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Research Archive

Welcome to our Chinese medicine and acupuncture research news pages. We add to the content of these pages continuously as more research news comes in. Browse through the complete archive below or use the category links on the right.

Please note that the most twenty recent research archive items are free to view but access to the thousands of items in the archive require a journal subscription.

Diet and diabetes

Categories: Diet research

Research into the impact of diet on diabetes is showing that a variety of nutritional interventions can help prevent or ameliorate both forms of the disease, confirming TCM theories. A meta-analysis which pooled data for six cohort studies including 286,125 participants concluded that whole grain intake is inversely associated with risk of type 2 diabetes. A two-serving-per-day increment in whole ...

Coffee may increase hypertension

Categories: Diet research, Hypertension

Coffee drinking seems to increase the risk of requiring antihypertensive drug treatment. Researchers determined daily coffee consumption via questionnaire in 24,710 Finnish subjects and observed them prospectively over 13 years. They concluded that coffee drinking was associated with a slightly increased risk of requiring antihypertensive treatment. This risk was higher in subjects with low-to-mod ...

Refined carbs are bad for the eyes

Categories: Diet research, Eye disorders

People who eat more refined carbohydrates have a higher risk for age-related macular degeneration (AMD), the retinal disease that is the leading cause of blindness. A prospective study of 4000 people, aged 55-80, in the USA examined the relationship between dietary carbohydrate quality, measured by glycaemic index (GI) and the progression of AMD. The results showed that participants who consumed t ...

Diet and dementia

Categories: Diet research

A recent article by Canadian authors highlights associations between dietary choices and risk of dementia. According to the authors, diets high in fat, especially trans and saturated fats, adversely affect cognition, while those high in fruits, vegetables, cereals and fish are associated with better cognitive function and lower dementia risk. They point out that adults with diabetes are especially ...

Yoga improves cancer survivors sleep

Categories: Yoga research

A brief yoga intervention significantly improves sleep quality for cancer survivors. 410 non-metastatic, cancer survivors were randomised to either standard care monitoring or standard care plus a four-week yoga intervention (twice weekly for 75 minutes per session). The yoga intervention utilised the Yoga for Cancer Survivors (YOCAS) program, consisting of breathing exercises, gentle yoga posture ...

Yoga helps with eating disorders

Categories: Yoga research

Yoga can reduce eating disorder symptoms in adolescents, according to a study from the USA. A total of 50 girls and four boys aged 11-21 years were randomised to an eight-week trial of standard care (every other week physician and/or dietician appointments) vs. individualised yoga plus standard care. The yoga group demonstrated greater decreases in eating disorder symptoms. Specifically, the eatin ...

Yoga's health benefits rival exercise

Categories: Yoga research

A review of studies comparing the effects of yoga and exercise indicates that yoga may be as effective as or better than exercise at improving a variety of health-related outcomes. Eighty-one studies comparing the effects of yoga and exercise in both healthy and diseased populations met the American author's inclusion criteria. In the studies reviewed, yoga interventions appeared to be equal or su ...

Yoga experts show less inflammation and stress

Categories: Yoga research

Expert yoga practitioners exhibit lower levels of inflammatory markers compared with novices, possibly due to differences in their responses to stress. American researchers compared inflammatory and endocrine responses of novice and expert yoga practitioners before, during, and after a yoga session, as well as two control conditions. Fifty healthy women, 25 novices and 25 experts, were exposed to ...

Yogis have healthier hearts

Categories: Yoga research

Heart rate variability, which is indicative of a healthy heart, has been shown to be higher in yoga practitioners than in non-practitioners, according to Indian research. The team analysed the HRV spectra of the electrocardiograms of 42 healthy male volunteers who were not practitioners of yoga, and 42 who were experienced practitioners. From this they concluded that there was strengthening of par ...

Yoga reduces anxiety

Categories: Yoga research

Participation in yoga classes can lead to significant reduction in anxiety in women who suffer from anxiety disorders. Sixty-five women suffering from depression and anxiety were randomly assigned to an experimental or control waiting list group. The experimental group participated in twice weekly 90 minute yoga classes for two months. The average prevalence of depression in the experimental group ...

Yoga for chronic low back pain

Categories: Yoga research

Indian researchers have compared the effect of a short-term intensive residential yoga program with physical exercise (control) on pain and spinal flexibility in subjects with chronic low-back pain (CLBP). Eighty women with CLBP, were randomly assigned to receive yoga or physical exercise. The yoga consisted of a one-week intensive residential yoga program consisting of yoga postures designed for ...

Yoga improves menopausal minds

Categories: Yoga research

A study carried out in India has assessed the efficacy of yoga therapy on cognitive abilities in climacteric syndrome. One hundred and eight perimenopausal women between 40 and 55 years old were randomly allocated to yoga or control groups. The yoga group practised breathing exercises, yoga postures and meditation, whereas the control group practised a set of simple physical exercises under superv ...

Yoga good for menopause

Categories: Yoga research

The effect of yoga on menopausal symptoms, has been examined by Indian researchers. One hundred and twenty participants (ages 40-55) were randomly divided into two study arms. The yoga group practised a sequence of twelve yoga poses, plus breathing exercises and meditation, while a control group practised a set of simple physical exercises for eight weeks (one hour daily, five days per week). The ...

Yoga beneficial for heart failure

Categories: Yoga research

An eight-week regimen of yoga, in addition to standard medical therapy, can improve exercise tolerance and positively affect levels of inflammatory markers in patients with chronic heart failure. Nineteen patients were randomised to yoga treatment (YT) or standard medical therapy (MT). Graded exercise stress test time and peak oxygen intake were significantly improved in the YT versus MT groups. A ...

Get the right amount of sleep to live longer

Categories: Lifestyle research

Getting just the right amount of sleep is unequivocally associated with living longer, according to a systematic review by English and Italian authors. The researchers investigated the relationship between duration of sleep and all-cause mortality, analysing 16 studies which included 1,382,999 participants (follow-up range 4-25 years). Meta-analysis showed that people who generally slept for less ...

Highflying women at greater risk of heart disease

Categories: Lifestyle research

Young women with stressful jobs are more likely to develop heart disease, a Danish study has found. The Danish Nurse Cohort Study prospectively followed a total of 12,116 nurses, aged 45-64 years at baseline, for a total of 15 years. By the end of the study, 580 women had been admitted to hospital with heart disease. The results showed that women who said their job was a little too stressful were ...

Deet is neurotoxic

Categories: Lifestyle research

Deet (for N,N-diethyl-meta-toluamide), the active ingredient in most insect repellents, has been found to be toxic to the central nervous systems of both insects and mammals. Using toxicological, biochemical and electrophysiological techniques, French researchers found that deet inhibits the activity of acetycholinesterase, a key central nervous system enzyme, in a manner similar to organophosphat ...

Gallstone risk reduced by exercise

Categories: Lifestyle research

People who exercise more are significantly less likely to develop gallstones, according to UK investigators. A prospective cohort study followed 25,639 volunteers over 14 years for symptomatic gallstones, dividing them into four different levels of activity. Comparing the highest level of physical activity against the lowest three levels, an increase of just one activity level corresponded to a 17 ...

Artificial sweeteners may increase risk of preterm birth

Categories: Lifestyle research

A large Danish study has found a correlation between the amount of diet drinks consumed by women and their risk of going into preterm labour. The prospective cohort analysis of 59,334 women found that the risk of preterm birth was increased by 38% for women drinking an average of one can of artificially sweetened soft drink per day. Regular intake of four or more cans of soft drink per day was fou ...

Alcohol reduces risk and severity of rheumatoid arthritis

Categories: Lifestyle research

Drinking alcohol appears to reduce the severity of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and also reduces the risk of developing the disease, in a dose-dependent manner, according to research from the UK. 873 patients with erosive RA, and 1004 healthy controls were included in the study. The risk of developing RA decreased according to frequency of alcohol consumption, such that non-drinkers were four times a ...