The microbes that inhabit our bodies are influenced by what we eat, drink, breathe and absorb through our skin, and most of us are chronically exposed to natural and human-made environmental contaminants. In a new paper, scientists from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign review the research linking dozens of environmental chemicals to changes in […]
Bacterial Pneumonia Caused Most Deaths in 1918 Influenza Pandemic
The majority of deaths during the influenza pandemic of 1918-1919 were not caused by the influenza virus acting alone, report researchers from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health. Instead, most victims succumbed to bacterial pneumonia following influenza virus infection. The pneumonia was caused when bacteria […]
Fungi in gut linked to higher Alzheimer’s risk can be reduced through ketogenic diet
Specific fungi in the gut associated with a higher risk of Alzheimer’s disease and found in people with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) can be altered in a beneficial manner by eating a modified Mediterranean diet, researchers at Wake Forest School of Medicine have found. The small study is published in the current online edition of […]
Radiation in parts of Marshall Islands is higher than Chernobyl
Radiation levels in some regions of the Marshall Islands in the central Pacific, where the United States conducted nuclear tests during the Cold War, are far higher than in areas affected by the Chernobyl and Fukushima nuclear disasters, according to new research from Columbia University. Three studies published July 15 in Proceedings of the National Academy […]
Drinking green tea and coffee daily linked to lower death risk in people with diabetes
Drinking plenty of both green tea and coffee is linked to a lower risk of dying from any cause among people with type 2 diabetes, suggests research published in the online journal BMJ Open Diabetes Research & Care. Drinking 4 or more daily cups of green tea plus 2 or more of coffee was associated with […]
Feeling sleepy? Might be the melatonin
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]