Diabetes has been called an impending epidemic. By the year 2025, diabetes is projected to affect some 400 million people - that’s roughly 7% of the world’s adult population. And while type 1 diabetes cannot be predicted or prevented, you can reduce your risk for type 2 diabetes by maintaining a healthy weight and getting regular exercise.

And recent research points to a particular type of food with an already-stellar nutritional reputation that could provide powerful protection against type 2 diabetes … [Read more →]

Your breath can be a dead giveaway that you’ve eaten garlic or onions, your exhaled vapor letting everyone in your radius in on your lunch menu.

Bad breath is one thing, but did you know that certain types of breath stenches can be indicators of underlying conditions or diseases? For example, “fishy” breath may signal a kidney or liver problem. And now, new research reveals how your breath could be a diagnostic tool to detect cancer.

When a tumour grows, it creates a cascade of changes to genes and/or proteins that can create emissions of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Using a sensor likened to an “electronic nose”, researchers were able to not only distinguish between “healthy” breath and “cancerous” breath but also to detect what type of cancer is present.

Researchers noted the potential for such a diagnostic tool:

via British Journal of Cancer: The VOC signatures of the different types of cancer, with almost no overlapping among them, could lead to the development of a cost-effective, easy-to-use, portable, and non-invasive diagnostic tool for detecting lung, breast, colorectal, and prostate cancers through a single breath test, which could have a significant impact on cancer mortality through improved widespread screening.

The researchers are also hopeful that such a tool could distinguish stages of cancer and aid in the ongoing therapy and tracking of cancer recurrence.

Related: What your breath can tell you, How to prevent bad breath, How your taste buds could predict your cancer risk, Cancer staging

I’ll always remember the sign that hung on the fence around a childhood friend’s pool. It read, “I don’t swim in your toilet, so don’t pee in my pool.” The image of someone doing laps in the toilet bowl made me giggle - but I did take the point. Like most kids, I’d experienced that distinctly unpleasant sensation of wading into a “warm spot” in an otherwise cool, refreshing swimming pool.

And aside from the obvious ick factor, there may be real risks to weeing in the water… [Read more →]

Hey, dear reader. Feeling pretty good about yourself? Like, maybe because you’ve managed to squeeze in two workouts this week? Well, darn it if you’re not (probably) doing something right now to undermine all of your best efforts … [Read more →]

When was the last time you and your doctor discussed your cholesterol? Find out why you may be due for a cholesterol chat - even if your levels are currently normal … [Read more →]

Only cancer and heart disease kill more Canadians than stroke. And many of those who survive a stroke live with lingering disability.

A stroke, due to an interruption in the blood flow to the brain, causes a sudden loss of brain function and brain cell death. (To learn more about it, view this quick video showing what happens in a stroke.)

Now, a new study has found that 90 percent of all stroke risk can be blamed on just 10 risk factors - 5 of which you may be able to control and cross off of your risk list. [Read more →]