Can Stress Cause Gray Hair?

The answer to this question is YES.

Most of us appreciate the wisdom that comes with age, but not the gray hair. Age and genes are probably the most widely accepted reasons for hair color loss. But thyroid conditions and low vitamin B12 levels also can play a role, as can stress, according a study published in Nature.   

How to Get Screened for Cancer & When: Talk to Your PCP

“You have cancer” are three words you never want to hear. The dreaded disease is associated with grueling treatments and claims more than 600,000 American lives each year. But there is some good news: United States cancer deaths rates fell by 2.4 percent between 2017 and 2018. This is a record amount and contributes to an overall 31 percent plummet since 1991, which equals about 3.2 million fewer deaths, according to the American Cancer Society's 2021 Cancer Statistics report. 

How Often are Dietary Guidelines Updated?

Every five years, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and Department of Agriculture join forces to release the Dietary Guidelines for Americans.

Every January we welcome a new year that will bring changes, events and trends that affect our culture. One such area that we commonly experience cultural shifts is in our dietary habits. New diets emerge, nutrition mindsets materialize and food manufacturing processes are adopted. Here are five dietary trends you can expect to hear more about during 2021.

You've probably heard or seen a lot about new variants of COVID-19 in the last few weeks. It’s no surprise that after a year of circulating, the coronavirus that causes COVID-19 has evolved. Viruses often mutate and change. Sometimes they weaken, sometimes they strengthen, and sometimes they become more communicable.  

We all have a friend or two we’ve known for years and still adore. Too often, these gems don’t live near us anymore. We can count on them for support and great conversation, but that happens by phone and text these days. 

As much as we love our dearest friends far away, they can’t fulfill our inherent needs as social creatures. To thrive, we also need social connection closer to home, people in our neighborhoods whom we can count on not just for support, but also to change a lightbulb, or bring over a cup of sugar, or give us a lift to a doctor appointment. 

Another company says its coronavirus vaccine is more than 90 percent effective. Moderna, which is most of the way through phase 3 testing on a vaccine to prevent COVID-19, says its mRNA vaccine has reached 95 percent efficacy in preventing coronavirus infections. The data is preliminary.
 

Like exercise, nutrition is an important component of maintaining your brain health. Studies show that following the right diet and eating the right foods can help improve your cognitive function. 

While certain foods are commonly associated with a healthier brain, we know that a healthy dietary pattern including lots of fruits, veggies, legumes and whole grains — the kind of foods that are part of a Mediterranean diet — can help keep your brain healthy and dementia at bay.

Chronic inflammation has been linked to chronic diseases, autoimmune disorders, musculoskeletal pain, mental health issues and gut biome-related problems. And while medications are often the treatment of choice in lowering inflammation, psychological and behavioral therapies may be just as effective in controlling disease-casing inflammation, according to a study published in JAMA Psychiatry. 

When you’re stressed out, indulging in your favorite, high-fat comfort foods may hit the spot. But doing so may interfere with your ability to concentrate, according to a study published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. The Ohio State University researchers found that just one meal high in saturated fat can impair your focus.