Especially if you're carrying what's been called the "Alzheimer's gene." At least, that's the finding of a 15-year Swedish study just published in JAMA Network Open. Researchers tracked 2,157 adults and found that the people who ate the most unprocessed meat had dramatically lower rates of dementia… And the protective effect was strongest in exactly the group conventional medicine says can't do much about their genetic risk. This is mainstream peer-reviewed science. The Swedish National Study on Aging and Care followed 2,157 adults aged 60 and older for up to 15 years. They tracked diet, genotype, and cognitive trajectories. About 26% of the cohort carried at least one APOE ε4 allele (close to the general population rate). ε4 carriers who ate the most unprocessed meat had 55% lower dementia risk than those who ate the least (sHR 0.45, 95% CI 0.21-0.95). Their cognitive trajectories over 15 years were measurably better, particularly in episodic memory, the cognitive domain early Alzheimer's affects most. In non-carriers, meat intake didn't move the needle in either direction. The effect was specific to people carrying the "Alzheimer's gene." And for the most shocking result: At the lowest meat intake, ε4 carriers had about 2.5x the dementia risk of non-carriers. At the highest meat intake, that gap essentially disappeared. ε4 carriers eating unprocessed animal foods looked, cognitively, like people who never had the "risky" gene in the first place. This study isn't the first to find red meat associated with better cognitive outcomes, but it is the first to nail down that the effect is strongest in people carrying the highest-risk genotype. To put it simply, red meat protect your brain even thought you may have the "dementia gene." So you are not at the mercy of your genes but diet and lifestyle changes can modify them and prevent disease.

Here’s what studies show about Collagen & sleep: This study (PMID: 37874350) showed that taking collagen before bed... - Improved sleep quality - Reduced sleep fragmentation - Improved cognitive performance What’s actually happening? Glycine, an amino acid that accounts for approximately one-third of collagen, helps cool your body down and relax your nervous system. What people think Collagen does: - helps with hair, skin, & nails What Collagen actually does: - Deepens sleep - Improves gut health - Improves liver detox - Boosts glutathione - Lowers inflammation - Calms anxiety and nervous system - Improves arterial health - Glowing skin - Perfect nails - Longer hair - Prevents you from waking up to pee in the middle of the night You can try to take 5-10g of collagen before bed and see what happens!

Avocados Are Heart Healthy Eight preliminary clinical studies show that eating avocados helps support cardiovascular health. Data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2001-2006 suggests that people who eat avocados have higher good HDL-cholesterol. They also have a lower risk of metabolic syndrome, and lower weight, BMI, and waist circumference. In the first clinical study of avocados in 1960, men who ate a half to one-and-a-half avocados a day did not raise their cholesterol levels. In fact, half the men reduced their cholesterol by 9-43%. And none of the subjects gained weight when they added the avocados to their regular diet. Since then at least six studies have suggested that adding avocados to the diet has a positive effect on blood lipids compared to a low-fat, high carbohydrate diet. As the Hass researchers point out, one avocado (about 136 g) is very similar in nutrient and phytochemical content to 1.5 ounces (42.5 g) of heart healthy tree nuts almonds, pistachios or walnuts) with less than half the calories. Nutrients that contribute to the avocado's heart benefits include the following: - Dietary Fiber. The carbohydrates in avocados consist of about 80% dietary fiber, comprised of 70% insoluble and 30% soluble fiber. - Low Sugar. Avocados contain very little sugar compared to other fruits. Their glycemic load is close to zero. The primary sugar in avocados is a unique seven-carbon compound called D-mannoheptulose. Half an avocado contains about two grams of the reduced form of this sugar (perseitol). But perseitol isn't counted as a sugar because it doesn't behave nutritionally like a sugar. Research suggests D-mannoheptulose may support blood glucose control and weight management. - Potassium. One avocado has about twice the potassium of a banana. Clinical studies suggest potassium may help control blood pressure. Avocados are also naturally very low in sodium. - Antioxidant Vitamins. Avocados contain significant levels of both vitamins C and E. Clinical research suggests a combination of vitamin C and E may slow the progression of atherosclerosis in people with high cholesterol.

Most nutrition guidelines were built to prevent deficiency, not to help you thrive, and protein is the clearest example. A perspective paper in Frontiers in Nutrition argues that current protein recommendations reflect a bare minimum rather than an optimal target. The author notes that the UK's longstanding guideline of about 0.34 grams per pound of body weight was set to maintain nitrogen balance in sedentary people, not to build strength, preserve muscle with age, or support recovery. Contemporary evidence points to substantially higher intakes, often around 0.7 grams per pound of body weight or more, for muscle, healthy aging, and quality of life (I often suggest 1 gram per pound). This is a critical shift in framing. The RDA tells you how to avoid frank deficiency, not how to flourish, and most people reading this are not aiming merely to sidestep disease. They want strength, mobility, and independence that lasts into their later decades. I've recommended protein intakes well above conventional guidelines for years, particularly for older adults working to preserve muscle. A practical way to hit a higher target is to anchor each meal with roughly 30 grams of high-quality protein from sources like eggs, fish, meat, or a clean protein powder you tolerate well. Treat the guideline as the floor, then build well above it.

Omega-3 fats are best known for the heart, but their reach into metabolic health is one of the most consistent findings in the literature. A study in Nutrients tested fish oil rich in EPA and DHA in Goto-Kakizaki rats, a lean model of type 2 diabetes, and found that supplementation improved glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity while lowering triglycerides, total cholesterol, and the inflammatory marker CRP. It also nudged the animals' immune cells toward a less inflammatory profile. This is an animal study, so I wouldn't read specific human outcomes into it, but it lines up with a large body of human evidence. One of the best established benefits of omega-3 supplementation is on metabolic health, especially the reduction of triglycerides. The catch is that most people don't get nearly enough omega-3s from their diet, and those who do supplement often choose low-quality, oxidized products that do little good. I've long recommended a high-quality fish oil for anyone not eating at least a couple of servings of cold-water fatty fish each week.