Category Health/Medical

Highlights •Prevotella/Bacteroides is associated with a beneficial response to barley kernels •Prevotella-enriched microbial interactions are higher in barley kernel responders •Prevotella protects against Bacteroides-induced glucose intolerance •Prevotella promotes increased hepatic glycogen storage in mice

A recent study from Lund University in Sweden shows that barley can rapidly improve people’s health by reducing blood sugar levels and the risk for diabetes. The secret lies in the special mixture of dietary fibres found in barley, which can also help reduce people’s appetite and risk for cardiovascular disease.

The study was conducted with healthy middle-aged participants who were asked to eat bread largely made out of barley kernels for 3 days – at breakfast, lunch and dinner...

Anatomical sites of brown, white and beige adipocytes in mice and humans.

Mild stress stimulates the activity and heat production by brown fat associated with raised cortisol. Brown adipose tissue (BAT), also known as brown fat, is 1 of 2 types of fat in humans and other mammals. Initially only attributed to babies and hibernating mammals, it was discovered in recent years that adults can have brown fat too. Its main function is to generate body heat by burning calories (opposed to white fat, which is a result of storing excess calories. People with a lower body mass index (BMI) therefore have a higher amount of brown fat.

To induce a mild psychological stress, 5 healthy lean women had to solve a short maths test in the first run, but in the second run, the test was substituted with a rela...

There are a whole lot of good reasons to eat wholegrain products , including the health-promoting benzoxazinoids. Credit: Colourbox

Rye bread and other wholegrain foods contain a particular group of health-promoting substances: benzoxazinoids, or BX. Scientists have documented the uptake of these compounds in humans and their possible beneficial effect on the immune system. Their presence in wholegrain was discovered by scientists from Aarhus University in 2010. Now, the scientists have dug more deeply to discover the BX factor’s secrets.

“Certain medicinal plants and green cereals have previously been found to contain BX, but it was a revelation that they are also found in ripened rye and other wholegrains...

Dr. Ian Corbin (left) and Dr. Xiaodong Wen look over lab samples from their study of an experimental nanoparticle therapy that shows promise for fighting primary liver cancer. Credit: UT Southwestern Medical Center

“This approach offers a potentially new and safe way of treating liver cancer, and possibly other cancers,” said study Assistant Professor/ Dr. Ian Corbin . “The method utilizes the cholesterol carrier LDL, combined with fish oil to produce a unique nanoparticle that is selectively toxic to cancer cells.”

Primary liver cancer, or hepatocellular carcinoma, is the 6th most prevalent type of cancer and 3rd-leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. Incidence of the disease is rising in the US, principally in relation to the spread of hepatitis C.

Fish oils are particularly r...