Articles

• Does sauna use help your heart and add years to your life? — Large Finnish studies link sauna use 4 or more times a week to fewer heart deaths and longer life. The catch: the evidence is observational.
• Does the Mediterranean diet help your heart? — Randomised trials including PREDIMED and CORDIOPREV found fewer heart attacks and strokes with a Mediterranean-style diet, plus a small blood-pressure drop.
• Does cold water immersion reduce soreness or blunt muscle growth? — Cold water immersion eases delayed muscle soreness after hard training, but regular ice baths after lifting blunt long-term muscle growth and strength.
• Does CoQ10 relieve statin muscle pain or improve heart health? — CoQ10 may help in heart failure when added to standard care, but evidence for relieving statin-related muscle aches remains mixed across clinical trials.
• Does tart cherry juice speed muscle recovery and lower uric acid? — Trials show tart cherry juice speeds muscle strength recovery after hard workouts and can modestly lower uric acid, though evidence in gout remains mixed.
• Does psyllium husk lower LDL cholesterol and improve digestion? — Clinical trials show psyllium husk eases constipation, softens stools, and modestly lowers LDL cholesterol, but taking it with enough water is essential.
• Do zinc lozenges actually shorten a common cold? — Randomised trials show zinc lozenges can shorten a cold by two to three days if started early, though side effects and product formulations vary.
• Can berberine really match metformin for blood sugar and weight? — Trials show berberine lowers blood sugar almost as much as metformin, with modest weight loss, but supplement quality and drug interactions remain hurdles.
• Does rhodiola rosea combat mental fatigue and burnout? — Trials show standardized rhodiola rosea extracts can reduce mental fatigue and burnout symptoms under stress, but small sample sizes leave questions open.
• Does coffee help you live longer? What the large studies show — Large reviews link 3 to 4 cups of coffee a day with lower death rates. The studies are observational and cannot prove cause.
• Does creatine help your brain? What the trials show so far — Creatine is known for muscle. Small trials hint it may help memory and ease some thinking lapses after a sleepless night, but the evidence is limited.
• Does daily melatonin stop your body from making its own? — Daily melatonin does not stop your body from making its own hormone. Clinical trials show no signs of tolerance, physical dependence, or rebound insomnia.
• Does beetroot juice improve exercise performance? — Beetroot juice may add a little to endurance in healthy adults. Time trials, sprints and training gains show little or mixed benefit.
• Does dark chocolate lower blood pressure? — Flavanol-rich dark chocolate lowered blood pressure by about 2 points in short trials. The effect is small and the evidence is limited.
• Does ashwagandha reduce cortisol and anxiety? — Trials show standardized ashwagandha extracts modestly reduce anxiety and cortisol, but small sample sizes, study flaws, and rare liver risks warrant caution.
• Does cinnamon help lower blood sugar? — Several meta-analyses link cinnamon to lower fasting blood sugar, but results are mixed, most trials are small, and some cassia cinnamon contains coumarin.
• Does olive oil protect your heart? — A large trial found fewer major heart events on a diet with extra virgin olive oil. Olive oil alone has not clearly lowered cholesterol or blood pressure.
• Does walking help you sleep better? — Trials in people with cancer or insomnia suggest walking may help sleep. The studies are small, so the gains are modest and uncertain.
• Do nuts lower cholesterol? Trials show a small LDL drop — Pooled trials show eating nuts lowers 'bad' LDL cholesterol a little. Heart-attack benefit is not established, and the trials did not measure it.
• Is green tea good for your health? What matcha and green tea trials show — Pooled trials show small drops in weight and blood pressure with green tea. Concentrated extracts may raise liver enzymes. We found no matcha trials.