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Two people are diagnosed with high cholesterol, one of the leading risk factors for heart disease, and follow similar therapies. One ends up with improved cholesterol levels, but the other doesn’t.
The answer about whether either has a greater chance of heart attack or stroke may not be as simple as counting cholesterol levels in the bloodstream, at least when it comes to high-density lipoprotein, better known as HDL or the so-called “good” cholesterol, a new study indicates. [Read more...]
With widespread alarm about deaths linked to alcohol-and-caffeine-laced commercial drinks, it’s easy to overlook problems that may be linked to the so-called energy drinks that spawned them.
But a number of scientists are worried about highly caffeinated beverages like Red Bull, Rockstar, Monster and Full Throttle, which are popular among teenagers and young adults. [Read more...]
Want a baby boy? Well, then eat full breakfast and fatty diet during early pregnancy, suggests a new study.
According to the University of Missouri study, what women eat while they are in the early stages of pregnancy influences the sex and health of their unborn baby, reports The Telegraph.
Women who eat a full breakfast and a high fat diet at the time of conception are more likely to have a boy, scientists claim.
A low fat diet with periods of long fasts favours girls, the researchers have found. [Read more...]
The institute’s expert committee, which included bone specialists, concluded that most people don’t need supplements of these critical nutrients and warned of serious health risks from the high doses some now take — including kidney stones and heart disease linked to calcium supplements, and the very falls and fractures that Vitamin D is meant to protect against.
For bone health, Vitamin D and calcium go hand in hand, because the vitamin must be present for calcium to be absorbed from the digestive tract. But who, if anyone, needs supplements — and how much? Can you get enough from foods naturally rich in these nutrients or fortified with them? [Read more...]
A new study has found that the ingestion of trans-fats and saturated fats increase the risk of suffering depression while olive oil protects against this mental illness.
Scientists from the universities of Navarra and Las Palmas de Gran Canaria confirmed this after studying 12,059 SUN Project volunteers over the course of six years.
The volunteers had their diet, lifestyle and ailments analyzed at the beginning of the project over its course and at the end of the project.
At the beginning of the study none of the volunteers suffered from depression but at the end of the study 657 new cases had been detected. [Read more...]
Eating blueberries can guard against high blood pressure, according to new research by the University of East Anglia and Harvard University.
High blood pressure – or hypertension – is one of the major cardiovascular diseases worldwide. It leads to stroke and heart disease and costs more than $300 billion each year. Around a quarter of the adult population is affected globally – including 10 million people in the UK and one in three US adults.
Published next month in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, the new findings show that bioactive compounds in blueberries called anthocyanins offer protection against hypertension. Compared with those who do not eat blueberries, those eating at least one serving a week reduce their risk of developing the condition by 10 percent.
Anthocyanins belong to the bioactive family of compounds called flavonoids and are found in high amounts in blackcurrants, raspberries, aubergines, blood orange juice and blueberries. Other flavonoids are found in many fruits, vegetables, grains and herbs. The flavonoids present in tea, fruit juice, red wine and dark chocolate are already known to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. [Read more...]
Some airlines have quit serving peanut snacks, and more and more restaurants are offering dishes for diners concerned about gluten or dairy allergies.
There is no question that some foods, especially peanuts and shellfish, can provoke severe reactions in a small fraction of the population. But a new analysis of the best available evidence finds that many children and adults who think they have food allergies are mistaken.
According to a definitive report compiled for the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases by a 25-member panel of experts, a big part of the problem is misdiagnosis, from overreliance on two tests — a skin-prick test and a blood test for antibodies — that can produce misleading results.
The mere presence of antibodies to a particular substance in food does not mean that someone would have an allergic reaction after eating that food. in And a skin-prick test can remain positive long after an allergy is gone.
Sometimes a diagnosis is based on no test at all, solely on a patient’s or parent’s report of a bad reaction after a particular food was eaten. People often mistake food intolerance, like difficulty digesting the lactose in milk, for an allergy. (Allergies involve the immune system; lactose intolerance results from deficiency of an enzyme.) [Read more...]