What is nitric oxide? Nitric oxide ( NO ) is a gas normally associated with pollution and toxicity, but which occurs naturally in small amounts in the body. It is a free radical, reacting very readily and lasting for less than a second once created in the body, but is an electron donor, meaning that it has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects. What does it do? The main action of NO is to cause smooth muscle to relax, resulting in dilation of airways and blood vessels. This dilation is...

What do food packaging labels really mean? Packaged food at the supermarkets often have prominent labels telling us how apparently...

The common view is that saturated fat raises cholesterol and is bad for health, but how true is this, really? This view stems from the...