Nutrition

To age better, you have to give your body the nutritional tools it needs to make your immune system hum, to help your heart stay healthy and to maintain the internal systems that fend off cancer.

Enabling your brain to stay at or near full capacity is also a good idea.

And there’s one particular mineral that’s involved in all of these functions. But many of us are missing out. . .

I’m talking about zinc. Many experts agree that taking a supplement of this mineral is pretty much a requirement for anybody who wants to age better. Since you’re reading a newsletter […]

To be honest, when I first heard the term fo-ti, I thought it sounded like one of the martial arts. But then I learned that it’s actually a climbing knotweed plant that’s native to China and has been used in traditional medicine for centuries.

Its scientific name is Polygonum multiflorum, and some refer to it as “he shou wu,” which means “the black-haired Mr. He.”

Whatever the name, this plant has now sparked the curiosity of modern scientists for its myriad health benefits.

Take a glance at these research findings, and you’ll probably think fo-ti is an absolute cure-all! But it’s not quite […]

The first large scale study on sugar-sweetened beverages has just reported, and the results are clear. These drinks shrink our lifespan. The more we consume, the shorter our lives will be.

The effect on longevity is just the latest in a long string of negative findings on sugar. Official recommendations to reduce sugar consumption go back to 1977.

In 2000 this was stepped up with the new edition of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. That’s when the government publication started giving specific advice to reduce the intake of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs).

Since then there has been some decline in the amount the average […]

For those of us living in northern climes, it’s been a long, cold winter. Even more than usual, I’m looking forward to the fresh fruits and vegetables of spring and summer.

Gourmands know that half the secret of great cuisine is fresh ingredients. Just-picked, vine-ripened produce is a gourmet treat, even with no special sauces or preparation. I buy organic whenever possible.

Read up on these seasonal sensations and include them in your next healthy meal or snack. . .

1. Beets

This bright-hued root veggie is having its moment in the culinary spotlight these days, showing up in everything from salads to hummus. […]

Leading scientist Bruce Ames, now 90, has published more than 500 studies in his distinguished career, and shows no sign of letting up.

In his latest paper he introduces the idea of “longevity vitamins.” These are nutrients he’s particularly identified that give us a long and healthy life. Or, to be more exact, they load the odds heavily in your favor.

Despite the name he’s given to the category, none of these is actually classified as a vitamin. And – more interesting to me — several of them are almost unknown.

Considering he’s made it to 90 himself, I’d say his ideas are […]

Every minute of every day, two basic activities keep you alive from one moment to the next: your heartbeat and your breathing.

We’ve all read or seen a ton of information about how to keep your heart healthy and functioning properly, but what does anyone ever tell you about maintaining healthy lungs? (Except for “Don’t smoke.”)

That’s a sorry oversight, because researchers warn that if you’re over 30, your lungs have already begun to show their age, in a way that tests can detect. So if you want a decent chance of living to a ripe old age, keeping your lungs “younger” […]

Arriving from all over the world, a veritable Who’s Who of anti-aging scientists gathered at the campus of UCLA in Westwood, California in 2011.

They met to discuss a newly rediscovered nutrient that must be obtained from the diet. It’s a type of sulfur-containing amino acid, but it’s also been described as a potential vitamin with powerful antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective properties.

It’s called ergothioneine. . .

Ergothioneine (ET) was first isolated by a French scientist in 1909, but largely ignored for the rest of the century.

Then in 2005 interest was reawakened by a paper published in Proceedings of the National Academy of […]