Monthly News Archives



		BPA Good For You? More Evidence The FDA Is Governed By Corporate Profits Call it a case of two steps forward, one step back. A newly released draft report on bisphenol-A (BPA) from the FDA, finds the chemical safe for human consumption. Burning Incense Can Cause Cancer Burning incense may create a sweet scent, but regularly inhaling the smoke could put people at risk of cancers of the respiratory tract, researchers recently reported. Study Links Spanking to Physical Abuse Compared to mothers who don't spank their children, mothers who've spanked their child in the past year are three times more likely to use harsher forms of punishment. Secret Of Newborn's First Words Revealed A new study could explain why "daddy" and "mommy" are often a baby's first words – the human brain may be hard-wired to recognize certain repetition patterns. Why Do We Get Baggy Eyes? As we age, our eyes inevitably take on a baggy look. Now scientists think they know why. Scientist Finds Key To Overeating As We Age A Monash University scientist has discovered key appetite control cells in the human brain degenerate over time, causing increased hunger and potentially weight-gain as we grow older. Moms 'Accept Natural Birth Risks' First-time mothers-to-be will accept greater risks than clinicians for a natural birth, research suggests. Broccoli Could Reverse The Heart Damaging Effects Of Diabetes Researchers have discovered eating broccoli could undo the damage caused by diabetes to heart blood vessels. "Good" Fat May Be New Weapon In Obesity Fight A new understanding of the origins of brown fat cells -- the "good" kind of fat that burns energy and keeps us warm -- may lead to new treatments for obesity, two research teams reported. Drinking Water of Millions of Americans Contaminated with Pharmaceuticals An investigation by the Associated Press (AP) has revealed that the drinking water of at least 41 million people in the United States is contaminated with pharmaceutical drugs. Books Still Rival Movies For Stirring Emotions Books are just as powerful as movies when it comes to their potential to prod our brains into such reactions as delight, pain or disgust, new research suggests. Increased Belly Fat Linked To Strokes We know that being overweight or obese can contribute to heart disease and heart attacks, but does extra weight around your belly increase your risk of stroke? What Does Symmetry Have To Do With How Attractive You Are? A study by Dr William Brown and colleagues in Brunel University's School of Social Sciences and School of Engineering and Design, recently published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), has revealed an explanation for the correlation between attractiveness and bodily characteristics like height, breast size, long legs, broad shoulders or a curvy figure. Why Do Women Live Longer Than Men? Across the industrialized world, women still live 5 to 10 years longer than men. Among people over 100 years old, 85% are women, according to Tom Perls, founder of the New England Centenarian Study at Boston University explains why. Vaccines Found to Cause Diabetes in Children Two new studies showing that vaccines increase the risk of diabetes have been published in the Open Pediatric Medicine Journal. Those Who Are Married Are Still The Healthiest People who've exchanged wedding vows tend to be healthier than their single, divorced or widowed peers, but new research shows that health gap may be narrowing. Energy Drinks Increase Stroke Risk Just one can of the popular stimulant energy drink Red Bull can increase the risk of heart attack or stroke, even in young people, Australian medical researchers said. Stress Makes Allergies Worse And Last Longer Psychological stress and anxiety can make seasonal allergy attacks worse and linger longer, according to research presented at the annual meeting of the American Psychological Association in Boston. Unique Success Comes From Emphasizing Unique Skills Antiquated thinking would have us not mix work and play, but in an era where Casual Fridays have turned into Casual Everydays, the truth is someone's personal interests have a lot to do with their success, particularly if they're in an idea-centric field. Which means just about every job that has problems which require creative thinking to move forward. What Can Help You Attain Happiness, Improved Intelligence and Better Memory? We've all heard about the benefits of exercise for our hearts and to reduce cholesterol, but what about for happiness, improving intelligence and memory as well as for alleviating addiction, stress and aggression. 3 Common Myths About Running Every person who takes up running has, at one time or another, been confronted by a helpful critic who is more than happy to reel off the reasons running will ruin your life. It will cripple you in your later years; you might drop dead in the middle of a marathon; and on and on. Here is a look at four questionable claims about running and health, including results from a new study looking at running, longevity, and disability. How Cooking Influenced The Brainpower of Humans Learning how to cook food stimulated a big leap in human cognition some 150,000 years ago, a new study suggests. Cooking breaks down fibers and makes nutrients more readily available, so our digestive systems then required less energy than those of creatures eating all raw foods. This freed calories up to feed our brains, the thinking goes. Contraceptive Pill Influences Partner Choice The contraceptive pill may disrupt women's natural ability to choose a partner genetically dissimilar to themselves, research at the University of Liverpool has found. Restaurant and Calorie Labeling, What's Next? Restaurant owners beware. You could be subject to two years in jail for serving unhealthy food. Hard to believe but this is true for the Danish. If you use trans-fat at your restaurant in Denmark, you don't just get a warning letter from the state, you go to jail. Harsh? How Healthy Is Your Ice Cream? On a swelteringly hot summer day, there's nothing that comes to mind better to cool things down than some old-fashioned ice cream. Just some wholesome ingredients like cream, egg yolks, a sweetener, and some vanilla extract, right? New Research Reveals Why Chili Peppers Are Hot Despite the popularity of spicy cuisine among Homo sapiens, the hotness in chili peppers has always been something of an evolutionary mystery. Poor Coordination In Childhood Raises Obesity Risk Later in Life Clumsy and poorly co-ordinated children could be at higher risk of obesity in later life, a study says. New Evidence On The Benefits Of Breast Feeding Researchers in Switzerland and Australia are reporting identification of proteins in human breast-milk; not present in cow's milk; that may fight disease by helping remove bacteria, viruses and other dangerous pathogen's from an infant's gastrointestinal tract. Lack of Sunlight Found to Greatly Increase Risk of Lung Cancer A new study has found a correlation between higher rates of lung cancer and less exposure to sunlight. Running Keeps You Young James Fries, MD, an emeritus professor of medicine says "If you had to pick one thing to make people healthier as they age, it would be aerobic exercise." The new findings will appear in the Aug. 11 issue of the journal Archives of Internal Medicine. Low Vitamin D Levels Associated With A Higher Risk of Death From All Causes Individuals with low levels of vitamin D appear to have a higher risk of death from all causes, according to a report in the August 11/25 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. Even Moderate Exercise Greatly Extends Men's Lives, Research Shows A moderate increase in fitness level can decrease a man's risk of dying by between 50 and 70 percent, according to a study conducted by the Exercise Testing and Research Lab at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Washington, and published in the journal Circulation. Is Stretching All It's Cracked Up to Be? Investigators have begun two large studies of stretching, asking about its effectiveness in much the way scientists might ask about a new drug or medical device. How Costco and Ameriware Continue To Lie and Deceive Consumers Costco and Ameriware Products continue to deceive consumers into thinking their professional cookware products contain safer non-stick coatings than teflon. However, the claims of a safer coating have never been tested and independent research has found generic versions of the same chemicals that compose teflon. How Your Inner Athlete Makes You Smarter Athletes and people who exercise not only have better bods — they have better brains too, a host of studies have now firmly established. How Snoozing Makes You Smarter The latest research suggests that while we are peacefully asleep our brain is busily processing the day's information. It combs through recently formed memories, stabilizing, copying and filing them, so that they will be more useful the next day. Vitamin C 'Slows Cancer Growth' An injection of a high dose of vitamin C may be able to hold back the advance of cancers, US scientists claim. Low Vitamin D Intake Boosts Heart Attack, Stroke Risk by 60 Percent Vitamin D deficiency increases the risk of heart attacks, strokes and other cardiovascular events, according to a study conducted by researchers at the Harvard Medical School and published in the American Heart Association's journal Circulation. Eating Fish May Prevent Memory Loss And Stroke In Old Age Eating tuna and other types of fish may help lower the risk of cognitive decline and stroke in healthy older adults, according to a new study. Sunscreen Labels Are Still Deceiving You Consumers should not expect to see new sunscreen labels any time soon. The F.D.A. recently said that it has not yet set a date to make the updated rules for labeling final, let alone implement them, because it has been inundated with several thousand comments. Spices May Protect Against Consequences Of High Blood Sugar Herbs and spices are rich in antioxidants, and a new University of Georgia study suggests they are also potent inhibitors of tissue damage and inflammation caused by high levels of blood sugar. Foods You Don't Have to Buy Organic There are twelve foods you do not have to buy organic. These had the lowest pesticide load, and consequently are the safest conventionally grown crops to consume from the standpoint of pesticide contamination. Want To Lose Weight And Keep It Off? All It Takes Is Close To An Hour A Day Women who want to lose weight - and keep it off - need to be exercising for almost an hour, five days a week, according to US experts. Soy Affects Your Brain and Reproductive Development Two hormone-like compounds linked to the consumption of soy-based foods can cause irreversible changes in the structure of the brain, resulting in early-onset puberty and symptoms of advanced menopause in research animals, according to a new study by researchers at North Carolina State University.