Marijuana smoking better for lungs than cigarettes

Marijuana smoking, at least at moderate levels, does not harm lungs but actually improves airflow rates and lung capacity. That’s the finding of a recent study published in the January 11, 2012 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association. Large-scale…

Vitamin D is a prognostic marker in heart failure, study finds

Survival rates in heart failure patients with reduced levels of vitamin D are lower than in patients with normal levels. This is the finding of a major study carried out in the Netherlands.

Stomach bacteria need vitamin to establish infection, research finds

Scientists have determined that Helicobacter pylori, the bacterium that causes peptic ulcers and some forms of stomach cancer, requires the vitamin B6 to establish and maintain chronic infection, according to new research. This finding, along with the identification of the enzyme the microbe requires to utilize the vitamin, could lead to the development of an entirely new class of antibiotics.

Vitamin D supplementation can reduce falls in nursing care facilities

Giving people living in nursing facilities vitamin D can reduce the rate of falls, according to a new review. This finding comes from a study of many different interventions used in different situations. In hospitals, multifactorial interventions and supervised exercise programs also showed benefit.

Fruit Juices Contain More Vitamin C Than Their Labels Indicate, Spanish Study Finds

A team of pharmacists from Spain has established that the levels of vitamin C in many fruit juices and soft drinks are far higher than those indicated on their labels by the manufacturers. This finding has been possible owing to a new technique developed by the researchers to determine the content of vitamin C in these kinds of drinks.