2082 results found for: GUT HEALTH

Cutting Down on the Caffeine

So you’ve been tracking your daily caffeine intake, and it has quickly progressed from “a little on the heavy side” to “Oh…my.” However, all those years of averaging less-than-satisfactory sleep has made an extra caffeine kick an integral part of your workday (if you want to see it all the way through, that is). Needless to say, cutting back on caffeine is no easy feat. And if you’re in it for the long haul, it may help to cushion the loss of excess caffeine with a longer-lasting alternative. Here are a few of the options we had in mind: 1. […]

Tyrosine and Tryptophan Fight “Baby Blues”

A study reported on March 13, 2017 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences found a lower risk of early postpartum blues among women who received the amino acids tyrosine and tryptophan, and an extract of blueberries. The condition peaks on the fifth day after giving birth and is a risk factor for long term postpartum depression. Levels of a compound known as monoamine oxidase A become elevated in the brain during postpartum blues, resulting in increased breakdown of norepinephrine, serotonin and dopamine, which can be deficient in depressed states. While tyrosine is a precursor to norepinephrine and dopamine, […]

How Aspirin Works Against Cancer

Aspirin’s association with a lower risk of numerous types of cancer has been attributed to its anti-inflammatory effect; however, research reported in the February 2017 issue of Cancer Prevention Research suggests another potential mechanism. In experiments utilizing colon cancer cells and a mouse model of colon cancer, Houston researchers observed that aspirin prevented the cancer-promoting interaction between cancer cells and platelets by inhibiting cyclooxygenase-1 (COX-1)-mediated platelet activation. Platelets are involved in the formation of new blood vessels which, although beneficial in most cases, enhances tumor growth. While common aspirin was used in some of the experiments, other experiments utilized a complex […]

Vitamin D Supplements Help Relieve Chronic Back Pain

A clinical trial reported in the January 2017 issue of Pain Physician uncovered a benefit for supplementing with vitamin D among individuals with chronic lower back pain. The condition is the second most common pain complaint after headache and can be notoriously resistant to treatment. The trial included 68 men and women who had chronic lower back pain for at least three months that did not respond to medications and physical therapy. Subjects were limited to those with plasma 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 levels measured at the beginning of the trial of less than 30 nanograms per milliliter (ng/mL). Participants received 60,000 […]

Fight Fatigue With These Energizing Nutrients

Over the past couple of decades, chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) has gone from an it’s-all-in-your-mind diagnosis to a recognized disease that zaps the energy of an estimated 1 million Americans. It affects four times more women than men, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In addition to profound fatigue, which interferes with daily activities, symptoms can include depression, insomnia and brain fog. Also called myalgic encephalomyelitis, CFS is often triggered by a viral infection, such as the Epstein-Barr (which also causes mononucleosis) and is commonly described as a flu that doesn’t go away. Some patients report symptoms […]

U.S. Gives Advice to Avoid Excess Mercury

WASHINGTON – Some pregnant women who follow the new U.S. fish advice will be exposed to far too much mercury, say scientists and advocates. They maintain that the outdated science used for developing the guidelines is dangerously out of step with the latest peer-reviewed science. A recent study by the Environmental Working Group demonstrates that following the new U.S. advisory will put babies at risk. EWG enrolled 254 women who ate at least two meals of fish every week and measured mercury levels in their hair to assess neurotoxin levels in their bodies. Almost 30 percent of participants were exposed […]

Some Condiments Can Make You Sick

High-protein foods like meat or seafood don’t contain much histamine when they are fresh, but the longer they are cured or stored, the more histamine they contain. When you think of histamine, you think of allergies and sneezing right? But histamine is actually a neurotransmitter and release is activated by any outside ‘invader’ such as pollen. We make histamine in our cells, then dump it out after exposure to a trigger. But we might also be eating histamine on a daily basis. By eating certain foods you unintentionally raise an ‘allergy’ chemical. Maybe you don’t mean to, but that’s what […]