Fruits help boost immunity!
Reading Time: 3 minutesBY DASHNI ANBUARASU The whole world is affected by the ongoing global pandemic in today’s Covid-19 era. Though the ongoing vaccination programme around the world has brought a flicker of hope, it is good to boost one’s immune system and keep it strong to combat all forms of infections including the current Covid-19 menace. The […]
Vitamin D – The DIY supplement
Reading Time: 4 minutesBy Yang Wei Ling & Nor Aini Jamil Back in the 1920s, Steenbock and Archie Black discovered that exposing foods to mercury vapour lamps and feeding them to rats with Rickets helped promote their growth and calcium absorption; similar positive effects were observed when rats were directly irradiated. Later, Hess and Weinstock also reported that […]
The immune system mounts a lasting defence after recovery from COVID-19, researchers find
Reading Time: 3 minutesAS THE NUMBER of people who have fought off SARS-CoV-2 climbs ever higher, a critical question has grown in importance: How long will their immunity to the novel coronavirus last? A new Rockefeller study offers an encouraging answer, suggesting that those who recover from COVID-19 are protected against the virus for at least six months, […]
For vampire bats, social distancing while sick comes naturally
Reading Time: 3 minutesNEW research shows that when vampire bats feel sick, they socially distance themselves from groupmates in their roost – no public health guidance required. The researchers gave wild vampire bats a substance that activated their immune system and made them feel sick for several hours, and then returned the bats to their roost. A control […]
Why superfoods can be harmful to us?
Reading Time: < 1 minutePROTEIN powder is a popular nutritional supplement among athletes. Protein is an essential macronutrient that helps build muscle, repair tissue, and make enzymes and hormones. However, excessive protein intake can cause dehydration, digestive upset, kidney damage and bone damage. Chia seed is another superfood that is full of essential fats, protein and fibre, moreover loaded […]
Lab-grown mosquitoes fight dengue in Singapore
Reading Time: 2 minutesRESEARCHERS at the National Environment Agency (NEA) of Singapore have devised a method to utilise mosquitoes to combat the spread of dengue through an initiative named Project Wolbachia. Project Wolbachia has been on-going in the island state since 2016, and has been divided into five phases, with the fourth phase currently in session. Specially-bred Aedes […]
Can the common cold protect you from COVID-19?
Reading Time: 2 minutesSEASONAL colds are by all accounts no fun, but new research suggests the colds you’ve had in the past may provide some protection from COVID-19. The study, authored by infectious disease experts at the University of Rochester Medical Center, also suggests that immunity to COVID-19 is likely to last a long time – maybe even a […]
Washington University’s saliva test for Covid-19 faster and easier
Reading Time: < 1 minuteRESEARCHERS at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have developed a new saliva test to detect the SARS-CoV-2 virus faster and easier. The results from this diagnostic test are available in a few hours, and therefore easily communicated to people who were tested within the day. The test does not require special swabs or reagents […]
Fitful nightly sleep linked to chronic inflammation, hardened arteries
Reading Time: 3 minutesDISRUPTED nightly sleep and clogged arteries tend to sneak up on us as we age. And while both disorders may seem unrelated, a new study from the University of California, Berkeley, helps explain why they are, in fact, pathologically intertwined. UC Berkeley sleep scientists have begun to reveal what it is about fragmented nightly sleep […]
Feeling feverish? It might be stress
Reading Time: 2 minutesPSYCHOGENIC fever is a stress-related, psychosomatic condition that manifests itself in high body temperature. It is caused by exposure to emotional events or chronic stress. Dr Takakazu Oka, of the Kyushu University Graduate School of Medical Sciences, specializes in psychosomatic medicine and treats patients with psychogenic fevers. In his review article “Psychogenic fever: how psychological stress […]