Health Archives

How to Overcome Obesity: The 2 Solutions

How can we overcome obesity? What are some simple changes you can make to prevent packing on excess weight? According to Canadian nephrologist Jason Fung, beating obesity means changing what you eat as well as when you eat. In practice, this means eating a diet composed of whole foods and practicing fasting. Whole foods help you feel full and don’t spike your insulin, while regular fasting lowers your insulin long enough to reverse insulin resistance. Here’s how to overcome obesity, according to Jason Fung.

Healthy-User Bias in Medical Research

What is healthy-user bias? How can we isolate whether an intervention actually accounts for differences between individuals? Healthy-user bias occurs in studies that aim to assess the effect of a certain treatment or intervention. Because the people who choose to partake in such studies tend to be significantly different from their peers, it’s difficult to assess the degree to which the intervention (and not the participants’ characteristics) accounts for the findings. Keep reading to learn about healthy-user bias and how it affects research findings.

Exercise and the Brain: Cognitive Benefits of Movement

How does exercise benefit the brain? Can regular exercise ward off age-related cognitive decline? Regular exercise is the single most important thing to do for your brain’s health. Not only does exercise promote clarity of thinking, but it can also help slow down the rate of cognitive decline as you age. Here’s a look at exercise and the brain.

Set Weight: Why Dieting Doesn’t Work

What exactly is the “set weight”? What role does your set weight play in fat gain? What happens when you fall below your set weight? Your set weight is the default weight your body seeks to maintain—it’s a homeostatic mechanism. Once you fall beneath that set weight, your body will compel you to eat and regain any weight you’ve lost. That’s why many people see excess weight come back once they get off a diet. Here’s how your body seeks to sustain your set weight, preventing you from keeping the lost weight off.

Brain Diet: What to Eat for a Healthy Brain

What’s the best diet for the brain? What foods should you eat to keep your brain healthy and your mind sharp? What foods should you avoid? A healthy diet is a vital part of brain health. While there’s no general consensus on the best brain diet, there’s plenty of evidence to suggest that you should eat certain foods regularly and avoid other foods as much as possible. Learn which foods are good for your brain and which ones can be potentially harmful.

The Mistreatment of Black People in Healthcare

How are Black people mistreated in the healthcare industry? How does racism manifest in healthcare? The American healthcare industry fails to provide adequate care and treatment to Blacks. Nikole Hannah-Jones, the author of The 1619 Project, links mistreatment of Black people in healthcare to medical practitioners’ racist beliefs that cause them to underestimate Black illness and not provide necessary treatments. Here’s how the effects of slavery echo across the American healthcare industry.

How Meal Timing Affects Your Insulin Levels

How does meal timing affect your insulin? What happens in your body when you eat too frequently? When you eat every few hours (including snacking), your insulin remains elevated. When insulin levels are both high and constant, your body’s cells become insulin resistant. That kicks off the self-perpetuating loop of chronically high insulin that promotes weight gain. Here’s how meal timing affects your insulin.

How to Keep Your Brain Healthy and Active as You Age

Is cognitive decline inevitable? Is there a way to slow down the rate of age-related cognitive impairment? Just like any other organ, your brain’s health will inevitably decline with age. However, it’s not totally out of your control: You can slow down the rate of cognitive decline by stimulating your brain through learning and doing novel activities. Here’s how to keep your brain healthy and active as you age.

Foods That Spike Insulin and Contribute to Weight Gain

Which foods spike insulin the most? How does insulin promote overeating? Everything you eat causes insulin release, but some foods spike insulin significantly more than others. Processed carbohydrates—specifically wheat and added sugars—cause insulin to spike dramatically, promoting overeating despite lacking nutritional value. Below, we’ll break down the foods that spike insulin.

The Norepinephrine Hormone’s Function (+How to Make More)

What is the norepinephrine hormone’s function in the brain? How do you feel if you have too much or not enough? How can you produce more norepinephrine? The norepinephrine hormone functions primarily to boost your energy and make you feel more alert, according to Steven Kotler. Kotler’s self-help book, The Art of Impossible, outlines the importance of neurochemicals, like norepinephrine, in creating an overall sense of happiness and wellbeing. Read on to learn more about the function of the norepinephrine hormone, including Kotler’s advice for producing more “happy hormones.”