Scientists have determined that how the brain shape changes with age could indicate early signs of dementia. Experts are finding that the best way to understand how the brain ages is not by examining individual parts, but by studying its overall structure and how its different regions interact with one another. In a large study, researchers from Irvine, California and Tenerife, Spain, used brain scans to measure these shape changes. They discovered that as people age, the brain does not shrink evenly. Instead, it changes shape in specific ways. The bottom portions of the brain, responsible for essential functions such as breathing and heartbeat, and the front parts, critical to certain cognitive functions, tend to expand outward. The top parts, crucial ...
Harmful gut bacteria could be driving the surge in cases of deadly liver cancer, scientists have revealed in a concerning new study. When people think of liver disease, many will say it is caused by excessive alcohol intake—but experts say anything that can increase fat in and on the liver, such as a poor diet, can raise the risk of the disease. According to the British Liver Trust, liver disease is the only major disease to see death rates continually rising, with figures having quadrupled in the past 50 years. But now Canadian researchers may have discovered a way of controlling blood sugar levels and reduce liver damage, especially in high-risk obese patients. In the study, published in the journal Cell Metabolism, scientists were able to identify ...
A top doctor has detailed the cheap store cupboard essentials that can dramatically boost fibre intake—a key way to beat bowel cancer, according to experts. In an Instagram video, viewed 1.1 million times, Dr Karan Rajan, a surgeon working in NHS hospitals, dubbed his simple method 'fibermaxxing'. He said: 'If you want easy ways to fibermaxx with stuff you already have in your kitchen, I am going to show you just how simple it is.' Research shows that fibre—the indigestible parts of plants that aid digestion—plays a key role in preventing bowel cancer. Bowel Cancer UK estimates that a lack of the nutrient is behind 28 per cent of all cases in the UK—yet just nine per cent of adults eat the recommended 30g a day. The doctor suggests eating a ...
