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HEALTH NEWS

The humble garnish that fights cancer: New science reveals parsley’s potent secret
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Nicotinamide riboside chloride: A potent neuroprotector and therapeutic candidate for alcohol-induced cognitive impairment
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HEALTH NEWS
 

Analysis of 82 Trials Shows Black Seed May Improve Cardiovascular Risk Markers

New Study Reveals Herpesvirus Infection May Accelerate Alzheimer’s Disease

Favorable lifestyle factors reduce dementia risk across key genetic profiles

People are living longer, but spending more years in poor health

Imbalances in the oral microbiome linked to symptomatic hand osteoarthritis

 

 
 

Analysis of 82 Trials Shows Black Seed May Improve Cardiovascular Risk Markers
Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences (Iran), July 21 2026 (Natural News)
 

 
A pooled analysis of 82 randomized controlled trials involving 5,026 adults has found that supplementation with Nigella sativa, commonly known as black seed or black cumin, is associated with improvements in multiple cardiovascular risk markers.
 

The meta-analysis, published in the journal Pharmacological Research, was conducted by researchers from several Iranian universities. The analysis used a GRADE-assessed, dose-response method to evaluate the effects of black seed compared with placebo or standard care.

 

According to the study, black seed supplementation led to significant reductions in body weight, body mass index, waist circumference, and body fat percentage. The analysis noted that daily amounts used in most trials ranged from 1 to 3 grams of ground black seed or 1 to 3 milliliters of black seed oil. According to the researchers, one teaspoon of ground black seed contains roughly 4 grams, meaning a single daily teaspoon stirred into food falls within the range used in studies. For those who prefer oil, a half teaspoon delivers close to 2 milliliters.

The researchers emphasized that consistency, rather than a large single dose, appears to drive positive results.

 

New Study Reveals Herpesvirus Infection May Accelerate Alzheimer’s Disease
Cardiff University (UK), July 21, 2026 (SciTech Daily)

In a new study, researchers found that herpesvirus infection intensified memory problems and other Alzheimer’s-related changes in mice already vulnerable to the disease. The damage appeared to be driven not simply by the virus itself, but by the immune system’s prolonged attempt to control it.

Herpesviruses are a large family that includes viruses associated with cold sores, childhood infections, and glandular fever. After the initial illness passes, some can remain dormant inside the body and reactivate later, repeatedly drawing the immune system into action.

Scientists results suggest that T cells, immune cells that identify and attack infected cells, can enter the brain during herpesvirus infection and accelerate cognitive decline. Following infection, large numbers of immune cells moved into the brain. Most were CD8+ T cells that specifically recognized the virus, showing that they had entered the tissue as part of the body’s attempt to contain the infection.

Similar T cells have previously been found in the brains and spinal fluid of people with Alzheimer’s disease, although their exact role has remained uncertain.

The results indicate that a virus-driven immune response can actively speed the progression of Alzheimer’s-like disease rather than merely appearing alongside it.

 
 

Favorable lifestyle factors reduce dementia risk across key genetic profiles

 
 

Kyushu University (Japan), June 5 2026 (News-Medical)

With dementia cases expected to nearly triple worldwide by 2050, researchers are increasingly focused on identifying ways to prevent or delay the disease. While lifestyle and health-related factors, such as blood pressure control and physical activity, influence dementia risk, genetics also play a major role. Currently, it is unclear if maintaining a favorable lifestyle reduces dementia risk equally across different genetic backgrounds.

A new study led by Kyushu University examines whether favorable modifiable risk factors (mRF)-behaviors or conditions that people can change or control-can lower dementia risk even among individuals with high genetic susceptibility.

The researchers analyzed data from 9,605 community-dwelling adults aged 65 and older. They determined each participant's APOE ε4 genotypes, a primary genetic risk factor for Alzheimer's disease, and calculated the mRF score based on lifestyle and health-related factors. This allowed the team to evaluate how genetic predisposition and lifestyle choices jointly interact to influence dementia risk. The results showed that dementia risk rose progressively with the number of APOE ε4 alleles.

Notably, among individuals with one or no APOE ε4 alleles, maintaining a healthier profile with lower mRF scores was linked to a significantly lower risk of dementia. In contrast, among individuals with two APOE ε4 alleles, dementia risk did not differ significantly between those with lower and higher mRF scores.

These findings suggest that maintaining favorable lifestyle and health conditions can effectively mitigate dementia risk, even among individuals carrying a single APOE ε4 allele. This underscores the importance of population-based prevention strategies focused on managing vascular and lifestyle risk factors.
 
 

People are living longer, but spending more years in poor health
Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (US), July 21 2026 (Eurekalert)

 

People are living longer, but spending more years in poor health 

The morbidity gap—the number of years people live in poor health—widened in nearly all countries, with wealthier nations facing the largest gaps.     

The US has the largest morbidity gap, closely followed by Australia and Canada.  

Women consistently live longer but spend more years in poor health than men.  

Musculoskeletal disorders, mental health conditions, hearing loss, and falls and other unintentional injuries are driving most years lived in poor health worldwide. 

Within a generation, the global morbidity gap widened by nearly two years, increasing from 8.8 years in 1990 to 10.7 years in 2023. Globally, people spent an average of 14.5% of their lives in poor health in 2023, up from 13.6% in 1990. Instead of occurring only in the final years of life, the widening morbidity gap was observed across the adult lifespan, suggesting that people are spending more years living with disease and disability throughout adulthood. 

Between 1990 and 2023, global life expectancy at birth increased from 64.6 years to 73.8 years, while healthy life expectancy rose from 55.9 years to 63.1 years. In 2023, the United States had the largest national morbidity gap at 14 years, followed by Australia at 13.9 years and Canada at 13.7 years.

 

Imbalances in the oral microbiome linked to symptomatic hand osteoarthritis
Central South University (China), July 21 2026 (Medica Xpress)

A study published RMD Open has linked specific imbalances and disruptions in the oral microbiome to symptomatic hand arthritis.

Its findings suggest that the microbial environment of the mouth may influence the disease process of hand arthritis, which is associated with pain, stiffness and reduced grip strength and can severely impair quality of life. The oral microbiome plays a role in systemic inflammation and interacts closely with the gut microbiome, which is significantly associated with symptomatic hand arthritis.

To assess the role of the oral microbiome, saliva samples from 52 people with symptomatic hand arthritis recruited from a community-based osteoarthritis study and 712 people without the condition were analyzed using ribosomal RNA gene sequencing.

Compared with samples taken from participants without hand arthritis, samples from participants with symptomatic hand arthritis showed significantly lower oral microbial richness and altered composition.

Specifically, the abundance of Trichococcus bacteria was significantly higher in the symptomatic hand arthritis samples and positively associated with the severity of hand arthritis symptoms. Trichococcus abundance in the oral microbiome was also positively associated with the gut microbial tyrosine metabolism pathway—a metabolic pathway previously implicated in hand arthritis.

Samples from participants with symptomatic hand arthritis also displayed reduced oral-gut microbiome correlations compared with controls, suggesting the balance between these two microbial communities was disrupted.

Gary reads Part 2  of his latest essay "How to Live An Illuminated Life"  you can read the whole article on Gary Null Substack  https://garynull.substack.com/p/how-to-live-an-illuminated-life

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Gary reads Part 1 of his latest essay "How to Live An Illuminated Life"  you can read the whole article on Gary Null Substack  https://garynull.substack.com/p/how-to-live-an-illuminated-life

Gary reads the second part of his article "Stop Living Life in Duality" you can read the full article on Gary Null Substack. If you like what you are reading, please subscribe because you'll get access to Gary's long essays, healthy recipes and inspiring self empowering videos and documentaries. https://garynull.substack.com/p/stop-living-a-life-of-duality