University of Colorado, September 2, 2019
Even if you are a non-smoker who exercises and has no genetic predisposition to cardiovascular disease, skimping on sleep - or getting too much of it - can boost your risk of heart attack, according to a new University of Colorado Boulder study of nearly a half-million people.
The research, published Sept. 2 in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, also found that for those at high genetic risk for heart attack, sleeping between 6 and 9 hours nightly can offset that risk.
"This provides some of the strongest proof yet that sleep duration is a key factor when it comes to heart health, and this holds true for everyone," said senior author Celine Vetter, an assistant professor of Integrative Physiology.
New study confirms the long-term benefits of a low-fat diet
Findings in Journal of Nutrition show positive outcomes for cancer and other diseases in women
Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, September 4, 2019
A team led by researchers at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center has identified several women's health benefits from a low-fat diet. The findings, published in the September issue of the Journal of Nutrition, found a low-fat diet commensurate with an increase in fruit, vegetable and grain servings reduced death following breast cancer, slowed diabetes progression and prevented coronary heart disease.
After nearly nine years of dietary change, they found that the low-fat diet did not significantly impact outcomes for these conditions. However, after longer-term follow-up of nearly 20 years, researchers found significant benefits, derived from modest dietary changes emerged and persisted including:
- A 15-35% reduction in deaths from all-causes following breast cancer
- A 13-25% reduction in insulin-dependent diabetes
- A 15-30% reduction in coronary heart disease among 23,000 women without baseline hypertension or prior cardiovascular disease
Study says vitamin B6 helps people recall their dreams
University of Adelaide, September 3, 2019
Researchers have found that taking vitamin B6 could help people to recall their dreams.
The study published in the journal -- Perceptual and Motor Skills -- included 100 participants from around Australia taking high-dose vitamin B6 supplements before going to bed for five consecutive days.
"Our results show that taking vitamin B6 improved people's ability to recall dreams as compared to a placebo," said research author Dr Denholm Aspy, from the University's School of Psychology.
The randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled study saw participants taking 240mg of vitamin B6 immediately before bed.
Ginseng can improve sexual dysfunction in menopausal women: A double-blind, randomized, controlled trial
Tabriz University Medical School (Iran), September 3, 2019
According to news originating from Tabriz, Iran, research stated, “The present study was conducted to determine the effect of Ginseng on sexual function (primary outcome), quality of life and menopausal symptoms (secondary outcomes) in postmenopausal women with sexual dysfunction.”
“This randomized controlled trial was conducted on 62 women who were randomly assigned to the intervention/control groups using block randomization. The intervention group received 500 mg of Panax Ginseng and the control group received placebo twice daily for four weeks. Standard questionnaires including the Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI), the Menopause-Specific Quality of Life (MENQOL) and the Greene Menopausal Symptom Scale were completed before and four weeks after the intervention. The mean total score of quality of life (AMD = -20.79, 95% CI=-25.83 to -15.75, P< 0.001) and menopausal symptoms (AMD = -8.25, 95% CI= -10.55 to -5.95, P< 0.001) were significantly lower in the treatment group than the control group. Ginseng has significant effects in improving sexual function and quality of life and mitigating menopausal symptoms.”
According to the news editors, the research concluded: “As a multipotent plant, Ginseng can be a suitable alternative for conventional therapies to promote the health of menopausal women.”
Is Your Skin-Care Product Turning Your Skin Into Swiss Cheese
University of California at San Francisco, September 2, 2019
Moisturizers and other products may be doing as much harm as good, especially for people with sensitive skin, according to 45 years of research on the subject, which started with complaints from his patients.
The skin -- bombarded daily by our exposure to things that include sunlight and environmental toxins -- is highly effective and enduring in its role as a barrier, says Elias. He likens that barrier to a brick wall.
In that model of the skin, which he developed in the 1980s, corneocytes, which are dead cells that make up the surface of the skin, are "bricks" surrounded and held together by membrane sheaths made of a "mortar" of three lipids: cholesterol, ceramides and fatty acids.
"What's important is that those three lipids are present at approximately equal ratios, equal numbers of molecules of each of them," says Elias. When that ratio gets thrown off, he says, the membrane sheaths don't completely fill the spaces between the cells.
"Then, instead of a brick wall, you get this Swiss cheese, which is not what you want," says Elias.
In his dermatology practice, patients would tell him that moisturizers provided short-term relief, but in the long term their skin would feel drier. That led him to investigate whether the moisturizers were playing a role in this "Swiss cheesing" of the skin.
The initial finding showed that a special formula of the lipids in their proper proportions lowered cytokine levels in the blood, decreasing inflammation.
