Research Archive

Folic acid levels linked to depression

Researchers have always known that B-vitamins play a critical role in mood, but now a study has definitively connected folic acid levels with depression. Researchers at Harvard Medical School in Boston have said that low folic acid (folate) levels are associated with...

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...

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...

Curb Cancer Risk: Nine guidelines to help older women avoid disease

Post-menopausal women who follow recommended dietary and lifestyle guidelines may reduce their risk of developing and dying from cancer, say researchers. Conversely, those women who followed one or none of nine recommended guidelines for diet and lifestyle had a 35%...