Physical activity and exercise Archive

The health risks of using tobacco and overusing alcohol begin to drop within days after a person stops using them. However, how past usage may affect a person's longevity is difficult to predict.

A 2023 study found that a 12-week home-based cardiac rehab program may lower a person's risk of dying over the next few years. Cardiac rehab, a program designed to help people recover from heart-related problems, is traditionally done at a medical facility.

A 2023 study suggests that women who practice many aspects of a healthy lifestyle are about half as likely as women who don't to experience persistent symptoms after a COVID-19 infection.

Some supplements can interfere with lab tests to diagnose or monitor health conditions, which can lead to life-threatening misdiagnoses or unnecessary additional testing. Biotin (vitamin B₇) can skew results from a blood test to diagnose heart attack. Other problematic supplements include vitamin C, which can interfere with blood sugar readings and stool tests; calcium, which can make bones appear denser than they are on bone density scans; and creatine, which can lead to falsely high readings of creatinine, a marker for kidney disease.

About one in three Americans engages in gardening, and the activity became even more popular during the COVID pandemic. Research suggests gardening provides many physical and mental health benefits. It can boost movement, improve diet, fight illness, smooth mood, sharpen brain function, and strengthen social bonds. Gardeners should wear a hat and apply sunscreen to protect against sun exposure. They should also wear gloves to create a barrier against skin allergens on plants and bacteria or fungi in potting soil mixes.

People who take an average of 4,500 steps each day may have a lower risk of heart disease, stroke, and heart failure than those who take less than 2,000 steps per day.

GERD, or acid reflux, can lead to heartburn, a bad taste in your mouth, and other unpleasant symptoms. Here are some treatments you can try at home.

I'm 79 years old and have been taking 3,000 mg of vitamin C a day for years. I'm now uneasy about taking this amount and plan to cut back to 1,000 mg daily. Is this the right dose? Will my body be startled by the abrupt change?

Body mass index (BMI) is a calculation of your size that expresses the relationship between your height and weight as a single number. It's useful for a person to know, but research shows that BMI on its own frequently misclassifies a person's metabolic health.