Pain starts in receptor nerve cells found beneath the skin and in organs throughout the body. When you are sick, injured, or have other types of problems, these receptor cells send messages along nerve pathways to the spinal cord, which then carries the message to the brain. Pain medicine reduces or blocks these messages before […]
Flavonoid-rich food, including berries, apples, pears, chocolate and wine, appear to have a positive effect on blood pressure levels, an association that is partially explained by characteristics of the gut microbiome, according to new research published on August 23rd of 2021 in “Hypertension”, an American Heart Association journal. Over 8000, various natural flavonoids have been […]
Nearly 1 in 7 couples is infertile, which means they haven’t been able to conceive a child even though they’ve had frequent, unprotected sexual intercourse for a year or longer. In up to half of these couples, male infertility plays at least a partial role. Male infertility can be caused by low sperm production, abnormal […]
Auditory neuropathy is a hearing disorder in which the inner ear successfully detects sound, but has a problem with sending sound from the ear to the brain. It can affect people of all ages, from infancy through adulthood. The number of people affected by auditory neuropathy is not known, but current information suggests that auditory […]
Vitamin D is a type of nutrient that the body produces when a person’s skin has exposure to direct sunlight. People can also consume vitamin D, but it is not naturally present in many foods. High quantities of vitamin D are present in oily fish and certain types of mushrooms. It has multiple health benefits […]
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) is responsible for a pandemic, which has cost over 1.9 million lives worldwide so far. The emergence of new virus variants with higher transmissibility rates is seeing rapid increases in infection rates and deaths across the world. Several vaccines have undergone accelerated approval and are being rolled out worldwide. […]
Frailty has been clinically defined as “a state of increased vulnerability resulting from aging-associated decline in reserve and function across multiple organ systems such that the ability to cope with everyday or acute stressors is compromised.” Central to this geriatric medical syndrome is the notion that it has multiple causes and contributors that lead to […]
It’s long been believed that advancing age leads to broad declines in our mental abilities. Now new research offers surprisingly good news by countering this view. The findings, published on August 19, 2021, in Nature Human Behaviour, show that 2 key brain functions, which allow us to attend to new information and to focus on […]
An international study, published in the journal of Science, has found that, after accounting for body size, energy expenditure peaks in infancy and then steadily declines until the age of about 20 years. Contrary to the popular belief that metabolism slows in middle age, the research suggests that energy expenditure does not change until close […]
Understanding how diet affects gut microbes and thereby influences human health might lead to targeted dietary strategies. A clinical trial now provides some steps on the path towards this goal. Dietary fibre is the indigestible part of plant foods. Is mostly in vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and legumes. There are two types of fibre, soluble […]