Greetings,

DID YOU KNOW that those with a preference for sweets are at a higher risk of developing depression, diabetes, and suffering a stroke, according to new research from the Journal of Translational Medicine?

The sweet tooth group was 31% more likely to have depression, higher rates of diabetes, as well as vascular heart conditions. compared to the group without a sweet tooth.

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Steve: Recently, there was an incredible piece written by Laura Sanders from ScienceNews about ultraprocessed foods that I felt compelled to share with you. Here are a few of the excerpts that warrant your attention.

"Writing in Nature Medicine this summer, addiction and nutrition experts including Nora Volkow, the director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, make the scientific case that these food products 'share more commonalities with addictive substances than they do with naturally occurring foods. 'It’s time, they write, for policy makers and scientists to recognize the danger — and do something about it.

Are ultraprocessed foods even food? Like anyone who eats — which is to say, everyone — I thought I had a pretty good handle on what food is. But it turns out that my handful of cheese puffs doesn’t really count, according to Ashley Gearhardt, a psychologist at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. 'This stuff isn’t food. It’s a hedonically optimized substance created through processing to make corporations a lot of money,' she says. 'We shouldn’t give ultraprocessed foods a pass just because they have calories.'

Ultraprocessed caloric conglomerates 'basically contain limited to no whole food pieces or products and contain additives,' says Tera Fazzino, a psychologist at the University of Kansas in Lawrence.

These products are built piecemeal from sugars and fats that have been taken from their naturally occurring form and then concentrated and packaged into something new, often with additives to improve the flavor and mouthfeel. Then they’re packaged into an appealing wrapper with a recognizable logo.

'Just as a cigarette has little in common with a tobacco leaf, an Oreo shares few characteristics with the corn and soybeans from which it was made,' Volkow, Gearhardt and others write in their Nature Medicine piece.

Neuroscientist Nicole Avena of Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City has her own questions about the vocabulary at work here. 'I don’t even know if we should be calling them food anymore,' she says. 'So I’ve been referring to them as foodlike products.'

Efforts to regulate ultraprocessed food products are pushing ahead whether experts consider these foods addictive or not. When I asked DiFeliceantonio why the addiction lens matters, she replied: 'It comes back to this idea of us making decisions in a difficult environment.' If a substance is designed to be irresistible, then 'decisions actually are no longer your own because they’re being governed by your drug, by your substance,' she says. 'And so if these foods are addictive, we can’t make good decisions about them.

'We have enough data at this point to understand that ultraprocessed foods, on the population level, are killing us, are leaving us to live shorter lives with a higher disease burden, and we’re telling people, ‘Well, stop eating them,’  she says. But through an addiction lens, that strategy falls short."

Perception of Food

Perception of food are often described in two ways: there is liking a food and hedonic overeating (eating for pleasure rather than hunger). Liking is about taste. Hedonic overeating is about continuing to eat because the food feels good. They're related, but not identical. Many people like porridge but rarely binge on it. Ice cream, on the other hand, is at the top of most lists.

Here's how we can address both perceptions:


• Boost food literacy: help people understand what makes food satisfying, what drives cravings, and how to recognize their personal cues for overeating.

• Address eating motivations: people eat for many reasons beyond hunger - for comfort, connection and pleasure. Support alternative habits while elucidating how eating to live, not living to eat, is achievable.

"Loved your calcium update. FYI: can’t recall how many years since I first came to Bonnie, who said don’t drink milk because of the antibiotics and growth hormones in cow’s milk. Since then I have rarely had a glass of milk and for years have taken calcium supplements instead. Seems to work fine. A recent bone density test showed that I tested quite above the average for my age at 90! Marilyn" 

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Disclaimer: Case reports are not intended for self-healing. Case reports are for references purposes only and should be discussed with your health professional.

Cognition is the mental process of knowing, including aspects such as awareness, perception, reasoning, and judgment. Did you know that patients with chronic pain often experience cognitive difficulties? This is due to the effects of pain on attention and concentration. 

The American Chiropractor September 2025 issue, highlights an article regarding the synergy of Chiropractic Care and Cognitive Therapy. Chiropractors focus on subluxations of the spine, which when present interfere with the connection between the brain and the nervous system. These subluxations not only can cause pain but also disrupt body awareness, perception and other cognitive functions. 

Combining Cognitive therapy with Chiropractic care can enhance attention, memory, processing speed, focus, balance, coordination, learning and performing daily tasks. These two therapies together can address a broader range of the patient’s needs. This is definitely something to consider for anyone you know who is experiencing cognitive issues but isn’t currently under regular chiropractic care. Adding this holistic approach can enhance overall mind body wellbeing.

Dr. Liselotte Schuster is a Holistic Family Chiropractor and has been in practice with Nutritional Concepts since 1989. She uses a variety of techniques, including low level laser, to help patients reach their full potential. Contact Dr. Schuster at (847) 509-9067 or drliloschuster@sbcglobal.net.

PureInsight (formerly )Genomics harnesses the science of nutrigenomics so you can understand the relationship between your genes, nutrition, and wellness at the deepest level. Covering 72 genes in 11 trait categories, we've used Pure Insight since 2015 to help clients live longer with better quality of life.

How to Get Started

1. Order a genetic kit directly from Ancestry.com (AncestryDNA for $99) and send back your saliva specimen. When your results are ready, request that we set up a PureInsight account for you. We just need your full name, email address, and date of birth. You will receive an email invitation from PureInsight with a link to set up your account and instructions for how to upload your Ancestry data. You will receive a confirmation from PureInsight when your report is ready and we can then set up an appointment to go over your results.

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Bonnie, Steve, Lilo, Cindy, Diana, Marisa, and Sally