Ingesting a drink rich in cocoa flavanols improved blood vessel function and reduced diastolic blood pressure in patients with kidney failure.Heart disease is the leading cause of death in patients with chronic kidney disease. Consuming a beverage containing cocoa flavanols improves blood vessel function in…

A study of a million UK women, published in The Lancet, has shown that happiness itself has no direct effect on mortality, and that the widespread but mistaken belief that unhappiness and stress directly cause ill health came from studies that had simply confused cause…

New Clinical Practice Guidelines Recommend Use of Arteries Rather than Veins in Heart Bypass Surgery The Society of Thoracic Surgeons has released new clinical practice guidelines that recommend expanding the use of arteries from the chest and forearm rather than using veins from the leg…

Using antidepressants during pregnancy greatly increases the risk of autism, Professor Anick Bérard of the University of Montreal and its affiliated CHU Sainte-Justine children’s hospital revealed today. Prof. Bérard, an internationally renowned expert in the fields of pharmaceutical safety during pregnancy, came to her conclusions…

Levels of tooth loss linearly associated with increasing rates of death and strokeGum disease is the main cause of tooth loss and is related to poor dental hygieneCoronary heart disease patients with no teeth have nearly double the risk of death as those with all…

Nauseated patients in the emergency department who sniffed pads saturated with isopropyl alcohol were twice as likely to obtain relief from their symptoms as nauseated patients who sniffed pads saturated with saline solution, according to a study published online today in Annals of Emergency Medicine…

Studies challenge CYP2D6 as marker, point to need for validation The anti-hormone therapy tamoxifen can reduce breast cancer recurrence by about half in women with hormone-sensitive breast cancer. But it works better in some women than others. Researchers are not sure why.“We do know that…

Postponing the start of adjuvant chemotherapy for more than 90 days following surgery may significantly increase risk of death for breast cancer patients, particularly those with triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), according to a new study from The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. Further,…

Exercising Muscles Prefer Carbs over Fat for Long, High-Intensity Runs Carbohydrates are the body’s main energy source during high-intensity, prolonged running, a new study published in Journal of Applied Physiology reports.Muscles use carbohydrate and fat stored in the body as fuel during exercise, but the…

A new study assessing the antioxidant effects of pomegranate extract on cardiovascular risk factors and muscle function showed reductions in blood pressure and some atheroprotective benefits, but no effects on inflammation, oxidative strength, or muscle strength. The limited gains with pomegranate supplementation are detailed in…

Exposure to farm animals in early childhood modifies the key allergy-related immunological mechanisms, shows a recent study from the University of Eastern Finland. The study provides new insight into the role of dendritic cells and cytokine production in particular.Growing up on a traditional farm has…

Using olive or sunflower oil on new born babies’ skin damages the barrier which prevents water loss and blocks allergens and infections, new research led by The University of Manchester has found.Despite most midwives recommending olive or sunflower oil for dry skin, as highlighted in…