Health
Finding good health news amidst a pandemic can be quite daunting. That’s not the case with The Optimist Daily, where positive news is in high supply. Our Health section covers the latest good news from the health sector, featuring solutions ranging from mental and physical health to immunity, nutrition, and cutting edge medical research.
Breastfed babies perform better later in life
People who had been breastfed are more intelligent, spent longer at school, and earn more than those who had not been. The longer they were breastfed as a baby, the better they were doing. Those are the results of a major study from Brazil, studying participants over three decades. The study, of Read More...
Older brains perform better than you think
In our youth-obsessed culture, it sometimes seems that aging has become synonymous with mental decline. A new paper is challenging the idea that getting older means a slower, weaker brain. It appears that elements of social judgment and short-term memory—long viewed as abilities that peak in our Read More...
Breaking Monsanto: Saving the earth with environmentally friendly pesticides--mushrooms
This story is not new, but some stories need to be told as often as possible. Pesticides destroy the environment and our health. But they are still very much in use, because companies—like Monsanto—make billions selling them. Unhealthy business. However we don’t need chemicals to Read More...
Doctors who lie help patients heal faster and live longer
Research has shown it time and again: Fake medicine works on the body because the mind believes it’s working. That’s the famous placebo effect. Now scientists are discovering that a doctor’s words also affect our biology. When doctors convey bad news—“you’ve only so many months to Read More...
Vegetarian diet lowers colon cancer risk
A vegetarian diet may cut your risk of colorectal cancer by 22%. For vegetarians who eat fish that risk decreases even further: 43%. These are findings from a study by the Loma Linda University in California that involved more than 77,000 adults. Other studies have linked eating red and processed Read More...
Dog smells cancer in patients who have not been diagnosed
Cancers are out of control cells that have their own unique chemistry. They also release organic compounds into the body. A team at the University of Arkansas for Medical Services has been able to train a dog to smell these compounds released by the cancer cells. The dog, a German shepherd, was Read More...
Eat some peanuts, it boosts your heart
It has been thought for long that peanuts can be wholesome. After all, peanuts contain a list of healthy nutrients, including vitamins B3, B11 and E. Now, a newly released, impressively big international study concludes that eating peanuts may reduce your chances of cardiovascular disease and Read More...
US government policy works: Kids are eating more fruit at schools
The US government manages to encourage schoolchildren to eat in a healthier way. Research shows that kids eat more fruit at school, and throw away less food. Childhood obesity is a major problem, and the government introduced guidelines for school meals in 2012: more vegetables, more fruit, fewer Read More...
Red wine and grapes improves memory
The health benefits of wine have been widely reported on. Now adding to that list is that consuming grapes and red wine naturally improves your memory. Scientists have discovered antioxidants in grapes and red wine that—also peanuts—have a positive impact on the hippocampus, the area of the Read More...
High-tech cricket farm of the future
A recent UN report suggests that we need to eat more bugs. They’re better for the environment, and if you can get past the idea of eating them, are actually very nutritious. A new start up based in Silicon Valley, called Tiny Farms, is combining technology with cricket farming, trying to bring Read More...