Blog

By Dr.David Zava, ZRT Laboratory In 2002 several large-scale clinical studies were published on the risks of breast cancer in postmenopausal women using conventional FDA-approved hormone therapy. These were the Women’s Health Initiative (WHI) and Million Women’s studies of women using FDA-approved estrogens and progestogens in the United States and Great Britain, respectively [1,2]. Both studies came to the same conclusion – that estrogen therapy, mostly in the form of oral conjugated equine estrogens, by itself did not significantly increase the risk of breast cancer and, to the surprise of many, was associated with a lower risk. However, when estrogen was...

By Dr. Alison McAllister, ZRT Laboratory Did you know there are 5 places in the world where your odds of living to 100 are greater than anywhere else on the planet? These regions are called "Blue Zones" and include Sardinia (Italy), Okinawa (Japan), Loma Linda (California, Seventh-day Adventists), Nicoya (Costa Rica), and Ikaria (Greece). Based on the research and writings of Dan Buettner, people are studying these communities to try to find out how they have tapped into the fountain of youth and are trying to introduce these tools into new communities and towns. What do these Blue Zone communities have in common?...

By Dr. Allison Smith, ZRT Laboratory Having just entered my forties, my radar’s perked for solid information coming out of the research community on the perimenopausal transition. What can I do to make this 10 or so years of transition useful and even helpful to the future postmenopausal me? As women, we’re no strangers to functioning in some level of consistent discomfort – whether cycle-related, birth control related, pregnancy or post-partum related, or multiple-role related. We just manage through it one way or another with the idea that the pain is for a purpose. That said, perimenopause may be different: for...

Dr. Sanjay Kapur, ZRT Laboratory.  Stress and depression have both been linked with diabetes and heart disease, and if left untreated, can lead to more complications. Understanding these two contributing factors can help doctors formulate suitable treatment plans for their patients, so it is important to discuss the possibility of having either stress or depression with our health care providers even if they forget to ask.  Stress can come from many sources, including one’s occupation; having lost or the threat of losing our jobs or homes; or taking care of our elderly parents or children with disabilities. Stress in all...

By Dr. Julie Verfurth, ZRT Laboratory One of the most common signs associated with advancing age is wrinkling, thinning, and sagging of the skin. Several different internal and external processes can contribute to these signs. However, one of the main culprits responsible for the seemingly unavoidable loss of skin vitality that occurs with age is the loss of collagen.  Collagen Collagen is the main structural protein found in all connective tissues of people and animals. Collagen supports surrounding tissues giving them structural integrity. Collagen is contained within the extracellular matrix of the connective tissue layer underneath the skin, providing strength...