Health and Nutrition

There are Lots of Longevity Regimens. One Stands out for Me

Joe Schwarcz PhD — Fri, 06 Mar 2026 02:50:22 +0000

This article was first published in The Montreal Gazette.

Can you Live Longer by Eating a “Healthy” Diet?

Joe Schwarcz PhD — Fri, 06 Mar 2026 00:35:13 +0000

“Eat your vegetables!” is a command that just about every child has heard. “They’ll make you stronger” is a common follow up. The “stronger” connection is often traced back to Popeye the Sailorman’s guzzling spinach for its vitamin A content. Yes, vitamin A not iron! Contrary to the myth, Popeye never talked about iron in spinach making him stronger. In a 1932 comic strip, Popeye explicitly states, "Spinach is full of vitamin A, an' tha's what makes hoomans strong an' helty".

Your Poop Is Not Reliable, At Least for Now

Jonathan Jarry M.Sc. — Fri, 06 Mar 2026 00:02:55 +0000

Let’s say you mail your poop to two different companies—not an illegal act, by the way, provided it doesn’t smell or soil anything, and that it’s

Everyone Else Is Wrong: The Dr. Amen Story

Jonathan Jarry M.Sc. — Thu, 26 Feb 2026 21:18:07 +0000

When a psychiatrist diagnoses you with anxiety, depression, an eating disorder or a learning disability—or even a serious pathology like schizophrenia—they don’t typically look at your brain. Dr. Daniel Amen thinks they should.

Man Flu and Other Near-Death Experiences

Sophie Tseng Pellar BSc — Thu, 26 Feb 2026 23:22:43 +0000

A few months ago, an orthopedic surgery resident told me a story I still think about. The worst patients to reset fractures on, she said, were men in their thirties. They scream, beg for anesthetic, and prolong the process as much as humanly possible. The best patients? Women in their sixties, who will sit unflinchingly still and remark in surprise when the process is “over already”.

Paying Attention to My Own Lectures

Joe Schwarcz PhD — Thu, 26 Feb 2026 20:00:01 +0000

“It builds muscle!” That’s the usual answer I get when I ask in class about the importance of protein in the diet. Sort of correct since muscles are indeed composed mostly of protein, but the protein we eat does not directly build muscles. It is broken down during digestion into its constituent amino acids that are then pieced together by enzymes (also proteins) to become the proteins that make up muscle tissue.

Rare Blood Clots After Certain COVID Vaccines, Explained

Jonathan Jarry M.Sc. — Thu, 19 Feb 2026 14:12:37 +0000

The light at the end of the pandemic tunnel was marred by a worrying shadow. As the COVID-19 vaccines were rolled out, headlines fuelled anxiety: some people were developing life-threatening blood clots after receiving either the Johnson & Johnson vaccine (made by one of its subsidiaries, Janssen Vaccines) or the Oxford-AstraZeneca shot.

Interesting Chemistry Hides in Cookware

Joe Schwarcz PhD — Thu, 19 Feb 2026 13:57:51 +0000

Like most chemists, I like to cook. After all, what is cooking but the appropriate mixing of chemicals? In the lab we use flasks and beakers, but how do we equip our kitchen? Tiffany's in New York offers a silver frying pan for thousands of dollars, specialty stores sell gleaming copper pots for a couple of hundred, while a thin aluminum pot can be had most anywhere for a few dollars. What's the difference?

America's Healthier Past is no More Than a Myth

Joe Schwarcz PhD — Fri, 13 Feb 2026 16:22:17 +0000

This article was first published in The Montreal Gazette.

“Make America healthy again” sounds like a great slogan. It is loaded with nostalgia and … haziness. What is that “again” all about? When were those halcyon days when Americans were healthier than now?

The Uninvited Guest in Your Cup of Tea

Harshita Arora — Fri, 13 Feb 2026 11:00:00 +0000

I love a good cup of tea as much as the next person. Rainy afternoon indoors? A cup of tea sounds about right. A suspicious tickle in my throat that suggests a cold might be brewing? Tea, obviously. Mild emotional inconvenience? Tea again. Now imagine my surprise, when I learned that a comforting cup of tea also comes with a dose of microplastics.

Fighting With Chocolate

Joe Schwarcz PhD — Fri, 13 Feb 2026 00:50:57 +0000

“An army marches on its stomach,” Napoleon supposedly maintained, alluding to the critical importance of supplying food to soldiers. At the time the main military fare was salted meat and dry bread that may have satisfied soldiers’ hunger but officers, Napoleon thought, had to have better sustenance because they had to use their brain to make decisions. They needed a food that would provide good nourishment and would not spoil on long marches. Chocolate filled the bill!

The Gold Rush of Testosterone Replacement Therapy

Jonathan Jarry M.Sc. — Fri, 13 Feb 2026 11:00:00 +0000

If you’ve never injected yourself with dog semen, don’t worry: someone has done it for you.

Don’t Cry Over Ruined Oat Milk

Angelina Lapalme — Mon, 02 Feb 2026 18:05:00 +0000

Now before we start, let’s get something straight. There is no such thing as “oat milk”. Milk is defined as “an opaque white fluid rich in fat and protein, secreted by female mammals for the nourishment of their young”. Since plants are certainly not mammals, drinks like almond milk, coconut milk and oat milk have all been mislabeled. Instead, their cartons should read “oat beverage” or “oat drink” but that doesn’t sell the milky illusion as well.

Take a Broad View of the Mediterranean Diet to See the Benefits

Joe Schwarcz PhD — Fri, 06 Feb 2026 11:00:00 +0000

This article was first published in The Montreal Gazette.

The Frivolous Costco Chicken Lawsuit

Joe Schwarcz PhD — Wed, 04 Feb 2026 21:21:30 +0000

Talk about a frivolous lawsuit! These two ladies claim that they have been misled by the information on the label of Costco’s famous rotisserie chicken that states “no preservatives.” Why? Because the listed additives include sodium phosphate and carrageenan. That, they say, merited a lawsuit! They go on to say that Costco "has systematically cheated customers out of tens, if not hundreds of millions of dollars by falsely advertising its Kirkland Signature Seasoned Rotisserie chicken as containing no preservatives.” Really? Who exactly is doing the cheating here?