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In this episode of MedEvidence, host Dr. Michael Koren speaks with epidemiologist Dr. Hannah Gardener about how everyday exposures may influence long-term health outcomes.
Dr. Gardener shares her journey from neuroscience and epidemiology training at Harvard to her current work studying stroke, dementia, and environmental risk factors. She explains how personal life experiences sparked her interest in environmental health and led her to examine how early-life and daily exposures can shape disease risk across the lifespan.
The conversation explores her research on diet soda consumption and its surprising associations with vascular outcomes, including stroke, heart disease, and cognitive decline. She breaks down what “prospective cohort studies” really mean and how to interpret findings without overgeneralizing results.
The discussion then expands to PFAS, often called “forever chemicals”, which are widely used in consumer products and persist in the environment and human body. Dr. Gardener explains where these chemicals are found, what health effects have been observed in the research, and practical, evidence-based strategies individuals can use to reduce exposure.
This episode offers a thoughtful, research-driven look at how environmental factors, diet choices, and chemical exposures intersect with long-term brain and cardiovascular health—and what can realistically be done today to reduce risk.
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