Welcome to the positive corner of the internet. Every weekday, we help you make sense of the complex world of wellness by analyzing the headlines, simplifying the latest research, and providing quick tips designed to help you stay healthier in under 5 minutes. If you were forwarded this message, you can get the free daily email here.
Today’s Health Upgrade
Number you won’t forget
The brain vitamin?
Weekly wisdom
The silence behind your stress
A Little Wiser (In Less Than 10 Minutes)
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Health
Number You Won’t Forget: 1 Tablespoon
Most advice for preventing diabetes focuses on cutting sugar, counting carbs, or losing weight. Instead, something you add — not something you remove — could help protect your health.
Researchers analyzed 10 studies covering over 500,000 people and found that people who consumed the most olive oil had a significantly lower risk of developing diabetes compared to those who consumed the least.
The data suggests eating just 1 to 1.5 tablespoons of olive oil per day could lower your risk of developing diabetes by up to 22 percent. However, consuming more than that didn’t lead to better results.
Olive oil is rich in monounsaturated fats, polyphenols, and antioxidants — compounds that improve insulin sensitivity, reduce inflammation, and protect against oxidative stress, all of which play roles in the development of type 2 diabetes.
If you’re trying to reduce your diabetes risk — or just eat healthier overall — consider adding a tablespoon of olive oil to a salad, drizzling it on roasted veggies, or using it for cooking.
Together With Momentous
The Brain Vitamin?
When it comes to protecting your memory, one vitamin could make a surprising difference.
Researchers found that Vitamin D was linked to a 40 percent lower risk of developing dementia, especially in women and people with healthy brain function.
In a large study of 12,388 dementia-free adults, researchers followed participants over time to explore whether vitamin D supplementation could reduce the risk of developing dementia. They divided the group into two categories: those who took vitamin D before any signs of dementia and those who didn’t.
Those who supplemented with vitamin D experienced significantly longer dementia-free survival.
And it’s worth noting: People with normal cognitive function at the start saw more protective effects than those who already had mild cognitive impairment. And those without a known genetic risk factor for Alzheimer’s (the APOE ε4 gene) experienced greater benefit than carriers of the gene.
Researchers believe vitamin D may play a role in maintaining brain health through its anti-inflammatory effects, support of immune function, and influence on neurotransmitter activity. Since vitamin D receptors are found throughout the brain, the nutrient may help protect against the buildup of harmful proteins and promote neuroplasticity — your brain's ability to adapt and repair.
If you’re not already taking vitamin D, and especially if you’re female or genetically at lower risk for Alzheimer’s, it might be worth taking a blood test to see if you’re deficient. If you are, a simple supplement could provide meaningful brain protection over time.
Our Vitamin D of choice is Momentous. Unlike many Vitamin D supplements that either have a microdose or a megadose, their 2000 IU dose is designed for everyday use. And the formulation does not need to be taken with food.
Most importantly, it’s backed by The Momentous Standard, which is a rarity in the supplement world, which ensures the quality, safety, and purity of each product through third-party testing. In an industry where it’s hard to know what to believe, Momentous puts the trust back in supplements.
Mindset
Weekly Wisdom
Being different isn’t the problem—it’s the point.
Trying to fit in might feel safe, but it robs you of your full potential. Your uniqueness is your advantage—whether it’s how you train, think, eat, or live. Don’t be afraid to do things differently, speak boldly, or chase a goal no one else understands.
Pick one area of your life where you’ve been playing it safe to blend in—at work, in the gym, or in your personal life. Ask yourself: What would I do differently if I wasn’t worried about judgment or comparison? Then take one small step in that direction this week.
Better Questions, Better Solutions
The Silence That’s Fueling Your Stress
Stress relief isn’t always breathwork or journaling. Sometimes, it’s a conversation you’ve been avoiding.
Old Question: How do I manage stress better?
Better Question: What conversations am I avoiding that are keeping me stuck?
We often treat stress like a weather pattern—something that rolls in without warning. But in many cases, stress is self-generated. Not by what’s happening around you, but by what you’re refusing to confront.
The message left on read.
The simmering resentment with a partner.
The feedback you’re scared to give.
These aren't minor details—they're unlived truths that quietly steal your energy.
The most draining weight is internal: the words we don’t say. The longer you delay a hard conversation, the more power it holds. That silence? It doesn’t just eat at your mind. It affects your body. Avoiding conflict doesn’t resolve tension—it buries it deeper.
The better question doesn’t just help you “cope”—it helps you cut the cord on chronic tension.
A meta-analysis found that people who habitually suppress their emotions show higher cortisol awakening responses and greater stress reactivity—a biological signal that their bodies stay on high alert. However, in short-term experiments, suppression didn’t always increase cortisol—suggesting that chronic patterns, not isolated moments, are the bigger threat.
Another study found that when you suppress your emotional expressions, you don’t feel less emotion—but your body still reacts. Suppression triggers increased sympathetic nervous system activity (think sweaty palms, elevated blood pressure), even while visible emotion appears “under control.”
In short: holding it in doesn’t make the feeling go away. It just locks it inside your nervous system, where it simmers longer—and hits harder.
Put another way: Avoiding hard conversations doesn’t protect your peace—it prolongs your stress response.
If you want to experience less stress, it’s time to ask yourself: What needs to be said for me to feel free again?
And, it doesn’t need to be a confrontation. It can be a boundary. An apology. A request. A truth you’ve never spoken out loud.
Start small. One message. One check-in. One release.
Because sometimes, the thing weighing you down isn’t stress—it’s silence. And the way out is through your voice.
And that’s it for this week. Thank you for being a part of the positive corner of the internet, and we wish you all a fantastic weekend!
Better Today
Take any of these tips from today’s email and put them into action
Disease Prevention: Adding 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil to your daily diet could reduce your diabetes risk by up to 22 percent.
Brain Protection: Get your vitamin D levels tested and if deficient, studies suggest vitamin D can lower dementia risk by 40 percent.
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Stress Relief: Send one difficult text, make one avoided phone call, or have one postponed conversation today—research proves that chronic emotional suppression increases cortisol and stress more than addressing conflicts directly.
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Publisher: Arnold Schwarzenegger
Editors-in-chief: Adam Bornstein and Daniel Ketchell
