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.
Researchers discover another reason to avoid red meat
You may already have your own reasons why you cut back on red meat a long time ago. Maybe it was because you already knew it wasn’t doing much good in your body. Saturated fat has earned a bad reputation. New research now suggests that may not be the only reason why red meat is linked to heart Read More...
Apples could prevent obesity
The old adage “an apple a day keeps the doctor away”, couldn’t be truer. Researchers have discovered that apples help restore gut bacteria in obese mice, a key to long-term health and an easy way to prevent chronic inflammation that can lead to type 2 diabetes and obesity. Interestingly, the Read More...
An apple a day might keep obesity at bay
People who are obese tend to have an irregular mix of bacteria in their colon, which can impair their ability to feel full after a meal and promotes chronic inflammation—eventually leading to type 2 diabetes and ‘metabolic syndrome.’ The health benefits of apples have been well documented, Read More...
Using dung beetles for food safety
Every few years there is an E. coli outbreak—many get sick and maybe one or two die. Most of these outbreaks have been traced to animal droppings on plants that occurred while they were still at the farm. Now researchers have come up with an idea to use dung beetles to minimize E. coli outbreaks. Read More...
Finally, an easy way to find out what’s in your food
So what’s in the food you eat? How much sugar is in that cookie? Which foods contain arsenic? The Environmental Working Group spent 3 years to create a database of 80,000 products with all their ingredients. Foods get a score of 1 through 10 (1 is the best) based on how well they perform in three Read More...
Cocoa could help reverse memory decline
Meditation is the only proven way to prevent dementia, but cocoa could actually reverse age-related memory loss. A study from Columbia University found that memory decline in adults happens in an isolated part of the brain. It just so happens that the part of the brain associated with memory loss Read More...
Daydreaming helps you think
Usually when we’re working on a difficult problem we try to keep our minds from running astray, but scientists have found the opposite might be true. When you daydream you activate an area of the brain called the “default network”, traditionally thought to impair mental performance, not Read More...
Talking therapy better than drugs for social anxiety
Social anxiety disorder affects about 15 million adults in the US, and it’s typically treated with a range of psychiatric medications. But a new analysis has found that cognitive behavioral therapy is notably better than drugs for managing this condition, in addition to being much safer. Read More...
Ebola vaccines coming to Africa in two months
Scientists in various countries are battling to control the Ebola epidemic. The first two vaccines are on track to be distributed in West Africa in January and a third should be available shortly after. Currently human stability tests of the vaccines are being carried out on small groups of Read More...
Sunshine reduces risk of having a heart attack
That warm glow you feel on your face as you walk into the sun helps prevent heart attacks. A recent study has found that vitamin D will help fend off the cardiac killer. But don’t worry if you live in the overcast north, you can still get plenty of vitamin D from oily fish, eggs, and Read More...