Diabetes and heart disease: Fat levels in blood could improve risk prediction

Measuring the levels of 184 fat molecules in the blood could improve how we assess people’s risk of developing diabetes and cardiovascular disease Health 3 March 2022 By Carissa Wong Low-density lipoprotein particles in the blood transport fats ANIMATED HEALTHCARE LTD/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY The levels of 184 fat molecules in the blood can help to … Read more

Fat Cells in Our Skin Could Be Key to Fighting Acne, Scientists Discover

The cells in our skin that fabricate fatty acids could play an unappreciated role in acne breakouts. Recent experiments on human acne and mouse skin have found pimples and lesions are closely regulated by fat-producing fibroblasts.   Fibroblasts are the most common type of connective tissue cell we have in our bodies; they produce and … Read more

Gut Microbes Can Cause Obesity, And We’re Getting Closer to Understanding How

Medical researchers have discovered a molecule linking the tiny creatures that call our guts home to levels of fat in our bodies. “We now have a molecular mechanism that provides a starting point to understand our microbiome as a link between our diet and our body composition,” explained Emory University biochemist Dean Jones.   Hints … Read more

Lung cancer: Cheap blood test detects tumours at an early and treatable stage

Lung cancer screening has always been expensive, but a simple blood test that detects lipids associated with tumours may offer a cheaper alternative Health 2 February 2022 By Alice Klein Blood samples can now be used to search for early signs of lung cancer Medicimage/Alamy A blood test that can detect lung cancer before people … Read more

Mysterious Effects of Smoking May Surface Even 3 Generations Later, Study Finds

The great-granddaughters of men who smoked cigarettes when they were pre-pubescent boys are more likely to carry excess fat on their bodies as young women several decades later, a rather startling study has found.   The discovery – which scientists claim is one of the “first human demonstrations of transgenerational effects of an environmental exposure … Read more

Why Aren’t All Calories Created Equal? A Dietitian Explains

A calorie is a calorie is a calorie, at least from a thermodynamic standpoint. It’s defined as the amount of energy needed to raise the temperature of 1 kilogram of water by 1 degree Celsius (2.2 pounds by 1.8 degrees Fahrenheit).   But when it comes to health and your body’s energy balance, not all … Read more

Cancer: Meat-eating mammals are more susceptible than herbivores

Understanding why plant-eating mammals like antelopes and sheep are far less likely to die of cancer than carnivores may help protect us from cancer too Life 22 December 2021 By Alice Klein The kowari, a carnivorous marsupial, is particularly prone to cancer D. Parer & E. Parer-Cook/ Minden Pictures/Alamy Mammals that live on meat are … Read more