Americans Are Living Longer but Sicker Lives
Though our life expectancy is improving, our health expectancy is not. In fact we are living fewer years without serious disease and disability.
Though our life expectancy is improving, our health expectancy is not. In fact we are living fewer years without serious disease and disability.
A competing risks analysis of the Harvard Nurses’ Health Study compares the danger of smoking cigarettes to the danger of animal product consumption (cholesterol), and the benefits of plant foods (fiber) to the benefits of exercise.
Given how vascular our kidneys are, it should comes as no surprise that animal protein, animal fat, and cholesterol are associated with declining kidney function (microalbuminurea—loss of protein in the urine), which can be an early warning sign not only for kidney failure, but also for heart disease and a shortened lifespan.
Inadequate fruit and vegetable intake may help explain the loss of immune function associated with aging that is linked to an increased risk of dying from pneumonia and influenza.
The consumption of dark fish (such as salmon, swordfish, bluefish, mackerel, and sardines) may increase our risk of atrial fibrillation—an irregular heartbeat rhythm associated with stroke, dementia, heart failure, and a shortened lifespan.
Monday, March 12, 2012: The Harvard Health Professionals Follow-up Study and the Harvard Nurses’ Health Study concluded that red meat consumption was associated with living a significantly shorter life—increased cancer mortality, increased heart disease mortality, and increased overall mortality.
Harvard study found that men and women eating low carb diets live significantly shorter lives, but what about the “eco-Atkins diet,” a plant-based, low carbohydrate diet?
Why the current vitamin D recommendations may be too low, other expert recommendations may be too high, and 2000 international units a day may be just right.
People respond differently to the same level of vitamin D supplementation, making it difficult to formulate one-size-fits-all guidelines.
To reach the circulating (25-hydroxy) vitamin D levels associated with the lowest overall mortality, one may need to take supplements, given data suggesting suboptimal production from sun—even under optimal circumstances.
Vitamin D deficiency may shorten one’s lifespan, but getting too much vitamin D may also adversely affect longevity.
The Institute of Medicine’s conservative position on vitamin D is understandable, given the history of hyped vitamin supplements (vitamin A, beta carotene, folic acid, vitamin C, vitamin E) that turned out worthless—or worse.
The success story in Finland shows that science-based dietary guidelines can save millions of lives.
Why does the medical establishment sometimes ignore highly efficacious therapies, such as plant-based diets, for heart disease prevention and treatment?
The China-Oxford-Cornell Diet and Health Project directed by T. Colin Campbell and colleagues showed that chronic diseases, such as heart disease, are not inevitable consequences of aging.
Dr. Dean Ornish proved decades ago that heart disease could be reversed solely with diet and lifestyle changes.
Medicare is now accepting for reimbursement the Dean Ornish Program for Reversing Heart Disease and the Pritikin Program, which, on a personal note, is what inspired me to go into medicine.
In a double-blind study, the spice saffron beat out placebo in the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease dementia symptoms.
Case reports of people ending up in a coma after drinking kombucha tea.
Pagar por una vida más corta.
Los beneficios del consumo de café.
A leading stroke expert ruffles a few feathers.
¿Deben las mujeres con cáncer de mama con receptores de estrógeno positivos evitar los alimentos de soja?
El Estudio de Salud de Medicos de Harvard sugiere que aquellos que comen un huevo diario tienen vidas mas cortas.
Hay dos vitaminas que no son producidas por las plantas que pueden requerir suplementación.
Pagar para vivir menos.
Tres acciones que pueden reducir a la mitad el riesgo de muerte de nuestro asesino número uno.
Las maravillas de las bayas.
Los investigadores descubrieron una intervención dietética que puede ralentizar la progresión del cáncer.