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That morning cup of coffee might provide more benefits than just a quick energy boost. New research suggests that consuming higher levels of caffeine could help curb body fat and reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Researchers at the University of Bristol, the Karolinska Institute in Sweden and Imperial College in London conducted the study, which was published in the journal BMJ Medicine. (Rudy, 3/20)

For women who are struggling to conceive, chemicals could be the culprit — that's according to a new study published in Science of the Total Environment. The study found that women whose blood plasma contained higher amounts of PFAS (perfluoroalkyl substances) — chemicals often found in drinking water and in ordinary household products — had up to a 40% lower chance of pregnancy and live births. (Rudy, 3/21)

Social media use is linked with body image concerns and eating disorders among young people, according to a new review of the scientific literature. But rather than social media being a direct cause of these issues, a “self-perpetuating cycle of risk” could be to blame, with more vulnerable teens and young adults succumbing to online pressures, the authors say. (Cueto and Gaffney, 3/22)

Samantha Moore had no idea her 9-year-old son was suffering from a strep infection until his foot swelled up and he became delirious. Colt Bearce is an active, healthy kid, so when he complained of feeling unwell after returning to the family's Macomb, Illinois, home from school Feb. 7, Moore wasn’t overly concerned. (Renken, 3/23)

KHN: Being ‘Socially Frail’ Comes With Health Risks For Older Adults 

Consider three hypothetical women in their mid-70s, all living alone in identical economic circumstances with the same array of ailments: diabetes, arthritis, and high blood pressure. Ms. Green stays home most of the time and sometimes goes a week without seeing people. But she’s in frequent touch by phone with friends and relatives, and she takes a virtual class with a discussion group from a nearby college. (Graham, 3/23)

KHN: Fresh Produce Is An Increasingly Popular Prescription For Chronically Ill Patients

When Mackenzie Sachs, a registered dietitian on the Blackfeet Reservation, in northwestern Montana, sees a patient experiencing high blood pressure, diabetes, or another chronic illness, her first thought isn’t necessarily to recommend medication. Rather, if the patient doesn’t have easy access to fruit and vegetables, she’ll enroll the person in the FAST Blackfeet produce prescription program. FAST, which stands for Food Access and Sustainability Team, provides vouchers to people who are ill or have insecure food access to reduce their cost for healthy foods. Since 2021, Sachs has recommended a fruit-and-vegetable treatment plan to 84 patients. Increased consumption of vitamins, fiber, and minerals has improved those patients’ health, she said. (Graf, 3/23)

Nearly 200 years after Ludwig van Beethoven’s death, researchers pulled DNA from strands of his hair, searching for clues about the health problems and hearing loss that plagued him. They weren’t able to crack the case of the German composer’s deafness or severe stomach ailments. But they did find a genetic risk for liver disease, plus a liver-damaging hepatitis B infection in the last months of his life. (Burakoff, 3/22)

Two months after publicly sharing a diagnosis of breast and throat cancer that left her in a “total panic,” tennis great Martina Navratilova revealed that she is “cancer-free.” ... Navratilova, 66, received the Stage 1 diagnosis late last year and told Morgan that they caused her and her wife, Julia Lemigova, to postpone plans to adopt a child. Now, “as far as they know, I’m cancer-free,” she said, adding that she “should be good to go” after having radiation treatment. (Boren, 3/21)