This small town's secret to longevity had nothing to do with diet

This podcast was created in sponsorship with Toyota. Find a vehicle that makes memorable moments happen, from the 2026 RAV4 and Sienna to the Highlander and Grand Highlander. Plan the trip, pack the trunk, gather your crew, and go places—together. Toyota: People are the destination.  “It should be possible to maintain stable cognitive function into your eighth and ninth decades. But we don't really internalize that. We expect decline, and because we expect decline, we're less likely to engage in those things.” Dr. Tommy Wood is a neuroscientist, Associate Professor at the University of Washington School of Medicine, and author of The Stimulated Mind. With degrees from Cambridge and Oxford, he has published more than 100 scientific papers and lectured worldwide on brain health, metabolism, and human performance. He also serves as a performance consultant to world-class athletes, including Olympians and Formula 1 drivers, and co-founded the British Society for Lifestyle Medicine. 00:00 - What we know about brain biomarkers 03:59 - Dementia risk is modifiable 06:29 - Why you should get your steps in 08:52 - The effect of exercise on the hippocampus 15:05 - Muscle is a brain organ 20:42 - Give your brain the fuel it needs 25:12 - Creatine & brain health 27:22 - The convenience crisis 29:54 - The importance of making mistakes 31:30 - How to stimulate your brain enough 33:31 - Social connection = medicine 35:45 - Tommy’s dream study 38:12 - The optimization trap Referenced in the episode:  Buy Tommy’s book here: https://a.co/d/0aUGHI9s  Find Tommy on his website: https://www.drtommywood.com/  The Pointer Study: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2837046 The Lancet Study: https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(24)01296-0/abstract  London Cab Driver Study: https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.070039597 We hope you enjoy this episode, and feel free to watch the full video on YouTube! Whether it's an article or podcast, we want to know what we can do to help here at mindbodygreen. Let us know at: [email protected]. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the 1960s, a small Pennsylvania town called Roseto had half the national rate of heart disease — and zero recorded heart attack deaths for men under 55. They smoked, ate pasta and sausages, and drank wine. Scientists were baffled. What they found changed everything we thought we knew about health. Link to the study: ⁠https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/1636828/⁠  Chapters 00:00 Meet Roseto: the town that shouldn't have been healthy 01:49 The shocking discovery: heart disease stats that defied logic 02:11 What scientists found when they investigated 02:33 The real answer: it was culture all along 03:35 When the community unraveled, so did the health advantage 04:05 What the Roseto Effect means for us today Watch this video on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/mindbodygreen Want more mindbodygreen? Read more here: https://www.mindbodygreen.com/ Shop our supplements: https://shop.mindbodygreen.com/ Join 1M+ subscribers on their journey towards strong and healthy: https://www.mindbodygreen.com/newsletters  Instagram: @mindbodygreen   TikTok: @mindbodygreen Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“When we think about longevity for women, the ovary truly is the key.” 01:07 - A window into women’s health 05:00 - The ovarian lifespan 10:13 - Why puberty is starting earlier 13:29 - Endocrine disruptors & your child’s hormones 20:22 - The drivers behind early menopause 24:44 - Egg quality explained 28:30 - The MTHFR gene 32:32 - Why embryo grading is flawed 36:45 - The psychological aspect of IVF 41:45 - The future of fertility Referenced in the episode:  Find Natalie Crawford on her website: https://www.nataliecrawfordmd.com/ Buy her book here: https://a.co/d/08aGcbT3 We hope you enjoy this episode, and feel free to watch the full video on YouTube! Whether it's an article or podcast, we want to know what we can do to help here at mindbodygreen. Let us know at: [email protected]. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

"Trauma isn't just what happened to us. It's more so about the support we may or may not have had to navigate the emotional fallout of what happened." Nicole LePera, Ph.D., is the creator of the worldwide @theholisticpsychologist movement, and the author of multiple bestselling books including How to Do the Work and her newest, Reparenting the Inner Child. She was trained in clinical psychology at Cornell University and the New School for Social Research and studied at the Philadelphia School of Psychoanalysis. Her work has reached tens of millions of people on social media, who are waking up to the idea that healing doesn't happen in a therapist's office alone. 00:00 — How to recognize your inner child 04:05 — Redefining childhood trauma 06:09 — How parenting has shifted over time 10:00 — Safety as a foundation 14:30 — Why children internalize a parent’s anger  18:10 — How ownership & awareness can lead to reparenting 20:21 — Epigenetics: when the trauma didn’t start with you 22:55 — Why insight alone doesn’t create change 24:19 — Embracing discomfort & developing resilience 26:01 — Navigating difficult relationships 29:53 — What acceptance actually looks like 37:03 –– Emotional dysregulation & numbness 40:16 — What you can do to start healing right now Find Nicole LePera on Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/the.holistic.psychologist/  Buy her book here: https://a.co/d/04SVp4tW We hope you enjoy this episode, and feel free to watch the full video on YouTube! Whether it's an article or podcast, we want to know what we can do to help here at mindbodygreen. Let us know at: [email protected]. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“Sweating is our superpower," explains Bill Gifford. Gifford, a veteran science journalist and author of Spring Chicken, a New York Times bestseller on longevity. His latest book, Hotwired: How the Hidden Power of Heat Makes Us Stronger, dives deep into the emerging science of heat, sweating, and what happens when we stop running from discomfort. ​​00:00 — Sweating as an evolutionary superpower 03:00 — The science of ancient heat rituals 05:45 — How long & how hot? 07:55 — The dehydration trap 09:52 — All about Finnish sauna culture 12:50 — Heat acclimation training 16:41 — Elite athletes & what they can teach us 18:50 — The science on hot-cold contrast 21:49 — The case against cold plunging 29:08 — Sauna as a social ritual 33:20 — Heat as a mental health tool 36:34 — A beginner's guide to safe heat exposure Referenced in the episode:  Find Bill Gifford on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/billgifford/  Get his book here: https://a.co/d/01osyyRH  Learn more about The Culture of Bathing here: https://www.instagram.com/thehighlineguy/?hl=en Mayo Clinic review of the effects of Finnish sauna bathing (2018): https://www.mayoclinicproceedings.org/article/S0025-6196(18)30275-1/fulltext  Journal of Exercise Science & Fitness study on the effects of hot yoga (2011): https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1728869X12600033  We hope you enjoy this episode, and feel free to watch the full video on YouTube! Whether it's an article or podcast, we want to know what we can do to help here at mindbodygreen. Let us know at: [email protected]. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This podcast was created in sponsorship with Toyota. Find a vehicle that makes memorable moments happen, from the 2026 RAV4 and Sienna to the Highlander and Grand Highlander. Plan the trip, pack the trunk, gather your crew, and go places—together. Toyota: People are the destination.  "Emotional flexibility is literally the skill that we all should be sharpening like a muscle," explained Deepika Chopra, Ph.D. Chopra (widely known as The Optimism Doctor) is a clinical health psychologist, visual imagery expert, and author of the upcoming book The Power of Real Optimism. But here's what makes Deepika's work so different: she's not selling you positivity. In this episode, we get into the real science of optimism—and why it has far more to do with resilience and curiosity than with good vibes.  Optimism vs. positivity: what we're getting wrong (0:00) Why affirmations don't always work (6:58) The seven-tenths rule for effective affirmations (10:00) Manifestation and getting what you expect (10:50) Emotional flexibility: the skill to sharpen like a muscle (17:46) Why the nervous system has to feel safe before growth can happen (23:11) Deepika's son's rare diagnosis (23:40) A Holocaust survivor with real optimism in practice (36:58) Letting go of control vs. reclaiming agency (40:52) Healthy hope vs. delusion—the dark room metaphor (42:45) Referenced in the episode:  Find Deepika Chopra on her website: https://www.drdeepikachopra.com Get her book here: https://a.co/d/0dG1VFwX Find her viral article from 2018 here: https://www.mindbodygreen.com/articles/what-to-do-if-positive-affirmations-dont-work-for-you Gallup National Health and Well-Being Index (2026): https://news.gallup.com/poll/702125/american-optimism-slumps-record-low.aspx We hope you enjoy this episode, and feel free to watch the full video on YouTube! Whether it's an article or podcast, we want to know what we can do to help here at mindbodygreen. Let us know at: [email protected]. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

"Your body heals better when it feels safe, when your nervous system is quiet,’ explains Victoria Maizes, M.D. Maizes is the Executive Director of the Andrew Weil Center for Integrative Medicine and co-host of the Body of Wonder podcast. She's a leading voice in integrative medicine and author of the new book Heal Faster, which makes the case that modern medicine has been so focused on treating disease that it's largely overlooked the body's most powerful asset: its innate capacity to heal. In this episode, we discuss: What is the recovery reflex? (1:10) Why two people can have completely different health outcomes (3:26) Protein, the catabolic state, & tests to run before major surgery (6:11) The difference between managing disease & actually healing (18:21) The power of language (19:00) Trauma & how to activate your vagus nerve (29:00) Mindset, guided imagery, & letting go of outcomes (35:42) The mystery of long COVID (41:46) Circadian medicine & red light therapy (48:50) Referenced in the episode:  You can find Dr. Maizes website here: www.drvictoriamaizes.com And her latest book, Heal Faster, here: https://a.co/d/0i0OT4KJ We hope you enjoy this episode, and feel free to watch the full video on YouTube! Whether it's an article or podcast, we want to know what we can do to help here at mindbodygreen. Let us know at: [email protected]. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

"You are in control of your brain health, just the same way you're in control of your heart health." Today's guest is Majid Fotuhi, M.D., a Harvard and Johns Hopkins-trained neurologist, brain health researcher, and author of Invincible Brain. Dr. Fotuhi has spent his career studying one of the most pressing questions of our time: why do some people's brains deteriorate with age, while others stay sharp well into their eighties and nineties? His answer might surprise you. Why 45% of dementia is preventable (00:00) The biomarkers worth testing for cognitive decline (1:53) Why you should never test tau in isolation (2:50) How COVID can spike your tau levels (10:54) How to grow your hippocampus in 12 weeks (16:00) The 5 pillars of brain health (18:16) Slow breathing can reduce amyloid in the brain (24:00) Chronic stress is silently shrinking your brain (30:13) Why your IQ doesn't define your intelligence (33:19) Lifestyle outperforms Alzheimer's drugs by 200-400% (43:02) Referenced in the episode:  Learn more about Dr. Fotuhi on his website: https://drfotuhi.com/about-dr-fotuhi/ You can find Dr. Fotuhi’s book here: https://a.co/d/00qJcyuE We hope you enjoy this episode, and feel free to watch the full video on YouTube! Whether it's an article or podcast, we want to know what we can do to help here at mindbodygreen. Let us know at: [email protected]. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“When we really look at the definition of flourishing, it's joyful, meaningful growth shared,” explains Daniel Coyle. Coyle is the bestselling author of The Culture Code and The Talent Code, who just released his latest book, Flourish: The Art of Building Meaning, Joy, and Fulfillment. After spending decades studying elite performers, Navy SEALs, championship sports teams, and top business leaders, Coyle had climbed to the mountaintop of success research only to realize it wasn’t what he thought it would be. Now, he focuses his work trying to answer the question: What actually makes a life worth living?  Here's a glance at our conversation: What makes a life meaningful? (00:24) Why you can’t flourish alone (00:45) Shifting your focus (04:43) Rituals vs habits (09:12) The value of small, frequent connections (12:49) The 33 miners & bottom-up rituals (15:51) A tiny Vermont town that produces Olympians (19:14) Rebuilding community in Paris (25:30) How to design vulnerability (30:53) Why connection creates health & safety (31:38) Cleveland Guardians case study (33:25) Joy vs fear as fuel (40:13) Referenced in the episode:  Find more on Daniel Coyle and his books at his website, danielcoyle.com We hope you enjoy this episode, and feel free to watch the full video on YouTube! Whether it's an article or podcast, we want to know what we can do to help here at mindbodygreen. Let us know at: [email protected]. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Are your kids too clean for their own good? Amish children experience 90% less asthma than the national average—not despite getting dirty, but because of it. When scientists analyzed the dust in their farmhouses, they discovered an invisible ecosystem that was training immune systems to be resilient instead of reactive. In his episode, host Jason Wachob explores the groundbreaking research behind the "hygiene hypothesis" and its implications for modern parents raising kids in an increasingly sanitized world. This discovery is forcing us to rethink everything about dirt, bacteria, and health. And it's already led to treatments used by 100+ million people worldwide. Are we too clean for our own good? Study Link: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37210851/ Chapters: [00:18] The Amish morning: A scene from another era [02:23] The asthma epidemic vs. farm kids' secret weapon [04:30] What's really in farm dust? (It's not what you think) [05:46] Bacterial lysates: Recreating farm protection in a lab [08:22] The hygiene hypothesis: Why clean might be too clean 🎙️ This new format episode, hosted by founder and co-CEO Jason Wachob, is from the mindbodygreen podcast, where science meets meaning—and small shifts lead to big health changes. If this story resonated with you: 👍 Like this video 🔔 Subscribe for more science-backed stories on longevity, nutrition, and whole-body health Read more here:⁠ https://www.mindbodygreen.com/⁠ Shop our supplements: ⁠https://shop.mindbodygreen.com/⁠ Join 1M+ subscribers on their journey towards strong and healthy: ⁠https://www.mindbodygreen.com/newsletters⁠  Follow us:  Instagram: @mindbodygreen   TikTok: @mindbodygreen Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices