ArcaMax

For a teeming metropolis with trillions of microbial inhabitants, a person's gut biome is amazingly delicate. Irritate it with excess alcohol and your body becomes a candidate for Type 2 diabetes, heart attack, irritable bowel syndrome and a roster of other chronic conditions from cancer to dementia. But it can be repaired -- even from an ...Read more

Around 51 million Americans contend with depression. Another 40 million American adults are treated for anxiety annually. And almost 50% of folks diagnosed with depression are also diagnosed with an anxiety disorder.

Those emotional challenges can trigger premature brain aging. Researchers looking at the impact of depression and anxiety -- ...Read more

From 1999 to 2023, the percentage of U.S. adults contending with abdominal obesity expanded from 48% to 61%. And almost two-thirds of Americans have insufficient vitamin D levels, according to a 2022 analysis of the U.S. National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.

That, says a new study of 5,500 adults ages 50 and older, is a dangerous ...Read more

Quick, answer me this: When you are 55, would you rather live dementia-free for 30 more years, or have to settle for only around 17 years until you begin losing your cognitive powers?

Well, the choice is yours, according to a new study in Neurology Open Access. Researchers from NYU Grossman School of Medicine and colleagues in China looked at ...Read more

Over a billion dollars a year are spent in the U.S. on PDE5-inhibitors like tadalafil (Cialis) -- and not all of that is to remedy erectile dysfunction. Tadalafil also helps ease lower urinary tract symptoms (leaking, dribbling, trouble urinating) associated with benign prostatic hyperplasia, AKA enlarged prostate. PDE5 is an enzyme found in the...Read more

You can get whiplash from contradictory dietary recommendations. Lately, it's protein pushers and protein restrictors who are clashing.

Headline 1: Study links protein to healthier aging. A new study suggests that eating more protein may help people stay stronger and more independent as they age.

Headline 2: Eating less protein could slow ...Read more

Mind and body are intertwined when it comes to health, longevity, and happiness. That, say Harvard researchers who are conducting the longest-running study on happiness, is why greater happiness is associated with healthier lifestyle habits, lower blood pressure, reduced stress and a stronger immune system.

The good news is that while research ...Read more

It's estimated that at least 60% of Americans have a waist circumference that's oversized, making them vulnerable to diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, fatty liver disease, lower back pain, sleep apnea and an increased risk for gout. (A healthy waist size is under 40 inches for men and under 34 inches for women.) In addition, almost ...Read more

Obesity rates in the U.S. are falling as the use of GLP-1s is increasing. More than one in 10 folks report taking one of the medications currently available (tirzepatide, semaglutide, liraglutide, dulaglutide, exenatide, orforglipron, lixisenatide). Today, 36.4% of adults are obese; in 2022, it was 39.9%. (This confirms what I said about my ...Read more

Did you know that if the 9.7 million U.S. adults who need blood pressure medicine but aren't taking it actually took it, there would be more than 200,000 fewer deaths and 162,000 fewer cardiovascular deaths over the next 10 years, and a whole lot less disability? If your blood pressure is 130/80 mm Hg or higher, that may include you. That's ...Read more

Around 115 million Americans have prediabetes. Fortunately, for most (58%), losing as little as 5% to 7% of their body weight can reduce their risk of going on to develop full-blown Type 2 diabetes.

But there are folks with prediabetes for whom weight loss alone doesn't prevent progression to Type 2 diabetes. A study in the journal Diabetes ...Read more

Around 33 million Americans have documented osteoarthritis (OA) -- the breakdown of protective cartilage in and around joints leading to pain, stiffness and swelling. (We think the real number may be triple that.) It can result from body-wide inflammation and causes chronic pain, limits mobility and often leads to depression. No wonder it's ...Read more

More than 1 billion nicotine pouches were sold in the U.S. in 2024. While you might assume they were mostly being used by folks who are trying to quit smoking or vaping tobacco, you'd be wrong.

A study published in JAMA analyzed nicotine pouch use in 39,557 U.S. adults and the majority of folks using pouches also smoke cigarettes -- and only ...Read more

Americans like to graze. While most folks spend around an hour a day on official "meals," they spend up to 90 minutes more snacking and drinking (sugary, yuck) beverages. And 5% told a USDA survey that they eat something every hour from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Turns out that's not good for brain health or your liver.

A study (echoing a technique I ...Read more