People who are homeless experience some of the worst health outcomes in England and die 30 years earlier than the general population, with a life expectancy of just 47. But free fitness classes offered for homeless and vulnerable people are making huge steps to improve physical health and tackle issues like loneliness and isolation. The Sport and Health Project, created […]
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High blood pressure causes your blood vessels to narrow because the force of blood pushing against your artery walls is consistently too high. This means your heart has to work harder to pump blood around the body – a mechanism that can lead to a heart attack. Luckily, the condition is easily reversed by making healthy tweaks to your lifestyle. […]
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The heart’s ability to beat normally over a lifetime is predicated on the synchronized work of proteins embedded in the cells of the heart muscle. Like a fleet of molecular motors that get turned on and off, these proteins cause the heart cells to contract, then force them to relax, beat after life-sustaining beat. Now a study led by researchers […]
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Many people turn to artificial or so-called natural sweeteners to cut calories and lose weight. A new study led by Dr. Raylene Reimer, Ph.D., published in the high-impact journal Gut discovered that the consumption of low-calorie sweeteners while pregnant increased body fat in their offspring and disrupted their gut microbiota—the trillions of bacteria and other microorganisms that inhabit the intestinal […]
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Looking for a way to get more done with your day? It might sound counterintuitive, but try taking a nap. The key to being a productive person might be taking a quick snooze, suggests new research. A study of 2,000 Americans examined their napping preferences and their personality traits. They found that those who identified as nappers were also more […]
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Don't want to wake up like a zombie? Try understanding your sleep cycle. Sleep is a luxury we crave on a Sunday afternoon. But, ever woken up feeling lethargic after having slumbered for long hours or functioned better despite a shorter shut-eye? The answer lies in your sleep cycle and we tend to snooze in distinct stages. While one may […]
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A new study has shown that gene therapy to treat one of the most common hereditary disorders, aldehyde dehydrogenase type 2 (ALDH2) deficiency, may prevent increased risk for esophageal cancer and osteoporosis associated with chronic alcohol exposure. The study, performed in a mouse model of ALDH2, is published in Human Gene Therapy. Ronald Crystal, Matthew Greenblatt, Katie Stiles, and colleagues […]
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Digital technology is making access to health care easier than ever before. Multiple websites and apps allow consumers to consult general practitioners (GPs) and pharmacists from any location, at any time. Recently, we’ve seen the emergence of apps which generate prescriptions almost instantly, removing the need for a person to visit their GP when they need a new prescription. While […]
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Not everyone who catches Ebola dies of the hemorrhagic virus infection. Some people mount a robust immune defense and recover fully. Yet risk factors for susceptibility to infection and disease severity remain poorly understood. A team at the Center for Infection and Immunity (CII) at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health has used a specially bred population of laboratory […]
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Prosthetic hands restore only some of the function lost through amputation. But combining electrical signals from forearm muscles with other sources of information, such as eye tracking, promises better prostheses. A study funded by the SNSF gives specialists access to valuable new data. The hand’s 34 muscles and 20 joints enable movements of great precision and complexity, which are essential […]
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