Tag

Randomized Controlled Trial

All articles tagged with #randomized controlled trial

health2 days ago•9 min saved

A Daily Glass of Juice May Boost Mood While Meeting 5-a-Day

In a 4-week randomized trial with 42 adults who started with low fruit/vegetable intake, adding a daily glass of 100% fruit juice or a smoothie to a plan aimed at reaching 5-a-day increased fiber intake by 8–10 g/day and produced a modest, statistically significant reduction in depression scores (2.52 points on a 27-point scale) compared with a control group, with no adverse metabolic effects and no increase in anxiety or gut symptoms. Financial and educational support helped participants meet targets, suggesting a simple, affordable dietary change can support mental wellbeing while improving diet quality.

via Neuroscience News|

#5-a-day #depression #fruit-juice

science4 days ago•31 min saved

Six Months of One Avocado a Day Does Not Boost Cognitive Health in Overweight Adults

A six-month randomized trial with 251 adults who had central obesity found no significant cognitive improvements from eating one avocado daily compared to a control group. Memory, processing speed, and executive function showed no meaningful gains, with any minor improvements likely due to practice effects rather than the avocado. Age did not alter the outcome, suggesting that a single nutrient-dense food is not a quick fix for brain health and that effects may depend on weight status or require broader dietary changes.

via PsyPost|

#avocado #brain-health #cognitive-performance

health7 days ago•3 min saved

Maitake Mushrooms May Sharpen Memory in Older Adults, Study Finds

An 18-week, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial in 47 adults aged 60+ found daily intake of maitake mushroom paste (Y10M strain) improved overall MoCA scores and memory, with a rise in natural killer (NK) cell activity that correlated with cognitive gains; a second strain (C5304) showed no such improvement. The results hint at an immune-mediated mechanism linking maitake polysaccharides to cognitive preservation, but the study's small size and variability call for larger trials before changing dietary guidance.

via MycoStories|

#cognition #health #maitake-mushrooms

health7 days ago•6 min saved

Personalized gait tweaks ease knee osteoarthritis pain, study finds

A yearlong randomized trial found that individualized gait retraining—adjusting foot angle by a personalized amount to reduce knee loading—significantly reduced knee pain and slowed cartilage deterioration in medial knee osteoarthritis, with results comparable to pain medications. The six-week training used vibration feedback to help participants maintain their new walking pattern, and after a year participants stayed close to their prescribed angles. While promising, the approach requires specialized gait assessment and is not yet ready for wide clinical use; future delivery could involve wearable sensors or clinic-based PT.

via ScienceDaily|

#biomechanics #foot-progression-angle #gait-retraining

health9 days ago•8 min saved

Peppermint Oil Shows Potential to Lower Mild Hypertension in 20-Day Trial

A 20-day randomized, placebo-controlled study by researchers at the University of Lancashire found that taking 100 microliters of peppermint oil twice daily lowered systolic blood pressure by about 8.5 mmHg in adults with prehypertension or stage 1 hypertension, suggesting peppermint oil as a low-cost, well-tolerated option to help manage mild hypertension; the authors call for further research.

via SciTechDaily|

#blood-pressure #health #hypertension

health13 days ago•8 min saved

Align Your Workout With Your Body Clock for Bigger Health Gains

A randomized controlled trial found that scheduling exercise to fit an individual's chronotype—morning types at 8–11am, evening types at 6–9pm—improved blood pressure, aerobic fitness, blood glucose, cholesterol and sleep in people at risk of cardiovascular disease, compared with workouts at the opposite time; even when misaligned, exercise offers benefits, and intermediate chronotypes may be less sensitive to timing. Other factors like afternoon body temperature peaks and sleep pressure also shape performance, so while timing can help, regular activity and good sleep remain fundamental.

via ScienceAlert|

#cardiovascular-health #chronotype #circadian-rhythm

health18 days ago•7 min saved

Joy-Rewiring Therapy Shows Promise Against Depression

A randomized trial of 98 adults with severe anhedonia, depression, and anxiety found Positive Affect Treatment (PAT)—a 15-session therapy designed to boost positive emotions and retrain the brain’s reward system—outperformed a conventional negative-emotion-focused therapy, with improvements in overall clinical status persisting at one-month follow-up and notable reductions in depression and anxiety symptoms. PAT targets the brain’s positive pathways (anticipation, response to reward, and reward learning) and may reduce key depression risks by enhancing meaningful activity, gratitude, savoring, and social connection.

via SciTechDaily|

#anhedonia #depression #health

science20 days ago•5 min saved

Brief Brain Stimulation Improves Social Communication in Young Children With Autism

A BMJ-published randomized trial tested brief theta-burst magnetic stimulation in 194 children with autism (average age ~6.5), including many with intellectual disability. Over five days, real stimulation improved social communication and language vs. sham, with effects persisting at one month and few side effects. While promising and potentially convenient compared with long-term therapies, the durability of benefits is uncertain, the optimal treatment duration unknown, and access/cost could limit use; it is not a replacement for behavioral supports.

via ScienceAlert|

#autism #brain-stimulation #pediatrics

health-and-medicine24 days ago•6 min saved

10-Year Trial Upends Common Knee Surgery: No Benefit, Potential Harm

A 10-year randomized trial (FIDELITY) across Finnish hospitals shows partial meniscectomy for degenerative knee tears offers no advantage over placebo/sham surgery and may worsen symptoms, function, and progression of osteoarthritis, challenging the continued use of the procedure.

via ScienceDaily|

#degenerative-meniscal-tear #health-and-medicine #knee-osteoarthritis

health2 months ago•5 min saved

Ten Minutes to a Brighter Mood: Brief Online Interventions Cut Depression After One Month

Researchers tested 12 self-guided, under-10-minute online interventions with 7,505 adults; while most participants felt hopeful immediately after, only two—Interactive Cognitive Reappraisal and Finding Focus—produced a small, ~4% greater reduction in depressive symptoms after one month compared with a control, suggesting brief, scalable tools can provide modest, accessible support but are not a substitute for therapy.

via ScienceAlert|

#depression #health #mental-health

health2 months ago•10 min saved

Brief online exercises yield small but real depression relief in a large trial

In a large randomized trial with 7,505 American adults, researchers tested 12 self-guided, under-10-minute online interventions for depression. Most boosted immediate hope and motivation, but only two—Interactive Cognitive Reappraisal and Finding Focus—produced meaningful depression reductions after one month, about 4% more than the control. Despite the small average effects, the free, brief format offers global scalability that could expand access to evidence-based support and complement traditional treatments where therapy is scarce or costly.

via The Conversation|

#depression #health #mental-health

psychology2 months ago•6 min saved

Imagery Rescripting: A Defender Rewrites Childhood Memories to Relieve Fear of Failure

A three-arm randomized trial with 180 young adults found that imagery-based therapies—imagery exposure, standard imagery rescripting with a defender, and a delayed version—significantly reduced fear of failure and negative emotions, and dampened physiological stress when recalling harsh childhood memories, with effects lasting at least six months. Benefits were strongest when a prediction error or surprise occurred during rescripting; the delayed variant did not outperform standard Imagery Rescripting.

via Neuroscience News|

#autobiographical-memories #fear-of-failure #imagery-rescripting

health-and-medicine3 months ago•9 min saved

Two Days of Oats Trim LDL Cholesterol by 10% and Rewire Gut Bacteria

A two-day, calorie-restricted, oat-dominant diet reduced LDL cholesterol by 10% in people with metabolic syndrome, with modest weight loss and lower blood pressure, and benefits persisted six weeks. The effect appears linked to changes in gut bacteria and their metabolites; a longer, less intensive oat plan yielded smaller gains.

via ScienceDaily|

#gut-microbiome #health-and-medicine #ldl-cholesterol

health3 months ago•7 min saved

One Short DMT Dose Sparks Lasting Depression Relief in Phase IIa Trial

A Phase IIa randomized trial found that a single 21.5 mg IV dose of DMT, producing a ~25-minute psychedelic experience, yielded rapid and durable antidepressant effects in adults with moderate-to-severe treatment-resistant depression—MADRS scores dropped more than placebo within one week and effects persisted up to six months for some participants; efficacy correlated with the intensity of the peak experience, and the brief session could be more cost-effective and easier to implement than longer psychedelic therapies, though larger trials are needed and use is restricted to controlled clinical settings with professional support.

via Neuroscience News|

#depression #dmt #health

health4 months ago•11 min saved

Two-Day Oat Diet Cuts LDL Cholesterol by 10% in Metabolic Syndrome

In a randomized trial, a two-day oat-based, calorie-restricted diet reduced LDL cholesterol by 10% in people with metabolic syndrome, with the improvement persisting for six weeks and linked to changes in the gut microbiome and its metabolites that may influence cholesterol metabolism.

via SciTechDaily|

#gut-microbiome #health #ldl-cholesterol