Natural Awakenings Twin Cities October 2022

health briefs
Cordyceps Sinensis
Enhances Performance
in Distance Runners
A Himalayan fungus that has long been used in Traditional
Chinese Medicine, Cordyceps sinensis, attracted
global attention in 1993 when Chinese athletes broke
world records in track and field. To study its effects,
Brazilian researchers conducted a randomized,
double-blind, placebo-controlled study
in which they gave 30 amateur
marathoners two grams of the fungus
each day for 12 weeks. Compared to the
placebo group, those in the Cordyceps
group had significantly lower heart
rates at eight weeks and
improved aerobic
performance at
12 weeks.
Malignant Melanoma Linked
to Seafood Consumption
Eating higher amounts of
fish, specifically tuna
and non-fried fish,
appears to increase
the risk of malignant
melanoma, according to a
Brown University study of
491,367 U.S. adults published in the
journal Cancer Causes and Control.
Examining 15 years of data, the
researchers found that compared to
subjects with a median daily fish intake
of .11 ounces, those with a median
daily intake of 1.5 ounces had
a 22 percent higher risk of malignant
melanoma and a 28 percent increased risk of melanoma
in situ, characterized by abnormal cells in the outer layer
of the skin. “We speculate that our findings could possibly
be attributed to contaminants in fish, such as polychlorinated
biphenyls, dioxins, arsenic and mercury,” says study
author Eunyoung Cho, an associate professor of dermatology
and epidemiology. Pending further research on the
underlying biological mechanisms, the authors did not
recommend any changes to fish consumption.
8 Twin Cities Edition NAtwincities.com
Viewing Art Online
Improves Well-Being
Art and music have long
been said to soothe the savage
soul, and hundreds of
studies have shown that
people’s moods and sense of
well-being are improved by
everything from artwork displayed
in mental institutions
and offices to regularly
visiting art museums.
With the pandemic,
many museums began
offering extensive online tours and exhibits, and a new
study from the University of Vienna suggests that online
art can have the same effect as “real life” art.
Researchers tested 84 individuals that viewed Monet’s
The Water Lily Pond and also photographs of a Japanese
bento box that included information on its traditions and
food preparation, such as might be found in a history
museum. Participants typically spent one to two minutes
with each viewing. Follow-up questionnaires found
that even a short online experience encouraged positive
states like serenity, happiness and stimulation, while also
lowering negative states like fear, anger, anxiety and loneliness.
Well-being effects are most pronounced, wrote the
authors, when “such content is beautiful, meaningful and
inspires positive cognitive-emotional states in the viewer.”
Probiotic May
Increase Skin Moisture
Dry skin can afflict people
at any age, particularly
those living in dry climates,
and it is commonplace in
older people due to the
natural loss of oil glands.
Japanese researchers have
found a possible solution: a
probiotic originally fermented
from a Southeast Asian
rice-and-fish dish that
boosts skin moisture within
weeks. In a double-blind study, they tested 80 middleaged
adults with a supplement of heat-killed Lactiplantibacillus
plantarum probiotics for 12 weeks. They found the
supplement significantly increased skin water content and
reduced transepidermal water loss in the face, particularly
for seniors and those with the driest skin.
photo by NutraIngredients.com
Visualmind/AdobeStock.com
prot/AdobeStock.com
Oksana/AdobeStock.com