If your diet includes ultraprocessed foods, as this report outlines, research is showing you are harming your brain and increasing your chances of developing dementia late in life. What we eat becomes who we are. Make the right choices.
Credit: The New York Times
People who regularly eat processed red meat, like hot dogs, bacon, sausage, salami and bologna, have a greater risk of developing dementia later in life. That was the conclusion of preliminary research presented this week at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference.
The study tracked more than 130,000 adults in the United States for up to 43 years. During that period, 11,173 people developed dementia. Those who consumed about two servings of processed red meat per week had a 14 percent greater risk of developing dementia compared to those who ate fewer than three servings per month.
Eating unprocessed red meat, like steak or pork chops, did not significantly increase the risk for dementia, though people who ate it every day were more likely to report that they felt their cognition had declined than those who ate red meat less often. (The results of the study have not yet been published in a journal.)
The vast majority of processed meats are classified as “ultraprocessed foods” — products made with ingredients that […]
Col. John Alexander, USA (Ret.), Commentator and Retire Amy Officer - Daily Kos
Stephan:
I have known John Alexander for over half a century. He is a retired Army colonel with both combat and strategic experience. I have great respect for his insights and, in this essay, he raises an existential question that I think we must answer if we are to remain a functioning democracy.
Colonel John B. Alexander, PhD USA (ret.)
Today I attended a luncheon that featured General David Petraeus as the speaker. Among things I wanted to get my copy of his new book Conflict: The Evolution of Warfare from 1945 to Ukraine autographed. That happened and I highly recommend the book. No real chance to talk, but I was able to give him a written question I hope he will consider addressing.
As an influential military strategist, Petraeus is in a position to force current and future military leaders to begin addressing what I believe is the most consequential issue facing the future of the Department of Defense. My note read, “An Existential Question- What should, or would senior military officers do if they have a POTUS, SECDEF, and other appointed officials, that do not support and defend the U.S. Constitution?”
This may sound like a worst-case scenario but could easily become reality should Trump win the election. While momentum does seem to be shifting, the election is not guaranteed. Based on Trump’s actions after losing the 2020 […]
Neil Irwin and Courtenay Brown, Staff Writers - Axios
Stephan:
If you are like me you find interest rates so high they are mind-boggling. Consider: 24.9% for some credit cards 7.62% for a 30-year fixed rate mortgage. Well, it looks like in September we may see some improvement.
Fed chair Jerome Powell at a press conference in June. Credit: Brendan Smialowski / AFP / Getty
The Federal Reserve kept interest rates at a two-decade high on Wednesday, while leaving the door open for rate cuts as soon as its next meeting in September.
Why it matters: Inflation has receded alongside signs that high borrowing costs are taking a toll on the labor market—raising expectations that the Fed will lower rates soon.
In a unanimous decision, the Fed kept its policy rate in a range of 5.25% and 5.5%, where rates have remained since last July.
What they’re saying: “The broad sense of the committee is that the economy is moving closer to the point at which it will be appropriate to reduce our policy rate,” chair Jerome Powell said in a post-meeting press conference.
“The question will be whether the totality of the data evolving outlook in the balance of risks are consistent with rising confidence on inflation and maintaining a […]
