Category: Health alert
Adding salt to foods amplifies risk of premature death
Extra sprinkles of salt to your food will increase your chances of dying prematurely – a study of more than half a million people found that those who always added salt to their food had a 28% increased risk of dying prematurely from any cause, compared to those who never or rarely added salt. Researchers […]
Prenatal exposure to chemicals associated with childhood fatty liver disease
Pregnant women exposed to chemicals leeched from common consumer products risk having children who may one day develop severe chronic liver disease and liver cancer. A research team from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai (Mount Sinai) have discovered a growing incidence of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease in children due to prenatal exposure […]
Stress ages the immune system faster
Immune aging increases a person’s risk of developing diseases such as cancer and cardiovascular disease, as well as increased susceptibility to infection. Researchers from the University of Southern California (USC) have showed that stress plays a crucial part in aging of the immune system in same-age adults, and propose a little-known therapeutic intervention. With aging […]
Scientists identify new prostate cancer tumour type
Scientists at Weill Cornell Medicine have identified two new subtypes of prostate cancer. The tumour subtypes can be resistant to hormone therapy, which reduces the levels of androgens (male hormones) like testosterone that the cancer cells depend on to grow – knowing the exact subtype is nevertheless important for successful cancer treatment. Of the four […]
Higher risk of heart disease for people with cognitive impairment
A study led by Canadian researchers suggest cognitive function could predict a person’s future risk of heart disease. In assessing the relationship between cognitive function and future cardiovascular events in over 8,700 people – who also had type 2 diabetes, the researchers found that people with the lowest level of cognitive function had a higher […]
Inner ear damage increases risk of falling in Alzheimer’s patients
Damage or impairment to the vestibular system in the inner ear – a common cause of dizziness, vertigo, and balance issues – has been found to elevate the risk for falls in patients with Alzheimer’s disease (Alzheimer’s). According to a research team at Johns Hopkins Medicine University School of Medicine (Johns Hopkins), impairment of the […]
Plastics found for the first time in human bloodstream
Scientists from Vrije Universiteit (VU) Amsterdam, the Netherlands, have produced evidence of plastic particles being absorbed into the bloodstream, with a novel method involving the use of mass spectrometry. “We have now proven that our bloodstream, our river of life as it were, has plastic in it,” said VU ecotoxicologist Heather Leslie. Discarded plastic waste […]
Gas flares linked to air pollution and premature death
Flaring of excess natural gas occurs when oil/gas producers lack the necessary infrastructures to bring it to market. Flaring reduces the direct venting of the powerful greenhouse gas methane into the atmosphere, but also produces harmful particulate matter known as black particulate matter, or soot. Recently environmental engineers at Rice University (Rice) in Houston have […]
Oestrogen levels linked to severity of COVID-19 infection and risk of death in women
An observational study based on Swedish public health records has revealed increased levels of the hormone oestrogen plays a protective role in older women, against severe infection and risk of death from COVID-19. Women seem to suffer less from severe COVID-19 than men, according to health data, hypothesised as due to differences in hormone distribution. […]
A nasty, stubborn killer: pancreatic cancer
Pancreatic cancer, a rare cancer that begins with no apparent symptoms, is fast becoming a leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the US; it currently accounts for about 3% of all cancers and 7% of cancer deaths. The grim outlook of pancreatic cancer is that only one in 10 diagnosed patients is lucky to survive […]
