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Healthy kidneys are required for potassium excretion. If you aren’t sure if you’re at risk, ask your doctor about getting your kidney function tested. Based on how we evolved, the optimum dietary potassium intake likely greatly exceeds current and even recommended intakes. The problem is we replaced many of the potassium-rich plant foods that used […]

Is potassium chloride a win-win by decreasing sodium intake and increasing potassium intake? Of all the terrible things about our diets, high dietary sodium intake—high salt intake—is the leading risk. It’s estimated to be causing millions of deaths every year, killing mainly through adverse effects on blood pressure and increased risk of stroke, heart attack,

A staggering 99.99% of Americans fail to get the minimum recommended potassium intake (despite it being perhaps only half of our natural intake) and stay below the recommended sodium intake (even though it may be twice our natural intake). Worldwide, physical inactivity accounts for more than 10 million years of healthy life lost, but what

Cranberries and pumpkin seeds are put to the test for benign prostatic hypertrophy. More than 50% of men in their 50s and at least 70% of men over age 60 suffer from benign prostatic hypertrophy, or BPH, otherwise known as enlarged prostate. This can result in burdensome lower urinary tract symptoms, such as having to

Before Insulin, There Was Oatmeal Before the discovery of insulin, the lives of many people with diabetes were saved or prolonged by Carl von Noorden’s oatmeal diet. As I discuss in my video Is Oatmeal Good for People with Diabetes?, he published his findings in 1903, which were received with a great deal of skepticism.

Lactucin, the hypnotic component of lettuce, is put to the test in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of lettuce seeds. “There is a perception that time spent asleep is time wasted,” but it’s widely recognized that insufficient sleep is linked to multiple acute and chronic conditions and increases the risks of death and disease. As

If you’re going to have something unhealthy, is there anything you can eat with it to help mitigate the damage it may cause? If you compare the artery function of vegetarians and meat-eaters, the healthy ability of arteries to dilate and let more blood flow is significantly better among those eating a vegetarian diet. And

There is a window of time in which sufficient physical activity can help mediate some of the damage caused by eating an unhealthy meal. I’ve previously discussed studies that show a single meal high in saturated fat can impair artery function in men, as measured in the arm, but what is more concerning is blood

What happens within hours of eating a high-fat meal? We are only as old as our arteries. What can we do to preserve arterial function as we age? A poor diet and sedentary behavior can lead to adverse aging processes, like impairment of the little power plants in our cells, which can result in free

The Squatty Potty is put to the test. Previously, I’ve talked about the potential efficacy of prunes and dried figs to keep us regular. What influence does body position have on defecation? While squatting continues to be the traditional position for people in Asia and Africa, Westerners have become accustomed to sitting on toilet seats.