The bacteria colonizing your bowels play a key part in your risk for infection, new research shows. A study of more than 600 people hospitalized with infections found their microbiomes had fewer bacteria that were able to produce a beneficial fatty acid called butyrate. The bacteria make butyrate as they digest the fiber people eat.… read on > read on >
They aren’t exactly ready to open a jungle clinic, but new research suggests wild chimpanzees are practicing a kind of medicine. Fifty-one chimps living in two communities in Uganda appear to select edible plants specifically for their medicinal qualities, reports a team led by Elodie Freymann of the University of Oxford in the UK. The… read on > read on >
Transgender and bisexual adults have rates of loneliness that are much higher than that of cisgender and heterosexual people, new data shows. Federal health data on U.S. adults from 2022 finds the highest rates of self-reported loneliness among people who identify as bisexual (56.7%) or transgender (rates ranging from 56.4% to 63.9%), according to researchers… read on > read on >
A Colombian family’s genetics are shining a spotlight on a gene that might help protect people from the ravages of Alzheimer’s disease. About 1,200 out of 6,000 family members carry a genetic variant called the “Paisa mutation,” which dooms them to early Alzheimer’s, researchers said. But 28 family members with the Paisa mutation dodged early… read on > read on >
If you’ve recovered from lower back pain, try walking away from a recurrence. New research out of Australia shows that folks who started a walking regimen kept recurrent back pain episodes at bay for much longer than people who didn’t. “We don’t know exactly why walking is so good for preventing back pain, but it… read on > read on >
Prostate medications might help reduce the risk of a specific type of dementia, a new study suggests. People were less likely to develop Lewy body dementia when taking drugs designed to treat urinary symptoms caused by an enlarged prostate, researchers reported June 19 in the journal Neurology. “These results are exciting, because right now there… read on > read on >
The yards of 1 in every 4 U.S. households have soil lead levels that exceed new federal lead screening levels of 200 parts per million (ppm), a new study finds. “I was shocked at how many households were above the new 200 ppm guideline,” said Gabriel Filippelli, a biochemist at Indiana University who led the… read on > read on >
A class of blood pressure medications appears to also help lower seniors’ risk of developing epilepsy, a new study finds. The drugs, called angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs), might prevent epilepsy in people at highest risk of the disease, researchers reported June 17 in the journal JAMA Neurology. “This is incredibly exciting because we don’t currently… read on > read on >
Folks dieting to drop pounds should consider eating a fistful of nuts here and there, a new review suggests. People who ate 1.5 to 3 ounces of almonds, peanuts, pistachios or walnuts daily as part of a calorie-cutting diet wound up losing more weight than those on the same diet without nuts, researchers said. In… read on > read on >
Cyberbullying and sexual harassment are rampant in the world of professional video gaming and online gaming, a new study reports. Nearly 96% of 145 video game players from 14 countries said they had been targeted online in the previous year. “It’s not just an isolated incident,” said lead researcher Louise Trudgett-Klose, a doctoral student in… read on > read on >
