Health
Popular diet trend could boost mental health among older adults, study finds
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Eating a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, fish and olive oil may help keep the mind strong even into old age, according to new research.
Older adults in England who followed a Mediterranean diet — which is primarily composed of the above foods — during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic reported higher psychological well-being than peers who did not.
The researchers tracked more than 3,000 adults between the ages of 50 and 90 to determine how their daily food choices related to their long-term outlook on life, according to a press release.
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The participants filled out specialized surveys that measured positive psychological traits, including their sense of autonomy, life satisfaction, purpose and control over daily routines.
Each participant also received a score based on how closely their eating habits matched a traditional Mediterranean dietary pattern.
The boost in well-being was not driven by differences in caloric intake, meaning the specific types of food eaten played an important role, the researchers said. (iStock)
Adults who stuck closely to the Mediterranean diet reported a significantly stronger sense of overall well-being.
This finding held even after researchers accounted for factors like income, education, physical activity, smoking habits and general physical health.
The boost in well-being did not appear to be driven by differences in caloric intake, which suggests the specific types of food played an important role.
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As the researchers tracked the participants over several years, they were able to measure how their well-being shifted during the early months of the pandemic.
While emotional well-being and happiness dropped across the entire group during the lockdowns, the study – which was published in BMJ Open – showed the decline was less intense for people who stuck to the Mediterranean diet.
The Mediterranean diet is naturally packed with anti-inflammatory elements, such as antioxidants called polyphenols found in extra virgin olive oil. (iStock)
Previous research points to a few explanations for this.
“This study shows what we’ve been seeing in other research,” Kim Kulp, registered dietitian nutritionist and owner of the Gut Health Connection in the San Francisco Bay Area, told Fox News Digital.
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The Mediterranean diet is naturally rich in anti-inflammatory nutrients, including omega-3 fatty acids from fish and antioxidants called polyphenols found in extra-virgin olive oil.
These nutrients help to lower inflammation in the brain and support a healthy gut microbiome, which is directly linked to the chemical production of mood-regulating hormones, experts say.
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“Since the Mediterranean diet is loaded with a variety of plant foods, it provides an increase in nutrients for the body and brain, special compounds that reduce inflammation, and prebiotics to feed the good gut microbes,” said Kulp, who was not involved in the study.
The participants shared how they felt about their sense of autonomy, life satisfaction, purpose and control over their daily routines. (iStock)
Researchers noted some limitations to the data, including the fact that the study relied on self-reported dietary surveys, which can sometimes be inaccurate.
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Additionally, the participants who completed the tracking tended to be healthier and wealthier than the general public, meaning the results might not fully apply to more diverse or vulnerable populations.
The Mediterranean diet can help reduce stress and depression and improve a sense of well-being, a nutritionist confirmed. (iStock)
“There were only two days of dietary data, and the psychological well-being test was only administered on two occasions, both early on during COVID,” Kulp noted. “Two days of data may not be enough to form conclusions.”
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Because the study was observational, it could not prove a direct cause-and-effect relationship between the diet and improved mental health, the researchers acknowledged.
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“Eating a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, seeds and legumes provides the ultimate combination of nutrients to improve overall health as we age,” said Kulp.
“Together, this diet can help reduce stress and depression and improve a sense of well-being, even during the toughest times.”
Health
Bride cautions others before wedding day about risky beauty treatments: ‘Pain wasn’t worth it’
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A bride-to-be who wanted to look “like a princess” on her wedding day ended up looking far worse than that after a severe allergic reaction to a fake eyelash treatment.
Polly Bibby, 26, an illustrator, decided to try classic eyelash extensions ahead of her big day compared to her usual minimal makeup look.
She had a patch test done, she said, according to Kennedy News & Media — and since she suffered no reaction, she went ahead with the procedure in early July, before her wedding day.
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After getting the treatment done — which cost her about $88, she said — she was initially happy with her “dressier” appearance.
Just a few hours after the appointment, however, her eyes became watery and sore. She shrugged it off as symptoms of hay fever.
Polly Bibby, pictured, was left with red, raw and swollen eyes after suffering an allergic reaction to eyelash extensions. (Kennedy News & Media)
But when her eyes started to sting and then stick together due to a yellow discharge, alarm bells began going off. She called an urgent care medical line and was advised to head to the nearest hospital emergency room.
A shocking photo shows her red, raw and swollen eyes. After being seen by a nurse in the eye unit at Hinchingbrooke Hospital in Hinchingbrooke, Cambridge, it was confirmed she’d suffered an allergic reaction to the eyelash extensions.
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She was given a course of antibiotics and antihistamines, and told to wait three days for the swelling to go down before getting the false lashes removed.
“To keep the eyes safe, [artificial] lashes should be applied by an experienced aesthetician in a sanitary setting, with chemicals that are safe for your skin,” said Rebecca J. Taylor, M.D., a board-certified ophthalmologist in Nashville, in a statement on the American Academy of Ophthalmology website.
“The procedure does come with risks, namely trauma to or infection of the eyelid or cornea; allergic reaction to the glue; and permanent or temporary loss of eyelashes.”
Many brides opt for special beauty treatments for their wedding day. But one suffered a severe allergic reaction to an eyelash extension procedure. (iStock)
Infection can also result, Taylor said, from inadequate hygiene in the salon or damage to the eye during application.
Even though her skin is now slowly healing, Bibby of Cambridgeshire, in the United Kingdom, feared her eyes would still be red by the time she said “I do” to her to 29-year-old fiancé, Benjamin May.
She said she’s been sharing her experience to warn other brides about getting certain treatments so close to their big day.
“I just didn’t look like myself.”
“I don’t wear that much makeup,” she told Kennedy News & Media. “Getting married is the biggest day of your life, so I just wanted to test out different makeup and actually feel like a princess for the day.”
She said it was a trial for her wedding, as she’d “never had my eyelashes done before.”
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About four or five hours after the appointment, her partner looked at her eyes, she said, and thought they were a little red.
“By that evening, they had gone red, raw and were stinging. The only way I can describe [how I looked] is the man from ‘The Goonies’ with the big puffy eyes called Sloth. I just didn’t look like myself. I looked like a different person.”
Bibby, shown here in both images, was given a course of antibiotics and antihistamines and told to wait three days for the swelling to go down before having her false lashes removed. (Kennedy News & Media)
She said her eyes were “burning,” and “it got to the point where I was losing my vision and I couldn’t see at all.”
Every time she blinked, she said, her “eyes were sticking together as I had discharge building up [in] my eyes … a sticky yellow discharge pretty similar to when babies have conjunctivitis.”
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She said the medical staff who treated her were “quite taken back and shocked by it.”
During the removal of the false lashes, she said it felt like “acid was being poured onto her face.”
“I didn’t realize it would happen to me.”
She said, “I was screaming, crying and tensing up. My eyes are still red, scabby and very ‘rashy.’ The eyelids themselves are really swollen, and I’ve still got quite blurry vision.”
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She also said, “When people joke around and say things [can] go wrong [on your wedding day] — I didn’t realize it would happen to me.”
“I won’t be getting eyelash extensions for the big day,” said Bibby (not pictured) ahead of her big day, after suffering an allergic reaction. (iStock)
Ahead of her wedding, she said, “I won’t be getting eyelash extensions for the big day. Going through that pain was not worth it. If I knew in hindsight, I’d just use mascara.”
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She added, “I’d hate for anyone else to go through this.”
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Former President Joe Biden’s prostate cancer has spread further since his diagnosis last year, his son Hunter Biden revealed in a BBC interview that aired Friday.
“The cancer has spread, metastasized into his bones and further,” Hunter Biden told BBC Newsnight, describing his father’s condition as “very painful” and “very debilitating in many respects.”
“It’s really sad to watch,” the younger Biden went on. “The only thing that I’d say about my dad, about his health right now, is I wish he would complain more, because it’s not good.”
JOE BIDEN’S CANCER HAS SPREAD FURTHER, LEAVING HIM IN ‘VERY PAINFUL’ CONDITION, HUNTER REVEALS
Biden, 83, announced his diagnosis in May 2025, after news that a “small nodule” had been found in the former president’s prostate during a routine exam.
“While this represents a more aggressive form of the disease, the cancer appears to be hormone-sensitive, which allows for effective management,” his office said at the time. “The president and his family are reviewing treatment options with his physicians.”
Former President Joe Biden’s prostate cancer has spread further since his diagnosis last year, his son Hunter Biden revealed. (Getty Images)
Biden later underwent hormone therapy and radiation treatment, completing a course of radiation at Penn Medicine Radiation Oncology in Philadelphia in October 2025, according to the former president’s spokesperson.
In addition to hormone therapy, common treatment options for prostate cancer include chemotherapy, targeted therapy, immunotherapy and radiopharmaceutical treatments.
Fox News Digital reached out to Biden’s office for comment.
What to know about prostate cancer
Prostate cancer is a disease found in men that develops in the prostate gland. Cases have been on the rise in recent years, with overall incidence increasing about 3% annually from 2014 through 2021, according to the American Cancer Society.
Rates of advanced-stage prostate cancer rose about 5% per year during that period.
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About 333,830 new cases of prostate cancer are expected to be diagnosed in the U.S. in 2026, and about 36,320 men are expected to die from the disease, according to the American Cancer Society.
One in eight men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in their lifetime, the same source stated.
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Older men are at a higher risk of the disease, with six in 10 cases diagnosed in patients 65 and older. The average age at diagnosis is 67, with men under 40 rarely affected.
Prostate cancer is the second-most common cancer in men, behind only skin cancer, the ACS noted.
Signs and symptoms
Among men who undergo routine prostate cancer screening, the disease is usually caught early before symptoms emerge, per the ACS.
Typical early symptoms include problems urinating, a weak or slow urinary stream or an increased need to urinate. Some men may also notice blood in the urine or bodily fluids.
Biden, 83, announced his diagnosis in May 2025, after news that a “small nodule” had been found in the former president’s prostate during a routine exam. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, File)
More advanced symptoms may occur after the disease has spread. Those may include pain in the hips, back (spine), chest (ribs) or other areas, the ACS stated.
Men may also suffer from erectile dysfunction, weight loss, extreme fatigue, weakness in the legs or feet, or loss of bladder or bowel control.
Screening recommendations
The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force states that men aged 55 to 69 years should have the option to undergo periodic prostate-specific antigen (PSA)-based screening to monitor for prostate cancer.
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“Before deciding whether to be screened, men should have an opportunity to discuss the potential benefits and harms of screening with their clinician and to incorporate their values and preferences in the decision,” the USPSTF states.
The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force states that men aged 55 to 69 years should have the option to undergo periodic prostate-specific antigen (PSA)-based screening to monitor for prostate cancer. (iStock)
While screening offers a “small potential benefit” of reducing the chances of dying from the disease, the agency noted that some men may experience negative effects, including false-positive results, overdiagnosis and overtreatment, and treatment complications.
Alternative prostate cancer screening methods are currently being researched, including one that uses a non-invasive urine test, as Fox News Digital recently reported.
Survival rates
For localized prostate cancers, where the disease is contained within the prostate, the five-year survival rate is at least 99%, according to the ACS.
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For regional cases, where the disease has spread only to “nearby structures or lymph nodes,” the five-year survival rate is also 99% or greater.
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If the cancer has spread to other areas of the body, the five-year survival rate drops to 37%.
Actual survival rates may vary based on the patient’s age, overall health, how the cancer has progressed post-diagnosis, the disease’s response to treatment, and other factors, the ACS noted.
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