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For information only. This content is not medical care, advice, diagnosis, or recommendations.

The Myth of Healthy Moderate Drinking: Research Reveals The Giant Buzz-Kill Of A Reverse Halo-Effect

Filed Under: Better Living Through Chemistry

The Myth of Healthy Moderate Drinking: Research Reveals The Giant Buzz-Kill Of A Reverse Halo-Effect
drinking healthy myth hands with red wine cheers

That Glass of Wine Probably Isn’t Medicine After All:

You’ve probably heard it countless times: “An apple glass of wine a day keeps the doctor away.”

It’s a comforting thought that’s been repeated in headlines and dinner conversations for decades.

But what if we’ve been looking at the evidence, and the advice, all wrong?

A new and somewhat contrarian analysis from the University of Victoria may have just rewritten our understanding of alcohol and health.

And the results might make you rethink that daily nightcap.

No, this is not just some “Dry January” clickbait, either…

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And Now For Something Completely Different!: A Winter Weekly Roundup Of Holiday Health Hacks

Filed Under: Other

And Now For Something Completely Different!: A Winter Weekly Roundup Of Holiday Health Hacks
holiday health tips Christmas market Germany

Give Yourself The Miracle Of Health Hacks For The Holidays!:

In the spirit of giving, and to try something a little different, let’s leave a bunch of little presents under the HealthTrekker tree this year!:

“Holiday Heart” is a real thing!

The occasional slice of cake “might” not be so bad for you?

Gonna party like it’s 1899? You need these 8+ tips to minimize the damage!

Oh BTW, Holiday Weight Gain may not be as bad as you thought!

But watch out for all the sugary stuff! It can bite you right back.

Desperately try to control your holiday drinking with help from The Aussies?

Food Anxiety can also be a part of the holidays, too.

Last but not least, Mind UK’s exhaustive list on Why Christmas Is Hard.

Excerpts & Links after the jump. Enjoy!…

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A Comfort-Food Conundrum. How Cocoa And Flavanol-Rich Foods Can De-Stress Better Than Mac n Cheese

Filed Under: Better Living Through Chemistry

A Comfort-Food Conundrum. How Cocoa And Flavanol-Rich Foods Can De-Stress Better Than Mac n Cheese
cocoa flavanol stress cup of hot chocolate on wooden table

Miracles Of Nutrition Chemistry Are Easy To Miss. For Better Or Worse:

Picture this: Another stressful day at work; or the disco. Another deadline. Another skip-lunch-and-grab-anything-quick part of your life.

Before you know it, something tells you to reach for that mac & cheese, pizza, or burger.

-Classic comfort foods that somehow always have a bit too much fat. And not just the good kind.

If this sounds familiar, you are not alone.

Scientists have just discovered something fascinating about this daily stress+eat cycle.

And potentially, a way to protect ourselves from its damage…

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Disturbed Sleep Is Not A Metal Cover Band. But It Is A Way To Make Your Brain Health Much Worse Over Time!

Filed Under: Mind/Brain

Disturbed Sleep Is Not A Metal Cover Band. But It Is A Way To Make Your Brain Health Much Worse Over Time!
disturbed sleep brain aging silver tabby cat sleeping

Easily Overlooked Aspects Of Health Can Really Have A Dark Side:

We’ve talked about stealth-health concerns before. Those invisible facets that could make-or-break your well-being without you even knowing it.

But sometimes, the most dangerous risks aren’t hiding in your ultra-processed food or lurking like PFAS or microplastics in your environment.

Sometimes they’re right there in your bedroom, (no, not the SO; different problem) showing up night after night in the form of tossing, turning, and checking the clock at 3 AM.

And a team from UCSF just discovered something pretty alarming about those sleepless nights…

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Caffeine Vs. Alzheimer’s: Your Daily Cup Of Fear May Have Some Bodacious Brain Benefits

Filed Under: Mind/Brain

Caffeine Vs. Alzheimer’s: Your Daily Cup Of Fear May Have Some Bodacious Brain Benefits
caffeine alzheimers hand throwing coffee near mountain

You Are What You Eat? … Now You Are What You Drink!:

Recently, a news piece came out on the world’s “Blue Zones”.

These were allegedly places where lifespan is unusually high.

But then we found out that it wasn’t some miracle, it was just bad record-keeping and insurance fraud.

As bad as that is, it doesn’t invalidate the basic ideas.

Good social networks and regular physical and mental activity are important to longevity.

The other one it doesn’t change is groups of people with varying health practices give researchers a ton of different experiments to test.

And another one of those is how food & drink can impact memory-function and ultimately brain health…

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More Longevity Magic! Weightlifting Helps Zombie-Cell Clean Up With Tiny Trash Collectors

Filed Under: Exercise

More Longevity Magic! Weightlifting Helps Zombie-Cell Clean Up With Tiny Trash Collectors
weightlifting zombie cells hand holding 5kg dumbell

The Biochemistry Of Weightlifting’s Benefits Is Anything But Simple:

The straw-man. A gross oversimplification. Easy. Cheap. But inaccurate.

That’s how a lot of us deal with some ideas. It’s easier to oversimplify just so we can understand.

But the tradeoff is nuance and sophistication for speed and forward momentum.

And for decades, it seemed as if exercise nuts and gym-rats were just glorified meat-heads.

We also thought the exercise they did was just as one-dimensional. Overachieving for dimwit-narcissists.

But we were all wrong…

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Catch-Up Sleep Not Just For Late-Night Partiers. It May Actually Help Out Your Heart, Too!

Filed Under: Disease

Catch-Up Sleep Not Just For Late-Night Partiers. It May Actually Help Out Your Heart, Too!
catch up sleep heart cat under comforter

Don’t Hustle-Culture Yourself Into An Early Grave Like Gary Vee!:

We Americans all love us an underdog.

Somehow, a Rocky Balboa or a 13 colonies rose up to fight a superior enemy and won.

And what did those underdogs do?

Among other things, they found good ways to catch up!

Well, for a long time !SCIENCE! thought that sleeping-in on weekends to catch up on any loss was useless.

!SCIENCE! was wrong, and a team from China just entered a new addition to Tony Schwartz’s big statement that sleep is even more important than food…

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Everyday Plutonium. How One Of Mankind’s Worst Ingredients (Sugar) May Be Killing You. One Cell At A Time.

Filed Under: Aging

Everyday Plutonium. How One Of Mankind’s Worst Ingredients (Sugar) May Be Killing You. One Cell At A Time.
sugar cellular aging white crystals on black

The Phantom Menace Of Sugar In Your Diet:

We’ve talked about Freakonomics-type stuff here before in any of the “Stealth Health” posts.

But sometimes, things you might need to know get weirder than that.

Because there are good things that are really easy to forget like hydration and mindset.

There are other things that can be much more dangerous, though. Sort-of like living in a house that has black mold you don’t know about.

Still worse than that is a risk that’s been glossed-over with some kind of marketing varnish or PR-massaging.

It looks like a team from UCSF may have found another addition to this list…

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Note: For informational purposes only. Should not be construed as medical advice, diagnosis, recommendations, or substitute for professional care.