Small amounts of licorice raise blood pressure, study finds
It is known that large amounts of liquorice cause high blood pressure. A study by researchers at Linköping University, Sweden, now shows that even small amounts of liquorice raise blood pressure. The individuals who react most strongly also show signs of strain on the heart. Liquorice is produced from the root of plants of the […]
Study unveils a role of mitochondria in dietary fat processing
The maintenance of a balanced lipid homeostasis is critical for our health. While consumption of excessive amounts of fatty foods contributes to metabolic diseases such as obesity and atherosclerosis, fat is an indispensable component of our diet. Digested lipids supply the body with essential building blocks and facilitate the absorption of important vitamins. In a […]
Study explores effects of dietary choline deficiency on neurologic and system-wide health: Reaching adequate dietary choline intake is critical to offset organ pathologies and may help protect the brain against Alzheimer’s disease
Choline, an essential nutrient produced in small amounts in the liver and found in foods including eggs, broccoli, beans, meat and poultry, is a vital ingredient for human health. A new study explores deficiency in dietary choline adversely affects the body and may be a missing piece in the puzzle of Alzheimer’s disease. It’s estimated […]
Drinking during pregnancy changes baby’s brain structure
A new MRI study revealed that consumption of alcohol even in low to moderate amounts during pregnancy can change the baby’s brain structure and delay brain development. Results of the study will be presented next week at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA). “Fetal MRI is a highly specialized and […]
COVID-19: New energy for flagging immune cells: Immune cells do not receive sufficient suitable energy carriers in infected individuals, a study reveals
In severe Covid-19 patients, the metabolism produces insufficient amounts of certain energy-rich compounds called ketone bodies. However, these energy carriers are needed by two important cell types in the immune system in order to fight the virus effectively. Perhaps this finding explains why some people fall ill so much more severely than others. A study […]
Eating more ultra-processed foods associated with increased risk of dementia
People who eat the highest amounts of ultra-processed foods like soft drinks, chips and cookies may have a higher risk of developing dementia than those who eat the lowest amounts, according to a new study published in the July 27, 2022, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. Researchers […]
What Are 5 Dangers of Alcohol? 5 Negative Effects on Health
Even trace amounts of alcohol can have long-term negative effects on your physical and mental health. Alcohol consumption is a personal choice, and many find it to be a wonderful relaxant or enjoy the pleasure it produces. You must, however, remember that alcohol is a psychoactive drug that produces addiction. Like all substances, alcohol harms […]
Just How Bad Is a ‘Sulfur Microbial Diet’ for Colorectal Cancer Risk?
Risk for colorectal cancer (CRC) was increased in people who consumed larger amounts of foods friendly to sulfur-metabolizing bacteria, an analysis of the Health Professionals Follow-up Study and Nurses’ Health studies suggested. Participants in the highest quintile of adherence to this so-called sulfur microbial diet — where junky food like french fries, red and processed […]
Capturing the impact of human sewage on Earth’s coastal ecosystems: New worldwide mapping analysis identifies key exposure hotspots in unprecedented resolution
A first-of-its-kind, high-resolution mapping analysis estimates the amounts of nitrogen and pathogens released into coastal ecosystems from human wastewater sources around the world. Cascade Tuholske (now affiliated with the Columbia Climate School) and colleagues at the University of California, Santa Barbara, present this research in the open-access journal PLOS ONE on November 10, 2021. Human […]
Vitamin D may protect against young-onset colorectal cancer
Consuming higher amounts of Vitamin D — mainly from dietary sources — may help protect against developing young-onset colorectal cancer or precancerous colon polyps, according to the first study to show such an association. The study, recently published online in the journal Gastroenterology, by scientists from Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, the Harvard T.H. Chan School of […]