Author Archives: Connie Wan, Ph. D.

Higher coffee consumption associated with lower risk of early death

Coffee is one of the most widely consumed beverages around the world.  Volumes of previous studies have suggested that drinking coffee might be inversely associated with all-cause mortality.  To confirm, an observational study in nearly 20,000 participants was carried out to examine the association between coffee consumption and the risk of mortality in a middle-aged Mediterranean cohort. […]

One meal high in saturated fat is enough to hinder your ability to focus

ability to focus

A research from Ohio State University suggests that eating just one meal high in saturated fat can hinder our ability to concentrate.  The research was recently published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. In this study, the researcher compared how 51 women performed on an attention test after they ate either a meal high in saturated […]

Smart up your brain with aerobics at any age

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As we all find out eventually, we lose a bit mentally and physically as we age.  But, it’s never too late to lace up some sneakers and work up a sweat for brain health, according to a study published by a group from the University of Calgary in Alberta, Canada in Neurology®, the medical journal of the […]

Five Best Probiotic Foods For A Healthy Gut

Guest post by Beatrice Potter Probiotic foods are any foods that contain probiotics, which are ‘healthy’ bacteria. You may not have ever thought of bacteria being healthy before, since most people only think of pathogenic, ‘bad’ bacteria when they hear that word. However, having probiotics is vital to your body, since it needs a balance […]

Caffeine boosts problem solving ability

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The cognitive benefits of caffeine — increased alertness, improved vigilance, enhanced focus and improved motor performance — are well established.  However, its effect on creative thinking is less known.  A study published in the journal Consciousness and Cognition by a University of Arkansas researcher further confirmed that caffeine does increase your ability to focus and solve problems, however it […]

Spicing up your immune system with curcumin

Curcumin (diferuloylmethane) is an orange-yellow colored polyphenol derived from turmeric (Curcuma longa), a spice often found in curry powder.  The medicinal use of the turmeric plant has been described in ancient Indian and Chinese thousands of years ago.  In India, turmeric has traditionally been used primarily for arthritis and muscular disorders, whereas in China, it has been […]

Caffeine cuts post-workout pain by half, better than Aleve, ibuprofen or aspirin

A study, published in The Journal of Pain, suggests that caffeine can help reduce the post-workout soreness that discourages some people from exercising.  The team of University of Georgia Atlanta (UGA) researchers found that moderate doses of caffeine, roughly equivalent to two cups of coffee, cut post-workout muscle pain by almost half (to be more precise, […]

10 Foods To Eat For Healthy Skin

Eating the right foods can promote skin health. With older skin cells constantly shedding and being replaced by younger ones, nutrients are essential for supporting this rapid growth, making your skin soft and blemish-free.  While we can’t avoid the elements like sunlight, or stay 100% away from strong soaps and fatty foods, you can still […]

Obesity may lead to poor sleep quality

Slump & Stay Energized

A growing body of research has shown the link between obesity and sleep loss.  However, it was unclear the “chicken and egg” relationship between the two – does sleep loss result in weight gain, or does weight gain lead to poor sleep quality? A study in PLOS Biology suggested that it is not the sleep loss that leads […]

Jogging and walking are among the best exercises to keep off weight gain

Obesity is a serious public health challenge in modern society leading to many metabolic diseases such as diabetes and cardiovascular conditions.  Extensive researches have shown that obesity results from interactions between lifestyle and a person’s genetics.  Specifically, certain individuals are predisposed to be gain weight due to their “obesity gene.”  To combat obesity, doctors often recommend exercise, but […]