How Do Ultra Processed Foods Impact Our Health?

Ultra-processed foods are industrially produced, ready to eat foods high in salt, saturated fat, sugar, refined carbohydrates and food additives. Examples are frozen meals, soft drinks, hot dogs, fast food, packaged cookies, candies, cakes and chips.

Ultra-processed foods have been investigated extensively in the research literature. 

They have been found to have a negative impact on:

-Body mass index

-Waist size

-Risk of hypertension

-Risk of insulin resistance

-Risk high triglycerides

-Risk of heart disease

-Risk of stroke

-Risk of type 2 diabetes

-Risk of cancer

It goes without saying that these foods should be strictly limited.

Multivitamins And Measures Of Biological Aging

The Study

The research tends to go back and forth on the necessity of taking a multivitamin. In this interesting study, over 900 participants from Harvard’s COSMOS randomized trial took a multivitamin (Centrum Silver) for 2 years and had measures of biological aging (DNA methylation) taken at the start and end of follow-up.

By the end of the study, there was a small but significant difference in biological aging for subjects taking the multivitamin.

Nature Medicine 2026;32:1012-1022

Take Home Message

While this is preliminary research, it is pretty exciting to see evidence that taking a multivitamin every day can slow down the effects of aging on our bodies. Stay tuned for more definitive research on this subject. 

Coffee Consumption And Dementia Risk

The Study

For decades, coffee and caffeine were considered unhealthy habits. However, as research methods started to improve in the last 30 years or so, opinions are changing fast. In this interesting study, 131,821 subjects from Harvard’s Nurses’ Health Study and Health Professional Follow-up Study had their coffee drinking habits measured and were followed for up to 43 years. They were also followed for a diagnosis of dementia.

The results were compelling:

-When comparing subjects who consumed the most caffeinated coffee to subjects consumed the least, there was an 18% lower risk of dementia.

-Higher consumption of caffeinated tea showed similar cognitive benefits.

-2 to 3 cups of coffee per day (or 1 to 2 cups of tea) offered the most pronounced benefit.

-Interestingly, decaf coffee was not associated with cognitive protection.

doi:10.1001/jama.2025.27259

Take Home Message

Coffee contains polyphenols and caffeine which may be neuroprotective. In this study, decaf coffee did not seem to have much of an effect, so caffeine may just be the important component.

Either way, if you enjoy coffee, it is nice to know that this habit may also lower your risk of cognitive decline.

 

 

Product Review: Power Tower

Most of us are too busy to get to the gym every day, so working out at home is the key to working out consistently. You don’t need a lot of equipment or space to set up a serviceable home gym. When I was in grad school in Boston, I had a foldable bench, a Bowflex adjustable dumbbell system and a Gazelle Edge elliptical trainer. All of this equipment could be stored in the closet of my studio apartment or under my bed.

However, if you have a basement or a garage as a dedicated workout space, you have the luxury of adding a few pieces of equipment that can really add variety to your at-home workout. Now that I live in a house in the suburbs, I have a nice sized basement with plenty of room for fitness equipment.

Today I’d like to review a great piece of equipment for those that have a little more space to dedicate to their home gym. It is called a power tower. This is a simply designed multi-station home gym that allows you to perform a variety of body weight exercises.

Pros

1) Inexpensive. You can find a variety of power towers on Amazon for as little as $82.99. This is an amazing value.

2) Easy to put together. I put mine together myself in a short amount of time and without any help. 

3) Versatile. You can perform a lot of different exercises with this system, including; pull-ups, chin-ups, dips, neutral grip push-ups, and a number of ab exercises.

4) These are very sturdy.

5) They look sharp. 

Cons

1) They take up a fair amount of space. You have to make sure your ceiling is high enough to accommodate a power tower. The model I picked up was 81 inches from ceiling to floor. I could do this comfortably in my basement, but I had to measure first. There are other models with higher or lower heights, so be sure to check on this before you order.

Do I Recommend A Power Tower?

Absolutely. If you have the space, a power tower will make your home gym feel a lot more like an actual gym. Muscle confusion is key to a proper resistance training program. The more exercises that you have to choose from, the better your results are going to be.

If you want to pick up a power tower, they are available on Amazon.

Disclosure: I am not affiliated with any company that makes power towers and make no money if you buy one.