Latest news with #Whole30
Yahoo
13-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Eat a banana, swap salt for garlic and skip late-night meals — plus 6 more health tips to help you have a great week
Hello Yahoo Life readers! My name is Kaitlin Reilly and I am here to share the best health and wellness tips of the week. Are your friends all about Whole30? Is your spouse experimenting with a fasting regimen like Prolon? This week I spoke to dietitians about whether nutrition challenges are ever worth trying. The answer? Maybe … if you're using the challenge as a stepping stone to improve your overall diet with more nutritious foods, as opposed to a quick fix that you'll abandon when the challenge is over. One easy challenge that will boost your fiber, vitamin and mineral content? Eat fruits and vegetables at every meal for a week, whether that's blueberries on top of oatmeal (more on those berries later!) or even just some arugula on your sandwich. Research from 2022 found that consistently eating a few servings of fruits and veggies a day is just as good for your health as walking 4,000 extra steps. Take a peek at your local weather forecast and look at your horoscope for some astrological guidance. Then check out the small steps you can take to make your week healthier and happier. Staying hydrated is a good goal since doing so helps you avoid headaches and kidney stones and even helps manage your weight. However, simply drinking a ton of water isn't what you should aim for, Dr. Jaclyn Tolentino, an osteopath, recently told Parade. That's because without electrolytes like sodium, potassium and magnesium, which you won't find in tap water, your body will 'struggle to truly absorb and retain the water you're drinking,' Tolentino explained. Instead of chugging water to increase your hydration, focus on including more water-rich foods with electrolytes in your diet, such as watermelon, bananas, figs, avocados and oranges. Working out intensely for more than an hour or spending time in the heat? Grab an electrolyte packet. It's green. It's earthy. It's everywhere. I am, of course, talking about matcha, the antioxidant-rich Japanese green tea powder that is skyrocketing in popularity globally. While you can sip it hot or over ice in place of your daily coffee for a caffeine kick sans the jitters (thanks to its L-theanine content, which alters the effects of the stimulant) that's not the only way to enjoy it. Try making matcha-infused protein balls: food blog Clean and Delicious has a recipe that mixes raw cashews, pistachios, dates, cranberry and coconut with matcha for an energizing bite you can enjoy as an afternoon snack. Here's a good reason to grab a handful of blueberries: Research published in the journal Nutrients found that eating 1.5 cups of blueberries a day could improve some important health markers. The study found that when people ate daily servings of blueberry powder equivalent to that amount of fresh blueberries, they had better cholesterol levels and increased gut bacteria that helped absorb antioxidants. An easy way to sneak more blueberries into your diet? Use them in overnight oats. Add rolled oats, your milk of choice, a nut or seed butter, chia seeds and a large helping of frozen blueberries to a container, then let it sit in the fridge overnight. In the morning, you'll have a quick, fiber-rich breakfast. Strength training is great for maintaining bone and muscle mass, which is especially important as you age, but for many people, spending a ton of time in the gym can be a drag. The solution? Try supersets, sports physiologist Mike Israetel recently told Men's Fitness. Supersets mean you're performing two exercises back-to-back with no rest in between — and they allow you to target different muscle groups while scaling back your workout time. You could do a set of dumbbell shoulder presses, which target the upper body, followed immediately by goblet squats that focus on your lower half. Seeking other ways to cut down on your time spent exercising? Try HIIT workouts — aka high-intensity interval training — in which you alternate between all-out effort for a short amount of time, like 30 seconds, and then recover before repeating. In today's hectic world, it's all too easy to get sucked into doomscrolling, even as research suggests that doing so can negatively affect your stress levels, attention span and even mental health. One suggestion for scaling back these negative consequences comes from psychologist Lienna Wilson, who told Real Simple this week to consider setting aside specific time blocks to scroll quality content — and be mindful of which outlets you consume. (Provocative opinion pieces that leave you enraged are worth opting out of entirely, for example.) Give yourself permission to scan a few of your preferred news sources for an hour after dinner, and then distract yourself from your phone by finding a great book to read instead. That way, you'll feel like you're in the know about important news without falling into a pit of gloom. Plus, by giving yourself a buffer between scrolling and bedtime, your sleep is less likely to be affected by the latest scary article you just read. Grabbing a late slice of pizza sounds like a good idea at the moment, but a study suggests it could be bad for your heart. Researchers from Mass General Brigham found that eating during nighttime hours, like many night shift workers do, can raise blood pressure and increase your risk of blood clots, even if your sleep and calorie intake remain the same. While the study is small, there are other reasons to avoid eating later at night, even if your work or life schedule aligns with it: Research previously linked eating 45% of your daily total calories after 5 p.m. to impaired glucose tolerance (aka higher blood sugar levels) and eating after 9 p.m. with a higher risk of stroke. Plus, if you eat late at night and then hit the pillow shortly after, your sleep is more likely to be disrupted by gastrointestinal issues like acid reflex. If you're seeking to support healthy aging, ramp up your intake of omega-3s, which are fatty acids with anti-inflammatory properties. A recent study published in Nature Aging found that participants who took 1-gram supplements of omega-3 fatty acids slowed their biological aging by a month each year. Getting omega-3s from whole food sources, which can also add to muscle-boosting protein, is easy: a 3-oz. serving of salmon offers about 1.8 grams of omega-3 fatty acids, a 1-ounce serving of walnuts contains about 2.5 grams and a 1-ounce serving of chia seeds contains 5 grams. Make a salmon salad for lunch, sprinkle walnuts on a yogurt bowl or mix chia seeds into a smoothie. No monkey business here: April 16 is National Banana Day, which is just one more reason to embrace this portable fruit. Bananas are full of potassium, which can help lower blood pressure. Want the most bang for your banana? Pairing the fiber-rich fruit with a source of healthy fat or protein, like nut butter in a sandwich or protein powder in a smoothie, helps keep you full, slow digestion and stabilize blood sugar levels. April 19 is National Garlic Day. Ward off vampires — and high blood pressure! — by skipping the extra salt on your dinner and going for naturally sodium-free garlic powder instead. It's good for your brain, too: Garlic has natural anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, which help reduce your risk of diseases like Alzheimer's. Not a fan of garlic breath? There are ways to avoid it. Consider having yogurt prior to eating garlicky food: The fat and protein mix can alleviate your stinky breath. Or finish your meal with a raw apple, which naturally deodorizes your mouth.
Yahoo
13-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Eat a banana, swap salt for garlic and skip late-night meals — plus 6 more health tips to help you have a great week
Hello Yahoo Life readers! My name is Kaitlin Reilly and I am here to share the best health and wellness tips of the week. Are your friends all about Whole30? Is your spouse experimenting with a fasting regimen like Prolon? This week I spoke to dietitians about whether nutrition challenges are ever worth trying. The answer? Maybe … if you're using the challenge as a stepping stone to improve your overall diet with more nutritious foods, as opposed to a quick fix that you'll abandon when the challenge is over. One easy challenge that will boost your fiber, vitamin and mineral content? Eat fruits and vegetables at every meal for a week, whether that's blueberries on top of oatmeal (more on those berries later!) or even just some arugula on your sandwich. Research from 2022 found that consistently eating a few servings of fruits and veggies a day is just as good for your health as walking 4,000 extra steps. Take a peek at your local weather forecast and look at your horoscope for some astrological guidance. Then check out the small steps you can take to make your week healthier and happier. Staying hydrated is a good goal since doing so helps you avoid headaches and kidney stones and even helps manage your weight. However, simply drinking a ton of water isn't what you should aim for, Dr. Jaclyn Tolentino, an osteopath, recently told Parade. That's because without electrolytes like sodium, potassium and magnesium, which you won't find in tap water, your body will 'struggle to truly absorb and retain the water you're drinking,' Tolentino explained. Instead of chugging water to increase your hydration, focus on including more water-rich foods with electrolytes in your diet, such as watermelon, bananas, figs, avocados and oranges. Working out intensely for more than an hour or spending time in the heat? Grab an electrolyte packet. It's green. It's earthy. It's everywhere. I am, of course, talking about matcha, the antioxidant-rich Japanese green tea powder that is skyrocketing in popularity globally. While you can sip it hot or over ice in place of your daily coffee for a caffeine kick sans the jitters (thanks to its L-theanine content, which alters the effects of the stimulant) that's not the only way to enjoy it. Try making matcha-infused protein balls: food blog Clean and Delicious has a recipe that mixes raw cashews, pistachios, dates, cranberry and coconut with matcha for an energizing bite you can enjoy as an afternoon snack. Here's a good reason to grab a handful of blueberries: Research published in the journal Nutrients found that eating 1.5 cups of blueberries a day could improve some important health markers. The study found that when people ate daily servings of blueberry powder equivalent to that amount of fresh blueberries, they had better cholesterol levels and increased gut bacteria that helped absorb antioxidants. An easy way to sneak more blueberries into your diet? Use them in overnight oats. Add rolled oats, your milk of choice, a nut or seed butter, chia seeds and a large helping of frozen blueberries to a container, then let it sit in the fridge overnight. In the morning, you'll have a quick, fiber-rich breakfast. Strength training is great for maintaining bone and muscle mass, which is especially important as you age, but for many people, spending a ton of time in the gym can be a drag. The solution? Try supersets, sports physiologist Mike Israetel recently told Men's Fitness. Supersets mean you're performing two exercises back-to-back with no rest in between — and they allow you to target different muscle groups while scaling back your workout time. You could do a set of dumbbell shoulder presses, which target the upper body, followed immediately by goblet squats that focus on your lower half. Seeking other ways to cut down on your time spent exercising? Try HIIT workouts — aka high-intensity interval training — in which you alternate between all-out effort for a short amount of time, like 30 seconds, and then recover before repeating. In today's hectic world, it's all too easy to get sucked into doomscrolling, even as research suggests that doing so can negatively affect your stress levels, attention span and even mental health. One suggestion for scaling back these negative consequences comes from psychologist Lienna Wilson, who told Real Simple this week to consider setting aside specific time blocks to scroll quality content — and be mindful of which outlets you consume. (Provocative opinion pieces that leave you enraged are worth opting out of entirely, for example.) Give yourself permission to scan a few of your preferred news sources for an hour after dinner, and then distract yourself from your phone by finding a great book to read instead. That way, you'll feel like you're in the know about important news without falling into a pit of gloom. Plus, by giving yourself a buffer between scrolling and bedtime, your sleep is less likely to be affected by the latest scary article you just read. Grabbing a late slice of pizza sounds like a good idea at the moment, but a study suggests it could be bad for your heart. Researchers from Mass General Brigham found that eating during nighttime hours, like many night shift workers do, can raise blood pressure and increase your risk of blood clots, even if your sleep and calorie intake remain the same. While the study is small, there are other reasons to avoid eating later at night, even if your work or life schedule aligns with it: Research previously linked eating 45% of your daily total calories after 5 p.m. to impaired glucose tolerance (aka higher blood sugar levels) and eating after 9 p.m. with a higher risk of stroke. Plus, if you eat late at night and then hit the pillow shortly after, your sleep is more likely to be disrupted by gastrointestinal issues like acid reflex. If you're seeking to support healthy aging, ramp up your intake of omega-3s, which are fatty acids with anti-inflammatory properties. A recent study published in Nature Aging found that participants who took 1-gram supplements of omega-3 fatty acids slowed their biological aging by a month each year. Getting omega-3s from whole food sources, which can also add to muscle-boosting protein, is easy: a 3-oz. serving of salmon offers about 1.8 grams of omega-3 fatty acids, a 1-ounce serving of walnuts contains about 2.5 grams and a 1-ounce serving of chia seeds contains 5 grams. Make a salmon salad for lunch, sprinkle walnuts on a yogurt bowl or mix chia seeds into a smoothie. No monkey business here: April 16 is National Banana Day, which is just one more reason to embrace this portable fruit. Bananas are full of potassium, which can help lower blood pressure. Want the most bang for your banana? Pairing the fiber-rich fruit with a source of healthy fat or protein, like nut butter in a sandwich or protein powder in a smoothie, helps keep you full, slow digestion and stabilize blood sugar levels. April 19 is National Garlic Day. Ward off vampires — and high blood pressure! — by skipping the extra salt on your dinner and going for naturally sodium-free garlic powder instead. It's good for your brain, too: Garlic has natural anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, which help reduce your risk of diseases like Alzheimer's. Not a fan of garlic breath? There are ways to avoid it. Consider having yogurt prior to eating garlicky food: The fat and protein mix can alleviate your stinky breath. Or finish your meal with a raw apple, which naturally deodorizes your mouth.
Yahoo
09-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
You want to eat healthier. Is daring yourself to do a nutrition challenge like Whole30 or Prolon the answer?
Weight management, better health, more energy, a nutritional reset after living off of queso and margaritas during your last vacation: There are many good reasons to eat a healthier diet. There are also a lot of different ways to get started. Scroll through your social media feed and you'll likely see influencers swearing by the Whole30 challenge (no added sugar, alcohol, grains, legumes or dairy for a month), committing to Prolon's intense five-day fasting mimicking diet or trying to get through 10 days of clean eating. Maybe you're tempted to try the 90-30-50 method (90 grams of protein, 30 grams of fiber and 50 grams of healthy fats) you saw a dietitian post on TikTok, or think challenging yourself to eat 30 plant-based foods a week just might be the magic bullet that gets you eating better for good. Does it work? Can a short-lived health kick change the way you eat in the long term and help you build sustainable habits? Or can jumping on the bandwagon — and potentially not seeing the same results others tout — backfire? Here's what experts say. Want to eat better but need some extra motivation? Dietitian Julia Long tells Yahoo Life that nutrition challenges can be 'a great way to encourage people to focus on healthy habits in a structured and engaging way.' Since there are rules for what you should or shouldn't eat, you have clear guidance that can take the guesswork out of eating healthier. One of the perks of a nutrition challenge, dietitian Adam Ross tells Yahoo Life, is that it can provide 'education' about what you're eating. Depending on what challenge you're trying, you can learn more about what foods are part of a healthy diet and how your body responds to them. Maybe you discover that eating a protein-packed snack — instead of hitting up the office vending machine for potato chips — helps you avoid the afternoon slump, or that a bowl of blueberries is more satisfying than a candy bar when you need a sweet treat. Ross also notes that the community aspect of some challenges can help you stay accountable and motivated. Whole30, for example, has support groups for those who want to share recipes, get advice or see how others are handling their nutritional overhauls. Those community members can also help rally you to stick to your nutritional plan when you're craving french fries or need a little extra encouragement. And if you see your challenge through, Long says you can expect to have 'a sense of accomplishment.' Not all nutrition challenges are created equal. Long says that some can be harmful 'if they promote rigid thinking, unnecessary food restrictions or stress around eating.' Whether it's a good idea to jump into a challenge in the first place depends on a person's mindset and their relationship with food; someone who has struggled with an eating disorder in the past, for example, is not a good candidate for a plan that promotes restriction. Long adds that we also should consider 'how sustainable' the challenge is for the long term. Ross agrees, noting that if the challenge is overly restrictive and focused 'solely on removing [entire] food groups, consuming only shakes and bars provided by the company or following a very low-calorie diet, it should definitely raise some red flags.' That's because a nutrition challenge should be a jumping-off point for eating better overall — not something you do before going back to eating a low-quality diet the rest of the year. It's key for nutrition challenges to at least have elements that you can take with you for the rest of your life, Long explains, even if you don't strictly follow them every single day. (For example, you might reintroduce certain foods after a challenge ends, but ideally, you will, for the most, part leave with a better understanding of how nutritious meals can benefit you and be inspired to keep that up.) 'Nutrition challenges such as eating a vegetable with every meal, drinking more water or eating more colorful foods can introduce someone to a nutrition habit,' Long says. She explains that people will often 'notice improvements in how they feel and function' when they engage in these types of health-forward challenges and stick with those learnings. 'The key is to ensure that the challenge is flexible, realistic and focused on overall well-being rather than strict rules,' Long says. If you're eager to try a challenge, consider something that you'll be able to continue after the window on the challenge closes. For a month, try: Having one plant-based meal a day: Research shows that eating more plants and cutting back on red meat can benefit our health. For a month, try making one meal a day entirely plant-based, like a chia seed pudding for breakfast or a dense bean salad for lunch. Skipping sweetened beverages: Drinking soda has been linked to an increased risk of oral cancer, and the extra empty calories from these beverages can also lead to metabolic health issues. Skip sugary beverages for a month and stick to water, which you can sweeten with fresh fruit. Making time for mindful eating: Do you often eat in front of the TV or have lunch while writing emails at your desk? For a month, focus on mindful eating with no distractions. You'll eat slower, which improves digestion, and may even eat less because you're able to properly assess your hunger cues. Balancing your plate: Long's preferred nutrition challenge? Keeping things balanced: Build at least one meal a day with 'protein, fiber-rich carbs, vegetables and healthy fats,' she says. That could look like a piece of salmon served with quinoa, chopped zucchini and some olive-oil-based dressing. 'This would help improve energy levels, digestion and overall nutrition without feeling restrictive,' she says. Cooking at home: Take-out and restaurant meals can be expensive — not to mention full of sodium and hidden calories. For a month, skip the delivery apps and eat at home, paying attention to the ingredients you're using. Meal prepping once a week can also help you avoid last-minute temptations when you're too tired, hungry or time-strapped to cook.
Yahoo
03-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Fat's surprising role in aging and longevity
We tend to think of fat as nothing more than extra baggage, something that slows us down, makes our jeans fit tighter and, if we're being honest, messes with our confidence in the gym and bedroom. At most, we acknowledge that extra weight contributes to heart disease, diabetes, and other health issues, but we take comfort in our plans to lose it 'someday.' The problem is that as we age, "someday" moves further to the horizon and what worked when we were younger—a week on Whole 30 and incline treadmill workouts—doesn't cut it anymore. Metabolisms slow, poor eating habits set in, and many of us give in to the idea that weight gain is an inevitable part of aging. That's a dangerous mindset. Obesity is more than just the passive storage of excess calories or a vague future threat. It's an active, disruptive force that speeds up aging, making us biologically older than our years. Scientists are zeroing in on how excess fat, especially visceral fat stored around our organs, fuels chronic inflammation, disrupts metabolism, weakens the immune system, and accelerates cognitive decline. While scientists are investigating all manner of longevity boosters, here's the truth: When it comes to slowing aging and extending lifespan, few interventions are as well-supported by science as fat loss, Hone Health reports. Most people assume fat is just sitting there, an inert, gelatinous mass waiting to be burned off. But fat is far from passive—it's actually the body's largest endocrine organ, playing a central role in metabolism. Adipose tissue produces key metabolic hormones, including leptin, adiponectin, and resistin, which regulate everything from hunger to insulin sensitivity. But fat also acts as a hormone factory, containing the enzyme aromatase, which converts testosterone into estrogen. This process becomes a problem when fat accumulates—especially around the belly. In men, excess body fat increases aromatase activity, raising estrogen levels while lowering testosterone, which can slow metabolism, promote fat storage, and reduce muscle mass, creating a cycle of further weight gain. In postmenopausal women, fat becomes the primary site for estrogen production as ovarian estrogen production declines. While some estrogen is necessary, too much can lead to increased fat storage, insulin resistance, and a higher risk of metabolic disorders. As fat levels increase, hormonal imbalances intensify. Excess adipose tissue boosts estrogen production, which further encourages fat storage, creating a cycle that makes weight loss increasingly difficult. And the damage isn't just hormonal. Over time, excess fat releases inflammatory chemicals called cytokines, triggering chronic, low-grade inflammation—a silent force accelerating aging from the inside out. Scientists call this process inflammaging, and it's a major factor linking obesity to nearly every age-related disease, from heart disease to Type 2 diabetes to Alzheimer's. The longer your body is stuck in a state of inflammation, the faster it breaks down, says Christian Sell, Ph.D., a professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at Drexel University College of Medicine in Philadelphia. Sell and Antonello Lorenzini, Ph.D., an associate professor in the Department of Biomedical and Neuromotor Sciences at the University of Bologna, Italy, study the intersection of obesity and aging. Their published research shows that excess fat increases oxidative stress, damages cells, and prematurely ages them. "This is critical for all types of cells," Sell explains, "including endothelial cells, which line blood vessels and regulate oxygen and nutrient delivery; fibroblasts, which support skin structure and repair to prevent premature aging; and astrocytes and neurons, which are essential for maintaining brain function and cognitive health." One of the biggest myths about fat loss is that it's purely about aesthetics. Sure, dropping a few pounds makes you look better and feel lighter, but it's about more than vanity. Fat loss preserves your body's ability to function at a high level for as long as possible. Take stem cells, for example. These are the body's built-in repair mechanisms, responsible for regenerating tissues, healing wounds, and maintaining muscle mass. But both aging and obesity weaken stem cells, making recovery from illness and workouts slower, while increasing disease risk. Excess fat also flips the body's metabolic switch in the wrong direction. When you carry too much weight, the mTOR and IIS pathways—cellular processes that speed up aging—go into overdrive. An overabundance of nutrients caused by overeating pushes cells to divide even when they shouldn't, increasing oxidative stress (damage caused by toxic byproducts of metabolism) and the risk of disease. Meanwhile, longevity-promoting pathways like AMPK and sirtuins—critical for fat-burning and cellular repair—get suppressed. The combined effect is like driving a car with your foot jammed on the gas while your brakes are failing. Eventually, you'll end up wrapped around a metaphorical telephone pole. The most surprising consequence of obesity-related aging, according to Sell? How it wears on our blood vessels. "I think people would be shocked to learn how damaging carrying extra weight is on the blood vessels, especially those supplying the brain," he says. Over time, he explained, reduced blood flow due to damaged vessels can deprive brain cells of oxygen and essential nutrients, leading not just to a loss of mental sharpness, but an increased risk for neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's and vascular dementia. The good news? Fat-related aging isn't necessarily permanent if you lose the weight. Sell likens losing weight to quitting smoking: There may be some lasting damage, but you can largely reverse it while limiting its impact on longevity. Research suggests intermittent and periodic fasting, combined with proper nutrition, is one of the most effective ways to slow aging and even reverse some of the cellular damage caused by obesity. One of the best-documented methods for extending lifespan in animal studies is caloric restriction (CR), a substantial, sustained reduction in calorie intake that still maintains proper nutrition. In lab studies, rodents placed on a CR diet lived significantly longer than their overweight counterparts, with fewer age-related diseases and improved metabolic function. And while humans aren't mice, research has shown that moderate caloric restriction—typically a 10% to 30% reduction in daily calorie intake—lowers inflammation, improves insulin sensitivity, and enhances metabolic health. Studies like CALERIE (Comprehensive Assessment of Long-term Effects of Reducing Intake of Energy), conducted by the National Institute on Aging, suggest controlled calorie reduction activates longevity pathways. It can also reduce biological markers of aging such as blood pressure, cholesterol, C-reactive protein, insulin growth factor, and more. But most of us aren't going to eat 30% fewer calories for the rest of our lives. The good news? We don't have to. Even modest weight loss delivers significant benefits. Research shows that losing just 5% to 10% of body weight can lower inflammation, improve cardiovascular health, and reduce the risk of metabolic diseases, all of which contribute to a longer, healthier life. Research from the Yale School of Medicine indicates that a modest weight reduction of about 10% can lead to a reduction of liver fat and a reversal of liver insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes. This suggests that even a 10% weight reduction can significantly improve insulin sensitivity and reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes. More sustainable strategies, like intermittent fasting, time-restricted eating, strength training, and prioritizing nutrient-dense foods, can mimic many of the same anti-aging benefits without extreme calorie cutting, say experts. If you want to keep your body young and strong, you don't need to starve yourself. The key is changing how your body burns energy, not just eating less. One way to do this is through strategic fasting. Research shows that intermittent fasting, or simply extending the time between your last meal at night and your first meal the next day, can activate the same longevity pathways as calorie restriction. By giving your body a break from constant digestion, you shift into fat-burning and repair mode, where your body naturally clears out damaged cells and regenerates new ones, says Sell. "The research on intermittent fasting is extremely interesting," says Lorenzini. "It forces us to consider not only how many calories we take in, but when." While there's still much to learn, he recommends intermittent fasting as a promising strategy for weight loss and longevity. Just be careful not to take fasting too far. While short-term fasting ( less than 24 hours) generally increases metabolism and burns more fat, fasting for more than 24 hours tends to lower metabolism. Another critical piece? Muscle. Strength training isn't just for bodybuilders, it's one of the best ways to fight obesity-related aging. Muscle is metabolically active tissue, meaning the more of it you have, the more energy you burn at rest. And since muscle mass naturally declines with age, lifting weights is one of the most powerful tools you have to fight back. Research suggests that engaging in strength training at least two to three times per week is enough to preserve and build muscle, improve metabolic health, and slow down age-related muscle loss. The sweet spot for longevity benefits appears to be 8 to 12 reps per set at moderate to high intensity (about 60% to 80% of your one-rep max), targeting all major muscle groups. Studies have also found that progressive overload—gradually increasing weight or resistance over time—is key to maintaining long-term strength gains and ensuring continued metabolic benefits. But structured workouts aren't the only way to improve metabolic health. Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis (NEAT)—all the movement we do outside of intentional exercise, like fidgeting, standing, or walking—plays a surprisingly big role in fat metabolism. Research from the Mayo Clinic dating all the way back to 1999 found that NEAT was the strongest predictor of resistance to weight gain when participants were overfed, accounting for two-thirds of the excess calories burned. And then there's nutrition. Not just how much you eat, but what you eat. For example, cutting out ultra-processed foods and refined sugars can lower chronic inflammation and prevent fat-driven aging, according to 2024 research in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Meanwhile, prioritizing protein, fiber, and healthy fats keeps metabolism humming and preserves lean muscle. "It's important to note," Sell adds, "that extreme caloric restriction is not advised. A balanced approach incorporating exercise and a healthy diet will provide the best results." Lastly, don't discount the new class of weight-loss medications like Ozempic and Wegovy (semaglutide). "GLP-1 agonists represent a qualitative leap," Lorenzini says. "Obesity is a pathology, and if we cannot solve the problem with lifestyle changes. For many, these weight loss medications are a useful resource that shouldn't be demonized." Aging is inevitable, but the speed at which you age is somewhat within your control. About 10% to 20% of your lifespan is likely dependent on factors you can control, Sell says, while Lorenzini puts it around 25% More importantly, you do control how well you live your life as you age. A reasonable diet and exercise program will provide increased function into old age, which is arguably more important than just adding years. By making small, sustainable changes to how you eat, move, and recover, you can slow down aging, preserve your muscle mass, and keep your body performing at its peak for years to come. "I think change is best achieved in small steps because small steps become habits," says Lorenzini. "Committing to eating those extra servings of fruit and vegetables and walking even 10 minutes a day are non-radical changes that can be implemented without much effort and so it's easier to turn them into habits," Lorenzini says. "Once these habits are under the control of our 'autopilot,' the effort becomes zero, and we are ready for the next small change. That's what I do myself." As for Sell? He is motivated to stay in shape by his lifelong love of road cycling. "I want to ride for as long as I can," he said. Because in the end, the goal isn't just to live longer, it's to live better. This story was produced by Hone Health and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.
USA Today
29-03-2025
- Health
- USA Today
Cutting carbs can be healthy. But sustaining a low-carb diet may not be for you.
Cutting carbs can be healthy. But sustaining a low-carb diet may not be for you. Show Caption Hide Caption Vegetarian diets can reduce risk of heart disease and death Spanning over two decades of research, a new comprehensive study is now underscoring the profound protective effects of plant-based eating habits. unbranded - Lifestyle While diets can certainly range from healthy and helpful to worrisome and even dangerous, they all have at least one thing in common: a focus on reductions and eliminations. Examples include the Mediterranean diet recommending cutting down on processed foods and red meat, the Whole30 diet eliminating added sugars and alcohol for a month or the carnivore diet asking its participants to exclude fruits and vegetables. Even the healthiest of diets like the DASH diet recommends limiting sodium intake. Though some dietary exclusions make more sense than others, a few foods seem to be recommended against especially often. One of the most targeted nutrients of many of the most popular diets is carbohydrates. What are carbs? Carbohydrates, commonly called carbs, are the sugars in specific foods. The are important because they are the body's main source of energy. There are two main types of carbs: simple and complex. Simple carbs are natural, digestible sugars such as ones found in foods like milk (lactose), table sugar (sucrose) and fruit (fructose). Complex carbs are starches and the fibrous parts of food that the body doesn't digest. Complex carbs are commonly found in starchy vegetables like potatoes and corn or processed grains like rice, bread, cereals and pasta. Both simple and complex carbs are broken down by the body into glucose, which gets transported to cells, muscle and organs to provide energy. Red meat: Americans consume a lot of it. Here's why we shouldn't. What is a low-carb diet? A low-carb diet aims to limit the amount of carbohydrates you eat. Most healthy adults eat between 225 and 325 grams of carbohydrates a day, but low-carb diets recommend significantly reducing this amount to no more than 130 grams daily. "Some are restricted to as low as 20 to 60 grams of carbohydrates per day," says Leslie Bonci, a sports dietitian for the Kansas City Chiefs and founder of Active Eating Advice. Such restrictions occur by cutting down on candy and sugary drinks, starchy vegetables and processed grains. A food's "Total Carbohydrates" are listed on its Nutrition Facts label. Dieters are encouraged to replace high-carb foods with low-carb alternatives such as chicken, seafood and lean beef, plus fruits like apricots, oranges, avocados, raspberries and lemons. Vegetables like broccoli, tomatoes, mushrooms, onions, kale and asparagus are also included in most low-carb diets—as are eggs, cheese, Greek yogurt and nuts like walnuts, peanuts, macadamia nuts and pistachios. "The focus of a low-carb diet is on eating more protein and fat for nutrients and energy instead of high-carb foods," says Lisa Young, a registered dietitian nutritionist, author of "Finally Full, Finally Slim" and an adjunct professor of nutrition at New York University. Some of the most common low-carb diets include the ketogenic (keto) diet, the Paleo diet, the South Beach diet, the Dukan diet and the Atkins diet. Good question: Yes, asparagus is good for you. But here's why you should avoid overconsumption. Are low-carb diets good or bad for you? Like most diets, there are advantages and disadvantages of low-carb dieting. Some of the benefits include decreased risk of certain mental and physical health conditions, improved blood pressure and reduced calorie intake—which can help with weight loss. Young says that low-carb diets can also be helpful for blood sugar regulation as they recommend foods low on the glycemic index and they usually provide lowered triglycerides—a type of fat in the blood that can increase your risk for heart disease. The emphasis on higher amounts of fat and protein "may also result in feeling fuller for longer and less hungry between meals," says Bonci. But low-carb diets can also be disadvantageous by being "hard to sustain and may unnecessarily restrict nutrient-dense foods like fruits, beans and whole grains," says Young. Such foods, she says, "are essential for everyday gut health, heart health and overall well-being." Longterm adherence to stricter low-carb diets, Young adds, can also "lead to increased cholesterol levels from excessive saturated fat and nutritional deficiencies." Low-carb diets have also been clinically associated with constipation (due to the lack of fiber), moodiness and increased risk of kidney stones. Bonci points out that low-carb diets can also be pricey, "as typically carbohydrate-containing foods are less expensive than protein food," she says. Some brand name low-carb diets—especially ones with designated meal plans—can get costly. In the end, "being mindful of excessive carbs is smart, but balance is key as overly restrictive diets can backfire," cautions Young. "A sustainable, healthy diet includes a variety of nutrient-rich foods in balanced portions."
