Health, Microbes, and More
Are there foods that could prevent cancer? Well... studies show that a dietary pattern with lots of fiber, and perhaps along the lines of the Mediterranean diet, may be the most beneficial. In other words, it's not just one or a few "super-foods" that a person should eat, but an overall dietary pattern. But one ...continue reading "Nuts And Colon Cancer"
Another study finding that diet (what one eats) can work just as well as medications for a health condition - this time for one form of acid reflux disease. The researchers found that a Mediterranean style diet worked just as well as, and actually worked better, than medications for laryngopharyngeal reflux (LPR). They think these ...continue reading "Mediterranean Diet Versus Meds For Acid Reflux"
Gout is something that is not discussed that much, but it has been increasing in recent years and now afflicts about 3.9% of adults in the US. Gout is a form of inflammatory arthritis, characterized by recurrent attacks of pain, tenderness, and swelling of a joint, frequently the joint of the big toe. It is caused by ...continue reading "Could Changing Your Diet Prevent Gout?"
Nothing new here, but good to have it discussed again: eating foods high in potassium and low in sodium (salt) lowers blood pressure. Why should we care? Hypertension (high blood pressure) is a global health issue. The World Health Organization estimates that hypertension is responsible for at least 51 percent of deaths due to stroke ...continue reading "Foods High In Potassium Linked to Lower Blood Pressure"
A study found that daily drinking of tea (either black tea/oolong or green tea) is associated with a lower risk of "neurocognitive disorders" - in cognitive impairment in women, and in a lower risk of Alzheimer's disease in both men and women who are genetically predisposed to the disease (apolipoprotein E (APOE) genotype) - when ...continue reading "Benefit of Tea Drinking?"
The beginning of a new year is a time to think about the future, and perhaps think about healthy lifestyles and how to age well. One important issue to think about is: why do some older people have "young" minds while others do not? Can anything be done to improve our odds later in life of ...continue reading "Why Do Some Older Adults Have Youthful Brains?"
Recently some studies have found that a diminished sense of smell occurs in persons with mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease. Doctors have long observed that patients with Alzheimer's frequently complain that food doesn't taste good anymore (because they can't smell what they are eating). This is because odor signals from the nose are processed in ...continue reading "Loss of Smell And Alzheimer’s Disease"
One of the dreaded afflictions of getting older is age-related macular degeneration (AMD), which is a leading cause of vision loss in Americans 60 years and older. It has no cure. Thus this study finding that eating a Mediterranean diet, and especially lots of fruit, was associated with a lower risk of macular degeneration was ...continue reading "Mediterranean Diet and Caffeine Linked to Lower Risk of Macular Degeneration"
Another yes to daily chocolate consumption - a 3.5 oz. chocolate bar a day! This study looked at 1,153 people aged 18-69 years old and found an inverse relationship between daily chocolate consumption and levels of insulin and liver enzymes. This suggests that chocolate consumption may improve liver enzymes and protect against insulin resistance (risk factors ...continue reading "Eat A Chocolate Bar Daily For Health?"
This new research suggests possible future treatments in treating urinary tract infections (UTIs) by manipulating the person's diet and so influencing gut microbes and urinary pH (how acidic is the urine). These possible future treatments are different than what others are looking for, which are bacteria (probiotics) that one can take to prevent or treat ...continue reading "A Person’s Diet, Urine Acidity, and UTIs"