Tobacco use remains a primary contributor to disease, disability, and premature death across the globe. A recent editorial summarizes data demonstrating that smoking reduces life expectancy by approximately 20 minutes per cigarette smoked—17 minutes for men and 22 minutes for women. The estimate, which drew on data from long-term studies such as the British Doctors Study (https://www.ctsu.ox.ac.uk/research/british-doctors-study) and the Million Women Study (https://www.ceu.ox.ac.uk/research/the-million-women-study), accounts for factors like smoking rates and early death outcomes over several... mortality tobacco
Read moreCellular processes are messy. They produce copious amounts of harmful waste products and damaged parts that can accumulate inside the cell, creating havoc and even cell death. A recent study found that resistance training activates critical cellular cleanup processes in muscles, facilitating waste disposal and supporting muscle cell health. The study had two phases: an acute exercise phase with intense workouts to trigger an immediate muscle response and a six-week adaptation phase to see how muscles adjust to repeated mechanical stress. In the acute phase, participants performed resistance ex... exercise muscle autophagy
Read moreA high-protein diet may increase the risk of heart disease, diabetes, and increased body fat, especially in sedentary people. However, a new study in mice demonstrates that resistance training may counter these effects. Mice that ate a high-protein diet and performed resistance exercises gained muscle – not fat – and were more metabolically healthy than sedentary mice on the same diet. Researchers fed one group of mice a low-protein diet (7 percent of total calories) and another a high-protein diet (36 percent of total calories). Half of each group performed resistance exercises three times we... exercise diet metabolism protein
Read morePress release: The harmful effects of concussion on the brain can linger long after the initial injury, a new study shows. Nearly half of all people who experienced even a mild concussion exhibited altered brain connectivity and impaired emotional and cognitive function six months post-injury. Researchers compared brain scans of 108 people who had experienced a mild concussion to those of 76 healthy people. They also assessed those who had had a concussion for persistent symptoms. They found that 47 percent of the people with mild concussion were not fully recovered six months post-injury, d... brain memory concussion sulforaphane
Read moreA high-fat, high-sugar diet accelerated normal vascular aging in mice, according to a 2021 study. However, regular, lifelong aerobic exercise maintained vascular health and ameliorated some of the harmful effects of a poor diet. Researchers studied the effects of diet and exercise on cardiovascular health in mice that exhibit many of the key features of age-related vascular dysfunction in humans. Starting at the age of three months and continuing until their natural deaths, half of the mice ate a normal diet, while the other half ate a diet that was high in fat and sugar and low in dietary fi... exercise diet cardiovascular
Read moreGlobal climate change is driving an increase in wildfire activity characterized by larger fires and longer fire seasons. Wildfire smoke, which can spread over immense geographical areas, often contains a variety of pollutants and exerts a wide range of adverse effects on human health. Evidence from a new rodent study suggests that particulate matter in wildfires drives neuroinflammation, increasing the risk for neurodegenerative diseases. Particulate matter in air pollution is a mixture of solid particles and liquid droplets. It is present in fine inhalable particles, with diameters that are ... pollution neurodegeneration
Read moreStress is essential to human survival. Long-term exposure to stress, however, increases a person's risk of developing many chronic diseases. A recent review suggests that sauna bathing protects the body from the harmful effects of high stress occupations and describes the mechanisms that drive the protection. People who work in high-stress occupations, such as firefighters, first responders, and military members, are exposed to both physiological and psychological stressors – often referred to as dual stressors. These dual stressors activate physiological responses to stress that ultimately ... stress sauna
Read moreThe average person living in a temperate climate requires approximately two liters of water each day for optimal metabolic function. Many people meet their water needs with bottled water. As a result, the bottled water industry in the United States is robust, with consumers spending more than $30 billion per year on water products. Findings from a recent Consumer Reports study indicate that some bottled water products contain heavy metals and harmful compounds called PFAS. Heavy metals are naturally occurring metallic elements that adversely affect human health. They enter the environment b... environment pollution PFAS
Read morePerchlorate, a chemical used to propel rockets and airbags, accumulates in the environment as a pollutant. A new study suggests that perchlorate can enter the water supply and might be more detrimental to human health than previously thought. Perchlorate is transported from the blood into the thyroid gland by the sodium/iodide symporter, or NIS, which usually transports iodide and sodium. Iodide, the negatively charged form of iodine, is involved in producing thyroid hormone, which plays an important role in metabolism and development. Previous research has demonstrated that sodium and iodide ... pollution metabolism hormones pregnancy development environment
Read moreAir pollution from diesel exhaust contains a mixture of both toxic chemicals and particulate matter. Many studies have found associations between exposure to diesel exhaust and subsequent poor health outcomes (https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00204-016-1736-5) such as increased asthma, heart disease, and cancer. Findings from a new study suggest that brake dust air pollution may have some of the same harmful effects on health as diesel exhaust. Brake dust is a form of air pollution that consists of metal particles generated from mechanical abrasion from brakes. These particles are sm... immune system pollution
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