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What’s this ‘longevity’ diet, and will it really make you live longer?
You may have heard about the longevity diet, and its promise of an extended life span – but what exactly is it and is it any different to other diets promoting good health? The longevity diet is a set of eating recommendations compiled by a biochemist called Valter Longo, director of the University of Southern California’s Longevity Institute. He is known for his research on the role of fasting, the effects of nutrients on your genes and how these may impact ageing and the risk of diseases. While the longevity diet has been targeted to older adults, it is also recommended for younger people. Longo has said he plans to…
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$126M NIH grant to help map the brain, study diseases like Alzheimer’s
There is still much scientists do not know about the human brain. The Salk Institute recently launched the Center for Multiomic Human Brain Cell Atlas to better understand how brain cells work and change as we grow older. Experts hope findings from the new Center will help create potential therapies for brain-related diseases like Alzheimer’s. For such an important organ in the body, there is still quite a lot we do not know about the human brain. While we may understand what different areas of the brain do, much is still unknown about how the 86 billion neurons in the brain communicate with each other. And researchers are still working…
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Environmental Injustice: Cumulative Impacts in Kansas City
Playground next to CertainTeed facility in Kansas City, Kansas Beto Lugo-Martinez/ CleanAirNow This blog is by Beto Lugo-Martinez and Atenas Mena, co-executive directors of CleanAirNow. CAN is located in Kansas City, home to multiple facilities featured in our report on the life cycle chemical and environmental justice impacts of building insulation. Kansas City, the city of fountains, has a dark history of systemic racism as portrayed in redlining where disinvestment and obstructive lending practices impeded home ownership among BIPOC communities. Today, highways slice through neighborhoods and divide the white and black populations, train yards and industries surround low-income and BIPOC communities, exposing them to higher pollution than their white counterparts.…
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Health care system “collapse”: Doctors, experts sound alarm over Puerto Rico’s medical system
In the aftermath of Hurricane Maria, which hit in 2017, Puerto Rico’s public health care system was flooded with people in need. Now, Hurricane Fiona is expected to add to the island’s health care crisis. About half of the people living on the island depend on the public health care system. And local officials say federal funding gaps have led to staff shortages and long wait times for patients. Experts say Hurricane Maria exposed an already deteriorating system. “If you ask all the players within the health care system, patients, providers and administrators, they will all agree … Maria just showed you what is happening, but the system collapsed way before that,” said…
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How Many Calories Are in an Apple? Health Benefits and Recipes
According to data from the US Apple Association, there will be more than 10.7 billion pounds of apples produced in the United States during the 2022-2023 growing season. With fall right around the corner, it’s time to get picking! Whether you get your apples from the farm, farmer’s market or supermarket, it’s worth adding this portable, crispy fruit to your basket. Not only are apples bursting with nutrition, they are also a healthy standalone snack or a versatile ingredient for salads, main dishes and desserts. Here are some of the best reasons to add a bushel of apples to your shopping list and tasty ways to eat “an apple a…
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Turkey: Plastic Recycling Harms Health, Environment
(Istanbul) – Plastic recycling in Turkey is harming the health of many people and degrading the environment for everyone, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today. The 88-page report, “‘It’s as If They’re Poisoning Us’: The Health Impacts of Plastic Recycling in Turkey,” documents the consequences of the Turkish government’s ineffective response to the health and environmental impacts of plastic recycling on the right to health. Air pollutants and toxins emitted from recycling affect workers, including children, and people living near recycling facilities. The government fails to enforce laws and regulations that require strict licensing and regular, thorough inspections of recycling facilities and occupational health, greatly exacerbating facilities’…
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Self-improvement month: QCUSD helps staff, teachers with professional development
The district provides professional development resources to help grow teachers’ passion, content knowledge and practice of teaching. “Excellence is achieved through leadership.” The Queen Creek Unified School District (QCUSD) does not limit its mission statement just to the students. It also applies to the teachers and staff. The district provides professional development resources to help grow teachers’ passion, content knowledge and practice of teaching. Listed below are just some of the examples of what QCUSD has to offer for professional development: New teacher induction, orientation All brand-new teachers (new to the profession) go through New Teacher Induction, a semester-long induction program that goes through classroom management, lesson planning, book studies, collaborative structures and other…
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Molly Stitt-Fischer is Pitt’s new director of environmental health and safety
The University’s Office of Public Safety and Emergency Management has named Molly Stitt-Fischer as director of environmental health and safety. Stitt-Fischer, who has been with the Department of Environmental Health and Safety since December 2010, will replace assistant vice chancellor Jay Frerotte. Frerotte will continue to serve in his role as assistant vice chancellor and work closely with Stitt-Fischer until his planned retirement in January 2023. Frerotte has been with the University since 2002 and has been a stabilizing force in building, maintaining and guiding the department. Stitt-Fischer most recently served as Pitt’s biosafety officer, where she managed biological and research laboratory safety inspection programs for the University. This work included management…
