Aside from tasting delicious cinnamon may have some significant health benefits because it may help burn fat. The University of Michigan has reported that cinnamon may help to fight against obesity. Cinnamaldehyde, which is an essential
oil which gives cinnamon its flavor, has appeared to researchers to protect against
obesity and hyperglycemia in mice. Researchers have wanted to develop a better understanding of cinnamaldehyde's action and determine
whether it might be also be protective in people.
Researchers have observed that metabolic health is improved by cinnamaldehyde via direct action on fat cells. Cinnamaldehyde induces fat cells to begin burning energy via a process which is known as thermogenesis. Due to the increasing obesity epidemic, researchers have been investigating ways to induce fat cells to activate thermogenesis.
Cinnamaldehyde may offer such an activation process. It should be easier to convince patients to adhere to a cinnamon-based treatment versus a traditional drug regimen. Cinnamon is after all generally considered delicious by people. If this is proven to help protect people from obesity
it may offer patients an approach to metabolic health which is easy for them to adhere to.
This study has been published in the journal Metabolism. Cinnamaldehyde has potential metabolic benefits in people. Cinnamon is a delicious food additive which may activate
thermogenesis. Therefore cinnamon may lead to tasty therapeutic strategies in the fight against obesity.
Quality air is vital for pulmonary health and exposure to trees enhances the quality of air we breath. The University of Exeter reports that attacks of asthma are decreased in urban neighborhoods which are lined with trees. In fact people with asthma who reside in urban areas which are polluted are not as likely to be confronted with hospital admissions when there are a lot of trees in their neighborhood.
This leaves us with the consideration that increases in tree cover in polluted urban neighborhoods can improve respiratory health. In this study there was a very strong association with less emergency asthma cases in the most polluted urban areas which had trees. This has suggested that planting of trees could play a role in lowering the hazardous effects of air pollution from cars.
Dr. Ian Alcock, who is a research fellow at the University of Exeter’s Medical School, says his group wanted to help clarify the association which may be found between urban vegetation and
respiratory health. Trees clearly remove air pollutants which
can cause asthma attacks. In spite of possible allergenic pollen from vegetation which
exacerbates asthma, overall Dr. Alcock and his associates found urban vegetation appears to do much more good than harm.
This study has been published in the journal Environment International. Relationships between tree and green space
density and asthma associated hospitalisations have been explored. Clearly there can be significant health benefits from environmental improvements in polluted urban neighborhoods.
Researchers say that mushrooms are a very healthy food. It has been reported by Penn State News
that mushrooms are loaded with antioxidants and that may have potential
to slow down aging. Two antioxidants in particular, ergothioneine and
glutathione, which are found in high amounts in mushrooms, may help to
fight the aging process and nurture good health.
Robert
Beelman, who is a professor emeritus of food science and director of
the
Penn State Center for Plant and Mushroom Products for Health, highlights
the free radical theory of aging which is based on the belief that when
our food is oxidized to produce
energy there are many free radicals which are produced and they can
be very toxic.
Free
radical damage has been found to be associated with many diseases of
aging including heart disease, cancer, and Alzheimer's. The porcini
species has been found to have the highest amounts of ergothioneine and
glutathione of any other mushroom species. In Italy the porcini species
of mushrooms is very popular.
This study has been published in the journal Food Chemistry. Mushrooms
have been found to be a rich source of the antioxidants ergothioneine
and glutathione. Certain mushroom species which are high in glutathione and ergothioneine are a very good dietary source of these significant
antioxidants. We therefore see that eating certain types of mushrooms may promote anti-aging while nurturing good health.
Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) is a dreaded entity. It has been reported by the University of Virginia that the risk of SIDS is dramatically decreased with two months of breastfeeding. The researchers have observed breastfeeding does not have to be done exclusively for babies to benefit.
SIDS is the leading cause of death of babies who are between the ages of 1 month and 1 year. In this study it was observed there was almost a 50 percent lower risk of SIDS in babies who were breastfed for at least 2 months. There was no such benefit with less than 2 months of breastfeeding. Breastfeeding for longer periods of time lead to more protection from SIDS.
Researcher Dr. Rachel
Moon of the University of Virginia School of Medicine and the University of Virginia Children’s Hospital has said it's really great to let mothers know that there is a powerful protective effect against SIDS with breastfeeding for at least 2 months. International and national initiatives to promote breastfeeding are supported by the researchers.
It is not clear why there is protection from SIDS with breastfeeding. It has been suggested that the immune benefits of breastfeeding coupled with positive effects on infant sleeping patterns explain why breastfeeding lowers rates of SIDS.
This study has been published in the journal Pediatrics. Breastfeeding has been found to be protective against SIDS. This is very significant since the leading cause of postneonatal
infant mortality is SIDS. Clearly women should be encouraged to breastfeed their babies.
Leading a naturally healthy lifestyle with good nutrition, daily
exercise, and adequate rest along with avoidance of drugs and alcohol
generally helps in the search for happiness. Researchers have found that
spending time in nature also generally nurtures happiness.
The University of British Columbia Okanagan Campus
has reported that the best in people can be brought out with time spent
in nature. Holli-Anne Passmore, a UBC researcher, says there’s a lot of
truth to the concept that spending time
outdoors is associated with happiness. Passmore has said people can
increase their general happiness and well-being by simply taking some
time to notice the nature which surrounds them.
It has been documented scientifically that people generally seem
happier and they may live longer when they live in greenspaces. This
study has been published in The Journal of Positive Psychology. The study offers empirical support for the idea that involvement in nature offers an
effective positive psychology intervention. So next time you feel sad try to find sometime to spend in nature.
There has been a growing awareness of how naturally healthy lifestyles promote mental health. Aside from good nutrition, daily exercise, adequate rest, and avoidance of drugs and alcohol, it has also become apparent that clean air helps to promote mental health.
The University of Washington has reported that mental health is clouded by air pollution. It is well known that dirty air can undermine normal breathing and exacerbate various lung diseases. Connections between toxic air and diabetes, obesity, and dementia are also being investigated. Researchers at the University of Washington now say psychological distress is also associated with air pollution.
Where a person lives can have a dramatic effect on their health and quality of life. "Social determinants" of physical and mental health have been identified by researchers. These determinants include the availability of foods which are healthy at local grocery stores, access to nature in the neighborhood and safety in the neighborhood.
Scientists say that air pollution is also associated with behavior changes. Exposure to air pollution can lead to not spending as much time outside and leading a lifestyle which is sedentary. This can also be associated with a distressed psychological state of being or social isolation.
The researchers at University of Washington found that there was an increased risk of psychological distress with an increased amount of particulate matter present in the air. For every increase in pollution of 5 micrograms per cubic meter
the same effect as a 1 1/2 year loss in education was observed.
This study has been published in Health & Place.The effects of air pollution on the psychological distress of individuals was studied. It has been suggested by this study that public health initiatives to decrease the personal and societal costs of mental illness
should give consideration to addressing not only characteristics of the individual and
factors in the social environment, but also aspects of the
physical environment as seen with air pollution. It appears that clean air nurtures mental health while air pollution does the opposite.
