Body Weekly - October 2014 Archives

Antioxidant found in grapes uncorks new targets for acne treatment (10/31/2014)

UCLA researchers have demonstrated how resveratrol, an antioxidant derived from grapes and found in wine, works to inhibit growth of the bacteria that causes acne. The team also found that combining resveratrol with a common acne medication, benzoyl peroxide, may enhance the drug's ability to kill the bacteria and could translate into new treatments. ...> Full Article

Reading a biological clock in the dark (10/31/2014)

Proper coordination between our gut bacteria and our biological clocks may be crucial for preventing obesity and glucose intolerance. ...> Full Article

Comprehensive study of allergic deaths in US finds medications are main culprit (10/30/2014)

Medications are the leading cause of allergy-related sudden deaths in the US, according to an analysis conducted by researchers at Montefiore Medical Center and Albert Einstein College of Medicine . The study, published online today in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, also found that the risk of fatal drug-induced allergic reactions was particularly high among older people and African-Americans and that such deaths increased significantly in the US in recent years. ...> Full Article

New viral mutation made middle-aged adults more susceptible to last year's flu (10/30/2014)

A team of scientists, led by researchers at The Wistar Institute, has identified a possible explanation for why middle-aged adults were hit especially hard by the H1N1 influenza virus during the 2013-2014 influenza season. The findings, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, offer evidence that a new mutation in H1N1 viruses potentially led to more disease in these individuals. ...> Full Article

Feeling fatigued while driving? Don't reach for your iPod (10/29/2014)

Research has shown that drinking caffeinated beverages and listening to music are two popular fatigue-fighting measures that drivers take, but very few studies have tested the usefulness of those measures. New research to be presented at the HFES 2014 Annual Meeting in Chicago evaluates which method, if either, can successfully combat driver fatigue. ...> Full Article

Study suggests altering gut bacteria might mitigate lupus (10/29/2014)

Lactobacillus species, commonly seen in yogurt cultures, correlate, in the guts of mouse models, with mitigation of lupus symptoms, while Lachnospiraceae, a type of Clostridia, correlate with worsening, according to research published ahead of print in Applied and Environmental Microbiology. 'Our results suggest that the same investigation should be performed in human subjects with lupus,' says principal investigator Xin Luo of Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA. ...> Full Article

An apple a day could keep obesity away (10/28/2014)

Scientists at Washington State University have concluded that nondigestible compounds in apples -- specifically, Granny Smith apples -- may help prevent disorders associated with obesity. The study, thought to be the first to assess these compounds in apple cultivars grown in the Pacific Northwest, appears in October's print edition of the journal Food Chemistry. ...> Full Article

New way to detox? 'Gold of Pleasure' oilseed boosts liver detoxification enzymes (10/28/2014)

University of Illinois scientists have found compounds that boost liver detoxification enzymes nearly fivefold, and they've found them in a pretty unlikely place -- the crushed seeds left after oil extraction from an oilseed crop used in jet fuel. ...> Full Article

Researchers confirm the biochemical cause of seasonal depression (10/28/2014)

New research confirms why some people suffer from the winter blues while others get through the winter without any problems. ...> Full Article

Hand size appears to stay constant, providing natural 'ruler' (10/27/2014)

People tend to perceive their dominant hand as staying relatively the same size even when it's magnified, lending support to the idea that we use our hand as a constant perceptual 'ruler' to measure the world around us. The findings are published in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science. ...> Full Article

Modified vitamin D shows promise as treatment for pancreatic cancer (10/26/2014)

Salk scientists find that a vitamin D-derivative makes tumors vulnerable to chemotherapy. ...> Full Article

The ideal age of sexual partners is different for men and women (10/26/2014)

New evolutionary psychology research shows gender differences in age preferences regarding sexual partners. ...> Full Article

States need to assume greater role in regulating dietary supplements (10/25/2014)

States need to increase their regulation of dietary supplements used for weight loss and muscle building, which often do not deliver promised results, to protect consumers, particularly adolescents. ...> Full Article

Wavefront optics emerging as new tool for measuring and correcting vision, reports Optometry and Vision Science (10/24/2014)

A technique developed by astronomers seeking a clear view of distant objects in space is being intensively studied as a new approach to measuring and correcting visual abnormalities. The October issue of Optometry and Vision Science, official journal of the American Academy of Optometry, is a theme issue devoted to research on wavefront refraction and correction. The journal is published by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, a part of Wolters Kluwer Health. ...> Full Article

Note to young men: Fat doesn't pay (10/23/2014)

Men who are already obese as teenagers could grow up to earn up to 18 percent less than their peers of normal weight. So says Petter Lundborg of Lund University, Paul Nystedt of Jönköping University and Dan-olof Rooth of Linneas University and Lund University, all in Sweden. The team compared extensive information from Sweden, the United Kingdom and the United States, and the results are published in Springer's journal Demography. ...> Full Article

Variability keeps the body in balance (10/22/2014)

Although the heart beats out a very familiar 'lub-dub' pattern that speeds up or slows down as our activity increases or decreases, the pattern itself isn't as regular as you might think. In fact, the amount of time between heartbeats can vary even at a 'constant' heart rate -- and that variability, doctors have found, is a good thing. ...> Full Article

Eating five a day may keep the blues away (10/22/2014)

Fruit and vegetable consumption could be as good for your mental as your physical health, new research suggests. ...> Full Article

Skin pigment renders sun's UV radiation harmless using projectiles (10/21/2014)

Researchers at Lund University in Sweden and other institutions have worked out how the pigment of the skin manages to protect the body from the sun's dangerous UV rays. The skin pigment converts the UV radiation into heat through a rapid chemical reaction that shoots protons from the molecules of the pigment. ...> Full Article

Protecting the body from itself (10/20/2014)

Scientists from A*STAR's Bioprocessing Technology Institute have established a clearer relationship between two cells which serve our body's natural defense mechanisms against diseases and infections. Their findings, published in the prestigious journal Cell Reports, will help the medical community better understand autoimmunity and could pave the way for treatment of autoimmune diseases. ...> Full Article

Severe periodontitis: Sixth most prevalent health condition in the world (10/20/2014)

IADR/AADR have published a paper titled 'Global Burden of Periodontitis: A Systematic Review and Meta-Regression.' The manuscript, by lead researcher Wagner Marcenes is published in the OnlineFirst portion of the IADR/AADR Journal of Dental Research. The study's findings underscore the enormous public health challenge posed by severe periodontitis and are a microcosm of the epidemiologic transition to non-communicable diseases occurring in many countries. ...> Full Article

Genetic switch regulates a plant's internal clock based on temperature (10/18/2014)

Scientists have found the molecular cog in a plant's biological clock that modulates its speed based on temperature. ...> Full Article

Dry roasting could help trigger peanut allergy (10/18/2014)

Dry roasted peanuts are more likely to trigger an allergy to peanuts than raw peanuts, suggests an Oxford University study involving mice. The researchers say that specific chemical changes caused by the high temperatures of the dry roasting process are recognized by the body's immune system, 'priming' the body to set off an allergic immune response the next time it sees any peanuts. ...> Full Article

Even without kids, couples eat frequent family meals (10/18/2014)

Couples and other adult family members living without minors in the house are just as likely as adults living with young children or adolescents to eat family meals at home on most days of the week, new research suggests. ...> Full Article

Spouse's personality influences career success, study finds (10/17/2014)

As much as we might try to leave personal lives at home, the personality traits of a spouse have a way of following us into the workplace, exerting a powerful influence on promotions, salaries, job satisfaction and other measures of professional success, new research from Washington University in St. Louis suggests. ...> Full Article

Human sense of fairness evolved to favor long-term cooperation (10/16/2014)

The human response to unfairness evolved in order to support long-term cooperation, according to a research team from Georgia State University and Emory University. ...> Full Article

How stress tears us apart (10/15/2014)

Chronic stress can lead to behavioral problems. A team from the Brain Mind Institute has discovered an important synaptic mechanism: the activation of a cleaving enzyme, leading to these problems. ...> Full Article

Americans rate losing eyesight as having greatest impact on their lives (10/14/2014)

Many Americans across racial and ethnic groups describe losing eyesight as potentially having the greatest impact on their day-to-day life, more so than other conditions including: loss of limb, memory, hearing and speech (57 percent of African-Americans, 49 percent of non-Hispanic whites, 43 percent of Asians and 38 percent of Hispanics). ...> Full Article

Lack of facial expression leads to perceptions of unhappiness, new OSU research shows (10/14/2014)

People with facial paralysis are perceived as being less happy simply because they can't communicate in the universal language of facial expression, a new study from an Oregon State University psychology professor shows. ...> Full Article

Gut bacteria, artificial sweeteners and glucose intolerance (10/13/2014)

Weizmann Institute research shows that artificial sweeteners promote glucose intolerance in a surprising way: by changing the composition and function of the gut microbiota. ...> Full Article

Do wearable lifestyle activity monitors really work? (10/12/2014)

Wearable electronic activity monitors hold great promise in helping people to reach their wellness goals. These increasingly sophisticated devices help the wearers improve their wellness by constantly monitoring their activities and bodily responses through companion computer programs and mobile apps. Given the large market for these devices, researchers at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston analyzed 13 of these devices to compare how the devices and their apps work to motivate the wearer. ...> Full Article

Job stress not the only cause of burnouts at work (10/12/2014)

New research from Concordia University and the University of Montreal proves that having an understanding partner is just as important as having a supportive boss. ...> Full Article

More cheese, please! News study shows dairy is good for your metabolic health (10/11/2014)

Researchers from CHU de Québec Research Center and Laval University studied the dairy-eating habits of healthy French-Canadians' and monitored how dairy consumption may have an effect on their overall metabolic health. They published their findings today in the journal Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism. ...> Full Article

People are attracted to the body odor of others with similar political beliefs (10/10/2014)

A new study reveals that people find the smell of others with similar political opinions to be attractive, suggesting that one of the reasons why so many spouses share similar political views is because they were initially and subconsciously attracted to each other's body odor. ...> Full Article

Walking or cycling to work improves wellbeing, University of East Anglia researchers find (10/9/2014)

Walking or cycling to work is better for people's mental health than driving to work, according to new research by health economists at the University of East Anglia.A report published today reveals that people who stopped driving and started walking or cycling to work benefited from improved wellbeing. In particular, active commuters felt better able to concentrate and were less under strain than if they traveled by car. ...> Full Article

Study may shed light on molecular mechanisms of birth defects among older women (10/8/2014)

Dartmouth researchers studying cell division in fruit flies have discovered a pathway that may improve understanding of molecular mistakes that cause older women to have babies with Down syndrome. ...> Full Article

Dendritic cells affect onset and progress of psoriasis (10/8/2014)

Different types of dendritic cells in human skin have assorted functions in the early and more advanced stages of psoriasis report researchers in the journal EMBO Molecular Medicine. The scientists suggest that new strategies to regulate the composition of dendritic cells in psoriatic skin lesions might represent an approach for the future treatment of the disease. ...> Full Article

Study finds high protein diets lead to lower blood pressure (10/7/2014)

Adults who consume a high-protein diet may be at a lower risk for developing high blood pressure. The study, published in the American Journal of Hypertension, by researchers from Boston University School of Medicine, found participants consuming the highest amount of protein -- an average of 100 g protein/day -- had a 40 percent lower risk of having high blood pressure compared to the lowest intake level. ...> Full Article

Not enough vitamin B1 can cause brain damage (10/7/2014)

A deficiency of a single vitamin, B1 (thiamine), can cause a potentially fatal brain disorder called Wernicke encephalopathy. Symptoms can include confusion, hallucinations, coma, loss of muscle coordination and vision problems such as double vision and involuntary eye movements. Untreated, the condition can lead to irreversible brain damage and death. ...> Full Article

New superfoods could help key protein keep bodies healthy (10/6/2014)

A new generation of new superfoods that tackle heart disease and diabetes could be developed following research into a protein that helps keep cells in our bodies healthy. Researchers at the University of Warwick found that the protein, called Nrf2, continually moves in and out of the nuclei of human cells to sense the cell's health and vitality. The team from Warwick Medical School, successfully increased the speed of Nrf2's movement by artificially introducing health beneficial substances. ...> Full Article

Fish and fatty acid consumption associated with lower risk of hearing loss in women (10/5/2014)

Researchers at Brigham and Women's Hospital found that consumption of 2 or more servings of fish per week was associated with a lower risk of hearing loss in women. ...> Full Article

Chemists discover way nose perceives common class of odors (10/4/2014)

Biologists claim that humans can perceive and distinguish a trillion different odors, but little is known about the underlying chemical processes involved. Biochemists at the City College of New York have found an unexpected chemical strategy employed by the mammalian nose to detect chemicals known as aldehydes. ...> Full Article

Is spooning really the best position for men with back pain? (10/3/2014)

A study using motion capture technology provides new information on the spinal strain produced by various sexual positions -- suggesting that one position commonly recommended for all men with low back pain is not actually the best choice, reports a study in the journal Spine. The journal is published by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, a part of Wolters Kluwer Health. ...> Full Article

An appetite for life (10/2/2014)

A simple question about appetite can provide insights into old people's general health that may help reduce their risk of dying.In a study published in the journal Appetite, emeritus professor Mark Wahlqvist from Monash University's Department of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine and the Monash Asia Institute, led a team investigating the connection between appetite and mortality. ...> Full Article

Back pain killing your sex life? (10/1/2014)

Contrary to popular belief, spooning is not always the best sex position for those with a bad back, according to new research from the University of Waterloo. For the first time ever, scientists have successfully documented the way the spine moves during sex and discovered exactly why certain positions are better than others when it comes to avoiding back pain. ...> Full Article