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Share on Pinterest Adopting a vegetarian diet may benefit heart health. Jen Grantham/Stocksy Researchers investigated the effects of vegetarian dietary patterns on those with a high risk of cardiovascular disease. They found that eating plant-based diets for six months improved several measures of cardiometabolic risk, such as cholesterol and blood sugar. Eating a more plant-based diet may benefit those at high risk of cardiovascular conditions. In 2019, 17.9 million people had a form of cardiovascular disease (CVD) at the time of death, accounting for 32% of deaths worldwide. Of these deaths, 85% were due to a heart attack or stroke. Studies show that CVD often develops due to lifestyle factors, such as diet, smoking and physical inactivity. Practical interventions that may improve cardiometabolic risk profiles are thus key to reducing CVD rates. An increasing amount of research shows that vegetarian diets may be effective in preventing CVD. However, little is unknown about how these...

Share on Pinterest Could resistance training help improve cognitive abilities? Image credit: Stereo Shot/Stocksy. Exercise is known to improve cognition in older adults and reduce the risk of dementia. The mechanism behind this is not well understood and the majority of research is into the effect of aerobic exercise, designed to increase heart and breath rate. Researchers from Brazil have now looked at the impact of resistance training , such as using weights, on cognition in male mouse models. Being physically active is already understood to be linked to improve d bone and muscle Health , reduced risk of disease and obesity, and improve d brain Health , according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) . Physical activity is linked with improved cognition in children, adolescents, and adults according to the World Health Organization (WHO) , and there are links between higher levels of physical activity and lower levels of dementia in older adults. Exercise has ...

Share on Pinterest Researchers say many people with Parkinson’s disease need better access to treatment s. Maskot/Getty Images Researchers say a significant number of people with Parkinson’s disease are not getting the treatment they should receive. They say that in particular people of color and those who live in rural areas do not have access to treatment s. Experts say more movement disorder specialists in particular are needed. More than 1 million people in the United States have Parkinson’s disease , but few may be receiving the comprehensive and recommended care they need, a new study suggests. For their findings, the researchers looked at a population of Medicare recipients who had Parkinson’s in 2019, prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. The sampling covered about 90% of the population in the United States who have the disease. The researchers reported that half of those studied received care from general neurologists and 9% received care from movement disorder specialists who c...

Share on Pinterest Certain food groups may be associated with a lower risk of cardiovascular disease. Alessandra Desole/Stocksy Researchers investigated the impact of different food groups on cardiovascular health. They found that diets rich in fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts, whole-fat dairy, and fish were linked to lower cardiovascular risk. Further studies are needed to understand how much each component contributes to overall risk reduction. Unhealthy diets are a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD). In particular, higher amounts of processed meats, refined grains, and sugar-sweetened beverages are known to increase cardiovascular risk. Concurrently, diets such as the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet , Mediterranean and Healthy Eating Index (HEI) are linked to lower CVD risk. These diets all include increased consumption of: Fruit Vegetables Legumes Nuts Fish However, recent studies , have shown that some foods—such as whole-fat dairy—previously...

Share on Pinterest Regular vitamin D supplementation may benefit cardiovascular health, according to a new study. Nicole Mason/Stocksy Australian researchers followed a group of older adults to determine whether vitamin D supplements could reduce the risk of major heart disease events, such as heart attack and stroke. The researchers gave the test group a monthly vitamin D supplement which they took for five years. The results show a small risk reduction for certain major cardiovascular events. Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin that is important for bone health and immune system support that may offer a number of health benefits. A study recently published by The BMJ details a clinical trial led by a group of Australian researchers who wanted to learn what impact vitamin D may have on reducing major heart disease events such as heart attacks and strokes. The researchers followed a group of older adults between ages 60 and 84. This particular age group is known to be at a higher risk f...

Share on Pinterest Gene-editing technology may help scientists create new treatments for Alzheimer’s. Olga Sibirskaya/Stocksy Two innovative CRISPR-based therapeutic approaches for Alzheimer’s disease were unveiled during the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference (AAIC) 2023 in Amsterdam. One method targets the APOE-e4 gene, a significant genetic risk factor for Alzheimer’s, aiming to mitigate its effects. The other method focuses on reducing the production of beta-amyloid, a harmful protein associated with the disease. These developments hold promise for advancing treatment options and provide hope for those affected by Alzheimer’s. CRISPR (Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats), a gene editing system, is a method scientists use to edit genes. CRISPR is like a pair of tiny molecular scissors that make a targeted cut in a specific location of a DNA sequence. Once the DNA is cut, scientists can replace faulty genes with a healthy one, remove problematic ge...

Share on Pinterest Health experts recommend regular exercise for people with Parkinson’s disease. Thomas Barwick/Getty Images Researchers are reporting that high intensity exercise can help ease symptoms of Parkinson’s disease. Experts say the benefits are apparent in both the early and later stages of disease. They add that exercise helps people with Parkinson’s disease by improving brain function, balance, and mobility. Intensive exercise might slow the course of Parkinson’s disease (PD), according to research published on July 14 in the journal Science Advances . In their research involving laboratory rodents, neuroscientists from the Faculty of Medicine of the Catholic University, Rome Campus, and A. Gemelli IRCCS Polyclinic Foundation identified a new mechanism responsible for the positive benefits of exercise on brain plasticity. The scientists reported that activities performed in the early stages of the disease can induce beneficial effects on movement control — even after disc...

Although Parkinson’s disease is generally considered a brain disorder, recent research has found that the body’s immune system may play a role in the development of this condition. Medical News Today spoke to Parkinson’s disease experts about why this might be. Share on Pinterest What role does the immune system play in Parkinson’s disease? Image credit: TonyBaggett/Getty Images. Over the past few years, we have learned much more about the immune system and its impact on various diseases and aspects of our health. While it helps protect the body from invading germs and viruses, the immune system also lends a hand in the overall health of different parts of the body such as the brain , heart , and gastrointestinal system . And when a person’s immune system is not healthy, it leaves them susceptible to viral infections and other diseases. It can also impact their mental health and even cause sleeping issues . In the case of the neurodegenerative condition Parkinson’s disease, research...