Science and Health
I am a contributing editor at Scientific American and write the Brain Waves blog for Psychology Today (you can find those posts here). My work has also appeared in The Atlantic, New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Newsweek, Time, Vogue and many other publications. Earlier in my career, I was on staff at Newsweek, and People, among other places and I’ve included a few of my old favorites from those days.
Ways to Extend Your Healthy Years, Not Just Your Life
Credit: Jay Bendt The biology of aging shows ways to lengthen your healthspan, years free of serious disease Over the past century the average life expectancy in developed countries has increased by 30 years, from roughly age 50 to 80. Vaccines, sanitation, antibiotics, and other advances allow many more people…
How to Figure Out if Moderate Drinking Is Too Risky for You
New research shows any alcohol can harm your body, but the increased risk may not be huge Wine with dinner is a lovely thing. I enjoy a glass or two, though rarely more. I have seen the terrible toll of alcohol use disorder and know the risks. Or I thought…
Hearing Aids Stave Off Cognitive Decline
By Josh Fischman, Tanya Lewis, Carin Leong, Elah Feder Hearing aids may help maintain better brain functions in older people, and better health overall. Full Transcript Tanya Lewis: Hi, this is Your Health, Quickly, a Scientific American podcast series! Josh Fischman: We highlight the latest vital health news: Discoveries that affect your body and your mind. Lewis: And we break…
Hearing Aids May Lower Risk of Cognitive Decline and Dementia
As few as 15 percent of people who would benefit from hearing aids use them A friend recently noticed that she couldn’t always hear her phone ringing or family members calling from another room. A hearing test revealed mild loss in high frequencies, which was possibly age-related—she is in her…
Too Much ‘Good’ Cholesterol Can Harm the Heart
Credit: Jay Bendt HDL cholesterol raises disease risk at levels above 80 milligrams per deciliter Anyone who has annual check-ups, as I do, knows that an optimal cholesterol level consists of not one number but two. Low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL) should be less than 130 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL), ideally….
You Don’t Really Need 10,000 Daily Steps to Stay Healthy
Credit: Jay Bendt New research points to different step counts based on age and fitness level In 2022 I averaged 9,370 steps a day. I know. I counted. Or rather my iPhone counted. I carried it everywhere—not so much to catch every call as to catch every step. My daily…