Healthy Life Newsletter, October 2026
Combination of Abdominal Obesity and Vitamin D Deficiency More than Doubles the Risk of Death in People Over 50
New research by Milliati et al. involved more than 5,500 adults over age 50. The study found that vitamin D deficiency alone was associated with a greater risk of death than abdominal obesity alone, and having both vitamin D deficiency and abdominal obesity more than doubled the risk of death.
Abdominal obesity alone was associated with a 47% increased risk, compared to as much as a 91% increase with vitamin D deficiency. When both were present, the risk increased by 123%.
The researchers pointed specifically to chronic inflammation as one possible link between these two conditions and their combined effect on health.
This study is the latest in a series investigating the role of vitamin D in aging. “In previous studies, we identified a cascade effect. Vitamin D deficiency leads to a loss of strength, which results in reduced walking speed, causing a loss of independence and greater dependence in daily activities,” Alexandre explains (read more at agencia.fapesp.br/56984).
Additionally, another study by the group revealed that vitamin D deficiency increases the risk of cognitive decline. “Vitamin D is a hormone with various functions. It plays a role in regulating blood pressure, heart rate, the central nervous system, the immune system, and the endocrine system. Therefore, when its levels are low, several essential bodily functions are compromised,” he says.
(Note from Dr. Mha Atma: This next article is not new–it was published in a Polish medical journal in 2014 and is listed on the US National Institute of Health/National Library of Medicine website. It doesn’t mean you should stop taking your prescribed medications! But it is an important statement regarding medical care that continues to demand our attention. The U.S. is one of only two nations in the world that allow public advertising of prescription drugs!)
Our Prescription Drugs Kill Us in Large Numbers
Our prescription drugs are the third leading cause of death after heart disease and cancer in the United States and Europe. Around half of those who die have taken their drugs correctly; the other half die because of errors, such as too high a dose or use of a drug despite contraindications. Our drug agencies are not particularly helpful, as they rely on fake fixes, which are a long list of warnings, precautions, and contraindications for each drug, although they know that no doctor can possibly master all of these.
Major reasons for the many drug deaths are impotent drug regulation, widespread crime that includes corruption of the scientific evidence about drugs and bribery of doctors, and lies in drug marketing, which is as harmful as tobacco marketing and, therefore, should be banned. We should take far fewer drugs, and patients should carefully study the package inserts of the drugs their doctors prescribe for them and independent information sources about drugs such as Cochrane reviews, which will make it easier for them to say “no thanks”.
(Note from Dr. Mha Atma: There have been other studies besides this one documenting the benefits of chiropractic “maintenance care”.)
Why You Should Be Making Periodic Visits to Your Chiropractor
When you experience back pain, chiropractic care can help relieve the pain and identify the underlying cause. But your care shouldn’t stop once the pain stops (or comes back, which can frequently happen).
A new study suggests maintenance chiropractic care (defined by the researchers as “treatment at regular intervals regardless of symptoms”) is more effective than symptomatic treatment (receiving chiropractic treatment only when you’re experiencing pain).
In the study, patients with recurrent / persistent low back pain who received maintenance care (scheduled every 1-3 months) after their initial treatment reported an average of 19.3 less days of “bothersome” low back pain over a 12-month period compared to patients who received only symptomatic chiropractic care. Overall, during the 12-month period, maintenance care patients made seven visits, on average, to their chiropractor, versus five visits, on average, for symptomatic patients.
So, if you’re suffering low back pain and your chiropractor suggests you come in periodically for treatment, you may want to heed his/her advice. It’s a research-supported suggestion that could dramatically reduce the amount of time you spend in pain.
(Note from Dr. Mha Atma: Apparently 2 to 5 minutes of walking after meals is way better than nothing but 20 to 60 minutes once/day would be more like it, if you can do it!)
2 Minutes at a Time
“I don’t have the time” is repeatedly mentioned as a top reason for not exercising consistently, failing to start an exercise program or discontinuing one. While we’re not claiming to understand how busy your average day is or what can complicate your ability to exercise, we hope you can agree that two minutes isn’t impossible, right? Good, because those two minutes can make a big difference.
We’re talking about two minutes of walking after eating, and the big difference it can make relates to blood glucose and insulin. The diabetes epidemic is in full swing, with projections suggesting it will only get worse in the next few decades. Your body’s ability to regulate blood sugar is key to diabetes (type 2 diabetes) prevention. It does that by releasing the right amount of insulin to effectively remove glucose from the bloodstream. If your body has to produce too much insulin and/or can’t reduce blood glucose levels, you’re in danger of developing diabetes.
According to a new analysis of previous studies, light-intensity walks after eating (two to five minutes per bout) reduces not only blood glucose, but also insulin; more so than simply standing. Doing either was superior to sitting; something too many people do during the course of the day and following meals. Findings appear in the journal Sports Medicine and are based on a review of seven one-day studies involving adults ages 18 and older who were generally overweight or obese (and thus at higher risk for blood glucose / insulin issues to begin with).
Can’t find time to exercise? Start by standing up and walking more! As this analysis shows, it doesn’t take much; it’s all about breaking up your day, particularly after meals, with short bouts of walking. A little goes a long way toward improving your health and potentially reducing your type 2 diabetes risk.
Your Brain Can Keep Getting Better
Many people assume getting older automatically means thinking more slowly, forgetting more names and feeling mentally less sharp. While some changes in the brain are a normal part of aging, new research offers an encouraging message: Your brain may be far more adaptable than previously believed – even well into your 80s and beyond.
A recent study tracked nearly 4,000 adults ranging in age from 19 to 94 over a three-year period. Instead of simply evaluating memory or reaction time, researchers looked at overall brain health, including thinking skills, emotional well-being and social connectedness. Their findings suggest meaningful improvements are possible at virtually any age, especially for people who consistently engage in healthy brain habits.
One of the most surprising discoveries was that age itself did not determine who improved. Participants in their 80s and even their 90s showed gains similar to younger adults.
Unlike crossword puzzles or memory games alone, the program emphasized a broader approach to brain health. Participants practiced strategies that encouraged focused attention, flexible thinking, better reasoning, healthy lifestyle habits, and greater social engagement. Together, these activities appear to strengthen what scientists call “brain health span” – the length of time we maintain strong cognitive, emotional and social functioning.
The findings reinforce something many brain researchers have suspected for years: The brain thrives when it is challenged in meaningful ways. Learning a new skill, solving unfamiliar problems, staying socially active, and managing stress may all help build resilience that supports healthy thinking over time.
Perhaps the biggest takeaway from this research is that growing older does not mean your brain has stopped changing. While no single activity can prevent dementia or guarantee lifelong mental sharpness, the study suggests positive changes remain possible throughout adulthood. In other words, it’s never too late – or too early – to invest in your brain.
(Note from Dr. Mha Atma: Garlic and garlic supplements provide a significant immune system boost. When my wife started taking Super Garlic supplements (from Metagenics) she stopped getting recurrent bladder infections.)
Why Garlic Is Good for You
Garlic is one of the world’s most well-known and widely used herbs. It has been used as a culinary spice for at least 5,000 years, and has been mentioned in both the Bible and the Talmud (a central text of Judaism).
Hippocrates, considered the father of modern medicine, was one of the first people to realize the medicinal properties of garlic and recommended it for many conditions, including parasites and poor digestion.
The active ingredient in garlic is allicin, a sulfur-based compound that when crushed or chewed produces other compounds. Scientific studies suggest garlic supports the cardiovascular system by lowering cholesterol and triglyceride levels in the blood and reducing the stickiness of platelets. Test-tube studies show that garlic has antibacterial, antiviral and antifungal properties; human studies show that garlic reduces the risk of several cancers, particularly those of the esophagus, stomach and colon.
While garlic has not been used as long in traditional Chinese medicine (it is believed to have first been used in China in the early part of the sixth century), it is used to treat a wide range of diseases, including high blood pressure, athlete’s foot, infections and ulcers.
Garlic is available in many forms. In addition to fresh garlic, which can be obtained from a typical supermarket, there are garlic extracts, tablets, capsules, tinctures, powders and sprays. Some companies sell odorless garlic tablets.
Some people are sensitive to garlic and may experience heartburn and flatulence after eating large amounts. Because garlic acts as an anticoagulant, people taking blood-thinning medications or people scheduled for surgery should inform their health care provider before taking garlic supplements. Garlic appears to be safe during pregnancy and breastfeeding. Talk to your health care provider to learn more.
The Protein Debate: Why Source Matters More than Amount
Written by Michael Greger M.D. FACLM
I discuss a public health case for modernizing the definition of protein quality.
In 2019, Dr. David Katz and colleagues, including one of my favorite researchers, David Jenkins, published a “public health case for modernizing the definition of protein quality.” The prevailing definition seems to have more to do with biochemistry than the overall effects on human health. The common belief that protein is “good,” and the more the better, combined with a definition of protein quality that favors animal protein, gives the impression that eating more meat, eggs, and dairy is desirable and preferable. But this is directly opposed to nutrition guidelines that are instead trying to push more plants. Although protein malnutrition is still common in many areas of the world, it is extremely rare in the industrialized world, where “the most formidable public health threats…are from chronic diseases,” not something like kwashiorkor, severe protein and calorie malnutrition.
In 2016, a landmark study was published out of Harvard, involving more than 100,000 people, that found that replacing animal protein with plant protein was associated with lower risk of dying prematurely. The worst offenders seemed to be processed meat like bacon, as well as egg protein (the egg whites). But swapping in even just 3% plant protein for any of the animal proteins, such as processed meat, unprocessed meat, chicken, fish, eggs, or dairy, was associated with a significantly lower risk of arguably the most important endpoint of all: death.
To read the rest of this article go to nutritionfacts.org
(Note from Dr. Mha Atma: I personally discovered this year that going on one bike ride per week on a weekend morning significantly improved my leg strength and cardiovascular fitness over time.)
Weekend Warrior? That’s OK
As the name suggests, weekend warriors tend to concentrate their physical activity on the weekend, rather than throughout the week. One might think that’s not as health-promoting as activity performed on weekdays and weekends, but research suggests that’s not the case. Even weekend warriors can benefit – and to the same extent as throughout-the-week exercisers; particularly when examining perhaps the most important health variable of all: risk of death.
Researchers compared several different patterns of physical activity among more than 350,000 U.S. adults (weekend warrior vs. regularly active leisure-time physical activity) to determine whether one increased the risk of mortality: by any cause, cardiovascular disease or cancer. Members of each group were also subclassified according to frequency, duration and intensity of physical activities performed.
Findings, published in JAMA Internal Medicine, revealed: “Adults who perform 150 minutes or more of moderate to vigorous physical activity (or 75 minutes of vigorous activity) per week may experience similar health benefits whether the sessions are spread throughout the week or concentrated in a weekend.” Specifically, adults participating in either activity pattern had an equal, reduced risk of mortality (all-cause or cause-specific) compared to inactive adults.
In other words, as long as you exercise, it doesn’t matter if you do it throughout the week or only on the weekends. The important thing is that you do something … besides sitting around.