The purpose of the study was to investigate the safety, tolerability and preliminary effectiveness of topical epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) for radiation dermatitis in patients with breast cancer receiving adjuvant radiotherapy. A  solution of green tea extract  sprayed on the radiated areas of the skin reduced severity of radiation-induced dermatitis. The Chinese team recruited women with breast cancer undergoing postoperative radiotherapy and randomised them (2:1) to rec...

The study, published Sept. 7 in The BMJ journal, included over 103,000 French adults who participated in a web-based nutrition study. The average age of participants at the start was 42 years and almost 80% were female. At the start of the study, people filled out questionnaires about their diet, health, physical activity, and personal information such as education, smoking status, and occupation. They also completed multiple dietary assessments at the beginning of the study and every 6 mon...

New research has found that 10 out of 29 reviewed pesticides were associated with thyroid cancer, including several of the most widely used ones in the United States. The study, published in The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism was conducted by investigators at the University of California, Los Angeles Health Sciences. Through this research they examined the association between exposure to pesticides, including 19 that were found to cause DNA cell damage, and the risk of t...

Resveratrol is a polyphenolic compound produced by plants in response to environmental stress and can be found in at least 72 plant species, such as mulberries, peanuts, cranberries, blueberries, and grapes Resveratrol is a natural stilbene containing two aromatic rings linked together by a methylene double bond to form 3,4′,5-trihydroxystilbene. It exists in both cis- and trans- isoforms. The trans form is more stable and potent than the cis form.   Studies have reported th...

Researchers from Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons set out to investigate the impact of the typical Western-style diet of the microbiome on mice. In the four-week study, scientists found that the mice showed signs of metabolic syndrome, including weight gain, glucose intolerance, and insulin resistance. Moreover, the animals’s microbiomes were altered — segmented filamentous bacteria (found in rodents, fish, and chickens) decreased and other bacteria ...

One of the most effective prescriptions for reducing stress, anxiety, depression, and improving overall health and wellbeing, can be found in nature. Forest therapy, sometimes called forest bathing, is a practice inspired by the Japanese custom of Shinrin-Yoku, that originated in the 1980s when leaders in Japan noticed a dramatic increase in workers reporting stress-related illnesses. The Japanese name, shinrin-yoku, can be directly translated into the English words “forest” and...