Diet & Nutrition

Coffee is one of the most widely consumed psychoactive substances on the planet, yet despite more than two billion cups being drunk each day, its impact on heart health remains surprisingly complex – and often misunderstood. This year we got answers.

The rise in popularity of GLP-1 receptor agonist drugs like Ozempic is causing a wider societal shift that is now rocking the food industry. And some are feeling the pain more than others, as people make fundamental changes to their lives and health.

Tea and coffee are two of the most popular drinks in the world – daily rituals that are linked to culture, comfort, and productivity. Now scientists have new insights into how each affects bone health, especially the risk of osteoporosis.

2025 certainly saw some major health-related breakthroughs including a universal cancer vaccine. But the year was also filled with smaller findings that can still have a big impact on your day-to-day health. Here are 18 of them.

In the first long-term and real-world reflective study of its kind, scientists have uncovered new detrimental health impacts of the artificial sweetener aspartame that echoes those found in shorter research.

Researchers have homed in on a single gut microbe that acts to prevent fat gain, even with a high-fat diet. The discovery adds to the booming science of finding ways to enlist the microbes that already live in our bodies to help us improve our health.

Kale has long been crowned a “superfood,” praised for its rich antioxidant and nutrient content – but new research suggests many of those perks go untapped unless you pair the leaves with something to boost the body's ability to absorb the good stuff.

Vitamin C may offer meaningful protection against the invisible but pervasive threat of fine-particle air pollution. The common antioxidant significantly reduced lung inflammation and cellular damage caused by everyday, low-level exposure to PM2.5.

In the most comprehensive investigation of the ketogenic diet’s mental health effects yet, researchers pooled 50 studies spanning six decades to see what we actually know about its influence on mood. The results are a mix of promising and uncertain.

Researchers have demonstrated how a secret weapon made in the gut, produced by consuming pomegranate and walnuts, can rejuvenate the immune system in middle age, shielding us from cell damage, inflammation and chronic diseases including cancer.

Fruit smoothies have become a huge trend in healthy lifestyle world – and for good reason. They are a quick source of vitamins, fiber, and antioxidants, and they take just a few minutes to make! Bananas are the number-one ingredient for a good smoothie. Creamy and naturally sweet, they seem to pair well with pretty much every other fruit ... or do they?

Scientists have identified a significant link between levels of choline and the prevalence of anxiety, suggesting that upping intake of this essential nutrient found in many foods could potentially improve symptoms of these debilitating disorders.

The world’s priciest coffee comes from civet droppings. New research confirms these “poo coffee” beans are chemically distinct – but does that make them taste better, or just pricier?

Sitting has often been referred to as the new smoking thanks to its negative health benefits. For the first time ever, according to researchers in England, the flavanols in cocoa have been found to block its detrimental effects on blood vessels.

There's growing evidence that a Mediterranean diet can provide relief from symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome, offering people more variety, nutrients and easier adherence than the current restrictive frontline approach to manage the condition.