Bringing wholesome healthy tips
There’s no doubt that being overweight is bad for your heart. Research has shown that obesity may increase your chances of death from heart disease by as much as 60 percent. And doctors remind many of us to lose weight to lose the risk. But some obese people have better cardiovascular health than people of healthy weight. The concept is known as “metabolically healthy obesity,” and though it can differ…
Atrial fibrillation, or AFib, is the world’s most commonly diagnosed form of arrhythmia. This rapid, irregular heartbeat reduces blood flow and raises your risk of heart failure, stroke and other serious heart and blood vessel issues, as well as dementia and early death. Things that can increase your risk of developing AFib include excess weight, high blood pressure, diabetes, smoking, alcohol and migraine with aura. And as the human lifespan…
It seems obvious that pale-skinned people tend to be lacking in vitamin D. Speaking as someone whose skin burns quickly in the sun, I stay out of the sun whenever I can. And when I’m outside for any length of time, I do everything I can to protect myself from the sun’s punishing rays. For your body to produce vitamin D, you need to expose your bare skin to sunlight…
The mitochondria found in each of our cells are some of the most underappreciated structures in the body. These tiny, capsule-shaped powerhouses generate about 95 percent of the body’s energy ― adenosine triphosphate (ATP) ― from the food we eat. Problems in these “cell batteries” have been associated with everything from accelerated aging to poor immune defense against SARS-CoV-2. Now, research has found a connection between the brain’s ability to…
Fatty liver disease is a condition that is reaching epidemic proportions in the U.S. thanks to the ever-increasing levels of obesity we face. Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease can strike anyone and lead to liver damage, liver cancer, liver failure and even death. Now though, thanks to a new study, there may be a way to halt the progression of fatty liver and put the organ on a diet to save…
Up to 70 percent of women are plagued with uterine fibroids. Fortunately, for most, the condition is asymptomatic. But for many other it means dealing with pelvic pain, heavy bleeding, exhaustion and bladder pressure. Uterine fibroids are non-cancerous tumors that develop from the muscle in the uterus, typically in women of child-bearing age. The condition usually stabilizes, and symptoms lessen or go away on their own once a woman goes…
In many respects, Alzheimer’s remains one of the most mysterious of diseases. There’s still a lot we don’t know about why it happens, whom it chooses, and how it progresses. But some things are clear. For one, we know about β-amyloid plaque and tau tangles, the rogue proteins that clog the brain and lead to Alzheimer’s. We even know that our brain has a cleaning system to keep those clogs…
Telomeres, the “caps” on the end of each DNA strand that protect the chromosomes, are a key player in the body’s aging process. As people get older, their telomeres naturally get shorter, which exposes your chromosomes to more damage and can lead to the development of life-threatening health issues. Unfortunately, aging isn’t the only thing that can shorten your telomeres. Things like smoking, lack of exercise, ultra-processed foods, stress and…
When you sit down to a meal, reaching for the salt shaker may be part of your normal routine. After all, salt adds that extra flavor we can’t get enough of. It also adds to your blood pressure risk. Too much and you could end up in the red zone. That’s why whenever your pressure is on the high side, one of your doctor’s first recommendations will be to limit…
It’s no secret that diabetes can lead to all sorts of health complications, including nerve damage, skin infections and eye complications. And people with diabetes are twice as likely to suffer from heart disease or stroke. But diabetes is perhaps hardest on the kidneys. About a quarter of diabetes sufferers will eventually develop a condition called diabetic nephropathy, which causes a gradual loss of kidney function and eventually lead to…