Health
Finding good health news amidst a pandemic can be quite daunting. That’s not the case with The Optimist Daily, where positive news is in high supply. Our Health section covers the latest good news from the health sector, featuring solutions ranging from mental and physical health to immunity, nutrition, and cutting edge medical research.
Why adding nuts to your diet can help you shed some pounds
If you’re trying to lose weight, you may want to try adding nuts to your diet. That may sound counterintuitive, but according to new research, eating more nuts can help you lose weight because nuts are rich in fat and fiber, which both influence satiety. In other words, nuts make you feel full Read More...
Coffee's health perks may be strongest for people over 45
Adults who drank four cups of coffee a day had a 64 percent lower risk of dying during a new 10-year Spanish study, compared to those who rarely or never drank the beverage. The link between coffee and reduced mortality risk was strongest for people over 45, the authors say, suggesting that the Read More...
Re-thinking Alzheimer's research by looking to our ancestors
A pair of Harvard researchers is challenging what we think we understood about Alzheimer’s—and might have stumbled on a big clue for a Read More...
Chinese agricultural miracle could feed the planet without destroying it
The study was mammoth. It cost $54 million, and involved some 1,000 researchers and 65,000 local bureaucrats. But academics around the globe are calling the results an agricultural Read More...
High-intensity exercise dramatically improves the heart health of mid-lifers
Attention middle-aged people: even if you haven’t been an avid exerciser throughout your life, getting in shape now can help you restore your aging heart. According to new research, doing higher-intensity exercise regularly can make your heart notably less stiff and help it to process oxygen more Read More...
How vitamin D protects against heart failure
Vitamin D, which is often called the "sunshine vitamin," boasts a range of physiological roles. A new study reveals that, following a heart attack, it might protect against consequent heart Read More...
Sleep: the antidote for fear
It’s no secret that a good night’s rest has many benefits. Now, a team of researchers at the Center for Molecular and Behavioral Neuroscience at Rutgers University–Newark has discovered that REM sleep—when the body is most relaxed and most dreams occur—promotes the emotional Read More...
Let's stop pretending the American breakfast isn't just dessert in the morning
Let’s be honest: breakfast in the US is nothing more than dessert in disguise. A muffin is essentially a cupcake, a waffle is just another word for cookie, and cereal is simply crushed up cookies in a bowl. Yes, they may look a bit different, but if you look at the nutritional facts of breakfast Read More...
The trick to losing weight is eating mindfully
Many people can lose roughly 5 percent of their weight by strictly following a weight-loss program for three to six months. But then the tide inevitably turns, and the pounds return. It’s maintaining weight-loss that presents the biggest obstacle. So how do you fend off your bad eating habits and Read More...
Boosting the brain's immune cells may stop Alzheimer's
The results of two new studies — both published in the journal Neuron — suggest that the brain's immune cells may hold the key to future treatments for Alzheimer's Read More...