Quotations by Michael Greger

Fenugreek seed has been used historically as an aphrodisiac and for male reproductive issues. Clinical trials of fenugreek with daily dose equivalents as low as a quarter teaspoon to two-thirds of a teaspoon were found to raise testosterone levels by about 10% within 3 months, accompanied by a rise in sex drive and arousal. Side benefits include an improvement in LDL cholesterol, triglycerides, and short- and long-term blood sugar control (with actual fenugreek powder working better than fenugreek extract supplement). It can also make your armpits smell like maple syrup. (Really!) [2023] - Michael Greger

In 2020, an independent study was published——a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of an elderberry extract for the treatment of influenza. In contrast to the industry-funded studies, those randomized to the elderberry seemed to do worse, experiencing more aches and pains. Similarly disappointing results have been reported for the herb echinacea. [2023] - Michael Greger

Goji berries do actually appear to have relevant, real-world, beneficial effects on immune function. [2023] - Michael Greger

Those who choose organic produce seem to have lower cancer rates after controlling for confounding factors, but even if it's cause and effect, the benefits of consuming conventionally grown produce are likely to outweigh any possible risks from pesticide exposure. So, concerns over pesticide risks should never discourage us from eating as many fruits and vegetables as possible. The potential lifelong damage of any pesticides on produce is estimated to cut only a few minutes off a person's life on average, which is nothing compared to benefits we get from eating fruits and veggies. [2023] - Michael Greger

Nori, the most accessible seaweed, are the sheets used for making sushi rolls, but they can also make quick and easy snacks. It's hard to beat the nutrient density; each sheet has as little as a single calorie. Study participants randomized to a nori extract for 8 weeks experienced an increase in natural killer cell activity. The dose they were given was equivalent to about 7 sheets of nori a day, though, so it's not clear what the effects of smaller does might be. [2023] - Michael Greger

Ginseng appeared to reduce the risk of developing acute upper respiratory infections, but it did not appear to significantly affect the duration of illness. The preventive benefit is limited to Asian ginseng, which cuts infection risk in half, as opposed to American ginseng, which reduced risk by only 14%, not reaching statistical significance. [2023] - Michael Greger

Zinc lozenges appear to shorten colds by about 3 days, with significant reduction in nasal discharge (by 34%), nasal congestion (by 37%), hoarseness (by 43%), and cough (by 46%). The best way to take zinc for the common cold is lozenges containing around 10-15 mg of zinc taken every 2 waking hours for a few days, starting immediately upon symptom onset as either zinc acetate or zinc gluconate without binders such as citric acid, tartaric acid, glycine, sorbitol, or mannitol. Efficacy against more serious infections such as pneumonia may only be present among those with preexisting zinc deficiency. [2023] - Michael Greger

Lutein/zeaxanthin supplements can improve vision and cognition, but while they can help both prevent and treat a leading cause of age-related vision loss, supplements do not appear to improve the cognition of those already stricken with Alzheimer's disease. [2023] - Michael Greger

Frailty is defined as having at least 3 of the following 5 criteria: weakness (as measured by grip strength), unintentional weight loss (of 10 pounds or 5% of body weight in the past year), exhaustion (self-reported), slow walking speed (based on the time to walk 15 feet), and low physically activity. Individuals meeting 1 or 2 of the criteria are classified as "pre-frail." About 1 in 40 are frail by age 65, 1 in 4 after age 75, and 1 in 3 of those older than 85. [2023] - Michael Greger

Blueberries, garlic and spinach improve muscle quality, performance, mass, and/ or strength. Older men and women given a tablespoon of natural, unprocessed cocoa a day for 12 weeks experienced a significant improvement in muscle mass index, grip strength, and all four physical function tests. [2023] - Michael Greger

Adding 3-5 g of creatine a day and 2-3 days of resistance training a week led to an additional 3 pounds of lean mass over an average duration of about 4 months. Some of this lean mass may be water weight, but creatine combined with resistance exercise increases muscle strength as well. The standard dose to achieve muscle saturation is 3 g a day. For older adults, it takes at least 12 weeks of creatine-supplement resistance training to see a significant additive effect. One third-party supplement testing outfit that checked for impurities chose as its top pick the BulkSupplements brand, which also happened to be the cheapest at about 10 cents per daily 3-g serving, which is about a level teaspoonful. [2023] - Michael Greger

The ABCDEs of mole suspiciousness for melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer, are A for asymmetry, B for border irregularity, C for multiple colors, D for diameters (larger than a pencil eraser), and E for evolving, a change in size, shape, color, elevation, or symptoms (such as bleeding, itching, or crusting). Basically, any lesion that is new, changing, or unusual (compared to other moles) is suspect. Here's another mnemonic, Australia's SunSmart 5 S's program: slip on clothing, slop on sunscreen, slap on a hat, seek shade, and slide on sunglasses. [2023] - Michael Greger

Should you floss before or after you brush? A randomized controlled trial on flossing sequence was performed to put to rest dueling intuitions. Flossing first won hands down. [2023] - Michael Greger

The best bet to ensure that your death is yours is access to hospice care. Patients who choose hospice care live on average about a month longer than similar patients who do not choose hospice. Any physician aid in dying is illegal and punishable by law in 40 US states. In contrast, VSED (Voluntarily Stopping Eating and Drinking) is legal throughout the United States. The average time of death after stopping eating and drinking is about 7 days, though 8% lived for more than 2 weeks. The last days of life were rated as peaceful, with low levels of pain and suffering, even more so than a physician-assisted death. [2023] - Michael Greger

The longevity benefits associated with nuts (including peanuts) do not appear to extend to peanut butter, perhaps due to the lack of intact cellular structures that deliver a bounty of prebiotic goodness to our friendly gut flora. The healthiest nut, however, is probably walnuts. Not only do they have some of the highest antioxidant and omega-3 levels, but walnuts are the only nuts known to significantly improve artery function, and they beat out others in suppressing cancer cell growth in vitro. [2023] - Michael Greger

Home air purifiers are increasingly recommended during fire smoke events, as numerous studies have shown that they can lower particulate exposure and benefit respiratory and cardiovascular health. I'd recommend HEPA filter models and avoiding air cleaning technologies that may emit harmful by-products, such as electrostatic precipitators (ionizers) and negative ion generators. [2023] - Michael Greger

In a head-to-head comparison between red grapes and green ones, eating about 3 cups a day of red grapes for 8 weeks significantly reduced LDL cholesterol, but the same amount of green grapes did not. Similarly, raisins were not able to acutely improve artery functions, but a cup and a quarter of various fresh grapes, including red and blue-black ones, can even blunt the arterial dysfunction caused by a McDonald's Sausage McMuffin with Egg meal. The skins of grapes hold 30% of the polyphenols, but the seeds contain 64%. I've found the best odds of finding seeded grapes are at Asian markets. [2023] - Michael Greger

Time-restricted eating is defined as fasting for periods of at least 12 hours but less than 24. Early time-restricted eating, a narrow eating window shifted toward the morning, carry a variety of metabolic benefits. Prolonged nightly fasting with reduced evening food intake may decrease cancer risk and recurrence. [2023] - Michael Greger

The optimal LDL cholesterol level is probably 50 or 70 mg/dL, and apparently, the lower, the better. An LDL around 70 mg/dL corresponds to a total cholesterol reading of about 150. The population target should be a total cholesterol level under 150 mg/dL. To become virtually heart-attack proof, you need to get your LDL cholesterol at least under 70 mg/dL. Researchers have found that kale--dubbed the "queen of greens"--might help lower LDL cholesterol and boost HDL cholesterol. [2015] - Michael Greger

Higher stroke rates are found among individuals sleeping six hours or less, or nine hours or more. Those at lowest risk get around seven or eight hours of sleep a night. [2015] - Michael Greger