longevity

Subsisting on an all-supplement diet is obviously far from anyone's ideal. But for a lot of us, every day we take what we consider to be key supplements — vitamin D, essential fatty acids, probiotics, etc — to contribute to our long-term health.

For me, as for many women, it's not just during Breast Cancer Awareness Month that the disease seems to keep hitting closer and closer to home.

Much of the recent focus on the sexually transmitted HPV (human papillomavirus) has explored the connection between the virus, intercourse and cervical cancer. Hence, the big push on vaccinating younger women (mostly with Gardasil) wherever possible.

Over the past several years, there have been multiple studies that appeared to point in a positive direction: that having a little bit of meat on your frame — not obesity, which has been repeatedly linked to an early death, but just the extra pounds that signify a commitment to eating dessert — made an individual a better candidate for increased longevity than their rake-thin peers.

As many of us are increasingly mindful of the impact our diet has on our health, here's something else to consider: A new Dutch study has concluded that eating apples, pears, bananas, cauliflowers, cucumbers and other fruits and vegetables with white flesh can help prevent a stroke.