Health & Fitness

Most of turmeric’s reported health benefits are linked to compounds called curcuminoids. tarapong srichaiyos/ Shutterstock Duane Mellor, Aston University Turmeric has been used by humans for more than 4,000 years. As well as cooking and cosmetics, it’s been a staple of the traditional medicine practice of Ayurveda, used to treat a variety of conditions from arthritis to wind. Even today …

Butter boards are sort of like a charcuterie board featuring artisanal butters. zarzamora/ Shutterstock Duane Mellor, Aston University In an unexpected twist, butter seems to be back on the menu. After years of being a maligned ingredient that many people shied away from, butter has now become the latest food trend on social media, thanks to the recent popularity of …

StratfordProductions/Shutterstock Lewis Gough, Birmingham City University A significant proportion of people who contract COVID are left with ongoing symptoms, commonly termed “long COVID”. The nature of these symptoms and the duration of the illness differ between people. While some people are still suffering more than two years after their initial infection, others have recovered, or at least improved. As you’re …

Buntovskikh Olga/Shutterstock Chris Bryant, University of Bath Vegetarians have around twice as many depressive episodes as meat-eaters, according to a new study. The study, based on survey data from Brazil, chimes with earlier research that found higher rates of depression among those who forgo meat. However, the new study suggests that this link exists independent of nutritional intake. It may …

Monkey Business Images/Shutterstock Adam Taylor, Lancaster University Dying of a broken heart was just a figure of speech until 2002 when Dr Hikaru Sato and colleagues at Hiroshima City Hospital described it in a study. Sato named the condition takotsubo cardiomyopathy. It was quickly dubbed “broken heart syndrome”. More recently, scientists have discovered that you can also die of an …

sun ok/Shutterstock Laurence Wainwright, University of Oxford and Eileen Neumann, University of Zurich Heatwaves have a huge impact on our physical and mental health. Doctors usually dread them, as emergency rooms quickly fill up with patients suffering from dehydration, delirium and fainting. Recent studies suggest at least a 10% rise in hospital emergency room visits on days when temperatures reach …

Our stomach and brain are connected through the ‘gut-brain axis’. Anatomy Image/ Shutterstock Lynne A Barker, Sheffield Hallam University and Caroline Jordan, Sheffield Hallam University Within our body and on our skin, trillions of bacteria and viruses exist as part of complex ecosystems called microbiomes. Microbiomes play an important role in human health and disease – and even help us …

Advocates of the weightlifting technique claim moving slower makes muscles work harder. Twinsterphoto/ Shutterstock Jack McNamara, University of East London Everyone wants to get fit, but many of us lack the time or patience required to get results – especially if our goal is to build a more muscular physique. While there’s plenty of advice online telling people about the …

Plant-based milk alternatives may not contain the same nutrients as cow’s milk. matka_Wariatka/ Shutterstock Miriam Clegg, University of Reading Over the last decade, the number of people drinking cow’s milk has dropped – with people swapping dairy for plant-based alternatives, such as oat and almond milk. With new types of plant-based milks seemingly emerging every week, this trend is unlikely …

Akhenaton Images/Shutterstock Christian van Nieuwerburgh, RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences Doomscrolling, according to Merriam-Webster, is “the tendency to continue to surf or scroll through bad news, even though that news is saddening, disheartening, or depressing”. For many it’s a habit born of the pandemic – and one that is likely to stay. Some health experts recommend limiting access …