Tag: health
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Sláinte! Does a glass of wine a day keep the doctor away?
Thomas Vinterberg’s Dutch film Another Round or Druk won the Oscar for international feature in 2021. The film revolves around 4 teachers who – over a birthday dinner – discuss a theory proposed by Norwegian psychiatrist Finn Skårderud that humans must consume low doses of alcohol to compensate for a natural deficiency and realise their…
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A fresh dip into the health benefits of outdoor swimming
Alkisti Kallinikou asks if open water swimming can help your physical and mental health.
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Why we should be more concerned about maternal stress during pregnancy
Marie Poirot reports on a University of Edinburgh study which highlights the connection between stress during pregnancy and the development of the baby’s brain. Pregnancy is a time of immense change for the expecting mother. As we mostly see the positive aspects of this extraordinary event, many can be unaware that it can also bring…
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Long COVID, the enduring toll of COVID-19 on public health
Seán Dunphy discusses the long term impact of COVID-19 on patients and public health. SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for COVID-19, was first identified at the end of 2019. Now, a year later, the long term health implications are becoming clearer. The high infection rate and immediate danger of the virus were apparent early in the…
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Coronagenes: A study of the genes behind severe COVID-19
COVID-19 affects individuals in different ways. Some people are asymptomatic whereas others require intensive care; most cases are short lived, but others experience more long term symptoms. The body’s reaction to COVID-19, like most illnesses, is dictated by both environmental and genetic factors. As COVID-19 emerged, environmental risk factors for severe symptoms, such as old…
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COVID-19, a disease of the blood vessels?
COVID-19 baffled doctors and scientists around the world with its strange symptoms and disproportionate mortality rates. Months after the onset of the pandemic, researchers may finally be closer to understanding how the disease manifests itself in patients. An important clue lies in the circulatory system. Early on, most COVID-19 patients showed signs and symptoms of…
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Blood iron emerges as a potential key to anti-ageing
Growing old may be an inevitable part of our lives, but can we overcome the wrinkles and debilitating age-related diseases? What is the secret behind why some people spring into old age with energy and good health? According to science, some key answers could lie in your DNA. New research published in Nature Communications has…
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For best results, start early: Healthy meal-prep kits boost children’s long-term ‘health’
CW: Discussion of BMI and health in relation to socio-economic status Your childhood might shape your eating habits more than you know, a recent study conducted by researchers at the University of Edinburgh and the University of Bath suggests. With poor diet posing a major risk factor for the development of a multitude of disorders, such as…
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Poverty can leave a mark on our DNA
A team at Northwestern University, Illinois, USA, have announced that experience of poverty can leave a mark on a person’s DNA, specifically in the epigenetics of their genome. Poverty, discussed here as a low socioeconomic status (SES), has long been associated with poor health and reduced life expectancy. This has been used in practice, with…
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Health trackers: help or hindrance?
CW: Mental health, eating disorders, exercise Health trackers have a huge presence in our lives, whether it’s the health app in iPhones or wearable devices such as Fitbits. They quietly record our steps, heart rate, sleep patterns and symptoms, as well as store personal information, all with the aim of helping us monitor and improve our overall health, or, in…