No wonder taking care of gut health has become a national obsession. Sales of probiotic supplements that promise to deliver good bacteria to your gut topped $800 million in 2020, while sales of prebiotics indigestible fibers that gut bugs thrive on have doubled every year since 2016. Probiotics and prebiotics are turning up in gut-friendly fortified chocolate, snack bars, soda, oatmeal, peanut butter, dried fruit and breakfast cereal. Intestinal cleanses, special diets and at-home microbiome stool tests promise to bolster gut wellness, too.

But most of the time, you dont need these pricey products to promote gut health, says microbiome researcher Joseph Murray, M.D., a gastroenterologist at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. Eat real food, he says. Probiotics are probably pretty safe, but very few studies show robust benefits. What new science does show is that your inner zoo loves the simple life healthy foods and smart habits proven in recent studies to support a diverse gut microbiome and the real-world benefits of a healthy gut.

Your microbiome cant be seen, but sometimes it can be heard. Youve likely had to stifle the excess gas they burp out when chomping on fiber from that bean burrito you had for lunch, for instance. But beneficial gut bacteria churn out other compounds with big benefits including:

Overall, a diverse microbiome is a good thing, says Hannah Wastyk, a former Stanford University gut-bug researcher now studying the microbiomes potential to treat inflammatory disease. A healthy microbiome has 250 to 300 different species of bacteria, she says. Low would be 70 to 80 species. In people, low diversity has been associated with inflammatory bowel disease, psoriatic arthritis, type 1 and 2 diabetes, obesity and arterial stiffness. Diversity means a wider variety of beneficial bugs including backups if something happens to one type, Murray says. Each of us has a unique microbiome, he says. Some is from what we eat, some of it is from our mother, some is genetics, some is the result of bad things we do to it, such as antibiotics that may kill bacteria that are our friends in that community.

You can nurture a diverse gut microbiome for good gut health without supplements, fortified foods or microbiome tests. Experts say these six everyday strategies work:

People who had fermented foods like yogurt, sauerkraut, kimchi, the yogurt-like drink kefir or kombucha (a fermented beverage) daily for 10 weeks increased the diversity of their gut microbiome in an August 2021 Stanford University study. But study participants who ate more high-fiber foods saw no increase in diversity, a finding that shocked the researchers, according to Wastyk, colead author of the study. No one expected the fermented foods group to have that response, she says. Everyone was like, 'What the heck?'

Even more surprising: Just 10 percent of the good bacteria found in the fermented foods actually took up residence in participants gut. Wastyk thinks fermented foods may increase diversity by knocking the microbiome a little off-balance, giving small colonies of existing bacteria a chance to grow. Wastyk suggests finding several fermented foods you enjoy and having some daily. Look for yogurt with live, active cultures and for foods that havent been heat-processed, which would kill off the bacteria, she adds.

When over 10,000 people mailed stool samples and diet data to the American Gut Project started by Gilbert at the University of California San Diego, researchers found that those who munched 30 or more types of produce in a week had a more diverse gut microbiome than those who had fewer than 10 types. Doing this was more important for gut-bug diversity than whether participants were vegetarians or meat eaters. Having an assortment of fruit and veggies delivers a wider variety of types of fiber, starches and other nutrients that feed a wider variety of bacteria, Gilbert explains. Dont just eat peas for dinner, Gilbert says. Eat the rainbow. The colors [of fruit and vegetables] are chemicals that feed different types of bacteria.

Include broccoli, cabbage and cauliflower. Brassica-family veggies like these (and also collard greens, bok choy, arugula and Brussels sprouts) feed beneficial bacteria that suppress gut bugs linked to ulcerative colitis and irritable bowel syndrome. Bacteria that eat brassicas also teach the gut immune system to produce the cushy, protective mucus that lines the inner wall of the intestines, Murray explains. But thats not all. Microbes in the gut convert glucosinolates in brassica veggies into active isothiocyanates that help prevent cancer.

Plant compounds called polyphenols found in coffee and black or green tea can increase the number of beneficial bacteria that protect the inner lining of the intestines and that pump out short-chain fatty acids. Gut bugs also convert polyphenols into forms that have protective effects in the body, including preventing inflammation, protecting cells from damage and even guarding against cancer.Your microbiome will also love polyphenol-rich berries, asparagus, artichokes and olives.

People who ate five salmon or cod dinners per week for eight weeks saw levels of a group of undesirable gut bugs called Bacteroidetes drop, compared to people who skipped fish and had their usual dinners in a 2021 study from Norway. Bacteroidetes are associated with type 2 diabetes, the researchers note. In other studies, people with higher blood levels of good fats had greater microbiome diversity and more beneficial bacteria even if they werent eating a high-fiber diet.

Sucralose, aspartame and saccharin can mess with microbiome diversity in ways that may interfere with the bodys ability to absorb blood sugar, Canadian researchers say. And strong emulsifiers in processed foods can break up the protective layer of mucus in the intestines where there are lots of good bugs cavorting around, Murray says. In a 2021 study, French researchers found that the emulsifiers carboxymethylcellulose and polysorbate 80 profoundly impact intestinal microbiota in a manner that promotes gut inflammation and associated disease states.

The certainty of scientific evidence is low that probiotic supplements can help adults avoid diarrhea while taking antibiotics, treat ulcerative colitis or Crohns disease, or ease pain and other symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome, according to a 2020 review of well-designed studies by the American Gastroenterological Association. The best thing you can do is eat fermented foods and, ideally, lots of fiber, Gilbert says. If youre new to high-fiber foods, start small and build up as you feel comfortable to avoid gas and bloating, Wastyk adds.

Probiotics may not even be helpful at restoring gut bacteria wiped out by antibiotics. In a 2018 Israeli study, people who took probiotics after a course of antibiotics still had a disrupted microbiome five months later, while people who didnt take probiotics saw a healthy bacterial balance return after three weeks. Eating fermented and fiber-rich foods is a better idea, Gilbert notes.

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So, you love popcorn, but youre also committed to doing the keto diet. Youre probably wondering: Is popcorn keto? The short answer is yes, popcorn can definitely fit into your keto meal planbut you have to pay attention to what kind of popcorn and how much of it youre eating.

To start, you should get a couple of things straight about the keto diet: The keto diet is a low-carb, high-fat meal plan that was initially designed to treat symptoms of epilepsy, explains New Jersey-based dietitian and diabetes expert Erin Palinski-Wade, RDN. Because the diet can also result in bodily changes like fat reduction, its marketed and sold as a weight loss method in the wellness industry, says Erica Zellner, LDN, a health coach at Parsley Health in California.

Since following a very low carb-diet can be restrictive, people on this plan are often looking for ways to incorporate more variety and snack options, Palinski-Wade says. And, if you love popcorn, youre probably wondering how you can do just that with this salty, savory (and sometimes sweet!) lil snackincluding ways to mix it up. (Hi, peanut butter-drizzled popcorn!) Keep reading for everything you want to know about popcorn as it relates to keto.

When doing the keto diet, your food consumption consists of eating 5 to 10 percent of your calories from carbohydrates, 10 to 20 percent from proteins, and 70 to 80 percent from fatall of which makes the diet highly restrictive, says Keri Gans, RD, author of The Small Change Diet.

Because popcorn is a carbohydrate-based food, it might not be the most ideal snack to eat when doing the keto diet, as itll quickly contribute to your daily carb goals. That said, if youre craving popcorn, dont restrict yourselfgo ahead and have some, says Palinski-Wade. Just know that itll add up to about 5 grams of net carbs per single cup.

One cup of popcorn contains about five grams of net carbs.

And what are net carbs, exactly? Net carbs are essentially any carbs that are digestible, Palinski-Wade says. Some carbs, such as those containing fibers and sugars, cannot be digested into the body, so theyre not counted when measuring net carbs. We subtract these carbs from total carbs to get the net carbs, or the total digestible carbs in a food, Palinski-Wade notes. (Yep, this equation is the same for everyone.)

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In moderation, popcorn can be a low-carb snack. Experts recommend consuming about one cup at a time, which has 6 grams of total carbs. Keep in mind that this may be different depending on what kind you buy. (But more on that later!)

Because popcorn is typically pretty fibrous, this means its got lower net carbs than other carbohydrate-based foods, Zellner says. And while you might think that its pointless to count net carbs instead of regular carbs on keto, you should know that tracking net carbs is actually how you max out on your nutrient intake.

Eating more fiber-heavy foods (like vegetables and fruits, primarily) with lower net carbs will allow you to eat more of those foods, which in turn increases the nutrients you take in and, hopefully, your overall satiety, Zellner says. It is important to make sure that you're using your carb allowance for as many nutrient-rich veggies and lower sugar fruit as possible. Thats why, sometimes, popcorn may not be the best thing to put into your diet every single day if youre doing keto, she adds. But if youre really craving it, dont hold back, as that may lead to even more restrictive and bingeing behaviors.

Overall, even if youre not doing the keto diet, popcorn is a great snack for regular and weight loss-related diets alike, Zellner says. It has nutrients like magnesium (which supports muscle function), phosphorus (which aids bone health), and zinc (good for your metabolism), she explains. Its also a food you can eat a lot of while still not taking in tons of calories.

That said, youll generally want to add some protein or fiber to your popcorn when you eat it. We always want to emphasize a fiber, fat, and protein balance for snacks and meals to make sure youre not spiking the blood sugar and then letting it crash, Zellner says, which can happen if you eat a carb-dense food with no other nutritional benefits.

Try it: You can add more nutrition to your popcorn by sprinkling shredded cheese on top, drizzling some nut butter over it, and mixing in nuts or dried fruits. Whatever makes it more fun for you!

Air-popped popcorn would be the best choice, as it is lower in carbohydrates as well as calories, Palinski-Wade says. However, since grams of fat are not a concern on a keto diet, added oil or butter would still allow this snack to be keto-friendly, she adds. That said, Palinski-Wade recommends limiting your saturated fats (such as the fats found in butters or oils) to less than 10 percent of your total daily caloric intake.

You might also want to focus on making your popcorn from scratch with unpopped kernels, Zellner says, as it gives you complete control over the serving size and ingredients. Its easy, its quick, it doesnt take any additional time as you just make it on the stove top, Zellner says. Regardless of what kind of popcorn you eat, remember to limit your serving to a cup or two.

And for keto specifically, we want to avoid popcorn with any added sugar ingredients like caramel, chocolate drizzle, and the like, says Zellner. Instead, Zellner recommends adding flavors to your popcorn at home with light butter, ghee, chili lime seasoning, pumpkin spice seasoning, and more. Its really easy to change up the flavor profile, she notes, if youre getting bored with one particular taste.

Lastly, when it comes to bagged, microwave popcorn, you might want to steer clear, Zellner says. Why? Well, most microwaveable bags are lined with PFCs (perfluorinated compounds), which prevent grease from leaking out during storage. Recent research has associated PFC with a bunch of negative health risks, such as hormonal disruption, low birth rate, bladder cancer, and more. We also know that it bioaccumulates, which means that the more youre exposed to it, the more it will accumulate in your body and cause potential problems, Zellner explains.

Stick to air-popped and homemade popcorn, and you should be good to go. Now go pop some kernels and enjoy a lil keto-friendly snack. You deserve it.

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Is Popcorn Keto? Best Low-Carb Popcorn, According To Nutritionists - Women's Health

We all want to eat a healthy diet, but actually getting to the nub of what that means can be tricky. In one ear, youve got diet culture telling you that keto is the only way to avoid getting type 2 diabetes, and in the other, were told to eat intuitively and sack off all the rules.

Healthy eating isnt easy to understand, and thats because of the wide array of information out there. So, we thought wed separate fact from fiction to confirm, once and for all, what it is to have a healthy diet.

The World Health Organisation describes a healthy diet as being one that protects against malnutrition in all its forms, as well as noncommunicable diseases including diabetes, heart disease, stroke and cancer. An unhealthy diet, on the other hand, is one that increases the risks of developing poor health.

As well as claiming that the earlier you adopt healthy dietary practices in life, the better your life outcomes, the WHO also warns against consuming too much fat or free sugars to avoid unhealthy weight gain.

Maybe thats something youd expect from a health organisation; perhaps that kind of thing sounds jarring at a time when weight is such a loaded topic, theres confusion about how bad fat really is and whether or not we should count our macros all up for debate as we try to move away from diet culture. Can we even chat about healthy diets without addressing the very fractious subject of weight loss/gain? So what does eating a healthy diet look and feel like for women in 2021?

Getting down to brass tacks, a healthy diet, according to registered dietitian Harpreet Sohal, is one that goes heavy on variety. A healthy diet includes wholegrain carbohydrates, plenty of fruit and vegetables, high-quality protein (both animal and plant-based) and dairy (or fortified dairy-alternatives), she tells Stylist.

While its also one thats lower in saturated fat, salt and free sugars (added sugar), shes keen to stress that a healthy diet includes foods that we enjoy and which are part of our culture. Thats important, she says, because nutrition isnt all or nothing and food doesnt have a moral value.

The difficulty starts when we cut food groups out for whatever reason. Some of us go vegan because we want to stop animal suffering; others go keto or paleo in the hope of rebalancing hormones or getting back to a more natural way of eating.

While those of us who adopt these lifestyles may think that were eating in the healthiest way possible for us, we do have to work harder to ensure that key vitamins, minerals and fibre arent cut along the way. Just because a food is labelled keto, paleo, or plant-based, that doesnt automatically mean it is healthy, Sohal stresses. She goes on to warn that without careful substitution and alternatives, our health could indeed be in danger from adopting niche diets.

If you want to follow a certain diet, I definitely recommend seeking advice from a registered dietitian for tailored, holistic and expert guidance about what may work best for you and your health.

So far, so obvious. But remember that the WHO says that a healthy diet is one that offers some kind of protection against non-infectious diseases so how exactly can it do that? The evidence shows that healthy eating and lower intakes of saturated fat, salt and free sugar can help to reduce your risk of heart disease, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes and certain cancers, says Sohal.

A study of 21,000 people in China conducted between 2014 and 2015 found that by switching to a low-sodium salt substitute, stroke risk was cut by 14% and premature death from other causes by 12%.

Back in 2019, a pretty shocking study found that low fruit consumption may have contributed to more than 1 million deaths from stroke worldwide, and more than 500,000 deaths from heart disease every year. Low vegetable intake accounts for 200,000 stroke deaths and over 800,000 heart disease fatalities.

Other long-held health beliefs, however, are coming under increasing scrutiny. Diabetes UK says, for example, that type 2 diabetics can enjoy sugary foods as part of a healthy, balanced dietwhile a systematic review of nearly 60,000 people found that reducing the intake of saturated fat had no statistically significant effects when it came to heart attacks, strokes or all-cause deaths.

Perhaps the conversation we need to be having is more about what were not eating enough of, rather than what we consume too much of.

Salty diets may result in high blood pressure and, if youre genetically vulnerable, an unchecked sweet tooth could end in a type 2 diabetes diagnosis, but we rarely talk about health and food from a place of gain what food can protect us from, rather than what too much of it might cause.

Not all weight gain is unhealthy either; sometimes, gaining more body fat can be lifesaving (physically and mentally). Its for that reason that Sohal says having a healthy relationship with food is one of the most important markers for determining what is or isnt a healthy way of eating. Worrying or being preoccupied about food or macro intake 24/7, following strict diets or food rules with little flexibility for day to day life, or being constantly hungry on a diet are all red flags that indicate you might need some expert support with your nutrition, she says.

Fellow nutritionist Kimberley Neve agrees: Not obsessing about what youre eating or being worried about it is a sign of a healthy diet. Not following a strict meal plan, but being able to eat comfortably in a way that feels good, which includes foods that are less nutritious! Mindful eating practices are healthy too, ie honouring your hunger and not ignoring it, and being able to stop eating when youre full.

How then can we work with the WHOs definition of a healthy diet? Neve is adamant that its totally possible to talk about healthy and nutrition without touching on weight and weight loss. Health and nutrition are definitely not just about weight loss. Eating a healthy, balanced diet will improve your mental health, energy levels, digestion, strength and much more that cant be measured on the scales, she stresses.

Genes play a huge role in our body size, so its important to understand that weight is not the only measure of overall health. That said, she is careful to suggest that there is a point where excess weight can be a risk factor for issues such as cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes, but the fact is that a healthy weight range differs from person to person.

The other factor is food history: if a person has struggled with an eating disorder, then being healthy means not suffering with that anymore the weight is not as important as mental health, although its all linked.

Sohals biggest bugbear when it comes to nutrition is detox diets. They come in many forms to promote weight loss, remove toxins and make you feel shiny and new, Sohal says, going on to give examples of fasting, juicing, going dairy or gluten-free, and using detox supplements.

Fads like these sound fabulous but most claims arent backed by science. Theyre just marketing ploys to convince you to part ways with your cash and can be potentially harmful. Your body is fully equipped to detox itself via your liver, kidneys, gut and skin.

Neve also stresses that no kind of detox can be healthy despite the fact that often the foods that get juiced are nutritious. When it comes to defining what healthy means in terms of diet, Neve defines it as involving plenty of vitamins and minerals and a combination of carbohydrates, fats and proteins.

The carbohydrates, she says, should be full of fibre, which means including whole grains, lentils, beans and vegetables to ensure good gut health. Fruit and vegetable intake should be as high as possible theyre full of micronutrients like vitamins, minerals and antioxidants.

Fundamentally, diet is only one part of a healthy lifestyle. Yes, food can be powerful (fail to get enough calcium and you could develop rickets; scurvy and stroke result from lack of fruit; too little iron causes anaemia), but food alone cant keep us alive and well. We need daily movement, social connections, mental stimulation.

As Sohal said, part of a healthy diet is about being at peace with what were eating. Perhaps the greatest thing we could do to stay healthy is reframe how we see food: as something that protects and adds value to our lives.

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Nutrition myths: what is a 'healthy' diet? - Stylist Magazine

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

Entrepreneurship and creativity are two key factors that drive the world economy. But one of the downsides about these is they both require a lot of mental energy, and if you run out, you start making mistakes and bad decisions.

Even if you don't feel like eating food on some days or aren't as productive as usual, it doesn't mean there's something wrong with you. It might simply be because your brain isn't working at full capacity or needs more fuel to perform well which is exactly where the keto diet comes in.

For the past few months, I tried the keto diet to see how much of a difference it could make in my life. The results were astounding, to say the least. I felt much more focused, and my overall productivity skyrocketed.

Starting a new business is like building a new house: You need bricks and mortar to build it solid and sustainable for the long term. In the case of startups, those bricks are customers. No matter how much experience you have, you don't have a business if you haven't got customers. That's why in addition to focusing on my work, I also worked hard to get new customers for the startup I created recently.

Seeing how the keto diet helped me get through some challenging months at work, where I often felt pretty drained of energy levels, made me realize that completely changing your nutrition can impact your life and everyone around you. You can deliver your best work, be happy with what you are doing and contribute positively to the company's development.

Related:Can theKetoDiet Give You a Mental Edge?

So how exactly does the keto diet help with entrepreneurship and creativity?

The ketogenic way of eating has become very popular in the past years, as it seems to have amazing benefits both for your body and mind. The main goal of this diet is to get your body into a state called ketosis. You can get into ketosis by eating clean keto foods, which are high in healthy fats, moderate amounts of proteinand low levels of carbohydrates.

And where would these ketones go except to our brain? They feed our brains and give us energy, making us more alert and focused. In fact, many people report feeling euphoric, calmand even experiencing better mental performance during the keto diet. Another reason this might happen is that we eat fewer carbs on keto, whichtells our brains that food is scarce, allowingus get more mental energy from the glucose (energy) already available.

So it is a win-win situation: The keto diet can increase your energy and make you feel more focused, which in turn makes you more productive and successful. It sounds like the perfect mix, right?

This is not only an ideal state to get into when you're already working, but also when you're trying to come up with new ideas. If you've ever tried brainstorming sessions in the middle of the day while eating pizza and drinking Coke, I bet it didn't go so well. It's all about routine and having your body do the things it needs to do on autopilot this includes making ketones out of fat!

Related:KetoDiet Evangelist Harlan Kilstein on How to Achieve Things You Never Thought Possible

And since you'll feel more focused naturally, coming up with new creative solutions will not be a problem either. You'll have no trouble putting in hours in front of your desk doing research or writing down your thoughts which is great because building an empire takes time, attentionand dedication.

The state of ketosis may take some weeks to get into, but don't let this discourage you. There are tons of benefits of keto that will happen before you reach ketosis, and these can already be felt just after a couple of days on the diet. And once you get into it, your workflow will increase your productivity levels.

A keto diet can not only help you stay focused and productive for increasing amounts of time, but also increase the quality of the work you do. With ketones feeding our brains, we can put more effort into what really matters instead of wasting time trying to fight off mental fatigue.

The key ingredient for most successful entrepreneurs is self-discipline, and staying in ketosis requires this too. We all know about the temptations of carbs, sugarsand processed foods, but you can overcome them with enough discipline especially if you're aiming tobuilda business empire.

And even when you think it's hard, remember that every time you say no to something bad for your body or mind, it's one more small win on your path to greatness! So next time someone offers you pizza or pasta, just smile and politely refuse I'm sure they'll understand. Because in the end, people want to work alongside winners, not quitters.

Related:5 Products to Help You With theKetoDiet

And if there are no carbs in the body, you'll have no carbs to store as fat, right? So ketogenic diet can help you burn fat. But at the same time, it will also increase your mental performance, so it's not so much about losing weight,but about reaching higher levels of success.

And the best part is that your brain will actually work better when you're lighter since it won't have to bother with digesting food all day. This way, you can have more room for activities that drive your business forward.

Keto will change how your body uses energy, and this will completely transform the way you work. It can help you get into flow faster, build more discipline andincrease the quality of your work all while keeping you lean and focused!

Isn't that what great empires are built upon? A feeling of success day by dayuntil it's turned into something magnificent.

Although many other diets may give similar benefits, which makes them worth a try, keto is quickly becoming one of the top choices for entrepreneurs because it fits perfectly with their lifestyle. It feeds them the energy they need to perform better at their jobs without getting tired or distracted easily. And don't forget that this state also keeps you in good shape, which saves time that you would have otherwise spentworking out.

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How the Keto Diet Can Feed Entrepreneurship and Creativity - Entrepreneur

After 60, our bodies start to show signs of aging, but that doesn't mean we can't stay healthy. With a few lifestyle changes we can prevent certain ailments from taking place and live a long happy life. Eat This, Not That! Health spoke with Dr. Robert G. Lahita MD, Ph.D. ("Dr. Bob"), Director of the Institute for Autoimmune and Rheumatic Disease at Saint Joseph Health and author of the upcoming book Immunity Strong who says, "Beyond avoiding excessive negative behavior, there are positive ways to mitigate the aging process and manage your immune system: getting adequate sleep, maintaining a healthy biome, exercising, and sustaining sexual health. Read his five tips for staying healthy after 60and to ensure your health and the health of others, don't miss these Sure Signs You've Already Had COVID.

Maintaining a healthy sex life is something after 60 is something Dr. Bob highly recommends. He explains, "Sexual relations and all socialization is essential to immunity. There is plenty of evidence going back decades that having sex affects all aspects of human life and a vigorous sex life is good for your biological soul. People who have had more sex (without resulting in sexually transmitted diseases or viruses) have more mucosal IgA antibody and fewer sick days at work. Sexual arousal and orgasm also induce an increase in what are called sympathetic activities of the nervous system as well as the enhancement of catecholamine, a hormone made by your adrenal glands that acts as a neurotransmitter and helps you respond to stress, as well as increasing amounts of the hormone prolactin, an immune stimulant from the pituitary gland in blood plasma."

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Dr. Bob says, "The difference between us and an antelope running from a lion is that the antelope's stress is momentary. An antelope doesn't have time to worry, whereas we worry for long periods of time. This worry can make you sick and chronic stress can have distinct effects on your immune system. Most of us will never suffer from PTSD, but experienced early in life, stress can cause long-lasting changes in physiology and behavior. Stress lowers our immune system's resistance and opens us up to various infections through immunosuppression, specifically through increased corticosteroids, which are potent immunosuppressants. The biological reason for this immunosuppression is the influence of the nervous and endocrine systems on the immune system that leads to inflammation, a condition that results in pain, fever, redness, and feelings of being unwell accompanied by loss of appetite, excessive fatigue and/or sleeplessness."

RELATED: This Vitamin May Stop Dementia, Says New Study

According to Dr. Bob, "Lack of sleep can be devastating to your mind and biological soul. I suggest getting around seven hours of sleep each night. Data going back decades have shown that sleep is critical to good health. When it comes to immunity, we now know lack of sleep enhances immune-mediated inflammatory diseases and that the sleep cycle is of particular importance to proper immune homeostasis. Resistance to infection is also a major aspect of the lack of sleep."

RELATED: Stop Doing This or You'll Risk Diabetes, Warn Experts

We all know eating healthy keeps us feeling good and Dr. Bob explains why eating the right veggies is so important. "The food you eat and the drugs you ingestsuch as the in-discriminate use of antibiotics to treat nonexistent bacterial infections like the common coldcan alter your biomes and change your immune responses to many things, including vaccines, which are not as effective in those with altered biomes. "You are what you eat" is an expression usually deployed as an insulta joke made at the expense of others about their diets by those asserting their healthy diets and fitness. But it's no joke. What you eat has major effects on you, something the originator of the phrase, the renowned nineteenth-century French gastronome Jean-Anthelme Brillat-Savarin in Physiology of Taste, under-stood when he wrote: "Tell me what you eat, and I will tell you what you are." Eat three light meals daily, with lots of veggies included!"

RELATED: Surefire Ways You're Ruining Your Liver, Studies Show

To stay healthy after 60, Dr. Bob suggests staying active. "Exercise is of particular importance as we age. Remember: It does not mean running marathons or Spartan races. It needs to be a daily effort to work the body in favor of the biological soulto let go, relax the brain, stress the body in a good way, and luxuriate in the flow of hormones, endorphins, and cytokines. I recommend moderate exercise like walking or running, and yoga is also a great option!" So keep up your fitness, and to protect your life and the lives of others, don't visit any of these 35 Places You're Most Likely to Catch COVID.

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Secret Tricks to Staying Healthy After 60 Eat This Not That - Eat This, Not That

This November, we celebrate 100 years since the discovery of insulin, the hormone that provides the key to understanding and treating diabetes. In this Special Feature and podcast, we look at how far insulin research has come, and we consider what its future may hold.

Insulin is the hormone that helps regulate blood sugar levels, keeping them at healthy concentrations. The pancreas is the organ that produces this hormone, which is normally released in quantities dependent on the levels of blood sugar present in the system at any one time.

People whose bodies are unable to regulate blood sugar levels have diabetes mellitus, which can be of two types, depending on why this regulation does not occur.

In type 1 diabetes, the body does not produce insulin, while in type 2 diabetes, it does not respond to the insulin produced and released by the pancreas.

Around the world, hundreds of millions of people live with a form of this chronic condition, and insulin treatments are key to its management, particularly to the extent that type 1 diabetes is concerned.

People with type 1 diabetes must take insulin, as their bodies do not produce it. Individuals with type 2 diabetes control their blood sugar levels typically through special medication and dietary and lifestyle interventions.

However, some may also require insulin treatment if the cells that produce insulin called pancreatic beta cells deteriorate in time and stop producing sufficient insulin.

In this Special Feature and associated In Conversation podcast, we offer an overview of the importance of insulin, its history, and what future research likely holds for insulin therapy and the management of diabetes.

To find out more about the impact of type 1 diabetes and the challenges of using insulin, we spoke to Virginie, a woman who received a diagnosis for this condition in her 30s.

For insights into current insulin research and potential future developments, we interviewed Dr. Thomas Barber, honorary consultant endocrinologist and assistant professor at the Warwick Medical School in the United Kingdom.

Diabetes was known as a collection of symptoms over 3,500 years ago, as a papyrus dating from 1550 before the common era (BCE) was already describing a condition consistent with the symptoms of diabetes.

Even though physicians have encountered and treated diabetes throughout history, researchers only discovered the reason behind it around 100 years ago: insulin, the hormone that regulates blood sugar levels.

In 1889, Joseph von Mering and Oskar Minkowski, two researchers at the University of Strasbourg in France, removed the pancreases of dogs and found that the animals would then go on to develop diabetes.

As we now know, the pancreas is the organ that produces insulin. However, von Mering and Minkowski were not able to establish this connection at the time.

It was a little over 30 years later, in 1921, that Sir Frederick Banting and Charles Best working in the laboratory of John Macleod from the University of Toronto in Canada extracted insulin from the hormone-producing cells found in the pancreases of healthy dogs.

They then injected dogs with diabetes with this extract and thereby made the discovery that changed the face of type 1 diabetes treatment forever.

In 1922, Banting and Best treated a young boy with type 1 diabetes by injecting him with insulin. This saved his life at the time, type 1 diabetes became a terminal illness more often than not and cemented the importance of the researchers discovery.

Banting and Macleod won the Nobel prize in medicine for the discovery of insulin in 1923.

In 1946, researchers discovered intermediate-acting insulin, also known as Neutral Protamine Hagedorn (NPH) insulin, which persists in the body for 1424 hours, which means that people who take it require fewer injections. This is still one of the most widely used types of insulin to this day.

At present, however, NPH insulin is no longer extracted from animal sources. Instead, researchers synthesize artificial human NPH insulin in the lab.

At present, there are several different types of therapeutic insulin, and people may have taken one or several of these, depending on their individual needs.

These types are:

Depending on their needs and what is accessible to them, people may receive therapeutic insulin through:

While the subcutaneous delivery of insulin may make it harder for some people to adhere to the correct treatment regimen, other delivery methods have so far proved unsuccessful.

For example, in the 1990s, some companies have also developed and attempted to commercialize insulin inhalers, which would deliver the hormone in aerosolized form.

However, these never took off, most likely because they are less effective than delivering insulin subcutaneously, as some of the insulin gets lost in the process.

So what does the future hold for insulin research and therapy? In some ways, we could say, the future is now, as people are already using smartphone technology to assist them in adhering to their treatments and determining how much insulin they need to use.

Today, individuals use mHealth technology referring to the practice of healthcare supported by mobile smart devices to help them monitor their blood sugar levels, so they know how much insulin to take. Glucose monitors are currently available these are small sensors placed under the skin that pick up on variations in blood sugar levels.

These connect to a smart device and allow the person to read their blood sugar levels at any time and share them with a doctor in real-time.

Some fully automated insulin delivery systems are also available. These are called closed-loop insulin systems, also known as artificial pancreases. They work by transmitting real-time blood sugar level data to a smart device that then communicates with a persons insulin pump, regulating how much insulin enters the system at any one time.

However, some challenges remain that future developments need to address. These include insufficiently accurate glucose monitoring devices, as well as concerns regarding user data collection. Current closed-loop systems also rely on user control, while researchers are yet to develop fully independently running artificial pancreases.

Dr. Barber noted that independently functioning artificial pancreases are akin to the Holy Grail of diabetes therapy.

There is some fascinating research to suggest that [the independent artificial pancreas] can be done, Dr. Barber told us.

Its been shown that can actually reduce hypoglycemic rates by having that kind of technology in place. But were some way away from actually being able to have an artificial pancreas, which doesnt rely on the patient at all. And really, [] I think it will come, but were not quite there yet.

Dr. Thomas Barber

Another pathway for future research is gene therapy that would trigger the expression of insulin-producing cells, thereby tackling the cause of type 1 diabetes at the root. The research so far, while it has garnered some interest, has been in animal models, and scientists are yet to take this to the next step: clinical trials in humans.

Finally, scientists are also looking at ways of developing better insulin, and several areas of investigation appear to hold promise.

One option is developing glucose-responsive or smart insulin. One of the main challenges in treating type 1 diabetes and severe type 2 diabetes remains administering insulin doses that accurately match blood sugar levels.

If blood sugar levels become or remain too high, a person can experience hyperglycemia. This, in turn, can lead to various complications in the long term, such as eye problems or diabetic ketoacidosis.

Yet if a person takes too much insulin, they can develop hypoglycemia, where their blood sugar levels are too low. Its symptoms can include heart palpitations, dizziness, and blurred vision. It can also lead to further complications, such as seizures and loss of consciousness.

Smart insulin would help address the risk of hyperglycemia and hypoglycemia by responding to changes in a persons blood sugar levels in a way that would mimic healthy insulin function.

Eliminating or attenuating insulin fibrillation and aggregation a process that renders insulin manufacturing more difficult would make it easier to produce and store insulin.

Another area of development looks at ultrarapid insulin, which starts acting sooner after delivery. It helps improve the management of fast changes in blood sugar from before to after a meal a process known as postprandial glucose excursions.

Another issue that needs addressing in the near future is the lack of accurate and consistent information regarding both insulin therapy and the unexpected factors that can influence a persons blood sugar levels, besides diet.

Virginie, for instance, wondered how much researchers and clinicians know about the relationship between anxiety and blood sugar levels and how this might affect people with diabetes who require insulin therapy.

In answer to her question, Dr. Barber explained that glucose control is far more complex than simply what [a persons] levels of insulin are, and indeed how much insulin you inject.

Theres actually 101 things [that] can influence blood sugar levels. And in fact, one of those is mental and emotional status at the time. And if youre worried, or stressed, or anxious, that in itself can actually push your blood sugar levels up, because its associated with the release of the stress hormone cortisol and also the sympathetic response as well, which is the fight or flight adrenaline release, both of which act to raise your blood sugar levels.

Dr. Thomas Barber

This is one of the many reasons why it is so important for doctors to listen closely to the experiences of people living with diabetes.

[W]hen Im seeing patients in clinic, Im acutely aware of the fact that they have far more insight into their own diabetes than I do, Dr. Barber noted. Theyve been living with this [condition] day after day, hour after hour, week, months, years, sometimes even decades. And I think its really important that as healthcare professionals, were aware of this and we respect that.

Virginie further noted that anxiety regarding insulin treatments can also affect those living with diabetes in another way. Often, those around her are anxious about how the condition affects her and whether she has been able to take the correct insulin dose at the correct time.

Diabetes can also take a heavy toll on the friends and families of those with this condition, she pointed out.

Dr. Barber acknowledged the real human impact of a diabetes diagnosis and the serious lifestyle adjustments that come with having to undergo insulin therapy.

One of these is the necessity of self-injecting insulin, which, he said, causes anxiety in many patients. And understandably, because of all of these factors, theres often quite a lot of resistance to the idea of going on to [insulin] therapy, he admitted.

The solution? Empathetic sensitive, and mental health-aware care, according to Dr. Barber:

There is a relative lack of proper psychology and talking-based therapies for patients with diabetes, and one almost feels as if theres a need for these patients not just to have the standard education on diabetes, but to have the focused psychological support, which is really a separate thing from education. I think they should have, obviously, the two together, but the psychological support is often lacking. And I think that really is an unmet need. And I think its something we could certainly do a lot more on in the future.

Perhaps the greatest challenge going forward, however, is ensuring equitable access to appropriate care and education for the management of diabetes.

While this condition is common worldwide, it does not affect everyone in the same way, and not everyone has timely access to diagnosis and care.

Black, Hispanic, and American Indian individuals have a higher likelihood of developing diabetes compared with people of other races and ethnicities.

Yet, people from these groups face the highest rate of disparities in access to appropriate healthcare, often due to systemic racism and socioeconomic factors.

To this day, Dr. Barber told us, lack of access to insulin remains the number one cause of death among children with type 1 diabetes worldwide:

Did you know that globally, the most common cause of death for a child living with type 1 diabetes is actually [the] lack of access to insulin? Thats an incredible fact. Its a tragic fact. And its actually quite shameful that after 100 years of having insulin, [which the World Health Organization (WHO) classes] as an essential medication, that children around the world with type 1 diabetes are dying because they dont have access to this therapy. Something needs to be done.

However, solving the issue of inequitable access to insulin therapy, glucose monitoring systems, and even basic education about diabetes is going to be no mean feat, according to Dr. Barber.

[I]ts a hugely complex issue, he pointed out. Its not just the case of providing insulin, [] there [are the] huge complexities of [] infrastructure, data collection, [taking] cultural differences [into account] and so on.

Some initiatives do exist to address these disparities. One example is the 100 Campaign, which is aiming to improve the situation for patients around the world to have access to insulin, Dr. Barber told us. However, we are still a long way away from solving this problem.

Virginie emphatically expressed a hope that going forward, healthcare decision-makers will work to improve access to care, health education, and diagnosis for people living with diabetes.

I think its very important that [] we make sure we provide the access for all [] not just [] to insulin, but access to the diagnosis, and to actually think about our own assumptions [about diabetes], she told us.

Certainly, I didnt know that thrush could be a symptom of diabetes. I also had a foot drop, which I didnt know could be a symptom. I was thirsty all the time. [Before my diagnosis,] I was drinking more than 6 liters [of liquid] per day and only stopping because I knew 6 liters thats a lot. [] So my hope is that [] any sort of worry and concern is taken seriously. [] It has taken a while for me to get the diagnosis, and were only talking months. So Im thinking about people who have to wait for years for [a] diagnosis. And I think its really important that [] we consider that as well.

Virginie

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How insulin has changed diabetes care, 100 years on - Medical News Today