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Your daily hot cocoa might do more than warm you up—it could also prevent heart disease and the inflammation that drives it, according to a recent study. As we get older, our bodies become more inflamed, increasing our risks of developing chronic disease and dying. A large-scale study tracked people who took daily cocoa supplements for two years and found that body-wide inflammation stayed steady instead of rising—with the strongest effects in those who had higher inflammation at baseline. In the Cocoa Supplement and Multivitamin Outcomes Study (COSMOS) trial, daily cocoa extract supplements were linked to a 27 percent lower...

Maria Branyas, then age four, sitting on a wooden fence with her family in 1911 in New Orleans. (Credit: Arxiu de la família Branyas Morera - Own work, Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons) ================================================================ Study suggests Maria Branyas Morera’s daily yogurt habit could have shaped her tremendously healthy gut microbiome ========================================================================= In A Nutshell * Maria Branyas Morera lived to 117, yet DNA methylation tests showed her cells acting about 23 years younger than her chronological age. * Her daily yogurt habit coincided with unusually high levels of Bifidobacterium, a gut microbe common in younger people, and extremely low inflammation...

Tibetan monk lived three centuries, weighs just 30 killo, has clear mind with strong memory, no signs of illness.

Sydney Sweeney really does have good genes and not just because she's an attractive blonde. More importantly, women in general appear to have a genetic advantage that gives them a longer lifespan than men. The fact that women live longer has been well known for a long time. But a recent study across the animal kingdom suggest and explanation for why this happens.“From a human standpoint, it’s really remarkable that women live longer across almost every country in the world,” said Johanna Staerk, an evolutionary demographer at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Germany. “So we were interested...

Vitamin D supplements could help protect the caps on our chromosomes that slow aging, sparking hopes the sunshine vitamin might keep us healthier for longer, a recent study suggests. The researchers discovered that taking 2,000 IU (international units, a standard measure for vitamins) of vitamin D daily helped maintain telomeres – the tiny structures that act like plastic caps on shoelaces, protecting our DNA from damage every time cells divide. Telomeres sit at the end of each of our 46 chromosomes, shortening every time a cell copies itself. When they become too short, cells can no longer divide and eventually...

Getting older might seem like a slow, gradual process – but that's not always the case, research suggests. In fact, if you wake up one morning, look in the mirror, and wonder if your aging somehow accelerated, you might not be imagining things. According to a recent study into the molecular changes associated with aging, humans experience two drastic lurches forward, one at the average age of 44, and the other at the average age of 60. "We're not just changing gradually over time; there are some really dramatic changes," geneticist Michael Snyder of Stanford University explained in August 2024...

Most people slow down with age, trading suits and deadlines for slippers and daytime TV. Not Dr. Howard Tucker. The Cleveland-born neurologist treated patients for nearly eight decades, earning the Guinness World Record title for oldest practicing doctor just before his 99th birthday. Now 102, Tucker may have hung up his white coat, but he hasn’t hit the brakes. He spends his days lecturing future doctors at Case Western Reserve University and consulting on medical-legal cases — thanks to the law degree he picked up at the age of 67. Oh, and he’s gone viral on TikTok while promoting What’s...

An Israeli biotech firm says it is nearing human trials for a breakthrough drug that could extend human lifespan by up to 30 percent by targeting the age-regulating protein SIRT-6, which the company says would also improve brain function, organ health, and overall vitality. On Friday, Israeli news site N12 reported that Tel Aviv-based Sirtlab is preparing to launch clinical trials on a drug designed to stimulate SIRT-6, a protein associated with youth, vitality, and disease resistance. The treatment could be available within three years, pending successful trials and regulatory approval. Professor Haim Cohen, the company’s chief scientist and head...

Opinion Cancer is one of the leading causes of death worldwide, with millions of new cases reported each year. In 2022 alone, approximately 20 million new cancer cases were diagnosed globally, and 9.7 million lives were lost to the disease. In India, the numbers are equally alarming, with around 100 out of every one lakh people diagnosed with cancer. According to the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), more than 14 lakh cancer cases were estimated in 2023. [1 lakh = 0.1 million] Despite advancements in early detection and treatment, many myths surrounding cancer testing prevent people from undergoing timely...

More than 3,700 days later, he hasn't missed a single day of exercise, though he does take some easier days of light cardio to give his body a chance to recover. The 74-year-old from Rhode Island said the regular routine of combining strength training with cardio has kept him energized, healthy, and strong over time. "I am hardly ever sick, and I don't get headaches. I have maintained my drive, diligence, dedication, and determination all these years," DiMonte told Business Insider in an interview coordinated by Planet Fitness, his gym of choice.

Most of what we know about humans living to very old age is based on faulty data, including the science behind the “blue zones” famous for having a high proportion of people over 100, according to one researcher. The desire to live as long as possible has driven a booming lifestyle industry selling supplements, books, tech and tips to those wanting to learn the secrets of the world’s oldest people. But Saul Justin Newman, a researcher at University College London’s Centre for Longitudinal Studies, said that most extreme old age data “is junk to a really shocking degree”. Newman’s research,...

Researchers have shown that the carotenoid phytoene increases the lifespan of the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans and can slow the onset of paralysis associated with the formation of amyloid plaques in a model of Alzheimer's disease. Specifically, increases in longevity of between 10% and 18.6% and decreases in the proteotoxic effect of plaques of between 30% and 40% were observed. The studies tested pure phytoene and extracts rich in this carotenoid obtained from microalgae. According to Dr. Paula Mapelli Brahm, "These are very exciting preliminary results, so we are looking for funding to continue this line of research and to find...

Henry is thought to have been born before Salvador Dalí and Dr Seuss, but he's still going strong. At the ripe estimated age of 123 years old, Henry is the oldest known crocodile in the world – and what a life he’s led. In the past few decades alone, the mature gentleman has fathered thousands upon thousands of offspring With all those decades under his belt, Henry has amassed a gigantic size. The immensely hefty croc measures over 5 meters (16 foot 5 inches) from snout to tail and weighs 700 kilograms (1,543 pounds). For context, the average Nile crocodile...

Probably everyone has heard the conventional wisdom that a glass of wine a day is good for you. The problem is that it's based on flawed scientific research, according to a report. However, not all studies have painted such a rosy picture—and the new analysis sheds light on why. In a nutshell, studies linking moderate drinking to health benefits suffer from fundamental design flaws, said Tim Stockwell, Ph.D. The major issue: Those studies have generally focused on older adults and failed to account for people's lifetime drinking habits. So moderate drinkers were compared with "abstainer" and "occasional drinker" groups that...

Discovered in a mysterious land, rapamycin can slow the growth of everything from wrinkles to cancer. Scientists are still uncovering the secrets of a compound discovered 50 years ago on Easter Island. Produced by bacteria there, rapamycin appears to be a powerful life-extender and may be a transformative treatment for age-related diseases. In 2009, the National Institute on Aging Interventions Testing Program (ITP) published a groundbreaking study indicating that rapamycin extended the lifespan of mice by 9 percent to 14 percent. Experiments conducted by various research institutions worldwide have further corroborated these findings or have found the compound to have...

On March 4, the world´s oldest person, Maria Branyas Morera, celebrated her 117th birthday in Catalonia. Morera was born in San Francisco, USA, but returned to Spain with her family at the age of eight, spending the rest of her life in Catalonia. For the past 23 years, she has stayed in the nursing home, Residencia Santa Maria del Tura. “Order, tranquillity, good connection with family and friends, contact with nature, emotional stability, no worries, no regrets, lots of positivity and staying away from toxic people” is what Morera credits her health and longevity to. Morera´s family arrived in Barcelona...

Lifestyle and habits can have a big effect on our health - and our life expectancy. A recently released study that followed U.S. veterans of the age group 40 to 99 between the years 2011 and 2019 is attempting to show just how much.As Statista's Katharina Buchholz details below, according to mortality trends collected among 719,147 veterans and lifestyle factors assessed among 276,132, being physically active lowered the risk of death among the sample population the most - by 46 percent - opposite someone with no healthy habits and factors.You will find more infographics at StatistaThe study applied the Department...

A Wakhi woman and her yak in Avgarch Village, one of the oldest settlements of Hunza Valley that’s only accessible by foot. Photo: Samantha Shea ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ In a little-known mountainous area called Hunza Valley, located far north of Pakistan, people seem to defy all medical odds. It is primarily home to the Burusho and Wakhi people, who for centuries have survived and thrived in remote villages — with minimal amenities and rudimentary health facilities. Studies have found that the average life expectancy here is around 100 years. My husband was born and raised here, and is from the Burusho indigenous...

An international team of public health specialists, addiction researchers, cardiovascular and metabolic health professionals and nutritionists has found that switching from a typical Western diet to a healthier regimen could add 10 years of life for the average middle-aged person. In their study, the group analyzed dietary data for people listed in the UK Biobank study. Prior research has shown that unhealthy diets lead to more than 75,000 premature deaths every year in the U.K. alone. Other studies have suggested healthier eating patterns could reduce the risk of early death for people living in the U.S. In this new effort,...

The long-term consequences of Covid-19 vaccination are now being realised… A year ago, doubly vaccinated Australians were 10.72x more likely to catch Omicron than the unvaxxed. Now they are 20x more likely and the triply or more vaxxed are 35x more likely, as the latest NSW Health stats show (see below). Meanwhile, the latest Cleveland Clinic Data and the latest US data analysed by Josh Stirling, founder of Insurance Collaboration to Save Livess and former #1 ranked Insurance Analyst, shows a really really disturbing trend. The damage to health caused by each vaccine dose does not lessen over time. It...