Nearly 3 decades after his death, I recently came a cross an article I had saved by famed pediatrician, author, and political activist Dr. Benjamin Spock, written in 1996, two years before he died at the age of 94. At the age of 92, he felt the need to share his wisdom about how to […]

The scholarly journal, Neurology, in January 2025’s issue, published an impressive study on dementia risk, cognitive decline and consumption of red meats, especially processed red meats like bologna, bacon, hot dogs, and salami. Subjects were enrolled in the famous Nurses’ Health Study, and the Health Professionals Follow-UP Study. The period investigated spanned from 1980 to […]

The esteemed New England Journal of Medicine [NEJM] recently reported findings of a study, also reported by Harvard University, linking both microplastics, and even smaller nanoplastics to increased risk of heart attacks and strokes. These plastic particles find their way into our bodies through our skin, the bottled water we drink, and even floating in […]

The threat to England’s population during World War II [1939-1945] resulted in a rationing system to ensure, with much of their workforce drafted for military service, that the remaining population would not succumb to starvation. Germany’s march through Europe, and Great Britain, greatly reduced the ability of countries to send livestock to market, produce grains, […]

Researchers at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health recently released the results of a study 30 years in the making. The scientists reported replacing red and processed meats with plant proteins reduces the risk of CVD, cardiovascular disease. In the US CVD is the most common cause of disability and death. If we […]

As we enter the twelfth month of the year, many begin thinking about making health promoting changes to their life styles, geared to reducing risks to their health and quality of life. According to a new survey of more than 2,000 women, conducted by the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, only 28% of US women […]

Many of us only think of pumpkins as we prepare for Halloween. But, they are a rich source of important nutrients, while being very affordable. If one buys a bright orange pumpkin, nearly the entire gourd [classified as a fruit] can be used. The sturdy exterior, once scraped clean, becomes an excellent deep-dish baking vessel […]

Esteemed medical journal The Lancet values published studies from the Institute for Health Metrics, and Evaluation. In 2017, the institute completed its Global Burden of Disease report which detailed the impact of food habits affecting health and mortality in humans. This got my attention. “A small number of dietary risks had a large impact on […]

A hybrid of the DASH Diet [designed to reduce the incidence of high blood pressure], and the Mediterranean Diet [based on the longevity promoting dietary habits of populations bordering the Mediterranean Sea], the Brain Diet is designed to lower the risk of developing one of the more than 100 types of dementia, as our population […]

In writing about the Blue Zones, the six places in the world where a surprising number of people live with a good quality of life past their 100th birthday, I often mention a component of their diets that they all have in common…the legume, or bean. Blue Zones range from Asia, to the Mediterranean, to […]