October 24, 2025

Good morning Staker! Here’s what’s cookin’ today. Most Americans are taking Social Security early, the latest on the Mediterranean diet (hint, it’s colorful), why sighing is good for you, and get ready for the Springsteen biopic 😎

Let’s get into it!

The Mediterranean diet is a well-established playbook for longevity, known for slowing brain-aging and fending off all forms of dementia with its adherence to legume, leafy green, fruits, vegetable, whole grain, and olive oil consumption, while mixing in moderate levels of fish, poultry, and dairy.

Part of what makes it so healthy is the polyphenols present in almost every recommended food group in the diet. Polyphenols have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, and are known to lower the risk of cardiovascular disease and diabetes, and promote metabolic and cognitive health.

In that sense, it’s no surprise that nutritionist Beth Wright proposed a version of the regimen that enhances polyphenol consumption: the Green Mediterranean diet.

This version of the diet incorporates foods packed with even more polyphenols, including green tea, walnuts, and Mankai duckweed—an aquatic leafy green loaded with nutrients.

A study led by Ph.D candidate Dafna Pachter at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev found adding an ounce of walnuts, three to four cups of green tea, and a Mankai shake to one’s daily diet allows the brain to take in an additional 1,240 mg of polyphenols per day.

Pachter and team observed 50% slower “age-related brain atrophy” over a period of 18 months in the study participants who followed the Green Mediterranean diet compared to the control group that did not.

At the eastern edge of the Caribbean paradise of Sint Maarten lies Maho Beach, one of the most surreal vacation spots in the world—especially if you’re an aviation buff.

Have you ever wondered what it would look and sound like to see a 787 Dreamliner fly 100 feet over your head as it comes in for a landing? That’s what happens 50 to 70 times a day at Maho Beach during peak season.

“It’s scary,” says Franklin Wilson, who works in the operations department at the airport. “It feels like it’s coming straight at you.”

It’s also quite an experience for those on the plane. The pilots may see exactly what they’re doing, but a passenger will notice the plane appearing to descend directly into the Caribbean Sea until the very last second as it passes over the beach and makes the routine landing at Princess Juliana International Airport.

“It is a thrill,” says May-Ling Chun, Sint Maarten’s director of tourism. “You’re asking yourself: where am I going to land? People are kind of squeezing the arms of their chairs while they’re looking out the window.”

And of course it’s thrilling for pilots as well, who get to pull off what appears to be a high-risk stunt for an audience cheering them on directly in front of their landing spot.

Telling someone to take a deep breath may get you into some trouble, but just tell the person you’re looking out for their health.

On top of being a mental de-stressor, a deep breath and a long sigh actually has a physical benefit, too.

Pulmonary surfactants are fluids that line the exterior of the lungs and reduce surface tension—essentially allowing for the comfortable process of breathing.

These fluids aren’t monolithic, though, and actually come in layers, and a study published in Science Advances found taking a deep breath allows the body to “refresh” the outer layer.

“Directly at the boundary with the air, there is a slightly stiffer surface layer. Underneath, there are several layers that should be softer than the surface layer,” study co-author Maria Novaes-Silva described.

As the outer layer stiffens over time, it adds more surface-level pulmonary tension, which study co author Jan Vermant said can be exacerbated by constant shallow breathing.

“This is a state outside of the boundaries of the thermodynamic equilibrium that can only be maintained through mechanical work,” he said.

Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere hits theaters today, with Jeremy Allen White starring as the Boss in what’s expected to be a heavy Oscar contender.

The movie may be debuting today, but the book—Deliver Me From Nowhere: The Making of Bruce Springsteen’s Nebraska, written by Warren Zanes—came out in 2023, and without it and Zanes as its author, who knows if Springsteen himself ever would have granted Hollywood permission to produce a film on his most unique and possibly best album?

Zanes initially reached out to filmmaker Scott Cooper as a trusted “shepherd for the project,” and the two put together a one-page pitch/description for the Boss in the hopes of persuading him to make the film.

The author sent the pitch to Bruce and his manager Jon Landau, and though the latter said he loved it, Zanes had to wait for the Boss himself to get back. Weeks passed before the three ended up on a call related to a Nebraska PBS documentary, when Zanes took his second shot.

"[At the] end of the call, I said, 'Hey, did you read that one page?' I said, 'I would not be troubling you or Jon if I didn't feel like there was something here.' And he said, 'Yeah, I looked at it, let me look at that again. When did you email that?' I told him the date, we say goodbye,” Zanes recalled in a recent interview.

Five minutes passed, and Zanes received a text. “‘Hey I’m into this,’ and I just had to pull the car over,” he said.

Quizmaster’s choice

Happy Friday, Staker! It’s time for another round of trivia à carte 🥳 

We’ve got another set of 10 random questions—the only thing connected them is that they’ll make sense if you were born in the ’60s. So walk on down memory lane with today’s trivia!

Complete the game and earn a shot at a $25 eGift Card ;)

Winner will be notified on Monday afternoon. Keep an eye on your inbox and don’t forget to check your spam folder!*