When it comes to healthy living, none of us are perfect.

That’s why Canadians spend nearly $3-billion a year on vitamin pills and other dietary supplements, in the hope that they can function as a form of insurance against dietary and lifestyle lapses. Here are three reasons to reconsider that strategy:

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There’s good news for joggers: Pounding the pavement can add years to your life.

Jogging on a regular basis can extend the life expectancy of men by 6.2 years and women by 5.6 years, according to an assessment of data from the ongoing Copenhagen City Heart Study.

But, better still, you don’t have to run to excess to reap the rewards. The analysis revealed that between one and 2.5 hours a week of running at a slow to moderate pace is enough to boost life expectancy.

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A pot of yoghurt counts as one of the two or three dairy portions a day needed for healthy bones. But which is the best choice for you?

UPSET STOMACH: SOYA

A bout of gastroenteritis can affect the intestinal cells that produce lactase, the enzyme that helps digest dairy food. Swapping to soya yoghurt (which is as calcium-rich as its dairy counterpart) for a couple of weeks after a stomach upset is a good idea, allowing the gut time to heal.

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Vaccine triggered greater immunity to cancer cells in trial patients

A vaccine that targets a molecule in 90 per cent of all cancers has been tested on humans for the first time.

Results from the safety trial – on patients with blood cancer – found all had greater immunity to the disease after receiving the vaccine. Three of the seven patients who have completed the treatment are now free of the condition.

As a therapeutic vaccine it is designed to be given to patients to help their bodies fight cancer rather than the majority – known as prophylactic vaccines – that aim to prevent disease in the first place.

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Ready to add to your daily doses of super foods, liquids and vitamins? A study published last week in the Archives of Internal Medicine found that people who frequently indulge in chocolate weigh less than people who rarely touch the stuff. A scientist-endorsed daily chocolate fix is sweet news. But it adds to the towering pile of studies suggesting we gobble all manner of foods, supplements, medicines and liquids to improve our health. What do we really need a daily dose of?

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If eating breakfast isn’t part of your regular schedule, consider rethinking your morning routine. Eating breakfast – versus skipping it – has been linked with a healthier weight, improved memory, lower cholesterol and a more nutritious diet. But there’s another reason to eat breakfast every day, particularly if you’re male.

According to a new study published online last week, men who routinely missed breakfast had a significantly greater risk of developing type 2 diabetes. And men who ate only once or twice a day were also at increased risk for the disease.

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Shift workers getting too little sleep at the wrong time of day may be increasing their risk of diabetes and obesity, according to researchers.

The team is calling for more measures to reduce the impact of shift working following the results of its study.

Researchers controlled the lives of 21 people, including meal and bedtimes.

The results, published in Science Translational Medicine, showed changes to normal sleep meant the body struggled to control sugar levels.

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Tried and true methods work best for losing weight If you’re trying to slim down for summer, new study findings suggest you’ll do better if you stay clear of popular diets and diet foods. According to the study, successful “losers” followed tried and true methods: they ate less fat, exercised more and some joined a weight loss program.

One in four Canadians are obese and roughly 60 per cent are trying to lose weight. Given the fact that the vast majority of people who lose weight regain all or even more pounds after weight loss efforts, it’s important to pinpoint strategies that work.

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If you often eat too much because breakfast has not filled you up, researchers say they could have the answer – seaweed bread.

The healthier loaf can help make you feel fuller and reduce the amount you eat during the day.

Men who ate seaweed bread for breakfast consumed 179 fewer calories during a day – equivalent to a treadmill workout.

Seaweed replicates the taste of salt in bread but contains far less sodium. A low-sodium diet reduces the risk of heart disease and stroke.

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U.S. researchers say they have developed a blood test that can pinpoint people who are in imminent danger of a heart attack – giving doctors days or possibly a few weeks to take preventive action.

“We want to quickly move forward with the test because there is a real need for it,” said Eric Topol, the principal investigator at the Scripps Translational Science Institute in San Diego, Ca.

Indeed, existing diagnostic tests have only a limited ability to predict who is most at risk.

The process of a heart attack usually begins with the rupture of plaque – or fatty deposit – inside a blood vessel. The debris can lead to the formation of a clot that blocks blood flow to the heart tissue, killing part of the organ.

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