News by Subject Medicine & Health

Study shows that short, easy-to-apply relaxation techniques can activate the body's regenerative system for fighting stress--offering new perspective on how we can treat stress-related disease

Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) such as Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis are caused by inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract. Patients with IBD are at a higher risk of developing colorectal cancer. A UofSC study shows that THC suppressed inflammation in the colon, preventing the onset of cancers caused by a carcinogen.

A recent study examining pain among cannabis users suggests that--unlike long-term opioid use--regular cannabis use does not appear to increase pain sensitivity. Doctoral student Michelle St. Pierre, who conducts research in the psychology department at UBC Okanagan, recently published a study looking for differences in pain tolerance of people who frequently use cannabis compared to those who don't.

The natural botanical Andrographis paniculata, when given in conjunction with chemotherapy, may eventually change the way doctors treat chemotherapy-resistant colorectal cancer. Published in the journal Carcinogenesis, the study's goal was to use a natural substance that, given as an adjunct treatment along with chemotherapy, would not only be nontoxic but would succeed in killing chemo-resistant cancer cells.

Not all fish oils are high quality oils, so scientists have developed a superior method to help produce better dietary Omega-3 health and dietary supplements. The new process, explained in a new Science of Food paper, defines how vortex fluidic device processing lifts the quality of active ingredients of the polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) in fish oil. The process was used to enrich Omega-3 fatty acid content of apple juice, remarkably without changing its sensory values which is important for the consumer.

New research shows that vitamin C could help over 50s retain muscle mass in later life. The new study shows that older people who eat plenty of vitamin C - commonly found in citrus fruits, berries and vegetables - have the best skeletal muscle mass. This is important because people tend to lose skeletal muscle mass as they get older - leading to sarcopenia (a condition characterised by loss of skeletal muscle mass and function), frailty and reduced quality of life.

Contrary to earlier observational results, vitamin D supplements do not prevent severe asthma attacks in at-risk children, according to the first placebo-controlled clinical trial to test this relationship.

Chances are you've heard of probiotics: supplements delivering 'good microbes' to the gut, providing a wide range of health benefits. You may also be aware of prebiotics: supplements designed to fuel the good microbes already living in our guts. The next wave of gut-health supplements, known as synbiotics, essentially combine pre- and probiotics. To keep research and development on the right track, an expert panel recently redefined the term and developed guidelines on scientific investigation.

To address the scientific ambiguity around synbiotics, a group of 11 leading international scientists formed a panel to create a consensus definition and to clarify the evidence required to show synbiotics are safe and effective.