It's been a while since I've been through my inbox of medical stories. Here's a selection on carrots, tomato juice, vit D, yoga, overdosing on Tylenol and, of course, my perennial fish oil.
Tomato juice prevented emphysema in mice exposed to cigarette smoke. Will it work to protect human lungs? Wouldn't hurt to try since we know one serving a day of tomato-based foods can reduce the risk of heart disease by as much as 30%.
Memantine (Namenda) , a drug already approved by the FDA, appears to slow progression of Alzheimers by nearly 50% for up to a year.
Fish oil supplements can prevent airway constriction in asthma.
Moms who take extra vitamin D while pregnant could protect their children from osteoporosis later in life.
Vitamin D may also help you fend off colon, breast and ovarian cancer by as much as 50%. The older you get, the more you need vitamin D so take a supplement if you're over 50.
Eating carrots really does preserve your vision. Antioxidant-rich foods significantly reduces the risk of macular degeneration.
I always had low back pain until I began practicing yoga when it completely disappeared. Now a study finds that yoga is better than exercise or self-help books.
Overdosing on acetaminophen, the active ingredient in Tylenol, is the most common cause of acute liver failure in the United States. Half of those failures are unintentional because people don't realize that acetaminophen is found in more than 100 over-the-counter products. Tylenol is potentially a dangerous drug. 80% of people who develop acute liver failure die of it.
Posted by Jill Fallon at January 11, 2006 6:09 PM | Permalink