Being morbidly obese could permanently damage your knees, says a new study. The investigation included a group of morbidly obese patients with knee osteoarthritis who were evaluated before and after bariatric surgery or surgically-assisted weight loss. Patients lost an average of 51 pounds or 23 kg in one year. One year after surgery, knee pain and function improved significantly. “People felt there was nothing they could do to mitigate the debilitating … full story

Raspberry extract has been found to kill stomach and colon cancer cells. Researchers from Clemson University in the US said that 90 percent of these cells were destroyed when exposed to an extract of red Meeker raspberries, a popular variety in the US. Anti-oxidants in the fruit were also shown to kill breast cancer cells, the Daily Mail reports. Researchers say that while the anti-oxidants in the red fruit explain some of the effects, other as … full story

Having a baby may make a woman more intelligent. Research shows that a woman’s grey matter – brain cells that crunch information – grows in the weeks and months after she has given birth. And it’s the most doting mothers who experience the biggest burst of brain cells. Such changes usually only occur after intense periods of learning or a brain injury or illness. It is thought that the hormonal changes associated with having a baby ‘supercharge’ … full story

Watermelon, apart from being rich in nutrients, has been found to lower pre-hypertension, a precursor to cardio diseases. Assistant professor Arturo Figueroa and Professor Bahram H. Arjmandi of the Florida State University conducted the study on the health benefits of watermelon. They found that extracts of watermelon, given daily for six weeks, lowered blood pressure in a group of pre-hypertensive men and women aged between 51 and 57 years, reports … full story

Poor kidney function could be an early warning of heart disease and stroke, two studies have found. In the first study, researchers from Taiwan and the US found that a low fluid rate through the kidneys was linked to a higher risk of stroke in later life. By analysing 33 studies involving more than 280,000 people they found that those with a glomerular filtration rate (test used to check how well the kidneys are working) of about half the normal … full story

Curcumin, an extract of root turmeric, could destroy chemotherapy-resistant cancer cells and help fight the disease. This could improve the effectiveness of chemotherapy and also help prevent the condition from returning. Researchers at the University of Leicester in Britain have been using curcumin to target chemo-resistant cells. The aim is to use the extract in colorectal tumour tissue, which kills far more than 600,000 people every year and … full story

Drinking milk regularly could help you shed weight, finds a recent study. In a two-year weight loss study, milk drinkers had an advantage over those who skipped the milk, reports the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Researchers led by Danit Shahar from the Ben-Gurion University of the Negev in Israel, found that adults who drank nearly two glasses of milk daily, which provided the highest Vitamin D levels at six months, lost more weight … full story

Scientists have figured out why not cleaning your teeth can invite heart attacks. Until now nobody had been able to determine exactly why not brushing regularly might bring on a heart attack. A dental scientist has now discovered that a common bug that causes tooth decay and gum disease can infiltrate into the bloodstream and help blood clots to form, reports the Telegraph. Consequently, these clots can cause heart attacks and strokes, which together … full story

Over-the-counter cough and cold remedies could make you drowsy, similar to being drunk, and unsafe on the roads, warn doctors. Over-the-counter medication, as well as prescription drugs, can lead to drowsiness which is similar to being drunk, says a medical expert. Warnings on packets of cough and cold medicines are often hard to find, say experts, with some calling for a traffic light scheme to alert users to potential driving hazards. These … full story

Drinking beetroot juice can increase blood flow to the brain in older adults, potentially halting the progresses of dementia. “There have been several studies showing that drinking beet juice can lower blood pressure, but we wanted to show that drinking beet juice also increases perfusion, or blood flow, to the brain,” said Daniel Kim-Shapiro, director of Wake Forest University’s Translational Science Center. “There are areas in the brain that … full story