Adding cabbage and broccoli to your diet may help prevent colon cancer

Chemicals produced by vegetables such as kale, cabbage and broccoli could help to maintain a healthy gut and prevent colon cancer, a study has found. The research, published in the journal Immunity, shows that mice fed on a diet rich in indole-3-carbinol – which is produced when we digest vegetables from the Brassica genus – were protected from gut inflammation and colon cancer. While the health benefits of vegetables are well-established, many of the mechanisms behind them remain unknown. This study offers the first concrete evidence of how I3C in…

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Aspirin, a drug commonly available, may help prevent HIV

An affordable, globally available drug – low-dose aspirin – could help prevent HIV transmission, scientists say. HIV infection rates remain unacceptably high, especially among young African women. Researchers including those from University of Manitoba in Canada tested the effect of acetylsalicylic acid (ASA or aspirin) and other anti-inflammatory drugs on HIV target cells in a group of Kenyan women who were at low risk for HIV. The pilot study, published in the Journal of the International AIDS Society, built on existing knowledge about the role of inflammation in HIV transmission.…

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Depression in children, treating it can help improve parent’s mental health

The bond between parent and child extends far beyond sharing similar looks or behaviours as a new study suggests that treating depression in teenagers may benefit their parents’ mental health too. The findings suggest that when a teenager’s depression improved through treatment, so did the depression experienced by his or her parents. “Depression is a massive public health concern that will take a variety of approaches to better manage. We believe our study is among the first to evaluate how the emotional health of a child can impact that of…

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Sugar-free, calorie free: Artificial sweeteners may not help with weight loss

If you feel artificial sweeteners are a perfect substitute to sugar, you might want to think again. Marketed as ‘sugar-free’ or ‘diet option’, artificial sweeteners – commonly found in a variety of food and beverages, including soft drinks, chewing gum, jellies – give a person the same pleasure as sugar but reduce the calories. But, are these popularly marketed sweeteners the right choice? “People who are weight conscious or suffering from diabetes or cardiac problems usually prefer artificial sweeteners over table sugar as they are calorie-free. However, many would not…

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Concussion in teens, physical therapy can help with the treatment

Parents, take note! Teens with a concussion may benefit from earlier physical therapy (PT), suggests a study. The Wolters Kluwer Health study found that for adolescents with symptoms following a concussion, starting physical therapy (PT) earlier – within less than three weeks after the injury – provides outcomes similar to those of later PT. “Multimodal PT interventions administered by licensed physical therapists may be feasible and safe even within the first few weeks after the injury to help facilitate prompt recovery and mitigate the onset of secondary effects from delayed…

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This new low-cost plastic sensor can help in early diagnosis of diseases

Scientists have developed a low-cost sensor made from semiconducting plastic that can be used to diagnose or monitor a wide range of health conditions, such as surgical complications or neurodegenerative diseases. The sensor can measure the amount of critical metabolites, such as lactate or glucose, that are present in sweat, tears, saliva or blood, and, when incorporated into a diagnostic device, could allow health conditions to be monitored quickly, cheaply and accurately. The device, described in the journal Science Advances, has a far simpler design than existing sensors, and opens…

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