Here we go on another fresh start and new year! Resolutions are often set with good intentions, but then left behind by the time we hit February! If you could use support in creating lasting change this year, 45 experts are coming together to share their strategies during the 8 day Best Year of Your Life Free Summit to help kickstart your 2025!

Getting back on track with a healthier meal plan strategy after maybe splurging a little too much this holiday season may be at the top of your Wellness resolution list, but if you’re looking for some tips outside of the normal diet and exercise advice, Harvard T.H. Chan offers some alternative ideas in their blog post The importance of connections: Ways to live a longer, healthier life.

What I’m watching…
Plant-based chef and Author, Chef AJ, is hosting a month-long You Tube series for January, Thriving in the Face of Cancer, where she will interview top health care professionals as well as cancer survivors on how to thrive with cancer. Chef AJ has recently disclosed her own personal journey after being diagnosed with Lung Cancer. You can also catch Chef AJ this Tuesday, January 7 at 1:00 PM in a special free webinar presented by Forks Over Knives titled "How Whole-Food Plant-Based Eating Can Easily Change Your Life."

Jan. 6, 2025 - Study: Mediterranean diet changes gut bacteria, boosting memory and cognition - Tulane University
"In a study published in Gut Microbes Reports, researchers at Tulane University School of Medicine found that subjects following a Mediterranean diet developed distinctly different gut bacteria patterns compared to those eating a typical Western diet. These bacterial changes correlated with better memory and cognitive performance."

Jan. 3, 2025 - Loneliness linked to higher risk of heart disease and stroke and susceptibility to infection - University of Cambridge, UK
”A team led by scientists at the University of Cambridge, UK, and Fudan University, China, examined the ‘proteomes’ – the suite of proteins – in blood samples donated by over 42,000 adults aged 40-69 years who are taking part in the UK Biobank. This allowed them to see which proteins were present in higher levels among people who were socially isolated or lonely, and how these proteins were connected to poorer health.”

Jan. 2, 2025 - Get moving! UI study finds physical activity reduces chronic disease risk - University of Iowa
”The study, led by Lucas Carr, associate professor in the Department of Health and Human Physiology, examined responses from more than 7,000 patients at University of Iowa Health Care Medical Center who noted their level of physical activity in a questionnaire.
From patients’ answers to the questionnaire, the researchers found that those who reported the highest level of physical activity — meaning they exercised moderately to vigorously at least 150 minutes per week — were at statistically significant lower risk of having 19 chronic conditions, including cardiovascular disease, cancer, respiratory disease, and diabetes.”

Dec. 13, 2024 - A low omega-6, omega-3 rich diet and fish oil may slow prostate cancer growth, UCLA study finds - Univ. of California, Los Angeles
Men on active surveillance who followed a low omega-6, high omega-3 diet with fish oil supplements had significantly lower levels of cancer cell proliferation after one year.

Dec. 2, 2024 - Higher ratio of plant protein to animal protein may improve heart health - Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
After adjusting for participants’ health history and sociodemographic and lifestyle factors, the study found that eating a higher ratio of plant to animal protein was associated with lower risks of CVD [cardiovascular disease] and CHD [coronary heart disease].