Experts have highlighted a number of nutritional factors that influence our muscle mass and strength as we age.A healthy, balanced diet is important throughout our lifetime, but changes may need to be made as we get older to counter the ageing process.A common problem as we age is gradual loss…

A Canadian study has highlighted the importance of vitamin D supplementation for children.Much has been made of the importance of exposure to sunlight as a way of enabling the body to make enough vitamin D.But a new study suggests that, at least in children, using a high-quality vitamin D supplement…

Experts are concerned by the high rates of vitamin D deficiency in the UK.Vitamin D has fallen under the spotlight recently, with the nutrient playing many important roles in the body, such as supporting the development and maintenance of healthy bones and regulating cell growth.Increasingly, scientists are linking vitamin D…

Eating seven or eight portions of fruit and vegetables each day could be good for people's emotional wellbeing.People who are feeling blue may benefit from increasing their intake of fruit and vegetables, a new study has shown.Currently, we are advised to eat at least five daily portions of different fruits…

Early studies suggest that people whose genes make them susceptible to developing type-2 diabetes may benefit from boosting their intake of beta-carotene.People with a particular genetic predisposition to type-2 diabetes may benefit from taking supplements containing beta-carotene, preliminary research suggests.Scientists at Stanford University School of Medicine looked at people with…

A study suggests that people with recurring respiratory tract infections may benefit from boosting their levels of vitamin D.People who are prone to developing respiratory tract infections may benefit from taking a high-quality vitamin D supplement, new research suggests.Scientists at Sweden's Karolinska Institute looked at 140 patients with symptoms of…

Doubts over the effectiveness of key anti-influenza drug Tamiflu highlights the importance of helping the body to fight illness the natural way.There's little doubt that many pharmaceuticals have an important role to play in fighting illness, but the ongoing controversy over the influenza drug Tamiflu highlights the importance of not…

There has been a significant increase in the number of men being diagnosed with prostate cancer.Figures published by Cancer Research UK show that men's lifetime risk of being diagnosed with prostate cancer has almost trebled over the last 25 years.Whereas just one in 20 boys who were born in 1990…

Simple dietary changes can greatly reduce people's levels of inflammation and could even decrease their chances of developing many chronic diseases, scientists say.People with inflammatory diseases could benefit from as simple an approach as altering their diet, new research suggests.A number of chronic diseases involve inflammation, including heart disease, autoimmune…

Scientists may have improved their understanding of the causes of eczema, but there is still no cure and the best approach may be a natural, topical one.US scientists say they have discovered an underlying genetic cause of eczema - a find that could one day lead to new therapies for…