Lorenzo Bernardino, MD

29/12/2025

Japan set an example of how lifestyle can improve kidney health

A study in Japan shows lifestyle changes can slow kidney disease. Now, new treatments offer even more hope.
Watch the full story🎥 ⬇️
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/shows/2050174/?cid=wohk-fb-org

Medical Frontiers
Things You Should Do To Prevent CKD

28/12/2025

What he said

27/12/2025

Global study that flips, everything we thought we knew.

A massive global study covering 192 countries has just turned decades of dietary dogma on its head. The findings suggest that people with higher cholesterol levels actually live longer a revelation that challenges everything we’ve been told about fats, heart health, and longevity.

Rather than being a silent killer, cholesterol may play a protective role in the body. It's essential for building hormones, repairing cell membranes, and supporting brain function. The study found that in many populations, lower cholesterol was linked with higher rates of infectious disease, weakened immunity, and even greater risk of certain cancers.

This doesn’t mean cholesterol should be ignored it still plays a complex role depending on genetics, lifestyle, and inflammation. But the idea that lower is always better no longer holds up across the globe.

In a world flooded with health myths and one-size-fits-all advice, this research is a reminder that the truth is often far more layered. Sometimes what we fear most is actually part of our body’s secret to thriving.

27/12/2025

Interesting fact

24/12/2025

Let’s go January 2026

Core training is often misunderstood, but science shows it plays a meaningful role in body composition and muscle tone. Studies examining plank exercises suggest that holding a plank for 3 minutes each day across 15 consecutive days can contribute to improved abdominal strength, posture, and a leaner appearance.

Planks work differently than traditional abdominal exercises. They engage deep stabilizing muscles, including the transverse abdominis, which acts like a natural corset around the waist. Activating this muscle improves core tension and posture, which can create a flatter, more toned look even before noticeable fat loss occurs.

From a metabolic perspective, planks increase total muscle activation across the body. Shoulders, glutes, legs, and core work together to maintain stability. This full body engagement raises energy expenditure and improves muscular endurance. While planks do not directly burn belly fat, they support fat reduction by increasing muscle efficiency and daily calorie use.

Consistency matters more than intensity. Performing planks daily reinforces neuromuscular coordination and core endurance. Over time, improved stability enhances performance in other activities, which further supports overall fat utilization.

Realistic expectations are essential. No single exercise can remove fat from one specific area. Fat loss depends on overall energy balance, sleep quality, stress regulation, and nutrition. Planks contribute by strengthening posture, improving movement quality, and supporting a stronger foundation.

This research highlights how simple daily habits can compound into visible change. A brief plank practice builds strength, improves body awareness, and supports long term consistency. When aligned with healthy lifestyle habits, it becomes an effective tool for developing a slim, stable, and toned appearance.

14/12/2025

For knee strength

07/12/2025

Know your heart

02/12/2025

Take care of your heart

The heart is a mysterious organ… and not because it beats nonstop, but because it has made radical biological decisions just to stay alive.
To begin with, almost no cancer can touch it. Unlike other tissues that regenerate all the time, the heart “gave up” dividing its cells to minimize genetic errors. It became almost immune to tumors, but paid a price: when it’s damaged, it can’t fully repair itself. It’s an organ that chose stability over regeneration.
And that’s not the only strange thing. Inside your chest you carry a “second brain”: about 40,000 neurons that process information, react, and send signals to the nervous system. It doesn’t think like you, but it does talk to your brain, shaping emotions, pain, and calm.
Its autonomy is so extreme that it can keep beating even outside the body, driven by its own internal electricity. It doesn’t need external commands: it was born to run on its own.
And when someone breaks your heart… it literally breaks. There’s a syndrome called Takotsubo, where a brutal burst of emotional stress physically warps the cardiac muscle. Sadness can reshape anatomy.
Even your schedule affects its health: Mondays see more heart attacks than any other day, driven by hormonal spikes and the forced restart of the weekly rhythm.
Your heart isn’t just a muscle.
It’s electrical, emotional, autonomous, and vulnerable.

01/12/2025

Sugar, not Cholesterol tsk tsk tsk….

🍬 Sugar, not cholesterol, may be the bigger threat to your heart.

A major 15-year study published in JAMA Internal Medicine reveals that consuming high levels of added sugar more than doubles the risk of dying from heart disease — regardless of your weight, cholesterol levels, age, or activity level.

📊 People who consumed 25% or more of daily calories from added sugar had over twice the risk of cardiovascular death compared to those who kept it under 10%. Shockingly, this elevated risk persisted even among those following otherwise healthy diets.

🚨 The leading sources of added sugar are sugary drinks (over one-third of intake), followed by desserts, candies, sweetened cereals, and fruit drinks. Researchers warn that excess sugar raises blood pressure and prompts the liver to release harmful fats into the bloodstream — both powerful drivers of heart disease.

🥤 To put this into perspective: a single can of soda can exceed the daily sugar limit recommended by the American Heart Association (6 teaspoons for women, 9 for men). Swapping sugary drinks for sparkling water with fruit or opting for unsweetened desserts can go a long way in protecting your heart.

🫀 The bottom line: Cutting back on added sugars may be one of the most effective ways to lower your risk of heart disease — more so than focusing only on cholesterol.

Source: Yang Q, Zhang Z, Gregg EW, Flanders WD, Merritt R, Hu FB. JAMA Intern Med. 2014;174(4):516–524.

30/11/2025

The body adapts, so you have to be smarter in losing excess calories and fats

Your diet might be silently shutting down your metabolism

You’re working out. Eating clean. Cutting calories. But somehow… your fat loss just stops.

Here’s what researchers uncovered that could explain everything.

After just eight weeks in a large calorie deficit, your metabolism can slow down by 25 to 30%. That’s not a small drop. That’s your body hitting the brakes hard. It sees the deficit as a threat, a signal of starvation, and switches into energy-saving mode.

What does that mean? Fewer calories burned. More fat stored. Sluggish energy. Plateaued weight loss. And worse? Even after returning to normal eating, that slower metabolism can linger, making it harder to maintain progress.

This is known as adaptive thermogenesis your body’s survival instinct kicking in when it thinks famine is near.

So how do you fight back?

Instead of staying in aggressive deficits for weeks on end, cycle your calories, use refeed days, and keep protein intake high to protect lean muscle mass. And prioritize resistance training, not just cardio. Your muscles are your metabolic engine.

The truth is, long-term fat loss isn’t about suffering harder. It’s about working smarter with your biology, not against it.

When your body feels safe, it lets go.

It’s time to stop punishing yourself with starvation and start fueling your body to thrive.

30/11/2025

Have you had your dose of broccoli yet?

Sometimes the simplest foods can have the most powerful impact on our health. Research now shows that eating broccoli three to five times a week may help lower the risk of breast, prostate, and colon cancers. This humble vegetable is packed with compounds that support the body’s natural defenses against abnormal cell growth.

Broccoli contains antioxidants and bioactive compounds that help reduce inflammation, strengthen the immune system, and support the detoxification of harmful substances in the body. Regular consumption may protect cells from damage and slow the progression of early cancerous changes. Including it in meals consistently is proving to be more than just good nutrition—it is a step toward cancer prevention.

In addition to its cancer-fighting properties broccoli supports heart health, bone strength, and digestive wellness. Its versatility makes it easy to include in salads, stir-fries, soups, or even as a simple steamed side dish. Small dietary changes like adding broccoli regularly can have a long-term impact on overall health and reduce the risk of serious diseases over time.

While no single food is a magic cure, the protective benefits of broccoli are backed by scientific studies that highlight the value of a balanced plant-rich diet. By making broccoli a regular part of your weekly meals you are not only enhancing flavor but also giving your body a natural defense boost against some of the most common cancers.

Step by step simple choices create big health outcomes and adding broccoli to your routine is one of the easiest ways to invest in your future wellness.

27/11/2025

Ikaw ba mahilig umidlip?

Skipping your afternoon nap might be doing more harm than you think.
New research suggests that people who take short, regular naps have noticeably larger brain volume — a sign of healthier aging that could make the brain appear up to 6.5 years younger.

In a major study led by University College London and the University of the Republic in Uruguay, scientists analyzed genetic and brain-imaging data from more than 35,000 people in the UK Biobank. Using a method called Mendelian randomisation — which helps separate genetic influence from lifestyle habits — they found that individuals genetically predisposed to napping tended to maintain more brain volume over time.

While the study doesn’t prove that naps cause brain preservation, it does highlight a strong link between habitual napping and slower brain aging. Interestingly, the researchers didn’t see immediate boosts in memory or reaction speed, but earlier studies have shown that short naps can improve alertness and mental performance in the moment. Although nap duration wasn’t included in the dataset, decades of sleep research point to under 30 minutes as the sweet spot for brain benefits without disrupting nighttime rest.

Overall, this study — the first of its scale — suggests that the daily nap you may be tempted to skip could actually be an investment in long-term brain health.

Source:
UCL News (2023) – Regular napping linked to larger brain volume