In 1910, 71-year-old Edward Payson Weston walked 3,100 miles from California to New York City in 77 days and was greeted by a half a million fans when he reached his goal. Well, if your goal is to ...

In 1910, 71-year-old Edward Payson Weston walked 3,100 miles from California to New York City in 77 days and was greeted by a half a million fans when he reached his goal. Well, if your goal is to avoid developing Type 2 diabetes, you can do it with a consistent dedication to walking -- and it doesn't have to be anywhere near that distance!

A study in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism looked at data from more than 5,600 people with a median age of 51 and found that folks who get in 10,700 steps a day (a bit more than five miles) slashed their risk of Type 2 diabetes by 44% when compared to folks getting only 6,000 steps daily. And think how much more it reduces the risk for most U.S. adults, who only get 3,000 to 4,000 steps daily, according to the Mayo Clinic.

You're at risk for Type 2 diabetes if you're overweight, physically active less than three times a week, have had gestational diabetes, have non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, or have prediabetes (a fasting blood sugar reading of 100 to 125 mg/dL).

Walking 5-plus miles can take 90-120 minutes or more. To fit it into your schedule, you might want to break it into smaller segments -- 20 minutes before work, 30 minutes at lunchtime, and a 40-60 minute walk before or after dinner, outside or on a treadmill. Find a routine that works for you -- then walk away from diabetes and its complications, such as amputations, kidney failure and dementia.

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Health pioneer Michael Roizen, M.D., is chief wellness officer emeritus at the Cleveland Clinic and author of four No. 1 New York Times bestsellers. His next book is "The Great Age Reboot: Cracking the Longevity Code for a Younger Tomorrow." Do you have a topic Dr. Mike should cover in a future column? If so, please email questions@GreatAgeReboot.com.

(c)2023 Michael Roizen, M.D.

Distributed by King Features Syndicate, Inc.

When Jim Carrey's character, Stanley Ipkiss donned an iridescent green face-covering in 1994's "The Mask," he developed a very reckless alter personality. Fortunately, when you ...

When Jim Carrey's character, Stanley Ipkiss donned an iridescent green face-covering in 1994's "The Mask," he developed a very reckless alter personality. Fortunately, when you put on a mask to protect yourself and others from COVID-19 and respiratory infections like the flu and RSV, you don't have to worry about becoming conspicuously foolish. In fact, you'll look downright smart.

Surgical, N95 and KN95 masks do reduce your risk of contracting and spreading COVID-19, despite the current storm on social media that claims, "If face masks worked, China wouldn't be seeing such numbers ... In fact, there's no evidence that mask mandates helped reduce infections anywhere."

Research shows that widespread use of masks is effective in reducing transmission. One study found that in 12 U.S. counties between March 21 and October 20, 2020, once masks were mandated, the daily case incidence per 100,000 people in masked counties compared with unmasked counties declined by 25% at four weeks and 35% at six weeks. And most of the masks used then were not N95 or KN95 -- which are the most effective.

Why am I bringing this up? Because experts say the new variant -- XBB.1.5 -- is five times more contagious than an earlier omicron variant, which was five times more contagious than the original virus! And wearing a mask (make it an N95 or KN95), washing your hands regularly and getting vaccinated and boosted will help make sure you stay healthy and if you get infected keep you out of the hospital and help prevent brain complications from long COVID-19.

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Health pioneer Michael Roizen, M.D., is chief wellness officer emeritus at the Cleveland Clinic and author of four No. 1 New York Times bestsellers. His next book is "The Great Age Reboot: Cracking the Longevity Code for a Younger Tomorrow." Do you have a topic Dr. Mike should cover in a future column? If so, please email questions@GreatAgeReboot.com.

(c)2023 Michael Roizen, M.D.

Distributed by King Features Syndicate, Inc.

Quarterback Tom Brady may be the GOAT, but he also wins a prize for being NEAT (nutritionally excellent at all times). His daily diet includes a morning smoothie with lots of fruit, nuts and seeds,...

Quarterback Tom Brady may be the GOAT, but he also wins a prize for being NEAT (nutritionally excellent at all times). His daily diet includes a morning smoothie with lots of fruit, nuts and seeds, a lunch loaded with vegetables and a piece of fish, and a vegetable-centered dinner. Snacks during the day may include grapes, bananas, apples, guacamole and raw veggies.

He's easily getting what the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says are the essential five servings a day of fruits and veggies -- and I bet he's even topping my recommendation of nine servings.

But most folks don't come close to five a day. Only 12.3% of Americans get the daily minimum of fruits (the equivalent of 1.5 to 2 cups daily) and only 10% meet the minimal veggie recommendation (the equivalent of two to three cups of veggies a day)!

Why are so many folks remiss about eating what's good for them? According to researchers at Bournemouth University, it often comes from a lack of understanding about what constitutes a serving.

-- One vegetable serving = 2 cups raw leafy greens, or 1 cup cut-up vegetables, or 1 cup 100% vegetable juice, no added sugar or salt.

-- One fruit serving = 1 medium whole fruit or 1 cup cut-up fruit; 1/2 cup dried fruit.

Bonus: To keep track of how much you are -- or aren't -- eating, the U.K. researchers created a very cool, free SMART 5-A-DAY app. Download it (Google Play for Android), and you can gloat about being a GOAT -- a Great Organizer of Anti-aging Tastes.

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Health pioneer Michael Roizen, M.D., is chief wellness officer emeritus at the Cleveland Clinic and author of four No. 1 New York Times bestsellers. His next book is "The Great Age Reboot: Cracking the Longevity Code for a Younger Tomorrow." Do you have a topic Dr. Mike should cover in a future column? If so, please email questions@GreatAgeReboot.com.

(c)2023 Michael Roizen, M.D.

Distributed by King Features Syndicate, Inc.