SUBJ: Maimonides’ guide to healthy eating
SUBtitle: Good Passover, Eid al-Fitr, Ostara, Easter
Maimonides’ core principle: Mental health precedes physical health.
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SHORT NOTES:
1.. Maimonides’ guide to healthy eating. 1. The secret is not to be full…
2..Low vitamin D associated with increased risk of clinical dementia.
3..Feed your microbiome!
4..Playing music is great for the brain.
5..Longevity is 50% genetic.
6.. The WHO says loneliness kills 871,000 people a year.
7..Genes make a difference; genes are not destiny… rehabilitation rather than vengeance.
8..Neuroscience and genetics to challenge notions of autonomous agency.
9..Land subsidence sinking with groundwater withdrawal-Houston 3 meters.
10..Hair extensions are hazardous.
11..Chronic pain is a leading risk factor for depression and anxiety.
12..Harmless bacteria that produce fragile therapeutic.
13..Skin gene helps immune system.
14..Calculate the quality of your diet. I gave myself a 12.
15..leep apnea-related ischemic stroke mechanisms.
LONG NOTES:
The WHO says loneliness kills 871,000 people a year
Low circulating vitamin D in later life has been associated with increased risk of cognitive impairment and clinical dementia.
Feed your microbiome! Almost everything you eat passes through your gut microbiome, the community of trillions of bacteria, viruses and other microbes that live in your intestines. They produce short-chain fatty acids. These special compounds protect your colon and boost your gut health. They help lower inflammation, regulate your immune system and stimulate the production of GLP-1, the powerful satiety hormone that’s mimicked by weight-loss drugs such as Wegovy. Add four things to your diet: Fiber, fermented foods (Yogurt, kefir, sauerkraut, kimchi, kombucha and others), Healthy fats (olive oil, avocados, seafood, nuts and seeds), Polyphenols (fruits’ and vegetables’ vibrant colors).
Economist Mar 28, 2026, pg 79-Playing music is great for the brain. Several studies have found that professional musicians have more grey matter (the neural tissue involved in thinking, movement and memory) in some regions than non-musicians. A meta-analysis from 2017 concluded that musicians also have a sharper memory. And a study from last year suggested they may even be less sensitive to pain. Musicians who begin training before the age of seven have a larger corpus callosum, the neural bridge between the brain’s two hemispheres, than later starters. Research from 2014 suggests that learning an instrument also improves children’s second-language acquisition and non-verbal reasoning. Musical training later in life has been linked to slower age-related decline. The instrument you play could make a difference. A study from 2024 of 1,100 older Britons found that pianists and brass players tended, on average, to have better working memory. Woodwind players had superior executive function. In addition, the brain’s limbic system, which processes pleasure and reward, lights up when you play an instrument. Endorphins, feel-good hormones which relieve pain, flow when you are in the zone. Performing in a band, orchestra or choir eases stress and encourages social bonding. And if an instrument is out of reach, simply listening may also be worth a try. In 2025 an observational study of 10,000 cognitively sound over-70s found that regular listeners to music had a 39% lower relative risk of cognitive decline.
Longevity is 50% genetic. Research by Weizmann Institute scientists finds genetics may explain 50% of the human lifespan, over twice previous estimates which should have ignored accidents, infections and other external reasons for death. The study opens doors to therapies targeting aging itself.
Maimonides’ guide to healthy eating. King Solomon wrote “there is nothing new under the Sun”. In the 12th century, Rambam (Moses ben Maimon – a.k.a. Maimonides) wrote about a healthy diet. Follow his 10 rules and while you might not live to 120 (Rambam was only 69 when he died) but you will never put on weight. 1. The secret is not to be full 2. Eat close to nature—“Let your food be your medicine” 3. Smart food combinations: Not just what you eat, but with what 4. “Never eat except when one is hungry.”…8. Maimonides recommended eight hours of sleep…
Science 19 Mar 2026 pg1214- Genes enter the garden of good and evil-“Genes make a difference; genes are not destiny…Responsibility is a social condition rather than a metaphysical one…The author marshals evidence from neuroscience and genetics to challenge notions of autonomous agency. One author concludes that biological determinism eliminates moral responsibility entirely. Another author argues that our actions may be caused by factors beyond our control, but that punishment remains necessary and should be calibrated for protection and rehabilitation rather than vengeance.
Science 19 Mar 2026 pg1223 – Land subsidence sinking with groundwater withdrawal. In the past 100 years, Tokyo has sunken more than 4 meters, the Santa Clara valley 4 mters, Houston 3 meters.
Science 19 Mar 2026 pg1231 – Hair extensions are hazardous. They are unregulated, contain toxic and cancer causing chemicals, even causing birth defects. They found hazardous chemicals in most brands, including cancer-causing substances and others known to cause skin irritation, disrupt hormones and immune systems, and cause birth defects. The findings suggest that policy changes and more oversight are needed to protect consumers.
Science 19 Mar 2026 pg1236 – From chronic pain to depression – Chronic pain is a leading risk factor for depression and anxiety, yet the brain mechanisms that convert persistent sensory distress into affective dysfunction remain unclear. Neuroimaging studies have implicated the hippocampus in both pain and mood regulation, but it is unknown whether hippocampal alterations precede, accompany, or result from the emergence of affective symptoms. Resolving this temporal and mechanistic relationship is essential for explaining individual vulnerability to depression in chronic pain and for identifying intervention points that can prevent this transition.
By resolving distinct modes of dentate gyrus modulation, we show that microglia act as critical and therapeutically tractable regulators of the transition from chronic pain to affective disorders. Our findings reveal that this transition is governed not by hippocampal hyperactivity per se but rather by microglia-dependent remodeling that determines whether adaptive plasticity is sustained or diverted into maladaptive circuit states. Targeting microglial activation preserves hippocampal structure and cognitive function while preventing affective pathology, positioning microglia as a selective leverage point for interrupting the progression from chronic pain to mood disorders.
Making medicines inside the body. Researchers at Israel’s Technion Institute have generated, in lab tests, live, harmless bacteria that produce fragile therapeutic proteins directly inside the body, and not destroyed in the stomach. Using microneedle patches they could treat war wounds, cancer, diabetes, and many other diseases.
Skin gene helps immune system. Researchers at Israel’s Ben-Gurion University have discovered that the gene ZNF750, essential for forming healthy skin, also supports Langerhans immune skin cells that are the frontline defense against infection. The discovery aids research into skin diseases such as psoriasis and atopic dermatitis.
Calculate the quality of your diet. I gave myself a 12.
Obstructive Sleep Apnea Syndrome and Ischemic Stroke: Investigating Inflammatory Mechanisms. Obstructive Sleep Apnea Syndrome (OSAS) is characterized by repeated episodes of complete (apnea) or partial (hypopnea) collapse of the upper airway during sleep, leading to chronic intermittent hypoxia and/or hypercapnia, and sleep fragmentation. This article discusses potential anti-inflammatory therapeutic strategies, underscores the importance of early OSAS intervention in reducing recurrence and improving outcomes, and offers new perspectives on OSAS-related ischemic stroke mechanisms and clinical management.
