Chronic insomnia is a widespread condition among middle-aged and older adults, yet access to first-line treatment—Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I)—remains limited due to cost and therapist availability. This article examines findings from a large randomized non-inferiority trial comparing Tai Chi, a traditional mind–body practice, with CBT-I in adults aged 50 and above. While Tai Chi was less effective than CBT-I immediately after the three-month intervention, it achieved non-inferior long-term improvements at the 12-month follow-up. Both groups demonstrated significant enhancements in insomnia severity, sleep quality, mental wellbeing, and physical functioning, with no adverse events reported. The results highlight Tai Chi as an accessible, low-cost, and sustainable alternative for long-term management of chronic insomnia in aging populations.1

Population aging is a global health challenge, with accelerated aging linked to cognitive decline and neurodegenerative disorders.1,2 Recent research published in Nature Aging (November 2025) provides compelling evidence that multilingualism—defined as the regular use of more than one language—acts as a protective factor against accelerated aging.3 Using biobehavioral age gaps (BAGs) as a direct marker of healthy versus unhealthy aging2, the study analyzed data from 86,149 participants across 27 European countries. Findings reveal that multilingual individuals exhibit delayed aging trajectories compared to monolinguals, with protective effects increasing alongside the number of languages spoken. These associations remained robust after adjusting for linguistic, physical, social, and sociopolitical confounders, underscoring the potential of multilingualism as a population-wide intervention for healthy aging.3

Sweeteners arrived to the market as the silver-bullet alternative to the rising health risks of sugar. Companies proactively innovated and reformulated their products to offer a diet-friendly option for the health-conscious, and low and no-calorie sweeteners (LNCSs) became a cornerstone in healthy diets, weight and diabetes management, and oral care.1,2 Yet as the spotlight continues to sharpen on the adverse health effects of ultra-processed foods, the long-term health impacts of LNCSs are also being questioned.3

Sleep, physical activity, and nutrition are foundational, modifiable behaviors that shape both how long people live (lifespan) and how long they live free of major chronic disease (healthspan).1,2 Yet these behaviors are often studied and targeted one at a time.3,4 Here we share a prospective cohort study of 59,078 UK Biobank participants, which examined how combined improvements across these three domains-collectively termed SPAN (Sleep, Physical Activity, and Nutrition)-relate to gains in lifespan and healthspan using device-measured sleep and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA), alongside a validated diet quality score (DQS).5 Over a median follow-up of 8.1 years, the study estimated life expectancy and disease-free life expectancy across joint SPAN categories and a composite SPAN score. The findings suggest that while large changes in any single behavior may be required to achieve meaningful benefits, small concurrent improvements across all three can be associated with substantial gains, including an estimated ~1 extra year of lifespan from as little as +5 minutes/day sleep, +1.9 minutes/day MVPA, and +5 DQS points. More sizable combined changes were associated with several additional years of healthspan.5 These results support a pragmatic public health message: modest, multi-behavior "micro-changes" may be more feasible-and still meaningful-than major changes in one domain alone.

Breast cancer remains the most common malignancy among females worldwide and a major contributor to morbidity and mortality.1 Using findings synthesised from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2023 (GBD 2023), an article recently published in the Lancet Oncology reviewed global, regional, and national trends in breast cancer incidence, mortality, and disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) from 1990 to 2023, alongside forecasts through 2050.2 The data reveal widening disparities between high-income countries—where mortality rates have steadily declined—and low-income and lower-middle-income countries, where both incidence and mortality continue to rise.3,4,5 Risk factor analysis shows that lifestyle, metabolic, and behavioural determinants together accounted for nearly one-third of breast cancer DALYs globally.2 Forecasts suggest that incident cases may rise to 3.56 million annually by 2050, driven primarily by population aging and growth.2 Without strategic investment in early detection, treatment capacity, and equitable health systems—particularly in resource-limited settings—the global breast cancer burden will intensify further.2 This article highlights the urgent need for coordinated, evidence-based action to address persistent disparities and to strengthen prevention, diagnosis, and treatment pathways worldwide.

Public vaccination efforts have historically focused on infectious diseases against child mortality, and more recently on cancer prevention.1 Herpes zoster (HZ, commonly known as shingles) primarily affects older adults and immunocompromised individuals, and its vaccine is currently being evaluated for cost-effectiveness and public immunisation policy in Hong Kong.2 Though traditional vaccination strategy in public health follows single disease focus, accumulating research has revealed how this latent infection has chronic disease implications,3-7 suggesting potential new ways of understanding the role of vaccines in public health.