Young people and women most at risk, study finds, as researchers call for vegan products to be fortified with iodine in particular

Switching from dairy products to plant-based alternatives could lead to deficiencies in vital micronutrients, especially among young people and women, a study has found.

Even moving partly to vegan alternatives to milk, cheese and yoghurt could lead to falls in iodine, calcium, riboflavin and vitamin B12 if the substitutes, often based on soya, almonds or oats, are not fortified, scientists said.

Access to our £37,000 deposit in a savings account is restricted after a 'routine security review'

My wife's Revolut account was frozen in what it calls a "routine security review" over a week ago. Nothing has been requested from her - no documents, the source of funds, or ID - yet, as a result, our house deposit of £37,000 in a joint savings account is also restricted.

We're approaching the completion of our property purchase and have given notice on our rental home. Direct debits are bouncing and we're concerned about our credit records.

I grew up with spinal conditions that solidified my sense of being 'weak and weird'. By my late 30s, I was feeling burnt out. But an invitation from a colleague set me on an unexpected and exhilarating new path

In 2023, I was in the Alps trekking the 80-mile Tour du Mont Blanc when there came a moment I was no longer trekking, exactly. I was on my hands and knees. Frozen. And then I started to cry. Others were casually bopping past me, up and over like water around a stone. But I was stuck. Why can't I move? I thought.

I was not always fit enough to trek 80 miles in the Alps. As a child, I was the one who always got picked last in gym class. I would have picked me last too: by any measure, I was the most physically awkward kid in my year group. Other students bullied me and I was ashamed of my body. I felt weird, weak and sad.

Are you getting your RDA (recommended dose of art)? Along with 10,000 steps and five fruit and veg a day, this small, enjoyable change could make you much healthier - and happier

Name: Art.

Age: Art has been around for thousands of years. The drawings in Blombos Cave in South Africa, for example, are estimated to be about 73,000 years old. But this is less about how old and more about how often, and for how long.

I thought about her a lot after our friendship imploded. When our birthdays rolled around, I wondered what we'd be doing if we were still in touch

I was 26 when I lost my childhood friend. By that point, I'd known her for almost two-thirds of my life.

Our first conversation was at an ice-skating party when we were nine years old. I'd been nervous in the weeks leading up to the party because I couldn't ice-skate. Every time the Spice Girls' 2 Become 1 music video came on, the sight of Victoria Beckham singing on an ice rink filled me with impending doom. I was sure I would disgrace myself at the party.

He needs a dialysis machine to survive, but on a flight it was first damaged, then it was lost

My father suffers from terminal renal failure and relies on a highly specific dialysis machine every night to survive. British Airways' check-in staff twice insisted on checking this fragile 20kg lifeline into the aircraft hold where it was first damaged, then lost.

When his outbound flight arrived at Heathrow, it was returned broken resulting in a frantic search for a loan unit and hours spent in A&E so my father's blood could be monitored. On the return flight to Rome, the machine could not be found. My parents waited until 2am before being told to go home without the equipment that keeps my father alive.

A hot toddy might make you feel toasty, but drinking in cold conditions can be risky

Hot toddies, red wine, a dram of whisky: alcohol has long been a go-to remedy for keeping warm. But while a drink might make you feel warmer, does it actually help? "There's a perception of warmth, but in reality, it doesn't occur," says Winston Morgan, professor of toxicology, equity and inclusive practice at the University of East London.

Alcohol affects the body's temperature-regulating system. Our core body temperature is controlled by the hypothalamus, a region of the brain that helps regulate how we respond to changes in temperature. When we get too hot, blood vessels near the surface of the skin widen, a process known as vasodilation. This allows more warm blood to flow close to the skin, where heat can escape into the surrounding air. When we get too cold, the opposite happens. The blood vessels narrow, or constrict, reducing blood flow to the skin and helping to conserve heat.

Getting older and losing your autonomy is even harder without family around. You need to consider both the practical and emotional issues involved

My wife and I are in our late 70s, and have been married for more than 40 years. We didn't have kids and were rather traumatised after failed IVF.

My wife is Asian and has no UK-based family. I do, but they are not close geographically, nor are they people who would be able to give any support if needed. Friends are of a similar age and so have their own issues to deal with. My wife and I have always been a self-reliant unit, and we're both reasonably healthy, but I'm increasingly aware that there will soon come a time when help is needed.

Relying on technology can make us forgetful, but there are some simple ways to sharpen your recall. Memory experts describe the tricks and habits that can help

Memory can worsen as we age, but it is often possible to do something about it. Here, memory experts share their advice on how to improve your power of recall.

A game is not a moral exemption to your usual self. Sometimes the best way to puncture 'it's just a game' is to show people that you're judging them in reality

• Read more Leading questions

My sister-in-law is nearly 40 but cannot handle losing at board games. No matter how high or low the stakes, she has to win. When she doesn't, she becomes explosive with rage, and often upends the game, sweeps dice off the table, or storms off in a rage. She is otherwise a normal and lovely person, with whom I get on very well. Seeing this side of her makes me deeply uncomfortable and it feels really childish and inappropriate. Will she behave that way with me if I say or do something she doesn't like?

I think in an effort to smooth the tension, my husband's family always laughs and teases her about her reaction. It's like her "special little characteristic" that everyone pretends to love. I wish there was a way to address it but everyone seems to just sweep it under the rug. My husband is aware of how I feel about this.

It involves the fracturing of a patient's ribs, before they spend three months laced into a corset. Some of those who have had this cosmetic procedure say it is like being 'hit by a bus'. Why is it becoming more popular?

Daniela Cesin was 14 when she began thinking about her looks. "I was a little bit chubby and I started to work out at home and lose weight. I saw the difference in my body: my abs, the muscles in my arms, and I started liking it," she says. By 31, she had the slim, toned body she had hoped for, but something was still missing. "I wanted to have that guitar hourglass shape."

In August, Cesin travelled from Miami, where she has lived for the past 15 years, to her native Venezuela for liposuction and a fat transfer to her hips. She met her cosmetic surgeon for the first time the day before the procedure, and he realised she didn't have enough fat to go ahead with it. Instead, he offered to perform RibXcar: a rib remodelling surgery that would involve fracturing three of her lower ribs on each side and binding them in a corset for three months, to set the ribs in a new position and give her a wasplike waist.

No matter what the cause, airports are ruthless in issuing PCNs if a car stops in a red zone. But there is a get-out clause

I had to stop my car for 18 seconds in a red zone at Leeds Bradford airport to deal with a wasp. It was buzzing in front of my face and making safe-driving impossible.

The result was a £100 parking charge notice (PCN) sent to my wife (the registered keeper) by Vehicle Control Services (VCS).

Your feelings are understandable. Exploring and accepting them may help you move on

I was with my ex-partner for more than 20 years. We were mostly happy and I expected us to be together for life. For well over half the relationship, I was the sole breadwinner and, at my ex's request, managed our finances. We were reasonably well off, with savings and without a mortgage. We even had a holiday home, albeit a static caravan.

I retired early, and the problems we had in our relationship grew. We had both loved travel, but I was repeatedly told we couldn't afford it, which I knew was nonsense. I went back to work in a demanding new field, but my ex showed no interest. I spent more time away from home and began therapy (my suggestion of couples' therapy was rejected). After a year of therapy, I said I was leaving.

Your friends may have had good intentions when making this ask, writes advice columnist Eleanor Gordon-Smith. But that needn't dictate how you feel about it

• Read more Leading questions

A friend, who I believe is financially comfortable, set up a GoFundMe page to pay for vet bills for their sick dog while on holiday overseas.

The family appears to be financially comfortable; both adults have good jobs, own two cars, have all the latest gadgets like expensive bikes and sporting equipment, take an annual holiday overseas and domestic holidays throughout the year, and live in a big house in a well-to-do area.

Reunions can be riotous, scandalous or just plain awkward. Experts and attendees share how to go in prepared

• Get our weekend culture and lifestyle email

Mike walked into his 20th high school reunion with a mission. The 40-year-old firefighter from Melbourne was not the first, nor will he be the last, to enter such a space with an agenda. After all, few social situations are as fraught as high school reunions.

Some may relish the chance to reconnect with former friends, a former life and even a former self, but for many they are a potential hellscape, where adolescent humiliations are revived in front of a group of rapidly ageing peers.

Sign up for the fun stuff with our rundown of must-reads, pop culture and tips for the weekend, every Sunday morning

An estimated one-third of adults in England have high blood pressure, with research showing that many are unaware of their condition. But thanks to the new Huawei Watch D3, monitoring blood pressure is easier, accurate and more stylish than ever

Wearable technology has come a long way in the past decade. Take a look around at your colleagues, friends and family, and you'll be hard pushed to find anyone not wearing some kind of health monitoring ring, watch or band - there are even tracking insoles and patches, too.

These gadgets have myriad benefits - not least, allowing us more control and insight over our health and wellbeing than ever before. We're able to monitor everything from sleep and stress to heart health and more, and the technology is becoming more refined and intuitive seemingly by the day.

Wellness culture can be overwhelming, but a more fluid approach is emerging. Smart devices such as the Huawei Watch Fit 5 perfectly embody this shift in direction - whether you're regularly sleep tracking or just occasionally using data to support your lifestyle

When it comes to the world of health and wellness, it's easy to suffer from information overwhelm. We've never had more access to data, research and expertise which, while valuable, isn't always applicable to our own lives. What's more, few of us have time to spend hours sifting through content to devise a personalised health routine, let alone work out if a "routine" is necessary at all.

All this information and expectation can come at a cost: emotional strain, guilt and confusion about where to turn. Health and fitness then start to feel like abstract milestones that we're blindly chasing rather than important components of our lives.

For millennia, humans have been captivated by ear decorations. Now, earbuds not only connect us to the digital world, they also showcase our personal sense of style - and the HUAWEI FreeClip 2 is at the forefront of that development

When we are born, a cry can let the world know that we are healthy and OK. When we first begin to talk, we learn to express our needs and understand the needs of others. As we grow older, we learn that the sound of a siren denotes danger, that certain notes swelling together create the sound of a favourite song which lifts our spirits, or that a warm familiar voice on the other end of the phone means our best friend has our back.

Our ears give us grounding and clues: they are our maps of the world, guiding us towards truth, keeping us from harm, giving us a constant stream of sensory information.

The fitness benchmark has surprisingly unscientific origins - yet it does contain more than a kernel of truth

The idea that we need to walk 10,000 steps a day originated not in medical research but in a 1960s marketing campaign for a pedometer, says Jack McNamara, senior lecturer in clinical exercise physiology at the University of East London. The round number was easy to remember and the idea caught on, despite there being no scientific evidence for 10,000 steps as a specific threshold for health.

"When the research community looked into it, they found that there were health benefits, so it didn't necessarily get thrown out as pseudoscience," says McNamara.

Some yogis welcome the idea of competition - for others, it is anathema. Will those keen for yoga to become an Olympic sport win the argument?

Vaishnavi Saravanakumar describes herself on Instagram as "India's rubber band girl". In a typical video post, dressed in a rhinestone-studded crimson catsuit and accompanied by a Bollywood-rap anthem, she demonstrates an improbable feat. From standing, she snakes into a deep back bend, curls her head and shoulders up under her tiger-striped calves, and finishes beaming to camera with ankles crossed under her chin. This is yoga as we have seldom seen it before.

Earlier this year, the Indian government announced that it will push for yogasana's inclusion in the Olympics, ahead of the country's bid to host the 2036 Games. The news came the week before the inaugural World Yogasana Championship, held in Ahmedabad in June, at which Saravanakumar, a gold medallist, was one of 522 yogis competing.

From doing too much cardio to wasting time - PTs reveal the common fails stunting your progress, and how to avoid them

We've all done it. Launched ourselves head first into a new regime - perhaps as the result of a new year resolution, recent breakup or aggressively unflattering photo. "You go all in and train five days a week," says Elizabeth Davies, personal trainer and author of Training for Your Old Lady Body. "Then life happens. You miss a few sessions, then stop completely. You feel deflated that you couldn't stick to it. Then some time later, motivation strikes again and the cycle repeats itself."

Only you can know when you are ready, but a year is not long to process grief, and you seem to have doubts about this man

My longterm boyfriend died of cancer last year. We'd been together for 16 years, since I was 21 and he was 23. I had given birth to our only child three weeks before his diagnosis. My son was just shy of 10 months old when his dad died, and he's now turned two.

I loved my late partner deeply and had planned to stay with him for ever. We were embarking on an 18-year project together, raising our son. Now I think, how can I ever be happy again?

Not having the right kind when picking up a vehicle can leave travellers scrambling to find alternative transport

If your children are on half-term holiday soon and you are planning to collect a hire car, make sure you have the right kind of credit card. These cautionary tales show the costly consequences if yours does not pass muster.

I hired a car for a family holiday from Enterprise Rent-A-Car in France. The collection desk at Carcassonne airport refused to hand over the keys when I presented the Visa credit card used for the booking because it was issued by First Direct. It told me it did not accept cards from online banks.

It is billing £32.99 a month but I have had no functioning phone line since it switched me to Digital Voice

I've had no landline since May 2025 when BT switched it to Digital Voice. Weeks passed, and each call to BT involved at least an hour waiting on hold and answering security questions before being passed between departments.

Eventually, last December, two engineers were sent and discovered that a wire had been severed during the upgrade. They said they needed a cherry picker to reconnect it to its original location and would return. They did not.

Don't be afraid to speak your desires aloud, writes advice columnist Eleanor Gordon-Smith. These are pretty normal, humble things to want

• Read more Leading questions

I'm in my late 60s, divorced three years ago. I'm now in a relationship with a man I really like and would love to see it continue to develop, however it feels more like a "situationship".

It's been three months so far, the attraction was instant and strong and felt very promising. We see each other on weekends, which he has stated works for him (partly because he lives an hour away). I've told him that I would like to spend more time together and, because of his response, I decided I'd ease off and see what happens. I know he likes me, we get on well and I also know he's not seeing anyone else. The contact we have in between is sporadic and it's usually me that initiates it. If he does, it's very casual. Bottom line - I feel like I'm getting crumbs.

If you take a break from the gym you may lose muscle and gain fat, but it isn't as simple as one turning into the other

'This is not true," says Prof Leigh Breen, a specialist in muscle physiology at the University of Leicester. But it's a statement he hears a lot, particularly from people who have taken a long break from exercise. "They'll often refer to the notion that their muscles have 'softened' or don't feel as toned."

The reality is that there's no biochemistry linking the two types of tissue. Muscle and fat are distinct. "There's no known process in the human body that would support muscle turning into fat, or vice versa," says Breen.

I was standing at the traffic lights with the weight of the world on my shoulders when a man approached. He will probably never know the impact he had on my life

• Read more in the kindness of strangers series

My cousin had recently died in a terrible accident and I had been the one who had to identify the body. It was one of the darkest periods of my life, on seemingly every front: I was in the midst of a divorce; it was during the global financial crisis and the company I worked for was badly struggling, making every day feel heavy with uncertainty and stress. Everything was a mess and I was emotionally exhausted.

One morning during rush hour, I stood at the traffic lights waiting to cross on my way to the office. I was lost in my thoughts but must have looked like I had the weight of the world on my shoulders, because something unexpected happened.

New post-Brexit rules mean that dual nationals cannot enter the UK unless they have a British passport

My teenage daughter is unable to see her grandparents because of the UK's new requirement for dual nationals to hold a UK passport.

I'm a UK citizen, married to a French national, and we live in France. Our two older children have both French and UK passports. Our third child was born while we were living in Zimbabwe and only has a French passport.

Smaller and less visited than Como and Garda, Lake Iseo harbours a gorgeous car-free island ideal for easy-going cycling and sightseeing

Rust red and burnt sienna speckle the green mountain rising from Lake Iseo. Golden autumn sunlight shimmers on the water. Monte Isola, Italy's largest lake island, is a peak of sheer cliffs and dense forest, dotted with old fishing hamlets and hillside villages, each as pretty as the terraced villas of Lake Como and Garda, but with far fewer visitors. I arrive at the small port town of Peschiera Maraglio - where striped wooden boats jut from the water like the gondolas of Venice - on a ferry from Sulzano, a five-minute hop across the water.

"Only three people on the island are allowed to own a car: the priest, the doctor and the mayor," says Chiara, my tour guide from Brescia. Residents can zip up and down the steep island roads on mopeds, and a small fleet of van-sized buses trundle around throughout the day, but nearly all cars are forbidden and visitors have to explore on foot or bike.

Running is one of the easiest exercises to take up, but it can be easy to lose your mojo and get injured. Coaches give their advice on how to hit your stride

Whether you have never been for a run or are building up to a marathon, sometimes the biggest challenge is just getting out the door. Here, running coaches share their tips on everything from mindset to avoiding injuries - but mainly how to find joy in running.

His behaviour is certainly inappropriate, but take a quiet moment to try to find out where the anger is coming from

My partner and I have been together for 25 years and we have two sons, aged 14 and 16. Both are football crazy and have played since they were very young. My partner's competitive nature was one of the things I initially found attractive about him (I wanted someone with drive).

However, this side of him rears its ugly head when our kids play matches. He shouts, criticises and, worst of all, swears at teenagers. I'm so embarrassed by it and it's also affecting the boys. Their teammates hear their dad and it's creating tension. I've tried to speak to him about it but he brushes it off. Our boys and the coaches have spoken to him too, but to no avail.

People often forget social rules when dogs are involved, writes advice columnist Eleanor Gordon-Smith. But you'll have to say something if you want things to change

• Read more Leading questions

A good friend of mine stays with me regularly when she comes into town. She brings her husband and two dogs that don't get along with my dog. They've "used the bathroom" in our house before. I try to be nice and help clean or pretend it doesn't bother me so that they feel comfortable. But when she asks for a weekend to come back with everyone, I kind of dread it. I enjoy seeing her and she's a great friend. I think our friendship would be better if she stayed somewhere else, but I would feel bad if she stayed in a hotel and I don't think she'd visit as often. She cleans up after the dogs and whatnot, but I like my home to be my safe haven. This friend doesn't handle confrontation well, but is understanding. What can I do to handle this?

Eleanor says: It sounds as though you're in the jam we all get into when we try to smooth things over: you can have the social ease of pretending something is fine; or the outcome from confessing it isn't, but not both simultaneously.

Wildfires raged through the national park this summer, but much of the landscape remains untouched - and autumn is the perfect time to go

In the Cairngorms national park, the bracken is changing from dark green to russet and umber. Birch leaves are lined with gold, while the Scots pines remain proudly green. Autumn is arriving with a little sigh of relief here, after a summer few will forget.

The wildfire that began near Glenmore and Abernethy on 15 July burned more than 33 sq km (13 sq miles) of moorland and forest. More than 500 firefighters were involved; homes and businesses were evacuated; and the emergency response lasted over a month. Visiting now, it's hard to see, or even imagine, the damage. Much of the burned area is high on the hill and far from the roads. It's a huge loss but, in a national park stretching 4,528 sq km (1,748 sq miles), surprisingly easy to miss.

Barbara O'Neill has previously claimed that cancer is a fungus that can be treated with bicarbonate soda

A controversial proponent of natural remedies who has been banned from providing any health services in Australia is due to embark on a series of events in the UK and Ireland despite criticism from scientists, health charities and academic bodies.

Barbara O'Neill, who describes herself as a naturopath and nutritionist, lectures internationally on "natural self-healing".

The Guardian spoke with surrogates across the US about what they think of the controversy surrounding the practice

Surrogacy has been thrust into the national spotlight in recent weeks, with both the announcement of Lena Dunham using a surrogate to start a family and the ongoing legal battle surrounding McKenna West, a gestational surrogate who fled to Texas to avoid having an abortion that was requested by the child's biological parents.

With a renewed public interest on commercial, or compensated, surrogacy, the Guardian spoke with surrogates across the US who shared their experiences and how they feel about surrogacy being part of a global, public conversation.

Critics say partnership between Mounjaro maker Eli Lilly and fashion giant suggests thinness is an aspiration

The fifth iteration of Vogue World, overseen by Anna Wintour, took place in Milan on Tuesday night. Gigi Hadid and Jennifer Lopez provided theatrics on the catwalk, but it was one of the event's backers that caused the biggest stir.

Eli Lilly, an American pharmaceutical company that manufactures a wide range of medicines, including weight-loss jabs Mounjaro and the Foundayo pill, was listed in the event credits as one of its "fashion adjacent" sponsors.

Saddling up is only likely to be an issue for elite athletes - and those with low sperm counts

"Cycling isn't big on the radar of fertility doctors," says Prof Colin Duncan, a fertility expert at the University of Edinburgh.

For women, he says, the only time cycling is likely to affect fertility is when it's done at extreme levels, such as the kind of training undertaken by elite athletes.

Arthur Plummer got a bike when he retired at 65 and joined a cycling club as one of its youngest members. Now he is its oldest but still racking up 5,000km every year

When Arthur Plummer retired at 65, he bought a secondhand bicycle. His sister was a member of a cycling club for seniors in the Canadian city of Waterloo, Ontario, where they lived, and Plummer joined, too, becoming one of the club's youngest members. Now he is 92 and its oldest member - but he still cycles thousands of kilometres every year. His odometer for this year so far reads 4,270km (2,650 miles). After our conversation, he intends to cycle another 40km.

"I love cycling," he says. "Wherever I go, even if I ride on the same roads, there's something new happening. When I get on my bike, I feel great. I come home at about 3pm and I feel exhausted. However, it's the nicest feeling. It's exhilarating, and it's resulted in me being extremely healthy."

Anna Malos and Georgie bonded over their shared love of travel and horses. By their third date, an awkward encounter cemented their relationship

• Find more stories from the moment I knew series

Georgie and I met at a kick-boxing club in London in 2004. We sparred together in a few beginner classes, just hitting soft pads. Although I didn't pay her too much attention initially, I immediately recognised she was tall, elegant and very good looking.

It wasn't until the club's Christmas drinks that things kicked off between us. We started talking and couldn't stop. We'd both travelled and worked in Latin America, and also loved horses - Georgie had volunteered with a horse-riding business for tourists in Ecuador. The sparks were flying all over the place.