Schools tend to be a breeding ground for germs and illness and children miss school every year due to contagious illnesses. A recent study suggests that taking probiotics in combination with vitamin C daily may lower the incidence of respiratory tract infections and reduce missed school days by more than 30%.

Participants in the study included 57 children between the ages of three and six who were given Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium probiotic strains and 50 mg vitamin C or a placebo daily for six months.

At the conclusion of the study, the researchers found that taking the probiotic/vitamin C combination was associated with a 33% reduction in incidence of upper respiratory tract infection and a 30% reduction in the number of missed school days.

Additionally, the number of days of use of antibiotics, painkillers, cough medicine and nasal sprays by the probiotic/vitamin C group was lower than that of the placebo group.

Researchers from Cultech Ltd. in the UK, Comenius University in Slovakia, Dunajská Streda in Slovakia, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine in the UK and Imperial College in the UK conducted the study. It was published online ahead of print on September 10, 2014, in the European Journal of Nutrition.

Probiotics are most commonly linked to improving digestion and gut health. However, they have also been shown to help strengthen the immune system and reduce the risk of chronic disease.

Probiotics can be found naturally in many foods, such as yogurt, milk and sauerkraut. You may also consider taking a high quality supplement but make sure it is packaged to block light, air and moisture, which can easily kill probiotics.

Vitamin C is an essential nutrient that has been linked to numerous other health benefits including heart health, brain health, eye health and improved mood. It can be found in high levels in citrus fruits and dark leafy greens such as cantaloupe, oranges, kiwis, and papaya, and in dark leafy greens such as broccoli and kale.

Previous studies have found that consumers associate almonds with being heart healthy and nutritious. In line with these findings, almonds have become the nuts most frequently consumed as a snack in North America. Now, a recent study suggests that eating almonds mid-morning may lower the amount of food that you consume at lunch and dinner.

Participants in the study included 32 healthy women who ate their standard breakfast and then either no almonds, 28 grams of almonds, or 42 grams of almonds at mid-morning for three days. Each intervention period was followed by a two-week washout period, after which the women underwent a different intervention.

The researchers found that the more almonds the women ate at mid-morning, the less they ate at lunch and dinner. Almonds are micronutrient dense and have the highest protein and fiber content of all tree nuts. These factors may account for their ability to provide feelings of satiety.

Researchers from Leatherhead Food Research and the University of Sussex conducted the study. It was published in the September 2014 issue of the European Journal of Nutrition.

Previous studies have found that almonds may help maintain healthy cholesterol levels. They’re also a great source of magnesium, manganese, and protein.

Almonds can easily be added to your daily diet as a mid-day snack, in breakfast cereal, or even sprinkled over a small serving of ice cream for dessert. Consider substituting a less healthy snack such as potato chips or cookies for a handful of almonds.

Colorectal cancer refers to cancer that develops in the colon or rectum. Most colorectal cancers are due to lifestyle factors and increasing age. A recent Harvard School of Public Health study suggests that calcium supplements or calcium-fortified non-dairy products may reduce the risk of developing colorectal cancer.

For their analysis, the researchers examined 15 studies that included 12,305 incidences of colorectal cancer. The participants in the studies had calcium intakes ranging from 250 to 1,900 mg/day and the studies lasted from 3.3 to 16 years.

The researchers found that every 300 mg of calcium from supplements was associated with a 9% reduced risk in developing colorectal cancer. Additionally, every 300 mg increase in total calcium was associated with an 8% reduced risk.

The study was published in the October 2014 issue of the International Journal of Cancer.

Calcium is best known for its effect on bone health, but previous studies suggest it can also help with weight loss, skin health, and reducing the risk of stroke. Some studies have even suggested that calcium intake is associated with increased longevity.

Calcium absorption decreases as we age, so it is especially important to make sure you are getting enough. Try adding more dairy products or start taking a high quality supplement if you’re trying to increase your calcium intake.

Results from previous individual studies that have looked at the link between prediabetes and cancer have been controversial. For a new study, researchers pooled the data from several such studies and found that prediabetes was associated with a 15% increased overall risk of developing cancer.

Prediabetes is when a person’s blood glucose levels are higher than normal but not high enough to be type-2 diabetes. People with prediabetes are more likely to develop type-2 diabetes and may already be dealing with problems arising from diabetes.

The analysis looked at 16 studies that included a total of 891,426 participants from Asia, USA, Europe and Africa. After examining the data, the found that prediabetes was associated with a 15% increased risk of cancer regardless of cancer endpoint, age, duration of follow-up, or ethnicity of participant.

Higher BMI has also been associated with increased cancer risk, so the researchers performed a separate analysis of just the studies that adjusted for BMI, They found that, after controlling for BMI, prediabetes was associated with a 22% increased risk in developing cancer.

When the researchers examined specific types of cancer, they found that prediabetes significantly increased the risk of stomach/colorectum, liver, pancreas, breast, and endometrium cancer. They did not, however, find an association between prediabetes and increased risk of bronchus/lung cancer, prostate, ovary, kidney, or bladder cancer.

Researchers from The First People’s Hospital of Shunde in China conducted the study. It was published in the September 2014 issue of Diabetologia.

A healthy diet and regular exercise are very important for reducing the risk of prediabetes and diabetes. Previous studies suggest that the antioxidants found in coffee, a compound called resveratrol that’s found in red wine, and omega-3s found primarily in fish may also help.

Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia. It gets progressively worse over time and affects memory, thinking and behavior. A recent study suggests that taking saffron supplements may be as effective in slowing the progression of Alzheimer’s as Memantine, a prescription drug used to treat the symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease.

Participants in the study included 68 Alzheimer’s patients who took either 30 mg of saffron or 20 mg of Memantine for a full year. They were evaluated every month using the Severe Cognitive Impairment Rating Scale and the Functional Assessment Staging Test in order to measure cognitive decline.

At the conclusion of the study, the researchers found no significant difference in cognitive decline between the prescription drug and the saffron supplement groups. This suggests that saffron may be as effective as the prescription drug in slowing the progression of Alzheimer’s disease.

The researchers believe that these results could be due to saffron blocking amyloid ? in the brain. Amyloid ? is an amino acid whose build up in the brain is associated with Alzheimer’s disease.

Researchers from the Tehran University of Medical Sciences in Iran conducted the study. It was published in the July 2014 issue of Human Psychopharmacology.

Saffron is a common ingredient in East Indian and Middle Eastern cooking.

Previous studies suggest that saffron may help relieve asthma, whooping cough, and regular cough by loosening phlegm. It has also been used to aid people with sleep problems, gas, and depression.

Osteoarthritis is the most common form of arthritis. It occurs when the cartilage between people’s joints wears down. A recent study suggests that taking a supplement with 500 mg of eggshell membrane may reduce symptoms of osteoarthritis.

Eggshell membrane contains high levels of protein, as well as moderate levels of glucosamine, chondroitin sulcate, hyaluronic acid, and collagen.

Participants in the study included 44 people between the ages of 32 and 95. They were given either a supplement containing 500 mg of eggshell membrane or a placebo daily for 60 days. They were asked to answer ten pain-related questions at the 1-, 30 and 60-day marks.

At the 10-day mark, one quarter of the participants who received the supplement reported 14% improvement in seven out of nine painful symptoms. These included going up and down the stairs, getting in and out of a car, pain when walking on level ground and pain when sitting with legs bent for an extended period of time. At the conclusion of the study, 75% of the participants reported improvements, with a 35.6% improvement in pain symptoms.

Additionally, there was a 29.3% reduction in stiffness in participants who received the supplement.

Researchers from Weber and Weber GmbH and Co. in Germany conducted the study. It was published on July 20, 2014, in the Journal of Arthritis.

Previous studies suggest that eggshell membrane may have skin health benefits in addition to the relief from arthritis pain that this study highlights. If you’re looking for the benefits seen in this study, your best bet is to take a daily supplement that contains eggshell membranes.

Hearing loss is a very common and often debilitating health problem that comes with aging. Researchers are beginning to identify potentially modifiable risk factors that may prevent or delay acquired hearing loss. A recent study suggests that eating two or more servings of fish per week may lower the risk of developing hearing loss in women.

Participants in the study included 65,215 women who took part in the Nurses’ Health Study II, which took place from 1991 to 2009 and had a total of 1,038,093 person-years of follow-up. Consumption of types of fish, long-chain omega-3 fatty acids and self-reported incidences of hearing loss were recorded. During the follow-up, 11,606 women developed hearing loss.

When researchers examined the correlation between fish consumption and hearing loss, they found that the women who consumed two or more servings per week were 20% less likely to develop hearing loss compared with those who rarely consumed fish.

The researchers also looked at consumption of specific types of fish and found that eating more of any type of fish was inversely associated with the risk of developing hearing loss. Additionally, higher consumption of long-chain omega-3 fatty acids was inversely associated with risk.

Researchers from Brigham and Women’s Hospital conducted the study. It was published online ahead of print on September 10, 2014, in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

Omega-3s have been linked to a number of health benefits, including improved joint mobility, helping with age related macular degeneration, better moods, and aiding your immune system.

Because omega-3 fatty-acids are not found naturally in the human body, it is especially important to make sure that they are a part of your daily diet. Oily, dark fish such as tuna and salmon are high in omega-3s. If you don’t like fish, consider taking a daily high quality non-fish supplement that has been tested for purity and potency.

The majority of postmenupausal American women do not get the daily recommended amount of potassium from food. A recent study suggests that those who do are at a lower risk of having a stroke and of dying prematurely than those who do not.

Participants in the study included 90,137 postmenopausal women between the ages of 50 and 79. The researchers followed them for an average of 11 years. They tracked how much potassium the women consumed in addition to whether or not they had strokes or died during the study period.

On average, the women had a dietary potassium intake of 2,611 mg/day at the onset of the study, which is lower than the recommended 4,700 my/day. At the conclusion of the study, the researchers found that the women who ate the most potassium were 12% less likely to suffer from a stroke and 16% less likely to suffer from an ischemic stroke than the women who ate the least. They were also 10% less likely to die prematurely.

When the researchers looked specifically at women who did not have hypertension, they found that the women who ate the most potassium had a 27% lower risk of ischemic stroke and a 21% lower risk of all strokes when compared with those who ate the least.

For women with hypertension, those who ate the most potassium were at a lower risk of premature death but no correlation was found between their potassium intake and their risk of stroke.

Researchers from Albert Einstein College of Medicine conducted the study. It was published in the September 2014 issue of Stroke.

Potassium has also been linked with helping prevent hypoglycemia, diabetes, obesity and kidney disease. It may also help counteract muscle cramps.

Many foods are rich in potassium, including beans, avocados, bananas, whole grains, sweet potatoes, beet greens, tomato paste, yogurt, bananas and peaches. The USDA recommends that adults get 4,700 mg of potassium per day. If your family has a history of ischemic stroke, you may want to consider consuming closer to 6,000 mg daily.

Sitting for long periods of time – as most Americans do every day at work – increases the risk of decreased endothelial function in the legs, high cholesterol, larger waist circumference, cardiovascular disease, and metabolic disease. A recent study suggests that taking as few as three five minute walks could reduce the harm done to leg arteries as a result of three hours of sitting.

Participants in the two-part study included 11 non-obese, healthy men between the ages of 20 and 35. In the first part of the study, the men sat for three hours without moving their legs. The researchers measured the functionality of the femoral artery using a blood pressure cuff and ultrasound technology, which they checked at the one, two, and three-hour marks.

The researchers found that flow-mediated dilation (or expansion of the arteries) was lowered by as much as 50% after only one hour of sitting.

In the second part of the study, the men also sat for three hours but walked on a treadmill for five minutes at a speed of 2 mph at the 30-minute, 1.5 hour, and 2.5 hour marks. Functionality of the femoral artery was also measured at those time intervals and flow-mediated dilation remained the same throughout the three-hour period.

This means that the damage from sitting for three hours – noted in the first part of the study – was not present when the men took the three five minute walks.

Researchers from Indiana University conducted the study. It was published online ahead of print on August 18, 2014, in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise.

Previous clinical studies suggest that even moderate exercise may reduce your risk of dying prematurely, help with blood sugar control, reduce body weight, improve heart health and improve respiratory health.

Even a brisk ten-minute walk a day can help. Look for ways to incorporate exercise into your daily routine; you’d be surprised how many opportunities there are to get up and get moving.

People with epilepsy are at a higher risk of osteoporosis and are also two to six times more likely to suffer from fractures due to seizures, poor balance, inactivity, low bone mineral density, and poor calcium intake. A recent study suggests that people with epilepsy who are taking anti epileptic drugs should consider taking vitamin D supplements, as they are at an increased risk of vitamin D deficiency and poor bone health. 

Participants in the study included 596 epilepsy patients with a mean age of 41. The same two clinicians at the Emory University Epilepsy Center treated all of the patients from 2008 to 2011. Fifty-six percent of them were women, 55% Caucasian, 34% Black, 2% Asian, and 7% Unknown.

While 32% of the US general population is vitamin D deficient, the researchers found that 45% of the patients with epilepsy who were taking antiepileptic drugs (AED) were vitamin deficient. For this study, deficiency was considered to be less than 20 ng/ml. The mean vitamin D level for the AED patients was 22.5 ng/ml.

The results also differed based on which types of AEDs the patients were on. Fifty-four percent of those who took enzyme-inducing AEDs were deficient, whereas only 37% on non-enzyme inducing AEDs were deficient. 

Researchers from Emory Healthcare, Emory University, and Stanford University conducted the study. It was published online ahead of print on July 6, 2014, in Epilepsy Research.

Previous studies have associated vitamin D with reducing the risk of skin damage, reducing the risk of osteoporosis, combating diabetes, and improving age related macular degeneration.

Vitamin D can be found in milk, fortified cereals, fish, and eggs. Your body also processes vitamin D from the sun but it becomes harder for our bodies to process it as we age. A high quality vitamin D supplement is always a good option if you feel that you’re not getting enough through diet and sun.