Can probiotics reduce infections in intensive-care hospital patients? This is the focus of a new clinical study at the Medical College of Georgia. Probiotics are the so-called “good bacteria” that help keep the intestinal tract and immune system healthy. They include...
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Fibre Factor: Researchers report protective effect on heart
Consumption of dietary fibre from fruits and cereals may lower the risk of coronary heart disease, say researchers from Harvard University, Boston. They say that dietary fibre, found in fruits, vegetables, grains and cereals, may reduce the risk of heart disease by...
Fatty Acids and Epilepsy: DHA levels often low in patients
Omega-3 fatty acids are crucial to the proper development and function of cell membranes in the brain. But one particular fatty acid, docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), is found at abnormally low levels in patients with uncontrolled epilepsy, according to researchers at...
Enzyme Helps Asthma: Bromelain reduces lung inflammation, study finds
According to a researcher from the University of Connecticut Health Center, the enzyme bromelain appears to reduce inflammation associated with asthma. Dr Eric Secor tested three groups of mice with acute asthma over eight days with either a placebo or two doses of...
Eating for Health: Mediterranean diet and lifestyle change halves death risk
Individuals 70 to 90 years old who adhered to a Mediterranean-type diet and several healthy lifestyle habits had a more than 50% lower death rate than those who did not, according to a new study. Dietary patterns and lifestyle factors are associated with death from...
Easing Prostate Woes: Herbs and lifestyle changes make a difference
Symptoms of an enlarged prostate – known medically as benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) – can range from a weak, slow urinary stream, to hesitancy and straining to urinate, to an inability to empty the bladder completely, to more serious complications including...
Easing IBS: Cutting out widely used sugar may be key
People with Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) who complied with a fructose-restricted diet significantly reduced their symptoms, according to a University of Iowa Health Care study. The investigators tested a group of 80 patients with suspected IBS and found that 30 of...
Diabetes Care: Antioxidant lowers blood sugar, study shows
According to a new clinical study, scientists discovered that type 2 diabetes patients had lower blood sugar and healthier blood vessels after supplementing with pine tree bark extract, or Pycnogenol. The study demonstrated that patients with mild type 2 diabetes,...
D Good for Gums: Vitamin found to improve oral health
Getting enough vitamin D could be important for oral health, based on findings of a recent study. The analytical study looked at a possible connection between vitamin D levels in the blood and periodontal disease, a widespread chronic inflammatory condition marked by...
Cut Cancer Risk: Vitamin E protects against prostate cancer
Two forms of vitamin E – alpha- and gamma-tocopherol – appear to lower the risk of prostate cancer by as much as 53% and 39%, respectively, based on the findings of a team of scientists. The researchers drew their subjects from the Alpha-Tocopherol, Beta-Carotene...