Science Daily ‘ If you want to avoid developing cancer, then you might want to add eating more olive oil to your list of New Year’s resolutions. In a study to be published in the January 2007 issue of The FASEB Journal, scientists from five European countries describe how the anti-cancer effects of olive oil may account for the significant difference in cancer rates among Northern and Southern Europeans.
The authors drew this conclusion based on the outcomes of volunteers from Denmark, Finland, Germany, Italy, and Spain, who consumed 25 milliliters (a little less than a quarter cup) of olive oil every day for three weeks. During this time, the researchers examined urine samples of the subjects for specific compounds known to be waste by-products of oxidative damage to cells, a precursor to cancer. At the beginning of the trial, the presence of these waste by-products was much higher in Northern European subjects than their Southern European counterparts. By the end of three weeks, however, the presence of this compound in Northern European subjects was substantially reduced.
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Filed under: In The News, Nutrition by Dee
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Humans could develop bloodhound-like skills if they spent more time detecting scents, it emerged today.
New research shows people can follow trails across countryside like dogs, using the sense of smell alone.
The study, published in Nature magazine, suggests humans are just out of practice at smelling, after people who repeatedly tracked smells across fields became faster and more accurate.
One of the reasons that dogs are so good at identifying smells are because they sniff so quickly, it was found.
The team also discovered that having two nostrils vastly improved mammals’ ability to identify whiffs with a sniff.
Researchers set up a scent trail of chocolate essential oil in an open grass field and asked 32 people whether they could follow the 10m-long line using their nose.
Two-thirds could, but when their noses were artificially blocked none of the volunteers were able to complete the trail, showing their sense of smell alone had guided them.
For the next stage, four volunteers completed three different trails a day for two weeks. Researchers found that as they got more experienced at following scents, they completed the distance more quickly and stuck more closely to the trail.
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Filed under: Aromatherapy, In The News by Dee
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BOSTON (AP) – Lavender and Tea Tree oils found in some shampoos, Soaps and lotions can temporarily leave boys with enlarged breasts in rare cases, apparently by disrupting their hormonal balance, a preliminary study suggests.
Lavender and Tea Tree oils found in some shampoos, Soaps and lotions can temporarily leave boys with enlarged breasts in rare cases, apparently by disrupting their hormonal balance, a preliminary study suggests.
While advising parents to consider the possible risk, several hormone experts emphasized that the problem appears to happen infrequently and clears up when the oils are no longer used. None of those interviewed called for a ban on sales. The study reported on the condition, gynecomastia, in three boys ages 4, 7 and 10. They all went back to normal when they stopped using skin lotions, hair gel, shampoo or Soap with the natural oils. It’s unclear how often this problem might crop up in other young children.
These plant oils, sometimes called “Essential Oils,” are added to many health-care products, usually for their scent. The oils are sometimes found in other household products or sold in purer forms. Tea Tree oil is sometimes used in shampoos for head lice.
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