Health & Fitness

A compound in rice bran may help calm an overactive gut by reducing the calcium signals that cause intestinal muscles to contract. Ferulic acid suppressed contractions triggered by several chemical messengers in laboratory experiments. The discovery could eventually support new dietary approaches for diarrhea-related digestive disorders, although it may make constipation worse.

from Top Health News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/pe2jVJH

Taking a daily multivitamin may help older adults preserve the strength and stamina needed for everyday activities. After three years, users reported better functional health than those taking a placebo, although the preliminary findings still require peer review.

from Top Health News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/SZq4W5f

A grocery-store audit found that many foods marketed for toddlers may be far less healthy than parents expect. Of nearly 2,800 products examined in Texas, 81% were ultra-processed, and almost half failed at least one World Health Organization nutrient standard, often because they contained too much sugar, sodium, fat, or too many calories.

from Top Health News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/ZPLEqWh

A major review found that exercise produces only small average improvements in hip osteoarthritis pain and physical function. It may still help some people, but researchers warn that current evidence is too limited to know which exercises work best.

from Top Health News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/oIyKATY

Dreams are not random mental noise. A large study of more than 3,700 dream and waking reports found that what we experience during sleep is shaped by both our personalities and the world around us. Rather than simply replaying daily events, the dreaming brain mixes memories, emotions, imagined possibilities, and familiar settings into vivid new scenarios.

from Top Health News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/6uMkB9C

Popular AI-powered food apps may make calorie counting easier, but they may also leave out a surprisingly large part of the meal. Four apps underestimated calories and fat by about one-third when tested against carefully prepared meals. High-fat ketogenic dishes appeared to cause the most trouble, while carbohydrates were measured more consistently.

from Top Health News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/rntdFAV

The Backrooms began as a single eerie image of empty yellow rooms, but internet users transformed it into a vast fictional world that feels disturbingly real. Through videos, games, maps, survival guides and social media stories, audiences do more than watch the horror unfold. They help build and explore it. Researchers suggest this popularity reflects a new kind of digital tourism, where people emotionally enter imaginary places filled with mystery, nostalgia and unease.

from Top Health News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/GsXS0KZ