Should vegans worry about cancer?

🙌 Happy Friday! 

It’s National Nutrition Month. The debate around the healthiest diet is nowhere near finished—today, we’ll be diving into new and controversial findings linking veganism to cancer risk.

Yet, the never-ending quest for perfection has pushed some people toward a ‘What The H***’ diet… Do we get it? 100%. Do we recommend it? No.

This week: The blood sugar balancing effect of high altitudes, forever chemicals are aging men, and peanut butter mobility gains.

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TODAY, prices go up. Secure your spot.

The study creates a mixed picture. Here’s what you need to know.

Last week, a study of 1.8 million adults made headlines when it showed a lower risk for five types of cancer (including pancreatic and breast) among vegetarians versus meat-eaters. 

In the same study, a vegan diet was linked to an approximately 40% higher relative risk of colorectal cancer compared to omnivores.

Both are plant-based, and both have often been tied to lower cancer risk... so what does it really mean?

❗ Context Matters

Experts say the vegan results from this new study should be met with healthy caution.

The bottom line: This is just one analysis.

Plenty of high-quality studies show that adding more whole plants to your diet slows biological aging, reduces mortality risk, prolongs lifespan, and can even reduce colorectal cancer risk.

The plant-forward Mediterranean and DASH diets give you the best-supported approach for longevity 🫘, yet starting with small, consistent changes toward minimally-processed foods makes all the difference.

Mountain air does more than clear your head.

A new study in Cell Metabolism just answered a long-standing question about why people living at higher altitudes have less diabetes.

Using advanced imaging, researchers from Gladstone Institutes found that low-oxygen environments turn red blood cells into “sugar sponges” 🧽 that soak up excess glucose, a discovery that can open doors to new strategies for metabolic health.

That mountain air: Normally, your brain, liver, and muscles absorb glucose after you eat 🍽️. When these organs aren’t working well, metabolic disease risk rises. Yet people living at higher altitudes have lower metabolic disease rates, a mystery until now.

Researchers exposed mice to low-oxygen (hypoxic) conditions and tracked blood sugar changes.

Why it matters for aging: Mild hypoxia appears to activate cellular survival pathways that reduce inflammation and improve metabolism. In separate studies, these conditions have extended animal lifespan by up to 50%. 📈

Going forward: Researchers are now testing HypoxyStat in animals, a pill designed to mimic hypoxia, which has completely reversed high blood sugar in mice. 

Mimic the effects of high altitude living

A new study shows that specific ‘forever chemicals,’ like perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA) and perfluorooctanesulfonamide (PFOSA), are accelerating aging in middle-aged men—but not women.

When researchers did blood tests, nearly 100% of blood samples had signs of forever chemicals. The more chemicals there were, the faster the cellular aging.

The good news? It’s easy to reduce your exposure…or at least the damaging effects to hormones, immune, and gut health:

Hundreds of women have already joined our free Circle community to connect and grow together. Click here to become a member.

Eating 3 tablespoons of natural peanut butter daily can boost muscle power in older adults 💪, according to a new study out of Australia. Six months of eating the nutty spread helped adults perform better on the 🪑 sit-to-stand test, a fitness test that gauges leg strength and predicts how long you’ll live.

Though funded by the Peanut Institute, the study supports existing knowledge that protein protects muscle.

If you’re making a muscle sandwich, be sure to add some peanut butter.

⚠ (But don’t eat if you’re allergic, of course!)

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We asked: What skin symptoms have been hardest for you to navigate?

Readers describe puffy eyes, age spots, adult acnes, loose skin, dryness, and this colorful description: “the inevitable drooping/sagging of the facial skin (‘[which] is a real b****!’)”. However you opt to manage it—targeted skincare, surgery, or naturally—it’s important to do what makes you feel confident in your skin.