UF Health Podcasts

The term “plant-based” doesn’t necessarily mean a product is healthy.

That’s the conclusion of a massive French study that examined processed plant-based burgers and other meat alternatives often marketed as a healthy alternative to the real thing.

The finding reinforces the idea that one should always view advertising with a jaundiced eye.

Scientists found that ultra-processed plant-based foods offer no benefit for heart health. That was true even when the products contained otherwise healthy ingredients.

In fact, the study shows that frequent consumers of these foods had a 46% higher risk of coronary heart disease compared with those who weren’t frequent buyers of the products. This suggests that it isn’t all about the nutrients in the foods. Perhaps more important is how manufacturers create them.

Plant-based alternatives to meat have steadily gained popularity, likely driven by health campaigns that have highlighted the health risks associated with meat consumption.

The study tracked 63,000 people for about nine years, monitoring their diet and health outcomes. Researchers say the results are not correlated with minimally processed plant-based products.

The problem with ultra-processed foods is the added ingredients. These include preservatives to extend shelf life and artificial additives that mimic the taste of real meat.

We already know that other processed foods threaten good health. The difference here is that nobody markets a commercial cupcake or hot dog as being healthy in the same way that plant-based meats are.

There are, unfortunately, no shortcuts to a wholesome diet.

Physicians have worked to earn the trust of their patients for nearly 2,400 years, dating back to the days of Hippocrates, the father of Western medicine.

Lucky for Hippocrates that his patients didn’t have internet access.

A new study from researchers at the University of Florida suggests that distrust of the health care system, including government health agencies, is seeping into the doctor-patient relationship and threatening the delivery of care.

The study noted that people with low trust in the health care system are more than six times more likely to say their interaction with a doctor worsened after they brought information from the internet to their medical visit — regardless of how they identified politically.

When patients turn to information on social media or online forums, bring it to their doctor visit and then have that information debunked, study authors say the relationship — and trust — suffer.

Notably, the results signal a shift physicians cannot ignore. Even if the information a patient finds is inaccurate — and the study did not attempt to judge the accuracy of that material — doctors must now navigate those conversations in ways that preserve their relationship with the patient.

Authors say that doesn’t mean patients shouldn’t be engaged in their health and seek information online. But doctors must navigate those conversations in ways that preserve their relationship with the patient, emphasizing empathy and respectful listening.

At the end of the day, a patient’s health only benefits when both physician and patient work together toward a common goal.

To be in a cold sweat is never good. A flop sweat draws no compliments. And wearing sweats is not exactly the height of fashion.

But our often-maligned perspiration may soon get its day in the sun.

Scientists say sweat could hold the key to detecting all manner of diseases, drugs, toxic metals, you name it, and with nary a needle or urine collection cup in sight.

Researchers from the University of Technology Sydney in Australia report that sweat analysis is rapidly shifting from a lesser-known tool in forensic science to a more mainstream diagnostic method that could change health care.

Sweat patches are easy to use, would not typically require a trip to a doctor or a laboratory and are highly accurate. The salty liquid substance our bodies produce, often to our embarrassment, can be used to detect diseases like diabetes, Parkinson’s, cystic fibrosis and, in some cases, cancer.

Using sweat rather than blood for diagnosis would be a vast improvement for those with diabetes, who must prick themselves multiple times a day to monitor blood sugar.

Another group that would surely appreciate the change are those who fear needles. It’s estimated that trypanophobia [trih-pan-uh-fo-be-uh] affects up to one in four adults and may lead about 16% of those in the United States to skip vaccinations.

Of course, technology always poses challenges, and that is true for sweat patches. Sweat composition differs among humans, depending on factors like hydration, diet, exercise and what body part is being checked.

Still, the day may come when plentiful perspiration is something you wear as a badge of honor…and not just sweat stains.

Shortages during World War II forced the rationing of sugar and many essential products in the United States and Great Britain. Indeed, sugar rationing extended beyond the war, ending in 1947 in the U.S. and 1957 in the U.K.

People on both sides of the Atlantic grumbled about restrictions. Without any intent to do so, however, the restrictions made the nations healthier.

A new study by an international team of scientists shows that limiting sugar intake proved a boon to anyone born during this era. Children exposed to rationing from conception through the first one to two years of life would enjoy better heart health even 60 years later.

Researchers noted that these folks had a 20% to 31% lower risk of cardiovascular disease, heart failure, heart attack and stroke. That’s compared to those never exposed to rationing.

The study looked at data only from citizens of Great Britain. Americans, however, faced even stricter sugar rations than their ally.

The study underscores the importance of mothers not overindulging their sweet tooth during pregnancy and then limiting a child’s diet after birth.

Investigators used health information for more than 63,000 adult Brits born during the era of food restrictions. The data was pulled from the UK Biobank, a massive repository of the health information of 500,000 people.

The first 1,000 days of life are a critical period during which nutrition plays a significant role in shaping our lifelong health.

Many doctors already recommend that patients limit their consumption of high-sugar treats, especially pregnant women.

This study adds an exclamation point to that suggestion.

Having shingles is no picnic. Patients have described the blistering sores and rash as being so painful as to make even a gentle touch a terrible ordeal.

It’s why medical guidelines suggest adults 50 and older get the two-dose shingles vaccine.

A new Stanford University study offers another good reason: It might help prevent dementia. Earlier, the researchers found that the vaccine might slow dementia’s progress.

The study came about because of how Wales rolled out the country’s national shingles vaccination program in 2013. It was set up so that anyone could receive the vaccine during the year they reached age 80.

But anyone who was already 80 or older when the program began was precluded from receiving the vaccine. That gave the Stanford scientists a natural experiment based on a large group of subjects they could track over time.

By 2020, when those who had not gotten the vaccine were about 86 years old, one in eight had developed dementia. Among those who received the shingles vaccine, the number was 20% lower.

And nearly half of the more than 7,000 Welsh seniors who had dementia when the program began died from dementia during follow-up. Of those with dementia who got the vaccine, only about 30% died from the disease.

Dementia affects more than 55 million people worldwide. Shingles is a viral disease, triggered by the same virus that leads to chickenpox, called varicella-zoster [vair-eh-sella zoss-ter]. The virus never fully leaves the body and can cause shingles later in life.

The results support an emerging idea among scientists that some viruses that affect the nervous system might increase the chance of developing dementia.

As we turn the page to January and the rest of 2026, a common goal for many Americans each year is to lose weight.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report that 40% of adults are obese. But experts discourage from looking at the scale every moment of every day.

In fact, don’t even look critically at yourself in aesthetic comparison to your pre-fit self.

Despite understanding all the factors that go into weight gain, it’s actually difficult to definitively explain why so many people are overweight. Therefore, your caloric intake and other dieting measures alone may not instantaneously result in shedding pounds and a noticeable change in the mirror.

That’s because our bodies have a framework built from our genes and family heritage.

Dieting attempts might lead to weight loss, but it can easily pile back on after you return to your typical habits. This is known as weight cycling. Numerous studies associate weight cycling with negative outcomes, ranging from cardiovascular disease and bone fractures to diabetes and an increased risk of certain cancers.

Focusing on fitness — instead of weight — is key.

Why? Well, a healthier lifestyle is much more important than losing weight. When your goal is exercise for the sake of fitness, your body experiences a positive trickledown effect — like building muscle, improving lung capacity and protecting your mobility into old age. It also decreases your chances of cancer, depression and diabetes.

So, think of your resolution this year as an investment: To feel better and invest in your future health … as much as a desired waistline.

Maintaining good health usually implies ample exercise, eating well and avoiding hazardous activities like going to the beach without sunscreen.

Most of us, however, don’t think of marriage.

A recent study by University of California, Los Angeles scientists suggests that feeling lonely and unsupported in a marriage exacts not just an emotional toll, but a physical one.

Their study found that the body mass index of these lonely spouses was five points higher than those who felt supported and comforted in their marriage.

The investigation analyzed brain imaging, gut metabolites and blood tests to measure oxytocin in 94 Los Angeles adults. Participants also completed a questionnaire on their emotional support system.

The research results didn’t hold for unmarried individuals, whose weight did not appear to be affected by the dynamic.

One potential factor in the weight gain appears to be food addiction. Scientists could actually see differences in brain activity during an MRI, depending on a person’s relationship quality, when participants were shown a photo of food.

The part of the brain where these changes occur is called the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. This is an area of the brain where impulse control is centered. If this area of the brain goes awry, consequences might include obesity, depression and chronic pain.

Researchers say a good marriage involves self-control. Spouses suppress selfish motivations to support their partner’s needs. If that mutual support is missing, those self-control circuits atrophy.

A bad marriage can weigh on a spouse in more ways than one.

If you can say “I’m getting long in tooth” in two or more languages, you might not be as old as you think.

A recent study by an international team of researchers suggests that individuals who speak more than one language age more slowly than those who don’t. In fact, this benefit increases with every additional language spoken.

The study’s power lies in its size, with more than 86,000 participants ages 51 to 90 across 27 European nations.

Researchers found that individuals who speak more than one language are twice as likely to experience slower biological aging. Conversely, monolinguists were twice as likely to age faster.

Scientists used artificial intelligence trained to recognize aging patterns on thousands of health and behavioral profiles. The AI crunched data on physical conditions like hypertension, diabetes, sleep problems and cardiovascular conditions.

The AI also considered age-protective factors such as education, cognition, functional ability and physical activity.

Together, these factors helped estimate biological age.

In a sense, our bodies are like car engines. How we drive and maintain our cars largely determines how long the engine lasts. Lots of factors influence biological age. Exercise. Mental health. Disease. Demographics. Consider it the wear and tear of the body’s cells.

Our chronological age is the number stamped on a driver’s license.

Scientists believe multilingualism slows aging because constantly managing multiple languages keeps the brain’s control systems active and resilient.

That translates to healthier functioning across the body however you say it.

A healthy heart can be hard to find. According the CDC, one person dies every 34 seconds from cardiovascular disease in the United States. Much of your heart disease risk can be attributed to lifestyle factors, like diet and exercise.

Now, researchers from King’s College London are adding yet another reason to consider what we consume — with foods that might give us a heart-healthy “boost.”

In a study published in BMC Medicine, a team of scientists analyzed data from 3,100 adults in the United Kingdom, followed for over a decade. They noticed that people who ate diets rich in plant compounds called polyphenols [po-lee-fee-nols] boasted better blood pressure and cholesterol readings than those who didn’t.

And, to really understand who ate what, researchers even looked at the “evidence” left behind. Folks who ate polyphenol-heavy diets had specific types of metabolites in their urine, helping researchers confirm their link to good cholesterol and blood pressure scores.

Polyphenols occur in plants, and are commonly found in foods you probably consume at least some of the time: like coffee, tea, berries, whole grains and olive oil. And, though they appear to be excellent at lowering your overall risk of heart disease, they benefit other parts of your body — like your brain and gut — too.

Which means for once, you can choose to simply eat (or drink) a little more of something you already like. Study authors believe that could make adherence to eating these heart-healthy boosts easier for many people.

After all, we’re always happy to have another reason to keep our morning coffee routine.

Being a college freshman is fun, sure, but it can also be a time of big changes.

Among those changes? Finding one’s wardrobe seemingly shrunk overnight.

In a new study, researchers from George Mason University and the College of William and Mary say they have a better idea why the much-talked-about “freshman 15” happens.

But first, to clarify a few things: College freshmen, on average, tend to gain between 3 and 8 pounds, not 15. Male students tend to gain a little more than female students.

In their new study, the researchers say that college student life, with its dining halls, unstructured schedules and emphasis on socializing, is practically a recipe for weight gain.

The study involved a diverse mix of more than 40 college students in the northeastern United States, ranging in age from 18 to 25 years old. They agreed to log their every meal and snack with the help of a food and beverage tracking app. They also completed daily surveys to document their eating behaviors, where they ate, their mood and stress levels.

Over the course of nearly 3,200 meals, drinks and snacks, the data showed clear patterns. Students most often consumed more when they were with at least one other person or in a group. More calories were consumed when they ate in places like dining halls or restaurants.

When students ate alone or at home, they tended to eat less.

The male college students were far more likely to consume more while in a group, and less likely to realize they had done so.

So, the circumstances around food made a big difference in consumption, as did the students’ moods and stress.

It’s certainly something to chew on.