Yoga has long been touted as the one-stop solution to a healthy body, mind, and soul.

This ancient form of physical exercise works on different parts of the body to boost its overall function and well-being. Now a new study done by researchers from Universities of Coventry and Radboud states that yoga can also affect molecular reactions in the DNA and prevent risks of certain ailments.

Mind-body interventions (MBIs) such as meditation, yoga and Tai Chi can help reduce risk of depression and cancer by reversing the molecular reactions in DNA if practiced on a daily basis.

Stress is a common feature in our urban lifestyle. It is also one of the leading factors in causing various kinds of diseases.

When a person is exposed to a stressful event, their sympathetic nervous system (SNS) - the system responsible for the 'fight-or-flight' response - is triggered, in turn increasing production of a molecule called nuclear factor kappa B (NF-kB), which regulates how our genes are expressed.

NF-kB translates stress by activating genes to produce proteins called cytokines that cause inflammation at cellular level - a reaction that is useful as a short-lived fight-or-flight reaction, but if persistent, leads to a higher risk of cancer, accelerated aging and psychiatric disorders like depression.

According to the study, people who practise MBIs exhibit the opposite effect - namely a decrease in production of NF-kB and cytokines, leading to a reversal of the pro-inflammatory gene expression pattern and a reduction in the risk of inflammation-related diseases and conditions.

Lead investigator Ivana Buric said that millions of people around the world already enjoy the health benefits of mind-body interventions like yoga or meditation, but what perhaps these people do not realise is that these benefits begin at a molecular level and can change the way our genetic code goes about its business.

Cancer is the leading cause of mortality in the world, killing close to 9 million every year.

Although the exact cause of the disease is still unknown, it begins by the development of cancerous cells in one site of the body and then begin to multiply at a manic pace.

Once the disease progresses, it starts devouring the healthy cells in the body and outnumbering them.

These cells are so powerful that after a momentarily halt they become drug resistant and start progressing again.

Experts at the University of Salford, UK have found a novel way to kill these cancerous cells and stop them from becoming drug resistant.

According to a study published in journal Oncotarge, a combination of vitamin C and antibiotics may be up to 100 times more effective at killing cancer cells than standard drugs.

Vitamin C was found to be up to ten times more effective at stopping cancer cell growth than pharmaceuticals. When combined with an antibiotic, vitamin C can be up to ten times more effective in killing cancer cells - nearly 100 times more effective than a drug called 2-DG.Cancer cells are pretty efficient in switching their fuel source, this combination approach prevents cancer cells from changing their diet (metabolically inflexible), and effectively starves them, by preventing them from using any other available types of bio-fuels.

Cancer research remains highly underfunded all across the globe. In such circumstances, similar studies provide a promising future to the development of advanced cancer treatments.

Further trials are called for to study the combination therapy in detail.

Olive oil has long been touted as one of the best oils for human health as compared to other forms of oils. You can cook with it and can also add it in flavourful dips or just a drizzle atop garden fresh salads.

What makes olive oil such a hit is the abundance of good-for-you fats - monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA) - present in it.

Olive oil is therefore the best bet to guard yourself from the risk of cardiovascular diseases, high cholesterol and high blood pressure.

A team of researchers have found out another exciting benefit of olive oil. According to the study published in the Journal of Molecular Biology, a compound found in olive oil - oleic acid - may help keep brain cancer at bay.

"While we cannot yet say that olive oil in the diet helps prevent brain cancer, our findings do suggest that oleic acid can support the production of tumour-suppressing molecules in cells grown in the lab," lead researcher Gracjan Michlewski, University of Edinburgh in Britain was quoted by IANS.

Oleic acid is the primary compound found in olive oil and stimulates the production of a cancer-preventing cell molecule. Oleic acid is alternatively known as omega 9 and is easily found in ingredients like avocados, table olives and canola oil. Soybean, sunflower oil, peanut oil and palm oil are some of the secondary sources of oleic acid.


The effects of oleic acid on a cell molecule, known as miR-7 were examined. miR-7 is is known to suppress tumour formation in the brain.

Oleic acid seemed to prevent a cell protein, known as MSI2, from stopping production of miR-7. In this way, the olive oil component supports the production of miR-7, which helps prevent tumours from forming, the study said.

Researchers made their discoveries in tests on human cell extracts and in living cells in the laboratory. The study paves way to further investigations on oleic acid's role in cancer prevention, brain cancer specially.

You may want to cut down on the intake of highly processed food as a recent study has suggested a possible link between it and cancer.

Further exploration is needed, but these results suggest that the rapidly increasing consumption of ultra-processed foods “may drive an increasing burden of cancer in the next decades,” warned the researchers.

Ultra-processed foods include packaged baked goods and snacks, fizzy drinks, sugary cereals, ready meals and reconstituted meat products - often containing high levels of sugar, fat, and salt, but lacking in vitamins and fibre. They are thought to account for up to 50% of total daily energy intake in several developed countries.

A team of researchers based in France and Brazil evaluated potential associations between ultra-processed food intake and risk of overall cancer, as well as that of breast, prostate, and bowel (colorectal) cancers.

Their findings are based on 104,980 healthy French adults (22% men; 78% women) with an average age of 43 years who completed at least two 24-hour online dietary questionnaires, designed to measure usual intake of 3,300 different food items (NutriNet-Sante cohort study).

Several well known risk factors for cancer, such as age, sex, educational level, family history of cancer, smoking status and physical activity levels, were taken into account.

The results showed that a 10% increase in the proportion of ultra-processed foods in the diet was associated with increases of 12% in the risk of overall cancer and 11% in the risk of breast cancer. No significant association was found for prostate and colorectal cancers.

Further testing found no significant association between less processed foods (such as canned vegetables, cheeses and freshly made unpackaged bread) and risk of cancer, while consumption of fresh or minimally processed foods (fruits, vegetables, pulses, rice, pasta, eggs, meat, fish and milk) was associated with lower risks of overall cancer and breast cancer.

The gallbladder is an organ in our abdomen, placed below our liver, which acts as a reservoir for bile, also known as gall.

This gall is needed for the digestion of food. Human beings can live without gall bladder, which is why when recurrent formation of gallstones starts hindering your system, doctors often suggest removal of the organ from your body.

The surgery of removal of gall bladder is called cholecystectomy. In very rare cases, cholecystectomy is also suggested as a measure to prevent gall bladder cancer, but more often than not it is far too late to take the step.

If detected early, gall bladder cancer can be treated effectively, and chances of survival increases significantly, but most gallbladder cancers often cause no specific symptoms, which makes it difficult to be detected early.

The findings published in the journal The Lancet Oncology shed light on the discovery of two gene variations that has influenced increased risk of gall bladder cancer amongst Indians, and large parts of America and South-east Asia.

In the first large scale study of a kind, a team led by Indian and U.S researchers, identified several gene variants which may prompt the development gallbladder cancer in human beings, estimating that's as much as 25 per cent of gallbladder cancer risk could be explained by common genetic variants.

The findings are especially significant, because an enhanced understanding of the causes is expected to result in better treatments for the fatal disease.

Further hinting at a strong association with many genetic markers, he added that each of these markers may have small effects, "but in combination they can explain substantial variation in risk", Chatterjee added.

As part of their study, investigators, at Tata Memorial Centre gathered blood samples from 1,042 patients who were treated at the Centre's Hospital in Mumbai between September 2010 and June 2015., to study the genes which might contribute to gall bladder cancer.