It's the Saturday of a holiday week, so perhaps you're winding down to reset for the new year or still as busy as ever with family festivities. Whatever's ahead, we hope your stress is low and spirits are high. On that note, we bring you the health and wellness edition of the Best of Nice News 2025 series, including a diet that may reduce dementia risk and the health benefits of donating blood — stories that show how taking care of yourself and others can go a long way.
Health
MIND Diet May Curb Dementia Risk by up to 25%, Study Finds
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Most diets are practically synonymous with too-good-to-be-true promises, but the MIND diet — which stands for "Mediterranean-DASH Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay" — might be as good as advertised, even if started later in life, according to a study published in June.
Over a period of 10 years, researchers studied participants between the ages of 45 and 75 who followed the brain-boosting diet, which emphasizes foods like olive oil, berries, leafy greens, and whole grains to curb dementia and age-related cognitive decline. They found that participants who closely followed the MIND diet had a 9% lower risk of dementia compared to those with overall low adherence to the diet. And those who improved their adherence to the MIND diet over time — even if they didn't follow it closely at first — had a 25% lower risk of dementia compared to those whose adherence declined. The takeaway: "It is never too late to adopt a healthy diet to prevent dementia," lead study author Song-Yi Park said in a news release. See which foods the MIND diet encourages (and limits).
Together With Daily Health Digital
Daily Health Digital Reveals the "Joint Drought" Behind Your Pain
If you're dealing with persistent joint discomfort, especially that stubborn morning stiffness, you might be surprised to learn that one of the culprits could be "joint drought." It's when your joints literally dry out from within, losing the essential lubrication they need to move smoothly. Daily Health Digital has a remarkably simple five-second daily routine that targets this root cause directly. The natural approach helps rehydrate your joints from the inside out, addressing the problem at its source rather than just masking symptoms. In the video below, a Boston wellness doctor offers a detailed demonstration explaining the science behind joint drought and showing you exactly how to perform this quick technique.
"He's Doing Great": Baby With Rare Heart Condition Saved by Tiny Pacemaker
NYU Langone Staff
During her second trimester, Sarah Oliveri found out her baby had a heart block: a rare condition that inhibits the heartbeat's signal from moving correctly. "[The doctors] told us it was serious, and there was some fear that we could potentially lose him," Sarah told CBS News. "But we always, from the very beginning, believed that he was going to be OK." Sarah and husband Michael were right, thanks to help from quick-thinking doctors who conducted surgery to implant the world's smallest pacemaker in the baby — also named Michael — and keep his heart rate up. Although pediatric pacemakers exist (like Micra, which is the size of a vitamin and weight of a penny), they were still too big for Michael, who was born at 5.5 pounds in December 2024. So his medical team filed for emergency approval to use an adapted version of the device. About two weeks later, they performed a 75-minute procedure to insert the tiny pacemaker over the heart via one small surgical incision. In early January, Michael reached a huge milestone and got to go home with his two big brothers. "He's doing really well," Sarah said. "He's doing great." See sweet photos of Michael and his family.
Health
If You Require Less Sleep Than Most, It May Be in Your Genes
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Getting seven to nine hours of sleep is a tried-and-true doctor recommendation. While that's generally solid advice, sleep is an individual thing, and your genes can play a role in how much (or little) rest you need. Often called natural short sleepers, some people can snooze between four to six hours each night without feeling sleep deprived. These individuals are likely genetically wired to need less sleep, as a study published in May has linked a mutation in the salt-induced kinase 3 gene, or SIK3, to reduced sleep duration. "These findings underscore the conserved function of SIK3 as a critical gene in human sleep regulation," the authors wrote. Although it's estimated that only about 1%-3% of the world's population are natural short sleepers, the study's lessons could help many more, particularly when it comes to finding new treatments for sleep disorders, which affect 50-70 million Americans. The team noted the results could "advance our understanding of the genetic underpinnings of sleep, highlight the broader implications of kinase activity in sleep regulation across species, and provide further support for potential therapeutic strategies to enhance sleep efficiency."
Health
Why Donating Blood Frequently May Reduce Your Risk of Cancer
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Being a good Samaritan may pay off even more than you thought. While donating blood is a selfless act that can save lives and help address an urgent public health need in the U.S., there might be a good selfish reason to do it, too. A study from researchers at the Francis Crick Institute in London determined that giving blood often may result in genetic changes in our blood stem cells that help prevent cancers like leukemia from developing. When comparing frequent donors (individuals who gave blood three times annually over 40 years) to sporadic ones (those who gave blood fewer than 10 times total), the scientists found that the former were more likely to have favorable genetic mutations in their stem cells. "Our work is a fascinating example of how our genes interact with the environment and as we age," senior author Dominique Bonnet said in a statement. "Activities that put low levels of stress on blood cell production allow our blood stem cells to renew and we think this favors mutations that further promote stem cell growth rather than disease." Learn more about how donating blood may positively impact cancer risk.
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