Posted on: December 11, 2024 Posted by: Michele Lee Comments: 0

The prostate drug that reduces hair loss and heart disease

Since 1992, men suffering from an enlarged prostate have been prescribed a drug that blocks an enzyme that converts testosterone into dihydrotestosterone, or DHT, a hormone that causes prostate growth. Five years later, the same medication was approved to treat hair loss when scientists discovered that by reducing DHT levels, finasteride also worked to block hair follicle shrinkage and promote hair regrowth. Now, research is suggesting this wonder drug could…

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Posted on: December 11, 2024 Posted by: Michele Lee Comments: 0

Kimchi takes down weight and triglycerides

In 2024, the U.S. reached a grim milestone: it was estimated that over 4 in 10 adults have obesity. That’s more than 40 percent of Americans afflicted with a condition that carries numerous health risks, including heart disease, “diabesity,” cognitive decline, chronic inflammation and more. Of course, diet and exercise are the twin pillars of any anti-obesity strategy… But when it comes to diet, some foods are more effective than…

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Posted on: December 10, 2024 Posted by: Michele Lee Comments: 0

Twins help reveal powerful reason diet links to depression

Depression can be a tough nut to crack. Doctors usually prescribe an antidepressant, but it doesn’t work in 2 out of 3 people. So they try another, and in 30 percent of cases that one doesn’t work, either. Even if the antidepressant does provide relief, it often comes with its own set of problems: nausea, weight gain, fatigue, constipation, irritability, anxiety and low sex drive. So what can you do?…

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Posted on: December 10, 2024 Posted by: Michele Lee Comments: 0

The drink to save your heart from high-fat stress eating

We’ve all done it. Life gets stressful, and we reach for the bag of chips to comfort us. It’s so common a behavior that it has a name: stress eating. No surprise there, right? You’re stressed, and that ice cream is just so comforting, and you deserve those guilty pleasures, right? But you don’t deserve the detrimental effects of stress eating… Overeating junk food can lead to obesity. And obesity-related…

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Posted on: December 7, 2024 Posted by: Michele Lee Comments: 0

4 heart health reasons to switch to maple syrup

Whether it’s whipping up special desserts or adding a teaspoon or two to coffee, tea or a warm bowl of oatmeal — or the added sugars that show up in processed and packaged foods, an excess of the sweet stuff is doing some dangerously sour things to our health. But those non-nutritive low-calorie and no-calorie substitutes have some major drawbacks too. Does that mean we’re doomed to a life of…

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Posted on: December 4, 2024 Posted by: Michele Lee Comments: 0

The syndrome that speeds up heart disease risk by decades

Numerous factors affect the risk of developing heart disease. Some, like lack of exercise and poor diet, simply increase your risk of ending up with heart problems at all. Yet, others actually speed up your cardiovascular risk clock, causing you to develop the disease far sooner than you otherwise would. According to research presented at the American Heart Association’s Scientific Sessions 2024, possibly the most dangerous of the latter leads…

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Posted on: December 3, 2024 Posted by: Michele Lee Comments: 0

Sweet, salty and boozy: A recipe for holiday heart syndrome

The holiday season is here, and we know what that means… It’s a time of celebrations and social gatherings, time with friends and family, and, of course, enjoying good food and, yes, good drink. One of my favorite things about this time of year is that it’s ok to enjoy treats that I normally keep to a bare minimum the rest of the year — and to “make merry and…

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Posted on: December 3, 2024 Posted by: Michele Lee Comments: 0

The underestimated factor for ER+ breast cancer

Body mass index (BMI) is a popularly used measure of body fat percentage we carry. Lately, however, we’ve discovered that BMI is not the most accurate way to measure just how much of our weight can be attributed to body fat. And when body fat is associated with a deadly cancer, this really matters… What is hormone-positive breast cancer? Contrary to what you may think, there’s more than one type…

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Posted on: November 28, 2024 Posted by: Michele Lee Comments: 0

The risk factors most strongly linked to severe stroke

You may think of a stroke as something that comes “out of the blue,” suddenly and without warning. While it may seem that way, there are plenty of known factors that can lead to stroke. The good news is that many of those conditions usually present themselves well in advance and can be modified often by lifestyle changes or medication. Where should you start? Research from the University of Galway…

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Posted on: November 26, 2024 Posted by: Michele Lee Comments: 0

When vitamin D helps lower blood pressure the most

Vitamin D deficiency increases your risk of a long list of autoimmune diseases including type 1 diabetes, inflammatory bowel disease, multiple sclerosis and psoriatic arthritis. It can also be a setup for a higher risk of dementia. But for one stubborn health problem, the vitamin D connection has been tricky to nail down… Previous studies have linked it to positive changes in blood pressure, but overall, the results have been…

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