A growing wealth of research suggests that common mental health disorders—including depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)—can actually shorten a person’s lifespan by 10 to 20 years. A major driver of this alarming gap is the much higher risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) in people living with mental health conditions.

RELATED: Your Cup of Coffee Could Prevent Depression, Research Shows—Here’s How.

A Sept. 2025 study, published in The Lancet Regional Health—Europe, highlights how deeply intertwined mental and cardiovascular health can be. It also explains why addressing both together is essential for closing the life-expectancy gap.

People with mental health disorders face a 50 percent to two-times higher risk of heart disease, stroke, and cardiovascular death compared to those without these conditions, the study says. And, the relationship appears to go both ways: Developing heart disease can also trigger new mental health issues, including depression and anxiety. (It is estimated that more than 40 percent of people with cardiovascular disease also have a mental health condition.)

Perhaps even more shockingly, the researchers found that those living with depression are 72 percent more likely to develop heart disease, while those with anxiety disorders saw a 41 percent higher risk of cardiovascular mortality. Those with schizophrenia were at greatest risk, nearly doubling their odds with a shocking 95 percent increase.

This “comorbidity” happens for many reasons. Acutely stressful life events and chronic stress—which can contribute to the onset of depression, anxiety, PTSD, and schizophrenia—are also powerful risk factors for heart disease. Biological pathways such as inflammation and hormonal stress responses may worsen both conditions, as can depression-linked behaviors like smoking, inactivity, and poor sleep.

Though these risk factors are well known to medical professionals, people with mental health disorders often receive inferior cardiovascular care. “Despite having more interactions with the healthcare system, they undergo fewer physical checkups and screenings,” the study states, noting that they are also less likely to receive prompt diagnosis and treatment.

These gaps stem from social and structural barriers, including stigma and socioeconomic disadvantage. Compounding the problem, people with mental health disorders are frequently excluded from medical research, making it harder to design effective prevention and treatment strategies.

RELATED: Depression Raises Your Risk of These 3 Serious Health Problems by 30%, New Study Finds.

The study authors stress that reducing these health disparities requires integrated, whole-person care, noting that a “large proportion of untreated mental health disorders in the population is likely a combination of system, provider, and patient factors (such as limited access to care, stigma, poor health literacy, lack of social support).”

They further add that these barriers call for “better strategies towards outreach, screening, treatment referral and access to care for mental health problems in primary care and cardiology settings.” These might include:

• Routine mental-health screening in heart-care settings
• Better cardiovascular screening and prevention in mental-health care settings
• Interventions that address stress, trauma, and lifestyle risk factors
• Policies targeting social determinants of health, such as poverty and access to quality care
• Mind-body practices that improve both cardiovascular and mental health risk factors

The findings underscore an important message: that mental health is physical health. Left unaddressed, mental health disorders can dramatically shorten life—often by one to two decades—largely due to preventable cardiovascular disease. Meanwhile, strengthening mental-health support, improving heart-disease care, and integrating the two are essential steps toward closing this life-threatening gap.

The post Anxiety and Depression Can Shorten Your Lifespan By 20 Years, Researchers Warn appeared first on Best Life.

A recent article in The New York Times polled doctors and scientific studies and concluded that three common vitamins are the holy grail of longevity, especially because most adults become deficient in them as they age. Read on to learn why experts feel confident that these claims are much more than just hearsay.

RELATED: Longevity Expert Says These 5 Biohacking Secrets Can Help You Feel Young Forever.

1. Vitamin B12

“Vitamin B12 deficiency is relatively common, especially among older adults, vegetarians, and vegans,” Samantha Turner, MPH, RDN, a registered dietitian and owner of Forks and Grace, previously told Best Life.

According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), foods high in vitamin B12 include salmon, canned tuna, oysters and clams, ground beef, beef liver, milk and yogurt, fortified cereals, and nutritional yeast.

Turner explained that vitamin B12 “plays an important role in supporting nerve and brain health and energy metabolism, and is crucial for nerve development, DNA synthesis, and red blood cell formation.”

However, when you’re not getting enough of this nutrient, you can suffer from fatigue, neurological changes, numbness and tingling in the body, anemia, and even fertility issues. You also may be losing out on important protective effects for stroke and dementia.

A 2025 study published in the journal Annals of Neurology found that “low vitamin B12 levels were associated with slower processing speeds and reaction times on cognitive tests,” as Best Life reported.

Perhaps more significant was that the study results showed a correlation between vitamin B12 deficiency and larger volumes of white matter lesions in the brain, which can then lead to an increased risk of stroke and dementia.

Michelle Saari, MS, RD, a registered dietitian working with EHealth Project, told Best Life in a previous interview that research into healthy levels of vitamin B12 has shown that it can “help in reducing brain atrophy and cognitive decline, particularly in older adults.”

“[B12] is vital for the maintenance and repair of nerve cells, which benefits our brains. It helps in the formation of the protective covering of nerves, known as the myelin sheath,” she explained. “Without B-12, this sheath can deteriorate, leading to nerve damage. Healthy nerve cells are crucial for effective brain function, and B-12 plays a key role in ensuring the proper functioning and communication of these cells.”

RELATED: Plastic Surgeon Reveals the No. 1 Anti-Aging Supplement.

2. Vitamin D

Vitamin D helps boost your immune system, support bone health, regulate blood pressure, stabilize your mood, and more. Because your body absorbs this nutrient from the sun, come the wintertime, “you may feel more fatigued, experience muscle weakness, or even struggle with depressive symptoms,” Best Life previously shared.

Foods high in vitamin D include salmon, canned tuna, egg yolks, mushrooms, and fortified cereals.

However, research shows that roughly 42 percent of U.S. adults are deficient in vitamin D, a figure that climbs to 78 percent in people over 65.

A vitamin D deficiency can lead to poor bone health, muscle and joint pain, hair loss, tingling in the hands or feet, and digestive conditions such as inflammatory bowel disease. It can also put you at a higher risk for cardiovascular diseases and other age-related diseases.

To this point, a 2024 study published in the journal Engineering found that taking vitamin D supplements led to lowered blood pressure and cholesterol, as well as improved blood sugar, insulin, and A1C levels. Put together, this reduces the risk of cardiovascular diseases such as stroke, heart attack, and heart disease. This was especially true for those over age 50 and those who had previously been vitamin D deficient.

Moreover, a recent study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition reported that taking vitamin D supplements protected cells against biological aging. These findings said vitamin D specifically reduces the risk of age-related diseases, including pulmonary fibrosis, liver fibrosis, aplastic anemia, tumorigenesis, and certain cancers, as Best Life shared.

RELATED: Doctor Says 102-Year-Old Woman Is “Off the Charts”—Here Are Her Longevity Secrets.

3. Omega-3s

“Found primarily in fish oil, omega-3 fatty acids like EPA and DHA are essential for maintaining heart, brain, and joint health. These fatty acids have strong anti-inflammatory properties, which can help reduce chronic inflammation—a key contributor to many age-related diseases,” Tunç Tiryaki, MD, a surgeon and the founder of the London Regenerative Institute, previously told Best Life.

“Omega-3s are also known to support cardiovascular health by lowering blood pressure, reducing triglycerides, and improving blood vessel function. Additionally, studies suggest that omega-3s may enhance cognitive function and slow age-related cognitive decline, making them valuable for long-term brain health,” Tiryaki added.

In fact, a recent study published in the journal Nature Aging found that taking omega-3 supplements slowed biological aging by roughly 3 to 4 months, based on a 3-year study period. When combined with vitamin D and regular exercise, the results were even more promising.

Additional research shows that eating foods high in omega-3s—”healthy fats” like salmon, sardines, flaxseed, chia seeds, and walnuts—can lower the risk of certain cancers (those found in the colon, stomach, lung, and hepatobiliary tract, specifically) and help prevent aging-related cognitive decline.

As for brain health, Sarah Otto, co-founder and in-house nutritionist of Goodness Lover, previously pointed out to Best Life that more than half of your brain is made up of fats, 35 percent of which consist of omega-3s.

If you’re considering taking any of these vitamins, first speak with your healthcare provider to determine if it’s safe and healthy, and to avoid potential interactions with other medications.

The post 3 Best Vitamins to Take for Longevity, According to Doctors appeared first on Best Life.

RELATED: If You’re Getting Older, This Supplement Can Protect Against Dementia, Researchers Discover.

How do vaccines lower dementia risk?

In a 2024 interview with The Washington Post, Keenan Walker, a senior investigator and the director of the Multimodal Imaging of Neurodegenerative Disease Unit at the National Institute on Aging, explained that severe infections in the body can lead to brain atrophy, or an accelerated loss of brain volume. This, in turn, can cause cognitive decline.

In a more recent piece in The Washington Post, Avram Bukhbinder, a resident physician at Boston’s Massachusetts General Hospital, built on this well-supported hypothesis: “We think it’s the uncontrolled kind of systemic inflammation that’s probably contributing to that. And it’s very likely that they had the underlying Alzheimer’s or other dementia pathology already, but the inflammation is what pushed them over the edge.”

Therefore, vaccinating yourself against these infections can lower the risk of developing dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, the most common form of dementia. As The Post points out in its Sept. 2025 article, there are currently four vaccines that research shows can protect your brain.

RELATED: Doctors Warn These 5 “Healthy” Habits May Be Silently Harming Your Brain.

1. The flu shot

According to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), for the 2024-25 respiratory virus season, approximately 47 percent of U.S. adults received a flu vaccination, similar to the rate in previous years. This leaves more than half the population vulnerable to an infection that kills close to 30,000 people each year.

However, failing to get a flu shot could also harm your brain health and/or lead to pneumonia.

A 2023 study published in the journal Neuron analyzed the health data of nearly 400,000 people from the Finnish biobank FinnGen and the U.K. biobank. They concluded that influenza with pneumonia was “significantly associated” with an increased risk of five neurodegenerative diseases: Dementia, vascular dementia, Alzheimer’s Disease, Parkinson’s disease, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

However, a 2022 study conducted by Bukhbinder and fellow researchers found that adults over age 65 who received a flu vaccine were about 40 percent less likely to develop Alzheimer’s. They arrived at their findings after studying the health data of more than 1.8 million adults.

Likewise, a 2024 study that included 71,000 participants concluded that the flu shot was linked to a 21 percent lower risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease and, more specifically, a 42 percent lower risk of developing vascular dementia (a type of dementia caused by damage to the blood vessels in the brain).

2. The RSV vaccine

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is an infection of the lungs and respiratory tract. Babies, adults over 65, and those with compromised immune systems are among the groups at a higher risk of contracting the virus. Typically, RSV causes cold-like symptoms, but it can spread to the lower respiratory tract, where it can cause bronchiolitis or pneumonia.

In 2023, the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) approved the first RSV vaccine. And as The Post points out, a June 2025 study has already found that it “was associated with a reduced risk of dementia over 18 months compared with those who received the flu vaccine.”

RELATED: Doctors Warn This Common Medication May Be Linked to Dementia Risk.

3. The shingles vaccine

The same June 2025 study concluded that the shingles vaccine was associated with a reduced risk of dementia. Both it and the RSV vaccine contain an ingredient called AS01, which helps boost the body’s immune response to the viruses. However, the researchers theorize that AS01 may also protect the brain from inflammation.

In fact, a separate 2025 study found that “those who received the shingles vaccine Zostavax (an older version than what’s currently offered today) were 20 percent less likely to develop dementia within the next seven years than those who didn’t get the shot,” as Best Life reported at the time.

“Plus, the researchers found that this reduced risk was stronger in women than men,” Best Life explained. “This could be because of the differences in which dementia develops in women versus men and the fact that women generally have stronger immune responses to vaccines.”

Moreover, additional studies have shown significant decreases in the risk of heart attack and stroke after receiving newer versions of the shingles vaccine.

The CDC recommends that all adults age 50 and over get vaccinated against shingles. However, their most recent data from 2019 shows that only 26 percent of this age group received the vaccine.

4. The Tdap vaccine

The final vaccine that The Washington Post reports to be associated with a reduced risk of dementia is the Tdap vaccine, which protects against tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis (whooping cough).

According to a 2021 study of adults over age 65, those who received both the shingles vaccine and the Tdap vaccine had a 42 to 50 percent lower risk of developing dementia compared to those who got no vaccines.

As with all vaccinations, speak with your healthcare provider about what is best for you.

The post 4 Vaccines That Can Lower Your Risk of Dementia, Researchers Discover appeared first on Best Life.

RELATED: If You’re Over 65, This Is Your Ideal Resting Heart Rate—And Why It Matters.

The FDA just approved Apple Watch’s new hypertension feature.

On Sept. 11, the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) cleared a new hypertension (high blood pressure) notification feature for Apple Watch.

The announcement was made alongside the unveiling of the new Apple Watch Ultra 3 and Apple Watch Series 11, both of which are available now and include the new hypertension feature. The feature is also available on Apple Watch Series 9 and later, and Apple Watch Ultra 2 and later, with watchOS 26.

As the American Heart Association (AHA) explains, a traditional blood pressure reading consists of systolic blood pressure (the upper number, which “measures the pressure your blood is pushing against your artery walls when the heart beats) and diastolic blood pressure (the lower number, which “measures the pressure your blood is pushing against your artery walls while the heart muscle rests between beats”).

It’s important to understand that the Apple Watch does not provide these readings and cannot diagnose high blood pressure.

Rather, the watch has an optical heart sensor that uses light to detect “the amount of blood flowing through your wrist at any given moment,” as Apple explains. “By flashing its LED lights hundreds of times per second, Apple Watch can calculate the number of times the heart beats each minute—your heart rate.”

The hypertension feature uses this data and then analyzes how your blood vessels contract and expand in response to these heartbeats. “The algorithm works passively in the background, reviewing data over 30-day periods, and will notify users if it detects consistent signs of hypertension,” states a press release.

RELATED: 100s of Thousands of Americans Could Be Saved by 7 New Blood Pressure Guidelines.

This feature is potentially life-saving.

In the U.S., nearly half of adults have hypertension. Of these roughly 120 million people, nearly 60 percent are unaware that they have high blood pressure.

This is a scary statistic considering that hypertension significantly increases the risk of heart attack and stroke, two of the leading causes of death in the nation. In 2023, “high blood pressure was a primary or contributing cause of 664,470 deaths in the United States,” according to the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC).

“Hypertension is the leading preventable cause of heart attack and stroke, yet millions remain undiagnosed,” Harlan Krumholz, MD, SM, a cardiologist and scientist at Yale University and Yale New Haven Hospital, said in a statement to Apple. “Making accurate detection easy and part of daily life can help people get care earlier and prevent avoidable harm.”

Therefore, if an Apple Watch user receives a hypertension alert, it’s recommended that they use a traditional blood pressure cuff to track their readings for seven days, followed by an appointment with their healthcare provider.

The benefits of this feature aren’t strictly anecdotal, either.

“The feature was developed with advanced machine learning and training data from multiple studies totaling over 100,000 participants,” states Apple. “Its performance was then validated in a clinical study of over 2,000 participants.”

In this study, the hypertension alerts from Apple Watch were just as accurate as a blood pressure cuff.

RELATED: 6 Things You Never Knew You Could Do With Your Smartwatch.

The heart rate feature is important, too.

In addition to consistently monitoring your blood pressure, knowing your resting heart rate can also provide valuable insight into your heart health.

“A persistently high heart rate can put excessive strain on the heart, increasing the risk of high blood pressure, heart failure, stroke, and heart attacks,” Erin Barrett, PhD, director of product innovation and scientific affairs at Shaklee, previously explained to Best Life.

“A consistently low heart rate can result in inadequate oxygen delivery to the brain and other organs, potentially causing fainting, confusion, and, in severe cases, heart failure,” she added.

However, as with all health features on Apple Watch, it is not a substitute for regular and recommended doctor’s appointments.

The post Your Apple Watch Launched a New Life-Saving Feature This Week appeared first on Best Life.

RELATED: Doctors Warn This Common Medication May Be Linked to Dementia Risk.

Research suggests that the virus that causes cold sores could increase the risk of Alzheimer’s by 80 percent in some people.

Over 30 years ago, a team of scientists discovered that HSV-1 could be found in the brains of older people, a surprise since many believed the brain was protected from germs thanks to the blood-brain barrier. Now, a researcher on that same team announced this summer that people with one particular Alzheimer’s risk factor, a gene called APOE-e4, have a risk that is many times greater if they have also been infected with HSV-1.

To test the theory, the team studied brain cells that they had infected with the virus, and determined that those cells developed amyloid and tau, abnormal proteins found in the brains of people with Alzheimer’s. They theorized that the virus stays asleep in the body for many years, but as people get older and their immune systems weaken, the virus may wake up in the brain. When it does, it can damage brain cells and cause swelling, which could lead to Alzheimer’s in some people.

The researchers also found the virus’s DNA inside the sticky protein clumps in Alzheimer’s brains. When scientists used antiviral drugs in the lab, the damage was reduced, suggesting that medicine might one day help slow or even prevent the disease.

A 2025 BMJ study came to similar conclusions. It suggests that people who have had a previous case of HSV-1 are 80 percent more likely to develop Alzheimer’s later in life, even after controlling for risk factors like carrying two copies of the APOE4 gene.

To assess the role of HSV-1, the researchers grouped the medical records of over 300,000 people aged 50+ into two evenly split cohorts: those who had been diagnosed with  Alzheimer’s disease, and those who had not. They found that 1,507 (0.44 percent) people diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease had previously experienced an HSV-1 infection, compared with 823 (0.22 percent) people who were not diagnosed with Alzheimer’s.

RELATED: 85% of Unvaccinated Women Will Likely Get This Virus—And New Research Links It to Heart Disease.

Medications and vaccines could curb the risk.

Bolstering the BMJ researchers’ insight, they also determined that people who had taken medication to treat their HSV-1 infection were 17 percent less likely to develop Alzheimer’s than those who did not.

Researchers have also looked at the shingles virus, which is used to treat another herpesvirus: varicella-zoster virus (VZV). Though the vaccine is not used to prevent HSV-1, they saw relevance in the fact that people who got the shingles vaccine were less likely to get dementia later on.

As Best Life previously reported, a 2025 study published in the journal Nature found that people who received the shingles vaccine Zostavax (an older version than what’s currently offered today) were 20 percent less likely to develop dementia within the next seven years than those who didn’t get the shot.

Preventing the spread of HSV-1 is a challenge since it is very common and often spread through saliva, but you can take steps to reduce your risk. To avoid infection, avoid close contact, particularly oral or sexual contact, with someone who has an active outbreak of oral or genital sores.

And, if you do contract HSV-1, talk to your doctor about whether treatment might be right for you. Not only will this hasten the healing of your cold sore, but it could also protect your brain for years to come.

The post Common Virus Could Increase Your Alzheimer’s Risk By 80% appeared first on Best Life.

In fact, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that chronic kidney disease (CKD) affects more than 1 in 7 U.S. adults. That’s about 35.5 million people, or 14 percent of the population. Even more alarming is that up to 90 percent of these Americans are unaware that they have CKD, a condition in which the kidneys become damaged over time and cannot filter blood efficiently. This can cause fluid and toxins to build up in the body, and it can increase the risk of heart disease and stroke.

Another worrying fact is that doctors say some common “healthy” habits could be silently harming your kidneys. But the good news is that these things are easy enough to change to get your kidney health back on track.

RELATED: Doctors Warn These 5 “Healthy” Habits May Be Silently Harming Your Brain.

Of all the feedback we received, eating too much protein was the most commonly cited “healthy” habit that can harm your kidneys. This often comes into play when people consume excessive protein shakes as part of a fitness regimen.

“Eating double or triple the recommended protein doesn’t build more muscle, it just makes your kidneys work overtime,” states board-certified urologist David Shusterman, MD.

In fact, a 2020 study published in the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology (JASN) linked high-protein diets to an increased incidence of new-onset CKD since your kidneys are responsible for filtering protein from your blood. Over time, this added strain can lead to serious issues.

Nephrologist Tim Pflederer, MD, chief medical officer of Evergreen Nephrology, adds that protein consumed from animal meat is especially dangerous for those with chronic kidney disease.

Try this instead: Of course, it would be counterproductive to eliminate protein from your diet entirely. That’s why Pflederer recommends ditching animal sources and opting for plant-based proteins like legumes, soy, nuts, and whole grains like quinoa and lentils.

Research backs this up, too: A 2021 study published in the journal Nutrients concluded that vegetarian diets improve the body’s ability to handle complications of CKD.

More generally, Shusterman advises keeping track of your protein intake: “Think 0.8–1 gram of protein per kilogram of body weight daily unless your doctor says otherwise.”

It seems like there’s a supplement for everything these days, and indeed, the supplement market in the U.S. is growing by billions of dollars. However, since vitamins and supplements aren’t pre-approved by the Food & Drug Administration (FDA), there’s a lot of misinformation and misuse out there.

To that point, doctors caution that certain supplements, especially when taken at high doses, can damage your kidneys.

Turmeric, high-dose vitamin C, and high-dose calcium can all cause kidney stones, while vitamin D can be problematic for those with CKD.

“Vitamin D supplements can interact with aluminum-containing phosphate binders often used in chronic kidney disease patients to reduce the phosphate levels in the blood,” HaVy Ngo-Hamilton, PharmD, a BuzzRx clinical consultant, previously told Best Life. “Therefore, vitamin D can result in harmful levels of aluminum in people with chronic kidney disease.”

Though less common, potassium supplements are also dangerous, as are herbal supplements that you may not realize contain potassium. “People with chronic kidney disease, including those on dialysis, must watch their potassium intake to prevent potassium accumulation in the blood,” Ngo-Hamilton said.

Try this instead: Supplements are not inherently bad. If you’re considering taking any, first speak with your doctor, who can alert you to any potential side effects or medication interactions.

RELATED: 7 Drinks That Protect Your Liver, Gastroenterologist Says.

Detox teas claim they can rid your body of toxins and excess waste, while also promoting weight loss. However, there is little scientific evidence to support this, and Shusterman points out that these products can even harm your kidneys.

For one, these teas contain diuretics, which increase your urine output (hence the rapid “weight loss”). This can lead to dehydration and electrolyte imbalances, both of which can strain the kidneys.

Detox teas also typically contain unregulated herbal ingredients like licorice root, St. John’s wort, and Senna leaf, all of which are known to be harmful to the kidneys.

Try this instead: “The best detox is the one your body already has, your kidneys,” advises Shusterman. “Support them with whole foods, fiber, and hydration. Skip the fads, trust your biology.”

Yes, it’s possible to overhydrate, especially when you down an excessive amount of water in a short time.

As Calm explains, “Your kidneys are responsible for balancing the amount of water and electrolytes (like sodium) in your body, but they can only process about 0.8 to 1.0 liters of water per hour. If you drink water faster than your kidneys can filter it out, electrolytes in your bloodstream can become diluted.”

“This is a problem because sodium helps regulate the balance of fluids inside and outside of your cells—and if there’s too little, it can cause swelling,” their experts continue. “This can affect different parts of your body, including your brain, which can lead to some serious symptoms and, in very rare cases, life-threatening conditions.”

Try this instead: Shusterman says his general rule of thumb is to drink when you’re thirsty. He also points out that your urine should look pale yellow if you’re appropriately hydrated.

RELATED: Doctor Says These 10 Supplements Can Damage Your Digestive System.

Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as aspirin, ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin), and naproxen (Aleve) are over-the-counter medications used to reduce pain, inflammation, and fever.

Since they’re non-addictive (like dangerous opioids) and so easily available, many people take them without a second thought. However, overusing NSAIDs is “a fast track to kidney stress,” says Shusterman.

“NSAIDs restrict blood flow through the renal arteries, which over time impairs the filtration process, and that can mean a drop in kidney function over prolonged use, even with low-dose regular use,” double board-certified pain expert Thomas Pontinen, MD, previously told Best Life.

“It may not be a big deal at 28 years old, but at 48, add some dehydration, high blood pressure, or other health complications, and you might be at risk of chronic kidney disease,” he added.

Pontinen said he’s even seen “people end up with acute kidney injury after taking just two Advil tablets daily for three weeks straight.”

Try this instead: “Save pain relievers for when you truly need them,” advises Shusterman. “For everyday soreness, your best medicine is stretching, sleep, and hydration. Ice and heat can work wonders without the kidney risk.”

“CKD can be detected in mild stages by a simple test of blood and urine. The blood test is called glomerular filtration rate (GFR), and the urine test is called the urine albumin to creatinine ratio (UACR),” says Pflederer.

“These two tests can identify people who have early kidney damage so that measures can be taken to prevent worsening, including the complication of kidney failure that might require a kidney transplant or dialysis,” he adds.

To maintain a kidney-healthy lifestyle, avoid tobacco products, maintain a healthy weight, exercise regularly, watch your sodium intake, and monitor your blood pressure levels.

The post Doctors Warn These 5 “Healthy” Habits May Be Silently Harming Your Kidneys appeared first on Best Life.

RELATED: Doctors Warn That Drugs Like Ozempic Are Making You “Skinny Fat.”

How skin reacts to rapid weight loss:

You might have read news headlines warning about “Ozempic face,” “Ozempic feet,” “Ozempic mouth,” or even “Ozempic butt.” This group of unofficially named side effects refers to the physical changes—notably, saggy and drapey skin—that occur with massive weight loss.

“When we gain weight, this is done gradually ,which gives our skin the time to expand and stretch to accommodate the extra weight,” explained Jana Abelovska, superintendent pharmacist at Click Pharmacy, in an interview with Healthline.

“Our skin is actually surprisingly elasticated, thanks to its elastin and collagen makeup,” she continued. “But if you lose weight too quickly, your skin will remain at its looser state, rather than instantly returning to its pre-weight gain state, particularly if you have been overweight for several years.”

How much weight you lose and how fast, as well as age, can influence how well your skin bounces back after weight loss. But for older individuals and those who’ve shed more than 50 pounds, saggy skin is more likely.

“The skin has to go somewhere, and it usually goes down because of gravity,” said Holly Lofton, MD, an obesity medicine specialist at NYU Langone Health in New York City, told the The New York Times.

RELATED: Ozempic and Mounjaro Patients Report Potentially Fatal New Side Effect.

As a result, cosmetic surgeries are increasing.

Unshockingly, this has become a trend in Ozempic patients—so much so that skin-tightening cosmetic surgeries have significantly skyrocketed since the drug gained prominence.

Board-certified plastic surgeon Michele Shermak, MD, told CNN that, at her practice, “we are lifting from head to toe.”

Breast lifts and tummy tucks have increased by 30 percent and 37 percent, respectively, between 2019 and 2022, reports CNN. During that time frame, the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) approved Wegovy for weight loss. (Ozempic is currently only FDA-approved to treat type 2 diabetes, though many use it off-label to help shed excess weight.)

Additionally, upper arm lift surgeries are up 23 percent. Facelifts, lower body lifts, and butt lifts are also on the rise, according to data from the American Society of Plastic Surgery, as cited by CNN.

“I thought I knew what weight loss would be like,” Tresnae Ramsey told the Times. She lost 100 pounds in one year while taking tirzepatide, the active ingredient found in Wegovy and Mounjaro.

“Nobody warned me about the loose skin,” she shared.

RELATED: Patients Reveal Another “Nightmare” Ozempic Side Effect.

How to tighten skin without surgery:

While creams, lotions, moisturizers, and serums can help with the appearance of your skin in terms of scarring and wrinkles, they won’t fix the root cause. But that doesn’t mean you need to jump to elective plastic surgery.

“The best way to tighten skin on your own is by building muscle, since it can fill in the gap left behind by fat. While aerobic and resistance training can both be good options for improving skin elasticity, resistance training promotes more muscle growth,” the Times reports.

For those early on in their Ozempic journey, or who are thinking about going on the drug, Shermak implied that slow and steady wins the race.

“People who just drop weight super fast, I think the skin can’t catch up,” said Shermak, who is also a spokesperson for the American Society of Plastic Surgery. “I think losing weight in a more gradual way can minimize problems.”

The post The No. 1 Ozempic Side Effect “Nobody Warns About” appeared first on Best Life.

RELATED: Taking 1 Common Medicine Could Prevent 100,000 Heart Attacks A Year, Research Finds.

Researchers might have found a safer aspirin alternative for heart attack patients.

A new meta-analysis published in the journal The Lancet is challenging the long-held belief that aspirin is the most suitable medication for treating established coronary artery disease. Rather, researchers claim that clopidogrel is a more effective alternative.

Clopidogrel is an oral tablet that works as a platelet inhibitor. “It reduces the chance that a harmful blood clot will form by preventing platelets from clumping together in the blood,” explains Mayo Clinic. It’s sold under the brand name Plavix.

Researchers specifically studied the success rate of clopidogrel in patients who had previously suffered a heart attack or stroke. They found that clopidogrel lowered the risk of a future heart attack, stroke, or cardiovascular-caused mortality by about 14 percent. Additionally, they observed no increased risk of major bleeding, which is a known risk of the drug.

“To the best of our knowledge, clopidogrel monotherapy is the only anti-platelet treatment that has consistently demonstrated greater efficacy than aspirin without compromising safety,” wrote the authors.

Their data analysis looked at seven randomized trials involving 28, 982 individuals; 14,507 took clopidogrel and 14,475 used aspirin. Following a five-year observation period, clopidogrel patients were less likely to suffer a major cardiovascular event compared to aspirin patients.

“These findings support the consideration of clopidogrel as the preferred long-term anti-platelet strategy instead of aspirin in patients with established coronary artery disease,” wrote the authors.

RELATED: Doctors Warn This Common Medication May Be Linked to Dementia Risk.

Additional research found that beta-blockers can increase a woman’s odds of a second heart attack.

Is it safe for women to take beta-blockers after suffering a heart attack? Perhaps not, according to a new study published in the European Heart Journal. The study looked at heart attack patients with minor heart damage, some of whom were prescribed beta-blockers for treatment.

“Beta blockers work by blocking beta receptors. This action prevents [the stress hormones] epinephrine and norepinephrine from binding to these receptors and thereby inhibits their action inside cells. This, in turn, reduces stress on the heart, slows the heart rate, and lowers blood pressure,” explains Harvard Health.

The research team discovered that women taking beta-blockers were more likely to suffer a second heart attack and be hospitalized for heart failure, compared to their peers who didn’t use beta-blockers. Moreover, cardiovascular-caused mortality was three times higher in beta-blocker patients.

“These findings will reshape all international clinical guidelines on the use of beta-blockers in men and women and should spark a long-needed, sex-specific approach to treatment for cardiovascular disease,” senior study author Valentin Fuster, PhD, president of Mount Sinai Fuster Heart Hospital in New York City and general director of the National Center for Cardiovascular Investigation in Madrid, told CNN.

Study author Borja Ibáñez, PhD, called the study “significant,” noting that this clinical trial studied the largest-ever population of women patients taking beta-blockers after a heart attack.

A left ventricular ejection fraction below 40 percent is an indicator for potential heart failure, whereas fraction levels above 50 percent are considered “normal.” As CNN explains, “Ejection fraction is a way of measuring how well the left side of the heart is pumping oxygenated blood throughout the body.” Heart attack patients in the former category are often recommended beta-blockers as the best course of treatment.

Stents and blood thinners can also help curb these odds, though many doctors still use beta-blockers as a fallback.

“Yet at this time, some 80% of patients in the US, Europe and Asia are treated with beta-blockers because medical guidelines still recommend them,” said Ibáñez. “While we often test new drugs, it’s much less common to rigorously question the continued need for older treatments.”

The post 2 Major Medicine Discoveries About Your Heart Attack Risk appeared first on Best Life.

This is a common theme in women who don’t exhibit the standard modified risk factors for heart disease—medically referred to as “SMuRFs”— and they’re subsequently deemed “healthy” by their doctor.

The four primary SMuRFs include hypertension, high cholesterol, diabetes, and smoking. However, the statistics don’t lie: You can be “SMuRF-Less” and still have a heart attack or stroke.

RELATED: Taking 1 Common Medicine Could Prevent 100,000 Heart Attacks A Year, Research Finds.

A blood test called hsCRP could help identify women who are at risk but fly under the radar with traditional screening methods, according to a new preventive cardiology study published in The European Heart Journal. The research was carried out by doctors from Mass General Brigham and is being presented at the 2025 European Society of Cardiology Congress.

“Women who suffer from heart attacks and strokes yet have no standard modifiable risk factors are not identified by the risk equations doctors use in daily practice,” Paul Ridker, MD, MPH, a preventive cardiologist at Mass General Brigham’s Heart and Vascular Institute, said in a press release.

“Yet our data clearly show that apparently healthy women who are inflamed are at substantial lifetime risk. We should be identifying these women in their 40s, at a time when they can initiate preventive care, not wait for the disease to establish itself in their 70s when it is often too late to make a real difference,” he continued.

The hsCRP stands for a high-sensitivity C-reactive protein test. C-reactive proteins are made by the liver, and an increased level of CRP indicates that there is inflammation in the body, explains Mayo Clinic.

“A high level of hs-CRP in the blood has been linked to an increased risk of heart attacks. Also, people who have had a heart attack are more likely to have another heart attack if they have a high hs-CRP level. But their risk goes down when their hs-CRP level is in the typical range,” notes the clinic.

For the study, the research team assessed 12,530 healthy, SMuRF-Less women. Participants completed the hsCRP blood test at baseline and were observed over the course of 30 years. A total of 973 first major cardiovascular events, including heart attack and stroke, occurred during this period.

Although relatively healthy otherwise, women were considered inflamed and at-risk for cardiac issues if their hsCRP levels were greater than 3 mg/L. (For reference, Mayo Clinic considers hs-CRP levels less than 2 mg/L as “lower risk of heart disease,” and hs-CRP levels equal to or greater than 2 mg/L as “higher risk.”)

Results showed women with high hsCRP levels had a:

• 77 percent increased lifetime risk of coronary heart disease.
• 52 percent increased lifetime risk of suffering from any major cardiovascular event.
• 39 percent increased lifetime risk of stroke.

RELATED: 85% of Unvaccinated Women Will Likely Get This Virus—And New Research Links It to Heart Disease.

However, the study authors say that statins can help lower heart attack and stroke risk by 38 percent in “SMuRF-Less but inflamed” individuals.

“While those with inflammation should aggressively initiate lifestyle and behavioral preventive efforts, statin therapy could also play an important role in helping reduce risk among these individuals,” said Ridker.

Hypertension, high cholesterol, diabetes, and smoking are the top four major risk factors for heart disease, but obesity, age, family history, poor diet, lack of exercise, and drinking can also increase your risk.

It’s important to note that heart attacks often manifest differently in women than in men. According to Johns Hopkins Medicine, common heart attack symptoms in women include pain/discomfort in the upper body, shortness of breath, lightheadedness, cold sweats, fatigue, and nausea and vomiting.

As suggested by Johns Hopkins, here are seven ways you can prevent an early heart attack:

• Maintain a healthy weight
• Follow a heart-healthy diet
• Get regular exercise
• Limit your alcohol intake
• Move throughout the day (try to avoid long periods of sitting, especially if you work at a desk)
• Manage stress
• Hace an annual checkup and stay on top of SMuRFs

The post Why Are Healthy Women Having Heart Attacks and Strokes? appeared first on Best Life.

RELATED: Gastroenterologist Reveals 3 Vegetables He Eats for Liver Health.

What, exactly, is inflammation, and why is it harmful?

Inflammation and anti-inflammatory diets get discussed a lot these days, especially on social media, where there’s a lot of misinformation. So, let’s break it down.

As Cleveland Clinic explains, “Inflammation is your body’s response to an illness, injury, or something that doesn’t belong in your body (like germs or toxic chemicals). Inflammation is a normal and important process that allows your body to heal.”

Blen Tesfu, MD, a general practitioner and medical adviser at Welzo, previously told Best Life, “When the body detects an infection, the immune system responds by releasing various chemicals that cause blood vessels to dilate and increase blood flow to the affected area. This influx of immune cells and fluid causes redness, swelling, and heat.” For example, a fever is an inflammatory response.

However, when there’s no cause for inflammation, or when it persists for longer than usual, it’s considered chronic inflammation and can be associated with cardiovascular disease, certain cancers, autoimmune diseases like lupus and rheumatoid arthritis, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, gastrointestinal diseases, lung diseases, anxiety and depression, and more.

Chronic inflammation can be caused by stress, obesity, lack of exercise, imbalances in the gut microbiome, hormonal imbalances, poor sleep, smoking, and drinking excessively.

It can also be caused by diet. The most harmful are foods that are high in trans fats, sugar, salt, or refined starches. Red meat and processed foods are two of the worst offenders.

As Best Life previously explained, foods that have been shown to reduce inflammation are:

• Those high in omega-3s (like salmon, anchovies, chia seeds, and walnuts)
• Fruit, especially berries, since they are high in vitamin C and antioxidants
• Green leafy vegetables
• Spices like turmeric and garlic
• Green tea

However, Bowring points out that certain vegetables can have the opposite effect.

RELATED: This 2-Ingredient Water Hack Can Help Fight Inflammation, Weight Gain, and More.

Nightshade vegetables can be pro-inflammatory.

Nightshade vegetables are those that contain chemical compounds called alkaloids, says Cleveland Clinic. One such alkaloid is solanine, which acts as a natural pesticide to ward off pests and fungi. It’s found in the following vegetables:

• Potatoes
• Tomatoes
• Bell peppers
• Sugar beets
• Eggplant

In general, solanine is not harmful to humans. However, it can be toxic if consumed in excess amounts. One scenario in which this could potentially occur is when potatoes turn green, because they then release a lot more solanine than usual.

According to Bowring, some people may have a sensitivity to solanine, and in these cases, “when you’re eating too many of these vegetables, it could be pro-inflammatory.” She notes that this could then worsen symptoms of arthritis, diabetes, or heart disease.

Some research does corroborate her point. A 2020 study that compiled an anti-inflammatory diet for those with rheumatoid arthritis suggested that vegetables containing solanine can damage the gut lining, thereby making inflammation worse. And over the years, many people suffering from arthritis have claimed these vegetables aggravate their symptoms.

However, with the limited evidence available, most doctors agree that the decision to avoid or limit nightshade vegetables should be made on a case-by-case basis.

“It is highly unlikely that avoiding the trace amounts of solanine found in nightshade vegetables will ease your arthritic pain or inflammation,” rheumatologist Leonard Calabrese, DO, told Cleveland Clinic. “Research to support this claim just isn’t there.”

Similarly, registered dietitian Julia Zumpano, RD, LD, told Cleveland Clinic that it’s most important to speak with your doctor about a potential nightshade sensitivity if you believe these vegetables are causing inflammation in your body.

“A food sensitivity is very patient-specific and can often be a symptom of another imbalance rather than a permanent problem with that food,” she said. “If nightshades are a trigger for inflammation, it’s typically a message that there is an underlying imbalance perpetuating chronic, low levels of inflammation, and nightshades are just fuel for the fire.”

Your doctor may decide to test an elimination diet in which you avoid nightshade vegetables to see if your symptoms improve.

The post 5 Vegetables That Can Increase Inflammation, Doctor Cautions appeared first on Best Life.

As Best Life previously explained, “Nimbus (B. 1.8.1) accounted for nearly 50 percent of COVID cases in June, while XFG or “Stratus” picked up speed in July. Stratus is a mix of two earlier strains: LF.7 and LP.8.1.2. It’s considered the more serious of the two because of how rapidly it’s spreading across the country.”

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says COVID is an imminent threat heading into the fall, when cases of the common cold and flu are historically high. As a matter of fact, the agency “just reported a 10 percent increase in test positivity rates, and COVID-related emergency room visits are also up 15.2 percent from the week prior.”

There are things you can do to reduce your COVID risk, such as wearing a mask and staying up-to-date on your SARS-CoV-2 vaccine. Furthermore, you might find protection from COVID-19 through the common cold.

RELATED: COVID Levels Are Surging in 11 States As Stratus Variant Spreads.

According to a new study published in The Journal of Infectious Diseases, individuals, particularly children, are at lower risk of catching COVID after a bout with the common cold. That’s because, as scientists theorize, rhinovirus infections (the typical cause of the common cold) seemingly prep the body to better defend itself against SARS-Co-V-2 infections.

“Our findings suggest that the immune boost from a recent cold may give the body an early advantage in fighting SARS-CoV-2 before it has a chance to take hold,” senior study author Max Seibold, PhD, a researcher and director of the Regenerative Medicine and Genome Editing Program (REGEN) at National Jewish Health, said in a news release. “This may help explain why children, who tend to get more colds than adults, generally experience fewer and less severe COVID cases.”

To arrive at their findings, the team tested 10,493 nasal swabs for 21 respiratory pathogens—including rhinovirus and SARS-CoV-2 infections—from 4,100 people in 1,394 households. These were collected from May 2020 to Feb. 2021.

Results showed that patients who had contracted a rhinovirus infection in the last 30 days were 48 percent less likely to test positive for COVID-19.

Additionally, children had higher “baseline expression levels of interferons.” These are naturally occurring agents that fight infections and diseases from infiltrating your immune system.

“They got their name because they ‘interfere’ with viruses and other germs and prevent them from multiplying,” explains Cleveland Clinic. As you might be able to surmise, more interferons means a better chance at staving off diseases, like COVID.

“Based on these findings, we hypothesize that interferons induced by prior viral respiratory infections may prime the airways of children with high levels of antiviral defense proteins, resulting in reduced levels of SARS-CoV-2 infection and better clinical outcomes compared to adults,” the authors wrote in the study.

RELATED: You Can Get the Nasal Spray Flu Vaccine Delivered to Your House This Year—Here’s How.

However, lead author Camille Moore, PhD, warned that this “doesn’t mean people should intentionally try to catch a cold.”

“Understanding how one virus can affect the body’s response to another could help us develop new prevention strategies, especially for vulnerable populations,” she added.

The post The Common Cold Could Lower Your Chances of Getting COVID By 48% appeared first on Best Life.

The flu shot remains the best method of protection. And this year, you can avoid the stuffy doctor’s office and long pharmacy lines thanks to an at-home nasal spray flu vaccine kit being sold by AstraZeneca. Best of all, the FDA-approved vaccine is just $9. Keep reading to learn more about FluMist Home.

RELATED: 5 Vaccines You Should Get If You Have Heart Disease, Doctors Urge.

What is the FluMist Home vaccine?

FluMist is currently the only nasal spray flu vaccine available in the U.S. It contains “weakened live viruses that stimulate your immune system in the nose and throat” and “helps teach your immune system to build immunity without causing infection,” explains the brand. And now, you can get it delivered to your doorstep with a few simple clicks.

Launched by AstraZeneca under the name “FluMist Home,” the influenza vaccine is the first of its kind. The at-home spray is safe for adults between the ages of 18 and 49, and it can be “administered by a parent or caregiver to individuals two to 17 years of age,” according to the press release.

“The launch of FluMist Home is a transformational moment in the evolution of influenza protection, bringing a simple and accessible option directly into the hands of consumers. FluMist Home reflects the growing importance of direct-to-consumer offerings and underscores our commitment to continuous innovation, making it easier for people to get vaccinated and stay protected,” said Joris Silon, senior vice president at AstraZeneca.

Ami Patel, an executive vice president at ASPN Pharmacies, called the launch “a historic shift in how preventive care is delivered.”

“Through FluMist Home we’re seeing a new model of care that puts consumers in control, offering a seamless, end-to-end experience, from determining eligibility to convenient home-delivery and administration. This milestone not only redefines convenience in vaccine delivery, but also sets the stage for a more accessible, patient-centered future in healthcare,” said Patel.

RELATED: The 6 Best and Worst Foods to Boost Your Flu Shot’s Effectiveness.

How do I order a FluMist Home kit?

FluMist Home kits can be requested at flu.myaspn.com. The application, which is reviewed by a licensed healthcare provider with ASPN Pharmacies, has a short section where users can input their medical history, as well as basic personal information and insurance details. You can also choose your preferred delivery date. The entire process takes just a few minutes.

Once approved, the at-home flu vaccine kit will be shipped by Polaris Pharmacy Services. Because the nasal spray arrives in a temperature-controlled package, you will need to store it in the refrigerator between 35 and 46 degrees Fahrenheit until you’re ready to use it. If it’s been left out at room temperature (68 degrees Fahrenheit or warmer) for more than 12 hours, the vaccine loses its effectiveness and should not be administered.

Every order comes with proper instructions for how to handle, store, administer, and dispose of the vaccine kit. An expiration date is printed on both the box and sprayer.

“Seasonal influenza can have a serious, even life-altering, impact on individuals and families, especially for those most vulnerable. Providing flexible vaccination options makes it easier for individuals and caregivers to help get protected. This can help to improve protection for individuals and strengthen collective immunity against influenza,” Michele Slafkosky, executive director of Families Fighting Flu, said in a statement.

How much does the vaccine cost?

The FluMist Home vaccine is covered under most insurance companies, including Aetna and Blue Cross Blue Shield. Though you won’t be charged a copay, there is an $8.99 shipping and processing fee per order.

As of this writing, AstraZeneca isn’t accepting self-paying patients.

“If you don’t have insurance, FluMist Home delivery isn’t currently available. But you can ask your healthcare provider or pharmacy for FluMist and for pricing info,” according to the website’s AI assistant.

RELATED: Getting COVID Could Age Your Body 5 Years, Shocking Research Finds.

Are there any people who shouldn’t take FluMist Home?

According to the press release, FluMist Home is available for ordering in 34 states; some areas are restricted “due to local pharmacy laws.” Some people may be more susceptible to the vaccine’s side effects than others, and shouldn’t take the vaccine at all, including:

• Those with severe allergies to any of the vaccine’s ingredients
• Those with an egg allergy
• Those with a history of flu vaccine allergic reactions
• People between two and 17 who take aspirin or medicines containing aspirin

“Before getting FLUMIST, tell your healthcare provider about all your medical conditions, including if you: are currently wheezing; have a history of wheezing and are under five years of age; have asthma; have had Guillain-Barré syndrome (severe muscle weakness); have a weakened immune system or live with someone who has a severely weakened immune system; have problems with your heart, kidneys, or lungs; have diabetes; are pregnant or nursing; or are taking antiviral drugs for the treatment of influenza,” suggested AstraZeneca.

The post You Can Get the Nasal Spray Flu Vaccine Delivered to Your House This Year—Here’s How appeared first on Best Life.

RELATED: Combining These 2 Supplements Can Slow Down Alzheimer’s Disease, Researchers Find.

Your eye health can say a lot about your brain health.

Changes in the shape and size of your retinal blood vessels can indicate the presence of early Alzheimer’s, according to a new study published in the journal Alzheimer’s & Dementia. That’s because the retina is an extension of the central nervous system—meaning, it shares “essentially the same tissue” as the brain.

“Your retina is essentially your brain, but it’s much more accessible because your pupil is just a hole, and we can see tons of stuff,” co-lead study author Alaina Reagan, PhD, a neuroscientist at The Jackson Laboratory (JAX), explained in a press release. “All the cells are very similar, all the neurons are quite similar, all the immune cells are quite similar, and they behave similarly under pressure if you’ve got a disease.”

All of this to say, your annual eye exam could also, potentially, serve as a brain health checkup.

“If you’re at an optometrist or ophthalmologist appointment, and they can see odd vascular changes in your retina, that could potentially represent something that is also happening in your brain, which could be very informative for early diagnostics,” noted Reagan.

RELATED: Doctors Warn This Common Medication May Be Linked to Dementia Risk.

Retinal vessels that look narrow or swollen could be an early sign of Alzheimer’s.

For the study, researchers looked at mice with the common genetic mutation “MTHFR677C>TTK,” which is a known Alzheimer’s risk variant. (The study also states that MTHFR677C>TTK occurs in up to 40 percent of humans.)

They conducted a traditional eye exam and found abnormalities in the blood vessels and arteries of the mice. More specifically, the retinas appeared to have “twisted vessels, narrowed and swollen arteries, and less vessel branching.” These changes were detected in young mice starting at six months old.

Twisted vessels “can result in turbulent blood flow, which promotes changes in blood pressure, degradation of elastin, and luminal shear stress,” wrote the authors. Additionally, it could be an underlying symptom of “poor blood flow and increased risk of cognitive decline.”

“We can see these wavy vessels in the retinas, which can occur in people with dementia,” Reagan said. “That speaks to a more systemic problem, not just a brain- or retina-specific problem. It could be a blood pressure problem affecting everything.”

What’s more is that female mice displayed worse eye health than their male peers. At one year old, they had “reduced vessel density and branching,” which the authors labeled as “progressive.” This corroborates a statistic from the Alzheimer’s Society that women have an increased risk of developing Alzheimer’s in their lifetime, compared to men.

According to Reagan, the study’s findings suggest “these systems in brain and retinal tissue are working in tandem.”

RELATED: Doctors Say This 1 Superfood Can Lower Your Dementia and Alzheimer’s Risk.

The takeaway:

Scientists say unusual changes in retinal blood vessels could serve as an early warning sign for neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s.

“Most people over 50 have some kind of vision impairment and get checked annually for prescription changes,” said Reagan. “Are they more at risk if they have these vascular changes, and is that a point when doctors could start mitigating brain changes? That could be 20 years before cognitive damage becomes noticeable to patients and their families.”

Going forward, the research team is partnering with dementia care experts from Maine’s Northern Light Acadia Hospital to study the correlation between mutation MTHFR677C>TTK and vascular changes in humans.

The post Your Annual Eye Exam Could Detect Early Alzheimer’s, Scientists Discover appeared first on Best Life.

For example, a recent study found that taking vitamin B-12 as you get older could protect against dementia. And previous research has shown that magnesium may lower dementia risk and delay brain aging. Now, experts say that taking two supplements together can slow down the progression of Alzheimer’s disease.

RELATED: Doctors Say This 1 Superfood Can Lower Your Dementia and Alzheimer’s Risk.

Researchers looked at how GTP levels influence Alzheimer’s disease.

A new study, published in the journal GeroScience, looked at how guanosine triphosphate (GTP) levels influence Alzheimer’s disease.

GTP is an energy molecule that helps build RNA, thereby allowing cells to grow and communicate with each other. Most importantly, when it comes to brain function, GTP “plays a central role in powering essential neuronal processes, including the transport and clearance of damaged proteins,” as an article in PsyPost explains.

As a person ages, their GTP and ATP (adenosine triphosphate) levels decline. Similarly, ATP is involved in “neurotransmission, DNA and RNA synthesis, intracellular signaling, and muscle contraction,” explains Verywell Health.

However, most previous Alzheimer’s research has focused on ATP, which has been dubbed the main “energy currency” of cells.

But declining GTP levels in the brain are known to slow down autophagy, a process in which neurons clear out waste, including the toxic amyloid plaques that contribute to Alzheimer’s.

Therefore, the researchers from the University of California, Irvine, analyzed the brain cells of mice that were bred to develop Alzheimer’s.

RELATED: Doctors Warn You’re Not Getting Enough of This Vitamin to Protect Against Stroke and Dementia.

They found that vitamin B3 and a green tea antioxidant can restore GTP levels.

“We saw in mouse neurons that GTP levels were lower in old age. This led us to try to raise GTP levels with an energy precursor molecule that’s very safe, nicotinamide [vitamin B3],” said study author Gregory J. Brewer, a professor of biomedical engineering at UC Irvine, in a statement to PsyPost.

“At the same time, as our bodies age, we build up damaged DNA, lipids, and proteins from oxidation (like rust of iron). This is worsened in Alzheimer’s,” he continued. “So I wondered if a wildly safe and known antioxidant compound found in green tea called EGCG would help with the oxidation problem.”

To test the theory, Brewer and his team treated mouse neurons with vitamin B3 and EGCG. They found that:

• GTP levels were restored
• Neurons stayed alive longer
• Neurons had reduced damage from oxidative stress
• Neurons were better able to clear out harmful plaques that lead to Alzheimer’s

“I was surprised how well the combination of nicotinamide and EGCG worked to clear an important protein in Alzheimer’s called amyloid and to lower oxidized proteins,” Brewer told PsyPost.

RELATED: Scientists Say This “Dirt Cheap” Treatment Could Reverse Alzheimer’s Disease.

How do these supplements work?

Nicotinamide, a form of vitamin B3, “boosts levels of NAD+,” states PsyPost.

If this sounds familiar to you, it’s likely because NAD+ has been making headlines over the past year as a miracle anti-aging supplement.

A 2018 study published in the journal Translational Medicine of Aging explained that, “Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+) is an important cofactor in all living cells that is involved in fundamental biological processes, namely metabolism, cell signalling, gene expression, DNA repair, among others.”

“NAD+ depletion has been associated with hallmarks of aging and may underlie a wide range of age-related diseases, such as metabolic disorders, cancer, and neurodegenerative diseases,” it continued.

EGCG is the major catechin found in green tea. Plenty of research has linked green tea consumption to reduced dementia risk, but EGCG, specifically, “activates Nrf2, a transcription factor that regulates antioxidant defenses and helps maintain redox balance in cells,” explains PsyPost.

“Together, these compounds aim to support both the production of cellular energy and the control of oxidative stress,” PsyPost adds.

RELATED: Doctors Say This is the #1 Diet to Prevent Alzheimer’s and Dementia.

Should you take these supplements?

As is the case before starting any new supplement or medicine, you should speak to your doctor if you’re considering taking vitamin B3 or EGCG.

It’s also very important to note that the recent study was done in vitro, meaning it was not performed within a mouse, let alone a human.

“These studies were done in mouse neurons in a dish,” Brewer cautioned. “They need to be confirmed in human neurons and in randomized, placebo-controlled blinded trials. Also, these drugs have been given orally in human trials of Alzheimer’s and not succeeded because they were so quickly inactivated in the blood.”

Therefore, he and his team are planning to study these supplements further, including how to get them more directly to the brain.

The post Combining These 2 Supplements Can Slow Down Alzheimer’s Disease, Researchers Find appeared first on Best Life.

RELATED: Doctors Warn This Popular Med Is “The Most Dangerous OTC Drug.”

What’s the deal with antibiotic resistance?

As the name suggests, antibiotic resistance occurs when bacteria change and no longer respond to antibiotic medicines, making certain bacterial infections difficult or impossible to treat, as Cleveland Clinic explains. The most common reason for this is the overuse of antibiotics.

According to a 2023 scientific article published in StatPearls, “In 2015, 30 percent of the outpatient antibiotics prescribed were unnecessary, with acute respiratory infections holding the highest unnecessary use of antibiotics at 50 percent.”

More broadly speaking, antimicrobial resistance (AMR) refers to all instances in which bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites stop responding to medicines such as antibiotics, antivirals, antifungals, and antiparasitics.

The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that “bacterial AMR was directly responsible for 1.27 million global deaths in 2019 and contributed to 4.95 million deaths.”

RELATED: Doctors Warn These OTC Antacids Can Put Your Heart in Danger.

Scientists are also concerned about antibiotic resistance caused by other types of medications.

A new study, published in the journal Nature, took a closer look at how non-antibiotic medications may contribute to antimicrobial resistance.

The researchers were especially concerned about the effects in residential aged care facilities, where patients are frequently given both antibiotics and non-antibiotic medications, including those for pain, sleep, and blood pressure.

To arrive at their findings, the scientists from the University of South Australia (UniSA) investigated the effects of nine common non-antibiotic medications on the bacteria Escherichia coli (E. coli):

• Ibuprofen (Advil, an anti-inflammatory pain reliever)
• Diclofenac (Voltaren, an anti-inflammatory pain reliever used to treat arthritis)
• Acetaminophen (Tylenol, a drug to treat pain and fever)
• Furosemide (a blood pressure-lowering drug)
• Metformin (a common diabetes drug)
• Atorvastatin (Lipitor, a cholesterol-lowering drug)
• Tramadol (an opioid pain drug)
• Temazepam (Restoril, a sleeping pill)
• Pseudoephedrine (Sudafed, a decongestant)

E. coli most commonly causes gut (GI tract) infections and urinary tract infections (UTIs). It is treated with the antibiotic ciprofloxacin.

RELATED: Taking Too Much of This Supplement Can Hurt Your Heart, Doctors Warn.

Research shows that Tylenol and Advil can contribute to antibiotic resistance.

Once the researchers had their data, they employed whole-genome sequencing, a technology that determines the exact order of DNA in a human’s genome and can pinpoint genetic mutations.

They found that, of the nine medications, the two common OTC pain meds, Advil and Tylenol, drive antibiotic resistance when used individually and further amplify it when used together.

“When bacteria were exposed to ciprofloxacin alongside ibuprofen and paracetamol, they developed more genetic mutations than with the antibiotic alone, helping them grow faster and become highly resistant,” said lead researcher Rietie Venter, an associate professor at UniSA, in a press release.

“Worryingly, the bacteria were not only resistant to the antibiotic ciprofloxacin, but increased resistance was also observed to multiple other antibiotics from different classes,” she continued. “We also uncovered the genetic mechanisms behind this resistance, with ibuprofen and paracetamol both activating the bacteria’s defences to expel antibiotics and render them less effective.”

Venter explains that the research isn’t advocating for people to stop using Advil and Tylenol, but rather to be more mindful of how much they’re taking or prescribing and with what antibiotics. She and her team are planning further research into drug interactions and antibiotic resistance.

The post 2 Common OTC Pain Meds Can Fuel Antibiotic Resistance, New Research Shows appeared first on Best Life.

RELATED: 10 Best Ways to Strip Away Your Unhealthiest Belly Fat, According to Doctors.

What is visceral fat?

There are two types of body fat. Subcutaneous fat lies just below the skin and makes up about 90 percent of a person’s body fat, according to Harvard Health Publishing.

The remaining 10 percent is visceral fat, which accumulates in the spaces surrounding internal organs such as the liver, intestines, and stomach. This is often what we refer to as belly fat.

“Visceral fat makes more of the proteins called cytokines, which can trigger low-level inflammation, a risk factor for heart disease and other chronic conditions,” Harvard Health explains. “It also produces a precursor to angiotensin, a protein that causes blood vessels to constrict and blood pressure to rise.”

Moreover, research shows that our bodies produce more adipose progenitor cells (APCs) as we get older. These cells are what make up visceral fat.

RELATED: Doctors Warn That Drugs Like Ozempic Are Making You “Skinny Fat.”

New research pinpoints how visceral fat affects your heart.

A new study, published in the European Heart Journal, determined that excessive amounts of visceral fat contribute to faster aging of the heart and blood vessels, which is the biggest risk factor for heart disease.

To arrive at their findings, scientists from London’s Medical Research Council (MRC) Laboratory of Medical Sciences analyzed the health data of 21,241 U.K. Biobank participants, according to a press release.

Using detailed images of each participant’s heart and blood vessels, along with whole-body images of body fat volume and distribution, the team consulted an artificial intelligence model to determine their “heart age” versus their actual age. Based on the results, scientists concluded the following:

• Faster heart aging is linked to having more visceral fat
• Visceral fat is linked to increased inflammation in the body, which can cause premature aging

This is especially concerning since, as Best Life recently reported, an unrelated study found that, on average, American women have a heart age four years older than their chronological age, while men’s heart age is seven years older.

RELATED: 4 Workouts That Target Belly Fat and Torch Calories—No Crunches Required.

But women may be less at risk than men.

The researchers also observed a difference between male and female study participants.

“Male-type fat distribution,” which is that around the belly that produces an “apple” body shape, “was particularly predictive of early aging in men,” says the press release.

Conversely, “female-type fat distribution,” which is that around the hips and thighs that produces a “pear” body shape, “was protective against heart aging in women.”

“We have known about the apple and pear distinction in body fat, but it hasn’t been clear how it leads to poor health outcomes,” said lead study author Declan O’Regan, the British Heart Foundation Professor of Cardiovascular AI. “Our research shows that ‘bad” fat, hidden deep around the organs, accelerates aging of the heart. But some types of fat could protect against ageing—specifically fat around the hips and thighs in women.”

“We also showed that BMI wasn’t a good way of predicting heart age, which underscores the importance of knowing where fat is stored in the body and not just total body weight,” he added.

Next, O’Regan and his team plan to study how GLP-1 weight-loss drugs like Wegovy can play a role in not just weight loss, but loss of visceral fat.

The post Scientists Warn Your Belly Fat Can Increase Heart Disease Risk appeared first on Best Life.

“What it means is that the [supplement] manufacturer can introduce anything into the market that they believe is safe,” Pieter Cohen, MD, an internist at Cambridge Health Alliance and associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, explained to the American Medical Association (AMA).

“The FDA’s job is to identify the products that are causing harm after they’ve been on the market and remove them from store shelves,” he adds.

So, there’s very little oversight of what’s in your supplements and what safe dosages are. As for the latter, doctors caution that one extremely common supplement can have serious cardiovascular risks if taken in excess.

RELATED: Doctor Says These 10 Supplements Can Damage Your Digestive System.

Calcium supplements can raise your risk of heart damage.

Calcium is a mineral most commonly associated with healthy bones. In addition, “Your heart, muscles, and nerves also need calcium to function properly,” Mayo Clinic notes.

But according to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), up to 40 percent of U.S. adults consume less than the recommended amount of calcium, which increases the risk of low bone mass, fractures, and osteoporosis.

Adult men should get 1,156 mg of calcium daily, while women should aim for 1,009 mg. But since so many people don’t meet these goals through their diets, they turn to calcium supplements.

However, if you overdo it on these supplements, your heart could be in trouble.

In a 2016 study published in the Journal of the American Heart Association, researchers from Johns Hopkins Medicine and the University of North Carolina (UNC) at Chapel Hill analyzed 10 years of medical tests covering more than 2,700 patients to examine the causes of heart disease.

They concluded that taking calcium in the form of supplements “may raise the risk of plaque buildup in arteries and heart damage.”

“As a person ages, calcium-based plaque builds up in the body’s main blood vessel, the aorta and other arteries, impeding blood flow and increasing the risk of heart attack,” the researchers explain.

“When it comes to using vitamin and mineral supplements, particularly calcium supplements being taken for bone health, many Americans think that more is always better,” study co-author Erin Michos, MD, current director of Women’s Cardiovascular Health at Johns Hopkins, said in a statement. “But our study adds to the body of evidence that excess calcium in the form of supplements may harm the heart and vascular system.”

Other doctors agree that heightened levels of calcium in the blood—a condition known as hypercalcemia—can be problematic for your heart health.

“Hypercalcemia can seriously affect heart function and the cardiovascular system and can cause arrhythmias (an increase in irregular heartbeats) and EKG abnormalities due to the increased calcium levels disrupting the heart’s electrical activity,” Brynna Connor, MD, healthcare ambassador at NorthWestPharmacy.com, previously explained to Best Life.

“This is because calcium is a positively charged ion that, when in the blood in normal quantities, helps carry electrical activity to the heart (along with the muscles and brain),” she continued. “However, when too much calcium is in the blood, it can alter the electrical activity of the heart, causing a change in heart rate.”

RELATED: 8 Surprising Vitamin D Side Effects, According to Doctors.

But you shouldn’t limit your dietary calcium intake.

However, doctors agree that hypercalcemia is rarely caused by diet. In fact, the 2016 study found that “a diet high in calcium-rich foods appears to be protective.”

This is likely because the body metabolizes dietary calcium and calcium supplements differently.

“It could be that supplements contain calcium salts, or it could be from taking a large dose all at once that the body is unable to process,” study author John Anderson, PhD, professor emeritus of nutrition at UNC’s Gillings School of Global Public Health, explained in a statement.

Therefore, if you’d like to up your calcium intake through what you eat, the following foods are very high in calcium:

• Plain, low-fat yogurt
• Fortified orange juice
• Part-skim mozzarella
• Sardines
• Nonfat milk
• Fortified soy milk
• Tofu
• Canned salmon
• Cottage cheese
• Fortified breakfast cereals
• Spinach

It’s also important to understand that for your body to adequately absorb calcium, it also needs vitamin D.

If you’re concerned your calcium levels are low, or you’re considering taking a calcium supplement, first speak with your doctor.

The post Taking Too Much of This Supplement Can Hurt Your Heart, Doctors Warn appeared first on Best Life.

RELATED: Doctors Reveal 5 Supplements They Recommend Most for Better Sleep.

Americans are missing out on hundreds of hours of sleep because of their phones.

A new Amerisleep survey found that Americans lose an average of 231 hours (that’s roughly 10 full days!) of sleep per year due to late-night doomscrolling. They polled the sleeping habits of 1,004 participants, a majority of whom were millennials (48 percent) and Gen Xers (26 percent).

More than half of respondents said they crawl into bed by 10:59 p.m.; however, 44 percent admitted they don’t actually fall asleep until midnight or later. Twenty-eight percent have stayed up past 2:00 a.m. on a work night because they were distracted by their phones. This pattern was most common in Gen Zers.

Moreover, Gen Z participants reported the longest nightly scroll time (an average of 58 minutes) compared to their peers.

Additional key takeaways from the survey include:

• 86 percent of Americans go on their phones after getting into bed.
• The average American scrolls for 38 minutes before sleeping.
• 89 percent of iPhone users use their phones in bed before falling asleep vs. 82 percent of Android users.
• Women are eight percent more likely to be bedtime scrollers than men.

“The results show that the problem is not just a harmless distraction. Instead, the scrolling behavior before bed is robbing people of sleep, energy, and even job prospects. This starts at a very young age, especially for Generation Z, and is quietly impacting our daytime performance,” April Mayer, a sleep expert at Amerisleep, exclusively tells Best Life.

RELATED: The #1 Trick to Better Sleep Over 50, Science Shows.

Bedtime scrollers are most likely to go on social media, with YouTube and Reddit being the most popular.

I’ll be the first one to admit that I have a bedtime phone routine. This consists of answering unread texts, refreshing my email, scrolling on Instagram, checking my dating apps, and lastly, setting a bajillion morning alarms. Sometimes, I get through these tasks quickly. Other times, I blink and an hour has gone by, just like that.

Amerisleep found that one in 10 bedtime scrollers use their phone for at least 90 minutes before falling asleep. So, what are they doing?

• Scrolling social media: 65 percent
• Watching short videos/livestreams: 44 percent
• Playing games: 33 percent
• Reading the news: 32 percent
• Texting: 32 percent
• Surfing the web: 29 percent
• On email: 28 percent
• Online shopping: 25 percent

According to their findings, these are the top five most-used apps at bedtime:

• YouTube: 43 percent
• Reddit: 43 percent
• Instagram: 36 percent
• Facebook: 33 percent
• TikTok: 33 percent

Researchers estimate these social media platforms are responsible for keeping “at least a third of Americans awake at night.”

“Social media was a key driver of Gen Z’s scrolling habits, with 73 percent browsing or using these platforms at bedtime, which is more than any other generation,” per the report. “YouTube and TikTok were the top culprits, with 63 percent and 52 percent of Gen Z using them before sleep, respectively. Texting was another common habit among Gen Z, with 45 percent messaging friends or family before bed, the highest of any generation.”

RELATED: Sharing a Bed Is Probably Sabotaging Your Sleep, New Study Finds.

Bedtime scrolling is disrupting how Americans perform at work, too.

Although late-night doomscrolling “may appear to be a harmless habit,” it can have “concerning” effects on how you perform at work, warns Mayer.

One in six bedtime scrollers reported falling asleep on the job, while 25 percent of respondents said they’ve missed a meeting, deadline, or shift due to staying up too late on their phone. Furthermore, 22 percent said their poor nighttime phone habits have cost them a career opportunity.

“These statistics illustrate that late-night screen time is not merely hindering rest; it is actively undermining job performance and resulting in the loss of significant professional opportunities,” adds Mayer.

RELATED: Women Actually Do Sleep Less and Worse, Research Shows—Here’s Why.

How to quit bedtime scrolling for good:

Breaking a habit is easier said than done; only 16 percent of participants reported deleting an app (the most popular answer being TikTok) to improve their sleep quality.

“To combat the cycle of bedtime scrolling, setting a firm ‘phone curfew’ of at least 30 to 60 minutes before sleep is advisable,” suggests Mayer.

She recommends opting for “calming” activities that will “signal to the brain that it’s time to relax.” Some examples include reading, journaling, meditating, and stretching.

You can also use your phone to your advantage. “Tools like Do Not Disturb, Sleep Focus, and the limiting of exposure to stimulating material before bed can lead to more restful sleep and greater focus the next day,” concludes Mayer.

Additionally, you can switch to a traditional alarm clock so you aren’t inclined to keep your phone nearby. Some folks choose to charge their devices in another room to eliminate temptation and get rid of notification and blue light distractions.

The post You’re Likely Losing 10 Full Days of Sleep a Year, Study Finds—Here’s Why appeared first on Best Life.

RELATED: The No. 1 Walking Change That Can Help You Delay a Knee Replacement.

Knee replacement surgery is becoming more common.

Every year, nearly 900,000 Americans undergo knee replacement surgery, and that number is expected to rise as the population ages, according to Cleveland Clinic. The procedure involves replacing all or some of a patient’s damaged knee joint with an artificial joint made of metal and plastic.

One of the most common conditions requiring knee replacement surgery is osteoarthritis, which affects over 32 million Americans, or roughly 10 percent of the adult population of the U.S. Though anyone can develop osteoarthritis over time, people who are overweight, put prolonged stress on the joints, or have experienced past knee injuries are at the greatest risk.

“Osteoarthritis of the knee happens when the cartilage in your knee joint breaks down, causing the bones to rub together,” Cleveland Clinic further explains. “This friction causes pain and swelling in your knee, leading to stiffness.”

But a potential new treatment is significantly less invasive.

In this latest advancement, announced on Aug. 12 in the Journal of Vascular Interventional Radiology, scientists were able to curb the symptoms of osteoarthritis by reducing inflammation. They did this by delivering chemical beads through an image-guided plastic tube, thereby blocking blood flow to selected arteries to the knee—a procedure known as genicular artery embolization.

“As they gradually break down, knee joints in people with osteoarthritis are known to become inflamed, which triggers the growth of small blood vessels (angiogenesis) and increased blood flow to joints,” the study authors explain.

The results were impressive. Over 60 percent of the total subjects—a group of 25 men and women aged 50 to 78—experienced significant improvements in their pain levels one year after the procedure.

“Our study shows that genicular artery embolization is a safe and effective, minimally invasive treatment for those with moderate to severe symptomatic knee pain tied to osteoarthritis,” said study co-investigator and interventional radiologist Ryan Hickey, MD, via news release.

RELATED: Can You Delay a Knee Replacement? New Treatment Approach May Eliminate Pain.

The treatment could offer other benefits, too.

“This work also provides evidence that genicular artery embolization is offering more than just pain relief and could be modifying the diseases process itself,” Hickey added, referring to several important changes in the body that the researchers observed one year after surgery.

One of them was a 12 percent drop in the amount of a protein called VEGF in the blood. This protein helps the body grow new blood vessels, and past studies have shown it may also be linked to changes in the knee caused by osteoarthritis.

Though the researchers also used surveys to assess the patients’ knee pain, stiffness, and functionality, Bedros Taslakian, MD, MA, study principal investigator and lead author, noted that tracking VEGF levels after the procedure could serve as a biomarker to assess the success of the surgery.

Another protein called IL-1Ra also went down by about 15 percent, helping to reduce inflammation in the body.

“Our study findings also indicate that genicular artery embolization may, if further larger clinical trials prove successful, slow down the progression of osteoarthritis by observing significant decreases in signaling proteins, specifically vascular endothelial growth factor and interleukin 1 receptor agonist, one year after the procedure,” said Taslakian.

Ultimately, this intervention could help to stave off a full knee replacement in those with moderate to severe osteoarthritis who have been unresponsive to first-line therapies, such as corticosteroid injections, fluid aspiration, and physiotherapy.

“This procedure is particularly suited to those patients who are either not yet ready for knee replacement surgery or for whom surgery is not an option because of age or other risk factors, such as obesity, uncontrolled diabetes or heart disease, or smoking,” Hickey said.

Other helpful interventions include maintaining a healthy weight, changing how you walk, focusing on flexibility, and strengthening the muscles surrounding the knee.

The post Doctors Discover “Minimally Invasive Treatment” That Can Delay a Knee Replacement appeared first on Best Life.

RELATED: Colon Cancer Vaccine Gets One Step Closer to Reality.

Research links running marathons to an increased colon cancer risk.

New research presented at an American Society of Clinical Oncology conference looked at the risk of pre-cancerous adenomas (an advanced polyp) in the colon in long-distance runners.

The study was led by Timothy Cannon, MD, an oncologist with Inova Schar Cancer in Fairfax, Virginia. As Cannon explained to The New York Times, his research was influenced by three of his patients, all of whom, despite being young (40 or under), physically active, and a healthy weight, came to him with advanced colon cancer and later passed away.

In itself, this isn’t completely shocking. After all, colon cancer is currently the deadliest cancer among young men and the second deadliest among young women. Moreover, colon cancer cases among Americans aged 30 to 34 have risen 71 percent.

But what Cannon did find shocking was that all three of his patients exercised more than most people. “Two regularly ran 100-mile ultramarathons, and one had completed 13 half-marathons in a single year,” the Times reported.

So, for his study, he enlisted 100 participants aged 35-50 who had completed at least two ultramarathons (50 km or longer) or five registered marathons (26.2 miles). None of them had a personal history or family history of colon cancer or related risk factors.

A panel of gastroenterologists, pathologists, and oncologists reviewed the participants’ colonoscopy results and determined the following:

• 39 percent had at least one polyp
• 15 percent had advanced adenomas (pre-cancerous)

The Times puts this in perspective by noting that the average rate of advanced adenomas in U.S. adults in their late 40s is between 4.5 percent and 6 percent.

RELATED: Experts Warn Colon Cancer Screenings May Need to Start at Age 40.

How does long-distance running influence colon cancer?

The current study only proves a connection between long-distance running and advanced adenomas, not a causation. It’s also important to note that this was a relatively small study. However, doctors still have theories as to how marathon running could influence colon cancer.

“I found additional reason to believe that there could be a connection between endurance sports and increased risk for colorectal cancer when I read research on the reduction of blood flow to the stomach, intestines, and nearby organs that often occurs during strenuous exercise,” Cannon wrote in 2022 when he began his research.

“Over the course of a 50-mile race — six or seven hours for an elite athlete — the body re-routes a significant amount of blood flow from the gut to the active muscles in legs,” he continued. “The loss of blood flow to the gut during this intensive exercise can cause ischemia, resulting in cellular damage, and a more disorderly and rapid process of cell turnover.”

However, other doctors hypothesize that the connection is more about long-distance runners being more likely to miss colon cancer symptoms.

As the Times explains, endurance runners “often develop gastrointestinal symptoms that they dismiss as benign,” including diarrhea and bloody stools. There’s even a term for it—runner’s trots—which refers to the sudden and frequent urge to go to the bathroom that often happens during or after a long run.

Cannon plans to continue his research to establish more concrete research on the connection between long-distance running and colon cancer.

The post Researchers Shocked to Discover the Healthy Habit That Can Drive Colon Cancer appeared first on Best Life.