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Researchers there have identified the mechanism that gooses your body’s supply of molecules called cytokines, which cause your immune system to go haywire, resulting in unsafe levels of inflammation. Chronic inflammation contributes to the buildup of brain- and blood-clogging plaques believed to be the root of Alzheimer’s and some heart diseases, among other major illnesses, explains study co-author Kathryn J. Moore, PhD, an associate professor of medicine and cell biology at NYU....

To smooth things over cosmetically, follow these steps from Los Angeles-based makeup artist AJ Crimson. GET EVEN. Fill dips on your skin’s surface by applying a clear silicone primer like Dr. Jart + Pore Medic Pore Minish Primer ($32; sephora.com). COVER. Cream foundation creates a smooth finish. Try Clinique Moisture Surge CC Cream Compact Hydrating Colour Corrector Broad Spectrum SPF 25 ($35; clinique.com). More from Prevention: 11 Beauty Blunders Every Woman Makes

You know that regularly hitting the drive-thru can cause weight gain, hypertension, and diabetes. But new research offers another compelling reason to pass on the burger and fries: A fast-food diet might trigger allergies, asthma, and even skin problems. To reach that conclusion, investigators with the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood surveyed parents of children and teenagers on whether their kids presented with symptoms of asthma, rhinoconjunctivitis (hay fever), and eczema....

(For more of Roussell’s nutrition advice, strategies, and fat-fighting recipes, check out the Lose Your Spare Tire Program. It’s the easiest and most effective way to drop 20, 30, even 50 pounds and flatten your belly forever!) You use food as a reward (too often). “Food is more than just calories,” says Roussell. “It’s part of your culture and your experiences, and it’s also a great reward.” And that’s all good....

“One of the best things you can do for yourself as you age is to increase your body’s range of motion through stretching,” says Joseph Signorile, PhD, associate professor of exercise physiology at the University of Miami and senior researcher at Stein Gerontological Institute, also in Miami. Stretching isn’t just for when you exercise. Taking a few stretch breaks throughout the day offers tremendous benefits. Besides making it easier to reach a top shelf or bend to tie your shoes, it gives you more energy and helps you function better mentally....

The best explanation of stress we’ve ever heard comes from Stanford neurobiologist Robert Sapolsky, PhD, the author of Why Zebras Don’t Get Ulcers. “If you are a normal mammal,” he notes, “stress is the three minutes of screaming terror on the savanna after which either it’s over with or you’re over with.” If you’re a human mammal, stress comes not from fear of being eaten but worry about somebody eating your lunch....

Use these 8 tips to maximize nutrition and minimize health risks in your next bowl of veggies. Add eggs.help you absorb 500% more carotenoids New research from Purdue University shows that the fat found in egg yolks can —antioxidants that may reduce risk of certain eye diseases and cancers—than just eating veggies alone. MORE: 10 Brilliant Uses For Egg Shells Mix those greens. A study in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry found that the antioxidants in green lettuces start neutralizing free radicals more slowly than red lettuces, which have a markedly faster antioxidant effect....

Furthermore, slight bite problems might become big ones as your teeth shift with age. What was a minor imperfection at 20 could develop into a serious overbite by 40. Teeth can become crowded, and spaces may appear where none existed in your youth, says Raymond George Sr., DMD, a spokesman for the American Association of Orthodontists and an orthodontist in East Providence, RI. Luckily, you no longer have to bear a mouthful of metal to correct crooked teeth....

Jeanenne Darden, a strong swimmer, had been making her way out to a sandbar in Aruba with her 6-year-old daughter Larah riding on her back when suddenly she started gasping for air and going under. “My friends were 45 yards away and couldn’t hear me. I thought ‘it’s over,’ " she recalls. Fortunately, a friend, Gregg, spotted her struggling in the over-her-head water and pulled her onto the beach. But her troubles didn’t end when she recovered her breath....

Opposed to the “grandmother theory”—an idea that women go through menopause so that they can rear grandchildren—researchers from McMaster University in Canada designed a computer simulation model to measure both the male and female population evolving over time, as opposed to just female, and factor in the effects of preferential mating. After simulating this population, where infertility-causing mutations affected by mate choice were fixed, researchers found that a man’s preference for younger women can lead to menopause....

Read her full caption below: According to the Mayo Clinic, a kidney infection usually starts as a urinary tract infection that starts in your urethra or bladder and then moves to one or both kidneys. Symptoms include a fever, chills, back, side, groin, or abdominal pain, and frequent urination. If a kidney infection isn’t properly treated, it can result in permanent kidney damage or even a life-threatening blood infection. Women are at a higher risk of kidney infections because their urethras are shorter, making it easier for bacteria to travel....

The 3- to 4-hour naps during the day didn’t do any good either. The first clue to what was wrong came from my husband: He’d been complaining of my snoring for years. He suggested that I see a doctor to find out why I was tired all the time—and whether I had sleep apnea. What Is Sleep Apnea? “Apnea” is a Greek word that means without breath. The sleep disorder that bears the name is as common as adult diabetes, affecting as many as 18 million Americans....