Body Weekly - May 2013 Archives

Dietary advice on added sugar is damaging our health, warns heart expert (5/31/2013)

Dietary advice on added sugar is damaging our health, warns a cardiologist on bmj.com today. Dr. Aseem Malhotra believes that "not only has this advice been manipulated by the food industry for profit but it is actually a risk factor for obesity and diet related disease." ...> Full Article

Fish oil may help the heart beat mental stress (5/30/2013)

Why is fish oil good for the heart? A new study suggests that this omega 3 fatty acid-rich nutrient could blunt some cardiovascular effects of mental stress. ...> Full Article

Fish oil supplements may help fight against Type 2 diabetes (5/29/2013)

Widely-used fish oil supplements modestly increase amounts of a hormone that is associated with lower risk of diabetes and heart disease, according to a study accepted for publication in the Endocrine Society's Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism. ...> Full Article

Consumers largely underestimating calorie content of fast food (5/29/2013)

People eating at fast food restaurants largely underestimate the calorie content of meals, especially large ones, according to a paper published today on bmj.com. ...> Full Article

Calorie information in fast food restaurants used by 40 percent of 9-18 year olds when making food choices (5/28/2013)

A new study published online today in the Journal of Public Health has found that of young people who visited fast food or chain restaurants in the US in 2010, girls and youth who were obese were more likely to use calorie information given in the restaurants to inform their food choices. ...> Full Article

Mediterranean diet seems to boost ageing brain power (5/27/2013)

A Mediterranean diet with added extra virgin olive oil or mixed nuts seems to improve the brain power of older people better than advising them to follow a low-fat diet, indicates research published online in the Journal of Neurology Neurosurgery and Psychiatry. ...> Full Article

New study finds blind people have the potential to use their 'inner bat' to locate objects (5/26/2013)

New research from the University of Southampton has shown that blind and visually impaired people have the potential to use echolocation, similar to that used by bats and dolphins, to determine the location of an object. ...> Full Article

High-testosterone competitors more likely to choose red (5/25/2013)

Why do so many sports players and athletes choose to wear the color red when they compete? A new study to be published in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science, suggests that it may have to do with their testosterone levels. ...> Full Article

Women's reproductive ability may be related to immune system status (5/24/2013)

Illinois anthropology professor Kathryn Clancy and her research team at the Laboratory for Evolutionary Endocrinology showed that a woman's reproductive function may be tied to her immune system's status. ...> Full Article

Male testosterone levels increase when victorious in competition against rivals, but not friends (5/23/2013)

A University of Missouri study has found that testosterone levels during group competition are modulated depending on the relationships among the competitors and may be related to the formation of alliances in warfare. ...> Full Article

Novel study reports marijuana users have better blood sugar control (5/21/2013)

Regular marijuana use is associated with favorable indices related to diabetic control, say investigators. They found that current marijuana users had significantly lower fasting insulin and were less likely to be insulin resistant, even after excluding patients with a diagnosis of diabetes mellitus. Their findings are reported in the current issue of The American Journal of Medicine. ...> Full Article

Out of sync with the world: Body clocks of depressed people are altered at cell level (5/20/2013)

Every cell in our bodies runs on a 24-hour clock, tuned to the night-day, light-dark cycles that have ruled us since the dawn of humanity. But new research shows that the clock may be broken in the brains of people with depression -- even at the level of the gene activity inside their brain cells. ...> Full Article

Fish oil may stall effects of junk food on brain (5/19/2013)

Data from more than 180 research papers suggests fish oils could minimise the effects that junk food can have on the brain, a review by researchers at the University of Liverpool has shown. ...> Full Article

Women altering menstruation cycles in large numbers, UO study shows (5/18/2013)

A surprisingly large number of women 18 or older choose to delay or skip monthly menstruation by deviating from the instructions of birth-control pills and other hormonal contraceptives, a team of researchers found in a study of female students at the University of Oregon. ...> Full Article

Whole walnuts and their extracted oil improve cardiovascular disease risk (5/17/2013)

Consumption of whole walnuts or their extracted oil can reduce cardiovascular risk through a mechanism other than simply lowering cholesterol, according to a team of Penn State, Tufts University and University of Pennsylvania researchers. ...> Full Article

Could eating peppers prevent Parkinson's? (5/16/2013)

New research reveals that Solanaceae--a flowering plant family with some species producing foods that are edible sources of nicotine--may provide a protective effect against Parkinson's disease. The study appearing today in Annals of Neurology, a journal of the American Neurological Association and Child Neurology Society, suggests that eating foods that contain even a small amount of nicotine, such as peppers and tomatoes, may reduce risk of developing Parkinson's. ...> Full Article

Jekyll into Hyde: Breathing auto emissions turns HDL cholesterol from 'good' to 'bad' (5/16/2013)

Academic researchers have found that breathing motor vehicle emissions triggers a change in high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, altering its cardiovascular protective qualities so that it actually contributes to clogged arteries. The finding, shown in mice, reveals how car emissions activate the early cell and tissue damage called oxidation that causes inflammation leading to hardening of the arteries and HDL cholesterol may play a key role. ...> Full Article

Skipping meals and shopping sabotages diets (5/15/2013)

People skip meals for all sorts of reasons -- dieting, fasting, insane schedules that make you forget to eat. Skipping meals can sabotage your shopping -- and your diet, according to a new study conducted by Cornell University researchers Dr. Aner Tal and Dr. Brian Wansink. Even short term food deprivation not only increases overall grocery shopping, but leads shoppers to buy 31 percent more high calorie foods, according to the findings of this study. ...> Full Article

Short-term food deprivation appears linked to high-calorie food options (5/14/2013)

A research letter by Brian Wansink, Ph.D., and Aner Tal, Ph.D., of Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, suggests that hungry grocery shoppers tend to buy higher-calorie products. ...> Full Article

Gray hair and vitiligo reversed at the root (5/13/2013)

It's true -- the cure for gray hair is coming. New research in The FASEB Journal shows that people going gray develop oxidative stress via accumulation of hydrogen peroxide in the hair follicle, causing our hair to bleach itself from the inside out. Now, this can be remedied with a proprietary treatment described as a topical, UVB-activated compound called PC-KUS (a modified pseudocatalase). What's more, the same treatment works for the skin condition, vitiligo. ...> Full Article

Study uncovers mechanism for how grapes reduce heart failure associated with hypertension (5/12/2013)

A study appearing in the Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry demonstrates that grapes are able to reduce heart failure associated with chronic high blood pressure (hypertension) by increasing the activity of several genes responsible for antioxidant defense in the heart tissue. ...> Full Article

Zebrafish study suggests that vitamin B2 (riboflavin) is an antidote to cyanide poisoning (5/11/2013)

With the remains of a recent lottery winner having been exhumed for foul play related to cyanide poisoning, future winners might wonder how they can avoid the same fate. A new report in The FASEB Journal involving zebrafish suggests that riboflavin may mitigate cyanide's toxic effects. ...> Full Article

More evidence suggests eating omega 3s and avoiding meat, dairy linked to preserving memory (5/10/2013)

The largest study to date finds that eating foods that contain omega-3 fatty acids, found in fish, chicken and salad dressing and avoiding saturated fats, meat and dairy foods may be linked to preserving memory and thinking abilities. However, the same association was not found in people with diabetes. The research is published in the April 30, 2013, print issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. ...> Full Article

Forced exercise may still protect against anxiety and stress, says CU-Boulder study (5/10/2013)

Being forced to exercise may still help reduce anxiety and depression just as exercising voluntarily does, according to a new study by researchers at the University of Colorado Boulder. ...> Full Article

'Lazy eye disorder -- A promising new therapeutic approach (5/9/2013)

A research team led by Dr. Robert Hess from McGill University and the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre has used the popular puzzle video game Tetris in an innovative approach to treat adult amblyopia, commonly known as "lazy eye." By distributing information between the two eyes in a complementary fashion, the video game trains both eyes to work together, which is counter to previous treatments for the disorder (e.g., patching). ...> Full Article

Low HDL-cholesterol -- not quantity, but quality (5/9/2013)

Many of the genes regulating the inflammation and immune response of the body are also associated with low HDL-cholesterol levels in the circulation, suggests the recent study conducted at the University of Helsinki, Finland. The research also discovered that the quality of HDL particle can vary considerably. ...> Full Article

The human immune system in space (5/8/2013)

When the space shuttle Atlantis touched down in the summer of 2011 at Cape Canaveral, closing the book on the US shuttle program, a team of US Army researchers stood at the ready, eager to get their gloved hands on a small device in the payload that housed a set of biological samples. ...> Full Article

Obesity in early 20s curbs chances of reaching middle age (5/8/2013)

Young men who are obese in their early 20s are significantly more likely to develop serious ill health by the time they reach middle age, or not even make it that far, suggests research published in the online journal BMJ Open. ...> Full Article

Study explains what triggers those late-night snack cravings (5/7/2013)

A study co-authored by an Oregon Health and Science University researcher finds that the circadian system increases hunger and cravings for sweet, starchy and salty foods in the evenings. Eating higher-calorie foods in the evening can be counterproductive if weight loss is a goal since the human body handles nutrients differently depending on the time of day. ...> Full Article

Picking produce by its pigment: Don't forget that white vegetables offer key nutrients, say experts (5/7/2013)

At the ASN Satellite Symposium: White Vegetables: Addressing the Nutrition Gap, held in conjunction with the American Society for Nutrition's Annual Meeting at Experimental Biology 2013, seven leading food and nutrition scientists highlighted emerging research exploring the nutritional impact of white vegetables, especially the potato, in a healthy, well-balanced diet. ...> Full Article

Researchers discover mushrooms can provide as much vitamin D as supplements (5/6/2013)

Researchers from Boston University School of Medicine have discovered that eating mushrooms containing Vitamin D2 can be as effective at increasing and maintaining vitamin D levels (25?hydroxyvitamin D) as taking supplemental vitamin D2 or vitamin D3. These findings will be presented at the American Society for Biochemistry and Microbiology annual meeting in Boston on April 22 and also concurrently appear in Dermato-Endocrinology on line open access. ...> Full Article

Tell me where you're from and I'll tell you what tastes you prefer (5/5/2013)

Children love fatty and sugary foods. Or do they? New research contradicts the idea that all children under the age of ten have the same taste in food and highlights the importance of the country of residence, culture and age in these preferences. ...> Full Article

Reproductive tract secretions elicit ovulation (5/4/2013)

Eggs take a long time to produce in the ovary, and thus are one of a body's precious resources. It has been theorized that the body has mechanisms to help the ovary ensure that ovulated eggs enter the reproductive tract at the right time in order to maximize the chance of successful fertilization. New research from Carnegie's Allan Spradling and Jianjun Sun has shed light on how successful ovulation and fertilization are brought about by studying these processes in fruit flies. ...> Full Article

Will green tea help you lose weight? (5/4/2013)

Evidence has shown that green tea extract may be an effective herbal remedy useful for weight control and helping to regulate glucose in type 2 diabetes. In order to ascertain whether green tea truly has this potential, Jae-Hyung Park and his colleagues from the Keimyung University School of Medicine in the Republic of Korea conducted a study, now published in the Springer journal Naunyn-Schmedeberg's Archives of Pharmacology. ...> Full Article

Study shows drinking one 12oz sugar-sweetened soft drink a day can increase the risk of type 2 diabetes by 22 percent (5/4/2013)

Drinking one (or one extra) 12oz serving size of sugar-sweetened soft drink a day can be enough to increase the risk of developing type 2 diabetes by 22 percent, a new study suggests. The research is published in Diabetologia (the journal of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes) and comes from data in the InterAct consortium. The research is by Dr. Dora Romaguera, Dr. Petra Wark and Dr. Teresa Norat, Imperial College London, UK, and colleagues. ...> Full Article

Hop, skip or jump? Study says no to all of the above (5/3/2013)

MIT engineers find that in the earliest stages of arthritis, high-impact exercise may worsen cartilage damage. ...> Full Article

Resistant starch content of potatoes varies significantly by preparation and service method (5/3/2013)

Research recently presented at the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology conference in Boston, Mass., shows that resistant starch content of potatoes is similar across potato varieties; but can be altered significantly by the cooking and serving methods. Resistant starch is starch that is resistant to enzymatic digestion and, thus, is not absorbed in the small intestine. ...> Full Article

How does acupuncture work? The science behind the therapy explored (5/2/2013)

A special issue of Medical Acupuncture presents a series of articles by authors from around the world who provide diverse and insightful perspectives on the science and physiologic responses underlying medical acupuncture. ...> Full Article

High glucose levels could impair ferroelectricity in body's connective tissues (5/1/2013)

New research suggests that more sugar in the body could damage the elastic proteins that help us breathe and pump blood. The findings could have health implications for diabetics, who have high blood-glucose levels. ...> Full Article