by Bianca Garilli, ND, USMC Veteran Traumatic brain injury (TBI) has been shown to be a major cause of death and disability in the US, contributing to approximately 30% of all injury-related deaths.1 TBIs can be caused by myriad of events including motor vehicle crashes, falls, and sports-related injuries.1-2 In children and teens, 70% of concussions are related to sports related injuries, while in the elderly falls are the most common cause of concussions.2-3 Previous research has indicated an association…

by Bianca Garilli, ND Type 2 diabetes (T2D) is estimated to affect nearly 15 million adult women in the US.1 This chronic disease can lead to a host of medical concerns including detrimental effects on bone health, making T2D an independent risk factor for bone fractures.2 A study published in Menopause sought to assess the status of bone mass, bone microarchitecture, and factors associated with vertebral fracture in postmenopausal women with T2D.3 This is a particularly important research query to…

by Bianca Garilli, ND, USMC Veteran Military ranks are full of healthy men and women participating in regular physical fitness routines comprised of cardiovascular fitness, strength training, and flexibility exercises all designed to keep the warfighter in tip top condition, ready to deploy and engage at a moment’s notice. In fact, due to the sharp focus on exercise and weight standards of the US Armed Forces, active duty troops are much healthier than their civilian counterparts. For example, rates of…

by Bianca Garilli, ND Dementia has become one of the major causes of disability and dependency in older people and is considered a worldwide public health priority.1 According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 50 million people globally suffer from this cognitive decline syndrome, with nearly 10 million new cases occurring annually.1 Although common in today’s society, dementia is not a guarantee, nor a normal part of the aging process. It typically affects older adults leading to symptoms associated with…

by Bianca Garilli, ND and Ashley Jordan Ferira, PhD, RDN Type 2 diabetes (T2D) is no longer a Western world phenomena, but rather a global epidemic, with research revealing an association between higher T2D rates and a country’s wealth or economic growth.1 As a clear example, in a publication titled “Prevalence of type 2 diabetes in the Arab world: impact of GDP and energy consumption”, it was observed that the higher a country’s gross domestic product (GDP), the higher the…

by Sara Gottfried, MD and Lewis Chang, PhD Media headlines have claimed that aspirin has no benefit for older adults. What’s the truth? Should we, as one major news website suggests, toss our aspirin? Aspirin is derived from the bark of several species of willow trees. It has been used for centuries for pain and inflammation. As a low-dose therapy, aspirin has been prescribed to reduce the risk of heart disease, cancer, and stroke based on the results of multiple…

by Ashley Jordan Ferira, PhD, RDN Color your plate, so the slogan goes. A 2018 study took this advice literally, incorporating pictures of fruits and vegetables (F&V) into school lunch plates with the goal of improving F&V consumption in preschoolers.1 F&Vs are a low-calorie, nutrient-dense (macro-, micro-, and phytonutrients) food group, but the US is getting a “failing grade” when it comes to F&V intake because typical Western diets are lacking in plant-based nutrition. Health behaviors, including dietary consumption patterns,…

by Bianca Garilli, ND Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), the most common liver disorder in Western industrialized countries, can be categorized into two major groups – non-alcoholic fatty liver (NAFL), which is not associated with significant inflammation, and non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), which is associated with hepatic inflammation.1 Both of these conditions involve hepatic steatosis. The US prevalence of NAFLD is 10-46%.1,2 Worldwide, the prevalence is estimated to be between 6-35%, with some researchers noting up to 50% incidence in the…

by Lewis Chang, PhD A ketogenic diet is a dietary approach that promotes nutritional ketosis by restricting carbohydrates and increasing the intake of fat with adequate consumption of protein. According to systematic reviews and meta-analyses, ketogenic diets may prevent an increase in appetite on reduced calorie diets1 and help achieve long-term body weight reduction.2 Emerging studies have suggested that ketogenic diets may be beneficial in diabetes management and exercise performance.3,4 Compliance with ketogenic diets can be difficult because the amount…

by Bianca Garilli, ND Ketogenic protocols have become an important therapeutic option for a variety of health issues including weight management, cardiometabolic dysfunction, and epilepsy.1 The potential of the ketogenic diet (KD) to help optimize body mass has important implications for the reduction of metabolic syndrome and its related chronic disease aspects such as heart disease, fatty liver, and type 2 diabetes (T2D). Additionally, the ketogenic dietary approach has gained widespread attention within the professional sports performance and wellness communities…