Watchman News

1 Which growth factor helped restore brain fluid drainage in older mice?

Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF)
Epidermal growth factor (EGF)
Vascular endothelial growth factor C (VEGF-C)
Vascular endothelial growth factor C (VEGF-C) stimulated the growth of drainage vessels, allowing fluid outflow in older mice to return to levels seen in younger mice. Learn more.
Insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1)

2 How may self-compassion help after a health-related lapse?

Reduce the need for a routine
Build confidence to keep going
People who responded to setbacks with self-compassion reported greater confidence and a stronger intention to keep going. Learn more.
Create stricter daily habits
Prevent future lapses entirely

3 What does biological age reflect?

The condition of your cells, tissues, and organs
Biological age estimates how well your body is functioning, while chronological age simply counts the years you have lived. Learn more.
The number of years since you were born
Your family history of chronic disease
Your average amount of daily exercise and calorie intake

4 Which drying methods preserved more nutrients than conventional hot-air drying?

Sun-drying and air-drying
Smoking and oven-drying
Freeze-drying and radiant energy vacuum drying
Freeze-drying and radiant energy vacuum drying preserved more vitamin C and beta-carotene, while conventional hot-air drying caused much greater nutrient losses. Learn more.
Microwave-drying and pan-drying

5 Which non-stimulant ingredient has strong evidence for improving strength?

Creatine
Creatine helps regenerate adenosine triphosphate (ATP), giving muscles rapid energy for activities such as lifting and sprinting. Learn more.
Taurine
Citrulline
Glutamine

6 Which fruit is surprisingly rich in flavanols?

Bananas
Plums
Plums are especially rich in flavanols, with about four medium plums providing an estimated 450 milligrams. Learn more.
Watermelons
Cantaloupes

7 How many different sirtuins does the human body have?

Three
Five
Seven
There are seven sirtuins with specialized roles in different parts of the cell, including DNA maintenance, metabolism, and mitochondrial energy production. Learn more.
Nine

Test Your Knowledge with
The Master Level Quiz

1 Which statement about wasteosomes is not true?

They are thin and cylindrical in shape
Wasteosomes are spherical structures that act like sealed waste containers, collecting materials such as tau before they are cleared from the brain. Learn more.
They can measure 2 to 50 micrometers across
They are formed by support cells in the brain
They can be released into cerebrospinal fluid

2 How many times per week should beginners use a vibration plate?

Once a week
Four to five times a week
Every day, but for a few minutes only
Two to three times a week
Beginners are advised to start with two to three sessions weekly, using low intensity and allowing at least 24 hours between sessions. Learn more.

3 What is the minimum amount of carbohydrates the brain requires each day?

50 g
75 g
125 g
The brain relies heavily on glucose for energy and requires a minimum of about 125 grams of carbohydrates per day to meet its energy needs. Learn more.
200 g

4 After a break, what approach may make a supplement routine easier to restart?

Double the next scheduled dose
Resume gradually without punishment
A gentle restart avoids the burden of an all-or-nothing approach, making the routine easier to resume without added pressure. Learn more.
Follow a stricter daily schedule
Wait until motivation returns

5 Which of the following is a possible surgical complication of a C-section?

Urinary tract infection
Post-surgical infection
C-sections carry surgical risks such as infection, pain, reactions to anesthesia, and accidental injury to nearby organs. Learn more.
Hearing loss
Kidney stones

6 Which therapy uses specific wavelengths of light to influence cellular activity without producing heat?

Photodynamic therapy (PDT)
Pulsed electromagnetic field therapy (PEMF)
Photobiomodulation (PBM)
Photobiomodulation (PBM) uses red or near-infrared light to interact with tissues and has been studied for recovery, pain, wound healing, and supportive cancer care. Learn more.
Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS)

7 Faster immune system aging was linked to which early-onset cancer?

Lung cancer
In an exploratory analysis, faster immune system aging was associated with an 89% higher risk of early-onset lung cancer. Learn more.
Breast cancer
Kidney cancer
Thyroid cancer

8 Which cells are responsible for breaking down bone tissue?

Osteoblasts
Chondrocytes
Fibroblasts
Osteoclasts
Osteoclasts break down old bone as part of normal remodeling. Egg yolk peptides were found to reduce the number and activity of these bone-resorbing cells. Learn more.

9 What term refers to organ donation after a patient’s circulation has stopped?

Living donor transplantation
Donation after brain death (DBD)
Donation after circulatory death (DCD)
Donation after circulatory death (DCD) involves organ procurement after circulation has stopped and is different from donation after confirmed brain death. Learn more.
Directed organ donation

10 How should opened dehydrated foods be stored?

Uncovered at room temperature
Sealed in a cool, dry, dark place
Limiting moisture, heat, light, and air helps protect dehydrated foods from spoilage and quality loss. Learn more.
Beside a warm kitchen appliance
In an open container in sunlight

11 What do butyrate-producing gut bacteria feed on?

Insoluble minerals
Simple sugars
Animal proteins
Fermentable fibers
Fermentable fibers feed beneficial gut bacteria that produce butyrate, a short-chain fatty acid that fuels colon cells and helps support the gut lining. Learn more.

12 What is the discomfort from conflicting beliefs called?

Confirmation bias
Cognitive dissonance
Cognitive dissonance is the discomfort caused by conflicting beliefs or information, which can make people defend views they already hold. Learn more.
Dunning-Kruger effect
Observer bias

13 Which ingredient needs consistent daily use to build carnosine in the muscles?

Beta-alanine
Beta-alanine gradually raises muscle carnosine levels, which can help delay fatigue during demanding exercise. Learn more.
Creatine
L-citrulline
L-carnitine

14 Which vitamin helps activate proteins that direct calcium into bone tissue?

Vitamin A
Vitamin K2
Vitamin K2 activates proteins that help bind calcium to bone, reducing the chance that calcium builds up in soft tissues. Learn more.
Vitamin C
Vitamin B12

15 How could cross-linked psyllium help remove microplastics from the body?

By breaking plastics down into smaller particles
By dissolving plastics in the bloodstream
By increasing plastic absorption through the gut
By trapping plastic particles before they are absorbed
Cross-linked psyllium can swell into a sticky gel that may trap microplastics in the gut, though this use has not yet been tested in humans. Learn more.

16 Which tea can add a substantial amount of flavanols to your daily diet?

Green tea
An 8-ounce cup of green tea provides an estimated 200 milligrams of flavanols, making it one of the richer beverage sources. Learn more.
Chamomile tea
Peppermint tea
Ginger tea

17 What feature of ultraprocessed foods keep people hooked on it?

Strong flavors that make foods seem more appealing
Large portions that encourage people to eat more
Soft, melt-in-your-mouth textures that interrupt fullness signals
Soft ultraprocessed foods require less chewing, which may weaken satiety signals and make it easier to keep eating after the body has had enough. Learn more.
Added sweeteners that make foods taste more rewarding

18 What gives astaxanthin an antioxidant advantage over beta-carotene and vitamin E?

It remains concentrated mainly in watery parts of cells
It accumulates primarily inside the body’s fat stores
It becomes more active as oxidative stress increases
It spans the cell membrane and anchors on both surfaces
Astaxanthin’s membrane-spanning position lets it intercept oxidative damage where it begins, while high-dose vitamin E can become pro-oxidant under some conditions. Learn more.

19 Which molecule do sirtuins depend on to function?

Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+)
Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+) fuels sirtuin activity and links cellular energy status with repair, metabolism, and stress responses. Learn more.
Adenosine triphosphate (ATP)
Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA)
Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10)

20 Which omega-6 fat is identified as a major driver of poor mitochondrial function?

Alpha-linolenic acid (ALA)
Linoleic acid (LA)
Linoleic acid (LA) can interfere with mitochondrial energy production, which may help explain why lowering its intake can initially improve how some people feel. Learn more.
Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA)
Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA)

21 What trace mineral, when poorly regulated, can raise norepinephrine and lower dopamine?

Zinc
Iron
Copper
Copper helps produce norepinephrine. When it builds up, the resulting high-norepinephrine, low-dopamine pattern may contribute to anxiety, depression, and attention problems. Learn more.
Selenium

Every night, countless people turn to sleeping pills in the hope of finally getting the rest they crave. On the surface, the solution seems simple: take a pill, drift off faster, and wake up refreshed. But the reality is more complicated. Drug-induced sleep isn’t the same as natural sleep, and the difference matters for your brain health.

Deep sleep is where your brain does its heaviest lifting — it clears out waste, repairs cells, and locks new memories into long-term storage. When those processes are disrupted, the effects ripple into your focus, mood, and long-term cognitive function.

Over time, missing out on this restorative stage of sleep increases your risk for serious conditions, including dementia. What researchers are now uncovering is that sleep medications don’t just quiet your mind enough to knock you out. They interfere with the very rhythms and cycles that keep your brain sharp and resilient.

That makes the promise of quick sleep a dangerous trade-off. This opens the door to a deeper question: if these drugs change the architecture of your sleep, what exactly happens inside your brain — and why does that matter so much for your memory and long-term health?

Sleep Drug Blocks Your Brain’s Self-Cleaning System

In a study published in Cell, researchers wanted to understand how the brain clears waste during deep sleep.1 They focused on a chemical messenger called norepinephrine, which pulses in slow waves at night. These waves push cerebrospinal fluid — your brain’s “rinse cycle” — through the tissue to flush away toxic proteins. These proteins, when they accumulate, are heavily linked to Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias.

• Researchers tested the effects of zolpidem (Ambien) — Zolpidem is one of the most prescribed sleep drugs, taken by millions of adults worldwide. The team discovered that when animals were given zolpidem, the drug interfered with norepinephrine’s oscillations. That interference disrupted the natural flow of cerebrospinal fluid through the brain, essentially shutting off its ability to wash away harmful buildup during sleep.

• Drug-induced sleep is not the same as natural sleep — People often assume that if they fall asleep quickly with medication, their brain is getting the same benefits as unmedicated rest. This study showed the opposite — drug-assisted sleep is missing a vital function. Without those slow pulsations, your brain misses out on its overnight cleaning service, which over time raises your risk for cognitive decline.

• The details show how specific the disruption is — Normally, norepinephrine oscillates in a rhythmic way that acts like a pump, moving fluids in and out of brain tissue. Zolpidem altered both the strength and timing of these pulses. That meant the brain’s “plumbing system” wasn’t working properly. Think of it like water pipes losing their pressure — fluid can’t move through and waste builds up inside.

Sleep Quality Matters More Than Just Sleep Length

Someone taking zolpidem may get eight hours of shut-eye, but the quality of that sleep is fundamentally altered. Instead of deep, restorative brain activity, they’re in a sedated state that looks like sleep but doesn’t perform the same functions. That distinction is important for anyone relying on these medications long term.

• The mechanism of action ties directly to Alzheimer’s risk — Amyloid and tau proteins naturally form in your brain as byproducts of metabolism. Deep sleep is when your brain gets rid of them. If those proteins aren’t cleared, they clump into plaques and tangles that damage brain cells and trigger Alzheimer’s disease. By disrupting norepinephrine-driven fluid flow, zolpidem creates conditions where amyloid and tau pile up night after night.2

• The cleaning system is not optional — it’s an essential part of brain health — As lead researcher Maiken Nedergaard explained, the research “calls attention to the potentially detrimental effects of certain pharmacological sleep aids on brain health, highlighting the necessity of preserving natural sleep architecture for optimal brain function.”3

Shutting it down with drugs is like skipping garbage collection in your neighborhood. The trash doesn’t just disappear; it builds up, creating long-term damage.

• If you rely on sleep drugs, you’re getting sedation without repair — Your brain is resting, but it’s not repairing itself or clearing out waste. That’s why the effects show up in memory, thinking, and eventually risk of dementia. Understanding this distinction helps you make informed choices about whether to use these medications or to find alternatives that protect your brain’s natural rhythms.

Chronic Sleep Drug Use Keeps Your Brain in Light Sleep

Research published in Sleep looked at the sleep patterns of older adults with insomnia and compared them to both healthy sleepers and those who used sleep medications regularly.4 Instead of focusing only on whether the drugs helped people fall asleep, the study examined what was happening in their brain waves during different sleep stages.

• Sleep drug users spent less time in deep sleep — The study showed that people who relied on benzodiazepines or benzodiazepine receptor agonists (Z-drugs like zopiclone) were trapped in lighter sleep stages. Deep sleep was reduced, which is significant because this stage is where your brain restores energy, repairs tissues, and locks new memories into long-term storage.

• The timing and strength of brain rhythms linked to memory were disrupted — Healthy sleep normally includes spindles — sudden bursts of brain activity — that sync with slow waves to transfer short-term memories into long-term storage. In drug users, this slow-wave/spindle coupling was weaker, suggesting their ability to form and retain memories overnight was compromised.

• Insomnia sufferers who didn’t rely on drugs still showed better brain rhythms — Interestingly, participants with insomnia who did not take medications had stronger slow-wave and spindle activity than those who used sedatives. This means that even though insomnia reduces sleep quantity, the quality of brain rhythms remains more intact when medications are avoided.

This finding matters because using drugs night after night gives you hours of sleep on paper, but it robs you of the deep, rejuvenating cycles that keep your memory sharp and your brain healthy with age.

Frequent Sleep Drug Use Raises Dementia Risk in Older Adults

Research published in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease followed 3,068 cognitively healthy adults aged 70 to 79 for up to 15 years to determine if frequent sleep medication use was linked to dementia.5 Participants were part of the Health, Aging, and Body Composition study, which made it possible to capture real-world medication patterns alongside long-term cognitive outcomes.

• Frequent users showed a higher risk of dementia — The findings revealed that White participants who frequently used sleep medications — defined as several times per week — were nearly twice as likely to develop dementia compared to those who rarely or never used them. Importantly, this increased risk was not observed in Black participants, highlighting racial differences that may stem from prescribing patterns, genetic factors, or differences in health care access.

• The findings highlight real-world consequences for you — If you’re in your 70s and rely on sleep drugs multiple nights a week, this research suggests your odds of developing dementia nearly double compared to someone who doesn’t use them. That knowledge gives you leverage: by avoiding sleep drugs, you reduce one of the risk factors within your control.

• Researchers stressed the importance of reevaluating long-term prescribing — Sleep medications are often given to older adults for years at a time without monitoring. Their data shows that approach is not without consequences, and it reinforces the need to consider alternatives that improve sleep quality without sacrificing brain health.

Simple Steps to Restore Natural, Restorative Sleep

If you’ve been leaning on sleep medications, it’s important to understand that the real issue isn’t just falling asleep — it’s protecting the deep, restorative stages where your brain clears out toxins and strengthens memory. Drugs like zolpidem or benzodiazepines interfere with those rhythms, leaving you with hours of sedation but little true recovery. Here are drug-free steps that target the root cause of poor sleep and protect your long-term brain health.

1. Strengthen your sleep rhythm with consistent habits — Your brain depends on a strong internal clock, and one way to reinforce it is by going to bed and waking up at the same time every day. If you’re a night owl who struggles to wind down, dimming lights at sunset and avoiding screens in the hours before bedtime trains your brain to release melatonin naturally. This simple step strengthens your body’s timing system and makes it easier to slip into deep, high-quality sleep.

2. Create a brain-friendly sleep environment — Your bedroom should signal to your body that it’s time to rest. That means cool temperatures (around 65 degrees Fahrenheit), blackout curtains, and eliminating noises that keep you in lighter sleep stages. If you rely on background noise, try steady sounds like pink noise instead of TV chatter, which keeps your brain active. The calmer your environment, the easier it is for your brain to dive into the slow-wave sleep it needs.

3. Support your brain’s cleaning system naturally — During deep sleep, cerebrospinal fluid washes waste out of your brain. To help this process, avoid alcohol and late meals, which disrupt these nightly cycles. Staying hydrated during the day and limiting caffeine to the morning hours also supports better fluid flow and brain detox overnight. Think of these habits as tuning your brain’s self-cleaning system rather than shutting it off with drugs.

4. Use relaxation techniques instead of pills — If you often lie awake with a racing mind, replace medication with calming rituals that slow your brain waves. Slow breathing, progressive muscle relaxation, cognitive shuffling, or even writing down your worries before bed quiets your nervous system and prepares your brain for the natural transitions into sleep. Unlike sedatives, these methods don’t hijack your brain rhythms — they restore them.

5. Prioritize memory-protecting lifestyle choices — Your daily actions influence how well your brain rests at night. Regular exercise and daily activity, especially earlier in the day, boosts the depth of your slow-wave sleep. Exposure to natural daylight strengthens your circadian rhythm.

And nourishing your body with whole foods instead of processed snacks gives your brain the raw materials it needs for recovery. Each of these steps directly supports memory, learning, and brain repair — exactly what sleep medications disrupt.

FAQs About Sleep Medications and Brain Health

Q: Why are common sleep medications harmful for long-term brain health?
A: Sleep drugs like Ambien and benzodiazepines put you into a sedated state that looks like sleep but blocks deep, restorative stages. These drugs interfere with your brain’s natural cleaning system, preventing the removal of toxic proteins that contribute to Alzheimer’s disease.

Q: How do sleep medications affect memory and learning?
A: During natural deep sleep, your brain uses slow waves and spindles — specific brain rhythms — to lock in memories. Studies show that people who use sleep medications regularly have weaker slow-wave activity and reduced memory consolidation, leaving them more forgetful and mentally less sharp over time.

Q: What did long-term studies reveal about dementia risk?
A: Research following thousands of older adults found that frequent users of sleep medications had nearly double the risk of developing dementia compared to those who rarely or never used them.6 The risk was strongest in White participants who used these drugs several times a week.

Q: If I struggle with insomnia, what can I do instead of taking medication?
A: Improving sleep hygiene — such as keeping a consistent bedtime, dimming lights in the evening, and creating a cool, quiet bedroom — helps restore your body’s natural rhythm. Relaxation techniques like slow breathing and journaling also calm your nervous system without disrupting brain waves.

Q: How can lifestyle choices protect my brain while I sleep?
A: Daily habits like exercising, getting morning sunlight, and eating whole foods all strengthen your sleep cycles. These actions not only make it easier to fall asleep naturally but also ensure your brain spends enough time in deep sleep, where it clears waste, repairs itself, and protects long-term memory.

Parkinson’s disease is a progressive brain disorder characterized by tremors, muscle stiffness, slowed movement, balance problems, and, in many people, changes in sleep, smell, and thinking that begin years before diagnosis. The nerve cells that produce dopamine, a brain chemical that helps control smooth movement, gradually die off. These cells are concentrated in a small region deep in the brain, which is why losing even a modest number of them has an outsized effect on movement and coordination.

Left unchecked, the disease makes everyday tasks such as walking, speaking, writing, and swallowing increasingly difficult. Whenever researchers identify a modifiable risk factor, it’s important to pay attention because reducing exposure before symptoms appear offers one of the few opportunities to lower your risk. A growing body of evidence now points to one widely used agricultural insecticide, chlorpyrifos, as a possible contributor to the risk of Parkinson’s disease.1

The latest research goes further than earlier observational studies by combining human health data with laboratory experiments that examine how the chemical may damage nerve cells at a biological level. At the same time, legal and investigative scrutiny is catching up with the science, raising urgent questions about why exposure continues in certain agricultural settings despite decades of concern.

The strength of this evidence warrants a close look at what researchers found, how they found it, and what you can do to reduce your own exposure starting today.

Long-Term Chlorpyrifos Exposure Linked to the Hallmarks of Parkinson’s Disease

A study published in Molecular Neurodegeneration in December 2025 set out to answer if the widely used insecticide chlorpyrifos directly contributes to Parkinson’s disease, or if the connection is simply a coincidence.2 The researchers analyzed health data from people living in agricultural communities and exposed mice to chlorpyrifos in a way that closely resembled how people breathe it during agricultural spraying.

To understand what happened inside nerve cells after exposure, researchers used genetically engineered zebrafish (small fish whose transparent bodies, and whose brain pathways resemble those in humans), which allowed them to watch cellular processes unfold in real time. This combination allowed the researchers to examine both real-world risk and the biological processes behind it.

• The study examined hundreds of people from farming communities — The human portion of the research was a population-based case-control analysis that included 829 people diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease and 824 people without the disease who lived in three agricultural counties in central California (Kern, Fresno, and Tulare).

Rather than relying on participants’ memories of pesticide encounters spanning decades, the researchers reconstructed each person’s exposure history by cross-referencing California’s detailed pesticide application records with residential and workplace addresses going back years.

They estimated how much chlorpyrifos had been applied within roughly 500 meters (0.31 miles) of each home and workplace, drawing on California’s Pesticide Use Report database, while also adjusting for exposure to other pesticides such as glyphosate, paraquat, and diazinon. This approach reduced the chance that faulty memory influenced the results and strengthened confidence in the findings.

• Long-term exposure mattered more than isolated contact — The investigators found that long-term residential exposure to chlorpyrifos was associated with more than a 2.5-fold increased risk of developing Parkinson’s disease. The strongest single association in the analysis was for the longest-duration workplace exposure. Because this portion of the study was observational, it can demonstrate association but cannot establish cause.

That said, if you live near agricultural fields or spend significant time where pesticides are routinely sprayed, the findings suggest that reducing repeated exposure may matter more than one isolated event.

• Researchers strengthened their findings by reproducing Parkinson’s-like changes in animals — Scientists often look for evidence that an environmental exposure produces the same biological changes seen in people. That’s exactly what happened here.

Male mice that inhaled aerosolized chlorpyrifos six hours a day, five days a week over 11 weeks — at airborne concentrations rising from roughly 77 to 300 micrograms per cubic meter — developed movement problems that resembled Parkinson’s disease.

At the same time, researchers found fewer dopamine-producing nerve cells in the brain — about a 26% loss in the substantia nigra, which influences movements and brain chemistry — and greater activation of immune cells that drive inflammation. These immune cells, called microglia, act as the brain’s first responders.

When they stay activated over long periods, they release inflammatory molecules that can damage surrounding nerve cells, turning a protective response into a source of ongoing harm. The exposed mice also showed increased accumulation of abnormal alpha-synuclein protein — a 1.66-fold rise.

Alpha-synuclein is normally present in healthy nerve cells, but when it misfolds and isn’t cleared away, it clumps together into toxic deposits that are a defining feature of Parkinson’s disease. Finding a consistent pattern in both humans and animals strengthens the case that chlorpyrifos may contribute to disease processes rather than simply appearing alongside it.*

• The pesticide interfered with the brain’s housekeeping system — One of the most important discoveries involved a process called autophagy. Think of autophagy as your cells’ recycling and garbage disposal system. Healthy cells constantly collect worn-out proteins and damaged cell parts, break them down, and recycle their components.

According to the researchers, chlorpyrifos disrupted this cleanup process in the mouse and zebrafish models. As the recycling system slowed, abnormal alpha-synuclein proteins accumulated instead of being removed.

The zebrafish experiments reinforced this finding. When researchers deliberately disrupted the same cleanup pathway, nerve cells died in much the same way. When they restored that recycling process or reduced the harmful protein buildup, nerve cells became less vulnerable to injury.

• The study points toward prevention as well as future treatments — The researchers identified biological pathways that deserve attention for future therapies. Because damage centered on impaired cellular cleanup rather than a single toxic event, they suggest that approaches aimed at restoring autophagy or reducing alpha-synuclein accumulation warrant investigation as potential disease-modifying strategies.

While those treatments still require additional study, you don’t have to wait for a new drug before taking action.

Every opportunity to reduce repeated exposure to chlorpyrifos and similar pesticides may reduce the amount of stress placed on the brain over time, especially if you live or work near agricultural spraying. Understanding where exposure occurs can help you make more informed choices about your long-term brain health.

*These findings are from laboratory or animal research and may not directly apply to human health.

A Lawsuit Puts Chlorpyrifos Under Increased Scrutiny

While the science builds a case against chlorpyrifos at the cellular level, the legal system is now pressing the question of who bears responsibility for decades of exposure. As reported by The New Lede, a lawsuit filed in June 2026 names Dow Chemical, the company that developed and originally marketed chlorpyrifos, along with Corteva and FMC Corporation. The complaint was filed in the Philadelphia County Court of Common Pleas by a former pest control worker.3

The lawsuit alleges that years of exposure to the insecticide caused the plaintiff to develop Parkinson’s disease and argues that Dow knew or should have known about the pesticide’s neurological dangers but failed to adequately warn the people who handled it regularly. The complaint also cites research linking chlorpyrifos exposure to Parkinson’s disease to support its claims. These are allegations that have not yet been tested in court.

• The report reviews decades of controversy surrounding the pesticide — The article explains that chlorpyrifos became one of the most widely used insecticides in U.S. agriculture after Dow introduced it in the mid-1960s. Residential uses were phased out in the early 2000s under an agreement with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) because of concerns about children’s health, but the chemical continued to be sprayed on many agricultural crops.

Since then, chlorpyrifos has been the focus of years of legal disputes, regulatory reversals, and court battles over whether it should remain available for agricultural use. Although some restrictions have been adopted, the report notes that chlorpyrifos continues to be used on certain crops; the EPA currently permits limited agricultural use after court action blocked a 2021 ban, leaving opportunities for ongoing exposure.

• Stronger safeguards are needed to reduce unnecessary exposure — The lawsuit is part of a broader effort to increase accountability for pesticide manufacturers while improving protections for workers. People shouldn’t have to choose between earning a living and protecting their long-term brain health. Stronger warnings, improved workplace safeguards, and continued efforts to reduce reliance on hazardous pesticides are important steps in lowering preventable exposure.

These points reflect the argument made in a North Texas Daily opinion column addressing pesticide policy in agriculture.4

• Farmworkers deserve stronger protections — Agricultural workers bear the greatest burden of exposure because they mix, apply, and work around pesticides throughout growing seasons. An opinion piece published by North Texas Daily argues that the people who plant, cultivate, and harvest the nation’s food supply deserve better protection from chemicals that growing scientific evidence links to serious neurological disease.

That column focuses specifically on paraquat, a different Parkinson’s-linked pesticide, but its workplace-protection argument applies more broadly.5 Rather than accepting repeated exposure as part of the job, the column calls attention to the need for safer working conditions and greater awareness of long-term health risks.

Reduce Your Pesticide Exposure Before It Accumulates

The featured study points toward a practical, modifiable step — reducing repeated exposure to pesticides before it accumulates over years. Every step that lowers your contact with chlorpyrifos and other agricultural pesticides may reduce one more source of stress on your brain and gives you something concrete to act on.

At the same time, everyday habits also influence the health of your brain, so the remaining steps focus on broader lifestyle factors studied in relation to Parkinson’s disease risk.

1. Identify where your pesticide exposure comes from — If you live, work, or spend time near farmland, learn what crops surround you and whether pesticides are applied during the growing season. Pay attention to local spraying notices if they’re available. Knowing when and where exposure occurs gives you the chance to avoid unnecessary contact instead of being caught off guard.

2. Reduce pesticide residue that reaches your home — If you’re around agricultural areas, remove your shoes before coming inside, wash your hands after outdoor activities, and rinse fresh produce thoroughly before eating it. When possible, choose organic produce to reduce pesticide residues. If you grow your own fruits and vegetables, avoid using chlorpyrifos or similar insecticides. Small daily habits reduce repeated exposure over time.

3. Support your gut so your brain gets calmer signals — Your gut and brain are in constant communication. When digestion is disrupted, inflammatory signals travel through that connection and may add strain to the same nerve pathways that pesticide exposure burdens. To improve gut health, start by removing ultraprocessed foods and seed oils, which are high in linoleic acid (LA). This includes soybean, corn, sunflower, and canola oil.

These foods deliver a heavy load of LA, contribute to inflammation, and undermine cellular energy production. Next, build your meals around easy-to-digest carbohydrates, such as whole fruit and white rice, to restore fuel without overwhelming your gut. As digestion improves, you can slowly expand to other well-tolerated starches, such as root vegetables.

Aim for about 250 grams of healthy carbohydrates a day so your cells have enough energy to repair, help regulate inflammation, and maintain normal brain function. When your gut heals, beneficial bacteria produce butyrate, a short-chain fat that helps support your gut lining and mood, and may calm neuroinflammation.

4. Move your body in ways that wake up your nervous system — Walking, cycling, resistance training, and gentle coordinated movement such as tai chi all engage the circuits involved in balance, rhythm, and coordination. If you feel stiff, slow, or unsteady, treat that as a cue to move more often, not less.

If those symptoms are new or worsening, talk with your health care provider, since they can also be early signs of a neurological condition. Regular movement helps maintain those nerve connections, and research links consistent physical activity with better long-term function.

Aim for about an hour of walking a day. Exercise is also a more effective way to activate autophagy — the same cellular cleanup system chlorpyrifos was found to disrupt — than fasting is.

5. Lower daily stress and support healthy vitamin D levels — Chronic stress keeps your nervous system locked in survival mode, which can raise stress hormones that may take a toll on brain cells over time. Build one calming routine into each day, such as slow breathing, quiet time, mindfulness, or a predictable evening rhythm. Add regular sunlight exposure to support healthy vitamin D levels, which act as an epigenetic regulator and may help support a balanced inflammatory response.

If your diet has been high in seed oils, reduce them for four to six months before spending time in strong midday sun, because excess LA stored in your tissues increases your tendency to burn.

When sunlight is limited, an observational analysis of nearly 3,000 participants in the GrassrootsHealth cohort found that people supplementing with both magnesium and vitamin K2 reached a given vitamin D level on substantially less vitamin D3 intake than those taking neither. A common pairing is 180 micrograms of vitamin K2 per 5,000 IUs of vitamin D.6

Test your vitamin D twice a year and aim for 60 to 80 ng/mL (150 to 200 nmol/L) so you know exactly where you stand. Talk to your health care provider about whether this testing is appropriate for you.

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

FAQs About Pesticides and Parkinson’s Disease

Q: What did the Molecular Neurodegeneration study discover about chlorpyrifos and Parkinson’s disease?
A: Researchers found that long-term residential exposure to the insecticide chlorpyrifos was associated with more than a 2.5-fold higher risk of developing Parkinson’s disease, in a case-control analysis of 829 people with Parkinson’s disease and 824 people without it.

The study strengthened that finding by showing the same pesticide caused movement problems, loss of dopamine-producing nerve cells, and other Parkinson’s-like changes in laboratory animals, which strengthens the case beyond earlier observational research alone.

Q: How does chlorpyrifos damage the brain?
A: The researchers found that chlorpyrifos interferes with autophagy, the brain’s natural recycling system that removes damaged proteins and worn-out cell parts. This was observed in mouse and zebrafish models. When that cleanup process breaks down, abnormal alpha-synuclein proteins build up inside nerve cells instead of being cleared away, which the researchers connect to the changes seen in Parkinson’s disease.

Q: Who faces the greatest risk of chlorpyrifos exposure?
A: People who live or work near agricultural fields where chlorpyrifos is sprayed face the greatest likelihood of repeated exposure. Farmworkers, pesticide applicators, and others who regularly handle agricultural chemicals are especially vulnerable because they encounter these pesticides throughout growing seasons rather than during isolated events.

Q: What can I do to reduce my exposure to pesticides?
A: Start by identifying where exposure is most likely to occur. If you live near farmland, pay attention to pesticide application notices when available. Remove your shoes before entering your home, wash your hands after spending time outdoors, rinse fresh produce thoroughly, choose organic when possible, and avoid using chlorpyrifos or similar insecticides around your own home or garden whenever possible.

Q: Besides avoiding pesticides, what else supports long-term brain health?
A: Reducing pesticide exposure addresses one important risk factor, but your daily habits also influence long-term brain health.

Supporting a healthy gut with whole, minimally processed foods, staying physically active, managing chronic stress, maintaining healthy vitamin D levels through sensible sun exposure, and eating a nutrient-rich diet all are reasonable steps for supporting the brain and nervous system, though evidence connecting them specifically to Parkinson’s disease risk is still developing.

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.

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Which family of proteins helps regulate cellular energy?

Sirtuins
Sirtuins help cells respond to stress, maintain DNA, and coordinate energy use, which is why they are closely tied to healthy aging. Learn more.
Cytokines
Collagens
Integrins

Sirtuins (SIRTs) are a family of proteins that sit at the intersection of energy, repair, and aging — and understanding how they work may change the way you think about growing older. These enzymes rely on nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+), and they spend a little of it every time they act, which is what links your body’s moment-to-moment energy status to DNA repair, mitochondrial function, inflammation, and metabolism.1

How well your sirtuins function helps determine how efficiently your cells adapt, recover, and maintain themselves over a lifetime, which is why researchers have placed them at the center of the science of healthy aging. Sirtuins are enzymes your body produces, not something you obtain directly from food. Different members of the sirtuin family work inside different parts of your cells, and each one performs a specialized job.

That division of labor matters enormously, because these proteins do not all behave the same way or produce the same effects. Together, they help coordinate how your body uses nutrients, responds to physical stress, and maintains healthy tissues over time. That distinction becomes much clearer once you look at how each member of the sirtuin family works inside the body and why researchers continue to study them so closely.

Different Sirtuins Perform Different Jobs

A News Medical article by science writer Chinta Sidharthan summarizes current research on all seven known human sirtuins and explains how each one performs a different job inside your cells rather than acting in the same way.2

It summarizes findings from multiple scientific studies to explain how these enzymes regulate metabolism, DNA repair, inflammation, mitochondrial function, and healthy aging. One of the most important messages is that researchers no longer see “activating sirtuins” as a simple solution because each sirtuin behaves differently depending on the tissue, organ, and biological process involved.

• Each member of the sirtuin family specializes in a different location inside your cells — Rather than working everywhere at once, SIRT1, SIRT6, and SIRT7 spend most of their time inside the cell nucleus, where they help regulate genes and preserve DNA stability. SIRT2 works mainly in the cell fluid but moves into the nucleus during certain stages of cell division.
Meanwhile, SIRT3, SIRT4, and SIRT5 operate inside mitochondria, where they oversee many of the chemical reactions that keep your cells supplied with energy.
This means healthy aging depends on many separate repair and energy systems working together instead of relying on one “longevity gene.” The review states that these enzymes respond to nutrient availability, environmental stress, metabolic regulation, and circadian rhythms, showing that your daily habits influence the very pathways scientists continue to investigate.
• Your body’s energy factories receive some of the greatest support from mitochondrial sirtuins — According to the review, SIRT3 serves as the major mitochondrial deacetylase, meaning it removes small chemical tags from proteins so those proteins work more efficiently.
This helps regulate enzymes involved in the electron transport chain and the tricarboxylic acid cycle, often called the TCA or Krebs cycle, the series of reactions that converts nutrients into adenosine triphosphate (ATP), the primary energy currency used by every cell.
The review also explains that SIRT5 regulates parts of the urea cycle, which helps remove excess nitrogen from your body, while also influencing glycolysis, the process that converts glucose into usable energy. SIRT4 works differently by slowing certain metabolic pathways, illustrating that healthy metabolism depends on balance rather than maximum activity.
• Healthy aging depends on constant maintenance instead of one-time repairs — The review highlights research showing that sirtuins preserve genomic integrity, meaning they help keep your DNA stable as cells divide throughout life. One example involves SIRT6, which helps repair dangerous double-strand DNA breaks and maintain telomeres, the protective caps at the ends of chromosomes that naturally shorten with age.
Animal research found that deficiency of SIRT6 produced features of premature aging, emphasizing how important continuous DNA maintenance becomes over a lifetime.3 The review also explains that SIRT1 and SIRT3 activate antioxidant defense pathways instead of simply eliminating every reactive oxygen species, or ROS.
These molecules often receive negative attention because excessive amounts damage cells, but moderate ROS also serve as important signals that tell your cells to strengthen their defenses. Researchers describe this as a hormetic response, meaning a small amount of biological stress helps build greater resilience over time.
• Researchers continue to uncover why declining mitochondrial function accelerates aging — The review explains what happens when SIRT3 slows down. Because its job is to strip those chemical tags off mitochondrial proteins, falling SIRT3 activity lets the tags accumulate, a state called hyperacetylation, and the tagged proteins gum up and lose efficiency.
As energy production falls, ROS rise, increasing the risk of cardiac fibrosis, neurodegeneration, and skeletal muscle loss during aging. Cardiac fibrosis refers to excessive scar tissue that stiffens the heart and reduces its ability to pump efficiently.
Neurodegeneration describes the gradual loss of nerve cells that contributes to disorders affecting memory and movement. These findings reinforce an important takeaway for your own health: protecting mitochondrial function supports far more than energy levels. It also helps preserve muscle, cardiovascular health, and healthy brain function as you grow older.
• Scientists remain optimistic, but they also urge caution about future therapies — One of the strongest themes throughout the review is that researchers have moved beyond the idea that simply increasing sirtuin activity solves every problem.
The article notes that compounds such as resveratrol, the molecule once made famous by red wine, have shown effects resembling calorie restriction, the long-studied practice of eating fewer calories without malnutrition that reliably extends lifespan in laboratory animals and remains the original discovery that launched sirtuin research.
In experimental models, resveratrol appeared to mimic some of those benefits, but its specificity and usefulness in people remain limited. Researchers are also studying NAD+ precursors because they help restore declining NAD+ levels, yet the evidence in humans remains disease-specific rather than universally consistent.
The review further explains that some sirtuins produce opposite effects depending on the tissue or disease stage, including certain cancers where SIRT1 acts either as a tumor suppressor or as a tumor promoter depending on the biological setting. That growing understanding encourages a practical mindset: supporting your overall cellular health through healthy lifestyle habits makes far more sense than expecting a single supplement or molecule to control the complex biology of aging.

Note: The research summarized here includes laboratory and animal studies as well as human research of varying scope. Findings from cell and animal models may not directly apply to human health.

Support Your Cellular Energy Every Day

Healthy sirtuin activity starts with healthy cellular energy. Sirtuins are one part of a much larger system rather than a single target to activate. Instead of chasing one supplement that promises longevity, build the daily habits that give your cells the fuel and raw materials they need to produce energy, repair damage, and adapt to stress. Those consistent habits also help maintain healthy NAD+ levels, the molecule sirtuins rely on to function.

1. Feed your cells enough quality carbohydrates — Most adults need about 250 grams of carbohydrates daily, adjusting upward if you’re very active. Focus on whole fruit, white rice, root vegetables, properly prepared starches, and other minimally processed carbohydrate sources that provide the glucose your cells need for efficient energy production. Your body relies on steady energy availability to support the same metabolic pathways that influence sirtuin activity.
You may have read that fasting or calorie restriction “activates” sirtuins, and in lab models it can. But chronic energy shortage is itself a stressor, and your cells need steady glucose to run the very repair and energy pathways sirtuins depend on. Keeping NAD+ recycling healthy matters more than starving your system.
2. Support your body’s natural NAD+ recycling system — Sirtuins depend on NAD+, but NAD+ levels naturally decline with age and fall more rapidly when your body spends large amounts repairing DNA or responding to chronic inflammation. One important reason is that your body’s NAD+ recycling process, called the salvage pathway, becomes less efficient over time. I recommend supporting that system with small, consistent amounts of niacinamide instead of large doses.
Niacinamide is a form of vitamin B3, not the same as flush-causing niacin. I recommend about 50 milligrams (mg) three times daily, which provides steady support for NAD+ production while avoiding the drawbacks associated with high-dose vitamin B3. Eating foods naturally rich in B vitamins, including grass fed beef, mushrooms, potatoes, bananas, and leafy green vegetables — if you tolerate them — also helps supply the nutrients your mitochondria need to produce energy efficiently.
3. Protect your mitochondria every day — Your mitochondria produce the ATP that powers nearly every process inside your body. Help them work efficiently by avoiding seed oils, choosing traditional fats such as grass fed butter, ghee, or tallow instead, getting regular movement, and eating enough protein.

Aim for about 0.6 to 0.8 grams per pound (or 1.32 to 1.76 grams per kilogram) of ideal body weight, with one-third coming from collagen-rich sources like slow-cooked meats or bone broth. Those building blocks support the repair and maintenance processes that healthy cells perform continuously.

4. Support your natural daily rhythm — Your cells follow an internal clock, and sirtuins are wired directly into it. SIRT1 helps run the molecular machinery that keeps your circadian rhythm on time, and that rhythm in turn governs the daily rise and fall of NAD+. Spend time outdoors in morning sunlight to set that clock, then reduce bright artificial light after sunset.
If you still consume significant amounts of seed oils and other sources of linoleic acid (LA), avoid intense midday sun exposure (10 a.m. to 4 p.m.) until you have reduced those foods for at least six months. This is because LA is a polyunsaturated fat that oxidizes easily, builds up in your skin, and increases your risk of skin damage. Healthy light exposure supports cellular energy production and helps reinforce many of the biological pathways that interact with metabolism and healthy aging.
Just as important, protect your sleep itself: aim for high-quality sleep on a consistent schedule. Deep sleep is when much of your cellular repair and mitochondrial housekeeping happens, and it’s when your NAD+ recycling system does its most important work.
5. Build resilience through consistent movement instead of longevity shortcuts — If you’re mostly sedentary, begin with daily walking and gradually add resistance training twice a week that matches your fitness level. Exercise encourages your cells to become stronger and more efficient over time. Rather than depending on one “anti-aging” product, make consistency your goal.
Every healthy meal, every walk, every workout, and every good night’s sleep helps create the environment your sirtuins, mitochondria, and NAD+ recycling system need to support healthy aging.

FAQs About Sirtuins, Aging, and Longevity

Q: What are sirtuins, and why are they important?
A: Sirtuins are a family of proteins your body naturally produces that help regulate how your cells create energy, repair DNA, respond to stress, and maintain healthy tissues. Because they rely on NAD+ to function, they connect your body’s energy status with many of the biological processes that influence healthy aging.

Q: Do all sirtuins perform the same job?
A: No. Humans have seven different sirtuins, and each one has specialized responsibilities. Some help maintain your DNA, while others work inside your mitochondria to support energy production or regulate metabolism. Scientists now recognize that healthy aging depends on all of these systems working together rather than on one “longevity protein.”

Q: Why does NAD+ matter for healthy aging?
A: NAD+ serves as the fuel that allows sirtuins to work. As you grow older, NAD+ levels naturally decline and are depleted more quickly when your body repairs DNA or responds to chronic inflammation. Supporting your body’s ability to recycle NAD+ helps maintain the cellular processes that promote healthy aging.

Q: What daily habits help support healthy sirtuin activity?
A: The most effective approach focuses on strengthening your cellular energy system. Eating enough minimally processed carbohydrates, protecting your mitochondria, maintaining regular physical activity, getting morning sunlight, and supporting healthy NAD+ production all create an environment where sirtuins function more efficiently.

Q: Are longevity supplements enough to activate sirtuins?
A: No. Current research shows that healthy aging is far more complex than taking a single supplement. While scientists continue to study NAD+ precursors and other compounds, the strongest foundation remains healthy lifestyle habits that support cellular energy production, mitochondrial function, and your body’s natural repair systems.

This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Sirtuins, NAD+ precursors, and related supplements are not a treatment for any disease. Consult a qualified health care provider before making changes to your health regimen.

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What are flavanols?

A type of dietary fiber
A diverse group of healthy fats
Plant-based natural compounds
Flavanols are plant compounds naturally found in foods such as fruit, tea, beans, and cocoa. Learn more.
Minerals stored in cruciferous vegetables

Editor’s Note: This article is a reprint. It was originally published December 31, 2023.

The interview above features Ashley Armstrong, who’s an expert in two areas. One is producing some of the healthiest food in the United States, and the second is understanding how your body uses it and how to select the right types of food to optimize your biology, based on the late biologist and thyroid expert, Ray Peat’s, principles of bioenergetic medicine. She also is a certified personal trainer with a Ph.D., MS and BS in engineering.

Like many others who are trying to improve their health, Armstrong tried low-carb diets, fasting, keto and even carnivore diets in the past. But while these all led to improvements initially, they didn’t eliminate them, which ultimately led her to investigate Peat’s principles.

“Ray Peat, he honestly saved my life and I owe so much to that man,” she says. “I’m forever grateful for him. The biggest wake-up for me was measuring my body temperature. I was on a carnivore diet and measured my body temperature — it was 96.5 degrees Fahrenheit.

I was like, wow, no wonder my hair is thinning. No wonder my complexion is so pale. No wonder I’m not sleeping through the night. There was just a number of red flags. That body temperature measurement just woke me up. It’s what I needed to [realize] I’m not thriving, I’m just surviving.

I’ve been implementing Dr. Peat’s principles for over three years now. I have more energy in life than I think I’ve ever had, even as a teenager. And it’s just amazing to see how being not restricted with your food, just being strategic with macros, types of food, how powerful that can be for your energy production.”

The Problem with Low-Carb and Keto

As I’ve detailed in previous articles over the past year, low-carb/high-fat diets ultimately backfire because they inhibit glucose metabolism, which is the most efficient form of energy production in your mitochondria; they also impair thyroid function. Your thyroid is crucial for energy production, and if your thyroid doesn’t work, you’re down the creek without a paddle.

One of the reasons for this is because ketogenic diets increase the stress hormones — cortisol, glucagon and adrenaline. On the other hand, one of the reasons why ketogenic and carnivore diets are usually helpful for a time is because, if implemented properly, you’re radically reducing your intake of omega-6 fats, linoleic acid (LA) in particular, which is one of the primary drivers of ill health.

Energy Production Is Key for Overall Health

As explained by Armstrong, the best way to understand the bioenergetic principle is to think of your body as a system. It has a certain amount of energy, and a number of biological processes that it can turn on or turn off with that energy source.

The greater your energy pool, the more functions your body can turn on. When your energy production is lower than required to maintain all functions, your body needs to downregulate certain functions, which ultimately results in problems. The human body is designed to promote survival, so it’s going to prioritize things like your heart rate.

Functions that aren’t necessarily vital for survival in the immediate moment, like sex hormone production, reproductive function, digestion, sleep and high cognitive thinking, get downregulated first. When you increase energy production, however, your body can then expend energy on those functions and bring them “back online.”

Using Body and Pulse Measurements as Guides

As explained by Armstrong, one of the easiest ways to assess how much energy your body is producing is to take your body temperature.

“High stress hormones can keep your waking body temperature elevated,” she says, “so you’ve got to do your waking temperature 30 to 40 minutes after breakfast, and then I like to do midday. You want to see that temperature rise.

For many who are on low-carb or who are living on stress hormones, they’re going to have potentially high waking body temperature, but after breakfast, that temperature may drop. That’s because the food you’re consuming is lowering your stress hormones and your actual body temperature is then better exposed.

So we want to see that body temperature rise. And I love how both of us are so passionate about linoleic acid. As human linoleic acid consumption has gone up, human body temperature has gone down. So, the types of fats that we are consuming in our diet is impacting energy production in a negative way.

It’s shown with obesity rates out the roof. It’s shown with the decline in our body temperature. It’s shown with the decline in our healthy life expectancy, which is bizarre as a First-World country. There are just so many profound effects.

But when we just think of it as energy production — the more energy we can give our body to be able to perform functions, the better it’s going to function. I asked this question to someone who is really adamant about fasting. I said, ‘If you’ve got two bodies, one body that’s fasted and the other body that is fed nourishing food, which body is going to thrive and function better?’

It’s obvious. If you add a third person fed more of a standard American diet, of course maybe fasting is going to make you feel better, but you can elevate yourself a step above. You don’t have to rely on fasting to increase energy production. Your body is not going to increase energy when you’re not [putting] energy in.”

Indeed, when it comes to fasting, one of the primary benefits is that it lowers the fuel for gram-negative bacteria that produce endotoxin in your gut. Low-carb does this as well. Endotoxin, estrogen, LA and stress hormones will all decrease your mitochondrial function, mediated in big part by your thyroid function. Those are the big things that need to be reduced to enhance your mitochondrial function and energy production within the mitochondria.

How LA Harms Your Energy Production

As mentioned, LA is a primary driver of disease, in large part due to its detrimental effect on mitochondrial function and, hence, energy production. Your body can use both fat and glucose for energy. Muscle, in particular, will use fat for fuel, as will your heart. So, fat is not bad, but it’s important to realize that different fats affect your body in different ways, so it’s crucial to get the right fats. Armstrong explains:

“The different types of fatty acid molecules have drastically different structures and those impact the internal environment inside of us. They impact how your body is producing energy. The more saturated we can become, the better our internal environment is going to be.

When someone goes low-carb, maybe they reduce the amount of packaged food that they’re eating that contains a ton of vegetable oil and linoleic acid, and so potentially they’re resaturating some of their tissues.

But when you learn about what livestock are being fed these days, then you realize that a high animal fat diet can still contain quite a bit of PUFAs [polyunsaturated fats] and linoleic acid, depending on what those animals ate. So, think it’s important to consider the amount of each macronutrient that you’re intaking because that can have profound impacts on your energy production.

Saturating your tissues is going to take you to the next level, but adding in appropriate levels of carbohydrates is going to allow you to take your consciousness and energy production level to the next level [beyond that].”

The types of carbs you eat matter, however. I’m convinced the ideal carbohydrate is fresh, ripe fruit. Ripe is the key here. Of course, some fruits are better than others. Watermelon, for example, is among the best. Watermelon with feta cheese and a little mint on top makes for a delicious snack.

Aside from containing a lot of water, watermelon also contains a substance called citrulline, which converts into arginine, a precursor for nitric oxide (NO). NO is important to your body, but the caveat is that it needs to come from real food. Drugs like Cialis or Viagra, which act by increasing NO, will accelerate your path toward premature death. Artificial citrulline and other synthetic amino acids that raise NO are also best avoided.

“In Michigan, I rely a lot on frozen fruit,” Armstrong says. “In the summertime I’ll go to strawberry fields and pick strawberries when fresh and then freeze a ton of them. Same thing with blueberries and peaches. And then I rely on a lot of apples in the winter because apples are abundant around here and can be stored.”

Juices also have their place. Cold-pressed, pulp-free orange juice, for example, is a good choice. The reason you want pulp-free is because if you’re like most people, you have gram-negative, endotoxin bacteria in your gut that will thrive on the pulp, hence increasing endotoxin production.

So, if you have an unhealthy microbiome, pulp-free orange juice is a great carb that will gently and safely allow you to enter the higher carb world. As your microbiome improves, then you can transition to whole fruits and berries, which is, I believe, far superior to juices.

How to Produce the Best Eggs

Segueing into the topic of food production, Armstrong’s farm produces some of the highest quality eggs I’ve ever come across, and the feed recipe I use for my own chickens came from her. But I discovered something that could make them even better, and that is to allow the chickens to scratch for their own food.

Their ideal food is insects fresh from the ground, and while I previously thought chickens couldn’t get enough food this way, meaning you had to give them something, that may actually not be true.

Unfortunately, in places where the ground freezes, chickens will not be able to sustain themselves on insects, and you definitely do NOT want to feed your chickens dehydrated bugs. Why? Because the bugs are raised on corn and soy, making them very high in LA.

But in places like South Florida, for example, you can easily produce top-notch eggs, quality-wise, by allowing your chickens to peck for insects, without giving them any supplemental feed. Armstrong is also making plans to let her chickens forage for bugs year-round:

“I think that would be the ideal condition, and I have an image in my head of what I want to bring our farm to in the future — a greenhouse where we’ve got fodder growing on the ground and a worm farm … so [the chickens] will get abundant bugs in the winter. That’s what I want to move towards, but that requires a lot of financial investment. So we’ll get there one day.”

The Feed Has Dramatic Impacts on Animal Foods

The feed Armstrong developed, which I’ve been using as well, results in eggs that have about 75% less LA than conventional eggs. When it comes to conventional eggs, the LA is really the only problem. When the chickens are fed an ideal diet, the yolk in the egg is one of the best, most nutritious foods imaginable. The only thing that comes close is organ meat.

Egg yolks are the ultimate food; the problem is 99.99% of the eggs produced in this country are not that good. I don’t care if they say free range, grass fed, organic, it doesn’t matter. They’re terrible because they have four times more LA than they should. As noted by Armstrong:

“It’s important to consider organic soybeans have the same amount of linoleic acid as nonorganic soybeans. Whether it’s grown conventionally, organically does not change the fatty acid composition of soybeans. You don’t want to be eating eggs from chickens fed a bunch of soy vegetable oil and other high omega-6 PUFA foods.”

According to Armstrong, the feed of the chickens may even determine the eggs’ allergenicity. In other words, if you’re allergic to eggs, you could be able to eat the eggs from correctly fed chickens.

“What is soy high in? Phytoestrogens that can be very problematic for some people. If a chicken is eating phytoestrogens that can be problematic for humans, those get passed through into the eggs. We have a number of customers that cannot eat any other eggs, but they’re totally fine with our eggs. And it’s because of the diet of the chicken.

So if you have allergic reactions or problems with eggs, try a different source where they’re not fed soy. Some people can be allergic to corn as well, and that allergenicity can pass through the egg as well. But it seems like soy is the biggest culprit.

But be careful of many corn and soy-free feeds, because those are high-PUFA ingredients like sunflower, flax, fish oil, vegetable oil and safflower oil. And so, just be really careful of your source, and ask what the chickens are eating. But yes, allergenicity of eggs I think really depends on what the chicken eats.”

LA-Rich Animal Feed Is Now Impacting Human Energy Production and Health

All of that said, it’s still crucial to ensure your chickens have enough food, be it fresh insects or a carefully planned feed that is low in LA and high in healthy saturated fats and other nutrients.

“Your chicken is not going to thrive if it’s underfed,” Armstrong says. “Your chicken is not going to thrive if it doesn’t have food. I am trying to boost the metabolic rate of our chickens as high as possible. Just like us, chickens are monogastric single stomach animals, the types of fat that they are fed, the types of fat that we are fed impacts the types of fat inside of us.

This is a little bit different for ruminant animals — cows, goats — but for monogastric chickens, pigs, their diet is very important. And this is why I am so passionate about it, because we have been lied to and convinced that saturated fat is bad for us.

So, you’ve seen a huge push for PUFAs in our diet. This is going beyond just human dietary choices. This is impacting our livestock food. And this is having profound impacts on not only livestock health, but also the food that we’re consuming …

Even in the dairy industry, they’re creating things called rumen-protected fats. They are PUFAs that in a typical rumen digestion system can go through the process called hydrogenation, which turns the PUFA into saturated fat.

They are designing rumen-protected fats so that the PUFA is passed through the rumen. The PUFA content of milk is increasing. That means any dairy fat — butter, cream, whole milk. The PUFA content of beef fat is increasing. And this is by design … Lard and chicken fat from conventional animals has the same amount of PUFA as canola oil.

This is profound. We have changed the types of fat inside of us. I think the linoleic acid content of humans has increased 136%. That is changing how our body is making energy inside of us. The types of fat we consume day-to-day have a long life inside of us — 600 days. So, the types of fat we’re consuming day to day impacts our energy production for years to come.

It’s unfortunate because this is just the reality for a lot of people, and that’s why I’m so passionate about it. Our food system is designed in a way that is not setting us up for success. That’s why I want to try to change it by going back to how our food was produced 100 years ago, where there was appropriate amounts of PUFAs in foods, small amounts, and saturated fat was the predominant fat source for both livestock and humans.”

High-PUFA Diets Shut Down Your Metabolism

As explained by Armstrong, in nature, animals increase their PUFA consumption up to a certain amount to initiate torpor, which means their metabolism is so downregulated that they can survive the winter without eating. Think about that. Can you function optimally if your diet is one meant for hibernation? In that state, you have to eat fewer and fewer calories to avoid weight gain, which results in undernourishment and poor energy production.

“I try to keep my PUFA consumption as low as possible,” Armstrong says. “You can easily track that in Cronometer and see what your total PUFA, total linoleic acid content is per day. If you have four conventional eggs, you’re already at about 5 grams of linoleic acid in a day. And I would want people to be lower than that. All foods contain some amount of linoleic acid, so even milk is going to have a little bit.”

There’s no question that LA is NOT an essential fat, even though it’s categorized as such. It’s not essential because nearly all foods contain it. It’s virtually impossible to become deficient in LA if you eat food, regardless of what that food is.

Another fat that likely IS essential, but isn’t widely recognized as such, is the odd-chain saturated fats (OCFAs) found primarily in dairy. You can learn more about this in “The Amazing Benefits of Dairy Fat.” There’s also evidence suggesting that if you don’t get enough OCFAs in your diet, then high saturated fat intake might become problematic.

So, you need these odd-chain saturated fats. That’s why you need butter. You need milk. These are essential. Your optimized biology and health is dependent on these foods, because, again, the OCFAs help increase your body’s energy pool. They boost energy production, which will improve how your entire body functions.

In the interview we also discuss how dairy improves the health benefits of eggs, as the calcium in the dairy reduces the conversion of tryptophan in the egg white into serotonin. Serotonin is another compound you simply do not want too much of.

You also want to make sure you’re having enough carbohydrates with that meal. Carbohydrate oxidation produces 50% more carbon dioxide (CO2), so simply having carbs with your eggs will raise your CO2 level, which is very important for health.

“So, for breakfast, have eggs, milk, some honey or maple syrup and fruit. Boom, there you go. You’re drastically reducing the conversion of tryptophan to serotonin and it’s a simple meal,” Armstrong says.

About Angel Acres Egg Co. and the Nourish Cooperative

What your food eats, matters — as pigs and chickens are vehicles for health-harming polyunsaturated fats (PUFAs). If their diet is high in PUFAs, the final product will contain more PUFAs. With the current agriculture system, knowing where your food comes from is vital. Angel Acres Egg Co. specializes in low-PUFA eggs. We discussed the importance of low-PUFA eggs in a previous interview, embedded above for your convenience.

Angel Acres Egg Co. ships low-PUFA eggs to all 50 states — you can buy an egg box here, available in three sizes. Armstrong also co-founded Nourish Cooperative (now known as the Nourish Food Club), which ships the best low-PUFA pork, beef, cheese and A2 dairy, and traditional sourdough to all 50 states. They are also accepting new members to the farm cooperative — be a member here: Join Nourish Food Club.

In the video segment above, Ashley reflects on the timeline of her decision to invest her free time into regenerative farming, considering how just a few years ago, her health was far from ideal. She struggled with mitochondrial energy production and her body was in a low thyroid state. Your body prioritizes energy for essential tasks, and decision-making requires significant energy.

Your brain consumes about 20% of your body’s energy despite being only 2% of its weight. Ashley simply would not have had enough cellular energy to supply her brain to make a decision like she did unless she improved her health. Factors like excess linoleic acid, estrogen and endotoxins were depleting her cellular energy, which is crucial for making energy-intensive decisions.

Her transformation underscores the power of nurturing your health to gain the energy necessary for making significant life changes. Avoiding dietary pitfalls like seed oils played a key role in this journey, enabling her to tap into a newfound capacity for brave decisions — a testament to the profound impact of regaining cellular energy on her ability to navigate life’s choices.

It is my sincere desire and hope that you consider her journey to inspire and empower you to make similar choices in your own life and reclaim the Joy that you deserve. Imagine experiencing the nearly limitless Joy that Ashley has with her 1,000 chickens and four livestock guard dogs below.

Have you ever noticed how, when you open a bag of chips and start eating it, you somewhat can’t help but finish it, down to the last crumb? Even if your mind is telling you to stop, your hands keep reaching down as you anticipate every crunch. It’s like an addiction — and you’re not to blame.

A BBC documentary investigates the strategic engineering of ultraprocessed food, and how they’re designed to trap you by cleverly stimulating your senses — putting you in an endless cycle of cravings and overeating that ultimately leads to chronic diseases.1

Obesity Is Not a ‘Failure of Willpower’ — It’s the Result of a Shift in Our Food System

Dr. Chris van Tulleken, a doctor and scientist with the National Health Service (NHS) in the U.K., explores just how the global food system is drastically affecting people’s health. Through interviews with different experts in the field of food manufacturing, he gives an eye-opening look at how food corporations manufacture and market products in ways that deliberately short-circuit your body’s natural appetite controls.

• Obesity rates in all age groups started rising at the same time — Van Tulleken starts by disputing the belief that obesity is caused by a failure of willpower, providing data showing how obesity rates in different age groups rose simultaneously in the mid-1970s.

“[B]etween 1960 and 1975, there’s a fairly steady percentage of obesity in the population. But in the mid-1970s, obesity starts going up in all of the groups simultaneously,” he explained.

“Now, if you’re saying willpower is responsible, what you’re proposing is that all of these groups of people simultaneously lost moral responsibility. And that’s not plausible. Something else happened to our food in the mid-1970s to make it irresistible to people.”

• So what changed during this time? A separate BBC article describes how a “fork in the road” occurred in 1971. The 1970s were a period of terrible inflation — the cost of living rose, along with a demand for cheap food. Food historian Polly Russell explains:

“On the one hand there’s an increase in processed food, in supermarkets, in centralised food systems, in industrialised food, and all that goes with it. And on the other hand, there’s also a growth in an interest in cooking as a leisure activity, in the origins of food, in food and seasonality, in a much more engaged relationship with food.”2

• Another significant change happened — the fast food industry grew — Restaurant chains like McDonald’s were expanding; in fact, the quarter pounder was released in 1971. American portion sizes started increasing as well. On the other side of the world, instant ramen in a cup was born in Japan. It eventually reached U.S. shores and became known as Cup O’ Noodles.3

But the biggest change that occurred after the 1970s — and continues to this day — is that ultraprocessed food manufacturing has gone beyond producing cost-efficient food — it has become a complex process that creates products designed to overload your senses so that you have no choice but to keep eating.

How Texture Tricks Your Brain Into Overeating

One particular trick that manufacturers use is playing around with textures — not just flavor or ingredients — to increase consumption and drive profits. This deeper manipulation works at the level of chewing, sensation, and brain signaling.

• Snacks are intentionally designed to be crunchy and squishy — John Ruff, a former executive from Kraft General Foods who spent four decades in the global food industry, explains that everything from a product’s crunch to its squish is tested by trained sensory panels before it hits store shelves. Every bite is fine-tuned for maximum appeal — not through nutrition, but through feel, mouth sensation, and how fast you eat it.

“Companies spend a lot of time optimizing all aspects of their product — the flavor, the taste, the texture. People want their product to be as good, if not better than the competitor, so it will sell more,” Ruff said.

• Eating snacks with soft textures disrupts a key biological safeguard — Some snacks are designed to be crunchy on the outside, while the inside is soft enough to melt in your mouth. This is intentional; since you’re not chewing soft food as much, it short-circuits the normal satiety mechanisms you’ll have if you were chewing food properly.

As a result, your body is bypassing a mechanism that signals fullness — it triggers you to keep eating. According to Professor Francis McGlone, a former lead neuroscientist at Unilever:

“Once we worked out that playing around with the texture of food — making it softer — tricks that normal satiety of fullness mechanism, clearly there’s an opportunity there for some kind of scurrilous behavior in making food softer so that people will eat more and therefore you sell more of your product.”

• What’s more, ultraprocessed foods are engineered to be consumed quickly — This means your body has even less time to register satiety before you’ve eaten hundreds of calories.

• The industry term for this is “vanishing caloric density” — This refers to how certain puffy, light foods dissolve so quickly in your mouth that your brain doesn’t even process them as calories. You don’t feel full, so you eat more. Van Tulleken demonstrates this by biting into a common puffy snack that he says his kids love.

“You don’t typically think of this as being a soft food because it’s a bit crunchy. But actually after that initial crunch, you can just crush it with your tongue, right? It’s got no resistance at all. But in terms of the calories per gram, it’s got way more calories than even a very fatty burger.”

And because these foods are usually packed with highly digestible carbohydrates and oils, they hit your bloodstream fast, spiking blood sugar and encouraging fat storage.

These textures aren’t about convenience — they’re a marketing weapon. The melt-in-your-mouth sensation is part of a deliberate effort to make foods that are hard to stop eating. That’s how a handful of snacks turns into a finished bag before you even realize what happened.

Eating Is a Multisensory Experience, and Food Manufacturers Are Taking Advantage of It

Van Tulleken emphasizes that the real manipulation extends beyond taste and texture — it’s about logos, colors, sounds, and even the tactile experience of handling the product.

• Every bite is a multisensory event — Prof. Barry Smith, a sensory consultant who’s worked with major food companies, says that eating is never just about flavor. What your food looks like, how it smells, and how it feels in your hand matters.

• Even the sound food makes when you bite into it is crucial — “When you open a fizzy soda, you’ve got two noises. You’ve got the click and the tear. Sound engineers and manufacturers work really hard to get that sound just right. And that’s sonic branding,” Smith says.

• Defining sonic branding — To put it simply, sonic branding is a marketing strategy where sound — jingles, chimes, or music — is used to build emotional connection and memory with consumers. It creates brand identity. To illustrate, Smith recalls a conversation he had while working for Kellogg:

“[T]hey said, ‘Ooh, what’s sonic branding?’ And I said, ‘You invented this.’ Most people will remember as children the experience of lifting a bowl to their ear. And what are they listening for? Snap, crackle, and pop. That’s sonic branding at its best, and that’s the original.”

These strategies are beyond clever — they’re deeply psychological. The more senses a product stimulates, the more likely you are to develop an emotional connection with it. That connection drives repeat purchases and builds brand loyalty, often without you consciously realizing it. These signals bypass your logical thinking and aim straight at the parts of your brain that drive habit and craving.

Snack Foods Are Designed to Hijack Your Day — and Keep You Addicted

Have you ever noticed how certain processed foods are marketed to be consumed at a specific part of your day? For example, granola or oatmeal bars are marketed for on-the-go folks who want a quick breakfast before they start their day.

High-protein bars are designed to be eaten as a pick-me-up after a rigorous workout session. And if you’re craving a snack in the middle of the day, “healthy” products like veggie straws are recommended — while they seem convenient, they’re not healthy at all.

• Ultraprocessed snacks compete for your “stomach share” — Dr. Yanaina Chavez Ugalde from the University of Cambridge explains how modern food companies have shifted their strategy from mealtime nutrition to all-day consumption. Rather than just competing for your breakfast, lunch, or dinner, they aim to dominate your stomach share — the cumulative space in your day where food can be inserted. And their most profitable weapon in this battle? Snacking.

• These snacks are filled with empty calories — This means that while you get the energy, you don’t get the fiber, protein, or micronutrients that keep your body functioning well. “Whereas before we would have had food, actual food, now we are marketed into believing that this is actually a healthy replacement.”

• Snacks are labeled “share-size,” but the marketing knows full well you’ll likely eat them alone — The packaging says “family size,” but the design cues, flavors, and textures are engineered to keep your hand in the bag until it’s empty.

This constant grazing doesn’t just affect your waistline — it changes your brain. The more you snack on these engineered products, the more your brain rewires itself to expect that stimulation. The result is a cycle of craving and consumption that’s extremely hard to break.

• Ultraprocessed foods are just as addictive as alcohol or cigarettes — University of Michigan psychology professor Dr. Ashley Gearhardt, who specializes in the science of addiction, compares ultraprocessed foods to addictive substances like alcohol, nicotine, and cocaine.

“When we look at the sorts of foods that trigger those key diagnostic indicators of addiction, it’s really clear what it’s not. It’s not minimally processed foods like fruit or vegetables or beans or lean meats like chicken breast. It’s really processed foods. It’s chocolate. It’s ice cream. It’s pizza. It’s foods that don’t exist in nature,” she said.

When you consume junk foods, your brain lights up with dopamine — a chemical that plays a central role in craving and reinforcement. In normal eating patterns, dopamine helps you feel satisfied. But with ultraprocessed foods, the hit is so intense and so immediate that it overrides normal controls. This is why you keep eating even when you’re full, even when you feel sick, and even when you’ve promised yourself to stop.

Read more about the addictive nature of ultraprocessed foods in “What Foods Trigger the Greatest Cravings, Leading to Overeating?”

How to Break Free from Ultraprocessed Food Addiction

The documentary closes with a statement from the Food and Drink Federation, the membership body for food and drink manufacturers in the U.K., saying that the government’s Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition found “insufficient scientific evidence on the concept of ‘ultraprocessed foods’ for it to be used for dietary guidance or policy making, and that further research is needed.”

They said they will only change their ingredients or processes once there’s research showing that processing is a cause for concern. Clearly, they’re turning a blind eye to the growing research that shows ultraprocessed foods are not only addictive, but also put you at higher risk of chronic diseases like obesity, heart disease, diabetes, and cancer.4

If you’re caught in a cycle of eating unhealthy ultraprocessed foods but still can’t seem to stop, you’re not alone. Ultraprocessed foods are engineered to hijack your brain and trick your body, overriding your natural cues so you’ll keep reaching for more. However, the solution isn’t to shame yourself — it’s to understand what’s really going on so you will be able to reclaim control of your body. Here are strategies I recommend to help you reclaim control and heal from ultraprocessed food addiction:

1. Start by removing the foods that bypass your fullness signals — I suggest you identify the worst offenders in your daily routine and replace them with real food that requires chewing. A crisp apple, carrots with grass fed cream cheese, or crunchy cucumber slices will give your brain time to register satisfaction.

2. Eat real meals instead of grazing all day — Structure your day around three healthy meals with enough protein, healthy carbs, and saturated fat to sustain you. This grounds your energy, helps stabilize your blood sugar, and makes snacking less necessary.

3. Interrupt the marketing cycle with awareness and environment control — You are being manipulated through sound, packaging, and brand familiarity. Keep processed foods out of your home. Even covering labels with plain paper or storing snack items in opaque containers can help break the visual feedback loop that makes you crave them. Many ultraprocessed foods are also highly marketed to children, so if you have kids, show them how food ads work so they grow up with awareness.

4. Track your progress — I’ve found that the more you notice patterns, the easier it is to break them. Keep a simple journal for 10 days. Write down when you eat ultraprocessed food, what was happening around you, and how you felt afterward.

You’ll start seeing patterns — maybe stress after work is your trigger, or late-night boredom. That kind of clarity builds self-efficacy — the belief that you can make changes because now you understand the why. This alone will lower the shame and increase your momentum toward real change.

Awareness is the first step toward regaining that control. When you understand the tools being used against you, you can take the first real step toward full autonomy over your food choices and overall health.

“If someone is watching this and they are struggling with their weight, with diet-related disease, I just want to reach out and grab them and go, ‘This is not your fault. It is not you. It is the food,'” van Tulleken concludes.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) About Ultraprocessed Foods

Q: Why do I feel like I can’t stop eating certain snack foods, even when I’m full?

A: Ultraprocessed foods are engineered to bypass your natural satiety mechanisms. Their soft, melt-in-your-mouth textures eliminate the need for chewing, which interrupts your body’s ability to signal fullness. This design keeps you eating long after your body has had enough.

Q: What is “vanishing caloric density” and why does it matter?

A: Vanishing caloric density refers to foods that dissolve quickly in your mouth, like puffed snacks or crisps. Because they vanish on contact, your brain doesn’t fully register the calories you’ve consumed. This makes you eat more without feeling satisfied, contributing to overeating and fat storage.

Q: How are my senses manipulated to make me crave these foods?

A: Food companies use multi-sensory marketing — including sounds, textures, smells, packaging, and even the “tear” of a wrapper — to stimulate your brain’s reward system. Techniques like sonic branding create emotional memories around products, encouraging cravings before you even take a bite.

Q: Are “healthy” snacks like protein bars or veggie straws actually good for me?

A: Not really. Many of these products are marketed as healthy but are actually nutrient-poor and energy-dense. They often lack fiber and protein and are filled with processed oils and additives, which disrupt your body’s hunger signals and promote chronic snacking.

Q: What’s the best way to break free from my cravings for ultraprocessed foods?

A: Start by removing foods that bypass fullness cues, eat real meals instead of grazing, become aware of marketing manipulation, replace reward triggers with new habits, and track your eating patterns to identify and interrupt craving cycles. These steps rebuild your body’s natural signals and help restore real control.

For centuries, people have relied on fruits, tea, and cocoa not only for nourishment but also for their health-promoting compounds. Today, researchers have identified one group of those natural compounds — flavanols — as especially important for cardiovascular health. Flavanols are plant compounds found in foods such as apples, berries, pears, beans, tea, and cocoa.

Yet new research published in Food & Function suggests that simply following current dietary guidelines leaves most people well short of the flavanol intake linked with measurable heart benefits.1 That finding deserves your attention because many people assume eating the recommended number of fruit and vegetable servings automatically delivers every beneficial plant compound.

According to this research, that assumption doesn’t hold up well. The gap isn’t mainly about eating more produce — which produce you choose matters more, though as the researchers found, food choice alone doesn’t fully close it either. This is an important distinction because it shifts the conversation away from quantity and toward quality. Once you understand why certain fruits contribute far more of these compounds than others, the results of the study become much easier to act on.

One caveat worth knowing upfront before going into the findings — much of the flavanol evidence base, including the COSMOS trial discussed below, is industry-funded. Two authors of this new paper are employed by Mars, Incorporated — a company engaged in flavanol research and flavanol-related commercial activities — and COSMOS was supported by an investigator-initiated grant from Mars Edge, with study pills donated by Pfizer Consumer Healthcare (now Haleon).2

Healthy Eating Alone Doesn’t Always Deliver Enough Flavanols

Previous research, including the largest clinical trial of flavanols, the COSMOS study, reported that a daily 500 milligram (mg) dose of flavanols — delivered as a cocoa extract supplement to 21,442 U.S. adults (women aged 65 and older, men aged 60 and older) over a median of 3.6 years — was associated with a 27% lower rate of cardiovascular death in intention-to-treat analyses.

Reductions in total cardiovascular events (15%) and major cardiovascular events (16%) came from per-protocol and post hoc analyses, respectively.3 That 500 mg benchmark became the foundation for a follow-up question researchers set out to answer in Food & Function: Do the diets most people actually eat get them anywhere close to that target?4

To answer that question, the researchers analyzed flavanol intake in two large population studies instead of relying on assumptions about what people eat. Both analyses were observational: the COSMOS portion was a cross-sectional analysis of data collected before participants received any supplement, and EPIC-Norfolk is an observational cohort. Neither measured health outcomes — they assessed flavanol intake only.

They used objective laboratory measurements from 6,509 participants in the U.S.-based COSMOS study and 24,154 participants in the U.K.-based EPIC-Norfolk study to determine whether real-world eating habits matched the flavanol intake associated with better heart health. The answer was largely no.

• Eating more produce was only part of the story — In COSMOS, eating more fruits and vegetables came with slightly higher flavanol levels, though the difference was too small to be meaningful. Overall diet quality was the better predictor.

In EPIC-Norfolk, the pattern reversed. Participants with the highest fruit and vegetable intake — and those adhering most closely to U.K. dietary guidance — were slightly less likely to reach 500 mg per day. The researchers described the differences between high and low fruit and vegetable consumers as very modest overall. Either way, most participants failed to reach the estimated 500 mg per day benchmark.

The researchers also note that they deliberately set their biomarker thresholds to overestimate how many people had high intakes, making their figures a best-case scenario, and that COSMOS participants ate considerably better than the general U.S. public — so, the true shortfall is likely larger.*

This matters because it changes how you think about food choices. If your goal is to increase flavanol intake, simply counting servings of fruits and vegetables isn’t enough. Different foods contain dramatically different amounts of flavanols. Choosing foods naturally richer in these compounds has a much larger impact than simply increasing the total number of servings. Think of it like filling a toolbox — adding more tools helps, but adding the right tools makes the biggest difference.

• The researchers tested whether common eating habits could realistically reach the target — To answer that question, they performed thousands of computer simulations using foods commonly eaten in the U.S. Those simulations reinforced the findings from the human studies. Average fruit and vegetable choices rarely produced flavanol intakes near 500 mg per day.

Selecting foods based on their naturally higher flavanol content raised estimated intake — but even then, the probability of reaching 500 mg per day remained below 50%, and the researchers concluded that even five portions of high-flavanol fruits and vegetables did not get simulated diets to the 500 mg mark. That means the quality of your ingredients matters as much as quantity when selecting plant foods — and that closing the gap through ordinary food choices alone is harder than it sounds.

• Objective testing strengthened the findings — Many nutrition studies depend heavily on people remembering exactly what they ate, but memory is imperfect. This investigation added another layer of confidence by measuring flavanol metabolites in urine. Metabolites are the byproducts left in your bloodstream and urine after your body processes what you’ve eaten, measurable chemical fingerprints of your recent diet.

The investigators combined two different biomarkers to reflect different time windows after eating flavanol-rich foods. Because flavanols clear the body quickly, researchers needed two markers with different detection windows to capture intake across an entire day, not just a single meal. The two markers have different estimated systemic half-lives — roughly two hours for one and six hours for the other.

Together, they provided a broader snapshot of daily flavanol intake. Using both measurements also reduced the chance that a single meal would distort the results. One limitation the researchers flagged: there are currently no validated biomarkers for tea-specific flavanols, so tea’s contribution is only partly captured.

• The same shortfall appeared across two different countries — Although people in the U.S. and United Kingdom eat differently, a similarly small share of each population reached the flavanol benchmark. The direction of the diet-quality association, however, differed between the two cohorts, as noted above.

Participants in the United Kingdom consumed much more tea than those in the U.S., yet only 17.9% of EPIC-Norfolk participants reached the estimated flavanol target compared with 19.2% of COSMOS participants.

The researchers also observed several interesting differences between participant groups. Men were more likely than women to reach the estimated flavanol intake in both studies. In COSMOS, normal-weight participants were more likely than participants with obesity to meet the target, while the opposite pattern appeared in EPIC-Norfolk.

Those differences suggest that overall eating patterns, cultural food choices, and lifestyle habits all influence flavanol intake rather than any single factor alone.

• Not every fruit or vegetable contributes equally — One of the most practical lessons from the study is that flavanols are unevenly distributed across foods. The researchers identified apples, berries, stone fruits, beans, tea, and cocoa products as important dietary sources, while many other commonly eaten fruits and vegetables contribute much less.5

That creates an opportunity rather than a challenge. Instead of simply aiming for more produce every day, focus on building meals around foods naturally richer in flavanols. Small upgrades repeated consistently move you closer to the intake levels associated with better cardiovascular health in this research. That approach keeps the goal simple, measurable, and easier to maintain over the long term.

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

Choose Foods That Naturally Deliver More Flavanols

The research points to a practical conclusion: The foods you rotate through your week matter more than hitting a produce quota. Think beyond counting fruit and vegetable servings and instead focus on foods that naturally supply higher amounts of flavanols. That approach addresses the real issue identified in the research — many healthy diets still fall short because the food choices themselves are too low in these beneficial plant compounds.

1. Choose fruits and vegetables naturally rich in flavanols — If you want to support your heart, make foods like apples (with the peel), blueberries, blackberries, cherries, and plums regular parts of your meals rather than defaulting to lower-flavanol options like bananas or melons. Bananas and melons still provide valuable nutrients and deserve a place in a healthy diet, but when flavanol intake is the goal, every serving works harder when it comes from the right source.

Pairing these foods with green tea is an easy addition, though keep the ceiling in mind. In the U.K. cohort, even the heaviest tea drinkers reached the 500 mg benchmark only about 19% of the time. When possible, choose organic produce to reduce your exposure to agricultural chemicals, and if you have the space, consider growing some of your own fruit. Homegrown berries, cherries, and plums give you fresh, flavorful options while letting you control how they’re grown.

To put the 500 mg daily target in perspective, here are approximate figures reported for select flavanol-rich foods. These come from the News Medical summary of the research rather than from the featured study itself, and the serving sizes are estimates:

• Plums (about 4 medium plums): ~450 mg
• Cranberries (1½ cups): ~300 mg
• Blackberries (1½ cups): ~250 mg
• Green tea (one 8 oz. cup): ~200 mg
• Cherries (about 25 to 30 pieces): ~130 mg
• Apple with skin (one medium apple): ~110 mg
• Strawberries (1½ cups): ~90 mg
• Blueberries (1 cup): ~80 mg

Again, treat these as estimates, not fixed values. The researchers caution that flavanol content varies considerably with cultivar, climate, and growing and harvest conditions. For example, the epicatechin content of a single apple variety can fluctuate more than tenfold, meaning the number of apples needed to reach a given intake could range from 2 to 29.

Green tea’s figure also deserves a mention — the study’s biomarkers do not capture tea-specific flavanols, so how much tea contributes to the intake linked with cardiovascular benefit is not yet established.6

One practical caveat if your gut isn’t in good shape — Large servings of berries and beans add a substantial fiber load, and when the gut microbiome is compromised, fiber can increase endotoxin production. If you notice gas, bloating, stomach pain, diarrhea, or constipation, start with whole fruits and white rice to restore gut function, then work up to larger portions of higher-fiber foods as tolerance improves.

2. Make flavanol-rich foods part of your daily routine — Your body responds to consistent habits, not occasional healthy meals. If you enjoy blueberries with breakfast, an apple as a snack, or a cup of green tea in the afternoon, keep those habits going day after day. Small routines are much easier to maintain than dramatic diet changes.

3. Challenge yourself to add more variety each week — If your shopping cart looks the same every trip, add one flavanol-rich food you don’t normally buy. Try pears, cranberries, red raspberries, black currants, or minimally processed cocoa. Note that black tea’s characteristic flavanols (theaflavins and thearubigins) were not captured by the featured study’s biomarkers, and their contribution to cardiovascular benefit remains to be established.

With cocoa, choose varieties with lower percentages, look for Prop 65 certification and transparent heavy-metal testing, and avoid products containing vegetable oils. A scrutinizing eye keeps meals interesting while expanding the variety of beneficial plant compounds in your diet.

4. Stock your kitchen with intention — Healthy choices become much easier when the right foods are already within reach. Before your next shopping trip, write down three or four flavanol-rich foods you’ll commit to buying that week and treat them as non-negotiables alongside your usual staples.

Small, consistent food choices — an apple instead of a banana, a cup of green tea, a handful of blueberries on the side — are an easy way to raise your flavanol intake. Whether food-based flavanols translate into lower cardiovascular risk has not been tested directly; the risk data available comes from a supplement trial. However, the research does give you a clearer map of where flavanols are concentrated. The next step is simply stocking your kitchen accordingly.

5. Beyond flavanols, build your meals around whole foods — Flavanols are only one part of a heart-healthy diet. Fill your plate with a variety of whole fruits, vegetables, and other minimally processed foods that provide vitamins, minerals, and thousands of other beneficial plant compounds that work together to support a healthy heart.

At the same time, avoid ultraprocessed foods, which are often made with inflammatory seed oils such as soybean, corn, sunflower, safflower, and canola oil. Prepare meals with more stable fats like grass fed butter, ghee, or beef tallow instead. Cutting back on ultraprocessed foods while adding more whole, flavanol-rich foods doesn’t just boost your flavanol intake, it upgrades the entire foundation your heart health is built on.

FAQs About Fruit Choices That Boost Flavanol Intake

Q: What are flavanols, and why are they important for your heart?
A: Flavanols are natural plant compounds found in foods such as apples, blueberries, blackberries, cherries, pears, plums, beans, tea, and cocoa. Previous research, including the COSMOS trial, linked a daily intake of about 500 mg of flavanols with a lower risk of dying from cardiovascular disease and fewer major cardiovascular events.7 COSMOS delivered those flavanols as a cocoa extract supplement to adults aged 60 and older; the major cardiovascular events finding came from a post hoc analysis.

Q: Does eating the recommended amount of fruits and vegetables provide enough flavanols?
A: Not for most people. The Food & Function study found that fewer than 1 in 4 people who followed current dietary recommendations reached the flavanol intake associated with heart-health benefits. The researchers concluded that adherence to current dietary guidelines does not ensure flavanol intake at the level linked with cardiovascular benefit, and that specific dietary reference values for flavanols may still be necessary.

Q: Which foods are among the best natural sources of flavanols?
A: Foods naturally rich in flavanols include apples, blueberries, blackberries, cherries, pears, plums, green tea, black tea, and minimally processed cocoa. Eating a variety of these foods throughout the week is an easy way to increase your flavanol intake while also providing other beneficial nutrients.

Q: Should you stop eating fruits that contain fewer flavanols?
A: No. Fruits such as bananas, melons, and many others still provide vitamins, minerals, fiber, and other beneficial plant compounds. If your goal is to increase flavanol intake, simply include higher-flavanol fruits more often instead of replacing all other fruits.

Q: What is the easiest way to increase your flavanol intake?
A: Focus on food choices instead of simply eating more produce. Stock your kitchen with flavanol-rich fruits, enjoy green tea regularly (black tea also contains flavanols, though not the types this study could measure), rotate different berries and other high-flavanol fruits throughout the week, choose organic produce when practical, and consider growing some of your own fruit if you have the space.

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.

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Cardiovascular disease accounts for roughly 30% of all deaths worldwide.1 But before the dramatic event at the end of the timeline, there’s often a quiet biological drift that occurs. You rarely feel this shift as it unfolds. It typically shows up subtly in routine patterns, then compounds year after year until the damage becomes visible and difficult to reverse.

Much of that long arc traces back to how blood vessels respond to ongoing metabolic and environmental pressure. When the inner lining of your arteries loses resilience, circulation suffers, tissues receive less oxygen, and stress accumulates in places designed for constant flow.

Researchers have spent decades trying to interrupt this process, often focusing on single markers while missing the underlying drivers that keep the cycle active. That gap explains the renewed interest in compounds that work at the cellular level. Some nutrients influence how cells handle stress, repair themselves, and maintain structure under pressure.

When that foundation improves, downstream markers tend to follow. Astaxanthin, a naturally occurring red pigment found in certain marine foods and microalgae, stands out in this context because it supports the basic structures that protect cells under stress while reinforcing the systems that keep blood vessels and your heart functioning over time.

Astaxanthin Targets the Core Drivers of Heart Disease

A review published in the Journal of King Saud University examined astaxanthin as a nutraceutical for cardiovascular health, with a primary focus on atherosclerosis, blood pressure, lipid levels, and metabolic stress.2 The researchers evaluated how astaxanthin affects the biological processes that actually damage arteries over time, including oxidative stress and chronic inflammation, which directly affect your long-term heart risk.

The paper draws from animal research and human clinical trials involving adults with imbalanced blood fats, diabetes, high blood pressure, or elevated cardiovascular risk factors. These are the same categories many people fall into long before a diagnosis like heart attack or stroke appears on their chart.

• Astaxanthin consistently improved lipid patterns tied to plaque buildup — Across human trials summarized in the paper, astaxanthin supplementation lowered triglycerides and raised HDL cholesterol, often referred to as “good cholesterol,” because it helps remove excess cholesterol from artery walls.

• Improvements occurred without the tradeoffs seen with other antioxidants — Astaxanthin differs from beta-carotene and vitamin E, which failed to improve cardiovascular outcomes in large trials and, in some cases, worsened oxidative stress at higher doses. This comparison helps explain why astaxanthin shows benefits where other antioxidants fell short.

Why did vitamin E and beta-carotene fail where astaxanthin succeeds? Location matters. Most antioxidants float in the watery parts of cells or accumulate in fat stores, leaving membranes vulnerable. Astaxanthin is uniquely shaped to span the entire cell membrane, anchoring at both the inner and outer surfaces.

This positioning lets it intercept damage right where it starts — at the membrane itself. Additionally, high-dose vitamin E actually becomes a pro-oxidant under certain conditions, generating the very damage it’s supposed to prevent. Astaxanthin doesn’t share this liability.

• Blood vessel function improved alongside lipid changes — Animal studies reviewed in the paper showed reductions in systolic blood pressure and improved endothelial function. The endothelium is the thin inner lining of all your blood vessels — think of it as the “skin” inside your arteries. When it’s healthy, vessels relax easily, blood flows smoothly, and plaque has trouble gaining a foothold.

When it’s damaged, arteries stiffen, blood pressure rises, and the conditions for heart disease take hold. With astaxanthin, arteries stayed more flexible instead of stiffening under pressure. Most lipid and oxidative stress improvements appeared after four to 12 weeks of consistent supplementation.

• Astaxanthin works by neutralizing damaging molecules before they injure arteries — Oxidative stress involves unstable molecules that attack fats, proteins, and DNA inside your blood vessels. Think of oxidative stress like a fire spreading through dry brush. Unstable molecules called free radicals steal electrons from healthy cells, damaging them and triggering a chain reaction.

Astaxanthin acts like a fire break — it donates electrons freely, satisfying these unstable molecules before they damage your artery walls.

Unlike many antioxidants that float outside cells, astaxanthin spans the entire cell membrane, anchoring itself across the fatty layer that lines blood vessels. This positioning lets it shield vulnerable fats from oxidation, which slows plaque formation. Astaxanthin also activates a cellular switch that turns on your own antioxidant enzymes, including glutathione-related systems.

• Inflammation reduction plays a central role — Astaxanthin lowers inflammatory activity inside artery walls, slowing one of the earliest structural changes that leads to plaque formation. When immune cells absorb too much damaged cholesterol, they swell up and become trapped in artery walls — researchers call these bloated cells “foam cells” because of their bubbly appearance under a microscope.

These foam cells are the foundation of arterial plaque, the buildup that narrows arteries over time. Taken together, the paper shows that astaxanthin supports healthier cholesterol handling, steadier blood pressure, and stronger vessel walls through mechanisms that match how cardiovascular disease actually develops.

Why Form and Timing Matter for Real Cardiovascular Protection

A review published in the journal Marine Drugs set out to evaluate astaxanthin specifically through the lens of cardiovascular disease, with an emphasis on oxidative stress, inflammation, blood flow, and clot risk.3

Researchers studied what happens when blood flow to the heart stops and then suddenly returns — a situation doctors call ischemia-reperfusion injury. This mimics what occurs during a heart attack or heart surgery. Surprisingly, much of the damage happens not during the blockage itself, but when blood flow returns and floods oxygen-starved tissue. Astaxanthin showed remarkable protective effects during this key window.

• Astaxanthin protected the heart muscle during oxygen deprivation — In multiple animal studies summarized in the review, astaxanthin administration before an induced cardiac event limited the amount of heart tissue damaged during the period of extreme stress, helping preserve more healthy heart muscle.

• Protection increased with dose in controlled experimental settings — The review reports a clear dose-response relationship in several studies, where higher astaxanthin exposure led to greater reductions in tissue damage and oxidative markers.

Astaxanthin provided the strongest protection when present in tissues before vascular injury occurred. Human safety data summarized in the paper report no significant adverse effects across a wide dosing range, including effects on blood pressure, clotting, or liver markers.

• Blood flow dynamics improved independently of cholesterol changes — One unique finding emphasized in this paper is improved arterial blood flow and delayed clot formation in animal models, even when lipid levels were not the primary variable.

This finding separates astaxanthin from the cholesterol-focused approach that dominates conventional cardiology. Astaxanthin improves circulation directly, not just by changing lipid numbers on a lab report. In blood clot models, astaxanthin delayed vessel blockage without interfering with normal clotting needed for wound repair.

Why Astaxanthin Works Upstream of Cardiovascular Damage

Astaxanthin is a compound that strengthens heart cells, stabilizes blood vessels, and improves flow before damage escalates into clinical disease.4 Astaxanthin stands out because it targets oxidative stress and inflammation at their source, not downstream damage.

• Cell membranes remained intact under extreme oxidative pressure — Astaxanthin embeds across the lipid membrane, anchoring both ends and preventing breakdown when reactive molecules attack. This means your cells hold their shape instead of leaking and failing under stress.

Astaxanthin increased nitric oxide, the molecule that signals blood vessels to relax and widen. At the same time, it reduced peroxynitrite — a harmful compound formed when nitric oxide reacts with free radicals. Peroxynitrite stiffens arteries and damages tissue, so this dual action keeps vessels flexible while preventing collateral damage.

• Astaxanthin interrupts the inflammatory chain reaction in arteries — As explained in a review published in The American Journal of Cardiology, cardiovascular disease worsens when reactive oxygen and nitrogen species overwhelm blood vessels, activating inflammatory switches that drive endothelial dysfunction, plaque growth, and rhythm disturbances such as atrial fibrillation.5

Unlike vitamin E and beta-carotene, which failed in human trials, astaxanthin belongs to a class of oxygenated carotenoids that directly neutralize these reactive molecules and break destructive chain reactions before they damage vessel walls, making it a strong candidate for addressing a long-standing gap in cardiovascular treatment.

• Astaxanthin shows broad cardiovascular actions — A 2017 review published in Food & Function explains that astaxanthin influences multiple cardiovascular pathways at once, including oxidative stress control, inflammation reduction, blood pressure regulation, lipid handling, glucose balance, kidney protection, and plaque development.6

How to Address the Root Causes of Cardiovascular Damage

Many heart problems build over time through oxidative stress, chronic inflammation, damaged blood vessel lining, and poor cellular energy handling. Fixing those drivers first changes the trajectory, because lipid patterns, blood pressure, and circulation often improve as downstream effects. If you’re already seeing warning signs on labs, or you simply want stronger long-term protection, these steps keep the focus on causes, not symptoms.

1. Lower oxidative stress at the cellular level first — Oxidative damage injures artery walls and sets plaque processes in motion, and one of the biggest drivers is excess linoleic acid (LA) from seed oils. Many Americans consume far more LA than their tissues can safely handle, which fuels inflammation and mitochondrial dysfunction that pushes heart disease forward.

You lower that burden by cutting ultraprocessed foods and seed oils — keeping your LA intake below 5 grams per day. If you can get it under 2 grams, the benefit is even stronger.

To help measure your intake, I recommend you sign up for the Pax health platform, which contains the Seed Oil Sleuth. This feature helps calculate the LA in your food to a tenth of a gram. As oxidative stress drops, blood vessels regain flexibility instead of staying irritated and stiff.

Here’s where astaxanthin and seed oil reduction work together: Excess LA from seed oils makes your cell membranes more vulnerable to oxidation. Astaxanthin embeds in those same membranes and protects them. But if you’re constantly flooding your body with unstable fats, you’re fighting an uphill battle. Reducing seed oil intake lowers the oxidative burden, while astaxanthin reinforces the membranes you’re trying to protect.

2. Build blood vessel resilience — Reducing LA from seed oils and using more stable fats like grass fed butter, ghee, and tallow lowers oxidative stress in vessel walls, which helps preserve normal structure and function over time. Also support vessel flexibility with habits that reinforce circulation and relaxation.

Daily walking keeps blood moving across vessel walls, which signals them to stay elastic instead of stiff. Adequate magnesium intake also helps vessels relax appropriately rather than over-tightening under stress. When membranes are stable and vessels stay responsive, circulation improves naturally and the strain on artery walls drops.

3. If you use astaxanthin, choose the source that matches human nutrition — Astaxanthin occurs naturally in certain marine foods, including wild salmon, sardines, trout, shrimp, and krill, where it plays a protective role in those organisms. Including these foods regularly helps you obtain astaxanthin in a form your body already recognizes.

Krill oil offers a convenient way to obtain astaxanthin alongside omega-3 fats, since the astaxanthin in krill helps protect those delicate omega-3s from oxidation. This combination delivers cardiovascular benefits from multiple angles simultaneously.

If you decide to use an astaxanthin supplement, I strongly recommend products made from the Haematococcus pluvialis microalgae, not versions produced from petrochemicals or genetically engineered yeast. This keeps your intake aligned with the forms studied in cardiovascular research and avoids unnecessary exposures tied to synthetic production, while preserving the benefit profile linked to natural astaxanthin.

Most human studies showing cardiovascular benefits used doses between 4 and 12 milligrams (mg) daily of natural astaxanthin from Haematococcus pluvialis. Higher doses (up to 24 mg) have been studied safely, but the sweet spot for most people appears to be 8 to 12 mg daily, taken with a fat-containing meal to enhance absorption.

4. Use astaxanthin strategically during periods of higher cardiovascular stress — Astaxanthin provides the most value when oxidative and inflammatory stress rise. Intense exercise, emotional stress, frequent travel, and disrupted sleep all place extra strain on blood vessels and heart tissue. These are the moments when oxidative damage accumulates fastest — and when astaxanthin’s protective effects matter most.

Using astaxanthin consistently during these higher-demand phases helps reinforce cellular defenses when damage is most likely to occur. This shifts astaxanthin from a passive supplement to an active support tool matched to real-world stress patterns.

5. Restore circadian alignment with sunlight, vitamin D, and proper sleep — Your blood vessels follow a circadian rhythm. For instance, untreated sleep apnea and disrupted sleep cause a sharp nighttime drop in blood vessel function, increasing vulnerability to heart attacks and other cardiac events.7 Supporting healthy sleep timing and morning light exposure helps stabilize that rhythm.

As you begin to eliminate seed oils, avoiding harsh midday sun for at least six months gives your skin time to clear stored LA, which improves sun tolerance and lowers burn risk during peak midday exposure. As that process completes, gradual midday sun exposure supports natural vitamin D production, reinforcing vascular function, energy balance, and overnight repair.

FAQs About Astaxanthin and Heart Disease

Q: Why does cardiovascular disease develop so gradually?
A: Cardiovascular disease usually develops over many years through ongoing stress on blood vessels. Factors such as oxidative stress, chronic inflammation, and impaired cellular energy slowly weaken the artery lining, reducing circulation efficiency long before noticeable symptoms appear.

Q: What makes astaxanthin different from other antioxidants studied for heart health?
A: Astaxanthin acts at the cellular level, protecting cell membranes and interrupting damaging oxidative and inflammatory processes before they escalate. Unlike antioxidants that failed in large trials, astaxanthin works upstream by stabilizing cells and supporting normal vessel function under stress.

Q: How does astaxanthin support blood vessel and heart function?
A: Research shows astaxanthin helps preserve flexible blood vessels, supports healthy blood flow, and protects heart tissue during periods of reduced oxygen or increased stress. These effects align with how cardiovascular damage actually develops, rather than focusing on isolated markers alone.

Q: Why does the form and timing of astaxanthin matter?
A: The benefits of astaxanthin depend on using biologically appropriate forms and having it present during periods of higher oxidative or inflammatory stress. Natural sources and consistent use during demanding phases, such as intense exercise or disrupted sleep, align best with the research findings.

Q: How do lifestyle factors like diet, sleep, and sunlight fit into cardiovascular protection?
A: Lowering oxidative stress through diet, supporting daily circulation with movement, and maintaining healthy circadian rhythms all reinforce blood vessel repair. Proper sleep timing and regular sunlight exposure support vascular function and vitamin D production, helping protect your heart.

Q: How much astaxanthin should I take, and when?
A: Most research showing cardiovascular benefits used 4 to 12 mg daily of natural astaxanthin. Because astaxanthin is fat-soluble, taking it with a meal containing healthy fats (like grass fed butter or pastured eggs) improves absorption. Consistency matters more than timing — daily use builds tissue levels over weeks, providing ongoing protection rather than acute effects.

Microplastics are no longer just a problem in the ocean — they’re showing up deep in your lungs, changing how your cells function, and raising red flags about cancer risk.

A study published in the Journal of Hazardous Materials revealed that when healthy lung cells absorb polystyrene micro- and nanoplastics — the same kind found in food containers and packaging — they adapt in dangerous ways.1

Instead of dying off, these cells become more mobile and activate pro-survival signals linked to tumor formation. In other words, plastic doesn’t kill your lung cells; it rewires them to behave more like cancer. You inhale thousands of these particles every day from indoor dust, car tires, synthetic fabrics, and degraded packaging.

They’re small enough to bypass your airways’ built-in defenses and embed themselves in the tissue, right where gas exchange happens. Once there, they generate oxidative stress — an internal firestorm of reactive molecules that attack your DNA, disrupt repair systems, and throw off normal cell function. The transformation into a more aggressive, unstable state starts earlier than anyone thought — not in tumors, but in the tissues you rely on to breathe.

These changes don’t cause symptoms right away. But left unchecked, they lay the groundwork for chronic inflammation, lung disease, or cancer later in life. The evidence is clear: plastic is interfering with the core biology of your lungs. Now let’s look at how these findings came to light — and what exactly plastic does once it enters your body.

Healthy Lung Cells Absorb More Plastic Than Cancer Cells — and Change in Dangerous Ways

For the Journal of Hazardous Materials study, researchers examined the effects of microplastics and nanoplastics on both healthy lung cells and three types of lung cancer cells.2 They wanted to see if these plastic particles — widely found in food packaging, household dust, and industrial waste — interfere with normal cell function or trigger biological changes tied to disease.

• Healthy cells were more affected than cancerous ones — The researchers exposed the cells to various sizes of microplastics and nanoplastics at low doses meant to reflect real-world conditions. Surprisingly, it was the healthy lung epithelial cells that absorbed more plastic than the cancer cell lines. These normal cells also showed a greater shift in behavior, including changes in shape, structure, and migration — all red flags for malignant transformation.

• Plastic exposure didn’t kill cells — it pushed them into survival mode — Unlike many toxins that kill off cells through apoptosis, or programmed cell death, microplastics didn’t trigger widespread cell death. Instead, they activated internal damage response systems, including DNA repair signals and antioxidant defense. This is concerning because it means the cells adapted to survive in a toxic environment — the first step in the chain reaction that leads to cancer.

• DNA damage and oxidative stress were key findings — The lung cells showed elevated markers of oxidative stress and significant DNA strand breaks after exposure to microplastics and nanoplastics. This kind of internal damage, if not properly repaired, leads to genetic instability — a known precursor to cancer development. The study also confirmed that oxidative stress was size-dependent, with smaller nanoparticles causing more harm than larger ones.

Plastic Exposure Made Healthy Cells More Mobile — a Cancer-Like Behavior

One of the most troubling findings was that lung cells increased their rate of migration after plastic exposure. In cancer biology, increased mobility is a marker for aggressive tumor cells, which invade surrounding tissues and spread throughout the body. The fact that noncancerous cells began behaving this way highlights the hidden risk of daily microplastic exposure.3

• Plastic particles disrupted the cell membrane and cytoskeleton — Researchers used imaging tools to show that both nano- and microplastics entered the cells and altered the internal structure. The actin cytoskeleton — a network that helps cells maintain their shape and movement — was significantly reorganized in exposed cells. This internal restructuring made the cells more fragile and unstable.

• Several survival pathways were activated in the lung cells — Exposure to microplastics and nanoplastics triggered signaling pathways that promote cell survival and resistance to stress. These same pathways are commonly overactive in tumor cells, and their activation in healthy lung cells suggests that plastic is not just a passive contaminant but an active disruptor of cell biology.

• Plastic-induced changes occurred without visible inflammation — One of the more insidious findings was that all of these harmful changes occurred without classic signs of inflammation or immune response. That means you wouldn’t feel anything or see any symptoms — but the long-term cellular effects could be serious. This stealth effect underscores why daily exposure to microplastics should not be dismissed.

• Cells exposed to plastic lost their ability to function normally — Overall, the study showed that plastic particles interfere with nearly every aspect of healthy lung cell behavior: from DNA integrity to cell shape, mobility, and stress response. While the research didn’t follow these changes to full tumor formation, the authors emphasized that these are precisely the kinds of shifts that lead to long-term disease.

Microplastics Damage Your Lungs, Gut, and Reproductive System — Even at Everyday Exposure Levels

A 2024 review in Environmental Science & Technology looked at 28 animal studies and three human studies to understand what happens when microplastics get inside you — whether you breathe them in or swallow them.4 The damage wasn’t limited to one area. It showed up in the lungs, digestive tract, and even reproductive organs.

• Plastic triggered inflammation, DNA damage, and hormonal disruption — Inhaling plastic particles caused inflammation in the lungs, scarring of airways, and changes in how immune cells responded.

Ingested plastics damaged the gut lining, disrupted the gut microbiome, and kicked off chronic inflammation. Some studies showed sperm damage, lower testosterone, changes in ovary structure, and reduced fertility in animals. These effects weren’t limited to high doses — they happened at levels that mimic everyday life.

• Oxidative stress was the main mechanism behind the harm — The common thread was oxidative stress — a kind of internal “rusting” process where your body struggles to keep up with damaging free radicals. That stress interferes with DNA repair, weakens cell membranes, and confuses your immune system. Once it starts, it becomes harder for your body to recover from the damage.

• Smaller particles go deeper — and stay longer — Nanoplastics, the tiniest particles, were the most dangerous. They could pass through the lungs or gut lining, enter the bloodstream, and end up in places like your liver, kidneys, or even your brain. These particles didn’t just pass through — they stuck around and changed how those organs functioned.

• Plastic isn’t just an environmental problem — it’s a full-body health threat — What you breathe, eat, and drink every day could be slowly reshaping your internal biology. Even though more human studies are needed, the fact that dozens of animal studies found damage across key organ systems — at realistic exposure levels — makes one thing clear: your daily contact with microplastics isn’t harmless.

Natural Strategies to Eliminate Microplastics Are Being Explored

Studies are now looking at strategies to help the human body filter, trap, and eliminate microplastics before they can spread throughout your other systems. These methods offer a multi-angle approach to help reduce your internal plastic load and support overall health. I’ve written a paper discussing these methods in detail, and while it is still under peer-review, I’ve provided the key findings below.

• Cross-linked psyllium could help eliminate microplastics — One key system that plays a role in removing microplastics from your body is your gut. A 2024 study showed that acrylamide cross-linked psyllium (PLP-AM) removed over 92% of common plastic types like polystyrene, polyvinyl chloride (PVC), and polyethylene terephthalate (PET) from water.

Because of its high swelling ability and sticky, gel-like texture, cross-linked psyllium could be adapted to work inside the gut, where it may trap plastic particles before they’re absorbed into the body. While the study was conducted in a water treatment setting, the results are also promising for human health.5

• Chitosan, a natural fiber derived from shellfish, also shows promise for clearing microplastics from your body — An animal study published in Scientific Reports found that rats given a chitosan-enriched diet were able to eliminate about 115% of the polyethylene microplastics they were fed, compared to just 84% in the control group.

This suggests that chitosan not only helps bind and eliminate new plastic particles but might even help pull out some that were already absorbed. However, while it’s generally considered safe and already used in supplements, people with shellfish allergies are advised to steer clear of it.6

Psyllium and chitosan work through physical adsorption, where hydrophobic (water-repelling) and electrostatic forces stick microplastic particles to the fiber, keeping them from being absorbed. However, one drawback with these binders is that they can also soak up nutrients if not timed carefully. Hence, they need to be used strategically to provide the most benefit, such as ingesting them with processed or packaged foods, which are more likely to contain plastics.

• Certain beneficial bacteria strains can help clear microplastics from the gut — A 2025 animal study found that two specific strains, Lacticaseibacillus paracasei DT66 and Lactiplantibacillus plantarum DT88, were able to bind to and eliminate tiny polystyrene particles in lab tests.

These probiotics work by forming protective biofilms that trap plastic particles, making them easier to flush out.7 When combined with dietary fibers like psyllium and chitosan, the result could be a more effective and natural way to sweep microplastics out of the gut before they’re absorbed.

• The liver also plays an essential role in clearing microplastics from the bloodstream — Specialized immune cells in the liver, known as Kupffer cells, help trap these foreign particles and route them into bile for elimination via the intestines. However, while this method may work on smaller plastics, larger ones can linger and build up, especially if your liver function is compromised.

To support this natural detox pathway, researchers are studying the use of compounds like ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) and its variant tauroursodeoxycholic acid (TUDCA), which stimulate bile production and improve particle flow out of the liver.

• Researchers are also looking at strategies to enhance autophagy to eliminate microplastics — Autophagy is your body’s natural cellular recycling system. Researchers are looking at compounds that can help promote this system, mainly rapamycin and spermidine.

Rapamycin works by inhibiting the mTOR pathway, a nutrient-sensing mechanism that normally suppresses autophagy. When mTOR is turned off, cells ramp up their cleanup efforts, forming membranes that can collect and isolate plastic particles for breakdown or removal. Meanwhile, spermidine is a naturally occurring polyamine found in foods that enhances cellular resilience and supports the clearance of toxic substances.

In lab and animal studies, the combination of spermidine and rapamycin helped reverse mitochondrial dysfunction and reduce oxidative stress caused by microplastics.

The table below summarizes these novel strategies to eliminate microplastics, including their mechanisms of action, how much testing has been done, and important safety considerations. It shows that although several different approaches may be needed, clearing plastics from your body naturally is possible. Of course, reducing your exposure is still the ideal preliminary course of action.

How to Reduce Your Exposure to Lung-Damaging Microplastics

If you’re breathing, you’re exposed. Microplastics are in the air around you — from synthetic carpets and clothing to packaging dust and car exhaust. You don’t need to panic, but you do need to act. These particles aren’t just passing through your lungs.

They’re embedding, altering how your cells behave, and triggering damage at a cellular level. That means you need to treat this like any other environmental toxin: identify the source and cut it off. Here’s how I recommend you take control of your environment and protect your lungs:

1. Ditch synthetic textiles and go natural wherever possible — If you’re wearing polyester or drying synthetic fabrics indoors, you’re likely inhaling fibers you can’t see. Switch to natural clothing like cotton, wool, linen, or hemp. Use a vented dryer and keep your laundry space well-ventilated to reduce airborne fibers.

If you’re a parent, prioritize organic natural fibers for children — they’re more vulnerable to inhalation damage. For the synthetic pieces you already own, wash them less frequently, line dry when possible, and use a microfiber-catching laundry bag to trap loose fibers.

2. Upgrade your indoor air filtration and filter your water — Your lungs are working overtime in enclosed spaces. Use a high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filter in the rooms where you spend the most time — especially bedrooms and workspaces. If you live in an apartment or near a busy road, a good air purifier is nonnegotiable.

Make sure it’s rated for micro-sized particles (PM2.5 or smaller) to catch airborne plastic dust. In addition, use a high-quality water filtration system that removes particles down to the micron level.

3. Avoid heating plastic containers or food packaging — Microwaving plastic, drinking hot liquids from plastic-lined cups, or using plastic containers for leftovers can release polystyrene particles and nanoplastics. Store food in glass or stainless steel instead. If you’re reheating, make it a habit to transfer your food out of plastic first — this one small change significantly lowers your microplastic load.

4. Vacuum with a sealed system and damp dust frequently — Dust is one of the biggest sources of indoor microplastics — and your vacuum matters. Use a sealed vacuum with a HEPA filter, and clean floors regularly, especially if you have carpets or pets. Dry dusting just pushes particles into the air, so use a damp cloth to trap and remove dust instead.

5. Avoid personal care products that contain microbeads or plastic thickeners — If you’re using exfoliating scrubs, toothpaste, or face washes that list polyethylene or polypropylene on the label, you’re applying plastic directly to your skin and possibly rinsing it into the air. Choose clean, microplastic-free products.

You won’t just help your body — you’ll help reduce contamination in the environment, too. Small actions, when done consistently, have a compounding effect. The less plastic you breathe in, the lower your risk of cellular stress, immune dysfunction, and long-term lung damage.

FAQs About Microplastics

Q: How do microplastics affect my lungs?
A: Microplastics don’t just sit in your airways — they get absorbed into lung cells and trigger changes linked to cancer. They cause oxidative stress, DNA damage, and make healthy cells behave more like tumor cells by activating survival pathways and increasing mobility, even without obvious inflammation.

Q: Where do microplastics come from, and how do I inhale them?
A: You breathe them in from indoor dust, synthetic clothing, carpets, car tires, and even packaging materials. These particles are tiny enough to bypass your lungs’ natural defenses and embed in your tissue — right where gas exchange happens.

Q: What other parts of my body do microplastics harm?
A: Beyond your lungs, microplastics damage your digestive system and reproductive organs. Studies show they disrupt your gut lining, alter your microbiome, and interfere with hormones, fertility, and immune signaling. Smaller nanoplastics even reach your brain and liver through your bloodstream.

Q: Can I remove microplastics from my body naturally?
A: Emerging research suggests that natural binders like cross-linked psyllium, chitosan, and specific probiotics help trap and eliminate microplastics in your gut. Other strategies like supporting liver detox and boosting autophagy with compounds like spermidine and rapamycin are also being studied.

Q: What are the best ways to reduce my exposure to microplastics?
A: Switch to natural fabrics, use HEPA air filters, avoid heating food in plastic, vacuum with sealed systems, and choose clean personal care products without microbeads. Small daily changes significantly lower your plastic exposure and protect your long-term health.

Seventy percent of young adults now take at least one nutritional supplement, and 30% report regular use of pre-workout energy products.1 Those numbers reflect just how many people want more energy, better endurance, and stronger workouts. Yet the ingredient that dominates most pre-workout formulas — caffeine — creates a growing problem.

As tolerance develops, many people need larger doses to achieve the same effect, while others deal with jitters, restless sleep, and unwanted side effects instead of better performance.

These limitations have fueled interest in non-stimulant pre-workout supplements. Instead of relying on stimulants to increase alertness, these formulas are designed to support energy production, blood flow, and fatigue resistance during exercise.

But not every ingredient on a label earns its place there. Some take weeks of consistent use to show any benefit at all; others do their best work in the hour before you train. And a persistent labeling practice in this industry makes it surprisingly difficult to know whether you’re paying for an effective dose or just paying for the marketing.

That raises an important question: Which ingredients actually deliver measurable results, and which claims deserve a closer look? The research offers useful signals that can make it easier to separate evidence-backed ingredients from marketing claims.

The Best Pre-Workout Ingredients Do More Than Boost Energy

Not every ingredient on a pre-workout label does the same job, and many don’t do much at all. A detailed evidence review published by News Medical sorted the evidence-backed performers from the marketing filler, comparing the research behind creatine, beta-alanine, citrulline, taurine, and L-tyrosine.2 Here’s what held up — and what didn’t.

• Creatine stood out as one of the strongest performers — If your goal is to lift heavier weights, complete more repetitions, or maintain power during short bursts of intense exercise, creatine has one of the strongest scientific records among sports supplements.

Creatine helps regenerate adenosine triphosphate (ATP), the primary energy molecule your muscles use for explosive movements such as sprinting, jumping, and resistance training.3 Think of ATP as a rechargeable battery inside your muscle cells; creatine speeds up the recharge between each explosive contraction, so you can repeat that effort instead of stalling out.

Even a short loading protocol of 0.3 grams per kilogram of body weight for three consecutive days increased the number of repetitions resistance-trained athletes completed at 60% to 80% of their one-repetition maximum while also lowering cardiovascular strain during exercise.4 Participants accomplished more work before becoming fatigued.*

After loading, a daily maintenance dose of roughly 3 to 5 grams is enough to keep muscle creatine stores elevated. Many people skip the loading phase entirely and simply take 3 to 5 grams per day, which reaches the same muscle saturation levels within about three to four weeks.

• Some ingredients require patience before you notice results — One of the biggest misconceptions about pre-workout supplements is that every ingredient works immediately. Beta-alanine works differently than most pre-workout ingredients because it first has to build up inside your muscles. Your body uses beta-alanine to produce carnosine, a naturally occurring compound that gradually accumulates with consistent daily use.

That buildup matters because hard exercise floods your muscles with hydrogen ions, the molecules behind the burning sensation that eventually forces you to stop. Higher carnosine levels act like a chemical buffer, neutralizing those ions so your muscles keep firing longer before fatigue shuts them down.

The National Institutes of Health Office of Dietary Supplements reports that consistent beta-alanine intake for at least two to four weeks is typically needed to raise muscle carnosine levels,5 while research discussed in the review found daily doses of 4 to 6.4 grams, divided into smaller servings,* was associated with improved strength and power for up to eight weeks while reducing the temporary tingling sensation called paresthesia that some people experience after larger doses.6

• Better blood flow supports both performance and recovery — The review also examined ingredients that increase nitric oxide (NO). Your body already produces NO to widen blood vessels when muscles demand more oxygen during exercise. Ingredients like L-citrulline boost that natural signal, so more blood — carrying oxygen, fuel, and waste-removal capacity — reaches working muscles when they need it most.

Citrulline malate, specifically, was highlighted because research showed it reduced muscle soreness by as much as 41.8% between 24 and 48 hours after exercise.7 That faster recovery may help you feel ready to train again sooner, and consistency over weeks appears to matter more than intensity on any single day.*

The review also points out that these ingredients showed their greatest value during high-intensity exercise rather than lower-intensity endurance activities, helping you match your supplement choice to the type of training you actually perform.

• Not every popular ingredient deserves the same attention — Ingredients vary widely in effectiveness. A 2025 systematic review and network meta-analysis of athletes exercising in the heat found that taurine was associated with a potential benefit for endurance under hot environmental conditions, an effect researchers linked to taurine’s role in regulating cellular hydration and calcium movement inside muscle cells.8

That may make taurine worth considering if you train outdoors in summer or in poorly ventilated indoor spaces where heat compounds muscular fatigue, though the reported effect size is modest and further research is warranted.*

By comparison, L-tyrosine showed only moderate-quality evidence* for improving mental focus during periods of psychological stress or fatigue and generally failed to improve whole-body endurance performance.9 That distinction helps you prioritize your spending instead of assuming every ingredient listed on a supplement label contributes equally to better workouts.

• Choosing the right product matters as much as choosing the right ingredient — Product quality directly affects results. Proprietary blends are a persistent problem because manufacturers often combine multiple ingredients without revealing the amount of each one. Without that information, you can’t determine whether a product contains enough of an ingredient to match the doses used in research.

Select supplements with transparent labels that clearly disclose ingredient amounts and match those ingredients to your training goals instead of chasing exaggerated marketing promises. Creatine and beta-alanine work best with consistent daily use, while NO boosters provide the greatest support when taken roughly 60 to 120 minutes before exercise.

Build Your Performance from the Ground Up

Those findings give you a clear shortlist of ingredients worth your money. But even the best supplement only works inside a system that supports it, which starts with how you eat, sleep, and structure your training. One big mistake I see is chasing a bigger energy boost instead of building a body that produces energy efficiently.

If your goal is better workouts, more strength, or faster recovery, focus on the habits and ingredients that consistently improve performance instead of relying on products that simply make you feel more alert for a short time. When you support your body’s natural energy systems, you may find you can train harder, recover more effectively, and make steadier progress without depending on stimulants.

1. Match your supplement to your training goal instead of taking everything — Your body doesn’t need every ingredient every day. If your priority is strength, power, and repeated high-intensity efforts, creatine deserves a high place on your list because research consistently links it to support for the rapid energy system your muscles rely on during demanding exercise. The most efficient way to get more creatine is by eating animal-based foods like grass fed beef.

However, if you’re not able to get enough creatine from food, or you’re aiming to reach the recommended daily dose of 3 to 5 grams (g) per day, I recommend creatine monohydrate. It’s one of the most studied and generally well-tolerated forms. Choose a clean product from a trusted company — no additives, fillers, or mystery flavors.

Despite lingering myths, research has generally not linked creatine monohydrate to impaired kidney function in healthy adults,10 and any initial water retention typically eases within the first week or two of use.11

If your workouts involve repeated bursts of hard effort, research suggests beta-alanine, taken consistently over several weeks, may help your muscles gradually build the carnosine needed to delay fatigue. Picking supplements based on your actual training goals can save money and may produce better results.

2. Build your energy with food instead of stimulants — High-dose stimulant pre-workout supplements can keep your nervous system in a stressed, alert state, which may make it harder for your brain and body to shift into the deep, restorative sleep where recovery actually happens. Treat these stimulants as another source of stress instead of a performance tool.

Before training, eat a simple meal or snack that includes carbohydrates, protein, and fluids so your muscles have the fuel they need without overstimulating your nervous system. Removing unnecessary stimulants from your routine, including pre-workout products and energy drinks, may create steadier energy throughout the day and help your body establish a more predictable rhythm instead of forcing you to chase the next caffeine boost.

3. Choose ingredients with transparent research instead of flashy labels — If you’re shopping for a pre-workout supplement, turn the container around before you buy it. Look for products that clearly list the amount of every active ingredient instead of hiding them inside a proprietary blend.

When you know the dose, you can compare it with the amounts used in research instead of paying for ingredients that are present only in tiny amounts. Prioritize ingredients with consistent evidence behind them, such as creatine for strength and power, instead of products that rely on long ingredient lists and marketing claims.

4. Treat your post-workout meal as part of your workout — Recovery starts the moment your training session ends. Your muscles rebuild most effectively when your body enters a rest-and-digest state instead of remaining in fight-or-flight mode. Eat carbohydrates after training to help replace the energy you used during exercise; some research suggests this pattern may also support healthier post-exercise cortisol levels, the stress hormone that rises during intense workouts.12

Pair those carbohydrates with about 20 to 40 g of protein within two hours after training, which equals roughly 0.3 to 0.4 g of protein per kilogram of body weight for most adults. Include about 2 to 3 g of leucine, an amino acid that helps activate muscle protein synthesis, the process your body uses to repair and build muscle tissue.13 When you recover well, fatigue tends to ease as your body continues rebuilding for your next workout.

5. Measure progress instead of chasing a feeling — Give evidence-backed ingredients enough time to work and judge success by measurable improvements, not by how energized you feel after taking a supplement. Track the number of quality repetitions you complete, the amount of weight you lift, how quickly you recover between workouts, and how rested you feel the next day.

Those markers tell you far more about your progress than the temporary rush produced by stimulant-based products. Consistency with training, nutrition, hydration, and recovery tends to outperform short-term stimulation.

*These findings are from research conducted in clinical settings. 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 Non-Stimulant Pre-Workout Supplements

Q: What are the benefits of a non-stimulant pre-workout supplement?
A: Non-stimulant pre-workout supplements support exercise performance without relying on caffeine. Research suggests certain ingredients may support strength, power, endurance, blood flow, or recovery — depending on the ingredient — by supporting your muscles’ natural energy systems rather than stimulating your nervous system. The best results come from choosing ingredients that match your training goals and using them consistently.

Q: Is creatine the best non-stimulant ingredient for strength?
A: Creatine has one of the strongest bodies of scientific evidence for improving strength and high-intensity exercise performance. It helps your muscles rapidly regenerate ATP, the primary energy source used during activities such as weightlifting and sprinting. Research has also shown it can increase the number of repetitions you can perform during resistance training while reducing cardiovascular strain.

Q: How long does beta-alanine take to work?
A: Beta-alanine is not an instant-performance supplement. Your body uses it to produce carnosine, a compound that gradually builds up inside your muscles over several weeks. Higher carnosine levels help delay the muscle fatigue that develops during hard exercise, making consistent daily use much more important than taking a single dose before a workout.

Q: Should I avoid stimulant pre-workout supplements?
A: If your goal is long-term performance and recovery, limiting stimulant-based pre-workout supplements is a smart strategy. High doses of caffeine can keep your nervous system in a stressed, alert state, which may interfere with deep, restorative sleep and recovery. Building your energy with quality nutrition, hydration, consistent training, and adequate sleep tends to create more reliable performance than depending on stimulants.

Q: How do I choose an effective pre-workout supplement?
A: Start by looking for products that fully disclose the amount of every active ingredient instead of hiding them in proprietary blends. Then match those ingredients to your training goals. Support your supplement routine with a balanced pre-workout meal containing carbohydrates, protein, and fluids, and follow every workout with carbohydrates and 20 to 40 grams of protein to promote recovery and muscle repair.

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For decades, older adults have been warned that taking calcium supplements could harm their brains. Those warnings stemmed from small observational studies suggesting calcium might increase dementia risk by promoting vascular calcification or white matter lesions in the brain. Dementia, meaning a progressive decline in memory, reasoning, and behavior that interferes with daily life, affects 57 million people worldwide, according to the World Health Organization.1

It’s a devastating condition that robs independence, identity, and connection — so it’s no surprise that any hint of increased risk sparks concern. Calcium, however, is not a nutrient you can simply eliminate. It’s the most abundant mineral in your body and foundational for bone density, heart rhythm, muscle contraction, and nerve signaling. You need enough of it every day, especially as you age.

Yet the debate over how to get it — through diet or supplements — has persisted for years. Some experts argued that supplementing calcium floods your bloodstream and triggers calcium deposits in blood vessels, leading to stroke or cognitive decline. Others maintained that the risk was overstated and lacked solid evidence.

That’s why researchers from the University of Western Australia and colleagues conducted one of the most comprehensive long-term studies to date to determine whether calcium carbonate supplements truly raised dementia risk.2 What they found directly challenges years of fear-driven headlines and changes how you might think about calcium and brain health.

Long-Term Calcium Supplement Use Found Safe for Brain Health

The post-hoc analysis published in The Lancet Regional Health investigated whether taking calcium carbonate supplements increased dementia risk in older women.3 Researchers followed 1,460 women aged 70 and older who were dementia-free at the start of the study.

Half took 1,200 milligrams (mg) of calcium carbonate daily for five years, while the other half received a placebo. After an additional 9.5 years of follow-up, the researchers found no difference in dementia-related hospitalizations or deaths between the two groups.

• Older women were the focus because they face the highest risk of both osteoporosis and dementia — Calcium supplementation has long been prescribed to help offset accelerated bone loss in aging women.

However, past observational studies raised fears that supplements could promote calcium buildup in arteries and the brain. To address these concerns, researchers used hospital and death records to track dementia outcomes, providing a rigorous evaluation of calcium’s long-term neurological safety.

• The results showed no increased risk of dementia, hospitalizations, or deaths — Over the study period, 18.4% of participants experienced dementia events — 16.6% were hospitalized for dementia, and 7.8% died from dementia-related causes.

However, the difference between calcium and placebo groups was statistically insignificant. Calcium users had slightly lower — but not significantly different — rates of dementia compared to the placebo group. This finding held true even after adjusting for genetic, cardiovascular, and lifestyle risk factors.

• The researchers also found no effect from how well participants followed their supplement plan — Even among those who took 80% or more of their assigned tablets, known as the per-protocol group, calcium had no adverse effects on cognitive outcomes.

Compliance was similar between groups — about 57% overall — and those who adhered more closely to the treatment had a 27% lower relative risk of dementia, regardless of whether they were in the calcium or placebo group. This suggests healthier behavior patterns, not calcium intake itself, could explain differences in dementia outcomes.

Calcium’s Suspected Link to Dementia Was Largely Theoretical — and This Study Disproved It

Critics had speculated that calcium supplements could cause “intracellular calcium overload,” leading to cell death or calcified deposits in brain tissue. Others feared sudden spikes in blood calcium could damage blood vessel linings. However, no such effects were observed in this long-term controlled study. Researchers found no increase in carotid artery plaque or arterial wall thickening — two markers of vascular calcification — among supplement users.

• The study also addressed previous contradictory research — Two earlier observational studies claimed calcium users had up to six times higher dementia risk, particularly among women with a history of stroke or brain lesions.4,5

However, those studies were small and relied on self-reported supplement use rather than controlled dosages. By contrast, this randomized controlled trial provided calcium directly to participants and tracked adherence, eliminating much of the recall bias and confounding that weaken observational data.

• Even women with heart disease showed no increased dementia risk — Some researchers theorized that calcium supplements could worsen vascular problems or lead to calcification in the arteries, which could reduce blood flow to the brain.

Yet, when researchers separated women with existing atherosclerotic vascular disease from those without, results were the same — no association between calcium supplementation and dementia. The same held true for those with prior strokes or other cardiovascular issues.

Synergistic Nutrients Strengthen Both Brain and Bone Health

Calcium’s behavior inside your body depends on a precise balance with other nutrients that determine where it goes and how it’s used. When that balance is right, calcium strengthens your bones and supports clear thinking. When it’s off, the same mineral can contribute to stiffness, fatigue, or vascular buildup. Understanding this synergy is the key to unlocking calcium’s full benefits for both brain and body health.

• Cognitive and skeletal health depend on nutrient teamwork, not single nutrients — Your brain and bones rely on a delicate balance of minerals and vitamins that work together — especially calcium, magnesium, vitamin D3, and vitamin K2.

Each plays a distinct role, but it’s their combined action that determines how effectively your body absorbs, uses, and stores calcium for long-term health. When these nutrients fall out of balance, calcium could end up in soft tissues like arteries instead of bones, where it’s needed most.

• Vitamin D3 directs calcium to where it belongs — Often called the “sunshine vitamin,” vitamin D3 helps your intestines absorb calcium efficiently and ensures it’s delivered into your bloodstream for proper use. Without adequate vitamin D3, your body struggles to maintain calcium balance.

This imbalance triggers a rise in parathyroid hormone (PTH), which pulls calcium from your bones to maintain blood levels, weakening skeletal strength and disrupting normal cellular processes that influence cognition. Sunlight exposure plays a central role in calcium regulation and brain health. Your skin produces vitamin D3 when exposed to sunlight, setting off a chain reaction that impacts both bone and brain function.

Proper vitamin D levels help regulate neurotransmitters, support mitochondrial activity, and protect against cognitive decline as you age. A lack of sunlight, on the other hand, makes even a calcium-rich diet less effective because your body can’t absorb or use the mineral properly without D3’s guidance.

• Magnesium keeps calcium in check and prevents harmful buildup — Acting as nature’s regulator, magnesium ensures calcium moves into bones and teeth instead of soft tissues. When magnesium levels are low, calcium often deposits in arteries, contributing to vascular calcification — a process associated with memory problems and cardiovascular disease. Balanced magnesium intake stabilizes this system, improving both vascular function and the nutrient delivery that fuels brain cells.

• Vitamin K2 activates proteins that lock calcium into your bone matrix — Found in fermented foods such as natto, sauerkraut, and aged cheeses like Gouda, Brie, and Edam, vitamin K2 turns on osteocalcin and matrix Gla-protein — two key compounds that guide calcium into bones and away from arteries. This mechanism reduces arterial stiffness, strengthens bone density, and supports the nutrient flow your brain depends on for healthy circulation and oxygen delivery.

• The four nutrients operate as a unified network that protects cognition — Calcium builds structural integrity; magnesium controls distribution; vitamin D3 governs absorption; and vitamin K2 ensures proper deposition. When one piece of this puzzle is missing, the system falters.
For example, supplementing calcium without magnesium or D3 could cause imbalances that increase calcification risk, while taking D3 without K2 could direct calcium into soft tissue rather than bone. The goal is harmony, not excess.

The Calcium-Magnesium Balance — Why Both Minerals Matter

Optimal bone health depends on maintaining balance between calcium and magnesium, a mineral that quietly governs calcium’s every move. While conventional advice has long prioritized calcium supplementation, the ratio between these two minerals is just as important as their total amounts.

• Both nutrients are widely underconsumed — Roughly 3.5 billion people worldwide risk inadequate calcium intake, mostly in low- and middle-income countries.6 At the same time, an estimated 45% to 60% of adults in developed nations fail to meet magnesium requirements through diet alone.7 Because only about 1% of magnesium is found in blood, routine lab tests often appear normal even when tissue levels are deficient, masking early imbalance.8

• The ratio matters as much as the amount — Studies suggest a calcium-to-magnesium ratio of about 2-to-1 (ranging from 1.7-to-1 to 2.6-to-1) may be ideal for metabolic and cardiovascular health, but the appropriate amount depends on magnesium form, diet quality, kidney function, and individual needs.9

Modern diets often reach calcium-to-magnesium ratios of 3-to-1 or higher, which limits magnesium absorption and promotes calcium buildup in soft tissue. Ratios exceeding 2.8-to-1 have been linked with inflammation, arterial stiffness, and metabolic stress.10

Keep in mind that these ratios refer to elemental magnesium, not the weight of the magnesium compound itself. Different forms of magnesium supply different amounts of elemental magnesium, and each type has specific characteristics. For example, systemic balance typically relies on forms like glycinate, citrate, or malate, while magnesium L-threonate supports brain magnesium levels at much lower elemental doses.

For this reason, magnesium needs cannot always be compared by compound weight alone, and intake should be assessed based on total elemental magnesium from both food and supplements, and supplemental forms are best chosen based on your personal health goals and tolerance.

• A balanced approach works best — Aim for whole-food calcium sources such as raw grass-fed dairy, leafy greens, powdered eggshell, small fish with edible bones, and algae-derived calcium. For magnesium, lean on legumes, dark leafy greens and, if needed, well-tolerated supplemental forms.

Both minerals act in concert — magnesium activates vitamin D, drives calcium into bone, supports hundreds of enzymatic reactions, and prevents inappropriate calcification, while calcium provides the structural framework for bones and muscles.

If supplementing, limit calcium to 500 mg per dose and select a formula that pairs both minerals in a 2-to-1 ratio. Think of calcium and magnesium as partners, not competitors — each depends on the other for optimal brain, bone, and cardiovascular health.

Keeping Calcium and Phosphorus in Balance Protects Your Brain and Bones

Your calcium-to-phosphorus ratio is another key player in how well your body maintains strong bones and clear thinking. Most people think of calcium as the key mineral for bone health, but phosphorus is equally important — and too much of it disrupts the entire system.

Calcium and phosphorus work in tandem to maintain bone density and nerve signaling, yet when phosphorus intake far exceeds calcium, your body compensates by pulling calcium out of bones to restore balance in your blood. This imbalance doesn’t just weaken your skeleton — it also stresses your cardiovascular and nervous systems, both of which influence brain health.

• Modern diets have tilted this ratio in the wrong direction — The ideal calcium-to-phosphorus ratio is between 1:1 and 1.3:1, meaning you should consume roughly equal amounts of each mineral. However, many people today are closer to 0.3:1 — three times more phosphorus than calcium.

This imbalance is fueled by excessive consumption of animal protein, processed foods, and grain-based products, all rich in phosphorus but low in calcium. When this ratio stays low for years, it accelerates bone loss, increases vascular calcification, and contributes to obesity and premature aging.

• Excess phosphorus forces calcium to leave your bones, triggering a cascade of problems — When phosphorus levels rise too high, your PTH increases to restore equilibrium. PTH does this by pulling calcium from bones into your bloodstream, keeping blood calcium stable but at the cost of bone strength.

Over time, this process erodes bone density, increases fracture risk, and contributes to osteoporosis — a condition marked by brittle bones and slow healing. The same process also promotes arterial stiffness and calcium buildup in soft tissues, increasing cardiovascular strain and reducing brain oxygenation.

• Phosphorus overload often comes from hidden sources — Processed meats, soda, energy drinks, and packaged snacks frequently contain phosphate additives that sharply elevate intake without providing the balancing minerals your body needs.

Even diets high in red meat skew the ratio toward excess phosphorus if calcium sources aren’t prioritized. Reading ingredient labels and minimizing processed foods are simple steps that protect both your bones and cognitive function.

• Managing your calcium-phosphorus ratio is straightforward once you know what to focus on.

◦ Prioritize calcium-rich foods such as raw grass fed cheese and yogurt.
◦ Limit processed meats, colas, and fast foods that contain phosphate preservatives.
◦ Consider using natural food-based calcium sources such as raw grass fed dairy, small fish with bones, algae-derived calcium, or powdered eggshell. Each provides calcium in a form your body can use, and the right choice depends on your diet, preferences, and tolerance.
◦ Add a magnesium supplement to help regulate calcium transport and reduce vascular stress.
◦ Get sunlight exposure to optimize your vitamin D levels and help your body use calcium efficiently and stabilize hormone balance.

The Best Calcium Sources Come from Food, Not Pills

When you understand how your body uses calcium, you start to see why whole foods work better than isolated supplements. Calcium doesn’t act alone — it relies on a network of nutrients, including magnesium, vitamin D3, and vitamin K2, to reach your bones instead of your arteries or brain.

It’s also balanced by phosphorus, another mineral that’s often too high in modern diets due to processed foods and excessive animal protein. Restoring that mineral harmony keeps your bones strong, your arteries clear, and your mind sharp as you age.

1. Start with food-based calcium every day — You’ll absorb calcium best from whole foods that naturally contain the right mineral balance. Include raw grass fed cheese, Greek yogurt, cottage cheese, and cooked collard greens — if your gut tolerates them — regularly.

These foods provide bioavailable calcium that your body recognizes and puts to work immediately. They also deliver trace minerals and natural fats that support hormone balance and nutrient absorption — two key elements of long-term bone and brain health.

2. Powdered eggshell provides a pure, natural calcium boost — Powdered eggshell is made mostly of calcium carbonate — the same compound found in your bones — and contains 27 other trace minerals that improve calcium uptake. Take about 1/2 teaspoon of eggshell powder three times a day with meals to provide roughly 1,300 mg of calcium.

I recommend mixing it into smoothies, yogurt, or soups. It’s inexpensive, effective, and free of contaminants that often plague bone meal products. If you notice any constipation, consider taking magnesium alongside the eggshell calcium for better results.

3. Pair calcium with magnesium, vitamin D3, and vitamin K2 — Calcium and magnesium work like teammates — one tightens muscles and nerves, the other relaxes them. Without enough magnesium, calcium builds up in soft tissues instead of strengthening bones.

Vitamin D3 and vitamin K2 complete the team: D3 helps you absorb calcium efficiently, while K2 activates proteins that guide it into your bone matrix and keep it out of arteries. This trio — magnesium, D3, and K2 — ensures calcium goes exactly where it should, supporting steady energy, vascular health, and sharper cognition.

While leafy greens provide excellent dietary magnesium, due to depleted soils many healthy foods have lower levels of nutrients than they used to. As a result, many people still need supplementation to reach optimal magnesium levels. Generally, your magnesium intake should be about half of your calcium intake — so if you’re consuming 1,000 mg of calcium, your ideal magnesium intake is about 500 mg.

When taking magnesium, start with magnesium citrate, which is absorbed well but will cause loose stools if you take too much. Gradually increase your dose until that happens, then back off slightly. That’s your personal threshold. Once you know it, switch to forms like magnesium glycinate, malate, or threonate, which deliver the benefits without upsetting your digestion.

To optimize your vitamin D levels, aim for sun exposure on bare skin daily, without sunscreen, but avoid exposure during peak hours (10 a.m. to 4 p.m.) until you’ve eliminated seed oils for at least six months to reduce sun sensitivity. Test your vitamin D levels regularly and aim for 60 to 80 ng/mL (150 to 200 nmol/L).

4. Balance your calcium-to-phosphorus ratio for bone and brain protection — Most people consume far more phosphorus than calcium, which forces your body to pull calcium from your bones to restore balance in your blood. Over time, this weakens bones and promotes calcium deposits in arteries.

To correct this, reduce processed foods, colas, and grain-heavy meals, and increase calcium-rich options such as raw grass fed dairy, eggshell powder, and cooked greens. Aim for a calcium-to-phosphorus ratio close to 1:1 by combining calcium-rich foods with moderate protein intake. This keeps both your skeleton and your cardiovascular system in harmony.

5. Use calcium strategically — not excessively — More isn’t always better. Most adults need around 1,000 to 1,300 milligrams of calcium per day from all sources combined, balanced with magnesium, vitamin D and K2. Avoid overdoing protein or processed foods that drive up phosphorus, and remember that consistent, balanced intake — not high doses — creates the real results.

Most adults need about 0.8 grams of protein per pound of ideal body weight (the weight you would ideally be, not necessarily the weight you are now), or for Europeans, approximately 1.76 grams of protein per kilogram. Ideally, get roughly one-third of your protein from collagen sources like bone broth or grass fed ground beef, which contains connective tissue, or glycine to support connective tissue health.

Balanced nutrition supports strong bones, clear arteries, steady energy, and cognitive resilience throughout your life. By shifting toward whole food sources and respecting your body’s mineral rhythms, you give yourself the best chance to maintain both skeletal and cognitive health for decades to come.

FAQs About Calcium, Brain Health, and Cognitive Resilience

Q: Does taking calcium supplements increase your risk of dementia?
A: No. According to research published in The Lancet Regional Health, calcium carbonate supplements did not increase the risk of dementia, hospitalizations, or dementia-related deaths in older women who took them for five years and were followed for 9.5 years afterward.11 The findings showed no link between calcium supplementation and vascular calcification or cognitive decline.

Q: How do vitamin D3, magnesium, and vitamin K2 work with calcium to protect your brain?
A: These nutrients act as a coordinated team. Vitamin D3 helps your intestines absorb calcium and directs it into your bloodstream; magnesium regulates calcium’s movement so it enters your bones instead of your arteries; and vitamin K2 activates proteins that “lock” calcium into bone tissue. Together, they ensure calcium supports bone strength and brain health without causing harmful deposits in soft tissues.

Q: Why is the calcium-to-phosphorus ratio important for cognitive and bone health?
A: An ideal calcium-to-phosphorus ratio of about 1:1 maintains balance between bone-building and cellular energy processes. Most modern diets deliver three times more phosphorus than calcium due to high intake of animal protein, processed foods, and soda. This imbalance causes calcium to leach from bones, weakens skeletal structure, and promotes calcium buildup in arteries — raising the risk of cardiovascular and cognitive problems.

Q: What are the best food sources of calcium and its supporting nutrients?
A: Whole, minimally processed foods are your best option. Raw grass fed cheese, Greek yogurt, cottage cheese, and cooked leafy greens provide highly absorbable calcium. For magnesium, focus on cooked greens, potatoes, and bananas, but most people need supplementation to support their levels. Vitamin D3 is produced naturally from sunlight exposure, and vitamin K2 is found in fermented foods like natto, sauerkraut, and aged cheeses such as Gouda or Brie.

Q: How can you safely optimize your calcium intake for brain and bone health?
A: Rely primarily on food-based calcium. Raw grass-fed dairy, small fish with bones, algae-derived calcium, and powdered eggshell all supply the mineral in natural forms that work well with your biology. Choose the source that best supports your digestion and overall nutrient intake.
Pair calcium with magnesium, vitamin D3, and vitamin K2 to ensure proper absorption and placement in your body. Avoid overconsuming phosphorus-rich or processed foods, and aim for daily sunlight to maintain ideal vitamin D3 levels. Consistency — not high doses — is what sustains strong bones, clear arteries, and lasting cognitive vitality.

You’ve been told that bloating is normal. That gas after meals, a tight waistline by afternoon or the need to unbutton your pants is just part of getting older, eating fast or being “sensitive.” But these everyday annoyances aren’t just a nuisance — they’re a signal. And if you’ve brushed them off for months or even years, you’re not alone.

Digestive discomfort has quietly become one of the most ignored health issues in the U.S. You feel off, but you keep going. You try cutting dairy or sipping tea but nothing works. Maybe you’ve even been told it’s stress or hormones. And yet, every day, your gut reminds you something still isn’t right.

What’s missing for most people is a basic understanding of what their gut symptoms really mean. These signals — bloating, urgency, inconsistent bowel habits — aren’t random. They reflect a deeper disruption in your gut’s internal environment, one that affects not just digestion, but your energy, immunity and even your mood.

In the following sections, you’ll discover what’s actually driving this modern gut crisis and, more importantly, how to get your system back on track. You’ll learn what the latest data reveals about misdiagnosis, why probiotics and fiber are not helping, and which proven strategies are finally bringing people lasting relief.

Most Americans Misunderstand Their Gut Symptoms

A survey conducted by Censuswide set out to explore how Americans perceive their digestive symptoms and whether they understand the root causes behind them.1 The survey, which involved 2,000 adults across the U.S., was released in recognition of National SIBO Awareness Day.

Small intestinal bacterial overgrowth, or SIBO, is characterized by an excessive buildup of bacteria in the small intestine, leading to gas, bloating, pain, irregular bowel movements and nutrient malabsorption.

• More than half surveyed thought gut symptoms were normal — The survey uncovered that 51% of Americans believe symptoms like bloating, gas and abdominal discomfort are just a part of life. This suggests that half the population is normalizing signs of poor digestive health, allowing more serious issues to go undetected and untreated.

• Millions experience symptoms daily, but few get the right diagnosis — According to the report, 44% of Americans said they experience bloating or discomfort within just two hours of eating, a telltale sign of bacterial imbalance in the gut.

Despite this, 75% said they had never heard of SIBO, a common but often overlooked root cause of these symptoms. Some patients are misdiagnosed with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and never tested for SIBO, which requires a specific breath test that many conventional providers still don’t offer.

• Most patients diagnosed with IBS were not told about SIBO — Among those who said they had received an IBS diagnosis, 41% reported that their doctor never mentioned SIBO as a possible cause.

That omission is serious, because research now estimates that two-thirds of IBS patients have undiagnosed SIBO. This oversight delays proper treatment and allows the bacterial overgrowth to worsen, causing further inflammation and immune dysfunction throughout the body.

• Patients feel ignored and dismissed by health care providers — The emotional toll of being brushed off is also clear in the findings: 27% of respondents said they feel dismissed when trying to talk about their digestive symptoms with a medical provider. This occurs even though these physical experiences — bloating, stomach pain, urgency to run to the bathroom, gas and alternating diarrhea or constipation — disrupt daily life.

• People are searching for solutions but don’t know where to start — The survey found that 20% of Americans think probiotics alone are enough to fix gut health problems. But in cases of SIBO, probiotics sometimes worsen symptoms by adding more bacteria to an already overpopulated small intestine.

• A breakdown in the doctor-patient relationship is worsening outcomes — What this survey reveals is not just a gap in knowledge, but a breakdown in trust. When patients feel dismissed and left without options, they stop asking questions and suffer in silence.

Meanwhile, doctors miss key diagnoses like SIBO because they’re not trained to look for them. It’s a failure on both ends — one that’s easily corrected by better testing, improved education and a shift in how we think about gut health.

Stop Treating Symptoms in Isolation and Start Restoring Your Gut Terrain

If you’re dealing with daily bloating, gas, stomach pain or bathroom urgency, your body isn’t just reacting to a food choice — it’s reacting to a microbial imbalance inside your gut. You aren’t broken. Your inner environment has shifted in a way that favors harmful bacteria over the ones you need. And until you change that internal terrain, the symptoms will keep coming back no matter what you try.

The real problem starts when the wrong bacteria overgrow where they shouldn’t, leading to low butyrate production. Butyrate is one of the most powerful healing compounds your body makes inside your colon. It fuels the cells that seal up your gut lining, calms immune overactivation and reduces whole-body inflammation. But you can’t produce butyrate without specific microbes.

These important bacteria feed on fermentable fibers found in foods like cooked-and-cooled potatoes, green bananas, Jerusalem artichokes, lentils and oats — but you should only consume fiber-rich foods once your gut is stable enough to handle fiber safely. That’s the fiber paradox: fiber is necessary, but if you consume it when your gut is unhealthy, it makes symptoms worse.

Another key player, Akkermansia muciniphila, supports butyrate producers by strengthening your mucus layer and protecting your gut lining. Think of Akkermansia as the gatekeeper and butyrate producers as the builders. Together, they rebuild a resilient, anti-inflammatory microbiome. Here’s where I recommend you start:

1. Assess your gut health before making any changes — Before you jump into changing your diet, stop and take inventory. Ask yourself these key questions:

• Do you have a long list of food intolerances?

• Do you bloat or experience pain after eating fiber-rich foods?

• Do you go a day or more without a bowel movement?

• Do you suffer from chronic diarrhea or loose stools?

If you answered yes to at least three of these, your gut is in a highly compromised state. Don’t panic — this is actually good information. It means you know what you’re working with, and you can now take targeted steps to heal.

2. Avoid fiber and complex carbs until your gut calms down — When your gut is out of balance, high-fiber foods — even the “healthy” ones — work against you. Foods like beans, lentils, oats and raw greens ferment quickly when the wrong bacteria are in control. This creates gas, pressure and inflammation, and worsens gut lining damage.

Early on, your gut needs simplicity to heal. Choose easy-to-digest foods like whole fruit and white rice. These provide steady fuel without feeding bacterial overgrowth. As symptoms ease, you’ll carefully expand your diet to include more complex foods, but rushing this step will set you back fast.

3. Choose carbs that nourish your cells without feeding invaders — Your small intestine’s job is to absorb nutrients, not ferment them. When you eat complex carbs that linger, harmful bacteria seize the opportunity. Rapidly absorbed carbs like white rice and whole fruits pass through before bacteria ferment them, lowering endotoxin production and inflammation.

As your gut heals, begin layering in starches like peeled potatoes or cooked squash. Later, move toward root vegetables and, finally, more fibrous foods. The long-term goal is a diverse, fiber-rich diet — but only after your gut terrain is ready to support it safely.

4. Reset your internal terrain that allowed the overgrowth — Bacterial overgrowth is a symptom of imbalance. Pathogens thrive when your environment favors them. Factors like estrogen-dominant environments, excess iron, low thyroid function and constant exposure to vegetable oils and xenoestrogens from plastics create the perfect breeding ground.

Antibiotics often make this worse by wiping out helpful bacteria and allowing candida and other yeast to spread unchecked. To create lasting change, start by cleaning up your environment, balancing your iron and hormones, and supporting your thyroid. If your inner world is healthy, the wrong microbes can’t get a foothold.

5. Track your body temperature to spot hidden weaknesses — Low body temperature is a hidden sign that your metabolism, and your immune defenses, are underperforming. Fungal overgrowth like candida thrives in a cool, sluggish body. Start tracking your temperature first thing in the morning and again in the afternoon.

If your daytime readings consistently fall below 98.6 degrees F, it’s time to rebuild mitochondrial energy. Focus on steady healthy carb intake and regular sun exposure. Restoring normal body temperature is one of the simplest, clearest signs that your gut and your whole system are moving back toward health.

FAQs About SIBO and Gut Problems

Q: Why do so many people think stomach problems are normal?

A: More than half of Americans have been led to believe that bloating, gas and digestive discomfort are just part of everyday life. This false assumption often keeps people from recognizing serious gut issues. A national survey found that 51% of adults normalize these symptoms, which are actually signs of microbial imbalance in the small intestine.

Q: What is SIBO, and why is it often missed by doctors?

A: SIBO happens when bacteria that should stay in your large intestine overpopulate your small intestine. It’s commonly misdiagnosed as IBS because few practitioners test for it. In fact, 75% of survey respondents had never even heard of SIBO, and 41% of those diagnosed with IBS said their doctor never mentioned it as a possible cause.

Q: How do symptoms of SIBO show up in daily life?

A: The most common red flags include bloating, stomach pain, excessive gas, diarrhea or constipation, and urgent bathroom trips. These symptoms are caused by bacteria fermenting food in the wrong part of your digestive tract, which leads to inflammation and nutrient loss.

Q: Why don’t standard treatments work for chronic gut issues?

A: Conventional treatments often miss the mark because they treat surface symptoms without addressing the underlying terrain. Many people rely on antibiotics or restrictive diets that either worsen symptoms or offer only temporary relief. A root-cause approach focuses on restoring metabolic health, removing bacterial triggers and strengthening digestive defenses.

Q: What’s the best way to start healing your gut naturally?

A: Stop feeding the overgrowth with fiber and hard-to-digest carbs, and begin nourishing your gut cells with simple, easily absorbed carbohydrates like white rice and fruit. Support your thyroid, stabilize your body temperature and avoid vegetable oils and environmental toxins like plastics. Once your gut is calm, slowly reintroduce more complex foods while keeping daily carb intake around 250 grams for steady healing.

Long before refrigeration, people figured out that pulling water from food bought them time — to survive winter, travel long distances, or weather a bad harvest. That instinct still shapes modern pantries, lunchboxes, hiking packs, military rations, and disaster supplies, where compact, lightweight, shelf-stable food matters most. But the methods have changed dramatically.
Beyond the familiar hot-air dehydrator, food manufacturers now reach for freeze-drying, vacuum drying, heat-pump drying, and even ultrasound-assisted drying, each one pulling water out of food through a different physical process, with very different results for what’s left behind.1
Removing water doesn’t just shrink a food’s size. It concentrates whatever was already there, sugars, calories, and minerals alike, into a much smaller portion, while heat, oxygen, and storage time can strip away the nutrients that made the fresh version worthwhile.
Two products sitting side by side on a store shelf, both labeled “dehydrated,” can carry meaningfully different nutritional value depending on how the water was removed.
The tradeoffs don’t stop at nutrition. Drying lowers water activity enough to slow microbial growth, but it doesn’t sterilize food, and some dehydrated products, particularly meats, walk a narrower safety margin than their long shelf life suggests.
Add in the sodium, sugar, and preservatives that often accompany commercial drying, and “dehydrated” starts to look less like a single category and more like a spectrum, stretching from a simple dried fruit to a heavily processed snack engineered for shelf appeal.
So, is dehydrated food a smart addition to your diet, a convenient compromise, or something to approach with more caution than its health-food reputation suggests? The answer depends on which food, which drying method, and which company made it, and that’s exactly what the research below sorts out.

Dried Fruit Brings Tradeoffs

A 2023 narrative review published in Nutrients examined dried fruits such as raisins, cranberries, dates, and prunes, with emphasis on their plant compounds, digestion, gut microbes, cardiometabolic markers, bone health, and diet quality.2 The review included research published from 2000 onward, with preference for more recent studies, but the paper wasn’t a systematic review and didn’t pool results from a defined number of trials or participants.
A narrative review gives a broad map of the evidence, but it doesn’t prove that every dried fruit delivers the same health result. The authors state that research on dried fruit’s effects on the microbiome, heart-related risk factors, and bone health “warrant further investigation.”

• Prunes showed the clearest digestive effect — In a four-week trial of 120 healthy adults, people who ate either 80 grams of prunes daily (roughly six to 10 prunes) or 120 grams daily (about 10 to 14 prunes) had higher stool weight and more frequent bowel movements than the control group. The prune groups also had a higher relative abundance of Bifidobacteria, gut microbes that ferment fiber into short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) that feed the cells lining your colon.
Another trial involved 77 women after benign gynecologic surgery. Those assigned to 12 prunes plus docusate sodium, a stool-softening medication used to help make bowel movements easier, twice daily for three days had a greater likelihood of a bowel movement and earlier hospital discharge than women who received docusate alone.
Prunes also have an authorized European Food Safety Authority claim for normal bowel function at roughly 100 grams per day, or about eight to 12 prunes, although that amount is substantial for a single snack.
• Microbiome changes were specific, not universal — In healthy adults who ate three 28.3-gram (roughly one-quarter cup) servings of sun-dried raisins daily for 14 days, overall gut microbiota composition didn’t change. Specific bacteria did shift, however: Faecalibacterium prausnitzii and Ruminococcaceae increased, while Klebsiella and Prevotella decreased.
A short cranberry trial found that 30 grams per day of freeze-dried whole cranberry powder for five days reduced Firmicutes, increased Bacteroidetes, and prevented a decline in beneficial SCFAs compared with placebo. Dried fruit didn’t “reset” the gut. It changed selected microbes over brief periods, and the researchers stressed that far more human research is needed.
• Heart and blood sugar results didn’t follow one pattern — Several studies reported improvements with certain dried fruits. In one four-week trial, 41 men with high cholesterol had LDL cholesterol levels about 6.6 mg/dL lower after they ate roughly 100 grams of prunes (about eight to 12) daily than after they drank grape juice.
In another eight-week trial, adults with overweight or obesity who ate about 84 grams of prunes (about seven to 10) per day had LDL cholesterol 24.5 mg/dL lower than the comparison group that ate low-fat muffins.
Yet other trials found no cholesterol benefit, and one five-week study of dried Mission figs found higher total cholesterol compared with the usual diet. A four-week study of mixed dried fruit also showed a small rise in fasting glucose of about 1.4 mg/dL compared with calorie- and carbohydrate-matched processed snacks. The review identified energy balance as a key explanation: Outcomes looked different when dried fruit replaced another food versus when it added extra calories to the day.
• Raisins had the strongest blood pressure signal — Adults with overweight or obesity who ate three 1-ounce servings of raisins daily for 12 weeks had lower systolic and diastolic blood pressure than people who ate energy-matched processed snacks. Studies in adults with Type 2 diabetes and high blood lipids also reported improvements in either systolic or diastolic pressure with daily raisin intake.
Blood sugar results were less dramatic. In adults with overweight or obesity, three ounces of raisins daily for 12 weeks reduced hemoglobin A1c by 0.08 percentage points compared with processed snacks, while fasting glucose stayed unchanged. Hemoglobin A1c reflects your average blood sugar over roughly three months.
A useful personal check is simple: Measure your portion before you eat it, then ask whether it replaces a packaged snack or simply joins it. The research shows that this difference shapes the result.
• Prunes stood apart for postmenopausal bone health — Five clinical trials in postmenopausal women gave suggestive evidence that 50 or 100 grams of prunes daily for three to 12 months helped preserve bone mineral density. Bone mineral density measures the amount of mineral packed into bone; lower values raise fracture risk.
In a 12-month randomized trial, 50 grams of prunes daily preserved total hip bone density far better than the control group: bone density changed by minus 0.3% in the prune group versus minus 1.1% in controls. The 100-gram dose did not improve bone density in that study, and 41% of participants in that group dropped out, which suggests that a larger daily dose was harder to sustain.
The review found limited and inconsistent results in older men, so this evidence applies most clearly to postmenopausal women rather than everyone.

How Drying Technology Shapes Food Quality

The story doesn’t end with which fruit you choose. How the manufacturer removed the water also shapes what’s left on your plate. A 2020 study published in Foods compared three methods used to dehydrate broccoli, oranges, and carrots: conventional hot-air drying, freeze-drying, and radiant energy vacuum drying, known as REV drying.3
Researchers from the University of British Columbia and collaborators examined moisture, water activity, vitamin C, beta-carotene, rehydration, taste, appearance, and shelf-life changes.
The study didn’t test people or measure health outcomes. Instead, it tested the foods themselves. That matters when you buy dehydrated produce because two products with the same ingredient on the label can carry very different nutrient levels, textures, and storage stability based on how the manufacturer removed the water.

• Fast, lower-oxygen drying protected more vitamin C — For broccoli, REV drying reduced vitamin C by 4.6%, compared with a 66.4% reduction after conventional air drying. In oranges, REV drying reduced vitamin C by 16.9%, while air drying reduced it by 33.3%.
Vitamin C is especially fragile during food processing because heat, oxygen, and moisture break it down. The researchers described it as “highly susceptible to degradation” because it’s water-soluble and sensitive to both heat and oxidation. Oxidation is a chemical reaction in which exposure to oxygen damages compounds in food over time.
That means a crunchy dried broccoli snack doesn’t automatically provide the same vitamin C value as fresh broccoli. The drying method matters. A package rarely tells you whether its vegetables were exposed to prolonged high heat, so a simpler strategy is to treat dried vegetables as a convenience food, not a direct replacement for fresh produce.
• Carrots lost substantial beta-carotene regardless of method — Freeze-dried carrots retained the most beta-carotene, followed by REV-dried carrots and then air-dried carrots. REV drying cut beta-carotene by 57.5%, while hot-air drying cut it by 82.9%.
Beta-carotene gives carrots their orange color. Your body converts part of it into vitamin A, which supports vision, immune defenses, and normal skin tissue. The researchers explained that beta-carotene breaks down with heat and oxygen exposure, especially when high-temperature air speeds oxidation and changes the pigment’s structure.
This gives you a practical visual check. Deep orange or bright green color does not guarantee a dehydrated food retained all of its original nutrients, but dullness and fading often signal processing or storage damage. Think of color as one clue, not a nutrition label.
• Freeze-drying excelled at rehydration but carried tradeoffs — Freeze-dried broccoli, oranges, and carrots absorbed water most effectively during the study’s 10-minute rehydration test. The researchers linked this advantage to a porous, less dense structure created when food dries at freezing temperatures under vacuum.
That airy structure helps freeze-dried foods regain moisture quickly. It also explains the light, crisp texture common in freeze-dried fruit and vegetable products. However, freeze-dried samples lost points for aroma, which the researchers attributed to a loss of volatile compounds, the tiny molecules responsible for much of a food’s smell.
In plain terms, freeze-drying preserved structure and nutrient content better than ordinary hot-air drying, yet it did not win every category. Processing always involves tradeoffs. A food can look impressive, rehydrate well, and still lose part of its aroma or flavor.
• REV drying scored best for overall eating quality — Across the sensory tests, REV-dried foods earned the highest scores for appearance, aroma, flavor, and overall quality, except for broccoli texture. Eight trained panelists rated each food on a five-point scale that ranged from “dislike very much” to “like very much.”
Conventional air-dried foods received the lowest scores for most attributes. The study showed clear visual changes in the hot-air-dried products, including more shrinkage and color changes. The researchers connected REV’s stronger results to faster water removal and lower processing temperatures, which limited structural damage.
Try this the next time you shop: Pick a dried fruit or vegetable product already in your pantry, then find a plain freeze-dried or minimally processed version of the same food and compare their ingredient lists side by side. A superior drying method doesn’t erase added sweeteners, vegetable oils, flavorings, or other ingredients that change the food entirely.
• Shelf stability does not mean nutrients stay fixed — During a 42-day accelerated storage test at 35 degrees Celsius, the moisture content and water activity of sealed REV-dried foods stayed stable. This showed that the packaging kept extra moisture out.
Vitamin C still declined over time in both broccoli and orange samples. The researchers found that vitamin C loss declined at a steady, predictable rate over time, and higher temperatures accelerated that decline.
This is the useful takeaway for your pantry: Dry foods last longer because they resist spoilage, but their nutrient content doesn’t stay frozen in time. Store dehydrated foods away from heat, sunlight, and humidity. Rotate through them instead of treating them as permanent emergency foods that deliver the same quality years later.

Drying Meat Changes More Than Moisture

A review published in Frontiers in Nutrition examined how meat type, added ingredients, and drying technologies shape the nutritional, microbial, physical, and sensory qualities of products such as jerky, cured ham, and dried beef.4 The researchers focused on the entire drying process, from water removal and temperature control to salt, spices, storage, and packaging.
Dried meat offers a shelf-stable source of protein, but it’s not a single food category. A minimally seasoned, carefully dried cut of meat differs sharply from a highly salted, sugar-coated, nitrite-cured snack with a long ingredient list. The review makes that distinction clear: Drying extends shelf life, yet the production conditions determine much of the finished product’s safety, texture, flavor, and nutritional quality.

• Lower water activity blocks many microbes but doesn’t erase food-safety risks — Water activity refers to the water in food that bacteria, yeasts, and molds can use to grow. Drying lowers water activity, which makes the meat less hospitable to spoilage organisms and helps it last longer without refrigeration. The drier the meat, the harder it is for bacteria to grow.
In the review, very dry cured beef products had less moisture available for bacteria than softer, moister versions. The drier products stayed more stable during storage because bacteria need available water to multiply.
Biltong is a South African-style dried, cured meat, similar to beef jerky. In one analysis, the drier biltong samples had less bacterial growth than samples that retained more moisture. Still, dried meat isn’t germ-free. Once it absorbs moisture after opening, bacteria can begin to multiply again. In a five-week study, dried meat kept in a cupboard had more bacteria than dried meat kept in the refrigerator.
• Heat saves time but damages quality — High drying temperatures speed water removal. They also degrade heat-sensitive nutrients, harden the meat, reduce rehydration, and contribute to losses in color and flavor. The review described freeze-drying as especially useful for foods vulnerable to heat and oxidation. During freeze-drying, water freezes and then shifts directly from solid ice to vapor under vacuum.
This process preserves more of the meat’s original color, aroma, flavor, and structure than hotter drying methods, while also producing a porous texture that rehydrates quickly. Vacuum drying also reduces oxygen exposure, which helps protect foods prone to oxidation. Oxidation is the damage that occurs when oxygen reacts with fats and other compounds in food.
Yet the review emphasized that no technique prevents all quality loss. The practical goal is not simply the fastest method. It is a temperature-and-time balance that dries meat thoroughly without excessive heat damage.
• Salt and curing agents create a different risk profile — Salt does more than make dried meat taste salty. It pulls water out of meat through osmosis, a process in which water moves toward the saltier area, lowering water activity and slowing the growth of salt-sensitive microbes.

That preservation comes with a tradeoff. The review notes that nitrite exposure above recommended limits has been linked to methemoglobinemia, sometimes called “blue baby syndrome,” a condition in which blood carries less oxygen.

Nitrite exposure can also lead to the formation of N-nitroso compounds, a class of chemicals the International Agency for Research on Cancer has linked to DNA damage and cancer in animal studies — one more reason to treat heavily cured products as an occasional choice rather than a daily staple.5,6

• Fat oxidation drives rancid flavor and quality loss — Lipid oxidation occurs when fats react with oxygen. It alters color, texture, aroma, and nutritional quality, eventually producing rancidity, the stale or paint-like flavor associated with damaged fats.
The review noted that dried meat had higher markers of fat oxidation than fresh or smoked meat in one comparison. Mincing, mixing, and drying break apart cellular structures, allowing fats and oxidation-promoting compounds to interact more easily. This matters most for products made from fattier cuts or stored for long periods. The researchers reported that higher levels of polyunsaturated fats oxidize more rapidly, which contributes to discoloration and rancidity.
• Spices and storage influence the final product — Garlic, thyme, oregano, black pepper, and other seasonings affect flavor, but the review also described antimicrobial and antioxidant effects from certain herbs and spices. Antimicrobial means they slow or inhibit the growth of some microorganisms. Antioxidant means they slow chemical damage from oxidation.
Oregano and thyme essential oils helped maintain more stable microbial activity during storage in the studies discussed. Garlic and thyme also slowed the growth of the common spoilage bacteria that food scientists routinely track to judge whether a product is deteriorating on the shelf.

Choose Dehydrated Foods with Intention

So, back to the question I opened with: is dehydrated food a smart addition to your diet? The honest answer is sometimes yes, often no, and always depending on which product you’re holding. A bag of unsweetened prunes is not the same food as a glossy, oil-coated vegetable chip, and the label rarely tells you which category you’re in.
Dehydrated food isn’t the problem by itself. The root issue is loss of context: a whole food becomes concentrated, processed, flavored, and easy to overeat, while the packaging often hides how much heat, sugar, salt, oil, and storage time shaped the final product. Dried foods are not automatic health foods, no matter how wholesome the packaging looks. These six steps will help you separate the products worth keeping from the ones worth putting back on the shelf.

1. Start with the original food, not the package claims — Choose dried foods that closely resemble the food they came from: plain prunes, raisins, dates, freeze-dried fruit, or dried carrots. Put back products that list added sugars, vegetable oils, flavor enhancers, or long strings of preservatives on the ingredient list.
If you’re deciding between dried fruit and fruit-flavored snacks, choose the actual fruit. The Nutrients review found that dried fruits retain fiber and plant compounds, while many packaged fruit snacks offer a very different product with added ingredients and little of the original food structure.7
Also look specifically for “unsulfured” on the label when buying light-colored dried fruits like apricots, golden raisins, apples, or mango. Bright orange or golden dried fruit almost always means sulfur dioxide or sulfite salts were used to preserve the color, and sulfites trigger reactions in a meaningful subset of people, especially those with asthma.
2. Avoid processed meats; choose fresh meat over dehydrated meat when possible — Make fresh, minimally processed meat your regular protein choice instead of jerky, cured meat sticks, deli meats, or heavily seasoned dried meat. Dried meat is convenient, but processing often adds large amounts of salt, curing agents, sugar, and preservatives to a food that already becomes more concentrated after water removal.
If you need portable protein, choose the simplest available option and treat it as an occasional backup rather than a daily staple.
If you choose to eat jerky or dried meat, move it to the refrigerator once you open the package rather than leaving it in the pantry. Storage studies show meaningfully lower bacterial counts in refrigerated dried meat compared with cupboard-stored samples over just a few weeks. The “shelf-stable” claim on the front of the bag applies to the sealed product, not the one you’ve been dipping into for a month.
3. Measure your serving before you start eating — Drying removes water, which makes fruit and meat easy to eat in large amounts without noticing. Pour your portion into a bowl or onto a plate instead of eating from a bag.
For dried fruit, this protects you from a large concentrated sugar load. For dried meat, it helps you control sodium intake, since salt often preserves the product by pulling out water and lowering the moisture available for bacteria to grow. Read the serving size, measure it once, and compare it with the amount you normally eat.
4. Favor gentle processing over prolonged high heat — Look for freeze-dried foods or products dried with lower-temperature, lower-oxygen methods when that information is available, but don’t assume that all dried vegetables retain the nutrients of their fresh form. In the Foods study, conventional air drying cut vitamin C in broccoli by 66.4%, while radiant energy vacuum drying cut it by 4.6%.
Air drying reduced beta-carotene in carrots by 82.9%, compared with 57.5% with radiant energy vacuum drying.8 Heat and oxygen damage fragile nutrients, so faster, gentler drying preserved more of them.
5. Consider drying your own food at home — One reliable way to avoid the tradeoffs of commercial drying is to skip it entirely and dry produce yourself.
Home food dehydrators typically run between 95 degrees F and 155 degrees F, and most models let you set the temperature by food type: lower settings (around 95 degrees F to 115 degrees F) for herbs and delicate greens, mid-range (125 degrees F to 135 degrees F) for fruits and vegetables, and higher settings (145 degrees F to 155 degrees F) reserved for meats where food-safety thresholds matter most.
The advantages are meaningful. You control the temperature, which means you can dry fruits and vegetables at the lower end of the range and preserve more heat-sensitive nutrients than a commercial hot-air process. You control the ingredients, so no sulfites, added sugars, vegetable oils, or flavor enhancers end up in the finished product.
And you control the sourcing, which lets you dry organic, in-season produce at the peak of its nutritional value rather than settling for whatever a manufacturer bought cheapest.
If you want to preserve the most fragile nutrients, a countertop freeze-dryer is a larger investment but delivers commercial-grade results at home. For most people, a basic dehydrator, spread over a weekend with a bulk purchase of in-season fruit, is a far more cost-effective path to clean dried food than searching for the right commercial product.
6. Use dried fruit as an addition, not a replacement for fresh food — Keep fresh fruit, vegetables, and properly prepared whole-food meals as the foundation of your diet. Add a small serving of dried fruit to yogurt or a meal rather than relying on it as your main fruit intake. The research on dried fruit showed mixed results for cholesterol, blood pressure, and blood sugar.
Results differed when dried fruit replaced processed snacks versus when it simply added calories to the day. Your goal is simple: Use dried fruit to replace a processed snack, but don’t rely on it as your primary source of nutrition. Keep opened dried foods sealed, cool, dry, and away from direct sunlight so moisture and heat don’t further reduce quality.

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 Dehydrated Foods

Q: Are dehydrated foods healthy?
A: Dehydrated foods range from simple dried fruit and vegetables to heavily processed snacks with added sugar, salt, vegetable oils, and preservatives. Their health value depends on the original food, drying method, added ingredients, and portion size. Plain dried fruit retains fiber and plant compounds, but water removal also concentrates natural sugars and calories.

Q: Do dried fruits offer the same benefits as fresh fruit?
A: Not exactly. Dried fruit supplies fiber and certain plant compounds, but it’s easy to eat a large amount quickly because it takes up so little space. Research on dried fruit and cholesterol, blood pressure, and blood sugar showed mixed results, with better outcomes when dried fruit replaced processed snacks rather than added extra calories to the day.

Q: Which drying method protects nutrients best?
A: Freeze-drying and radiant energy vacuum drying preserved more nutrients than conventional hot-air drying in broccoli, oranges, and carrots. In the Foods study, hot-air drying reduced vitamin C in broccoli by 66.4%, while radiant energy vacuum drying reduced it by 4.6%. Hot-air drying also reduced beta-carotene in carrots by 82.9%, compared with 57.5% with radiant energy vacuum drying.9

Q: Is dried meat a healthy protein choice?
A: Dried meat provides protein and travels well, but commercial jerky, cured meat sticks, and similar products often contain concentrated sodium, sugar, curing agents, and preservatives. Drying helps slow bacterial growth, but it doesn’t make meat germ-free or stop quality loss from heat, oxygen, and storage. Fresh, minimally processed meat is a better regular protein choice, while dried meat works best as an occasional convenience food.

Q: How do I choose a safer dehydrated food?
A: Choose products that closely resemble the original food and have a short ingredient list. Look for plain dried fruit, freeze-dried fruit, or vegetables without added sugar or vegetable oils. Keep servings measured instead of eating from the bag, and store opened products sealed in a cool, dry, dark place. For dried meat, avoid products with long lists of curing agents, sweeteners, and preservatives, and discard any package with moisture buildup, mold, or an off odor.

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

By how much did cancer rates diagnosed before age 50 increase worldwide from 1990 to 2019?

24%
Early-onset cancers rose substantially over this period, alongside signs that younger generations may be aging faster biologically. Learn more.
25%
34%
44%

Cancers diagnosed before age 50 increased 24% worldwide between 1990 and 2019.1 Even more striking, people born in the 1990s in Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom, and the U.S. face at least four times the risk of early-onset colorectal cancer as those born in the 1960s. Early-onset cancer means cancer diagnosed in younger adults, and symptoms vary widely based on the affected organ, from unexplained weight loss, pain, and fatigue to changes in bowel habits or unusual bleeding.

New research published in Nature Medicine points to a pattern that may help explain this generational shift: Younger adults appear to be aging faster biologically.2 Your chronological age counts years. Your biological age reflects how well your cells, tissues, and organ systems are actually holding up, and researchers found that the gap between the two is widening with each generation.

That gap matters because it was associated with cancer risk in this study. Participants whose biological age ran further ahead of their chronological age showed higher measured risks of developing certain cancers before midlife, most consistently in the lungs, gastrointestinal tract, and uterus — though the strength of the association varied depending on which aging measure researchers used.

The size of that gap, and how strongly it corresponded with risk, is where this research gets specific. These findings raise a question that deserves far more attention: What is causing younger generations to age faster on the inside? Your birth date tells only part of the story.

The researchers point out metabolic dysfunction, poor diet quality, inactivity, disrupted sleep, and environmental exposures as factors that accumulate over time and may affect inflammation, immune function, and cellular health. The Nature Medicine study offers a closer look at how sharply biological aging has shifted across generations and what that shift means for your early-onset cancer risk.

Faster Biological Aging Linked to Early-Onset Cancer

The Nature Medicine study examined whether accelerated aging throughout the body and within specific organs was associated with cancers diagnosed before age 55.3 In this prospective cohort analysis, researchers analyzed 154,169 U.K. Biobank participants for generational aging trends and followed 148,317 participants across 953,582 person-years to assess cancer risk.

They repeated the analysis in a second, much smaller cohort from the All of Us Research Program (10,262 participants for generational trends, and from that number, 8,935 were assessed for early-onset cancer risk).

They also used several biological “clocks,” or measurement systems that estimate how old your body appears based on clinical, metabolic, and protein markers rather than the date on your birth certificate.

Unlike a single blood test, these clocks capture different aspects of your health. PhenoAge uses common clinical measurements associated with disease and mortality, while the Klemera-Doubal method compares your biological measurements with patterns typically seen at different ages.

Researchers also examined small molecules produced by metabolism and proteins associated with specific organs. Using several approaches allowed them to test whether the results held up when biological aging was measured in different ways.

• Cancer risk varied depending on how biological aging was measured — The PhenoAge analysis found that each standard deviation increase in the biological age gap (a standard deviation representing a typical spread in the data) was associated with a 57% higher risk of early-onset lung cancer, a 17% higher risk of gastrointestinal cancer, and a 31% higher risk of uterine cancer. For colorectal cancer specifically, the increase was 14%.

Of the four, the lung and gastrointestinal findings were the most solid, while the uterine and colorectal numbers were the least certain — the range the data allowed for those two stretched nearly all the way down to no added risk at all.

Yet the other biological clocks didn’t produce identical results. The Klemera-Doubal age gap was associated with a 53% higher risk of early-onset lung cancer and a 41% higher risk of gastrointestinal cancer, but its association with all early-onset solid cancers combined was weaker and not statistically significant. Put simply, once every solid cancer was pooled together, this second clock found essentially no link.

The metabolite-based clock showed a similar distinction: Each standard deviation increase was associated with an 89% higher risk of lung cancer and a 44% higher risk of uterine cancer, while the overall cancer association again did not reach statistical significance.

• The immune system and fat tissue revealed distinct cancer patterns — Researchers next analyzed 19,874 U.K. Biobank participants with protein data to estimate the biological age of specific organs and tissues. In this exploratory analysis, immune system aging was associated with an 89% higher risk of early-onset lung cancer, while accelerated aging of adipose, or fat, tissue was associated with a 60% higher risk of early-onset colorectal cancer.

Both of these organ-level numbers carry a wide margin of error, and the authors treat this part of the analysis as exploratory — a promising lead rather than a settled finding.

• These associations remained even after researchers adjusted for whole-body biological aging. Knowing the condition of a specific organ system provided information that an overall biological age score missed. That matters to you because aging doesn’t occur uniformly throughout your body. One tissue or biological system could show greater physiological strain even when a broader health measurement looks less concerning.

• Genetics didn’t explain away the observed associations — Researchers accounted for genetic predisposition to both aging and cancer, along with factors such as body mass index (BMI), smoking, alcohol intake, diet, physical activity, education, and existing health conditions. The associations between faster PhenoAge-defined aging and early-onset cancer remained after these adjustments and after researchers excluded participants with less than two years of follow-up.

The findings also remained similar when researchers defined early-onset cancer as diagnosis before age 50 instead of 55. This is an important distinction. The study doesn’t prove that faster biological aging directly causes cancer, but the associations weren’t easily explained by one genetic risk factor, one lifestyle habit or one definition of early-onset disease.

One limitation is worth keeping in mind — the U.K. Biobank participants are healthier and less socioeconomically diverse than the general population and are predominantly of European ancestry, so these estimates may not transfer evenly to everyone.

• Several forms of cellular damage could connect faster aging with cancer — The researchers described biological aging as the cumulative result of many exposures that affect your body over time.

They proposed that these exposures converge on processes tied to cancer development, including chronic inflammation, accumulated genetic damage, changes in gene activity, altered conditions surrounding your tissues, and disruptions in both adaptive and innate immunity, the two major branches of your immune defenses.
Those processes don’t operate in isolation. In the framework the researchers describe, they reinforce one another: Chronic inflammation affects tissue health, genetic damage disrupts normal cellular instructions, and impaired immune defenses may reduce your body’s ability to identify abnormal cells.

Taken together, the researchers characterize this as a biological environment more susceptible to malignant transformation, meaning normal cells become more vulnerable to the changes associated with cancer development.

• Your biological age reflects cumulative strain rather than one isolated habit — The researchers pointed to earlier and more sustained exposure to obesity and metabolic dysfunction, poor diet quality, prolonged sedentary time, circadian disruption, and widespread environmental chemicals as factors that could contribute to generational differences in biological aging.

However, the study didn’t determine which exposures caused the observed changes, and the authors called for long-term studies that repeatedly measure biological aging within the same people.

Think of your biological age as a scorecard, not a sentence. Instead of asking whether one food, chemical, or habit is aging you faster, look at the cumulative load placed on your cells and tissues. Your practical goal is to reduce that load wherever you have control, one choice at a time, because the study suggests that the condition of your biological systems provides information about health risk that chronological age alone can’t capture.

The study doesn’t hand you a single fix, because biological aging isn’t driven by a single cause. But the factors researchers identified — metabolic dysfunction, poor diet quality, inactivity, disrupted sleep, and environmental exposures — are areas where your daily choices have direct influence. That’s where practical steps come in.

Reduce the Daily Strain Associated with Faster Biological Aging

Your biological age reflects the cumulative strain placed on your cells and tissues over time. I recommend focusing first on the daily exposures and habits that interfere with cellular energy production, metabolic health, and your body’s ability to repair itself. You don’t need to change everything at once. Pick one step, make it consistent, and build from there.

1. Remove seed oils and ultraprocessed foods from your diet — Start by reducing one of the most common sources of metabolic strain: excess linoleic acid (LA) from seed oils. My narrative review, published in Nutrients, explores the explosion of LA intake over the last century and how skyrocketing levels have altered the metabolic landscape of the modern world.4

Check ingredient labels for soybean, corn, canola, sunflower, safflower, and other seed oils, which appear throughout packaged foods, restaurant meals, and sauces. High intake of these polyunsaturated fats may push your cells toward less efficient energy pathways — the metabolic equivalent of running a car engine on the wrong fuel. It still runs, but it generates more exhaust and more wear.

Replace these products with simple whole foods you prepare yourself. For cooking fats, choose tallow, ghee, or grass fed butter. If you eat restaurant food often, your first challenge is simple: Prepare one additional meal at home each day. Every meal you control gives you another opportunity to reduce your exposure to ingredients that work against healthy cellular energy production.

A daily LA target below 5 grams may support healthier metabolic signaling over time. I recommend signing up for my Pax health platform, which includes two features — Food Buddy and Seed Oil Sleuth — that can help identify hidden sources of LA in your diet and estimate your total daily intake.

2. Give your cells enough carbohydrates to produce energy efficiently — Most adults need about 250 grams of targeted carbohydrates per day, with higher amounts for active individuals. Healthy carbohydrates from whole foods support steady cellular energy production instead of repeated crashes.

If your gut health is compromised, with regular bloating or irregular bowel habits, begin with easier-to-digest carbohydrates like whole fruit and white rice. If your digestion is on track, root vegetables and properly prepared starches and grains work well for many people. Increase carbs gradually instead of forcing large amounts of fiber all at once.

3. Build and preserve muscle with enough protein and daily movement — Your muscles support metabolic health, physical resilience, and healthy aging. Aim for about 0.6 to 0.8 grams of protein per pound (or 1.32 to 1.76 grams per kilogram) of ideal body weight, with one-third coming from collagen-rich sources like slow-cooked meats or bone broth.

Pair adequate nutrition with regular movement. Walk daily, limit prolonged periods of sitting, and add strength training twice a week. If you’re inactive now, start small. Track your walking time for one week, then set a goal to gradually work toward about one hour per day.

4. Protect your circadian rhythm and use sunlight wisely — Your sleep-wake cycle affects metabolic health and cellular energy production. Get natural outdoor light early in the day and reduce bright artificial light at night. Consistent light exposure at the right times helps your body maintain the daily rhythms that support sleep and repair.

Sunlight also supports vitamin D production, nitric oxide release, mitochondrial melatonin, and cellular energy. Melatonin is produced primarily inside your mitochondria in response to near-infrared light exposure, which is one reason why natural sunlight matters here in a way indoor light does not.

Avoid intense sun exposure from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. until you’ve reduced seed oil intake for at least four to six months, since high LA levels increase your skin’s sensitivity to the sun. Once you have reduced your seed oil intake, solar noon is the optimal time for sun exposure.

5. Reduce your daily exposure to environmental toxins — The research points toward biological aging as a reflection of many exposures that build over time, including environmental toxins. Start with the exposures you encounter every day. Run a high-quality air purifier in the room where you sleep to reduce the pollutants you breathe for hours each night. Use a high-quality filtration system designed to remove fluoride, along with other environmental chemicals and pesticide residues.

Cut your contact with plastics as well. Store food and drinks in glass whenever practical, avoid heating food in plastic containers, and don’t drink from plastic water bottles, especially those that have been left in a hot car. Heat increases the release of chemicals from plastic, adding to your cumulative exposure.

Spend regular time outdoors in green spaces, too, as a simple way to reduce the stress burden on your body. You don’t need to eliminate every environmental exposure at once. Focus first on the ones you encounter most often, then reduce them one by one.

I recommend viewing this process as a long-term effort to restore the conditions your cells need to produce energy efficiently. You can’t change your chronological age, but your daily choices influence the metabolic and environmental strain placed on your cells. Small improvements that you sustain give you a practical way to address the cumulative factors associated with faster biological aging.

FAQs About Faster Biological Aging and Cancer

Q: What is biological aging?
A: Biological aging reflects the condition and function of your cells, tissues, and organ systems compared with your chronological age, which simply measures how many years you have lived. Your biological age is influenced by the cumulative effects of metabolic health, diet, physical activity, sleep patterns, and environmental exposures.

Q: Why is faster biological aging linked to early-onset cancer?
A: The study found that greater biological age gaps were associated with higher risks of early-onset solid cancers, particularly lung, gastrointestinal, and uterine cancers. Chronic inflammation, genetic damage, altered tissue environments, and impaired immune function are among the processes researchers propose may connect accelerated biological aging with cancer development.

Q: Do all parts of my body age at the same rate?
A: No. Researchers found that specific tissues and biological systems showed distinct associations with early-onset cancers. Faster immune system aging was associated with early-onset lung cancer, while accelerated aging of fat tissue was associated with early-onset colorectal cancer. These organ-level findings come from an exploratory analysis and need confirmation.

Q: What factors contribute to faster biological aging?
A: Biological aging reflects cumulative strain rather than one isolated factor. Poor metabolic health, low-quality diets, prolonged inactivity, disrupted circadian rhythms, and environmental chemical exposures are among the factors researchers identified as contributors to faster biological aging.

Q: What steps help reduce the factors associated with faster biological aging?
A: Focus on reducing the daily strain placed on your cells. Remove seed oils and ultraprocessed foods from your diet, consume enough healthy carbohydrates and protein to support cellular energy and muscle mass, stay physically active, protect your circadian rhythm, use sunlight wisely, and reduce your exposure to environmental toxins.

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 action can make it harder to restart a supplement routine after missing a few doses?

Missing several doses in a row
Traveling away from home
Negative self-talk after a lapse
Self-blame can turn a brief lapse into a longer break. Responding with less self-criticism may make it easier to resume the routine. Learn more.
Taking supplements with meals

More than 48,000 organ transplants occur in the United States annually. Over 103,000 people remain on the waiting list, and around 13 die each day still hoping for a match. Organ donation is often seen as a final act of generosity — it’s the ultimate gift, the gift of life. Being an organ donor saves as many as eight people — and enhances the lives of over 75 more.1

But beneath this noble act, there’s something sinister going on — widespread safety failures, negligence, and oversight that not only disregard the sanctity of the donor, but also put living patients in harm’s way. This is what a federal investigation sought to uncover. Their findings reveal the disturbing practices behind the organ donation system, and expose just how deep the systemic problems run.

The Catalyst — The ‘Brain-Dead’ Organ Donor Who Woke Up on the Table

A sweeping federal investigation into organ procurement misconduct is now being conducted in the U.S., particularly focused on a now-defunct organization in Kentucky. The investigation began after a single, shocking case caught national attention — A brain-dead patient waking up on the operating table just as his organs were about to be harvested.2,3

• How it started — On October 25, 2021, Anthony “TJ” Hoover was rushed to the Baptist Health hospital in Richmond, Kentucky because of a drug overdose.

While the doctors did everything they could, the outcome seemed bleak — the 33-year-old, who turned to prescription medications and illicit drugs to cope with his anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), had severe brain damage, emptiness in his eyes, and lack of reflexes. The medical staff declared him brain-dead, and his family had agreed to take him off life support.

• TJ was on the organ donor registry — An organization called Kentucky Organ Donor Affiliates (KODA) spoke to his loved ones. Being young and relatively healthy, TJ was a good candidate for organ donation, as his organs were viable. KODA (now known as Network for Hope after merging with another group) is the organ procurement organization (OPO) that operates in Kentucky, as well as some parts of Ohio and West Virginia.4

KODA told TJ’s family that his sacrifice would end up saving many lives, which encouraged them to fulfill TJ’s wish, allowing the hospital to harvest his organs. “If I lost my brother and eight people could live, then I felt like my brother wouldn’t die in vain,” Donna Rhorer, TJ’s sister, said.

• Miracle or malpractice? Four days after he was hospitalized, TJ was taken off life support and brought to the OR for the procedure. He was even graced with the “honor walk,” with hospital staff and his family lining the corridor toward the OR, as a way to thank him and say their final goodbyes.

But two hours later, a staff member informed TJ’s family that the patient had “woken up,” and that the procedure would not proceed. His family considered it a “miracle.”

• But for TJ, the experience was terrifying — He woke up in the OR as medical staff were preparing him for organ harvesting, shaving his chest and bathing his body in surgical solution. Apparently, he was reacting to stimuli — Eye witnesses reported that he was shaking his head, making eye contact, and moving around on the table. Natasha Miller, a former organ perfusionist (one who packages and secures the organs during the procedure) with KODA, was one of them.

“He was moving around — kind of thrashing. Like, moving, thrashing around on the bed. And then when we went over there, you could see he had tears coming down. He was crying visibly,” she recounted.5

Natasha and her fellow staff members raised these concerns — however, their protests were ignored. It was only when the procuring surgeon refused to participate in the organ recovery process was the procedure completely halted, saving TJ’s life.6

TJ’s story brought to light the disastrous and dangerous system behind organ donation. He has long been discharged, and while he is still undergoing extensive physical therapy and treatment, which his family shared on social media in an effort to educate others about the dangers of using illicit drugs, his story served as a catalyst for a much wider investigation into the failings behind this area of healthcare.

Further Investigation Revealed Disturbing Details Regarding Organ Donations

When the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), which is under the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), launched a formal investigation into KODA, as well as the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN), they discovered severe systemic failures. According to CNN:

“The investigation found patterns such as failures to follow professional best practices, to respect family wishes, to collaborate with a patient’s primary medical team and to recognize neurological function, suggesting ‘organizational dysfunction and poor quality and safety assurance culture’ in the Kentucky-area organization.”7

• The investigation focused on 351 organ donation cases — These were cases wherein organ donation was approved, but was not completed. Among the organ procurement organizations, these cases were called “authorized not recovered” or ANR.

• Nearly one-third of the ANR cases were found to have “concerning features” — According to the report, 103 cases or 29% had these features. In fact, of this number, 73 patients had neurological features that were “not conducive to DCD [donation after circulatory death] procurement.”8 To put it simply, their brains were still functioning, indicating that they are not legally or clinically dead. According to CNN, experts have previously questioned the ethics of this practice.9

• Here’s what’s even more disturbing — At least 28 patients were not dead when their organ procurement was initiated. According to the report, “At least 28 (8.0%) patients had no cardiac time of death (CTOD) noted, with discharge to hospice, rehabilitation facility or home noted in some cases.”

• Smaller hospitals and rural areas seem to have more cases of oversight — These settings tend to have limited management capacities and the coordination between medical teams and procurement staff is often weaker. “Cumulatively, these trends suggest that patients may experience variable care from [KODA] depending on the hospital in which they are seen,” the HRSA reported.

• Similar patterns have been observed in other OPOs — KODA is one of the 55 organ procurement organizations all around the U.S., and according to the HRSA, when their federal review was released, high-risk procurement patterns also emerged in other organizations.10

The HHS Announces Plans to Reform the Organ Transplant System

Once these issues came to light — and were found to be more alarming and awful than previously thought — the government announced that there would be major initiatives to reform the system. In a press release, the HHS, led by Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., outlines its plans to help bring back the integrity and transparency of the organ procurement and transplant system:11

• The HRSA has set strict corrective actions for the OPO — One of the key requirements by the HHS is for the organ procurement agency to provide a full root cause analysis on why it has failed to comply with its own policies. This aims to safeguard potential organ donors all over the country, preserving their dignity.

• KODA failed to follow the “Five Minute Observation Rule” — According to the report, this is one of the major protocols that the agency did not adhere to. This is a mandatory rule wherein a donor is given a full five minutes after their heart has stopped beating before their organs are retrieved.12 This exists to ensure no signs of life reappear before the removal of vital organs begins.

• The OPO will also have to develop clear, enforceable policies to define the eligibility of an organ donor, based on certain criteria — In addition, there will be a formal procedure that will authorize any staff member — from nurses to techs — to halt a donation process, if they note that the circumstances are unsafe, or if any other concerns arise.

• New national requirements are now in place as well — The HHS has ordered the OPTN to collect and report any instance where the donation process is stopped due to safety concerns — whether it’s a family member, nurse, or doctor raising the red flag. These reports need to be delivered to federal regulators for review.

This move removes the power from the hands of internal committees that, until now, had often dismissed concerns without consequence. It also forces hospitals and OPOs to provide complete and transparent information about organ donation to patients and families — before consent is given.

• Organ procurement practices that violate human rights will no longer be tolerated — According to RFK Jr., he will decertify any OPO that will fail to comply with these safety rules.

“Our findings show that hospitals allowed the organ procurement process to begin when patients showed signs of life, and this is horrifying,” he said.

“The organ procurement organizations that coordinate access to transplants will be held accountable. The entire system must be fixed to ensure that every potential donor’s life is treated with the sanctity it deserves.”13

While Network for Hope did not directly comment to media outlets like CNN on this issue, its website states that it “looks forward to working collaboratively” with the HHS and HRSA. In a statement, its CEO, Barry Massa, said:

“We hold ourselves to the highest standards and are committed to ongoing improvement as we carry out the sacred responsibility of honoring each individual’s decision to become an organ donor. We remain focused on our mission and dedicated to earning and maintaining the public’s trust in the donation and transplant system.”

Protect Yourself and Your Loved Ones from Dangerous Organ Donation Practices

Organ donation is said to be the gift of life — it is a profound way to honor the body that you were given and to share a part of yourself with others in need. So being aware of these controversies, and what happens behind closed operating room doors, could cause you to lose faith in the system.

Fortunately, these initiatives by RFK Jr. — all part of the “Make America Healthy Again” (MAHA) campaign — are in the works. “These reforms are essential to restoring trust, ensuring informed consent, and protecting the rights and dignity of prospective donors and their families,” the HHS press release said. If you’ve ever registered as an organ donor, here are steps I recommend you take starting today:

1. Put clear limits on your donor consent — Take the extra step to define your wishes more specifically. Do this by creating a written, signed directive that states under what circumstances you’re willing to donate.

For example, you might state that donation will not proceed unless brain death is confirmed by two independent neurologists — not just one. Keep a copy with your personal documents, and give one to a family member. This makes your voice louder than a checkbox on a government form.

2. Talk with your family about your preferences in detail — Whether you’re young, elderly, healthy, or chronically ill, it’s important your family knows exactly what you want. Explain to them that if something happens to you — especially in a hospital where pressure from organ procurement teams might exist — you expect them to advocate for time, clarity, and full transparency before any donation decisions are made.

Tell them to ask questions, demand documentation, and never feel rushed. Your family’s clarity protects your life.

3. Get familiar with the brain death criteria in your state — Each state defines brain death a bit differently, and some allow hospital teams to skip critical steps in assessment. I recommend you look up your state’s brain death declaration policy and highlight anything that seems vague. Knowledge is your defense — especially when you’re not the one conscious to speak up.

4. Ask your local hospital about their organ donation protocols — If you or a loved one is ever in critical care, don’t wait for a crisis to ask questions. You have every right to know how that hospital handles organ donation evaluations.

Questions you can ask include, “How does this hospital confirm brain death?” and “Who is responsible for calling time of death?” You can also ask, “Can the family pause the donation process if they feel uncomfortable?” Bringing them up shows you’re informed, alert, and not easily manipulated.

Your safety isn’t guaranteed by the system — it’s secured by what you do, ask, and prepare for. These steps will help ensure that you stay in control, that your life and wishes are respected, and that no one rushes you or your family into a decision that cannot be undone.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) About Failures in the Organ Donation System

Q: What triggered the federal investigation into organ donation practices?
A: The investigation began after a shocking case in Kentucky where a man, declared brain-dead, regained consciousness just moments before his organs were to be harvested. This incident led federal health officials to uncover widespread safety failures and negligence within one of the nation’s organ procurement organizations.

Q: How many patients were affected by unsafe organ donation practices?
A: Out of 351 reviewed cases, 103 were flagged as having “concerning features,” and at least 28 patients were found to be alive when organ removal procedures began. These failures exposed serious flaws in how death was determined and documented.

Q: What is “donation after circulatory death” and why is it controversial?
A: Donation after circulatory death (DCD) refers to organ procurement that occurs after a patient’s heart stops — but before brain death is confirmed. The controversy arises because some patients may still exhibit brain activity or reflexes, meaning they are not legally or clinically dead.

Q: What reforms have been announced to fix the system?
A: The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) has introduced strict corrective actions, including requiring enforceable death determination policies, mandatory observation periods, and formal reporting of any halted donation due to safety concerns. Organ procurement organizations (OPOs) that fail to follow these rules may be decertified.

Q: What steps can I take to protect myself or my family?
A: You can write a detailed donor directive, talk with your family about your donation preferences, learn your state’s brain death laws, and ask hospitals about their donation protocols. These steps help ensure your rights and life are respected.

Bone loss is silent until it isn’t. You wake up shorter, your back aches after simple chores, or a small misstep leads to a crack you didn’t see coming. Osteoporosis means bones lose strength and structure, which raises the odds of hip, spine, and wrist fractures and chips away at independence. Left unchecked, it reshapes daily life in ways that touch how you move, sleep, and even breathe.

Standard care leans on drugs that slow breakdown. That approach helps some people, yet it often leaves you stuck between trade-offs and side effects you didn’t sign up for. You want a path that supports everyday strength without significant risks or complexity. Your bones are living tissue that respond to the signals you send through food, sunlight, movement, and habits.

Your plan needs to restore balance — reducing excess breakdown while encouraging steady rebuilding. Food isn’t just fuel here. It’s information. Certain nutrients and proteins tell bone-building cells to get to work, and the right daily choices stack those messages in your favor.

Your job is straightforward: support your body’s natural repair systems and remove roadblocks that keep bones fragile. Eggs, long regarded as a dietary staple, are emerging as an unexpected ally in this fight. In the next section, you’ll see how this specific food source sends clear “build” signals to your skeleton and why that matters for real-world resilience.

Egg Yolk Proteins Help Guard Your Bones from Breaking Down

In a study published in Food Science of Animal Products, researchers tested whether proteins from egg yolks — broken down into smaller pieces called peptides — could affect osteoclasts, which are the cells that wear away bone. The big question was whether these natural compounds could slow or stop the bone loss that leads to osteoporosis.1

• Egg compound leads to less bone breakdown — The researchers discovered that certain water-soluble peptides in egg yolk cut down the number of bone-destroying cells. When they looked at the smallest peptides, the effect was even stronger. These tiny protein fragments not only reduced the number of cells that erode bone but also caused older ones to die off. In plain terms, that means less bone being eaten away and a better chance of keeping your skeleton strong.

• Egg compounds shut off harmful “switches” — Inside bone-destroying cells are pathways, like on/off switches, that tell them when to start breaking down bone. The smallest egg yolk peptides shut these switches off, stopping the damage at the root. If those switches stay on, bones get weaker and fractures become more likely.

• Multiple signals were stopped at once — These peptides didn’t just block one message — they cut off several signals that normally keep bone-eating cells alive and aggressive. That makes them more powerful than many drugs, which usually only work on one pathway at a time.

• The domino effect was interrupted — Normally, once those destructive messages start, they spread like falling dominoes until bone-eating enzymes get activated. With egg yolk peptides in play, that cascade was blocked before it could do damage. The end result: stronger, more resilient bones.

• Egg yolk isn’t just a food — It contains natural compounds that fight one of the biggest drivers of bone loss. Adding eggs to your diet gives your body another tool to help protect bone density and lower your risk of fractures, without relying only on risky medications.

Egg Yolk Proteins Build Stronger Bones from the Inside Out

A study published in the Journal of Functional Foods similarly looked at how natural proteins from egg yolks affect the cells in your body that create new bone.2 While earlier research showed that egg yolk proteins slow down bone breakdown, this one highlighted their role in helping bones grow stronger.

• Results showed stronger bone growth — The researchers found that egg yolk proteins helped bone-forming cells grow faster and deposit more calcium and minerals. The bones became denser and tougher, which lowers your risk of fractures.

• Small protein pieces worked best — The strongest effects came from the tiniest pieces of egg yolk protein. Because they’re so small, they easily get inside cells and kick-start the changes needed to build stronger bone tissue.

• Bone-building signals were switched on — The egg yolk proteins acted like a switch inside bone cells, telling them to grow, mature, and lay down more minerals. That signal made the cells work harder at reinforcing the skeleton, creating an ongoing cycle of bone building.

• A more balanced bone cycle — What makes this important is how it fits with the earlier findings. Some egg yolk compounds slowed bone breakdown, while these proteins boosted bone growth. Working together, they give your body both defense and rebuilding power, leaving your bones stronger than before.

Eggs contain special proteins that help your bones both resist damage and rebuild themselves. Adding eggs to your diet gives you a natural way to support bone strength, keep your mobility, and protect your independence as you age.

Egg Yolk Protein D2 Sparks Real Bone Repair

In a study published in Regenerative Therapy, researchers identified a protein fragment from egg yolk, known as D2, that works after being swallowed and digested.3 Scientists tested it in animals with broken bones, age-related bone loss similar to menopause, and a genetic brittle-bone condition. In each case, D2 made bones stronger and tougher — exactly what you want if you need bones that hold up in daily life.

• Broken bones healed faster and stronger — Animals given the egg yolk protein daily after a fracture grew a thicker healing bridge over the break during the first month. These repairs also had denser bone in key areas, and strength tests showed they withstood more force within two weeks compared to untreated fractures. That translates into repairs that hold up better in daily movement.

• Age-related bone loss improved — In animals mimicking postmenopausal bone loss, the egg yolk protein restored some of the bone that had been lost and made the spine stronger after just a few weeks of use. Fractures in these animals also healed more steadily when the egg yolk protein was given, meaning faster recovery and fewer setbacks.

• Fragile bone disease improved — In animals bred to mimic brittle-bone disease, treatment with the egg yolk protein boosted bone volume and restored strength that had been lost. Even bone-forming cells in the lab began producing more of the key structural proteins after only a short exposure to the compound, pointing to a direct effect at the level of bone repair.

• The egg yolk protein survived digestion and spread through the body — Tests confirmed that the egg yolk protein remained active after being swallowed and entered the bloodstream, reaching organs where it could be used. That makes it practical for use outside of a lab or hospital setting.

Animals given the egg yolk protein for two weeks showed no weight changes or unusual behavior. Routine blood tests revealed no toxicity, and some measures even improved, such as lower triglycerides. This supports its role as a safe option for ongoing use.

• Bone-building cells multiplied — In both mouse and human cells, the egg yolk protein encouraged bone-forming cells to grow and mature while depositing more minerals. Even at very tiny amounts, the effect was strong, showing how powerful this protein fragment is at guiding cells to build bone.

Unlike treatments that only reduce bone breakdown, the egg yolk protein actively built new bone and improved its quality. The result was thicker healing tissue, tougher repaired fractures, and stronger bones overall — evidence of regeneration, not just protection.

How to Strengthen Your Bones Naturally with Food-Based Solutions

If your bones are thinning or you’re worried about osteoporosis, the real problem isn’t just low calcium — it’s the imbalance between bone breakdown and bone building. What the research on egg yolk proteins shows is that food has the power to help correct that imbalance at the cellular level. Your goal isn’t only to stop bone loss but also to encourage new bone growth so your skeleton stays strong. Here’s how to put this knowledge into action in your daily life.

1. Choose the right kind of eggs — Not all eggs are created equal. Factory-farmed eggs from corn- and soy-fed hens are loaded with linoleic acid (LA), a polyunsaturated fat that stirs up inflammation and damages your mitochondria — the tiny power plants inside your cells.

If you eat more than four of these eggs daily, you’re likely blowing past the recommended limit of 5 grams of LA. Switch to pasture-raised eggs, or better yet, eggs from hens that forage on grass and bugs. Some farms even use custom feed that produces eggs with far lower LA levels. These are the eggs that give you bone-strengthening compounds without the hidden damage.

2. Get collagen into your diet — About one-third of your bone structure is made of collagen, so you need a steady supply. Aim for protein to make up about 15% of your daily calories, with one-third of that coming from collagen.

The simplest way is to drink homemade bone broth from organic, grass fed bones. You can also slow-cook or pressure-cook cuts of meat rich in gelatin, or add high-quality collagen or gelatin supplements. Giving your body collagen means giving your bones the building blocks they rely on to stay tough and flexible.

3. Cover your nutrient bases — Calcium is important, but it only works well when paired with vitamin D, magnesium, and vitamin K2. Together, this combination makes sure calcium ends up in your bones and teeth — not stuck in your arteries, where it drives heart disease.

Egg yolks are especially valuable here because they are one of nature’s richest sources of vitamin K2 in the form of MK-4, the most bioactive and fast-acting subtype found in foods. This form of K2 is rare in the modern diet, yet it plays a central role in shuttling calcium into bones and away from soft tissues. Including pasture-raised egg yolks in your diet means you aren’t just getting bone-supporting proteins, you’re also giving your body one of the planet’s most potent natural sources of MK-4.

Get calcium from real foods like raw grass fed dairy, pasture-raised egg yolks, and even powdered eggshells. Add fermented foods, get daily sunlight exposure, and consider a high-quality magnesium supplement — since it’s difficult to get enough from food alone — to keep your vitamin and mineral intake balanced so your bones use calcium efficiently.

4. Use movement and recovery as bone signals — Your bones respond to pressure. Walking, lifting weights, or even active gardening tells your body to “make this skeleton stronger.” But don’t forget rest — your body needs downtime to put nutrients like collagen, calcium, and egg-derived proteins to work. The cycle of stress and recovery is what drives bones to rebuild, just like it does with muscles.

5. Cut back on foods that weaken bones — Highly processed foods, sugary drinks, and packaged snacks all drive inflammation that speeds up bone loss. Every time you swap soda for water or trade fast food for whole food, you shift the balance in favor of bone building.

If you struggle with making big changes, start small. Add one more pasture-raised egg meal each week or cook up a pot of bone broth. Over time, these small changes add up, making your bones stronger and your daily life more stable.

FAQs About Egg Yolk Compounds for Osteoporosis

Q: How do eggs help protect against osteoporosis?
A: Egg yolks contain special proteins that influence bone cells directly. Some of these proteins slow down the cells that break down bone, while others stimulate the cells that build new bone. Together, they help restore balance in your skeleton, reducing bone loss and encouraging steady rebuilding.

Q: What kind of eggs should I eat for bone health?
A: Not all eggs are equal. Factory-farmed eggs from corn- and soy-fed hens are high in LA, a fat that damages your mitochondria and weakens your health. To get the bone benefits without the downsides, choose pasture-raised eggs or eggs from hens that forage naturally. These have far lower LA levels and more beneficial nutrients.

Q: Besides eggs, what other foods support stronger bones?
A: Your bones are one-third collagen and nearly all of your body’s calcium is stored in them. That means you need collagen-rich foods like bone broth, gelatin, and slow-cooked cuts of meat, along with calcium from raw grass fed dairy, egg yolks, and powdered eggshells. Pair these with vitamin D from sunlight exposure, magnesium, and vitamin K2 to make sure calcium gets delivered to your bones instead of your arteries.

Q: Can egg yolk compounds actually repair broken bones?
A: Yes, animal studies showed that a protein fragment from egg yolk not only improved bone strength but also sped up fracture healing. In models of postmenopausal bone loss and brittle-bone disease, this compound restored bone volume and durability. The research suggests egg yolk compounds don’t just protect bone — they actively rebuild it.

Q: What lifestyle habits make the biggest difference for bone health?
A: Bones respond to both movement and rest. Weight-bearing exercise like walking or resistance training tells your body to strengthen bones, while rest allows nutrients like collagen and calcium to do their repair work. Cutting out processed foods and sugary drinks reduces inflammation, and making small, steady changes — like swapping soda for water or adding an extra pasture-raised egg meal — keeps your bones stronger over time.

Many traditions throughout history have come to view one’s birth as one of the most important moments in a human’s life as it sets the stage for all that follows. Unfortunately, much in the same way we desecrate the death process by over-medicalizing it (to the point research has found that doctors are less likely to seek end of life care at a medical facility1), the same issue also exists with childbirth.

Many physicians I know who are familiar with the hospital birthing process chose to skip it and give birth at home (along with many more doctors featured in a 2016 documentary2).

Conversely, a minority of childbirths do need advanced medical care. For those mothers, access to a hospital greatly benefits them, particularly if actions are taken to mitigate the most dangerous aspects of hospital birth.

As such, childbirth occupies a similar place as many other medical controversies; neither side of the issue is entirely correct. However, the data clearly shows the risk of routine C-sections outweighs their benefits so this article will attempt to expose what they aren’t telling you about them.

The Business of Being Born

For a long time, doctors had no interest in delivering babies, but once a leader in the profession realized grateful mothers they delivered the babies of would become their doctor’s lifelong customer, the medical professional gradually displaced midwives and switched birth from being seen as a natural life event to one that required increasing medicalization.3

While some of those interventions were helpful and saved lives, many were not and put both the mother and child at risk of a variety of immediate and chronic complications.

Since the hospital birthing process does not try to augment the natural birthing process and instead tries to control and manage it, one of the most significant issues with many of its approaches to birth (detailed here) is that they frequently create complications that require more and more invasive methods to be implemented.

In many cases, the end of this pipeline is the mother “having” to bypass the birthing process by cutting open the abdomen and directly extracting the baby (via a costly C-section). While they are sometimes necessary (e.g., the WHO made a good case that in 10% of births, they prevent maternal and infant mortality4), they are done far too frequently (e.g., in 2023, 32.3% of all American births were C-sections5).

Note: One of my least favorite statistics in medicine is that C-section rates dramatically rise at the times doctors typically want to go home.6,7,8

General Risks of C-Sections

Being an abdominal surgery, C-sections carry a variety of issues commonly seen with those procedures such as:

• The mother typically needs a 4 to 6 weeks recovery period.9

• Post-surgical infection (e.g., globally this happens in 5.63% of C-sections10).

• Significant pain (at the most important bonding period of your life).

• Potential reactions to general anesthesia.

• Accidental organ injuries (particularly since some C-sections need to be done very quickly to save the baby’s life).

Additionally, there are some surgical complications more unique to C-sections such as:

• Damage to the lining of the uterus that creates adhesions and scars, which cause the placenta to attach in the wrong place in future pregnancies (e.g., two C-sections make women 13.8 times more likely to have a placenta accreta11).

• The weakened uterine scar can rupture during a subsequent delivery (especially if contraction inducing oxytocin is used during delivery), so one C-section can result in patients needing to have all subsequent births to be C-sections as well (particularly if there’s an abnormal placental attachment).

• The infant can accidentally get cut during the C-section (e.g., 1.5% to 1.9% get facial lacerations12).

• C-section incision scars often cause significant issues for years — if not decades (until they are correctly treated), and in many cases these scars are the hidden cause of chronic pain and a variety of ailments as they continually activate and then dysregulate the autonomic nervous system.

• The general anesthetics used for the C-section can increase an infant’s risk of neonatal complications.13

Note: C-sections also cause a variety of other issues, such as breastfeeding problems, worsened sleep, and emotional challenges (e.g., PTSD or anxiety).14

However, beyond the surgery itself, simply bypassing the normal birthing process can also cause significant issues for infants. For example, hyaline membrane disease (respiratory distress syndrome — RDS) affects approximately 24,00015 infants in the United States annually and is the leading cause of neonatal fatalities.16

The birthing process protects against this (e.g., studies have found premature C-section babies are 2.4 to 3.92 times more likely to have RDS17,18,19), likely due to its mechanical pressure forcing excessive fluids out of the lungs.

Chronic Risks of C-Sections

C-sections have also been linked to a variety of chronic issues, most of which are immunological or neurological in nature.

• Immunologic risks include:

◦ A Kaiser study of 8,953 children found C-sections increased allergic rhinoconjunctivitis (hay fever) by 37% and asthma by 24% (53% in girls and 8% in boys).20

◦ Roughly 2000 studies have assessed the link between C-sections and asthma.21 From them, a 2020 meta-analysis found C-sections increase asthma by 41%,22 while a 2019 meta-analysis found a 20% increase.23

◦ A Danish study of 750,000 children aged 0 to 14 assessed a few autoimmune diseases and found those born by C-sections were roughly 20% more likely to develop laryngitis, asthma, gastroenteritis, ulcerative colitis, celiac disease, and juvenile arthritis (along with pneumonia and other lower respiratory tract infections).24

◦ A later Danish study of 2,699,479 births found that elective C-sections caused a 14% increase in diabetes, a 14% increase in rheumatoid arthritis, a 4% increase in Crohn’s disease, and a 15% increase in irritable bowel disease.25

Generally, the risk for these conditions was higher in women and for elective C-sections (with the exception of Crohn’s increasing by 15% after emergency C-sections). Another similar study also found C-sections significantly increased the risk of asthma, systemic connective tissue disorders, juvenile arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease, immune deficiencies, and leukemia.26

◦ A study of 7,174,787 births found C-sections made infants (in the first 5 years of life) 10% more likely to be hospitalized for infections (particularly respiratory, gastrointestinal, and viral ones).27

◦ A study of 33,226 adult women found being born by C-section made them 11% more likely to be obese and 46% more likely to develop Type 2 diabetes.28

Much of this is likely due to C-sections disrupting the microbiome29 (which can persist into adulthood30) as infants depend upon the vaginal flora (and external fecal flora) to initially colonize the gastrointestinal tract (as the microflora of the vagina are predominantly composed of the “good bacteria” our digestion needs and shortly after birth, the stomach starts producing stomach acid so other bacteria can’t easily colonize the GI tract).

In turn, many studies have found C-sections significantly disrupt the microbiome, including a prospective trial that demonstrated that the degree of lasting microbiome disruption in an infant directly correlated to their likelihood of developing asthma and allergic sensitizations.31

Note: One partial solution to this (which does not address harmful hospital microbes displacing the normal microbiome) is to inoculate the infant with the mother’s vaginal secretions immediately after delivery. However, while compelling evidence has emerged for vaginal seeding in the last decade,32,33 it is not currently endorsed by the medical community, and most hospitals do not offer it.

• Neurologic risks include:

◦ A mouse trial found C-sections led to behavioral changes and increased cell death in certain portions of the brain,34 while a retrospective MRI study of 306 children found that C-sections significantly reduced brain white matter and functional neural connectivity.35

◦ A large 2017 study found that C-section children (ages 4 to 9) performed lower on standardized tests than vaginally born children and that this was not due to confounding variables,36 while a 2024 study found C-sections caused lower motor and language development scores during specific age windows in the first three years of life.37

◦ A 2020 Czech study found 5 year old children born via C-section had poorer performance on cognitive tests than children born via vaginal delivery.38

◦ C-sections have been found to increase the rate of ADHD by 15% to 16% and autism by 23 to 26%.39 At the same time, early onset schizophrenia has also been associated with C-sections (much of which may be due to C-sections changing the dopamine receptors in the brain).40,41

Note: As this study shows, the increase in autism is strongly correlated to mothers receiving general anesthesia during the C-section.42

◦ C-sections have been found to impair a newborn’s ability to recognize familiar scents, make them more averse to being touched or hugged, and have poorer sensory integration, visual memory, and visuospatial perception.43 In parallel, mothers of C-section babies have been found to have less attachment to and more negative evaluations of their children.44

Since neurological development is such a complicated process, it’s difficult to say which factor (e.g., anesthesia, reduced maternal bonding, gut microbiome alterations) is ultimately responsible for these changes.

However, many excellent healers I’ve talked to from a variety of traditions (e.g., the New Zealand Maoris) have shared that they noticed there is a loss of vibrancy and vitality in C-section babies which they attribute to them not “getting a spark” the vaginal birthing process facilitates (e.g., because the micro-motion within the skull is catalyzed by the compression experienced during the birthing process).

One of the most interesting conversations I had on this subject was with a doctor who shared that he was taught the vitality of infants directly correlated to how much they cried at birth (which is why, in the older days, doctors would whack a baby’s soles to trigger a vigorous cry).

In turn, when he and his colleagues attempted to help struggling infants with birth trauma by gently compressing the tops of their skulls to recreate part of the birthing process, they found that C-section infants would let out a brief but very vigorous cry, whereas children who had been born vaginally typically had a much softer cry — something they attributed to the initial birthing process not having catalyzed the cry they needed then (which is why it was so loud at the subsequent compression).

Note: This is somewhat similar to the observation in homeopathy that patients who can mount fevers tend to have stronger vitalities and better responses to homeopathic remedies, but as the decades have gone by, people have become less able to mount fevers and now have smaller reactions to homeopathic remedies.

High-Risk Births

One of the major factors in deciding how to approach giving birth is whether or not you have a “high-risk” pregnancy. Unfortunately, determining what constitutes a “high-risk” pregnancy is quite subjective. In turn, that designation being erroneously applied frequently results in a lot of stressful, unnecessary, and potentially harmful interventions throughout the pregnancy.

Note: A pregnancy being “high-risk” is often decided by prenatal ultrasounds. However, as I showed here, and much of the information ultrasounds provide early in pregnancy is either inaccurate or impossible to act upon, while in contrast, prenatal ultrasound exposes infants to real harms — all of which leads to ultrasounds being routinely utilized in instances where their risks outweigh their benefits.45

At the same time, hospital births are sometimes necessary and potentially lifesaving. In addition to an acute emergency where the fetus’s life is at risk (e.g., unexpected vaginal bleeding after a car accident), there are a few common situations that can require hospital births or C-sections:

• The placenta is in the wrong place. This typically requires a C-section. However, in many cases, the placenta can move to the correct position, so if this is diagnosed early in pregnancy with ultrasound, it can lead to a lot of unnecessary stress.46

• The baby faces the wrong direction with the pelvis instead of the head coming out first (a breech presentation). This is a fairly controversial area as many people I know will deliver breech babies (and it went well), but many others will not (as they have seen bad outcomes or infant deaths) following them (e.g., one large study found breech babies are 2.4 times as likely to die from vaginal deliveries47).

Because of this, I believe the best option is to fix the issue before delivery by moving the baby into the correct position (which frequently works — provided it is done correctly).

Note: If one of the infant’s legs or shoulders is sticking forward, a vaginal birth should never be attempted.

• The baby is head down, but facing the wrong direction (not facing forward). In our experience, these often end up requiring C-sections as it’s not possible to get the infant out.

• Twins are present. This does not necessarily require a C-section, but a variety of issues are more likely to arise, so it can be very helpful to have additional assistance nearby if needed.

• The mother already had a C-section.

• There are other characteristics of a high-risk pregnancy (e.g., the mother has a concurrent chronic illness or severe preeclampsia during the pregnancy).

Conclusion

Recently, RFK Jr. was instructed to lead America’s Make America Healthy Again Commission and attempt to uncover what is fueling the rapid and unprecedented spike in chronic illness in our children (e.g., 12.8% of children born between 1988 and 1994 had a chronic illness,48 yet for those born between 2000 and 2006,49 it had more than doubled to 26.6% and by 2011, had increased to 54.1%50).

As this tsunami of chronic illness threatens the foundation of our society, the MAHA commission has been instructed to leave no stone unturned in finding the cause of this epidemic.

Like many, I suspect vaccines are the root cause of it as the numbers of vaccines children receive increased in parallel with the rates of chronic illness and every independent study (summarized here) consistently shows vaccinated children have 3 to 10 times the rates of chronic illnesses unvaccinated children do.

However, as I’ve tried to show in this series, a good case can also be made that our approaches to childbirth (e.g., prenatal ultrasounds or C-sections) are also contributing to this wave of chronic illness and hence must urgently be examined too.

In my eyes, the central problem is that medicine requires repeated sales, and because of this, things that can be helpful tend to be overused to the point their harms greatly exceed their benefits.

For example, while childhood vaccines are treated as a monolithic entity which are all essential for health, the reality is that the risks and benefits of each vaccine vary greatly, and many mandatory ones cannot be justified by the existing scientific evidence. Similarly, as I’ve tried to show here, while the harms of C-sections typically vastly outweigh those of vaginal births, in some cases, they are necessary and the complications they create are vastly outweighed by the harms they prevent.

As such, while better options may be created in the future by the MAHA commission, at this point, our best option is to fully inform ourselves about the risks of these routine procedures and then do what we can to reduce our need for them (e.g., natural birthing methods significantly reduce the need for C-Sections), and it is my sincere hope this article has provided some valuable insights for navigating this challenging process.

Author’s Note: This is an abridged version of a longer article that goes into greater detail on many of the points discussed here (e.g., the complications of C-sections and how to address them) that provides guidance for protecting yourself at the hospital, finding the best place to give birth, and shares many of the strategies we have identified to have the healthiest baby possible, address many of the complications that arise during pregnancy, and to have an optimal childbirth.

That article can be read here while with a companion article on the dangers of ultrasounds which 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 AMD’s exceptional insight on a wide range of topics and am grateful to share it. 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.

Chemotherapy and radiation remain central to modern cancer treatment, yet they often place a heavy burden on the body, affecting everything from your ability to eat and speak to the health of your skin and nerves. For patients and clinicians alike, addressing these treatment-related complications continues to be a persistent challenge. In response, oncologists have begun exploring light-based approaches as a way to reduce these secondary burdens.

Light has shaped life on Earth since the first single-celled organisms used it to generate energy billions of years ago — and your cells still respond to specific wavelengths in ways that influence not just sleep-wake cycles but also healing. Photobiomodulation (PBM) is a treatment approach that harnesses this relationship between light and biology, with research backing its benefits in various medical fields.

Europe has taken a significant step in bringing this therapy into mainstream cancer care. In 2025, a released guide represents the first comprehensive European standard for using PBM in oncology, establishing standards for a therapy that many clinicians have yet to fully explore.1 This development reflects a broader shift in how supportive cancer care is being approached.

Europe Sets a Formal Framework for PBM in Oncology

In October 2025, the French-speaking Association for Supportive Care in Cancer (AFSOS) introduced the first European reference guide for the use of PBM in oncology. The announcement was made during the 16th National Congress of Oncology Supportive Care, held in Lille, France. This marks the first formal clinical standard for PBM in European oncology.2

• The guide sets clear clinical standards for PBM use — Led by Dr. Antoine Lemaire of Valenciennes General Hospital, the guide outlines when and how PBM should be integrated into supportive cancer care. It emphasizes that many clinicians remain unfamiliar with PBM despite its growing evidence base, and it positions the reference document as a tool to close this knowledge gap. The aim is to standardize usage, so patients receive consistent care across treatment centers.

• Well-established uses of PBM across supportive cancer care — Cancer treatments place significant stress on tissues that divide rapidly or rely on delicate structural integrity, such as the lining of the mouth, skin, nerves, and connective tissue. Among PBM’s applications in oncology, the strongest clinical support exists for treating mucositis and radiodermatitis, both of which are common and painful complications of cancer treatment.

Mucositis refers to the painful inflammation and ulceration of the mucous membranes lining the digestive tract, which can make eating and swallowing extremely difficult for patients undergoing chemotherapy or radiation. Radiodermatitis refers to skin damage caused by radiation exposure and can range from redness and dryness to blistering and open wounds. It is common in breast, head and neck, and pelvic cancers.3

• The guide also covers other applications where evidence is moderate but promising — These conditions span multiple types of tissue and treatment-related complications, including:4,5

◦Lymphoedema — Persistent swelling caused by impaired lymphatic drainage after surgery or radiation.
◦Xerostomia — Dry mouth resulting from salivary gland damage during head and neck radiation treatment.
◦Trismus — Restricted jaw movement linked to muscle or joint stiffness after radiation.
◦Osteoradionecrosis — Bone injury and breakdown caused by impaired blood flow after radiation.
◦Dysphagia — Difficulty swallowing due to tissue inflammation or neuromuscular impairment.
◦Dysphonia — Voice changes or hoarseness from irritation or injury to vocal structures.
◦Dysgeusia — Altered or reduced taste perception related to chemotherapy.
◦Chemotherapy-induced neuropathy and alopecia — Nerve pain, numbness, and hair loss triggered by cytotoxic drugs.
◦Palmoplantar erythroderma — Redness, swelling, and tenderness of the palms and soles linked to certain chemotherapies.

• PBM delivers low-intensity light to stimulate mitochondrial activity without heat — The guide describes PBM therapy as “a mechanism in which red, near infrared, or blue light is delivered to damaged target tissues.” The approach relies on controlled light exposure rather than thermal effects and is applied using devices selected according to tissue depth and treatment location.

However, while the guide includes blue light within its technical definition of PBM, I do not recommend artificial blue light exposure for therapeutic use, as it disrupts circadian signaling and has well-documented effects on sleep regulation, hormonal balance, and systemic health. For this reason, red and near-infrared wavelengths remain the focus of safer and more biologically aligned applications.

• Around 100 cancer centers in France are currently equipped with PBM devices — These clinics use either laser or light-emitting diode (LEDs) equipment. While lasers tend to deliver more focused penetration, LEDs provide broader diffusion, and both can be effective depending on the clinical need. The choice of tool, treatment duration, and dosing parameters all depend on the area being treated and the depth of tissue involvement.

Therapeutic dosing generally falls within the range of 10 to 12 joules per square centimeter, but each device has its own set of instructions to ensure the light reaches the target tissue at the correct strength. Sessions typically last about 20 minutes, often administered once or twice per week in protocols that span eight to 16 sessions. Adjustments are made based on symptom severity and location.

• The therapy is also expanding beyond oncology — Private clinicians increasingly use these devices in sports medicine and gynecologic care, while patient associations advocate for broader access. Some patients now request PBM directly, which raises the need for oncology clinicians to understand PBM and recognize appropriate indications within cancer care pathways.

• Despite growing adoption in clinical settings, PBM faces several barriers to wider use — The most pressing is the lack of dedicated reimbursement. At present, the cost of PBM is typically bundled into consultation fees, which limits its scalability.

The guide raises concerns about the rise of home-use PBM devices, noting that many sold online lack proper safety certification, deliver inadequate or poorly calibrated doses, or emit wavelengths that can pose health risks. While this caution is valid, it’s also important to recognize that not all consumer devices fall into this category.

When properly designed, dosed, and used with informed guidance, some at-home units can be a useful part of a broader therapeutic approach. The key is understanding how to choose equipment that’s both safe and effective. I’ll go into more detail later on how to evaluate devices and what to look for if you’re considering one for personal use.

By laying out clear protocols, validated use cases, and technical considerations, the new European guide brings much-needed structure to a therapy that has, until now, been applied unevenly across clinics. To understand why European oncologists are standardizing PBM protocols, it helps to grasp how light actually interacts with your cells.

Understanding the Science Behind Light

Not all light affects your body the same way. What matters is the wavelength — essentially, how long or short each wave of light is, measured in nanometers. Each part of the light spectrum interacts with your cells differently, and only a specific range carries the ability to penetrate deeply enough to influence healing, energy production, and inflammation without causing harm.

• Solar rays can be divided into three categories — Ultraviolet (UVA, UVB, and UVC) account for 7% of the solar spectrum. Visible light (violet, indigo, blue, green, yellow, orange, red), ranging from 400 to 700 nanometers, accounts for 39% of the spectrum. Invisible infrared (near-, mid-, and far-infrared) light, ranging from 700 to 10,000 nanometers, accounts for 54% of the spectrum.

• This range is called the optical window — The ideal optical window is about halfway through the near-infrared range, between 600 and 900 nanometers. Within this optical window, the wavelengths are long enough to penetrate the body and reach deep into the tissues, but they’re not readily absorbed by hemoglobin, melanin, and water. The optical window sweet spot is around 800 to 810 nanometers.

• Penetration depth varies by wavelength — Red light starts around 600 nanometers. In the range of about 630 to 660 nanometers, red light typically reaches a few millimeters into tissue, making it relevant for skin and superficial structures. Meanwhile, near-infrared light begins above 700 nanometers. At around 800 to 850 nanometers, it penetrates much deeper, reaching muscles, joints, and other underlying tissues.

Longer wavelengths, closer to 1,050 nanometers, can penetrate even further, with research exploring their interaction with deeper tissue and neural structures, although these applications remain an active area of investigation.

• The key target within your cells is an enzyme called cytochrome c oxidase — This is a protein embedded in your mitochondria that acts as the final gatekeeper in cellular energy production. When this enzyme absorbs red or near-infrared light, it accelerates the production of adenosine triphosphate (ATP), the molecule your body uses for cellular energy. This increase in ATP supports everything from tissue repair to immune signaling and metabolic resilience.

• PBM influences melatonin production, but not the kind produced by your brain at night — Instead, near-infrared light stimulates melatonin synthesis inside the mitochondria, which account for roughly 95% of the melatonin produced in your body. By comparison, the melatonin secreted by the pineal gland during nighttime represents only 5% of your body’s total melatonin output.

Within mitochondria, melatonin serves as a powerful antioxidant. It neutralizes free radicals generated during normal energy production and helps protect mitochondrial structures from oxidative damage. Because mitochondria are present in nearly every cell, this mechanism helps explain why red and near-infrared light can exert effects across such a wide range of tissues.

• Nitric oxide is another key player — When light triggers its release from cellular storage sites, it leads to improved circulation by widening blood vessels and reducing inflammation. The result is better blood flow to damaged tissues, improved oxygen delivery, and support for immune and repair processes in areas under stress.

This broad impact on core biological functions has made PBM an area of growing interest in fields beyond oncology. To get a deeper look at how different wavelengths work in the body and what makes them therapeutically active, read “Exploring Benefits of Different Wavelengths of Light in Photobiomodulation.”

Other Health Benefits of PBM Beyond Cancer Care

A clinical consensus published in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology reviewed the available evidence on PBM and found that it shows therapeutic benefit for the following conditions:6

• Wound healing — Chronic wounds can persist for weeks or months due to poor blood flow, infection risk, or high levels of inflammation. This includes diabetic foot ulcers, venous leg ulcers, pressure ulcers (bedsores), and burns. PBM supports healing in these cases by improving circulation, reducing inflammation, and promoting tissue repair, especially when used alongside standard wound care.

• Peripheral nerve conditions — Damage to the peripheral nervous system can cause burning, tingling, numbness, or shooting pain in the limbs. PBM has been shown to help reduce nerve-related pain and restore some sensory function, particularly in cases of diabetic neuropathy or chemotherapy-induced nerve injury.

Additional studies have looked at its potential to relieve post-herpetic neuralgia (shingles-related nerve pain), improve bladder control, and stabilize blood pressure reflexes, though more data is needed in those areas.

• Musculoskeletal performance and recovery — PBM may influence muscle performance and fatigue depending on dose and wavelength. While further high-quality research is needed, these findings suggest promising uses in sports medicine and physical rehabilitation.

• Cognitive function and neurodegeneration — Though consensus was not reached for all neurological conditions, PBM has been studied for its effects on cognitive performance, memory, and attention. Applications explored in early or experimental studies include brain injury, dementia, chronic migraines, Alzheimer’s disease, and Parkinson’s disease.

I also finished a hypothesis paper, which has yet to be published, in which I propose that near-infrared light absorbed by mitochondria triggers local melatonin synthesis, which may activate powerful antioxidant defenses within brain cells. This mitochondrial melatonin system appears distinct from pineal melatonin and operates without circadian rhythms.

According to the model, near-infrared exposure initiates a cascade involving glutathione amplification and SIRT3 activation that offers targeted protection against oxidative stress. I believe this light-triggered mechanism could help defend neurons from age-related degeneration, particularly when combined with adequate intake of glutathione precursors like glycine and N-acetylcysteine (NAC).

• Dermatological and aesthetic uses — PBM has found a place in clinical dermatology, particularly for improving scar appearance and skin rejuvenation. In patients with androgenic alopecia, PBM has also been shown to promote hair regrowth when used at appropriate wavelengths and dosages.

• Oral applications — PBM has been described as generally well tolerated when used for maxillofacial conditions. While the consensus review did not detail specific clinical outcomes, separate research published in The Journal of the American Dental Association reports that PBM may be used as an adjunctive therapy in dental settings to support wound healing, reduce inflammation, and help manage pain.7

As with any biologically active therapy, outcomes depend not just on what condition is being treated, but on how the therapy is delivered. Understanding how to choose the right device — and how to dose it correctly — is essential for translating the science of PBM into safe, practical results.

Practical Guidance for Choosing a PBM Device and Using It Effectively

Using PBM to effectively improve your general wellness depends on both how much light is delivered and how it is delivered. Dose, wavelength, and device quality work together to determine whether PBM produces a meaningful biological response. The aim is to apply enough energy to activate cellular processes without exceeding the range where the effect begins to diminish. Here are some tips to keep in mind:

• Aim for the therapeutic middle range rather than going too low or too high — Research commonly uses doses between 5 and 50 joules per session, with a joule representing the amount of energy delivered in watts per second. This reflects a well-established principle in PBM: insufficient energy produces weak or no biological response, while excessive energy can reduce or inhibit the intended effect.

• Use about 25 joules per session for general whole-body wellness — This level can be reached using a large PBM panel and corresponds to roughly 10 minutes of exposure to the front of the body and 10 minutes to the back. This session length provides enough energy to support cellular signaling and tissue recovery without overwhelming the system.

• Match the device to your health goal, required depth, and daily routine — Consider what you intend to treat, how deep the light needs to reach, and how easily the device fits into your daily routine. Adjustable settings that control wavelength and dosage improve flexibility and help tailor sessions to your needs.

Always choose a clinically validated device from a reputable manufacturer to ensure safety, reliability, and accurate energy delivery. A practitioner trained in PBM can help tailor your dosing schedule based on individual health goals and response patterns.

• Choose a mixed red and near-infrared unit when you want both surface and deep-tissue effects — This device allows you to address both surface-level and deeper tissue issues simultaneously. However, achieving these combined benefits requires spending about 50% more time using the device compared to using a device that emits only near-infrared light.

• Select low-EMF, low-flicker devices to reduce unnecessary stress exposure — Mito Red is one example of a PBM manufacturer that has addressed several common concerns found in many light therapy devices. One of the key features is its extremely low electromagnetic field (EMF) output, measuring under 1 milligauss at a 6-inch distance and dropping to background levels beyond that.

In contrast, some infrared panels emit 5 to 10 gauss or more when used at close range, which may be a consideration for those sensitive to EMFs. They also eliminated light flicker, a subtle but measurable pulsing that tends to occur in infrared light devices and can affect neurological comfort over time. Visit their website to explore the full product line, including portable units, full-body panels for home use, commercial-grade panels, and red-light room systems.

• Consider using sauna therapy — Far infrared saunas, in particular, provide a practical way to deliver therapeutic wavelengths while also supporting detoxification through sweat. Learn more in “Infrared Sauna After Training Speeds Recovery and Supports Athletic Performance.”

• PBM complements natural light exposure — Regular time in natural sunlight remains the best way to receive a full spectrum of beneficial light wavelengths. But for many people, daily exposure is inconsistent or limited by season, lifestyle, or environment. PBM can be a great health investment to fill the gaps when natural light isn’t available, but it’s meant to supplement — not replace — sunlight exposure.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) About Photobiomodulation

Q: What are the benefits of PBM in patients undergoing cancer treatment?
A: PBM is used in cancer care to help manage treatment-related side effects. Clinical research shows it may reduce the severity and duration of oral mucositis, ease pain in the mouth and throat, improve tolerance to radiation-related skin reactions, and support recovery of tissues affected by chemotherapy or radiation.
By helping preserve your ability to eat, speak, and maintain skin and nerve comfort, PBM may also reduce treatment interruptions and improve overall quality of life while you are undergoing cancer therapy.

Q: Why do red and near-infrared light matter more than other wavelengths?
A: Red and near-infrared wavelengths fall within a range that allows light to penetrate tissue without being excessively absorbed by skin pigment, blood, or water. This makes them better suited for interacting with deeper tissues compared to shorter wavelengths.

Q: Should I use blue light as part of PBM therapy?
A: Blue light is included in some technical definitions of photobiomodulation, but artificial blue light exposure can disrupt circadian signaling and sleep regulation. For this reason, focusing on red and near-infrared light aligns better with overall biological health outside tightly controlled medical settings.

Q: Can I use a PBM device at home?
A: Some at-home devices are designed to deliver appropriate wavelengths and doses, but quality varies widely. Look for clinically validated equipment with clear specifications and avoid devices that lack safety certification or accurate output information. Guidance from a knowledgeable practitioner helps reduce misuse.

Q: Does PBM replace spending time outdoors?
A: PBM does not replace natural sunlight. Time outdoors provides a broader spectrum of light and supports circadian health in ways devices cannot fully replicate. PBM works best as a supplement when regular outdoor light exposure is limited by the environment or schedule.

Virtually no one can maintain a supplement routine perfectly for long periods of time. Falling off the proverbial wagon is not a personal failure; it’s just being human. We see it constantly: Someone starts a new supplement routine strong, feels real momentum, and then a vacation, a deadline, a sick week, or a string of overscheduled days knocks them off the rails.
They skip their supplements for a few days. Motivation dwindles and it becomes more and more difficult to remember what they were supposed to take and when. And then comes the most damaging moment of all — the story they tell themselves about it: “I blew it. I’m just not a consistent person. What’s the point of even trying?”

The Slip Isn’t the Problem — the Story Is

That story ends more supplement routines than any missed week ever could. Because the benefit you lost out on during that week is not going to break you. The shame spiral it can set off, however, is far more detrimental. This is where the science is encouraging. How you talk to yourself after missing your supplements for a stretch can matter as much as the missed doses themselves.
Researchers call the healthier response self-compassion — the ability to treat yourself kindly in times of failure or distress rather than berating yourself — and it isn’t a fixed personality trait you either have or don’t. It’s something anyone can learn. In a systematic review of self-compassion programs, most studies found that people’s self-compassion rose with brief practice, and those increases tracked with improvements in healthy behaviors like eating and physical activity.1
And it’s specifically the response to a slip that matters. In a two-week study that checked in with people twice a day by phone, those who met an inevitable lapse in their health regimen with self-compassion reported a stronger intention to keep going — and expressed greater confidence that they actually could — than those who reacted with guilt and harsh self-criticism; the kinder response, not the harsher one, was what kept them on track.2
Translate that to a supplement routine and the implication is direct: how you handle the morning you forget your dose does more to determine whether you’re still taking it next month than the forgotten dose itself.
The flip side — shame — is the part that does the real damage to a routine. A separate review of compassion-based approaches found that learning to respond to yourself with kindness reduced shame and supported healthier behavior.3
That matters because shame rarely motivates you to start taking care of yourself again; more often, it motivates avoidance. The harsh inner voice that says you’ve failed makes you want to stop looking at the bottle you’ve been ignoring, which is precisely how a single missed week hardens into a supplement routine you’ve quietly abandoned.
So, the most useful skill here isn’t more discipline. It’s a kinder, quieter response the next time you inevitably miss a few days: “This is normal, it’s recoverable; I’ll take my next dose tonight.”

Backsliding Is Normal

Let’s say it plainly, because almost no one does: falling off a supplement routine now and then is normal. The goal isn’t to maintain a flawless streak of never missing a dose. The real goal is to make getting back to your supplements so easy that a missed week stays a missed week instead of becoming the end.
It helps to remember that even building a supplement habit in the first place rarely runs on a tidy schedule. A 2024 meta-analysis of how health habits form found that reaching the point where a behavior feels automatic took anywhere from about four days to nearly a year, with a typical time of roughly two months, with enormous variation from one person to the next.4 If the very process of forming a habit is that uneven, expecting yourself to have perfect adherence was never realistic.
Once you accept that slides are a normal part of life rather than evidence of a personal character flaw, the emotional weight you attach to them begins to soften. A day of skipped supplements can then be viewed for what it is: a Tuesday that got away from you.
There’s an old piece of wisdom worth borrowing here. When an engine has been sitting unused for a period of time, you don’t floor it back to full speed in an instant, because parts have stiffened and forcing it only does damage. You start it gently and let it warm back up.
Restarting a supplement routine — or any other health-related routine — works in a similar way. After a slide, the instinct is an all-or-nothing crackdown — back to following every rule at once, as penance for the lapse. It feels virtuous, yet it is almost guaranteed to fail again, because it reinstates the exact burden that caused you to fall off in the first place. The better move is the exact opposite: a gentle, forgiving re-entry. One serving, today, with no penance required.
And here’s another key: that gentle re-entry is only possible if the supplement routine was simple enough to begin with. If restarting means counting out a dozen capsules, rebuilding an elaborate multi-dose schedule, and summoning fresh willpower, many people simply won’t do it. But if getting back on means stirring a scoop of nutritional powder into a breakfast smoothie, they probably will.

Why a Simple Routine Is Easier to Come Back To

The research on what helps people stick with a daily regimen points the same direction: in a systematic review pooling 83 studies of people on daily treatment routines, a simplified regimen was among the strongest enablers of staying consistent, while complex regimens and forgetfulness were among the biggest barriers.5
This is exactly why we’ve been redesigning some of our supplements the way we have. A simple, food-centered, low-friction supplement routine isn’t just easier to keep day to day, it’s also dramatically easier to return to after you’ve fallen off. And the easier your routine is to resume, the less any single missed stretch will cost you.

The Bottom Line

A missed week is recoverable; the shame spiral is what does the lasting damage — and the antidote isn’t harsher discipline but a kinder response and a supplement routine that is easy enough to resume without drama.
Make getting back to it easy and forgiving, and the roller coaster stops being a reason to quit. Few people are able to take their supplements “perfectly” for long periods of time. It’s normal. What matters is that you keep getting back to them, and by reformulating some of our supplements into easy-to-use powders meant to be added to food and beverages, we strive to make it as simple and easy to restart as possible.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: I always fall off my supplement routine after a week or two. What am I doing wrong?
A: Almost certainly nothing about your character. Sticking with supplements tends to be a bit like a roller coaster, not a straight climb, and nearly everyone slides when life gets busy. The slide isn’t the problem — what usually ends a supplement routine is the self-blame that follows it. The fix isn’t to add more reminders in an effort to never miss a dose; it’s to make getting back on so easy that a missed week doesn’t derail your entire program.

Q: Isn’t being “easy on myself” just an excuse to stop taking them?
A: It’s the opposite. Harsh self-criticism and shame tend to drive avoidance. Research on self-compassion, which is simply treating yourself kindly after missing a few days, links it to better follow-through, not less. Being kind to yourself is what makes getting back to your supplements possible.

Q: After I’ve fallen off, what’s the best way to restart my supplements?
A: Gently. Resist the all-or-nothing crackdown — it tends to reinstate the very burden that caused you to fall off and make you “fail” again. Instead, just take your next serving today, with no penance required.

Q: How does a simpler supplement routine help when I backslide?
A: Because the easier your routine is to resume, the less any missed stretch will cost you. If getting back on means rebuilding an elaborate multi-pill regimen, most people won’t. If it means stirring a scoop of nutritional powder into breakfast, they will. A food-centered routine removes most of the friction that makes a single bad week turn into a permanently abandoned regimen.

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.

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What do you call the clear fluid that cushions the brain and spinal cord?

Lymphatic fluid
Cerebrospinal fluid
Cerebrospinal fluid cushions the brain and spinal cord while also carrying away waste, including proteins linked to neurodegenerative diseases. Learn more.
Synovial fluid
Interstitial fluid