You may have grown up thinking a sunburn was simply part of summer — something that turned red, peeled and eventually disappeared. But your skin doesn't forget. Years of exposure to ultraviolet (UV) rays can add up, and the damage from a sunburn can affect your skin long after the redness and soreness are gone. For adults over 50, that history of sun exposure is especially important because skin cancer becomes more common with age. The good news? It's not too late to protect

As we get older, taking care of our digestive system becomes increasingly important. One simple place to start may be right in your kitchen. Fermented foods—foods made with helpful bacteria, yeast, or other microorganisms—have been part of traditional diets for centuries. Today, researchers are taking a closer look at how these foods may affect the trillions of microorganisms living in our digestive tract. That community is known as the gut microbiome, and keeping it balanced

When the afternoon hunger hits, a bag of chips can be awfully tempting. But after 50, what you choose between meals can matter more than you might think. The right snack can help you stay satisfied while adding protein, fiber, healthy fats, vitamins, and minerals to your day. Choosing lower-sodium options can also help you keep an eye on your salt intake. That doesn't mean giving up salty or crunchy foods. It simply means making smarter swaps. Here are 12 satisfying snacks wo

Let's be honest: Most people don't spend much time talking about their bowel movements. But as we get older, paying attention to what's happening in the bathroom can actually tell us a lot about our digestive health. And there's plenty of misinformation out there. You may have heard that you need to poop every day, that a colon cleanse can “detox” your body, or that there's no reason to worry about colon cancer if everything looks normal in the bathroom. Those ideas aren't ne

If you’re over 50 and finding that sleep isn’t quite as easy as it used to be, your bedroom temperature may deserve a closer look. A recent study suggests that sleeping in a room that’s too warm may put extra stress on the body—particularly as we get older. Researchers studied 47 adults age 65 and older and monitored their heart activity while they slept. They also tracked the temperature in each person’s bedroom. The finding was interesting: when bedroom temperatures rose ab

As we get older, most of us think about keeping our muscles strong, our bones healthy and our balance steady. But there’s another ability that deserves attention: how quickly you react when something unexpected happens. Imagine catching yourself when you trip on a sidewalk, reaching for a railing when you lose your balance or quickly moving your foot when you step somewhere unstable. Those reactions happen in a split second—and that split second can matter. Reaction time chan

A newly released email is raising fresh questions about how federal health officials investigated reports of possible side effects following COVID-19 vaccination. The email, written in May 2021 by Janet Woodcock, who was then acting commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, was sent to Anthony Fauci and Francis Collins, two of the most powerful figures in the federal health system at the time. Woodcock said she had been hearing from health care professionals about peo

A summer walk, gardening session or afternoon on the patio can come with an unwelcome souvenir: a mosquito bite or, worse, a tick. Most bites are nothing more than irritating. But mosquitoes and ticks can also carry infections, so a few simple precautions can make outdoor time safer — especially as we get older and may not bounce back from illness quite as easily. Here’s what to know before your next trip outdoors. First, make it harder for bugs to bite you The best treatment

For years, 10,000 steps a day has been treated like the gold standard for staying healthy. But if you're over 50—or especially over 60—you may be wondering: Do you really need to walk that much every day? The good news is that you don't have to chase a huge number on your fitness tracker to get meaningful benefits from walking. Research suggests that many of the health benefits associated with walking occur well before you reach 10,000 steps. For many older adults, 6,000 to 8

Getting older changes your body. Muscle mass tends to decline, metabolism can change, hormones shift, and the way your body stores fat may change, too. That can make managing your weight more challenging than it was in your 30s or 40s. Unfortunately, many of the weight-loss rules people have heard for decades are either oversimplified or simply wrong. If you're over 50 and frustrated that the scale doesn't respond the way it used to, it's worth separating fact from fiction. M

If a sip of ice water makes you wince—or a spoonful of hot soup sends a sharp jolt through your teeth—you may be dealing with tooth sensitivity. For many people over 50, it’s tempting to chalk this up to getting older. But sensitive teeth can have several causes, and some are worth discussing with your dentist. The good news: Tooth sensitivity is often treatable once the underlying cause is identified. What Causes Sensitive Teeth? Your teeth are protected by a hard outer laye

A restless night is easy to dismiss. Maybe you woke up several times, got up earlier than usual, or simply couldn’t fall asleep. Every once in a while, that’s normal. But when poor sleep becomes a regular pattern, the consequences can go far beyond feeling tired the next morning. Sleep plays an important role in the brain, immune system, metabolism, heart, and hormones. For adults, experts generally recommend about 7 to 9 hours of sleep a night. And after 50, getting enough q

If you love the satisfying crunch of a pickle, you don't necessarily have to give it up as you get older. Pickles can be a low-calorie, low-fat snack and provide small amounts of fiber, vitamin A, vitamin K and antioxidants. But there's an important catch: many pickles are loaded with sodium. And after 50, that's something worth paying attention to — particularly if you're watching your blood pressure or trying to protect your heart. So, Are Pickles Good for You? The answer i

A newly released email is raising questions about whether reports of possible COVID-19 vaccine side effects received enough attention from federal health officials. The email, dated May 27, 2021, was written by Janet Woodcock, who was then leading the Food and Drug Administration. According to the report, Woodcock urged Dr. Anthony Fauci and Dr. Francis Collins, then leaders at the National Institutes of Health, to support research into health problems being reported after CO

Think you have to give up potatoes, pasta, peanut butter or even pizza to eat well after 50? Not so fast. By the time we reach 50, many of us have heard plenty of nutrition rules: Avoid carbs. Skip the yolks. Never eat anything with fat. Stay away from red meat. And definitely don't touch pizza. But healthy eating doesn't have to mean giving up the foods you love. What matters more is the quality of the food, portion size and what you pair it with. Many foods that have develo