Obesity has been a growing concern worldwide, while more people are aware of how being obese affects their health, obesity continues to be a problem, with the statistics showing concerning numbers. The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases 2017-18 data revealed that one out of three adults are overweight, two out of five adults have obesity, and one in 11 adults are suffering from severe obesity. However, it doesn’t end there. A new study has revealed how this concerning pattern has also raised the numbers of death associated with obesity.

A new study presented by the Endocrine Society reveals a concerning trend: deaths from cancers tied to obesity have more than tripled in the U.S. over the last two decades. Between 1999 and 2020, the number of deaths from 13 types of obesity-related cancers jumped from 3.7 to 13.5 deaths per million people.

Rising Impact of Obesity on Cancer

This research highlights how important it is to have focused public health plans, like earlier cancer screenings and better access to healthcare, especially in areas where people are at high risk, like rural or underserved communities.

Currently, over 40% of adults in the U.S. are obese, and cancers linked to obesity make up 40% of all cancer diagnoses each year. These cancers include those affecting the esophagus, breast, colon, uterus, gallbladder, stomach, kidney, liver, ovaries, pancreas, thyroid, and brain, as well as a blood cancer called multiple myeloma.

For this study, researchers looked at data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), tracking over 33,500 deaths from cancers connected to obesity.

Overall, deaths from obesity-related cancers increased by almost 6% each year on average between 1999 and 2000. However, the period between 2018 and 2020 saw a sharp rise, with the death rate climbing by more than 19% annually.

Who's Most Affected By This Spike In Cases?

The study also showed significant increases in obesity-related cancer deaths among certain groups. These included women, older adults, Black individuals, Native Americans, and people living in rural areas.

Geographically, the Midwest had the highest rate of these cancer deaths, with nearly 8 deaths per million, while the Northeast had the lowest, at under 6 per million. Looking at individual states, Vermont, Minnesota, and Oklahoma had the highest rates, while Utah, Alabama, and Virginia had the lowest. Given these alarming trends, researchers concluded that it's crucial to have specific public health efforts. These should include prevention strategies, early screening programs, and making sure everyone has fair access to healthcare.

What Has Influenced This Influx?

According to the Obesity Medicine Association (OMA), the rise in obesity rates could be traced back to 1976 and 1980. The problem grew at roughly the same time for men and women, people of all ages, and all racial and ethnic groups. The number of people who were obese kept steadily going up until at least 2016.

The cause seems very closely tied to big shifts in what Americans started eating. It’s not so much about changes in how much fat or carbohydrates people were consuming.

The OMA suggests that the strongest link to the obesity problem is ultra-processed foods (UPFs). Think of these as foods that are heavily changed from their natural state. They're often packed with lots of calories, salt, sugar, and unhealthy fats, but have very few natural, whole ingredients.

Role Of Sugary Food and Surge In Calorie Intake

According to a 2022 study published in the Nutrient journal, a major part of why the obesity rate increased came down to simply eating more calories. On average, Americans now eat 23% more calories each day than they did in 1970. A significant portion of these daily calories—almost half—come from flour and grain products.

The study noted that a report from 2016 looked at what Americans were eating. It found that people were consuming more sweeteners made from corn and more cheese than two decades prior. Interestingly, they were eating less beef and drinking less milk. It's tough to point to just one food trend as the sole cause of rising obesity.

Americans are also cooking at home less and eating out more, which can make it harder to control portion sizes and make healthy food choices. Plus, for some people, limited income means healthier foods are simply too expensive. Other possible reasons for the increase include spending more time in desk jobs and walking less.

Other Reasons Attributed to Weight Gain

The study also explained how in the recent years, rates of depression and anxiety have climbed. Mental health and weight have a complex connection. These conditions can lead people to eat emotionally or feel less motivated to make healthy changes in their lives.

It’s likely that a combination of all these factors has led to the rise in obesity rates. It's important to remember that everyone is different, with their own experiences, lifestyle, and health background.

How Can We Avert This Health Crisis?

According to the OMA, applying the four pillars of obesity treatment could be the answer to this crisis which are nutrition therapy, physical activity, behavioral modification, and medical interventions.

Nutrition Therapy

A balanced diet, full of whole foods like fruits and veggies, along with low-fat dairy and various proteins, is key to preventing and treating obesity effectively. Encourage cutting back on processed items and limiting sugar to less than six teaspoons daily. Drinking more water also helps.

Physical Activity

Increasing physical activity and getting enough sleep are essential for maintaining a healthy weight. Aim for about 2.5 to 5 hours of moderate exercise weekly. Even small steps, like a gradual increase in daily walking, can make a big difference.

Behavioral Modification

Adjusting daily habits can be tough for those struggling with obesity. Behavior modification helps tackle challenges like unhealthy eating and inactivity. This might include personalized plans or therapy to address food triggers and promote lasting positive changes.

Medical Interventions

For some, medications or surgery can also help manage obesity. Medicines often work by reducing appetite or making you feel full. Surgery can alter the stomach or digestive system for significant weight loss, usually for severe obesity.

Heart diseases are one of the leading causes of death globally, yet it is not the biggest cause of concern for people. It is not just an unhealthy lifestyle that can push you to cardiovascular diseases. Sometimes when your body lacks important components, it can tip your heart health sideways.

Unexpected things like too much stress, lack of vitamin D, as well as too much vitamin B (according to some studies) can increase your risk of heart diseases. However, a surprising deficiency that can increase your risk of heart diseases is B12. However, how is a vitamin, whose role is to support nerve and brain function, responsible for your heart health?

How Does B12 Vitamin Affect Heart Health?

Another function of vitamin is forming healthy red blood vessels and DNA. While vitamin B12 is crucial for our health, but it hasn't been clear how a person's B12 levels relate to their risk of death. To understand this better, a study published in the 2024 Archives of Gerontology and Geriatrics, conducted a comprehensive review and analysis of existing studies to find out if there's a link between B12 levels and the risk of dying from all causes, heart disease, or cancer. What they found was that

• People with very high B12 levels (over 600 pmol/L) had a 50% higher risk of death from any cause and more than double the risk of death from heart disease.
• Even moderately high levels (400-600 pmol/L) were linked to a 34% higher risk of death from any cause.

They analyzed 22 studies that included a total of 92,346 people. The results showed a clear pattern:

• For every increase of 100 pmol/L in serum vitamin B12, there was a 4% higher risk of death from any cause in the general population.
• This risk was even higher for older adults, who had a 6% higher risk of death for the same increase in B12 levels.
• The connection was a straight, linear trend, meaning the risk steadily increased as B12 levels went up.

Can A Lack Of Vitamin B12 Also Cause Heart Diseases?

To find this a 2023 study published in the BMC, looked at vitamin B12 (B12), a marker for B12 deficiency called methylmalonic acid (MMA), and the risk of death has been unclear, especially for people with coronary heart disease (CHD). This study aimed to explore how MMA and B12—from blood levels, diet, or supplements—are connected to the risk of death from any cause and from cardiovascular issues in adults with CHD.

Researchers used data from a major US health survey to conduct this study. They included 1,755 adults who already had coronary heart disease (CHD) and whose levels of B12 and a related marker called MMA were measured. The study also looked at how much B12 the participants got from their diet. These individuals were followed for an average of nearly eight years to track how many of them passed away.

The study's key findings were about the connection between B12, MMA, and mortality:

Out of the 1,755 people in the study, 980 died during the follow-up period.

The study found no significant link between a person's B12 levels (from blood, diet, or supplements) and their risk of death.

In contrast, people with the highest levels of MMA had a 70% higher risk of death from any cause and double the risk of death from cardiovascular problems compared to those with the lowest MMA levels.

Interestingly, the risk of death from high MMA levels was even greater for participants who had a sufficient amount of B12 in their blood. In fact, CHD patients with high levels of both MMA and B12 had twice the risk of death compared to those with lower levels of both.

The study suggests that for patients with coronary heart disease, high levels of MMA are strongly linked to an increased risk of death, especially from cardiovascular causes. This was true even when their blood and dietary B12 levels were normal. This "paradox" may indicate that the body's ability to properly use vitamin B12 is what's important, not just the amount present in the blood.

Conclusion

Both studies and many experts agree that lack of vitamin B12 is an alarming factor for your heart health, however too much of it is also a risk variable. Before you make changes to your diet, whether to increase or decrease your vitamin B12 intake, make sure you speak to your healthcare professional to get a better idea of how much of it do you need.

When someone close to you tests positive for COVID-19, it’s natural to feel an immediate sense of urgency. The question that often follows is simple but critical: how long should you wait before getting tested? Testing too soon can give you false reassurance, while delaying too long risks spreading the virus to others. The answer lies in understanding the incubation period, the type of test you use, and the circumstances of your exposure.

COVID-19 doesn’t reveal itself instantly. It takes some time for the virus to reproduce in your body until it can be detected by tests to the level that it is present. That window is called the incubation period, and it is usually 2 to 14 days, with infections usually appearing on days 3 to 7. Waiting too long to test results in a false-negative reading because viral load isn't adequate yet. That is why professionals call for waiting for the appropriate moment before swabbing.

When To Test For COVID If You Have Symptoms?

If you get symptoms like fever, cough, tiredness, stuffiness, or loss of smell and taste—you need to test immediately. A positive antigen test is most often accurate, but a negative one isn't always the end of the matter. Since rapid tests may not catch early infections, particularly within the first days, the FDA and CDC advise retesting 48 hours later if your initial test was negative but you continue to have symptoms.

When to Test for COVID if You Do Not Have Symptoms?

For people without symptoms but with known exposure, the CDC advises testing on Day 5 after exposure. Counting starts on the day of exposure, which is considered Day 0. By Day 5, the virus is typically detectable in most individuals. Testing earlier may be useful if you’re planning to be around vulnerable populations, but it’s important to confirm results later in the incubation period with a follow-up test.

Types of Tests for COVID-19 and Accuracy After Exposure

Rapid Antigen Tests

• Speed: 15–30 minutes.
• Advantages: Suitable for rapid decisions and testing at home.
• Drawbacks: Less sensitive, particularly in the initial periods of infection or among asymptomatic individuals.
• Optimal Use: Day 5 or later since exposure; retest after 48 hours if negative.

PCR Tests

• Speed: Results usually within 1–3 days.
• Advantages: The gold standard because highly sensitive, able to identify even traces of the virus.
• Limitations: Has to be processed in the lab, longer turnaround.
• Best Use: Day 5 after contact for best accuracy.

Antibody Tests

• Speed: Variable, but not useful immediately.
• Strengths: Can identify past infection, not current.
• Limitations: Antibodies typically show up 1–3 weeks after infection.
• Best Use: To ascertain past exposure, not to test right after contact.

Why Testing Too Early Can Give Misleading Results?

Testing within 1–2 days of exposure rarely provides accurate results. At this stage, the virus is still incubating and your immune system hasn’t produced a detectable viral load. A negative result during this period can create a false sense of security, potentially leading to unintentional spread. Waiting until Day 5, unless symptoms appear earlier significantly improves accuracy.

COVID Testing Timeline Guideline

Day 0: Exposure occurs. Begin monitoring for symptoms.

Days 1–3: Remain vigilant. Avoid social contact, but delay testing unless symptoms occur.

Day 5: Test with PCR or an antigen test. If you use an antigen test and it comes back negative, retest in 48 hours.

Day 6–7: If you received a negative test result but are still worried—or must see someone high-risk—opt for a second test.

What to Do if You Test Positive?

A positive test result indicates you should self-isolate right away, notify close contacts, and adhere to public health advice. Most individuals with mild signs or symptoms can recover at home, but individuals with high-risk conditions—e.g., chronic illness, compromised immunity, or advanced age—should see a health care provider for potential antiviral treatment.

Isolation is usually 5 days from onset of symptoms or positive test (in case of being asymptomatic), but at least 10 days of masking around other people is recommended.

What if You Test Negative?

A negative test is not always conclusive. Taken too early, or if you don't have symptoms, the virus may not be visible yet. Keep on masking, watching for symptoms, and retesting as needed. If you have a subsequent onset of symptoms after a negative test, consider the infection to be possible and retest soon.

Where to Get Tested for COVID?

Testing for COVID-19 is widely available in various settings to accommodate a variety of needs. Home rapid tests, found at pharmacies and drugstores, are convenient and provide fast results, but a follow-up test is suggested if the test is negative but symptoms are still present. Healthcare clinics and pharmacies sell antigen and PCR tests, and some have appointments. Free or low-cost testing can be found at community clinics and public health clinics, especially in outbreak situations. For patients with respiratory symptoms, most clinics ask that they pre-call to reduce waiting room exposure, and telemedicine consultations are becoming more widespread throughout many areas.

Even in 2025, with better treatments and vaccines, testing is important. It catches infections early, informs isolation and treatment decisions, and safeguards at-risk populations. The CDC insists repeatedly that prompt testing—particularly following confirmed exposure—is among the best measures to slow spread.

If you’ve been exposed to COVID-19, resist the urge to test right away. Instead, monitor for symptoms and plan to test around Day 5 post-exposure. Use rapid antigen tests for quick answers, but rely on PCR tests for the most accurate results. Regardless of your test outcome, continue practicing precautions, especially around high-risk groups. Testing at the right time doesn’t just protect you—it protects your community.

Until a few years ago, a cancer diagnosis was seen as a death sentence, the simple phrase was enough to discourage people. However, with modern medicine, people have a fighting chance; they can now focus on their health and have the hope that they’ll recover. But it is not all positive.

In recent years we have seen an alarming rise in cancer diagnoses. While one likely explanation for this is that more people are aware and getting diagnosed earlier, studies have shown lifestyle choices, declining food quality and environmental factors are also to be blamed.

Now scientists have also found a gender disparity, however this difference has come as a shock to some.

A new study published in JAMA Network has uncovered a surprising trend in India: even though more women are diagnosed with cancer than men, a higher percentage of men die from the disease. This is what's known as a paradox.

Who Is Affected More By Cancer Deaths: Men Or Women?

Between 2015 and 2019, India saw more than 700,000 cancer cases.

• Women made up 51.1% of these cases.
• Men accounted for 48.9%.

Despite women having a slightly higher number of cases, the death rate tells a different story:

• 55% of all cancer deaths were among men.
• 45% were among women.

Looking ahead to 2024, the trends are similar. The estimated number of new cancer cases for women (781,277) is slightly more than for men (780,000). The crude incidence rate (CIR)—which is the number of new cases per 100,000 people—is also higher for women (113.3) than for men (107.4).

The study, which gathered data from 43 cancer registries across the country, also identified the most common types of cancer for each gender. For women, the most frequent cancers were breast, cervical, and ovarian. For men, they were oral, lung, and prostate.

Does Geography Play A Role In Cancer Cases?

that cancer cases are not spread out evenly across India—some areas have much higher rates than others. The highest rates were found in a specific region of the country.

The top five places with the highest rates of cancer were mostly in northeast India. The city of Aizawl in Mizoram had the highest rates for both men and women. Other high-risk areas included Kamrup Urban, Papumpare, and East Kasi Hills. The only exception on this list was Hyderabad.

Just how big is this difference? Another study from 2023 found that cancer rates in Aizawl were seven times higher for men and four times higher for women compared to regions in Maharashtra like Osmanabad and Beed.

Why Cancer Rates Are Higher for Women

So, why do more women in India get cancer? Experts point to several factors:

• Changes in diet, lack of physical activity, and the use of tobacco and alcohol are all risk factors.
• The rise in hormone-related cancers, such as breast and ovarian cancer, may be linked to people being more exposed to pollutants in the air and harmful chemicals in cosmetics and processed foods.
• Things like having children later in life can also increase a woman's risk.
• Financial and social barriers can play a role in a woman's health.

Why Is There A Gender Disparity Among Cancer Survivors?

Even though more women get cancer, more men die from it. This is likely because the most common cancers found in women—like breast and cervical cancers—are very treatable if they are found early. For example, the American Cancer Society states that the five-year survival rate for breast cancer is over 90% when it's diagnosed in the early stages.

However, a new and worrying trend is emerging. A study from March 2025 found that over the past decade, cancer-related deaths have been increasing more quickly among women than men. This trend is expected to continue. Experts suggest this could be because women face challenges like getting the wrong diagnosis, having limited access to good quality healthcare, and other financial and social barriers.