About: Alan Carpenter

Recent Posts by Alan Carpenter

Benefits of Informal Helping

Benefits of Informal Helping
Who benefits from informal helping? Given the rising proportion of older people in the US and the documented health benefits of social support, one might think that providing social support to older people would be a sensible way to extend their life span. But might the benefit of social support arise primarily from giving rather…
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Legumes Can Improve Your Health

Legumes Can Improve Your Health
Legumes as human food The legume plant family supplies a major fraction of the world’s human food, second only to members of the grass family, such as wheat, corn, and oats. Pulses include legumes that humans eat as dried seeds, including beans, peas, and lentils. Unfortunately, over the last 100 years, pulse consumption has declined…
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Do You Have Too Much Belly Fat?

Do You Have Too Much Belly Fat?
What body-mass index tell you? Excessive body fat predicts increased risk of chronic diseases including cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, and cancer. But it’s not just the amount of fat that matters—it’s the location that really matters. The common standard for measuring human body fat is called the body-mass index (BMI). It’s calculated as a…
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What Is VILPA?

What Is VILPA?
VILPA = Vigorous Intermittent Physical Activity One of the potentially overlooked changes in the 2018 Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans concerns the minimum amount of physical activity that improves health. The old minimum of 10 minutes (unsupported by data) went by the wayside but was not replaced with another number. Recent research suggests that even…
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