Ultra-processed foods predict increased risk of cancer, hypertension, and weight gain Eat better, live better Ultra-processed foods (UPFs) typically include industrial formulations of five or more ingredients. Key items comprise salt, sugar, fats, flavors, and colors. Common UPFs include candies, mass-produced breads, energy bars, sugar-sweetened drinks, and most snack foods. People who consume high levels…
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More Vegetables, Less Dementia and Cognitive Decline
Spinach, kale, and collards These plants contain beneficial bioactive compounds A series of studies by researchers at the Rush University Medical Center in Chicago found links between diet and cognitive decline and Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Participants included about 900 Chicago-area residents free of dementia at baseline with an average age of about 80 years. Follow-up…
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Seven Reasons to Increase Your Well-Being
Does greater well-being appeal to you? Compelling reasons to boost your well-being A group of social scientists wrote an article that urged their academic colleagues to direct more research to study and promote well-being. Social science research tends to focus on problems, such as mental illness, and gives much less attention to well-being. The scientists…
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Purpose in Life Affects Brain Function
Purpose in life predicts greater well-being Being more purposeful might help your brain You can think well-being as including two parts: subjective and eudaimonic. Subjective well-being or life satisfaction reflects happiness and pleasure. Eudaimonic well-being reflects realizing your human potential. Psychologist Carol Ryff at the University of Wisconsin proposed six facets of eudaimonic well-being. They…
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