'Tis the season to indulge. 

As you sit down with family and friends, an age-old debate might arise: does drinking a single glass of red wine make you healthier?

In this episode first published May 1, 2024, Norman and Tegan try to find out the answer once and for all. 

References: 

• The French paradox: Lessons for other countries
• Moderate Wine Consumption and Health: A Narrative Review
• Health Effects of Red Wine Consumption: A Narrative Review of an Issue That Still Deserves Debate

You might have seen those robot-looking red light masks being sold for skincare purposes. 

You might have thought — looks technological, but does it work?

It's not just red light. There are a spectrum of health claims from infrared to ultraviolet.

Norman and Tegan go through the rainbow to assess where there's evidence, and where there's not. 

References:

• Near Infrared Photoimmunotherapy: A Review of Recent Progress and Their Target Molecules for Cancer Therapy
• Effect of NASA Light-Emitting Diode Irradiation on Wound Healing
• Visible Red Light Emitting Diode Photobiomodulation for Skin Fibrosis: Key Molecular Pathways
• Utilization of light-emitting diodes for skin therapy: Systematic review and meta-analysis
• Photodynamic Therapy Using HMME for Port-Wine Stains: Clinical Effectiveness and Sonographic Appearance
• Effect of Blue Light on Acne Vulgaris: A Systematic Review
• The efficacy of violet light in the treatment of acne
• Featured review: What are the benefits and risks of light therapy for treating atopic eczema?
• Light therapy for preventing seasonal affective disorder

Life can be exhausting, and while a nap might be in order, it’s rare you’ve got time to take one.

Caffeine can come to the rescue, but you might not be a fan of tea of coffee. Energy drinks are an alternative, but are they any good for you?

Norman and Tegan explain what modern energy drinks contain, and what the ingredients do.

What's That Rash? is on YouTube! Subscribe to ABC Science to watch the podcast. 

References:

• Prevalence and Amounts of Common Ingredients Found in Energy Drinks and Shots
• International society of sports nutrition position stand: energy drinks and energy shots
• Consumption of energy drinks by children and young people: a systematic review examining evidence of physical effects and consumer attitudes
• Energy Drinks and Their Adverse Health Effects: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis
• A randomized, placebo-controlled crossover trial of a decaffeinated energy drink shows no significant acute effect on mental energy
• Taurine deficiency as a driver of aging
• This scientist treated her own cancer with viruses she grew in the lab

Many people live sedentary lives, sitting in an office all day then coming home to sit on the couch all night.

What are the health harms of too much sitting? And do they compare to smoking as some headlines claim?

Norman and Tegan settle in to explain the risks, and what you can do to avoid them.

What's That Rash? is on YouTube! Subscribe to ABC Science to watch the podcast. 

References:

• Evaluating the Evidence on Sitting, Smoking, and Health: Is Sitting Really the New Smoking?
• Trends in Self-Reported Sitting Time by Physical Activity Levels Among US Adults, NHANES 2007/2008–2017/2018
• Recent Trends in Sedentary Time: A Systematic Literature Review
• Sedentary behaviour and health in adults: an overview of systematic reviews

• Around 10,000 steps a day may counteract health risks of high sedentary time

We live in a world full of influencers pushing us products promising to keep us looking bouncy and youthful forever. 

Collagen is a hugely important protein that does play a role in plumping up our skin — as well as supporting muscles, bones and connective tissues. 

Norman and Tegan find out how effective collagen supplements are in skin care, and which kind you should look out for if you want to see results.  

What's That Rash? is on YouTube! Subscribe to ABC Science to watch the podcast. 

References:

• Decreased Collagen Production in Chronologically Aged Skin
• Effects of Oral Collagen for Skin Anti-Aging: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
• Effects of hydrolyzed collagen supplementation on skin aging: a systematic review and meta-analysis
• Oral Collagen Supplementation: A Systematic Review of Dermatological Applications
• The impact of collagen protein ingestion on musculoskeletal connective tissue remodeling: a narrative review 

These days, our mobile phones are rarely far away. Whether it’s in your hand, your pocket, or under your pillow at night.

Mobiles do emit radiation in order to connect to phone towers, which enables us to stay in contact with people and the internet.

But is that radiation doing us harm?

Norman and Tegan talk through the facts – what we do know, don’t know and suspect about our tech companions.

What's That Rash? is coming to YouTube! Keep an eye out for the video version of this episode on ABC Science. 

References:

• National Cancer Institute - Cell Phones and Cancer Risk
• Mobile phone use and incidence of brain tumour histological types, grading or anatomical location: a population-based ecological study
• Has the incidence of brain cancer risen in Australia since the introduction of mobile phones 29 years ago?
• 5G: the new generation of the mobile phone network and health

Why are people with arthritis being told to stop eating potatoes, tomatoes and egg plants?

Vegetables in the nightshade family have been under scrutiny for decades, but the fad of cutting them out of our diets has seen a recent resurgence.

Norman and Tegan investigate where all this shade comes from, and whether there's any evidence to support it.

References:

• Deadly Nightshade: A Botanical Biography
• Flavonoids, alkaloids and saponins: are these plant-derived compounds an alternative to the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis? A literature review
• Risk assessment of glycoalkaloids in feed and food, in particular in potatoes and potato-derived products
• α-Solanine attenuates chondrocyte pyroptosis to improve osteoarthritis via suppressing NF-κB pathway
• Antioxidants in Potatoes: A Functional View on One of the Major Food Crops Worldwide

We've been searching for a fountain of youth for millennia. How can we not only live longer, but live healthier for longer?

Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD) is the latest anti-ageing candidate under the microscope.

Norman and Tegan explain what it is, and whether supplements promising to boost NAD actually do what's advertised on the bottle.

References:

• NAD+ metabolism and its roles in cellular processes during ageing
• NAD+ in Brain Aging and Neurodegenerative Disorders
• What is really known about the effects of nicotinamide riboside supplementation in humans
• Dietary Supplementation With NAD+-Boosting Compounds in Humans: Current Knowledge and Future Directions
• The use of a systems approach to increase NAD+ in human participants
• Specific ablation of Nampt in adult neural stem cells recapitulates their functional defects during aging

Vampires and werewolves and zombies, oh my! Where did all these monsters come from?

Undiagnosed medical conditions might have fuelled the mythology behind some of these creatures.

Norman and Tegan delve into why vampires drink blood, why werewolves howl at the full moon and how a hex might have its intended effect.

References:

• ABC's FrankenScience: Can Vampires Get Syphilis? and Witchcraft or Just a Placebo?
• All in the Mind: What's behind a paranormal experience?
• Porphyria and Vampirism—A Myth, Sensationalized
• Moon and Health: Myth or Reality?
• The undead in culture and science
• Reversibility of apoptosis in cancer cells
• Medical practice and placebo response: an inseparable bond?

It’s hay fever season, and as you sniffle away next to an air purifier, you might be wondering why we haven’t cured such a common ailment.

Allergic rhinitis, as it’s scientifically known, has plagued people for generations. It's thought up to 24 per cent of Australians suffer from it.

Norman and Tegan run through what hay fever is, how we identified it and what can be done to treat it. 

References:

• Allergic Rhinitis: A Review
• O Rose thou art sick… history of allergic rhinitis
• I’m considering allergen immunotherapy for my hay fever. What do I need to know?
• Ingestion of honey improves the symptoms of allergic rhinitis: evidence from a randomized placebo-controlled trial
• The Potential use of Honey as a Remedy for Allergic Diseases: A Mini Review
• Can you adapt to allergies or does the dog have to go?