"Grandma-core" diet brings positive health benefits
The latest food trend isn't new at all, but how your grandmother cooked! "Grandma-core eating" is having a moment online, and dietitians say there's substance behind it: a simple plate of protein, vegetables, and a starch, slows digestion and helps maintain steady blood sugar.
Slow-cooked stews, soups, and roasts also deliver the protein older adults need to hold onto muscle, which is what keeps humans strong and independent as they age. Even the old "early-bird" dinner has logic; eating your big meal earlier gives your body time to work before bed and may help you sleep better.
Modern tweaks are still advised, however. Double the vegetables, reduce sodium, and swap shortening for olive oil.
Possible link between infections and cancer diagnosis
Roughly one in eight cancer cases worldwide may be caused by infections, and many of them are preventable or treatable.
New research in the Lancet Oncology found about 2.3 million new cancer cases in 2024 were tied to infections, with two standing out: H-Pylori, a stomach bacteria, and HPV, the virus most often linked to cervical cancer. Together, those two accounted for over 1.5 million cases. The encouraging part is there are already vaccines available for HPV and Hepatitis B, and testing and treatment for H-Pylori and Hepatitis C.
Doctors stress that having one of these infections doesn't mean you'll be diagnosed with cancer, but catching and treating them early can nearly erase the risk.
Insomnia and health risk links
European researchers pulled together studies covering over 1.3 million people and found those with insomnia had a 26% higher risk of stroke and were 28% more likely to end up hospitalized for any reason, with links to dementia and depression as well.
One theory on dementia is that the brain clears out waste proteins while we sleep, and poor sleep may slow that cleanup down. Experts say this isn't the cause for alarm, as studies cannot prove cause and effect, and those with insomnia didn't have a higher risk of death.
The takeaway is that chronic insomnia is treatable and shouldn't be written off as part of getting older.
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