Over the past few decades, the emergence of India as an international superpower has been slow and steady. In the United States, this has translated into a simmering public awareness of Indian culture and an ever-increasing importation of Indian products, whether it be Bollywood movies or Indian cuisine. One of the main staples of Indian cooking, turmeric, has been getting a lot of press recently not for its flavoring prowess, but rather for its health benefits. Presented here is some of the current research regarding this amazing yellow spice. Read more →

The metabolic syndrome is a group of risk factors for cardiovascular disease, including high blood pressure, impaired levels of blood cholesterol, altered glucose metabolism or insulin resistance, and obesity. These risk factors together increase the likelihood of heart disease, stroke, peripheral vascular disease, and type 2 diabetes. Now, a new study concludes that women with metabolic syndrome are also at an increased risk for dementia and cognitive dysfunction. Read more →

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a devastating neurological disorder which always results in death. This condition is often called Lou Gehrig’s disease after the American baseball player Henry Louis “Lou” Gehrig who died from disease complications in 1941 at the age of 37. In ALS nerve cells are damaged in a rapidly progressive fashion resulting in paralysis of all muscles. The usual cause of death is collapse of the respiratory system when these muscles become involved. Disease incidence peaks around the age of 60 and men are more commonly affected than women. Read more →

We all have bad habits. I don’t sleep nearly enough, and by mid-afternoon I’m a basket case without an infusion of chocolate. I know I should probably sleep more and avoid sweets; in fact, I’ve known this for several years, but I’ve never felt motivated to change my ways. This human tendency has beleaguered health care professionals for ages: how do we motivate individuals to change their behaviors? Two recent studies may give us some ideas. Read more →

Welcome to the forty-fourth edition of Brain Blogging. In this round, we discuss the innate ability to empathize, the connection between moral disgust and foul smells, whether antidepressants (and antipsychotics) really work by making you hungry, and many more topics.

Remember, we review the latest blogs related to the brain and mind that go beyond the basic sciences into a more human and multidimensional perspective. You can check our archive for past editions. Read more →

Diabetes in pregnancy is associated with increased morbidity for the mother and the infant. Complications of pregnancy-related diabetes include birth defects, congenital abnormalities, shoulder dislocation during delivery, cesarean delivery, excessive fetal weight and head size, and hypertension. Risk factors for gestational diabetes, or glucose intolerance first diagnosed in pregnancy, include advanced maternal age, overweight or obesity prior to pregnancy, family history of diabetes, and belonging to an ethnic group with a high prevalence of diabetes (African American, Native American, Hispanic, South or East Asian, or Pacific Islander.) A new study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association finds that in addition to the well-known complications of diabetes during pregnancy, women with gestational diabetes are more likely to experience depression during and after pregnancy. Read more →