Health
Finding good health news amidst a pandemic can be quite daunting. That’s not the case with The Optimist Daily, where positive news is in high supply. Our Health section covers the latest good news from the health sector, featuring solutions ranging from mental and physical health to immunity, nutrition, and cutting edge medical research.
An apple a day might keep obesity at bay
People who are obese tend to have an irregular mix of bacteria in their colon, which can impair their ability to feel full after a meal and promotes chronic inflammation—eventually leading to type 2 diabetes and ‘metabolic syndrome.’ The health benefits of apples have been well documented, Read More...
Using dung beetles for food safety
Every few years there is an E. coli outbreak—many get sick and maybe one or two die. Most of these outbreaks have been traced to animal droppings on plants that occurred while they were still at the farm. Now researchers have come up with an idea to use dung beetles to minimize E. coli outbreaks. Read More...
Finally, an easy way to find out what’s in your food
So what’s in the food you eat? How much sugar is in that cookie? Which foods contain arsenic? The Environmental Working Group spent 3 years to create a database of 80,000 products with all their ingredients. Foods get a score of 1 through 10 (1 is the best) based on how well they perform in three Read More...
Cocoa could help reverse memory decline
Meditation is the only proven way to prevent dementia, but cocoa could actually reverse age-related memory loss. A study from Columbia University found that memory decline in adults happens in an isolated part of the brain. It just so happens that the part of the brain associated with memory loss Read More...
Daydreaming helps you think
Usually when we’re working on a difficult problem we try to keep our minds from running astray, but scientists have found the opposite might be true. When you daydream you activate an area of the brain called the “default network”, traditionally thought to impair mental performance, not Read More...
Talking therapy better than drugs for social anxiety
Social anxiety disorder affects about 15 million adults in the US, and it’s typically treated with a range of psychiatric medications. But a new analysis has found that cognitive behavioral therapy is notably better than drugs for managing this condition, in addition to being much safer. Read More...
Ebola vaccines coming to Africa in two months
Scientists in various countries are battling to control the Ebola epidemic. The first two vaccines are on track to be distributed in West Africa in January and a third should be available shortly after. Currently human stability tests of the vaccines are being carried out on small groups of Read More...
Sunshine reduces risk of having a heart attack
That warm glow you feel on your face as you walk into the sun helps prevent heart attacks. A recent study has found that vitamin D will help fend off the cardiac killer. But don’t worry if you live in the overcast north, you can still get plenty of vitamin D from oily fish, eggs, and Read More...
High-fat dairy products lower diabetes risk
After years of being cut from foods for their purported negative health effects, the tide is turning for dairy fats. Their link to heart disease has recently come into question, and now they’ve been found to protect against type 2 diabetes. New research presented at the annual meeting of the Read More...
High-fat, low carbs is best for weight loss and Alzheimer’s prevention
For decades we have been told to avoid fat and divulge in a life of “healthy grains,” but that as it turns out is completely wrong. Diets that are high in grains drive weight gain and accelerate Alzheimer’s and dementia. Study after study confirms this. The most recent split a group of Read More...