No cognitive benefits seen for meditation, nonnative language training
“Meditation and nonnative language training appear not to confer cognitive effects, according to a study published online July 14 in JAMA Network Open to coincide with the annual Alzheimer’s Association International Conference, held from July 16 to 20 in Amsterdam.”
An ultra-processed diet made this doctor sick. Now he’s studying why
“Eating processed food is nothing new. Humans have been crushing grains to make bread for thousands of years. But in recent decades, our food supply has shifted, with an increasing number of ultra-processed products made with fillers, additives, stabilizers and synthetic ingredients that our grandparents wouldn’t recognize.”
Snacking quality, not quantity, impacts health the most
“Although snacks contribute to around 20% of energy intake in the American diet, few studies have investigated the health effects of snack quantity, quality, and timing. Understanding more about how snacking habits affect health could inform dietary practices.”
Harvard’s nutrition department rejects WHO updated guidelines on healthy diets citing old research
“26 Jul 2023 — Researchers from the Department of Nutrition at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health have come out strongly against the World Health Organization’s (WHO) updated guidelines for healthy diets, stating that the recommendation for calories derived from fat “omits decades of research.”
Acupuncture May Improve Sleep Among Patients With Multiple Myeloma Undergoing HSCT
“An ancient practice may offer modern relief for sleep disturbances experienced by patients with multiple myeloma undergoing hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT), according to research published by El Iskandarani et al in Acupuncture in Medicine. Based on a randomized, prospective study of 63 adults undergoing inpatient or outpatient autologous HSCT who also received acupuncture treatment, improvements in certain aspects of sleeping, including sleep efficiency and wakefulness after sleep onset, were noted.”
Study Finds That We Can Reduce Our Cancer Risk Thanks to Vigorous Everyday Activities
“In our study out today [July 27], we explored the health potential of brief bursts of vigorous physical activities embedded into daily life. These could be short power walks to get to the bus or tram stop, stair climbing, carrying heavy shopping, active housework, or energetic play with children.”
Top in cardiology: Exercise reduces mortality risk; metformin may offer heart benefits
“Researchers at the American Society for Preventive Cardiology reported that the benefits of exercise occur at levels well below federal recommendations, and its impact on mortality risk is observed across ages, races and genders.”
Severely restrictive diets — of any type — may backfire in the end
“For overweight individuals, the Greek physician Hippocrates advised a regimen of exercise and vomiting. Around 1080 C.E., William the Conqueror suggested a diet of drinking alcohol. In the 1800s, Lord Byron followed a vinegar diet.”
