Snippet from the article:

Eating nuts could help protect against the development of type 2 diabetes in individuals who are already at high risk for the disease, 2 new studies suggest.

Researchers from Spain and the United States reported on the potential benefits of pistachio nuts and almonds, so-called “tree nuts,” here at the 2014 European Congress on Obesity. Mònica Bulló, MD, of the human nutrition unit at Virgili University, Reus, Spain, and senior author on the pistachio study, told Medscape Medical News: “I would advise people to eat a handful of nuts whenever they can.”

Her study, conducted in 49 overweight or obese prediabetic subjects, showed that 57 g of pistachios daily for 4 months significantly reduced fasting glucose, insulin, and insulin resistance. Importantly, there was no change in body weight after eating the nuts.

The other trial, presented in a poster by Sze Yen Tan, PhD, of department of nutrition science, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana, reported on 137 adults at elevated risk for diabetes who were randomized to consume 43 g of almonds per day — either with meals or as a snack — or to no almonds, for 4 weeks.

Read the rest — Eating Nuts May Help Pause Path to Type 2 Diabetes

Clearly a small study, but the results are promising. A second trial of 137 adults were given almonds, but the full results were not published yet.

We’re off today to pay respect to the men and women who gave their lives for their country… also known as the unofficial start of summer, Memorial Day. We’ll be back tomorrow!

Snippet from the article:

Two new studies published this week lend credence to the idea that when it comes to exercise, there apparently can be too much of a good thing.

In the first study, led by Dr. Nikola Drca (Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden), and published online May 14, 2014 in Heart, investigators report that men 30 years old, who exercised for more than five hours per week, had significantly higher risks of developing atrial fibrillation later in life compared to men who exercised less.

The report also showed that older adults who walked or rode their bicycle for about an hour per day had a significantly lower risk of atrial fibrillation compared with older adults who almost never participated in such recreational physical activity.

In the second study, led by Dr. Ute Mons (German Cancer Research Center, Heidelberg, Germany), also published in Heart, researchers studied the association of self-reported physical activity in 1038 subjects with stable coronary heart disease and confirmed previous findings of an increased risk of adverse events among inactive patients. However, they also found those who participated in daily “strenuous” physical activity had an increased risk of dying from cardiovascular causes.

Read the rest — Too Much Exercise: Studies Report J-Shaped Link Between Exercise and CVD Risks

I guess it boils down to: “Bike riding for older folks is good. Exercise for 30 year olds is bad.”

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A Japanese pub deep in the heart of white-collar Tokyo wants to help out their customers whose heads are showing the consequences of too much stress and hard work (and perhaps a bit of genetics too).

The restaurant hopes that instead of covering their heads with a complex comb-over or taking a cue from monks to shave it all off, “salarymen” white-collar workers treat their thinning hair as a badge of honor and proof of their dedication to help the struggling Japanese economy. And to show their support, the restaurant has announced a generous “balding discount” as a way of thanking follicly-challenged gents for sacrificing their precious locks for the country!

Read the rest — Tokyo pub offers “balding discount” for follicly-challenged diners

So if you find yourself in Tokyo, Japan and have some thinning hair, head on over to this pub to claim your discount!

Snippet from the article:

A Victorian charlatan who was banned from selling his miracle hair loss cures has lashed out at an A Current Affair crew after he was discovered selling similar products under a different name.

Hair industry professional Steve Sindris and his now defunct company Hair Science International was ordered by a Victorian Magistrates Court to pay a fine of $100,000 and banned from selling hair loss cures. He was also ordered by the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal to repay one of his customers the $3500 he charged for his dodgy solutions. Mr Sindris did not pay either and instead declared himself bankrupt.

When he was tracked down by A Current Affair, Mr Sindris was hocking the same wares but for a different company — The Hairloss Institute — which is tangled up in a complex international web of similar enterprises.

Read the rest — Hair-loss charlatan lashes out at reporter and crew

Australian readers, take note.

Snippet from the article:

Overwrought with worry over hair fall, a 47-year-old woman allegedly hanged herself from the ceiling fan at her flat in Bhayander late on Wednesday. The family of the deceased informed the police that the woman had been experiencing excessive hair fall over the past few months, and was worried about it. The Navghar police have registered an accidental death report in the case.

The deceased has been identified as Suparna Das, a resident of Krishna Park in Bhayender (East). Madhusudan, her husband said, “My wife used to look beautiful as she had long hair. A few months ago, she started suffering from excessive hair loss. We got her blood tests done to identify the cause. Since then, she had been very quiet. But I never thought that she would do something like this.”

Read the rest — Mumbai: Fed up of severe hair loss, woman commits suicide

This is a very sad story, but suicide is not uncommon in those with severe depression. When balding occurs in an unstable person who can not manage the added stress on their lives, this could be the end result. I am aware of two other such cases over the past 23 years.