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Our health writers explore wellness culture, human behavior, mortality and disease, and other mysteries of the body and the mind.

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Photograph of baked beans on toast. The toast is on a white plate atop of red-and-white gingham tablecloth. — Martin Parr / Magnum

One Food All Americans Can Agree On

The humble bean is the solution to America’s nutritional chaos.

March 12, 2026

A close-up of a Tylenol pill against a red background. Half the photo is blurred and half is in focus. — Illustration by The Atlantic. Source: Justin Sullivan / Getty.

The Fight Over Tylenol and Autism Just Got Messier

Researchers in Taiwan tried to examine whether using acetaminophen during pregnancy leaves children at greater risk of neurological disorders. The results are head-scratching at best.

March 9, 2026

Jay Bhattacharya — Chip Somodevilla / Getty

Jay Bhattacharya Might Get His COVID Capstone

The CDC has been remade in the Trump administration, but its acting head says it still needs “renewal.”

Katherine J. Wu

March 5, 2026

Dark blue-toned photo of a man in a lab coat wearing a stethoscope and holding a clipboard in front of a bookshelf — Illustration by The Atlantic. Source: H. Armstrong Roberts / ClassicStock / Getty.

The Trump Administration Is Trying to Have Its Vaccine Policy Both Ways

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and his subordinates want Americans to have more conversations with their physicians. But they also can’t seem to stop disparaging the medical establishment.

March 5, 2026

Illustration of a place setting with a chocolate bar on a plate and a soda can with a straw in it, in shades of brown and pink. — Illustration by Matteo Giuseppe Pani / The Atlantic

American Snacking Habits Are Transforming the Restaurant Industry

Chains are rolling out smaller and cheaper options for customers who just want a little treat.

March 3, 2026

watercolor-style illustration of hand with painted nails and blue hospital ID bracelet on wrist being held by another hand on magenta background — Illustration by Ben Hickey

The Impossible Predicament of the Uninsured

My aunt couldn’t afford to go to the hospital. She ended up there anyway.

March 2, 2026

A stethoscope curls around a $100 bill against a red background — Illustration by Akshita Chandra / The Atlantic

Four Conditions Make Cash Transfers Save Lives

The success of other countries shows these programs can work in the United States.

Aaron Richterman and Harsha Thirumurthy

February 28, 2026

Casey Means seated at a desk during her confirmation hearing before the Senate HELP committee — Tom Brenner / AP

Well, That Didn’t Sound Like Casey Means

The nominee for surgeon general kept her most eccentric wellness beliefs largely in check at her confirmation hearing.

February 25, 2026

In gray scale, a woman clutches her head. — Illustration by The Atlantic. Source: Laurent Hamels / Getty.

Is It Aging, or Is It ADHD?

Middle-aged Americans are considering a new possible explanation for their slowing brain.

February 25, 2026

A toy car full of skin-care products — Illustration by Alisa Gao / The Atlantic

The Skin-Care Industry Is Coming for Toddlers

Millennials created the wellness economy, and now it wants their children as customers.

February 25, 2026