Dr. Perlstein’s Blog

With people living ever more frantic and fast-paced lives, we can often lose track of which essential and non-essential nutrients we consume. Sugar is vital for good health, without it all the cells in our body would come to a halt and perish. However, too much sugar raises the risk of several diseases and conditions,…

  In an eye-opening demonstration of nature’s ingenuity, researchers at Princeton University recently discovered that exercise creates vibrant new brain cells — and then shuts them down when they shouldn’t be in action. For some time, scientists studying exercise have been puzzled by physical activity’s two seemingly incompatible effects on the brain. On the one…

During the summer’s hot heat, it’s important to be careful when exposed to high temperatures. Stay hydrated during hot days, as both heat exhaustion and heat stroke are dangerous conditions that occur when one is exposed to high temperatures. Heat exhaustion happens during times of strenuous activity and/or humidity. The body loses fluids quickly through…

Are all calories created equal? A new study suggests that in at least one important way, they may not be. Sugary foods and drinks, white bread and other processed carbohydrates that are known to cause abrupt spikes and falls in blood sugar appear to stimulate parts of the brain involved in hunger, craving and reward,…

Q Do dried blueberries provide the same antioxidant benefits as fresh berries? Asked by BSB • 433 votes A There are some nutritional differences between dried and fresh fruit. But antioxidant activity is generally not one of them. A study published in The Journal of Biomedicine and Biotechnology looked at the effects that freezing and…

TUESDAY, June 25, 2013 – The elevated body mass index (BMI) in overweight and obese people isn’t just linked to heart failure, it actually causesheart failure, finds a major new genetic study. Normal BMI is from 18 to 25. But for every one-point increase in BMI over 25, the incidence of heart failure goes up…

Almost everyone who runs (or has shopped for running shoes) has heard that how your foot pronates, or rolls inward, as you land affects your injury risk. Pronate too much or too little, conventional wisdom tells us, and you’ll wind up hurt. But a provocative new study shows that this deeply entrenched belief is probably…

I regret that for most of my adult life, I treated sleep as more a luxury than a necessity. There was always something more to do before I crawled under the covers and turned out the light. I realize belatedly that I might have been more productive — and a lot nicer to live with…

Here’s what we know: Smokingis an undeniable health risk, so much so that quitting smoking almost immediately increases your expected lifespan and reduces your risk of developing everything from cancer to cardiovascular disease. We also know that fruits and vegetables are undeniable health boosters, with increased consumption linked to reduced risks of many of the…