Is there a unisex chart for optimal weight based on height?We seem to have become inured to the mortal threat of obesity. If you go back in the medical literature almost a quarter of a century ago when obesity wasn’t run-of-the-mill, the descriptions are much grimmer: “Obesity is always tragic, and
How do we explain studies that suggest overweight individuals live longer?Martin Luther King Jr. warned that human progress is neither automatic nor inevitable, and the same may be true of the human lifespan. In the 1800s, life expectancy was less than 40 years, but it has been “advancing steadily”
What are the effects of weight loss on natural killer cell function, our first line of immune defense against cancer, kidney function, and fatty liver disease?In the ABCs of the health consequences of obesity, I is for Immunity.The SOS trial followed the fates of thousands of bariatric surgery patie
Sufficient, sustained weight loss may cut the risk of fatal heart attacks and strokes in half.In the ABCs of health consequences of obesity, G is for Gallstones.The top digestive reason people are hospitalized is a gallbladder attack. Every year, more than a million Americans are diagnosed with gall
Weight loss can decrease dementia risk and improve mental performance and fertility.As I’ve discussed previously, in the ABCs of the health consequences of obesity, A is for Arthritis, B is for Back Pain and Blood Pressure, C is for Cancer, and D is for Diabetes. That brings us to E, which is for En
Losing weight can reduce sciatica, hypertension, and cancer risk, as well as reverse type 2 diabetes. In the ABCs of the health consequences of obesity, A is for Arthritis, as I discussed in my previous blog post, and B is for Back Pain. Being overweight is not just a risk factor for low back pain,
We create more than a hundred new videos every year. They are the culmination of countless hours of researching, writing, editing, animating, and producing. We comb through thousands of scientific papers from the peer-reviewed medical literature so busy people like you don’t have to!In 2024, I cover
Is there a non-surgical alternative to knee replacement surgery that treats the cause and offers only beneficial side effects? The largest study in history on the health effects of being overweight, analyzing data from more than 50 million people from nearly 200 countries, found that excess body wei
Various fasting regimens have been attempted for inflammatory autoimmune diseases, such as lupus, ankylosing spondylitis, chronic urticaria, mixed connective-tissue disease, glomerulonephritis, and multiple sclerosis, as well as osteoarthritis and fibromyalgia.The strongest evidence of the benefits
Fasting, followed by a plant-based diet, is put to the test for autoimmune inflammatory joint disease. Alan Goldhamer is the founder of the TrueNorth Health Center in Santa Rosa, California, where 10,000 individuals have fasted for “a variety of conditions from diabetes and cardiovascular disease to
The temporary quintupling of heart attack risk associated with cannabis smoking may be due to increased heart rate, blood pressure, and carbon monoxide levels.Does “the dark side of cannabis”—both “synthetic and non-synthetic marijuana”—include stroke?There have been case reports of artery damage du
What do randomized controlled trials of high-dose daily vitamin B12 supplementation show about its effects on cancer risk, death, and longevity? In 2019, “Association of High Intakes of Vitamins B6 and B12 from Food and Supplements with Risk of Hip Fracture Among Postmenopausal Women in the [Harvard
Acne can be triggered in one in ten people who get vitamin B12 injections. “Acne is a disease unique to humans.” Why do we even get it? Well, think about the distribution of those greasy sebaceous glands. They’re “on the face, chest and back; these are exactly the same structures that pose the great
An entire issue of a cardiology journal dedicated to plant-based nutrition explores the role an evidence-based diet can play in the reversal of congestive heart failure. It is a hopeful sign of the times when an entire issue of a cardiology journal is not just dedicated to nutrition, but to a plant-
Does walking with poles, also known as Nordic pole walking or “exerstriding,” beat out regular walking for depression, sleep quality, and weight loss?Exercise recommendations for obesity have been referred to as “the mysterious case of the public health guideline that is (almost) entirely ignored.”
Why don’t environmental groups advocate for climate-friendlier diets?In what “was arguably the largest ever environmental protest in the world,” more than one million children in more than one hundred countries joined the “Global Climate March, demanding that governments act now to reduce climate ch
How much greenhouse gas does the production of different foods cause, measured in miles driven or lightbulb hour equivalents?“Our eating habits are making us and the planet increasingly unhealthy—it’s a lose-lose situation.” “A global transformation of the food system is urgently needed.”“In conside
The EAT-Lancet Commission lays out the best diet for human and planetary health.“Scientists have a moral obligation to clearly warn humanity of any catastrophic threat and to ‘tell it like it is.’” In November 2019, more than 11,000 scientists from 150 countries declared “clearly and unequivocally t
Why is hospital food so unhealthy?“Put in stark terms, CVD [cardiovascular disease] claims 1 American life every 39 seconds and is responsible for more deaths annually than cancer, chronic lower respiratory disease, and accidents combined.” For most heart attack deaths, you just keel over. Sudden ca
Meet Chef Lois Ellen Frank, Ph.D. We had the pleasure of talking with Dr. Frank about her work, food, and Native American cuisine. Read on and enjoy her recipe for Delicious Pinto Bean and Spinach Tacos.Please tell us a little about yourself and your work.My name is Lois Ellen Frank, and I am a Sant
Did traffic fatalities increase or decrease after cannabis legalization?Is cannabis-impaired driving a public health and safety concern? Well, the number of tickets for cannabis-impaired driving went up in Washington State after legalization, as did the proportion of drivers in fatal car crashes in
Obesity isn’t new, but the obesity epidemic is. We went from a few corpulent queens and kings, like Henry VIII and Louis VI (known as Louis le Gros, or “Louis the Fat”), to a pandemic of obesity, now considered to be perhaps the direst and most poorly contained public health threat of our time. Toda
We had the pleasure of talking with Bill Muir about his work in the military and as a Registered Nurse, food access, his book, and Veterans Day. We hope you enjoy this interview.Thank you for your service. We are grateful for the opportunity to interview you. Please tell us about yourself and your b
A few times a day, drink two cups of cold water on an empty stomach for weight loss.After drinking two cups (half a liter) of water, you can get a surge of the adrenal hormone noradrenaline in your bloodstream, as if you had just smoked a few cigarettes or had a few cups of coffee, boosting your met
