Young children spend a large portion of the day asleep, making their sleeping environment an important but often overlooked source of potentially harmful indoor pollutants. To address this, researchers investigated how much exposure occurs during sleep and which sources drive it. Parents placed three small silicone sheets in their child's bedroom for seven days: one hung on a metal stand to monitor room air, one on the mattress under the bedsheet, and one on the mattress with its top covered to isolate chemicals from the mattress. The researchers screened for 51 semivolatile organic compounds... pollution sleep environment
Read moreAs we age, our hair changes: It often turns gray and becomes finer, and it might even fall out—permanently... ... aliquot Hair aging skin
Listen nowSleep deprivation profoundly affects the human body, negatively influencing cognitive performance, cardiovascular health, and metabolism. Evidence suggests creatine counters some of the harmful effects of sleep deprivation. A recent study found that a single dose of creatine monohydrate improved cognitive performance and prevented harmful metabolic effects in sleep-deprived people. The study involved 15 healthy participants who received a single large dose of creatine monohydrate (0.35 grams per kilogram of body weight) or a placebo to assess creatine's effects on cognitive function during pr... brain diet sleep supplements
Read moreCalming children with electronic devices may harm kids' emotional and behavioral development, a new study finds. This is particularly true for boys, especially those who are more emotionally reactive. Researchers asked 422 parents how often they relied on electronic devices to calm their preschool-age children over a period of six months. They also asked the parents to complete assessments of their children's executive functioning and behavior. The researchers found that children who were frequently calmed with electronic devices were more likely to exhibit emotional dysregulation. This as... brain development
Read moreFrom the article: > Exercise can slow or prevent the development of macular degeneration and may benefit other common causes of vision loss, such as glaucoma and diabetic retinopathy, new research suggests. > The new study from the University of Virginia School of Medicine found that exercise reduced the harmful overgrowth of blood vessels [choroidal neovascularization] in the eyes of lab mice by up to 45%. This tangle of blood vessels is a key contributor to macular degeneration and several other eye diseases. View full publication (http://dx.doi.org/10.1167/iovs.61.5.52) ... exercise aging eyes aerobic
Read moreSugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) are among the leading contributors to sugar intake among people living in the United States. Consumption of a single SSB induces acute endothelial dysfunction (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26112007/) – the inability of the cells that line the blood vessels to maintain vascular tone and regulate blood flow and inflammation. A recent study found that exercise counteracts the harmful effects of regular SSB consumption in healthy young men. High sugar intake is associated with several chronic diseases, including diabetes, kidney disease, and cardiovascular dise... exercise sugar
Read moreCooked vegetable oil worsened inflammation in the colon, enhanced tumor growth, promoted gut leakage, and caused harmful bacterial products to leak into the bloodstream in mice. This study used canola oil which is high in polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) as are other vegetable oils such as soy and corn. PUFAs are prone to oxidation which was shown to be the mechanism causing damage in this study. Other cooking oils and fats that are not high in PUFAs such as avocado oil, olive oil, coconut oil, and butter are not likely to have the same effect. One thing to keep in mind is that olive oil ha... gut inflammation polyunsaturated fat
Read moreFolate deficiency leads to harmful chromosome abnormalities causing cells to inherit the incorrect amount of DNA and can even lead to the loss of an entire chromosome. Folate is high in dark leafy greens. Folate has long been known to be important for the production of new DNA because it is important for making a DNA nucleotide called thymine. It has also been shown to play an important roll in cell division (called mitosis) but this new study sheds light on a potential mechanism for why it is important for proper chromosomal segregation during cell division. This study analyzed the part or ar... dna damage folate
Read more