World Brain Day is July 22

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — The same lifestyle choices that reduce your risk of heart disease, diabetes and cancer also can reduce your risk of cognitive decline. Bryan Woodruff, M.D., a cognitive neurologist at Mayo Clinic in Arizona, explains the brain-body connection, lifestyle changes to foster brain health and why work to make earlier detection of Alzheimer's disease and other dementias is important.

“What’s good for your overall health is good for your brain too,” Dr. Woodruff says.

You may have heard that Alzheimer’s disease is caused, in part, by the buildup of beta-amyloid plaques and twisted tau proteins in the brain. While true, other brain changes also are likely involved, Dr. Woodruff says.

“When scientists look at the brains of people with Alzheimer’s disease after they’ve died, they find more than just plaques and tangles,” he adds.

They often find a buildup of fats, cholesterol and other substances in the vessels that supply blood to the brain. They also discover evidence of microscopic strokes — also called microinfarctions.

Unlike major strokes with noticeable symptoms such as facial drooping, physical numbness, a severe headache and trouble speaking, microscopic strokes are silent. As more occur, they can starve brain tissue of oxygen and nutrition. If enough microvascular changes occur, there may be symptoms like slowed thinking and trouble concentrating.

“Your brain, as with every other organ in your body, depends on your cardiovascular system,” Dr. Woodruff says: This is why it’s so important to care for your heart and blood vessels.

Lifestyle choices help reduce risk

Thanks to this connection, what benefits your heart also protects your brain. To get these benefits:

• Manage heart disease risk factors. Treat elevated blood sugar, high blood pressure and undesirable cholesterol levels. Don’t use tobacco products. Keep your weight in the healthy range. “The earlier you address these, the better the benefit is for your brain,” Dr. Woodruff says.

• Follow a heart-healthy diet. The Mediterranean diet's emphasis on minimally processed whole foods and fruits and vegetables may improve brain health by helping to keep body fat and chronic inflammation in check. The Mayo Clinic Diet takes a similar approach to establishing a healthy-eating lifestyle.

• Get enough sleep. Research has linked insomnia to cognitive decline. And poor sleep can also increase your risk of other diseases that can impact cognition, such as high blood pressure and diabetes.

• Maintain social connections. Social connections are thought to benefit the brain in many ways. Research suggests that social engagement triggers the release of chemicals such as serotonin and dopamine, which improve mood and outlook. Social connections may help to spur the growth of new connections between nerve cells.

• Treat hearing and vision loss. If you can’t see and hear what’s going on around you, you’ll find it more difficult to communicate and remain social. “Those sensory functions are integral to how we think and interact with the world,” Dr. Woodruff says. “If you don’t see or hear it, then you can’t encode and remember it.”

• Avoid chronic use of sedating medications. Some medicines used to treat pain, insomnia and other conditions can dull thinking, slow reaction time and make you feel sleepy. If you’re not sure of the side effects of the medications you take regularly, talk with your healthcare professional, who can look at what is on your medication list and suggest alternatives, Dr. Woodruff advises.

• Exercise. Physical and mental exercise can benefit brain health. A large study found rates of cognitive decline were twice as common in sedentary people.

Keeping your mind active through activities you find enjoyable, particularly trying new things, can also exercise your brain. When you have difficulty learning something new, your brain builds new connections between nerve cells. If you continually learn new skills and information over time, experts believe that these networks of nerve cell connections create a cognitive reserve, sort of like savings in a bank account.

“Cognitive reserve doesn’t mean you’re immune,” Dr. Woodruff says. “But it buys you some cushion against a neurodegenerative problem.”

The importance of early detection

Dr. Woodruff is among Mayo Clinic researchers working to make earlier diagnosis of dementia and its precursor mild cognitive impairment possible, to allow for earlier treatment. This will be essential if therapeutic advances eventually make it possible to slow or even halt progression, he says.

It is never too late to make lifestyle changes to protect and improve brain health, he adds: “I tell all my patients, regardless of the severity of their cognitive decline, to take care of their overall health."

For more information about brain health, visit Mayo Clinic Press and the Mayo Clinic News Network.

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About Mayo Clinic
Mayo Clinic is a nonprofit organization committed to innovation in clinical practice, education and research, and providing compassion, expertise and answers to everyone who needs healing. Visit the Mayo Clinic News Network for additional Mayo Clinic news.

Media contact:

• Sharon Theimer, Mayo Clinic Communications, newsbureau@mayo.edu

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Mayo Clinic physicians are working hard to change how clinicians and patients think about aging. A new publication in Mayo Clinic Proceedings outlines a new framework for "healthspan" — the years of life spent in good health, with preserved function, cognition and independence. The paper, coauthored by Christina Chen, M.D., a Mayo Clinic physician in internal medicine and geriatrics, and Sara Bonnes, M.D., argues that living longer is not necessarily the same as living well and explores how a greater focus on healthspan could reshape medical care. Here, Dr. Chen discusses the research and its implications for patients and clinicians.

What is 'healthspan,' and how is it different from lifespan or longevity?

Patients often say, 'I want to live to be 100,' and that is a meaningful goal. But living longer may not be the same as living well.

Healthspan is about how well you live during those years — your ability to function independently, think clearly, and maintain a good quality of life. It shifts the focus from simply adding years to making sure those years are meaningful.

Why does this distinction matter now?

Doctors have been very successful at extending lifespan, but less effective at preserving the quality of those added years.

What we are seeing in clinical practice is that many people are living longer with chronic disease, reduced mobility, cognitive impairment and increasing dependence. That gap between years lived and years lived well is growing, and it is something clinicians see every day.

What are clinicians missing in today’s approach to care?

When we equate living longer with living better, care can become too focused on disease alone. We may not pay enough attention to one’s functional abilities, cognitive health, the ability to remain independent at home — the things patients value most.

Traditional measures like lab values or survival rates do not tell us whether someone can manage their daily activities, stay socially connected or continue living safely and independently. That is a critical gap in how we define success in medicine.

How can healthspan be measured in clinical practice?

Healthspan becomes actionable when we start measuring additional domains like physical function, cognitive health and independence in a consistent way.

We already have practical tools to do this — things like gait speed, grip strength, balance assessments, cognitive screening and patient-reported outcomes. These are validated measures that can be incorporated into routine care and give us a much clearer picture of how patients are actually doing.

When we also prioritize measuring these domains alongside thoughtful preventive care, we can track them over time and use them to guide clinical decisions in a way that aligns with what patients care about most.

How could a focus on healthspan change patient care?

A healthspan-focused approach shifts the goal of care toward helping patients stay independent, mobile and clear-minded for as long as possible.

It also changes how we talk to patients. Instead of focusing only on treating disease, we can frame care around how to preserve function, cognition and overall well-being so they are able to live well with dignity. That shift helps patients better understand the purpose behind recommendations and can improve engagement in their care.

What should patients and clinicians be thinking about differently?

We can start by changing the conversation, it begins with the words we use. Instead of asking only how to extend life, we can ask how to help patients live well, what are their goals and how can we help them reach those goals.

That includes preserving the ability to perform everyday activities, maintain social connections and continue living independently. Small changes in how we talk about care can help patients see that the goal is not just longevity, but living with quality, dignity and purpose.

What are the next steps for this research?

Our goal is to make healthspan something we can measure and track in everyday clinical practice. If we can do that, we can better align care with outcomes that truly impact patients' lives.

The next steps include developing standardized metrics, integrating them across specialties and designing care models that prioritize function, independence and long-term quality of life.

Review the study for a complete list of authors, disclosures and funding.

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DEAR MAYO CLINIC: Since I turned 40, my clinic has been sending me a slew of reminders about men's health screenings. Are they really necessary?

ANSWER: Yes! Blocking out some time for these important health screenings is one of the most important things you can do for yourself.

Historically, men have been hesitant to seek medical attention when something seems wrong with their health. Also, they aren't as likely as women to have preventive screenings and checkups. This is a problem because early detection is the best way to effectively treat and manage a medical issue. 

If you're reluctant about seeing a healthcare professional, rethink your hesitation. Delaying or avoiding a checkup or screening could lead to a treatable situation turning deadly. Here are the exams and screenings to add to your to-do list for a healthy life.

Regular physical exams. Males older than 50 should have a yearly physical exam, and those younger than 50 should have a physical exam every three to five years.

A regular exam isn't just about screenings. It can validate that you're healthy, and it's your chance to ask your healthcare professional about issues or symptoms that are bothering you. For instance, if you're having issues with erectile dysfunction, this could be a symptom of coronary artery disease. The sooner it's addressed, the better for your overall health.

Vaccines are also essential to prevent infectious diseases. Vaccinations for men are administered at different intervals throughout adulthood. 

Health isn't only physical, so talk with your healthcare team about your mental and emotional health. If you're struggling in those areas, effective help is available. 

While you may only need to get some screenings once, such as HIV and hepatitis C, you should have screenings for certain conditions and cancers regularly. Keep in mind that earlier and more regular screening is recommended for all these conditions if you're at higher risk.

Abdominal aortic aneurysm. Because the aorta is the body's main supplier of blood, a ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm can cause life-threatening bleeding. Men 65 to 75 who have used tobacco products should undergo a one-time ultrasound screening. Those over 60 with a family history of abdominal aortic aneurysm should consider repeat screening at regular intervals. 

Colon cancer. Experts advise that most adults at average risk begin colorectal cancer screening at age 45. Several screening tests are available, including stool-based tests and exams that look directly at the colon. Each test has different benefits, risks and testing schedules. But if you experience symptoms, don't wait to get screened.

Diabetes. If you're older than 35, you should have an initial blood sugar test. No matter your age, if you have a body mass index above 25 and additional risk factors, such as high blood pressure or a family member with diabetes, you should be screened. Type 2 diabetes and prediabetes symptoms can develop slowly and may not be noticeable. 

Blood pressure. A blood pressure reading is a good indication of many aspects of your health. High blood pressure can lead to other physical problems, especially heart-related conditions. Beginning at age 18, you should have your blood pressure checked at least every two years, and every year if you're at risk for high blood pressure and after you turn 40.  

Cholesterol. Like high blood pressure, high cholesterol may pose serious risks to your health and well-being. Starting at age 17, men at average risk for heart disease should have a cholesterol screening every four to six years and more frequently over age 40. If you have conditions such as high blood pressure and/or diabetes, a family history of high cholesterol or heart attacks, smoke, eat a poor diet, are overweight, have diabetes or are physically inactive, you should be tested more often.

Prostate cancer. Around age 50, talk with your healthcare professional about prostate cancer screening. Together, you can decide whether screening is right for you. If you're Black, have a family history of prostate cancer or have other risk factors, consider screening earlier.

Lung cancer. If you have an increased risk of lung cancer, consider yearly screening, which uses low-dose CT scans. If you smoked heavily for many years, your healthcare professional may recommend lung cancer screening at age 50 and older. Screening is also offered to people who have quit smoking in the past 15 years. Discuss your lung cancer risk with your healthcare professional to decide if lung cancer screening is right for you.

Do yourself and your family a favor by protecting your health with regular checkups and screenings. Add to that exercise and managing your body weight, mental health and stress, all of which are part of keeping you healthy.

Mohammed Solaiman, M.D., Family Medicine, Mayo Clinic Health System, Mankato, Minnesota

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What started as a way to stay active and take his mind off a rare diagnosis became a mission for Christopher Edgerton. 

For three weeks this summer, he'll be cycling all 21 stages of the Tour de France one week ahead of the professional race in a 2,000-plus-mile event to raise awareness for blood cancers. 

Watch: A rare diagnosis fuels one man's cycling mission to complete pre-Tour de France event 

Journalists: Broadcast-quality video (2:45) is in the downloads at the end of this post. Please courtesy: "Mayo Clinic News Network." Read the script. 

"I think when you're on a bike, you have to live in the moment," says Christopher. "You've got to keep your eyes on the road, but at the same time, you've got a lot of time in your own head."  

For Christopher, cycling became more than an escape. It gave him space to process and heal. 

"I had my annual visit to the doctors," Christopher says about a 2018 visit. He remembers being asked if there was anything else. "I would have said, 'No, no, I'm fine,' but I just felt a little bit tired. So (my doctor) sent me for some (bloodwork). When I saw the results, they were all red. I sort of knew enough to be dangerous. I knew it wasn't good." 

"Chris has a very rare diagnosis called Waldenstrom macroglobulinemia," says Dr. Sikander Ailawadhi, a Mayo Clinic oncologist. "It could range from numbness or tingling in hands or feet to cancer-type tumors or the blood becomes so thick, it can lead to clots and cause strokes, heart attack, etc."  

"It's not curable, but it's treatable," says Christopher. "I sort of came to terms with the idea of: 'You've got a second chance at life.'"  

His care team built a plan around what mattered most to him. 

"He wanted limited-duration treatment, something that gave him his quality of life, his independence," says Dr. Ailawadhi.  

Christopher turned to cycling, pushing himself physically and mentally. A year after his diagnosis and buying a bike, he rode from Los Angeles to Boston and raised more than $50,000 for Waldenstrom macroglobulinemia research. 

"I felt like I needed to do something to prove I wasn't done," says Christopher.  

"He has his disease under very good control," says Dr. Ailawadhi. "He's not requiring active treatment right now, but that could change. He can travel, he can do what he wants to do and excels in his passion," says Dr. Ailawadhi.  

Now, he’s taking that passion even further, riding the full route of the 2026 Tour de France one week ahead of the professional race in an event that raises awareness for blood cancers. On June 27, he will begin riding from Barcelona, Spain, to Paris, France. The 21-stage event spans more than 2,000 miles and 175,000 feet of total elevation.

"Each day I'm going to ride for somebody," he says. "Each day I can tell somebody's story." 

And for Christopher, every mile comes with a reminder of what matters most. 

"I'm just very conscious about time," he says. "Everybody's limited on time, and I want to feel like I can get as much out of the time I've got." 

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DEAR MAYO CLINIC: A good friend was diagnosed with lupus. Can you tell me more about it, how it's treated and if there are new options that could make a difference in her quality of life?

ANSWER: Lupus is an autoimmune disease, which means the body’s immune system mistakenly attacks its own tissues. The exact cause isn't fully understood, but it likely involves a combination of genetic, environmental and immune system factors.

What makes lupus especially challenging is that it can affect many different organ systems — including the skin, joints, kidneys, heart and lungs — and may look different from one person to another. Infections, certain medicines or even sunlight can trigger the condition.

Lupus is more common in women — particularly between the ages of 15 and 45 — but it can occur at any age. Symptoms can vary widely and look like other diseases, making it difficult to recognize. Lupus causes swelling and inflammation that can affect joints, skin, kidneys, blood cells, brain, heart and lungs.

Symptoms

The most-common symptoms are:

• Tiredness.
• Fever.
• Joint pain, stiffness and swelling.
• Butterfly-shaped rash on the face that covers the cheeks and bridge of the nose, or rashes on other parts of the body that get worse when in the sun.
• Fingers and toes that turn white or blue when cold or during times of stress.
• Shortness of breath.
• Chest pain.
• Headaches, confusion and memory loss.

For some people, these symptoms come on suddenly; for others, they appear slowly. They may be active for a short time or become long-lasting. People may experience intense flare-ups that fade over time. When symptoms resolve, the person is considered in remission.

Because symptoms can be vague and overlap with other conditions, lupus can take time to diagnose. Sometimes it's detected through abnormal blood tests, such as anemia or changes in kidney function. When making a diagnosis, clinicians consider a person's symptoms, blood tests and, in some cases, biopsy results.

Treatment

Currently, there's no cure for lupus, so care focuses on customized therapies for each patient's symptoms and to prevent organ damage. Most therapies work by suppressing the immune system. Common treatments include medications such as:

• Prednisone, a corticosteroid, to quickly reduce inflammation.
• Hydroxychloroquine, an antimalarial drug, as a long-term therapy.
• Medications tailored to protect the affected organs.

While these treatments control symptoms for many patients, they typically need to remain on medication long term.

For those with moderate to severe or treatment-resistant lupus, these treatments may not be enough, and over time, can increase the risk of infection and other side effects. A key goal is to develop targeted, long-lasting treatments.

One emerging area of lupus treatment research is chimeric antigen receptor-T cell therapy (CAR-T cell therapy). CAR-T cell therapy is used most often to treat cancers that affect blood cells. It's now being studied for autoimmune diseases such as lupus.

In lupus, certain immune cells, called B cells, play a central role. Current therapies that target B cells often provide only temporary or partial benefits.

CAR-T cell therapy for lupus takes a different approach. It involves:

• Collecting a patient's own immune cells.
• Engineering them in a lab to recognize and attack B cells.
• Returning them to the body after a brief course of chemotherapy.

The goal is to more effectively eliminate B cells throughout the body and potentially provide a longer-lasting response.

Early clinical trials of CAR-T cell therapy in patients with severe, treatment-resistant lupus have shown promising results. In small studies, some patients have achieved remission and were able to reduce or stop other lupus medications.

However, these results are still preliminary and limited to a small group of patients. Researchers also are continuing to study the safety of this therapy and how long the benefits may last.

While lupus remains a lifelong condition, treatment options continue to improve. Current therapies can help many people manage symptoms and achieve remission. Emerging treatments like CAR-T cell therapy offer hope for more targeted, long-lasting solutions in the future.

Uma Thanarajasingam, M.D., Ph.D., Rheumatology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota

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11 Mayo Clinic hospitals again earn high ratings from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services for overall hospital quality. 

Every day at Mayo Clinic, staff come together to deliver what matters most, safe, high-quality care centered on the patient. The latest ratings from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services show the results of that work.

"For more than 160 years, one thing has remained constant, the patient in front of us guides how we deliver care," says Sean Dowdy, M.D., Mayo Clinic's chief value officer. "Behind every measure is a patient story, a moment of reassurance, a life improved through seamless teamwork. This recognition reflects our staff and their shared commitment to safety, quality and the patient experience."

Across Mayo Clinic, physicians, nurses, allied health staff and support teams contribute to a system where safety and quality are not separate initiatives, but how care is delivered every day. 

That approach is reflected in the patient experience, in the moments when a nurse takes extra time to explain, when families feel reassured during uncertainty, and when teams work seamlessly to deliver care.

It also reflects the trust patients and families have in choosing Mayo Clinic in times of vulnerability and relying on care delivered with compassion, dignity and consistency across every setting.

"These ratings reflect more than performance on a set of measures," says Subashnie Devkaran, Ph.D., chair of Quality and Value at Mayo Clinic. "They represent the experiences of patients and families who place their trust in Mayo Clinic during times of need." 

The CMS overall hospital quality star ratings offer a national snapshot of that performance across key areas, including mortality, safety, readmissions, patient experience, and timely, effective care.

Across the organization, 11 Mayo Clinic hospitals earned four- and five-star ratings for overall hospital quality. Eight hospitals achieved five stars, the highest possible rating, and three hospitals received four stars. The national average is three stars.

Hospitals earning five stars

• Mayo Clinic Hospital in Arizona. 
• Mayo Clinic Hospital in Florida. 
• Mayo Clinic Hospital in Rochester. 
• Mayo Clinic Health System in Albert Lea and Austin, Minnesota. 
• Mayo Clinic Health System in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. 
• Mayo Clinic Health System in La Crosse, Wisconsin. 
• Mayo Clinic Health System in Mankato, Minnesota.
• Mayo Clinic Health System in Fairmont, Minnesota.
  

Hospitals earning four stars

• Mayo Clinic Health System in Red Wing, Minnesota.
• Mayo Clinic Health System in Bloomer, Wisconsin.
• Mayo Clinic Health System in Barron, Wisconsin. 

While many organizations measure healthcare quality, these ratings reflect the people behind them, the teams who coordinate care, double-check details, speak up for safety and keep patients at the center of every decision.

At Mayo Clinic, the results are not the goal, but evidence of a culture carried forward by staff every day, with a continued commitment to improving care for the patients who depend on it.

Related post:

• Eight years running: Newsweek names Mayo Clinic ‘World’s Best Hospital’

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Eight Mayo Clinic hospitals have maintained A grades from the Leapfrog Group since spring 2022, reflecting consistent high performance across national quality measures.

At Mayo Clinic, it’s not a single achievement, it reflects a sustained pattern of performance.

Patients may see a letter. What they are really seeing is a commitment to putting the patient first, every time. Because at Mayo Clinic, safety is not a score to achieve. It is a way to practice.

It looks like:

• A nurse who double-checks, even when she’s certain.
• A physician who pauses and asks one more question.
• A housekeeper who knows infection prevention is part of patient care.
• A team that doesn’t work in parallel, but in lockstep.

Over time, those choices add up. And they show up, again and again, in the Leapfrog Safety Grades.

Grade A hospitals

Eight Mayo Clinic hospitals again earned an "A" from The Leapfrog Group this spring.

Not once. Not occasionally. Every grading cycle since spring 2022. 

And in Arizona, something even rarer. A perfect record. An "A" in every cycle since 2012, when Leapfrog began assigning safety grades — earning an all-time Straight A Distinction. One of just 11 hospitals in the country to do so.

Leapfrog evaluates hospitals using 32 measures across multiple domains: structure, process and outcomes.

Important, yes. But behind every measure is something harder to quantify.

It reflects consistency, discipline, and a shared belief that safe care isn’t situational. It is standard.

As Dr. William J. Mayo said, "The best interest of the patient is the only interest to be considered."

You can see that idea in these results. Not as a principle alone, but as a practice, carried out in thousands of decisions, every day.

The hospitals earning an "A"

• Mayo Clinic in Arizona 
• Mayo Clinic in Florida 
• Mayo Clinic in Rochester 
• Mayo Clinic Health System in Albert Lea and Austin, Minnesota 
• Mayo Clinic Health System in Eau Claire, Wisconsin 
• Mayo Clinic Health System in Fairmont, Minnesota 
• Mayo Clinic Health System in La Crosse, Wisconsin 
• Mayo Clinic Health System in Mankato, Minnesota 

Mayo Clinic Health System in Red Wing, Minnesota received a "B."

Related post:

• Eight years running: Newsweek names Mayo Clinic ‘World’s Best Hospital’

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In this Mayo Clinic Minute, Zajac demonstrates the best pre-golf resistant exercises.
 
Watch: The Mayo Clinic Minute

Journalists: Broadcast-quality video (1:04) is in the downloads at the end of this post. Please courtesy: "Mayo Clinic News Network." Read the script.
 

Resistance training

 Mayo Clinic doesn't just advise golfers on resistance exercises and strength. For 25 years, it has served as the official medical sponsor of the WM Phoenix Open, providing on-site care for athletes, event staff and spectators. Supporting one of the world's largest golf events, from heat-related illness to musculoskeletal injuries, reflects deep expertise in both prevention and knowing when specialized care is needed.
 
Resistance training is essential for golfers. It strengthens muscles, ligaments and tendons while improving core stability, mobility and functional strength. These benefits can translate into better swing control, more consistent contact and improved endurance throughout 18 holes. Just as important, targeted strength work helps protect the lower back, shoulders and wrists — areas commonly affected by golf-related injuries.
 

Golf exercises to consider

Zajac recommends focusing on three key areas:

• Rotator cuff and shoulder (rows/scapular strengthening): Strengthening the upper back and shoulder stabilizers supports posture and helps control the club throughout the swing.
• Core (plank and side plank): A strong core improves rotational stability and balance, allowing for more efficient power transfer while reducing strain on the spine.
• Glutes and legs (bridge exercises): Golf is played on one leg at a time. Building lower-body strength and balance enhances stability during the swing and helps generate power from the ground up.

 Perform these exercises on non-golf days two to three times per week. A consistent strength routine can help you stay steady, swing with confidence and avoid a season-ending bogey. 

Related post:

• Mayo Clinic Minute: Are the yips just nerves or something more?

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Each year, Mayo Clinic donates over 53,000 pounds of food to Community Food Response in Rochester, Minnesota, reducing waste and supporting local people in need. 

Three days a week, Community Food Response volunteers fill paper bags with food retrieved from all over Rochester, Minnesota. By 3:30 p.m., cars stretch down the city block. Some people arrive on foot, often from nearby homeless shelters.  

Each bag contains enough food for three meals for three people. Typically, at least one item — a salad, a sandwich, a bottle of milk — is from Mayo Clinic.  

"We want to get food to people in need rather than into the waste stream," says Aaron Clark, manager of Food Service Operations at Mayo Clinic in Rochester. "This is our way to extend Mayo values into the community."

His team uses forecasting tools to anticipate Mayo Clinic's food needs and reduce waste. Still, some surplus is inevitable. Community Food Response simplifies sharing it with neighbors.  

On distribution days, drivers pick up prepared, fresh and frozen foods from nearly two dozen local places — restaurants, supermarkets, hospitals, caterers. Last year, Mayo contributed over 53,000 pounds of food to the organization. 

A recent Mayo Community Contributions grant also helped Community Food Response purchase new freezers, coolers, food packaging and other necessities, ensuring the collaboration can continue.   

Bringing healing through meals  

Community Food Response began in 1993 after a Mayo physician and Rochester restauranteur asked, "What happens to the city's leftovers?" Their curiosity led to a grassroots effort that now feeds hundreds of people in the local community.  

By some estimates, 1 in 5 Minnesota households struggle with food access. In 2025, food security was named a priority area in Olmsted County's Community Health Needs Assessment for the first time.  

From logistical to financial, "there are many reasons for food insecurity," says Chris Tatting, board president for Community Food Response and a hospital operations manager at Mayo Clinic in Rochester. "Whether someone is food insecure for several years or one week, we can help." 

For Mayo Clinic, this offers an opportunity to meet an everyday need while supporting long-term health. "The best healthcare we can provide is preventing diseases if possible. Nutrition plays a big role in that," says Dr. Sara Bonnes, medical director for Food and Nutrition Services at Mayo Clinic. "This isn't just about access to food — it's about access to nourishing food."   

Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, Community Food Response volunteers, some of whom are Mayo staff members, have the privilege of providing that.   

On a recent weeknight, a woman in the food line shared that she was fleeing domestic violence. Due to her health, she could only eat liquids, so the team packed up nutritious drinks, soups, yogurts and juices.  

"She cried. I cried," a Community Food Response coordinator posted on the nonprofit's Facebook page. "This is what we do for our community." 

From surplus to sustenance 

To find a home for every type of food, Mayo Clinic in Rochester also collaborates with Ronald McDonald House in Rochester, offering Mayo meals to families of hospitalized children. Across the enterprise, other food rescue efforts minimize waste while helping people in need:   

• Mayo Clinic in Florida supports Meals on Wings, which repurposes unused hospital food to provide meals for Jacksonville seniors, and Feeding Northeast Florida, a local food bank that rescues food and distributes it to hundreds of other organizations.  

• Mayo Clinic in Arizona recently awarded a Community Contributions grant to the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, which includes a food pantry network, a kitchen that makes 7,000 meals a day and a food reclamation center that rescues millions of pounds of food annually.   

• Mayo Clinic Health System donations and volunteers support local food shelves and organizations, such as Community Table, ECHO Food Shelf, Feed My People Food Bank and The Salvation Army. 
  
  

Through these collaborations, surplus becomes sustenance. Stewardship becomes service. And Mayo Clinic helps meet an essential need within local communities.    

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DEAR MAYO CLINIC: For the past several years, I've been competing in half-marathons. This year, I've decided to challenge myself and enter full marathons. What recommendations do you have for preventing sports injuries as I go to this next level?

ANSWER: Congratulations on continuing to stretch your goals — and for thinking about preventing injury before you begin more intense workouts. For anyone striving to boost their performance, injury prevention shouldn't be separate from your training program; it should be embedded into it. That includes incorporating it into warmups, strength sessions and practice design.

Preventing sports injuries

What does that look like? Starting with your warmup, think of it as preparing your system for the activity you're about to do. Your warmup should go beyond static stretching and focus on dynamic movements that activate the muscles that you're going to use in training and competition.

Then add sports-specific patterns to your warmup. For example, if you're a basketball player, jumping is a key movement. So, add that to your warmup. Not only does jumping mimic gameplay, but it also raises your heart rate and preps your system for the activity.

Remember, when you're designing your training program, you’re training for capacity, not just the sport itself. That means building general strength, having a good aerobic base, and sound technique and movement quality. 

That's what underlies your ability to progress to a higher level. Even elite athletes have become injured because they haven't built that capacity. Sudden spikes in the intensity and volume of exercise can lead to overuse injuries.

One of the key elements of building capacity and preventing injuries is progressive load management. The principle behind progressive load management means not going from zero to 100, but gradually increasing volume or intensity to build capacity.

Before you take any activity to the next level, address any underlying conditions. If you have knee pain while running, work with a physical therapist or an orthopedic or sports medicine clinician so you're not pushing through an injury and potentially making it worse.

Looking at your own experience, you've already built the capacity for running a half-marathon. A full marathon doubles the distance, making it a perfect example of how to apply progressive load management. That increased distance is a significant load not only on your cardiovascular system, but also on the orthopedic structures like bones, tendons and ligaments.

To condition your body and build capacity, design your running program so that over the next several months, you gradually increase mileage each week until you're at full marathon distance.

For someone who is coming back from a sports injury, the same progressive load management applies. A sports medicine specialist will work with the athlete to gradually rebuild strength, measuring progress along the way. Before getting back onto the court or field where they'll be expected to deliver 100%, they'll need to simulate the sport. 

One group of athletes particularly susceptible to overuse injuries is youth and adolescents. While participation in multiple sports is encouraged, young athletes still need time to build the physical capacity required for each sport as they transition between seasons. Gradually increasing training demands, rather than jumping from zero to 100, is key to reducing the risk of injury.

Pitchers are particularly vulnerable to overuse injuries. Finding the right balance between adequate time off and maintaining arm strength and conditioning can be challenging. Although there are published recommendations for annual time away from throwing, many athletes enter the season having done little or no arm-specific training in the offseason.

To reduce injury risk, conditioning and capacity building should begin well before the season starts. High-quality return-to-throwing programs, which are available both in person and online, can help guide athletes through a structured, progressive plan to safely get back in the game.

While the emphasis in youth sports is often on pitchers, catchers also throw at similar or higher volumes. They may not be throwing at the same velocity, but the volume is there. It's important to take this into consideration when tracking pitch counts. Pitching and catching in the same game should be avoided in most situations.

For student athletes, single-sport specialization and year-round competition are not in their best interest when it comes to injury prevention. Athletes need time away from each sport to allow their bodies to recover.

Participating in multiple sports is generally better for any athlete's overall physical health and helps reduce the risk of overuse injuries. It also promotes broader skill development and improved overall athleticism. By varying movement patterns and training demands, the body becomes more adaptable and is given a break from repetitive stress. Athletes often gain transferable skills that improve performance in their primary sport while also enhancing motivation and mental well-being.

Taylor North, D.O., Sports Medicine, Mayo Clinic Health System, Eau Claire, Wisconsin

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