Category: harvardhealth_news_UNDEFINED

The Mediterranean diet is touted for its health benefits, which include a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease, cancer, and potentially even improvements to the gut bacteria, which may reduce harmful inflammation inside the body. Making some simple changes to your current diet can help improve your health. These include switching to olive oil as the primary fat, eating more whole grains and less processed food and sugar and reducing red meat consumption. Whenever possible, base your daily diet on a base of vegetables, fruits and plant-based options.

Traumatic events in the world or personal life can take a toll on mental health. Strategies such as limiting news about the event, taking an active role in the problem, and reframing the event in more positive terms can help people endure the event and successfully move on. People may need to get professional health help if sadness and stress lead to a mood disorder, such as depression.

People with irregular sleep schedules may have a higher risk of developing cardiovascular disease.

Researchers are working to perfect a blood test to diagnose Alzheimer’s disease.

Cancer deaths in the United States are continuing to decline, but there was a slight increase in the number of new cancers in women between 2012 and 2016.

It’s best to stay away from, or minimize the use of, the over-the-counter painkillers that can make existing health conditions worse. For example, people who have liver problems or are heavy drinkers shouldn’t take acetaminophen (Tylenol), which can worsen those problems. And people who have heart disease, high blood pressure, stomach ulcers, or kidney problems should talk to their doctors before taking nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin), naproxen (Aleve), or aspirin.

Fish are considered an important part of a healthy diet. And even though fish may contain low levels of toxins or microplastics, doctors still advise eating fish at least twice a week. This is because the benefits of eating fish exceed the risks. Studies involving hundreds of thousands of people over decades have found that people who eat one or two 3-ounce servings of fish per week have a nearly 40% reduction in death from heart disease—the No. 1 cause of death in the United States and other developed nations.