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Some experts have said that at least 31 percent of the cardiovascular disease burden in the world could be avoided if environmental pollutants were eliminated. So when researchers looked at the association between toxic heavy metals and the body’s major arteries, they were shocked, but not surprised…

Hardening of the arteries is a dangerous factor that can increase a person’s risk for stroke. It’s associated with chronic inflammation that damages blood vessels and hinders self-repair from mechanisms called resolvins. That’s where omega-3s come into the picture…

Fatty liver disease isn’t new. What is new is learning its impact on metabolic health is so strong it’s now called Metabolic-associated liver disease, and that with every breath you take, you’re increasing your odds of the most common indication for liver transplantation. Start here to reduce your risks…

Are you a label reader? Do you review the fat content of almost every product before adding it to your grocery cart? We’re not judging but we do want to share some new evidence that will blow all your concerns about saturated fats and heart trouble out of the water — and make life easier…

Winter is here, and you know what that means: Your chances of getting sick and ending up with pneumonia are higher than at any other time of the year. And if you still haven’t gotten the message about the harms of a couch potato lifestyle, you’re missing out on the easiest intervention that works across all age groups.

When it comes to your arteries, you want the consistency of a wet noodle, not an uncooked piece of pasta. Otherwise your risks go up for heart problems. Yet, age isn’t the only thing that can stiffen our arteries. From birth control pills to menopause, women face a unique risk that can have serious consequences…

Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) are the No. 1 cause of death worldwide. And though we’re familiar with the three main risk factors for CVD — high cholesterol, high blood pressure and smoking — research has uncovered another, less-obvious factor that can double your risk for heart trouble…

We’ll do just about anything we can to extend our lifespan, whether it’s following an anti-aging diet or exercise regimen — or as involved as using hyperbaric oxygen therapy. In all those efforts, there’s one goal scientists continue to chase: the ability to swallow one pill to stop aging. And they are inching ever closer…

Peripheral artery disease, or PAD, is similar to coronary artery disease. Both involve a buildup of plaque inside the arteries, which slows the flow of blood that nourishes all parts of the body and increases risk for blood clots. Scary thing is, it’s considered a “silent disease.” Here’s what to watch for…

Saying the word “menopause” immediately conjures up images of hot flashes, night sweats and bones becoming frail and prone to fracture. However, while menopause isn’t always a walk in the park, everything post menopause isn’t always bad news…

More evidence is stacking up that, when it comes to keeping your brain at its best, what you eat counts. According to research that spanned 12 years, there are eight foods you’ll want to make a part of your regular diet if you want to ward off cognitive impairment and dementia as you age — and one to avoid like the plague…

Metabolic syndrome is a cluster of symptoms affecting one-third of American adults that increases risk for diabetes, heart disease and stroke. If you have excess belly fat, high cholesterol, blood pressure and blood sugar, you may be one of them. If you’ve got 10 hours, you can turn it around before it’s too late.

As you get older, the size of a certain vital organ becomes more and more important — your brain. That’s because, typically, the older you get, the smaller your brain volume gets. And if this shrinkage gets too out of hand, you end up with a serious cognitive impairment like dementia.

By definition an autoimmune disorder is one in which your own immune system goes haywire, attacking the healthy tissue in your body, causing the disease. MS is one such disease. New research shows its symptoms may be improved and progress prossibly slowed with a change of temperature. Here’s why…

From controlling type 2 diabetes to stopping cancer in its tracks, if you want to stay in tip-top shape, nuts could be your ticket to a longer, healthier life. And it looks like the benefits of walnuts just keep stacking up, especially where heart health is concerned…

Memory problems can be unnerving, especially when we get older. It’s easy to begin second-guessing everything and wondering whether you’re simply forgetful or if something worse is happening — like Alzheimer’s. How can you tell the difference? Here are a few things to take note of…

Sun exposure may be rough on the skin, but it has a lot of upsides for our sleep, mood and vitamin D levels. And now researchers are discovering that the benefits of sunlight may go even further by protecting us from certain autoimmune diseases…

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the most common cause of sight loss in the Western world. And most people don’t know they have it until they’re already losing their sight. Researchers have been looking for ways to catch AMD before that point, and they may have identified some new early warning signs that can help them do it…

To lower the risk of heart disease and stroke, we’re told to eat a heart-healthy diet. What exactly is heart-healthy? Is it only eating certain types of foods and eliminating others? Or is there a way to get to that elusive heart-healthy status without feeling deprived? Yes, according to these new rules…

Instead of dreaming of tropical islands this winter, why not try some exotic fruits that hail from warmer climates? Here are 11 exotic “superfruits” that are fun to try, and packed with enough nutritional power to dispel the winter doldrums and most anything else that ails you…

It’s been known for some time that people who are overweight or obese have a higher risk of getting certain cancers, including thyroid cancer. But it’s been unclear exactly how many cases of thyroid cancer are connected with weight — until now — and the findings should be a wake up call, especially for men…

Research shows inflammation is a driving force behind obesity, heart disease and diabetes. Now research is stacking up that connects it with Alzheimer’s and dementia. The good news? Foods feed that inflammation in a dose-dependent manner and a change of diet could make a big difference.

Low blood pressure, or hypotension, comes with its own set of troublesome symptoms. And, just like high blood pressure, it may also be a signal of other things going wrong in the body — surprisingly enough, even with your thyroid…

The average American eats less than one daily serving of whole grains, and some studies show that over 40 percent of Americans never eat whole grains at all. When you know what whole grains can do for blood sugar, it’s no wonder so many Americans are in trouble…

AFib skyrockets your stroke risk. By throwing your heart out of rhythm, the condition can result in blood clots being released, blocking blood flow to your brain. If that wasn’t bad enough, strokes caused by AFib tend to be more severe than strokes from other causes. That’s why getting to the truth about AFib triggers is vitally important…

Aging means slowing down, doing less and retiring, right? Wrong! According to research from Harvard, if you’re taking it easier as the years pass, you’re missing out on processes in the body that can actually build your body back stronger and fight disease to help you live healthier and longer…

Need a reason to stop procrastinating when it comes to household chores and get that sweeping, vacuuming and dusting done? A study looked at housework specifically for its ability to increase the amount of physical activity people get, and found quite a few unexpected perks that promote healthy aging…

Sucking in our stomachs can seem normal, especially for women. But it turns out it’s not exactly healthy for us to be holding in our stomachs all the time. Read on to discover the dark side of “stomach gripping” and why it might have you running to the nearest restroom faster…

The FODMAP diet has been found to reduce the symptoms of Irritable Bowel Syndrome. But it wasn’t clearly understood how. Well, now we know. We also know that many people with IBS have a very unique microbial signature that’s downright dangerous…

It’s long been known that following menopause, women face an elevated risk of numerous health problems. But for women who experience early menopause (before the age of 50), the risks carry an extra wallop. And unfortunately, outside factors are contributing to this phenomenon…

After examining the brain tissue samples of healthy people in comparison to the brains of Alzheimer’s patients, researchers found that the pH of your brain plays a pivotal role in how amyloid plaques form and take over your brain…

Winter is coming. So is the common cold. That means you should be checking your pantry to take stock of anti-virals and immune-boosters that can ward off these nasty buggers. But there’s one you should especially have on-hand to kill that cold fast…

It’s hard to feel positive when you’re feeling ill. And negative emotional states can certainly bring about physical symptoms. What may surprise you is how connected your happiness is to length of life, disease and death…

Inflammation causes severe health problems and destroys your quality of life when you’re living with an autoimmune disease. And, finding a way to stop the inflammation could give you back your life. Could it really be this simple?

Science is telling us that keeping our hearts healthy will also protect our minds. There is evidence that many of the factors that contribute to physical illness also contribute to mental decline, especially these seven indicators…

So many conditions cause serious, long-term pain. Fibromyalgia. Arthritis. Back injuries. Nerve damage. Migraines. Multiple sclerosis. Shingles. Cancer. Forget the opioids and try these alternatives that are heavier hitters than you might think…

Do you still have your appendix? Well, hold on to it… Long-term scientific research is questioning whether surgery is even necessary for an appendix attack. It turns out you do have another option, and for more than half of patients, it worked better.

It’s easy for the number of medications you’re taking to spiral out of control. But in addition to the minor (or sometimes not so minor) side effects each medication has on its own, there’s also a major side effect of taking multiple medications you may not suspect…

The number of infections seen with contact lens use is increasing. In fact, there’s a threefold increase in the number of infections caused by one particularly nasty eye infection known as Acanthamoeba keratitis. Here’s how to avoid losing your sight if you wear them…

Glyphosate is killing people. Are we surprised, then, to find out that glyphosate is also getting to the honeybees, the creatures whose pollination is responsible for about three-fourths of the world’s food crops? Is our food supply next?

Roughly two-thirds of US teens and adults have low vitamin D levels. But there are a bunch of easy ways to boost it: Get more sun. Eat more fish. Drink more milk. Take a vitamin D supplement. Eat chocolate. Yes, I said chocolate!

Colon cancer is the third most common cancer worldwide. These numbers, together with the statistics on outcomes from conventional therapies, reveal an urgent need for integrative approaches to stop cancer development and spread… specifically, plant-based compounds that fight against colon cancer…

When it comes to cancer, there are many factors that can increase your risk… age, diet, physical activity and even your weight all play into the equation. Fortunately, they are also factors that you can control to limit your risk and hopefully avoid that cancer diagnosis.

We all know the saying, “an apple a day keeps the doctor away.” But you may not know there’s abundant research, including six anti-cancer studies at one university alone, to show that no matter what variety is your favorite, you’ll be making a healthy choice…

The fewer antibiotics each of us take, the less antibiotic resistance there will be worldwide. How can we do this? There’s a safe supplement that could make all of us much less likely to rely on an antibiotic script from the doctor…

Good skincare can cut down on further damage, but to reverse the look of sagging skin, you might have to consider a cosmetic procedure. These days, that doesn’t mean a full-on face lift. In fact there are many, much less-invasive options to choose from…

It’s no secret that opioids come with serious side effects: nausea, vomiting, constipation, depression and a huge risk of addiction. Most people put up with these side effects, because opioids made that pain more tolerable. At least that’s what we thought…

There are quite a few other things my doctor could be looking at besides my iron and cholesterol levels. A few could actually save my life. In fact, there are several simple blood tests that will alert you to changes you can make to slash your risk of heart attack and stroke…

They’ve been reported to have the power to lower your blood pressure and reduce your risk of clots that lead to both heart attacks and strokes. But until now, no one was sure why or which variety offered the best protection…

Mitochondria are the energy centers of your cells. As you get older, your mitochondria don’t work as well. They become less active. Some become defective. This causes physical aging and illness. You can change that…

A “superager” brain stays sharp and protects your body, too. The same brain regions that control your decisions and dreams also regulate your organs, your hormones, your immune system, and predict how much energy your body needs…

About one in every three American adults suffers with hypertension. You probably know the big things that can bring on hypertension, including family history, salt, anger, stress, smoking, being overweight. But there are a few sneaky ones you need to know about…

Did you know that most people with osteoporosis don’t realize that their bone density is slipping away until they have their first fracture? If you’ve been lazy about boosting your bone health, a single supplement may be able to slash your future bone loss in half…

Music is a well-known stress management tool, which could be very helpful to someone with heart disease. But let’s hope that you’re not there yet. If that’s the case, there’s another important way music might help keep you from ever having your first heart attack…

Food is everywhere. But we’re woefully deficient in nutrients. Underfed and undernourished. And this has serious consequences for our health. In fact, there’s compelling evidence these low-nutrient foods could be causing the cancer epidemic…

Have you ever felt that warm glow when you do something for someone else, from helping a neighbor with their yard work to dropping a few dollars into the hand of someone who really needs it? Well, you should see what it does to your brain…

While healthy foods play a role in diabetes prevention, science shows there is one food that goes above and beyond in the fight against type 2 diabetes. And its serious diabetes protection might come as a shocker in more ways than one…

Experts have starting asking is an aspirin a day worth the risks, including gastrointestinal bleeding. But what if aspirin is your go-to remedy for knee pain, headache or your doctor said it would protect against stroke and heart attack? How about an aspirin alternative?

This phenomenon of subjective age is nothing new to most people. What you may not know is that it can be controlled, and that this is a good thing, since it seems that it actually plays a part in determining how long, and how well, you can live…

A bad night of sleep can throw your whole day off, but that’s not all… After a single night without the proper amount of rest, the metabolism in your fat cells are already in trouble — leaving you unable to burn fat and beginning to store it instead…