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Study finds more than half of mapped US parks lie near toxic chemical-reporting facilities

A nationwide geospatial analysis of 151,366 publicly accessible parks found that 52.6% lay within two miles of at least one industrial facility reporting toxic chemical management to the EPA, while 17.7% had parkland within two miles of a current or former Superfund site. The study mapped proximity rather than contamination or exposure, highlighting locations where targeted environmental assessment and healthier urban planning may be warranted.

9 Aug 2026

Nighttime light linked to conflicting signs of biological aging

Higher residential nighttime light exposure was associated with contrasting biological aging patterns in nearly 300,000 UK Biobank participants, depending on the aging algorithm used. PhenoAge and homeostatic dysregulation suggested a potentially adverse aging pattern, while KDM-BA showed the opposite association, underscoring uncertainty about how nighttime light relates to biological aging.

6 Aug 2026

Parenting stress influences children's screen habits, study finds

Researchers at FIU have a message for parents: If screen time is part of getting through a stressful day, find a way to make it count. The goal should be to focus less on quantity and more on quality.

6 Aug 2026

High-resolution scans reveal how depression affects hippocampal subfields

Researchers from the USC Mark and Mary Stevens Neuroimaging and Informatics Institute (Stevens INI) at the Keck School of Medicine of USC have found that depression is associated with smaller volume in a specific part of the hippocampus, a brain region essential for learning and memory.

6 Aug 2026

ACLM launches first lifestyle medicine evidence repository for healthcare professionals

The American College of Lifestyle Medicine (ACLM) has launched the Lifestyle Medicine Evidence Repository, the first centralized, curated collection of scientific research focused specifically on lifestyle medicine interventions.

5 Aug 2026

Physical activity linked to lower stroke and death risk in adults with atrial fibrillation

Being physically active was linked to a lower risk of stroke and death for adults with atrial fibrillation, or AFib, according to new, independent research published today in the Journal of the American Heart Association, an open access, peer-reviewed journal of the American Heart Association.

5 Aug 2026

Study links better sleep with higher academic achievement

A study published in the Journal of Political Economy, one of the world's top economics journals, provides the first causal evidence that improving sleep can directly enhance academic performance.

4 Aug 2026

Better sleep may boost academic and social success in adolescents

A new UC Davis Health study published in Psychological Medicine suggests that when it comes to helping adolescents succeed in school and maintain healthy friendships, sleep may matter more than screen time, exercise or diet.

4 Aug 2026

Exercise helps protect Hispanic adults from late life cognitive decline

Previous studies have examined the associations between adherence to LS7 and cognitive outcomes, with findings suggesting that higher LS7 scores are associated with better cognitive performance, reduced dementia risk and improved brain health.

4 Aug 2026

Restricting select amino acids may mimic protein restriction’s healthy aging benefits

A review finds that restricting protein, particularly methionine, isoleucine, and valine, may improve metabolism and influence key aging pathways, largely in experimental models. Short human studies suggest metabolic benefits, but effects on lifespan remain unknown and restriction may harm people with unmet or increased protein needs.

3 Aug 2026

Study links higher body fat to lower sperm counts despite normal BMI

Among 1,058 Danish men, higher body fat percentage was associated with lower total sperm count and altered reproductive hormone levels, but not testicular volume. Body fat percentage showed stronger links with several semen measures than BMI or waist-to-height ratio, with the sperm-count association strengthening among men with normal BMI.

2 Aug 2026

Study reveals widening inequality in leisure-time physical activity

A ten-year study of residents of the city of São Paulo, Brazil, revealed that leisure-time physical activity is highly unequal and that the gap between social strata is widening.

30 Jul 2026

New study reveals massive gap in American blood pressure care

Nearly 23 million Americans with blood pressure 130/80 mm Hg or higher may be eligible for blood-pressure-lowering medications based on the 2025 American Heart Association/American College of Cardiology guideline, according to new, independent research published today in the Journal of the American Heart Association, an open access, peer-reviewed scientific journal of the American Heart Association.

29 Jul 2026

The everyday habits linked to better grades in teenagers

Researchers found that regular meals, Mediterranean diet adherence, sufficient sleep, and limited television viewing were independently associated with better grades among 974 adolescents. Meeting more healthy lifestyle recommendations was consistently associated with stronger performance across first, second, and third languages.

29 Jul 2026