Health
Leading oncologist reveals 6 habits that could promote longevity and reduce your risk of chronic illness
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The health and wellness information put out on television, podcasts, social media, websites and elsewhere can be overwhelming, but a leading oncologist and University of Pennsylvania bioethicist argues healthy aging can be simplified into six evidence-based rules.
“Don’t be a schmuck” is the first principle offered by Dr. Ezekiel Emanuel in his book, “Eat Your Ice Cream: Six Simple Rules for a Long and Healthy Life.”
“Don’t be stupid,” Emanuel said recently on the ZOE Science & Nutrition podcast. “This is something my father used to say to his three sons very commonly when we were doing something dumb.”
Emanuel’s brothers are former Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel and powerful talent agent Ari Emanuel.
Emanuel argued that obviously dangerous activities, such as BASE jumping, climbing Mount Everest and smoking and vaping are examples of being a schmuck because they carry a high risk of death.
His other principles for living longer and reducing disease risk include prioritizing an active social life, staying mentally active with new hobbies and opportunities to learn, limiting processed and sugary foods and drinks without being overly restrictive, engaging in moderate exercise and getting proper sleep.
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“Our entire brain is constructed around social interactions, and it does way more for us,” Emanuel said. “We know that if you’re lonely, socially isolated, you dramatically increase your risks of mortality.
“More than 3 million people worldwide have been enrolled in studies about social interaction and longevity,” he added. “And the socially isolated, people who have zero or one friends, don’t see friends a lot. Those people are much more likely to die in the next few years.”
A leading health expert argues that loneliness poses health risks comparable to smoking cigarettes. (iStock)
According to Emanuel, being socially isolated or lonely “is the equivalent of smoking 15 cigarettes a day.”
Both close relationships and casual social interactions contribute to well-being, he said.
Emanuel explained why he thinks much of society’s obsession with wellness is toxic and what he labels as “the wellness industrial complex” gets wrong.
Dr. Ezekiel Emanuel said the wellness industrial complex’s obsession with wellness is toxic. (iStock)
“You should not be obsessed about wellness,” Emanuel said on the podcast. “You should be obsessed about living a meaningful life. That’s really what’s important, and wellness is only a means to an end.”
Much of the wellness industry focuses on self-denial, which is misguided, said Emanuel.
“Biology for humans is about homeostasis, the balance between one extreme and another,” he said.
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Society’s current obsession with wellness is nothing new, he added.
“Wellness is a response to a topsy-turvy world, a lot of uncertainty about what the future’s bringing, people feeling like their life’s out of control,” he said.
“And, so, wellness is a response. This is something I can control — what I eat, the vaccines I get, the exercise — and I think that’s what we have today. This is a lot about self-control transmuted into wellness as the outlet.”
Dr. Ezekiel Emanuel said he is a teetotaler himself but says he serves alcohol at his dinner parties because he believes it acts as a social lubricant. (iStock)
The body thrives when it doesn’t take dieting or exercising to extremes, Emanuel said. He is a teetotaler himself, but his wife enjoys cocktails, and when they have a dinner party, they serve alcohol.
Don’t drink alone or use alcohol to drown your sorrows or avoid dealing with them, Emanuel advised.
The ZOE podcast asked Emanuel to advise listeners who aren’t following any of his six rules what to try first.
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“Dinner parties,” he said. “You cook, and you both have good, healthy food because you’ve cooked it. Ynd you’ve challenged your mind ‘cause you’re adding a new recipe, and you’re figuring out how to do it right.
Hosting a dinner party is a healthy activity people should engage in, a health expert says. (iStock)
“You have people over, so you’ve got social connections,” he continued. “You’re challenging your mind with a good conversation. And when it’s all over, you go out for a walk so you get some physical activity.
“This is like you’ve done almost everything in wellness. All of those elements are key to wellness, and it’s the kind of thing you can do, you know, once a weekend or … And you’ll be happier.”
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A simple blood test detecting a specific protein linked to Alzheimer’s disease may help predict future cognitive decline in older adults up to a decade before any noticeable symptoms appear, according to a new study.
The Harvard-led research, presented at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference in London and simultaneously published in The Journal of the American Medical Association, could transform how doctors assess dementia risk and help patients prepare for the disease.
By measuring a blood biomarker called p-tau217, which tracks the buildup of damaging proteins in the brain, clinicians may soon be able to assess Alzheimer’s risk much like they use cholesterol tests to estimate heart disease risk, researchers say.
ALZHEIMER’S BLOOD TESTS MAY PREDICT SYMPTOMS YEARS IN ADVANCE, BUT EXPERTS URGE CAUTION
In one of the largest analyses of its kind, researchers tracked nearly 2,700 cognitively healthy adults averaging 70 years of age for up to a decade.
A simple blood test measuring the p-tau217 protein could predict future cognitive decline in symptom-free older adults up to 10 years before any noticeable memory problems begin. (iStock)
They found that symptom-free individuals with high levels of p-tau217 had an estimated 78% chance of developing cognitive impairment within 10 years and a roughly one in three chance within five years. Even those with moderately elevated levels faced a 45% risk over a decade.
The p-tau217 protein is a modified form of tau, which forms tangles in the brain and is associated with memory loss. The blood test provided information beyond what standard brain scans and genetic testing can offer, according to the researchers.
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Rachel Buckley, the study’s lead author and an associate professor of neurology at Harvard Medical School, said the findings provide some of the clearest evidence yet that dementia risk can be detected years before memory problems begin.
Even individuals with only moderately elevated levels of the biomarker face a significant 45% risk of cognitive decline over 10 years. (iStock)
“Once verified, these blood tests could be used to recruit patients for clinical trials of treatments to prevent cognitive decline and dementia,” she said in a press release.
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“In the future, when treatments are approved for use early in the disease process, these tests could help guide monitoring, treatment decisions and counseling for patients and families.”
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The researchers cautioned that p-tau217 cannot fully predict an individual’s future on its own. Other factors like age, genetics, kidney function and racial background can also influence biomarker levels and dementia risk.
Researchers found identical, consistent risk patterns across nearly 2,700 participants from six international research groups. (iStock)
The team emphasized the need for longer studies in more diverse groups to perfect these risk estimates.
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Maria Carrillo, chief science officer at the Alzheimer’s Association in Chicago, said targeting the silent stage of the disease before memory issues arise is where future treatments could have the greatest impact.
“Identifying people at risk earlier could fundamentally change how we diagnose, treat and potentially prevent dementia,” she told Fox News Digital, noting that earlier detection could allow people to begin interventions before symptoms develop.
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A recent study suggests GLP-1-related weight loss may improve some women’s relationships and employment status.
Rebecca Diamond, professor of economics at Harvard University in Boston, independently published research that found an association between weight-loss medications and a change in women’s social and economic outcomes.
Diamond used the Understanding America Study, a panel survey from the University of Southern California, to compare women who started GLP-1s for weight loss to those who wanted to start but had not yet done so.
DR OZ LINKS OBESITY TO CHRONIC DISEASE SURGE, SAYS GLP-1S CAN ‘JUMPSTART’ BETTER HEALTH
The comparison considered body mass, health, income, employment, partnership status and well-being before treatment.
The study focused on women because they are more likely to use GLP-1s than men. It excluded people taking GLP-1 drugs for diabetes, as their use is driven by a medical condition rather than weight-loss demand.
Women who began GLP-1s for weight loss and were successful in losing weight experienced changes in relationship and employment status, according to the findings. (iStock)
Women who successfully lost weight with GLP-1 medications experienced changes across several life outcomes, including employment, marriage and cohabitation, according to the study.
Marriage and cohabitation rose 29% for single women after about 18 months.
DIVORCEES AND WIDOWS SHARE CONCERNING MENTAL HEALTH TRAIT, RESEARCHERS FIND
Among women who were not employed at the start of the study, job prospects increased by 27% after the same amount of time. Those who were already employed did not display any clear upward progress in their careers, however.
Diamond argues that these findings suggest part of the “female obesity penalty” comes from how people are judged when being matched up, either in a new relationship or a new job.
The findings say “more about societal bias than about the medication itself,” a doctor suggested. (iStock)
Dr. Peter Balazs, MD, a hormone and weight-loss specialist from New York and New Jersey, commented on these findings.
“The effects showed up during ‘new match’ situations, such as job interviews or dating, and not within existing jobs or relationships,” Balazs, who was not involved in the study, told Fox News Digital. “This says more about societal bias than it does about the medication itself.”
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Balazs said his patients often report feeling more confident and “visible” after weight loss, which could translate into better interview performance and networking.
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“Weight loss (commonly) improves confidence, which opens new business and relationship opportunities,” he went on. “Weight loss has hormonal impacts as well, so the normalization of hormones and the profound metabolic and psychological relief that comes with it can be a factor, too.”
“Weight loss (commonly) improves confidence, which opens new business and relationship opportunities,” an expert said. (iStock)
Dr. Krishna Vyas, a plastic surgeon at Blechman Plastic Surgery in New York, told Fox News Digital in a separate interview that many patients seek breast lifts or body contouring after significant GLP-1 weight loss, after which they find themselves “re-engaging with life.”
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“That confidence effect is real in the exam room,” said the surgeon, who also was not involved in the research. “This study, however, showed no clear improvement in depression, loneliness or life satisfaction, even as marriage and employment rates climbed dramatically.”
“The opportunities opened, yet the women didn’t report feeling better, which suggests it was largely the gatekeepers who changed, not the women.”
Potential limitations
Because this was an observational study rather than a randomized clinical trial, it could only show an association — not cause and effect. The findings are also considered preliminary because the paper has not yet been peer-reviewed, the author acknowledged.
“Additionally, since the study only looked at women, that introduces another layer of potential bias,” Balazs noted. “I’d be interested to see whether the findings would be the same if the study included men or compared them directly.”
“Weight loss has hormonal impacts as well, so the normalization of hormones and the profound metabolic and psychological relief that comes with it can be a factor, too,” an expert said. (iStock)
Another limitation is that the information from the individuals studied was self-reported, the expert noted.
The researchers were also unable to determine whether people who found new jobs were earning more money.
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“Additionally, even though GLP-1 users appeared to have better outcomes on paper, they did not report greater overall life satisfaction,” Balazs added. “That raises important questions about whether these external changes translate into meaningful improvements in well-being.”
Fox News Digital reached out to the study researcher and multiple human resources organizations requesting comment.
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