Category Health/Medical

Mitochondrial DNA is the small circular chromosome found inside mitochondria. The mitochondria are organelles found in cells that are the sites of energy production. Credit: http://www.genome.gov/ (CC0)

Researchers from Caltech and UCLA have developed a new approach to removing cellular damage that accumulates with age. The technique can potentially help slow or reverse an important cause of aging. The team developed a technique to remove mutated DNA from mitochondria. There are hundreds to thousands of mitochondria per cell, each of which carries its own small circular DNA genome, mtDNA, the products of which are required for energy production...

Cutter Lindbergh, left, a doctoral candidate in the psychology department, and Stephen Miller, director of the Bio-Imaging Research Center, used fMRI technology to see how different levels of carotenoids, chemical compounds derived from fruits and vegetables, affected brain functioning in older adults. Credit: UGA

The same compounds that give plants and vegetables their vibrant colors might be able to bolster brain functioning in older adults, according to a recent study from University of Georgia. The research is the first to use fMRI technology to investigate how levels of those compounds affect brain activity and showed that study participants with lower levels had to rely on more brain power to complete memory-oriented tasks...

Adding protein-rich or probiotic-laden foods to your diet may help control your blood sugar levels, according to a pair of new studies.

Adding protein-rich or probiotic-laden foods to your diet may help control your blood sugar levels, according to a pair of new studies.
Both proteins and probiotics appear to slow down digestion of carbohydrates, preventing blood sugar spikes that can lead to type 2 diabetes or exacerbate damage done by the disease. Eating tuna fish with a slice of white bread produced a slower rise in blood sugar than eating carbs alone. Meanwhile, people who added foods rich in probiotics to their heart-healthy DASH diet achieved a significant reduction in their blood sugar levels.

The results of both studies were presented this week at the American Heart Association’s a...

Skin patch health monitor.

A new type of acoustic sensor that resembles a small Band-Aid on the skin can monitor your heartbeat and other health measures. The sensor may one day offer a way to painlessly and wirelessly track an individual’s health. The patch, which weighs <1/100 of an ounce, can help doctors monitor heart health, stomach condition, vocal cord activity, lung performance and potentially many other bodily functions. “We’ve developed a soft, skin-like device that can listen to internal sounds created by function of internal organs,” explained John Rogers.

“Think of the device as a wearable, skin-mounted stethoscope. But with capabilities for continuous listening and recording of not only sounds, but also low-frequency vibrations,” Rogers said.
The research team behind this lat...