Category: This Week In Wellness

TWIW 193: No such thing as fresh air

This Week In Wellness a study by researchers at Monash university has found that just 0.001% of the worlds population are breathing air below the safety levels recommended by the World Health Organisation (the WHO). https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/03/230307073211.htm https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanplh/article/PIIS2542-5196(23)00008-6/fulltext  

TWIW 192: Italian Government bans lab produced meat

This Week In Wellness the italian government has backed a bill to ban laboratory-produced meat, fish and milk including fines of up to €60,000 for those who transgress. Italian agriculture lobbies have collected half a million signatures in recent months calling for protection of “natural food vs synthetic food” https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-65110744

TWIW 191: A cheap sleep solution

This Week In Wellness a simple eye mask has been shown to improve memory and alertness in as little as 2 nights despite not affecting sleep timing or duration. https://www.sciencealert.com/wearing-an-eye-mask-while-you-sleep-could-have-surprising-mental-benefits https://academic.oup.com/sleep/article/46/3/zsac305/6912219?login=true

TWIW 190: Breast milk helps seed microbiome

This Week In Wellness a new Dutch study has shown that 60 percent of a babies microbiome is inherited from their mother and that whilst babies born via caesarian section received less gut and vaginal microbes this may at least in part be made up for by a higher percentage of microbes from mums breast… Continue reading TWIW 190: Breast milk helps seed microbiome

TWIW 189: Exercise 1.5x better than meds for depression

This Week In Wellness research from the University of South Australia showing that physical activity is 1.5 times more effective than traditional counselling or medication therapies has led researchers to call for exercise to be the primary approach for managing depression. https://www.news-medical.net/news/20230224/Physical-activity-more-effective-than-counseling-or-medications-to-manage-depression.aspx https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/early/2023/02/16/bjsports-2022-106195

TWIW 188: Purple vegetables are anti-diabetic

This Week In Wellness a new review from the University of Turku, Finland has shown that red, purple and blue pigments in fruits, vegetables, and tubers called anthocyanins may be able to reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes by modulating energy metabolism, inflammation and the gut microbiome. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/02/230215100419.htm https://pubs.acs.org/doi/full/10.1021/acs.jafc.2c05879

TWIW 187: Walking reduces dementia risk

This Week In Wellness walking and moderate to vigorous physical exercise have been shown to reduce the risk of cognitive impairment or dementia according to a study published in Alzheimer’s & Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer’s Association. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/01/230125085831.htm https://alz-journals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/alz.12908

TWIW 186: Gratitude reduces stress, improves heart health

This Week In Wellness researchers from Irish universities have shown that practising gratitude can help to “buffer” stress, both reducing the heart’s reaction to stress and also improving its recovery. https://www.news-medical.net/news/20230126/Gratitude-has-a-unique-stress-buffering-effect-research-shows.aspx https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0167876022002707?via%3Dihub https://www.researchgate.nehttps://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0167876022002707?via%3Dihubt/publication/44581429_Gratitude_and_well-being_A_review_and_theoretical_integration https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4927423/

TWIW 185: No safe amount of alcohol says Canada

This Week In Wellness new guidelines from the Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction (CCSA) suggest that there is no safe level of alcohol consumption and that having more than 2 drinks a week is considered “risky”. This follows a statement from the World Health organisation in the Journal Lancet in January that also… Continue reading TWIW 185: No safe amount of alcohol says Canada

TWIW 184: Mediterranean diet lowers risk of preeclampsia and gestational diabetes

This Week In Wellness researchers from the Smidt Heart Institute at Cedars-Sinai found that pregnant women who consumed a mediterranean diet were 28% less likely to get pre eclampsia, and 37% less likely to suffer from gestational diabetes, both of which can cause complications for both mum and baby. https://www.news-medical.net/news/20221222/Adherence-to-Mediterranean-diet-associated-with-lower-risk-of-preeclampsia-during-pregnancy.aspx https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2799855