The gut's link to Parkinson's — and more takeaways from this week's "Healthful"

Scientists are increasingly treating the gut as a "second brain" — some Parkinson's cases may begin in the gut years before tremors, with early clues like chronic constipation, nausea or REM sleep behavior (acting out vivid dreams), and researchers hope for gut-based early diagnosis within a decade or so.
Counterintuitively, GLP‑1 drugs (despite side effects like nausea and constipation) appear to lower the risk of ulcers, colorectal cancer and other cancers—likely by reducing gut and systemic inflammation.
95% of Americans don’t get enough fiber; targets are roughly 25g/day for women under 50 (21g over 50) and 38g/day for men under 50 (30g over 50) — an easy approach is to add a single high‑fiber item to meals (berries, nuts, etc.) or pack a fiber supplement when traveling.