Hundreds of novel ingredients never encountered by human physiology are now found in nearly 60 percent of the average adult’s diet and nearly 70 percent of children’s diets in the U.S. An emerging health hazard is the unprecedented consumption of these ultra-processed foods in the standard American diet. This may be the new “silent” killer, as was unrecognized high blood pressure in previous decades.
Tag: Human Health
First human trial shows ‘wonder’ material can be developed safely
A revolutionary nanomaterial with huge potential to tackle multiple global challenges could be developed further without acute risk to human health, research suggests.
New study unveiled burn injury disrupts gut microbiome and weakens intestinal mucus barrier
The gut microbiota, a complex ecosystem within the human intestinal tract, is increasingly recognized for its vital role in human health and disease.
Optimizing office environments for work efficiency and health of worker
Researchers examine the economic benefits of enhancing various elements in office spaces in Tokyo for improved work efficiency and health
Cleaning products emit hundreds of hazardous chemicals, new study finds
A peer-reviewed study by Environmental Working Group scientists has found unsettling details about the potential health risks of common household cleaning products.
FAU Receives $750,000 Philanthropic Grant for Alzheimer’s Disease
A $750,000 philanthropic grant from the Carl Angus DeSantis Foundation will help FAU develop partnerships and programs that will establish best practice for coordinated care and research for Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias.
World can now breathe easier
Global, population-weighted PM2.5 exposure — related to both pollution levels and population size — increased from 1998 to a peak in 2011, then decreased steadily from 2011 to 2019, largely driven by exposure reduction in China and slower growth in other regions, new research shows.
Scientists unpick how lung cells induce immune response to influenza
Researchers from Trinity College Dublin have discovered some new and surprising ways that viral RNA and influenza virus are detected by human lung cells, which has potential implications for treating people affected by such viruses.
Bisexual people experience worse health outcomes than other adults in England – national study of more than 835,000 people
Self-reported data from lesbian, gay or bisexual (LGB) patients shows these groups have poorer health outcomes compared to those who identify as heterosexual, but bisexual people disproportionally experience the worst outcomes in England.
The double face of RNase as a treatment for systemic autoimmune diseases
Systemic autoimmune diseases are characterized by inflammation of multiple organs and can have devastating consequences for patients. There is a dire need for treatments against these diseases.
How dietary restraint could significantly reduce effects of genetic risk of obesity
Obesity risk genes make people feel hungrier and lose control over their eating, but practicing dietary restraint could counteract this.
Rising monkey and pig populations pose human disease risk
Exploding populations of wild pigs and macaque monkeys in Southeast Asia are threatening native forests and disease outbreaks in livestock and people, according to research led by The University of Queensland.
Where there’s smoke, there’s fire – and normal numbers of national park visitors
Wildfire smoke threatens human health and welfare, especially if humans are exposed to smoke for long periods or while exercising – such as during a hiking trip to one of America’s beloved national parks.
Expert Comments on Disease Prevention and the Mediterranean Diet
The Mediterranean diet is ranked as one of the most healthful diets on the planet. The name derives from the geographical region surrounding the Mediterranean Sea, which among other countries includes Spain, Italy, Greece, Turkey, and Tunisia, where this diet…
Elevated Lipoprotein(a) is the latest variant of ‘bad cholesterol’ found to increase the risk of recurrent coronary heart disease
Increased levels of Lipoprotein(a), a variant of ‘bad cholesterol’, in the bloodstream are a risk factor for recurrent coronary heart disease (CHD) in people aged 60 or over, according to the results of a new study which tracked the issue over the course of 16 years.
Husker scientists closing in on long-lasting swine flu vaccine
A successful long-term experiment with live hogs indicates Nebraska scientists may be another step closer to achieving a safe, long-lasting and potentially universal vaccine against swine flu.
GW Expert Available: UN Committee Meets This Week on Treaty to End Global Plastic Pollution
Talks are underway this week to create a global treaty that would bring an end to plastic pollution. According to The Associated Press, a United Nations committee is meeting in Paris to work on what would be a landmark agreement that…
Perfect ‘Pathogen’ Storm: Vibrio Bacteria, Sargassum and Plastic Marine Debris
Little is known about the ecological relationship of Vibrio bacteria with Sargassum. Evidence also is sparse as to whether vibrios colonizing plastic marine debris and Sargassum could potentially infect humans. As summer kicks off and efforts are underway to find solutions to repurpose Sargassum, could these substrates pose a triple threat to public health? Results of a study representing the first Vibrio spp. genome assembled from plastic finds Vibrio pathogens have the unique ability to “stick” to microplastics, harboring potent opportunistic pathogens.
Indigenous people in South America are twice as likely to die from wildfires
A new study, published in IOP Publishing’s journal Environmental Research: Health, reveals that Indigenous people in the Amazon Basin are twice as likely to die prematurely from smoke exposure due to wildfires than the broader South American population.
Low temperatures increase the risk of sickness absence, especially for women, young people and third sector professionals
Aretrospective study of temperatures in the province of Barcelona reveals that low temperatures increase the risk of going on a period of sick leave, due in particular to infectious and respiratory diseases.
FAU Developed AUTOHOLO Shows Potential as Red Tide Warning System
Current methods to monitor red tide are limited. Using AUTOHOLO, a new autonomous, submersible, 3D holographic microscope and imaging system, a study is the first to characterize red tide in the field and breaks new ground for monitoring harmful algal blooms.
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution helps lead groundbreaking study on the human and ocean health impacts of ocean plastics
For the first time, leading researchers from the fields of healthcare, ocean science, and social science have collaborated to quantify plastic’s considerable risks to all life on Earth.
More evidence that sugary drinks cause weight gain
A review of dozens of studies from the last decade, led by researchers at the University of Toronto and Harvard University, recently found that sugar-sweetened beverages promote weight gain in children and adults.
Global Efforts to Eliminate Mercury Skin Lightening Products
Led by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), with funding from the Global Environment Facility, and executed by the World Health Organization (WHO) and Biodiversity Research Institute (BRI), the Eliminating mercury skin lightening products project will work to reduce the risk of exposure to mercury-added skin lightening products, raising awareness of the health risks associated with their use, developing model regulations to reduce their circulation, and halting production, trade, and distribution across domestic and international markets.
Mushrooms magnify memory by boosting nerve growth
Researchers from The University of Queensland have discovered the active compound from an edible mushroom that boosts nerve growth and enhances memory.
Strict regulation of PFOS and toxic “forever chemicals”
A new study by Environmental Working Group scientists finds that consumption of just a single serving of freshwater fish per year could be equal to a month of drinking water laced with the “forever chemical” PFOS at high levels that may be harmful.
20,000 premature US deaths caused by human-ignited fires
Over 80% of premature deaths caused by small smoke particles in the United States result directly from human-ignited fires.
Influenza or a cold? A new technology can help you
Some people do such smart and difficult things that it’s hard to see what in the world they might have to do with you and me, so we just shrug them off. But that’s often the wrong response.
Scientists say chemicals could undercut global plastics treaty
Next week the United Nations intergovernmental negotiating committee to develop an international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution will meet in Uruguay.
US food insufficiency spiked by 25% after monthly Child Tax Credits expired
In the months after the advance federal Child Tax Credit cash payments ended in December 2021, low-income families with children struggled the most to afford enough food.
Indoor Air-Cleaning Strategies Are Key to Minimizing Virus Spread
Along with vaccines, masks, and testing, indoor air hygiene and building engineering controls will be key to slowing the spread of airborne, highly infectious variants of COVID-19. In a recent review in the journal Indoor Air, researchers at Berkeley Lab presented a thorough review of the state of the science for several key strategies to reduce airborne infection risk using building controls – ventilation, filtration, airflow management and disinfection by germicidal ultraviolet (UV) light.
Lessons learned from COVID-19 mitigation measures
Researchers analyzed how the expectation of a vaccine influences optimal lockdown measures during a pandemic.
Detecting nanoplastics in the air
Nanoplastics often find their way into the soil and water. But they can also float in the air. Now, researchers have developed a sensor that detects airborne nanoplastics and reports their type of plastic and sizes using carbon dot films. They will present their results at ACS Fall 2022.
Artificial Intelligence Edges Closer to the Clinic
TransMED analyzes patient data from similar diseases across multiple sources to understand COVID-19 patient outcome risk factors.
Nasal sprays will be essential to thwart variants, UVA collaborative research confirms
Those widely available COVID-19 vaccinations keeping the majority of the population free from serious illness will not be enough to stop the spread of the virus and its variants, new University of Virginia collaborative research indicates.
Washington State Academy of Sciences Adds Six PNNL Researchers
The Washington State Academy of Sciences added six people from PNNL to its 2022 class of inductees.
National Researcher of the Year 2022 Decodes Drug Resistance in Animals – A Step towards Sustainable Solutions
Chula Veterinary Lecturer and “National Outstanding Researcher 2022” has revealed the genetic code that causes drug resistance in animals that affects human health, animals, and the environment, and suggests comprehensive solutions under the concept “One Health”.
New Liver and Kidney Disease Identified
Scientists have identified a new disease in a ground-breaking discovery that could help patients with unexplained liver and kidney problems.
Children grow faster during school year than during summer holidays
It has been long recognized that in Western countries, children are more likely to become overweight or obese over the summer.
More than a million smokers likely to quit after U.S. bans menthol cigarettes
A new study projects that a U.S. ban on menthol cigarettes, proposed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, will lead more than 1.3 million smokers to quit.
Swedes with non-western background falling behind in terms of birthweight
In a new study, researchers found large birthweight inequalities among the descendants of non-western immigrants compared to the descendants of Swedes.
Brightest ever X-ray shows lung vessels altered by COVID-19
The damage caused by Covid-19 to the lungs’ smallest blood vessels has been intricately captured using high-energy X-rays emitted by a special type of particle accelerator.
Cutting ammonia emissions is a cost-effective way to prevent air pollution deaths
Tackling pollution from the emission of nitrogen compounds, particularly ammonia, could reduce many of the 23.3 million years of life that were lost prematurely across the world in 2013 due to nitrogen-related air pollution.
UCLA Experts Available for Comment on “A Year of Climate Action” Stemming From the Sixth Assessment Report (AR6) of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)
UCLA Fielding School of Public Health Experts, affiliated with FSPH’s UCLA Center for Healthy Climate Solutions, are available for comment on issues raised by the IPCC report: Dr. Jonathan Fielding, UCLA FSPH distinguished professor of health policy and management and…
Climate Change from Nuclear War’s Smoke Could Threaten Global Food Supplies, Human Health
Nuclear war would cause many immediate fatalities, but smoke from the resulting fires would also cause climate change lasting up to 15 years that threatens worldwide food production and human health, according to a study by researchers at Rutgers University, the National Center for Atmospheric Research and other institutions.
The Health Implications of Climate Change: Emergency Medicine expert available
Caleb Dresser, MD, MPH, attending physician in Emergency Department, recent graduate of Fellowship in Climate and Human Health at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) Climate change and the extreme weather it brings, including heatwaves, hurricanes, and wildfires, impact not only land and infrastructure but human health as well. Through his work as an…
UCLA Fielding School of Public Health experts available to comment on IPCC report in terms of the public health impact of climate change
Dr. David Eisenman, director of the UCLA Center for Public Health and Disasters and a MD, is available to respond to media inquiries on the potential impacts of climate change on human populations, including extreme heat, wildfire/smoke exposure, mental health, and…
New study confirms relationship between toxic pollution, climate risks to human health
In a first-of-its-kind study that combines assessments of the risks of toxic emissions, nontoxic emissions and people’s vulnerability to them, Notre Dame researchers found a strong and statistically significant relationship between the spatial distribution of global climate risk and toxic pollution.
What happens in the mouth … doesn’t stay in the mouth
The healthy human oral microbiome consists of not just clean teeth and firm gums, but also bacteria living in an environment where they constantly communicate with the immune system. A growing body of evidence has shown that this system is highly influential on, and influenced by, our overall health.
FAU Receives Florida Department of Health Grant to Study Health Effects of Harmful Algal Blooms
Despite many occurrences of red tide and blue green algae in Florida waters, the understanding of the health effects of exposure to these blooms is limited. Researchers will evaluate short- and long-term health effects of exposure to harmful algal blooms (HABS) in Florida to capture key areas of human exposure and a wide demographic population profile. They also will evaluate the potential effect of exposure to COVID-19 on susceptibility to HABs and health outcomes in this study population.