I quantify the risks of colon and rectal cancers from eating bacon, ham, hot dogs, sausage, and lunch meat. In 2018, arguably the most prestigious cancer research institution in the world, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), part of the World...

How did the meat industry, government, and cancer organizations respond to the confirmation that processed meat, like bacon, ham, hot dogs, and lunch meat, causes cancer? “It is rare, in the history of nations, that one finds good reasons to render homage to the...

Overrated “precision medicine” may just be serving vested interests, and consumer DNA testing can be useless—or even worse. Today, you can get your DNA sequenced—the letters of your entire genetic code spelled out—for about a thousand dollars, a bargain compared to...

Why are nuts associated with decreased mortality, but not peanut butter? According to the largest study of risk factors for death in human history, a poor diet causes more deaths than anything. Cigarettes only kill about 8 million people a year, whereas humanity’s...

Fasting and exercise can boost the longevity hormone FGF21, but what can we eat—or avoid eating—to get similar effects? Over a century ago, fasting was hailed not only as a means of combating “cerebral lassitude,” but also for the “prolongation of healthy longevity.”...

What can we do to boost the longevity hormone FGF21? In the year 2000, a new human hormone was discovered. It was the 21st documented fibroblast growth factor, so they called it FGF21. Since its discovery, FGF21 has become recognized as a key agent for the promotion...

We co-evolved a symbiosis with our good gut bacteria, but we aren’t holding up our end of the bargain. If you look at the classics—the most frequently cited articles in the scientific nutrition literature—the original glycemic index paper ranks tenth, cited more than...

The so-called optimism bias may get in the way of a healthy lifestyle. Yes, media messages about nutrition are often confusing and inconsistent, but many Americans know what is considered a healthy diet. I mean, does anyone really think drinking brown carbonated sugar...

Exposure to the bovine leukemia virus from meat and dairy (or a blood transfusion from those who eat meat or dairy) is a risk factor for cancer. In 2015, researchers in California found bovine leukemia virus (BLV) stitched into the DNA of human breast cancer tumors...