What Information Are You Looking For?
Gratitude Improves Longevity in Older Women
Dr. Joe Jacko
Gratitude Improves Longevity in Older Women We have written a few posts over the years on the importance of gratitude and its effects on health. Those articles are usually published around Thanksgiving and have been focused on the relationship between gratitude and happiness and improvement in health. But this recent article published in JAMA Psychiatry addresses the importance of gratitude as it specifically relates to longevity in older women. JAMA Study Older women who scored the highest on questionnaire measuring gratitude had 9% lower risk of dying prematurely from any cause. The study analyzed data from the long-term Nurse’s Health Study
Does Medicine Make a Difference?
Dr. Joe Jacko
Does Medicine Make a Difference or Impact? Does medicine make a difference? We all know the person who spends every waking moment focused on staying healthy; making sure they eat well, get the right kind of exercise, get proper sleep, avoid unhealthy habits, keep unhealthy stress to minimum, follow all the recommend guidelines for preventive care and vaccinations, and so on. In fact some of us are that person. We are all going to die whether you take meticulous care of your health or totally neglect it. Medicine gets the worst results of any industry or profession. We have a
The FDA Drug Approval Process
Dr. Joe Jacko
The FDA Drug Approval Process It helps to understand the drug approval process. First, it is very expensive to bring a drug to market ranging from $1 billion to $2.6 billion dollars per drug and pharmaceutical companies have more losers than they do winners. Secondly, the drug approval process is lengthy and takes years. First, preclinical research is performed studying a compound on animals. Then an investigational new drug application (IND) is submitted and reviewed by the FDA before human clinical trials can begin. Once the FDA gives the green light, the investigational drug enters several phases of clinical trials
Plant-Based Diet and Prostate Cancer
Dr. Joe Jacko
Plant-Based Diet is Better for Men A recent study published in Cancer found that men with prostate cancer who ate a plant-based diet had higher quality of life than those who consumed more meat in their diets.  The study involved 3,505 men who had non-metastatic prostate cancer. Men in the study filled out a diet questionnaire every four years. Another survey was completed every two years that tracked their health problems. The main findings showed that a  higher plant-based diet index was associated with better scores for sexual function, urinary irritation/obstruction, urinary incontinence, and hormonal/vitality. In the study 48% of the men
Alliance for Longevity Initiatives Brings Hope
Dr. Joe Jacko
The Alliance for Longevity Initiatives The Alliance for Longevity Initiatives was founded in 2022 and advocates for policies and initiatives that extend human healthspan by ending the harm of age related diseases like Alzheimer’s, cardiovascular disease, and cancer.  It also promotes biomedical technology with aims to increase its accessibility to the general public. Longevity Science Caucus The Alliance for Longevity Initiatives strives to bring about collaboration  between longevity scientists, biotechnology companies, and health policy advocates. Its goal is to ensure that there is legislative support for scientists and researchers. The Alliance for Longevity Initiatives helped form the first Longevity Science
Do You Suffer From Vacation Deficit Disorder?
Dr. Joe Jacko
What is Vacation Deficit Disorder Feeling down in the dumps and depressed? Â If so, you may be suffering from vacation deficit disorder. Vacation deficit disorder is not a recognizable medical condition, yet is defined as “Americans who think that annual vacation is important, but who are not confident that they will take one this year.” That definition seems to exclude people who don’t think vacations are important and rarely take one, and there are people like that. I know some and you probably know some who seem content to stay wherever they are and not venture out.
Early Onset Dementia: 15 Risk Factors
Dr. Joe Jacko
Early Onset Dementia Early onset dementia has been on the rise and researchers have now identified 15 risk factors for this progressive neurodegenerative disease. Early onset dementia is described as dementia striking before age 65. Dementia is devastating but especially when the onset strikes at earlier ages to people who are still working, are leading an active life, and have children still dependent on them. Previous research on early onset dementia focused on genetics passed down from one generation to another. A new study, however, out of England looked at various modifiable and non-modifiable factors and discovered 15 that were
Artificial Sweeteners Mess Up the Gut Microbiome
Dr. Joe Jacko
Artificial Sweeteners Change the Gut Microbiome Don’t let the use of artificial sweeteners change your gut microbiome. In our post Gut Microbiome: How it Keeps You Healthy we discussed the importance of the gut microbiome. One hundred trillion microorganisms comprise the gut microbiome. The gut microbiome plays a huge role in our immune system. The gut communicates with the brain through neurotransmitter made in the gut with the help of the microbiome. Nearly everything we eat affects the make up of the gut microbiome either positively or negatively. And, one of those things that affects the quality of our microbiomes is
Use the Holidays to Get Healthy
Dr. Joe Jacko
Get Healthy During the Holidays What better time get healthy and start healthy lifestyle habits than the holidays? What? You’re kidding me? No, I am not. The holidays can be a great time to turn you health around and get healthy. Many people have time off during the holidays and that means more time to exercise and to be physically active in general. It’s a great time to try new healthy foods, experiment with new recipes, and acquire new tastes in foods. The holidays are a great time to reconnect with people including family, friends, co-workers, and meet new people.
Are Your Ready to Take Cold Plunges?
Dr. Joe Jacko
Are There Health Benefits to Cold Plunges? One topic that has been hot (pun intended) in recent weeks (spreading on TikTok) is the use of cold plunges to trigger health benefits. There does seem to be some health benefit to cold plunges but the evidence is not as strong as it is for the use of saunas. Plunging into cold water is not a new behavior but has become more popular in recent years. Cold plunges are being used as a non-pharmacologic means to treat joint pain and inflammation, but its health benefits may go beyond that. Cold
Smart Gym Equipment
Dr. Joe Jacko
Smart Gym Equipment How would you like to obtain better health and fitness results in less time? Believe it or not, with smart gym equipment, that is now possible. Technology including AI is taking exercise to a different stratosphere enabling exercisers to get a better health and fitness return on their exercise time. And, who wouldn’t want more time? It is now possible to get stronger faster and in less time with ARX equipment. It is now possible to improve your core muscles in 10 to 20 minutes a week just by sitting with All Core 360. It is now
Biohacking Your Way to Ultimate Health
Dr. Joe Jacko
What is Biohacking? If you stay current on health and fitness news you likely have heard the word “biohacking”, and while you may have a vague sense of what it refers to, you may still have some confusion over the term. Today we will try to clarify what biohacking is and describe the various forms of it. Descriptions of Biohacking Biohacking is a broad and amorphous term that spans a range of activities. In a very simplistic way biohacking is a term used to describe various tips and tricks for enhancing the body’s and brain’s ability to function at peak
Aging is Exponential, Not Linear
Dr. Joe Jacko
Aging is Exponential, Not Linear Aging is a complex phenomenon. Because we get a year older each year we tend to think that we age biologically one year at a time. We think biological aging is linear, but it is not. It is exponential. We don’t perceive much of change in our health and how we feel when we go from age 25 to 26, but talk to someone who has gone from 69 to 70 and they might tell that they have aged a lot during that past year. We age more quickly the older we get up to
Protect Yourself Against COVID-19 with Exercise
Dr. Joe Jacko
Protect Yourself Against COVID with Exercise A recent review published in Current Sports Medicine Reports suggests that exercise may be the most important “medicine” for COVID 19. This should not be too surprising given everything we know about the positive effects exercise has on the immune system and cardiovascular and neurologic health. Vaccinations and boosters, hand washing, social distancing, and masking have not proven to be as effective as originally thought with vaccinated people still getting COVD ranging from mild symptoms to needing hospitalization. With new mutations evolving perhaps it is time to rethink our strategy and some researchers think
Want to Live Longer? Play Tennis
Dr. Joe Jacko
Want to Live Longer? Play Tennis Do you want to live longer? Believe it or not, but not everyone wants to live longer, but I suspect you do since you came to this website. So if one of your goals is to live longer then you may want to start playing tennis. Tennis may be the best sport to live longer and healthier. A study out of Denmark published in 2018 found that Danes that played tennis lived 9.7 years longer than their peers who were sedentary. There were other leisure activities that the study looked at as well. Basically,
Senolytics Remove Senescent or Zombie Cells
Dr. Joe Jacko
Removing Senescent or Zombie Cells with Senolytics What are senescent cells and what are senolytics? Let’s first start with discussing what senescent cells are. Senescent cells are cells that no longer divide (though some may be able to be “rehabilitated” to once again divide) and are non-functional. Cellular senescence is one of the 12 hallmarks of aging. Senescent cells accumulate during aging and at pathogenic sites of multiple disorders and diseases. Senescent cells are sometimes called Zombie cells. At first blush this may not seem like a big deal but senescent cells can be quite damaging to overall health. That
Longevity Benefits of Metformin
Dr. Joe Jacko
Longevity Benefits of Metformin What if I told you that there is an inexpensive FDA approved drug that has been used for over 70 years and it has an excellent safety record, and it shows promise great promise in improving longevity? Would you be interested in learning more about it? I suspect so, which is why we will discuss the longevity benefits of metformin. What is Metformin? Metformin is a drug that has been used to treat diabetes in Europe since 1957 and approved by the FDA for use in diabetes in the US in 1994. Prior to its use
Incredible Life Extension Benefits of Rapamycin
Dr. Joe Jacko
Life Extension Benefits of Rapamycin Do you want to live longer healthier? Is so, then rapmycin is something you will want to know. Rapamycin is the hot topic in the life extension or longevity arena. Rapamycin has been shown to increases median life expectancy up to 60% in animal models. That is impressive and human studies have been and are being conducted currently with encouraging preliminary results. It is one thing to extend life span but it is quite another to extend health span – the additional years lived in good health. Â Let’s face it, few of us want to
Why We Fall
Dr. Joe Jacko
Why We Fall? Have you wondered why we fall especially as we get older? And, can anything be done to prevent them? Falls are a bigger problem than many believe and do not receive the attention they should. Many conditions contribute to falling. These are called risk factors. The good news is that many of these risk factors can be changed or modified to help prevent falls. Reasons for falls include: Lower body weakness. Loss of muscle mass as we age is called sarcopenia. Vitamin D deficiency. Difficulties with walking and balance. Medications such as tranquilizers, sedatives, or antidepressants. Even
How Many Daily Steps Needed to Improve Health?
Dr. Joe Jacko
How Many Daily Steps Needed to Improve Health? Most of us have heard that you need to take 10,000 daily steps a day to improve health. Actually, a new study shows that you can still improve health with as few as 4,000 daily steps 93,867 steps to be precise), but 10,000 daily steps gives you a better reduction in death. A recent study published in the European Journal of Cardiology analyzed 17 prior studies involving 226,889 individuals whose walking habits were followed on average for about seven years. Here’s what that meta-analysis found: Heart health begins to improve with as
Reduce Post-Op Complications with Exercise
Dr. Joe Jacko
Reduce Post-Op Complications with Exercise You can reduce post-op complications with as little as 4 to 6 weeks of high intensity training prior to surgery. And, that is true even if you are not currently exercising. The reductions on post-op surgical complications is significant following a period of high intensity interval training in the weeks leading up to surgery. These findings are the conclusion of study out of New Zealand that looked at 12 studies involving 832 patients who engaged in high intensity interval training (HIIT) before having surgery. The patients performed interval training at 80% of their maximal heart
Enhance Athletic Performance: Drink Water
Dr. Joe Jacko
Water is the most important nutrient. Along with carbohydrates, fats, and protein, water is considered a macronutrient – something the body needs in large amounts. And, this is even more important when it comes to athletic performance. As little as 1% reduction in body water content is enough to hamper athletic performance – maybe as little as even 0.5%. Â Water does not provide any calories directly to the body, but it moves nutrients and oxygen through the bloodstream and helps to remove toxins and waste from the body. Remember, the body is mostly water so don’t short change yourself of
The Power of Sprint Interval Training
Dr. Joe Jacko
What is Sprint Interval Training? Believe it or not, but you can SIT and improve your health and fitness. SIT refers to sprint interval training which is similar to or HIIT or high intensity interval training with one significant difference. I know we have written articles that describing sitting as the new smoking in the Hazards of Sitting: Move to Avoid Them and Don’t Sit Yourself to Death. That is not the type of sitting we are discussing today. Difference Between SIT and HIIT High intensity interval training is usually performed at 80 to 85 percent of maximum heart rate, whereas, SIT or
Why Keeping Weight Off is Difficult
Dr. Joe Jacko
Why Keeping Weight Off is Difficult Have you wondered why keeping weight off is difficult once you have lost it? This post will look at some of the reasons why keeping weight off is challenging. There is perhaps nothing more frustrating than working really hard to lose weight, only to regain it later. Before we talk about the challenges in keeping weight off let’s define what successful weight loss is. Many experts define successful weight loss as a 10 percent reduction in body weight, maintained for at least a year. Now let’s talk about the challenges in keeping weight off.
Craving Calorie-Dense Foods? Could Be Stress
Dr. Joe Jacko
Craving Calorie-Dense Foods? Could Be Stress Are you craving calorie-dense foods? It could be related to stress. Researchers from Garvan Institute of Medical Research in Australia found that stress overrides that part of the brain that signals satiety or the sense of feeling full. Chronic stress sparks alterations of brain activity that boost cravings for sweets and junk food. Stress overrides the brain’s natural ability to balance energy needs. And, the problem is this. There are times when we all experience an excess amount of stress putting all of us at risk for engaging in unhealthy eating. Stress and Emotional
Does Taurine in Energy Drinks Slow Aging?
Dr. Joe Jacko
Does Taurine in Energy Drinks Slow Aging? We have a great news – especially if you are a mouse, worm, or monkey. It appears that taurine, an amino acid, found in many energy drinks slows aging in these organisms. Might is slow aging in humans? What is Taurine? Taurine is unique among amino acids in that is not used to form proteins like other amino acids. It is a free-form molecule and plays a role in the function of the central nervous system and immune system and has anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. It is produced naturally by the body but
Optimal Sleep Reduces Risk of Heart Disease
Dr. Joe Jacko
Optimal Sleep Reduces Risk of Heart Disease Reduce your risk of cardiovascular disease 39% through optimal sleep. That is the conclusion of this study published in Sleep.  What great news – simply improving your sleep can reduce your risk of cardiovascular disease as much as, and in some cases, more than controlling your blood pressure and cholesterol with medication. The two take home points are this. You need a regular sleep schedule and need to achieve sufficient sleep duration (more than seven hours per night). The study followed 1.726 participants for an average of seven years. The participants wore activity monitors on
Impact of Plant-Based Diet on Cholesterol
Dr. Joe Jacko
A study published on May 24, 2023 European Heart Journal found that “plant-based diets can play a significant role in reducing blocked arteries, thereby lowering the risk heart and blood vessel diseases, such as strokes and heart attacks.” The findings may not be unique in some ways. Most of us probably suspected this would be the case. The researchers of this study looked at 30 randomized control studies conducted between 1982 through 2022 involving 2,372 participants and is the first evidence review comparing omnivorous and vegetarian diets. This type of study is called a meta-analysis. A meta-analysis is a research method that
Avoid the Health Risks of Loneliness
Dr. Joe Jacko
We now better understand the health risks of loneliness which is becoming an epidemic. In March of 2020 towards the beginning of the pandemic we wrote an article that more and more individuals were battling loneliness. The health risks of loneliness go beyond the emotional and the mental. There are significant physical health risks of loneliness. Widespread loneliness is as deadly as smoking 12 cigarettes a day and costs the health care industry billions of dollars a year according to Vivek Murthy, MD, the United States Surgeon General, which he based on this study published in Aging. One third of
A Key to Aging Well: Muscle Mass
Dr. Joe Jacko
Muscle Mass and Aging Well One key to aging well is frequently overlooked. And, that key is the importance of muscle mass. Building and maintaining muscle mass is more significant than most people, including physicians, realize. I have an exercise for you. It’s not a physical exercise but rather a mental one. Regardless of your current chronologic age, list just 5 things you would like to do or be able to do during your: 60s 70s 80s 90s These could be places to travel, new hobbies or interests, volunteer work, family and socializing events. Whatever you think you want to
Page [tcb_pagination_current_page] of [tcb_pagination_total_pages]