Fun (and Un-Fun) New Findings:
Growing Shorter: Adult Health Habits Influence How Much We Shrink With Age
- Even if you didn't eat your veggies or drink your milk as a child, your height is still in your hands. Using unique data from 17,708 adults, researchers show for the first time that lifestyle choices we make in adulthood -- and not just the hand we're dealt as children -- influence how tall we stand as we age. The research also reveals an especially strong relationship between height loss and cognitive health.
Nothing Fishy About It: Fish Oil Can Boost the Immune System
- Fish oil rich in DHA and EPA is widely believed to help prevent disease by reducing inflammation, but until now, scientists were not entirely sure about its immune enhancing effects. A new report helps provide clarity on this by showing that DHA-rich fish oil enhances B cell activity, a white blood cell, challenging the notion that fish oil is only immunosuppressive.
- In a new study, researchers show that an organic label can influence much more than health views: perceptions of taste, calories and value can be significantly altered when a food is labeled "organic". Certain people also appear to be more susceptible to this 'health halo' effect than others.
- New research documents how the genetic structure of African malaria mosquitoes is evolving, which could lead to implications for controlling malaria.
