Author: Avisoscuba
Sugar can destroy your health – there’s no doubt about it. However, if you think you’re doing your body any favors by switching to artificial sweeteners, you couldn’t be more wrong. They may have fewer calories, but they can be just as bad for your health – and your waistline – as regular sugar, if not worse. Weight loss is often boiled down to a simple formula of calories in versus calories out. Unfortunately, many people fail to realize that no-calorie sweeteners can raise your risk of obesity and Type 2 diabetes even more than sugar. Lots of studies have…
More than half of the country currently has some form of legal access to cannabis (marijuana) on the books, and yet people who use this natural plant legally, including for medical purposes, are still being unfairly discriminated against when it comes to acquiring employment that’s contingent upon taking a drug test. The problem lies with outdated and nonsensical testing parameters that include identifying the presence of cannabis constituents like THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) as part of the panel. Though the effects of THC typically subside within just a few hours after use, depending on the individual, THC can still be detected in…
Chips may seem like a good idea, but there are a growing number of reasons for you to avoid them. Recent findings published in peer-reviewed journal JCI Insight showed that the proliferation of bad gut bacteria, a common outcome of an unhealthy diet, is the likely culprit behind osteoarthritis. Scientists from the University of Rochester Medical Center discovered the link between gut bacteria and joint deterioration. In a study conducted on mice, the researchers found that between obese and lean rodents, the former had more bad bacteria in their belly and were at a greater risk of developing arthritis. The first group…
Athletes know that hydration is crucial to maintaining peak performance because water helps to regulate the body temperature. Water also helps lubricate the joints. According to a study, even seniors need to stay hydrated when exercising because it can help them “reap the full cognitive benefits of exercise.” The researchers involved in the study delved deeper into the connection between hydration status before engaging in physical activities and exercise-enhanced cognition among the elderly. While earlier studies have determined that dehydration can negatively affect the brain function and exercise performance of young people, not much is known about its effect on older individuals.…
Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is one of the most common hormonal problems women face today. It is said that at least five to 10 percent of women of childbearing age are diagnosed with it. For years patients have been treating the illness by taking hormonal pills, but researchers recently discovered a new remedy. Women suffering from PCOS may have a chance to fight the syndrome by soaking in a hot tub a couple of times a week for two months. According to research, this method improves the cardiovascular health of the women as well as influencing beneficial changes in fat…
The phrase, “I’ll exercise tomorrow,” is probably one of the many promises that we hardly keep. Mostly, due to our busy schedules, we opt for munching on our comfort foods than jogging or hitting the gym to relieve our stress. This scenario often leads to a person becoming unfit which leads to certain health risks. Although a lot of research has been done to prove the correlation between being unfit and the risk of developing illnesses, particularly cardiovascular diseases, a study in the Journal of the American Medical Association has shown that men who are over the normal weight limit are more likely to suffer…
In this age of social media where majority of the youth seek validation through feedback from their peers, cyberbullying has become rampant as online platforms became an open field for bullies to target other people’s profiles. A case study has proven that people under the age of 25 who have experienced cyberbullying are two times more likely to commit suicide. Moreover, those who perpetrate the wrongdoings are also vulnerable to harboring suicidal thoughts or behaviors and go through depression. For over 21 years, researchers observed more than 150,000 children and young adults from 30 countries across the globe. According to…
It’s said that being in rural areas has enormous benefits to our physical health. We’ve also been told that growing up in an environment where we’re exposed to animals and nature reduces the risk of developing asthma and some other diseases. A more recent study, however, found that growing up in a place close to nature and surrounded by animals is not only beneficial for our bodies, but it also strengthens our mental health. The study, co-authored by researchers from the University of Ulm and University of Colorado Boulder (CU Boulder), suggests that kids who grew up around pets have more stress-resilient…
A recently published study discovered that chemicals and liquids that are used to flavor e-cigarettes could result in a “significant inflammation” of monocytes, a type of white blood cell in the body, and that mixing e-cigarette flavors produces a much worse effect than having just one flavor. The study, which was published in the open-access journal Frontiers in Physiology, adds weight to growing evidence on the dangers of e-cigarettes to a person’s health. The study, which was led by researchers from the University of Rochester Medical Centre, investigated the truth behind the claims saying that vaping e-cigarettes, which were touted to be nicotine-free,…
A new study published in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease provides new information on how the brain and the rest of the body communicate. Previous studies have suggested that pathology related to Alzheimer’s disease may occur before the clinical symptoms of the disease manifest, and that inflammation is one of the main components of the disease. Links between the levels of inflammatory markers in cerebrospinal fluid and blood, and mild cognitive impairment, have also been revealed in past research. Moreover, scientists have discovered that increases in inflammatory markers may appear even decades before any symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease appear. The…
Chronic kidney disease is now linked to outdoor air pollution — adding yet another item to the growing list of health conditions impacted by this phenomenon. The study, which was published in the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology, explored how coarse particulate matter, that is, particulate matter 10 micrometers or less — commonly known as PM10 — as well as chemicals such as nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and carbon monoxide (CO), adversely affect the kidneys. Earlier studies have suggested that environmental air pollution is linked to kidney problems; however, the association between coarse particulate matter was unclear. In the current…
A new study presented to the American Association for Cancer Research has found that postmenopausal women with normal body mass index (BMI) but have higher levels of body fat have increased risk of breast cancer. The researchers of the study evaluated the health data of 3,460 postmenopausal women who were between 50 and 79 years old with a normal BMI, baseline dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) measurements, and no history of breast cancer. The data was gathered from the an observational study called the Women’s Health Initiative (WHI). In the median 16 years of follow-up, the participants were examined for the development…
Algal supplementation has been shown to significantly raise the levels of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), according to a systematic review of literature published in the Journal of Nutrition & Intermediary Metabolism. In the study, author J.C. Craddock of the University of Wollongong in Australia looked at the relationship between supplementation with algal forms of DHA and its effects on vegetarians and vegans. Compared to other omnivorous populations, vegetarians and vegans have a lower DHA intake – and adverse effect from limited intake of fish and animal products. The objective of the research was to determine how supplements with algal DHA can increase phospholipid concentrations in vegans…
When you get sick, the regenerative processes of the body are overcome by degenerative ones. Regeneration is described as the regrowth of a damaged or missing part of the remaining tissue. Some body organs, such as the liver and skin, can regenerate. For example, when a part of the liver is lost as a result of disease or injury, the liver can grow back to its original size. Even so, it will not grow back to its original shape. The skin, on the other hand, is constantly being renewed and repaired. However, a lot of human tissues do not regenerate.…
It’s easy to make jokes about Monsanto being aligned with the devil given how much destruction its products and business practices have caused our environment and mankind. However, as the firm’s merger with Bayer moves closer to reality, it finds itself pairing up with a company who, by its own admission, had a direct hand in developing deadly chemical weapons for Adolf Hitler. The cyanide-based pesticide Zyklon B that Nazi Germany used to kill more than a million people in the gas chambers at Auschwitz, was developed by Interessen-Gemeinschaft Farben, or I. G. Farben for short; Bayer is an offshoot…
A group of California-based researchers investigated connections between people’s online activities and the number of new cases of syphilis. In two separate studies, they reported that the spread of this STD could be predicted by tallying up people’s posts on Twitter and looking at their search histories on Google, an article in LWW Journals states. In recent years, the annual and weekly cases of syphilis in the U.S. have shot upwards. The growing frequency of this sexually-transmitted disease (STD) has driven medical authorities to look into effective yet cheap ways to keep an eye on its spread. Search engines and social media are recent technologies, but…
It’s been years since the U.S. government banned the use of lead-based paints for buildings across the country. However, a non-government organization composed of experts in education, childcare, and children’s health called out a “significant regulatory gap” in the system. According to reports, there is an alarming issue in the building industry since builders and property owners are allowed to use recycled materials that may contain lead. Founder and President of Healthy Building Network, Bill Walsh, emphasized the possibility that lead-containing building products are also present in schools. This only means that the law has not caught up with the whole…
Researchers from Finland have discovered that eating fatty fish could benefit people with impaired glucose metabolism. The study, published in Molecular Nutrition & Food Research, looked at how fatty fish affected cholesterol levels, in particular, high-density lipoprotein (HDL). They also established that camelina sativa oil reduces harmful intermediate-density lipoprotein (IDL) levels in the body. For the study, researchers looked at whether the intake of fatty fish and camelina oil had any effect on the size and composition of cholesterol-carrying lipoproteins. HDL, also known as the “good” cholesterol, is beneficial to the body; however, it depends on the size and composition of…
High-fat diets are, without a doubt, full of flavor – but that’s all it has going for it. A study published in the Journal of Nutrition & Intermediary Metabolism had indicated that a high-fat simple carbohydrate diet (HFSC) can lead to structural abnormalities in a person’s vital organs. The findings, presented by researchers from St. Aloysius College and the Central Food Technological Research Institute in India, looked at the effects of a realistic HFSC diet has on the body including its nutritional profile. The rise of nutritionally poor food According to researchers, the lack of time, stress, and increased per capita income are…
Natural is still the best. That’s the message from University of Otago researchers who found that raw fruits and vegetables may be better for mental health than their cooked, canned, and processed varieties. Dr. Tamlin Conner, psychology senior lecturer and the study’s lead author, observed that through the years, public health campaigns have concentrated on the amount of fruit and vegetables one must consume (e.g. at least five times a day). But the recently-published research in Frontiers in Psychology discovered that especially for mental health, food preparation and the manner in which the food is consumed, are just as important. Conner says…
You may have heard before that your stomach is home to trillions of bacteria. These microorganisms help break down the food you eat and have a lot to do with the quality of your overall health. But did you know that the state of your gut can impact the state of your mind, and in turn may affect your mood? In other words, the countless microorganisms living inside your body can directly affect your mental health. Dr. Leslie Korn, an integrative medicine and mental health expert, told Good Health that “the brain is not always the cause of mental illness.” According to studies, depression…
What do a doctor, a lawyer, and a teacher have in common? Aside from sounding like the start of a bar joke, people with these three working professional roles are “more likely to drink alcohol regularly than manual workers.” According to a study, at least four out of five of people in the U.K. who work in managerial and professional roles drink alcohol in the previous week, compared to only half of receptionists and others considered as routine and manual workers. Healthcare experts cautioned that these findings suggest that the “wine o’clock” culture can endanger the health of heavy drinkers. Steve…