humans moving around. The visions are called Lilliputian hallucinations. The tiny humans have not been interviewed.
Read more at ScienceDaily →A Chinese University of Hong Kong team built a human cell-based chip that mimics how gut microbes influence joints. It showed how specific probiotics and their metabolites promote cartilage growth and reduce joint inflammation, in research published in Science Advances. The work is lab-based.
Read more at cpr.cuhk.edu.hk →Therapy and wellness roles checked today. Each one links to the original posting. The deep breath before applying is on you.
Conferences and festivals on mental health and the older healing traditions, each checked against its own page this morning. Comfortable shoes advised.
It sits on your phone like an app and has never once asked for an update.
iPhone