Latest news with #Physiology
Irish Daily Mirror
22-04-2025
- Health
- Irish Daily Mirror
Eating this household fruit could lower high blood pressure, say experts
Could eating bananas be the secret to keeping high blood pressure at bay? It seems that may indeed be the case, according to recent Canadian research which hints at the benefits of boosting the dietary potassium to sodium ratio for reducing blood pressure. Speaking on the findings, Dr Anita Layton from the University of Waterloo in Ontario said: "Usually, when we have high blood pressure, we are advised to eat less salt. Our research suggests that adding more potassium-rich foods to your diet, such as bananas or broccoli, might have a greater positive impact on your blood pressure than just cutting sodium." Given our ancestral diets were rich in fruits and vegetables offering a high intake of potassium versus sodium, it's suggested by researchers that human regulatory systems could be optimized for such a nutritional balance. Lead author of the study, Melissa Stadt, said: "Today, western diets tend to be much higher in sodium and lower in potassium. That may explain why high blood pressure is found mainly in industrialized societies, not in isolated societies." Building upon existing evidence that boosting potassium can aid blood pressure control, the team has developed a mathematical model pinpointing how potassium-to-sodium ratios affect the human body, reports Surrey Live. High blood pressure, also known as hypertension, can lead to serious health issues such as heart attacks or strokes. However, it can be managed through lifestyle modifications and medication. It's particularly prevalent among the elderly, with risk factors including age, poor diet, and obesity. Other contributing factors include smoking, excessive alcohol consumption, long-term stress, and ethnicity - with those of Black African, Black Caribbean, or South Asian descent being more susceptible, according to NHS guidelines. If you suspect you may have hypertension, are at risk, or are over 40 and haven't had a check-up in over five years, it's recommended to get your blood pressure checked. While it typically doesn't present any symptoms, some people may experience headaches, chest pain, and blurred vision. The study, published in the American Journal of Physiology, Renal Physiology, also examined the impact of gender on hypertension risk. The findings revealed that men across all races are more likely to develop high blood pressure than pre-menopausal women of the same age. However, the research noted that post-menopause, the prevalence of hypertension in women begins to increase, eventually surpassing that of men. To maintain a healthy blood pressure, the NHS recommends sticking to a balanced diet and getting in at least 150 minutes of exercise each week. If you're carrying extra weight, shedding some pounds could also be beneficial.
Yahoo
07-03-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
There is a 'third state' between life and death
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. The death of an organism does not spell the end for its cells, according to new research. Cells have been shown to continue to function even after the organism they originated from is deceased, oftentimes developing new biological functions. The findings call into question what defines life and death, and open up a new area of medicine. The new research, published in the journal Physiology, suggests the boundary between life and death may not be as clear-cut as previously thought. "Life and death are traditionally viewed as opposites," said study co-authors Peter Noble, a microbiology professor at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, and Alex Pozhitkov, a bioinformatics researcher at the City of Hope cancer center, on The Conversation. "However, the emergence of new multicellular lifeforms from the cells of a dead organism introduces a 'third state' that lies beyond the conventional boundaries of life and death." There has been a range of evidence that the death of an organism does not necessarily signal the death of its cells, especially with organ, tissue and cell transplants. The new review expands on that idea, looking at other studies showing "the incredible capability of cells to reorganize and take on new forms after the death of the organism," said Essentially, "under the right conditions — when provided with nutrients, oxygen, bioelectricity or biochemical cues — certain cells can grow into multicellular organisms with new functions after death," said IFLScience. One of the most promising pieces of research was a 2021 study that found the skin cells from dead frogs could spontaneously reorganize to form multicellular organisms called "xenobots." These are "cells that form new roles beyond their original biological function," said Popular Mechanics, like "using hairlike cilia for locomotion rather than transporting mucus." Xenobots also showed the ability to collect material, record information, self-heal and limit replication. Similar results have been found in human lung cells, "which can assemble into miniature multicellular organisms called anthrobots, move around and even repair themselves and nearby neurons," said IFL Science. Both of those findings "demonstrate the inherent plasticity of cellular systems and challenge the idea that cells and organisms can evolve only in predetermined ways," said Noble and Pozhitkov. "The third state suggests that organismal death may play a significant role in how life transforms over time." Cells can enter a third state only under certain conditions, however, and researchers are still not entirely sure how they can continue to function after the death of the organism. One explanation, "reminiscent of Frankenstein-style ideas," said "involves a hidden system of 'electrical circuits' that reanimate the cells." Others have posited that when "cells are taken out of context and are no longer exchanging information or signals from nearby cells, different genes can be expressed than what's normal," said Popular Mechanics. The findings have also given rise to the idea that cells may have a level of "consciousness" that allows them to have their own agency. Exploring this third state "represents a novel and exciting avenue for medical research," Noble said to IFL Science. "Cells in the third state may potentially be engineered to solve medical problems, such as serving as drug delivery systems."
