Public Health

L.A. Commuting: Six Percent Of Their Time Accounts For Almost Half Of Their Pollution Intake

A new study in the journal Atmospheric Environment by researchers at USC and the California Air Resources Board found that the average Los Angeles driver spends about six percent (1.5 hours) of his or her day on the road, yet that period of time accounts f ...

Article - News Staff - Oct 30 2007 - 3:28pm

Can Danish Researchers Knock Out HIV?

With the latest advances in treatment, doctors say they can successfully neutralize the HIV virus. The so-called ‘combination therapy’ prevents the HIV virus from mutating and spreading, allowing patients to rebuild their immune system to the same levels a ...

Article - News Staff - Nov 1 2007 - 10:57am

Sickle Cell Treatment: Heptapeptide Could Remove Iron From Ferritin

A new study led by Children's Hospital Oakland Research Institute senior scientist, Elizabeth Theil, Ph.D., is the first to suggest that a small protein or heptapeptide (seven amino acids wrapped into one unit) could be used to accelerate the removal ...

Article - News Staff - Nov 4 2007 - 8:52pm

Women's Health Initiative

Here’s a nice essay about the Women’s Health Initiative, a nine-year mega-million-dollar experiment to measure the effect of “healthy eating” especially a low-fat diet. ...

Article - Seth Roberts - Nov 7 2007 - 1:19am

Will Fasting Improve Your Heart? This Study Says Yes

Foregoing food for a day each month is one of the religious practices of members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (LDS or Mormons), who have lower rates of heart disease than other Americans, researchers reported at the American Heart Ass ...

Article - News Staff - Nov 9 2007 - 11:57pm

Study: Omega-3 Oils Reduce Chances Of Alzheimer's, Omega-6 Oils Increase It

A diet rich in fish, omega-3 oils, fruits and vegetables may lower your risk of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, whereas consuming omega-6 rich oils could increase chances of developing memory problems, according to a study published in the November 13, 2 ...

Article - News Staff - Nov 12 2007 - 5:20pm

Omega-3s And Brain Function

Two papers in the latest issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition provide more support for the idea that omega-3s improve brain function. The first was a cross-sectional study involving about 2000 persons 70-74 years old in Norway. Their fish c ...

Article - Seth Roberts - Nov 12 2007 - 6:38pm

Snus Kills, Says Swedish Study

A new study from the Karolinska Institutet states that consumers of Swedish moist snuff – a smokeless tobacco called 'snus' – run a higher risk of dying from cardiac arrest and stroke. Snus also increases the risk of high blood pressure, a known ...

Article - News Staff - Nov 13 2007 - 10:06pm

Study: Exercise Can Make You More Prone To Illness

Elite athletes- often perceived as the epitome of health and fitness – may be more susceptible to common illness and are therefore proving useful in helping scientists understand more about the immune system. Nic West, a PhD candidate at Griffith Universit ...

Article - News Staff - Dec 4 2007 - 12:10pm

Gary Taubes's Berkeley Talk

Gary Taubes spoke at Berkeley a few weeks ago; the title of his talk was “The Quality of Calories: What Makes Us Fat and Why No One Seems to Care” (webcast). Did you know that the last edition of Dr. Spock’s baby book advocated a vegan diet? One of many f ...

Article - Seth Roberts - Feb 18 2010 - 7:28pm