Soak it up: everything science taught us about health and wellness in 2025

Authors: Joel Snape

Publisher:

The Guardian

Published: 12/28/2025

Language:English

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Ziggy

Good evening svhtcb2gxw, I am Ziggy, and this is Goose Pod, your personal window into the changing world. Today is Wednesday, December 31st, 20:41, the very edge of the year. I am joined by the ever-elegant Holly to discuss everything science taught us about wellness in 2025.

Holly

How absolutely lovely to be here on this final night of the year! We are looking back at a year where science truly marched forward, offering us such charming little ways to live better. From beetroot to hot baths, it has been a journey of discovery for our well-being.

Ziggy

The theater of health had some unexpected stars this year, Holly. One of the most avant-garde findings was that collagen, which everyone usually associates with skin, actually helps you jump higher. A study showed it enhances muscle-tendon stiffness, which is quite a poetic way to describe explosive strength, really.

Holly

That is simply fascinating, and it makes so much sense when you think about the structural grace of our bodies. I also read that hot baths are being hailed as a way to mimic altitude training. Apparently, soaking in forty-two-degree water after a workout can improve your endurance significantly.

Ziggy

It is a bit of a cosmic joke, isn't it? You can’t get to the top of a mountain, so you climb into a tub instead. But the science is solid, suggesting a twenty-five percent increase in time to exhaustion. It’s about cross-adaptation, where heat stress prepares the body for oxygen-thin environments.

Holly

And we cannot forget the purple elixir, beetroot juice! It made such a sophisticated comeback this year. Researchers in Exeter found that just two shots a day lowered blood pressure in older adults and even improved their oral microbiome. It is such a delightful, natural way to care for oneself.

Ziggy

The oral microbiome bit is the real hook for me. It turns out the bacteria in your mouth are the chemists converting those nitrates into nitric oxide. If you are younger, you can stick to your rocket and kale, but for the seasoned among us, the juice is gold.

Holly

Speaking of gold, the research on Vitamin D this year was truly a revelation. It was shown to actually slow the aging process over a four-year period. It feels like we are finally finding the little keys to longevity that have been hiding in plain sight all along, doesn't it?

Ziggy

It really does. And then there is the pickle juice phenomenon. We saw footballers and tennis stars swigging it all summer. The magic isn't even in the electrolytes, it’s the sour taste that sends a reflex signal to the brain, telling the muscles to stop cramping in thirty-five seconds.

Holly

That sounds a bit sharp for my palate, but the speed of the relief is quite marvelous! I was also quite moved by the research on social connections and meditation as anti-aging tools. It reminds us that wellness is not just about what we consume, but how we exist.

Ziggy

The mind-body connection is the ultimate masterpiece. We also learned that exercise is a potent weapon against internet addiction. Specifically, open motor skills, like martial arts where you have to make split-second decisions, are far more effective at reclaiming your brain from the endless scroll of social media.

Holly

Oh, the endless scrolling is such a modern struggle. Knowing that movement can help us find our focus again is so encouraging. And science even touched on our romantic lives, suggesting that the mood boost from a meaningful connection can last for up to forty-eight hours. How absolutely sweet.

Ziggy

It’s the sexual afterglow, a lingering resonance in our chemistry. On a more cerebral note, creatine is no longer just for the gym-goers. New studies this year suggest it’s a powerful cognitive booster for older adults and menopausal women. The brain needs its fuel just as much as the biceps.

Holly

It really is a year of holistic understanding. Even our morning coffee got a scientific nod of approval, provided we drink it before one in the afternoon. It seems that morning coffee drinkers had a thirty-one percent lower risk of cardiovascular issues, which is quite a wonderful reason to wake up.

Ziggy

Just don't let it ruin your shut-eye later on. The canvas of 2025 has been painted with these tiny, manageable strokes of genius. It’s not about radical overhauls, but these elegant little adjustments that keep the machinery humming. It’s been a year of refined, evidence-based living, wouldn't you say?

Holly

It certainly has, but you know, Ziggy, the very idea of wellness has such a long and storied history. While we talk about these new studies, the word itself actually dates back to the sixteen-fifties! It was used then simply to mean the opposite of being ill or unwell.

Ziggy

The sixteen-fifties, that’s a vintage. But the modern movement we recognize today, that theatrical shift toward high-level wellness, really found its rhythm in the nineteen-fifties and sixties. It was a reaction to the cold, clinical nature of medicine back then. People wanted something more artistic and proactive.

Holly

Exactly! It was physicians like Halbert Dunn who really paved the way. His book, High-Level Wellness, published in nineteen-sixty-one, was so ahead of its time. He argued that health isn't just the absence of disease, but a state of vibrant, flourishing life. Such a poised way to look at it.

Ziggy

Then the seventies arrived, and the fathers of the movement, like John Travis and Bill Hettler, started building the actual infrastructure. They created the first wellness centers and assessment tools. It was a bit of a revolution, really, moving from the doctor’s office to the self-care sanctuary.

Holly

It’s lovely to think of it as a sanctuary. By the nineteen-eighties, it started to reach the mainstream. We saw the rise of workplace wellness programs and the fitness industry began to boom. It was no longer a fringe idea, but something that companies and governments began to take quite seriously.

Ziggy

And the cost of chronic disease was the catalyst. The world realized that fixing people after they broke was too expensive. The shift to prevention wasn't just philosophical, it was practical. It’s like maintaining a classic car; you don't wait for the engine to seize before you check the oil.

Holly

That is a very fitting analogy. By the time we hit the twenty-first century, the movement reached a tipping point. The Global Wellness Institute was founded, and they started measuring this as a multi-trillion dollar industry. It encompasses everything from spa tourism to mindful meditation and even healthy eating.

Ziggy

Four point two trillion dollars by twenty-seventeen, Holly. That’s a lot of beetroot juice and yoga mats. But the real shift was in prestige. Elite medical institutions that once looked down on complementary medicine started opening departments for integrative health. The outsiders became the establishment, which is always a fascinating arc.

Holly

It truly is. Even countries like Bhutan began focusing on Gross National Happiness instead of just economic output. It shows a global recognition that the quality of our internal lives is just as important as the wealth we accumulate. It’s a more graceful way for a society to function.

Ziggy

And we can't ignore the nineteenth-century roots either. Before the modern surge, we had these intellectual movements like New Thought and Christian Science. They were obsessed with the idea that the mind could cure the body. It was a bit mystical back then, but today’s neuroscience is finally catching up.

Holly

It is almost like we are coming full circle, combining that ancient wisdom with modern precision. The rise of laws taxing sugary drinks is another sign of this evolution. Governments are now actively trying to shape our environments to make wellness the easier choice, which I find quite encouraging.

Ziggy

It’s about architecture, really. If you build a world that’s hostile to health, people will suffer. The evolution of wellness is the story of us trying to build a better home for our spirits. We’ve gone from just surviving the plague to optimizing our cellular performance. It’s a grand narrative.

Holly

And it’s a narrative that includes everyone now. It’s not just for the elite anymore. With all the apps and wearable technology we have, the power to monitor our own health has been democratized. It’s such a sincere shift toward personal agency and taking responsibility for our own well-being.

Ziggy

Democracy is a messy business, though. As wellness became a market, it also became a spectacle. We went from quiet meditation to high-tech biohacking. But the core remains the same. It’s that human desire to feel whole, to feel like we are moving toward some better version of ourselves.

Holly

I think that’s why the history is so important. It reminds us that this isn't just a trend or a fad, but a fundamental part of the human experience. We have always searched for ways to live better, and each generation adds its own unique chapter to that beautiful story.

Ziggy

Right then, and our chapter in 2025 is particularly dense with data. We’ve moved past the vague promises of the past into the realm of randomized clinical trials. We aren't just guessing anymore; we are measuring the impact of every breath and every supplement. It’s a very articulate era.

Holly

It is, and yet, with all this information, we still find ourselves facing so many contradictions. It’s wonderful that we have the data, but it also creates a bit of a struggle for us to know what is truly best. I suppose that is where the real tension lies in our modern world.

Ziggy

Tension is the spice of life, Holly. Without it, we wouldn't have a story to tell. We’ve built this massive cathedral of wellness, but now we have to figure out which icons are real and which are just clever marketing. It’s the classic struggle between the clinical and the commercial.

Holly

That is so true. One of the biggest conflicts we are seeing now is the rise of healthwashing. Consumers are becoming quite skeptical of brands that claim to be natural or clean without any real evidence. There is a strong movement toward clinical over clean, where people want proven results.

Ziggy

It’s a bit of a showdown, isn't it? For years, natural was the buzzword, the holy grail. But now, people are realizing that natural doesn't always mean effective. They want the science. They want to see the peer-reviewed studies before they spend their hard-earned money on a bottle of hope.

Holly

And then there is the digital dilemma. We have all these wonderful apps for mindfulness and health tracking, yet the very devices we use them on are often the source of our stress. The conflict between our need for technology and its impact on our mental health is quite profound.

Ziggy

It’s a double-edged sword, absolutely. We’re using TikTok to find workout tips, but the scrolling itself is reducing our attention spans and increasing our cortisol. It’s like trying to find a quiet spot in the middle of a carnival. The environment is often at odds with the goal.

Holly

I also find the tension between different generations quite interesting. Gen Z and millennials are so focused on wellness, but they often report the highest levels of stress. They are searching for solutions in a world that feels increasingly overwhelming, which can lead to a lot of frustration.

Ziggy

They’re the maximalist optimizers, Holly. They want to hack everything, from their sleep to their skin. But sometimes, the sheer volume of choices is paralyzing. You have five different apps telling you five different things about your gut health. It’s a cacophony of information that can drown out your intuition.

Holly

And let’s not forget the debate over things like ice baths. We see everyone on social media jumping into freezing water, but then new studies suggest it might actually stunt muscle growth if done right after a workout. It’s so confusing for someone just trying to do the right thing!

Ziggy

It’s the theater of the extreme. People love a dramatic gesture, like an Alpine lake plunge. But science is often more subtle. It tells us that while the cold might feel invigorating, it reduces the delivery of amino acids to the muscles. The conflict is between the feeling and the fact.

Holly

There is also the issue of sedentary behavior. Even if you work out for an hour a day, sitting for the rest of the time can still lead to neurodegeneration as you age. It’s a hard truth to swallow for those of us who spend so much time at a desk.

Ziggy

The front-loading of exercise is a bit of a myth, isn't it? You can't out-run a sedentary lifestyle with one morning sprint. The conflict here is with our modern work culture. We’ve designed a world where we have to sit to survive, but our bodies were built to move.

Holly

And we must mention the rise of GLP-one drugs for weight management. They have been so effective for many, but they’ve also sparked a huge debate about the role of nutrition and lifestyle versus medication. It’s a very complex and sometimes heated conversation in the wellness community.

Ziggy

It’s the quick fix versus the long game. These drugs are a miracle for some, but they don't solve the underlying relationship we have with movement and food. The conflict is about where we place our trust: in the laboratory or in our own daily habits and choices.

Holly

The impact of all these changes is just staggering. The global wellness market is now valued at one point eight trillion dollars! It’s no longer just a small niche; it has become a central part of the global economy and how we choose to spend our lives.

Ziggy

It’s a massive shift in priorities. People are actually willing to cut back on clothing and entertainment before they give up their wellness spending. It’s become a core part of our identity, especially for the younger generations. Wellness isn't just something you do; it’s who you are.

Holly

And it’s changing how we live at home, too. The rise of at-home testing kits for everything from vitamin deficiencies to cholesterol means we are taking much more control over our own data. It’s empowering, but it also means we have to be much more informed as consumers.

Ziggy

We’re becoming our own health detectives. But the real impact is societal. When millions of people start prioritizing sleep and mindfulness, it changes the rhythm of the world. We’re seeing a move away from the hustle culture of the past toward something more balanced and, hopefully, more sustainable.

Holly

I love how wellness is showing up in new places, like social clubs that focus on health instead of just nightlife. It’s creating new types of communities where people can connect over shared goals of well-being. It’s such a lovely way to combat the loneliness epidemic.

Ziggy

It’s the new town square, Holly. Instead of a pub, it’s a sauna or a run club. The impact on mental health could be profound. By weaving wellness into our social fabric, we’re making it less of a chore and more of a shared joy, which is a beautiful thing.

Holly

And we can't ignore the impact on the medical profession. Doctors are now being asked for recommendations on sleep apps and supplements. They are becoming partners in our wellness journeys rather than just people we see when something goes wrong. It’s a much more collaborative approach.

Ziggy

It’s a total reimagining of the healthcare landscape. We’re moving from reactive care to precision prevention. The data we collect from our wearables is giving us a real-time map of our health, allowing us to make adjustments before a problem even manifests. It’s a revolution in self-knowledge.

Holly

Even our diets are changing in response to this research. With eighty percent of people now considering gut health a top priority, we are seeing a huge surge in functional foods. It’s not just about calories anymore; it’s about nourishing the complex ecosystem inside of us.

Ziggy

Looking ahead to twenty-forty, the horizon is even more surreal. We’re moving toward a world of implantable devices that monitor our health constantly. Imagine a tiny sensor that can predict a change in your health days before you feel a single symptom. It’s practically science fiction.

Holly

It sounds quite marvelous, though I do hope we keep a sense of grace and privacy. Generative AI is also set to play a huge role, providing us with truly personalized wellness plans based on our unique genetic and biometric data. It will be like having a personal health coach in our pockets.

Ziggy

The customization will be staggering. No more one-size-fits-all diets or workouts. Your AI will know exactly what your body needs at any given moment. But the real future lies in how we use this power. Will we use it to become more human, or just more efficient machines?

Holly

I believe we will use it to find more time for the things that truly matter, like connection and creativity. Proactive healthcare will become the standard, and we will focus more on longevity and healthy aging. We aren't just trying to live longer, but to live better for longer.

Ziggy

The art of living well is the ultimate goal. As we step into the future, we carry the lessons of 2025 with us. We’ve learned that the small, consistent actions are the ones that paint the biggest picture. It’s a journey that never truly ends, and that’s the beauty of it.

Holly

That is a perfect way to summarize it. From beetroot juice to the future of AI, science is giving us the tools to live with more poise and vitality. Thank you for joining us for this special look back at 2025. It has been such a delight.

Ziggy

That’s the end of today’s discussion for svhtcb2gxw. We hope these insights help you craft a brilliant 2026. Thank you for listening to Goose Pod. See you tomorrow, and remember, the journey of your well-being is the most important story you will ever write.

In 2025, science revealed surprising wellness insights: collagen boosts jumping, hot baths mimic altitude training, and beetroot juice benefits blood pressure and oral health. Vitamin D slows aging, pickle juice prevents cramps, and social connections combat aging. Exercise fights internet addiction, and meaningful connections boost mood.

Read original at The Guardian →

The best advice for living a healthy, well-adjusted life – eat your vegetables, get a good night’s sleep, politely decline when the Jägerbombs appear – never really changes. Other nuggets, such as how much protein you should be eating or how to maximise workouts, seem to change every year. But as we wonder whether we should really give sauerkraut another go, science marches on, making tiny strides towards improving our understanding of what’s helpful.

Here’s what you might have missed in the research this year, from the best reason to eat beetroot, to how to ruin your five-a-side performance before the game even starts. There’s still time to break out the pickle juice shots before 2026 …Collagen might help you jump higherCollagen’s effects on your skin might be slightly overstated – a 2023 review of more than two dozen trials concluded that supplementation has benefits for hydration and elasticity, but the effects aren’t huge.

However, there’s another reason to take it: a 16-week trial on healthy young men, the results of which were published in July, found it can enhance muscle-tendon stiffness, which appears to improve explosive strength. Start with 10g a day: you might not look any younger on the pickleball court, but there’s a chance you’ll improve your Erne shot.

Hot baths might be the next best thing to training up a mountain …If you want to do altitude training to improve your endurance in the UK, you’re out of luck – even Ben Nevis, at 1,345 metres (4,413ft) tall, is a bit short of the 2,000 metres or so where oxygen really starts to thin. But there might be another option: a study published in May on cross-adaptation, where the training effects from one stressor (such as heat) might carry over to another (such as altitude), put 20 well-trained adults on a high-intensity interval training programme and then dunked half of them in hot water after their sessions.

After six weeks, they tested the athletes under low-oxygen conditions and found the hot-bath gang’s time to exhaustion was 25% longer than the control group’s. Jumping in a 42C bath after a bunch of sprint intervals probably isn’t anyone’s idea of a good time – and proper hydration is crucial – but if you’re training for an altitude-based race, it’s worth trying.

… and cold after training is probably badIf you’ve spent time on Fitstagram, you’ll have seen people jumping into everything from Alpine lakes to wheelie bins full of ice to boost post-training recovery – but evidence is mounting that it might have the opposite effect. A study published in September found that when young athletes plunged one leg into chilly water after a resistance workout it reduced blood flow and the delivery of amino acids – which would actually stunt, rather than promote, muscle growth.

Beetroot juice is good (again)Remember the beetroot juice craze of 2012? It’s fine if you don’t: the short version is that it’s a natural source of dietary nitrate, which the body converts to nitric oxide, improving blood flow and lowering the “oxygen cost” of exercise. Top-flight athletes started taking it, and so did part-time Pelotonians – but the benefits for most people weren’t huge so the fad fizzled out.

Now, the purple elixir is making a comeback: in a study published in August by researchers at the University of Exeter, taking concentrated juice “shots” twice a day lowered blood pressure in older adults after just two weeks. Adults in their 60s and 70s saw improvements in their oral microbiome – beneficial bacteria increased while harmful ones decreased – helping to convert nitrate to nitric oxide, which is key to healthy blood vessels.

The same effect didn’t seem to occur in younger volunteers, so if you aren’t a fan of beetroot you can put it off until later – or try nitrate-rich alternatives such as spinach, rocket, fennel, celery and kale.Exercise seems to help with internet addictionWe should be trying to cut down on TikTok and YouTube Shorts – a meta-analysis published in September suggests increased use of shortform video and scrolling interfaces are associated with poorer cognition, reduced attention and more stress.

Quitting is easier said than done, but physical activity might help. In a different analysis, published in January, exercise interventions reduced internet addiction and improved the psychological symptoms of college students suffering from it. It’s important to note that “open” motor skills – where you’re forced to make quick decisions – are more effective than “closed” ones, such as lifting weights or swimming laps.

Time to sign up for that Brazilian jiu-jitsu class …Gargling with pickle juice can stop crampsSportspeople have been glugging pickle juice for a while – the England men’s football team reportedly used it to treat cramps during Euro 2024 – but it really had a moment during this summer’s French Open, with Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner knocking it back during their five-set final.

It’s a source of electrolytes – sodium and potassium in particular – but the anti-cramp effect seems to come from the sour taste, which stimulates reflex signals that make muscles relax. The good news is that you don’t even need to drink the juice for it to do the job – swilling it around in your mouth can work, with a previous study suggesting it can take effect in 35 seconds.

Though it’s often used by bodybuilders and athletes to let them push harder during workouts, evidence is mounting that creatine might bolster your brain. It can help cognition in older adults, according to a study published in September, and might improve clinical outcomes in menopausal women, according to one out in August.

Sex is a mood booster … for up to two daysThere are a few benefits to regular rolls in the hay – from better sleep to a lowered risk of death from heart disease – and new research suggests that it can also give you a mood boost that lasts for up to 48 hours. A study published in January using diary data from almost 600 volunteers found that “sexual afterglow lasted at least one day on average, particularly following partner-initiated and mutually-initiated sex”, and might last up to two days.

Eating more fruit might protect your lungs from pollutionIt’s not ideal that 90% of the global population is exposed to air pollution levels that exceed WHO guidelines. If you’re looking to offset the effects of dirty air, new research suggests that diet could offer a backup. A study out in September, using UK Biobank data from about 200,000 people, found that a healthy diet is linked to better lung function regardless of air pollution exposure – and that women who ate four or more portions of fruit a day appeared to have smaller reductions in lung function associated with air pollution than those who ate less.

“This may be partly explained by the antioxidant and anti-inflammation compounds,” noted study lead Pimpika Kaewsri. “These could help mitigate oxidative stress and inflammation caused by fine particles, potentially offsetting some of the harmful effects.” Write to your MP, but have an apple in the meantime.

Sitting for hours isn’t good for your brainBad news if you’re a fan of front-loading your daily exercise – staying sedentary for hours is associated with neurodegeneration as you age, even if your physical activity levels are high. Established back in 2012, the Vanderbilt Memory and Aging Project is a longitudinal study investigating vascular health and brain ageing, and data collected from more than 400 of its participants, and published in May, suggests that more sedentary time is associated with worse executive function, memory and cognitive function.

Going on your phone before five-a-side might ruin your first touch …Doomscrolling before Monday night football might seem sensible: a bit of aggression never hurts on the pitch, so why not get angry about everything? Sadly, a study of volleyball players, published in February, suggests otherwise: when a group of teenage athletes went on social media before training, their attack efficiency diminished, so being “too online” can actually harm concentration before a match.

… and being dehydrated might make you more stressedGot a few horrible days in the office coming up? It might be time to invest in one of those big water jugs. In a study published in the Journal of Applied Physiology in September, volunteers were labelled as “low fluid” (if they drank less than 1.5 litres of fluid per day) or “high fluid” (if they regularly met the daily water intake recommendations – 2 litres for women and 2.

5 litres for men). Then they took the Trier Social Stress test, a way of provoking anxiety in subjects by putting them through a mock job interview and mental arithmetic questions. The low fluid group showed a cortisol response to stress more than 50% higher than those who met daily water intake recommendations – which could, over the long term, be harmful to health.

Drinking coffee helps your heart – if you do it in the morningIf you haven’t already been browbeaten into not drinking coffee after 1pm by the sleep-optimisation lobby, there’s one more reason to keep your mochas for the morning: it seems to be better for heart health. Analysis of more than 40,000 adults published in January found that morning coffee drinkers were 31% less likely to die from cardiovascular disease during a 10-year follow-up period than those who went without – but there was no significant reduction in mortality for all-day drinkers compared with those who avoided coffee.

There was already research to suggest that up to three cups of coffee a day can help heart health, but it’s unclear why the effect disappears for afternoon drinks – one possible explanation is that it disrupts sleep, with all of the negative effects that entails. There’s also hope for people who just love the taste of an after-lunch americano: if coffee’s protective effects come from anti-inflammatory compounds, as some researchers speculate, then decaf would have similar benefits … without ruining your shut-eye.

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