Recent Posts by Alan Carpenter

Intrinsic Motivation Can Help You Embrace Healthy Lifestyle Choices

Self-determination theory Beginning in the early 1970s, Edward Deci at the University of Rochester began developing what later became self-determination theory (SDT). Subsequently with Rochester colleague, Richard Ryan and others, SDT blossomed into a well-researched and validated way to understand and predict why we humans behave the way we do. Deci, Ryan, and colleagues conducted…
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Reducing the Environmental Impacts of Diet

Food production and greenhouse gas emissions Researchers at the University of Minnesota labeled the convergence of 1) diets increasing in calories and animal products, 2) increasing prevalence of chronic diseases, and 3) increasing environmental deterioration as a global trilemma. These three trends bode ill for people and the planet. Global food demand (measured as that…
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Keep Moving and Lower Your Risk of Dementia

Global increase in dementia A recent report that used data from the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study in 2019 estimated that the number of people with dementia would increase globally from 57.4 million in 2019 to 130.8 million in 2050. The estimated increase varied widely among regions with the lowest in…
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Biological Aging

Aging and chronic diseases The aging of humanity, especially in developed countries, and the chronic diseases of older people pose huge challenges to medical care. The current model of medical research and practice features investigation and treatment of specific diseases. Yet, recent research suggests that biological aging underlies the development of most chronic diseases. A…
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