Dr. Gabe Mirkin on Fitness, Health and Nutrition

Chat with Dr. Mirkin’s AI research assistant about health issues that are discussed on the site

Healthful Fats

Healthful Fats

A report from the Nurses’ Health Study and the Health Professionals Follow-up Study of more than 126,000 men and women who have been followed for 32 years shows that increasing total fat intake is associated with decreasing risk of death.

Gene Wilder: Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma and Alzheimer’s

Gene Wilder: Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma and Alzheimer’s

Gene Wilder was a beloved American stage, screen and TV actor who made people laugh just by being himself. He was also a successful screenwriter, film director and author. He is best remembered for the movies where he appeared to be naive and childlike: Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory, Young Frankenstein . . .

Healthful Fats

Artificial Sweeteners Linked to Higher Blood Sugar Levels

Obese people who have taken aspartame or saccharin in the last 24 hours had higher blood sugar rises after taking sugar than those who had not used artificial sweeteners. Lead author Dr. Jennifer Kuk says, “Our study shows that individuals with obesity who consume artificial sweeteners, particularly aspartame, may have worse glucose management than those who don’t take sugar substitutes.”

Gene Wilder: Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma and Alzheimer’s

Eero Mantryanta’s High EPO Gene

Eero Mantyranta was one of the greatest cross country skiers ever. He competed in four Winter Olympics (1960–1972) and won seven medals. In the 1964 Winter Olympics in Innsbruck, Austria, he won the 15 kilometer race by an incredible forty seconds and then won the 30 kilometer race by more than a minute.

Irregular Heartbeats in Lifelong Exercisers

Irregular Heartbeats in Lifelong Exercisers

Many studies show that a lifetime of vigorous exercise makes the heart stronger and healthier and does not harm it. However, a few studies that got a lot of media attention suggested that chronic intense exercise can damage the heart to cause irregular heartbeats. Now a new study of elite lifetime endurance athletes has found no evidence of irregular heartbeats from damage to the right ventricular heart chamber

How Excess Fat Can Spread Cancer

How Excess Fat Can Spread Cancer

People who have cancer and are also overweight are at increased risk for having the cancer spread through their bodies. A new study shows how excess weight may spread cancer cells through the body.

Gene Wilder: Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma and Alzheimer’s

Houston McTear, a Natural Runner

One of the greatest natural track athletes of all time died from lung cancer at age 58. He went from extreme poverty to athletic riches and back to extreme poverty, never having won an Olympic medal. He was unknown to most people but is a legend to all true fans of track and field.

Cupping for Faster Recovery

Cupping for Faster Recovery

When Michael Phelps won a gold medal in the 4 x 100 meter freestyle relay at the Rio Olympics, he was covered with red circles on his back and shoulders from cupping. Many of the U.S. swimmers and gymnasts at the Olympics are using cupping, along with massage, saunas, ice baths and compression garments, to help them recover faster after a race or a hard training session.

Healthful Fats

Do Vegetarians Live Longer?

Three recent large studies provide more support for a primarily plant-based diet. Two of the studies compared dietary protein from plants and animals and the third one compared dietary fats from plant or animal sources.

Gene Wilder: Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma and Alzheimer’s

Fanny Blankers-Koen, Olympian-The Flying Housewife

At the 1948 London Olympics, Fanny Blankers-Koen won four events: the women’s 100 meters, 200 meters, 80 meter hurdles and 4 x 100 meter relay. She was 30 years old, 5’9″ and 140 pounds and the mother of two children. She was arguably the greatest female track and field star in the world.