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Let’s look at some numbers. Just one cup of blueberries a day can provide loads of nutrients: 24 percent of your daily intake of vitamin C, 36 percent of vitamin K, 25 percent of manganese, which helps with blood clotting and promotes bone and muscle strength, and 14 percent of dietary fiber, according to the Cleveland Clinic. “These little nuggets are phenomenally full of vitamins and minerals,” says Evelina Grayver, MD, a cardiologist at North Shore University Hospital at Northwell Health in New York City....

The good news is you don’t have to go it alone: You can enlist a battery of professionals to show you how to get on track and stay there. Properly controlling diabetes pays off in how you feel today — and in the future. Lower HbA1C, blood pressure, “bad” LDL cholesterol, and BMI may increase the life expectancy of the average U.S. person with diabetes by three years, research, such as an investigation published in April 2022 in JAMA Network Open, has shown....

They’re mindful of how they feel and eat until they are about 80 percent full.Their diets are 95 to 100 percent plant-based, and include plenty of beans and nuts along with fruits and vegetables.They follow a diet that composed of approximately 65 percent carbohydrates, 20 percent fats, and 15 percent proteins “These are the key building blocks in our bodies,” says Samantha Cassetty, a registered dietitian in New York City and a coauthor of Sugar Shock....

This inflammatory autoimmune disease affects many people: 1.5 million U.S. adults (or 1 percent of the adult population), according to the Arthritis Foundation. The severity of rheumatoid arthritis varies from person to person and can be mild, moderate, or severe. RELATED: 8 Things I Didn’t Know About Rheumatoid Arthritis Until It Happened to Me When you have rheumatoid arthritis, your immune system mistakenly attacks the linings of your joints (called synovium), causing them to become inflamed and painful....

As frustrating and even embarrassing as they might be, sunburns happen. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, more than 1 out of every 3 Americans reports getting sunburned each year. The good news? It’s simple to learn how to treat your sunburn and keep it from ruining the rest of your vacation. How Does a Sunburn Happen? A sunburn is an inflammatory reaction to ultraviolet (UV) radiation damage in the skin’s outermost layers, explains the Skin Cancer Foundation....

Why are women more commonly affected by arthritis? One reason may be the physical differences between the sexes — for example, women have less knee cartilage than men. It’s no wonder that according to a recent report, knee replacement surgeries more than tripled in women between ages 45 and 64 over the past decade. Women are also at greater risk for the autoimmune condition rheumatoid arthritis than men, which experts think may be due to hormonal differences, among other factors....

It’s no wonder, then, that within households, if one person comes down with the flu, there’s a good chance others will wind up sick too. One study found, for example, the risk of flu spreading within a single dwelling is around 38 percent. Families, roommates, and others who live together can beat those odds, though, starting with annual flu vaccines all around for every household member who’s eligible for one....

“We recommend that you find a dietary pattern that’s consistent with what you enjoy but is still heart-healthy,” says Alice H. Lichtenstein, DSc, chair of the writing group for the AHA statement and senior scientist and director of cardiovascular nutrition team at the USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University in Boston. “What we’ve learned is that when people try to make drastic changes in their diet because they suddenly decide they want to get healthier, they frequently don’t stick with those changes for a long period of time,” she says....

Consider: Up to 30 percent of people with severe UC who are hospitalized for the condition will undergo a colectomy, the surgical removal of the colon, within one year of being hospitalized for UC for the first time, according to the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation. “The colectomy rate hasn’t budged in over 30 years,” says Fernando Velayos, MD, the regional director of the inflammatory bowel disease program for Kaiser Permanente Northern California and a clinical professor of medicine at the University of California, San Francisco....

While some devices are available in stores, others can be customized with a prescription from your doctor, says Matt Likins, MPT, OCS, a physical therapist at 1st Choice Physical Therapy in Sterling Heights, Michigan. Here are some suggestions that could help you move around better and make daily activities easier. Shoe inserts When you walk, the force travels up the foot to the knee, but shoe inserts can help lessen this impact and reduce the strain on the joint, Likins says....

All hail the gut-brain-microbiota axis, a network through which the gut and the brain constantly exchange information, according to a review published in April 2021 in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences. Given how closely the gut and brain interact, it’s not surprising that the bacteria in the gut could have a direct effect on brain functions like mood and behavior. “We are learning that other physiological systems can be affected by what’s happening inside the gut, and this includes what happens in the brain,” says Richard Day, MBBS, the vice president of medical affairs and clinical development at ADM Protexin, a company that produces probiotic and live bacteria health products....

Research out of Korea published December 1, 2019, in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology found that toothbrushing three or more times a day was connected with a 10 percent lower risk of atrial fibrillation (a common irregular heartbeat condition) and a 12 percent lower risk of heart failure. “Healthier oral hygiene attained by frequent toothbrushing and professional dental cleaning may decrease risk of atrial fibrillation and heart failure,” wrote senior investigator Tae-Jin Song, MD, in the department of neurology at Ewha Womans University, Seoul, Korea, and collaborators....

Most of the time an RSV infection is merely uncomfortable, but in some cases it can be life-threatening. It is a particular danger to babies younger than 6 months, for whom an infection in the lungs and breathing passages can lead to serious illness, hospitalization, and even death. Other high-risk groups include people who are immunocompromised and adults ages 65 and up. In fact the NFID has called RSV in older adults “a hidden annual epidemic....

A large body of research points to potentially therapeutic substances in marijuana that could help with Crohn’s symptoms, and some studies have even found a direct link between marijuana use and certain benefits in people with Crohn’s. But many experts still urge caution. “There really isn’t data to tell us that it’s effective for Crohn’s disease,” says Mark Gerich, MD, a gastroenterologist and the clinical director of the Crohn’s and Colitis Center at the University of Colorado in Aurora....

More and more people with MS are using complementary and alternative approaches like herbs and supplements to augment prescription medication treatments for symptoms like pain, spasticity, memory loss, and fatigue — even though scientific evidence supporting their use is limited. One of the most popular herbal remedies is turmeric, a spice that is used commonly in cooking, particularly in Asian cuisines. Turmeric has properties similar to ginger, another popular flavoring ingredient....

Great news, chocolate lovers, it seems as though it does: “I have not seen anything that indicates a pitfall or problem with drinking dark chocolate drinks for health benefits,” says Lona Sandon, PhD, RDN, an associate professor in the department of clinical nutrition at UT Southwestern in Dallas, who also has rheumatoid arthritis. But the type of chocolate drink you sip and enjoy will make all the difference. Why Does Dark Chocolate Help With Chronic Inflammation?...

Many screening tests are available to detect different types of cancer. Typically, screenings aren’t intended to diagnose cancer. If a test comes back abnormal, your doctor will probably need to perform more tests to see if you have cancer. Some screening tests are only performed on people at high risk for developing certain cancers. Researchers are working to determine who benefits most from cancer screening. Why Is It a Good Idea to Screen for Cancer?...

— Joyce, California There are many reasons why a 22-year-old could have chest pain. And while it’s quite rare, a heart attack can occur in a person in his twenties. You may remember the popular Russian Olympic pairs figure skater Sergei Grinkov, who died of a heart attack in 1995 at age 28 while practicing for a performance. His only symptom was back pain and yet an autopsy revealed that he had severely clogged coronary arteries....

RELATED: Symptoms and Diagnosis of COPD What Is Chronic Bronchitis? Bronchitis is an inflammation of the lining of the bronchi, two large tubes that carry air from your windpipe to your lungs. Bronchitis can be either acute or chronic. Chronic bronchitis can occur in nonsmokers as well. Other risk factors for the condition include: Heavy exposure to industrial dust and fumes in the workplace, indoor air pollution, secondhand smoke, and other air pollutantsLong-term uncontrolled asthmaFrequent childhood respiratory infections...

CoQ10 is available as a supplement, but whether or not the supplement improves heart function or other health outcomes is somewhat controversial. Here’s what you should know about this nutrient — both in its natural and supplement form. Why Our Bodies Need CoQ10 Our cells use CoQ10 to help turn the energy we consume from carbohydrates into adenosine triphosphate (ATP), the form of energy our cells can actually use to carry out many critical functions in the body....