Latest news with #ForYou
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
This Popular Supplement May Help With Alzheimer's Symptoms
Creatine is everywhere on social media right now, with recs coming from influencers and health experts. Research is starting to find that the popular supplement can do more than help you build muscle. In a small pilot trial published in a journal, researchers found that creatine monohydrate may help improve cognitive function in individuals with Alzheimer's Disease. It's hard to cruise your For You feed right now without being faced with yet another testimonial about the perks of taking a creatine supplement. While creatine is the supplement du jour, there is solid data to support its use—mostly around fitness. But a growing body of research suggests that creatine may do more than help you build muscles, including easing depression and helping with brain fog after a bad night's sleep. Now, a new study suggests that there may be some benefit to using creatine to boost cognition in people with Alzheimer's disease. The research is very early and this is technically a pilot trial (which is basically a trial run). But the findings bring up a number of questions about whether something as simple as adding a creatine supplement could help improve symptoms in people with such a devastating condition. Here's what the study, found plus what doctors and nutritionists recommend keeping in mind. Meet the experts: Amit Sachdev, MD, is the medical director in the Department of Neurology at Michigan State University; Albert Matheny, RD, CSCS, is co-founder of SoHo Strength Lab; Matthew Taylor, PhD, RD, is a study co-author, assistant professor, and director of the KU Brain Nutrition Laboratory at University of Kansas Medical Center; Clifford Segil, DO, is a neurologist at Providence Saint John's Health Center in Santa Monica, CA The study, which was published in the journal Alzheimer's & Dementia Translational Research & Clinical Interventions, looked into the 'feasibility' of patients with Alzheimer's disease taking 20 grams a day of creatine monohydrate (the most widely studied form of creatine) for eight weeks. The researchers looked at how compliant the patients were (i.e. how likely they were to take the supplement). They also monitored levels of creatine in the patients' blood at the start, four weeks, and eight weeks later, along with levels of creatine in their brains. They also tested the patients' cognition at the start of the study and after eight weeks. The researchers found that 19 of the 20 participants were more than 80 percent compliant with taking the creatine during the study. They also found that creatine levels went up in their blood after four and eight weeks, and that creatine in the brain increased by 11 percent. And here's the really interesting part: The researchers discovered that the patients had better improvements in cognitive tests, including sorting and reading, along with tests to measure attention and response, after eight weeks of creatine supplementation. The researchers concluded that the findings provide 'preliminary evidence' for more research. 'We decided to do this study because there were a couple of recent studies in mice suggesting that, in a mouse model of Alzheimer's, creatine monohydrate supplementation may be beneficial,' says study co-author Matthew Taylor, PhD, RD, assistant professor and director of the KU Brain Nutrition Laboratory at University of Kansas Medical Center. 'Prior to this study, no work had been done in humans with Alzheimer's, so it was the right time to start looking at it as a potentially beneficial supplement for Alzheimer's.' The study didn't look into this, but there are some theories. 'The brain requires a lot of energy, but in Alzheimer's, brain energy metabolism drastically declines,' Taylor explains. 'Creatine is a very important substance for transporting energy produced by our mitochondria and increasing creatine levels may even encourage mitochondria to produce more energy.' Albert Matheny, RD, CSCS, co-founder of SoHo Strength Lab, co-signs that theory. Creatine helps to produce adenosine triphosphate (ATP), 'and ATP is the brain's primary energy source,' he says. Adding more creatine to the body could, in theory, help support cognition in people with Alzheimer's disease, Matheny adds. Creatine may also have other roles, like decreasing inflammation and oxidative stress in the body, which could potentially help with symptoms of Alzheimer's disease, Taylor says. 'Each of these roles could help with cognitive function in Alzheimer's, but we still have so much to learn about the roles of this molecule in the brain,' he says. We're not there yet. Again, this was a pilot study and it simply found that people who have Alzheimer's disease may be able to regularly take creatine supplements and might have a boost in cognition as a result. But this doesn't mean that people with Alzheimer's disease should take creatine, says Amit Sachdev, MD, medical director in the Department of Neurology at Michigan State University. 'I would not advise the use of creatine with the goal of improving cognition,' he says, noting that there's not yet 'well-established data to support this use.' Clifford Segil, DO, a neurologist at Providence Saint John's Health Center in Santa Monica, CA, agrees. "We are not at a point that creatine supplementation for brain health is an accepted supplement," he says. Taylor agrees. 'Our study is far from a definitive study,' he says. 'Well-designed, placebo-controlled clinical trials are needed to determine whether creatine is beneficial for Alzheimer's. I would suggest Alzheimer's patients and their families discuss taking any supplement with their neurologist.' You Might Also Like Can Apple Cider Vinegar Lead to Weight Loss? Bobbi Brown Shares Her Top Face-Transforming Makeup Tips for Women Over 50
Ammon
18-05-2025
- Health
- Ammon
TikTok rolls out new meditation feature to help you sleep
Ammon News - TikTok is launching in-app guided meditation exercises, the social network announced on Thursday. The company began testing the meditation exercises with select teens earlier this year and is now making the feature available to all users on its app. The idea behind the feature is to help users improve their sleep quality and encourage them to put the app down during those late-night endless scrolling sessions. For teens under the age of 18, meditation will be turned on by default. If a teen is using the app after 10 p.m., their For You feed will be interrupted by a guided meditation exercise that encourages them to wind down for the night. The meditation features a calming screen and soft music alongside breathing exercises. Teach Crunch
Daily Mirror
17-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Eurovision's Scooch stars now unrecognisable from total makeover to health scare
As Eurovision fever grips the nation, we take a look at 2007 UK entrants Scooch, who had a hit in the UK singles chart and ask what the band members are up to now Scooch were a household name in the mid-noughties, famed for disastrously representing the UK at the Eurovision Song Contest in 2007 with their song Flying The Flag (For You), despite the tune doing well in the UK singles charts. The group infamously donned flight crew attire as part of their quest for Euro victory and embarked on a plane-themed dance routine with tongue-in-cheek lyrics. "Flying high in Amsterdam, why don't you catch us if you can?" was one line as well as, "Would you like something to suck on for landing, sir?" and, "We wish you a very pleasurable journey." The pop group shot to fame in the 1990s after securing victory in a competition on BBC One's Live And Kicking TV show, which led to their debut single release. The group was made up of Natalie Powers, Caroline Barnes, David Ducasse, and Russ Spencer. They quickly garnered low-key fame, landing gigs as opening acts for successful acts such as B*Witched and Five. Then in 2007, Scooch were selected to represent the UK at Eurovision, but their entry was considered a flop after they only secured a 22nd spot - out of a possible 24 - with a disappointing 19 points. But what happened to them after the event? Some 18 years after they represented the UK, you may not recognise the foursome today. David now has a full black beard while Russ has gone from blonde to brunette. However, the girls appear frozen in time, looking almost as youthful as they did during their performance almost two decades ago. Natalie embarked on new musical ventures, recording a new track called Shattered Glass and became a mum to two children, with her second son, Max, arriving in 2008. She decided to use her musical skills to become a coach and start teaching students at the All Stars Academy. Having built a career together singing love songs, Caroline Barnes fell head over heels for her bandmate Russ Spencer after the Eurovision. Caroline said: 'We both had other partners during Eurovision, but I think we eventually just came to the realisation we were in love with each other. A year later we were a couple.' Reflecting on their Eurovision experience, Caroline remembered: 'We felt like proper A-Listers… for one week. Our performance on the night all went to plan and the crowd erupted. We were all so giddy. There was a small part of us that thought, 'Maybe we could win this.'' Caroline is a pilates instructor, while Russ juggles multiple roles as a producer, company manager and resident director. They split their time between London and Marbella, and love to travel. David continues to perform today, with his social media bio listing him as an actor and singer. In 2019, David had a terrifying health scare when he was hospitalised after suffering a heart attack. Speaking about the incident in an interview with The Shields Gazette, David revealed that doctors found a blocked artery and a blood clot, which had been putting pressure on his heart. Now on permanent medication, the experience inspired him to quit smoking, as he encouraged fans to check their family history for hereditary heart conditions. He resides in South Shields with his husband Gareth, who owns his own hair salon. The couple share a pet dog named Rocky Ducasse.
New York Post
16-05-2025
- Health
- New York Post
TikTok to launch meditation feature as it faces slew of lawsuits alleging it's harming kids' mental health
TikTok said it is launching a meditation feature on its platform for all teen users as it faces several lawsuits accusing it of harming children's mental health with addictive features and dangerous content. The Meditation in Sleep Hours feature will be automatically switched on for all users under 18, the ByteDance-owned social media platform said in a press release Thursday. If a teen uses TikTok after 10 p.m., their For You feed will be interrupted by a guided meditation to help them wind down for a better night's sleep. If they continue to scroll, their feed will be interrupted by a second, full-screen prompt. TikTok on Thursday said it is launching a meditation feature on its platform for all teen users. REUTERS Adult users can turn on the feature from the Screen Time settings page. The new feature is similar to another one the video-sharing platform has been testing that interrupts teen users' feeds with calming music and a video encouraging them to take a break. The company also said it was making a $2.3 million donation in ad credits to 31 mental health groups around the world. The moves come amid lawsuits, as well as backlash from politicians and mental health advocates, that accuse TikTok of being intentionally addictive and for stealing minors' personal information. In October, 14 attorneys general, led by officials in New York and California, filed lawsuits accusing the platform of damaging young users' mental health and stealing their personal information without consent. Government officials, including former Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, have warned the app contributes to high rates of depression and anxiety in US teens. TikTok has denied the claims, saying it has safeguards in place for young users and that it has worked with the attorneys general over the years. While TikTok says users must be at least 13 to create an account, the Justice Department and Federal Trade Commission in August filed a civil lawsuit accusing TikTok and ByteDance of collecting personal information from children under this age limit. The teen safety features come as several lawsuits have criticized the platform's harmful impact on young users. AP The suit alleged the app had insufficient guidelines in place to identify and delete accounts created by children. TikTok and ByteDance did not immediately respond to The Post's requests for comment. President Trump has long taken aim at TikTok, which is owned by a Chinese company, over national security concerns, first attempting to ban the platform in 2020 during his first term. The app went offline for less than 24 hours earlier this year after the Supreme Court upheld a law to ban TikTok unless ByteDance divested its stake to a US-based company. Trump signed an executive order to revive the app, and has repeatedly delayed the ban's deadline, which has now been extended to June.
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
TikTok Announces Expanded Mental Health Support, Including Meditation Prompts In-App
This story was originally published on Social Media Today. To receive daily news and insights, subscribe to our free daily Social Media Today newsletter. TikTok's looking to help you remain in a healthy frame of mind, with in-app guided meditation, and expanded support for mental health services, which will enable more users to get assistance as required via the app. First off, on meditation. TikTok's rolling out a new guided meditation feature, which will take you through the meditation process in-app. As you can see in these examples, TikTok's guided meditation will display animated on-screen prompts that you can follow along with, helping to regulate your breathing, and calm your mind. The new function will be built into TikTok's sleep prompts, helping users take a break from the app. As per TikTok: 'Research shows that mindful meditation can improve sleep quality in people of all ages, so we'll also introduce Meditation in Sleep Hours to all our users, regardless of their age. For teens under age 18, it will be turned on by default. If a teen decides to use TikTok after 10pm, their For You feed will be interrupted by a guided meditation exercise, helping them wind down for the night.' So you'll now be nudged to stop scrolling and start relaxing, which TikTok says has proven beneficial this far: 'In our testing, 98% of the teens who meditated with TikTok decided to keep the meditation experience switched on.' Meditation has different levels of benefit for different people, but having these prompts built in, and displayed to a wide audience, could help to raise awareness of relaxation tactics, and how you can regulate yourself as required. TikTok's also partnering with child psychiatrist Dr. Willough Jenkins on a new series that'll showcase the Meditation in Sleep Hours feature in action. Finally, TikTok's also donating $2.3 million in ad credits to 31 mental health organizations in 22 countries around the world, as an expansion of its Mental Health Education Fund. The ad credits will help these organizations connect with in-need TikTok users, which could have expanded support and assistance benefits. Given TikTok's reach and popularity, particularly with impressionable younger users, these are important initiatives, which should help to connect more users with assistance that they can apply for themselves, along with professional services. And they may also help to reassure regulators as to how TikTok is looking to care for teens. Several regions are considering higher age restrictions on social media apps, in order to limit their mental health impacts. But maybe, with more in-app measures in place, that'll help to ease concerns on this front, and enable TikTok to reach more users.
