Dr. John Day, Cardiologist

Will Caffeine Make You Live Longer? According to a recent Stanford University study, caffeine may block age-related inflammation and extend life.  This study follows in line with many other studies also showing that natural sources of caffeine may lengthen your lifespan.  In this article, I review the science and answer the question, will caffeine make you live longer? The Stanford Caffeine Study In blog #197, I discussed how keeping inflammation levels as low as possible may help you live to…

Why You Need 10 Servings of Fruits and Vegetables for a Longer Life Most people only get two or three servings of fruits and vegetables each day.  The U.S. government recommends five to nine servings daily.  Could the real number be higher?  In this article, I share the latest research as to why you need at least 10 servings of fruits and vegetables daily for a long and healthy life. The 10 Servings Study To find out exactly how many servings…

The Easiest Way to Shave 8 Years Off Your Biologic Age Would you trade 30 minutes a day to look and feel eight years younger?  Based on the latest research, this article will show you the easiest way to shave eight years off your biologic age. The 8 Years Younger Study In this study, researchers from the University of California San Diego (UCSD) studied 1,481 people.  Their question was simple.  What is the least amount of physical activity you need to…

Almonds vs. Peanuts: Which Should You Eat? Everyone knows almonds are healthier than peanuts, right?  In this article, we are going to look at the science to settle the almonds vs. peanuts debate.  The results may surprise you. 1. Almonds vs. Peanuts for Weight Loss? Almonds are a great nut for people wishing to lose weight.  While you would expect that all of the calories and fat in almonds would cause weight gain, the opposite is actually true.  Indeed, a recent…

Does Vitamin D Prevent Colds? The Latest Research Vitamin D is good for your bones.  Not getting enough vitamin D has been linked to heart disease, cancer, and dementia.  But does vitamin D prevent colds?  In this article, I review the latest research looking at vitamin D, colds, the flu, and other respiratory tract infections.  If you, or a loved one, has been sick this year, you won't want to miss this article. My Vitamin D Challenges As readers know,…

21 Ways to Stop Mindless Eating Most people gain one to two pounds a year.  If you do the math, that works out to overeating by about 10 calories a day.  In this article, I'm going to show you how to stop mindless eating and effortlessly get you back to a healthy weight.  In addition, you'll also learn simple tricks to get your family eating better as well. Mindless Eating: Why We Eat More Than We Think This past week,…

Does meat cause cancer and heart disease? Does meat cause cancer, heart disease, or an early death?  In this article, I will show you how to enjoy meat without any increased risk based on new research. The Harvard Meat Study Meat studies are difficult to do.  These studies often are not very accurate either. This is because health conscientious people tend to eat less meat.  If they do eat meat, it is generally fish or poultry. In contrast, people who don't care…

7 Reasons Why Chili Peppers Make You Live Longer New research reports that people who eat red hot chili peppers live 13% longer.  In this article, I will review the studies and share seven reasons why there may be truth that chili peppers make you live longer. The Scoville Scale At the young age of 19, I was suddenly introduced to the upper end of the Scoville scale.  By way of background, the Scoville scale was created in 1912 by American pharmacist…

3 Ways to Beat Alzheimer's Disease Even if dementia runs in your family, new research shows that Alzheimer's disease can be prevented or reversed.  In this article, I share three ways to beat Alzheimer's disease based on the latest research from UCLA. Bob's Experience Bob was becoming progressively forgetful.  His wife was worried.  He was only 55. Based on our research of the heart and Alzheimer's disease, Bob and his wife came to see me.  After reviewing his case, it was clear that…

4 New Reasons Why You Need More Magnesium Foods Up to 70% of Americans are magnesium deficient.  A lack of magnesium may be the cause of your fatigue, insomnia, anxiety, heart problems, and possibly an early death.  In this article, I share four new reasons why you need more magnesium foods. Low Magnesium and Heart Problems: Katie's Experience Katie was a hard-charging super mom.  By day she worked as an accountant and when she wasn't at the accounting firm she was…

3 Secrets to Maintaining a Healthy Weight Forever Most Americans want to lose weight as their New Year's resolution.  While many are successful, few can keep the weight off forever.  Based on recent research of 10,000 people, who have lost an average of 66 pounds and have kept it off for five or more years, I'll share the 3 secrets to maintaining a healthy weight for the rest of your life. Yo-yo Dieting Liz was the classic yo-yo dieter.  Every year she'd resolve…

6 Reasons Why You Must Eat Nuts Every Day Could a handful of nuts every day be the secret to a long and healthy life?  In this article, I share 6 reasons why your health depends on a daily serving of nuts based on the most recent research. Nuts for Me Growing up, nuts were never part of my daily diet.  Like any child, I would have an occasional peanut butter and jam sandwich but that was about it. Now I realize that peanuts…

3 Ways to Naturally Beat Wintertime Depression One in five people struggle with wintertime depression or seasonal affective disorder.  For many, this strikes immediately after the holiday season.  In this article, I share 3 ways to naturally beat wintertime depression. My Struggle with Wintertime Depression Growing up, I struggled with wintertime depression.  Typically, this hit me within a few hours after opening presents on Christmas day. While wintertime depression never stopped me from other activities, I always felt somewhat melancholic from Christmas day until March.  Looking…

3 Reasons Why the Anti-Inflammation Diet May Help You Live to 110 The number one factor in making it 110, according to medical studies, is to keep inflammation in your body as low as possible.  In order to make it to 110, you probably had perfect health at 100 and you were eating an anti-inflammation diet.  In this article, I share three reasons why the anti-inflammation diet may help you live to 110. What is inflammation? Inflammation is activation of…

How to Eliminate Holiday Season Stress Two in three Americans report holiday season stress, fatigue, and irritability according to the American Psychological Association.  This stress may increase your risk of a heart attack by 73% according to a recent study.  In this article, I share the one simple thing from a recent study that can completely eliminate holiday season stress for you. How to Eliminate Stress Study In this study, Dr. Michael J. Poulin and colleagues from the University of California, Irvine, studied 846 people living…

How to Avoid the 8 Things That Wreck Your Health No one wants to feel miserable, battle multiple medical problems, and take lots of medicines.  Yet that is what most Americans are doing the last 10 years of their lives according to the World Health Organization. In this article, I will teach you how to avoid the 8 things that wreck your health. Things That Wreck Your Health Study Recently, Dr. Christopher Murray, from the Institute of Health Metrics and Evaluation, led a team…

5 Ways to Tell if it is a Cold or Allergies (more…)

3 Minor Lifestyle Changes Can Reverse Bad Genes Most of my patients mistakingly believe that their heart problems came from bad genes.  In this article, I review a recent study showing that 3 minor lifestyle changes can reverse bad genes.  Indeed, you can reverse bad genes even without losing weight. Genes vs. Lifestyle A couple of years ago, a young cardiologist, by the name of Dr. Amit V. Khera, from Harvard's Massachusetts General Hospital pondered an age old question.  Is disease due to nature…

Could 4 Brazil Nuts be the Best Cholesterol Lowering Drug? There is a one in three chance you should take a statin cholesterol lowering drug according to the American Heart Association.  Sadly, high cholesterol causes heart attacks, strokes, and a premature death. While statin cholesterol lowering drugs are effective, there are many side effects.  In this article, I share a provocative study showing that just 4 Brazil nuts a month may lower cholesterol as well as a statin. The 4 Brazil Nuts Cholesterol…

4 Bad Habits that Shorten Your Life 18 Years Four bad habits can rob you of 18 years of life.  In this article, I share the four bad habits that shorten your life and keep you from making it to age 88 in excellent health. How long will you live? "How long will I live?" Joan asked at her initial cardiology consultation with me. Having just reviewed this new study,  I wanted to find out if she had any of four…

6 Foods to Reverse Aging with NMN No one wants to watch their body fall apart over time.  Wouldn't it be great if a pill could fix all of this for us?  Until we have answers about the hottest new anti-aging supplement, NMN, from ongoing human studies, let me share with you how to reverse aging with NMN naturally.  In this article, I will teach you what NMN is and show you how you may reverse aging with NMN through…

3 Ways to Protect Kids’ Hearts from Halloween Candy Sugar can cause blockages to form in even the hearts of young children according to a new report from the American Heart Association.   As Halloween and candy go hand-in-hand, I share three ways to protect kids’ hearts from Halloween candy without missing out on any of the holiday fun. New Sugar Guidelines for Kids According to the new sugar guidelines for children, children over age two should consume less than six teaspoons (25 g or…

5 Smartphone Apps to Fix Sleep Problems According to the National Sleep Foundation, a smartphone in the bedroom is one of the main reasons why most Americans are chronically sleep deprived.  While most experts blame smartphones for sleep problems, I personally believe smartphones can actually fix sleep problems. How My iPhone Helps Me Sleep As most readers know, I have struggled with sleep for most of my life.  A few years ago, I finally figured out that if I could just do five things religiously, I could finally fix my…

Eliminate Heart Disease by Doing 3 Things Study At least 80% of all heart disease is totally unnecessary.  Indeed, according to a recent study, if you can do the three things discussed in the article to eliminate heart disease, most drug companies, hospitals, and cardiologists would be out of business. Jeff's Experience This past weekend I spoke at a conference sponsored by my hospital.  Sadly, the message that was conveyed is that heart disease is inevitable.  Thus, taking preventative medications is critical to…

Are Grains Healthy? While books and websites have demonized grains in every form, the scientific literature does not support this belief.  Indeed, in study after study, grains can be healthy provided they are real whole grains.  Real whole grains are high in fiber and are not processed. Processed grains, on the other hand, are really just sugar.  It's also pretty clear that processed grains are responsible for much of the obesity crisis, as well as the epidemic of atrial fibrillation, heart failure and diabetes that…

6 Protein Sources that May Shorten Your Life Not all protein sources are the same when it comes to longevity.  In this article, I review a recent Harvard University study which reported that 6 protein sources could shorten your life. Jin's Experience On our last trip to China's Longevity Village, I met Jin.  It was a hot summer night in Southwest China and the entire village had come together to prepare for a wedding.  As part of this wedding preparation, we had the…

The Top 3 Dark Chocolate Health Benefits Could there actually be dark chocolate health benefits?  How could something that tastes so good, be good for you?  Read on to learn about a medical mystery and the top three health benefits of dark chocolate. Chocolate, High Blood Pressure, and Kuna Indians In 1944, an obscure army surgeon, Dr. B. H. Kean, was stationed in the Panama Canal Zone by the U.S. army.  While there, he noticed that the Kuna Indians, who…

3 Ways to Lower Cholesterol: Better than Drugs Half of all Americans need to lower cholesterol.  Of these people, most should be on a "statin" drug to lower cholesterol according to the American Heart Association. This recommendation comes despite the fact that "statins," may increase your risk of diabetes by 46%, may cause memory loss, may increase coronary artery calcification, and can damage your muscles. Cholesterol is just one of many risk factors for heart disease.  Fortunately, there are better…

The Top 3 Benefits and Risks of Raw Foods Raw foods can be a great way to boost nutrition, lose weight, and eat more naturally.  In fact, I would probably see far less cardiovascular disease in my practice if people ate more of the right kinds of raw foods.  Perhaps this explains the growing popularity of "eating raw." In this article, I'll cut through the hype and focus on what the science tells us.  Read on to discover the top three benefits…

5 Things Multitasking Does To Your Brain I had no idea what multitasking does to your brain until I did the unimaginable...I accidently dropped my iPhone into the toilet last weekend. It was literally a race against time to prevent irreversible water damage.  I quickly fished my iPhone out of the toilet with my hand, powered it off, dried every aspect of the phone, and waited for the inner components to dry. Life without Multitasking For an entire weekend I was without my…

Is breakfast really the most important meal of the day? Your grandmother was full of good advice. But if she told you that “breakfast is the most important meal of the day,” you only got part of the story. An early meal can be a vitally important part of the day — for some people, and only if it’s a truly healthy breakfast. What is a healthy breakfast? What’s a truly healthy breakfast look like? Well, it looks something like…

Why You Need More Fat in Your Diet Do you really need more fat? Everyone knows that if you want to cut the fat on your body that you have to cut the fat in your meals. That seems obvious enough, doesn’t it? Indeed, it’s what we’ve been telling ourselves for a long time.  And, that is exactly what most Americans are still doing.  According to a recent Gallup poll, nearly twice as many Americans are cutting back on fat than carbohydrates. The…

How to Find Out the Age of Your Arteries in 1 Minute You are only as old as your arteries.  In this article, I will show you how to find out the age of your arteries in just one minute. As long as your arteries stay young, your heart, brain, kidneys, and other organs should continue to function normally. Read on to find out if your arteries are older than you are and what you can do to reverse artery aging now.…

The 6 Things That Put You in a Nursing Home No one wants to end their life in a nursing home.  In this article, I share the 6 things that could put you in a nursing home and what you can do now to avoid this fate. Brian's Experience For years, I cared for Brian as his cardiologist.  Each time he came to see me, he was always excited to share their latest travel plans once he retired. Tragically, two weeks after…

Why Portion Control Doesn't Work for Most People Why portion control doesn't work for most people... Take out your phone. Then go to the top of the nearest building, head straight up to the top floor, and chuck it out the window. First, though: Really focus on the idea that, when you toss your phone into the air, it won’t actually fall to the ground and break. See if you can use your willpower to protect you phone from the impact of the fall. You haven’t…

How to Tell if Health Foods Are Really Healthy A lot of what we consider “health foods” aren’t really that healthy. That’s because in recent years health foods have become big business — and wherever there’s money to be made, you’re going to find plenty of marketers willing to fudge, and even fib, to make a sale. Is yogurt healthy? Topping the list of foods that are widely believed to be healthy, but generally are not healthy: Yogurt. I know. I know.…

How to Tell if You're Addicted to Clutter Are you addicted to clutter? A while back, I came upon a blog by an economist named Joshua Gans who had been trying to introduce basic math to his three-year-old daughter — starting, as we almost all do, with addition. “Now, the way to do this is to make liberal use of fingers,” he wrote. “This is all very well when the numbers you are adding are less than 10 but is a problem after that.” But…

6 Ways to Get Kids to Eat More Vegetables Fully 9 in 10 U.S. children need to eat more vegetables.  For adults it is no better.  As a cardiologist, I have observed that a person's health is directly tied to how many vegetables they eat.  In this article, I share six proven ways to effortlessly get children and adults to eat more vegetables. 1. Set an Example Your children watch what you eat.  Indeed, studies show that, to a large extent, how…

How to Eat Your Favorite Foods and Lose Weight Can you really eat your favorite foods and still lose weight? Maybe it’s the meatloaf that your grandmother used to make. Maybe it’s the apple pie á la mode you shared with your spouse on your first date.  Regardless of what it might be, in this article I'll show you how you can eat your favorite foods and lose weight. We All Have Favorite Foods We’ve all had favorite foods. And sometimes, it’s true, those things aren’t…

5 Proven Secrets to Younger Looking Skin Studies show that you can have 10 years younger looking skin.  While we all want healthy and younger looking skin, do you really have to use all of the lotions and potions promoted in advertisements? In this article, I share the five proven secrets to younger looking skin. 1. Daily Skin Care Studies show that proper skin care can make you look two years younger.  Proper skin care doesn't mean scrubbing your face…