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Many people notice that staying focused feels different than it used to. Tasks that once held attention now break apart more easily, and quiet moments feel harder to sit with. There is often a pull toward quick stimulation, even when the intention is to stay on task. This pattern comes up across a wide range of ages and lifestyles, not limited to any one group.

Short-form video didn’t just add another entertainment option. It reshaped how digital time fills the gaps in your day. Endless feeds, instant novelty, and automatic playback train your brain to expect speed instead of depth. Many people describe this shift with the phrase “brain rot,” a term for the sense that mental sharpness erodes under constant stimulation. That phrase stuck because it captures a lived experience, not because it exaggerates one.

What’s important is what this shift disrupts. Focus and self-control are the systems that let you read without drifting, finish work without bouncing between tabs, and stay emotionally steady under stress. When those systems become strained, productivity drops, learning slows, and mental fatigue builds. This is not about confidence, personality, or intelligence. It’s about how your brain responds to the environment you repeat every day.

The good news is that clarity is now possible. Instead of guessing or arguing about opinions, researchers have begun mapping clear patterns that explain why attention falters and which mental functions absorb the greatest strain. Understanding those patterns is the first step toward regaining control.

Short Videos Strain Your Brain’s Control Center

In a study published in Psychological Bulletin, researchers examined 71 individual studies involving a combined 98,299 participants to understand how short-form video use relates to cognitive and mental health outcomes.1 This was a systematic review and meta-analysis, meaning the researchers aggregated data across many independent research teams to identify consistent patterns rather than isolated findings.

The core question was simple: when people spend more time on short-form video platforms, what happens to their ability to think, focus, and regulate behavior? The researchers examined multiple cognitive domains, including attention, inhibitory control, and broader measures of mental well-being, rather than relying on vague self-reports alone.

The studies included both youth and adults and spanned multiple short-form video platforms, not just a single app. This means the findings don’t hinge on one age group, culture, or algorithm — they appear wherever endless, fast-scrolling video formats dominate daily screen habits.

• Attention and self-control showed the strongest declines — The analysis found a moderate negative relationship between short-form video use and overall cognition. Higher use consistently tracked with weaker thinking performance. When researchers zoomed in, attention suffered the most, followed closely by inhibitory control, meaning the ability to pause, resist impulses, and stay on task.

• Impulse regulation took a particularly hard hit — Inhibitory control showed an even stronger negative association than attention. For your daily life, this translates into more difficulty stopping automatic behaviors, such as checking your phone mid-task or abandoning work that requires sustained effort in favor of quick stimulation.

• Mental health strain rose alongside cognitive fatigue — The analysis found higher levels of stress and anxiety among heavier short-form video users. There was a consistent relationship between frequent scrolling and elevated psychological strain, even when other factors vary across studies.

Interestingly, short-form video use showed no meaningful association with body image or self-esteem. The strongest effects cluster around focus, impulse control, and stress, not self-worth or appearance concerns.

• The format, not just the content, drives the effect — Researchers emphasized that endless scrolling, rapid video turnover, and constant novelty create a cognitive environment that overloads attention systems. Each swipe demands quick reorientation, which trains your brain to expect frequent rewards and undermines tolerance for slower, deeper thinking.

• Most studies captured snapshots, not long timelines — Many included studies measured participants at a single point in time rather than tracking changes over years. That limits conclusions about permanence but strengthens confidence in the consistency of the association seen right now, across contexts and populations.2

This paper shows that attention and self-regulation weaken in step with heavier short-form video use, not because of a character flaw, but because your brain adapts to the environment it repeats. When you understand that mechanism, attention becomes a skill you can protect, train, and rebuild rather than something you assume you have simply lost.

Sustained Focus Erodes with Frequent Scrolling

A narrative review published in the International Journal of Community Empowerment & Society Administration analyzed research published between 2019 and 2025 to evaluate how short-form video platforms influence sustained attention and daily functioning.3 Unlike a meta-analysis, this review synthesized findings across selected empirical studies that directly isolated short-form video use rather than general screen time.

The populations studied primarily included adolescents and young adults, with particular emphasis on Gen Z and younger Millennials who use platforms like TikTok most heavily. The findings consistently showed that frequent users struggle more with sustained attention, academic performance, and task persistence compared with lighter users.

• Attention problems intensified as daily use increased — Multiple studies summarized in the review reported a dose-response pattern, meaning attention difficulties became more pronounced as time spent on short-form video rose. Users averaging more than two hours per day showed clearer deficits in focus than those with lower exposure. This frames attention as something that degrades in steps, not all at once, which makes self-monitoring a powerful tool.

• Academic performance declined alongside focus — The review highlighted consistent links between heavier short-form video use and lower grade point averages, increased procrastination, and difficulty completing complex assignments. These outcomes reflect real-world performance, not abstract test scores. When attention fragments, learning efficiency drops even if total study time stays the same.

• Behavioral control weakened during demanding tasks — Studies cited in the review found that frequent users showed more distractibility during sustained cognitive tasks, such as reading long passages or listening to lectures. This aligns with reports from educators who observe students struggling to stay engaged without frequent stimulation changes.

• Neuroimaging findings showed changes in control and reward regions — Emerging EEG and MRI studies summarized in the review found altered activity in brain areas involved in executive control and reward processing among heavy users. Executive control regions help you stay focused and regulate behavior, while reward regions drive motivation and habit loops. Changes in these systems mirror patterns seen in other compulsive behaviors.

Rapid Novelty Shapes How Your Brain Allocates Effort

The review described how fast, algorithm-driven content reinforces preference for immediate rewards over delayed effort.4 Each short clip trains your brain to expect quick payoff, making slower tasks feel disproportionately taxing. For daily life, this explains why long emails, deep work, or uninterrupted reading feel harder after heavy scrolling.

• Younger users showed stronger effects than older ones — The largest attention disruptions appeared in younger adolescents whose executive systems are still maturing. The review emphasized that developing brains show higher sensitivity to repeated reward cycles, which amplifies the impact of frequent short-form exposure.

• Individual differences shaped vulnerability — Not all users showed the same level of impairment. Those with stronger self-regulation skills or more varied offline activities demonstrated less severe attention problems. This finding supports a personalized approach, where you assess your own habits and limits rather than assuming uniform risk.

• The mechanisms point toward habit design, not personal failure — Platform design elements, including autoplay, endless feeds, and personalized algorithms, drive these outcomes. When you view attention as a trainable capacity influenced by environment, it becomes easier to set boundaries, track usage, and rebuild focus through intentional routines.

How to Protect and Rebuild Your Focus in a Short-Form World

So, is “brain rot” real? The evidence says the experience people describe has a real neurological basis, but the label itself oversimplifies what’s happening. What changes isn’t intelligence or motivation. What changes is how your attention system adapts to repeated exposure to short, fast, highly rewarding content. Research shows that when your brain trains on constant novelty and rapid switching, it becomes less efficient at sustained focus and self-control. That is learning, not damage, and learning works both ways.

Attention loss isn’t a willpower failure. Your brain did exactly what brains do. It adapted to the environment it was placed in. Short-form video feeds reward speed, novelty, and instant payoff, so your nervous system learned to expect those conditions. Over time, deeper focus feels harder not because you lost it, but because you stopped practicing it.

That distinction points to the solution. You protect and rebuild focus by changing the environment that trained your attention in the first place and by reintroducing conditions that reward depth, continuity, and effort. When the rules change, your brain follows. Focus isn’t gone. It’s retrainable.

1. Cut the loop at its source, not at your discipline — If you open short-form apps automatically, the root cause is the endless feed itself. I recommend removing short-form video apps from your phone entirely and accessing them only on a desktop browser, if at all. This single change breaks autoplay, frictionless scrolling, and constant novelty, which are the drivers of attention erosion.

I also recommend keeping your phone out of your bedroom. When your phone stays within arm’s reach at night or first thing in the morning, your brain never fully disengages from the reward loop.

Removing it from the bedroom reduces your exposure to electromagnetic fields (EMFs), protects sleep, reduces late-night and early-morning scrolling, and prevents your attention system from starting the day in a fragmented state. When the loop disappears and your sleep environment stays stimulus-free, your brain stops expecting a reward every few seconds. Over time, focus steadies and mental energy becomes easier to sustain.

2. Set a daily attention anchor that trains depth — Endless scrolling weakens the brain regions that govern focus and decision-making, which leaves you more vulnerable to stress, anxiety, and poor sleep. Try choosing one daily activity that demands sustained attention for 20 to 30 minutes without interruption. Reading a physical book, writing by hand, or completing a single uninterrupted work block all qualify.

Exercise plays a similar role for your brain. It acts like a reset button by strengthening control circuits, stabilizing stress hormones, and restoring healthier dopamine signaling so you feel more in charge of your choices.5 When you pair movement with a focused attention block, you reinforce the same control systems from two directions at once.

Think of this as resistance training for attention. You track one simple metric: did you finish the block without switching tasks. Each completed session gives you direct evidence that focus rebuilds through practice, not motivation, and that your brain responds quickly when the right conditions return.

3. Use time boxing instead of vague limits — If you’re not ready to eliminate short-form content entirely, try strict time boxing. One window per day. One device. A hard stop. For example, 15 minutes in the evening only. When time ends, the app closes. This approach respects cognitive load limits and prevents attention fatigue from spreading across your entire day. You’re not guessing or negotiating with yourself. The rule is fixed.

4. Replace fast reward with slower reward on purpose — Short-form video trained your brain to chase instant payoff. You counter this by deliberately choosing activities with delayed reward: long walks without headphones, cooking a full meal, completing a complex task start to finish. Notice how uncomfortable the first five minutes feel. That discomfort is the retraining phase. Each time you stay focused, you restore tolerance for effort and depth.

5. Turn attention recovery into a visible scorecard — Track three daily markers on paper: total short-form minutes, longest uninterrupted focus block, and evening mental fatigue level. This isn’t about perfection. It’s about feedback. When short-form minutes drop and focus blocks rise, stress and restlessness fall. Seeing that pattern builds confidence and keeps you engaged because your brain responds to progress it can see.

This approach works because it targets the cause, not the symptom. You remove the environment that fragments attention, then actively retrain the brain systems that short-form video weakened. Over time, focus stops feeling fragile and starts feeling reliable again.

FAQs About Brain Rot

Q: Is “brain rot” actually real, or is it just slang?
A: The term is slang, but the experience behind it is real. Research shows that heavy short-form video use reshapes how attention and self-control function by training your brain to expect constant novelty and rapid rewards. This is an adaptation to the environment, not a loss of intelligence or motivation.

Q: What exactly changes in my brain with frequent short-form video use?
A: The strongest changes show up in attention, impulse control, and stress regulation. Endless scrolling trains your brain to switch quickly and seek instant payoff, which makes sustained focus, task completion, and emotional steadiness harder during everyday activities.

Q: Who’s most affected by short-form video habits?
A: Effects appear across ages and platforms, but younger users and heavy daily users show the greatest strain. People with weaker self-regulation skills or fewer offline activities tend to experience stronger attention disruption, while those with structured routines show more resilience.

Q: Is attention loss permanent once it happens?
A: No. The evidence supports learning and adaptation, not irreversible damage. Attention weakens because it’s practiced less and fragmented more often. When the environment changes and depth is reintroduced, focus responds and rebuilds through repeated use.

Q: What are the most effective ways to protect and rebuild focus?
A: The most effective strategies target the cause, not willpower. Removing short-form apps from your phone, keeping your phone out of your bedroom, setting daily uninterrupted focus blocks, pairing focus with exercise, using strict time limits, and tracking progress all retrain attention systems and restore control over time.

Have you ever wondered why chronic diseases like diabetes, obesity, and heart disease keep rising, even with all our medical advances? In a powerful episode of The Joe Rogan Experience, Dr. Casey Means and Calley Means tackle this question head-on.1 Dr. Casey is the co-founder of Levels Health, which provides insights into metabolic health through real-time data.

Calley is the co-founder of Truemed, which enables HSA spending on healthy food, supplements, and exercise. They explore metabolic health, the impact of your diet, and how big corporations shape health policies — often at the expense of your well-being.

What Is Metabolic Health and Why Should You Care?

Metabolic health is all about how your body turns food into energy. When it works well, you feel energized and your body runs smoothly. But when it’s off, trouble starts. Dr. Casey, co-author of the book “Good Energy,” explains that poor metabolic health is behind many chronic health problems, which are widespread in the U.S.

Here’s the eye-opening part: 74% of Americans are overweight or obese, and 50% have Type 2 diabetes or pre-diabetes. That’s a huge jump from years ago when only 1% had diabetes in 1950. Young adults are getting dementia three times more often since 2012, and cancer rates are climbing too — especially in people under 50. Dr. Casey calls this a “disaster” that’s getting worse fast.

Why should you care? Because your metabolic health decides how likely you are to face these issues. It’s not just about living longer — it’s about feeling good while you’re here. The good news? You can improve it with simple changes we’ll cover later.

How Does Your Diet Affect Your Health?

What you eat shapes your metabolic health more than almost anything else. Dr. Casey and Calley point the finger at ultraprocessed foods — like sugary cereals, fast food, and packaged snacks. These aren’t just “processed” like jarred veggies; they’re loaded with seed oils, which contain linoleic acid, additives and fake ingredients that interfere with your body.

Children are hit hard — 67% of their calories come from these foods. Dr. Casey says this floods your system with added sugar and unhealthy fats, leading to weight gain and insulin problems. Over time, it throws your metabolism out of whack. Meanwhile, whole foods — like fruits, veggies, eggs, and grass fed meats — give you nutrients to keep your energy steady and your body strong. Want to boost your health? Try these tips:

• Eat more whole foods — Fill your plate with fresh foods — think colorful fruits and veggies, eggs, and grass fed dairy.

• Cut back on refined sugar — Skip sodas, candies, and high-fructose corn syrup. Use a little maple syrup or raw honey if you need sweetness.

• Check labels — If the ingredients list looks like a science experiment, put it back.

• Cook at home — Making your own meals lets you control what’s in them. Homemade meals are healthier and tastier too.

How Do Corporations Influence Your Health Choices?

You might not realize it, but big companies play a huge role in what you eat and how healthy you stay. Calley used to be a lobbyist for food and drug companies. He saw firsthand how they push unhealthy products while dodging blame.

Take soda, for example. Coke funneled money to groups like the NAACP to argue that banning soda from food stamps was unfair. Today, it’s still the top item bought with food stamps. Food companies also fund studies to downplay refined sugar’s harm, while drug companies push pills over prevention. Dr. Casey adds that this keeps the health care system focused on treating you after you’re sick — not stopping sickness before it starts. What can you do? Stay smart:

• Mix up your info sources — Don’t trust just one place. Look for honest, independent voices.

• Ask who’s paying — If a study or ad feels off, check who’s behind it.

• Push for truth — Support efforts to make companies and research more transparent.

Education is also key. Knowing this helps you see through the noise and make better choices.

Why Are Children Struggling — And What Can You Do?

Children’s health is tanking, and it’s not their fault. Autism rates jumped from 1 in 150 in 2000 to 1 in 30 today.2 Half of teens are overweight or obese. Dr. Casey ties this to junk food, chemicals like pesticides and plastics that act like hormones such as estrogen in your body. Girls are hitting puberty as young as 10 because of this “estrogen stew” they’re exposed to daily.

Parents, you’re not powerless. Cut ultraprocessed foods from your children’s diets — swap Lunchables for home-packed meals with real ingredients. Get them outside more; kids spend less time outdoors than prisoners. Sunlight and play boost their health naturally. Push your doctor for options like exercise prescriptions, not just pills.

What’s Wrong with the Health Care System?

The health care system sounds like it’s there to help, but Dr. Casey says it’s broken. She trained as a surgeon and saw doctors stuck treating symptoms — like prescribing pills or doing surgeries — without fixing what’s really wrong. Why? The system pays for how many patients you see, not how healthy you make them.

For example, if you’re tired or overweight, you might bounce between specialists — each one giving you a new drug or test. But no one looks at the big picture, like how your diet or sleep could be the real issue. It’s a money game: more treatments mean more profit, even if you don’t feel better. You can’t rely on the system alone — it’s up to you to steer the ship. Here’s how to take charge:

• Learn about your health — Read up on what’s bugging you. Ask your doctor tough questions.

• Focus on prevention — Eat well and move more to stop problems before they start.

• Find a big-picture health care practitioner — Seek someone who looks at your whole life, not just one symptom.

How Do You Take Control of Your Health?

Here’s the best part: your health isn’t up to doctors or corporations — it’s in your hands. Dr. Casey and Calley stress that small, everyday choices flip the script. You don’t need fancy gear or tons of cash — just a little know-how and effort. Try these steps to get started:

1. Track your metabolic health — Tools like glucose monitors show how food affects you. The HOMA-IR test provides a simple way to detect insulin resistance early, calculating the relationship between fasting glucose and insulin levels to evaluate your metabolic health.

2. Eat smart — Stick to whole foods that fuel you right. Test what works for your body and be sure to include enough healthy carbohydrates. Glucose, derived from carbs, serves as your cells’ preferred fuel source for energy production.

3. Move more — Walk 7,000 steps a day — it’s about 45 minutes — and cut your risk of diseases like Type 2 diabetes, Alzheimer’s and gastric reflux by up to 60%, Dr. Casey says. Ideally, work your way up to one hour daily, which can be split up into multiple shorter walks.

4. Relieve stress and sleep well — Try meditation or slow breathing to keep stress in check. Use these 33 tips to optimize your sleep routine.

5. Stay curious — Keep learning about health from solid sources you trust.

Start with one or two changes. Over time, they add up to a healthier, happier you. Dr. Casey and Calley reveal a tough truth: your health is under attack from bad food, corporate greed, and a flawed system. But you’re not helpless. By understanding metabolic health, cleaning up your diet and taking small steps daily, you can fight back. It’s not about perfection — it’s about progress. Start today, and see how strong you’ll feel tomorrow.

FAQs — Your Health Questions Answered

Q: What’s metabolic health in simple terms?

A: It’s how your body turns food into energy. When it’s good, you avoid diseases like diabetes. When it’s bad, health risks go up.

Q: How can I fix my diet fast?

A: Swap junk for whole foods — think apples over chips. Cook easy meals at home and ditch sugary drinks. Simple wins add up fast.

Q: Why’s the health care system letting us down?

A: It’s built to treat sickness, not prevent it. Doctors get paid for volume, not your health, so root causes get ignored.

Q: What’s the easiest way to take control of my health?

A: Cut processed foods from your diet. Start walking daily — 7,000 steps slashes disease risk. Add whole foods and good sleep for an even greater boost.

Q: Are kids really in danger from food and chemicals?

A: Yes — junk food and plastics are linked to obesity and early puberty. Feed your children real food and limit screen time.

Few endurance feats carry the mystique of a marathon. Cross that finish line after 26.2 miles and you’ve asked your body to do something it’s not casually built for — sustained, near-maximal effort hour after hour, with your heart laboring at the center of it.
That invites a question worth sitting with: what does a marathon actually do to your heart? Not in the figurative sense, but in the literal one. What shifts inside the organ working hardest to carry you through those final miles, and would any of those shifts give a cardiologist pause if they showed up on a test?
The answer turns out to be more nuanced than a first glance suggests, and I want to walk you through it. The details are what separate a normal response to extreme exertion from the warning signs that genuinely deserve attention, and they carry practical lessons for anyone who trains hard, whether or not a marathon ever lands on your calendar.

Your Heart Shows Measurable Stress After a Marathon

For a systematic review published in BMJ Open Sport & Exercise Medicine, researchers pooled evidence from 69 studies involving 3,274 healthy adults to answer a simple but important question: What happens to your heart immediately after running a marathon?1
The researchers analyzed data collected over several decades from healthy adults — about three-quarters of them men, ages 27 to 63 — who completed a standard 26.2-mile (42.195-kilometer) road marathon. This larger dataset gave them a much clearer picture of the body’s immediate response than any single study alone.

• The review focused on several different ways of measuring heart health — Researchers examined blood tests that detect stress or injury to heart muscle, ultrasound images that measured how well the heart filled and pumped blood, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), which creates highly detailed pictures of the heart’s structure.
Looking at all of these measurements together allowed the researchers to compare how different parts of the heart responded after extreme endurance exercise instead of relying on just one test.
• The right side of the heart carried the biggest workload — One of the most consistent findings involved the right ventricle, which is the chamber responsible for pumping blood from your heart to your lungs. After the marathon, this chamber temporarily became larger while its pumping ability declined modestly. At the same time, several measurements of the left side of the heart changed only slightly or remained stable.
During a marathon, your heart pumps many times its normal output, hour after hour without rest. The right ventricle faces an especially heavy workload because it needs to keep blood moving through the lungs while your breathing rate stays elevated for several hours.
Unlike the thick, muscular left ventricle, which is built to push blood against the high pressures of your entire body, the right ventricle has comparatively thin walls suited to a gentle, low-pressure circuit through the lungs, so when hours of hard running drive those lung pressures up, it’s asked to generate force it wasn’t structurally built to handle. That extra demand appears to explain why the right side showed the greatest temporary changes after runners crossed the finish line.
• Blood tests rose dramatically without proving permanent injury — Another important discovery involved three blood tests that doctors use to look for stress or damage to the heart. Two of these tests measure troponins, proteins that normally stay locked inside healthy heart muscle cells but leak into the bloodstream when the heart is under heavy strain, and the same markers doctors track during a suspected heart attack.
The third measures a substance your heart releases when it has to work harder than usual. All three blood markers increased substantially after marathon completion, and some values exceeded the levels doctors often use to evaluate heart attacks or heart failure.
That finding doesn’t automatically mean marathon runners suffered the same type of injury seen during a heart attack, however. The researchers emphasized that endurance athletes represent a unique situation. Although these blood markers increased consistently after races, scientists still don’t know whether they reflect temporary adaptation to extreme exercise, short-lived stress on heart cells, or another normal recovery process unique to endurance sports.
• Personal characteristics influenced the results — The researchers didn’t find one universal response that applied equally to everyone. Instead, age, biological sex, training status, and marathon finishing time all influenced how strongly heart measurements changed after the race. These individual characteristics explained part of the variation seen across the different studies.
This means comparing yourself with another runner has limited value. Two people who complete the same marathon often experience very different physical responses afterward because their fitness level, years of training, race pace, and personal physiology differ.
The findings also reinforce the value of gradual preparation. Consistent training allows your cardiovascular system to adapt over time instead of facing the enormous stress of a marathon without adequate conditioning. The review didn’t compare trained and untrained runners directly in an experimental setting, but training status clearly influenced how participants responded across the included studies.
• The changes remained relatively small — The researchers specifically noted that most structural and functional changes fell outside the range normally considered clinically meaningful in otherwise healthy adults. So, while researchers observed measurable changes, they didn’t resemble the severe abnormalities doctors associate with permanent heart damage.

Train Smarter to Protect Your Heart for Life

The marathon review showed that your heart responds to extreme endurance exercise with measurable stress. The goal isn’t to avoid vigorous exercise entirely but to give your body the right amount at the right time. More is not always better when it comes to high-intensity training. Long-term heart health comes from balancing intensity with recovery, proper nutrition, and consistent daily movement instead of treating every workout like a competition.

1. Limit high-intensity exercise but embrace moderate movement — Research from cardiologist James O’Keefe and colleagues found that people doing the highest volumes of vigorous exercise begin to lose some of the longevity benefits that exercise normally provides.2 If you’re in your 40s or 50s and regularly compete in full-distance triathlons or similar endurance events, your risk of atrial fibrillation, an abnormal heart rhythm that increases stroke risk, rises by 500% to 800%.
In contrast, moderate exercise, where you’re slightly winded but still able to carry on a conversation, follows a different pattern. The evidence shows that more moderate movement continues to improve health without showing the same upper limit. Reserve vigorous workouts for short, purposeful sessions instead of making every workout an all-out effort.
2. Build your fitness around daily movement — Walking remains one of the safest and most effective ways to strengthen your cardiovascular system. Aim for a one-hour walk daily, increasing the time gradually if you currently move much less.
Activities such as brisk walking, hiking, recreational cycling, swimming, gardening, pickleball, yoga, and tai chi improve endurance while placing far less stress on your heart than repeated high-intensity workouts. Whenever possible, spend at least two hours each week exercising outdoors so you also benefit from natural sunlight and time in nature.
3. Strengthen your muscles without chasing endless gym time — Two strength-training sessions each week, lasting about 20 to 40 minutes, provide an excellent balance between building muscle and allowing recovery. Focus on compound exercises such as squats, deadlifts, presses, and rows performed with good technique.
If heavy weights aggravate your joints, lighter-load blood flow restriction (BFR) training, often called KAATSU, stimulates muscle growth with much lighter resistance. Muscle protects against age-related muscle loss and supports healthy metabolism, but excessive strength-training volume offers little additional longevity benefit.
4. Fuel your body to support recovery instead of depletion — Your heart and muscles depend on adequate energy after demanding exercise. I recommend eating about 250 grams of carbohydrates each day for most adults, with higher amounts if you’re very active, so your glycogen stores remain full. Keep protein near 0.8 grams per pound (or 1.76 grams per kilogram) of ideal body weight, with roughly one-third coming from collagen-rich foods like slow-cooked meats or bone broth.
If you have reduced kidney function, don’t adopt this higher target without checking with your doctor — protein needs are often deliberately lower for impaired kidneys. Eliminate seed oils, which are high in linoleic acid (LA), and avoid alcohol, both of which interfere with mitochondrial energy production and undermine the cardiovascular adaptations your training is designed to build.
5. Treat recovery as part of the workout — Fitness develops after exercise, not during it. Schedule one or two recovery days after especially strenuous efforts, prioritize restorative sleep, and avoid stacking multiple hard workouts back to back. If your resting heart rate remains elevated, your performance suddenly drops, or you feel unusually fatigued for several days, reduce your training volume instead of pushing harder.
Your body adapts best when vigorous exercise, moderate movement, and recovery work together rather than competing with one another.

FAQs About Extreme Endurance Running and Heart Health

Q: Does running a marathon permanently damage your heart?
A: No clear evidence shows that a marathon causes permanent heart damage in healthy runners. The systematic review found that marathon running causes temporary changes in heart structure, heart function, and blood markers associated with heart stress. Most of these changes were modest, and researchers stated that more long-term studies are needed to determine whether repeated exposure leads to lasting changes in some endurance athletes.

Q: Why do blood tests for heart injury rise after a marathon?
A: After a marathon, blood tests that doctors often use to detect heart stress or injury commonly increase because the heart has worked at an extremely high level for several hours. Researchers found that these temporary increases don’t necessarily indicate the same type of damage seen during a heart attack, but they do show that marathon running places substantial stress on the cardiovascular system.

Q: Who experiences the greatest strain from extreme endurance exercise?
A: The review found that heart responses differed according to age, biological sex, training status, and marathon finishing time. Separate research also suggests that people who perform very high volumes of vigorous endurance exercise over many years, particularly full-distance triathletes in midlife, face a much higher risk of developing atrial fibrillation than those who exercise at more moderate levels.3

Q: What type of exercise offers the greatest long-term heart benefits?
A: Moderate exercise provides the strongest long-term balance between cardiovascular fitness and longevity. Activities such as walking, hiking, cycling, swimming, gardening, yoga, and tai chi improve heart health without exposing your cardiovascular system to the repeated high levels of stress seen with excessive volumes of vigorous endurance training. Short sessions of vigorous exercise also provide benefits when balanced with adequate recovery.

Q: How do I reduce heart stress while continuing to train?
A: Build your fitness gradually instead of dramatically increasing training volume. Balance vigorous workouts with plenty of moderate movement, strength training, and recovery days. Support your training by eating enough carbohydrates to replenish energy stores, consuming adequate protein with collagen-rich foods, avoiding alcohol and seed oils, and making restorative sleep a priority so your heart and muscles recover fully before your next hard workout.

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 antioxidant compounds are found in dark chocolate?

Carotenoids
Terpenoids
Polyphenols
Polyphenols are natural plant compounds that contribute to dark chocolate’s reputation as a healthier treat. Learn more.
Phytosterols

You may have heard of dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), an organosulfur compound, as a remedy for joint pain or inflammation. DMSO is produced both naturally and synthetically. It’s found in trace amounts in certain foods and widely used as a solvent in scientific research and industrial processes due to its ability to dissolve organic compounds.

In medicine, DMSO is used as a topical pain reliever and anti-inflammatory agent. It’s approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of interstitial cystitis, also known as bladder pain syndrome, a chronic condition that causes bladder pain, pressure and discomfort.1

DMSO is also used as a cryoprotectant to prevent cell damage during freezing.2 This compound shows promise for benefitting many health conditions, but it has a complex relationship with your cells. Research on yeast cells, for instance, reveals that DMSO’s effects depend heavily on concentration and exposure time, influencing whether the compound is healing or harmful.3

DMSO: A Cellular Stressor That Builds Resilience

At low and moderate levels, DMSO activates cellular stress responses that boost your resilience. However, at higher concentrations or with prolonged exposure, it impairs cell growth and may even prove toxic. Too little DMSO didn’t trigger the response, while too much overwhelmed the cells’ defenses.

The key lies in how DMSO interacts with cell membranes and energy production. Short-term exposure to moderate DMSO levels didn’t significantly damage yeast cell membranes or reduce their metabolic activity.4 But it did trigger stress response genes, priming cells to better handle future threats, explaining some of DMSO’s protective effects.

The study found that DMSO activated yeast cells’ environmental stress response (ESR) program at certain concentrations. This cellular alarm system, triggered by various mild stresses, prepares cells to better handle future, more severe challenges.

It’s a bit like how exercise stresses your body in the short term but ultimately makes you stronger. This stress response activation helps explain why DMSO is helpful in cryopreservation or as a protective agent against radiation damage.

At higher doses though, DMSO began to interfere with cell division and survival. Your cells’ preferred energy source plays a surprisingly important role in how well they tolerate DMSO. The study found that yeast cells using primarily aerobic respiration, which relies heavily on oxygen, were most sensitive to DMSO’s toxic effects. In contrast, cells using fermentation or a mix of fermentation and respiration fared better.

This difference likely stems from how DMSO interacts with mitochondria, your cell’s power plants. Cells with highly active mitochondria are more vulnerable to factors that disrupt their delicate balance, including DMSO at higher doses. The compound may destabilize mitochondrial membranes, leading to increased production of harmful reactive oxygen species (ROS).

The researchers found that lowering oxygen levels in the yeast’s environment increased their DMSO tolerance across the board. This suggests that DMSO’s effects are closely tied to oxygen-dependent processes in your cells.

An Ally in the Fight Against Cancer
Studies reveal DMSO has another unexpected benefit: fighting cancer. Researchers investigated DMSO’s impact on both leukemia cells (representing blood cancers) and epithelial cancer cells (representing solid tumors).5 They found that DMSO significantly inhibited cell growth in all tested cancer cell lines, including MV4-11 and TF-1a leukemia cells, as well as Hep-G2 liver cancer cells and MCF7 breast cancer cells.

This inhibition was both dose and time-dependent, with noticeable effects starting at concentrations as low as 2% DMSO. At 10% DMSO, growth inhibition reached up to 69% in some cell lines after 72 hours of exposure. This suggests DMSO could be used as a targeted therapy to slow down or stop cancer growth.

The study didn’t just stop at observing growth inhibition — it explored how DMSO affects cancer cells. Using a trypan blue assay, which distinguishes between live and dead cells, the researchers found that 5% DMSO increased cell death rates from about 2% to 3% to 15% to 19% in leukemia cells after 48 hours. This indicates that DMSO isn’t just slowing cancer cell division; it’s actively killing these harmful cells.6

Under the microscope, DMSO-treated cancer cells showed significant changes in morphology. The cells shrank, their density decreased and, most importantly, their nuclei began to fragment. These nuclear fragments, visible as multiple dots within nondividing cells, are a hallmark of apoptosis, or programmed cell death.

The higher the DMSO concentration, the more pronounced these effects became. Even the adherent epithelial cancer cells, which normally form a smooth monolayer in culture, began to detach and cluster when exposed to DMSO. These observations suggest that DMSO could be triggering the cancer cells’ built-in self-destruct mechanisms.

DMSO Activates Cancer Cells’ Self-Destruct Sequence

Digging deeper into the molecular mechanisms, the researchers uncovered how DMSO sets off a cascade of events leading to cancer cell death. They found that DMSO significantly decreased levels of CDK2 and cyclin A — crucial proteins that regulate cell division. The CDK2-cyclin A complex, which plays a key role in driving cells from one phase of the cell cycle to the next, was particularly affected.7

By disrupting these regulators, DMSO effectively puts the brakes on cancer cell proliferation. But perhaps most tellingly, DMSO triggered DNA fragmentation in the treated cancer cells. This is considered a definitive sign of apoptosis, as it represents the cell systematically destroying its own genetic material. The researchers confirmed this by detecting increased levels of activated caspase 3, an enzyme central to the execution of apoptosis.

Interestingly, they didn’t see activation of caspase 9, suggesting that DMSO triggers apoptosis through the extrinsic pathway rather than the intrinsic mitochondrial pathway. This specific mechanism could be crucial in developing targeted cancer therapies that don’t harm healthy cells.

The study suggests that even at relatively low concentrations, DMSO has profound effects on cancer cell health and survival. Moreover, because DMSO is already widely used and well-tolerated in many medical contexts, it could be fast-tracked for cancer treatment studies.

DMSO Improves Visual Function in Alzheimer’s Model

Early animal studies raised some concerns about DMSO causing eye problems, particularly affecting the lens. These findings were not found to translate to humans,8 however, and research offers a more reassuring perspective for those considering DMSO as part of their health regimen.

Research using a mouse model of Alzheimer’s revealed that DMSO, even at very low concentrations, significantly improves visual function.9 The study focused on 5xFAD mice, which are genetically engineered to develop Alzheimer’s-like symptoms. These mice typically experience a decline in contrast sensitivity, an important aspect of vision that’s also affected in human Alzheimer’s patients.

Remarkably, when treated with just .01% DMSO in their drinking water, the mice showed a marked improvement in their contrast sensitivity. This improvement was comparable to the effects seen with R-carvedilol, a drug specifically being investigated for Alzheimer’s treatment.

The fact that such a low dose of DMSO could produce these benefits is particularly intriguing, as it suggests DMSO’s therapeutic effects may have been underestimated in previous research where it was used merely as a vehicle for other drugs.

Early Intervention Potential with DMSO

The study’s findings point to DMSO’s antioxidant properties as a mechanism for its beneficial effects. DMSO is well-known as a powerful scavenger of hydroxyl free radicals, which contribute to oxidative stress, a factor in the development and progression of Alzheimer’s disease. The researchers observed that DMSO treatment corrected abnormalities in the retina that are associated with oxidative stress.

Specifically, they found that DMSO normalized the thickness of a particular layer in the retina (the ELM-RPE layer) that becomes contracted in the presence of oxidative stress. This correction suggests that DMSO is actively combating oxidative damage in the retinal tissue. Given that your retina is essentially an extension of your brain, these findings imply that DMSO could be providing similar protective effects throughout the central nervous system.

This is particularly exciting because oxidative stress is believed to be one of the earliest events in the development of Alzheimer’s, occurring even before the appearance of characteristic amyloid plaques and tau tangles.

Given these findings, there’s potential for DMSO as an early intervention in Alzheimer’s disease. The study focused on relatively young mice (4 months old) that were just beginning to show signs of visual impairment.10 The fact that DMSO was able to improve function at this early stage suggests it could be particularly valuable as a preventative measure or early treatment.

Early intervention is crucial in Alzheimer’s disease, as by the time cognitive symptoms become apparent, significant brain damage has often already occurred. If DMSO can help protect against oxidative stress and maintain neuronal health from the earliest stages of the disease process, it could slow or even prevent the progression to full-blown Alzheimer’s.

Moreover, the safety profile of DMSO at low doses is well-established, making it an attractive option for long-term use in at-risk individuals.

Beyond the Brain: DMSO’s Wider Implications

While this study focused on visual function and retinal health, its implications reach far beyond Alzheimer’s disease. The protective effects of DMSO observed in the retina extend to other tissues and organs throughout your body. Oxidative stress is implicated in a wide range of age-related conditions, from cardiovascular disease to arthritis.

For instance, DMSO is closely related to another compound that could benefit your joint health: methylsulfonylmethane (MSM). DMSO is a precursor to MSM, and both compounds share similar sulfur-based structures. Like DMSO, MSM has been shown to have significant anti-inflammatory effects, especially for joint pain. A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial in Japan explored the effects of MSM on mild knee joint pain in healthy individuals.11

Participants who took 2 grams of MSM daily for 12 weeks experienced significant improvements in their knee health compared to those taking a placebo. The study used a comprehensive measure of knee health (the Japanese Knee Osteoarthritis Measure) and found that MSM not only improved knee-specific symptoms but also enhanced overall health conditions.

This research suggests the sulfur-containing compounds in both DMSO and MSM may offer a range of health benefits, from neuroprotection to joint pain relief.

Given that DMSO can be converted to MSM in your body, using DMSO might provide some of the joint health benefits associated with MSM, in addition to its neuroprotective effects and anti-inflammatory and pain-relieving properties. These actions make DMSO an intriguing compound for overall health maintenance as you age.

DMSO’s ability to inhibit and kill a range of bacteria — even at low concentrations — has also been known for decades. Researchers tested DMSO against several bacterial strains, including Staphylococcus aureus, β-hemolytic streptococci, Corynebacterium acnes, Escherichia coli and Proteus species.12

They found that a 20% concentration of DMSO was enough to inhibit the growth of all these bacteria. So, even at relatively low concentrations, DMSO can effectively stop bacterial reproduction.

DMSO Risks, Dosing Suggestions and Other Considerations

While DMSO shows promising benefits, it’s important to approach its use with caution and awareness. As with any supplement or treatment, DMSO has side effects and contraindications that you need to be aware of. The most common side effect is a garlic-like taste or breath odor, which occurs because DMSO breaks down into dimethyl sulfide in your body. Some people may also experience skin irritation when DMSO is applied topically.

DMSO also increases the absorption of other substances through your skin, amplifying the effects of medications. This means you need to be careful about what comes into contact with your skin when using DMSO topically. It’s also important to note that DMSO interacts with certain medications, including blood thinners and steroids.

Additionally, high concentrations may cause liver damage if used improperly. Pregnant women and those with liver disease should use caution when considering DMSO. As always, I recommend consulting with a holistic health care practitioner to determine if DMSO is right for you.

Proper product selection and dosing are key to getting the best results. A Midwestern Doctor recommends looking for DMSO that has at least 99.9% purity and, if liquid, is stored in glass. For topical dosing, start with 70% and dilute it 50/50 with water. Gradually work your way up to the full-strength product as long as no skin irritation occurs. You can also progress to a 100% DMSO product if you have thick scars or are using it for specific health conditions.

For oral dosage, a typical starting dose is 0.5 to 1 teaspoon (of 70% or 100%). You may gradually increase the dose as long as you are tolerating it well. The maximum safe dosage is up for debate, but generally 3 teaspoons is considered the upper limit. Keep in mind that since DMSO has an unpleasant taste, you’ll likely want to mix it with milk or juice when consuming it orally. Be sure to mix it well so the DMSO doesn’t settle at the bottom.

Remember, while DMSO shows promise, it’s not a miracle cure. It should be considered as part of a holistic approach to health, including a nutrient-dense diet, regular exercise, stress management, and other lifestyle factors that support your overall well-being. Used responsibly and under proper guidance, DMSO could be a valuable tool in your health arsenal, particularly for its antioxidant, neuroprotective, anticancer and anti-inflammatory properties.

Ever since I first entered the medical field, something struck me as off about the relentless focus on blood pressure, and over time I noticed that the blood pressures people reported to me varied widely. While pondering this, a talented practitioner and mentor once told me that the current medical paradigm fixates on blood pressure because it’s easier to measure than blood perfusion (healthy blood flow).

Then, as I became more acquainted with the medical field, I began to notice a consistent pattern — whenever a drug existed that could treat a number or statistic, as the years went by, the acceptable number kept on being narrowed, making more and more people eligible to take the drugs that treated the number.

Conventional Blood Pressure Perspectives

Since blood vessels are elastic fluid-filled structures, that fluid holds them under pressure. Blood pressure, in turn, is typically measured by determining how much external force is needed to exceed the artery’s pressure and compress it so that blood no longer flows through it.

Low blood pressure (hypotension) is a problem because it prevents blood from reaching the areas where it’s needed, but in most cases, medicine instead focuses on the consequences of high blood pressure. Within the conventional model, those consequences are:

• Weakened blood vessels become more likely to break open and leak as higher blood pressure pushes against them. This for instance, is why Emergency Rooms aggressively lower the blood pressure of patients who show up with symptoms of “hypertensive emergency,” such as a severe headache and a significantly elevated blood pressure.
Likewise, whenever a critical blood vessel ruptures (e.g., the aorta or one in the brain), once the bleed has been confirmed, the first step in managing it is to lower the patient’s blood pressure (so less blood leaks out) after which they are sent to surgery.
• Excessive pressure on the arteries strains and damages them, causing the lining of the vessels to become damaged and gradually develop atherosclerosis.
• Excessive blood pressure damages the internal organs (termed end-organ damage), leading to premature failure and early death (e.g., from a heart attack or kidney failure) — something which also results from chronic insufficient blood flow.

Because of this, high blood pressure is viewed as one of the leading preventable causes of cardiovascular disease; therefore, ensuring that a patient achieves sufficiently reduced blood pressure is a primary focus of all medical visits. Unfortunately, that chain of logic has quite a few holes in it.

Variable Blood Pressure

Blood pressure (BP) is highly variable, especially at the periphery, where it’s typically measured. This variability — around 14 points — can lead to misdiagnoses of hypertension and unnecessary medication, which can lower BP too much, causing hypotension.1 One common form of this misdiagnosis is known as White Coat Hypertension, where the stress of visiting a doctor temporarily raises BP.

This affects 15% to 30% of patients “diagnosed” with hypertension.2 Guidelines recommend confirming hypertension with multiple measurements, including home monitoring, but this is often not done.

Measurement errors, such as using the wrong cuff size or failing to account for differences in BP between arms, contribute to the issue. It’s estimated that 25% of hypertension diagnoses are incorrect.3 Moreover, there is often a poor correlation between peripheral BP (limbs) and central BP (inside the aorta). Central BP, which is more closely linked to cardiovascular disease, can differ significantly from arm readings. Different BP medications also affect central and peripheral BP differently, adding complexity to treatment.

What Affects Blood Pressure?

If fluid at a set pressure tries to move through a tube, as the tube shrinks, the pressure it creates (e.g., on the walls of the tube) will increase, while if the tube enlarges, the pressure it exerts will decrease. The body continually controls where blood in the body goes by changing the heart rate and fully or partially constricting the arteries, allowing it to shunt blood to where it is most needed (e.g., by dilating arteries in that area).

Blood pressure is thus a product of two factors: the volume of blood in the arteries and the degree of arterial constriction or relaxation.

Note: Since arterial BP is greater than venous BP, it’s what’s measured externally (as veins compress long before arteries do, and only arterial blood has a signature pulsatile wave created by the heartbeat).

Since each heartbeat pushes blood into the arteries and thereby increases the pressure within them, two blood pressure values exist — the baseline pressure (diastolic pressure, DBP) and the pressure when the heart contracts (systolic pressure, SBP). The blood pressure values you see (e.g., 140/90) represent the maximum and minimum.

Note: One reason why this stretching is important is that when the vessels contract back to their normal size once the systolic pressure fades, that recoil pushes blood further along into the circulation.

Blood pressure lowering medications in turn work by some combination of:

Loosening the arterial walls
Reducing the total blood in circulation
Weakening the contraction of the heart

What Causes High Blood Pressure?

Most cases of high blood pressure (90% to 95% of them4) are what is known as “essential hypertension” or “primary hypertension” which is a fancy (and rarely questioned) way of saying “elevated blood pressure without a known cause.”

More importantly, the fact there is no known cause for most cases of elevated blood pressure has been a widespread belief in medicine for decades. Typically, the only cause we hear about is “not eating salt,” despite the fact that the most detailed review of this subject found that drastic salt reduction typically results in less than a 1% reduction in blood pressure and more importantly,5 that eating salt is actually critically important for health (discussed further here).

For the remaining 5% to 10% (known as secondary hypertension), recognized causes include reduced blood flow to the kidneys (which sets off a signal to raise the blood pressure because the kidneys believe there isn’t enough blood perfusion),6 sleep apnea,7 or having a rare tumor that releases a blood pressure increasing hormone.8

Since the cause of most hypertension is unclear, medicine simply focuses on risk factors like age, diabetes, salt intake, obesity, stress, and family history.

Note: Effectively addressing anxiety can often cure high blood pressure that would otherwise be perpetually medicated.

Atherosclerosis and Blood Pressure

Many of my colleagues became suspicious of the traditional blood pressure model after observing that circulatory impairments often co-occurred with rising blood pressure rather than resulting from long-term damage.

This led us to conclude that elevated blood pressure might be a compensatory response to inadequate blood flow, similar to how the kidneys raise blood pressure when they don’t receive enough blood. Several factors support this idea:

1. Arterial stiffening — Calcified arteries can’t expand as effectively, raising blood pressure as they become less able to release pressure.
2. Measurement inaccuracy — Blood pressure cuffs may overestimate pressure in stiffened arteries, particularly in those with severe atherosclerosis, resulting in higher readings than the true pressure (because hardened arteries require greater pressure to compress).
3. Endothelial dysfunction — The blood vessel lining releases nitric oxide to dilate vessels and decrease pressure. When this function fails, it precedes atherosclerosis and increases blood pressure, suggesting the problem is with endothelial health, not high blood pressure itself.9
4. Sympathetic reflex — When the body rapidly loses a significant amount of blood, a reflex triggers increased heart rate and vessel constriction to raise blood pressure, a common response in critical conditions.10

This all suggests that high blood pressure may be more of a symptom than the root cause of circulatory issues.

Note: As I show here, a strong case can also be made that the blood thickening and clumping together causes hypertension.

Changing Guidelines

When the blood pressure craze took off, there was a rush to bring the blood pressure lowering drugs to market before their benefit was actually proven (outside of a few short term studies which showed a small benefit for people with very high blood pressures).

That mindset cemented itself, and as the years went by, regardless of the evidence arguing against it, the blood pressure thresholds kept on getting lowered so more and more people could put on blood pressure lowering medications. Because of this, roughly 60 million American adults (23%) now take these drugs.11

However, excessively lowering blood pressure cuts blood flow to parts of the body that can’t function without sufficient blood flow. For example, blood pressure medications increase the risk of kidney disease,12,13
and suddenly passing out (from insufficient blood flow to the brain) is one of the most common side effects of blood pressure medications.14,15

My best guess is that this inexorable march to putting everyone on these drugs is due to some combination of the following:

• Research funding is available for these areas (e.g., from the drug manufacturers) hence being a safe area of research for academics to explore.
• It illustrates the “if you have a hammer, everything looks like a nail” phenomenon and the medical profession’s desire to find more justifications for using its tools (especially since humans tend to double down on their existing approach when it fails rather than consider a new one).

Let’s now look at how the blood pressure guidelines have changed over the years.

Note: As these guidelines show, originally the focus was on treating diastolic blood pressure under the belief that the heart had to “work harder” if there was too much blood in the circulation. I believe this is helpful to note since it was believed for decades (but now is not), and hence illustrates how arbitrary many medical dogmas are.

To quote the 2017 guidelines:16

“Rather than 1 in 3 U.S. adults having high blood pressure (32%) with the previous definition, the new guidelines will result in nearly half of the U.S. adult population (46%) having high blood pressure, or hypertension.”

Note: This rate further increases with age (e.g., 79% of men and 85% of women over 75 now have hypertension, while 71% of men and 78% of women now meet the threshold to start blood pressure medications).17

Unfortunately, “Experts” on guideline panels are paid to create recommendations that result in more and more people taking the drugs, a sadly common phenomenon in medicine.

For example, once statins entered the market (which unlike their predecessors, could effectively lower cholesterol), the acceptable blood cholesterol levels kept on being lowered, and before long almost everyone was told they would die from a heart attack unless they started a statin — despite statins having an almost non-existing mortality benefit (e.g., taking them for five years at best makes you live 3 to 4 days longer18) and causing (often severe) side effects for roughly 20% of users.

In turn, since so many people have been severely harmed by the great statin scam, more and more people, such as comedian Jimmy Dore, have begun to speak out against this:

First, they scammed you on skin cancer when the sun is good for you.Now, they’re scamming you again on cholesterol to sell you a lifetime medication.This entire narrative of cholesterol being the villain in heart disease was built on a lie.What doctors fail to tell you is… pic.twitter.com/bhhkFBBDbb — A Midwestern Doctor (@MidwesternDoc) September 11, 2024
Video Link

The Effects of Hypertensive Medications

In many cases, the actual mechanism of a drug greatly differs from the purported one (e.g., the tiny benefit statins provide is most likely due to them reducing inflammation).

In the case of blood pressure medications (each of which works in a different manner), very different degrees of benefit are observed with their use, despite producing the same drop in blood pressure. This in turn strongly argues that their benefits are not due to them lowering blood pressure, but rather how each one specifically affects the body. To illustrate:

• A 1997 paper in JAMA reviewed the literature and found significantly different benefits from the antihypertensive drugs depending on which type was used.19
• A 1998 review found that the (known) cardiovascular benefits of ACE inhibitors were not seen with calcium channel blockers, despite the latter having a more significant effect on blood pressure.20
• A 2000 study of 3577 diabetics found that a specific ACE inhibitor, despite minimally reducing blood pressure (a 2.4 reduction in SBP and 1.0 reduction in DBP) had a massive effect (a 25% reduction) on the risk of a heart attack, stroke, or cardiovascular death.21
• A 2007, eight year long (and NIH funded) double-blind study of 42,418 subjects found that when two different types of blood pressure medications were used, there was no difference in their effect on blood pressure but simultaneously found their rate of preventing heart failure varied by 18% to 80% depending on the drug, leading the investigators to conclude: “blood pressure reduction is an inadequate surrogate marker for health benefits in hypertension.”22

Harms of Hypertensive Medications

Blood pressure management typically combines multiple drugs to achieve target levels while switching medications that cause intolerable side effects. This approach is problematic because each drug has markedly different pharmacological and physical effects and should be selected based on individual patient needs rather than simply achieving blood pressure targets.

The most common side effects stem from poor perfusion. Blood pressure medications increase the risk of fainting and frequently cause lightheadedness and falls in older patients with calcified arteries who require higher pressure to perfuse the brain23 (e.g., a 2014 JAMA study of 4,961 adults over 70 with hypertension found that over three years, 9% experienced serious falls and 16.9% died).24

Note: An important Israeli study found that discontinuing an average of 2.8 drugs per elderly patient reduced their 1-year death rate from 45% to 21%.25 This is massive, and I believe a key reason for those results was reduced falls (as anti-hypertensives were one of the most successfully discontinued drug classes in the study).

Likewise, emergency medicine recognizes that aggressively treating high blood pressure can impair brain blood flow and trigger ischemic strokes. Furthermore, hypertension drugs increase the risk of an acute renal injury by 18%,26 and in patients who have end stage renal disease low blood pressure increases mortality by 39%.27

Note: Low blood pressure is particularly harmful to organs sensitive to reduced blood flow like the brain (e.g., low blood pressure is strongly linked to cognitive decline28).

Finally, each blood pressure medication works differently, offering unique therapeutic benefits but also distinct side effects. Four main antihypertensive drug classes exist:

1. Diuretics lower blood pressure by increasing urination through blocking sodium reabsorption in the kidneys. They cause electrolyte imbalances (low potassium affects 8.2% of users), gastrointestinal symptoms due to dehydration, and hypotension (low blood pressure).29 Thiazides also increase uric acid, increasing the risk of diabetes and gout.30
2. Beta-blockers slow the heart and reduce contraction force. While beneficial for patients with heart failure, they constrict peripheral arteries. Patients frequently report worsened quality of life from beta blockers, with the most common side effects including:

3. Calcium channel blockers reduce heart contraction force, dilate arteries by relaxing smooth muscle, and slow heart rate. Major issues include edema (affecting 5.7% to 16.1% of users), dizziness, lightheadedness, and constipation.31

4. ACE inhibitors block the kidney’s blood pressure cascade and are considered most beneficial (commonly prescribed for diabetes and heart failure). The most common side effect is chronic dry cough (ranging from 3.9% to 35% of users32 — this detailed review determined it was 8.0%33). Other common side effects include headaches, lightheadedness, and loss of taste.
More severe effects include a 26% increased risk of acute kidney injuries (1.5% of users),34 a 103% increased risk of hyperkalemia (4.8% of users),35 and a 19% increase in the risk of lung cancer.36

Under Recognition of Side Effects

While the numbers I just showed are quite concerning, I believe they actually underestimate the rate of side effects, as much of that data comes from industry clinical trials that deliberately find ways to downplay their drug’s side effects. Accordingly, I believe patient surveys provide a substantially better perspective on the incidence of symptomatic side effects. Consider this 1995 Swedish survey, which found roughly 1 in 5 users experience side effects:37

Likewise, a study of 370,000 patients under 65 between 2007-2014 found 23.5% stopped taking the drugs within 270 days of starting them, while 40.2% of those who continued often skipped the medications.38

Given such a high discontinuation rate of these drugs, one of the most surprising things about blood pressure drugs is how little awareness exists regarding their side effects, especially amongst doctors (e.g., the article I just cited acknowledged side effects were a reason for discontinuation but insisted it was due to patient ignorance about the importance of the drugs).39

All of that was best shown by this 1982 study (which would not be repeated in today’s political climate) that compared how patients, their families, and their doctors felt about the effects of these drugs on them.40 It found:

Conclusion

Many problems in medicine arise from illogical beliefs that become religious dogmas that can never be questioned (e.g., this perfectly characterizes vaccinology). Dr. Malcolm Kendrick, in turn, synopsized the core issue here; medicine assumes lowering blood pressure always follows a linear benefit.41 So despite it being well recognized that a blood pressure below 90 is dangerous, and no one has ever proven that benefits result from dropping a blood pressure in the 90s,42 here’s what the models say:

So, medicine continues to hold to this belief, despite it being overtly disproven by things like this study of 415,980 patients’ health records:43

This is regrettable because the same results have been observed with more modern technologies. For example, consider the results of this study of 415,980 patients obtained through their electronic health records, which again shows that rather than being linear, an age dependent threshold exists which is not at all recognized by the guidelines:44

When I initially published this article in July 2024, I genuinely wondered if they would drop the blood pressure thresholds again, as the existing trend suggested it, but the current (2017) thresholds were already on the border of causing complications for a significant portion of patients, making it unclear if they could get away with lowering it again.

Just a year later, they did, and now all blood pressures over 120 are “elevated,” 130/80 is the universal threshold for treatment and certain “high risk” patients are encouraged to go below 120/80.45

This abhorrent policy, in turn, touches upon a deeper truth. Every human being is different, and as long as medicine reduces them to fixed variables within a rigid algorithm, it will inevitably inflict many people with inappropriate care that harms them. To illustrate, in certain cases, treating blood pressure with the correct medication class that can mitigate the patient’s underlying issue is necessary.

Yet, as I’ve shown in this article, rather than guiding physicians towards identifying those situations, the guidelines simply focus on having everyone meet a numerical value and viewing all blood pressure medications as nothing more than a way to meet that target.

Fortunately, thanks to the MAHA moment, we have at last reached a point where not only is the corruption that continually births these disastrous policies being exposed to widespread scrutiny, but the real solution, empowering each person to take charge of their health (and adopt the approach that meets their unique health needs) is now being promoted by the Federal Health Agencies. It is my sincere hope that this article has provided you with the tools to do just that for your circulatory health.

Author’s Note: This is an abridged version of a longer article about the blood pressure scam which goes into much more detail on the points covered here and natural therapies for blood pressure which restore circulatory health (which can be read here). Additionally, a companion article on the dangers of statins and natural ways to treat heart disease can be read here, along with an article on the critical importance of salt and how to find healthy salt that can be read here.

A Note from Dr. Mercola About the Author
A Midwestern Doctor (AMD) is a board-certified physician from the Midwest and a longtime reader of Mercola.com. I appreciate their exceptional insight on a wide range of topics and I’m grateful to share them. I also respect AMD’s desire to remain anonymous since AMD is still on the front lines treating patients. To find more of AMD’s work, be sure to check out The Forgotten Side of Medicine on Substack.

Chocolate has a history that stretches back thousands of years. Ancient civilizations prized cacao as both a food and a ceremonial drink, and today dark chocolate is often promoted as a healthier choice because it contains antioxidant compounds called polyphenols. You break off a square or two expecting something close to a guilt-free pleasure, rich, satisfying, and backed by articles praising its benefits. What you probably aren’t expecting is a dose of toxic metal alongside it.

That’s the uncomfortable tension running through research into cocoa products. Lead and cadmium are heavy metals with no useful role in the body, and unlike many dietary concerns that pass through and clear out, they accumulate and linger. Their effects build quietly over years; lead is tied to neurological harm and developmental problems, cadmium to damage in the kidneys, bones, heart, and reproductive system.

Children and pregnant women have the most at stake, since developing brains and bodies are far more sensitive to these exposures.

What makes the problem genuinely hard to navigate is that the usual instincts for picking a “cleaner” bar may not lead where you expect. The certifications and price tags many shoppers trust as a proxy for purity don’t always tell you what’s actually inside, and two bars sitting side by side can differ more than you would ever guess from the wrapper. So, how widespread is heavy metal contamination in dark chocolate, and what did researchers discover when they took a closer look at the products people buy every day?

The Numbers Behind Chocolate Contamination

A study published in Frontiers in Nutrition examined 72 cocoa-containing products sold in the U.S. between 2014 and 2022 to determine how much lead, cadmium, and arsenic consumers were exposed to through dark chocolate and related products.1 The researchers looked at products collected across four different years to identify long-term trends and determine whether contamination was improving or worsening over time.

• The results revealed a surprisingly common problem — Researchers found that 43% of products exceeded California Proposition 65 limits for lead, while 35% exceeded the state’s limits for cadmium. It’s worth knowing these are conservative warning-label thresholds set below federal safety levels; a product exceeding them isn’t automatically dangerous, but the share crossing even a cautious line is striking.

Arsenic was a different story — none of the products exceeded Proposition 65 limits for arsenic. Even though many products remained below regulatory thresholds, the findings showed that contamination was common enough that consumers could not assume a chocolate product was free of concern simply because it was widely available on store shelves.

• The biggest issue was inconsistency between products — Median lead levels were below California limits, but certain products contained much higher concentrations than average. This means the chocolate bar you choose matters. Two products with similar cocoa percentages could expose you to very different amounts of heavy metals.

• The hidden risk comes from repeated exposure — Researchers emphasized that average contamination levels from one serving often remained below federal safety thresholds, especially for lead. However, they also pointed out that exposure doesn’t happen in isolation. If you eat dark chocolate regularly and also consume other foods that contain trace amounts of heavy metals, your total exposure increases.

The researchers specifically noted that combining chocolate with other dietary sources could push some individuals above California’s maximum allowable dose levels.

• The contamination appears to come from more than one source — Cocoa products are naturally prone to accumulating metals because cocoa plants grow in environments where these elements exist in soil. The study also highlighted evidence suggesting that contamination often increases after harvest. Processing, transportation, and manufacturing practices appear to contribute additional exposure.

This distinction matters because it means contamination is not simply a farming issue. Better quality-control measures during production could reduce the problem substantially.

• Organic labels didn’t guarantee lower heavy metal levels — Many consumers assume certifications provide extra protection, yet the study found otherwise. Organic products tended to show higher cadmium, and higher lead by weight, likely because the organic label says nothing about cacao percentage or growing region, the two factors that actually drive cadmium content.

Researchers found that certifications such as organic, fair trade, and non-GMO didn’t reliably reduce contamination levels. At the same time, the study offered one encouraging finding: Heavy metal concentrations generally declined from 2014 to 2022, suggesting that increased testing, improved manufacturing practices, and greater industry awareness are moving the market in a better direction.

The Controversy Reached the Courtroom

The nonprofit consumer advocacy organization As You Sow tested more than 469 chocolate products sold in California for contamination.2 Investigators found that 285 products contained amounts above California’s maximum allowable dose levels for one or more metals. The organization examined hundreds of items available to consumers, revealing that contamination concerns extended across a large portion of the market.

• The issue involved many familiar brands — As You Sow reported contamination findings involving products from major manufacturers and specialty chocolate makers alike. The organization subsequently filed legal notices against more than 20 companies, including Hershey’s, Lindt, Trader Joe’s, Godiva, Mars, Whole Foods, Ghirardelli, and others, alleging that products contained cadmium, lead, or both without adequate consumer warnings.

For shoppers, this reinforced an uncomfortable reality: contamination concerns were not limited to obscure brands or niche products.

• Lawsuits shifted the debate from contamination to transparency — Law firm Weitz & Luxenberg filed a class-action lawsuit against Hershey and Lily’s.3 The legal claims centered on allegations that consumers purchased dark chocolate products without knowing they contained elevated levels of heavy metals.

As attorney James Bilsborrow stated, “If you knew these products contained lead and cadmium, you likely would not have purchased them.” The lawsuits argued that consumers deserved clearer information about what was in the products they were buying.

• Industry leaders responded with a landmark settlement — In 2018, legal pressure and public scrutiny resulted in a first-of-its-kind agreement involving 31 chocolate companies, including major industry players such as Hershey, Mars, Nestlé, and Cargill.4

Under the settlement, participating companies agreed to fund an independent expert committee tasked with investigating contamination sources, identifying practical methods to reduce contamination, and recommending levels that would trigger California warning requirements. This represented one of the largest coordinated industry responses to contamination concerns in the chocolate market.

• European regulators set stricter limits as cocoa content rises — The European Union established maximum cadmium limits for finished chocolate and cocoa products through Regulation (EU) No. 488/2014, with full implementation beginning in 2019.5 Importantly, these limits apply to the chocolate product you buy rather than the raw cocoa beans used to make it.

The regulations also recognize that darker chocolate naturally contains more cocoa solids and therefore tends to contain more cadmium, which is why higher-cacao products are permitted higher cadmium limits than lower-cacao chocolates. The EU continues to fund research, farmer training, and agricultural programs in major cocoa-producing countries to reduce cadmium contamination while maintaining chocolate quality and consumer safety.

How to Reduce Your Heavy Metal Exposure from Chocolate

The goal is not to fear every piece of chocolate. The real issue is cumulative exposure. Heavy metals build up over time, so the most effective strategy is to lower your overall burden while still enjoying foods that offer benefits. First focus on reducing exposure at the source because that addresses the root cause instead of simply reacting after the fact.

1. Choose high-quality dark chocolate instead of avoiding it altogether — Dark chocolate itself is not the problem. In fact, when it comes from a high-quality source, it may offer meaningful health benefits, according to observational research. In a large observational study, people who ate five or more servings of dark chocolate a week had a 21% lower risk of developing Type 2 diabetes — an association, not proof of cause.6

Researchers point to cocoa’s flavanols as the likely explanation, since these compounds have been linked elsewhere to support insulin sensitivity, blood vessel function, and lower inflammation. The key is choosing chocolate that may deliver those benefits without unnecessary contamination.

Look for dark chocolate with a lower cacao percentage and simple, recognizable ingredients, since higher-cacao bars tend to carry more cadmium, as noted above. Avoid products that contain vegetable oils, soy lecithin, high-fructose corn syrup, or artificial flavors, and look for Prop 65 certification where available.

Give further preference to companies that openly share heavy metal testing results, emphasize ingredient transparency, and prioritize strict quality-control standards. A high-quality dark chocolate bar may provide the benefits of cocoa’s flavanols while helping you minimize exposure to unwanted contaminants.

2. Avoid assuming organic means lower contamination — Many people spend extra money on organic chocolate believing it offers greater protection. The Frontiers in Nutrition analysis found the opposite for cadmium, with organic products often showing higher levels.7 Rather than relying on a label alone, pay attention to testing data, company quality-control practices, and independent evaluations of finished products.

3. Treat dark chocolate as one source among many — Chocolate is only one contributor to your total heavy metal exposure. Tea, spices, cereals, seafood, and other foods also contain varying amounts. If you enjoy dark chocolate frequently, it would be wise to reduce unnecessary exposure elsewhere. Small reductions across multiple foods add up to a meaningful decrease in your overall burden over time.

4. Favor quality over quantity — If you eat chocolate every day, consider making it an occasional food instead of a staple. The research repeatedly highlighted the importance of cumulative exposure. A small serving a few times a week creates a very different exposure pattern than multiple servings every day. Think of it as a scorecard. Every serving counts toward your long-term total.

5. Support your body’s natural resilience and detoxification — I recommend focusing on whole foods that provide the minerals and nutrients your body needs to function well. Prioritize high-quality protein from ruminant animals, with roughly one-third of your protein coming from collagen-rich sources. Include whole fruits and other nutrient-dense carbohydrate sources that support cellular energy production.

In addition, a small study of healthy adults found that repeated sauna sessions combined with exercise increased measurable excretion of lead and cadmium through sweat, suggesting this approach may serve as an additional route for eliminating some heavy metals.8 Glutathione, your body’s primary internal antioxidant, depends on adequate protein and sulfur-rich foods such as onions and garlic.

Cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli and kale may help support the Nrf2 pathway, one of the body’s natural systems for regulating antioxidant and detoxification gene activity. Together they may help strengthen your cellular defenses. Your body is constantly exposed to small amounts of environmental contaminants.

The stronger your metabolic health and nutritional status, the better equipped you are to handle those exposures. Building a nutrient-dense diet around whole foods gives you a foundation that supports long-term health while reducing reliance on heavily processed products that often introduce additional unwanted ingredients.

*These findings are drawn from clinical and population-based research. Individual results may vary, and these findings may not apply to all individuals. This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Consult a qualified healthcare provider before making changes to your health regimen.

FAQs About Heavy Metals in Chocolate

Q: What did researchers find when they tested dark chocolate products?
A: A study published in Frontiers in Nutrition analyzed 72 cocoa-containing products sold in the U.S. and found that 43% exceeded California Proposition 65 limits for lead, while 35% exceeded limits for cadmium.9 Arsenic levels were much lower and none of the products exceeded California’s arsenic limits. The study also found substantial differences between products, meaning contamination levels varied widely from one chocolate bar to another.

Q: Is dark chocolate still healthy despite the contamination concerns?
A: Yes, when chosen carefully. High-quality dark chocolate remains a rich source of flavanols, the cocoa polyphenols associated with improved insulin sensitivity, steadier blood sugar regulation, healthier blood vessels, and lower inflammation. Choose dark chocolate from companies that prioritize quality control, ingredient transparency, and heavy metal testing.

Look for products with a lower cacao percentage, Prop 65 certification where available, and simple ingredient lists that avoid vegetable oils, soy lecithin, high-fructose corn syrup, and artificial flavors.

Q: Does buying organic chocolate reduce heavy metal exposure?
A: Not necessarily. The Frontiers in Nutrition study found that organic products were more likely to contain higher cadmium levels and also showed higher lead concentrations when measured by weight. Researchers also found that certifications such as organic, fair trade, and non-GMO did not reliably predict lower contamination levels.

Q: Why are lead and cadmium in chocolate a concern?
A: Unlike many substances that pass through your body, lead and cadmium accumulate over time. Lead is associated with neurological and developmental problems, particularly in children, while cadmium has been linked to kidney damage, bone disease, cardiovascular problems, and reproductive harm. Repeated exposure from multiple foods over many years is a greater concern than a single serving of chocolate.

Q: What can I do to reduce my exposure while still enjoying chocolate?
A: Focus on quality and moderation. Choose dark chocolate from companies that openly share heavy metal testing results, avoid eating multiple servings every day, and remember that chocolate is only one source of heavy metal exposure in the diet.

Supporting your body’s natural detoxification systems through regular exercise, sauna use, adequate protein intake, sulfur-rich foods such as onions and garlic, and cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli may also help support your body’s ability to eliminate toxins.

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Besides blood sugar control, what else may microplastics harm?

Bone strength
Lung capacity
Muscle growth
Brain health
Tiny plastic particles may enter brain tissue and contribute to insulin resistance, oxidative stress, and cellular damage. Learn more.

Krill oil, a marine-sourced oil extracted from tiny shrimp-like creatures living in the Antarctic, has become widely popular due to its omega-3 fats and astaxanthin content. It has been widely studied and recognized for its cardiovascular, cognitive, and anti-inflammatory benefits.

Now, newer research points to yet another distinct advantage from this impressive marine oil — the ability to preserve muscle health and promote optimal energy levels.

Krill Oil Helps Retain Your Muscle While Losing Weight

A clinical trial from the University of Glasgow, published in the journal Obesity, investigated krill oil’s benefits during weight loss, particularly in helping protect muscle mass and strength. The first of its kind, this study focused on adults who were doing alternate-day fasting to lose weight by reducing their calorie intake without long-term starvation or nutrient deficiency.1,2

• The research participants — The study followed 41 male and female adults between the ages of 25 and 65 who had a higher-than-average body mass index (BMI), putting them in the overweight or obese categories. These individuals were randomly assigned to receive either a placebo or 4 grams per day of krill oil.

• All participants followed an alternate-day fasting regimen — On fasting days, they were only allowed to eat 500 calories during a two-hour window. On non-fasting days, they could eat normally — though binge eating or overeating was prohibited. The experiment was conducted over an eight-week period.

• What stood out was the difference in physical function between the two groups — The participants who took krill oil retained significantly more muscle mass and strength than those who didn’t. The krill oil group also performed better in a common physical test that measures how quickly someone can rise out of a chair — a useful indicator of lower body strength and coordination.

• Another standout performance metric was handgrip strength — This simple measure is actually a strong predictor of overall health outcomes, especially in older adults. In fact, I’ve written an article on how grip strength is a reliable biomarker of your biological age. In this study, participants taking krill oil maintained more of their grip strength than those who were given a placebo.

• Biologically, the krill oil group also showed improved markers of metabolic health — They had higher blood levels of omega-3 fats, specifically eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) — nutrients known to help reduce inflammation and support muscle integrity. The study also noted a reduction in systolic blood pressure in the krill oil group, which supports heart health during weight loss.

Your muscles are critical not just for strength, but for metabolism, blood sugar control, and long-term weight maintenance. Losing too much is a serious health risk — which is why krill oil is beneficial for anyone planning to lose weight. According to Stuart Gray, Ph.D., professor at the University of Glasgow and one of the co-authors of this study:

“In this study we have found that krill oil can help to preserve our muscle mass and strength as we lose weight. As maintenance of muscle is very important for our overall health and quality of life, these are extremely exciting findings.”3

Krill Oil Also Helped Older Adults Build Muscle Strength and Thickness

Gray was also one of the authors of a previous study that investigated krill oil’s muscle-boosting benefits, this time on healthy older adults. Published in Clinical Nutrition, the randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial sought to find out how krill oil affects muscle strength, size, and function in this age group — and whether long-term supplementation could help offset the age-related decline in muscle quality and performance.4

• The researchers focused on 102 men and women, all aged 65 or older — The selected participants were relatively inactive — reporting less than one hour of physical activity per week — which made them ideal candidates for studying interventions aimed at preserving muscle health. One group received a placebo, while the test group took 4 grams of krill oil every day for six months.

• Muscle function indicators were measured — At both the start and end of the study, the researchers measured thigh strength, grip strength, muscle thickness, and markers of metabolic health in the blood — all indicators of muscle function.

• What happened next was measurable and meaningful — After six months, the krill oil group showed a 9.3% increase in thigh muscle strength, a 10.9% boost in grip strength, and a 3.5% increase in thigh muscle thickness — all relative to the placebo group.

• These improvements matter in daily life — Thigh strength plays a major role in your ability to climb stairs, stand from a chair, or walk with stability. Grip strength, as mentioned above, is directly tied to longevity and daily function. Meanwhile, a 3.5% boost in muscle size in this age group is a significant gain, not just maintenance.

• The researchers also tracked changes in blood levels of EPA and DHA — The krill oil group showed a 214% increase in EPA and a 36% increase in DHA in red blood cells. Their overall omega-3 index — the marker used to assess long-term omega-3 status — jumped by 61% as well. These numbers confirm that the body was not only absorbing the nutrients, but also incorporating them into cell membranes where they can actually change the way muscle functions.

• Another interesting outcome was a 17% increase in what’s known as the M-Wave — This is a measurement that reflects how excitable muscle membranes are. To put it simply, it shows that the muscles were more responsive and better primed to contract, pointing to better neuromuscular communication and more effective movement.

So How Does Krill Oil Achieve These Results?

According to Gray and his team, there are several mechanisms by which krill oil imparts these impressive benefits on muscle health.

• EPA and DHA play a direct role in muscle protein synthesis — This is the process your body uses to build new muscle tissue. These omega-3s help activate pathways inside your cells that control muscle growth and repair. EPA and DHA also reduce inflammation, which tends to increase with age and is known to accelerate muscle breakdown. By dialing down inflammation while promoting growth, krill oil supports a stronger, more resilient muscular system.

• This supplement also contains choline — A lesser-known yet essential nutrient also found in eggs, choline is vital for cell membrane integrity and muscle contraction. The researchers noted that choline supports skeletal muscle metabolism and helps your muscles communicate with your nervous system. It also supports the production of acetylcholine — a neurotransmitter essential for muscle control and coordination.

• Krill oil has astaxanthin, too — Similar to choline, this potent antioxidant helps benefit your skeletal muscle metabolism. However, astaxanthin is found in krill oil, but not fish oil — highlighting the advantages of this supplement over other marine oils.

For anyone over 65, this study shows that krill oil offers a real, measurable way to fight the natural muscle loss that comes with aging. And it does so with the help of nutrients your body actually uses to support better performance from the inside out.

Krill Oil Boosts Your Energy and Optimizes Protein Building

As mentioned above, your muscles play an essential role in many areas of your health, including your energy utilization — and according to a 2024 study published in the journal Frontiers in Nutrition, daily krill oil supplementation helps enhance this function by helping your muscles burn fat, process sugars, and build protein.5,6

• Twenty adult participants were involved in this study — They were given either 1 gram of krill oil per day, equivalent to roughly four servings of fatty fish or a placebo for seven weeks. Researchers collected thigh muscle samples from the participants before and after supplementation.

• Remarkable changes emerged after supplementation — They found that the muscle cells in people taking krill oil showed increased oxidation of oleic acid — a type of monounsaturated fat (MUF) — meaning their muscles burned fat more efficiently. And the more oleic acid the participants burned, the lower their low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol (also known as “bad” cholesterol) levels were.

• The krill oil group also accumulated more leucine — This is a key amino acid needed to build muscle tissue. These results show that krill oil increased protein synthesis inside your muscle cells.

• The experiments showed no effect on glucose metabolism, but a closer look shows a different story — When the researchers examined the genes inside the muscle cells, they found that krill oil had switched on genes that help bring sugar into the cells and turn it into energy. Simply put, while the muscles didn’t appear to use more sugar right away, the cells were clearly getting ready to do so by boosting the tools they need to process sugar more efficiently.

These findings show that krill oil not only supports strength, but also leads to efficient energy production by burning fat and carbs, even helping cholesterol balance. The researchers conclude:

“[O]ur findings indicate that krill oil supplementation positively impacts lipid metabolism and cellular energy regulation in human skeletal muscle cells. The observed increase in fatty acid oxidation, upregulation of metabolic pathways, and changes in the proteomic profile suggest enhanced metabolic function and improved protein synthesis.

These and other findings highlight the potential treatment of metabolic disorders and enhancement of skeletal muscle performance by krill oil supplementation.”7

How to Maintain Your Muscle Health and Energy While Losing Weight or During Aging

If you’re fasting, cutting calories, or simply getting older, your body naturally starts to lose muscle, which drains your energy, slows your metabolism, and raises your risk of weight regain and frailty. Thankfully, you don’t have to just accept that decline. Here are some steps to protect your strength, energy, and overall function.

1. Add krill oil to your daily routine — As these studies show, krill oil gives your muscles the raw materials — like omega-3s, astaxanthin, and choline — to preserve energy, reduce breakdown, and trigger protein-building activity. However, make sure to choose reputable brands that prioritize quality and purity and pay attention to dosage.

There is what’s called the Omega-3 Paradox, wherein too much omega-3s also leads to negative health effects. Specifically, daily omega-3 supplementation exceeding 1 gram has been linked to increased AFib risk, especially in those with pre-existing heart conditions. Lower doses and whole food sources appear safer. So, start with lower doses and increase them only under medical guidance.

2. Eliminate vegetable oils and ultraprocessed foods from your diet — I recommend replacing them with real, whole foods. Processed foods contain linoleic acid (LA)-rich vegetable oils that disrupt your metabolic pathways and alter how your body stores fat. Instead, cook your meals using tallow, grass fed butter, ghee, or coconut oil.

3. Consider your protein and collagen intake — I suggest aiming for 0.8 grams of protein per pound of your ideal body weight and balancing that amount so that about one-third comes from collagen. This will help support muscle maintenance. If you exercise frequently, you might need to slightly increase your intake.

4. Consume healthy whole carb sources — Carbohydrates from healthy food sources are the ideal fuel for your body. Aim for 200 to 250 grams of carbs per day from white rice, whole fruits, and vegetables. If you have severe gut issues, sip dextrose water to provide your cells with a steady source of easy-to-digest, healthy carbohydrates for energy.

5. Stay physically active — The study participants who gained strength were inactive at the start, so even light movement will help your body use the nutrients in krill oil better. Daily walks, standing more often, or light resistance training will keep your muscles engaged and responsive.

6. Use chair-stand or grip tests to track your progress — Grip strength and how fast you can stand up from a chair are powerful indicators of muscle health. Try doing these weekly. Watching your time improve or your grip become stronger will give you confidence and show that what you’re doing is working.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) About Krill Oil

Q: How does krill oil help protect muscle during weight loss?
A: Krill oil supplies your body with omega-3 fatty acids, astaxanthin, and choline—nutrients that help reduce muscle breakdown and support muscle repair. Studies show that people who took krill oil during intermittent fasting kept more muscle mass and strength compared to those who didn’t.

Q: Does krill oil improve strength and mobility in older adults?
A: Yes. Research involving adults over 65 found that taking 4 grams of krill oil daily for six months led to stronger grip strength, thicker thigh muscles, and better performance in mobility tests, even without added exercise.

Q: What makes krill oil different from fish oil?
A: Krill oil contains omega-3s bound to phospholipids, which are more easily absorbed by your body. It also contains astaxanthin (a powerful antioxidant) and choline, both of which support muscle energy, coordination, and performance.

Q: Does krill oil boost energy levels in muscles?
A: Yes. In muscle samples, krill oil increased fat burning and helped muscles store more leucine, an amino acid used to build new muscle. It also activated genes that improve the use of sugar for energy — key for staying energized and strong.

Q: Who benefits most from taking krill oil?
A: If you’re trying to lose weight, fasting, or are in your senior years, krill oil can help protect your muscle, keep your energy steady, and support your metabolism. It’s especially valuable for older adults or anyone at risk of muscle loss.

You can’t see them, but the plastic you encounter every day is breaking down into fragments small enough to slip past your body’s defenses. These microplastics and nanoplastics arrive through the food you eat, the water you drink, and the air you breathe — and unlike the visible plastic waste we’ve been warned about for decades, these particles are tiny enough to interact directly with your cells.
Once inside, the smallest particles don’t just pass through and leave; the tiniest lodge in tissue and stay. Two recent reviews lay out what happens next, and read together, they trace a troubling path from your bloodstream to your brain. The first, published in Nutrients, examined how these particles may disrupt blood sugar regulation and contribute to the oxidative stress and insulin resistance associated with Type 2 diabetes.1
The second, published in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences, followed the same particles into the brain, where researchers believe they may feed the insulin resistance and cellular damage now linked to Alzheimer’s, a condition some scientists have begun calling “Type 3 diabetes.”2 Notably, this term is an informal label, not an officially recognized diagnosis.
What caught my attention was that neither review stopped at the damage. Both turned to the same question: can what you eat change how well your cells defend themselves? At the center of that defense sits a single protective pathway your body already has — one that certain food compounds appear able to switch on.
That shifts the conversation from simply avoiding exposure, which is no longer fully possible, to actively building resilience. What follows is how microplastics weaken those defenses, and which nutrients help restore them.

Your Diet Influences How Well Your Cells Fight Plastic-Related Damage

The Nutrients review examined how specific food-derived compounds interact with Nrf2, a protein that controls one of your body’s most important antioxidant defense systems.3 The researchers explored whether nutrients found in foods could strengthen cellular resilience and help counter the oxidative stress, inflammation, and metabolic disruption linked to plastic exposure.
Oxidative stress is what happens when damaging molecules called free radicals pile up faster than your cells can neutralize them, a kind of internal rust that wears down tissue over time.
Humans encounter microplastics and nanoplastics through contaminated food, beverages, household products, and airborne particles from textiles and plastics. Global plastic production was expected to reach roughly 400 million tons annually in 2025, while cumulative production could reach 33 billion tons by 2050.4 As exposure increases, scientists have become increasingly concerned about what happens when these particles accumulate inside the body.

• The concern extends far beyond simple pollution — Microplastics accumulate in organs involved in blood sugar regulation, including the liver, pancreas, and kidneys. In experimental studies, these particles triggered oxidative stress, inflammation, cellular barrier disruption, and metabolic dysfunction — processes that resemble those commonly seen in diabetes and its complications.
Several studies discussed in the review found that exposure to polystyrene microplastics and nanoplastics increased insulin resistance and worsened glucose tolerance in mice.5 Insulin resistance means your cells stop responding efficiently to insulin, forcing your body to keep blood sugar levels elevated for longer periods.
Researchers found that nanoplastics measuring just 100 nanometers produced greater toxicity than larger microplastic particles in diabetic mice. These tiny particles increased liver inflammation, disrupted gut bacteria, and intensified fat metabolism problems inside the liver. Their small size allows them to cross biological barriers more easily and reach tissues that larger particles struggle to enter.
• Your cells already have a built-in emergency response system — Researchers point to Nrf2 as the body’s master switch for antioxidant defense. Most of the time it sits idle, until cellular stress trips the alarm and it springs into action. When cells encounter stress, Nrf2 moves into the nucleus and switches on a large network of protective genes that help neutralize harmful molecules and repair damage.
Researchers emphasized that many plant-derived nutrients work by stimulating this same pathway, effectively helping your cells activate their own internal repair and defense programs.
• Several nutrient families activate the body’s defense genes — Polyphenols, flavonoids, phenolic acids, terpenoids, and related plant compounds are activators of the Nrf2 pathway. These naturally occurring compounds are found in a range of plant foods, including berries, herbs, spices, and colorful fruits and vegetables.
Once activated, Nrf2 switches on a network of antioxidant and detoxification enzymes that help cells neutralize oxidative stress, repair damage, and maintain normal metabolic function despite ongoing environmental exposures.
• The review connected environmental pollution with personalized nutrition — Researchers proposed that future dietary recommendations could be tailored not only to a person’s genetics, but also to their exposure to environmental pollutants such as microplastics. The goal would be to identify nutrients that activate protective pathways like Nrf2 and match those nutrients to individuals who are most vulnerable to oxidative stress, inflammation, and metabolic damage.

Microplastics Could Be Hitting Your Brain Too

A review published in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences examined how microplastics and nanoplastics affect the brain and whether specific nutrients help protect against that damage.6 The authors focused on a growing concern: the possibility that long-term plastic exposure contributes to brain insulin resistance, a condition increasingly linked to Alzheimer’s disease.
Unlike Type 2 diabetes, which affects how your body responds to insulin, brain insulin resistance affects how neurons use glucose for energy. Your brain consumes enormous amounts of energy every day. When brain cells struggle to access or use glucose efficiently, memory, learning, and cognitive function begin to suffer. Researchers explained that this process contributes to the buildup of beta-amyloid plaques and tau tangles, two hallmarks of Alzheimer’s disease.*

• Microplastics are capable of reaching the brain itself — Plastic particles have been detected in human tissues, including the lungs, liver, kidneys, and brain. Animal studies found that smaller nanoplastics cross the blood-brain barrier, the protective filter that normally shields the brain from harmful substances, more easily than larger particles. Once inside brain tissue, these particles trigger oxidative stress, inflammation, and cellular dysfunction.
• Brain inflammation creates a vicious cycle — Researchers described how plastic-induced oxidative stress damages neurons while simultaneously weakening the brain’s antioxidant defenses. As oxidative stress rises, inflammation increases. As inflammation increases, insulin signaling worsens. That decline in insulin signaling may promote additional oxidative stress and accelerate the formation of beta-amyloid plaques and tau protein abnormalities associated with cognitive decline.
Healthy brain cells rely on specialized glucose transporters that move glucose across the blood-brain barrier and into neurons. Aging, inflammation, and insulin resistance reduce the activity of key transporters, limiting glucose availability to brain cells. The result is an energy shortage that affects memory, concentration, and cognitive performance long before obvious symptoms appear.
• Several studies linked plastic exposure directly to memory problems — Researchers reviewed evidence showing that nanoplastics impaired learning and memory in animal models in a dose-dependent manner. One study found that exposure to 80-nanometer polystyrene nanoparticles disrupted learning and memory in mice after only seven days.7
Other experiments showed that microglia, the immune cells that protect the brain, became activated after exposure and shifted into a chronic inflammatory state that interfered with nearby neurons.8
• Researchers identified several nutrients that counteracted the same pathways disrupted by microplastics — The review highlighted a group of plant compounds that activate Nrf2 and related resilience pathways, which help defend brain cells against the oxidative stress, inflammation, and insulin-signaling problems linked to microplastic exposure.
Rather than acting through a single mechanism, these nutrients targeted multiple stages of the damage process, including antioxidant defenses, glucose metabolism, inflammation control, and neuronal survival. According to laboratory and animal research:

◦ Ursolic acid, found in apple peels, berries, and herbs, improved memory, reduced beta-amyloid toxicity, and increased antioxidant enzyme activity.
◦ Verbascoside, a plant compound found in species such as lilac, mullein, and lemon verbena, improved gut health, reduced inflammatory markers, and enhanced insulin sensitivity in the brain, supporting the growing connection between the gut-brain axis and cognitive health.
◦ Diosmin, a flavonoid concentrated in the white pith of citrus fruit, which is exactly the part most people discard, boosted antioxidant defenses and improved both working and long-term memory.
◦ Baicalein, a flavonoid extracted from the roots of Chinese skullcap (Scutellaria baicalensis), reduced neuroinflammation, lowered beta-amyloid plaque formation, and improved glucose metabolism and insulin signaling in brain tissue.
◦ Cynarin, a major compound in artichokes, reduced inflammation, lowered beta-amyloid and tau protein accumulation, and improved cognitive performance in Alzheimer’s models.

• Many of these nutrients targeted brain insulin resistance directly — One of the review’s central themes was that Alzheimer’s disease shares many features with diabetes, including impaired insulin signaling inside the brain. In laboratory and animal studies, several of the highlighted nutrients improved key pathways involved in glucose uptake, insulin sensitivity, and cellular energy production, helping restore the ability of brain cells to access and use fuel efficiently.
Researchers argued that preserving these pathways could help interrupt the progression from oxidative stress and inflammation to cognitive decline. Rather than targeting a single symptom, the nutrients appeared to strengthen the underlying cellular defense network that keeps brain tissue functioning properly despite ongoing environmental stressors.

*These findings are from laboratory or animal research and may not directly apply to human health. To date, no long-term human studies have confirmed that microplastics cause Type 2 diabetes or Alzheimer’s disease in people.

Strengthen Your Defenses Against Microplastic Damage

The reality is that you can’t completely eliminate microplastic exposure. Plastic particles are already present in food, water, and the environment. That reality is why I wrote “Microplastics Cure,” available for preorder now. In it, I explain how these invisible particles enter and accumulate throughout the body, why they become increasingly difficult to remove once they lodge in tissues and blood vessels, and how everyday choices either increase or reduce that accumulation.
You’ll also find practical, science-based strategies that help lower ongoing exposure while supporting your body’s own protective systems. The goal is simple: understand what drives microplastic accumulation, identify the habits that contribute to it, and take meaningful steps to reduce the damage before the burden grows larger.
Avoidance is only part of the solution. A better strategy is to reduce your exposure wherever possible while strengthening the cellular defense systems that help your body handle oxidative stress and inflammation. Your daily choices influence how resilient your cells remain when they encounter environmental toxins.

1. Reduce the largest sources of plastic exposure — Start with the exposures you control every day. Avoid heating food in plastic containers, replace plastic water bottles with glass or stainless steel, and choose fresh foods instead of heavily packaged products whenever possible.
If you regularly drink bottled water, switching to filtered water stored in glass containers immediately reduces one of the most common sources of microplastic intake. Every source you eliminate lowers the amount of plastic your body has to process and store over time.
2. Build your meals around Nrf2-activating foods — The strongest nutritional message from both reviews is that certain plant compounds help activate Nrf2, one of your body’s most important cellular defense systems. Nrf2 helps switch on antioxidant and detoxification enzymes that protect tissues from the oxidative stress and inflammation triggered by microplastics.
Rather than focusing on a single food, build your meals around a variety of foods that naturally contain these protective compounds:

• Include apple peels, fresh herbs, and other minimally processed plant foods regularly, instead of relying on packaged products that often contribute additional microplastic exposure.
• Add artichokes to meals when available. They provide a unique mix of polyphenols that are largely absent from the modern processed-food diet.
• Choose whole citrus fruits regularly. They offer beneficial plant compounds along with fiber and nutrients that support metabolic health.
• Experiment with a wider variety of herbs, teas, and traditional plant foods rather than eating the same handful of foods every week. Greater plant diversity exposes you to a broader range of protective compounds.
• Build meals around colorful fruits, vegetables, herbs, and spices. Different colors signal different families of beneficial plant compounds, giving your body a wider range of nutritional tools to draw from.

3. Support cellular energy production — Oxidative stress becomes more damaging when your cells struggle to produce energy efficiently. Support mitochondrial function by getting regular sunlight, avoiding seed oils, eating adequate protein, and consuming enough carbohydrates — about 250 grams a day — to support healthy metabolism. Your cells repair damage more effectively when they have the energy required to run their antioxidant and detoxification systems.
4. Control blood sugar before metabolic damage develops — Microplastic exposure is linked to insulin resistance and impaired glucose control. One of the smartest steps you can take is to track your metabolic health before symptoms appear. I recommend monitoring your Homeostatic Model Assessment of Insulin Resistance (HOMA-IR) score, rather than relying solely on fasting glucose.
HOMA-IR is a calculation based on your fasting insulin and fasting glucose levels that provides one of the clearest pictures of how hard your body is working to keep blood sugar under control.
A higher score suggests greater insulin resistance, often years before obvious symptoms appear. Keeping your HOMA-IR low helps reduce oxidative stress and limits many of the same inflammatory pathways that microplastics appear to activate. For most people, if your HOMA-IR creeps above 1.0, it’s time to pay closer attention to factors like sugar intake, seed oils, plastic exposure, and gut health.
Talk to your health care provider about whether this testing is appropriate for you.

5. Create daily habits that activate your body’s resilience systems — The Nrf2 pathway responds to more than nutrition. Regular movement, quality sleep, healthy circadian rhythms, and consistent exposure to natural daylight all help maintain cellular resilience. Turn this into a simple daily challenge.

Get morning sunlight. Walk every day. Build meals around nutrient-dense whole foods. Reduce packaged products. Small actions repeated consistently strengthen your internal defense systems far more effectively than occasional bursts of effort.

FAQs About Food Nutrients and Microplastic Exposure

Q: How do microplastics affect my health?
A: Microplastics and nanoplastics can accumulate in tissues throughout your body, including the liver, pancreas, kidneys, and brain. Research — primarily in laboratory and animal models — suggests they may trigger oxidative stress, inflammation, and cellular dysfunction, which are linked to insulin resistance, metabolic disorders, and cognitive decline.

Q: What is Nrf2 and why is it important?
A: Nrf2 is one of your body’s most important cellular defense systems. When activated, it switches on genes that help neutralize oxidative stress, reduce inflammation, and support cellular repair. Researchers found that many beneficial plant compounds help activate this pathway, strengthening your body’s ability to cope with environmental stressors such as microplastic exposure.

Q: Can microplastics affect brain health and memory?
A: In animal studies, very small plastic particles crossed the blood-brain barrier and triggered inflammation, oxidative stress, and impaired insulin signaling inside the brain. These changes are associated with memory problems, reduced cognitive function, and biological processes linked to Alzheimer’s disease.

Q: Which foods contain nutrients that help protect against microplastic-related damage?
A: A variety of whole foods provide compounds that support your body’s antioxidant defenses. Apple peels, berries, herbs, and spices provide ursolic acid and other polyphenols. Artichokes contain cynarin, citrus fruits provide diosmin, Chinese skullcap contains baicalein, and plants such as lemon verbena and mullein contain verbascoside. These compounds help support antioxidant activity, healthy glucose metabolism, and inflammation control.

Q: What are the most effective ways to reduce the health risks associated with microplastics?
A: A practical approach combines reducing exposure and strengthening cellular resilience. Steps include avoiding heating food in plastic containers, reducing bottled water use, choosing fresh foods over heavily packaged products, supporting metabolic health, monitoring insulin resistance with HOMA-IR, and regularly eating nutrient-dense foods that activate protective pathways such as Nrf2.

Daily habits such as exercise, quality sleep, and natural daylight exposure also help maintain cellular defenses.

This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Consult a qualified healthcare provider before making changes to your health regimen.

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 makes a pill routine harder to follow?

Taking many pills on different schedules
A high pill count and complicated timing create more daily work, making skipped doses and abandoned routines more likely. Learn more.
Drinking water with each dose, which can make you feel full
Keeping supplements in one place, making it confusing
Taking medicine after a meal

Smell loss affects far more people than most realize, and the numbers are hard to ignore. Large population data summarized in Clinical Otolaryngology show that about 22% of adults live with some form of olfactory dysfunction, while roughly 5% experience complete smell loss, known as anosmia.1 Anosmia is more common than profound hearing loss or blindness, yet it rarely receives the same clinical attention.

Unlike vision or hearing problems, smell dysfunction often develops quietly. Olfactory dysfunction, meaning a reduced or absent sense of smell, is characterized by difficulty detecting everyday odors, distorted smells that no longer match reality, or a total loss of scent. Food loses its depth, warning odors like smoke fade into the background, and once-familiar spaces begin to feel oddly blank.

The research makes clear that this sensory change does not stay isolated. People with acquired smell loss face reduced longevity, a statistic that reframes smell as a marker of overall health rather than a minor inconvenience.2 Early smell loss also appears in serious diseases like Alzheimer’s, where smell decline tracks with changes in memory and brain structure long before diagnosis.

Despite these signals, routine smell screening remains rare in medical care. That gap matters because undetected smell loss links to poor nutrition, higher depression rates, safety hazards, and reduced independence. Researchers now argue smell health is so important that it belongs at the center of public health, not on the margins.

Smell Loss Exposes Hidden Health Risks

A narrative review published in the journal Clinical Otolaryngology examined why smell health has been overlooked despite its clear ties to physical, mental, and social well-being.3 The paper was written by international experts in olfactory science to summarize what decades of research show about smell loss and explain why public health systems still fail to treat it as a core health marker.

Smell loss often shows up alongside many of the same conditions that drive disability, hospital use, and early death. So, instead of studying only healthy volunteers, the review pulled together evidence from populations with chronic sinus disease, neurodegenerative disorders, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, cancer, and post-viral illness.

• Smell dysfunction emerged as a predictor, not a side effect — Olfactory dysfunction often appears before major disease milestones. The paper explains that complete smell loss frequently predates Parkinson’s disease by five years or more, and more than 90% of patients have measurable smell impairment once motor symptoms appear. That timing turns smell testing into an early-warning signal rather than a late-stage observation.

• Loss of smell linked to increased mortality risk — The review highlights multiple studies showing that people who acquire smell loss face a fourfold increase in mortality risk compared with those who retain normal smell. This association holds even after adjusting for age and reported health status. This means smell decline tracks with survival in a way few people ever discuss during routine checkups.

• Cardiovascular and respiratory risks also surfaced — Poor smell function is associated with higher long-term risk of stroke and congestive heart failure. The authors also describe altered breathing patterns during sleep and wakefulness in people with anosmia, suggesting that smell loss disrupts normal respiratory rhythms tied to brain health and emotional regulation.

• Daily safety problems were common and measurable — The paper reports that 86% of people with smell loss worry about personal safety, and real incidents back that up. Over five years, 32% experienced spoiled food events, 15% reported gas incidents, 35% had gas scares, and 19% faced workplace hazards linked directly to smell impairment.

Loss of Smell Linked to Severe Mental Health Effects

The Clinical Otolaryngology study reported striking rates of psychiatric distress among people with olfactory dysfunction. Eating disorders affected 92%, social isolation 57%, relationship difficulties 54%, anxiety 45%, and depression 43%. Depression rates alone far exceed the global average of about 4%, placing smell loss on par with chronic diseases like diabetes and asthma in quality-of-life burden.

• Diet quality shifted in predictable but harmful ways — When smell weakens or distorts, people gravitate toward more energy-dense foods high in unhealthy fat and added sugar while eating a less varied diet. This pattern increases obesity risk and micronutrient deficiencies. In people with diabetes, smell dysfunction reached 71% among those with complications, tying sensory loss to metabolic decline you wouldn’t expect to start in the nose.

• Biology helps explain why smell tracks with brain health — The authors describe how early disease-related proteins accumulate in olfactory regions of the brain. In Parkinson’s disease, harmful protein clumps appear in the olfactory bulb years before movement problems.

• The paper emphasized missed opportunities in health care systems — Despite strong evidence, smell testing rarely appears in routine care, unlike vision or hearing exams. Many people remain unaware of gradual smell decline unless formally tested. The authors argue that simple screening paired with smell training could help identify cognitive and cardiovascular risk earlier, when intervention still matters.

• Equity gaps compound the problem — The review notes that people from ethnic minority groups seek care for smell loss at much lower rates due to access barriers, cultural perceptions, and lack of awareness. That disparity leaves entire populations without early warning signs for conditions tied to cognitive decline and reduced lifespan, reinforcing why smell health belongs in public health policy rather than specialty clinics.

Practical Steps to Protect and Restore Smell Health

Smell loss doesn’t begin as a nose problem. It’s a signal that something deeper has shifted in your brain, your breathing patterns, or your daily environment. The research makes it clear that ignoring smell changes allows wider health problems to advance quietly. Focusing first on awareness and early action helps address the root causes identified in the data rather than chasing symptoms later.

1. Start by checking your own smell function regularly — Treat smell like vision or hearing, not like an afterthought. Pick familiar, non-irritating scents you already have at home, such as coffee, citrus peel, or soap, and notice whether intensity, clarity, or recognition changes over time. If you struggle to detect or identify these smells, that’s important information because smell decline often appears years before cognitive or cardiovascular disease. Awareness is the first line of defense.

2. Reduce daily safety risks tied to smell loss —
If you heat your home or cook with gas, or work around chemicals, smell loss raises real hazards. I recommend installing natural gas detectors, not just smoke and carbon monoxide detectors. This step directly protects you from risks documented in people with smell dysfunction, particularly gas exposure. Safety measures remove danger while you address the underlying health issue.

3. Use structured smell training to stimulate your brain —
Smell training is a way to exercise the nerve pathways that carry scent information from your nose to your brain. When you repeatedly activate those olfactory nerve cells, the pathway itself becomes stronger and more responsive over time. To do this, choose four distinct fragrances such as rose, lemon, clove, and eucalyptus essential oils.

Actively sniff each scent for about 20 seconds, twice a day, such as after you wake up and before bed. While sniffing, focus your attention on the smell and try to recall what it has meant to you in the past. This focused repetition reinforces the neural pathway involved in smell, which is why research frames smell training as a form of targeted sensory rehabilitation rather than a passive exercise.4

4. Stabilize your breathing and sleep rhythms —
The review links smell loss with altered breathing patterns during both sleep and wakefulness. Pay attention to proper breathing during the day. At night, protect your sleep structure by keeping a consistent bedtime, avoiding bright light before bed, and sleeping in a cool, dark room.

If you wake frequently, focus on calming your breathing rather than checking the clock or your phone. These steps help regulate brain oxygen delivery and nervous system balance, which directly supports the same brain networks affected when smell declines.

5. Advocate for smell screening in your routine care —
Smell dysfunction often goes unnoticed because gradual decline feels normal. Smell screening belongs alongside vision and hearing tests due to its links with longevity, heart health, and brain disease.

Asking your integrative health care providers about smell dysfunction increases the chance of early detection and meaningful action rather than late-stage response. These steps put you back in control. Smell health responds best when you act early, stay consistent, and treat it as a signal of whole-body health rather than a minor sensory inconvenience.

FAQs About Sense of Smell and Overall Health

Q: What is olfactory dysfunction, and how common is it?
A: Olfactory dysfunction is a reduced or lost sense of smell, including distorted smells or complete smell loss known as anosmia. Large population data show about 22% of adults have some degree of smell dysfunction, and roughly 5% have complete smell loss, making it more common than profound hearing loss or blindness.

Q: Why does smell loss matter for your overall health?
A: Smell loss is not just a sensory issue. Research links it to reduced longevity, higher rates of depression, poor nutrition, safety hazards, and increased risk of neurodegenerative and cardiovascular disease. In many cases, smell decline appears years before major diagnoses, making it an early warning sign of broader health problems.

Q: How is smell loss connected to brain diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s?
A: Smell loss often shows up early in neurodegenerative disease. In Parkinson’s disease, harmful protein clumps build up in the brain’s smell center years before movement problems begin. In Alzheimer’s disease, declining smell tracks with memory changes and structural brain shifts long before diagnosis.

Q: What practical steps can you take if your sense of smell is declining?
A: You can regularly check your smell using familiar household scents, install gas detectors to reduce safety risks, practice structured smell training with specific fragrances, stabilize breathing and sleep rhythms, and actively raise the issue of smell screening during routine health visits.

Q: Can smell training really make a difference?
A: Yes. Smell training works by repeatedly activating the nerve pathways that carry scent information to your brain. Focused, consistent exposure to distinct smells helps reinforce those pathways, similar to physical therapy for a weakened muscle, and is recognized as a meaningful approach to supporting smell and brain health.

The handful-of-pills routine belongs to another era. Picture the morning ritual the supplement world quietly expects of you: a little assembly line of bottles on the counter, the careful counting, the palm filling up with capsules of different sizes and colors, and then the part nobody enjoys — getting the whole mouthful down with a gulp of water, hoping the big one doesn’t catch on the way.
We have all just accepted this. But step back and it’s a strangely outdated way to take care of yourself. Almost every other part of modern life has been simplified to fit the way people actually live. Yet the standard supplement routine has barely changed: bottles, capsules, timing, water, swallowing, sorting, and refills. The rest of life moved toward convenience. Supplements stayed stuck in the pillbox.

The Pill Routine Takes More Than It Seems

The capsule routine looks simple, but it quietly asks a great deal — and each demand is a place where the routine can break. Start with the count. The sheer number of pills is a barrier all by itself. In a multicenter study of older adults managing several conditions, three-quarters reported a high treatment burden and more than two-thirds did not take their medications as directed — and the strongest drivers of that burden were the complexity of the regimen and the number of pills to take.1
It’s a consistent finding: the more pill-heavy and more complex the routine, the more reliably people abandon it.
Then there’s the swallowing itself, which is a real barrier and a surprisingly common one. In a survey of outpatients picking up their prescriptions, more than 40% reported difficulty swallowing pills, and the authors noted that international estimates run anywhere from roughly 29% to 55% of adults, with about a third saying the trouble had caused them to miss doses.2
And it gets worse as the pills get bigger. When researchers analyzed what makes a tablet or capsule hard to get down, oversized pills stood out as by far the strongest factor, raising the odds of difficulty roughly tenfold.3 Anyone who has hesitated before the largest capsule in the lineup already knows this. Even people who don’t think of themselves as having trouble quietly dread the big one.
Now stack on the logistics. Two or three different schedules a day turn a simple act of self-care into a small management job — this bottle in the morning, that one with lunch, another at night. Travel makes it worse: the bottles are bulky, the routine is fragile, and taking a pile of capsules is easily forgotten on a busy trip. None of this fits modern life. It fits a slower, simpler era that no longer exists for most of us.
So we asked an obvious question that the industry mostly steps around. What if you didn’t have to choke down a fistful of capsules at all? What if the format itself were built around how people actually live — easier to take, and easy to keep up even when the day is a mess?

A Format Built for Real Life

That’s the direction we’re going — away from the pill pile and toward formats that are simpler to use and supports a food-first ideology. In practice, that means taking the ingredients suited to it and reformulating them out of capsules and into a clean powder that can be stirred into a glass of water, a smoothie, a bowl of yogurt or oatmeal, or sprinkled on whatever else you’re already eating. The supplement routine stops being a separate event you have to remember and becomes part of a meal you were having anyway.
Not every ingredient can be turned into a powder. Some are needed in doses so small they’re better measured into a small pill; some taste or keep better sealed away; some contain oils that call for a softgel. The goal isn’t to abolish pills or capsules from our product line — it’s to stop reaching for it by default, and to use a powder wherever the ingredient genuinely allows it.
For the many that do, the change can be dramatic: nothing to count, nothing to choke down, no big capsule to dread, and no bulky bottles to pack when you travel. All of that can translate into a routine that doesn’t collapse the moment your schedule does.

Why the Format Is the Whole Point

The point isn’t novelty for its own sake. It’s that the format chosen can significantly affect adherence — and consistency is what ultimately makes the difference, because a supplement only does something if you actually take it. A supplement that’s pleasant and effortless to take gets taken. A handful of capsules that feels like a chore gets skipped, then forgotten at the back of a shelf.
This is the thread that runs through everything we’ve been saying in this series. The best formula in the world is worthless if it ends up in your cabinet instead of in you. Modern life is busy, mobile, and unpredictable. Your nutrition should be built for that life, not for the imaginary, unhurried one the capsule routine was designed around.

The Bottom Line

While the fistful of capsules strategy is convenient for those who make and ship supplements, it quietly works against the person trying to stay consistent. For the ingredients that allow it, a clean powder you mix into food or a drink removes most of the friction that leads to skipped doses and dropped regimens. Once a routine is built around the life you actually live, consistency stops being a losing battle.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What’s wrong with capsules?
A: Nothing, for the right ingredients. Capsules protect fragile compounds and allow precise small doses. The problem is using them by default for everything, including ingredients that would be far easier to take as a powder. The cost shows up as friction: counting pills, swallowing, dreading the big one, and keeping multiple schedules straight. That friction is the main reason supplement routines fall apart.

Q: Is difficulty swallowing pills really that common?
A: More common than most people think. In one survey of outpatients, more than 40% reported difficulty swallowing pills, with international estimates ranging from roughly a quarter to over half of adults — and a meaningful share said it had caused them to miss doses. Larger pills are by far the hardest to get down. Many people who’d never call it a “problem” still quietly dread the biggest capsule in the pile.

Q: How does a powder improve adherence to a supplement regimen?
A: A powder you mix into food or a beverage removes the swallowing barrier entirely and folds the supplement into something you already do — eating. There’s nothing to count out, nothing to choke down. For suitable ingredients, it turns the most-skipped part of the day into one effortless motion.

Q: Does switching from a capsule to a powder mean a weaker product?
A: No. It means the product is designed around what you’ll actually keep doing. The format largely determines consistency, and consistency is what makes a supplement worth taking at all. A simpler routine you can sustain for years will do far more for you than an elaborate one you abandon in a month.

These statements have not been evaluated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
This article is for general education. The products described are dietary supplements intended to support normal health and wellbeing as part of a food-first lifestyle. They are not a substitute for a varied diet, a healthy lifestyle, or the advice of your physician. If you are pregnant, nursing, taking medication, or managing a health condition, talk with your healthcare provider before beginning any supplement.
This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Consult a qualified healthcare provider before making changes to your health regimen.

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 kind of naturally occuring substance is Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1)?

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GLP-1 is released by the gut and helps control appetite, feelings of fullness, and blood sugar after meals. Learn more.

In my interview with Alexis Cowan, Ph.D., a molecular biologist from Princeton, we explored some cutting-edge ideas that can dramatically impact your health. Cowan’s deep knowledge of molecular biology, particularly her passion for light, circadian rhythms, and mitochondrial health, offers a fresh perspective on optimizing your well-being.

We discussed topics that are often overlooked in mainstream health discussions but are necessary for understanding how your body truly works and how you can take control of your health journey. Molecular biology is a powerful field for understanding how to optimize your biology. It allows you to get down to the very nuts and bolts of how your cells function and interact.

My own interest in this field has led me to write extensively about it, as I believe it holds the key to unlocking your body’s incredible potential. Cowan’s expertise in this area, especially her research background in metabolism and her current deep dive into light and circadian biology, made for a truly enlightening discussion.

Cowan’s journey into molecular biology is quite unique. Initially on a path to culinary school, a profound experience led her to a complete shift in perspective, sparking a deep curiosity about the nature of reality and ultimately guiding her to science. This pivotal moment became the catalyst for her exploration into biochemistry and molecular biology, culminating in a Ph.D. from Princeton.

Her personal journey of health transformation, including overcoming childhood obesity and chronic health issues, further fueled her passion for understanding the root causes of disease. Cowan’s background blends rigorous scientific training with a personal understanding of the challenges of health and healing.

This combination allows her to communicate complex scientific ideas in a clear and accessible way. These insights will equip you with actionable knowledge to make informed decisions about your health and well-being.

The Power of Light on Your Circadian Rhythm

Light and its profound impact on your circadian rhythm and overall health is an area often neglected in conventional health discussions, yet it’s fundamental to how your body functions. Cowan emphasizes the role of light as a foundational element for well-being, acting as a primary regulator of your body’s internal clock and numerous biological processes.

Light is a powerful environmental cue that dictates your body’s rhythms, influencing everything from sleep-wake cycles to hormone production and even mitochondrial function. You are constantly bathed in different forms of light, both visible and invisible, and understanding how these frequencies interact with your body is essential for optimizing your health.

Cowan pointed out that even the seemingly simple act of getting sunlight exposure is far more complex and beneficial than you might realize. Sunlight isn’t just about vitamin D; it’s a full spectrum of light frequencies, including infrared and ultraviolet, each playing a unique role in your biology. Your mitochondria, the powerhouses of your cells, are incredibly sensitive to light and utilize different frequencies for optimal function.

This perspective shifts the focus from avoiding “bad” light to actively seeking “good” light as a nutrient for health. Cowan referenced the pioneering work of researchers like Satchidananda Panda, Ph.D., who I’ve interviewed previously, and Albert Szent-Györgyi, a Nobel laureate who explored the electronic structure of proteins and their semiconductor properties.

This foundational research underscores the idea that your body is fundamentally an electromagnetic system, highly responsive to light frequencies in your environment.

Mitochondria Are Your Cellular Power Plants and Light Sensors

Mitochondria, often called the powerhouses of your cells, were a central theme in our discussion. Cowan and I share a strong belief that optimizing mitochondrial health is key to reversing and preventing most chronic diseases — a premise I explored in-depth in my book, “Your Guide to Cellular Health: Unlocking the Science of Longevity and Joy.”

These tiny organelles are not just energy producers; they are dynamic responders to your environment, particularly to light, and play a much broader role in your health than you may expect. Imagine your mitochondria as miniature engines within each of your cells, responsible for generating the energy you need to live and thrive. But they’re not just simple engines.

As Cowan explained, mitochondria are incredibly sophisticated, utilizing an electron transport chain to produce energy in the form of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) and a special type of water called metabolic water. This process involves a flow of electrons, which, in essence, is electricity at a cellular level.

Interestingly, this flow of electrons also generates a magnetic field within your mitochondria. This magnetic field is important for attracting oxygen, which is essential for energy production, and for containing reactive oxygen species within the mitochondria.

When your mitochondria are functioning optimally, this process is efficient and supports overall cellular health. However, factors like exposure to non-native electromagnetic fields (EMFs), which we’ll discuss later, disrupt this delicate balance.

Cowan described mitochondria as both antennas and emitters of electromagnetic frequencies. They are not only powerhouses but also sophisticated sensors that detect and respond to the electromagnetic environment around you, including different light frequencies. This highlights the importance of considering your light environment, both natural and artificial, as a key factor in mitochondrial health and, consequently, your energy levels, cellular function, and long-term health.

The Dangers of EMFs

Artificial EMFs, emanating from modern technologies like Wi-Fi, cell phones, and wireless devices, negatively impact your mitochondria and overall health. This is a topic I’ve written about extensively, including in my book EMF*D, as it represents a significant, yet often underestimated, threat in our modern world. Dr. Cowan was not aware of this book so I sent her a copy.

Cowan highlighted that your mitochondria are sensitive to these frequencies and exposure disrupts their function. She referenced research demonstrating that EMF exposure decreases mitochondrial membrane potential, an indicator of mitochondrial health. This disruption leads to a cascade of negative effects, including increased oxidative stress and impaired cellular function.

She explained a principle called the inverse square law, which means the closer you are to an EMF source, the stronger the signal and the greater the harm. Cowan also recounted the story of Dr. Robert O. Becker, a pioneering researcher who, as early as the 1960s, uncovered the harmful effects of EMFs.

His research, funded by the military, initially explored the use of electrobiology for healing and regeneration. However, his findings took a concerning turn when he discovered that EMFs could promote tumor growth and hinder wound healing in animal models. Despite his groundbreaking work, his funding was abruptly pulled after he attempted to raise awareness about these dangers, highlighting the challenges in bringing this information to the public.

Practical Steps to Reduce EMF Exposure

While the dangers of EMFs seem daunting, Cowan offered practical and actionable steps to minimize your exposure in your daily life. Small changes in your habits make a significant difference in reducing your overall EMF burden and protecting your mitochondria. It’s not about eliminating technology completely but rather using it consciously and strategically.

One of the simplest yet most impactful changes you can make is to distance yourself from EMF sources. For instance, Cowan strongly advises against holding your cell phone directly to your ear. Instead, use speakerphone to create distance. Similarly, avoid carrying your phone in your pocket and keep it away from your body as much as possible. When using laptops or other wireless devices, avoid placing them directly on your lap; use a desk or table instead.

For Wi-Fi, consider putting your router on a timer to turn off automatically at night when you are sleeping. This simple step significantly reduces your nighttime EMF exposure. When possible, opt for wired connections, like ethernet cables, for your internet devices instead of relying on Wi-Fi. While it’s less convenient, these wired connections reduce your exposure to wireless radiation in your home or workspace.

Sunlight Provides Your Daily Dose of Mitochondrial Fuel

Both Cowan and I are strong advocates for regular sun exposure, as it’s a key nutrient for your mitochondria and overall health. Sunlight is a powerful source of energy that your body is designed to utilize. It delivers both infrared and ultraviolet (UV) frequencies, both of which are important for mitochondrial function.

Near-infrared light, present throughout the day even in shade, penetrates deeply into your body and stimulates cytochrome C oxidase, an important complex in the mitochondrial electron transport chain. This stimulation boosts electron flow, enhancing ATP production and the creation of deuterium-depleted metabolic water, which is important for cellular hydration.

However, indoor environments are often lacking in near-infrared light, as energy-efficient lighting doesn’t contain it and coated window glass reflects it. This means you are likely missing out on this important frequency if you spend most of your time indoors. Conversely, spending time outdoors, even in the shade, ensures you receive a healthy dose of near-infrared light, nourishing your mitochondria and supporting cellular health.

Cowan also explored the role of UV light, particularly UVB, in relation to melanin. UVB light is essential for vitamin D production and triggers a cascade of beneficial effects through the pro-opiomelanocortin (POMC) pathway.

This pathway leads to the production of alpha-melanocyte stimulating hormone (MSH), which stimulates melanin production, reduces appetite, and increases energy expenditure and beta-endorphin, which improves mood, reduces pain, and enhances immune function.

Cowan presented the intriguing idea of “human photosynthesis,” suggesting melanin plays a role in harnessing UV light to split water and generate energy, similar to chlorophyll in plants. This fascinating theory underscores the complex and beneficial relationship between UV light and your body. I actually discuss this topic in my book, Your Guide to Cellular Health, and I described it more accurately as photometabolism and will be writing scientific papers on this in the future.

Optimizing Sun Exposure for Maximum Benefit

With the understanding of sunlight’s importance, the question becomes: how do you optimize your sun exposure to reap the maximum benefits without risking harm? Cowan emphasizes using vitamin D levels as a biomarker for your sun exposure habits. Optimal vitamin D levels, achieved without supplementation, are a good indicator that you’re getting sufficient UV light. Ideally, aim for vitamin D levels between 60 to 80 ng/mL (150 to 200 nmol/L).

However, vitamin D is just one piece of the sunlight puzzle. There’s an important factor to consider: dietary seed oils. These oils, prevalent in processed foods and fast food, are rich in linoleic acid (LA). When LA interacts with the sun’s UV radiation, it triggers inflammation and DNA damage in your skin. If you consume these oils regularly, as many Americans do, you need to be more cautious about sun exposure.

It’s best to avoid direct sunlight during peak hours (10 a.m. to 4 p.m.) until you’ve reduced your consumption of seed oils for at least six months. To avoid sunburn and maximize the beneficial effects of sunlight, Cowan also suggests a gradual approach, building up your “solar callus.” Start with short periods of sun exposure, five to 10 minutes, and gradually increase the duration each day as your skin adapts.

She also recommends starting your day with sunrise light, rich in red and infrared, to prepare your skin for midday sun. This morning light exposure also plays a role in setting your circadian rhythm for the day. Cowan also cautioned against the common misconception that melanin is solely for protection against UV damage. She argues that melanin plays a more active role in “human photosynthesis” and as a powerful antioxidant and detoxifier.

People with darker skin tones need significantly more sun exposure to achieve optimal vitamin D levels and other sunlight benefits due to melanin’s light-absorbing properties. Understanding your skin type and gradually increasing your sun exposure after reducing LA in your diet is key to safely and effectively harnessing the power of sunlight for your health.

Your Circadian Rhythm Is Your Internal Timekeeper

Cowan emphasized the role of light in regulating this internal clock and offered actionable strategies for optimizing your circadian rhythm, which has far-reaching impacts on your sleep, energy levels and overall health. Think of your circadian rhythm as your body’s internal timekeeper, synchronizing your biology with the day-night cycle.

Light is the primary cue that sets your circadian rhythm. Cowan highlighted the importance of morning sunlight exposure, particularly sunrise light, for anchoring your circadian clock.

Morning sunlight, with its specific wavelengths of blue, UVA and red light, signals to your brain and body that it’s daytime, initiating processes associated with wakefulness, energy production, and digestion. Consistent morning light exposure is key for regulating sleep-wake cycles and optimizing daytime functions.

During the day, seek bright, full-spectrum light. Indoor environments often fall short in providing sufficient light intensity and spectrum compared to natural daylight. Cowan suggests increasing light exposure indoors using full-spectrum lights, aiming for at least 10,000 lux in your workspace. Whenever possible, work outdoors to maximize your exposure to natural daylight, even on cloudy days, as outdoor light is significantly brighter than typical indoor lighting.

If you can’t get outside, cracking open windows to let in unfiltered sunlight helps improve your indoor light environment, allowing beneficial UV and near-infrared light to enter. On the other end of the cycle, minimizing blue light exposure in the evening is equally important for a healthy circadian rhythm.

Blue light, emitted from electronic screens and many artificial lights, suppresses melatonin production, disrupting your sleep cycle and hindering nighttime recovery processes. It’s important to block blue light in the evenings by using blue-light blocking glasses, installing blue light filters on your devices and opting for warmer, dimmer lighting in your home as it gets dark.

Embrace the Power of Nature’s Rhythms

My interview with Cowan underscored a powerful message: your health is deeply intertwined with the natural rhythms of light and darkness, and by consciously aligning your lifestyle with these rhythms, you unlock remarkable healing and well-being. Remember, light is a fundamental nutrient that fuels your mitochondria, regulates your circadian clock, and influences numerous biological processes.

By prioritizing sunlight exposure and minimizing exposure to artificial EMFs and blue light at night, you are directly supporting your cellular health and overall vitality. Small, consistent changes in your daily habits accumulate over time, leading to significant improvements long-term health. By understanding the science and embracing these natural principles, you address the root causes of many health issues and proactively building a foundation for vibrant well-being.

The power to optimize your health lies within your grasp, waiting for you to harness the natural rhythms of light and life. To continue your journey of health, Cowan offers a wealth of resources for you to explore. She is passionate about sharing her knowledge and empowering you to take control of your health. If you are eager to learn more and connect with Cowan, here are several avenues to pursue:

• Social media — Follow her on Instagram at @dralexisjazmyn for frequent posts about light biology, circadian rhythms, mitochondrial health, and more. She shares a lot of free educational content here.

• Podcast — Listen to her podcast, “Indoctrinate Yourself,” available on YouTube and Spotify. This podcast explores many of the topics discussed in this article and beyond.

• Courses — She offers in-depth courses, such as “Boot Camp Reboot,” which provides actionable protocols for circadian and light biology, nutrition and mitochondrial optimization. She also has a self-paced course on scientific literacy to help you better understand scientific research.

• Monthly membership program — Join her Incubator monthly membership, a book club and think tank that explores different topics and engages in group learning.

• Brain rentals — For personalized guidance, you can book a 30-minute or 1-hour “Brain Rental” session with Cowan for specific questions related to your health journey or understanding the science.

Few hormones have attracted as much attention in weight-loss research as glucagon-like peptide-1, or GLP-1. This naturally occurring gut hormone helps regulate appetite, signals fullness to your brain, and influences blood sugar control after meals. The growing popularity of GLP-1 drugs has sparked a bigger question: Is there a way to support your body’s own production of this hormone without relying on medication?
Researchers in Serbia recently put one surprisingly simple candidate to the test — hydrogen-rich water.1 The people drinking it fared better than those drinking plain water. Moreover, what stood out was where they improved — in the appetite signals that often become dysregulated in obesity.
Just as compelling, researchers reported no serious adverse effects. Those findings raise an intriguing possibility. Instead of replacing the body’s appetite-regulating system the way medications do, molecular hydrogen appears to influence the pathways that help support it. To understand why that matters, let’s look at what happened when researchers tested hydrogen-rich water against a placebo, and how those changes affected appetite, metabolism, and sleep.

Hydrogen-Rich Water Appeared to Strengthen Natural Fullness Signals
The study, published in Medicina, investigated whether drinking hydrogen-rich water every day for eight weeks would affect food cravings, body composition, sleep quality, cholesterol levels, and GLP-1, a hormone involved in appetite regulation.2
The trial included 36 sedentary men and women with obesity who were randomly assigned to drink either 1 liter of hydrogen-rich water containing 15 milligrams (mg) of molecular hydrogen or regular water each day. Because the study was randomized, placebo-controlled, and double-blinded, neither participants nor researchers knew who received which drink until the study ended, helping strengthen the reliability of the findings.

That said, the trial involved a small number of participants, lasted only eight weeks, relied partly on self-reported questionnaires, and did not formally monitor diet or activity. The hydrogen-rich water was also supplied by a commercial hydrogen-product company that employed one of the study authors — all reasons to treat the results as preliminary.*

• The strongest appetite benefits showed up in craving scores — Participants who consumed hydrogen-rich water experienced a significantly greater reduction in overall food cravings than those who drank regular water. Researchers reported that total craving scores fell by 7.4 points in the hydrogen group compared to only 1.3 points in the placebo group.For someone who constantly battles the urge to snack or overeat, that difference matters because fewer cravings often make healthy choices easier and require less willpower throughout the day.
• Physiological hunger signals improved the most — One of the largest improvements occurred in what researchers called “cravings as a physiological state.” This refers to hunger-driven urges that feel physical rather than emotional. The hydrogen group showed significantly greater improvements than the placebo group, suggesting participants experienced fewer intense signals pushing them toward food.
The statistical effect size was large, meaning the difference was substantial enough to stand out even in a relatively small study population.
• Women appeared to experience the greatest appetite-related benefits — Although improvements occurred across the study population, researchers found particularly strong effects among female participants.
The female subgroup showed significant improvements in both physiological cravings and overall craving scores, with large effect sizes compared to placebo. This finding suggests that hydrogen-rich water influenced appetite regulation more strongly in women, although additional studies are needed to determine exactly why.
• Participants achieved these improvements after only eight weeks of daily use — And without adding exercise programs, weight-loss drugs, or specialized diets. Researchers specifically instructed participants not to start other weight-management interventions during the study period, allowing the results to be attributed primarily to the hydrogen-rich water. The intervention required only three servings per day totaling 1 liter.
• The hormone changes may help explain why cravings declined — Researchers found that hydrogen-rich water produced a mild-to-moderate, but statistically significant increase (p = 0.05), in circulating GLP-1 levels while the placebo produced no meaningful change. Hydrogen influences systems that regulate hunger and fullness through multiple routes.
Molecular hydrogen is thought to act as a signaling molecule that may help regulate cellular communication, reduce oxidative stress, and support mitochondrial function — the energy-producing structures inside your cells. When those systems function more efficiently, appetite-regulating signals appear to work more effectively as well.
• Researchers also noted that hydrogen’s antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects may help normalize hunger and satiety signals that become distorted in obesity — That means the body’s natural appetite-control system appears to work more like it was designed to work.
• The gut-brain connection may play a central role — Researchers discussed evidence that hydrogen affects communication between the digestive tract and the brain through the gut-brain axis. This network constantly exchanges information about hunger, fullness, and energy needs.
Researchers proposed that hydrogen may also influence neurotransmitters involved in appetite control and may improve the function of specialized intestinal cells that release GLP-1. By strengthening those signals, your brain receives clearer messages that enough food has been consumed.

*These findings are from research conducted in clinical settings. Results may not apply to all individuals.

Support Your Body’s Natural Appetite-Control System
If your goal is to reduce cravings and improve appetite control, start by supporting the biological systems that regulate hunger in the first place. The study suggests hydrogen-rich water helps support GLP-1 production and appetite regulation, but lasting results depend on more than a single intervention. Your cellular energy production, gut health, and overall metabolic function all influence how hungry you feel and how satisfied you remain after eating.

1. Use hydrogen-rich water correctly — If you decide to use hydrogen-rich water, preparation matters. Drop a hydrogen-generating tablet into room-temperature water and wait until it fully dissolves. Once the water turns cloudy, drink it immediately. That cloudy appearance indicates the hydrogen gas has been released into the water and is ready for consumption.
Look for products that produce roughly 8 to 10 parts per million (ppm) of hydrogen and undergo independent purity testing. Don’t wait too long after the tablet dissolves because hydrogen gas escapes quickly. Don’t swallow the tablet whole or consume partially dissolved fragments. These tablets are designed to react in water first, and the reaction generates heat that can irritate tissues if the tablet dissolves directly in your mouth or digestive tract.
Keep in mind that the featured study delivered 15 mg of molecular hydrogen per day through prepared water and product potency varies widely, so real-world intake is hard to standardize.
2. Use hydrogen strategically instead of continuously — During periods when cravings, poor sleep, or metabolic stress are most noticeable, daily use often makes the most sense. Once those symptoms improve and become more stable, consider taking occasional breaks before resuming use again.
I view this similarly to exercise training. Your body responds best when it remains adaptable. Short pauses help prevent your system from becoming overly accustomed to a single stimulus. The goal is to maintain responsiveness rather than creating dependency on any one intervention.
3. Remove the factors that interfere with cellular energy production — If seed oils remain a major part of your diet, appetite regulation becomes far more difficult. Soybean oil, corn oil, canola oil, sunflower oil, and similar seed oils are loaded with linoleic acid (LA), a fat that accumulates in tissues and contributes to oxidative stress and mitochondrial dysfunction.
Replace these oils with more stable fats such as grass fed butter, ghee, or tallow. At the same time, eliminate ultraprocessed foods and reduce restaurant meals whenever possible, since seed oils dominate most commercial food preparation. A practical goal is to lower daily LA intake below 5 grams and ideally closer to 2 grams over time.
4. Rebuild your metabolism by supporting healthy gut signaling and GLP-1 production — Your gut bacteria help convert carbohydrates into short-chain fatty acids, including butyrate. Butyrate serves as a primary fuel for the cells that line your colon and helps maintain the gut environment that supports healthy appetite regulation. A healthy gut microbiome also plays an important role in the production and release of hormones involved in fullness and satiety, including GLP-1.
Start with easy-to-digest carbohydrates such as whole fruit and white rice, then gradually expand your food choices as your gut health improves. Avoid overwhelming a compromised digestive system with large amounts of fiber too quickly, as this often increases digestive distress and endotoxin production.Pair those carbohydrates with adequate protein — about 0.6 to 0.8 grams per pound of ideal body weight — and obtain roughly one-third of that protein from collagen-rich foods such as slow-cooked meats, homemade stock, or bone broth.
As your gut environment improves, the signals between your digestive tract and brain become more effective. Hunger becomes more predictable, fullness lasts longer, and your body’s natural appetite-control mechanisms are better able to do their job.
5. Track whether your cravings are actually changing — Use hydrogen-rich water during the part of the day when cravings usually hit hardest, then track what happens for two weeks. Rate your cravings from 1 to 10 before you drink it and again 30 to 60 minutes later. This gives you a simple way to see whether your appetite signals are improving.
Also, track your sleep quality, energy, and late-night snacking. The goal is to notice whether your body is becoming easier to work with. If cravings become less intense, meals feel more satisfying, and your appetite feels more predictable, those are signs your internal signals are moving in the right direction.

FAQs About Hydrogen-Rich Water and GLP-1

Q: What is GLP-1, and why is it important for appetite control?
A: GLP-1 is a hormone released by your gut after you eat. It helps signal fullness to your brain, slows the movement of food through your digestive tract, and supports healthy blood sugar regulation. When GLP-1 signaling works properly, you feel satisfied sooner and are less likely to overeat.

Q: Did hydrogen-rich water increase GLP-1 levels in the study?
A: Yes, though the increase was mild-to-moderate. Researchers found that participants who drank hydrogen-rich water for eight weeks experienced a statistically significant (p = 0.05) increase in circulating GLP-1 levels, while the placebo group did not. This increase was accompanied by reduced food cravings and improvements in several appetite-related measures.

Q: How much hydrogen-rich water did participants consume?
A: Participants drank 1 liter of hydrogen-rich water daily, divided into three servings throughout the day. The water provided a total of 15 mg of molecular hydrogen per day. Researchers instructed participants not to change their diet, exercise habits, or weight-loss strategies during the study.

Q: What benefits did participants experience besides higher GLP-1 levels?
A: In addition to higher GLP-1 levels, participants reported fewer food cravings and better subjective sleep quality. Researchers also found reductions in total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol, often called “bad” cholesterol. No serious adverse effects were reported during the trial.

Q: What else supports healthy GLP-1 signaling naturally?
A: Healthy GLP-1 production depends on more than a single supplement or beverage. Gut health, sufficient carbohydrates, healthy appetite signaling, and strong cellular energy production all play important roles. Reducing seed oil consumption, supporting your gut microbiome, and maintaining a nutrient-dense diet help create an environment where your body’s natural appetite-regulating systems function more effectively.

This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Consult a qualified health care provider before making changes to your health regimen.

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 temporomandibular disorder (TMD) affect?

Teeth and gums only
Tongue and throat muscles
Jaw joint and nearby tissues
TMD may cause jaw pain, headaches, facial discomfort, clicking sounds, and difficulty chewing. Learn more.
Sinuses and nasal passages

1 Which gut bacterium lives in the intestinal mucus layer and has been linked to metabolic health?

Lactobacillus acidophilus
Escherichia coli
Bifidobacterium longum
Akkermansia muciniphila
Akkermansia muciniphila lives in the intestinal mucus layer, where it may help support the gut barrier. Lower levels have been linked to metabolic disorders and certain infections. Learn more.

2 Which medical condition affects about 85% of women with polyendocrine metabolic ovarian syndrome (PMOS)?

Low blood pressure
Vitamin D deficiency
Insulin resistance
Insulin resistance affects most women with PMOS, including many who are not overweight. Learn more.
Thyroid enlargement

3 What tool may help you remember to take supplements?

Reminder apps
Reminder apps can provide helpful prompts, although they may not solve the problem if the routine still feels too complicated. Learn more.
Calls from family members
Fitness trackers
Grocery lists

4 What is the clinical term for a heart attack?

Cardiac arrest
Myocardial infarction
A myocardial infarction happens when blocked blood flow damages part of the heart muscle. Learn more.
Heart failure
Coronary spasm

5 Which non-drug approach can help reduce arthritis pain and maintain mobility?

Regular physical activity
Staying active helps support movement, independence, and joint function, even though many older adults do not meet exercise recommendations. Learn more.
Extended bed rest
Complete joint avoidance
Frequent cold exposure

6 What byproduct builds up during intense physical activity?

Glucose
Insulin
Lactate
Faster lactate clearance generally shows that the body is recovering from strenuous activity more efficiently. Learn more.
Collagen

7 What happened to butyrate levels in animals with temporomandibular joint (TMJ) pain?

Levels stayed the same
Amounts increased slightly
Production stopped completely
Levels dropped significantly
The study pointed out that restoring butyrate was associated with less pain sensitivity and improvements in abnormal cellular activity. Learn more.

Test Your Knowledge with
The Master Level Quiz

Temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disorders are a common cause of chronic facial pain, characterized by jaw pain, tenderness, headaches, clicking or popping sounds, difficulty chewing, and restricted jaw movement. When the condition persists, it affects sleep, concentration, stress levels, and daily quality of life. Yet despite how common TMJ pain has become, most treatments focus on managing symptoms after they appear rather than addressing the biological processes that drive the pain in the first place.
A growing line of research points to an unexpected source of influence — your gut. An animal study published in the International Journal of Oral Science suggests that the bacteria living in your digestive tract, and the compounds they produce, may help determine how intensely jaw pain is felt.1 Rather than treating chronic facial pain as a purely mechanical issue, this research asks whether the roots of that pain reach far beyond the joint itself.*
It’s a striking shift in thinking. For decades, TMJ pain has been viewed mainly as a problem of joints, muscles, and nerves in the face. But these findings point to a two-way line of communication between your gut and your nervous system that helps shape how pain signals are generated, amplified, and sustained.

TMJ Pain Traced Back to Gut-Derived Signals

Researchers wanted to understand why levels of butyrate, produced when beneficial bacteria ferment the fiber and resistant starch that reach your colon, fall during TMJ pain and whether restoring those levels could reduce pain.2
To answer that question, they used an animal model of inflammatory TMJ pain — an important caveat for what follows — and examined not only pain responses but also changes inside the brainstem region responsible for processing facial pain signals. Their goal was to determine exactly how a substance produced in the gut influences what happens inside the nervous system during chronic jaw pain.*

• The results pointed to a strong gut-pain connection — Animals with TMJ pain experienced significant drops in butyrate levels in their feces, blood, and nervous system tissues. At the same time, they became more sensitive to pain. When researchers gave tributyrin, a compound that releases butyrate after digestion, pain sensitivity improved significantly.
Pain improved after just 10 days of treatment. This finding suggests that changes in the gut microbiome may influence pain intensity rather than simply accompanying it — at least in animal models. Researchers also observed that tributyrin had no effect on the unaffected side, suggesting the improvement was linked specifically to the pain condition rather than a general numbing effect.
• Thousands of cellular changes were detected — Researchers examined a major pain relay center inside the brainstem. This structure, called the spinal trigeminal nucleus caudalis, acts like a control station for facial pain signals. When pain messages arrive from the jaw, they pass through this area before traveling to other parts of the brain. The researchers wanted to know whether butyrate altered what was happening inside this pain-processing hub.
Using advanced single-cell sequencing technology — a technique that reads the genetic activity of each cell one at a time, instead of averaging thousands together and missing the details — they analyzed more than 22,000 individual cells from the pain-processing center.
They found widespread changes in pain-signaling neurons, immune cells, and support cells that help regulate how the nervous system functions. After butyrate treatment, many of these abnormal cellular patterns reversed, suggesting that butyrate helped restore a healthier balance across multiple pain-related pathways rather than targeting just one cell type.
• Butyrate was associated with shifts in pain-related gene activity — Five key genes became disrupted during TMJ pain and then moved back toward normal after tributyrin treatment. These genes act like biological control switches that help cells respond to stress, injury, and pain signals. The changes appeared across several types of nerve and support cells, suggesting that TMJ pain affects an entire network of cells involved in transmitting and regulating pain rather than a single pathway.
Butyrate was also associated with restoration of a key process that controls how genes are turned on and off. TMJ pain reduced histone acetylation, a mechanism that helps cells regulate gene activity. Histones are the spools that DNA wraps around, and how tightly it’s wound determines which genes a cell can read. You can think of histone acetylation as a dimmer switch that controls how strongly certain genes are expressed.
When this process was disrupted, pain-related cellular activity became altered. After tributyrin treatment, histone acetylation levels shifted toward normal, which may have helped reduce many of the abnormal cellular changes associated with chronic pain. Researchers believe this is one reason butyrate influenced the underlying biology that sustains pain rather than simply blocking pain signals.
• The implications reach beyond TMJ disorders — Butyrate has been studied in the context of inflammation and pain regulation in other research settings. The findings suggest that gut-derived metabolites could become targets for future pain therapies that work differently from conventional pain medications.

Certain Gut Bacteria Influence TMJ Risk

The first study showed that restoring butyrate helped reduce pain-related changes inside the nervous system. Another question is whether the gut microbiome influences who develops these disorders in the first place. A separate Mendelian randomization study published in Medicine looked for a direct link between gut bacteria and temporomandibular disorders (TMD), the group of conditions that affect the jaw joint, chewing muscles, and surrounding tissues.3
TMD is the disorder itself, while TMJ refers to the temporomandibular joint — the hinge that connects your lower jaw to your skull. In other words, everyone has a TMJ, but not everyone has TMD. Researchers wanted to determine whether specific gut bacteria increase or decrease a person’s risk of developing these painful jaw disorders. The study combined microbiome data from 18,340 individuals with health data from more than 228,000 people, making it one of the largest investigations of its kind.*

• Certain gut bacteria appear to influence TMD risk directly — Some bacterial groups were associated with a higher likelihood of developing TMD, while others were linked to a lower likelihood. This suggests that the gut microbiome is not simply reacting to disease. Specific microbial populations appear to play an active role in the biological processes that influence jaw pain and dysfunction.
• Three bacterial groups were associated with greater TMD risk — Catenibacterium emerged as the strongest risk factor identified in the study. Higher levels of this bacterium were associated with a significantly greater likelihood of developing TMD. Two other bacterial groups, Coprobacter and the Eubacterium fissicatena group, were also linked to increased risk.
These findings give researchers specific microbial targets to investigate rather than treating the microbiome as a single, uniform system.
• Several bacterial groups appeared to protect against TMD — Individuals with higher levels of Senegalimassilia, Ruminococcaceae NK4A214, and Oxalobacter were less likely to develop the disorder. While most people don’t need to remember those names, the larger message is important: some gut bacteria appear to support biological conditions that help resist pain, inflammation, and dysfunction, while others appear to do the opposite.
• Researchers believe compounds produced by gut bacteria help explain these effects — One of the leading candidates is butyrate, as it helps regulate inflammation, immune activity, and communication between the gut and nervous system. Changes in gut bacteria alter the production of butyrate and other microbial compounds, providing a possible explanation for how events inside the digestive tract influence pain pathways elsewhere in the body.
• The study expands how researchers think about chronic jaw disorders — Rather than viewing TMD as a problem isolated to the jaw joint, the findings suggest that whole-body factors influence disease risk. Genetic tendencies that shape the gut microbiome were associated with measurable differences in TMD development.
This opens the door to future approaches that focus on supporting protective bacterial populations and improving gut health as part of a broader strategy for reducing chronic jaw pain.

How to Support the Gut-Jaw Connection

The research points to a common theme: TMJ pain is influenced by much more than your jaw joint itself. The studies highlighted changes in gut bacteria, lower levels of beneficial microbial compounds, and biological pathways that may affect inflammation and pain signaling. To address the root causes identified in this research, start by improving the environment that supports beneficial gut bacteria while also reducing unnecessary stress on the jaw itself.

1. Feed the bacteria associated with lower TMJ risk — One of the best ways to support a healthier microbiome is to give beneficial bacteria the foods they need to thrive. Start with gentle, well-tolerated sources of resistant starch — cooked-and-cooled white rice and potatoes, plus ripe fruit. Cooling cooked starches converts some of them into resistant starch, one of the best fuels your bacteria use to make butyrate.
As your digestion improves, gradually add prebiotic-rich foods such as onions, garlic, asparagus, carrots, broccoli, and cooked oats. These foods provide nourishment for the microbes that produce beneficial compounds involved in immune regulation and healthy pain signaling.
2. Increase butyrate production from the inside out — The first study found that lower butyrate levels were associated with TMJ pain, while restoring butyrate helped reverse several pain-related changes.4* Rather than focusing solely on supplements, focus first on creating the conditions that allow your own gut bacteria to produce more butyrate naturally.
Fermented foods such as sauerkraut, kimchi, and kefir help support microbial diversity, while grass fed butter, ghee, and aged cheeses provide small amounts of butyric acid directly. Introduce fermented foods slowly and pay attention to how your body responds.
If your gut has been disrupted for years, or if you struggle with chronic digestive problems, inflammation, or frequent antibiotic exposure, a butyrate supplement may serve as a temporary bridge while you rebuild a healthier microbiome. Food and microbial restoration remain the long-term goal because your gut bacteria are designed to manufacture butyrate for you.
Most butyrate supplements release too early in the digestive tract, so formulations designed to deliver butyrate throughout the colon are generally preferred.
3. Remove the foods that disrupt microbial balance — One of the fastest ways to undermine butyrate production is to continue feeding the conditions that damage your gut ecosystem. Seed oils such as soybean, corn, sunflower, safflower, and canola oil promote inflammation and microbial disruption.
Research supports replacing them with more stable fats such as grass fed butter, ghee, tallow, and coconut oil. This step helps create an environment where beneficial bacteria can recover and thrive.
4. Support the daily habits that strengthen your gut-brain connection — Your microbiome responds to much more than food. Consistent sleep, daily movement, and stress management all influence the production of beneficial microbial compounds, including butyrate. Walking after meals supports digestion and microbial diversity.
Quality sleep helps maintain a healthier microbial balance, while chronic stress pushes your microbiome in the opposite direction. Small daily habits performed consistently often produce the biggest long-term gains.
5. Retrain the muscles that control your jaw — Gut health is only one side of the equation. If you struggle with jaw clicking, clenching, mouth breathing, poor tongue posture, or chronic tension in your face and neck, orofacial myofunctional therapy (OMT) is worth considering. OMT uses simple exercises to retrain the muscles of your tongue, lips, cheeks, and jaw so they work together more efficiently. Think of it as physical therapy for the muscles that support proper jaw function.
Better muscle coordination reduces unnecessary strain on your temporomandibular joint and helps address another root cause of chronic TMJ symptoms. Combined with strategies that support a healthier microbiome and higher butyrate production, OMT helps improve the mechanical side of the problem rather than simply masking discomfort.

* These findings are from animal and epidemiological research. Results may not apply to all individuals.
This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Consult a qualified healthcare provider before making changes to your health regimen.

FAQs About Butyrate and TMJ Pain

Q: What is the difference between TMJ and TMD?
A: TMJ stands for temporomandibular joint, the hinge that connects your lower jaw to your skull. Everyone has a TMJ. TMD, or temporomandibular disorder, refers to a group of conditions that affect that joint, the surrounding muscles, and nearby tissues. Common symptoms include jaw pain, clicking or popping sounds, headaches, facial pain, and difficulty chewing.

Q: What did the research discover about butyrate and TMJ pain?
A: Researchers found that butyrate levels dropped significantly in animals with TMJ pain. In animal subjects, restoring butyrate using tributyrin was associated with reduced pain sensitivity, improvements in abnormal cellular activity, and several pain-related biological changes shifting toward normal. The findings suggest that butyrate may influence some of the underlying processes involved in chronic pain rather than simply masking symptoms.

Q: How does my gut influence jaw pain?
A: The studies suggest that the gut and nervous system communicate through compounds produced by gut bacteria. These compounds may influence inflammation, immune activity, and pain signaling. Changes in the gut microbiome may alter the production of substances such as butyrate, which may help explain how events occurring inside the digestive tract affect pain pathways elsewhere in the body.

Q: Which gut bacteria were linked to higher and lower TMD risk?
A: Researchers identified Catenibacterium, Coprobacter, and the Eubacterium fissicatena group as bacterial populations associated with a higher risk of developing TMD. In contrast, higher levels of Senegalimassilia, Ruminococcaceae NK4A214, and Oxalobacter were associated with lower risk. These findings suggest that the balance of bacteria in your gut may influence whether biological conditions favor pain and dysfunction or help protect against them.

Q: What are the best ways to support butyrate production naturally?
A: Supporting butyrate production starts with creating a healthier gut environment. Simple carbohydrate sources such as ripe fruit, cooked and cooled rice, and sweet potatoes may help nourish beneficial bacteria. As tolerance improves, prebiotic-rich foods such as garlic, onions, asparagus, and cooked oats may provide additional support.
Fermented foods, quality sleep, regular movement, stress management, and avoiding seed oils also may help create conditions that favor beneficial bacteria and healthier butyrate production.

Test Your Knowledge with Today’s Quiz!
Take today’s quiz to see how much you’ve learned from yesterday’s Mercola.com article.

Which is not specifically identified as being depleted during strenuous activity?

Sodium
Magnesium
Sweat-related losses of sodium, potassium, and other electrolytes may contribute to dehydration, fatigue, dizziness, and slower recovery. Learn more.
Potassium
Calcium

Your body runs on an internal timekeeping system known as the circadian rhythm, a 24-hour cycle that helps coordinate the activity of almost every organ. This rhythm depends on predictable patterns of light and darkness to set the pace for digestion, hormone release, cellular repair, and metabolic balance. When those cues change because of exposure to artificial blue light, the timing of these processes shifts with them.1,2

Artificial light is no longer confined to lamps and streetlights. It’s emitted from screens, ceilings, dashboards, and devices that accompany you from morning to night. While its presence may seem harmless or even helpful, this constant exposure alters your biological signals in ways that you might not notice until symptoms manifest. One of the most overlooked casualties of this disruption is your liver.3

Beyond processing nutrients and filtering toxins, your liver depends on its own internal clock to organize metabolic work and nightly restoration. That internal rhythm is shaped by light, sleep, and timing cues, and when that is thrown off track, the organ loses the structure it relies on to function well. Researchers are now beginning to trace how that disruption contributes to chronic liver disease.4

German Team Investigates How Artificial Light Exposure Leads to Fatty Liver

At the Knappschaft Kliniken University Hospital in Bochum, Germany, a research team led by Professor Mustafa Özçürümez is studying how prolonged exposure to artificial blue light alters liver function. Their work centers on the impact of disrupted circadian rhythms on the development of fatty liver disease, examining both behavioral and molecular pathways to understand how this disruption unfolds over time.5

• Modern lighting habits drive circadian disruption — The starting point for their investigation is the observation that modern lighting environments make it difficult for your body to experience true darkness and suppress the natural rise of melatonin in the evening.

“Even at 10 lux, which is the light emitted at night during a full moon, it is more difficult for the body to produce melatonin,” says Özçürümez. This disruption in light exposure is now so common that true darkness no longer reliably signals the start of biological night for many people.

• Human monitoring captures how light patterns shape liver health — To understand how this altered light exposure relates to liver disease, the team designed a human study that tracks the biological rhythm of participants with and without diagnosed fatty liver. The protocol involves a 24-hour hospital stay during which body temperature and blood pressure are monitored continuously.

At several intervals throughout the day and night, participants provide saliva and blood samples, which are analyzed for melatonin and other biomarkers relevant to circadian timing and liver health. Participants also complete detailed questionnaires on daily habits, sleep, and how much time they spend indoors versus outdoors.

• After the hospital phase, participants are instructed to wear a light sensor for two weeks — These readings provide a precise picture of how each person’s light exposure aligns or conflicts with their internal clock. At the end of the tracking period, participants receive a report outlining their chronotype (early bird, night owl, or intermediate) and individualized feedback on their circadian patterns.

• “Clock-gene” testing offers deeper insight into circadian alignment — The team analyzes clock genes from hair root samples to determine each participant’s inherent timing tendencies. Combined with melatonin data, these tests create a detailed chronobiological profile, revealing how different chronotypes may relate to liver disease risk and why some individuals experience greater metabolic strain under irregular lighting patterns.

• Pig liver experiments reveal how deeply the organ depends on rhythmic cues — To study liver timing more directly, the researchers developed an experimental system that keeps pig livers viable in a nutrient solution outside the body.

This setup allows them to simulate environmental cycles and monitor gene expression over 24 hours, with samples taken every four hours. Results show that roughly one-third of liver genes follow a circadian rhythm, underscoring the organ’s reliance on stable daily signals.

Through their combined human studies and controlled organ experiments, the Bochum researchers demonstrate how artificial light distorts circadian timing and places strain on the liver. Their findings suggest that chronic exposure to irregular lighting patterns gradually pulls the internal clock away from its natural rhythm, setting the stage for fatty liver disease.

What Previous Studies Reveal About Artificial Light and Steatohepatitis

In August 2020, a controlled animal study published in Frontiers in Microbiology looked into the link between artificial light and liver disease. The researchers used a high-fat-diet rat model of liver disease to determine how constant light exposure alters metabolic pathways and accelerates the progression from simple fatty liver to steatohepatitis, a more advanced stage of metabolic liver injury characterized by inflammation, hepatocellular damage, and changes in lipid metabolism.6

• The study divided rats into four groups based on diet and light exposure — One group received a standard light-dark cycle, while another was kept under constant light. Within each lighting group, some rats were given a normal diet and others a high-fat diet. After 16 weeks, the rats exposed to continuous light, particularly those consuming the high-fat diet, developed more severe metabolic and liver abnormalities than rats exposed to a normal light-dark cycle.

• Constant light amplified metabolic dysfunction independent of calorie intake — Among rats fed a high-fat diet, those exposed to continuous light gained more weight and accumulated more visceral fat despite consuming the same number of calories as their counterparts under normal lighting. They also developed impaired glucose tolerance and more pronounced insulin resistance.

• Liver pathology confirmed the metabolic damage — Animals exposed to continuous lighting developed more extensive hepatic steatosis and higher levels of liver inflammation. This was reflected in elevated AST/ALT ratios, increased inflammatory markers such as IL-6 and TNF-α, and higher fatty liver activity scores.

• The mechanisms behind this progression were traced to the gut-liver axis — The researchers traced the mechanisms to changes in the gut microbiota and weakening of the intestinal barrier. In high-fat-diet rats exposed to constant light, levels of beneficial bacteria such as Clostridium and Turicibacter were reduced. These microbes support intestinal integrity and produce butyrate, a short-chain fatty acid that protects the gut lining and reduces liver inflammation.

• Weakened gut barriers allowed inflammatory molecules to reach the liver — As butyrate levels dropped, tight junction proteins, including occludin and ZO-1, declined, signaling compromised gut integrity. This allowed higher levels of lipopolysaccharides (LPS) to enter the bloodstream.

The liver responded with increased production of LPS-binding protein (LBP), a marker of immune activation driven by gut-derived inflammation. These changes confirmed a breakdown in gut-liver communication and an increased inflammatory burden on the liver.

These findings are echoed in controlled human research. For instance, a 2022 study published in PNAS found that sleeping even one night under moderate light alters key cardiometabolic functions, resulting in higher nighttime heart rates and shifts in autonomic activity that signaled greater physiological stress at a time when the body should be recovering. It also caused impaired glucose tolerance and reduced insulin sensitivity.7

Beyond the Liver — The Systemic Health Effects of Artificial Blue Light

The liver is not the only organ sensitive to disrupted light cycles. The same environmental disruption that affects your liver also leaves a mark on other systems. Research has linked artificial light at night to a wide range of health conditions, including:

• Sleep disturbances — Exposure to artificial light at night reduces melatonin production, which delays sleep onset and shortens the restorative phases of deep and REM sleep. These stages are critical for memory, learning, and next-day functioning.8

• Obesity — In a cohort study involving over 43,000 women, those who slept with a light or television on in the bedroom had a significantly higher risk of gaining at least 5 kilograms and of developing overweight or obesity over time. These associations remained even after controlling for sleep duration, physical activity, and other lifestyle variables.9

• Type 2 diabetes — Brighter ambient light during nighttime hours has been linked to an increased risk of Type 2 diabetes, independent of sleep length and diet.10 Even low levels of light during sleep have been shown to impair insulin sensitivity, reducing your body’s ability to regulate blood sugar.11

• Cardiovascular disease — Higher levels of nighttime light exposure are associated with greater arterial inflammation, elevated resting heart rates, and increased risk of heart disease. People living in brightly lit environments at night also display higher markers of brain stress activity, which is strongly correlated with cardiovascular events.12,13 For a deeper look at this connection, read “Exposure to Bright Light at Night Increases Heart Disease Risk.”

• Hormone-driven cancers — Multiple studies have found elevated breast cancer risk in women exposed to higher levels of outdoor light at night. One population-based study in France showed a significant increase in breast cancer incidence among women with greater nighttime light exposure near their homes, even after adjusting for air pollution, income, and other environmental factors.14,15

• Mood disorders and mental health — A study involving nearly 87,000 participants found that greater light exposure at night was linked with higher rates of depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) severity, and self-harm. In contrast, brighter light during the day was associated with better mental health outcomes.16

Adolescents living in neighborhoods with high levels of outdoor nighttime light also exhibited more mood and anxiety disorders than those in darker areas.17 Read “How Exposure to Light at Night Impacts Your Mental Health” to learn more about these effects.

The disruption of your circadian rhythm by artificial light has also been associated with a higher risk of early death, emphasizing the importance of finding practical and sustainable ways to reduce its influence on your daily life.

Steps to Lower Your Exposure to Blue Light and Fix Your Circadian Rhythm

Reducing the impact of artificial blue light on your body doesn’t require a major lifestyle overhaul. Small, consistent changes can help restore your internal clock and protect the rhythms that support your liver function and overall health. Here are some strategies I recommend:

1. Shift to low-wattage amber or red lighting after sunset — If you need light after dark, choose bulbs that emit yellow, orange, or red tones. A salt lamp with a 5-watt bulb works well and won’t interfere with melatonin production. For screens, install software like f.lux, which gradually reduces blue light as evening progresses, matching your body’s natural rhythms.

2. Darken your nights completely — Cover windows with blackout curtains or wear a soft, contoured sleep mask to block light. Avoid using electronics at least one hour before bedtime and dim every screen. These changes help reinforce the internal signal that it’s time to rest.

3. Use blue-blocking glasses — Wearing amber-tinted glasses in the evening blocks blue wavelengths that suppress melatonin. This approach allows you to continue using screens or standard lighting without needing to modify bulbs or install software. Put them on after 7 p.m. to start winding down your exposure.

4. Reduce devices and light sources in your sleep environment — Many people unknowingly keep their rooms filled with electromagnetic fields (EMFs) and low-level light from chargers, alarm clocks, or standby LEDs. Cover or unplug anything that glows, and remove your cellphone from the bedroom.

If you use a security device, disable any light indicators during sleep hours. Your bedroom needs to look like a dark cave — quiet, cool, and free from glowing distractions that interfere with your heart’s recovery rhythm.

5. Establish a consistent calming nighttime routine — Choose a brief, calming practice you can do each night under dim light, such as taking a warm bath, gentle stretching, or writing by hand. By repeating the same routine nightly, you train your body to expect rest and help it settle into sleep more easily.

6. Expose yourself to bright natural light during the day — Natural light early in the day strengthens your circadian alignment and improves sleep later on. Open your blinds as soon as you wake and step outside for 10 to 15 minutes of direct sunlight. If you work indoors, position your desk near a window. Your goal is to reinforce a strong contrast between bright days and dark nights to keep your body clocks synchronized.

7. Consider photobiomodulation — This refers to the use of red or near-infrared light to stimulate beneficial processes in your cells. Unlike artificial blue light at night, which disrupts circadian rhythms, red and near-infrared wavelengths support them. One of their key effects is stimulating melatonin production inside your mitochondria. This isn’t the melatonin that makes you sleepy, but a form that protects your cells from oxidative stress throughout the day.

This internal melatonin helps stabilize your circadian rhythm and supports tissue health. Morning sunlight naturally provides these wavelengths, but if you don’t get enough sun exposure, red light therapy panels or near-infrared devices can help. Learn more about this approach in “Exploring Benefits of Different Wavelengths of Light in Photobiomodulation.”

While restoring your circadian rhythm plays a key role in protecting your liver, it’s just one piece of the bigger picture. If you’re looking for additional guidance on how to strengthen liver health through diet, lifestyle, and nutrient support, read “How to Keep Your Liver Healthy in Your 50s and Beyond.”

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) About Artificial Light and Liver Health

Q: How does blue light at night affect my liver?
A: Artificial blue light exposure, especially at night, interferes with your circadian rhythm, which your liver depends on to regulate metabolism, detoxification, and cellular repair. When your rhythm gets thrown off, your liver loses its internal timing cues, increasing the risk of fat accumulation, inflammation, and long-term damage.

Q: What’s the connection between artificial light and steatohepatitis?
A: Steatohepatitis is an advanced form of fatty liver disease. Research shows that artificial light, especially when paired with a poor diet, can worsen this progression. It disrupts your gut microbiome, weakens your intestinal barrier, and triggers inflammatory molecules that travel to your liver. That added inflammatory load pushes simple fat accumulation into full-blown liver injury.

Q: How much light at night is enough to disrupt my circadian rhythm?
A: Even very dim light is enough. According to the featured study, exposure to around 10 lux, which is roughly the level of a bright night sky during a full moon, reduces melatonin and shifts your biological clock. Screens, LEDs, and indoor fixtures often exceed that level.

Q: Are there other health risks linked to artificial blue light besides liver problems?
A: Yes. Artificial blue light at night has been linked to disrupted sleep, weaker metabolic health, higher risk of obesity, Type 2 diabetes, and heart disease, and higher rates of depression, anxiety, and even hormone-driven cancers like breast cancer.

Q: What’s the easiest first step I can take tonight to protect my liver health?
A: Start by dimming your lights after sunset and turning off bright screens an hour before bed. If that’s not realistic, wear amber-tinted blue-blocking glasses in the evening. This one small shift helps your body wind down naturally and gives your liver a break from late-night metabolic stress.

Originally published on U.S. Right to Know: February 25, 2025

Most infant formulas in the U.S. contain mostly added sugars instead of natural lactose, which experts say can harm early development, a report from the University of Kansas shows.

“Infants may consume upwards of 60 grams of added sugars per day, or the equivalent of two soft drinks per day if they are entirely formula-fed,” researchers say in the study, published February 24, 2025, in the Journal of Food Composition and Analysis.1

The findings reveal “the staggering extent” to which sugar-laden U.S. formulas undermine federal healthy diet recommendations for infants — and cannot be easily avoided, they say.

“[Most] of the formulas that parents and caregivers feed their infants likely present a substantial risk to their infant’s health and development. Ultimately, caregivers and infants in the US deserve a formula market that promotes healthy infant development and does not promote early obesity risk.”

Added sugars provide energy but lack nutritional value, boosting the odds of rapid infant weight gain that can eventually lead to obesity, Type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and other health problems. They may also make babies develop a stronger preference for sweet foods, increasing the risk of overeating and obesity later in life. And they do not support beneficial gut bacteria as well as lactose.

In contrast, lactose, which is naturally found in breast milk, cow and goat milk, is perfectly designed to support an infant’s nutrition, immune system, and gut health, researchers say. Because lactose digests slowly, it doesn’t cause the sharp spike in blood sugar that can set the stage for long-term health problems. It also satiates hunger and helps the body absorb minerals that are important for bone health.

Dr. David Ludwig, an endocrinologist and researcher at Boston Children’s Hospital who conducted some of the original studies linking sugar-sweetened beverages and fast food to obesity, calls infant formula spiked with added sugars a “metabolic nightmare for infants.”

“You lose the beneficial effects of what lactose does, and you get the harmful effects of what these fast-digesting sugars do,” Ludwig says. “Unless we’re talking about the very rare child who can’t take lactose, that should be the dominant carbohydrate.”

Out of 73 formulas available in the U.S. in 2022, the vast majority of which were for infants up to 12 months old, the researchers found only five contained mainly naturally occurring lactose — and those are no longer available in this country. It is unknown whether any formulas on the current U.S. market contain primarily naturally occurring lactose, they say.

The study also shows the quality and type of sugars in infant formulas varied by formula. Gentle (with marketing claims such as “gentle,” “soothe,” “sensitive,” or “acid reflux”) and lactose-free formulas contain less sugar than standard formulas but much more starch, the study shows.

“Our findings highlight a major problem with the infant formula supply,” says lead author Audrey Rips-Goodwin, who headed the analysis of data from the Nutrition Data System for Research for KU’s Health Behavior and Technology Lab.2 “Our infant formula market totally contradicts what experts in infant health recommend.”

Children under 2 years should not be given any foods or beverages with added sugars, since they need nutrient-rich diets and are developing taste preferences, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics3 and the Dietary Guidelines for Americans4 (2020 to 2025).

Yet with few formula options free of added sugars, the researchers say parents and caregivers who can’t breastfeed or access breast milk face tough choices in terms of finding a nutritionally suitable formula due to lax government regulations.

Unlike adult food products, U.S. regulations do not require that added sugars be reported on the nutrition label of infant formulas (only total carbohydrates). The FDA5 specifies 30 nutrients that must be included in infant formulas but does not regulate the types of carbohydrates or require their clear labeling. That means formula manufacturers can use any type of carbohydrate, including starches or added sugars such as corn syrup solids, fructose, and glucose.

“Consumers are blinded to the fact that added sugars may be present in infant formulas, and in what quantities,” the researchers say. “As a result, parents and guardians may unknowingly feed their infants formula that contains substantial quantities of added sugars.”

The study builds on others that revealed the high sugar content of infant formula. It also comes less than a year after news reports that two of Nestlé’s6 leading baby-food brands, promoted as healthy in Africa, Asia, and Latin America, contain high levels of added sugar.

To promote healthy development, the researchers say efforts should focus on requiring formula companies to produce products that contain naturally occurring lactose as the only sugar. The amount of lactose present in infant formula should also reflect that of human milk.

At the same time, societal barriers to breastfeeding, including a lack of parental leave and affordable early child care, should be removed, the researchers add.

“[The] focus on an individual-level solution (breastfeeding promotion to women and caregivers) is not well matched to addressing the systemic nature of the problem and places an unfair burden on women and families who are expected to navigate this systemic issue,” Rips-Goodwin says.

Senior author Tera Fazzino agrees. “Even though breastfeeding is promoted as the best option, the lack of support makes it hard to do exclusively,” says Fazzino, associate director of the Cofrin Logan Center for Addiction Research and Treatment at KU’s Life Span Institute. “Most parents end up using formula, either as a supplement or completely. But our findings suggest that formula itself may pose a serious risk to infant health.”

About the Author

U.S. Right to Know is a nonprofit public health research group dedicated to investigating corporate misconduct and government failures that impact public health, the environment, and the food system. Through public records requests and whistleblower disclosures, USRTK uncovers and shares critical information with journalists, academics, and the public.

Recognized for its impact, USRTK has received multiple journalism awards, including the James Madison Freedom of Information Award from the Society of Professional Journalists.