Female microbiome disruption driven by diet, smoking, alcohol, and stress is more serious than you think
A sweeping new review published in Microbial Ecology has cast a spotlight on something most women never think twice about: the invisible microbial communities living inside and on their bodies. Researchers spent considerable time synthesizing evidence on how everyday behaviors shape the female microbiome across four distinct sites, the vaginal tract, gut, mouth, and skin, […]
Dandelion leaves may hold a surprising secret weapon against Alzheimer’s
They grow in sidewalk cracks, front lawns, and vacant lots. Most people yank them out without a second thought, tossing them into yard waste bags like the nuisances they have always been assumed to be. But dandelions, it turns out, may deserve a serious second look, especially when it comes to protecting the aging brain. […]
Miracle berry does something strange to your tongue and it actually works
It looks almost like a coffee bean. It is small, bright red, and grows on shrubs scattered across the forests of West Africa. But place one on your tongue, and within minutes, a lemon wedge starts tasting like lemonade. A sour candy becomes dessert. Vinegar edges toward sweetness. The miracle berry has been doing this […]
Squid ink is more than a food trend and science is proving it
It colors pasta jet black, deepens the flavor of Spanish rice dishes, and adds a briny drama to Mediterranean seafood plates. For most diners, squid ink is a culinary novelty, bold in presentation and subtle in taste. But researchers studying marine-derived compounds are beginning to see it as something far more interesting than a pigment […]
Oxytocin has 4 findings that explain why some couples stay deeply connected while others slowly drift
Oxytocin is the hormone that most people have heard described as the love hormone or the bonding hormone, usually in a context that makes it sound like a warm and fuzzy chemical footnote to the more dramatic neuroscience of attraction. The reality of what oxytocin is doing inside relationships is considerably more interesting and considerably […]
Breakup recovery has 4 findings that explain why heartbreak hurts in ways that go far beyond emotion
Breakup recovery is the experience that most people are completely unprepared for the first time they go through it and only marginally better prepared for every time after that. The cultural script for heartbreak is reasonably well-established. You are sad for a while, you lean on friends, you possibly make some decisions about your hair, […]
This healthy habit seems to trigger more brain-boosting power when you are new to it
A growing body of evidence connects regular physical activity to better brain health, but a new study adds a more specific and compelling layer to that relationship. Researchers found that people who were previously inactive experienced significantly larger post-exercise releases of a brain-protective protein after completing a 12-week fitness program, with those increases linked to […]
Gas hobs and cancer risk are more connected than most home cooks realize
Most people assume their gas hob is only a concern when it is actively burning. New research suggests the greater risk may come when the appliance is completely off. A small but notable study found that close to one in 10 homes with gas hobs in the United Kingdom have leaks even in standby mode, […]
Stress management has 4 proven blood pressure benefits that most patients never hear about
Stress management sits in an uncomfortable middle ground in hypertension treatment conversations. Every doctor knows that stress contributes to high blood pressure. Most patients are told to reduce stress in roughly the same breath as they are handed a prescription, with approximately the same level of clinical specificity as being told to eat better and […]
Anti-inflammatory diet just earned 5 clinical wins that make it the top nutrition priority
Anti-inflammatory diet is a term that has circulated in wellness culture long enough to have acquired a slightly exhausted quality. It appears on meal plans, cookbook covers, and the advice columns of every health publication that has ever needed a dietary framework to write about. The familiarity, however, has not diminished what the clinical research […]