Have you ever wondered about the health benefits of those tiny blue bursts of flavour that you add to your smoothie or to your breakfast cereals? Blueberries are packed with nutrients and antioxidants that offer a range of benefits, particularly to your stomach and guts. Now, a new study has found that it has significant benefits to your intelligence and cognition too.

Just Half Cup Of Blueberries Improve Cognition

A study published in Nutrients found that participants who ate just half a cup of blueberries a day for 12 weeks experienced improvements in learning, memory, and executive function decision-making, planning, focus, task management, etc.

This is particularly noteworthy because executive function governs our ability to stay organized, make informed decisions, and follow through on tasks—skills that often begin to wane with age. The fact that something as simple and accessible as blueberries could influence these areas in just a matter of weeks is pretty incredible.

Why? Blueberries are rich in antioxidants and other bioactive compounds (chemicals that promote good health). Specifically, blueberries are packed with anthocyanin, an antioxidant that improves metabolic function, increases cell-level energy production, and decreases inflammation.

These compounds are naturally occurring pigments that give blueberries their deep colour, and they do more than just look pretty—they work on a cellular level to reduce oxidative stress, which is one of the factors believed to contribute to age-related cognitive decline.

That’s especially important if you’re somewhat overweight. Generally speaking, metabolic disturbance accelerates in middle age and is a prominent risk factor for dementia. Unfortunately, those who are overweight or otherwise insulin-resistant have an elevated risk for future dementia.

So, for those trying to take proactive steps against cognitive decline, blueberries offer a simple, natural solution. Not a miracle cure—but an effective supplement to an overall healthy lifestyle. The demonstration of these benefits … suggests that ongoing blueberry supplementation may contribute to protection against cognitive decline when implemented early. Or in non-researcher-speak, half a cup of blueberries a day improved the average participant’s language skills, improved their short-term memory, and enhanced their decision-making, planning, and organizational skills.

As an added bonus, participants also experienced lower fasting insulin levels, which means their ability to process carbohydrates efficiently (an important aspect of overall metabolic health) had also improved.

Genetics Matter Too

Sound too good to be true? Granted, blueberries aren’t magic. Genetics also matter. Beyond that, considerable research shows diet, exercise, and a healthy lifestyle make the biggest impact on improving — or at the very least maintaining — the effect of aging on cognition and memory.

A healthy diet can reduce age-related cognitive decline and the risk of developing various neurodegenerative diseases.

Exercise can slow or even reverse the physical decay of your brain. Research shows exercise can increase the size of your hippocampus even in your 60’s and 70’s, helping to mitigate the impact of age-related memory loss.

As for lifestyle, insufficient sleep is associated with accelerated brain atrophy and impaired brain functional connectivity. Alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs directly impact the brain, causing it to age more rapidly, atrophy, and lose functioning ability.

So, yeah: If your diet sucks, you never exercise, and you smoke, drink, and don’t get enough sleep, blueberries are just a drop in the learning, memory, and executive function bucket.

But they can help.

Plus, adding one positive habit to your lifestyle may help you more easily add additional positive habits to your lifestyle. Psychologists call it the spillover effect: the way making one positive choice, no matter how small, inspires you to make other positive choices. The way focusing on improving one thing, no matter how small, will naturally and even effortlessly lead to making improvements in other areas.

It is not surprising that many people want to lose weight and lose it quickly. However, rapid weight loss as good as it seems is a challenge. Though, there is a diet, called the Dukan Diet that promises fast and lasting weight loss without hunger. How does it really work?

The Dukan Diet

It is a high-protein, low-carb diet that is created by Dr Pierre Dukan, who is a French general practitioner and specialized in weight management. It gained popularity in the early 2000s and claimed to help people lose weight easily without feeling hungry.

The diet is structured into four phases, where different food restrictions are given at every stage. It does share similarities with other high-protein diets like Atkins Diet, however, it is far more restrictive.

In terms of the scorecard:

Overall Score: 1.63

Weight Loss: 1.75

Healthy Eating: 2.0

Sustainability: 1.25

Whole Body Health: 0.75

Nutrition Quality: 2.5

Evidence-Based: 1.5

How Does The Diet Work?

Attack Phase (1–7 days): Unlimited lean protein and 1.5 tablespoons of oat bran daily.

Cruise Phase (1–12 months): Alternates between lean protein-only days and protein with non-starchy vegetables. Oat bran intake increases to 2 tablespoons daily.

Consolidation Phase (5 days per pound lost): Introduces limited fruits, carbs, and fats, plus one lean protein day per week.

Stabilization Phase (Indefinite): Follows Consolidation Phase rules with increased oat bran (3 tablespoons daily) while allowing some flexibility.

Which Foods Are Alive In Each Phase?

In attack phase, you are allowed to eat meats, fish, poultry, eggs, nonfat dairy, tofu, oat bran and water. In the cruise phase, you can eat attack phase and non-starchy vegetables like spinach, bell peppers, cucumbers and mushrooms. In the consolidation phase, try to add more fruits, at least one serving per day, whole grain bread, which could be up to two slices daily, cheese, limited starches, and occasional indulgences. In stabilization phase you can follow the consolidation phase rules with more flexibility as long as weight remains stable.

Meal Plan Examples

Attack Phase

Breakfast: Cottage cheese with oat bran and cinnamon.

Lunch: Roast chicken with diet gelatin.

Dinner: Lean steak and shrimp.

Cruise Phase

Breakfast: Scrambled eggs with tomatoes.

Lunch: Grilled chicken on mixed greens.

Dinner: Baked salmon with steamed vegetables.

Consolidation Phase

Breakfast: Omelet with cheese and spinach.

Lunch: Turkey sandwich on whole wheat bread.

Dinner: Roast pork with grilled zucchini and an apple.

Is It Based on Science?

Research on the Dukan Diet is limited. A study in Polish women showed an average weight loss of 33 pounds (15 kg) in 8–10 weeks. However, participants consumed only about 1,000 calories daily—too low for most adults.

While high-protein diets can aid weight loss by reducing hunger and increasing calorie burn, the Dukan Diet’s extreme restrictions make it difficult to maintain. It also lacks sufficient fiber, healthy fats, and overall balance.

Seasonal health variations in temperature have a significant impact on the human body, especially digestive and gut health. While we often focus on how temperature affects respiratory health or skin conditions, the gut is an equally important part of our body that responds strongly to seasonal fluctuations. For instance, it is common to feel constipated in summer as our body loses moisture overall. Therefore, understanding how these temperature fluctuations affect the digestive system is crucial to managing Gastrointestinal (GI) diseases and ensuring overall wellness throughout the year.

Gut Microbiome Is Sensitive To Temperatures

Gut microbiota—the collection of bacteria, viruses, and fungi that live in our intestines—plays a pivotal role in maintaining our health and wellness.

The gut microbiome, which consists of millions of microorganisms, plays a vital role in sustaining the body's internal environment. Even minor temperature variations are enough to disturb this equilibrium, causing digestive distress, changed gut motility, and susceptibility to infections. Also, sudden changes in temperature weaken gut immunity, and people become more vulnerable to chronic problems like acidity, bloating, and indigestion.

For people who are already suffering from gastrointestinal disorders like ulcers or irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), sudden weather changes cause flare-ups, worsening the existing situation. The gut lining becomes more sensitive during these times, and the balance of gut bacteria can shift in ways that promote inflammation, pain, and irregular bowel habits.

Moreover, unpredictable shifts in season—especially the transition periods between winter and summer or monsoon and winter—can overburden the digestive system. Sudden changes from cold to hot weather or vice versa can compromise the immune system, particularly the gut-associated immune response. As a result, this temperature change may cause recurring problems such as acidity, bloating, and indigestion, even in otherwise healthy individuals.

ALSO READ: Juices Kill Your Gut Bacteria, Increase Inflammation: Study Shows

Summertime Brings Additional Issues

The warm summer season, especially in tropical regions of Africa and Asia, can severely hamper the digestive process. Heat often slows down digestion, which means constipation ensues. Add to that the risk of food contamination and dehydration, and it becomes clear why summer is a challenging time for the digestive tract.

This One Tip Can Protect Your Gut Year-Round Long?

There is no single magic pill for gut health, but adopting consistent habits can help strengthen your digestive system throughout the year. Consider the following:

- Berberine for Gut Support: This natural compound has shown promise in reducing gut inflammation and supporting microbial balance.

- Avoiding Lectins: Found in certain grains and legumes, lectins can irritate the gut lining. Reducing their intake may benefit people with sensitive digestion.

- Intermittent Fasting: Giving your digestive system a break for a few hours a day can support gut repair and microbial diversity.

- Boosting Immunity Through Nutrition: A diet rich in fibre, fermented foods, antioxidants, and essential vitamins helps strengthen gut immunity.

- Incorporating Healthy Fats: Omega-3 fatty acids and good-quality plant oils help reduce gut inflammation and support overall gut function.

ALSO READ: Compound Versions Of Some Weight Loss Drugs Still Being Sold In US, Despite Federal Warnings

There are many kinds of diets out there, and many claim to be great for weight loss. These diets focus on reducing your appetite, while others restrict calories, carbs or fats. So, let's get on to what these diets are and what is the science behind them.

The Paleo Diet

The paleo diet claims that you should eat the same food that your ancestors ate when they were hunters and gatherers. The word "paleo" comes from the Paleolithic era, when there were in fact, hunters and gatherers. The theory is that most modern diseases are linked with Western diet and it happens because of the consumption of processed foods, dairy and grains. While it is debatable if you can actually eat the food our ancestors ate, the diet does emphasizes on whole foods. It focuses on lean protein, vegetables, fruits, nuts, and seeds, while discourages processed foods, sugar, diary, and grains.

In terms of weight loss, a 2007 study, A Palaeolithic diet improves glucose tolerance more than a Mediterranean-like diet in individuals with ischaemic heart disease, has shown that the paleo diet can actually lead to significant weight loss and reduced waist size.

The Vegan Diet

Like the name suggests, the vegan diet is all things vegetarian and taking nothing from animals. So the dairy, the milk, the cheese, the honey, none of that is allowed. This is often known as the strictest form of vegetarianism. It seems to be very effective for weight loss, as the food is very low fat and high fiber. It makes you feel full for longer.

As per a 2014 study, Low glycemic index vegan or low-calorie weight loss diets for women with polycystic ovary syndrome: a randomized controlled feasibility study, and many more such studies, vegan diets are linked to lower body weight and body mass index (BMI).

Another 2013 study, titled: A multicenter randomized controlled trial of a plant-based nutrition program to reduce body weight and cardiovascular risk in the corporate setting: the GEICO study, which went on for 18 weeks showed that people on a vegan diet lost 9.3 pounds more than those on a control diet.

Low-Carb Diets

These diets have been popular for decades and it involves limiting carb intake to 20 to 150 grams per day. The main aim of this diet is to force your body to use more fats for fuel than to using carbs as a main source of energy.

Studies have indicated that low-carb diets are extremely helpful for weight loss, especially in overweight and obese people. As per a 2014 study, titled: A lower-carbohydrate, higher-fat diet reduces abdominal and intermuscular fat and increases insulin sensitivity in adults at risk of type 2 diabetes, these diets were effective at reducing dangerous belly fat, which can become lodged around your organs.

People on very low-carb diets reach a state called ketosis, which leads to more than twice the weight loss than low-fat, calorie-restricted diet.

The Dukan Diet

It is a high-protein, low carb weight loss diet, which is split into four phases. The phases has two weight loss periods and two maintenance phases.

In a 2015 study, titled: Assessment of food intakes for women adopting the high protein Dukan diet, women who followed the Dukan diet ate around 1,000 calories and 100 grams of protein per day and lost an average of 33 pounds in 8 to 10 weeks.

Ultra Low-Fat Diet

This diet restricts your consumption of fat to under 10% of daily calories. A generic low fat diet provides around 30% of its calories for fat, whereas in an ultra low-fat diet, it lowers down to 10% of total calories.

The diet has been proven very successful for weight loss journey. In fact, an old study from 1975, titled: Treatment of massive obesity with rice/reduction diet program. An analysis of 106 patients with at least a 45-kg weight loss, found that obese people lost around 140 pounds on an ultra-low-fat diet. While another 8-week long study, titled: Culturally-sensitive weight loss program produces significant reduction in weight, blood pressure, and cholesterol in eight weeks, found that a diet that contained 7-14% of fat showed an average weight loss of 14.8 pounds.

The Atkins Diet

This is the most well-known low-carb weight loss diet and it helps you lose weight by eating as much protein and fat as you like, as long as your avoid carbs. It is also split in four phases, namely: induction phase where you eat under 20grams of carbs, then phases where you reintroduce healthy carbs back into your life.

Studies show that this diet is a faster way to lose weight.

The HCG Diet

This is an extreme diet that is meant to cause very fast weight loss. It makes you lose 1 to 2 pounds per day. It also boosts your metabolism. It targets the HCG or the human chorionic gonadotropin hormone, which is present in high levels during pregnancy.

The diet is split into three phases. During the first phase, you begin taking HCG supplements.

During the second phase, you follow an ultra-low-calorie diet of only 500 calories per day, along with HCG supplement drops, pellets, injections, or sprays. The weight loss phase is prescribed for 3–6 weeks at a time.

In the third phase, you stop taking HCG and slowly increase your food intake.

While studies have shown that it causes weight loss, research found that more than HCG, the diet has to do a lot more with ultra-low-calorie diet.

The Zone Diet

It is a low-glycemic load diet that limits your carbs to 35 to 45%. The GI of a food is an estimate of how much it raises your blood glucose levels after consumption. It also helps reduce the risk of developing any chronic diseases. However, studies show that this diet is rather inconsistent.

Intermittent Fasting

This is one of the most popular words in the weight loss industry. It cycles your body between periods of fasting and eating. Instead of restricting the foods you eat, it controls when you eat it.

There are several ways to follow intermittent fasting:

The 16/8 Method: Skip breakfast and eat only within an 8-hour window, fasting for the remaining 16 hours.

The Eat-Stop-Eat Method: Fast for 24 hours once or twice a week on non-consecutive days.

The 5:2 Diet: Eat 500–600 calories on two non-consecutive days, with no restrictions on the other five days.

The Warrior Diet: Consume small portions of raw fruits and vegetables during the day, followed by one large meal at night.

In terms of weight loss, a 2015 study, titled: Fasting for weight loss: an effective strategy or latest dieting trend? intermittent fasting is very successful for weight loss. It has been shown to cause weight loss of 3 to 8% over a period of 3 to 24 weeks. It is a lot compared to most weight loss diets.