Knowledge is Power – #1

Welcome to Knowledge is Power – a weekly round-up of health news, blog posts, and research I have stumbled on in the past 7 days. Subscribe to my blog using one of the means at the right and you won’t miss one of these installments.

Here are the links for this week. Click on the link title for an article written for the layperson and on the link in the summary for the scientific abstract or study.

• How Exercise May Keep Alzheimer’s at Bay – interesting research reported in the New York Times about the relationship between moderate exercise and the reduced risk of developing Alzheimer’s especially if you are a carrier of a gene that makes you more likely to get the disease. A link to an abstract of the actual research report can be found here.

• Newly Discovered Hormone Boosts Effects of Exercise, Could Help Fend Off Diabetes - research that links exercise to the development of a hormone, irisin, that seems to have a role in changing the bad white fat we have in our bodies to the good brown fat that increases our metabolism and helps in the regulation of blood sugar. The abstract of the original research can be read here. Two points: 1.  the article seems to allude to the fact that the exercise must be longer term, endurance exercise and 2. As usual, the American quest for the “quick fix” and the quest for the almighty dollar by the pharmaceutical industry is prevailing – instead of pushing the news to encourage exercise, they will try to turn irisin into a drug so we can continue our sedentary life.

• A Possible Treatment for a Deadly Food Poisoning Toxin – research demonstrating that manganese seems to be highly effective in combatting a virulent form of E. coli bacteria. Once again, while the scientists test injection of a single chemical found in whole foods, this is another reason to raise your intake of spinach, nuts, green tea, and beans, all naturally fortified with with significant amounts of manganese. Eating right may help you fight off attacks from this E. coli bacteria and other harmful bacteria.

• Mild Dehydration Triggers Moodiness & Fatigue in Women – research published in the Journal of Nutrition showing the effect of even moderate dehydration – the kind you may have without realizing it. Drink your water!

• Chocolate Update: A Trick to Cut Consumption – If you feel addicted to chocolate, according to this study in research journal Appetite you may be able to find hope in even a small amount of exercise each day.

What have you been reading (about health) lately?