About 3 million people in the US are diagnosed every year with bipolar disorder, a psychiatric condition characterized by dramatic shifts in mood from depression to mania. Currently, the standard treatment includes a combination of psychotherapy and prescription medications such as mood stabilizers and antipsychotics. Source: Probiotics could help millions of patients suffering from bipolar…
Study shows magnesium optimizes vitamin D status
A randomized trial by Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center researchers indicates that magnesium optimizes vitamin D status, raising it in people with deficient levels and lowering it in people with high levels. Source: Study shows magnesium optimizes vitamin D status
Folate deficiency creates hitherto unknown problems in connection with cell division
Folate deficiency creates more problems in connection with DNA replication than researchers had hitherto assumed, researchers from the University of Copenhagen show in a new study. Once a person lacks folate, the damage caused by this cannot be reversed. The researchers therefore encourage people to be more aware of the level of folate in the…
Breastfeeding for more than 6 months associated with smaller maternal waist circumference
Breastfeeding for more than 6 months was found to be independently associated with smaller waist circumference in the decade after delivery among women in the POUCHmoms Study. Source: Breastfeeding for more than 6 months associated with smaller maternal waist circumference
Using light to stop itch
Itch is easily one of the most annoying sensations. For chronic skin diseases like eczema, it’s a major symptom. Although it gives temporary relief, scratching only makes things worse because it can cause skin damage, additional inflammation and even more itch. EMBL researchers have now found a way to stop itch with light in mice.…
Green leafy vegetables may prevent liver steatosis
A larger portion of green leafy vegetables in the diet may reduce the risk of developing liver steatosis, or fatty liver. In a study published in PNAS researchers from Karolinska Institutet in Sweden show how a larger intake of inorganic nitrate, which occurs naturally in many types of vegetable, reduces accumulation of fat in the…
How much weightlifting is good for the Heart?
How much weightlifting is good for the Heart? How much weightlifting is good for the Heart? Lifting weights for less than an hour a week may reduce your risk for a heart attack or stroke by 40 to 70 percent, according to a new Iowa State University study. Spending more than an hour in the…
Fighting obesity — could it be as plain as dirt?
It costs the global economy an estimated US $2 trillion annually and has been dubbed a modern day health epidemic, but new research from the University of South Australia has unearthed a possible cure for obesity — and it is as plain as dirt! Source: Fighting obesity — could it be as plain as dirt?
Study links vitamin D-deficient older adults with greater risk of developing depression
A new study by researchers from The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing (TILDA) at Trinity College Dublin has shown for the first time in Ireland that a deficiency in vitamin D was associated with a substantial increased risk of depression (+75%) over a four-year follow up period. The findings form part of the largest representative…
Link between newborns with vitamin D deficiency and schizophrenia confirmed
Newborns with Vitamin D deficiency have an increased risk of schizophrenia later in life, researchers from Aarhus University and the University of Queensland report. The discovery could prevent some cases of the disease, and shows that neonatal vitamin D deficiency could possibly account for about 8 percent of all schizophrenia cases in Denmark. Source: Link…
Hazelnuts improve older adults’ micronutrient levels
Older adults who added hazelnuts to their diet for a few months significantly improved their levels of two key micronutrients. Source: Hazelnuts improve older adults’ micronutrient levels
Vitamin C may reduce harm to infants’ lungs caused by smoking during pregnancy
Vitamin C may reduce the harm done to lungs in infants born to mothers who smoke during their pregnancy, according to a randomized, controlled trial published online in the American Thoracic Society’s American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine. Source: Vitamin C may reduce harm to infants’ lungs caused by smoking during pregnancy
Two compounds in coffee may team up to fight Parkinson’s
Rutgers scientists have found a compound in coffee that may team up with caffeine to fight Parkinson’s disease and Lewy body dementia — two progressive and currently incurable diseases associated with brain degeneration. Source: Two compounds in coffee may team up to fight Parkinson’s
Study finds four dried fruits have lower glycemic index (GI) than white bread
People with diabetes and followers of diets based on the glycemic index (GI) can enjoy dried fruits knowing they do not cause a blood sugar spike compared to starchy foods such as white bread, suggests a study published in the journal Nutrition and Diabetes. Source: Study finds four dried fruits have lower glycemic index (GI)…
Essential oils from garlic and other herbs kill ‘persister’ Lyme disease bacteria
Essential oils from garlic and other herbs kill ‘persister’ Lyme disease bacteria “We found that these essential oils were even better at killing the ‘persister’ forms of Lyme bacteria than standard Lyme antibiotics,” says study senior author Ying Zhang, MD, PhD, professor in the Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology at the Bloomberg School. Jie…
A toxin that travels from stomach to brain may trigger Parkinsonism
Combining low doses of a toxic herbicide with sugar-binding proteins called lectins may trigger Parkinsonism — symptoms typical of Parkinson’s disease like body tremors and slowing of body motions — after the toxin travels from the stomach to the brain. Source: A toxin that travels from stomach to brain may trigger Parkinsonism
New study shows that fish oil does not increase bleeding risk in surgery patients
A new study published in Circulation showed that fish oil — which contains the omega-3s EPA and DHA — did not increase perioperative bleeding in surgery patients. In fact, higher blood omega-3 levels were associated with lower risk of bleeding. Source: New study shows that fish oil does not increase bleeding risk in surgery patients
Study links vitamin D-deficient older adults with greater risk of developing depression
A new study by researchers from The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing (TILDA) at Trinity College Dublin has shown for the first time in Ireland that a deficiency in vitamin D was associated with a substantial increased risk of depression (+75%) over a four-year follow up period. The findings form part of the largest representative…
Soil compound fights chronic wasting disease
A major compound in soil organic matter degrades chronic wasting disease prions and decreases infectivity in mice, according to a study published Nov. 29 in the open-access journal PLOS Pathogens by Judd Aiken of the University of Alberta, and colleagues. Source: Soil compound fights chronic wasting disease
Curry spice boosts exercise performance in mice with heart failure
New research suggests that curcumin, a main ingredient in curry, may improve exercise intolerance related to heart failure. The study is published ahead of print in the Journal of Applied Physiology. Source: Curry spice boosts exercise performance in mice with heart failure
