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A new study has found that many people with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) who believe they are sensitive to gluten or wheat may not actually react to these ingredients. The study included participants with clinically diagnosed IBS who reported feeling better on a gluten-free diet. These individuals were given cereal bars to eat containing either gluten, whole wheat, or neither—without knowing which was which, in a random order. Researchers found the number of people who experienced worse symptoms was similar across all three groups, including the gluten-free placebo, suggesting that expectations and beliefs, rather than the ingredients themselves, may be...

Dr Georgia Ede is a Harvard trained psychiatrist specialising in nutritional and metabolic psychiatry. She is the author of the book, ‘Change Your Diet, Change Your Mind: A powerful plan to improve mood, overcome anxiety and protect memory for a lifetime of optimal mental health’. This one is 1:30 long. Check the time stamps for the parts that might interest you the most. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B7tnfSPySb0

A new study sheds light on ChatGPT's alarming interactions with teens.ChatGPT will tell 13-year-olds how to get drunk and high, instruct them on how to conceal eating disorders, and even compose a heartbreaking suicide letter to their parents if asked, according to new research from a watchdog group. The Associated Press reviewed more than three hours of interactions between ChatGPT and researchers posing as vulnerable teens. The chatbot typically provided warnings against risky activity but went on to deliver startlingly detailed and personalised plans for drug use, calorie-restricted diets, or self-injury. The researchers at the Center for Countering Digital Hate...

Eight essential nutrients make up the suite of B vitamins also known as the B complex. Research has revealed that these B vitamins influence a vast spectrum of human health and disease. "It's hard to study the B vitamins in isolation," says gastroenterologist Joel Mason. "Four of these B-vitamins cooperate as co-factors in many critical activities in cells in what we call 'one carbon metabolism.'" One of the most active areas for B vitamin research is cognitive health. By the age of 75–80, 40% of people have a diminished ability to absorb food-bound B12, says Mason. This deficiency leads to...

Women and older adults taking the anti-obesity drug semaglutide may be at higher risk for muscle loss, but higher protein intake may help prevent muscle loss in these patients, according to a small study. Losing muscle (or lean mass) is a common side effect of weight loss in adults with obesity and may negatively affect metabolism and bone health. This is because muscle helps control blood sugar after meals and plays an important role in keeping bones strong, according to Melanie Haines, M.D. Approximately 40% of weight lost from taking semaglutide—a type of weight-loss medication known as a GLP-1—comes from...

A new study has revealed a surprising player in the battle against Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia: brain sugar metabolism. The research uncovers how breaking down glycogen—a stored form of glucose—in neurons may protect the brain from toxic protein buildup and degeneration. The research team discovered that in both fly and human models of tauopathy (a group of neurodegenerative diseases including Alzheimer's), neurons accumulate excessive glycogen. More importantly, this buildup appears to contribute to disease progression. Bar says tau, the infamous protein that clumps into tangles in Alzheimer's patients, appears to physically bind to glycogen, trapping it and...

A major new study reveals that combining the weight-loss drug tirzepatide with menopause hormone therapy leads to significantly greater fat loss in postmenopausal women. Women using both therapies saw an average weight loss of 17%—compared to just 14% with tirzepatide alone—and were more than twice as likely to lose 20% or more of their body weight. Tirzepatide Plus Hormone Therapy Boosts Weight Loss in Postmenopausal Women Using tirzepatide and menopause hormone therapy at the same time leads to increased weight loss in postmenopausal women with overweight or obesity compared to use of tirzepatide treatment alone, according to a study being...

Cancer deaths linked to obesity more than tripled in the U.S. during the past two decades, a new study says. Deaths linked to the 13 types of obesity-related cancer rose to 13.5 deaths per million from 3.7 deaths per million between 1999 and 2020, researchers reported Sunday at the Endocrine Society’s annual meeting in San Francisco. “Obesity is a significant risk factor for multiple cancers, contributing to significant mortality,” said lead researcher Dr. Faizan Ahmed of Hackensack Meridian Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune City, N.J.

Diets rich in phosphate additives, commonly found in processed foods, can increase blood pressure by triggering a brain signaling pathway and overactivating the sympathetic nervous system that regulates cardiovascular function, researchers discovered. Their findings could lead to treatment strategies for patients with hypertension caused by overconsumption of foods containing high levels of phosphates. "This research uncovers a previously unrecognized brain-mediated mechanism by which high dietary phosphate intake promotes hypertension and sympathetic overactivation, highlighting central fibroblast growth factor receptor signaling as a novel therapeutic target," said Han Kyul Kim, Ph.D. Inorganic phosphate is often used as a preservative or flavor enhancer...

A new drug prevents weight gain and fatty liver by controlling magnesium in cells. It made mice stay slim despite lifelong exposure to an unhealthy diet. Credit: Stock Scientists have unveiled a small-molecule drug that blocks weight gain and liver damage in mice forced to live on sugary, high-fat food. The compound works by limiting magnesium inside mitochondria—the cell’s power plants—so energy keeps burning instead of stalling. Treated mice quickly slim down and show no signs of fatty-liver disease, hinting at a future therapy against obesity, heart trouble, and cancer tied to poor diets. Breakthrough Drug Fights Fat and Liver...

What is Vegan? A vegan diet is a strict form of plant-based eating that excludes all animal products and by-products, such as meat, poultry, fish, dairy, eggs, and honey. Some products, such as refined sugars and gelatins, are excluded due to the use of animal products during processing. Vegans rely on plant-based foods, including fruits, vegetables, grains, legumes, nuts, and seeds, to meet their nutritional needs. Common motivations for adopting a vegan lifestyle include ethical concerns about animal welfare, a desire to reduce environmental impact, and the pursuit of health benefits associated with a plant-based diet. What is a Vegetarian?...

Patients with colon cancer who consumed an anti-inflammatory diet during a Phase III clinical trial showed longer overall survival post-treatment compared to those on a proinflammatory diet, according to analysis. Engaging in higher levels of physical activity may amplify the positive influence on survival. The median 5-year survival for patients with stage III colon cancer is around 80%. The CALGB/SWOG 80702 (Alliance) trial was initiated in 2010 to reduce the risk of cancer recurrence. Patients in the trial were treated with surgery followed by either three or six months of chemotherapy, with or without celecoxib, an anti-inflammatory drug. Of 2,526...

A pilot study found that the Mediterranean diet may provide symptom relief for people with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Study participants were randomized into two groups, one following the Mediterranean diet and the other following the low FODMAP diet, a common restrictive diet for IBS. In the Mediterranean diet group, 73% of the patients met the primary endpoint for symptom improvement, versus 81.8% in the low FODMAP group. Irritable bowel syndrome affects an estimated 4–11% of all people, and a majority of patients prefer dietary interventions to medication. The low FODMAP diet leads to symptom improvement in more than half...

It’s never too late to start eating better to prevent dementia, according a new analysis of research involving 90,000 adults. People over the age of 45 who followed a dietary pattern known as the MIND diet were “significantly” less likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease or related forms of dementia, said the University of Hawaii scientists. The MIND diet stands for Mediterranean Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay, and was developed by the late Martha Clare Morris, ScD, a Rush University nutritional epidemiologist. It combines the traditional Mediterranean diet with the blood pressure-lowering DASH diet (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension). It includes proven...

A study has uncovered a surprising link between diet, intestinal microbes and the efficacy of cancer therapy. The study could help explain why drugs known as PI3 kinase (PI3K) inhibitors—which disrupt an abnormally activated biochemical signaling pathway that spurs cancer cell proliferation—haven't led to consistent, durable cancer control in patients with solid tumors. The Rabinowitz lab and others have shown that ketogenic diets dramatically enhance responses to cancer drugs in preclinical mouse models of cancer. Such diets are rich in fat and very low in carbohydrates like starch and sugar, and their enhancement of therapeutic responses was thought to be...

Potatoes, often dismissed as fattening carbs, can actually lower the energy density of meals and, when prepared to boost fiber (e.g., boiled, cooled 24 hrs, skins on), support a 5.6% average weight loss and improved insulin resistance over eight weeks. By swapping 40% of meat or fish in entrées for these fiber-rich potatoes, participants ate satisfying portions without conscious calorie restriction, moderating blood glucose responses in people with obesity and insulin resistance. ************************************************************************ Potatoes can aid weight loss and blood sugar control when prepared properly, offering a satisfying, nutrient-rich addition to a healthy diet. Potatoes are one of the world’s...

A study of almost 400,000 people is the first to indicate, in humans, that the signaling of substances called short-chain fatty acids or SCFAs, released when gut bacteria break down dietary fiber, significantly protects against cardiovascular disease and hypertension by up to 20%. A previous clinical trial has shown these SCFAs—when provided as a supplement—lead to lowered blood pressure. Another trial is underway. The current study used data from the UK Biobank database and found rare genetic variants that profoundly impact the function of receptors that bind to SCFAs essentially prevent people from utilizing the cardiovascular protection offered by their...

The ‘Modern Family’ alum tells PEOPLE that he was initially "embarrassed" about his type 2 diabetes and kept his diagnosis a secret from friends and family Eric Stonestreet used to think his health was “fairly good.” He struggled to lose weight like many people, but felt fine overall. “I was just trying to maintain as healthy a lifestyle as I could without doing a tremendous amount about it,” he tells PEOPLE. But in 2009, just as he landed his beloved role as Cameron Tucker on Modern Family, Stonestreet was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. “It was like this crazy happy...

In a nutshell Young children have better survival rates when animal protein makes up a larger portion of their diet due to essential amino acids and easily absorbed nutrients like iron and zinc. Adults over 60 benefit more from plant-based proteins, with higher life expectancy in countries where plant proteins are more prevalent in the food supply. The research suggests dietary guidelines should consider age-specific recommendations, especially as countries transition to more sustainable food systems. ******************************************************************** SYDNEY — New research challenges the one-size-fits-all approach to diet, at least when it comes to protein sources. Scientists have discovered that eating meat...

The microbial community living within our large intestine is a highly dense and complex ecosystem. While some of these microbes cause illness and disease (such as bacteria and viruses), others are friendlier to us and help keep us in good health. Akkermansia muciniphila is one of these friendly bacteria. One of the important roles it plays in our gut is maintaining the function of our gut barrier. But when there's an imbalance of A. muciniphila in the gut, it can lead to problems with our health. This unusual bacteria lives in our large intestine and survives off of mucin—the layer...