Tea Off Against Colds Not just any tea, though. Chamomile, according to researchers from London's Imperial College, is the one that'll help put your cold in the bag. In a recent study, they found people who drank five cups of the brew a day for 2 weeks had increased blood levels of plant-based compounds called polyphenols, some of which have been associated with increased antibacterial activity. Levels remained high for 2 weeks after subjects stopped drinking the tea, says lead researcher Dr Elaine Holmes...
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Now it's time to boost your carcinogen shields - and overall health - by using these smart, C-fighting strategies SPEND MORE TIME OUTSIDE Scientists have regarded vitamin D as a potent cancer fighter for decades, but there's never been a gold-standard trial - until now. A study by researchers at Creighton University in the US and published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, found that women who supplemented their diets with 1000 international units (IU) of vitamin D every day had a 60 to 77 per cent lower incidence of cancer over a four-year period than women taking a placebo. "The effect isn't limited to women," reveals Dr Joan Lappe, the lead study author. "Vitamin D helps the immune system function efficiently, causing the early death of cancer cells."
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When it comes to sunscreen, expensive doesn't always mean better. In fact, according to the July 2009 issue of Consumer Reports, some of the most effective sunscreens are also the cheapest. Consumer Reports tested 10 products for their effectiveness in blocking UVB and UVA rays. They also tested how waterproof the sunscreens were by having their volunteers sit in a tub of water for 40 minutes and then re-testing UVB effectiveness.
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Australian scientists have found that antibodies in shark blood could potentially be a potent weapon in the fight against cancer. Sharks have immune systems similar to humans, but their antibodies - the molecules which actually fight disease - are exceptionally resilient. Researchers believe this quality could be harnessed to help slow the spread of diseases such as cancer.
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It's no secret that exercise is key to controlling type 2 diabetes — and many doctors already urge their diabetic patients to get active. But it's a vague directive: How much exercise is enough? How often? And what kind? The simple answer is that any is better than none — in sum, that's what a new study published in the Sept. 18 issue of the journal Annals of Internal Medicine found. But it also found that not all exercise is created equal and that the combination of aerobic exercise and weight training is significantly better for controlling blood sugar than either alone.
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