How Long Poop Stays in Your Body May Impact Your Health, Study Finds
Dr. Joseph Mercola - Take Control of Your Health
Release Date: 07/01/2026
The Status of Cell-Cultured Meat Regulations
Dr. Joseph Mercola - Take Control of Your Health
Cell-cultivated meat has already moved beyond the experimental stage, with five products completing federal review — though clearing review, as you'll see, turns out to be very different from reaching your plate The FDA and USDA share oversight of cell-cultivated meat, creating a multi-step approval process that includes safety reviews, facility inspections, and labeling evaluations before products reach the marketplace States have adopted sharply different approaches, with some banning cell-cultivated meat outright, others requiring special labeling and many still deciding how they will...
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Molecular Hydrogen Shows Promise for High Uric Acid Levels
Dr. Joseph Mercola - Take Control of Your Health
High uric acid has been linked to far more than gout attacks; it also increases your risk of kidney stones, chronic kidney disease, metabolic syndrome, high blood pressure, and cardiovascular disease as inflammatory damage spreads throughout your body Researchers found that adults with high uric acid who drank high-dose hydrogen-rich water for eight weeks lowered their average uric acid levels significantly more than those drinking ordinary water* The strongest improvements appeared after consistent daily use over eight weeks, showing that reducing uric acid levels and associated oxidative...
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Your Brain Is Starving, and It's Not for Food
Dr. Joseph Mercola - Take Control of Your Health
Your brain is about 75% water, and even mild dehydration slows focus, memory, reaction time, and mental clarity long before intense thirst appears Researchers found that 56% of older adults in a two-year cognitive study were physiologically dehydrated, even though most consumed what guidelines considered enough water Dehydration interferes with blood flow, oxygen delivery, and communication between brain cells, which contributes to brain fog, fatigue, irritability, and slower thinking Drinking excessive amounts of plain water creates its own problems by diluting sodium and disrupting...
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Why We Started with Your Gut
Dr. Joseph Mercola - Take Control of Your Health
Story at-a-glance Butyrate is a short-chain fatty acid that serves as the primary fuel for the cells lining your colon. These cells rely on it for the majority of their energy, making it one of the most important molecules for gut health Your gut bacteria produce butyrate by fermenting fiber, but modern diets and disrupted microbiomes mean many people make too little, and the gut suffers for it Conventional butyrate supplements are largely absorbed high in the digestive tract and destroyed before reaching the colon, where the molecule does its most important work — a textbook delivery...
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Why We Started with Your Gut
Dr. Joseph Mercola - Take Control of Your Health
Butyrate is a short-chain fatty acid that serves as the primary fuel for the cells lining your colon. These cells rely on it for the majority of their energy, making it one of the most important molecules for gut health Your gut bacteria produce butyrate by fermenting fiber, but modern diets and disrupted microbiomes mean many people make too little, and the gut suffers for it Conventional butyrate supplements are largely absorbed high in the digestive tract and destroyed before reaching the colon, where the molecule does its most important work — a textbook delivery failure That...
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What Is the Difference Between Sunspots and Skin Cancer?
Dr. Joseph Mercola - Take Control of Your Health
Sunspots usually stay flat and stable over time, while skin cancer often changes shape, color, texture, or sensation as abnormal cells grow and spread Melanoma warning signs follow the ABCDE rule: asymmetry, irregular borders, uneven color, larger diameter, and evolution over time, giving you a simple way to check your own skin each month Many sunspots contain lipofuscin, a waste pigment that researchers believe may form when linoleic acid from seed oils oxidizes in the presence of excess iron and sunlight Elevated ferritin and GGT levels have been associated with higher oxidative stress,...
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Advanced Heart, Kidney, and Metabolic Disease Linked to Higher Cancer Risk
Dr. Joseph Mercola - Take Control of Your Health
Researchers followed more than 1.39 million adults and found that advanced cardiovascular-kidney-metabolic (CKM) disease was strongly associated with higher cancer risk, especially once people reached the more severe stages tied to insulin resistance, kidney dysfunction, and cardiovascular disease Cancer incidence rose from 81.2 cases per 10,000 person-years in the healthiest group to more than 250 cases per 10,000 person-years in advanced CKM stages (an increase that narrowed to roughly 25% to 30% after adjusting for age and other factors), showing how rapidly risk accelerates once multiple...
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How 'Eccentric' Exercise Opens Up a Whole New World of Fitness
Dr. Joseph Mercola - Take Control of Your Health
Eccentric exercise — movements where your muscles lengthen under tension, such as walking downstairs or lowering into a squat — builds greater force with less oxygen demand and less cardiovascular strain than conventional exercise Muscle soreness after eccentric exercise usually comes from inflammation and irritation in connective tissue rather than widespread muscle destruction, and your body rapidly adapts after only one or two sessions Elderly women who performed descending stair walking twice weekly for 12 weeks improved blood pressure, insulin sensitivity, cholesterol markers, and...
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Scientists Reveal Creatine's Hidden Power Beyond Muscle Gains
Dr. Joseph Mercola - Take Control of Your Health
Creatine acts like a rapid energy backup system for your cells, helping your muscles, brain, and heart regenerate ATP during physical exertion, mental stress and recovery from illness or aging Research suggests creatine may support not only exercise performance but also aspects of memory, mood, and mental processing speed — particularly in older adults and people with low creatine stores — though more evidence is needed Decades of controlled research found no evidence that standard creatine doses damage healthy kidneys, cause dehydration, or directly trigger hair loss despite years of...
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How We Finally Got the Active Ingredient Where It Belongs
Dr. Joseph Mercola - Take Control of Your Health
Targeted delivery technologies — lipid nanoparticles, liposomes, and microencapsulation — solve the absorption problem by protecting an active compound and carrying it across the barriers that would normally destroy it or block its absorption These are not fringe ideas. They are the same class of delivery science behind some of the most advanced medicines of the last decade, now applied to nutrition with striking results By formulating a compound at the nanoscale and wrapping it in a protective carrier, researchers can dramatically increase how much survives digestion and reaches the...
info_outline- The amount of time stool stays inside your body strongly influences your gut bacteria, short-chain fatty acid production, inflammation levels, and metabolic health
- Researchers found that slower gut transit shifts bacteria away from carbohydrate fermentation and toward protein fermentation, increasing irritating compounds like ammonia and hydrogen sulfide inside the colon
- A simple blue stool test revealed that people with slower transit times had poorer blood sugar control after meals, higher visceral fat levels, and less favorable metabolic markers
- High-fat diets slow intestinal movement and create a gut environment linked to constipation, poorer energy production, and bacterial imbalance
- Your stool texture acts like a daily gut health report card, and improving movement, hydration, and easier-to-digest foods helps restore healthier bowel transit and a more balanced microbiome