Tag Archives: Acid

Paralvinella hessleri: The yellow worm that lives in acid and fights poison with poison

Paralvinella hessleri: The yellow worm that lives in acid and fights poison with poison

QUICK FACTS Name: Paralvinella hessleri Where it lives: Pacific Ocean What it eats: Bacteria and organic debris around hydrothermal vents Deep-sea creatures are uniquely adapted to living in extreme environments, and the worm Paralvinella hessleri is no exception. In fact, it survives high levels of toxic chemicals like arsenic by creating its own poison. P. hessleri is a member of …

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Should You Take Folic Acid for Pregnancy? What Experts Say

Should You Take Folic Acid for Pregnancy? What Experts Say

Photo-Illustration: The Cut; Photo: Getty If you’re planning to get pregnant, one of the first things your doctor will tell you is to take a daily prenatal vitamin with folic acid. That’s because folic acid — the synthetic form of folate, or vitamin B9 — has been shown to help prevent neural-tube defects, including anencephaly and spina bifida. In a healthy pregnancy, …

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Dietician warns how you drink water can make acid reflux symptoms WORSE

Dietician warns how you drink water can make acid reflux symptoms WORSE

Being well hydrated matters to our health, but the way you drink water can have a harmful impact on digestion in the long term and exacerbate symptoms of acid reflux, a leading dietician has warned.  Whilst drinking water is undeniably better for you than sipping on cans of Coca-Cola, experts have warned that this simple switch alone is not guaranteed …

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Brain tumours in mice grow more slowly when starved of key amino acid

Brain tumours in mice grow more slowly when starved of key amino acid

A highly lethal type of brain tumour often steals key nutrients to aid its aggressive growth — a habit that can be exploited to slow the cancer’s spread, scientists have found1. Experiments show that many brain tumours called glioblastomas grab serine, a crucial amino acid, from their environment rather than synthesizing it themselves: a metabolic Achilles’ heel. The scientists fed …

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Scientists discover amino acid switch that turns fat into a calorie-burning furnace

Scientists discover amino acid switch that turns fat into a calorie-burning furnace

Consuming fewer calories is largely accepted as a way to improve health and lose weight, but a recently published study in Nature Metabolism points to a specific sulfur-containing amino acid cysteine as a key component in weight loss. In the study “Cysteine depletion triggers adipose tissue thermogenesis and weight loss,” researchers discovered that when study participants restricted their calorie intake, …

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How Drinking Water Can Cause Acid Reflux

How Drinking Water Can Cause Acid Reflux

It’s hard to go anywhere in the summer without being faced with another reminder to stay well hydrated. But while proper hydration is important for your health and avoiding heat-related illness, doctors say that going about it the wrong way could mess with your stomach. Issues specifically show up in the form of acid reflux, aka gastroesophageal reflux. It seems …

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