Cannabidiol, or CBD, may help reduce the cytokine storm and excessive lung inflammation that is killing many patients with COVID-19, researchers say. While more work, including clinical trials to determine optimal dosage and timing, is needed before CBD becomes part of the treatment for COVID-19, researchers at the Dental College of Georgia and Medical College […]
Seaspiracy, the latest Netflix documentary exposing the impact of our food systems, is making a splash
It was clear from the title and the promotion of the Netflix documentary Seaspiracy that it was going to adopt a similar approach to the highly influential 2014 documentary Cowspiracy, which uncovered the sheer scale and destructive impact of animal agriculture. Seaspiracy follows Ali, an activist and filmmaker who embarks on a journey of discovery which starts with beach […]
Estimating the environmental impact of Bitcoin mining
As an alternative to government-issued money, the cryptocurrency Bitcoin offers relative anonymity, no sales tax and freedom from bank and government interference. But some people argue that these benefits have an enormous environmental impact, particularly with regard to Bitcoin mining — the process used to secure the cryptocurrency. Now, researchers reporting in ACS’ Environmental Science & […]
Sugar not so nice for your child’s brain development, study suggests
Sugar practically screams from the shelves of your grocery store, especially those products marketed to kids. Children are the highest consumers of added sugar, even as high-sugar diets have been linked to health effects like obesity and heart disease and even impaired memory function. However, less is known about how high sugar consumption during childhood […]
Animal Pharm: Food For Thought
Mother Nature can no longer claim total dominion over the future of evolution. Some of the planet’s most commonly consumed animals are undergoing extensive genetic manipulation in laboratory settings across the globe. Scientists can create new breeds of cows, chickens and fish that grow faster, leaner and more muscular than ever before. Even fruits and […]
That Sugar Film
‘That Sugar Film’ is a highly informative, quirkily presented Australian documentary, which makes a case that the health fad of the past 30 years, which has demonized fats and has tended to minimize the perils of sugar may have contributed to the obesity epidemic now occurring worldwide, in a direct challenge to the hotly-contested ideas […]
Mixed signals: Combinations of estrogen-mimicking chemicals strongly distort hormone action
For years, scientists have been concerned about chemicals in the environment that mimic the estrogens found in the body. In study after study, researchers have found links between these “xenoestrogens” and such problems as decreased sperm viability, ovarian dysfunction, neurodevelopmental deficits and obesity. But experimental limitations have prevented them from exploring one of the most […]
Strawberries boost red blood cells, study finds
A group of volunteers ate half a kilo of strawberries every day for two weeks to demonstrate that eating this fruit improves the antioxidant capacity of blood. The study, carried out by Italian and Spanish researchers, showed that strawberries boost red blood cells’ response to oxidative stress, an imbalance that is associated with various diseases. […]
Gluten in wheat: What has changed during 120 years of breeding?
In recent years, the number of people affected by coeliac disease, wheat allergy or gluten or wheat sensitivity has risen sharply. But why is this the case? Could it be that modern wheat varieties contain more immunoreactive protein than in the past? Results from a study by the Leibniz-Institute for Food Systems Biology at the […]
Personal use of permanent hair dye not associated with greater risk of most cancers or cancer death
Women who use permanent hair dye products to colour their hair at home do not experience greater risk of most cancers or greater cancer related mortality, finds a study published by The BMJ today. While this should provide general reassurance to users of permanent hair dyes, the authors say they did find a slight increase in risk […]