Category: Lifestyle

China is inviting American influencers to join a 10-day, all-expense paid trip through the country this July, as part of Beijing’s efforts to boost people-to-people exchanges and showcase the “real China.”

The initiative, titled “China-Global Youth Influencer Exchange Program,” seeks to enlist young social media influencers with at least 300,000 followers to collaborate with Chinese content creators, according to recruitment posts by Chinese state-affiliated media outlets, including the China Youth Daily.

While relations between China and the U.S. have deteriorated in recent months over issues including geopolitics, technology and trade, the program marks an effort to boost cultural exchanges. Last year, President Xi Jinping had called for more exchanges between Chinese and American universities, after previously announcing a plan to welcome 50,000 American students to China.

Another post in College Daily, a publication particularly targeting Chinese students in North America, specified that applicants for the exchange program based in the U.S., should be active on platforms such as Instagram, YouTube, TikTok and X, and should “love Chinese culture” and “have no history of bad behaviors.”

It called on Chinese students overseas to encourage influencers in their circle to apply, and said the successful candidates will get China’s official invite as well as special assistance from the state to process their visas.

The trip intends to take the participants across five Chinese cities—Suzhou, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Handan and Beijing, and will cover China’s e-commerce hubs, the headquarter of companies such as Xiaohongshu Technology Co. and BYD Co.

The influencers will also partake in cultural activities such as Taichi and be able to live-stream their trip to the Great Wall, according to the posts. Working with Chinese social media influencers on ideas, and getting their content promoted by China’s state media will be part of the deal.

Social media content from western influencers traveling through China post-Covid have won praise from the state media for their authentic portrayal of everyday life in the country. In April, American streamer IShowSpeed’s visit to China sparked widespread curiosity among fans about advancements in Chinese technology.

Authorities have tapped social media influencers to check negative information and promote positive contents. In 2023, think-tank Australian Strategic Policy Institute analyzed over 120 foreign influencers, mostly active on Chinese social media, received the state’s help to grow their influence in return for content that praises and spreads Beijing’s narrative.

This story was originally featured on Fortune.com

A construction project on one of Newark Liberty International Airport’s three main runways wrapped up nearly two weeks early, so the Federal Aviation Administration expects to be able to ease flight limits next week despite the ongoing shortage of air traffic controllers.

Federal Transportation Department officials said Monday that some of the runway equipment must be tested before the FAA can increase the flight limits at the second busiest airport in the New York City area. The runway began to be used for departures Monday but won’t be available for arrivals until after that testing is completed early next week. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said that if all goes well, the runway should be certified by June 10.

Crews worked day and night to complete the $121 million construction project 13 days ahead of schedule and ease some of the problems at the airport. But Newark has also been plagued by cancellations and delays this spring because of a shortage of air traffic controllers after the FAA had technical problems that twice briefly knocked out the radar and communications at a facility in Philadelphia that directs planes in and out of the airport.

Five air traffic controllers went on 45-day trauma leaves after the first radar and communications outage at the Philadelphia facility on April 28, and another one is out on medical leave. That left the facility with only 16 certified controllers and five supervisors. Officials have said there are another 16 experienced controllers in training who should get certified sometime between now and October.

Duffy said “the problem we’re seeing with controllers — it can’t be fixed overnight. It takes time to train up on this airspace,” and Philadelphia isn’t alone — there’s a nationwide shortage of about 3,000 air traffic controllers.

The FAA limited the Newark airport to 28 arrivals and 28 departures an hour last month because of the construction and staff shortages. The agency has said that it expects to be able to bump up the number of flights per hour in Newark to 34 arrivals and 34 departures once the runway construction is done.

The controllers on trauma leave are scheduled to return around the middle of the month. But Duffy said the FAA has enough controllers now to handle the higher limit of 34 arrivals and departures per hour.

Before the air traffic control problems this spring, 38 or 39 flights typically took off and landed hourly at the Newark airport.

United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby said the fact that the FAA imposed firm limits on the Newark airport should significantly improve its reliability. Before these problems, airlines would routinely schedule several more flights per hour than the airport could handle during peak hours. That was a recipe for delays and cancellations.

“This agreement that the FAA drove with the airlines is really a turning point for Newark for long term,” Kirby said.

The airlines were already planning on the FAA increasing the limit to 34 arrivals and departures per hour, and the number they are selling for mid-June and thereafter already matches that limit, Kirby said.

To help get passengers through the airport while the number of flights were limited, United, which operates the most flights out of Newark, brought in bigger airplanes so they could keep passenger numbers up.

But because of all the headlines about problems, ticket sales are down, so Kirby said customers might get a deal on airfare if they are willing to fly out of Newark right now.

The FAA has said it will revisit the limits again in October because it hopes to have more controllers trained by then.

The government also upgraded the software at the air traffic control facility after a second radar outage on May 9. That helped prevent a repeat problem on May 11 when there was another problem with the lines carrying the radar signal down from New York.

Verizon has installed a new fiber optic line between Philadelphia and New York after the problems but that isn’t expected to go into service until July after testing is completed.

Duffy has said that similar problems to what happened in Philadelphia could happen anywhere because the nation’s air traffic control system relies on such outdated technology. So he’s trying to sell Congress on his expensive plan to overhaul the nation’s air traffic control system, even as most other federal agencies face steep cuts in the House Republican budget bill.

This story was originally featured on Fortune.com

Sitting on grocery store shelves among all of the different varieties of fruit juice is an unassuming nutritional powerhouse: tart cherry juice. It turns out, this beverage is a well-studied supplement teeming with benefits, according to research and sports performance dietitian Susan Kitchen.

Tart cherry juice, which comes from the Montmorency cherries primarily grown in the U.S., is highly concentrated with vitamins, minerals, and beneficial compounds that leave nutrition experts like Kitchen recommending it.

Here is what you should know about tart cherry juice’s benefits, and how much is the ideal amount to drink.

Reduces inflammation

Because tart cherry juice is rich in antioxidants and polyphenols, Kitchen says, that helps to combat free radicals that cause oxidative stress and inflammation in the body. Free radicals can be a natural byproduct of normal metabolism, or they can emerge as a result of consuming ultra-processed foods or from exposure to pollution and chemicals.

Over time, that oxidative stress can lead to systemic inflammation linked to chronic diseases like Type 2 diabetes or heart disease, which is why you want to eat a diet rich in antioxidants, Kitchen says.

A small study from 2019 found that regular tart cherry juice consumption among older adults—68 milliliters of Montmorency tart cherry concentrate diluted with 412 milliliters of water—helped reduce inflammation and even lowered blood pressure and LDL cholesterol, two markers of cardiovascular disease risk.

Promotes muscle recovery and better exercise performance

Reducing inflammation presents another benefit for those who work out regularly, making tart cherry juice a sought-after supplement for many exercise enthusiasts and athletes, according to Kitchen, who specializes in working with endurance athletes (triathletes, runners, cyclists) and everyday fitness enthusiasts.

“It helps with the inflammation and will boost recovery,” Kitchen tells Fortune. “It will help to mitigate the oxidative stress and help the athlete to perform with better muscle function sooner.”

A 2017 review of 11 randomized controlled trials revealed that tart cherry juice may help athletes experience reduced pain and muscle soreness, inflammation and oxidative stress, while promoting quicker recovery to their baseline.

Tart cherry juice can be especially helpful for people participating in tournaments, practices, games, or matches that are close together when the recovery time between is cut short, she adds.

But if you’re looking to reap the exercise-related benefits of tart cherry juice while getting your fitness gains, Kitchen says when you drink it is important. After a hard workout, your body experiences acute inflammation to heal your damaged muscles, and that is a crucial part of the recovery process. While reducing inflammation is largely viewed as ideal, acute inflammation is necessary for the desired adaptations your body makes post-exercise—like building muscle.

“None of the magic happens when you do a hard workout. The magic happens in how you recover,” Kitchen says. When blood flows to those damaged muscles, which have little tears in them from the workout, that helps to build that muscle back stronger, she explains.

Tart cherry juice may disrupt that process, however, if you drink it right away. “If you blunt that response, then you don’t necessarily repair the muscle in the same way that you would if the body were left to its natural process,” Kitchen says.

Because of that, Kitchen advises waiting four to six hours after a workout before you drink tart cherry juice.

Improves sleep quality

You might remember the “sleepy girl mocktail” social media trend, made from tart cherry juice and magnesium that influencers claimed promoted better sleep. It turns out, there is science behind tart cherry juice’s sleep-boosting effects.

Research shows that tart cherry juice can boost melatonin—the sleep hormone—production, leading to better, longer sleep. A 2011 study showed that participants who drank one ounce of tart cherry juice concentrate twice a day for one week had increased melatonin levels as well as increases in overall time in bed, total sleep time, and sleep efficiency.

Kitchen says that because the melatonin-boosting effects peak in the system about one to three hours after drinking, it’s best consumed an hour before bed. She does warn it could potentially make you sleepy if you drink it during the day, so save it for bedtime.

How much tart cherry juice should you drink?

You don’t need to chug a whole glass of tart cherry juice to experience its benefits, Kitchen points out. She recommends one ounce (two tablespoons) of tart cherry juice concentrate mixed in three to six ounces of water per day.

“In that dose you could have 50 to 60 cherries,” Kitchen says.

There could be potential side effects and drug interactions that come with drinking tart cherry juice for some, however, which is why you should consult your doctor before you start drinking it. Tart cherry juice contains salicylates, which have anti-clotting properties similar to blood thinners like warfarin, and taking both could increase risk of bleeding. Additionally, tart cherry juice contains sorbitol, a natural sugar alcohol that may lead to an upset stomach for some people. Those with Type 2 diabetes should also exercise caution, given the natural sugar content in tart cherry juice.

You’ll want to look for products that say unsweetened tart cherry juice concentrate, Kitchen explains, which will be the most nutrient- and antioxidant-dense form. Additionally, she says to make sure you are getting products that are labeled tart cherry (from the Montmorency variety), as opposed to only cherry juice which could come from sweet (Bing) cherries that don’t share the same benefits.

If you want to drink it every day, Kitchen says it won’t hurt, especially since the dose is so small and the nutritional content outweighs any concerns about the sugar content. But it’s important to remember that this one product can’t fix it all, despite its many benefits. 

“This is not just one magic thing. If you have muscle soreness that’s chronic that’s not improving over time, you don’t just want to keep trying to decrease that and ignore it,” Kitchen says. “You want to pay attention to your body and not keep trying to medicate it, even if it’s something natural.”

Kitchen also emphasizes that drinking tart cherry juice won’t mitigate a poor diet and other unhealthy habits, which is why it should be used in conjunction with a diet that’s already high in other antioxidant-rich foods like berries, leafy greens, coffee, nuts, and seeds.

For more on superfoods:

• An expert says don’t waste your money on beetroot supplements—try this instead
• Long-living blue zone diets are fueling the latest superfood craze: Beans
• Meet the hot new superfood—dark green algae powder that’s full of vitamins, minerals, protein, and omega-3s
• Chia seeds are a superfood that could help combat world hunger and climate change, researchers say

This story was originally featured on Fortune.com

There are plenty of hideouts in the rugged terrain of the Ozark Mountains, from abandoned cabins to campsites in the vast forests where searchers are hunting for a convicted former police chief known as the “Devil in the Ozarks.”

Others are not only off the grid but beneath it, in the hundreds of caves that lead to vast subterranean spaces.

Local, state and federal law enforcement have continued to scour the region around the prison throughout the third day of the search.

“Until we have credible evidence that he is not in the area, we assume that he’s probably still in the area,” Rand Champion, a spokesman for the Arkansas Department of Corrections, said at a press conference Wednesday.

Fugitive Grant Hardin, 56, “knows where the caves are,” said Darla Nix, a cafe owner in Pea Ridge, Arkansas, whose sons grew up around him. Nix, who describes Hardin as a survivor, remembers him as a “very, very smart” and mostly quiet person.

For the searchers, “caves have definitely been a source of concern and a point of emphasis,” said Champion.

“That’s one of the challenges of this area — there are a lot of places to hide and take shelter, a lot of abandoned sheds, and there are a lot of caves in this area, so that’s been a priority for the search team,” Champion said.

The area around the prison is “one of the most cave-dense regions of the state,” said Matt Covington, a University of Arkansas geology professor who studies caves.Impersonating an officer

Hardin, the former police chief in the small town of Gateway near the Arkansas-Missouri border, was serving lengthy sentences for murder and rape. He was the subject of the TV documentary “Devil in the Ozarks.”

He escaped Sunday from the North Central Unit — a medium-security prison also known as the Calico Rock prison — by wearing an outfit designed to look like a law enforcement uniform, according to Champion. A prison officer opened a secure gate, allowing him to leave the facility. Champion said that someone should have checked Hardin’s identity before he was allowed to leave the facility, describing the lack of verification as a “lapse” that is being investigated.

It took authorities approximately 30 minutes to notice Hardin had escaped.

Champion said that inmates are evaluated and given a classification when they first enter the prison system to determine where they are housed. There are portions of the Calico Rock facility that are maximum-security.

While incarcerated, Hardin did not have any major disciplinary issues, Champion said.

Authorities have been using canines, drones and helicopters to search for Hardin in the rugged northern Arkansas terrain, Champion said. The sheriffs of several counties across the Arkansas Ozarks had urged residents to lock their homes and vehicles and call 911 if they notice anything suspicious.Dark places to hide

In some ways, the terrain is similar to the site of one of the most notorious manhunts in U.S. history.

Bomber Eric Rudolph, described by authorities as a skilled outdoorsman, evaded law officers for years in the Appalachian Mountains of western North Carolina. It was a five-year manhunt that finally ended in 2003 with his capture.

Rudolph knew of many cabins in the area owned by out-of-town people, and he also knew of caves in the area, former FBI executive Chris Swecker, who led the agency’s Charlotte, North Carolina, office at the time, said in the FBI’s historical account of the case.

“He was anticipating a great conflict and he had clearly lined up caves and campsites where he could go,” Swecker said.

Rudolph pleaded guilty to federal charges associated with four bombings in Georgia and Alabama.

There are nearly 2,000 documented caves in northern Arkansas, state officials say. Many of them have entrances only a few feet wide that are not obvious to passersby, said Michael Ray Taylor, who has written multiple books on caves, including “Hidden Nature: Wild Southern Caves.”

The key is finding the entrance, Taylor said.

“The entrance may look like a rabbit hole, but if you wriggle through it, suddenly you find enormous passageways,” he said.

It would be quite possible to hide out underground for an extended period, but “you have to go out for food, and you’re more likely to be discovered,” he said.Checkered past

Hardin had a checkered and brief law enforcement career. He worked at the Fayetteville Police Department from August 1990 to May 1991, but was let go because he didn’t meet the standards of his training period, a department spokesman said.

Hardin worked about six months at the Huntsville Police Department before resigning, but records do not give a reason for his resignation, according to Police Chief Todd Thomas, who joined the department after Hardin worked there.

Hardin later worked at the Eureka Springs Police Department from 1993 to 1996. Former Chief Earl Hyatt said Hardin resigned because Hyatt was going to fire him over incidents that included the use of excessive force.

“He did not need to be a police officer at all,” Hyatt told television station KNWA.

He continued to have trouble in his brief stint as an officer in Gateway, according to the 450-person town’s mayor Cheryl Tillman.

While Hardin was the town’s sole officer, “there was things that I seen that wasn’t good. He was always angry,” said Tillman, who wasn’t mayor at the time.

Hardin pleaded guilty in 2017 to first-degree murder for the killing of James Appleton, 59. Appleton, who was Tillman’s brother, worked for the Gateway water department when he was shot in the head on Feb. 23, 2017, near Garfield. Police found Appleton’s body inside a car. Hardin was sentenced to 30 years in prison.

He was also serving 50 years for the 1997 rape of an elementary school teacher in Rogers, north of Fayetteville.

He had been held in the Calico Rock prison since 2017.

This story was originally featured on Fortune.com

Finding a way to manage stress and anxiety takes a lot of mental effort, which is why some look to supplements for additional support. And if you’ve ever researched the many different suggestions for stress and anxiety management, you’ve likely come across the term adaptogens. These are ingredients derived from herbs, roots, mushrooms, and plants that are converted into nutritional supplements or added to other foods.

Adaptogen supplements have surged in popularity—the market value was estimated at over $10 billion in 2023 and is only expected to grow. Common adaptogen supplements include ashwagandha, rhodiola, and ginseng, which can be found in capsules or teas; and fungi, like the reishi mushroom, which is often dried and crushed into a powder. As adaptogens have become more mainstream, you can even buy in the form of mushroom coffee, sparkling water, and drink mixes.

But do these supplements actually work? Here’s what one expert has to say.

Do adaptogens help relieve stress and anxiety?

Adaptogens “may help our bodies manage stress or more quickly restore homeostasis, or the body’s natural balance, after stressful situations,” says Dana Hunnes, senior dietitian supervisor at UCLA Medical Center and professor at the Fielding School of Public Health. 

Those stressors can be physiological, like an injury or burnout from work, or psychological, such as from emotional distress, she adds.

Hunnes explains that adaptogens may help lower cortisol levels that would dampen the body’s stress response. But that largely depends on the dose you get, which can be hard to pinpoint.

“It’s not really clear how effective they are and what dose is ‘needed’ to have the desired effect,” Hunnes tells Fortune in an email. 

Ashwagandha, for example, is an herb that’s been used for centuries in India’s Ayurvedic system of medicine. Some research indicates that it may help improve sleep and alleviate anxiety. But how much is needed to benefit is unclear.

“Additionally, it’s not known whether the dose of adaptogens that are available for purchase, or the amounts found in supplements or beverages on the market, are high enough to produce a medicinal effect,” Hunnes says.

And since there is little evidence that one type of adaptogen is better than another, Hunnes explains, it’s hard to say which will work best for you. 

The risks of taking adaptogens

Adaptogens, like other supplements, aren’t regulated the way drugs are—which could lead to a wide variation in dosage. “So what you think you’re buying may not actually contain as much—or may sometimes contain more—than you think,” Hunnes says.

She also cautions that adaptogens carry risks and side effects, which is why you should always talk to your doctor before taking any supplement. Ashwagandha, one of the more popular forms of adaptogens, has been associated with an increased risk of acute liver toxicity or shock and should not be used during pregnancy. Ashwagandha may also increase testosterone levels, which is often not desirable for women.  

Reishi mushroom may produce side effects like nausea and insomnia, and could cause liver damage, according to Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.

“Not every ‘herbal supplement’ is good for you or safe to consume,” Hunnes says.

Additionally, there are potential drug interactions that come with any adaptogens, she says. Reishi mushroom could negatively interact with commonly prescribed blood thinners, like warfarin, increasing the risk of bleeding. Taking adaptogens with antidepressants could lead to symptoms like abdominal pain, nausea, and restless leg syndrome. 

“Just because something claims to be healthy in isolation does not mean it will be healthy in your body or mixed with other medications,” Hunnes says.

Should you take adaptogens?

“I honestly wouldn’t recommend it,” Hunnes says. “There are just too many unknown or unknowable interactions that can take place between taking ‘supplements’ and ‘herbs’ and medications, even over-the-counter medications.”

“I really would advocate for finding non-medicinal ways of dealing with anxiety or stress,” she adds.

If you find yourself in a period of high stress or anxiety, Hunnes recommends the following strategies before reaching for a supplement:

• Slow down and take time for yourself.
• Set boundaries.
• Do things that relax you.
• Spend time in nature.
• Cut back on caffeine, which can cause more stimulation.

The American Psychological Association (APA) also has grounding and relaxation techniques to help calm your nervous system. However, if you are struggling with chronic stress and anxiety, the APA advises seeking professional help from a psychologist.

For more on supplements:

• Why probiotic supplements might be ‘a waste of money’ and could even backfire for some
• The dietary supplements you think are improving your health may be damaging your liver, research warns
• The best diet to help lower your risk of prostate cancer, according to experts 
• 3 takeaways from a cardiologist and ‘SuperAgers’ researcher on how to live longer and healthier 

This story was originally featured on Fortune.com

BOSTON (AP) — Harvard University will relinquish 175-year-old photographs believed to be the earliest taken of enslaved people to a South Carolina museum devoted to African American history as part of a settlement with one of the subjects’ descendants.

The photos of the subjects identified by Tamara Lanier as her great-great-great-grandfather Renty, whom she calls “Papa Renty,” and his daughter Delia will be transferred from the Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology to the International African American Museum in South Carolina, the state where they were enslaved in 1850 when the photos were taken, a lawyer for Lanier said Wednesday.

The settlement marks the end of a 15-year battle between Lanier and the nation’s most elite university to release the 19th-century “daguerreotypes,” a precursor to modern-day photographs. Lanier’s attorney Joshua Koskoff told The Associated Press that the resolution is an “unprecedented” victory for descendants of those enslaved in the U.S. and praised his client’s yearslong determination in pursuing justice for her ancestors.

“I think it’s one of one in American history, because of the combination of unlikely features: to have a case that dates back 175 years, to win control over images dating back that long of enslaved people — that’s never happened before,” Koskoff said in a phone interview.

The AP sent an email seeking comment from Harvard.

A complex history

Lanier, who lives in Connecticut, sued the Ivy League institution in 2019 for “wrongful seizure, possession and expropriation” of the images of Renty, Delia and five other enslaved individuals. The suit attacked Harvard for its “exploitation” of Renty’s image at a 2017 conference and in other uses. It said Harvard has capitalized on the photos by demanding a “hefty” licensing fee to reproduce the images.

The daguerreotypes were commissioned by Harvard biologist Louis Agassiz, whose theories on racial difference were used to support slavery in the U.S. The lawsuit says Agassiz came across Renty and Delia while touring plantations in search of racially “pure” slaves born in Africa.

To create the images, both Renty and Delia were posed shirtless and photographed from several angles.

“To Agassiz, Renty and Delia were nothing more than research specimens,” the suit says. “The violence of compelling them to participate in a degrading exercise designed to prove their own subhuman status would not have occurred to him, let alone mattered.”

Frank Franklin II—AP Photo

In 2022, the Massachusetts Supreme Court ruled in Lanier’s favor and reaffirmed the merits of Lanier’s lawsuit against Harvard after a lower court judge ruled she had no legal claim to the images.

The state’s highest court recognized “Harvard’s complicity in the horrific actions surrounding the creation of the daguerreotypes,” saying that “Harvard’s present obligations cannot be divorced from its past abuses.”

A new home for Renty and Delia

In a statement Wednesday, CEO of the International African American Museum Dr. Tonya M. Matthews called Harvard’s relinquishing of the images a moment “175 years in the making.”

“The bravery, tenacity, and grace shown by Ms. Lanier throughout the long and arduous process of returning these critical pieces of Renty and Delia’s story to South Carolina is a model for us all,” she said.

The South Carolina museum has committed to working with Lanier and including her in decisions about how the story of the images will be told.

“It’s not an improvement just to move them from one closet in a mighty institution to another. And so really, the real importance of this is to allow these images to breathe, to allow the story — the full story — to be told not by a conflicted player in the story, which Harvard was from the beginning,” Koskoff said.

The attorney said “everybody has the right to tell the story of their own families.”

“That’s the least, most basic right we might have,” he said. “To be able to tell the story of her family with a museum that will allow her to tell it — I mean, you can’t do any better than that.”

In Lanier’s lawsuit, she asked for Harvard to acknowledge its complicity in slavery, listen to Lanier’s oral family history and pay an unspecified sum in damages. An undisclosed financial settlement was part of the resolution with Harvard announced Wednesday, but Koskoff said Harvard still hasn’t publicly acknowledged Lanier’s connection to them or its connection to perpetuating slavery in the U.S., Koskoff said.

“That is just left unanswered by Harvard,” he said.

He said Lanier isn’t expecting or waiting to hear from the institution, but that the settlement speaks for itself.

“In the end, the truth will find you — you can you can only hide from it for so long,” he said. “Yes, history is written by the winners. But over time, you know, those winners look like losers sometimes.”

This story was originally featured on Fortune.com

Former President Joe Biden has been diagnosed with prostate cancer—one of the 300,000 new cases diagnosed in the U.S. each year. Prostate cancer is the second-most common cancer among men behind skin cancer, with about 1 in 8 men diagnosed during their lifetime, according to the American Cancer Society (ACS).

Every man’s risk is different, depending on their lifestyle, race/ethnicity, family history, and age. Prostate cancer is more likely to develop in older men, the ACS says. (The average age of men first diagnosed is 67; Biden is 82). 

The American Association for Cancer Research claims that one of the most controllable factors in lowering overall cancer risk is your eating habits: Of the American Institute for Cancer Research’s 10 cancer prevention recommendations, six are based on diet.

“Whether someone is concerned about reducing their risk of prostate cancer or improving their survival after a diagnosis, we recommend a combined healthy diet, weight management and physical activity as the most effective evidence-based approach,” says Dr. Nigel Brockton, Vice President of Research at the American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR).

“The strongest modifiable risk factor for prostate cancer risk is obesity rather than diet or individual components of diet, directly,” Brockton says. “We recommend avoiding foods that are linked to increased risk for obesity, including sugar-sweetened beverages and fast and ultra-processed foods.”

Consider limiting these foods

Research indicates that certain foods—specifically meat and dairy—could increase the risk of prostate cancer, says Martha Silva, RD, LDN, oncology dietitian at Mass General Brigham. 

Men who consume a lot of dairy may have a slightly higher risk of developing prostate cancer, research shows. One study of nearly 48,000 men found that those with diets high in calcium had a greater risk of developing prostate cancer, and more aggressive forms of the cancer. A systematic review revealed that some studies have found a correlation between milk consumption—especially full-fat—and increased prostate cancer risk.

Brockton is skeptical of limiting dairy and calcium too much, because the research is limited. 

“Higher intakes of dairy or dietary calcium may increase prostate cancer risk but we do not have a specific recommendation to avoid these foods because they are linked to a reduced risk of other types of cancer (breast and colorectal cancer),” he tells Fortune. 

Another systematic review from 2022—which included 1.9 million men across 25 studies—found that higher total meal consumption and a diet high in processed meats (deli meat, sausages, hot dogs, etc.) was linked with higher risk of prostate cancer. And a 2014 study found that habitual consumption of a diet high in saturated fat, well-done meats, and calcium was associated with an increased risk of advanced prostate cancer.

Additionally, Silva advises limiting alcohol because it could cause DNA mutations that lead to cancer growth, Silva says.

Focus on fruits and veggies

Silva likes to encourage people to “bump up those plant foods as much as possible” and focus on what you’re adding into your diet, rather than taking away.

A 2024 study from the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) found that men with localized prostate cancer who ate a primarily plant-based diet had a 47% lower risk that their cancer would progress compared to those who consumed the most animal products.

In that study, of 2,000 men with a median age of 65, the researchers found that eating just one or two more servings per day of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains and less dairy and meat had the best health outcomes. Another study found that men who consumed at least 28 servings of vegetables per week had a reduced risk of prostate cancer compared with those who ate fewer than 14 servings per week.

The UCSF study also promotes eating fruits and vegetables to lower the risk of prostate cancer because of the vitamins, minerals, and cancer-fighting phytochemicals like carotenoids, lycopene, indoles, and flavonols.

Experts have previously pointed out that fiber and plant-based eating are key components of a diet that can help lower overall cancer risk, but there are certain fruits and veggies that may be even more powerful in the fight against prostate cancer, Silva says. 

There is evidence that cruciferous vegetables—like broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, kale, bok choy, arugula, Brussels sprouts, and radishes—could play a unique role in preventing prostate cancer as well. That’s because of a phytochemical called sulforaphane found in these veggies, which is known to help prevent numerous types of cancer in addition to prostate.

Silva adds that tomatoes and watermelon have one compound that has been found to be particularly protective against prostate cancer: lycopene. Research shows that lycopene can not only slow the progression and growth of prostate cancer cells, but it also could provoke the death of prostate cancer cells. However, Brockton cautions that research is still limited on lycopene, and a strong link has not been established yet.

Silva recommends eating at least five servings of whole fruits and vegetables daily to reap their cancer-protective effects—but the more you can eat, the better, she says. She advises keeping frozen fruits and vegetables—which are just as nutritious as fresh—stocked in your freezer to add into smoothies, oatmeal, or dinners.

Fill up on fiber

There’s another nutrient that fruits and vegetables have in common that has protective qualities against cancer: fiber.

Fiber can help prevent cancer in numerous ways, experts say. Eating high-fiber foods—like whole grains, fruits, vegetables, beans, nuts, and seeds—can boost your gut health, which in turn strengthens your immune system, according to Brockton. A stronger immune system will give your body the tools to fight off potentially cancerous cells, he told Fortune.

One study also found that eating high-fiber whole grains was able to lower risk of aggressive prostate cancer via the production of the sex-hormone binding globulin, which helps regulate androgen levels that influence prostate cancer growth.

The U.S. Dietary Guidelines recommend that men consume about 28 to 34 grams of fiber per day, but Silva advises shooting for 35 grams. She recommends making easy swaps like brown rice for white rice or whole grain bread for white bread to boost your fiber intake.

“Small changes like that can certainly help to move the needle,” Silva tells Fortune.

You can also reach for high-fiber foods like:

• Oats, barley, quinoa, amaranth, bulgur, and millet
• Beans and lentils
• Nuts and seeds
• Berries
• Avocados
• Leafy greens like kale, spinach, bok choy, and arugula
• Apples and pears
• Sweet potatoes
• Popcorn

Add in omega-3s

Some research also indicates that foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids could also help slow the progression of prostate cancer. A recent study from UCLA showed that a diet low in omega-6 fatty acids—like those found in vegetable oil and some packaged or fast foods—and high in omega-3s, significantly reduced the growth rate of prostate cancer cells in men with early-stage disease. 

You can get omega-3s from fish oil supplements, along with foods such as:

• Salmon
• Sardines
• Trout
• Walnuts
• Flaxseeds
• Chia seeds

For more on diet and cancer risk:

• How much ultraprocessed food is too much? The exact amount that raises your risk of heart disease and cancer
• This is the best nut to eat if you want to lower your colorectal cancer risk, study finds
• RFK Jr. warns seed oils are poisoning Americans, and a new study shows a possible link to cancer

This story was originally featured on Fortune.com

LONDON (AP) — A British judge ordered Grammy-winning singer Chris Brown released on 5 million-pound ($6.7 million) bail on Wednesday while facing allegations he beat and seriously injured a music producer with a bottle in a London nightclub in 2023.

The decision by a judge in Southwark Crown Court revives Brown’s world tour that was cast in doubt when another judge ordered him held in custody after he was charged last week with causing grievous bodily harm with intent.

Judge Tony Baumgartner said that Brown could continue with this tour, including several stops in the U.K., but would have to pay the bail to guarantee his appearance in court.

Brown was initially scheduled to appear in court again on June 13. If he had been held until then, Brown would have missed at least two dates on his upcoming tour, which starts next month in Europe.

Brown, 36, is accused of launching an unprovoked attack on producer Abe Diaw at the Tape nightclub in the swanky Mayfair neighborhood in February 2023 while he was on last tour.

Prosecutor Hannah Nicholls said last week in Manchester Magistrates’ Court that Brown struck Diaw several times with a bottle and then punched and kicked him in an attack caught on surveillance camera in front of a club full of people.

American musician Omololu Akinlolu, 38, who performs under the name “Hoody Baby” and is a friend of Brown, was also charged in the attack.

Neither Brown nor Akinlolu have entered a plea yet. Both men were ordered to appear in court again on June 20.

Brown, who burst onto the music scene as a teen in 2005, won his first Grammy for best R&B album in 2011 for “F.A.M.E.” and then earned his second in the same category for “11:11 (Deluxe)” earlier this year.

His hits include songs such as “Run It,” “Kiss Kiss” and “Without You.”

His tour is due to kick off June 8 in Amsterdam before starting North America shows in July.

This story was originally featured on Fortune.com

If your social media feed is filled with food and recipes, there’s a good chance you’ve encountered someone cooking with coconut oil. Often used as a fat in baked goods or as a substitute for butter in cooking, many social media users promote coconut oil as a healthier alternative to seed oils (which have been inaccurately labeled as ‘poisonous‘) or animal fats. Some even claim that eating straight coconut oil every day can help you lose weight.

But if you look at the nutritional content of coconut oil, you might get confused about its reputation as a health food. Coconut oil is high in saturated fat, and eating a diet high in saturated fat which can raise your LDL (bad) cholesterol levels, increasing your risk of heart disease and stroke.

“That’s one of the most misunderstood foods. It is not a good-for-you fat,” says registered dietitian and NYU professor of nutrition Lisa Young. “Typically it’s about 90% saturated fat—that’s high.”

Is coconut oil healthy?

The evidence on coconut oil reflects that it’s not the healthiest fat you could choose. One study indicated that coconut oil raises LDL cholesterol less than butter, but researchers still suggested swapping butter for unsaturated fats like olive and canola oil.

Some people on social media have encouraged eating spoonfuls of coconut oil claiming that it helps you burn fat and lose weight, but Young asserts that the research behind that has been misinterpreted. Studies have indicated that medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs), found in coconut oil, could lead to weight loss; however, the research does not support coconut oil’s role in burning fat, Young says, as those studies looked at pure MCTs, not coconut oil itself.

If you enjoy coconut oil for its flavor—like Young, who is a self-proclaimed coconut-lover—consider the high saturated fat content. As with any food high in saturated fat, like butter or red meat, coconut oil is best eaten in moderation, Young says.

“If you want to have it in moderation, that’s fine,” she says. “Nothing is wrong with a small portion, but you’ve got to stick with the moderation.”

The American Heart Association advises that people eat no more than 13 grams of saturated fat per day, or get less than 6% of their daily calories from saturated fat sources (the AHA lists coconut as one of these sources). For someone eating 2,000 calories, that’s 120 calories from saturated fat or less.

There are certain people who Young advises to avoid coconut oil: those who have a diet higher in saturated fat, and those who have—or have a family history of—high cholesterol, diabetes, or heart disease.

“If heart health is an issue for you, you should switch to something like olive oil immediately,” she says.

For more on heart health and diet:

• Just one simple dietary change could help you fight back against cancer and heart disease
• The 4 best diets for heart health, and 1 to avoid
• Intermittent fasting linked to 91% increase in risk of death from heart disease, study says
• How much ultraprocessed food is too much? The exact amount that raises your risk of heart disease and cancer

This story was originally featured on Fortune.com

As we become increasingly aware of toxins lurking in our food—including protein powder, dark chocolate, and brown rice—it’s only natural to wonder about other foods you regularly eat. One of those foods might be fish, some of which is known to be high in mercury—a neurotoxin. And while chowing down on tuna salad or a sushi roll you may be wondering: How much mercury is too much?

“All you have to worry about is, don’t eat high mercury fish several times a week,” food scientist Abbey Thiel tells Fortune. 

Mercury, according to the Environmental Protection Agency, is a both a naturally occurring element (from volcanic activity) and a byproduct of industrial pollution, coal burning, power plants, and burning fossil fuels, which disperse the toxin into the air for it to be deposited back into water bodies and ground sediments that convert it into an even more toxic form, known as methylmercury. 

High levels of mercury exposure can harm the brain, heart, kidneys, lungs, and immune system of people of all ages—but it is considered the greatest threat to infants in the womb, whose brain and nervous system development is at risk, and children, who could face worsened cognitive thinking, memory, attention, language, fine motor skills, and visual spatial skills.

Fish are the primary food source of mercury, Thiel says, and thankfully, there are only a handful of culprits to keep track of.

Which fish are highest in mercury

Fish that are high up on the food chain are the ones that will have the highest mercury levels, explains Environmental Working Group senior scientist Tasha Stoiber.

Those include:

• King mackerel
• Shark
• Swordfish
• Marlin
• Tuna 

They have the highest levels because mercury bioaccumulates in their bodies from eating smaller fish that already have mercury in their systems as well.

“Sometimes they eat hundreds of these other fish in one gulp,” Thiel says. When mercury enters a fish’s body, Thiel explains, it binds to their muscles and proteins and remains in their body, continuing to build up as that fish consumes other fish with mercury. “When we eat those proteins, then we now have it in our body, and it can bind to our different proteins and muscles,” she adds.

How much high-mercury fish is safe to eat

For the predatory fish known to be highest in mercury, Stoiber recommends eating them “very infrequently or not at all.”

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention follows the Food and Drug Administration’s chart of fish highest and lowest in mercury, providing the following guidance for pregnant and breastfeeding women and young children:

• Eat a variety of fish.
• If you eat fish caught by family or friends, check for fish advisories. If there is no advisory, eat only one serving and no other fish that week.
• Try to avoid eating the “Choices to Avoid” fish (found on the FDA chart) or feeding them to children. It is best to eat a variety of fish from the “Best Choices” and “Good Choices” categories on the chart.

And for adults:

• Eat 2 to 3 servings (between 8 and 12 ounces; 1 serving = 4 ounces of fish measured before cooking) of fish a week from the “Best Choices” list OR 1 serving (4 ounces) from the “Good Choices” list on the FDA chart.

“Mercury messes up how the brain will develop,” Thiel says. “Young kids should be very careful, and pregnant mothers and nursing mothers.”

Swap for fish that are lowest in mercury

Smaller, non-predatory fish are your best bet to reap the nutritional benefits of seafood and avoid too much mercury, experts say.

“These little fish, they just don’t eat the amount that a large predator fish does,” Thiel says. “Yes they do have mercury, but it’s such a considerably lower amount than other fish.”

You can check the FDA’s chart for a full list, and the EWG also has a seafood guide of the safest choices. Low-mercury fish include:

• Cod
• Salmon
• Sardines
• Tilapia
• Haddock
• Trout 

When eating those fish, “You could have 2-3 servings of fish [per week] and not even worry,” Thiel says.

The omega-3s in fish like salmon could be doing heavy lifting to combat the negative effects of mercury, Stoiber adds. “If you’re eating fish higher in omega-3s, the omega-3s act protectively—that is actually really good for brain development,” she says. 

Stoiber learned this from a study the EWG conducted in 2018, which found that switching to lower-mercury fish not only drastically reduced the mercury levels in the body in just three months, but also acted as a protective mechanism for children’s brain development because of omega-3s’ known benefits.

“Eating lower mercury is ideal,” Stoiber says. “That combination of lower mercury plus omega-3s is where you get the most benefit.”

For more on toxins:

• Some women are turning to menstrual cups after a study found toxic metals in tampons. Here’s what period cups are and how they work
• This small business tested common toothpaste brands for toxic metals. Here’s what it found
• 8 toxic ingredients lurking in your skincare and hair products. What to avoid

This story was originally featured on Fortune.com