Recent examples of fake news spreading across social media include anti-vaccination videos, COVID being caused by 5G and voter fraud.
Wise people are humble, recognise that the world is in flux and that others have different views that need to be integrated.
June 2020 roundup: Depression and anxiety are not mental disorders and more studies you might have missed…
Physical pain is processed in a similar way by the brain as social pain.
Older people tend to think kids these days are less intelligent, less well-read and more disrespectful.
A traditional way to heart health and a long life.
A traditional way to heart health and a long life.
Drinking tea as little as 3 times per week has been linked to a reduction in heart disease and all causes of death, new research finds.
A study on 100,902 subjects suggests that regular tea drinking is associated with living longer and staying healthy for many years.
Dr Xinyan Wang, the study’s first author, said:
“Habitual tea consumption is associated with lower risks of cardiovascular disease and all-cause death.
The favourable health effects are the most robust for green tea and for long-term habitual tea drinkers.”
Participants were divided into two groups; one was non-habitual tea drinkers who consumed tea less than 3 times per week and the other group was habitual tea drinkers who consumed tea 3 times or more per week.
The study found that habitual tea drinkers had a 22 percent lower risk of heart attack and stroke compared to the other group.
The risk of heart disease events and strokes was reduced by 20 percent in the habitual tea drinkers group.
Moreover, they had 15 percent lower risk of any type of death.
A fellow-up after 5 years revealed that drinking tea on a regular basis appears to be the key factor since polyphenol antioxidants found in tea cannot be stored in the body.
Dr Dongfeng Gu, study co-author, said:
“The protective effects of tea were most pronounced among the consistent habitual tea drinking group.
Mechanism studies have suggested that the main bioactive compounds in tea, namely polyphenols, are not stored in the body long-term.
Thus, frequent tea intake over an extended period may be necessary for the cardioprotective effect.”
Further analysis suggested that unlike black tea, drinking green tea was associated with a 25 percent decreased risk of heart disease, heart attack, stroke and any type of death.
Dr Gu said:
“In our study population, 49% of habitual tea drinkers consumed green tea most frequently, while only 8% preferred black tea.
The small proportion of habitual black tea drinkers might make it more difficult to observe robust associations, but our findings hint at a differential effect between tea types.”
There are some factors that might explain the health benefits of green tea compared to black tea.
Green tea is an excellent source of polyphenols — this antioxidant has a protective effect against cardiovascular disease and its risk factors.
Black tea, however, in order to darken the leaves, is fermented and the antioxidant effect is lost.
In addition, milk is usually added to black tea, which can block the absorption of antioxidants and reduce the health benefit of these nutrients.
The study was published in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology (Wang et al., 2020).
Dangerous chemicals were detected in the blood samples of those who have these meals.
Dangerous chemicals were detected in the blood samples of those who have these meals.
People who eat fast food, takeaway meals, or eat often at restaurants have higher levels of PFAS in their bodies, a study found.
Exposure to harmful PFAS chemicals can be easily diminished if the meals are prepared at home instead of eating fast foods or takeaways.
A further benefit of cooking is avoiding processed foods and appreciating healthy ingredients used in home-made meals.
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), also known as perfluorinated chemicals (PFCs), are a class of toxic compounds that cause serious damage to humans.
PFAS have been associated with weight gain, decrease in fertility, thyroid dysfunction, liver and kidney damage, immune suppression, and cancer.
They are largely used in consumer products such as waterproof, nonstick, and stain-resistant cookware, carpeting, and cleaning materials.
PFAS are also used in food packaging such as burger wrappers and pastry bags, popcorn bags, french fries and pizza boxes.
Researchers, after analysing 10,106 participants’ diet and their blood samples, found that those whose meals were prepared at home had much lower amounts of PFAS in their bodies.
On the other hand, PFAS levels were high in those who ate often at restaurants or ate more ready meals and fast food, such as pizza.
This suggests that restaurant food, take-out and fast food is most likely contaminated with PFAS due to direct food contact with their packaging.
Dr Laurel Schaider, study co-author, said:
“These chemicals have been linked with numerous health problems, so it’s concerning that people are potentially exposed to them in food.
Exposure to some PFASs has been associated with cancer, thyroid disease, immune suppression, low birth weight, and decreased fertility.
Children are especially at risk for health effects because their developing bodies are more vulnerable to toxic chemicals.”
One third of American adults and children eat pizza or other fast food every day.
The study also found that microwave popcorn consumers had much higher amounts of PFAS in their blood.
Contamination of popcorn with PFAS occurs as the chemicals are leaching out of the packaging.
Because of health and environmental issues, manufacturers have started to use different materials instead of long-chain PFAS for food packaging.
However, the replacements contain other compounds such as BPA and phthalates, which are endocrine-disrupting chemicals, meaning they are able to disrupt, interfere or mimic hormonal action.
These chemicals can cause health problems such as decreased fertility and pregnancy loss.
Therefore, experts are suggesting that all these chemicals should be restricted.
Ms Kathryn Rodgers, study co-author, said:
“The general conclusion here is the less contact your food has with food packaging, the lower your exposures to PFAS and other harmful chemicals.
These latest findings will hopefully help consumers avoid these exposures and spur manufacturers to develop safer food packaging materials.”
The study was published in Environmental Health Perspectives (Susmann et al., 2019).
Imposter syndrome involves a lack of confidence and self-belief.
The effects of working out too much are seen in the lateral prefrontal cortex.
Anti-inflammatory compounds from this delicious food dampen the risk of heart disease and stroke.
Anti-inflammatory compounds from this delicious food dampen the risk of heart disease and stroke.
The benefit of eating dark chocolate is no longer a mystery as we now know that anti-inflammatory compounds in this food keep the heart healthy.
Certain bacteria in the gut can ferment the cocoa found in chocolate into anti-inflammatory compounds in the body.
These compounds will lower the inflammation of the heart tissues, resulting in a reduced risk of heart disease and stroke.
Our gut contains probiotics such as Bifidobacterium and lactic acid and these friendly bacteria gorge on chocolate.
We should not forget that our gut also contains bad bacteria as well as the good ones.
E. coli and Clostridium are examples of harmful bacteria that cause bloating, gas, constipation, diarrhoea, and inflammation.
A study has revealed that cocoa found in chocolate contains a small amount of fibre and mostly nutrients called polyphenols that are rich in antioxidants, such as epicatechin and catechin.
These components remain undigested until they enter the colon where the friendly bacteria start working on them.
Professor John Finley, who led this study, explained:
“In our study we found that the fiber is fermented and the large polyphenolic polymers are metabolized to smaller molecules, which are more easily absorbed. These smaller polymers exhibit anti-inflammatory activity.
When these compounds are absorbed by the body, they lessen the inflammation of cardiovascular tissue, reducing the long-term risk of stroke.”
Additionally, the study suggests that adding prebiotics to the fibre in cocoa can improve the break down of polyphenols into anti-inflammatory compounds.
This is an extra bonus as prebiotics are food for gut bacteria so they can help improving overall human health.
Prebiotics are indigestible carbohydrates sold as dietary supplements and are found in fruits and vegetables like bananas, chicory, asparagus, artichokes, onions, and chickpeas.
Professor Finley said:
“When you ingest prebiotics, the beneficial gut microbial population increases and outcompetes any undesirable microbes in the gut, like those that cause stomach problems.”
The authors also suggest that the health benefits would be greater if dark chocolate is eaten with fruits such as acai pomegranates.
The study was presented at the National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society, 2014.
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