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As Days Get Darker, Experts Warn of Rising Seasonal Depression

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As the days get shorter and temperatures drop, many people start to feel a noticeable shift in their mood, a condition known as seasonal affective disorder. This type of depression —  commonly known as SAD — happens around the same time every year, most often in the fall and winter, when sunlight is limited. Having the right tools can make a big difference in how you feel during these months, Stephanie Marcello said in a news release. She’s chief psychologist at Rutgers University Behavioral Health Care in New Brunswick, New Jersey. SAD affects people in different ways, but common symptoms include feeling sad most of the day for most days, low energy, sleeping more than usual, overeating or losing your appetite, weight changes and losing interest in activities you normally enjoy. Some people may also feel hopeless or have thoughts of suicide. Doctors typically diagnose SAD when these symptoms happen for at least two winters in a row and improve again in the spring and summer. Because reduced sunlight plays a major role, getting outside during the day can help boost mood. Even short outdoor breaks or sitting near a sunny window can help increase serotonin, a brain chemical that’s linked to feeling good. Further, light therapy — exposing yourself to bright, artificial light — is another option. Research shows it can help up to…  read on >  read on >

Want a Healthier Smoothie? New Study Says Skip the Banana

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If a healthy slurp is your aim, skip the banana when you whip up a smoothie. Researchers at the University of California-Davis found that adding banana may interfere with absorption of powerful compounds called flavanols, which are linked to brain and heart health. “We were really surprised to see how quickly adding a single banana decreased the level of flavanols in the smoothie and the levels of flavanol absorbed in the body,” lead author Javier Ottaviani said in a news release. He’s an adjunct researcher at UC-Davis and director of the Core Laboratory at Mars Edge, part of Mars Inc. Flavanols —  which are found in such foods as apples, berries, cocoa and grapes — are natural compounds that help support memory, reduce inflammation and improve blood flow when consumed regularly.  That is, unless banana or another ingredient get in the way, researchers say. The problem is an enzyme abundant in bananas called polyphenol oxidase (PPO). In experiments, banana-based smoothies dramatically cut flavanol absorption compared to berry-based ones, researchers reported recently in the journal Food and Function. They wanted to learn whether the same enzyme activity that quickly causes a banana or apple to turn brown when peeled affected how much of these beneficial flavanols the body absorbs when the fruits are combined in a smoothie. “We sought to understand, on a very practical level,…  read on >  read on >

Want a Healthier Smoothie? New Study Says Skip the Banana

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If a healthy slurp is your aim, skip the banana when you whip up a smoothie. Researchers at the University of California-Davis found that adding banana may interfere with absorption of powerful compounds called flavanols, which are linked to brain and heart health. “We were really surprised to see how quickly adding a single banana decreased the level of flavanols in the smoothie and the levels of flavanol absorbed in the body,” lead author Javier Ottaviani said in a news release. He’s an adjunct researcher at UC-Davis and director of the Core Laboratory at Mars Edge, part of Mars Inc. Flavanols —  which are found in such foods as apples, berries, cocoa and grapes — are natural compounds that help support memory, reduce inflammation and improve blood flow when consumed regularly.  That is, unless banana or another ingredient get in the way, researchers say. The problem is an enzyme abundant in bananas called polyphenol oxidase (PPO). In experiments, banana-based smoothies dramatically cut flavanol absorption compared to berry-based ones, researchers reported recently in the journal Food and Function. They wanted to learn whether the same enzyme activity that quickly causes a banana or apple to turn brown when peeled affected how much of these beneficial flavanols the body absorbs when the fruits are combined in a smoothie. “We sought to understand, on a very practical level,…  read on >  read on >

New Tool Helps Spot Americans Struggling to Eat Healthy

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A new screening tool may help doctors and communities better understand why so many Americans struggle to eat a healthy diet, even when they have enough food. Researchers at Tufts University’s Food is Medicine Institute in Boston have created and tested a survey called the Nutrition Security Screener (NSS). Unlike standard food security tools that focus only on whether people have enough to eat, the NSS looks at whether people can regularly access nutritious foods that support good health and prevent disease. “Although the United States food supply provides plenty of calories, most Americans do not eat enough nutritious foods,” study senior author Dr. Dariush Mozaffarian, the institute’s director, said in a news release. “Diet-related diseases are a leading cause of suffering, death and preventable health care and costs — we need to understand the specific challenges different people and communities face to achieving a healthy diet,” he added. The screener was tested in five national surveys between 2022 and 2023, including more than 20,000 adults from different regions and backgrounds across the country. The first question asks how difficult it is for someone to get and eat healthy foods. The second question identifies the specific barriers, which range from high food cost and limited grocery access to lack of cooking skills, storage space or nutrition knowledge. Results showed that nutrition insecurity was linked to…  read on >  read on >

Thunderstorm Is Approaching, Brace For An Asthma Attack

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The flash of lightning and roar of thunder can be quickly followed by the wheezing gasp of an asthma attack, a new study says. Thunderstorms appear to trigger sharp increases in asthma-related ER visits, researchers are scheduled to report Saturday at the American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology’s annual meeting in Orlando, Florida. “These results confirm that thunderstorms can pose a serious health risk for people with asthma, even in the United States,” said lead researcher Dr. Diala Merheb, an internal medicine resident at the University of Kansas Medical Center. “Because storms are unpredictable, patients and health care providers should include storm-specific precautions in asthma action plans,” she said in a news release. “Thunderstorm asthma” is a well-documented phenomenon that’s been acknowledged by the World Allergy Organization, researchers said in background notes. However, studies have been limited in pollen-heavy parts of the U.S., so the threat to Americans is not well-understood, researchers said. For the study, researchers analyzed nearly 4,500 asthma-related ER cases across three Wichita, Kansas, hospitals between 2020 and 2024. About 14% of all cases occurred on just 38 days with thunderstorms, an amount of time representing only 2% of the calendar days in the study period, results show. Patients made an average of nearly 18 asthma-related ER visits per day during thunderstorms, compared to just three during calmer weather. Harvard Medical…  read on >  read on >

Thunderstorm Is Approaching, Brace For An Asthma Attack

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The flash of lightning and roar of thunder can be quickly followed by the wheezing gasp of an asthma attack, a new study says. Thunderstorms appear to trigger sharp increases in asthma-related ER visits, researchers are scheduled to report Saturday at the American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology’s annual meeting in Orlando, Florida. “These results confirm that thunderstorms can pose a serious health risk for people with asthma, even in the United States,” said lead researcher Dr. Diala Merheb, an internal medicine resident at the University of Kansas Medical Center. “Because storms are unpredictable, patients and health care providers should include storm-specific precautions in asthma action plans,” she said in a news release. “Thunderstorm asthma” is a well-documented phenomenon that’s been acknowledged by the World Allergy Organization, researchers said in background notes. However, studies have been limited in pollen-heavy parts of the U.S., so the threat to Americans is not well-understood, researchers said. For the study, researchers analyzed nearly 4,500 asthma-related ER cases across three Wichita, Kansas, hospitals between 2020 and 2024. About 14% of all cases occurred on just 38 days with thunderstorms, an amount of time representing only 2% of the calendar days in the study period, results show. Patients made an average of nearly 18 asthma-related ER visits per day during thunderstorms, compared to just three during calmer weather. Harvard Medical…  read on >  read on >

A Divided America Is Stressing Out, Survey Finds

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A fractured America is causing people’s stress levels to go through the roof, a new American Psychological Association (APA) survey has found. Overall, the results indicate that loneliness and emotional disconnection have become a defining feature of American life. “This year’s findings show that people across the nation are not just feeling divided, they’re feeling disconnected,” APA’s CEO Arthur Evans Jr. said in a news release. “Research tells us that a sense of isolation and social fragmentation can have real consequences for our ability to manage stress and stay healthy.” More than 6 of 10 U.S. adults said that societal division is a significant source of stress in their lives, according to results of the 2025 Stress in America survey. Half or more said they felt isolated (54%); left out (50%); or lacking companionship (50%) often or some of the time. And nearly 7 in 10 people (69%) said they needed more emotional support in the past year than they received, up from 65% last year, the APA said. Adults who cited societal division as a source of stress were more likely to: Lose patience with family members (60% versus 49% of those not significantly stressed by division). Cancel plans (55% versus 37%). Struggle to plan for the future (53% versus 37%). Those feeling high levels of loneliness also struggled with their well-being, reporting more…  read on >  read on >