Dining out is a popular pastime, but it's essential to be aware of potential food safety risks. We all have our go to foods whenever we are at a restaurant and enjoy the prospect of getting to eat their favorite meal. But even in the most high-end restaurants, the risk of getting sick always lingers. You never know when or what may cause issues for you

Food poisoning is a common problem that can lead to things like nausea, diarrhea, vomiting, and stomach upset. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that about 48 million people in the United States get sick from food poisoning each year. While sometimes it is unavoidable, being aware of these things can help you understand things that can go wrong and taking precautions when eating at restaurants. It's crucial to be informed to protect your health and enjoy your dining experience without worry. Here are some foods you should either avoid or be careful while eating.

Foods You Should Be Careful About While Dining Out

Eggs

Even eggs that look fine can have Salmonella bacteria. These bacteria can make you sick with stomach cramps, diarrhea, fever, and vomiting. Restaurants can cause outbreaks if they don't cook eggs to 160 degrees Fahrenheit, store them at the wrong temperature, use unpasteurized eggs, or use dirty cooking tools. These bad practices let bacteria grow and make people sick. So, it's important to cook and handle eggs the right way.

Pre-Cut Melons

Melons that are cut up ahead of time, like in fruit salads, are more likely to cause food poisoning. When you cut a melon, bacteria on the outside can get to the inside. If lots of fruit is cut in one place, it's easier for bacteria to spread. Since people eat melons raw, there's no cooking to kill the germs. These germs, like Listeria, Salmonella, or E. coli, can make you really sick. So, be careful with pre-cut melons.

Sprouts

Sprouts are healthy, but they grow in warm, wet places where bacteria like Listeria like to live. Even washing sprouts doesn't always get rid of these germs. And because people usually eat sprouts raw, there's no cooking to kill the bacteria. This makes sprouts a big cause of food poisoning. There have been lots of outbreaks linked to sprouts, with many people getting sick and even ending up in the hospital. So, it's a good idea to avoid sprouts, especially at restaurants.

Undercooked Meat

Meat that isn't cooked enough can have harmful bacteria like Salmonella, E. coli, and Campylobacter. Campylobacter is a common cause of diarrhea. Ground beef is extra risky because it's often made from meat from many different cows. If one cow is sick, all the ground beef can be contaminated. While quickly cooking the outside of a steak can kill surface germs, undercooked ground beef and other meats are still dangerous. Cooking meat all the way through is super important.

Fishes

Some fish can cause specific kinds of food poisoning. Ciguatera poisoning happens when you eat fish that ate poisonous algae, like grouper, sea bass, and red snapper. Cooking doesn't get rid of these poisons. Scombroid poisoning can happen if fish like tuna, sardines, and mahi-mahi aren't stored correctly, which lets bacteria make poisons. Cooking doesn't help with this either. It's important for restaurants to get their fish from good places and keep it stored at the right temperature.

Oyster

Oysters filter water, which means they can collect bacteria and viruses. A big risk is vibriosis, which is caused by Vibrio bacteria that live in warm ocean water where oysters grow. Eating raw or undercooked oysters is very risky. These bacteria can cause serious sickness, and sometimes even infections in the blood. Cooking oysters completely to at least 145 degrees Fahrenheit makes them much safer. So, cooked oysters are a better choice.

Leafy Greens

Greens like lettuce and spinach can get contaminated with bacteria from things like dirty water, animal poop, and not handling them correctly. Even washing them might not get rid of all the germs, especially if they're inside the leaves. Bacteria can grow fast on greens that are wilted or slimy. Restaurants need to get their greens from good farms, wash them really well, and store them correctly. Choosing fresh, crispy greens helps reduce the risk.

Steer clear of certain food items in buffets

Buffets have a higher chance of food poisoning for a few reasons. Many people use the same serving spoons, which spreads germs. Food can sit out for too long at the wrong temperature, letting bacteria grow. Also, people might cough or sneeze near the food. Common germs at buffets include bacteria like E. coli, Salmonella, and Listeria, and viruses like norovirus. Restaurants need to check food temperatures, change serving spoons often, and make sure everyone is washing their hands.

Mental health issues among doctors remain a serious but rarely discussed concern within the medical community, said Dr. Cyriac Abby Philips, popularly known on social media as the LiverDoc.

In an exclusive interaction with HealthandMe, the noted hepatologist highlighted the rising cases of burnout, depression, and suicide among healthcare professionals and the urgent need to address them.

He stated that doctors are among the major communities affected by mental health disorders, although the topic is often ignored within the profession.

“We have had very senior doctors die by suicide because of burnout,” he said, citing incidents involving highly successful doctors recently reported from parts of India, including Kerala.

Mental Health Of Doctors Impacts Patient Care

Liver Doc stressed that addressing doctors’ mental health is as important as treating patients’ mental health.

“A doctor who has good mental health will be a much better ally for the patient when it comes to treatment,” he said.

He also urged the medical community and regulatory authorities to introduce more interventions and support systems to prevent burnout and mental health disorders among doctors.

According to him, the emotional burden of treating critically ill patients and witnessing deaths regularly can deeply affect healthcare professionals.

“It’s depressing to treat patients and see them die. It’s depressing to see another human die,” he said.

The expert noted that doctors should find ways to openly discuss and process emotional stress and mental health struggles.

New Book On Burnout And Emotional Stress

Dr. Philips also addressed the issue in his recently released book, The Liver Doctor: Stories of Love, Loss and Regeneration.

He told HealthandMe that he has “very thoroughly and in very raw format addressed in the book” the mental health disorders affecting doctors, as it directly impacts patient care.

“Like every other doctor, I have also gone through that, and it's depressing to treat patients and see them die. I have this book to channelize that, and I feel less burdened when I do that, but other doctors also should find ways to do this. So this book also tells doctors to be more open about their mental health,” he said.

Deep Burnout Among Doctors

Doctors in teaching hospitals often endure long, unregulated shifts with little time for rest, especially during residency. Such exhausting work conditions not only increase the risk of medical errors but also significantly contribute to burnout, emotional exhaustion, and mental health problems among young doctors.

As per a recent nationwide survey on doctors’ mental health and morale, nine in ten doctors said they would not want their children to become physicians.

Also read: Global Mental Disorders Double In 33 Years, Affecting 1.2 Billion People: Study

The study, conducted by the Debabrata Mitalee Auro Foundation, surveyed 1,208 doctors across metropolitan cities and smaller towns over six months and found deep levels of burnout, fear of violence, and rising medico-legal anxiety among medical professionals.

Parliamentary Panel Flags Excessive Duty Hours

Further, the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Health and Family Welfare also raised concerns over “excessive continuous duty hours” for junior and senior resident doctors in April.

In its latest report, the panel warned that fatigue-driven errors and burnout could compromise care.

The Panel recommended that the government introduce and strictly enforce a formal “Clinical Duty Hours Regulation” policy. This would mandate fixed rest periods and monitored duty rosters, with oversight mechanisms to prevent violations.

India’s cell and gene therapy ecosystem is beginning to attract a different kind of attention that is driven not just by healthcare demand, but by proprietary science and platform-led innovation.

For investors, however, the larger story may not be the funding round itself. It may be the problem the company is trying to solve.

CAR-T therapies have transformed outcomes for several difficult-to-treat blood cancers globally. But despite strong initial responses, relapse remains one of the field’s biggest limitations. One reason is antigen escape, which means cancer cells can change the markers that therapies use to identify them, making them harder to detect over time.

In an analysis of 4,129 CAR-T treated patients, relapse remained a substantial issue after single-target therapy, with 42.1% of relapses associated with loss of the CD19 target itself. The finding points to a larger issue: precision may not be enough if therapies lose visibility over time.

The response increasingly appears to be a move toward multi-target and more durable platforms. A bispecific CAR-T platform designed to recognize more than one tumor marker, to reduce relapse is crucial.

The science itself is becoming increasingly platform-oriented. Beyond broader targeting, recent work explored why immune cells themselves lose effectiveness over time and identified pathways associated with stronger persistence and memory. While still early, the broader implication is that future therapies may need to be designed not only to attack disease, but also to remain active longer.

For India, that creates a larger opportunity. Historically, advanced therapies such as CAR-T have remained expensive and heavily dependent on technologies developed elsewhere. The aim is to significantly reduce treatment costs while building indigenous capabilities across design and manufacturing.

The shift matters because biotech investing is increasingly moving beyond services and generics toward intellectual property and platform science. The transition from bedside observations to translational platforms may be where the next phase of healthcare innovation and investment gets built.

Colon cancer, medically known as colorectal cancer, was historically typical for people aged 50 or older. However, in recent years, the cancer that forms in the tissues of the large intestine has been increasing in prevalence in young adults. As many as one in five colorectal cancer patients today falls into this younger age group.

Now, a study published by the American Society of Clinical Oncology shows that marathons, which are one of the most celebrated physical activities, may be increasing the risk of the disease.

What Did The Study Find?

The team at Inova Schar Cancer Institute in Virginia, US, initiated the study after observing multiple “ultramarathoners” present to their cancer center with advanced colorectal cancer.

To probe the link, they recruited 100 runners to undergo colonoscopies — the gold standard for screening and preventing colorectal cancer. The team then looked at runners ages 35 to 50, who had either completed at least five marathons or two ultramarathons (any runs of 50 kilometers or more).

Presenting the findings at the 2025 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) annual meeting, Dr. Timothy Cannon, an oncologist at the Institute, stated that

• Nearly 50 per cent of the participants in the study had polyps, which can become cancerous,
• 15 per cent had advanced adenomas (noncancerous tumor) which are likely to become cancerous.

Also read:Colorectal Cancer: UK Surgeon Warns Of 5 Silent Signs You Shouldn’t Ignore

Almost always, colon cancers start as small growths called polyps or precancerous lesions on the inner lining of the colon or rectum.

Moreover, the study found that the rate of advanced adenomas nearly tripled among the marathon runners, compared to the general population, at 4.5 -6 per cent.

How Does Ultra-running Spike Chance Of Developing Colon Cancer?

In general, running and other forms of exercise are known to reduce the risk of developing colon and other cancers. At the same time, exercise-induced gastrointestinal injury is also believed to be associated with reduced blood flow to the intestines during long-distance running.

Notably, to date there is no evidence that definitively shows running causes polyps.

The new study presents a correlation — an increasing relationship between long-distance running and advanced adenomas. It does not prove that running directly causes the adenomas.

Read More: Europe Sees Record Surge In Gonorrhea, Syphilis Cases In Over A Decade, Says ECDC

The new results suggest that “intensive long-distance running is a risk factor for advanced adenomas of the colon", said Dr. Timothy, in the paper. The team also called for "refining screening strategies" for marathon runners.

It is because runners put their bodies through a lot, which can raise the risk of chronic inflammation, enabling cancerous cells to grow.

Their high-caloric foods for immediate energy can slow down digestion and impact your overall colon health.

What is Colorectal Cancer

The American Cancer Society notes that colorectal cancer is a cancer that starts in the colon or the rectum. Colorectal cancer impacts around 1.9 million people every year, noted the World Health Organization (WHO) as per its 2022 data.

It is a disease of the large bowel and a type of cancer that originates from the rectum or colon. A person's colon, cecum, rectum, and anus make up the large intestine.

According to experts, if you are above 45 years of age or have high-risk factors, you need to take the initiative to be screened, as the symptoms appear late, impacting treatment outcomes.

The common red flags for colorectal cancer include:

• rectal bleeding,
• persistent abdominal discomfort,
• pain,
• a noticeable change in bowel habits.