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Q. Is there anything I can do to address my frequent heartburn besides medications?

The prevalence of diabetes is rapidly rising in every country around the world. According to the American Diabetes Association (ADA), nearly 10 percent of the U.S. population-more than 30 million Americans-has diabetes. Another 84 million adults have prediabetes. And, at least a quarter of people with diabetes and the vast majority with prediabetes dont even know they have it. If things dont change, about two in five Americans will develop diabetes in their lifetime.

Doctors routinely measure blood levels of cholesterol, triglycerides, and blood sugar, because high levels are strongly associated with higher risk of cardiovascular disease, and bringing these levels down through diet, exercise, and appropriate medication may lower risk. Some researchers suggest that another measure, homocysteine (ho-mo-SIS-teen) levels, should be added to that list. Multiple studies have found an association between high blood levels of homocysteine and higher cardiovascular disease risk (especially heart attack) as well as higher risk of certain causes of cognitive decline, says Irwin H. Rosenberg, MD, a professor at Tufts Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy and senior scientist at the Neuroscience and Aging Laboratory.

A recent study published in Cancer Causes & Control found an association between the occurrence of low-to-moderate frequency recreational physical activity and lower mortality in individuals diagnosed with various types of cancer.

The journal The Lancet recently published a report that collected and pooled data from 185 prospective observational studies and 58 clinical trials on dietary fiber intake and human health.

You may be surprised to learn that kale and broccoli are cousins. They are part of the Brassica family, also known as cruciferous vegetables because their flower petals form the shape of a cross (cruciferae is Latin for cross-bearing).

Experts agree plants should make up a large part of a healthy dietary pattern. Humans eat plant roots (carrots and radishes), stems (asparagus and celery), leaves (leafy greens), seeds (including whole grains), flowers (broccoli, cauliflower, artichoke), and the seed-bearing fruits of plants (including fruits, vegetables, beans, and nuts).

There is evidence that people respond differently to foods or nutrients depending on genetics and other factors, such as the make-up of their gut microbiome. While dietary guidance, such as the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, is designed as a public health tool to impact the health of the population as a whole, the frontier of nutrition science brings us the concept that dietary advice can be adjusted to take individual biological differences into account.

The New England Journal of Medicine recently published a study that found high-dose vitamin D supplementation provided no protective benefit with regard to risk of developing either cancer or cardiovascular disease.

Q. I have heard that a person who is allergic to wool should take vitamin D2 instead of D3. Is this true?