Rude Health News & Events

The latest news, research and events from the world of natural health

Be in with a chance of winning a €300 One4All voucher plus an Eskimo-3 hamper when you nominate your favourite store for the Pat Curran Award for Excellence in Customer Service.

This worthwhile award is to celebrate excellence in independent health food shops throughout Ireland. PPC Galway Ltd has been supplying Eskimo-3 to Irish households for the past 29 years.

When you register your vote, you will be entered into a draw to win a €300 gift card from www.one4all.com along with a big hamper full of Eskimo-3 goodies. There will be three runner-up prizes of Eskimo-3 hampers.

The member of staff who is the overall winner will receive a €500 cash prize and their store will also receive €500, which they can give to a charity of their choice.

You will need to nominate a store and staff member and give them marks for product portfolio, their knowledge, how friendly and helpful they are, whether they give great advice, their store layout and grade them for innovation. The closing date is 17 December 2026.

Running in nature goes the extra mile

Exercising in nature helps people to run further and faster, increases enjoyment and motivates them to stay active, according to new research. The study, from Loughborough University, suggests that natural settings not only enhance physical performance but also offer mental and emotional benefits.

The researchers asked participants to run for 30 minutes around a loop in both a forest and an urban environment. They found that participants covered significantly more distance in the natural setting, despite reporting similar levels of effort. Enjoyment, mood and intention to exercise again were also significantly higher following the forest run. Crucially, even a single exercise session in nature produced a marked increase in motivation to exercise in the future.

Lead researcher Matthew Putland said: “This is particularly important because low exercise adherence is a major public health challenge. We found that participants who exercised in nature were far more likely to say they’d want to do the same activity again in the short term and would sustain it over the next 12 months. This is significant because sustained motivation is what keeps people active in the long term.”

He added: “The message is simple: the easiest and cheapest way to improve exercise habits and enjoyment is to do it in nature. Being outdoors already improves stress and health, but combined with exercise, the benefits multiply, enhancing enjoyment, adherence, motivation, and performance.”

The findings were published in Evolution, Medicine, and Public Health.

Exercise may improve mood during menopause

Physical activity such as walking, dancing and yoga, may help to improve mood, depression and overall quality of life during menopause, a new study led by University College London researchers has found.

The researchers assessed 12 randomised controlled trials involving more than 1,000 women to determine how different types of physical activity impacted psychological symptoms during menopause.

Aerobic activities, including walking, Zumba, dancing and Taekwondo, showed the strongest effects in reducing depressive symptoms and improving overall quality of life. Meanwhile, mind-body activities such as yoga, tai chi, Pilates and stretching were associated with improvements in psychological quality of life, potentially through mindfulness, breathwork and body awareness.

The benefits were particularly evident among women in early post-menopause, although improvements in depressive symptoms were also observed during perimenopause. Researchers suggest that physical activity could offer an accessible, low-cost way to support psychological wellbeing during menopause, alongside other treatments such as hormone therapy and cognitive behavioural therapy. The findings were published in Menopause Journal.

Bright light could support healthy ageing

Increasing exposure to bright light during the day could help to improve sleep, activity levels and circadian rhythms in older adults, according to new research from the University of Surrey.

The study involved more than 200 adults aged 63 to 92 from three European cities: Tartu, Bologna and Amsterdam. The researchers investigated whether bright light therapy lamps could help to compensate for reduced exposure to natural daylight.

The participants were monitored over 12 weeks. One group was provided with light therapy lamps to use at home, while a control group was not. The researchers found that those with greater natural light exposure were more active during the day, experienced more consolidated wakefulness and reported better sleep quality.

Among those using lamps, participants who began light supplementation earlier in the morning were more active and had less disrupted rest-activity rhythms than those who started later. Finishing light exposure earlier was also associated with more stable rhythms.

The researchers suggest that increasing daytime light exposure could offer a low-cost, non-drug approach to supporting healthy ageing, particularly among older adults living in urban areas.

The findings were published in the Journal of Pineal Research.

November

World Vegan Day
1 November, outreach day in Dublin City Centre
vegansociety.ie

International Men’s Day
19 November
internationalmensday.com

Find more natural health events here...