We love sodas. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, almost one-third of Americans drink at least one sugar-laden soda or other sweetened drinks every day. We love the cool and sizzling sweet taste of the soda, which comes mostly from “high fructose corn syrup,” a main sweetening ingredient in soda drinks. […]
In the previous post, we learned about the brain-gut-skin theory proposed by two dermatologists, John Stokes and Donald Pillsbury, in 1930s. Here is the gist of the theory: stress produces stress hormones, which leads to low acid production in your stomach, which leads to the changes in your gut microbiota population, which leads to local […]
Gut microbiota is the name given today to the microbe population living in our intestine. Our gut microbiota contains tens of trillions of microorganisms, including at least 1000 different species of known bacteria with more than 3 million genes (150 times more than human genes). Microbiota can, in total, weigh up to 2 kg. One […]
You must have noticed that your acne tends to flares up around stressful times—before a big test, a big meeting or during travel. Often, the skin problems are accompanied with bowel movement problems. I have experienced the phenomenon all my life and have heard many similar experiences from others. For a longest time, I have […]
Our brain is well protected by a barrier termed the “blood-brain barrier (BBB).” The blood–brain barrier is a highly selective permeability barrier that separates the circulating blood from the brain extracellular fluid (BECF) in the central nervous system (CNS). The stuff that can pass through the blood-brain barrier are highly selective including water, some gases, lipid […]
The relationship between gut microbes and human health is a hot research topic in the scientific community. Considering the number of gut microbes in one’s gut out numbers the total number of the human cells in one’s body by 10 to 1, it only makes sense that whatever the problems we might have, our gut […]
Type 2 diabetes afflicts more than 300 million people globally, and as many as 15% of those patients cannot take the first-line therapy metformin because of the risks of kidney damage associated with the drug. Seeking an alternative treatment, researchers from Lund University, in Sweden, used a computational approach to identify compounds that might counter […]
Human cognitive function tends to decline as we get older. Many researches have shown that risk of dementia is reduced by higher fruit and vegetable intake, and that cognitive function is better preserved in healthy older adults with a diet rich in plant-based foods. The consensus from the scientific community is that flavonoids, which are […]
A large worldwide study has found that, contrary to the popular thought, low-salt diets may not be beneficial and may actually increase the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and death compared to average salt consumption. In summary, the study suggests that the only people who need to worry about reducing sodium in their diet are […]
In our past posts, we discussed two predominant theories of aging—oxidative damage caused by free radicals and age-related natural hormonal decline. This post will cover a few remaining theories on aging. The genetic theory of aging: Anecdotally, we’ve all noticed that some people age better than others. A few weeks ago, I was at a […]