What Happens to Your Body When

What Really Happens to Your Body When explains the head-to-toe effects of common behaviors, actions and habits in health and wellness. Discover how your brain, heart, muscles, gut and more respond when you do squats every day, stop drinking alcohol or don’t get enough sleep.

By Jaime Osnato

Expert Reviewed

a mixed media image of a close view of a person breastfeeding a toddler, with a purple and orange overlay

What Really Happens to Your Body When You Stop Breastfeeding

Health

By Kathleen Felton

Expert Reviewed

a mixed media image of a person's hand holding an azithromycin pill from a Z-pak

What Really Happens to Your Body When You Take a Z-Pak

Health

By April Benshosan

artistic image with two infrared saunas

What Really Happens to Your Body When You Use an Infrared Sauna

Fitness

By Jessica Migala

Expert Reviewed

an illustration of a person's hands holding a bottle of stool softener and a pill, with a toilet in the background

What Really Happens to Your Body When You Take a Stool Softener

Health

By Wendy Wisner

Expert Reviewed

a mixed media illustration of a person breastfeeding a baby

What Really Happens to Your Body When You Breastfeed

Health

By Kathleen Ferraro

Expert Reviewed

a mixed media image of a person's hand moving the weights on a scale down, to represent losing weight too quickly

What Really Happens to Your Body When You Lose Weight Too Quickly

Weight Management

By Tiffany Ayuda

Expert Reviewed

hand gesturing no to fast food burgers, fries and soda

What Really Happens to Your Body When You Stop Eating Fast Food

Nutrition

By Lacey Muinos

Expert Reviewed

mixed media image of person drinking water with a container of creatine on the side

What Really Happens to Your Body When You Don't Drink Enough Water With Creatine

Nutrition

By Jaime Osnato

Expert Reviewed

mixed media image of a hand holding a cup of coffee surrounded by 3 more cups of coffee on a gray background

What Really Happens to Your Body When You Drink Coffee Every Day

Nutrition

By Jaime Osnato

Expert Reviewed

mixed media image of a hand holding a chocolate bar

What Really Happens to Your Body When You Eat Chocolate Every Day

Nutrition

By Anthea Levi

Expert Reviewed

mixed media image of a hand stirring a white mug of bulletproof coffee with a small spoon next to a jar of mct oil on a green and beige background

What Really Happens to Your Body When You Drink Bulletproof Coffee

Nutrition

By Amy Schlinger and Tiffany Ayuda and Katie McKinney, CPT

Expert Reviewed

Rear view of person running on a treadmill on a blue background to demonstrate what happens to your body when you do a fasted workout.

What Really Happens to Your Body When You Do a Fasted Workout

Fitness

By Lacey Muinos

Expert Reviewed

custom image of two hands, one pouring a bottle of zinc pills into the other over a green background

What Really Happens to Your Body When You Take Zinc?

Nutrition

By Anthea Levi

Expert Reviewed

mixed media image of hands holding a can of diet soda

What Really Happens to Your Body When You Drink Diet Soda Every Day

Nutrition

By Sarah Pflugradt

Expert Reviewed

mixed media image of a salad and dumbbells

What Really Happens to Your Body When You Exercise and Eat Healthy

Nutrition

By Molly Triffin

Expert Reviewed

close-up of person walking on a calendar background

What Really Happens to Your Body When You Walk Every Day

Fitness

By Sarah Pflugradt

Expert Reviewed

custom illustration showing a hand pouring a smoothie from a blender into a cup.

What Really Happens to Your Body When You Drink a Smoothie Every Day

Nutrition

By Marygrace Taylor

Expert Reviewed

mixed media image of a person's legs as they're sitting on the toilet, against an orange and teal background

What Really Happens to Your Body When You’re Constipated

Health

By Tiffany Curtis

Expert Reviewed

mixed media collage of hand holding pack of birth control pills on peach background

What Really Happens to Your Body When You Stop Taking Birth Control Pills

Health

By Kelsey Kloss

mixed media graphic showing two arms clinking orange juice glasses

What Happens to Your Body When You Drink Fruit Juice Every Day

Nutrition

By Anthea Levi

Expert Reviewed

Custom mixed media image showing hand saying no to a cup of caffeinated coffee

What Really Happens to Your Body When You Quit Caffeine

Nutrition

By Anthea Levi

Expert Reviewed

Custom graphic showing woman taking fish oil pill

What Really Happens to Your Body When You Take Fish Oil

Nutrition

By Holly Klamer

Expert Reviewed

mixed media image showing hand on straw in can of soda

What Really Happens to Your Body When You Drink Soda Every Day

Nutrition

By Tiffany Ayuda

custom mixed media image showing thumbs down to fiber-rich salad

What Really Happens to Your Body When You Don’t Get Enough Fiber

Nutrition

By Anthea Levi

hand pouring content in pink sugar packet into coffee

What Really Happens to Your Body When You Eat Artificial Sweeteners

Nutrition

By Anthea Levi

mixed graphic showing woman eating spicy pepper with flames

What Really Happens to Your Body When You Eat Spicy Food

Nutrition

By Rozalynn S. Frazier, CPT

Expert Reviewed

woman landing a box jump on a navy blue and coral background

What Really Happens to Your Body When You Do a HIIT Workout Every Day

Fitness

By Kate Bratskeir

mixed media graphic showing hand spooning yogurt next to probiotic pills on green background

What Really Happens to Your Body When You Start Taking Probiotics

Nutrition

By Sarah Pflugradt

Expert Reviewed

custom graphic showing hand with spoon putting collagen powder into mason jar

What Really Happens to Your Body When You Take Collagen

Nutrition

By Sarah Pflugradt

image of hand holding beer bottle on a gray background with moon and stars illustration

What Really Happens to Your Body When You Drink Beer Every Night

Nutrition

By Sara Coughlin

Expert Reviewed

woman foam rolling it band on blue background

What Really Happens to Your Body When You Foam Roll Every Day

Fitness

By Madeleine Burry

Expert Reviewed

mixed media image of molding of teeth grinding on a green background

What Really Happens to Your Body When You Grind Your Teeth

Health

By Amy Marturana Winderl

Expert Reviewed

mixed media image of woman in leggings and sports bra doing a side lunge on teal background

What Really Happens to Your Body When You Do a Body-Weight Workout Every Day

Fitness

By Bojana Galic

Expert Reviewed

mixed media graphic of woman tired from exercising too much with kettlebell, dumbbell and jump rope on blue background

What Really Happens to Your Body When You Work Out Too Much

Fitness

By Hallie Levine

Expert Reviewed

mixed media graphic showing hands using laptop in bed all day

What Really Happens to Your Body When You Work All Day From Your Bed or Couch

Health

By Bojana Galic

Expert Reviewed

hand holding melatonin supplement over bottle on purple background

What Really Happens to Your Body When You Take Melatonin

Health

By Marygrace Taylor

Expert Reviewed

mixed media graphic of hand poking through window blinds to demonstrate staying inside

What Really Happens to Your Body When You Stop Going Outside

Health

By Bojana Galic

Expert Reviewed

mixed media graphic showing woman looking into a compact mirror and applying mascara on a blue background

What Really Happens to Your Body When You Exercise With Makeup On

Fitness

By Alison Kotch

Expert Reviewed

close up of hand holding glass bottles of green and orange juice for a juice cleanse on a dark green background

What Really Happens to Your Body When You Do a Juice Cleanse

Health

By Lindsay Tigar

Expert Reviewed

mixed media graphic of scale showing high-fat high-protein foods for keto diet balancing high-carb foods on gray background

What Really Happens to Your Body When You Bounce In and Out of Ketosis

Weight Management

By Tiffany Ayuda

Expert Reviewed

black and white photo of adult grabbing barbell with weight plates on blue background

What Really Happens to Your Body When You Lift Weights Every Day

Fitness

By Sarah Pflugradt

Expert Reviewed

mixed media graphic showing hand pouring whiskey on gray background with moon and stars illustration

What Really Happens to Your Body When You Drink Hard Liquor Every Night

Nutrition

By Sarah Pflugradt

Expert Reviewed

mixed media graphic showing hand reaching for a strawberry and carrot

What Really Happens to Your Body When You Don’t Get Enough Fruits and Vegetables

Nutrition

By Amanda Capritto

Expert Reviewed

mixed media image of a person wearing black capri leggings and a tank top doing a lunge on a blue and gray background

What Really Happens to Your Body When You Do Lunges Every Day

Fitness

By Kate Bratskeir

Expert Reviewed

mixed media image showing hand saying 'no' to green bottle of artificial tears

What Really Happens to Your Body When You Hold Back Tears

Health

By Rozalynn S. Frazier, CPT

Expert Reviewed

gray and white image of woman's lower body mid-run on gray and light blue background

What Really Happens to Your Body When You Run Every Day

Fitness

By Rozalynn S. Frazier, CPT

Expert Reviewed

conceptual illustration of person holding a plank on purple yoga mat

What Really Happens to Your Body When You Plank Every Day

Fitness

By Sarah Pflugradt

Expert Reviewed

mixed media graphic showing hand holding cupcake on orange background

What Really Happens to Your Body When You Eat Processed Foods

Nutrition

By Rozalynn S. Frazier, CPT

Expert Reviewed

photo of person doing squat exercise on blue background

What Really Happens to Your Body When You Squat Every Day

Fitness

By Emma Steven

Expert Reviewed

A black and white hand reaching for a water bottle, representing the effects of dehydration

What Really Happens to Your Body When You're Dehydrated

Health

By Bojana Galic

Expert Reviewed

mixed media graphic of person doing push-up

What Really Happens to Your Body When You Do Push-Ups Every Day

Fitness

By Philip Ghezelbash

Expert Reviewed

mixed media image showing wrist with fitness tracker showing 5K or 3.1 miles completed

What Does Running a 5K Every Day Do To Your Body? What About 5 Miles a Day?

Fitness

By Sarah Pflugradt

mixed media graphic showing hand holding vitamin D bottle with sun on purple background

What Really Happens to Your Body When You Don't Get Enough Vitamin D

Nutrition

By Sarah Pflugradt

Expert Reviewed

Mixed media graphic of wine poured into glass

What Really Happens to Your Body When You Drink a Glass of Wine Every Night

Nutrition

By Amanda MacMillan

Expert Reviewed

Illustration of stress, including a hand squeezing a stress ball on a green and yellow background

What Really Happens to Your Body When You're Stressed

Health

By Hallie Levine

mixed media graphic of anatomy doll sitting in rolling desk chair looking at phone, concept of poor posture

What Really Happens to Your Body When You Have Poor Posture

Health

By Tamekia Reece

Expert Reviewed

An empty bed on a dark blue background, with illustrations that represent not getting enough sleep

What Really Happens to Your Body When You Don't Get Enough Sleep

Health

By Philip Ghezelbash

Expert Reviewed

Hand refusing a dumbbell; person who doesn't exercise concept

What Really Happens to Your Body When You Don't Exercise

Fitness

By Molly Triffin

Expert Reviewed

Illustration concept of a person's hand saying no to sugary foods like chocolate, candy and cupcakes

What Really Happens to Your Body When You Stop Eating Sugar

Weight Management

By Jaime Osnato

Expert Reviewed

hand holding white mug of coffee with illustrations of caffeine from coffee, tea, energy drinks and other sources

How Caffeine Affects Your Body, From Your Brain to Your Bladder

Nutrition

By Ashley Macha

Expert Reviewed

person with prosthetic leg grabbing red kettlebell with illustrations of effects of starting to exercise

What Really Happens to Your Body When You Start Exercising

Health

By Anthea Levi

Expert Reviewed

Mixed media graphic showing hand rejecting meat products

What Really Happens to Your Body When You Stop Eating Meat

Nutrition

By Christine Yu

Expert Reviewed

Blue and yellow illustration of the effects of added sugar on the body with hand holding cupcake

What Really Happens to Your Body When You Eat Refined Sugar

Nutrition

By Jody Braverman

Expert Reviewed

A person's feet on a bathroom scale, with illustrations of what happens when you lose 10 pounds

What Really Happens to Your Body When You Lose 10 Pounds

Weight Management

By Sarah Pflugradt

Hand rejecting martini with olives mixed media image

What Really Happens to Your Body When You Stop Drinking Alcohol

Nutrition

By Sarah Pflugradt

Expert Reviewed

mixed media graphic showing hand pouring can of soda into trash can

What Really Happens to Your Body When You Give Up Soda

Weight Management

By Sarah Watts

Expert Reviewed

mixed media graphic showing yo-yo diet concept with pizza, salmon, avocado and cupcake on a yellow background

What Really Happens to Your Body When You Yo-Yo Diet

Weight Management

By Kay Peck

Expert Reviewed

mixed media graphic of hand saying no to stack of bagels on yellow background

What Really Happens to Your Body When You Drastically Cut Carbs

Nutrition

By Bojana Galic

Expert Reviewed

hand holding melatonin supplement over bottle on purple background

What Really Happens to Your Body When You Take Melatonin

Health