Category Archives: Health Facts

Grow New Hair Follicles? Study Offers Hope for Hair Loss

According to the International Society of Hair Restoration Surgery, over 88,000 people in the U.S. received hair replacement surgery in 2012. Most of the world, especially Asia, saw the number hair replacement surgeries skyrocket from 2004 to 2012. A recent study, however, conducted at Columbia University Medical Center may offer new hope to those who have lost or are losing their hair. According to the study, which was conducted on mice, a person’s cells may be utilized in order to grow new hair follicles, which reside under the skin and sprout hair. Although most of the new hair follicles failed to generate hair that extended past the skin, the researchers believe that additional work could improve the technique and make it a viable option for regrowing hair.

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Posted in Health, Health Facts, News, Skin and Beauty, Studies | 247 Comments

“Hot” and Cold Combo May Be Weight Loss Secret – Study

A new study reveals two seemingly strange ways to accelerate fat burning and lose weight: chili peppers and low temperatures. The study found that both of these things increase the amount and effectiveness of brown fat cells in the body. Unlike the more common white fat cells that store energy, brown fat cells are excellent at burning energy. This is because brown fat cells use energy to help regulate body temperature. The study was conducted in Japan by Hokkaido University Graduate School of Medicine. According to medicine professor Dr. Clifford Rosen of Tufts University, who did not have any involvement in the study, no previous study has proven it possible to incite brown fat growth and activity in people who lack brown fat cells to begin with.

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Posted in Diet, Food, Health, Health Facts, News, Nutrition, Studies, Weight Loss | 1,359 Comments

Miscarriage Risk Rises with BPA Exposure

BPA (or bisphenol A), the chemical found in certain types of food packaging products, may be linked with an increased risk of miscarriage, according to a new study conducted at Stanford University Medical Center. During the study, a team of researchers led by obstetrics and gynecology professor Dr. Ruth Lathi gathered blood samples from 114 women. All of the women were between four and five weeks pregnant at the time the samples were collected. The researchers then measured the amount of BPA in the samples taken from women who went on to give birth, as well as those who experienced a miscarriage. The subjects in the study with the lowest levels of BPA in their blood were about 80% less likely to have a miscarriage than women with the highest levels of BPA.

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Quitting Smoking While Pregnant Improves Kids’ Emotions

A recent study conducted in the Netherlands adds another item to the list of reasons why women who become pregnant should quit smoking. According to their study, moms-to-be who quit – even if quitting happens after pregnancy begins – bear infants who have fewer emotional problems as young children. The researchers examined brain scans of 226 children who were 6 years old at the time of the study. Half of the children’s mothers smoked during pregnancy, while half did not. Exactly 17 of the mothers who smoked during their pregnancy quit smoking shortly after finding out they’d become pregnant. The good news is that smoking rates among pregnant women have declined steadily in recent decades; about 25% of pregnant women smoked in 1980, while just 12% did in 2000.

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Heavy Drinking Linked with Poor Bone Health

The link between heavy drinking and poor bone health has been known for years, but doctors have only been able to speculate as to why – could it have something to do with how alcohol affects hormones, or the fact that alcoholics tend to also be malnourished, or that people who are frequently drunk tend to fall down and hurt themselves more often? A new study conducted by Loyola University Medical Center has found the real answer, which has more to do with how alcohol affects the bones at a molecular level. According to orthopedic surgeon Dr. Roman Natoli, one of the lead researchers behind the study, one of the reasons behind the link between heavy alcohol use and bone problems is indeed the fact that heavy drinkers are more prone to accidents and injuries, including shootings, falls and car accidents. However, he said that alcohol use slows down the bone healing process as well.

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