Sleep Disorders, Breathing, and Age Acceleration

June 27, 2019

Exercise, nutrition, and smoking are the primary modifiable risk factors for a host of health conditions; sleep and increasingly common sleep disorders are often overlooked. The most common type of sleep-disordered breathing– obstructive sleep apnea – affects nearly 30 million adults within the United States and results in oxidative stress as well as inflammation. While previous studies have linked sleep disorders to a multitude of health complications such as heart disease, high blood pressure, and depression, recent research suggests sleep-disordered breathing may cause age acceleration. 

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Brain Awareness Month: Probiotics for Mood and Cognitive Function

June 15, 2019

June marks the beginning of Brain Awareness Month, a global campaign to raise public awareness of Alzheimer’s Disease and other neurodegenerative conditions. Increased recognition of neurological disorders has led to further clinical research and the discovery of important mechanisms of action, risk factors, and indicators of declining cognitive function. More recently, the medical community has focused its efforts on better understanding the gut-brain axis, or the connection between the human microbiome and mental health.  Discoveries continue to implicate the crucial role of the gut in promoting and maintaining cognitive function, mental clarity, and a stable mood.

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Excessive Amounts of Vitamin D Linked to Kidney Damage

June 14, 2019

Used for its wide-ranging purported benefits from reducing cancer risk to maintaining healthy bones and teeth, vitamin D is readily available to the public in the form of supplements and over-the-counter formulations. Declared a global epidemic in 2010, vitamin D deficiency continues to affect billions of individuals worldwide. However, new research indicates the potential toxicity of excess amounts of vitamin D. The common perception that consuming increased amounts of the vitamin can only lead to added benefits may be wrong, as recent evidence reveals it can actually lead to increased harm on the body, specifically kidney failure.

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