The use of salicylic acid (ASA) reduces the risk of developing Barrett’s esophagus, which is considered as the main factor affecting the occurrence of esophageal cancer. A study describing the dependence of the ASA use and the development of the Barrett’s esophagus was published in Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology, the official journal of the American Gastroenterological Association. Read full text »

All the students beware! Nibbling sweets and drinking soda during cramming might actually threaten your exams. UCLA scientists found that unhealthy diet hampers the brain functions such as learning and memory. According to their findings, presented in the May edition of Journal of Physiology (1), rats watered with fructose solution were slow in finding the way out of a maze, which they had learnt before the introduction of diet. A mechanism responsible for this relation is connected with insulin receptor signalling and synaptic plasticity in the central nervous system. Fortunately, the researchers found the antidote – omega -3 fatty acids (n-3) minimize the harmful effects of high-sugar diet. Read full text »