
Best Brain Foods: Greens and Beets Put to the Test
Cocoa and nitrite-rich vegetables, such as green leafies and beets, are put to the test for cognitive function.
Cocoa and nitrite-rich vegetables, such as green leafies and beets, are put to the test for cognitive function.
Randomized controlled studies put nuts, berries, and grape juice to the test for cognitive function.
Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trials of… blueberries!
The sulforaphane found in five cents’ worth of broccoli sprouts has been shown to benefit autism in a way no drug ever has in randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study.
Lemon balm may beat out drugs for controlling the symptoms of severe dementia.
Within hours of eating an unhealthy meal, we can get a spike in inflammation, crippling our artery function, thickening our blood, and causing a fight-or-flight nerve response. Thankfully, there are foods we can eat at every meal to counter this reaction.
Having hypertension in midlife (ages 40 through 60) is associated with elevated risk of cognitive impairment and Alzheimer’s dementia later in life—even more so than having the so-called Alzheimer’s gene.
A half teaspoon of dried rosemary can improve cognitive function.
A daily dose of 4,000 IU of vitamin D is recommended for elders at high risk for falling to improve muscle strength and balance, though there is something that works even better.
Even a small amount of fresh herbs can double or even quadruple the antioxidant power of a meal. The abilities of oregano to decrease chromosomal damage from radiation and marjoram to affect hormone levels in women with PCOS are put to the test.
The aspirin compounds naturally found in plant foods may help explain the lower cancer rates among those eating plant-based diets.
The benefits of taking a daily aspirin must be weighed against the risk of internal bleeding.
Seaweed salad is put to the test for hypertension.
How might we prevent and reverse hypertension, the number-one risk factor for death in the world?
Learn why I recommend 250mg a day of a pollutant-free source of long-chain omega-3 fatty acids.
What is the optimal source and amount of protein for senior citizens?
Only about 1 in 10,000 people live to be 100 years old. What’s their secret?
What can our nutrient requirements, metabolism, and physiology tell us about what we should be eating?
Vegetables and fruit, such as dried plums, may help build stronger bones.
If one is going to make an evolutionary argument for what a “natural” vitamin D level may be, how about getting vitamin D in the way nature intended—that is, from the sun instead of supplements?
What do 56 randomized clinical trials involving nearly 100,000 people between the ages of 18 and 107 show vitamin D can do to our lifespan?
To maximize our lifespan, the target resting heart rate may be one beat a second or less.
What happens when you take blood from people before and then again four hours after almond consumption, and drip that blood on bone cells?
Adding milk to tea can block its beneficial effects, potentially explaining why green tea drinkers appear better protected than consumers of black tea.
If copper is associated with Alzheimer’s disease, what about healthy, whole plant food sources such as nuts, seeds, beans, and whole grains?
Why should we wait ten minutes after chopping or crushing garlic before we cook it unless we’re going in for elective surgery within the next week?
What can we eat to combat “inflamm-aging,” the chronic low-grade inflammation that accompanies the aging process?
Why do some drug-based strategies shorten the lives of diabetics and some diet-based strategies fail to decrease diabetes deaths?
Eating antioxidant-rich foods can bolster skin protection and reduce sunburn redness by 40%, whereas alcohol can dramatically drop the level of antioxidants in the skin within 8 minutes of consumption.
Dietary Acid Load is determined by the balance of acid-inducing food, such as meats, eggs, and cheeses, offset by base-inducing (“alkaline”) foods, such as fruits and vegetables.
Rather than reformulate their products with less sodium and save lives, food manufacturers have lobbied governments, refused to cooperate, encouraged misinformation campaigns, and tried to discredit the evidence.
Diet may explain the Nigerian Paradox, where they have among the highest rates of the Alzheimer’s susceptibility gene, ApoE4, but among the lowest rates of Alzheimer’s disease.
Why do heart attack rates appear lower than expected in France, given their saturated fat and cholesterol intake? Is it their red wine consumption, their vegetable consumption, or something else?
Diet and lifestyle improvements started even late in life can offer dramatic benefits.
The whole food is greater than the sum of its parts: how unscrupulous marketers use evidence that ties high blood levels of phytonutrients with superior health to sell dietary supplements that may do more harm than good.
Why do doctors in the United States continue to recommend colonoscopies when most other countries recommend less invasive colon cancer screening methods?
What is the optimal daily dietary calcium intake and might benefits for your bones outweigh the risks to your heart from taking calcium supplements?
The unnaturally large, rapid, and sustained calcium levels in the blood caused by calcium supplements may explain why calcium from supplements, but not from food, appears to increase the risk of heart attacks.
What would happen if you centered your diet around vegetables, the most nutrient-dense food group?
Vegetables such as beets and arugula can improve athletic performance by improving oxygen delivery and utilization. But, what about for those who really need it—such as those with emphysema, high blood pressure, and peripheral artery disease?