A new study published in the journal Sleep suggests that your sleep regularity (how consistent your sleep-wake timing is) is a stronger overall predictor of mortality risk than sleep duration.
The research from the UK found that even people who consistently get seven to eight hours of sleep each night—but who had irregular sleep schedules—are at a higher risk of strokes, heart attacks, and even cancer than those who slept less but had a consistent schedule.
Overall, people with the most consistent sleep-wake times had up to 48 percent lower risk of all-cause mortality compared to those with the least consistent routines. In the study, those getting under six hours or over nine hours each night were also at an increased risk of mortality.
“Always tired? A fixed bedtime matters more than sleep duration, study finds,” BBC Science Focus Magazine, Feb. 14, 2025.
Meta-analyses in the past five years have brought cancer researchers’ attention to the benefits of plant-based diets. One of the leading hypotheses for the association between plant-based diets and reduced risk for certain cancers is how eating diverse plants affects the microbiome.
Digestive system cancers—including cancers of the esophagus, stomach, colon, rectum, liver, and possibly pancreas—appear to be the type of cancers for which plant-based diets are most beneficial in reducing risk. They also might be protective against breast and prostate cancer. One 2023 study, for example, found plant-based diets reduce the risk for recurrence of prostate cancer.
A healthy plant-based diet positively weighs whole grains, fruits, vegetables, nuts, and legumes, and it negatively weighs refined grains, fruit juices, potatoes, sugar-sweetened beverages, and sweets.
“Growing Evidence Suggests Plant-Based Diets Reduce Cancer Risk,” Medscape Medical News, Jan. 16, 2025.
Research shows that one in four Americans don’t have enough vitamin D in their blood. Few foods naturally contain vitamin D, though some foods are fortified with it. Many people don’t have the opportunity for sufficient daily sun exposure, so for most of us, the best way to get enough vitamin D is by taking a supplement, according to Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.
“9 Surprising Benefits of Vitamin D,” Baptist Health (blog), May 23, 2022, www.baptisthealth.com.
“Vitamin D,” The Nutrition Source, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, last reviewed March 2023.
A new study from Stanford University suggests that keeping your mind active with math and reading could help ward off age-related cognitive decline.
The study revealed that cognitive skills typically sharpen into a person’s forties before gradually declining. However, those who consistently engage in math and reading—whether at work or in daily life—showed no decline at all.
This challenges the long-held belief that mental decline is an unavoidable part of aging. The study tracked the same individuals over multiple years. They analyzed data from an assessment test of language and math skills in a German population aged 16 to 65, retesting the same group 3.5 years later. This methodology provided a more precise understanding of how cognitive abilities evolve with age.
“Regularly reading articles like this will protect your brain from ageing: new study,” BBC Science
Focus Magazine, March 5, 2025.
