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Your ability to walk with steady strength is one of the clearest markers of healthy aging. Strong muscles are essential for protecting your independence, regulating metabolism, and lowering the risks that come with frailty. The age-related loss of muscle, known as sarcopenia, is one of the most serious threats to healthy aging because it erodes your capacity to move freely and maintain vitality.1

For years, exercise has been recognized as the foundation of muscle health, but researchers are uncovering another influence you may not have considered — the gut microbiome. Growing evidence suggests these microbes are shaping your muscles in ways that determine how well you move later in life.

A recent preclinical animal study published in the journal Scientific Reports2 set out to explore this gut-muscle connection more closely, asking whether certain microbes are linked to stronger muscles and healthier aging. The results add a new layer to how you understand strength — not only as something built through movement, but also as something nurtured within.

New Study Finds Gut Microbes Support Muscle Resilience with Age

In the featured study, researchers sought to determine whether gut microbes from healthy humans impact muscle strength. The team used fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) to introduce new microbial communities into animals whose native gut bacteria had first been eradicated.3

• Microbiota transfer tested in controlled conditions — To reduce the effect of the mice’s own microbial background, the researchers first cleared their intestinal bacteria with a short course of antibiotics and antifungals. They then introduced a pooled mixture of gut microbes via FMT from healthy adults who had not taken antibiotics or probiotics for at least six months and who ate a regular diet.

• Performance tested with standard strength measures — Over the next three months, the mice were evaluated using two established methods. The Rotarod test measured how long they could balance on a rotating rod, while the wire suspension test assessed how long they could hold onto a thin wire using their front paws. These tools are typically used to gauge motor coordination, balance, and grip strength.

• Microbial transplants led to varied outcomes — Some mice improved their strength and endurance, others showed little change, and some declined. By grouping the animals into “strengthened,” “unchanged,” and “weakened” categories, the team linked these differences directly to the microbial communities that had established in their intestines.

• Gut samples revealed higher microbial diversity than stool — The animals that improved carried more diverse microbial populations compared with those that declined. Species richness, a measure of how many different types of bacteria are present, rose by 9% to 15% after FMT when researchers analyzed intestinal contents, rather than stool alone.

This broader microbial variety allowed them to identify specific bacteria that were closely linked to muscle improvements. Stool alone, they found, did not capture the full picture of microbial diversity in the gut.

• Three species consistently linked to strength — Across both motor tests, mice with better performance carried higher levels of Lactobacillus johnsonii, Limosilactobacillus reuteri, and Turicibacter sanguinis. Their abundance followed a stepwise pattern — the more of these microbes present, the greater the improvements in muscle performance.

• Direct probiotic supplementation boosted muscle function — To confirm the effect, the researchers introduced L. johnsonii and L. reuteri into a new group of older mice, which better represented aging physiology. Over three months, both strains enhanced grip and coordination, while the combination produced the largest gains.

• Muscle tissue confirmed structural and growth benefits — In the dual-strain group, muscle weight increased by 157% compared with controls. Microscopic analysis showed larger fibers in the gastrocnemius, soleus, and extensor digitorum longus muscles, confirming tangible strength gains.

Growth-related markers supported these findings. Follistatin, which counteracts myostatin to promote muscle development, nearly doubled in the L. johnsonii group, while insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) increased most in mice receiving both strains together.

• The microbial effects extended to metabolism and inflammation — Mice that received the probiotics had lower triglycerides, total cholesterol, and LDL cholesterol compared with controls. Inflammatory signaling also shifted. Levels of interleukin-6 (IL-6) were elevated in the L. johnsonii group but reduced in the group that received both strains, suggesting that the combination helped ease systemic inflammation.

This study is the first to show that specific gut microbes directly improve muscle strength. It also revealed that examining microbes from the intestinal tract, rather than stool alone, is important for pinpointing the species most relevant to muscle function. Together, these findings position the gut as a new frontier for preserving strength and resilience with age.

Previous Research Highlights Microbes as Key to Muscle Health

Several earlier studies have already examined how the gut microbiome relates to muscle health and aging, and these investigations laid the groundwork for the 2025 research by establishing key mechanisms and highlighting connections across animal and human models.

• A 2019 study in Science Translational Medicine established the foundation — Researchers compared mice raised without any gut microbes (germ-free) to mice that had a normal, healthy microbiome. The germ-free mice had smaller muscles, less strength in their grip, and changes in the activity of genes that normally control muscle growth and breakdown.4

They also showed weaker communication between nerves and muscles, linked in part to lower levels of acetylcholine, the chemical messenger that nerves use to signal muscle fibers. Moreover, they exhibited disrupted energy metabolism with reduced mitochondrial function and an unusual buildup of glycogen, the form in which muscles normally store sugar for fuel.

• Short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) protect muscle from wasting — When gut bacteria ferment dietary fibers, they produce acetate, propionate, and butyrate, which provide fuel to muscle cells, protect mitochondria, and reduce oxidative stress. The researchers found that supplementing germ-free mice with SCFAs improved muscle mass and strength while lowering the expression of atrophy-related genes.

Butyrate in particular was shown to preserve muscle mass in aging models, enhance mitochondrial proteins, improve glucose tolerance, and stimulate IGF-1 production. Acetate supported glucose uptake and glycogen storage, further stabilizing energy supply in muscle tissue. These findings demonstrate that a diet feeding SCFA-producing bacteria has direct consequences for your muscular resilience.5

• A 2023 Gut Microbes review extended these insights across species — Drawing on both animal and human research, the review confirmed that gut microbes are deeply involved in maintaining muscle and metabolic health as people age. The authors described how certain bacteria produce SCFAs when they break down dietary fiber. These SCFAs act as fuel for muscle cells and help mitochondria work more efficiently.6

The review also noted that age-related shifts in the microbiome reduce diversity, make the gut lining more permeable, and allow bacterial molecules such as lipopolysaccharides (LPS) to enter circulation. This process triggers inflammatory chemicals, including TNF-α and IL-6, which interfere with muscle-building pathways and accelerate muscle loss.

• Probiotics showed measurable benefits in muscle mass and function — Strains such as Lactobacillus plantarum TWK10, L. paracasei PS23, L. reuteri, and Bifidobacterium longum improved muscle mass, endurance, and strength in animal studies. Human trials and a meta-analysis cited in the review found similar improvements in body composition and physical performance, though effects varied by strain and dosage.7

• Prebiotics and lifestyle factors further supported the gut-muscle axis — Oligosaccharide supplementation reduced inflammation and increased muscle mass in animal models. The review also noted that vitamin D and calcium intake improved gut barrier function and microbial diversity, while physical activity increased the abundance of beneficial taxa such as Bacteroides and improved musculoskeletal health.8

Together, these studies demonstrate that your gut microbes are active regulators of muscle biology. This sets the stage for targeted strategies that help preserve muscle function and vitality throughout your lifespan.

Dietary Strategies to Nourish Your Gut Microbes

As research continues to reveal how gut microbes shape muscle health and aging, it’s worth asking what you can actually do to support them. A 2025 review in Genome Medicine evaluated multiple microbiome-based strategies for healthy aging, and among them, diet stood out as the most practical and effective. The authors identified the following foods and nutrients that optimize gut health:9

• Fiber-rich foods — Whole plant foods provide the fibers that feed gut microbes, supporting a more diverse and balanced microbiome. Examples include broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, and leafy greens. These deliver a broad range of fibers that different microbes use to thrive, creating a more resilient gut ecosystem.

However, if your gut is compromised, introducing large amounts of fiber too quickly will worsen symptoms like bloating, discomfort, and irregularity. A disrupted microbiome may not yet have the capacity to process fiber efficiently, which means even healthy foods trigger negative reactions.

My recommendation is to first work on restoring balance by removing dietary disruptors, such as seed oils high in linoleic acid (LA), ultraprocessed foods, and excess sugars, while also minimizing unnecessary antibiotics and other substances that disrupt the microbiome.

At the same time, focus on healing your gut lining with gentler carbohydrates like white rice or whole fruits to let your gut adjust without causing trouble. As your gut improves, add more veggies, whole grains or starches. Resistant starches like cooked-then-cooled potatoes or green bananas, in particular, fuel butyrate production.

• Polyphenol-rich fruits and vegetables — Polyphenols from colorful plants, including berries, grapes, apples, and leafy greens, stimulate the growth of beneficial gut bacteria. The researchers noted:

“[P]olyphenols accumulated in the large intestine have been found to modulate the microbiome composition through antimicrobial effects or prebiotic-like action of metabolites generated through polyphenol metabolism in the colon.

For instance, the intake of diets rich in anthocyanin and procyanidin B2 is known to increase butyrate-producing bacteria and alleviate age-associated changes in aging rodent models.

Furthermore, a polyphenol-rich diet, supplemented with specific probiotics, was found to alleviate chronic low-grade inflammation, thereby reducing biological inflammaging, accompanied by an increase in probiotic bacteria and SCFAs in the gut microbiome of adults aged 50 years and older.”10

• Red ginseng — The review highlighted red ginseng as an antioxidant-rich herb that exerts antiaging effects by reducing oxidative stress, promoting the growth of healthy gut bacteria, and reinforcing the intestinal barrier. According to the researchers:

“Studies with specific probiotic-fermented ginseng interventions have also demonstrated antiaging properties attributed to upregulation of specific genes linked to antioxidant activity and positive modulations in gut microbiome communities.”11

However, while the review contained several recommendations I agree with, it also endorsed foods and nutrients that I do not support based on their LA content and long-term impact on health:12

• Polyunsaturated fats (PUFs) — The review described PUFs as part of “healthy fats” for older adults. However, research has shown that excess PUFs, especially omega-6 LA from vegetable oils, damages mitochondrial function and drives oxidative stress. Oils such as soybean, corn, safflower, and sunflower should be avoided. Omega-3s, while beneficial, need to be consumed in moderation as well.

• Certain nuts and seeds — Although the review praised nuts and seeds as beneficial fat sources, many of them are high in LA. Peanuts, sunflower seeds, and similar varieties contribute to the very imbalance I warn against.

• Olive oil — Often promoted as a healthier alternative to seed oils, olive oil is high in monounsaturated fat, mainly oleic acid. Excess oleic acid produces lipid byproducts that disrupt mitochondria, slow energy production, and promote fat buildup in the liver and muscles. While its polyphenols offer some protection, they cannot fully offset these effects.13

When olive oil is exposed to heat, it oxidizes quickly, and many store-bought versions are diluted with cheaper vegetable oils. If you choose to include it in your diet, use only small amounts, unheated, and in high-quality cold-pressed varieties. Stable saturated fats such as grass fed butter, ghee, tallow, or coconut oil are more reliable sources of fat.

When you consistently choose foods that build microbial diversity while avoiding those that disrupt it, you create conditions that keep your muscles more resilient, your metabolism steadier, and your capacity for vitality intact as the years go by.

Microbial Interventions Beyond Diet

Alongside dietary choices, the Genome Medicine review outlined several other ways to influence your gut microbiome to support aging. Some of these approaches are already accessible, while others remain under study and represent the next wave of innovation in longevity science:14

• Probiotics — The researchers noted that probiotic supplementation in aging models and older adults restores gut barrier integrity, lowers inflammatory markers, and supports healthier metabolism. Moreover, multistrain formulations outperform single strains for bowel function and overall well-being in older cohorts.

Some of the strains that were noted to be beneficial for aging include B. longum, L. paracasei, L. rhamnosus, L. plantarum, and L. fermentum. For guidance on selecting probiotic supplements and using them effectively, check out “The Science of Probiotics — How Beneficial Bacteria Support Health.”

• Prebiotics — Prebiotics such as galactooligosaccharides (GOS) were reported to improve mucus thickness, enhance epithelial integrity, and increase SCFA production. These changes supported both microbial diversity and intestinal resilience. However, it’s important to first optimize your gut health before taking prebiotics to keep them from nourishing harmful microbes instead of the beneficial ones.

• Synbiotics — Combinations of probiotics and prebiotics, known as synbiotics, improved blood lipid profiles and gastrointestinal health in older adults. The review emphasized their role in promoting synergy between microbial growth and beneficial fermentation processes.

• Next-generation probiotics — Species such as Akkermansia muciniphila and Faecalibacterium prausnitzii were identified as promising “next-gen” probiotics. Early studies suggest they protect against muscle wasting and age-related inflammation, with effects tied to improved metabolic and immune function.

If you’ve been following my articles, you know I’ve previously underscored the importance of these microbes, particularly Akkermansia, as keystone species for gut health. Clinical trials have demonstrated that Akkermansia supplementation improves insulin sensitivity, lowers cholesterol, reduces body fat, and reinforces the intestinal lining.15,16

Learn more about the benefits of Akkermansia, how to choose a high-quality supplement, and the dietary steps that help it thrive in “Gut Microbes Influence How You Handle Stress.”

• FMT — In the research highlighted above, FMT served as a way to test what happens when an entire community of gut microbes from a healthy donor is introduced into another host. This method involves transferring stool, with all of its living bacteria, into the recipient’s gut to reestablish microbial balance.

While FMT is still in the experimental stage, early evidence links it to improvements in gut health, muscle performance, immune function, and aspects of aging. Learn more about this emerging therapy in “‘Crapsules’ — The Latest Feces Transplant Pill.”

These emerging tools show that your microbiome is influenced in far more ways than diet alone. What you do to care for your microbes today directly influences how well your body performs in the years ahead.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) About Gut Microbes and Muscle Aging

Q: How are my gut microbes connected to my muscle strength?
A: Your microbes produce metabolites, regulate inflammation, and influence how efficiently your muscles use energy. When your microbiome is balanced, your muscles stay stronger, recover faster, and resist age-related decline.

Q: What does research show about specific microbes improving muscle strength?
A: The featured study shows that Lactobacillus johnsonii and Lactobacillus reuteri directly enhanced grip strength, coordination, and muscle fiber growth in aging mice. When given together, these strains produced the greatest effects, including more than a 150% increase in muscle weight and higher levels of growth-related signals like follistatin and IGF-1.

Q: What foods do I need to focus on to improve both my gut and my muscles?
A: You benefit most from fiber-rich vegetables, colorful fruits, resistant starches, and polyphenol-rich foods like berries and apples. These feed beneficial bacteria that generate SCFAs, which directly support your muscle metabolism and resilience.

Q: Are there foods I need to avoid if I want my gut to support my muscles?
A: Yes. Seed oils high in LA, like soybean, corn, safflower, and sunflower, disrupt your mitochondria and damage your microbiome. Be careful with nuts and seeds that are high in LA, as well as olive oil, since excess oleic acid burdens your metabolism, and many commercial products are adulterated.

Q: What role does Akkermansia play in muscle and healthy aging?
A: Akkermansia muciniphila is a next-generation probiotic species linked to reduced inflammation, stronger gut barrier function, and healthier metabolism. By supporting this keystone microbe through diet or targeted supplementation, you give your body an important ally in protecting muscle strength and resilience as you age.

Test Your Knowledge with Today’s Quiz!

Take today’s quiz to see how much you’ve learned from yesterday’s Mercola.com article.

What event locked Alzheimer’s funding into the flawed amyloid plaque theory?

A 2022 Science exposé showing widespread image fraud within global dementia trials
NIH grants restricted to amyloid patents that drove drug research for two decades
A 2006 Nature study was exposed, claiming amyloid buildup caused dementia
A falsified 2006 Nature study falsely proved amyloid caused dementia, shaping decades of wasteful Alzheimer’s funding. Learn more.
A 2010 FDA policy mandating plaque removal for all new Alzheimer’s medications

When you think of ultraprocessed foods (UPFs), you likely think of chips, soda, and fast-food meals that are usually consumed by younger age groups, like Gen Z and Gen Alpha. However, a recent study shows surprising findings — a significant number of older Americans today are actually consuming high amounts of ultraprocessed foods.

What makes this data so striking is that these older adults are not casual snackers or people who occasionally indulge in chips or sweets. According to the analysis, the participants reported signs of ultraprocessed food addiction, such as strong cravings, failed attempts to cut back, and continued consumption despite negative health effects.

In other words, their relationship with food mirrored what you’d see in someone hooked on nicotine or alcohol — except the substance was a boxed meal or a sweetened drink.

What Counts as an ‘Ultraprocessed’ Food?

When you hear the term “ultraprocessed,” it isn’t just referring to anything that comes in a package. The distinction lies in how a food is made and what it’s made from. Many packaged foods — like frozen vegetables, plain oats, or canned beans — are processed for safety and preservation, but they still retain their natural structure and nutrients. Ultraprocessed foods, on the other hand, are a completely different story.

• Definition of ultraprocessed foods — According to the NOVA classification, a system developed by researchers at the University of São Paulo, UPFs are “formulations of ingredients, mostly of exclusive industrial use, typically created by series of industrial techniques and processes.”1 In short, they are made mostly or entirely from industrial ingredients rather than natural foods. These foods are designed to be convenient, hyper-palatable, and shelf-stable.

• Groceries and supermarkets are now overflowing with ultraprocessed food — Examples include sweetened breakfast cereals, flavored yogurt cups, instant noodles, snack bars, sodas, and even some frozen meals labeled “healthy.” The list also extends to processed breads, flavored nut milks, and many plant-based “meat” alternatives. These foods are often marketed with buzzwords like “natural,” “organic,” or “gluten-free,” but the processing level, not the label, is what matters most.

• At least two-thirds of your diet is now made up of ultraprocessed junk foods — A study published in Nature Communications notes that more than 73% of the American food supply is ultraprocessed.2 A separate study published in Public Health Nutrition noted that sodas topped the ultraprocessed list (90%), followed by mixed dishes and soups (81%), and sweets and snacks (71%).3

• Understanding this category isn’t about guilt; it’s about clarity — Once you can identify UPFs, you start seeing them everywhere, from breakfast to bedtime snacks. Here’s a quick comparison for you to use to spot the difference between ultraprocessed and minimally processed choices:

Everyday UPF
Better Whole-Food Swap

Flavored yogurt cup
Plain yogurt with berries and cinnamon

Packaged cookies
Sliced apple with peanut butter

Chips
Air-popped popcorn or baked root chips

Instant noodles
Rice noodles with broth, vegetables, and egg

Soda
Sparkling water with lemon or lime

• Each of these swaps keeps the familiar taste or texture but removes the industrial ingredients that alter your metabolism — UPFs are designed to light up reward circuits in the brain,4 specifically the dopamine system that regulates pleasure and motivation (more on this later).5 That’s why the first bite feels so good, but the satisfaction fades quickly, driving you back for more.

Previous studies have highlighted how ultraprocessed foods are now dominating children’s diets, making up as much as 70% of their diet. However, recent findings reveal that older adults are no exception — they too consume significant quantities of ultraprocessed foods.

Do Many Older Adults Show Signs of Ultraprocessed Food Addiction?

Recent data from the University of Michigan’s Institute for Healthcare Policy and Innovation revealed a striking trend — A large segment of older adults now meets the criteria for addiction to UPFs. Published in the journal Addiction, the study analyzed responses from 2,038 Americans aged between 50 and 80 years old who participated in the U-M National Poll on Healthy Aging.6,7

• Researchers used a modified version of the Yale Food Addiction Scale (YFAS 2.0) to assess behavior — This standardized tool applies the same diagnostic framework used for substance use disorders. It evaluates factors such as tolerance (needing more for the same effect), withdrawal-like symptoms, and loss of control.

• Across all participants, 12.4% met the criteria for ultraprocessed food addiction — Younger seniors who belong to Gen X or are within the tail end of the Baby Boomers generation (specifically those aged 50s and 64) had the highest addiction rates, with 15.7% meeting the criteria for ultraprocessed food addiction.

• Lower rates were seen in the Baby Boomers generation — Among adults aged 65 to 80, 8.2% met the threshold for addiction. These numbers are significant because they suggest that this type of food dependence doesn’t fade with age — it persists, and for some, it even intensifies.

• In terms of gender, UPF addiction shows an opposite pattern than other substance use disorders — Historically, older men were more prone to substance addiction, but in the case of UPFs, a higher prevalence was seen in older women when broken down by gender. In this study, 16.9% of women qualified compared to 7.5% of men. The highest rates appeared among women aged 50 to 64, where 21% met the addiction threshold.

• So why are Gen Xers especially affected? The answer is simple — UPFs are booming during their developmental years. These generations grew up during the 1980s and 1990s, decades defined by the explosion of convenience foods, low-fat marketing, and the normalization of processed snacks in daily life.

The same “quick and easy” products that shaped their diets in adolescence are now associated with higher rates of addictive eating behaviors decades later. According to the website Study Finds:

“This pattern aligns with established addiction science. Earlier exposure to addictive substances dramatically increases risk …

The younger group in this study … were children and adolescents when ultraprocessed foods became ubiquitous. The older group was already in their 20s and 30s, potentially past the highest-risk developmental period.”8

• These findings spark concern about what lies ahead for younger generations — Children and adolescents today eat even greater amounts of ultraprocessed foods than older adults did at their age, with these products now making up most of the calories consumed by American youth. If these habits continue unchecked, the rates of ultraprocessed food addiction are likely to rise as this generation grows older.

What Are the Signs of Ultraprocessed Food Addiction?

Recognizing the signs of ultraprocessed food addiction starts with understanding that this isn’t just about overeating or lacking willpower. It’s a pattern of behavior that mirrors classic addiction symptoms. Below is a plain-language checklist to help you gauge whether your habits might reflect an addictive relationship with ultraprocessed foods:9,10

• Loss of control — You often eat more than you planned or can’t stop once you start, like finishing an entire bag of chips when you meant to have just a few.
• Craving and preoccupation — You think about these foods often, plan when you’ll have them next, or feel uneasy when they’re not available.
• Tolerance-like behavior — Over time, it takes larger amounts of the same food to feel satisfied or to get the same “comforting” effect.
• Withdrawal-like symptoms — When you try to cut back, you feel irritable, low in energy, or moody, similar to withdrawal symptoms seen in other forms of addiction.
• Continued use despite harm — You keep eating ultraprocessed foods even when you know they worsen your weight, digestion, blood sugar, or mood.
• Repeated failed attempts to cut back — You’ve tried to stop or reduce your intake multiple times but end up returning to old patterns.
• Social or emotional impact — Eating these foods leads to guilt, secrecy, or isolation. You might avoid social events where healthier food is served or feel embarrassed about your habits.

If several of these feel familiar, it doesn’t mean you’re weak — it means you’re responding to foods intentionally engineered to override your natural appetite control.

It’s also important to understand how ultraprocessed food addiction differs from binge eating disorder (BED).11 While both involve loss of control and emotional distress, BED is classified as a psychiatric condition and typically includes large, rapid eating episodes with guilt or shame afterward. Ultraprocessed food addiction, by contrast, centers on dependency-like symptoms related to specific products rather than the size or timing of meals.

Is Ultraprocessed Food Addiction the Same as Food Addiction or Sugar Addiction?

People often use the terms “food addiction,” “sugar addiction,” and “ultraprocessed food addiction” interchangeably, but they aren’t identical. Each describes a different layer of how the modern diet interacts with the brain’s reward system. Understanding those distinctions helps you focus on what really drives cravings — the overall pattern, not just one ingredient.

• Think of these terms as overlapping circles in a Venn diagram — “Food addiction” is the broadest circle, describing a behavioral dependence on eating itself, regardless of the specific food. “Sugar addiction” sits inside that, referring to dependence on sweet tastes and the rapid dopamine spikes caused by refined sugars.

“Ultraprocessed food addiction” overlaps both, but it extends further; it’s about addiction to industrial formulations that combine sugar, fat, salt, and chemical additives in precise ratios designed to hijack the brain’s pleasure centers.

• Why this difference matters — Many people who believe they’re addicted to sugar are actually responding to the combination effect of multiple engineered ingredients. Chips, fast-food sandwiches, and processed meats contain little or no sugar, yet they can trigger the same compulsive responses.

These foods stimulate reward pathways not just through sweetness, but through texture, flavor enhancers, emulsifiers, and rapid digestibility, all of which amplify dopamine signaling and blunt satiety cues. In other words, you’re not addicted to one nutrient — you’re addicted to the formula.

• Ultraprocessed foods are constructed to hit multiple reward triggers simultaneously — That’s why a sugary soda, salty snack, or creamy dessert can all feel equally irresistible. It’s not the sugar or the fat alone, but the way they’re combined and presented to your brain.

When you focus only on sugar, you risk missing the full picture. Many “sugar-free” or “low-carb” products still qualify as ultraprocessed and continue to feed the same cycle of craving and dependency.

• The practical takeaway is simple — Shift your focus away from counting grams of sugar or carbs, and instead evaluate how processed your food really is. If a product’s ingredient list reads like a chemistry set, it’s part of the same addictive matrix.

Breaking free starts with identifying patterns, not villains. Once you understand that the problem isn’t one substance but a whole system of engineered foods, it becomes easier to choose what truly supports your health and energy balance.

Why Are Ultraprocessed Foods Addictive?

Ultraprocessed foods seem addictive because they are engineered to hijack your brain’s reward system. When you eat these foods, your brain releases a surge of dopamine, the same neurotransmitter that reinforces pleasure-seeking behaviors and plays a central role in cravings.

Traditionally, dopamine helps you feel satisfied during mealtimes. But with ultraprocessed foods, the hit is so intense and so immediate that it overrides normal controls. As a result, you keep eating even when you’re full.

• Manufacturers understand this system perfectly — The food industry uses what’s called the “bliss point” — a calculated ratio of sugar, salt, and fat that maximizes pleasure while preventing sensory fatigue.12 Add artificial flavorings, emulsifiers, and texture enhancers, and you get a food that’s nearly impossible to stop eating. These combinations are what scientists describe as hyper-palatable,13 meaning they overwhelm your taste buds and override your body’s ability to regulate appetite.

• The addictive power doesn’t come from taste alone — Visual and emotional cues intensify the pull, too. Glossy packaging, bright colors, and enticing slogans link these foods to happiness, comfort, or reward. Even the sound of certain crunchy textures and the smell of familiar snacks can trigger dopamine release before you take a bite. This anticipatory response wires the brain to associate ultraprocessed foods with emotional relief and immediate pleasure.

• This reveals a deeper truth — The addictive nature of ultraprocessed foods isn’t only about ingredients; it’s about design. These foods are built for speed — fast digestion, fast pleasure, and fast return. For more information on this topic, I recommend reading “Why Can’t We Stop Eating Certain Foods?”

Breaking the cycle starts with awareness. Once you understand that ultraprocessed foods are deliberately crafted to manipulate your neurochemistry, it becomes easier to see them for what they are — not comfort, but conditioning.

How to Stop Eating Ultraprocessed Foods Without Feeling Deprived

Quitting ultraprocessed foods doesn’t mean you have to live on bland meals or give up convenience. The goal isn’t restriction — it’s replacement. When you build your meals with the right anchors and strategies, cravings lose their grip, energy stabilizes, and food starts to feel satisfying again. Here’s a simple seven-step plan to help you make lasting changes without feeling deprived.

1. Shift what you stock — Start inside your home, because what’s in your pantry drives what you eat. Replace the high-turnover “snack zone” foods like chips, crackers, and sugary granola bars with ready-to-eat whole foods, such as fresh fruit, hard-boiled eggs, yogurt, or leftovers you actually like. If it’s not in your home, it won’t end up on your plate.

2. Anchor every meal with protein and fiber — Protein and fiber help stabilize blood sugar and keep you full for hours. Think pastured eggs, grass fed beef, wild-caught salmon, or beans paired with vegetables, fruit, or cooked whole grains. The protein slows digestion while fiber feeds your gut bacteria, helping you stay satisfied and reducing cravings for refined, fast-digesting foods.

3. Make smart swaps, not sacrifices — Trade the texture and taste you crave for healthier versions. Replace flavored yogurt with plain yogurt and berries, chips with air-popped popcorn, or soda with sparkling water and citrus. Keep the sensory experience — crunch, sweetness, or fizz — but remove the additives and seed oils that trigger overeating.

4. Redesign your food environment — Keep whole foods visible and accessible. Move fresh fruit to the front of your fridge, store cut veggies in clear containers, and put tempting snacks out of reach or out of sight. The fewer cues you see, the fewer urges you feel. This simple change retrains your brain to associate real food with reward, not packaged products.

5. Read labels like a detective — You don’t need to memorize every additive; just look for patterns. The longer the ingredient list, the more likely it’s ultraprocessed. Watch for added sugars, refined starches, and seed oils such as soybean, corn, or sunflower oil.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recommends using the Nutrition Facts label to check for added sugars and sodium content.14 A short ingredient list usually means fewer industrial formulations and more real food.

6. Plan treats on purpose — Instead of banning your favorite foods, schedule them intentionally. Choose one meal or occasion each week where you enjoy a favorite item mindfully, without guilt or distraction. When you give yourself permission and structure, you remove the emotional charge that fuels binges.

7. Build social support — Food habits are social habits. Talk to friends or family about your goals, or find a group that supports mindful eating or whole-food living who will help encourage your progress. Consulting with a registered dietitian nutritionist (RDN) can also help tailor strategies to your health goals.

Mini ‘Cravings Toolkit’

When cravings strike, your brain is chasing comfort, not calories. Understanding what cravings represent — a conditioned dopamine response — will help you stop fighting them and start redirecting them. Here’s how to interrupt the pattern without willpower battles:

• Pause for 10 minutes — Cravings fade quickly if you delay acting on them. Use that window to drink water, stretch, or step outside.
• Ask, “What am I really craving?” — Often it’s relief from boredom or stress, not food itself.
• Replace the cue, not the comfort — If you crave crunch, grab carrots or cucumber sticks. If it’s sweetness you want, try fruit or a spoonful of honey in yogurt.
• Script your response — Tell yourself: “This is a craving, not a command. I can choose how to respond.” Rehearsing this phrase rewires your reaction over time.
• Plan recovery meals — Keep a nourishing backup, such as fruit, homemade broth, or a smoothie, ready for when cravings hit hard.

Quick Self-Check and Resources for Support

If you’re wondering whether your eating patterns reflect addiction-like behavior, a quick self-check can help clarify it. You can refer to tools like the modified Yale Food Addiction Scale (mYFAS 2.0) used in the featured study to gauge your ultraprocessed food addiction.

This tool’s purpose is to help you recognize patterns so you can take action. If you answer “yes” to several of these experiences, it means your relationship with ultraprocessed foods deserves attention. There are also resources that can provide support on how to stop eating ultraprocessed foods and break your addiction. Check out these strategies:

Find a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN) through the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics directory, at Eatright.org.15
Look for science-based programs addressing food addiction, mindful eating, or emotional eating — Avoid “detox” or “cleanse” programs that restrict entire food groups.
The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Helpline (1-800-950-6264) and SAMHSA’s National Helpline (1-800-662-HELP) offer free, confidential referrals for eating or addiction-related concerns.
Review the most recent USDA Dietary Guidelines for Americans16 and the FDA’s Nutrition Facts Label Guide17 for more educational information to guide your healthy eating choices.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) About Ultraprocessed Food Addiction

Q: Are older adults really affected by ultraprocessed food addiction?
A: Yes, and the numbers are significant. A large University of Michigan study published in Addiction found that 12.4% of older adults met the criteria for ultraprocessed food addiction. The problem was especially pronounced among those aged 50 to 64 — roughly 21% of women and 10% of men fell into the addicted range.

Q: What makes ultraprocessed foods so addictive?
A: UPFs are built around what manufacturers call the “bliss point” — the perfect balance of sugar, fat, and salt that maximizes pleasure and triggers dopamine release in the brain. Add in emulsifiers, flavorings, and appealing textures, and they become almost impossible to stop eating. Even the smell, sound, and packaging can cue your brain’s reward system, reinforcing cravings before the first bite.

Q: Are breakfast cereals considered ultraprocessed?
A: Yes, many popular breakfast cereals fall into the ultraprocessed category. While they may appear healthy, they often contain refined grains, added sugars, flavorings, and industrial additives that strip away nutrients and disrupt natural appetite regulation. Even cereals labeled “whole grain” or “low-fat” can be deceptive if they include stabilizers, emulsifiers, or seed oils.

Q: What if my overall diet is ‘mostly healthy’?
A: Even if you eat plenty of fruits and vegetables, regularly consuming ultraprocessed foods can still harm your metabolism. Research links high UPF intake to obesity, insulin resistance, poor cardiovascular health, and cognitive decline. Many of these effects come from additives, seed oils, and refined starches that disrupt the gut-brain axis and energy balance.

Q: How can I start cutting back without feeling restricted?
A: Start with small, manageable swaps. Replace one processed meal or snack each day with a whole-food option. Anchor every meal with protein and fiber, such as eggs with vegetables, yogurt with fruit, or fish with rice and greens. Redesign your kitchen so the most nourishing foods are visible and ready to eat, while processed snacks are out of reach. And don’t aim for perfection — plan intentional treats, enjoy them mindfully, and move on. Consistency, not deprivation, rewires your cravings.

Q: What resources are available for help?
A: If you think your relationship with food is affecting your health, start with a self-check using the modified Yale Food Addiction Scale (mYFAS 2.0), the same tool researchers use to identify patterns of ultraprocessed food dependence. You can also find a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN), explore support groups, and contact NAMI’s Helpline (1-800-950-6264) or SAMHSA’s Helpline (1-800-662-HELP) for confidential guidance.
Review the USDA Dietary Guidelines for Americans and FDA Nutrition Facts Label Guide for practical education on healthier choices.

Prediabetes is a silent condition that develops when your blood sugar runs higher than normal but not yet high enough to qualify as diabetes. In teens, it often goes unnoticed because there are no clear warning signs. Some young people might feel more tired than usual, get thirsty often, use the bathroom more, or even notice changes in their vision, but many feel nothing at all.

That hidden nature is what makes it dangerous — by the time it progresses into Type 2 diabetes, the damage to your body has already begun. This stage of poor blood sugar control is not just about diabetes risk. It also raises your odds of heart disease, stroke, and other chronic problems that shorten a young person’s healthy years of life.

Experts describe it as a warning light, signaling that the body’s energy system is under strain. The fact that this is happening more frequently in teenagers reflects a larger metabolic crisis that now touches both adolescents and adults. Recognizing that these changes are showing up so early in life is what makes the new data so important.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has revealed just how many teens are already living with prediabetes and how quickly the problem is growing. That evidence gives us a clearer picture of what’s happening inside adolescent bodies — and why urgent changes are needed to protect their future health.

CDC Data Reveals a New Reality for Teen Prediabetes

Using data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), researchers analyzed the health status of adolescents ages 12 to 17.1 They defined prediabetes as fasting glucose between 100 and 125 milligrams per deciliter or an A1c — a blood test that shows your average blood sugar over the past three months — between 5.7% and 6.4%. Their goal was to estimate how many teens in the U.S. are living with this condition.

• The study revealed just how widespread prediabetes in teens has become — In 2023, 32.7% of adolescents — roughly 8.4 million young people — were living with prediabetes. That means about 1 in 3 U.S. teenagers is already showing early signs of metabolic dysfunction. These figures are based on a nationally representative sample, which makes them a reliable reflection of the population at large.

• This health crisis is not limited to one group — Risk factors like being overweight, having a parent or sibling with Type 2 diabetes, and being physically inactive were strongly tied to prediabetes.2 In other words, if you have a family history or live a sedentary lifestyle, your chances of developing prediabetes as a teen are higher.

• The rate of prediabetes is climbing compared to earlier years — When researchers adjusted older data with their updated methods, they found that from 2005 to 2016, the prediabetes prevalence for adolescents would have been 28%. Today, that number has jumped to nearly 33%, showing a rapid increase over just a few years. That shift represents millions of additional teens now entering adulthood burdened with impaired glucose control.

• Teens with prediabetes are already on the path to serious disease — The CDC called this condition a “warning sign” because it signals a much higher chance of progressing to Type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and stroke. For parents and young people, that means ignoring these early signals sets the stage for lifelong health struggles.

About 2.5% of teens had both abnormal fasting glucose and abnormal A1c readings, a stronger indicator of metabolic dysfunction. For these adolescents, the risk of rapid progression to Type 2 diabetes is especially high. Dr. Christopher Holliday of the CDC told ABC News, “Type 2 diabetes poses a significant threat to young people’s health,” emphasizing the importance of intervening now.3

Lifestyle Choices Today Decide Whether Prediabetes Becomes Diabetes Tomorrow

Being overweight, eating ultraprocessed foods, and not staying active increases prediabetes risk. This gives you practical leverage: by encouraging your teen to move more, eat whole foods, and avoid processed junk, you dramatically cut their chances of developing diabetes. Holliday stated, “Simple life changes — like healthy eating and staying active — can make a big difference in preventing or delaying Type 2 diabetes.”4

• Biological mechanisms explain why prediabetes leads to disease — Elevated glucose levels damage the lining of blood vessels, increase oxidative stress, and strain your pancreas as it struggles to produce more insulin. Over time, this wears down your body’s ability to manage blood sugar, eventually leading to full Type 2 diabetes. Once that threshold is crossed, your risk of nerve damage, kidney disease, heart disease, and vision loss becomes much greater.

• Prediabetes disrupts your body’s energy system through mitochondrial dysfunction — Your mitochondria are the tiny power plants inside your cells that convert glucose into usable energy.

In prediabetes, insulin resistance prevents glucose from entering cells efficiently, and when mitochondria are already damaged, this process breaks down even further. Instead of fueling your cells, sugar piles up in your bloodstream, leaving your body both overloaded and starved at the same time.

This mismatch drains your teen’s energy, reduces motivation, and traps them in a cycle of fatigue and poor metabolic health that grows worse without intervention. When mitochondria falter, especially in tissues like your pancreas, liver, and fat cells, the risk of progressing from prediabetes to diabetes skyrockets because insulin-producing cells stop working properly.

• The scale of the problem is reshaping the health landscape — The CDC reported that adult diabetes diagnoses, which had been declining for more than a decade, are no longer falling. In 2023, about 1.5 million adults were newly diagnosed with diabetes.5 This parallel trend suggests that teens with prediabetes today are tomorrow’s diabetes patients, adding further strain to families, communities, and health care systems.

• The research underscores the urgency for early action — For your teen, this means understanding that their daily choices — what they eat, how much they move, and how they manage stress — have a direct impact on whether they prevent or reverse prediabetes or slide into diabetes. Framing the challenge as a winnable game is key: track progress, set goals, and celebrate small victories, because each step away from ultraprocessed foods and inactivity is a step toward restoring energy and health.

Simple Steps to Help Your Teen Reverse Prediabetes

Hearing that 1 in 3 teens has prediabetes is alarming for any parent. But this isn’t a dead end — it’s a warning light. Prediabetes means your child’s cells aren’t making energy the way they should, and that drives blood sugar higher than normal.

The good news is that you can help them turn this around before it develops into something much more serious. These steps are practical changes you can start making at home that support your teen’s health in ways they’ll actually notice — more energy, sharper focus, and better mood.

1. Clear vegetable oils and processed snacks from their diet — The first step is to look at the foods most teens eat: fries, chips, packaged snacks, and restaurant meals. Almost all of them contain vegetable oils like canola, soybean, and sunflower oil. These oils are rich in linoleic acid (LA) that damages your mitochondria, setting the stage for blood sugar problems.

Replace them with foods prepared at home using butter, ghee, or tallow. For snacks, encourage whole-food options like fruit or grass fed cheese. Think of this as resetting your teen’s “energy software” so their body runs on full power again.

2. Reintroduce carbohydrates in a smart way — Teens need carbs for energy, especially for growing bodies, busy school days, and sports. The problem is not carbs — it’s the wrong kind of carbs. If your teen has gut issues, start with gentle foods like white rice and fruit.

As their digestion improves, expand to root vegetables, beans, and whole grains. Carbs fuel the brain and muscles, so the right amount helps them concentrate in class, perform better in sports, and stay in a good mood instead of crashing.

3. Reduce exposure to everyday toxins — Your child is exposed daily to plastics, personal care products, and nonstop Wi-Fi. These stressors interfere with their body’s ability to make energy. Small changes add up: switch to glass or stainless steel water bottles, avoid microwaving food in plastic, and encourage them to keep their phone out of their pocket and away from their bed at night.

If your teen likes challenges, frame this as a “low-plastic” or “phone-free sleep” experiment — they’ll be more likely to stick with it if it feels like a goal instead of a rule.

4. Build in regular sunlight for natural energy — Sunlight charges more than vitamin D. It triggers melatonin inside mitochondria, which protects energy production. Encourage sun exposure daily — walking the dog, biking to a friend’s house, or sitting outside after school.

If your family has eaten a lot of vegetable oils in the past, give it at least six months of reducing them before getting longer midday sun exposure, because those oils increase the risk of sunburn. Over time, daily sunlight helps improve sleep, mood, and energy regulation in teens.

5. Use the HOMA-IR test as a tracking tool — One of the most motivating ways to help your teen is to make progress visible. Recognizing insulin resistance early is essential, as it’s a warning sign for your metabolic health — one that often precedes Type 2 diabetes.

The HOMA-IR (Homeostatic Model Assessment of Insulin Resistance) test is a valuable diagnostic tool that helps assess insulin resistance through a simple blood test, so you can spot issues early and make necessary lifestyle changes.

Created in 1985, it calculates the relationship between your fasting glucose and insulin levels to evaluate how effectively your body uses insulin. Unlike other more complex tests, HOMA-IR requires just one fasting blood sample, making it both practical and accessible. The HOMA-IR formula is as follows:

HOMA-IR = (Fasting Glucose x Fasting Insulin) / 405, where

• Fasting glucose is measured in mg/dL
• Fasting insulin is measured in μIU/mL (microinternational units per milliliter)
• 405 is a constant that normalizes the values

If you’re using mmol/L for glucose instead of mg/dL, the formula changes slightly:

HOMA-IR = (Fasting Glucose x Fasting Insulin) / 22.5, where

• Fasting glucose is measured in mmol/L
• Fasting insulin is measured in μIU/mL
• 22.5 is the normalizing factor for this unit of measurement

Anything below 1.0 is considered a healthy HOMA-IR score. If you’re above that, you’re considered insulin resistant. The higher your values, the greater your insulin resistance. Conversely, the lower your HOMA-IR score, the less insulin resistance you have, assuming you are not a Type 1 diabetic who makes no insulin.

Interestingly, my personal HOMA-IR score stands at a low 0.2. This low score is a testament to my body’s enhanced efficiency in burning fuel, a result of increased glucose availability. By incorporating additional carbohydrates into my diet, I provided my cells with the necessary energy to operate more effectively.

This improved cellular function has significantly boosted my metabolic health, demonstrating how strategic dietary adjustments lead to better insulin sensitivity and overall metabolic performance.

FAQs About Prediabetes in Teens

Q: What does it mean if my teen has prediabetes?
A: Prediabetes means your teen’s blood sugar is higher than normal but not high enough for Type 2 diabetes. It’s a warning sign that their body is struggling to manage sugar, and without changes, it often leads to diabetes, heart disease, or stroke.

Q: How common is prediabetes in teenagers?
A: According to the CDC, about 1 in 3 U.S. teens — around 8.4 million adolescents — now live with prediabetes. This number has climbed quickly in recent years, showing that the problem is getting worse, not better.

Q: What are the biggest risk factors for teen prediabetes?
A: Being overweight, eating a diet high in ultraprocessed foods, not getting enough physical activity, and having a family history of diabetes all increase the chances of developing prediabetes.

Q: What happens inside my body during prediabetes?
A: In prediabetes, insulin resistance prevents glucose from moving into cells efficiently. This overloads your bloodstream with sugar, damages blood vessels, and wears out your pancreas. Over time, your body loses its ability to control blood sugar, which leads to diabetes and other health issues.

Q: What can parents do to help their teen reverse prediabetes?
A: Parents can support their teen by clearing vegetable oils and processed snacks from the diet, offering healthy carb sources like fruit, reducing toxin exposure, encouraging daily sunlight, and tracking progress with tools like the HOMA-IR test. Small, consistent changes restore energy, improve mood, and lower the risk of diabetes.

Test Your Knowledge with Today’s Quiz!

Take today’s quiz to see how much you’ve learned from yesterday’s Mercola.com article.

As a parent evaluating pediatric guidance, what key red flag should you watch for given these concerns?

Drug company funding tied to pediatric associations to restrict parental control
The American Academy of Pediatrics receives funding from major pharmaceutical companies, influencing policies that promote more medical interventions while limiting parental authority. Learn more.
Independent funding sources that are entirely free from corporate influence
A prevention-first approach designed to address the root causes of illness
Expanded decision-making rights granted directly to parents on child health

Between 4% and 16% of Americans aged 65 years old and older are dealing with frailty, causing them to lose their strength, mobility, and independence.1 Not only does it make everyday life harder, but it also causes them to recover from illnesses slower.

Studies have also found that frailty prolongs hospital stays and doubles the risk of surgical complications. It’s also a compounding factor on why elderly people are moved to nursing homes or assisted care facilities.2

Defining Frailty

Frailty is a condition that affects many seniors today. News-Medical.net defines it as “a clinical condition in older adults characterized by increased vulnerability to health stressors and a higher risk of adverse outcomes, such as disability and hospitalization.”3

According to Johns Hopkins Medicine, to determine if you have this condition, you need to have at least three of these symptoms:4,5,6

Losing 10 pounds or more in the last year without trying
Having a weak grip or trouble standing up without assistance
You’re constantly exhausted, and doing simple tasks takes twice the effort
Low activity levels, such as exercise, household chores, or even enjoyable hobbies
A slow walking speed (it takes you more than six or seven seconds to walk 15 feet)

The good news is that frailty can be delayed, prevented, or even reversed — and small adjustments in your day-to-day habits will help improve your mobility. For example, one study found that how fast you walk could have a significant impact on how frailty affects you.

Faster Steps Lead to Noticeable Gains in Function Among the Elderly

A recent study published in PLOS One investigated whether older adults living with frailty could meaningfully improve their physical function by increasing their walking cadence (the number of steps you take per minute).7 Conducted by researchers from the University of Chicago, the study made use of structured walking programs to identify whether walking faster has clinically significant gains in real-world mobility.8

“People who haven’t experienced frailty can’t imagine how big a difference it makes to be able to not get tired going to the grocery store or not need to sit down while they’re out,” said Dr. Daniel Rubin, an anesthesiologist from the University of Chicago and the study’s lead author.9

• The study was a secondary analysis of a randomized controlled trial — It was conducted between 2017 and 2022 and involved 102 participants from 14 retirement communities in Chicago. The participants were aged 60 or older, and were classified as either prefrail or frail.

• The study also involved participants in a prefrail state — As its name implies, prefrailty is the period before frailty. This is when seniors have a higher risk of nutritional deficiencies, cognitive decline, physical impairment, and socioeconomic disadvantages. In this study, both frail and prefrail participants were still able to walk at least 10 feet with no more than moderate assistance.

• The participants were divided into two groups — During supervised sessions, one group was asked to walk at a comfortable, self-selected pace; they were called the casual speed walking (CSW) group. The other was instructed to walk “as fast as safely possible” — this was the high-intensity walking (HIW) group. The goal for the HIW group was to increase cadence by a specific number of steps per minute and hold that pace consistently throughout the program.

• The program ran for over four months — The participants attended 48 supervised walking sessions, each lasting 45 minutes. The sessions were divided into three phases:

◦ Acclimation — The participants were able to become comfortable with the routine and followed a steady walking pattern.
◦ Ramp-up — Intensity increased, and those in the HIW group were guided to reach 70% of their maximum heart rate, a level considered moderate-to-vigorous intensity for older adults.
◦ Intervention — The full training goals were applied consistently — the participants maintained their target pace and intensity over the remainder of the program, continuing to receive motivational prompts to keep cadence high.

• By the end of the study period, the median cadence for the HIW group reached 100 steps per minute — This was a significant difference compared to just 77 in the CSW group.10 The researchers also found that 65% of those in the HIW group improved their six-minute walk distance by at least 30 meters, which is considered a meaningful change in functional capacity for frail adults. Only 39% of the slower group reached that same benchmark.

“What we ended up finding was that those who are able to walk faster, particularly at a cadence 14 steps per minute faster than their usual pace, were more likely to improve in their mobility or endurance or function,” Rubin said.

“In particular, we were targeting to try to really improve (people’s) mobility and their function, just because prefrail and frail older adults tend to be a little bit more limited, at least in the concept of physical frailty.”11

Yet Another Reason to Incorporate Walking Into Your Daily Routine

The mechanism behind these results is rooted in the way walking benefits your well-being. Walking is a low-impact and moderate-intensity exercise that you can do virtually anywhere for free. It doesn’t require any special skills, equipment, or a gym membership — all you need is a comfortable pair of shoes. It’s easy to integrate into most people’s routines, regardless of fitness level or age, including those in their golden years. And now, you can further intensify the effects by increasing your steps.

• The benefits of brisk walking are multifaceted — Walking by itself engages your cardiovascular, muscular, and nervous systems simultaneously. But when you increase cadence, you amp it up further, as your muscles contract more frequently, building endurance in the lower body.

• Increasing your steps also elevates your heart rate to a moderate intensity zone — It helps improve blood flow and oxygen delivery to working muscles. Over repeated sessions, this increased demand conditions your heart, lungs, and muscles to handle greater loads without fatigue.

• Even a modest amount of walking significantly boosts longevity — According to a study published in JAMA Network Open, adults who walked 8,000 steps or more within one or two days a week had a notably lower risk of all-cause and cardiovascular mortality.12

• Moderate exercises like walking contribute to a dose-dependent decreased risk of chronic diseases and illnesses — These include diabetes, depression, high blood pressure, coronary disease, osteoporosis, sarcopenia, falls, and more. According to an article in the journal GeroScience:

“Walking decreases the risk or severity of various health outcomes such as cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, Type 2 diabetes mellitus, cognitive impairment and dementia, while also improving mental well-being, sleep and longevity …

Walking’s favorable effects on cardiovascular risk factors are attributed to its impact on circulatory, cardiopulmonary and immune function. Meeting current physical activity guidelines by walking briskly for 30 minutes per day for 5 days can reduce the risk of several age-associated diseases.”13

For more information on how walking benefits your health, read my article “The Benefits of Walking — How to Get More Steps in This Summer.”

So How Do You Measure and Improve Your Walking Cadence?

The first step is to identify your baseline by measuring the number of steps you take every minute. From there, increase your pace slightly, finding a level that allows you to walk faster but still feel comfortable.14

• A smartphone app designed to measure walking cadence is in the works — Rubin and his team are in the process of creating “Walk Test,” an app that is specially designed to accurately measure walking cadence. According to validation testing results, the app was able to count steps per minute with impressive accuracy.

“We didn’t necessarily trust smartphones’ built-in analytics. Instead, we built an app that uses a novel open-source method to analyze the data measured by the phone and lets us actively engage users in brief, deliberate walking tests, ensuring accurate measurement,” Rubin said.15

• Walk Test was also designed to be accessible and user-friendly, especially to older audiences — As Rubin notes, “We wanted to make it as low-barrier as possible so it’s easy for older adults to use without additional equipment. The people who need the most help are usually the least well-equipped to get started.”

• Consider using a metronome app — Often used by musicians, this is a tool that produces a steady beat so they can maintain their rhythm while playing an instrument. Since the Walk Test is still in the works and is not yet released to the public, this type of app will allow you to match your steps to a consistent beat.

Practical Steps to Address the Root Causes of Frailty

If you are starting to notice signs of slowing down, the most important thing is to address what’s driving that loss of strength, stamina, and independence. With the right daily habits, you’ll be able to rebuild resilience from the ground up. These are some steps I recommend — They target the cause, not just the symptoms.

1. Increase your walking cadence gradually — Start by measuring your normal walking pace — count how many steps you take in one minute. Then, add about 5 steps per minute for a week or two, and build toward adding 14 extra steps per minute over time.

This small, consistent increase is enough to improve how far and how long you can walk without fatigue. If you struggle to keep pace, use a metronome app to stay on beat and hold your speed steady.

2. Strengthen your muscles — If your muscles are weak, your body can’t support a faster, more efficient walking pace. Consider incorporating simple strength training moves like squats, seated leg lifts, or light resistance band exercises two to three times a week. Even small improvements in muscle strength will make walking easier and help you stay steady on your feet.

3. Support your mitochondria through nutrition — Known as the powerhouse of the cell, the mitochondria works best when you give it the right fuel. Eat enough high-quality protein — around 0.8 grams per pound of lean body mass — with one-third coming from collagen sources like slow-cooked meats or bone broth. Include at least 250 grams of clean carbohydrates daily from fruit, root vegetables, and whole food sources to keep energy production strong.

Lastly, stay away from seed oils and processed foods that are loaded with linoleic acid (LA), as they only wreck your health. I recommend joining the waitlist for my new Mercola Health Coach App, which features the Seed Oil Sleuth, which will calculate your LA intake to the tenth of a gram from the food you eat.

4. Practice consistent recovery and breathing habits — Recovery is as important as movement. Incorporate nasal breathing during walks — inhale through your nose, exhale through your mouth — to improve oxygen delivery and lower blood pressure. Make sure you get restorative sleep and spend at least 30 minutes in natural light daily to support circadian rhythm and energy balance.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) About Frailty

Q: What is frailty and how does it affect older adults?
A: Frailty is a clinical condition marked by symptoms like unintended weight loss, weakness, exhaustion, low activity, and slow walking speed. It reduces independence, slows recovery from illness, and raises the risk of hospital stays and complications.

Q: How can walking faster help prevent or reverse frailty?
A: Research from the University of Chicago found that increasing walking pace by about 14 steps per minute improves mobility, endurance, and functional capacity in frail or prefrail older adults.

Q: What did the walking program in the study involve?
A: The four-month program included 48 supervised sessions lasting 45 minutes each, progressing through acclimation, ramp-up, and intervention phases, with faster walkers reaching about 100 steps per minute.

Q: What other benefits does brisk walking provide?
A: Besides improving mobility, brisk walking strengthens muscles, boosts cardiovascular health, enhances oxygen delivery, supports energy production, and lowers the risk of chronic diseases like heart disease, diabetes, and osteoporosis.

Q: What steps can I take to address the root causes of frailty?
A: You can gradually increase your walking cadence, add muscle-strengthening exercises, eat nutrient-rich foods to support energy production, and practice nasal breathing for better stamina and recovery.

If you’re trying to stay fit as you age, the clock on your wall is just as important as the steps on your pedometer. When you move, not just how much, shapes everything from your energy output to how efficiently your body performs basic tasks like walking or climbing stairs.

Most people think of exercise as a numbers game: time, reps, steps, calories. But your body runs on its own timing system, and syncing your activity to that rhythm is often the missing key to better health. This internal clock, known as your circadian rhythm, affects not just sleep but also hormone cycles, metabolism, and physical endurance.

If your movement is out of sync — say, you’re active at night but dragging all morning — your body notices. Misaligned activity patterns lead to inefficient energy use, sluggish recovery, and even increased strain on your cardiovascular system.

On the other hand, consistently timed activity sends clear signals to your biological systems, helping them perform at their peak. That shift in focus, from doing more to timing it better, is where the real opportunity lies. Let’s explore the science behind how daily rhythms and physical activity shape your long-term fitness and overall resilience.

Strong Daily Rhythms Predict Better Fitness in Older Adults

A study published in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise explored whether the timing and regularity of daily movement influence physical fitness in older adults.1 Led by researchers at the University of Florida and funded by the National Institute on Aging, the study used data from 799 independent individuals with an average age of 76.

Participants wore wrist accelerometers for seven consecutive days to capture their rest-activity cycles. The goal was to see how those rhythms — like what time you peak in activity and how consistent your movement is day to day — relate to cardiorespiratory fitness and walking efficiency.

• Participants with earlier, more rhythmic patterns showed better fitness — Older adults who had a more predictable and earlier daily activity pattern had significantly better heart and lung capacity, measured by VO2 peak. VO2 peak, also known as VO2 max, is a measure of how much oxygen your body uses during intense exercise, a key indicator of cardiovascular endurance and overall fitness.

These individuals also walked more efficiently, meaning they used less energy to move at both normal and slower speeds. This was true even after adjusting for factors like age, sex, health conditions, and height.

• The biggest gains were linked to early peak activity and daily consistency — Those whose most active time of day occurred earlier, called an “earlier acrophase,” had higher VO2 peak values — on average 20.9 mL/kg/min — compared to 19.2 for those with later peak activity.

That’s a noticeable difference in endurance, especially in aging populations. Likewise, those with higher amplitude, meaning stronger differences between active and rest times, scored better on both walking and oxygen efficiency tests.

• Having a steady rhythm gave a clear advantage in physical function — A higher “pseudo F-statistic,” which is a way scientists measure how steady and strong your daily activity pattern is, was linked to better heart health and more efficient walking. This finding suggests that not just when you move, but whether you move on a reliable schedule, has a direct effect on how well your body functions.

• Everyday movement, not just workouts, counts toward your rhythm — This study didn’t just measure exercise. It tracked total activity, everything from walking and housework to shopping and gardening.2 The takeaway is that consistent, active living throughout the day, rather than long stretches of sitting followed by bursts of exercise, contributes meaningfully to better physical health. This gives you more flexibility, and power, in how you design your daily routine.

• Time of peak activity had a bigger impact than total movement — Surprisingly, the time of day when participants were most active had a stronger correlation with VO2 peak and walking efficiency than total amount of movement. This means that even if two people are equally active, the one who moves earlier in the day or keeps a regular rhythm is likely to have better cardiovascular health outcomes.

Researchers believe that these patterns mirror the strength of a person’s circadian system, the internal biological clock that governs your body’s daily cycles. A stronger rhythm suggests better hormonal balance, temperature regulation and blood pressure control, all of which affect physical performance and resilience.

Exercise Isn’t Just Movement, It’s a Biological Clock Setter

A related study published in Frontiers in Pharmacology found that exercise plays a central role in regulating your body’s internal timing system.3 Researchers investigated how physical activity affects circadian rhythms, which run on a roughly 24-hour cycle and control everything from sleep and temperature to hormone release. The review analyzed how exercise interacts with your body’s core clock system from behavioral, physiological, and molecular perspectives.

• Moderate and high-intensity workouts affected key markers of circadian timing — The review showed that aerobic and resistance exercise increases the expression of important genes like BMAL1 and PER2. These genes are like timing switches that help your cells know when to turn on and off specific functions.

When they’re working well, you experience stable sleep cycles, efficient energy use, and balanced hormone production. Exercise helped strengthen these rhythms, making the body more synchronized and less vulnerable to environmental disruptions like jet lag, screen exposure or irregular schedules.

• The time of day you exercise changes the way your body responds — Timing matters. Morning workouts tend to move your internal clock earlier, which is great if you struggle to wake up or want to reset after travel. In contrast, exercising late in the day tends to shift your biological rhythms later, which suits night owls but could delay melatonin release and sleep onset.

One study in the review found that later exercise increased the production of thyroid-stimulating hormone and improved mitochondrial health, showing how even timing affects different systems differently.

• Exercise timing impacted disease risk — Regular exercise was shown to improve blood sugar regulation, reduce cardiovascular strain, and support immune balance, all through its influence on circadian pathways. For example, exercising in the morning helped improve fat metabolism and reduce insulin resistance.

Researchers noted that regular exercise could even help prevent diseases that are made worse by circadian disruption, such as heart disease, metabolic syndrome, and certain cancers.

• Mechanisms include direct effects on cellular clock genes — On a cellular level, exercise activates a network of genes that operate in feedback loops to keep your body’s rhythms intact. BMAL1 and clock genes promote activity during the day, while others help shut things down at night.

These genes are highly sensitive to external cues, especially exercise. When you work out, you send a strong signal that helps reset and align these internal timers, improving how your cells respond to time-based demands like nutrient absorption and recovery.

• Physical movement helps override environmental disruptions — Even in chaotic light-dark cycles or jet lag conditions, exercise helped people adjust more quickly. Studies showed that a few days of timed physical activity was enough to advance or delay melatonin release, depending on when it was performed. This makes exercise a nondrug tool that helps realign circadian rhythms naturally, without side effects or artificial stimulation.

What’s more, your muscles, liver, and other tissues all have their own mini clocks. These peripheral clocks communicate with your central clock through hormones and nerve signals. Exercise acts as a unifying force that brings all of these separate rhythms back into sync, improving overall resilience and performance.

How to Strengthen Your Internal Clock and Improve Fitness at the Same Time

If your energy feels inconsistent or your workouts don’t seem to be paying off, it’s not only about effort — it’s about timing. Your body isn’t just tracking how much you move, it’s also responding to when you move. The solution is to sync your movement with your biological rhythm.

That’s how you reduce the strain on your system, boost physical performance, and train your body to work smarter. Here’s how to take control of your daily rhythms and upgrade your fitness without overhauling your entire life:

1. Start your movement earlier in the day — If you naturally rise early, lean into that by planning your most active part of the day within a few hours of waking. Research shows that earlier peak activity is linked with better heart and lung function. Even if you aren’t doing a structured workout, getting your most physical tasks — like walking, housework, or errands — done before lunch reinforces a stronger daily rhythm and improves your energy output.

2. Create a consistent activity pattern — Your body responds best to predictable patterns. Aim to be active around the same times each day. This doesn’t have to mean doing the same workout — just try to keep your movement window steady. Whether it’s gardening at 8 a.m. or walking the dog at 4 p.m., your internal systems, like blood pressure, glucose metabolism, and hormone cycles, benefit from the routine.

3. Avoid intense workouts too late in the evening — Although there are exceptions, late-night exercise typically shifts your internal clock in the wrong direction, especially if you’re already struggling with sleep or fatigue.

High-intensity workouts after dark tend to delay melatonin release and disrupt your rhythm. If you need to train late, keep it light — think stretching, gentle yoga, or a slow walk. Save the demanding sessions for earlier in the day when your body’s stress hormones are already elevated and ready for action.

4. Use everyday movement as part of your rhythm therapy — You don’t need fancy gym sessions to see results. Your body registers all forms of movement, including cleaning, gardening, and walking the stairs, as meaningful input. The key is rhythm. Try breaking up sedentary time with short movement bursts every couple of hours. This trains your system to expect activity, reinforcing your body’s clock and improving energy efficiency.

5. Match your movement to your natural chronotype — If you’re more alert in the evening, adjust your schedule gradually. Start your activity 30 to 60 minutes earlier each day until your body adapts to an earlier peak. This retrains your internal clock without shocking your system. Morning types should protect that early energy by keeping mornings free of distractions and prioritizing movement before noon. Either way, your internal rhythm becomes stronger the more consistently you honor it.

FAQs About Daily Activity Timing

Q: Why does the timing of my daily activity matter for my health?
A: Because your body runs on a 24-hour rhythm called the circadian clock, and when you move during the day sends signals that help regulate sleep, metabolism, hormone levels, and physical performance. Earlier and more consistent activity supports better fitness and energy efficiency.

Q: What kinds of activities count toward strengthening my daily rhythm?
A: Any movement counts, not just formal workouts. Walking, gardening, housework, and errands all help reinforce a healthy rhythm, especially when done consistently at the same time each day.

Q: When is the best time of day to exercise for optimal health benefits?
A: Morning or early-day movement tends to support a healthier circadian rhythm and is linked with improved heart and lung fitness. Evening workouts, especially intense ones, are more likely to delay your internal clock and disrupt sleep.

Q: Do I have to be a morning person to benefit from this approach?
A: Not at all. If you’re naturally more alert later in the day, improve your rhythm by gradually shifting your activity earlier over time and keeping your schedule consistent day to day.

Q: Does this strategy help with issues beyond fitness, like sleep or metabolism?
A: Yes. Regular, well-timed activity has been shown to support better blood sugar control, sleep quality, hormone balance, and even reduce your risk of chronic diseases tied to circadian disruption like heart disease and diabetes.

Researchers have documented a dramatic rise in pediatric-onset chronic conditions over the last two decades. The most common examples include asthma, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and prediabetes (which develop into full diabetes over time), leading to an increased risk of heart disease, nerve damage, and kidney failure. In the United States, nearly one in three children is living with these chronic conditions.

If you think this issue only impacts their childhood, think again — children do not outgrow these health challenges, but actually carry them into adulthood.

Chronic Health Conditions in Kids Are Rising Faster Than You Think

A recent study published in Academic Pediatrics examined how chronic health conditions in children and young adults have changed in the United States from 1999 to 2018. Conducted by researchers from Harvard Medical School, the study focused on conditions that begin in childhood and continue into adulthood.

Their goal was to show how big the problem has become, which conditions are rising the fastest, and how these health burdens affect both children and society at large.1

• Researchers studied a large, diverse group across the country — The study included a nationally representative sample of 236,412 individuals between ages 5 and 25. The data was from the 1999 to 2018 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS). According to News-Medical.Net, the researchers “estimated the annual average increase in chronic conditions (CC) and functional limitations (FL) over time.”2

• Nearly one in three children had a chronic condition by 2018 — The researchers found that the frequency of chronic conditions among children ages 5 to 17 years increased from about 23% in 1999/2000 to over 30% by 2017/2018. Even more concerning, the study estimated that 1.2 million young people with chronic conditions are now entering adulthood each year, carrying these challenges into college, work, and adult life.

• Asthma, ADHD, autism, and prediabetes are leading the increase — Asthma, ADHD (attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder), autism, and prediabetes are the top drivers of this growing problem. These conditions interfere with learning, playing, and building relationships.

• The numbers show steady and consistent growth — According to their findings, ADHD rates jumped by 0.24 percentage points per year, while autism diagnoses went up by 0.13 percentage points annually. Asthma cases climbed by 0.12 percentage points per year, and prediabetes in young adults rose by 0.12 percentage points annually.

While these yearly changes seem small, they build up to massive increases over time. If you have children, this means their schools, sports programs, and healthcare providers are dealing with far more chronic conditions than ever before — and they may not be ready to handle it well.

Low-Income Families Are Being Hit the Hardest

The study found clear inequalities among the children who develop chronic conditions. In particular, less privileged children have a higher risk of these illnesses.3

• Children from families earning below the poverty line are mostly affected — These children had a 3.39 percentage point higher chance of having chronic conditions. Children on public insurance had an 8.63 percentage point higher prevalence compared to those with private insurance.

• Poverty and lack of stable employment are directly tied to poorer health outcomes — Children with unemployed parents had a 7.65 percentage point higher rate of chronic conditions. This makes it clear that poverty and lack of stable employment are directly tied to poorer health outcomes for kids. If you’re facing financial stress, your children are at greater risk, not just because of genetics, but also because of barriers to care and nutrition.

• These conditions lead to physical, emotional, and educational limitations — Children who struggle with these conditions experience speech problems, musculoskeletal pain, and weakness, and emotional challenges like anxiety and depression. These issues make it harder for kids to succeed in school, participate in physical activities, and build friendships.

As children age, these struggles compound, leading to lower job prospects and higher healthcare costs. This means parents need to watch for early warning signs and work proactively to support their child’s development and mental health.

What Are the Other Contributing Factors to Chronic Conditions in Children?

The authors noted that other factors may be affecting disease rates, such as regional differences. Their findings note that children in the Southern U.S. had the highest rates of chronic conditions, while those in the Western region had the lowest. If you’re in a high-risk area, it’s worth taking extra steps to reduce environmental triggers and promote healthy habits.4

• Poor diet, pollution, and stress are major contributors — While the study didn’t dive into microscopic details, it was clear that environmental exposures, chronic stress, and poor diet all contribute to these rising conditions.

For asthma, pollutants and allergens are major triggers. Prediabetes develops from eating too many processed foods and not getting enough movement, which leads to insulin resistance — where your body stops responding properly to insulin, making blood sugar levels rise. ADHD and autism likely also have environmental and dietary factors involved.

• Transitions to adult healthcare are failing — Children and young adults with chronic conditions often lose support when they age out of pediatric care. This makes managing their conditions harder, leading to emergency room visits, missed work, and increased expenses. If you have a teenager with a chronic condition, you need to help them plan and prepare for managing their health as adults.

• Early detection and prevention are key to reducing the burden — The researchers emphasized that treatment is not enough. Parents and pediatricians need to work together to look for early signs like fatigue, changes in behavior, or physical symptoms like wheezing and weight gain.

Addressing these issues early helps stop long-term damage and improves outcomes. Lauren Wisk, assistant professor of medicine at UCLA and the study’s lead author, said:

“Most youth with chronic conditions need to access health and social services for the rest of their lives, but our health system is not set up to successfully move young people from pediatric to adult focused care and so many of these youth are at risk of disengaging with care and experiencing disease exacerbations.

We should invest in assisting these youth in engaging appropriately with healthcare across their lifespan in order to protect their health and well-being, and to facilitate their maximum participation in society with respect to education, vocation, social groups, and community spaces.”5

What’s Triggering the Rising Autism and ADHD Rates?

According to Autism Parenting Magazine, about one in 36 children are now diagnosed with this condition — that’s 241% higher compared to autism rates in 2000.6 As for ADHD, approximately 6% of youth and 2.5% of adults are affected globally. The rise in these disorders is alarming, with evidence pointing to gene-environment interactions as key contributors to their development.7

• The causes of autism are complex — There are both genetic and environmental factors involved. One significant factor is parental chemical intolerance, which is often linked to toxicant-induced loss of tolerance (TILT), where exposure to certain chemicals leads to heightened sensitivity.

• Toxic pesticides, heavy metals and food packaging chemicals are driving autism and ADHD rates — According to one study published in Pediatrics journal, “[G]estational exposures to some neurotoxic and endocrine-disrupting pesticides, including organochlorines, organophosphates, and pyrethroids, increase the chances of an autism diagnosis or autism-related behaviors in children.

Evidence is emerging that other toxic chemicals are associated with autism or autism-related behaviors, notably phthalates, ubiquitous chemicals that cause a decrease in testosterone.”8

• Poor gut health in early life is also a major factor — This disrupts brain development through the gut-brain axis. According to research, children diagnosed with autism or ADHD often lack key gut bacteria like Akkermansia muciniphila, Bifidobacterium and Faecalibacterium. These beneficial microbes are essential for regulating inflammation and producing neurotransmitters that support mood and brain function.9

• Electromagnetic fields (EMFs) are another growing concern — EMFs activate voltage-gated calcium channels (VGCCs), leading to oxidative stress, mitochondrial dysfunction, and inflammation in the brain.

These effects interfere with brain development, particularly in pregnant women and young children, whose developing nervous systems are especially sensitive to environmental stressors. To learn more about this, read “The Invisible Risk Factor of Autism.”

• Nutritional deficiencies often add to these challenges — Diets loaded with processed foods, refined sugars, and inflammatory omega-6 fats like linoleic acid (LA) deprive the body of nutrients critical for brain health. Poor nutrition not only impairs cognitive function but also amplifies the impact of other environmental stressors, creating a compounding effect on brain development.

Childhood Obesity Is Now a Widespread Problem

Childhood obesity poses significant health risks, affecting children’s physical and emotional well-being. It leads to complications like insulin resistance, impaired glucose tolerance and dyslipidemia. If left unaddressed, it leads to more severe health complications like prediabetes, high blood pressure and early mortality.10

• Millions of children worldwide are now obese — More than 340 million children and adolescents are affected worldwide. In the U.S., one in five children and adolescents is obese.11 Among 2- to 19-year-olds, the prevalence of obesity was 19.7% from 2017 to 2020, or 14.7 million individuals affected.12 Early obesity is strongly predictive of obesity in later life, with 90% of children who are obese at age 3 still obese in adolescence.13

• Childhood obesity raises the risk of physical and mental health conditions — These include high blood pressure, Type 2 diabetes, asthma sleep apnea, joint problems, and gallbladder disease. It also takes a mental toll and is associated with an increased risk of anxiety, depression, low self-esteem, social problems, and lower quality of life.

• Four factors account for majority of childhood obesity — One study notes that there are four primary factors that, when combined, account for nearly half of obesity cases in young children. These include lower food security during infancy, early exposure to screens and digital gadgets, not getting adequate sleep and regular consumption of processed foods, including fast food and soda.14

Part of the problem with addressing and resolving childhood obesity is that the nutritional guidance children and their parents get is flawed — the focus is on reducing saturated fats and other whole foods, while promoting vegetable oils and heavily processed, low-fat diets. This triggers a catastrophic cascade of health declines rooted in mitochondrial dysfunction and insulin resistance. To learn more about this, read “Toddler Obesity Is on the Rise.”

The Benefits of Breastfeeding Are Being Sidelined in Favor of Infant Formula

Another notable reason why childhood illnesses are now rampant is that many parents are choosing to bottle-feed their babies, causing them to miss out on the wholesome benefits of breast milk. Thanks to infant formula marketing, our current culture now views breastfeeding as a lifestyle choice rather than a biological norm.

• Societal expectations undermine breastfeeding — In the West, mothers often feel pressured to stop breastfeeding once their child turns 1 year old. It’s often framed as inconvenient or unnecessary to breastfeed a baby once they reach this age. Furthermore, women who extend breastfeeding beyond a year are often seen as “weirdos” or overly attached.

• Breast milk is called “liquid gold” for a reason — Unlike formula, breast milk offers a unique blend of antibodies, immune factors, hormones and stem cells that tailor themselves to the needs of the child. It’s dynamic, adjusting its composition in response to cues from the baby’s saliva and feeding frequency.

• Breastfeeding bolsters your child’s immunity and cognitive health — Breastfed infants have better immune responses, lower risks of respiratory infections and better cognitive development. Studies suggest that breastfed babies often score higher on IQ tests.15

• It’s also associated with a lower risk of being overweight and obese — Not only does exclusive breastfeeding prevent the early introduction of foods that may trigger weight gain, but it also establishes a healthy gut microbiome, which is key to lifelong health.16

• Breastfeeding benefits mothers as well — They have lower risks of postpartum depression, premenopausal cancers, osteoporosis, and other diseases. Breastfeeding is also instrumental in establishing a bond between mother and child.

Absolutely nothing compares to breast milk in terms of nutrition, so if you are a new mother and still lactating, breastfeeding would be the best choice for both you and your child to help them avoid these chronic health conditions from childhood until adulthood. I recommend reading “The Power of Breastfeeding” to learn more about the benefits of breastfeeding.

Fostering Healthy Habits Early in Life Is Key to Preventing Chronic Conditions
The chronic conditions covered by the featured study are driven by poor diet, stress, pollution, and lack of access to healthy habits from the start. If you feel overwhelmed, don’t be. There are strategies to help your child avoid becoming part of these statistics. I’ve put together five steps you use right now to reduce risk and support their long-term health.

1. Clean up your child’s diet and remove inflammatory foods — Eliminate processed foods, seed oils, and anything made with high amounts of processed sugar. Start cooking simple meals at home with animal-based proteins, grass fed butter, ghee, root vegetables, white rice and whole fruits. If your child has gut issues or food sensitivities, start with easily digestible carbs like white rice and whole fruits.

Avoid store-bought sauces and packaged snacks that are filled with chemicals and hidden industrial fats. If you are not sure what’s safe, use this rule — If it comes in a box with marketing on the front, don’t buy it.

2. Reduce exposure to environmental toxins — If you live in a polluted city or near industrial areas, filter your indoor air. Avoid synthetic fragrances, candles and harsh cleaning chemicals. Focus on using simple products — baking soda, vinegar, and natural soap go a long way. If your child has asthma, this step is non-negotiable. Removing environmental irritants gives their lungs a fighting chance.

3. Focus on sleep and stress management — Children need structured sleep routines. Aim for 10 to 12 hours of sleep for younger kids and at least nine hours for teenagers. Reduce their screentime — gadgets must be turned off an hour before bed.

If your child struggles with anxiety or behavioral issues, establish calming rituals like reading together, spending time outdoors, and cutting out high-sugar snacks that spike and crash energy levels. I recommend making sleep a family priority — it resets hormones, lowers cortisol, and allows their bodies to heal.

4. Prioritize safe movement and sunlight — Allow your child to play and spend time outdoors, especially if they have behavioral or mood issues. Light exposure in the morning improves mood, circadian rhythm, and brain function.

Walking, swimming, and gentle play help regulate energy, build strong muscles, and encourage healthy metabolism. Avoid over-scheduled lives packed with indoor screen time. Simpler routines with daily activity outdoors are the foundation for stable mental and physical health.

5. Watch for early warning signs and act quickly — If you notice weight gain, chronic fatigue, skin rashes, or changes in mood and focus, don’t ignore them. These are your body’s warning signals. Address them early with diet changes, detoxifying your environment, and restoring healthy sleep.

If your child has blood sugar issues or you suspect prediabetes, cut processed carbs and introduce balanced meals with protein, fiber, and clean carbs. Prevention is far easier than reversal, and you have control over these daily choices.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) About Chronic Health Conditions in Children

Q: Why are so many kids developing chronic health conditions?

A: Poor diet, stress, pollution, and lack of movement are driving chronic conditions like asthma, ADHD, autism, and prediabetes. Kids today are exposed to processed foods, environmental toxins, and disrupted sleep, all of which raise their risk early in life.

Q: What are early warning signs to watch for in my child?

A: Look out for weight gain, fatigue, mood changes, skin issues, frequent wheezing, and trouble focusing. These are clear signals that your child’s health needs attention.

Q: How does poverty affect my child’s risk of chronic disease?

A: Children in low-income homes are more likely to face chronic conditions due to poor nutrition, lack of safe environments, and limited access to healthcare. Stability and clean food make a big difference.

Q: What are the initial steps I can take to help protect my child’s health?

A: Clean up your child’s diet, reduce environmental toxins, make sleep and stress management a family priority, encourage daily sunlight and movement, and act on early symptoms.

Q: Why does prediabetes matter for kids?

A: Prediabetes leads to full-blown diabetes if ignored, putting your child at risk for heart disease, nerve damage, and kidney failure. Nutritionally balanced, unprocessed meals, eliminating processed sugars, and active play are key prevention tools.

Test Your Knowledge with Today’s Quiz!

Take today’s quiz to see how much you’ve learned from yesterday’s Mercola.com article.

What does aspirin do in your body to support your T cells?

It creates more T cells to fight cancer
It blocks a substance that slows down your T cells’ activity
Aspirin inhibits a substance in your body that normally hinders T cell movement, allowing them to move freely and attack cancer cells more effectively. Learn more.
It directs T cells to focus only on cancer cells
It provides energy to your T cells for stronger attacks

As you get older, you naturally lose muscle, a process called sarcopenia. Sarcopenia is a leading health concern among the elderly. Research from the Alliance for Aging Research1 shows that sarcopenia affects 11% of men and 9% of women living in community settings, 23% of men and 24% of women who are hospitalized, and 51% of men and 31% of women residing in nursing homes.

Age-related muscle loss makes everyday activities harder, affecting your balance, how easily you move and your ability to live independently. Simple things like getting up from a chair or climbing stairs become real struggles. But here’s the good news — strength training, also called resistance training, offers a powerful way to fight these changes.

How Strength Training Preserves and Builds Muscle

When you lift weights or do resistance exercises, you create tiny, harmless tears in your muscle fibers. Your body then repairs these tears, making your muscles stronger, a process called muscle protein synthesis. Regular strength training keeps this process going, helping you preserve and even build muscle as you age.2

Maintaining strong, healthy muscle mass is key to staying independent and enjoying a good quality of life as you get older. It boosts your metabolism, making it easier to stay at a healthy weight. It also enhances your ability to control blood sugar, which lowers your risk of Type 2 diabetes. Stronger muscles also support your bones, making them denser and lowering your risk of falls and fractures.3

Starting strength training doesn’t mean you need a gym membership or expensive equipment. Simply begin with exercises like squats, lunges, push-ups and rows, which use your own body weight as resistance to engage and strengthen major muscle groups. These exercises are easily adapted to your fitness level. As you get stronger, increase the challenge by adding weights or resistance bands.

Strength Training Turns Your Body Eight Years Younger

A study from Brigham Young University,4 published in the journal Biology in October 2024, provides compelling evidence on how strength training influences biological aging by slowing cellular deterioration. The researchers analyzed data from 4,814 U.S. adults aged 20 to 69, focusing on the length of their telomeres, which are the protective caps at the ends of chromosomes.

Telomere length naturally shortens with age and is a well-established marker of biological aging, with shorter telomeres linked to increased risks of chronic diseases and mortality. Factors such as obesity, smoking, poor diet, Type 2 diabetes and low socioeconomic status accelerate telomere shortening by increasing inflammation and oxidative stress.5

The participants were also surveyed about their physical activity levels, including how often they performed strength training exercises. The researchers categorized participants into three groups based on their strength training habits — those who performed no strength training (less than 10 minutes weekly), those who trained moderately (10 to 50 minutes weekly) and those who trained extensively (60 minutes or more weekly).

Their findings6 showed that adults training for an hour weekly had significantly longer telomeres than those who did not perform resistance exercises, while even moderate strength training showed measurable benefits.

“Adults who strength trained for one hour or more per week (the highest category) had significantly longer telomeres than those who did not engage in strength training. Additionally, adults who reported some strength training, but less than one hour per week, had significantly longer telomeres than the non-strength trainers.

Men and women in the highest strength training category had telomeres that were 238 base pairs longer than those of non-lifters, and those in the moderate strength training category had telomeres that were 140 base pairs longer than those of non-strength trainers,” the researchers explained.7

These results demonstrate that you don’t need intense or time-consuming strength training to benefit — small, consistent efforts will still deliver meaningful results. But what does this actually mean for your biological age? According to the authors:

“[T]he findings showed that for each 10 minutes spent strength training per week, telomeres were 6.7 base pairs longer, on average. Therefore, 90 minutes per week of strength training was predictive of telomeres that were 60.3 base pairs longer, on average.

Because each year of chronological age was associated with telomeres that were 15.47 base pairs shorter in this national sample, 90 minutes per week of strength training was associated with 3.9 years less biological aging, on average. This interpretation suggests that an hour of strength training three times per week (180 total minutes) was associated with 7.8 years less biological aging.”8

In other words, by adding 90 minutes of resistance exercises weekly to your workout routine, you’ll be able to offset nearly four years of cellular aging, while those engaging in three one-hour sessions weekly might slow aging by almost eight years.

However, while this study demonstrates the benefits of resistance training for cellular aging, it’s important to consider the broader context of exercise. Extensive or intense strength training is not something I recommend, as other research9 has shown that overdoing it significantly reduces the longevity benefits of exercise. This brings us to an important question — How much strength training is enough, and how much is too much?

The Sweet Spot for Strength Training

In my interview with cardiologist James O’Keefe, he discussed findings from his research, wherein he observed that vigorous exercise backfires, especially when done in high volumes. In fact, I radically changed my exercise program after he presented his data.

Specifically, people who were doing a total of four to seven hours of high-intensity training start losing the health benefits that exercise confers. According to O’Keefe, more is not necessarily better when it comes to lifting weights:

“I’ve always been a fan of strength training … But again, the devil is in the details about the dosing. When you look at people who do strength training, it adds another 19% reduction in all-cause mortality on top of the 45% reduction that you get from one hour of moderate exercise per day.

When I strength train, I go to the gym and spend anywhere from 20 to 40 minutes, and … I try to use weights that I can do 10 reps with … After that, you’re feeling sort of like spent and … it takes a couple of days to recover. If you do that two, at the most three, times a week, that looks like the sweet spot for conferring longevity.”

The graphs above, which come from O’Keefe’s meta-analysis,10 show the J-shaped dose-response for strength training activities and all-cause mortality. As shown in the graph, the benefits max out at around 40 to 60 minutes per week. Beyond that, the benefits plateau and eventually reverse.

So why does excessive exercise reduce lifespan? Prolonged intense physical activity places chronic stress on the body, leading to issues like cardiac overuse injury and an increased risk of musculoskeletal injuries. Overtraining also impairs recovery, causing fatigue, reduced performance and a weakened immune system.11

When you’re doing strength training for a total of 130 to 140 minutes per week, the longevity benefits of exercise go down to the point as if you’re not exercising at all. In short, if you train for three to four hours a week, your long-term survival is actually worse than people who don’t do strength training at all.

Again, when you’re doing intense vigorous exercise in excess, you’re still better off than people who are sedentary. But for some (yet undetermined) reason, excessive strength training leaves you worse off than being sedentary.

The lesson here is to keep strength training to 20 minutes twice a week on non-consecutive days, or 40 minutes once a week. Moreover, it’s just an add-on to your exercise regimen — don’t center your entire exercise sessions around it. Moderate-intensity exercise such as walking gives you far greater benefits.

Interestingly, this moderate amount of strength training aligns with findings from the Brigham Young University study,12 which showed that even small doses of resistance training — around 10 to 50 minutes weekly — result in measurable benefits to telomere length, slowing biological aging without the risks associated with overtraining.

Beyond Muscles — The Other Benefits of Strength Training for Your Body

While strength training is often used to build muscles, its benefits extend far beyond that. Like your muscles, your bones also weaken as you age. And just as strength training builds muscle, it also strengthens bones. Osteoporosis, which weakens bones and increases the risk of fractures in areas like the hips, spine and wrists, is mitigated by weight-bearing exercises.13

These exercises exert a healthy amount of stress on your bones, which makes them denser and stronger. This is based on a principle called Wolff’s Law — your bones adapt to the stress you put on them.14 This leads to fewer fractures, better posture and improved mobility. Exercises such as squats, deadlifts (with proper form), stair climbing and even brisk walking are effective for bone health, and proper technique is essential to avoid injury.15,16

Beyond skeletal benefits, strength training boosts metabolism by increasing muscle mass, which burns calories even when you’re resting. As you age and naturally lose muscle, your metabolism slows, making weight management more challenging.

Strength training combats this by enhancing your resting metabolic rate (RMR),17 helping your body burn calories efficiently. A faster metabolism also improves insulin sensitivity, boosting your body’s ability to regulate blood sugar levels and decreasing your risk of Type 2 diabetes.18

Strength training improves balance and coordination as well,19 reducing the risk of falls, which are a major concern for older adults. This translates to greater independence and the ability to enjoy daily activities. Additionally, strength training benefits your brain, with research suggesting it enhances memory, attention and processing speed.20

By promoting the growth of new brain cells and strengthening connections between them, it protects against cognitive decline and lowers the risk of dementia.21 By incorporating strength training into your routine, you not only build stronger muscles but also strengthen bones, rev up your metabolism, improve balance and boost brain health. It’s a comprehensive investment in your long-term well-being.

Boost Muscle Growth with Blood Flow Restriction Training

If you’re looking to enhance your gains from strength training, consider incorporating blood flow restriction (BFR) training into your routine. I believe this is the greatest innovation in exercise training in the last century. It is also known as KAATSU in Japan, and was developed by Dr. Yoshiaki Sato in 1966.

BFR training involves the use of bands or cuffs to partially restrict blood flow to working muscles during exercise. This creates a temporary state of hypoxia (low oxygen levels), which triggers the release of anti-inflammatory myokines, which, as discussed above, promote beneficial hormonal responses and enhance muscle growth. By stimulating muscle protein synthesis, this technique significantly increases muscle mass, making it an effective tool for combating sarcopenia.

One of the standout benefits of KAATSU training is that it allows individuals, especially older adults, to achieve remarkable results without the need for heavy weights. With BFR, you’ll be able to use very light weights — or even no weights at all — and still experience substantial muscle growth. This makes it a safe and accessible option for anyone intimidated by traditional strength training.

I also recommend incorporating KAATSU while doing everyday activities for added convenience. As explained in my interview with Steven Munatones, a KAATSU practitioner who mentored under Sato:

“KAATSU cycle is basically a very clever biohack that will allow the muscles to work and allow the vascular tissue to become more elastic. You don’t perceive the pain of heavy lifting, but your vascular tissue and muscle fibers are being worked out just as effectively, and you can do it for a longer period of time.

Putting the KAATSU bands on your legs and walking down to the beach, walking your dog or just walking around the neighborhood, standing, cleaning your windows of your house, folding your clothes, banging out emails, all of these things can be done with the KAATSU bands on your arms or legs. You’re getting the benefit of exercise.

Beta endorphins are being produced; hormones and metabolites are being produced as you’re doing simple things — and that is the way to get the older population in Japan, in the United States, around the world, to understand that you can stop sarcopenia, but you have to exercise. You don’t have to run a 10K, you don’t have to go down to Gold’s Gym. Just put on the KAATSU bands and live your life.”

Protein Intake — The Essential Partner to Resistance Exercises

While strength training is important for building muscle mass, it’s only half the equation. Adequate protein intake, particularly from animal-based sources, is essential for maintaining and growing muscle. Protein provides the building blocks your body needs to repair and strengthen muscle tissue, making it indispensable for achieving your fitness goals.

For optimal results, aim for your protein intake to be about 15% of your daily calories. To help you compute the specific amount, follow this guide — most adults need about 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of ideal body weight, which is your target weight, not your current weight. For example, if your target weight is 135 pounds (61.23 kilograms), your daily protein requirement is about 49 grams.

For most normal-weight adults, at least 30 grams of protein per meal is needed to stimulate muscle protein synthesis. For children, 5 to 10 grams per meal is sufficient. Additionally, one-third of your total protein intake needs come from collagen (in the example given, that would be about 16 grams) to ensure a balanced amino acid profile that supports muscle and connective tissue health.

By combining resistance training with an appropriate protein-rich diet, you build not only stronger muscles but also a foundation for better health, improved metabolism and greater resilience against disease.

Atrazine is one of the most commonly used herbicides in the United States, particularly in agriculture. While its environmental impacts have been studied for years, growing research suggests it also has significant adverse effects on human health, especially on our brains.

According to recent studies, there’s increasing evidence linking atrazine exposure to faster brain aging and a higher risk of developing neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s.

From Farm to Fork — How We’re Exposed to Atrazine

Atrazine is primarily used in agriculture to control weeds in crops like corn, sorghum and sugarcane.1 Farmers spray it on fields to protect their crops from unwanted plants that compete for sunlight and nutrients.

This widespread use allows atrazine to easily spread into the environment. Rain washes atrazine from fields into nearby streams, rivers and lakes, contaminating surface water. It also seeps into the ground, polluting groundwater sources that many people rely on for drinking water.2

Because atrazine is so widely used and persists in the environment, it travels far from where it’s initially applied. Studies have shown that it can be found in water sources and even in the air far from agricultural areas.3 This persistence and mobility mean that many people are exposed to atrazine, even if they don’t live near farms.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) sets limits on the amount of atrazine allowed in drinking water.4 However, there are growing concerns about the effects of long-term exposure to even low levels of this chemical.

There are several ways people are exposed to atrazine. The most common route is through contaminated drinking water. Small amounts of atrazine are also found in some foods, especially crops grown in areas where the herbicide is used heavily.

People who work directly with atrazine, like farmers and pesticide applicators, have a higher risk of exposure through skin contact and inhalation.5 Atrazine is also present in dust and air, particularly in agricultural areas, posing another potential exposure route.

It’s important to understand that even small amounts of atrazine consumed regularly can add up over time, like adding a little sugar to your coffee every day. Though one small amount seems insignificant, it can accumulate and cause problems in the long run. According to a statement from the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry:

“Larger atrazine particles may deposit before reaching the lungs and be coughed up and swallowed. If your skin comes in contact with atrazine-contaminated soil or water, a small amount of it may pass through your skin and into your bloodstream. If you swallow food, water, or soil containing atrazine, most of it will pass through the lining of your stomach and intestines and enter your bloodstream.

Once atrazine enters your bloodstream (is absorbed), it is distributed to many parts of your body.”6

Perhaps most concerning is the potential for exposure during pregnancy and early childhood, when the brain is still developing and is especially vulnerable to toxic substances.7 One study found that women who live in areas with high atrazine exposure had higher odds of preterm birth.8

While the EPA regulates atrazine use in the United States, other countries have taken a different approach. The European Union, for example, has banned the use of atrazine due to concerns about its potential health and environmental risks.9 This difference in regulation highlights the ongoing scientific debate about the safety of atrazine and the need for continued research.

Atrazine Exposure Accelerates Brain Aging in Mice, Study Finds

In a recent study published in the journal Research,10 researchers investigated the potential link between atrazine exposure and accelerated brain aging in mice. They designed the experiment to expose mice to environmentally relevant levels of atrazine throughout their drinking water for an extended period, mimicking potential chronic low-dose exposure in humans.

The researchers subjected the mice to a battery of behavioral tests to assess their cognitive function and motor skills. According to their observations, the atrazine-exposed mice exhibited a range of concerning changes in their brains, performing significantly worse on tasks requiring memory, learning and spatial navigation compared to the control group. They also exhibited decreased motor coordination and balance.

These findings suggest that chronic atrazine exposure leads to cognitive decline and motor impairments, mimicking symptoms observed in neurodegenerative diseases.

Another key point of the study was that atrazine affected the neurotransmitters, the chemical messengers that facilitate communication between brain cells. They found that atrazine exposure led to imbalances in crucial neurotransmitters like dopamine and acetylcholine.

Dopamine plays a key role in movement, reward and motivation, while acetylcholine is essential for memory and learning. These alterations in neurotransmitter signaling could explain some of the behavioral changes observed in the atrazine-exposed mice.

“[O]ur findings identify a previously unrecognized mechanism of AT-induced hypothalamic toxicity and provide preliminary evidence linking pesticide exposure to the development of NDs [neurodegenerative diseases],” the researchers concluded.11

Hacking the Brain’s Biological Clock — How Atrazine Speeds Up Aging

Aging is a natural process that affects all parts of the body, including the brain. Two key processes that contribute to brain aging are oxidative stress and inflammation. According to the featured animal study, atrazine exposure triggers both processes in mice brain cells.

The researchers discover elevated markers for oxidative stress and inflammation in the brains of atrazine-exposed mice.12 Oxidative stress is like rust forming on metal; it’s damage to cells caused by unstable molecules called free radicals.

On the other hand, inflammation is the body’s natural response to injury or infection, but if it’s chronic, it also damages cells over time. Both oxidative stress and inflammation are strongly linked to aging and the development of neurodegenerative diseases.

When atrazine enters the brain, it disrupts normal cellular processes, leading to the production of more free radicals and setting off an inflammatory response. These processes damage important parts of brain cells, like DNA, proteins and fats, much like rust weakens metal. Similar animal studies also found that atrazine exposure have shown increased levels of markers for oxidative stress and inflammation in their brains.13

Healthy brain cells rely on several important processes to function properly. Two of these processes are autophagy and mitochondrial function. Autophagy is like a cellular cleanup system that removes damaged or unnecessary parts of the cell. Mitochondria are like the power plants of the cell, providing energy for all cellular activities. According to the featured study, atrazine interferes with both vital processes as well.14

The researchers observed that atrazine exposure significantly impaired both autophagy and mitochondrial function in the mice. This disruption could lead to a buildup of cellular waste and decreased energy production, further compromising brain cell health and contributing to age-related decline.

This chemical also affects the mitochondria’s ability to produce energy. This is like disrupting the power supply to the brain, impacting its ability to function correctly. Research has demonstrated that atrazine negatively impacts mitochondrial function and induces oxidative stress in different cell types.15

The Link Between Atrazine and Parkinson’s Disease

Parkinson’s disease, a neurodegenerative disorder that affects movement, is characterized by the loss of brain cells that produce dopamine, a neurotransmitter crucial for controlling movement. Emerging research suggests a possible link between exposure to atrazine and an increased risk of developing Parkinson’s disease.

Studies have shown that people living in agricultural areas with high atrazine use have a higher incidence of Parkinson’s disease.16 In February 2024, a preliminary study looked at pesticide exposure and Parkinson’s disease rates in the Rocky Mountain and Great Plains regions. According to study author Brittany Krzyzanowski, Ph.D., of Barrow Neurological Institute in Phoenix, Arizona:

“We used geographic methods to examine the rates of Parkinson’s disease across the United States and compared those rates to regional levels of pesticide and herbicide use.

Our methods enabled us to identify parts of the nation where there was a relationship between most pesticides and Parkinson’s disease and subsequently pinpoint where the relationship was strongest so we could explore specific pesticides in that region. In the Rocky Mountain and Great Plains region, we identified 14 pesticides associated with Parkinson’s disease.”

The authors found that the pesticides and herbicides atrazine, simazine and lindane were strongly linked to Parkinson’s disease. When they divided counties into 10 groups based on exposure to pesticides, they observed that counties with the highest amount of application of the herbicides have higher rates of Parkinson’s disease. According to a news release from the American Academy of Neurology:

“[P]eople living in the counties with the highest amount of application of the herbicide simazine were 36% more likely to have Parkinson’s disease than people living in the counties with the lowest amount of exposure.

For the herbicide atrazine, those exposed to the highest amount were 31% more likely to have Parkinson’s disease than those with the lowest exposure. For the insecticide lindane, those with the most exposure were 25% more likely to have the disease.”17

This study suggests a correlation between exposure to atrazine (and other pesticides) and the development of this debilitating disease. While more research is needed to fully understand the connection, it is thought that atrazine’s effects on dopamine neurons could be a contributing factor.

Atrazine Also Contributes to a Higher Risk of Alzheimer’s Disease

Alzheimer’s disease is another neurodegenerative disorder that affects memory, thinking and behavior. It is characterized by the formation of amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles in the brain.18 While the exact causes of Alzheimer’s are still being researched, there is growing concern about the potential link between atrazine exposure and an increased risk of developing this disease and other forms of cognitive decline.

Research in animal models has explored the effects of atrazine on memory and learning. These studies have shown that exposure to atrazine impairs cognitive function,19 suggesting a potential link between the herbicide and Alzheimer’s-like symptoms. It’s also possible that chemicals like atrazine worsen existing risk factors for Alzheimer’s, making individuals more susceptible to the disease.20

Some people are more vulnerable to the harmful effects of atrazine on the brain, such as children whose brains are still developing, pregnant women and individuals with certain genetic predispositions. It’s particularly important to minimize atrazine exposure during critical periods of brain development, such as during pregnancy and early childhood.

Further research is needed to understand the long-term effects of low-level atrazine exposure, especially in these vulnerable groups. The potential health consequences of atrazine and other pesticides raise important ethical considerations about how we must balance agricultural needs with public health.

Take Control and Reduce Your Exposure to Atrazine

If you’re concerned about atrazine exposure, there are several steps to help protect yourself and your family. One of the most important steps is to ensure your drinking water is safe. Using whole-house water filters that are certified to remove atrazine, such as those with activated carbon, will help reduce your exposure. Ideally, filter water both at the point of entry and at exit points like showers and kitchen sinks.

If you have a private well, it’s a good idea to have your water tested regularly for atrazine and other contaminants. When preparing food, especially baby formula, using filtered water is a good way to minimize potential exposure.

Your dietary choices can also play a role in reducing atrazine exposure. Washing fruits and vegetables thoroughly will help remove any pesticide residues that may be present. Choosing organic produce whenever possible will further reduce your exposure to atrazine and other pesticides.

Supporting local farmers who use sustainable farming practices also helps reduce the overall use of atrazine in agriculture. Reducing your consumption of processed foods is another way to minimize potential exposure to pesticide residues that are present in these products.

You help protect the welfare of humans, animals, insects and the environment alike every time you shop organic, biodynamic and grass fed, as you are “voting” for less pesticides and herbicides with every organic and pastured food and consumer product you buy.

In addition, take steps to make your own backyard healthier for everyone by eliminating the use of pesticides and other chemicals and planting a diverse variety of native flowers and other plants.

Have you ever felt persistent pain in your shoulder, elbow, wrist or lower back, especially after engaging in activities that involve repetitive movements? These discomforts might stem from muscle imbalances — where certain muscles become stronger or tighter than their opposing counterparts.

Muscle imbalances disrupt the harmony of your musculoskeletal system, leading to altered movement patterns and increased stress on joints. This imbalance is particularly prevalent in athletes, including those who perform overhead movements, such as those in baseball, tennis, volleyball and water polo.1 However, muscle imbalances affect non-athletes as well — even working at a computer for long hours each day puts you at risk.

No matter the activity, when one side of your body becomes dominant due to repetitive use, the non-dominant side often lags behind in strength and flexibility. Muscle imbalances aren’t just a matter of asymmetry; they’re significant contributors to pain and injury in both athletes and the general population.

Aging doesn’t just mean gaining years; it also affects both mental and physical abilities, especially neuromuscular functions like balance. Balance plays a pivotal role in daily life. It is not just about standing upright; it involves a complex interplay of sensory inputs and neuromuscular control.

Good balance allows you to perform everyday tasks with ease, from walking and climbing stairs to carrying groceries. As balance deteriorates with age, even simple movements will become challenging, leading to a decreased quality of life. It also increases your risk of falls, which leads to severe injuries.

In a comprehensive study conducted at the Mayo Clinic,1 researchers examined how aging affects walking patterns, balance and muscle strength in individuals over the age of 50. They discovered that the ability to stand on one leg, known as unipedal stance, serves as an important indicator of neuromuscular aging and offers valuable insights for developing interventions to support older adults’ mobility, independence and overall well-being.

Assessing Balance Is Key to Understanding Neuromuscular Health in Older Adults

Traditional methods for evaluating neuromuscular aging often include gait analysis and strength measurements. Gait analysis examines walking patterns, while strength tests measure muscle power. However, these methods might not fully capture the subtle changes in balance that indicate early signs of neuromuscular decline.

In contrast, unipedal stance time emerges as a simple yet effective test for assessing neuromuscular health.2 The ability to stand on one leg demands the coordination of multiple sensory systems, including vision, the vestibular system and proprioception. These systems work together to maintain stability and adjust to any shifts in body position.

As individuals age, the efficiency of these sensory inputs and the neuromuscular control required for balance diminishes, leading to shorter durations of unipedal stance. Interestingly, the decline in unipedal stance time is shown to be more pronounced compared to changes in walking patterns or muscle strength. While gait speed and grip strength did decrease with age, they did so at a slower rate than balancing on one leg.

This indicates that unipedal stance time is a more sensitive and reliable indicator of neuromuscular aging. Moreover, unlike gait analysis or strength measurements, which require specialized equipment and trained personnel, balancing on one leg is easily performed anywhere without the need for advanced technology. This accessibility allows for frequent monitoring and early detection of neuromuscular decline.

Reduced Unipedal Stance Duration Linked to Age-Related Neuromuscular Changes

Published in the journal PLOS One,3 the featured study involved participants over the age of 50, who were asked to perform a series of balance tests, including standing on one leg for as long as possible with eyes open. This task was performed on both the dominant and non-dominant leg to capture any asymmetry in balance. During these tests, the researchers recorded unipedal stance duration, which was significantly influenced by age.

According to the results, participants’ unipedal stance time declined by approximately 2.2 seconds per decade on their non-dominant leg and 1.7 seconds on their dominant leg. This rapid reduction highlights how neuromuscular function deteriorates as you grow older. The study also found that the decline in unipedal stance time was consistent across both men and women, despite inherent differences in muscle strength between the sexes. The authors concluded:4

“Unipedal stance time is a valid measure of frailty, independence and fall status, and proves to be a useful tool in identifying patients with peripheral neuropathy.

… The importance of balance, especially in unipedal stance, arises from the fact that it requires multiple sensory inputs and neuromuscular control, in addition to adequate muscle strength. This is why balance on one leg, as demonstrated in our study, undergoes the fastest decline in our healthy cohort, reflecting age-related declines in muscle strength … and in the rapid coordination and integration of data by the central nervous system.”

Moreover, while unipedal stance was the primary measure of neuromuscular aging in this study,5 researchers also examined bipedal stance to provide additional context on age-related stability changes.

During bipedal stance, participants were observed for shifts in their center of pressure (CoP), which increased with age. This increase in CoP movement indicates that even in a more stable two-legged stance, older adults must make more subtle adjustments to maintain their balance.

Poor balance could indicate underlying health problems that require attention. Conditions such as cardiovascular issues, neurological disorders or the side effects of certain medications can impair balance. Recognizing a decline in balance allows for early detection and treatment of these health concerns.

Understanding Age-Related Changes in Muscle Strength

While unipedal stance time showed no significant gender differences, the study6 did reveal differences in strength measures between men and women. Men showed significantly higher grip and knee strength compared to women across all age groups.

However, the rate of age-related strength decline was similar for both sexes, with grip strength decreasing by about 3.7% per decade, while knee strength decreased by about 1.4%.

These findings show that aging affects muscle strength regardless of gender, even though men start with greater baseline strength. This gradual loss of muscle strength impacts daily activities and overall mobility. According to the authors:7

“Muscle strength serves as an additional indicator of muscle quality and a predictor of various health concerns, such as disability and mortality. Unlike level walking or balance tests, maximal muscle strength evaluates the greatest capacity of the muscle, which declines with age. The grip strength test, a simple and reliable measurement has been recognized as a powerful predictor of disability, mortality, and morbidity.

The current study observed a significant decline in grip strength, which decreased at a faster rate than knee strength. This trend aligns with findings from a longitudinal study, where grip strength was reported to decline more rapidly than hip or knee strength. Hence, grip strength serves as a better predictor of musculoskeletal aging than other strength measures.”

Strategies to Maintain Balance and Mobility as You Age

The researchers stress the need for proactive measures to support aging populations.8 One strategy is to incorporate balance exercises into daily workout routines. Activities like yoga, tai chi and specific balance training strengthen the muscles and improve coordination.9 These exercises help maintain the efficiency of your neuromuscular system, making it easier to stay steady on your feet.

Regular balance training also effectively mitigates age-related neuromuscular decline.10 Consistent practice not only improves your brain’s ability to coordinate movements but also enhances muscle strength. This dual benefit means that balance training slows down the natural aging process of the neuromuscular system.

Simple activities also make a big difference when you incorporate them into your daily habits. Try standing on one foot while brushing your teeth, walking heel-to-toe like on a tightrope or practicing standing from a chair without using your hands. These quick activities are easy to integrate into daily routines, significantly improving your balance and supporting your ability to move confidently and independently as you age. Other balancing exercises to try include:

1. Stability ball exercises — Sitting or kneeling on a stability ball challenges your core muscles and balance systems.

2. Ankle strengthening — Strong ankles are crucial for stability. Try writing the alphabet with your foot while seated, or practice rising up on your toes while standing.

3. Dynamic balance exercises — Try walking in different patterns — sideways, backward, or in a figure-eight — to challenge your dynamic balance.

4. Frog stand (Advanced) — This balance exercise involves crouching down and placing your knees on your upper arms while leaning forward to lift your feet off the ground. This position strengthens your core, improves balance and coordination, and enhances overall body awareness. It’s the one I do every day.

Additional Tips to Combat Age-Related Muscle Weakness

In addition to maintaining balance, preserving muscle mass and strength is essential for overall health and independence. Here are four effective strategies to help you maintain and even build muscle as you grow older:

1. Incorporate strength training into your routine — Perform strength training exercises for 20 minutes twice a week on non-consecutive days or 40 minutes once a week. Focus on major muscle groups using weights or resistance bands. Consistent strength training helps reduce the risk of muscle atrophy, enhances your ability to perform daily activities and boosts your metabolism.11

2. Prioritize proper posture — Maintain a straight back, keep your lumbar area relatively flat and slightly protrude your buttocks. Good posture reduces the strain on your muscles and joints, decreases the risk of back pain and promotes better overall muscle function.

3. Stay active throughout the day — Avoid prolonged periods of sitting by standing up and moving around every 15 minutes. Simple actions like walking, stretching or doing light exercises significantly improve your muscle health and reduce the risk of muscle loss.

4. Focus on functional movements — Perform exercises that mimic real-life movements like squats, lunges and lifting. Functional movements build strength in ways that support daily activities. By practicing these types of exercises, you strengthen not only isolated muscles but also improve coordination, stability, and balance, making everyday tasks easier and safer.

5. Optimize your protein intake — This macronutrient is important for muscle maintenance and building muscles. For most adults, the ideal protein intake is 15% of daily calories. Make sure one-third of your total protein intake is collagen to ensure you’re getting a healthy amino acid ratio.

A U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) report on honeybee colonies reveals a troubling trend that could have far-reaching consequences for your food supply and the environment.1 Varroa mites have emerged as the primary threat to honeybee populations, affecting a staggering 54.8% of colonies during April through June 2024.

These parasitic mites weaken bees, making them more susceptible to diseases and reducing their ability to survive harsh conditions. The impact of varroa mites on your local ecosystem cannot be overstated, as they contribute significantly to colony losses and pose a severe challenge to beekeepers nationwide. Understanding the severity of this problem and others facing honeybees is crucial, as it directly affects pollination services essential for many crops you rely on daily.

Colony Collapse Disorder: A Persistent Threat

While there’s a glimmer of hope with a 34% decrease in colonies lost to colony collapse disorder (CCD) symptoms from January through March 2024 compared to the same period in 2023, the issue remains a significant concern.2 CCD, characterized by the sudden disappearance of adult bees from the hive, continues to puzzle researchers and beekeepers alike.

The loss of 70,650 colonies to CCD symptoms in just three months highlights the ongoing struggle to maintain healthy bee populations.3 This mysterious phenomenon not only impacts honey production but also threatens the pollination of countless plants in your garden and local ecosystem. The reduction in CCD cases is encouraging, but it’s clear that more research and preventive measures are needed to protect your food security and biodiversity.

The USDA report paints a picture of constant flux in honeybee populations, with significant losses and additions throughout the year. From January through March 2024, beekeepers lost 396,820 colonies, representing a 15% decline. However, they also added 404,100 colonies during the same period, barely offsetting the losses.

This cycle of loss and renewal underscores the challenges faced by beekeepers in maintaining stable populations. The highest number of colonies lost in 2023 was during April through June, with 378,190 colonies lost.4 Pesticides were also named as a leading stressor in about 10% of colonies from January through June.5

These fluctuations have a direct impact on your local agriculture and ecosystems, as they affect the availability of pollinators for crops and wild plants alike. Understanding this dynamic is crucial for appreciating the efforts required to sustain honeybee populations and the vital services they provide.

Neonicotinoids: A Silent Killer in Your Garden

Common pesticides in your garden are contributing to the alarming decline in honeybee populations. One study shed light on how neonicotinoids, particularly thiacloprid, have long-lasting effects on honeybees even when exposed during their larval stage.6 Thiacloprid, once considered less toxic to bees than other neonicotinoids, is now under scrutiny for its significant impact on bee health.

The research reveals that exposure to sublethal concentrations of thiacloprid during the larval phase leads to reduced survival rates in adult bees. The exposed bees showed increased sugar-water consumption without corresponding weight gain, suggesting a disruption in their energy metabolism.7

This means that bees exposed to thiacloprid as larvae struggle to maintain their energy balance as adults, impacting their ability to forage and contribute to the colony’s survival.

Gut Microbiome Is a Key Player in Bee Health

Your gut health is crucial for your overall well-being, and the same is true for honeybees. The study uncovered that early-life exposure to thiacloprid significantly alters the gut microbiota of adult honeybees.8 On the first day after emergence, bees exposed to thiacloprid showed a dramatic reduction in gut microbial diversity. This disruption in the delicate balance of beneficial bacteria could have far-reaching consequences for bee health.

A healthy gut microbiome plays vital roles in digestion, nutrient absorption, metabolism and immunity. By disturbing this ecosystem, thiacloprid indirectly weakens bees’ defenses against pathogens and reduces their ability to extract nutrients from their food efficiently.

While the study found that the microbial diversity seemed to stabilize by the sixth day after emergence, the initial disruption during a critical period of development could have lasting effects on the bees’ overall health and resilience.9

From Hive to Human: The Ripple Effect of Pesticide Use

You might wonder why the health of honeybees should matter to you. The answer lies in the intricate web of ecological relationships that sustain our food systems. Honeybees are primary pollinators, playing a crucial role in global ecosystems and agricultural biodiversity. Their decline doesn’t just mean less honey; it threatens the very foundations of our food security.

Even pesticides considered “less toxic” have long-term effects that disrupt the delicate balance of nature. When you use neonicotinoids in your garden or purchase produce grown with these pesticides, you’re unknowingly contributing to a chain reaction that weakens bee colonies.

This, in turn, affects crop yields and the overall health of our ecosystems. So, your individual actions, even at the level of choosing garden products, have far-reaching consequences for the environment and, ultimately, your own well-being.

The Hidden Toll of Industrial Agriculture on Honeybees

In intensive agricultural areas, honeybees also face a rollercoaster of feast and famine as crops bloom and wither. During food shortages between mass flowerings, researchers found that worker bees start foraging at a younger age — essentially growing up too fast.10 This premature maturation comes at a steep cost, shortening the bees’ overall lifespan.

By analyzing the life histories of over 1,035 individual bees across different landscapes, scientists uncovered how food scarcity pushes young bees to become foragers earlier than normal.11 While this helps the colony gather resources in the short-term, it means each worker bee lives a shorter life.

Over time, this accelerated life cycle threatens the survival of entire colonies. The findings reveal an invisible toll that modern farming practices take on bee populations, even when the effects aren’t immediately obvious. Understanding these hidden stressors and embracing alternatives like regenerative agriculture are crucial for protecting the pollinators your food supply depends on.

A Lifeline in the Agricultural Desert

Amid the sea of cropland, patches of wilderness provide a vital refuge for bees. The study, published in Science of The Total Environment, found that areas with more semi-natural habitats like meadows, hedgerows and woodlands helped buffer honeybees against the harsh effects of food shortages.12 In landscapes with abundant natural areas, bees were able to delay foraging and live longer lives overall.

This protective effect was especially pronounced during times of scarcity between crop blooms. Bees with access to diverse wild plants maintained more normal life cycles, avoiding the premature aging seen in more barren agricultural zones.

These oases of biodiversity are critical for supporting pollinator health. Even small increases in natural habitat around farms could make a big difference for bee populations. By preserving and restoring these areas, you can help create a more hospitable environment for the bees that your food system relies on.

The Delicate Balance of a Bee’s Lifespan

The researchers uncovered an intriguing trade-off in bee development: workers that start foraging too early or too late tend to have shorter foraging careers overall. The sweet spot appears to be around 14 days old — bees that began foraging at this age had the longest productive lifespans as foragers.13

This delicate balance likely relates to the bees’ physiology. Those pushed to forage too young may not be physically ready for the demanding job. On the flip side, bees that delay foraging for too long may have limited time left in their natural lifespan. Understanding this optimal timing could help beekeepers and farmers better support healthy colonies.

The presence of diverse natural habitats seems to help bees hit this developmental “sweet spot” more often. By creating and supporting an environment that allows for more normal bee development, you can support more robust and resilient pollinator populations in your area.

Hope for Reversing Honeybee Decline

While the findings paint a sobering picture of honeybee health in many industrial agriculture landscapes, they also point to achievable solutions. The study showed that even modest increases in semi-natural habitat around crops have significant benefits for bee populations.14

Simple changes like planting hedgerows, establishing wildflower meadows or leaving some land fallow can make a big difference. These practices not only support bees but also provide habitat for other beneficial insects and wildlife. As a consumer, you can support these efforts by choosing products from small farms that prioritize biodiversity.

You can also create pollinator-friendly spaces in your own yard or community. By advocating for and implementing these changes, you have the power to help reverse the decline of bees and other crucial pollinators.

Take Action to Protect Bees and Your Health

Armed with this knowledge, you have the ability to make a difference. Start by avoiding the use of neonicotinoids and other synthetic pesticides in your own garden. Opt for organic, regenerative gardening methods and support small farmers who practice bee-friendly agriculture. When shopping for plants, ask nurseries if their plants have been treated with neonicotinoids and choose untreated options.

Remember, protecting bee health is ultimately about protecting your own health and the health of future generations. By making conscious choices, you’re not just helping to preserve bee populations; you’re also reducing your exposure to potentially harmful chemicals.

The research on how thiacloprid affects bee metabolism and gut health serves as a warning sign for human health as well. As you work to create a safer environment for bees, you’re also creating a healthier world for yourself and your loved ones. Every small action counts in the fight to preserve our pollinators and ensure a truly sustainable future for all.

Colony Renovation and Conservation Efforts

Meanwhile, despite the challenges, there are signs of proactive measures being taken to strengthen honeybee populations. Colony renovation is a one technique used by beekeepers to maintain and improve the health and productivity of their honeybee colonies.

This process typically involves one of two main approaches: requeening or introducing new bees. Requeening is the practice of replacing an existing queen bee with a new, often younger and more vigorous queen. This helps improve the colony’s genetics, increase egg-laying rates and enhance disease resistance.

Alternatively, beekeepers may introduce new bees through nucleus colonies (small, starter colonies) or packages (boxes containing worker bees and a queen). These methods allow beekeepers to strengthen weak colonies, replace lost bees or start entirely new hives.

By regularly renovating their colonies, beekeepers address issues such as declining populations, poor queen performance or genetic weaknesses, ultimately ensuring the long-term viability and productivity of their apiaries.

According to the USDA report, from April through June 2024, 521,790 colonies were renovated, representing 19% of the total.15 This process helps maintain genetic diversity and colony health, important factors in building resilience against threats like varroa mites and diseases.

As a consumer and member of your local community, supporting these conservation efforts through informed choices and advocacy makes a significant difference. By understanding the importance of these renovation efforts, you contribute to the long-term sustainability of honeybee populations and the ecosystems they support.

Dementia is not a normal part of aging, contrary to what some people believe. In fact, many healthy individuals live their entire lives without developing any form of dementia — yet today, more and more people are gradually experiencing poor cognitive function as they age.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC),1 the number of dementia cases among adults 65 years and older is expected to balloon to 14 million by 2060 — that’s nearly a threefold increase from 10 years ago. This makes it even more important to implement strategies that may help protect against this disease.

In August 2024, The Lancet journal2 released a report detailing new evidence about dementia care and prevention, identifying some modifiable risk factors. According to the report, sensory impairments, even those that are mild to moderate, are associated with developing dementia later in life.

Hearing Loss Identified as a Risk Factor for Dementia

Hearing loss or “presbycusis” is one of the risk factors listed by the featured report. An estimated 20% of people worldwide suffer from this condition, and of those affected, 62% are around 50 years old or older.3

The study authors looked at five meta-analyses and determined that all found a link between hearing loss and dementia. The meta-analyses also indicate that as hearing loss progresses, the dementia risk becomes higher, saying that “the magnitude of this risk increase varied between studies, from a 4% increase to a 24% increase in dementia risk per 10 dB [decibels] decrease in hearing ability.”4

A separate review published in the Neuroscientist journal5 looked at the sensory impairments associated with dementia, and pinpointed several mechanisms by which hearing loss may lead to cognitive decline. These include brain changes in the hearing pathway and mental overload that occurs when a hard-of-hearing person strains to understand what’s being said. According to the researchers:

“We have suggested that increased activity in medial temporal lobe mechanisms for auditory cognition during real-world listening, acting to compensate for peripheral hearing loss, might augment the early pathologic mechanisms for AD [Alzheimer’s disease] in the same areas.

Other rodent work has shown that increased external auditory stimulation improves spatial cognition and decreases amyloid deposition in the auditory cortex and hippocampus in a genetic mouse model of AD.”6

The Lancet Adds Vision Loss to Its List of Modifiable Risk Factors
The Lancet report also included vision loss as a sensory impairment associated with dementia. This addition was done after they acquired “considerable new evidence” connecting these two conditions. Based on their findings, nearly 2% of dementia cases were linked to having untreated vision loss in a person’s senior years.7 The study authors explained:

“This evidence includes a meta-analysis of 14 prospective cohort studies, with follow-up of 3.7 to 14.5 years, including 6,204,827 older adults who were cognitively intact at baseline, of whom 171,888 developed dementia. Vision loss was associated with a pooled RR [relative risk] for dementia of 1.47.”8

In 2023, a review published in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences noted that glaucoma,9 the second-leading cause of blindness worldwide, shares some biomarkers with Alzheimer’s disease.

According to the researchers, “[t]he pathophysiological process underlying AD is in many aspects similar to that of glaucoma. Numerous epidemiological studies using immunohistochemical and animal data support the link between the two diseases.”10

The ‘Use It or Lose It’ Principle Applies to Brain Tissue

In an article published in The New York Times,11 the researchers provided a simple explanation as to why sensory impairments may be associated with dementia, and it has something to do with how you use your brain tissue.

Basically, if you have sensory loss, there’s less input coming into your brain. As a result, your brain undergoes less stimulation, which can lead to more atrophy — this means you either use your brain tissue or you lose it. As reported in The New York Times:

“The area of the brain that processes auditory information is close to the region most affected by Alzheimer’s disease, suggesting there may be an anatomical connection. Visual information is fed into another part of the brain, but how we use that information activates many different regions.

‘As you’ve reduced activation of certain areas of the brain, you get faster rates of atrophy there to some degree,’ said Dr. Frank Lin, a professor of otolaryngology at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. ‘Which you can imagine has cascading effects on other areas of brain function and structure, as well.’”12

Sensory impairments during adulthood can also lead to social withdrawal, as many people who struggle with these disorders tend to stop engaging with others. This increases loneliness, which is also a risk factor for dementia.

Dr. Gill Livingston, a professor of psychiatry at University College London and the lead author of The Lancet report, shares that people who are in the early stages of dementia may also develop symptoms faster when they lose their sense of hearing or vision. This is because they typically use up more brain power when trying to recognize blurry vision or garbled sounds, leaving fewer resources for everyday memory and cognition.13

She also highlights the importance of addressing these sensory impairments early on, to reduce your dementia risk. Dementia has currently no known treatment or cure, which is why understanding the link between these two modifiable risk factors and dementia may help researchers develop new management or treatment strategies.

“Some people will still develop dementia, but if they address these risks they should have a longer, healthier life and will not have dementia for such a long time,” Livingston explains. “It’s never too early or too late to take action, with opportunities to make an impact at any stage of life.”14

Excessive Noise Can Lead to Hearing Loss

Your sense of hearing can deteriorate naturally and may even start during early adulthood. There are numerous factors that may lead to this condition, although in some people, the deterioration occurs faster, possibly due to genetics or, more commonly, constant exposure to noise and loud sounds.

“Isolation and Dementia — Why We Should Protect Our Ears,” a documentary from the German broadcaster, Deutsche Welle (DW), embedded above, tackles the topic of hearing damage brought on by noise pollution. It highlights some of the day-to-day situations wherein people are inevitably exposed to excessive amounts of noise — working in nightclubs, busy kitchens and even doing landscape work, and how it has affected their health.

Thomas Sünder, a 49-year-old who worked as a full-time DJ, shares how his health gradually deteriorated after being exposed to over 100 decibels of continuous noise and music every night. He suddenly collapsed due to a severe vertigo attack in the middle of a gig. Soon after, he experienced tinnitus (a ringing sound in the ear), followed by sudden hearing loss.

“I woke up and suddenly felt like I had cotton in my ear. But there was none, and everything was muffled on one side,” he said. As a result, he can no longer stand staying in places with too much noise. Even while wearing custom ear plugs for protection, he says the noise in the club is still unbearable. “It’s so loud that my body is reacting and I’m nervous about my ears, because my ears are already my weak point and it makes me super uncomfortable,” he shares.

Sünder’s condition isn’t an isolated case. In fact, more than 1 billion people worldwide are now at high risk of hearing loss due to constant exposure to noise pollution.15 And when hearing loss occurs, brain deterioration follows.

Dr. Bernhard Junge-Hülsing, an ear, nose, and throat specialist, explains that your brain deteriorates faster if you can’t hear well. It also deteriorates when you’re not interacting with others or are not participating in life. As explained in the documentary:

“Our auditory center works like a muscle that needs to be trained. New auditory impressions cause a constant adjustment in the brain. However, this means that if the auditory system is no longer activated with new impulses, the ‘muscle’ becomes paralyzed. This could even lead to dementia.”

Using Hearing Aids May Help Protect Your Cognitive Health

Sünder has since quit being a DJ and is now working as a hearing aid acoustician in Hamburg, helping other people who are also dealing with hearing loss. He also assists people in finding the appropriate hearing restorative devices to improve their hearing. With modern technology now coming up with better designs and more sophisticated modifications, there could soon be more efficient ways for these devices to address functional hearing loss.

In the U.S., around 38 million adults are dealing with hearing loss; 29 million of them could benefit from using hearing aids.16 What’s more, studies have found that using these tools may help with brain health, protecting against the onset of dementia.

A 2023 meta-analysis published in the journal JAMA Neurology found that using hearing restorative devices led to a 19% decrease in risk factors related to cognitive decline, and a 3% improvement in cognitive test scores.17

Similar findings were seen during a three-year, multicenter, randomized controlled trial, dubbed the Aging and Cognitive Health Evaluation in Elders (ACHIEVE) study.18 They found that in populations who are at high risk of cognitive decline, those who wore hearing restorative devices for three years had less cognitive decline versus those who didn’t use these tools. The researchers concluded:

“Results from the ACHIEVE study add to the growing evidence base that suggests addressing modifiable risk factors for cognitive decline and dementia could be impactful in reducing the future global burden of dementia.

Based on evidence from the ACHIEVE study, hearing loss may be a particularly important global public health target for dementia prevention efforts given that hearing loss is highly prevalent among older adults and is treatable with an established intervention (i.e., hearing aids and related support services).”19

Other Strategies to Protect Your Sense of Hearing

Prevention is always better than treatment after the fact and, in the case of hearing loss, is particularly important. This is because, as the featured documentary mentions, your sense of hearing does not regenerate, unlike your other organs. It’s crucial to take the necessary measures to protect your ears, to reduce your risk of hearing loss and avoid the need for hearing aids in the first place.

Protecting your ears from loud noises is one strategy. If you’re prone to unsafe listening practices, such as using earbuds or headphones at high volumes or always frequenting loud entertainment venues (like concerts), your risk for noise-induced hearing loss increases.20

Hence, a commonsense approach is to practice safe listening habits and taking the necessary precautions when going to loud environments, such as wearing protective earplugs. This is particularly important if exposure to loud noises is part of your daily routine.

It’s also a good idea to take regular listening breaks from using personal audio devices to give your ears a rest. For more tips in protecting your ears from noise, read my article, “The Damaging Impact of Noise on Your Health.”

I also recommend getting proper nourishment to keep your ears healthy. A 2023 study published in PLOS Biology21 found that plant-based compounds called phytosterols, which are similar in structure to cholesterol, may help improve the function of your outer hair cells in the inner ear, helping amplify sounds. According to the researchers:

“Our findings point towards the importance of cholesterol homeostasis in the inner ear as an innovative therapeutic strategy in preventing and/or delaying hearing loss.”22

Nutrients That Nourish Your Eyes

As for your vision, remember that the health of your eyes largely depends on your lifestyle; one important aspect that you need to take care of is your diet. Providing your eyes with the proper nourishment can go a long way toward keeping them healthy well into your senior years.

Carotenoids like lutein, zeaxanthin and meso-zeaxanthin are plant compounds with potent antioxidant qualities. They protect your macula, the part of your retina that’s responsible for your vision, from blue light and harmful ultraviolet (UV) light from the sun and other light sources. Your body cannot produce these nutrients, which is why you need to get them from your diet. Some of the best sources include:

Green leafy vegetables like spinach, kale and broccoli
Orange- and yellow-colored fruits and vegetables like squash and bell peppers
Eggs from free-range, pastured hens (choose those with bright orange yolks, which indicate elevated levels of lutein and zeaxanthin)

However, there’s another valuable antioxidant that’s far superior to these — astaxanthin. Previous studies have supported its protective effects against eye-related disorders, such as cataracts and age-related macular degeneration (ARMD),23 which is why many researchers believe it to be the most powerful antioxidant ever discovered for eye health.

Astaxanthin easily crosses into the tissues of your eye and exerts its effects safely and with more potency than any of the other carotenoids, without adverse reactions. Specifically, astaxanthin has been shown to ameliorate or prevent light-induced damage, photoreceptor cell damage,24 ganglion cell damage and damage to the neurons of the inner retinal layers.

Apart from its positive effects on vision health, a 2024 review published in the journal Nutrients also found that astaxanthin may have profound benefits for your brain and may protect against neurodegeneration:25

“AST [astaxanthin] has the potential to improve cognitive function, facilitate neuroprotection, and slow neurodegeneration. This claim is made based on the established positive effects of AST on different branches of memory and response time, as well as the implications of work utilizing biomarkers in human populations.”

Avoid Linoleic Acid and Blue Light to Protect Your Vision

Polyunsaturated fats (PUFAs) like linoleic acid (LA) can severely damage your vision — and your overall health, for that matter — which is why it’s crucial to ignore the mainstream advice to consume seed oils or vegetable oils, which are loaded with these harmful fats. In fact, I believe that LA is the most destructive ingredient in your diet and is largely responsible for the epidemic of modern diseases that are rampant today.

LA is found in virtually every processed food, including fast foods, restaurant foods and even salad dressings. Seemingly healthy food like chicken and pork are also be loaded with LA, unless they’ve been raised on special low-PUFA diets. For more information about this topic, I recommend reading my article, “Linoleic Acid — The Most Destructive Ingredient in Your Diet.”

I also advise avoiding blue light, particularly from digital devices, as it can trigger eye strain and contribute to the development of ARMD. As explained in one recent study:26

“High exposure to blue light triggers visual discomfort in the ocular surface of the cornea (digital eye strain), disruption of circadian rhythms, increased insulin resistance, increased affective disorders and even increased incidence of cancer pathologies.

Therefore, it is possible that the effects of overexposure to blue light on the retina by using these devices may contribute to a higher incidence of pathological changes in the retina, such as AMD.”

Sensory Impairments Are Just One Risk Factor

The bottom line is that aging is not tantamount to developing dementia. There are ways to protect your cognitive health and keep your mind sharp even as you reach your golden years. I recommend making the necessary changes to your day-to-day habits, geared towards improving these modifiable risk factors. As mentioned by The Lancet:

“Overall, around 45% of cases of dementia are potentially preventable by addressing the 14 modifiable risk factors at different stages during the life course.”27

For example, smoking and excessive alcohol consumption are two risk factors that can be immediately avoided. Physical inactivity can be addressed by implementing a regular exercise routine. Depression, also a risk factor, can be avoided through socialization and by implementing stress-busting techniques, such as meditation and mindfulness, and by doing the Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT).

Lastly, make sure to consume a balanced diet composed of high-quality, whole foods, and avoid processed foods, seed oils and junk foods that contribute to diseases like diabetes and obesity.

“Healthy lifestyles that involve regular exercise, not smoking, cognitive activity in midlife (including outside formal education) and avoiding excess alcohol can not only lower dementia risk but may also push back dementia onset,” Livingston said.

“So, if people do develop dementia, they are likely to live less years with it. This has huge quality of life implications for individuals as well as cost-saving benefits for societies.”28

Mushrooms have long been renowned not just for the impressive benefits they offer, but also for the interesting flavors and textures they add to your meals. You may be well-acquainted with common varieties like Crimini, Portobello and shiitake, but have you ever tried exotic ones, like lion’s mane?

Lion’s mane mushroom has been making headlines recently, with some even calling it the “next superfood”1 due to its wholesome health advantages. You’ll be pleased to know that beyond its quirky, pompom-like appearance, it can offer an array of benefits, particularly for your nerves, brain health and more.

Basic Facts About Lion’s Mane

Most commonly found in East Asia, lion’s mane (Hericium erinaceus) stands out from other mushroom species because it doesn’t have a cap, gills and a stem — instead, it’s big, shaggy and rather bizarre-looking, with long, white dangling strands that look like a lion’s mane, hence its name. Its main body is thick and compact, but slightly spongy. You’ll often see it growing on the trunks of dead hardwood trees.2,3,4

Also called bearded tooth mushroom,5 lion’s mane earned the distinction “the smart mushroom” for its potential benefits for your brain.6 However, its benefits go beyond that. In a Yahoo! News article,7 nutritional health coach Georgi Grogan comments:

“There’s a lot of anecdotal evidence to suggest it [lion’s mane] can help to reduce anxiety [and] depression, and also boost the digestive tract with its antibiotic and antiaging properties.”

The benefits of lion’s mane have been recognized for centuries, particularly in traditional Chinese and Japanese medicine, where it was used to help ease gastrointestinal disorders and spleen problems, treat liver and kidney diseases, and regulate heart health. Meanwhile, the indigenous populations in North America used lion’s mane as a preventive measure against bleeding.8

The Neuroprotective Effects of Lion’s Mane

Recently, lion’s mane has been recognized for its potential benefits to your nervous system and brain health, with several studies highlighting its neurocognitive, neuroprotective and neurotrophic properties. Lion’s mane stimulates nerve growth factor (NGF) production — this protein helps promote the growth and survival of your neurons.9 Having optimal neural connections improves your cognitive functions, including memory and concentration.

In one review published in the journal Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews,10 researchers investigated the role of mushrooms on neurocognition and mood. They found that elderly patients who are dealing with mild cognitive impairment experienced improvements in cognitive function after taking a lion’s mane mushroom supplement for several weeks.

Along with the cognitive benefits, there were also indications of improved kidney function, such as “changes in levels of circulating electrolytes (Na and K), and a reduction in creatinine” among the patients.11 The researchers noted that lion’s mane was the only mushroom that resulted in these cognitive and mood benefits; however, these effects were only seen in older age groups, at high doses and long durations.12

A separate analysis published in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences highlighted the neuroprotective and neurotrophic effects of lion’s mane supplementation, noting that it has “promising potential as an excellent neuroprotective agent, capable of stimulating nerve growth factor release, regulating inflammatory processes, reducing oxidative stress, and safeguarding nerve cells from apoptosis.”13

The authors note that the beneficial compounds in lion’s mane, mainly terpenoids and polyketides like erinacines and hericenones, were responsible for these effects, as they have “antioxidative, antidiabetic, anticancer, anti-inflammatory, and hypolipidemic properties.”14

Researchers Identify Lion’s Mane’s Brain-Boosting Mechanism of Action

In 2023, researchers from the University of Queensland identified the active compound that’s responsible for lion’s mane’s effect on nerve growth and memory.15 According to Frederic Meunier, one of the study authors:16

“Laboratory tests measured the neurotrophic effects of compounds isolated from Hericium erinaceus on cultured brain cells, and surprisingly we found that the active compounds promote neuron projections, extending and connecting to other neurons.

Using super-resolution microscopy, we found the mushroom extract and its active components largely increase the size of growth cones, which are particularly important for brain cells to sense their environment and establish new connections with other neurons in the brain.”

They found that the compound hericene A acts as a potent memory enhancer by promoting neuritogenesis (formation of neurites, tiny projections that extend from the cell body of a neuron) both in vitro and in vivo, and even in very low concentrations. The researchers said:17

“To the best of our knowledge, our study is the first to identify a pro-BDNF signaling-enhancing activity for H. erinaceus and to identify hericene A as an active component for this neurotrophic function in vitro and in vivo.

[W]e suggest that the administration of hericene A from H. erinaceus may be useful to ameliorate brain function and disorder-related pathologies in in vivo neurodegenerative disease models. Although further studies are required to test this hypothesis, our report represents the first step on exploring the potential nootrophic benefits from hericene A compounds isolated from the mushroom H. erinaceus.”

In a report published on ScienceDaily, Ramon Martinez-Marmol, a coauthor of the study, highlights the importance of this discovery, saying it hold potential in “applications that could treat and protect against neurodegenerative cognitive disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease.”18

Ergothioneine — Another Longevity Powerhouse in Lion’s Mane

A sulfur-containing amino acid found in mushrooms, ergothioneine is another standout nutrient that not only promotes brain health but overall longevity, because of its antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antimutagenic and cytoprotectant properties.

Ergothioneine helps reduce cellular damage by eliminating harmful free radicals — its antioxidant properties are actually similar to that of glutathione.19 What’s more, it accumulates in tissues and organs after ingestion, helping minimize and prevent oxidative damage in those tissues over a long period of time.20

As for its benefits for cognitive health, one study published in the Free Radical Biology and Medicine says that having low levels of ergothioneine in the body can increase the risk of neurodegenerative disorders, including dementia, cognitive impairment and Parkinson’s disease. It can also lead to other age-related diseases like cardiovascular disease and eye disease. According to the authors:21

“ET [ergothioneine] is likely to be neuroprotective by a range of mechanisms in vivo. Since complex multifactorial mechanisms contribute to human neurodegenerative and other age-related diseases, this ability to act by several cytoprotective mechanisms can be expected to enhance the efficacy of ET in ameliorating the risk of these diseases.”

According to one study, lion’s mane and oyster mushrooms had the highest ergothioneine levels among seven mushroom varieties that were tested,22 so adding these into your meals is one of the best ways to boost your levels of this longevity nutrient. If you want to learn more about ergothioneine, read my article, “This Mushroom Compound Is a Longevity Powerhouse.”

The Benefits of Lion’s Mane Go Beyond Brain Health

Lion’s mane may also benefit your gut health, as it was found to be a potent prebiotic to help your good gut bacteria thrive. According to Grogan:

“Due to their beta-glucan polysaccharide component, lion’s mane mushrooms are considered a ‘functional food’ that can act as a prebiotic. Put simply, they may help your gut flora (and good bacteria) to flourish while potentially limiting the growth of bad bacteria like H. pylori.”

Helicobacter pylori is a common type of bacteria found in your stomach. It attacks your stomach lining, leading to inflammation and damaging the tissues and your duodenum, the first section of your small intestine. H. pylori can also lead to the formation of peptic ulcers, which are painful sores that form on the upper part of your digestive tract.23

According to a review published in the Journal of Applied and Natural Science,24 animal subjects that were given an aqueous lion’s mane extract had more free mucus in their GI tract, meaning they had better gastroprotection. The mucus acts as a shield that protects the lining from damaging substances, including H. pylori.

But lion’s mane has more to offer beyond your brain and gut — It’s also been associated with helping improve other areas of health. A 2024 review highlighted some of the body-wide effects of lion’s mane, such as:25

Easing depression and anxiety — In one animal study,26 test subjects that were exhibiting symptoms of depression were given lion’s mane orally every day. They found that the mushroom had a “therapeutic potential for treating depression.”

Boosting immune health — Lion’s mane offers bioactive compounds that may promote immunity. According to the researchers, “Mushroom-derived beta-glucans are well-known for their potent immunomodulatory properties, surpassing other types in terms of their ability to affect immune and inflammatory responses.”27

Promoting heart health — Mushrooms offer compounds that help inhibit lipid oxidation, demonstrating an antihyperlipidemic effect. They also contain L-ergothioneine, an amino acid with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, helping boost cardiovascular health.

Helping manage Type 2 diabetes — In one animal study,28 diabetic rats that were given lion’s mane extract had increased serum insulin and reduced glucose levels. It also helped improve the activity of free radical scavenging enzymes.

Reducing cancer risk — Erinacine, another bioactive compound found in lion’s mane, may have antitumor effects, potentially triggering cancer cell death, particularly among gastric cancer cells.

Where to Find Lion’s Mane Mushrooms

While lion’s mane mushrooms are mostly well-known in Asian countries, they grow in North America and Europe as well. In the U.S., you may see them thriving on dead or dying maple, oak or beech trees. According to the Mycelium Society, you can forage for lion’s mane in the late summer, fall and winter — it depends on your location:

“In the southeast, lion’s mane is foraged in winter, while in the northeast, it is found in autumn. The season ends as soon as temperatures drop below 20 [degrees] F, and there are hard frosts.”29

However, don’t be so quick to start gathering lion’s mane — there are areas where foraging mushrooms is prohibited. If it’s allowed in your area, make sure to bring an expert who can help you identify the mushrooms before you pick them. This is particularly important if you are by yourself. To help you identify, harvest and store lion’s mane, here are some pointers, according to an article in CNET:30

“You’ll know it’s ripe by feeling the mushroom. If it’s spongy and soft, you’re good to go. Take a knife to remove the mushroom while leaving the roots. When you return home, cook the mushrooms immediately or store them in a paper bag in your fridge for up to three days,”

But how does this mushroom fare in terms of flavor? Apparently, lion’s mane has a “hearty and satiating” taste; Pamela Smith, RDN, a registered dietitian and the founder of Shaping America’s Plate, describes its sweet flavor to be similar to that of shellfish like scallops, lobster meat or crabmeat.31 When grated, it looks similar to lump crab meat.

Lion’s mane is spongy, which is why it’s so great at soaking up flavors. Simply sauté it in a bit of butter, salt and pepper for an easy side dish. You can also use it to make crab cakes or fish stew. It also works as a replacement for shredded chicken meat, like in pot pies, casseroles or even pasta dishes.

If your area does not allow foraging for mushrooms, you can try checking specialty stores to see if they stock this type. You can also buy lion’s mane in supplement form, if you’re after the benefits.

Mushrooms Are a Superfood, so Add Them to Your Repertoire

Remember that lion’s mane is just one variety that can offer superb benefits. In fact, mushrooms in general are considered superfoods because of their impressive nutrient profile. According to Smith, they are a potent source of B vitamins like biotin and niacin, glutathione and other antioxidants that protect against chronic diseases.32

I highly recommend adding mushrooms to your nutritional plan as they are an excellent addition to nearly any meal. However, it is crucial to choose organically grown mushrooms as fungi easily absorb air and soil contaminants. Growing your own is also an excellent and far safer option than foraging for wild mushrooms.

Aside from lion’s mane, other mushrooms that can offer health-boosting advantages include shiitake, pine mushrooms, oyster mushrooms, porcinis, king boletes, chanterelles and enokitake.33 Each of these have a distinct flavor profile, making them a versatile addition to various dishes — try a few and have fun cooking them in your kitchen!

Editor’s Note: This article is a reprint. It was originally published February 23, 2017.

People think of time as moving along a fixed linear pathway, but in reality, time, including how fast or slow it moves, is all a matter of perception. This is why watching a movie you love feels like it flies by, while to another person who finds the movie boring, it moves tediously slow.

Other peculiarities have also been observed, such as how time moves faster as you get older and it’s possible to lose track of time entirely if you’re engrossed in a task. Likewise, when French geologist Michele Siffre conducted an isolation experiment in the 1960s, it showed that our perception of time changes depending on our circumstances.

He lived in a dark cave, alone, for two months, but when his team came to get him, he thought he’d only stayed for 35 days.1 Further, when he counted off an estimation of 120 seconds while living in the cave (via a phone that only worked one way), he counted for a full five minutes.2

In an interview with Cabinet magazine, Siffre said, “I psychologically experienced five real minutes as though they were two … There was a very large perturbation in my sense of time … My psychological time had compressed by a factor of two.”3

‘Time Doesn’t Exist Outside of Our Own Experience of It’

It’s interesting to note that when Siffre was asked what he thought caused the dramatic disconnect between actual time and his perceived psychological time, he said:4

“That’s a big question that I’ve been investigating for 40 years. I believe that when you are surrounded by night — the cave was completely dark, with just a light bulb — your memory does not capture the time. You forget.”

In some ways, what he experienced is similar to what happens when you’re immersed in an activity you love and suddenly realize you lost track of time. In The Atlantic, senior editor James Hamblin, M.D., wrote:5

“We conceptualize time through metaphors that project it along a straight line — before and after, long and short, earlier and later — as a function of how our perceptions relate to other perceptions. In the same way, the accuracy of any given clock is only relative to other clocks. Because time doesn’t clearly exist outside of our own experience of it, there are ways to manipulate that experience.”

He used Siffre’s experience with time after sensory deprivation as one example, as well as the hallucinogenic drug peyote, which is known to cause changes in sense of time, such as time passing more slowly, as another. Being diagnosed with a terminal illness also changes your perception of time.

“I can’t generally advise spending years on peyote or full-time isolation in a cave,” he noted. “The most practical examples of manipulating time perception come from the common observation that the more we think about time, the slower it goes.” Hamblin wrote:6

“In his treatise, The Principles of Psychology, William James wrote, ‘A day full of excitement, with no pause, is said to pass ‘ere we know it.’ On the contrary, a day full of waiting, of unsatisfied desire for change, will seem a small eternity.'”

Depression Slows Down Time, ‘Flow’ Makes You Lose Track of It

Alan Burdick, author of “Why Time Flies,” revealed that when you’re busy, you tend to sense time as going faster than when you’re bored. Similarly, a study of more than 800 people revealed people with depression reported a slower subjective experience of time.7

As for why depressed people feels time is dragging, it’s due to a slowing down of the internal clock or because they have difficulty being in the present moment or entering a state of consciousness known as “flow.”8

Flow, according to psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, is the secret to happiness and occurs when you are completely absorbed in an activity (often one that involves creativity).9 When you’re immersed in flow, your sense of time becomes distorted because nearly all of your brain’s available inputs are devoted to the activity at hand, Csikszentmihalyi states.

If you’re depressed and unable to fully give your attention to the present moment, and as a result find time is agonizingly slow, mindfulness-based therapies are very helpful, particularly in cases of a depressed perception of time.10 Interestingly, mindfulness also slows down your perception of time while helping you to appreciate your surroundings.

How Busy You Are Alters Your Perception of Time

If you’re too busy, flying through your daily routines on autopilot mode, you will feel like your day is over in the blink of an eye.

Neuroscientist David Eagleman, Ph.D., adjunct professor at Stanford University, explained that your mental engagement changes your perception of time, and when you’re engaged in mundane activities your brain isn’t taking in much new information. As a result, time passes quickly.11 One of the areas of the brain responsible for emotion and memory is the amygdala.

The more detailed the memory the longer the moment appears to last. This is one of the reasons why it feels like forever when you’re stuck in traffic, but your memory of the event will be that it passed quickly, as you didn’t lay down any new memory.

This is where mindfulness comes in, as staying in the moment slows down the passage of time. Steven Meyers, a clinical psychologist and professor of psychology at Roosevelt University in Chicago, told The Huffington Post:12

“Mindfulness allows people to appreciate their surroundings and leads to the feeling that time is passing more slowly. Paying attention to events that are pleasant or interesting certainly enhances our mood and allows us to savor positive experiences.”

Mindfulness Slows Down Time

Practicing “mindfulness” means you’re actively paying attention to the moment you’re in right now. Rather than letting your mind wander, when you’re mindful, you’re living in the moment and letting distracting thoughts pass through your mind without getting caught up in their emotional implications.

Add mindfulness to virtually any aspect of your day simply by paying attention to the sensations you are experiencing in the present moment. Techniques used to become more mindful include:13

Paying focused attention to an aspect of sensory experience, such as the sound of your own breathing

Distinguishing between simple thoughts and those that are elaborated with emotion (such as “I have a test tomorrow” versus “What if I fail my test tomorrow and flunk my entire class?”)

Reframing emotional thoughts as simply “mental projections” to let your mind rest

Meyers added in The Huffington Post:14

“Time slips by because we are blindly going through the routine of our day … There are a range of remedies for this situation. Some people feel a sense of accomplishment if they set personal goals for themselves and work towards them in a purposeful way. Others need to be on the lookout for certain events — like appreciating a kind behavior from another person — to punctuate time passing.”

Staying Busy Benefits Your Brain

Keeping a packed schedule makes it feel like your days fly by, particularly if you don’t make it a point to be mindful, but doing so offers significant benefits to your brain. Research published in Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience suggests that the saying “the busier the better” is true, at least as far as cognition is concerned.15

Greater busyness was associated with better cognition, particularly for episodic memory. It didn’t matter if the study participant was 50 or 89 years old, having a busier schedule was linked to improved memory and better brain processing, reasoning and vocabulary.

The researchers pointed out that busy people have increased opportunities for new learning, which has been shown to promote the retention of new neurons in the brain’s hippocampus. In addition, busyness promotes the development of neural scaffolding and consequently facilitates cognition, according to the researchers, while promoting the development of brain reserves and the use of more efficient cognitive processing.16

There are downsides to being overly busy, of course, like chronic stress and burnout. Along those lines, healthy eating is often one of the first things to suffer when life gets busy, so it’s important to stick to the basics in this regard — focus on filling your plate with real, unprocessed foods, preferably organic and locally grown, and avoid resorting to convenience and fast foods, energy drinks or excessive amounts of caffeine to keep going.

However, a busy lifestyle is also a positive one if you stay mindful and engage in activities that lead to flow. The more engaged you are, the more you will feel as though you’re living your life beyond the constraints of time instead of by them.

“The Fit Generation” is an award-winning documentary that explores the lives of active older adults in Canada, particularly those in their 70s and 80s. Directed by Elton Hubner and produced by Eyes Multimedia, the film challenges conventional views on aging and highlights the advantages of maintaining a healthy, active lifestyle well into your later years.

In the video above, you’ll hear inspiring stories of seniors who, despite facing significant health challenges such as cancer, arthritis and heart conditions, continue to engage in physically challenging activities and lead vibrant lives.1

“The Fit Generation” emphasizes that age is not a barrier to fitness and may inspire you to pursue an active lifestyle and find joy in your life. Further, the documentary demonstrates how making bold choices that bring you joy significantly enhances both your mental well-being and physical health.

Fit Seniors Prove Age Is Just a Number

Imagine being a full-time ski instructor at 82 years old. This is just a day in the life of George Tjelios-Nicholas, one of the active people featured in the film. When it’s not winter, you can find Tjelios-Nicholas biking around Whistler or paddleboarding.2

“George Tjelios-Nicholas is one of the main characters of the documentary and, well, such a character! He used to smoke, has undergone several surgeries and still suffers from constant back pain — all good reasons to stay home and wait for time to pass,” according to Eyes Multimedia.3 Yet, this doesn’t cross Tjelios-Nicholas’ mind:4

“Teaching skiing is so rewarding! That’s why I like the ski school. I like people, and my job is to get them comfortable. It’s a great motivation to keep going … I find it hard to believe, but technically my skiing is still getting better. I’ve had people say to me, ‘Oh, you’re too old to do that.’ I’m not crazy, I don’t go off big jumps and stuff like that, but I ski pretty fast.

I’ve had stitches in my head from skis hitting me on the head, I’ve dislocated a shoulder and I’ve had two tibial osteotomies because my knees were worn out from skiing … And then I’ve had two knee replacements. I had prostate cancer too and I overcame that. I have a lot of back pain, I have arthritis and I’m still functioning, but I believe that the more active I stay, the less effect it’s going to have on me.”

Others featured in the film include Lawrence Huzar, who, at 79 years old, played hockey three times a week and keeps busy the rest of the time by building and repairing things in his backyard — a perfect pastime for this retired mechanical engineer. “I’ve never been sick in my life. I don’t even have a doctor,” he says.5 While Huzar lives alone since his wife passed away, he’s not lonely.

He says he’s content being alone and also enjoys spending time with other hockey players on his team — several of whom are similar ages. Gwen McFarlan is another inspirational athlete featured in the film. At 81 years old, the world record marathon runner, retired teacher and cancer survivor continued to compete in races, despite injuries:6

“There’s lots of people out there who will help you and there are certainly lots of running groups that you can join, so if you want to get out there and do something, you can, but you have to want to, because no one can push you into doing anything … My breast cancer made me very, very positive.

Every day I wake up now I’m thankful because when you have something like that happen to you and you don’t know if you’re going to come out of it, you’re just so glad to be alive and just face whatever today is and forget it and start a new day tomorrow. I’m looking at 100, at least 100, and I want to run as much as I can until then. I know I will slow down, I know that, but I’m not going to stop.”

Optimism, Joy and Social Connections Are Common Threads

While each of the people featured in the film have different interests and life stories, you’ll notice several common threads, including optimism, joy and a genuine excitement for life. They each have strong social connections in their communities and engage in each day with a sense of purpose, while living fully in the present moment.

Despite facing health challenges, loss of loved ones and other setbacks, each person in the film leads a vibrant life filled with joy and passion. This joy is deeply connected to their physical activities and the strong sense of community they build through shared experiences and social interactions.

Ava Stone, a yoga instructor in her 70s, says, “To me, it’s the biggest pleasure to put myself in a place where I can give something to others.” She uses class time to teach not only breathing and stretching techniques but also meditate, share stories and tell jokes. Outside of class, she loves to drive her black sports car around town and encourages others to have fun and create their own joy:7

“Now stress comes from not appreciating what is, not appreciating life, your life that you created. We blame stress outside ourselves as if it’s caused by some mysterious others. In a nutshell, do you know what stress is? This present moment that you’re having, you don’t like it. You want to get rid of something you don’t want or you want something you don’t have.

Then you tell your friends, listen, I had such a stress, you cannot believe it, what the husband and the kids did. Oh, at work … And yet, you keep creating it … Resisting life as it shows up to you is your stress. This awareness has bought me so much joy and it came from yoga, and if you have any smartness you know that the mind will help keep you healthy. Open your eyes, become aware of the world.

This world here is absolutely amazing, isn’t it? The other joy is that these people that have been coming to see me all these years, they get it, and they keep coming back and they want me to talk and want to have fun and crazy stuff. So, these people are alert, enjoying life and socializing.

… Only the people who have goals, who have plans, who have joy, they want their body well to take them around. Keeping the body lubricated and moving to build the strength, to keep the muscles going and the digestion and sleeping well, that’s just to keep you healthy so your communication with life can go on. You have the peacefulness, you have joyfulness.

From this joy and peacefulness, you’ve come to pure knowledge to say if I’m unhappy, I’m creating it, totally. The ego is something you create from day one, needing to be important and being right. When you let that go, it doesn’t matter. And then you become peaceful, but you have to practice, feel it, pass it on, and you can only have fun if you don’t think seriously. If people think everything is so serious, where is the fun?”

Optimizing Mitochondrial Function Facilitates Life Choices That Bring Joy

At a foundational level, joy comes from curiosity and the ability to make choices in your life. But if you don’t have enough cellular energy, you can’t think properly, let alone have enough energy left over to navigate positive life choices. This is why improving your mitochondrial energy production can bring you joy.

Your brain, being the most energy-dependent organ, makes up only about 2% of your bodyweight yet consumes 20% of the energy used by your entire body.8 Therefore, a surplus of cellular energy creation is necessary to have the ability to allow your brain to work optimally.

Avoiding dietary pitfalls like excess linoleic acid, in the form of vegetable and seed oils, is instrumental in optimizing mitochondrial function and realizing your full capacity to experience joy. Factors like estrogen and endotoxins can also deplete your cellular energy.

However, engaging in regular physical activity is also a powerful way to enhance mitochondrial health, contributing to improved energy metabolism. Exercise encourages the creation of new mitochondria and helps the existing ones work better, producing more energy more efficiently.

Keep in mind that once you get into your mid-40s and 50s — and certainly into your 70s and 80s — exercise should be fun and stress-reducing, not competitive. In his analysis, Dr. James O’Keefe, a cardiologist with the Mid-America Heart Institute at St. Louis Hospital in Kansas City, stresses the importance of “social exercise” over solo exercise: playing a game of hockey with friends, for example.

O’Keefe and colleagues published a study in 2018 that looked at long-term granular data on physical activity and longevity.9 It turned out playing tennis added 9.5 years of extra life expectancy, badminton 6.2 and soccer 4.7, compared to 3.2 years for jogging and 1.5 years for health club activities like weight lifting and running on a treadmill.

At first, O’Keefe thought the analysis had somehow gone wrong. But then he realized it was the social aspects of the sports that conferred the added benefits.

“Exercising and making social connections at the same time, that is an absolute goldmine of a longevity activity. That means that even walking with your dog or your friend or [playing] pickleball is huge … The whole thing is to move your body in a fun, playful manner and make it social.”

Joy and Health Go Hand in Hand

This combination of fun, social physical activity is clearly evident in “The Fit Generation.” Further, the concept of “vorfreude,” or anticipatory joy, also significantly improves happiness and well-being by allowing you to savor the anticipation of future pleasures. This is a concept those featured in the film also seem to fully embrace, by engaging in daily activities they enjoy and look forward to each day.

Joy and health share a deep and intricate connection, and those in the film enjoy both. They don’t dwell on hardships or loss, instead choosing to focus on the good around them. This ability to recognize and alter negative thought patterns is another key to foster a more joyful mindset.

Instead of catastrophizing and focusing on the negative, shift your perspective to appreciate small joys and social opportunities. Ultimately, as Stone put it, you can build the life you want, and it’s never too late to turn a new leaf:10

“If people are older and lonely, there’s lots of things for old people. They have to talk to a friend, a neighbor, and say what do you do, where do you go, where’s the next community center, what’s on the program? It has to be a habit like brushing your teeth or certain things you do, and then you start enjoying it. There is no joy out in the world, only what you put there.”

Properly functioning, pain-free knees are vital for maintaining an active and independent lifestyle. Your knees play a critical role in providing mobility, stability and support for numerous daily activities, from walking and climbing stairs to squatting and playing sports.

The knee joint is the largest and one of the most intricate joints in the human body, made up of bones, cartilage, ligaments and tendons that work together to support movement and bear weight. However, it is particularly vulnerable to injury due to its complex structure and the significant stress it endures.

Common knee problems include damaged ligaments, torn cartilage, tendonitis and arthritis, each of which can cause pain and mobility issues that hamper your quality of life. Fortunately, there are a wide variety of nonsurgical interventions to address knee problems and the pain they cause.

5 Common Knee Problems to Avoid

If your knee joint is injured, you’ll likely experience pain, which can range from dull to sharp and severe. Pain may occur during or after physical activity, or even while you’re at rest. Stiffness, which may make it difficult to use your joint’s full range of motion, may also occur, along with weakness or instability, such as a feeling that your knee may give out.

Other signs of knee problems include popping or crunching noises when you move your knee or an inability to straighten it. Your knee may also get locked into place and, in serious cases, be unable to bear weight. Five of the most common knee problems include:1

• Torn ligaments — This involves the tearing of one or more of the ligaments that support and stabilize the knee joint, typically due to an accident or sports-related injury. Among sports injuries, 41% involve the knee and one-fifth of those involve the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL).2

The ACL is located in the center of the knee and controls the forward movement and rotation of the tibia (shin bone) relative to the femur (thigh bone). An ACL tear is often caused by sudden stops, jumps, or changes in direction, common in sports like soccer, basketball and skiing.

• Cartilage injuries — The meniscus is a piece of cartilage that acts as a cushion between your femur and tibia. Tears can occur due to twisting motions or direct impact and can lead to pain, swelling and difficulty moving your knee. “If your knee joint is locking,” physiotherapist Patricia Collins told The Guardian, “and you’re having to physically move it with your hands, that could imply a torn meniscus.”3

• Osteoarthritis — Osteoarthritis occurs when the protective cartilage that cushions the ends of your bones wears down over time. Although osteoarthritis can damage any joint, the knee joint is most frequently affected.4

• Runner’s knee — Also known as patellofemoral pain syndrome, runner’s knee involves pain around the kneecap, often due to overuse, muscle imbalances or improper alignment of the kneecap. It’s common in athletes and active individuals.

Iliotibial (IT) band friction syndrome, also known as IT band syndrome, is another condition that often affects runners and other athletes. It occurs when the iliotibial band, a thick band of fibrous tissue running from the hip to the shin along the outside of the thigh, becomes tight or inflamed and rubs against the outer part of the knee.

• Tendinitis — This is an inflammation or irritation of the tendons around the knee joint. The most common form is patellar tendinitis, also known as “jumper’s knee,” which affects the patellar tendon connecting the kneecap to the shinbone.

Knee Surgery Is Often Ineffective, No Better Than Placebo

While certain knee problems, like ACL or meniscus tears, may require surgical reconstruction, less invasive interventions often lead to better results. For instance, the standard orthopedic surgeon’s intervention for meniscal tears is performing an arthroscopic partial meniscectomy.

In fact, arthroscopic surgery on the meniscus is the most common orthopedic procedure in the U.S.,5 but one study conducted in Finland found that arthroscopic knee surgery for degenerative meniscal tears had no more benefit than “sham surgery.”6

A landmark study conducted in 2002, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, also looked at arthroscopic surgery for knee osteoarthritis, and found the real surgery had no benefits over the sham procedure.7 According to the authors:8

“In this controlled trial involving patients with osteoarthritis of the knee, the outcomes after arthroscopic lavage or arthroscopic débridement were no better than those after a placebo procedure.”

In addition, it’s been found that arthroscopic knee surgery with meniscectomy increases the risk of future knee replacement surgery by three-fold.9 Total knee replacement, which is sometimes recommended for osteoarthritis in the knee, also carries risks. Researchers explained in the Journal of Arthritis:10

“Total knee replacement (TKR) is often the end-point of many causes of knee pain and is used with increasingly frequency. However, there are a wide variety of problems associated with TKR including ongoing pain, patient dissatisfaction and the need for revision surgery … TKR should be avoided unless absolutely necessary …”

Obesity Is a Leading Cause of Knee Problems

Your knee joint bears a significant portion of your body’s weight, and excess weight can exacerbate wear and tear, leading to various knee issues. Excess weight may lead to quicker degeneration of cartilage and an increased risk of knee injuries.

For instance, research has found significant changes in the curvature of your knee joint within the first three months after injury with an increased body mass. The results found those who underwent surgery experienced greater flattening of the knee joint than those who used rehabilitation without surgical intervention when their body mass index was higher.11

Obesity is also a leading cause of knee replacements. One Australian study of 56,217 patients showed that, of the patients who received a knee replacement due to osteoarthritis, 31.9% were overweight and 57.7% were obese.12 What’s more, those in the most severe obese category (class 3) were also more likely to have knee replacement surgery at a younger age — 7.2 years earlier than normal weight women.

While the mean age that women of normal weight have knee replacement is 71.3 years, those with class 3 obesity had the surgery at a mean age of 64.1 years. Men with class 3 obesity were also 5.8 times more likely to undergo knee replacement than normal weight men, and also had the surgery 7.3 years earlier.13

Overall, the researchers noted that close to 90% of people who undergo primary knee replacement in Australia are overweight or obese. As for why obesity increases the risk of knee osteoarthritis (OA), they explained:14

“The contribution of obesity to the development of knee OA is multifactorial. Not only does obesity cause excessive loading of joint surfaces, but dyslipidemia and adipose tissue inflammation increase cytokine production, which also contributes to the etiology of OA.”

Further, excess weight can also alter gait and movement patterns, leading to improper alignment and increased stress on the knee joint. This can cause or worsen conditions like patellofemoral pain syndrome and meniscus tears.

Nonsurgical Interventions Are Often Effective

Resolving knee problems without surgery starts with identifying their underlying cause. Depending on the condition, weight loss, physical therapy, knee braces,15 exercise, tai chi16 and acupuncture17 can help.

Platelet rich plasma (PRP) therapy, which releases growth factors that can help heal and strengthen areas of the human body, including knee joints, is another option.18 PRP therapy works by utilizing the high concentration of growth factors and proteins in platelets to stimulate and enhance your body’s natural healing processes.

When injected into damaged tissue, PRP releases these growth factors, which promote tissue repair, reduce inflammation and enhance cellular growth. Research published in the American Journal of Sports Medicine investigated the effects of PRP when applied to patients with OA in both knees.19

At six weeks and three months, patients whose knees were treated with one or two PRP injections had a reduction in pain and stiffness, and experienced improved function. At the six-month mark, positive results from PRP diminished, but knee pain and function were still better than before treatment. Consuming specific anti-inflammatory and healing foods is another strategy to support overall knee health and knee osteoarthritis prevention.

Cruciferous vegetables like broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower and cabbage, for instance, contain a compound called sulforaphane. also help reduce the risk of osteoarthritis,20 in part by blocking enzymes that are linked to joint destruction. Optimizing your vitamin D levels is another strategy, as insufficient levels of vitamin D are associated with foot pain linked to knee osteoarthritis.

In one study, 23.7% had disabling foot pain due to OA. Participants were randomly assigned to receive either a monthly dose of vitamin D3 or a placebo for two years. The data showed greater improvement in people receiving vitamin D and in those who maintained a sufficient level of vitamin D. Researchers concluded that “supplementation and maintenance of sufficient vitamin D levels may improve foot pain in those with knee OA.”21

Red and Near-Infrared Light, Glucosamine Also Useful for Knee Problems

Over the past few decades, more than 5,000 studies have been published about red and near-infrared light therapy, also known as photobiomodulation (PBM), for a wide range of ailments, including knee pain and knee osteoarthritis.22 As about 40% of sunlight is in the near-infrared spectrum, it strongly supports the idea that this is an important frequency to be exposed to.

For knee problems, low-level laser therapy (LLLT), which uses near-infrared light, is one promising option.23 “The ‘optical window’ for biological tissue is approximately 650-1200 nm [nanometers]. The tissue penetration is maximum at these wavelengths, and thus red or near-infrared light (600–950 nm) is utilized in LLLT,” researchers wrote in the Journal of Cutaneous and Aesthetic Surgery.24

Essentially, what you’re doing with near-infrared-based LLLT or photobiomodulation is stimulating your mitochondria to release nitric oxide (NO) and boosting adenosine triphosphate (ATP) production, which is the energy currency of the cell. Together, your mitochondria, NO and ATP work in concert to promote healing effects, such as DNA repair and cellular regeneration.

In a study involving patients with chronic knee pain caused by an osteoarthritis-induced degenerative meniscal tear, LLLT helped relieve chronic pain.25 Other research published in Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology stated:

“At the length of 785–904 nm, LLLT can be used as non-pharmaceutical and non-surgical treatment modality for KOA [knee osteoarthritis] patients by combining it with exercises that result in improvement in … pain, range of motion, and functional status in KOA patients via photobiomodulation.

Through this critical opinion, the authors argue that there is sufficient evidence of LLLT to be further used and commercialized as a therapeutic option for KOA patients.”

Supplementing with glucosamine, a compound found in human cartilage, is also worth considering if you have knee problems. Glucosamine has anti-inflammatory properties and may help relieve arthritis-related pain by slowing the degradation of collagen and cartilage and improving the function of your joints. One systematic review and meta-analysis revealed glucosamine is superior to placebo in alleviating knee osteoarthritis symptoms.26

Consume Collagen and Bone Broth for Joint Health

Collagen is a major component of cartilage, the tissue that’s degraded in OA and injured in cases of a torn meniscus. Collagen accounts for about 30% of the total protein in your body.

One of its primary functions is to provide structural support and strength to your tissues, such as skin, bones, tendons, ligaments and cartilage,27,28,29 allowing them to stretch while still maintaining tissue integrity. As such, collagen is crucial for repairing soft tissue, muscle and connective tissue, all of which tend to get weaker and less elastic with age.

For knee problems, a high-quality organic and/or grass fed collagen supplement at a dose of 50 grams a day can be very beneficial. Collagen supplements can be either unhydrolyzed (undenatured) or hydrolyzed (denatured). The processing that most collagen supplements undergo to become hydrolyzed can result in questionable byproducts that are best avoided.

Bone broth contains several nutrients that are beneficial for joint health, including collagen, gelatin, glucosamine and chondroitin. Bone broth also contains amino acids such as glycine and proline, which have anti-inflammatory properties that may help reduce joint pain and inflammation.

Further, bone broth may help reduce joint pain and stiffness,30 including knee osteoarthritis pain.31 It helps reduce joint pain and inflammation, in part, courtesy of chondroitin sulphates, glucosamine and other compounds extracted from the boiled down cartilage.

To make homemade bone broth, simply place bones in an Instant Pot, fill the pot with pure, filtered water — just enough to cover the bones — add salt and other spices to taste, then set it to cook on high for two hours if the bones are from a concentrated animal feeding operation (CAFO) or four hours if organic and grass fed.

Using bones from CAFO beef can be problematic due to potential heavy metal contamination. So, when cooking these bones in the Instant Pot, it’s best to limit the time to two hours to avoid introducing heavy metals into your broth.

If you’re using beef bones from grass fed organic sources, you can safely cook them for four hours. Using bones from an organic source is even more important if you’re using chicken, as CAFO chickens tend to produce stock that doesn’t gel,32 which raises questions about the quality of the collagen.

Exercises to Strengthen Your Knees

Knee strengthening exercises are crucial for maintaining healthy knees and preventing knee problems, as they help to build the muscles that support and stabilize your knee joint. Strong muscles around your knee can reduce stress on the joint, improve alignment and enhance overall function.

Isometric strength exercises, which involve static contraction of muscle as you hold your body in one position, may help strengthen joints better than dynamic strength training.33 They’re useful for reducing pain while increasing range of motion and functional ability in people with knee osteoarthritis, for instance.34 Wall sits are one example.

To perform wall sits, stand with your back against a wall and slide down into a seated position, as if you’re sitting in an invisible chair. Hold this position for 20 to 30 seconds and gradually increase the duration as you get stronger.

Exercise, along with rehabilitation, in middle-aged patients with knee damage has also been found to be as effective as a meniscal surgical repair.35 Other examples of knee-strengthening exercises include:36

Straight leg raises — Lie on your back with one leg bent and the other straight. Lift the straight leg to the height of the bent knee, hold for a few seconds, and then lower it. Repeat 10 to15 times for each leg.

Squats — Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and lower your body as if sitting back into a chair, keeping your chest up and knees over your toes. Return to the starting position and repeat 10 to 15 times.

Sit to stand — Sit in a stable chair, then stand up without using your hands for support. Stand up and sit down 15 times. Repeat the process two to three times.

A bunion, medically known as hallux valgus, is a bony bump that forms on the joint at the base of the big toe — the metatarsophalangeal joint. It occurs when the big toe pushes against the adjacent toe, causing the joint of the big toe to become enlarged and protrude outward. Bunions can be painful and may cause swelling, redness and discomfort, especially when wearing tight or narrow shoes.

The exact cause of bunions is not always clear, but they’re often associated with wearing tight or ill-fitting shoes, genetics or certain foot conditions such as flat feet or arthritis. However, the underlying cause of your bunion may actually be related not only to improper footwear but also going barefoot for too long — and proper footwear and foot dynamics may help.

Aleena Kanner, one of the leading postural experts in the U.S. and a certified Postural Restoration Institute (PRI) practitioner, created “The Shoe Ebook” to help you make informed footwear choices for pain-free — and bunion-free — feet.

Signs and Symptoms of Bunions

Bunions are among the most common chronic orthopedic conditions that affect the forefoot, with up to 28.4% of people affected.1 One of the most noticeable signs of a bunion is a bony bump that protrudes outward at the base of your big toe joint on the inner side of your foot. Your big toe may point toward your other toes instead of straight ahead, causing the big toe joint to become misaligned.

Bunions can cause pain or discomfort, especially when you’re walking, standing or wearing shoes that put pressure on the affected area. The bunion area may also appear swollen and red due to inflammation and irritation of the surrounding tissues. Some people with bunions may experience stiffness or limited range of motion in their big toe joint. However, in some cases there is no pain at all.

Bunions can also lead to the formation of calluses or corns on the affected foot, particularly where the bunion rubs against the inside of shoes. If left unaddressed, complications can also occur, including osteoarthritis and bursitis, a painful condition that affects the small, fluid-filled sacs called bursae, which cushion the bones, tendons and muscles near joints.

Bunions may also contribute to the development of hammertoe,2 an abnormal bending or flexing of the middle joint of one or more of the smaller toes. While anyone can develop a bunion, they’re more common in women and people with a history of foot injuries, such as athletes. There also appears to be a genetic connection, as more than 70% of those with bunions have a parent who also had them.3

While the underlying causes vary, the way you walk and your foot mechanics may play a role, likely in addition to other factors, like improper shoe choices, working on your feet for long periods or underlying inflammatory health conditions like rheumatoid arthritis or lupus.4 Uncovering the foundational cause of your bunion is key to proper treatment.

How Walking Barefoot Contributed to My Bunion

I visited Aleena Kanner, one of the leading postural experts in the U.S. and a certified Postural Restoration Institute (PRI) practitioner, to address a bunion I’d been trying to treat for a year. Although it wasn’t painful, I didn’t want it to get worse. After consulting with Kanner, I now believe one of the primary causes of the bunion was adopting a “barefoot” lifestyle for well over 10 years.

Going barefoot is great if you’re walking on the beach or grass — and is an important component of beneficial grounding — but I have tile floors in my home, and walking barefoot on hard, flat surfaces can lead to problems, including bunions, as there is no supportive structure for the foot. Kanner explains:5

“It’s been a huge [trend] lately, in the last, I’d say 10 years, to be wearing barefoot minimalist shoes, or no shoes. No shoes is fine if you are out in nature. I love grounding. We all know that there’s an exchange of frequency from the earth into our bodies, and that’s great if you are outside … in sand, in grass.

However, our society is not built like that. We are not walking outside in grass and sand all the time. We are walking on flat surfaces, and the problem with that is, our feet have arches, and we need to be able to give [them] the proper contact with the ground.

It ends up actually just slapping the ground and not creating that proper movement, range of motion in the foot, where we should have pronation, supination, pronation, supination. When we’re missing that range and that flow, it can lock up your neck. It can lock up your rib cage.

Wearing a specific shoe can open up that ability to have better range of motion at the feet, which can transfer up the chain. It’s a really hard topic for people because the minimalist shoes have a great marketing scheme. They’re saying our ancestors were barefoot. But you have to think about the context of that. They were not walking on pavement all day long in cities.

They were outside in nature, where the foot’s ability to pronate and supinate was still there because nature is uneven surfaces. So I want to get across, it is OK to be outside barefoot if you’re walking on an uneven surface on the beach.

But if you are in society and you’re walking in barefoot minimalist shoes or no shoes at all, and you’re having pain or symptoms … hormone issues, et cetera, a shoe with proper ability to ground, the sensory ability to ground, is going to most likely, almost always, make a positive change for that person’s well-being.”

How Proper Footwear Can Help

While surgery is sometimes recommended for bunion treatment, less invasive options, including choosing the proper footwear, can be effective for relief. Wearing properly fitting shoes with a wide toe box, for instance, can help relieve pressure on the bunion and reduce discomfort. Custom orthotic inserts or arch supports can also help redistribute pressure on your foot and promote proper alignment, reducing symptoms associated with bunions.

Acknowledging that “improper shoe wear can quickly defeat any physical therapy program,” PRI maintains a recommended shoe list that’s updated at least twice a year, noting, “Every time you stand up your whole body is influenced by your feet. No matter what is bothering you, if you aren’t getting better, perhaps you need someone to check your shoes.”6 Wearing the wrong shoes can certainly aggravate or ameliorate bunions, as well. Kanner says:7

“When I change the shoes on people, they can’t believe it because it’s such a simple thing you wouldn’t think about … If they’re in a minimal shoe, that is a big red flag for me as a practitioner.

It’s something I need to address to get their body to be able to relax and get into that calm state to combat whatever they’re dealing with … bunions specifically can happen on the right or left foot. They’re different and should be treated slightly differently from side to side.

This is something I think chiropractors, PTs, et cetera, movement professionals, don’t always know about the body, but we are asymmetrical, so we need to be treated as if we’re asymmetrical. We have a diaphragm on the right side that’s bigger and larger, and it attaches lower into the lumbar spine compared to the diaphragm on the left side.

We have three lobes of lung on the right and only two on the left. And we have a heart that sits on the left chest wall, which keeps that whole chest wall hyper-inflated. And we have a, on average, 3-pound liver on the right side of our body. Because of this internal asymmetry, we’re going to see slight changes in how that person feels and moves.

When I see a bunion, in general, I know that person is most likely lacking an arch of their foot. A bunion is when the toe is coming inwards towards the other toes. That person’s ability to feel the ground with their arch is going to be limited most likely, especially if it’s on the right foot.

When I give that person an arch where it should be, and if they’re not normally sensing that, we don’t necessarily see a huge decrease in the bunion. Maybe with time. It’s not an immediate change because it took time for that person to get a bunion in the first place. But we see major changes in that person’s brain’s ability to feel their feet on the ground.

Somebody with a bunion has really lost that ability to pronate, which is to flatten the arch into the ground and then use their right glute to push off and get the body weight to the left. When I see bunions, I know that there have been bony changes to adapt to somebody’s gait pattern or postural breathing pattern. Gait, posture and breathing are all tied together.”

A Personalized Approach Is Best

The shoes that are right for you are likely going to be different from your neighbor. Ideally, have a professional test you to make sure you’re wearing footwear that has the desired effect in your particular case. If that’s not possible, trial and error has few downsides.

Dr. Geoffrey Phillips, an orthopedic surgeon in Great Neck, New York, also revealed that properly balanced shoes can be fundamental to bunion treatment. TIME reported:8

“The main reason why people go to the doctor about their bunion is because they’re experiencing pain, Phillips says. Some can make lifestyle modifications that eliminate the need for surgery, especially if they start when their bunion is still in its early stages. Phillips’ first recommendation is to make footwear changes.

‘If they’re accustomed to wearing high heels, we try to change that reliance to more balanced shoewear,’ he says. ‘That can include shoes with a wide toe box, so there’s less pressure on the foot.’ It can also be helpful to seek out ‘rocker bottom shoes,’ which have a curved sole that smoothes out the transition from heel-strike to landing on the front of the foot.”

In my case, the bunion is on my left foot, and Kanner gave me arch support for my right foot. The reason for this is because bunions on the left suggests the right foot is not pronating properly. Added arch support allows the right foot to flatten and push off the ground properly, which in turn facilitates the proper movement of the left foot.

I also wear a spacer between the bunion and the second toe to keep them apart and to help the bunion from worsening. Another device that seems to be working quite well is a brace that has a steel bar on one side and a Velcro band that pushes the big toe out medially. There are many corrective devices out there, and working with a professional is best to determine which are useful for your unique case. Kanner adds:9

“When I say the shoe gives the brain the ability to sense the ground better, I’m talking about certain aspects of the shoe … A lot of shoes lack what we call a heel counter. A heel counter is the back of the shoe that grabs the heel and you can feel it. If it’s hard, it’s going to hold the heel in a better place, which is going to position the talus bone, which sits on top of the heel to align the body upwards in a better position.

Feel a barefoot shoe. There’s zero heel counter there. Then that person’s heel, calcaneus and talus, is going to go in whatever position the brain wants it to go in … That’s one component of the shoe. The other component of the shoe is the arch. When you think about walking on the beach, when you’re putting your foot in the sand, there’s sand that comes up to solidify [and] ground that part of your arch.

You don’t have that when you’re walking on flat surfaces. You’re just slapping your foot into the ground. The arch is getting no feedback. I see a lot of people enter a more parasympathetic state when you just put an arch in their shoe. So those are the things we look at with shoes.”

The general principle is that if you have a movement imbalance it will invariably tend to result in some type of injury over time. Further, your body is naturally asymmetrical. Balance is maintained through the integration of these system imbalances, and when balanced integration fails, structural weaknesses and pain, as well as bunions, can develop.

Before resorting to surgery, consider if a switch to better footwear can give you the relief you’re after. In summary, the essential components of proper footwear are:10

A heel counter for calcaneal guidance, supporting the way the heel bone moves and aligns during walking
Arch support for a better ability to pronate
A flexible midfoot for fluid movement
Proper heel lift
A wide toe box for optimal alignment and comfort

For more information and guidance on selecting footwear, download “The Shoe Ebook.”

Editor’s Note: This article is a reprint. It was originally published April 12, 2017.

Dust mites are curious tiny creatures that feed off your dead skin cells and thrive in warm, humid environments. They don’t bite, and they don’t spread disease, but they are responsible for allergic symptoms and have been linked to the development of asthma in children.1

An estimated 10% of the population is allergic to the dust mite’s fecal pellets and body parts. Your pillow is one of the more common places to find large numbers of mites, as the environment is exactly what they need to grow and multiply.

In fact, pillows and down comforters can become a dust mite reservoir. And, though you may think you’ve finally found the perfect pillow for a great night of sleep, it may be time to pitch the one you have and get a new one.

Ideally, your pillow should fill the gap between your head and shoulders when you lie down. Your pillow will serve two functions — support for your neck and upper back and provide a level of comfort you wouldn’t experience without a pillow.

Support is the more important function as your spine is naturally curved at the neck and a well-placed pillow will maintain proper alignment. Although comfort is slightly more subjective, support plays a role in the comfort factor as a lack of support reduces comfort.

For those with a spinal disorder, proper support is essential to sleep quality and musculoskeletal comfort.2 One study found orthopedic pillows kept spinal alignment best, while feather pillows were the worst; individual support is the deciding factor in your pillow choice.

Your Allergies May Stem From Your Pillow

Dust mites are a fact of life. Even though you may not see them, you are their main source of food, so they are anywhere you live. In fact, brand new bedding may be completely colonized within six weeks!3

The video demonstrates how pervasive the mite population in your home may be, and why your allergy symptoms may be worse in the morning. There are 13 species of dust mites, all of which have adapted to living inside the average home.4

They thrive when temperatures are between 68 and 77 degrees Fahrenheit and humidity levels are between 70% and 80%. There are more dust mites in your bedroom and your bedding than anywhere else in your home.

So, if you have a dust mite allergy and can control the population of dust mites in your bedroom, you may also reduce your allergy symptoms. After two years without cleaning, one-third of the weight of your pillow could be from a thriving dust mite population and its droppings.5

Pillows May Increase Your Exposure to Flame-Retardant Chemicals

However, by changing one pillow for another, you may be changing one health challenge for another. Bedding is a common household material where fire-retardant chemicals are used with the idea that by slowing a burning fire, you have a better chance of escaping the flames.

Research shows that fire-retardant chemicals expose you to greater health risks, both before and during a fire. Mattresses, pillows, couch cushions and even electronics may be doused in fire-retardant chemicals, many of which have been linked to serious health risks,6 including cancer, infertility,7 birth defects and reduced IQ.

Although some of these chemicals are slowly being phased out, they are being replaced with others. The materials infused with older retardants are filling landfills, and chemicals are leaching into the groundwater, slowly making their way back into the food supply.

In 2006, the U.S. government moved to phase out polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), as multiple studies showed it interfered with the endocrine system and led to neurodevelopmental problems.8

A 2017 study suggests the levels of PBDEs in humans have stopped declining, plateaued and may even be higher in certain populations.9 The study’s lead author, a research associate with the Cancer Prevention Institute of California, points out that once these chemicals have reached the environment, they are virtually impossible to destroy.

The Environmental Working Group (EWG) reports replacement chemicals are quietly taking the place of those being phased out and have not yet undergone scrutiny.10 The extent of the trend was not clear until scientists found a major increase in exposure to chlorinated tris in the past decade.11

Tris has been added to many types of foam furniture, including pillows — this is despite the fact that tris is a known carcinogen that may cause neurological damage. California has now classified it as a chemical known to cause cancer.

What You Might Not Know About Fire-Retardant Chemicals

Among the strongest opponents of fire-retardant chemicals are the firefighters who are forced to breathe the chemicals when they respond to a fire. Not only are the fumes toxic, but the chemicals are also ineffective.

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health released the results of more than five years of data demonstrating firefighters face difficult health challenges.12

Their study evaluated over 30,000 firefighters across the U.S. and found this population suffers a greater number of cancer diagnoses and deaths than the general population. Types of cancers included digestive, oral, respiratory, urinary and blood cancers.

Occupational exposure to toxic gases during a fire was the likely culprit. Following past studies, fire-retardant chemicals have been removed from children’s pajamas in response to concerns about cancer, but continued to be used in furniture and foam cushions.

These chemicals were originally developed in the 1970s when cigarettes were a major source of house fires. Under pressure to make fire-safe cigarettes, the tobacco industry pushed for federal standards for fire-retardant furniture instead.

As of July 1, 2007, all U.S. mattresses are required to be highly flame-retardant, to the extent that they won’t catch on fire if exposed to a blowtorch.13

This means manufacturers are dousing them with highly toxic flame-retardant chemicals, which do NOT have to be disclosed in any way. This is probably the most important piece of furniture you want to get right, as you are spending about one-third of your life on it.

Unless you’ve recently remodeled using only natural materials, it’s likely you have flame-retardant lurking in your home right now. You can help to reduce your exposure using these tips:

Know the date of manufacture — Be especially careful with polyurethane foam products manufactured prior to 2005, such as upholstered furniture, mattresses and pillows, as these are most likely to contain PBDE flame retardants.

If you have any of these in your home currently, consider replacing them. At the very least, inspect them carefully and replace ripped covers and/or any foam that appears to be breaking down. Also, avoid reupholstering furniture by yourself, as the reupholstering process increases your risk of exposure.

Use caution during carpet removal — Older carpet padding is another major source of PBDEs, so take precautions when removing old carpet. You’ll want to isolate your work area from the rest of your house to avoid the chemical from spreading, and use a HEPA filter vacuum to clean up.

Take care with electronics — You may also have older sources of PBDEs known as Deca in your home. These chemicals are so toxic they are banned in several states. Deca PBDEs can be found in electronics like TVs, cell phones, kitchen appliances, fans, toner cartridges and more.

Wash your hands after handling electronics, especially before eating, and at the very least, be sure you don’t let infants mouth any of these items (like your TV remote control or cellphone).

Consider naturally safe replacements — As you replace PBDE-containing items around your home, select those that contain naturally less flammable materials, such as leather, wool and cotton.

Consider organic or “green” materials — Look for organic and “green” building materials, carpeting, baby items, mattresses and upholstery, which will be free from these toxic chemicals and help reduce your overall exposure.

Furniture products filled with cotton, wool or polyester tend to be safer than chemical-treated foam; some products also state that they are “flame-retardant free.”

Clean dust carefully — PBDEs are often found in household dust, so clean up with a HEPA-filter vacuum and/or a wet mop often.

How to Get a Restful Night of Sleep

Getting a restful night of sleep is important to your overall health and wellness, and sleeping position is just one of the factors that makes a difference in how rested you may feel in the morning. More than 90% of Americans claim a comfortable pillow is important to how well they feel in the morning.14 You may have a preference for the type of pillow you like prior to sleep, but if you’re waking with back and neck pain, it may be time to make an adjustment.

On your back is the best sleep position as it maintains your head and spine in a neutral position, reduces symptoms of acid reflux and may even prevent wrinkles.15 When on your back, the best pillow is no pillow at all, but rather a flat rolled towel or ultra-thin pillow that will not push your head and neck forward, impacting your breathing.

While the position you use at night affects how well-rested you feel in the morning, I provide additional tips to improve the quality of your sleep, from timing and lighting to temperature, in my article “Top 33 Tips to Optimize Your Sleep Routine.”

Risks Associated With Poor Sleep

A lack of quality sleep may lead to sleep deprivation, which has been linked to a number of different health conditions. Just some of the problems associated with sleep deprivation are listed here. As you can see, they may affect your productivity at work, your relationships, your finances and your health.

Poor emotional balance
Reduced immune function

Worsened constipation
Increased risk of car accidents

Increased accidents at work
Reduced ability to perform tasks

Reduced creativity at work or in other activities
Increased risk of depression

Slowed reaction time
Increased risk of Type 2 diabetes, obesity, cancer, high blood pressure, osteoporosis and cardiovascular disease

Altered gene expression. Research has shown that when people cut sleep from 7.5 to 6.5 hours a night, there were increases in the expression of genes associated with inflammation, immune excitability, diabetes, cancer risk and stress16
Contribute to premature aging by interfering with your growth hormone production, normally released by your pituitary gland during deep sleep

Reduced brain plasticity and ability to learn new concepts
Reduced motor (physical/athletic) performance

Worsened behavioral difficulties in children
Exacerbated or increased risk of stomach ulcers

Intensified chronic pain. In one study, poor or insufficient sleep was found to be the strongest predictor for pain in adults over 5017
Increased risk of depression. In one trial, 87% of depressed patients who resolved their insomnia had major improvements to their depression, with symptoms disappearing after eight weeks

Exacerbated or increased risk of chronic diseases such as, Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, multiple sclerosis (MS), gastrointestinal tract disorders, kidney disease and cancer
Harm your brain by halting new cell production. Sleep deprivation can increase levels of corticosterone (a stress hormone), resulting in fewer new brain cells being created in your hippocampus

Are You Ready to Replace Your Pillow?

Failure to change your pillow every six months to a year may also increase your risk of acne breakouts.18 Pressing your face into old dirt, oil and dead skin cells may increase your risk of clogging pores and developing whiteheads. Down pillows and comforters attract the most debris and cannot be cleaned conventionally to rid the product of dust mites.

Wash your pillows regularly by putting two pillows in the washing machine at a time to balance the load. Add as little detergent as possible. Run them through the rinse cycle twice and then tumble dry. During the summer months consider hanging the pillows out on sunny days to reduce humidity in the pillow.

The National Sleep Foundation recommends replacing pillows every one to two years,19 and extending the life of your pillow by washing it every six months. You’ll know it’s definitely time to replace your pillow when it becomes lumpy, the shape and comfort no longer resemble a new pillow, or you fold it in half and it doesn’t quickly bounce back.

The Wonders of Wool

The alternative bedding you may have been searching for is made from a sustainable product, naturally repels dust mites, doesn’t contain fire-retardant chemicals and supports your body temperature changes throughout the night. That product is wool.

It may sound like your pillows and comforters would smother you in heat, as woolen jackets have long been what you sought after in the deeply cold winter months. But, for the same reason wool jackets work so well in the winter to protect your body heat, they also work in your bedding to provide you with exactly what your body needs for a restful sleep. Wool fibers trap your body heat, helping you to maintain a steady temperature.

Other types of bedding trap warm air, creating a humid environment, ripe for dust mites. However, wool releases the humidity and helps maintain a steady temperature unique to your body’s needs. Wool also naturally passes federal fire testing, requiring no additional chemicals.20 Wool is machine washable, hypoallergenic and supports farmers who provide a sustainable product. It can be harvested from sheep, alpaca, angora rabbits and camels.21

Creating a restful and safe environment in your bedroom is important to your health and wellness. By reducing your exposure to dust mites and fire-retardant chemicals, and by making small changes to your nightly routine, you may experience greater productivity during the day and improved health overall.

Research1 published in the Journal of Cachexia, Sarcopenia and Muscle demonstrated once again that grip strength is a reliable biomarker of your biological age. In case you were not aware, your biological age can be a different number than your chronological age.

Biological Age, Health Span and Legal Implications

Chronological age is the number of years you have existed on Earth, while biological age describes the age at which your cells are functioning. For some people, these numbers are the same, and for others, they are vastly different. If you throw another measurement into the mix, your health span is the amount of time in life you are free from age-related disease.

Your health span is intimately related to your biological age. This means as your body’s cells decline in function, they’re more susceptible to a variety of age-related diseases, many of which are in the top 10 leading causes of death recorded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.2 These conditions include heart disease, cancer, stroke, Alzheimer’s disease, diabetes and chronic liver disease.

Researchers believe that biological age is a combination of genetics, lifestyle choices, nutrition and comorbidities.3 You have control over two factors — lifestyle and nutrition — which together influence comorbidities. In other words, you have control over a vast majority of the factors that impact your biological age, and therefore your longevity.

When you consider the world around you, a lot has changed in the last five years. Bioethicists at Harvard University4 question if the distinction between biological and chronological age is significant, should that support a legal age change? While this is a question for another time, you can see how taking control of your health today may hold many benefits later in life, no matter what time in life you begin making changes.

The featured study indicates that grip strength is a reliable biomarker of your biological age, which would indicate that measuring your grip strength can help doctors predict your probability of developing chronic disease or all-cause mortality. One writer ponders5 about the growing number of individuals in their 20s and 30s who are no longer biologically young.

He writes that over the last eight years, a variety of studies have shown that the number of people with serious chronic diseases is growing, alongside a rising infertility rate, rising rate of mental illnesses in young women, and a roughly 70% decline in male testosterone since the 1970s.

He concludes that it is “obvious just how much the quality of human life has declined in just 1-2 decades.”6 Yet, information from the featured study and many others demonstrate that simple lifestyle changes can produce significant results.

Grip Strength Is a Reliable Biomarker for Biological Age

The researchers identified a growing body of evidence that has linked muscular weakness to a host of age-related health outcomes.7 Many researchers have looked at low grip strength as a biomarker of aging. This research team sought to identify the pathways that connect grip strength to negative health consequences by looking at DNA methylation (DNAm) age acceleration.

The researchers used data from the 2006 to 2008 data collection in the Health and Retirement Study in which there were eight to 10 years of follow-up. The researchers looked at longitudinal modeling that examined a potential association between the change in grip strength and DNAm age acceleration.

The data estimated age acceleration using DunedinPoAm, PhenoAge and GrimAge clocks, which are three epigenetic clocks used to estimate biological age based on DNAm patterns.8

At the conclusion of the study, the researchers wrote that there was “a robust and independent cross-sectional association between NGS (normalized grip strength) and DNAm age acceleration for men using the DunedinPoAm, PhenoAge and GrimAge clocks and for women using the DunedinPoAm and GrimAge clocks.”9

Based on the data, the researchers concluded that there is “some initial evidence of age acceleration among men and women with lower NGS and loss of strength over time.”10 They suggest that more research is needed to understand the extent to which DNAm age is associated with grip strength and chronic disease.

This data seeks to explain what other researchers have documented, that grip strength provides evidence of your overall strength and upper limb function, as well as information about bone mineral density, nutrition, cognition, sleep and quality of life.11

Relationship Between Strength and Overall Health

Other researchers have also identified a similar relationship with grip strength, overall health and specific health conditions. According to geriatric medicine specialist Ardeshir Hashmi from the Cleveland Clinic, “Grip strength naturally begins to decline around age 50, and maybe even earlier. People who maintain their grip strength age more slowly. They stay healthier longer and are stronger throughout their bodies.”12

The consensus is that the stronger your grip strength, the better your health and the lower your grip strength the poorer your health. However, there is no consensus on the exact low and high measurements, and they are different based on your chronological age, weight and other factors.13

It’s estimated that grip strength is an indication of general muscle strength, which is crucial for endurance, balance and mobility. The association between hand grip strength and the strength of your immune system was the focus of a 2022 study14 that concluded measuring hand strength allows for “preliminary predictions on the current level of immunity and inflammation in the body.”

Data has also found that hand grip strength is correlated with heart health and can help predict cardiovascular problems alongside family history, blood pressure and other indicators.15 Low grip strength increases the risk of osteoporosis in postmenopausal women and a stronger grip is associated with increased functional independence.16 Grip strength can also affect your stability and increase the risk of accidents when you can’t catch yourself from falling.

Several studies have also found an association between a weaker grip, a reduction in cognitive functioning, an increase in the risk of psychiatric conditions and an increase in dementia.17 A large study published in 2022 associated poor hand grip strength in midlife with cognitive decline roughly 10 years later.18

The study19 published in JAMA Neurology used data from the U.K. Biobank Cohort Study. The researchers concluded that hand grip strength is associated with neurocognitive brain health. They believe this adds to a growing body of research indicating that increasing muscle strength in middle-aged adults may help maintain neurocognitive brain health as you age.

Another 2022 study20 published in BMC Medicine analyzed cross-sectional and longitudinal data from over 40,000 participants. The number in the cohort varied depending on the measurement being analyzed.

The researchers looked at the association between grip strength, behavioral outcomes and brain structure, finding an association between grip strength and increased gray matter volume in regional areas of the brain, as well as several measures of cognition and mental health.

How to Measure Hand Grip Strength

I have known of the correlation between grip strength and longevity for some time now, but was surprised that the instrument to measure it is inexpensive, So, I purchased one for $25 on Amazon and was delighted that my grip strength was off the charts at 129 pounds. I sincerely believe it is largely due to hanging for 90 seconds to two minutes twice a day for the last few years, a practice that I encourage nearly anyone to consider to increase their grip strength.Researchers in the featured study used a Smedley spring-type hand dynamometer to measure grip strength.21 Grip strength measures muscle strength exerted in your hand and forearm muscles. A dynamometer is typically the tool that’s used to measure grip strength but not what’s used to improve your grip strength.

The measurement is typically given in kilograms or pounds. A digital hand dynamometer is the easiest and most reliable way of measuring your hand strength. Owning a hand dynamometer helps you keep track of your grip strength over time. To use a dynamometer be sure to follow the instructions that come with the device. Generally:22

The grip handle should be positioned to fit your hand
Bend your elbow at a 90-degree angle
Apply maximum effort to squeeze the dynamometer
Repeat a total of three times and average the three results

A 2018 study23 used data from 1,232 participants aged 18 to 85 years to extract normative reference values for hand grip strength in that age range. The researchers established ranges based on gender and dominant or non-dominant hands.The cohort was broken into five-year age ranges and an overall range was established for each group as well as identifying those in the 10th, 25th, 50th, 75th and 90th percentiles. Examples of the measurement ranges in the dominant hand include:

Years
Pounds

Men

18-24
103.6 +/- 17.9

35-39
103.8 +/- 26.2

50-54
97.0 +/- 22.7

60-64
84.7 +/- 22.7

70-74
76.5 +/- 19.8

Women

18-24
61.9 +/- 15.7

35-39
64.4 +/- 13.7

50-54
62.2 +/- 13.9

60-64
52.0 +/- 14.3

70-74
47.4 +/- 11.2

Pay Close Attention to Overall Strength

As the lead researcher of the featured study, Mark D. Peterson said, “Grip strength is a proxy indicator of overall muscle strength, meaning that it is highly correlated to other measures of strength. Thus, simply increasing grip strength would not render any changes to health or longevity.”24

While grip strength is just an indicator of your overall strength, you still may want to spend some time improving your grip strength to make everyday tasks easier. Hashmi recommends25 using a racquetball or squash ball as a squeeze ball.

He notes that the size and the material of the ball are important so that you have the right resistance. A tennis ball is too large and may cause an injury while exercising. Other options can include resistance bands and grip and squeeze handles that come in different sizes and levels of resistance. He recommends using a low resistance and working your way up to higher strengths.

While you might think that traditional weightlifting is the only way to build muscle, there are several other options. If you’ve never done any strength training, it may help to begin with resistance bands that come in a variety of different strengths. These allow you to build muscle while you learn the correct form to reduce your risk of injury.

As you get stronger, I highly encourage you to consider my favorite way of strength training — KAATSU, also known as blood flow restriction training. It can help radically improve muscle growth and strength without risking injury. This makes an ideal for people who have never done strength training and for the elderly.

Strength training is vital to prevent age-related muscle loss that leads to frailty and premature death. KAATSU is not only effective in building muscle, even when you’re older, but it also generates some highly beneficial metabolic byproducts, including insulin growth factor 1, growth hormones and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF).

You can learn more about the benefits of KAATSU in “How to Optimize Health and Strength — Even if You’re Over 60,” which features my interview with Dr. Marcos de Andrade, a research physician and CEO of BIOHAXS. We met at Dave Asprey’s Biohacking Conference in June 2023, where we ended up arm wrestling. De Andrade was 38 years old and an extreme fitness buff, and I was 69. But I still beat him. So, age doesn’t have to be a determining factor or excuse for poor fitness.