A large study (2026) in JAMA Network (on 5,472 women aged 63 to 99 years) found that muscle strength was associated with significantly lower mortality risk in women—even for those not meeting guideline-recommended activity levels. The researchers noted that the findings were a surprise, as strength in older women turned out to be a key—and unique—factor in longevity, reducing the risk for early death by a third…
A 2026 study from Harvard, analyzing 30 years of data from 100K+ Americans, found that diversifying your movement may have a big impact on your lifespan. The researchers found that people that did the highest variety of exercise––whether walking, gardening or weightlifting––had a 19% lower risk of premature death compared to those who engaged in the lowest variety, even when total physical activity was held constant.…
A large observational study (2025) from Australia’s Monash University, spanning a decade and involving over 10,000 people over 70, found that people who listened to music most days slashed their risk of developing dementia by 39% compared with those who did not. The regular music-listeners also had a decreased risk of experiencing general cognitive decline and performed consistently better on memory tasks and cognitive function…
Obesity has boomed in industrialized nations over the last century, and a common explanation is that we’ve become more sedentary, so we burn fewer calories. But a major new study (2025) finds that this is not the case. Global researchers compared the daily total calorie burn for people from 34 different countries and cultures around the world––from hunter-gatherers and farming populations with low obesity rates,…
A large, long-term study from the Mayo Clinic, tracking 2,750 adults (aged 50 and over) for an average of five and a half years, found that chronic insomnia leads to changes in the brain that result in a much faster decline in memory and thinking. Chronic insomniacs were 40% more likely to develop cognitive impairment or dementia over the study period than people that got good…
A 2025 study from Vanderbilt University Medical Center (on 85,000 predominantly Black and low-income participants) found that just 15 minutes of brisk walking daily were linked with a nearly 20% reduction in mortality. The positive effects of walking have been endlessly documented, but this research revealed that walking quickly delivers health benefits in a very short timeframe. Slow walking for more than three hours daily was…
