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Common medications, when used for 1 year or more, increase the risk of dementia by 30% in a recent study looking at dementia onset in 350,000 older adults (aged 65 to 99). These medications include anticholinergic drugs – which block the effects of acetylcholine, a chemical used by nerve cells to send signals to other nerve […]
Unintended weight loss is the second highest predictor for ten types of cancer – prostate, colorectal, lung, gastro-esophageal, pancreatic, non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, ovarian, myeloma, renal tract and biliary tree. Researchers analyzed 25 studies including data from over 11.5 million patients. In women over the age of 60, cancer was associated with 6.7% of cases of unintended weight […]
Unintended weight loss is the second highest predictor for ten types of cancer – prostate, colorectal, lung, gastro-esophageal, pancreatic, non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, ovarian, myeloma, renal tract and biliary tree. Researchers analyzed 25 studies including data from over 11.5 million patients. In women over the age of 60, cancer was associated with 6.7% of cases of unintended weight […]
Patterned hair loss could be due to gut bacteria imbalance. Antibiotic-induced dysbiosis, characterized by an overgrowth of Lactobacillus murinus (a gut bacteria strain that depletes biotin – vitamin B7, a nutrient associated with hair growth), in mice fed a biotin deficient diet altered gut metabolic function and resulted in alopecia (or hair loss). When consuming a […]
Is your microbiome test giving you an accurate picture? A recent study looked at one of the most well known markers of microbial health – bacterial diversity. The researchers found that taking 5 fecal samples over 5 consecutive days portrays a more accurate picture of microbial diversity than just 1 sample. This study also concluded that when […]
The question we’re all wondering as we pop our daily probiotic – is probiotic supplementation in healthy adults helpful, or is it all hype? A 2018 review of probiotic supplementation in healthy adult populations analyzed the literature published between 1990 and August 2017. The review included 45 studies. Results showed that probiotic supplementation can lead to […]
Watching television for extended periods of time raises colorectal (CRC) risk in men. A recent study analyzed data from 500,000 men and women and found that men who watched TV 4+ hours per day had a 35% greater CRC risk than those who watched 1 hour per day. Increased time spent watching TV did not elevate […]
Weight gain in young children has detrimental effects on liver health. A recent study found that an increased waist circumference in three year olds was linked to a greater likelihood of increased non-alcoholic fatty liver disease markers (elevated ATL levels – a liver enzyme that acts as a marker for liver disease) at age 8. Those […]
Cancer risk in the distal colon in women is lower in those who avoid eating red meat. In a 17-year study in over 32,000 women, researchers found that those women who did not eat red meat had a reduced risk of distal colon cancer. A red meat-free diet was not protective against cancer elsewhere in the […]
High processed salt intake alters gut bacteria composition and may disrupt the relationship between the microbiome and host homeostasis. While increased salt intake is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD), we’re not exactly sure why that is. A recent study gave rats either water or a salt-water solution over a two-week period and analyzed blood […]
Artificial sweeteners promote dysbiosis (imbalanced gut bacteria) in Crohn’s disease (CD) patients and may worsen the disease and its symptoms. In a series of 3 studies, scientists mixed a low dose of Splenda into the drinking water of mice (who originated from a genetic line of mice with CD). They increased the dose slightly for the […]
Initiating an intrauterine device (IUD) with copper over a 180-day period significantly increased the prevalence of bacterial vaginosis (BV) in a group of women seeking contraception in Zimbabwe, while hormonal contraceptive methods did not affect BV prevalence. In the 234 women using the copper IUD, BV prevalence was assessed at baseline and at 30, 90 […]
