Category: Motivational

Human “biology was never intended to handle” ultraprocessed foods, former FDA head David Kessler warns

Ultraprocessed foods – essentially those boxed and wrapped in plastic, ready-to-eat items lining grocery store shelves. [Also widely used in fast food restaurants.]

Dr. David Kessler is the former commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. In the 1990s he helped expose how the tobacco companies manipulated nicotine levels to hook consumers. 

* Over the last 40 years, the United States has been exposed to something that our biology was never intended to handle. Energy-dense, highly palatable, rapidly absorbable, ultraprocessed foods that have altered our metabolism and have resulted in the greatest increase in chronic disease in our history. Type 2 diabetes, pre-diabetes, hypertension, abnormal lipids, fatty liver, heart attacks, stroke, heart failure.

* The scale of this [consumption of ultraprocessed foods compared to smoking]– this affects everybody. Understand, not everybody smoked. But look at the number of people who consume ultraprocessed food. It touches all of us.

* Processed refined carbohydrates – sweeteners and starches such as corn syrup and maltodextrin – are so rapidly absorbed in our system that it caused metabolic havoc. – they target the brain reward circuits that keep us coming back for more. They, they trigger overeating. They deprive us of any sense of fullness. — those calories are not just empty. They’re ending up in your liver, and that fat in your liver is gonna migrate into other organs. And it’s the cause of cardiometabolic disease.

* Pick up any one of these products. You ever look at the– the ingredient label? [A lot are things we cannot pronounce.]

* Is that food? Corn syrup, corn solids, maltodextrin, dextrose, xylose, high-fructose corn syrup. And then these ingredients were subjected to industrial processing so that our system can’t handle it. 

* We changed how this country views tobacco. We need to change how this country views these ultraprocessed foods.

* I’d like them to understand the consequences of what they are doing and to do something about it.

Source

Cal State professor warns scrapping SAT leaves students unprepared

Feb 14, 2026

California students unprepared for college, thanks to state’s standardized testing move
Fox News Digital spoke to Long Beach State Economics professor Andrea Mays about the impact on students after SAT requirements were scrapped in California.

A California economics professor is sounding the alarm on the “deficits in learning” she is seeing in the classroom, arguing that the decision to scrap standardized testing in the name of “inclusivity” is actually a disservice to the students it claims to help.

Cal State Long Beach professor Andrea Mays told Fox News Digital that the current cohort of college students, many of whom spent their formative middle school years in online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic, are arriving on campus unprepared for basic coursework.

Mays spoke to Fox News Digital about the state’s university system’s decision to scrap the SAT as a requirement for college admission as playing a large role in that and that it has led to students coming to college unprepared and dropping out at higher rates.

Mays says the drop rate is up “phenomenally” and that chairs of other departments tell her it’s widespread, with 25% of students dropping classes, with math being a key area where students are coming in underprepared.

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/cal-state-prof-warns-scrapping-sat-name-inclusivity-leaving-students-unprepared

This vegan diet cut insulin use by nearly 30% in type 1 diabetes

Date: February 13, 2026

Source: Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine

Summary: A low-fat vegan diet—without cutting calories or carbs—may help people with type 1 diabetes significantly reduce how much insulin they need, and how much they spend on it. In a new analysis published in BMC Nutrition, participants following the plant-based plan lowered their daily insulin use by 28%, while those on a portion-controlled diet saw no meaningful change.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/02/260212234212.htm

Dementia Blocker?Ezetimibe

Dr. Joel Kahn says, “Exciting data. Yes, needs; verification but a great “benign” cholesterol lower Rx.”

Commenter replies:

@archkod
“On Bepemozoic Acid + Zettia-works great for lowering cholesterol and this is great news”

AI reports:

Ezetimibe is a medication used to lower cholesterol, especially LDL (“bad”) cholesterol.

🔹 What it does

Ezetimibe works by reducing cholesterol absorption in the small intestine. This lowers the amount of cholesterol entering the bloodstream.

🔹 What it’s used for

  • High LDL cholesterol (hyperlipidemia)
  • Familial hypercholesterolemia (genetic high cholesterol)
  • Often used together with a statin (like atorvastatin or simvastatin) if a statin alone isn’t enough
  • Can be used alone if someone cannot tolerate statins

🔹 How effective is it?

  • Lowers LDL by about 15–25% on its own
  • Can reduce LDL by an additional 15–20% when added to a statin

🔹 Common side effects

Usually mild, but may include:

  • Diarrhea
  • Abdominal pain
  • Fatigue
  • Muscle pain (more common when combined with a statin)

🔹 Brand name

  • Zetia (U.S. and many other countries)

Here’s a summary of what **current research says** about *ezetimibe* and **dementia or cognitive effects** — including both basic science and human data:

—

## 🧠 Studies Suggesting Potential *Protective* Effects

### 🧪 Preclinical (Animal & Lab) Evidence

* In **mouse models of Alzheimer-type dementia**, ezetimibe reduced memory deficits and oxidative stress compared to untreated animals. This suggests potential **memory-protective effects** in this experimental setting, possibly through both cholesterol-dependent and independent mechanisms. ([PubMed][1])

### 📊 Epidemiologic / Database Analyses

* A **recent retrospective clinical database study** (nearly one million older adults) reported that people taking ezetimibe had a **much lower incidence of Alzheimer’s and related dementias** compared with matched controls, with an estimated relative risk reduction of ~7- to 8-fold. The reduction remained significant in individuals with coronary artery disease. ([UAMS News][2])

  * *Important:* These are **observational findings** — they show an association but **don’t prove causality** and could be influenced by other factors (e.g., overall health behaviors or other treatments).

—

## 🧠 Signals About Potential *Cognitive Side Effects*

### 🔍 Pharmacovigilance Reports

* In a large analysis of FDA adverse event reports (FAERS), **ezetimibe showed a signal for “amnesia”** (i.e., reported memory loss events) but an **inverse association for “memory impairment.”** Statins showed stronger signals for cognitive complaints overall. ([PubMed][3])

  * This type of analysis **doesn’t prove the drug causes cognitive problems**; it simply observes patterns in reported side effects.

### 🧬 Genetic (Mendelian Randomization) Evidence

* A **genetic study** using Mendelian randomization (which assesses genetic proxies for drug effects) found that **variants mimicking NPC1L1 inhibition** — the mechanism targeted by ezetimibe — were associated with **higher risk of cognitive impairment.** This raises caution but is not definitive for clinical effect. ([ScienceDirect][4])

—

## 🧠 What Major Clinical Evidence Says

### 🧪 Randomized Trials / Consensus

* Large clinical trials and expert panels evaluating **cholesterol-lowering therapies overall** (mainly statins and combinations including ezetimibe) **have not shown clear evidence that lowering LDL with these drugs causes dementia or significant cognitive decline.** Randomized studies looking at cognition in statin trials (including when ezetimibe was added) found **no meaningful difference** compared with controls. ([EAS][5])

—

## 🧠 Key Takeaways

**Current research on ezetimibe and dementia is mixed:**

### ✅ Potential benefits

* *Laboratory and some observational clinical data* suggest ezetimibe may **reduce risk of Alzheimer’s/dementia or improve memory in models.** ([PubMed][1])

### ⚠️ Potential concerns

* *Pharmacovigilance reports and genetic proxy studies* hint at possible associations with memory changes or cognitive risk, but **these do not prove causation.** ([PubMed][3])

### 📉 Main clinical evidence

* Large randomized trials and expert consensus generally **do not find that ezetimibe causes dementia or cognitive harm**; **lowering LDL per se has not been shown to increase dementia risk.** ([EAS][5])

—

## 🧠 Bottom Line

* **There is no definitive evidence that ezetimibe causes dementia.**
* **Preliminary research even suggests it might have protective effects** against Alzheimer’s-type pathology, but this needs confirmation in *prospective, controlled human studies*.
* Signals from genetic and spontaneous report data mean researchers are still studying how ezetimibe might influence cognition, but current clinical guidelines don’t list dementia as a confirmed side effect.

—

[1]: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20407557/?utm_source=chatgpt.com “Potential of ezetimibe in memory deficits associated with dementia of Alzheimer’s type in mice – PubMed”
[2]: https://news.uams.edu/2024/08/06/uams-researchers-discover-cholesterol-drugs-potential-as-treatment-for-alzheimers-other-dementia/?utm_source=chatgpt.com “UAMS Researchers Discover Cholesterol Drug’s Potential as Treatment for Alzheimer’s, Other Dementia | UAMS News”
[3]: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41571902/?utm_source=chatgpt.com “Association between three lipid-lowering drugs and amnesia: a real-world pharmacovigilance study – PubMed”
[4]: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0165032725014995?utm_source=chatgpt.com “Mendelian randomization analysis of lipids traits and lipid-lowering drug-targets in relation to cognitive status – ScienceDirect”
[5]: https://eas-society.org/page/eas-consensus-panel-answers-the-questions-on-statin-safety/?utm_source=chatgpt.com “EAS Consensus panel answers the questions on statin safety – EAS”