Maren Cole

Plant sterols can modestly lower LDL cholesterol, but products, dose, diet context, medicines, and rare genetic risks decide how useful they are.

The 30-plants-a-week rule can nudge useful dietary variety, but the evidence supports a flexible habit, not a hard gut-health target for everyone.

Prunes have promising bone data in postmenopausal women, but they are not osteoporosis treatment. The useful question is dose, fit, and limits.

Vitamin B12 matters for nerves and blood, but deficiency needs symptom context, risk factors, and testing rather than cure-all claims or self-treatment.

Resistant starch can feed gut microbes and modestly affect glucose markers, but foods, doses, and individual responses matter more than hype.

Ultra-processed foods are linked with higher health risks, but the useful response is practical substitution, not panic or perfect eating habits.

Fermented foods may support gut-health markers, but the evidence is food-specific, cautious, and weaker than most wellness claims suggest for longevity.

Fibre looks less like a longevity shortcut than a reliable marker of better diet quality, gut function, and lower long-term cardiometabolic risk.

Protein matters for ageing muscle, but longevity claims outrun the evidence. Here is how to read the numbers, benefits, cautions, and exceptions.

Glucose spikes are normal after carbohydrate-rich meals. The useful question is how often they happen, how high they rise, and what context means.