While American scientists disagree about the causes of obesity, from genes and the environment to chemicals, TV and video games, Australian scientists have proposed just one cause: overeating. And they have clear numbers to support their theory. Professor Boyd Swinburn of Deakin University in Australia studied how much food an adult needs to maintain their […]
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Scientists have found a new inflammatory factor linked with several diseases, including lung disease, lung cancer and arthritis, which may also be linked with insulin resistance, a feature of diabetes. This inflammatory chemical messenger (chemokine), called CXCL5, rises and falls with weight gain and weight loss in people. The scientists also found that when fat […]
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According to data from the US Census Bureau and the Department of Agriculture, at least 17% of children across America are at risk of hunger. Children who don't get proper nutrition while they are growing may later have developmental, behavioural or school problems. As children are the future, it is important to watch over their […]
Read more1. Exercise Exercises that focus on the belly don't remove belly fat, and the belly is where the body stores fat first. Belly exercises tighten the muscles in this area so the body looks firmer, but to burn fat you need aerobic exercise. In one study, a group of young women cycled for four minutes, […]
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Vitamin B12 is needed for many of the body's basic functions, including making red blood cells, keeping nerves healthy and producing energy from food. A study has found that about one in four American adults has low or borderline-low levels of B12 in the blood. B12 is found naturally only in foods from animals (meat, […]
Read moreAutism affects the lives of many children, but what we know about it is limited. A great deal of effort goes into coping with the condition and raising public awareness. Now it has been found that about 10% of children with autism may recover. One child who showed it is possible is Leo Lytel, who […]
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There are now many sugary energy drinks on the market. Are they any use? Studies show that just a mouthful of these drinks gives the brain a strong boost and improves athletes' performance. An earlier study had suggested these drinks bring no benefit. A new study tried rinsing the mouth with three different drinks without […]
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Many people love to see round, chubby children, once seen as a sign of good health. But it becomes worrying when it turns into obesity. A new study, published in the Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, found that one in five four-year-olds is obese, and the rate is worse among ethnic minorities. It studied […]
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Why we itch has long been a mystery. As soon as we feel an itch, we scratch without thinking. But people with constant itching can irritate their skin and make the inflammation worse, so scientists are looking for effective ways to stop chronic itch. Many scientists link scratching with keeping clean: it rids us of […]
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Bed bugs, insects that feed on blood, are back. Their numbers have been rising since the mid-1990s, after they were thought to have disappeared with the widespread use of DDT (a toxic insecticide). They feed hungrily in the early morning, about an hour before sunrise. They pierce the skin with two hollow tubes: through one […]
Read moreA new study shows that taking vitamin E doesn't lower women's chances of getting rheumatoid arthritis. Data from observational studies, which simply follow people over time, had suggested that people who eat a diet rich in antioxidants such as vitamin E were less likely to develop this autoimmune disease, which affects women three times as […]
Read moreLife often confronts us with situations that demand a quick, clear decision. Many of these decisions can be irrational, influenced by information that has nothing to do with the decision itself, even though we are of course capable of making logical decisions of our own free will. Modern science compares the brain to a "hybrid […]
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