Salt, just like sugar, is an inexpensive way to make food taste good. One often observes people sprinkling salt over their food before tasting it, and some researchers suggest that the high consumption of salt is a habit, or even an addiction, learnt in childhood. Many popular foods and snacks
Vitamin D deficiency has been linked to more severe illness and an increased fatality rate due to COVID-19, the disease caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Observational studies at the AZ Delta General Hospital in Roeselare, Belgium, at the Hospital Universitario Marquis de Valdecilla in Spain,
The medical condition Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), which primarily targets the epithelial cells, lining the surface of the respiratory passageways and lungs, where it causes viral pneumonia and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). Elderly patients, people with asthma, and those
The functioning of the human body can be compared to a chemical factory, where many individual chemical processes are integrated into a single unit with a common purpose – to keep us alive. Just like any factory, the body needs raw materials to fuel these chemical production processes. The body’s
The three macronutrients that we need in our diets are protein, carbohydrates, and fat. During digestion, enzymes in the gut break down the most plentiful fat in our diet, triglycerides, into fatty acids and a molecule called glycerol. Once absorbed these molecules reassemble into triglycerides, and as they cannot move
The first few weeks of breastfeeding are an amazing period of bonding time for mother and baby. Just as amazing is the essential composition of nutrients contained in breast milk – the most complete food imaginable, cleverly adapting to the needs of the growing infant. However, the most spectacular part
Less intense than cocaine and heroin, but nonetheless addictive for some people, sugar activates the same region in the brain that makes you experience a high and feelings of pleasure. Like using hard drugs, bingeing on sugar blunts the “pleasure” response over time, making you want the sugar fix more
The body’s natural response to a stressful situation is to increase the heart rate and blood pressure, by initially releasing adrenalin to prime the body for immediate action, followed by the release of the stress hormone cortisol. A highly stressful event activates neuroendocrine, cardiovascular, and emotional responses, which may not
Stress is not a disease, but prolonged exposure to intensive work-related pressure can reduce effectiveness at work, and affect people’s physical and psychological health. Research has shown that the work environment is a major – and in many cases the primary – source of chronic stress in the lives of
The power of the mind is of extreme importance when dealing with high levels of stress. Instead of succumbing to the dire effects of stress, the mind can be conditioned to channel stress into a positive experience. The general perception that stress negatively affects health, contributes to a higher mortality
