If you walk into your local drug store and ask for a supplement to help you sleep, you might be directed to a bottle labeled “melatonin.” The hormone supplement’s use as a sleep aid is supported by anecdotal evidence and even some reputable research studies. However, our bodies also make melatonin naturally, and until a […]
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Alternative therapies may help lower blood pressure
Alternative therapies such as aerobic exercise, resistance or strength training, and isometric hand grip exercises may help reduce your blood pressure, according to the American Heart Association. In a new scientific statement published in its journal Hypertension, the association said alternative approaches could help people with blood pressure levels higher than 120/80 mm Hg and those […]
Newly Funded Research Study Aims to Convert Paper and Plastic Wastes into Food
Researchers at Iowa State University (ISU) and its partners will create a system that converts wastes generated by military expeditionary forces into food. The technology could vastly improve military logistics and may have wider application to produce food and reduce plastic wastes. The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has awarded a Phase I cooperative […]
Phytochemicals In Apples Are Found To Provide Anticancer And Anti-Oxidant Benefits
Time to adjust an old adage: It’s the phytochemicals in the apple each day that keep the doctor away. A combination of plant chemicals, such as flavanoids and polyphenols — collectively known as phytochemicals — found both within the flesh of apple and particularly in the skin — provide the fruit’s anti-oxidant and anti-cancer benefits, […]
Vitamin D crucial to activating immune defenses
Scientists at the University of Copenhagen have discovered that Vitamin D is crucial to activating our immune defenses and that without sufficient intake of the vitamin, the killer cells of the immune system — T cells — will not be able to react to and fight off serious infections in the body. For T cells […]
Regular crosswords and number puzzles linked to sharper brain in later life
Older adults who regularly take part in word and number puzzles have sharper brains, according to the largest online study to date. The more regularly adults aged 50 and over played puzzles such as crosswords and Sudoku, the better their brain function, according to research in more than 19,000 participants, led by the University of […]
Pure maple syrup contains medicinally beneficial compounds, pharmacy researcher finds
Before you dig in to your next stack of French toast or waffles, you might want to pour on pure maple syrup. That’s because University of Rhode Island researcher Navindra Seeram, who specializes in medicinal plant research, has found more than 20 compounds in maple syrup from Canada that have been linked to human health, […]
Researchers uncover hidden antibiotic potential of cannabis
McMaster University researchers have identified an antibacterial compound made by cannabis plants that may serve as a lead for new drug development. An interdisciplinary team of McMaster researchers found that the chemical compound, or cannabinoid, called cannabigerol (CBG) is not only antibacterial but also effective in mice against a resilient family of bacteria known as […]
Special filters in glasses can help the color blind see colors better
At least eight in 100 men (8%) and one in 200 women (0.5%) suffer from red-green color vision deficiency (CVD), totaling 13 million in the U.S. and 350 million worldwide. While those with normal color vision see in excess of one million hues and shades, those with CVD see a vastly diminished range of colors. […]
Cooking Tomatoes Boosts Disease-Fighting Power
Cooking tomatoes — such as in spaghetti sauce — makes the fruit heart-healthier and boosts its cancer-fighting ability. All this, despite a loss of vitamin C during the cooking process, say Cornell food scientists. The reason: cooking substantially raises the levels of beneficial compounds called phytochemicals. Writing in the latest issue of the Journal of Agriculture […]