Competitive athletes are always looking for an extra edge that can help them improve performance. According to a new study by Concordia researchers published in the journal Physical Activity and Nutrition, they can find one in the common cranberry. In a series of trials involving trained distance runners, the researchers found that ingesting a cranberry supplement for 28 … [Read more...]
The Impact of the Family Dog on The Exercise Habits of Kids.
With two-thirds of children in the U.S. failing to meet national physical activity guidelines, kinesiologists at the University of Massachusetts Amherst have been looking at the impact of the family dog on the exercise habits of kids. Could having a canine best friend get kids on their feet and help bring them more in line with the minimum recommendation of 60 minutes of … [Read more...]
Making Long-Term Memories Requires Nerve-Cell Damage
"Inflammation of brain neurons is usually considered to be a bad thing, since it can lead to neurological problems such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease," said study leader Jelena Radulovic, M.D., Ph.D., professor in the Dominick P. Purpura Department of Neuroscience, professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences, and the Sylvia and Robert S. Olnick Chair in … [Read more...]
Genes Dictate Taste: Study Finds Genetic Links to Food Preferences
In the present systematic review, researchers evaluated the genetic influence on dietary preferences among adults. In August 2022, the team searched the Cochrane Library, Scopus, PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, OpenGrey, and ClinicalTrials.gov databases for relevant studies evaluating the impact of genotypes on food choices, preferences, and intake among healthy adults, … [Read more...]
New Study Reveals Black Pregnant Individuals’ Preference for Black Obstetric Care Providers
Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention demonstrate that Black women in the United States are three times more likely to die from a pregnancy-related cause than are white women. Health disparities among people of color are the result of broader social and economic inequities rooted in racism and discrimination. In a new study to be presented today at the … [Read more...]
Gut Microbiota Influence Severity of Respiratory Viral Infection
The composition of microbiota found in the gut influences how susceptible mice are to respiratory virus infections and the severity of these infections, according to researchers from the Center for Translational Antiviral Research in the Institute for Biomedical Sciences at Georgia State University. The findings, published in the journal Cell Host & Microbe, report that … [Read more...]
New Weight Loss Medication may help Lower Blood Pressure in Adults with Obesity
The new weight loss medication tirzepatide significantly lowered the systolic blood pressure (the top number in a blood pressure reading) for nearly 500 adults with obesity who took the medication for about eight months, according to new research published today in Hypertension, an American Heart Association journal. Systolic blood pressure, or the top number in the blood … [Read more...]
Hand-Held Biosensor Makes Breast Cancer Screening Fast, Affordable, And Accurate
Breast cancer is on the rise, but new tools for early detection could save lives. In Journal of Vacuum Science & Technology B, by AIP Publishing, researchers from the University of Florida and National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University in Taiwan reported successful results from a hand-held breast cancer screening device that can detect breast cancer biomarkers from a … [Read more...]
Key to Healing Injured Hearts
A groundbreaking scientific study published in Nature Cardiovascular Research has unveiled a remarkable discovery that may have far-reaching implications for the treatment of heart disease. The intensive investigations utilizing single-cell genomics and genetic experiments were conducted by a team of scientists in theCardiomyocyte Renewal Laboratory and McGill Gene Editing … [Read more...]
Artificial Intelligence and Immunity
Researchers from Cleveland Clinic and IBM have published a strategy for identifying new targets for immunotherapy through artificial intelligence (AI). This is the first peer-reviewed publication from the two organizations' Discovery Accelerator partnership, designed to advance research in healthcare and life sciences. The team worked together to develop supervised and … [Read more...]
Different Pain Types in Multiple Sclerosis can Cause Difficulty Ataying Active
For patients with multiple sclerosis, a regular exercise routine is important for managing symptoms. Due to different causes of chronic pain though, physical exercise can be more difficult for some. Research published in the Journal of Pain from the University of Michigan found that widespread pain with nociplastic features, also known as WPNF, can make engaging in physical … [Read more...]
Participants in School-Based Gardening and Food Programs Benefit From Lasting Impacts on Dietary Behaviors
To encourage fruit and vegetable consumption among youth, experiential food education programs such as gardening and cooking lessons have increased across both community and school settings. A recent research article in the Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior, published by Elsevier, revealed how this early learning positively influenced food decisions as children grew … [Read more...]
Study Charts Possibilities for a Better way to Diagnose Gestational Diabetes
Pregnancy weight and biochemical markers measured in blood from women with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) were related to increased risk of poor pregnancy outcomes, suggesting a new direction for precision diagnostics, according to researchers. The study led by Ellen C. Francis, an assistant professor in the Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology at Rutgers School … [Read more...]
Study: Cuddling During Sleep Comes at a Cost, Even for Mice
If you’re having trouble sleeping, perhaps contact with a bedmate is causing the problem, say University of Michigan researchers. Ada Eban-Rothschild, assistant professor in U-M’s Department of Psychology, and colleagues tracked the sleep behavior of mice while in a social context. They noticed that these small rodents seek physical contact prior to sleep initiation and … [Read more...]
Elevated Pregnancy Blood Pressure may Leave Lasting Marks on the Heart
New research from the Smidt Heart Institute at Cedars-Sinai found that women who developed signs of elevated blood pressure during pregnancy were more likely to have residual evidence of abnormal heart structure and function up to a decade after the pregnancy. "This study helps to clarify that, for some women, pregnancy is not just a 'stress test' that unmasks underlying … [Read more...]
Dietary Shifts to Less Processed Foods Significantly Lower Triglycerides in Women
During reproductive age, poor nutrition quality increases obesity rates and, as a result, the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and type 2 diabetes. Dyslipidemia also impacts health, particularly among women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). In pregnant women, elevated triglycerides increase the risk of gestational diabetes, which can lead to type 2 diabetes and CVD … [Read more...]
People With Obesity Burn Less Energy During Day
Weight influences how and when bodies burn energy, new research indicates. An Oregon Health & Science University study published in the journal Obesity found people who have a healthy weight use more energy during the day, when most people are active and eat, while those who have obesity spend more energy during the night, when most people sleep. The study also found … [Read more...]
Measuring Long-Term Heart Stress Dynamics with Smartwatch Data
Biomedical engineers at Duke University have developed a method using data from wearable devices such as smartwatches to digitally mimic an entire week's worth of an individual's heartbeats. The previous record covered only a few minutes. Called the Longitudinal Hemodynamic Mapping Framework (LHMF), the approach creates "digital twins" of a specific patient's blood flow to … [Read more...]
New Research Links High Salt Consumption to Risk of Type 2 Diabetes
Those at risk for Type 2 diabetes may already know to avoid sugar, but new research suggests they may want to skip the salt as well. A new study from Tulane University published in Mayo Clinic Proceedings found that frequently adding salt to foods was associated with an increased risk of developing Type 2 diabetes. The study surveyed more than 400,000 adults registered in … [Read more...]
Shortening Sleep Time Increases Diabetes Risk in Women
A new study at Columbia University has found that shortening sleep by just 90 minutes for six weeks increased insulin resistance in women who are accustomed to getting adequate sleep. The effect was even more pronounced in postmenopausal women. The recommended amount of sleep for optimal health is between seven and nine hours per night, yet about one-third of Americans get … [Read more...]
Increasing Steps by 3,000 Per Day can Lower Blood Pressure in Older Adults
A new study including Linda Pescatello, distinguished professor of kinesiology in UConn's College of Agriculture, Health and Natural Resources, found that adding a relatively minimal amount of movement, about 3,000 steps per day, can significantly reduce high blood pressure in older adults. Pescatello worked with Elizabeth Lefferts, the lead author of the paper, Duck-chun … [Read more...]
Women with PCOS on Keto Diet may see Improvements in Fertility
The ketogenic (keto) diet may lower testosterone levels in women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), according to a new paper published in the Journal of the Endocrine Society. PCOS is the most common hormone disorder in women, affecting 7-10% of women of childbearing age. It can cause infertility and raises the risk of developing diabetes, obesity and other metabolic … [Read more...]
Trial Show Treatment Designed to Clear Senescent Cells in Alzheimer’s Disease is Safe
Alzheimer's disease is the most common cause of dementia that affects more than 6.5 million Americans, according to the Alzheimer's Association. To find effective treatments and slow the progression of this debilitating disease, researchers have made much progress in developing new drugs that target beta-amyloid plaques, one of the hallmarks of Alzheimer's … [Read more...]
Diet Tracking: How Much is Enough to Lose Weight?
Keeping track of everything you eat and drink in a day is a tedious task that is tough to keep up with over time. Unfortunately, dutiful tracking is a vital component for successful weight loss, however, a new study in Obesity finds that perfect tracking is not needed to achieve significant weight loss. Researchers from UConn, the University of Florida, and the University of … [Read more...]
How to Prevent a High-Fat Diet From Throwing Metabolism Out of Whack?
The UC Irvine research centered on a protein complex called AMPK, which senses the body's nutrition and takes action to keep it balanced. For example, if AMPK detects that glucose is low, it can boost lipid breakdown to produce energy in its place. Scientists have known that consuming high amounts of fat blocks AMPK's activity, leading the metabolism to go out of balance. … [Read more...]
Non-Biological Factors and Social Determinants of Health Important in Women’s CVD Risk Assessment
"Risk assessment is the first step in preventing heart disease, yet there are many limitations to traditional risk factors and their ability to comprehensively estimate a woman's risk for cardiovascular disease," said Jennifer H. Mieres, M.D., FAHA, vice chair of the scientific statement writing committee and a professor of cardiology at the Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra … [Read more...]
Beetroot juice: Significantly Increases Muscle Force During Exercise
While it is known that dietary nitrate enhances exercise, both boosting endurance and enhancing high-intensity exercise, researchers still have much to learn about why this effect occurs, and how our bodies convert dietary nitrate that we ingest into the nitric oxide that can be used by our cells. To help close this gap, researchers at the University of Exeter and the U.S. … [Read more...]
Assessing the Risk of Excess Folic Acid Intake
"However, there is a lack of research on whether excessive folic acid intake has the potential to harm human beings," said co-corresponding author, Dr. Richard H. Finnell, William T. Butler, M.D., Distinguished Chair Professor in the Center for Precision Environmental Health and the departments of molecular and cellular biology, molecular and human genetics and medicine at … [Read more...]
Study Reveals New Understanding of How Androgen Therapy Affects Breast Tissue
Transgender men who were assigned female at birth and identify today as male may take hormones called androgens to induce physical changes that help them align their physical appearance with their identified gender. Androgens such as testosterone are involved primarily in the development of male traits, although females also produce androgens. Molecular changes observed in … [Read more...]
Adding Antipsychotic Med to Antidepressant May help Older Adults with Treatment-Resistant Depression
Aripiprazole originally was approved by the FDA in 2002 as a treatment for schizophrenia but also has been used in lower doses as an add-on treatment for clinical depression in younger patients who do not respond to antidepressants alone. The new findings are published March 3 in The New England Journal of Medicine and are to be presented that same day by Eric J. Lenze, MD … [Read more...]