Few studies include vegan subjects as a distinct experimental group, yet when vegan diets are directly compared to vegetarian and omnivorous diets, a pattern of protective health benefits emerges.  The vegan gut profile appears to be unique in several characteristics, including a reduced abundance of pathobionts and a greater abundance of protective species. Reduced levels of inflammation may be the key feature linking the vegan gut microbiota with protective health effects. This review examines whether there is evidence that a strict vegan diet confers health advantages beyond that of a vegetarian diet or overall healthy eating.

Skeletal muscles not only produce force, they also act as a means for absorbing force, essentially acting as shock absorbers. When skeletal muscles aren’t activating properly, much of this stress is transferred to tendons, ligaments, joints, and surrounding connective tissue.

The feet are no different. With over 100 various muscles, the feet and ankles encompass 15-20% of all the muscles in the body. Read more about barefoot and minimalist training.

In recent years, an astonishing amount of research has been published touting the health benefits of coffee. The question is: do these studies negate the health risks reported in some other studies? How good or bad is coffee really?

Athletes are always looking for ways to enhance performance and speed healing from nagging injuries, as well as prevent injuries in training and competition.

Theory and recent clinical evidence suggests that acupuncture can successfully address physical as well as psychological factors that can prevent an athlete from performing at his or her peak potential.

This article examines the role of acupuncture in enhancing athletic performance and here is some useful background information.