Dear Friends,
Welcome to my October news update with the pick of the most interesting stories in health and wellbeing over the last month. Please explore these new findings and be sure to share them with your friends, families and colleagues.
With warmest good wishes,
Dr Rosy Daniel
Nutrition & Health
Drinking tea improves brain health, study suggests
A recent study led by researchers from the National University of Singapore (NUS) revealed that regular tea drinkers have better organised brain regions — and this is associated with healthy cognitive function – compared to non-tea drinkers. The research team made this discovery after examining neuroimaging data of 36 older adults.
Read the full Science Daily:
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/09/190912100945.htm
Study: Onions and garlic may be recipe for reducing breast cancer risk
Onions and garlic may be a recipe for reducing the risk of breast cancer. That’s according to the findings of a study led by University at Buffalo and University of Puerto Rico researchers. It’s the first population-based study to examine the association between onion and garlic consumption and breast cancer in Puerto Rico. The results were published in the journal Nutrition and Cancer.
Read the full Buffalo News Article:
http://www.buffalo.edu/news/releases/2019/002/031.html
Association between soft drink consumption and mortality in 10 European countries
A large European study found that compared with participants who drank less than one glass of sugar-sweetened or artificially sweetened soft drinks per month, participants who drank two or more glasses of these drinks per day had a higher risk of all-cause mortality. A new study coordinated by researchers from the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) examined the association between total, sugar-sweetened, and artificially sweetened soft drink consumption and all cause-specific mortality.
Read the full Science Daily Article:
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/09/190905090929.htm
Lifestyle modifications prevent one in three breast cancer cases
A new report has estimated that one in three breast cancer cases could be prevented through lifestyle changes. Modifications such as weight management, physical activity, nutrition, and alcohol consumption can all contribute to a healthier lifestyle that can help to minimise risk of breast cancer. Breast cancer remains the most common cancer in women in the United States and around the globe.
Read the full Health Europa Article:
https://www.healtheuropa.eu/lifestyle-breast-cancer/93513/
Herbal Medicine – Kratom Debate
Kratom: Fear-worthy foliage or beneficial botanical?
Depending on what you read, kratom is a dangerous, addictive drug with no medical utility and severe side effects, including overdose and death, or it is an accessible pathway out of undertreated chronic pain and opiate withdrawal. How can the US Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), medical professionals, and millions of regular kratom users have such divergent views of the same plant?
Read the full Harvard Health Publishing:
https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/kratom-fear-worthy-foliage-or-beneficial-botanical-2019080717466
Climate Crisis Action
Fresh wave of climate strikes takes place around the world
Hundreds of thousands hit streets across continents to demand action on climate. Hundreds of thousands of people around the world are taking place in the latest wave of climate strikes to demand urgent action on the escalating ecological emergency.
Read the full Guardian Article:
Greta Thunberg: teenager on a global mission to ‘make a difference’
The Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg has become known globally for her environmental campaign. In August 2018, aged 15, Thunberg began a solo climate protest by striking from school. She has since been joined by tens of thousands of school and university students in more than a dozen countries, in climate strikes that have become regular events. A global strike in March drew more than a million people, surpassed in September by the biggest yet with at least 4 million.
Read the full Guardian Article:
Flying green
Flying, for many of us, is now routine. For a few of us it is a weekly, maybe even daily, event. At the same time, global protests concerned with the pressing danger of climate change and the need to reduce CO2 emissions are gaining attention and causing alarm. So, will we ever get to a point where we can indulge our flying habit and keep our conscience clear?
Listen to the full BBC Programme:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0008jfk
Ayurveda For All
Ayurveda Could Provide Affordable ‘Health for All’
The quest for a healthy life has been an eternal one. In 1978 Alma-Ata Declaration expressed the need for urgent action by all governments, health and development workers, and the world community to protect and promote the health of all people. The World Health Organization (WHO) launched its “Health For All” campaign and defined Health for All as the attainment by all peoples of the world by the year 2000 of a level of health that will permit them to lead a socially and economically productive life. However, almost two decades later, this goal still eludes many, especially in the developing countries.
Read the full in depth News Article:
A ‘brahmi’ plant popular in Ayurveda might help to prevent dementia
Brahmi is known as water hyssop, Indian Pennywort, Neer brahmi, Jia Ma Chi Xian and Herb of Grace. It is also known as “medhya rasayana” in Ayurveda medicine. This term means brain tonic or a nootropic agent, which enhances the brain’s cognitive properties. It is popular among Ayurvedic practitioners, who use it to treat various ailments such as memory loss, inflammation, epilepsy, fever, and even asthma. Numerous studies suggest that B. monnieri’s bioactive components protect the brain against oxidative damage and age-related cognitive deterioration.
Read the full Star2 Article:
https://www.star2.com/health/2019/09/24/plant-help-prevent-dementia/
To see lots more exciting news and evidence go to www.health-e-learning.org.uk and see the health-e-information platform.
Researcher – Sophie Daniel, Health and Wellbeing Trust
Images bought from iStock Getty images – https://www.istockphoto.com