Gary's Daily Health News

Gary‘s Daily Health News - Vol. 20

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Gary‘s Daily Health News - Vol. 19

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Gary‘s Daily Health News - Vol. 18

Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid supplementation associated with improved lung cancer survival

Medical School of Ningbo University (China), October 25 2021. 

 

A systematic review and meta-analysis of over 1.7 million men and women published on October 20, 2021 in Nutrition and Cancer found a lower risk of lung cancer in association with increased intake of omega 3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), as well as a significant increase in overall lung cancer survival in association with PUFA supplementation.

“To the best of our knowledge, this is the most comprehensive systematic review and meta-analysis to date to quantitatively evaluate the association between intake of fish and PUFA and risk of lung cancer,” authors Dan Lv of the Medical School of Ningbo University and colleagues announced. 

The researchers analyzed 13 population-based prospective cohort studies that examined the role of fish or omega-3 PUFA intake in the prevention of lung cancer among a total of 1,785,698 men and women. Two randomized trials were also analyzed that reported the association between PUFA supplementation during chemotherapy and lung cancer mortality. 

When the seven prospective cohort studies that examined the intake of fish were analyzed, fish intake was not associated with the risk of lung cancer. Greater omega 3 intake, as reported by five prospective studies, was associated with a 1% lower risk of the disease among men. Each 5 gram per day increment of omega 3 intake was associated with a 5% lower risk of lung cancer. Analysis of trials that evaluated the addition of omega 3 supplements to chemotherapy found that overall survival among supplemented participants was nearly double that of participants who received chemotherapy alone. 

“Although smoking cessation is the single biggest factor associated with lung cancer risk reduction, this study adds to a growing body of evidence that diet may have a role in modestly reducing lung cancer risk,” the authors concluded.

 

 

Immunodeficiency affects intestinal microbiome

Technical University of Denmark, October 22, 201

In the largest study of intestinal bacterial composition (also called the intestinal microbiome) to date in persons with the immunodeficiency selective IgA deficiency, researchers at DTU Bioengineering have ascertained that people with IgA deficiency have a much more frequent incidence of E. coli, and that there are several intestinal factors that have a correlation with inflammatory and pathogenic processes.

Selective IgA deficiency is one of the most common immunodeficiencies and it occurs in approximately 1 in 600 in Denmark. Persons with IgA deficiency lack a specific antibody—immunoglobulin A—which is otherwise found in all the mucous membranes of the body, where it binds to microorganisms and thus helps protect against infections from pathogenic bacteriaand viruses, both in the upper respiratory tract and down in the gut and in the vagina. IgA deficiency is sometimes due to the person's immune system not producing functional IgA, but it may also be due to the body erroneously producing some other antibodies that remove all IgA, so-called IgA autoantibodies.

Despite the absence of IgA in persons with selective IgA deficiency, there are very few symptoms connected with this immunodeficiency. Up to 1/3 of persons with selective IgA deficiency do not seek medical attention more frequently than persons without IgA defect, and their disease do not hamper their everyday life. However, persons with selective IgA deficiency are at higher risk of having severer courses of illness than people who do not suffer from the defect. They also have a higher incidence of allergies, autoimmune diseases, intestinal infections, and coeliac disease than the normal population.

IgA protects the barriers of the body, and the researchers therefore advanced the hypothesis that IgA deficiency may be connected with a type of disturbance in relation to the bacteria that IgA helps control in the intestine. As the composition of intestinal bacteria is of importance to health, they compared the intestinal bacterial composition in persons with selective IgA deficiency with healthy persons to acquire greater insight into the disease.

Instead of simply comparing a group of persons with selective IgA deficiency with a control group without IgA defect, which is the standard procedure in this type of study, the researchers paired persons with IgA defect with a person from their household. Professor Susanne Brix Pedersen, who participated in the study, elaborates:

"The reason why we've chosen this approach is that when we look at intestinal bacteria, lifestyle, and especially diet, are among the most important factors in defining what kind of bacterial composition we have in our intestine, and these elements are more similar among members of the same household. In this way, we can better check lifestyle effects, which means that we can assess more accurately the causal connection with the IgA defect."

The team behind the study combined the trial design with sophisticated analysis methods of the function of the microbiota and found that persons with selective IgA deficiency generally have a higher incidence of E. coli, and that there are several intestinal factors which have a correlation with inflammatory and pathogenic processes. But the researchers also went a little deeper and looked at whether they could see a difference in the intestinal microbiota depending on whether there was an actual IgA deficiency, or whether the patient himself/herself produced IgA antibodies. Susanne Brix Pedersen elaborates:

"When people produce antibodies to IgA, this is an autoimmune reaction in which the body's immune system attacks parts of itself. We found that the people who produce these autoantibodies have a composition of intestinal bacteria that increases the risk of infection. At the same time, the immune system is constantly in alert mode, because new IgA antibodies are continuously being produced, which it believes it must fight and this wears down the body."

The study therefore shows that when doctors screen patients with recurrent infections for whether they have an IgA defect, it will be expedient also to clarify which type of IgA defect they suffer from. In this way, they can identify the patients who should be monitored particularly closely because they are at greater risk of having a more severe course of illness.

That the correlation can be serious is shown in the study Association between selective IgA deficiency and COVID-19 published in Clinical Biochemistry and Nutrition, where Japanese researchers ascertained a clear correlation between deaths caused by COVID-19 and IgA deficiency.

 

Study looks at how light stimulation can fight off the onset of dementia

Strathclyde University (UK), October 25, 2021

RESEARCHERS are exploring how to enhance brain activity through light stimulation in the hope of advancing a new strategy to prevent Alzheimer's disease from developing.

The study is investigating new ways in which build-up of a protein toxic to brain cells, known as beta amyloid, could be halted with the use of light stimulation in areas of the brain which are particularly vulnerable to Alzheimer's.

Scientists at Strathclyde University hope the 14-month study may lead to a new prevention strategy for Alzheimer's in people at high risk of the disease, which is the most common cause of dementia. Around 500,000 people in the UK have Alzheimer's but currently there are no effective treatments or a cure.

Dr Shuzo Sakata, a senior lecturer at Strathclyde Institute of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences, is leading the study. He said: "The lack of a cure for Alzheimer's disease means there is an urgent need to develop new, innovative approaches to combating it.

"We have known for a long time that the beta amyloid protein is toxic to brain cells; it has recently been found that manipulating the activity of neurons can reduce the protein in some regions of the brain.

"But what is not well understood is how it can be used to do this across many brain regions at the same time.

"We are hopeful that this research can contribute to a new strategy for stopping Alzheimer's developing, particularly in people who, owing to family history or genetic issues, are seen to be at high risk of the disease."

The pre-clinical research will be focused on a brain area which communicates with many other areas and is among those most affected by Alzheimer's.

It will discover whether activating neurons in this brain area, using light, can enhance fast brainwaves which are impaired in people with the disease. The study will investigate whether such enhancement of brainwaves can reduce build-up of the toxic protein in a range of areas of the brain.

The research has received a grant of Pounds 50,000 from Alzheimer's Research UK.

Dr Carol Routledge, the charity's director of research, said: "Dementia is one of our greatest medical challenges, but research has the power to improve our understanding of the condition and deliver effective new treatments.

"With around 70,000 people in Scotland living with dementia and no new treatments in over a decade, pioneering projects such as these offer real hope in the fight against dementia. It is paramount that we can support researchers as they add crucial pieces of knowledge to our growing understanding of the diseases that cause dementia."

Scotland is leading a number of cutting edge research projects into Alzheimer's disease. In 2016, scientists at Glasgow University hailed a "potential breakthrough" after a protein therapy was shown to completely reverse symptoms during a trial on genetically-engineered mice.

The study, in collaboration with researchers in Hong Kong, demonstrated that mice given injections of this protein via their stomach lining restored their memory and cognitive functions back to the level of a healthy mouse of the same age within one week.

 

Dietary changes could help reduce pregnancy complications in women with type 1 diabetes

Walter & Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, October 16, 2021

A recent study by WEHI and ENDIA has found type 1 diabetes is associated with changes in the gut microbiome during pregnancy and could contribute to complications in both the mother and baby.

The research found a link between type 1 diabetes and changes in the gut microbiomethat are associated with intestinal inflammation, which could account for the increase in pregnancy complications in women with the condition.

The study revealed pregnant women with type 1 diabetes had a decrease in "good" gut bacteria that normally protect against inflammation and an increase in 'bad' gut bacteria that promote intestinal inflammation and damage to the intestinal lining. These changes could contribute to the increased risk of pregnancy complications seen in women with type 1 diabetes and could potentially be modified by dietary changes.

Gut health linked to pregnancy complications

The research was part of the ENDIA (Environmental Determinants of Islet Autoimmunity) study, investigating genetic and environmental factors that may contribute to the development of islet autoimmunity and type 1 diabetes in children. The observational study has recruited 1500 babies from pregnancy who have an immediate relative with type 1 diabetes and is following them through childhood.

WEHI clinician-scientist Professor Len Harrison, who led the research, said women with type 1 diabetes have a higher frequency of complications in pregnancy.

"We decided to study the gut microbiome because there was evidence of systemic and intra-uterine inflammation in pregnancy for women with type 1 diabetes that could conceivably be related," he said.

Together with colleagues in bioinformatics at WEHI, as well as ENDIA partners, the study team undertook whole genome sequence analysis of samples from pregnant women. The samples were taken from groups of women at different stages of pregnancy.

"In women with type 1 diabetes, we observed changes in their gut microbiome, including a decrease in 'good' gut bacteria and an increase in 'bad' gut bacteria," he said. "The 'good' bacteria make substances that prevent inflammation and the 'bad' bacteria release substances that activate the immune system to trigger inflammation."

"We are now investigating if these changes are linked to the higher rate of complications during pregnancy in women with type 1 diabetes."

Professor Harrison said changes in the gut microbiome of the mother could have implications for the pregnancy and for the health of the baby.

"It is also possible that the changes we observed in the mothers with type 1 diabetes might have a lasting influence on the baby which continues after birth," he said.

Changing diet

Professor Harrison said the next stage of the project was to identify markers that would determine which women with type 1 diabetes might benefit from safe interventions during pregnancy, including dietary changes.

"We believe that if these women made some safe dietary modifications it could help to restore the health of their microbiome and lower their risk of complications during pregnancy. This is what we are investigating now," he said.

"We will also look into the immune system of their babies at birth to see what impacts that impaired maternal gut health has on the baby after birth."

 

Data continues to show that Americans need at least 5 hours per week of physical activity to prevent some cancers

American Cancer Society, October 14, 2021

A new report finds more than 46,000 cancer cases annually in the United States could be prevented if Americans met the 5 hours per week of moderate-intensity recommended physical activity guidelines. The latest data appearing in the journal Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise show 3% of all cancer cases in adults in the U.S. aged 30 years and older during 2013 to 2016 were attributable to physical inactivity and the proportion was higher in women (average annual attributable cases 32,089) compared to men (14,277).

For both men and women, states with the highest proportion of cancers attributable to physical inactivity were in the South, such as Kentucky, West Virginia, Louisiana, Tennessee, and Mississippi, whereas the lowest proportions were found in the Mountain region and northern states, such as Utah, Montana, Wyoming, Washington, and Wisconsin.

Led by Adair Minihan, MPH at the American Cancer Society, this is the first study to estimate the number of cancer cases attributable to physical inactivity based on cancer sites (breast, endometrial, colon, stomach, kidney, esophageal adenocarcinoma, and urinary bladder) by state. Data show when focusing on specific cancer sites, 16.9% of stomach cancers, 11.9% of endometrial cancers, 11.0% of kidney cancers, 9.3% of colon cancers, 8.1% of esophageal cancers, 6.5% of female breast cancers, and 3.9% of urinary bladder cancers were associated with lack of exercise. By state, the proportion of cancer cases attributable to physical inactivity ranged from 2.3% in Utah to 3.7% in Kentucky.

While this data shows the importance of physical activity, there are many barriers to recreational physical activity, which include, but are not limited to, lack of time due to long working hours in low-wage jobs, the cost of gym memberships or personal equipment, lack of access to a safe environment in which to be active, and potential childcare costs involved with recreational physical activity. Unfortunately, these barriers are more likely to affect historically marginalized populations, including the Black population and individuals with a limited income, underscoring the importance of enhancing health equity.

“These findings underscore the need to encourage physical activity as a means of cancer prevention and implement individual- and community-level interventions that address the various behavioral and socioeconomic barriers to recreational physical activity,” write the authors. “Understanding and reducing the behavioral and socioeconomic barriers to physical activity is essential for optimizing intervention strategies targeting at risk groups across the country.”

 

Increased consumption of whole grains could significantly reduce the economic impact of type 2 diabetes

University of Eastern Finland, October 25, 2021

Increased consumption of whole grain foods could significantly reduce the incidence of type 2 diabetes and the costs associated with its treatment in Finland, according to a recent study by the University of Eastern Finland and the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare. The findings were published in Nutrients.

“Our study shows that already one serving of full grains as part of the daily diet reduces the incidence of type 2 diabetes at the population level and, consequently, the direct diabetes-related costs, when compared to people who do not eat whole grain foods on a daily basis. Over the next ten years, society's potential to achieve cost savings would be from 300 million (-3.3%) to almost one billion (-12.2%) euros in current value, depending on the presumed proportion of whole grain foods in the daily diet. On the level of individuals, this means more healthier years,” says Professor Janne Martikainen from the University of Eastern Finland.

Type 2 diabetes is one of the fastest-growing chronic diseases both in Finland and globally. Healthy nutrition that supports weight management is key to preventing type 2 diabetes. The association of daily consumption of whole grain foods with a lower risk of diabetes has been demonstrated in numerous studies.

“According to nutrition recommendations, at least 3–6 servings of whole grain foods should be eaten daily, depending on an individual’s energy requirement. One third of Finns do not eat even one dose of whole grains on a daily basis, and two thirds have a too low fibre intake,” Research Manager Jaana Lindström from the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare says.

The now published study utilised findings from, e.g., national follow-up studies, such as the FinHealth Study, to assess the health and economic effects of increased consumption of whole grain foods on the prevention of type 2 diabetes.

“By combining population-level data on the incidence of type 2 diabetes and the costs of its treatment, as well as published evidence on the effects of how consumption of whole grain foods reduces the incidence of type 2 diabetes, we were able to assess the potential health and economic benefits from both social and individual viewpoints,” Martikainen says. 

 

 

Mulberry extract activates brown fat, shows promise as obesity treatment

 

Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing, October 23, 2021

 

Good news for those who want to activate their brown fat (or BAT, brown adipose tissue) without having to be cold: New research, published in The FASEB Journal, suggests that a natural compound in mulberries, called "rutin," can activate the BAT in our bodies to increase metabolism and facilitate weight loss.

 

"The beneficial effects of rutin on BAT-mediated metabolic improvement have evoked a substantial interest in the potential treatment for obesity and its related diseases, such as diabetes," said Wan-Zhu Jin, Ph.D., a researcher involved in the work from the Institute of Zoology at the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing, China. "In line with this idea, discovery of more safe and effective BAT activators is desired to deal with obesity and its related diseases."

 

To make their discovery, Jin and colleagues used both genetically obese mice and mice with diet-induced obesity as models. These mice were fed a regular diet, and supplemental rutin (1 mg/ml) was added to their drinking water. Rutin treatment significantly reduced adiposity, increased energy expenditure, and improved glucose homeostasis in both the genetically obese mice and the mice with diet-induced obesity. Specifically, the researchers found that rutin directly binds to and stabilizes SIRT1 (NAD-dependent deacetylase sirtuin-1), leading to hypoacetylation of PGC1α protein, which stimulates Tfam transactivation and eventually augments mitochondrial number and UCP1 activity in BAT. Rutin functions as a cold mimetic through activating a SIRT1-PGC1α-Tfam signaling cascade and increasing mitochondrial number and UCP1 activity in BAT. Rutin also induced brown-like (beige) adipocyte formation in subcutaneous adipose tissue in both obesity mouse models.

 

"Unlike hibernating animals, we humans have only a small spot of brown fat, and yet its importance in human metabolism has only recently come into view," said Thoru Pederson, Ph.D., Editor-in-Chief of The FASEB Journal. "In this study, the philosophy of ancient Chinese medicine's exploitation of plant materials has conjoined in the modern era with a very able physiology research team to evoke a promising lead."

Gary‘s Daily Health News - Vol. 17

Flavonoids may be ‘important to promoting broad health and wellbeing in aging’: Harvard study

Harvard School of Public Health

 

Higher intakes of flavonoid compounds in the diet during middle age may boost healthy aging in women, according to data from 1,517 women from the Nurses’ Health Study.

 

Women with the highest average intakes of flavones, flavanones, anthocyanins, and flavonols had the greatest odds of healthy aging, defined as “no major chronic diseases or major impairments in cognitive or physical function or mental health”.

 

The findings were further substantiated by consistent data from flavonoid-rich foods, including oranges, berries, onions, and apples, said scientists from Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, the French National Institute for Health and Medical Research (INSERM) and the University of Bordeaux, and Harvard School of Public Health.

 

“Flavonoids may contribute to reducing chronic diseases and maintaining physical, cognitive, and mental health with aging via their potential to decrease oxidative stress and inflammation, which are 2 general pathways underlying many age-related chronic diseases and health conditions,” they wrote in the American Journal of 

 

Study details

 

Led by Cécilia Samieri, the researchers analyzed data from 13,818 women in their late 50s at the start of the study (1984–1986). The women had no chronic diseases at the start of the study, and were followed for an average of 15 years.

 

Data obtained using food-frequency questionnaires indicated that 1,517 women survived into their 70s and met the criteria for ‘healthy aging’. Results indicated that women with the highest average intakes of flavones, flavanones, anthocyanins, and flavonols had significantly greater odds of healthy aging. Specifically, flavones, flavanones, anthocyanins, and flavonols increased the odds of healthy aging by 32%, 28%, 25%, and 18%, respectively.

 

The potential healthy aging potential of flavonoids appears to have biological plausibility, with data from a range of different studies supporting the potential antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties of the compounds, their ability to improve glucose metabolism and insulin resistance, as well as their cognitive benefits by decreasing neuroinflammation.

 

“Our findings suggest that intake of dietary flavonoids at midlife may be related to improved odds of overall health and wellbeing in aging,” they wrote. “Because the avoidance of the spectrum of health conditions in aging may be of more importance to individuals than avoiding any single chronic disease, these findings could help the adherence to public health recommendations regarding diet quality.”

 

 

 

Study reveals how excess carbohydrates may contribute to metabolic dysfunction

By studying how cells from healthy normal weight and overweight participants broke down carbohydrates in real time, researchers have found clues about what triggers metabolic distress 

Brigham and Women's Hospital, October 22, 2021

A high body mass index (BMI) is closely correlated with insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes. For decades, nutrition guidelines have emphasized the necessity of decreasing intake of dietary fats. Yet, even as studies demonstrate ties between foods laden with simple carbohydrates and metabolic dysfunction, much remains unknown about how the body processes large amounts of carbohydrates eaten in a single meal. To study how cells break down carbohydrates in real time, researchers from Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Boston Medical Center studied healthy normal weight and healthy overweight participants as they consumed excess carbohydrates. Their findings revealed that excess carbohydrates can contribute to metabolic dysfunction by blocking the synthesis of important antioxidants and demonstrated that high insulin levels under such circumstances can exacerbate the issue. Findings are published in the American Journal of Physiology – Endocrinology and Metabolism. 

“When we treat people with type 2 diabetes, the focus is often on lowering blood sugar rather than preventing carbohydrate overfeeding, which is very common in our society,” said Nawfal Istfan, MD, PhD, of the Brigham’s Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Hypertension. “But our study shows that if overfeeding isn’t controlled, some of the traditional ways of treating diabetes, like giving patients more insulin to lower blood sugar, can potentially be more harmful.”

Researchers tracked the activity of the electrons in the cells of 24 non-diabetic participants who consumed large quantities of carbohydrates in proportion to their weight (in some cases over 350g of carbohydrates). They found evidence, more pronounced in participants with high BMIs, that the cells were using electrons from glutathione, a “master antioxidant,” to help store excess carbohydrates as fats. This supported their hypothesis that overconsuming carbohydrates may contribute to metabolic distress by limiting antioxidant synthesis in the body.

When the researchers analyzed biopsies from the participants, they confirmed that in participants with high BMIs, changes in the fat tissue that occurred during the study represented a form of metabolic stress often seen in insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes.

The researchers demonstrated that insulin, which lowers blood sugar by increasing its uptake by the cells, may contribute to metabolic distress when cells are unprepared to process such a large amount of carbohydrates. When an individual consumes carbohydrates in excess, cells break down the molecules and resynthesize them into fats through a “reduction” process that uses electrons. The researchers hypothesized that during fat synthesis, the cells may be “taking electrons away” from other metabolic activities, like the production of antioxidants, which are important molecules that help protect the body from deterioration.

Going forward, the researchers hope to further examine metabolic processes in those with normal versus high BMIs using the quantitative approach from this study, which is common in biochemistry research but not often used to study acute events, like overfeeding, in humans.

“The methodology we used in this study could be used in the future to explore individuals’ predispositions to weight gain,” Istfan said. “There are real differences between patients’ metabolisms, which is something that has been ignored in medicine. Metabolic overfeeding varies between patients, and we need to understand this so we can give more appropriate dietary advice.”

 

 

Fasting is required to see the full benefit of calorie restriction in mice

University of Wisconsin, October 15, 2021

Over the last few decades, scientists have discovered that long-term calorie restriction provides a wealth of benefits in animals: lower weight, better blood sugar control, even longer lifespans.

Researchers have largely assumed that reduced food intake drove these benefits by reprogramming metabolism. But a new study from University of Wisconsin–Madison researchers finds that reduced calorie intakealone is not enough; fasting is essential for mice to derive full benefit.

The new findings lend support to preliminary evidence that fasting can boost health in people, as trends like intermittent fasting continue to hold sway. These human and animal studies have added to the growing picture of how health is controlled by when and what we eat, not just how much.

The research further emphasizes the complexity of nutrition and metabolism and provides guidance to researchers trying to untangle the true causes of diet-induced health benefits in animals and humans.

The researchers discovered that, combined with eating less, fasting reduces frailty in old age and extends the lifespan of mice. And fasting alone can improve blood sugar and liver metabolism.

Surprisingly, mice that ate fewer calories but never fasted died younger than mice that ate as much as they wanted, suggesting that calorie restriction alone may be harmful.

The research was led by UW School of Medicine and Public Health metabolism researcher Dudley Lamming, his graduate student Heidi Pak and their colleagues at UW–Madison and other institutions. The team published their findings Oct. 18 in Nature Metabolism.

Pak and Lamming were inspired to conduct the study because researchers began to realize that previous studies had unintentionally combined calorie restrictions with long fasts by providing animals with food just once a day. It was difficult, then, to distinguish the effects of one from the other.

"This overlap of treatment—both reducing calories and imposing a fast—was something that everybody saw, but it wasn't always obvious that it had biological significance," says Lamming, who has long studied the effect of restricted diets on metabolism. "It's only been in the past few years that people started getting interested in this issue."

To untangle these factors, Lamming's group designed four different diets for mice to follow. One group ate as much as they wanted whenever they wanted. Another group ate a full amount, but in a short period of time—this gave them a long daily fast without reducing calories.

The other two groups were given about 30% fewer calories either once a day or dispersed over the entire day. That meant that some mice had a long daily fast while others ate the same reduced-calorie diet but never fasted, which differed from most previous studies of calorie restriction.

It turned out that many of the benefits originally ascribed to calorie restriction alone—better blood sugar control, healthier use of fat for energy, protection from frailty in old age and longer lifespans—all required fasting as well. Mice who ate fewer calories without fasting didn't see these positive changes.

Fasting on its own, without reducing the amount of food eaten, was just as powerful as calorie restriction with fasting. Fasting alone was enough to improve insulin sensitivity and to reprogram metabolism to focus more on using fats as a source of energy. The livers of fasting mice also showed the hallmarks of healthier metabolism.

The researchers did not study the effect of fasting alone on lifespan or frailty as mice aged, but other studies have suggested that fasting can provide these benefits as well.

While the mice that ate fewer calories without ever fasting did show some improved blood sugar control, they also died younger. Compared with mice who both ate less and fasted, these mice that only ate less died about 8 months earlier on average.

"That was quite surprising," says Lamming, although other studies have also shown some negative effects from restricting calories. The team also measured frailty through metrics like grip strength and coat condition. "In addition to their shorter lifespans, these mice were worse in certain aspects of frailty, but better in others. So, on balance their frailty didn't change much, but they didn't look as healthy."

The primary studies were done in male mice, but Lamming's lab also found similar metabolic effects of fasting in female mice.

The research reveals how difficult diet studies are, even in a laboratory environment. That difficulty is magnified for human studies, which simply can't match the level of control possible in animal models. The new study can provide direction to future work trying to answer whether fasting improves human health.

"We need to know whether this fasting is required for people to see benefits," Lamming says. "If fasting is the main driver of health, we should be studying drugs or diet interventions that mimic fasting rather than those that mimic fewer calories."

 

Lockdown wellbeing: children who spent more time in nature fared best

Cambridge, University (UK), October 14, 2021

Children from less affluent backgrounds are likely to have found COVID-19 lockdowns more challenging to their mental health because they experienced a lower connection with nature than their wealthier peers, a new study suggests.

A study has found that children who increased their connection to nature during the first COVID-19 lockdown were likely to have lower levels of behavioral and emotional problems, compared to those whose connection to nature stayed the same or decreased—regardless of their socio-economic status.

The study, by researchers at the University of Cambridge and the University of Sussex, also found that children from affluent families tended to have increased their connection to nature during the pandemic more than their less affluent peers.

Nearly two thirds of parents reported a change in their child's connection to nature during lockdown, while a third of children whose connection to nature decreased displayed increased problems of wellbeing—either through 'acting out' or by increased sadness or anxiety.

The results strengthen the case for nature as a low-cost method of mental health support for children, and suggest that more effort should be made to support children in connecting with nature—both at home and at school.

The researchers' suggestions for achieving this include: reducing the number of structured extracurricular activities for children to allow for more time outside, provision of gardening projects in schools, and funding for schools, particularly in disadvantaged areas, to implement nature-based learning programs.

The study, published today in the journal People and Nature, also offers important guidance in relation to potential future restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic.

"We know that access to and engagement with nature is associated with wide-ranging benefits in children and adults, including lowering levels of anxiety and depression, and reducing stress," said Samantha Friedman, a researcher in the University of Cambridge's Centre for Family Research, first author of the study.

She added: "The COVID-19 lockdowns meant that children no longer had their normal school activities, routines and social interactions. The removal of these barriers gave us a novel context to look at how changes in connection with nature affected mental health.

"Connecting with nature may have helped buffer some UK children against the effects of the lockdown, but we found that children from less affluent families were less likely to have increased their connection to nature during that time."

An increased connection to nature was reflected in reports of children spending time gardening, playing in the garden or doing physical activities outdoors. This was commonly linked to having more time available for these activities during lockdown. Conversely, according to parents, a decreased connection to nature was explained by an inability to access some natural spaces due to travel restrictions in place at the time.

"Connecting to nature may be an effective way of supporting children's wellbeing, particularly as children return to normal routines, such as school and extracurricular activities," said Dr. Elian Fink, a Lecturer in Psychology at the University of Sussex who was also involved in the study.

She added: "Our findings could be helpful in redesigning lockdown rules should the UK need to return to these conditions in the future, and particularly to countries whose lockdown restrictions prevented children from accessing nature at all.

"Extending the amount of time that children can access nature, or extending the distance that children could be allowed to travel to access nature, could have a beneficial impact on their mental health."

The study used an online survey to collect responses from 376 families in the UK, with children between three and seven years old, between April and July 2020. Over half of these families reported that their child's connection to nature increased during the first COVID-19 lockdown. The remaining parents whose children's connection to nature decreased or stayed the same during this period also reported that their children were experiencing greater wellbeing problems.

A widely-used, gold standard questionnaire was used as a measure of each child's mental health—assessing emotional problems such as unhappiness, worrying, anxiety and depression; and behavioral problems such as anger and hyperactivity.

"Mental health problems can manifest in different ways in different children. We found that a greater connection with nature was associated with reductions in both emotional and behavioral problems," said Fink.

She added: "In reality the contrasting experiences of access to nature between different socio-economic groups may be even starker than our study found because respondents to our online study were largely drawn from more affluent societal groups."

Parents with children between three and seven years old responded to the study survey with reference to one particular child. The researchers focused on this age group because they were likely to experience a lot of disruption due to the pandemic, and also have less understanding of what was happening.

"Our study revealed the wide range of ways that parents can help children get more connected to nature. This might be a bit daunting to some, but it doesn't have to be camping in the woods and foraging for food—it really can be as simple as going for a walk near your house or sitting outside for ten minutes a day," said Friedman.

 

Anxiety Makes It Harder to Listen to Your Intuition

Freie Universität Berlin, Psychologische Hochschule Berlin, University of Basel,  October 19, 2021

 

As an anxious person, I find the mantra “go with your gut” endlessly frustrating. What’s so trustworthy about my gut instinct, which has, at various times, convinced me I’m dying of brain cancer, or about to get on an airplane doomed to crash, or destined to be alone forever? My therapist has had to remind me many times over that my so-called instincts have been wrong before and will be wrong again. But I’ve remained somewhat convinced that there is a “real” gut instinct somewhere beneath all my fake ones, and if only I knew how to access it, I would finally be perfectly wise, centered, and calm.

Unfortunately for me, a new study suggests this is probably not the case, and I am forever doomed to second-(and third-, and fourth-) guessing my every choice. In their study, researchers attempted to examine and compare the intuitive decision-making abilities of anxious, neutral, and optimistic people. More than a hundred participants were randomly assigned to each of these three groups, and “inducted” into the corresponding mood by viewing a series of emotionally coded sentences and images. For example, participants in the optimism group read: “The affection of those we love makes us feel particularly safe and confident. There is always someone who loves us,” and were then shown a picture of a smiling young couple with a shark mascot. (Huh.) Those in the anxious group read: “Safety is not guaranteed neither in our neighborhoods nor in our own homes,” followed by a picture of a man with his arm hooked around a woman’s neck. I’m anxious just reading about it.

Once the mood was set, participants were asked to fill out a questionnaire designed to assess their tendency to make intuitive decisions, and how effectively they did so. While the researchers found that the decision-making abilities of the positive and the neutral mood groups were relatively unaffected by their moods, the anxious group showed a significantly reduced ability to use their intuition. My therapist, as usual, is right: if you’re anxious, your so-called gut is pretty much useless.

The researchers hypothesized that anxiety’s effects on our decision-making is damaging for several reasons: Anxiety makes us risk-averse, pessimistic, and less confident — all qualities which make us likelier to choose what we perceive as the most safe, routine, and unchallenging decision.

In some cases, anxiety can also effectively paralyze us, resulting in no decision made at all. Using one’s intuition, the researchers argue, requires confidence and trust in oneself. If anxious people don’t have that confidence and trust, they may be more likely to ignore subtle emotional or bodily cues which indicate a “hunch.” But any anxious person knows it goes beyond that — many of us deal with what could be considered “cues” and “hunches” all the time: a racing heart, elevated heartbeat, sweating, weird twinges and tingles. For many anxious people, the psychosomatic symptom possibilities are endless, and only infrequently indicate that something is actually wrong. In many cases, it’s wiser for us to ignore these “signs” and symptoms than to take them seriously; I hate to think of how many dollars I’ve wasted on co-pays in my lifetime, visiting an urgent-care doctor with what I think is a life-threatening symptom only to be told there is nothing wrong with me, except that I can’t stop thinking something is wrong with me.

As the study authors point out, the existing research on anxiety’s effect on intuitive decision-making is still quite limited. As anxiety (and depression) continue to grow more prevalent, those of us who suffer from it can only hope that’s likely to change, so that one day we, too, might understand what it means to (successfully) think with our guts.

 

 

Feel Fuller, Longer With Mushrooms

University of Minnesota, Oct. 19, 2021

 If breakfast is the most important meal of the day, then mushrooms may be one of the most imperative ingredients. A new study on satiety published in the journal Appetite indicates that eating a mushroom-rich breakfast may result in less hunger and a greater feeling of fullness after the mushroom breakfast compared to the meat breakfast.

"Previous studies on mushrooms suggest that they can be more satiating than meat, but this effect had not been studied with protein-matched amounts until now," said gut health and satiety researcher and study author Joanne Slavin, PhD, RD, professor at the University of Minnesota. "As with previous published research, this study indicates there may be both a nutritional and satiating benefit to either substituting mushrooms for meat in some meals or replacing some of the meat with mushrooms."

Because protein appears to be the most satiating macronutrient according to the scientific literature , researchers wanted to match the amount of protein in the mushroom and meat interventions to essentially control for the influence of protein on satiety. After matching the mushroom and meat by protein content, both ended up containing comparable amounts of calories as well, which is a common way to match interventions in satiety studies.

"This new study adds to a growing body of evidence that suggests mushrooms may aid weight management and satiety, and thus contribute to overall wellness," said Mary Jo Feeney, MS, RD, FADA and nutrition research coordinator to the Mushroom Council. "Consumers are interested in the benefits of protein food choices, so it's important for them to know that plant-based sources of protein, such as mushrooms, can be satisfying."

Mushrooms Curbed Hunger and Prospective Consumption Compared to Meat

The objective of the study was to assess the differences with satiety and a 10-day food intake between Agaricus bisporus mushrooms (commonly known as white button mushrooms) (226g) and meat (28g) in a randomized open-label crossover study. Participants included 17 women and 15 men who consumed two servings of mushrooms or meat for 10 days. Participants were given either sliced mushrooms or 93-percent lean/7-percent fat ground beef to consume for a total of 10 days, twice a day. Portion sizes were based on matching the same protein content and similar calorie counts (±7 calories).

Results showed a significant difference on satiety ratings between the mushroom and meat consumption. Participants reported significantly less hunger (p=0.045), greater fullness (p=0.05) and decreased prospective consumption (p=0.03) after consuming a mushroom breakfast compared to a meat breakfast.

Blending Makes Meals Better

The 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines encourage healthy eating patterns that are low in saturated fat, which is found in animal proteins . From meatless meals to plant-centric plates, there are many ways to gradually decrease meat consumption without loss of flavor, and research has shown that blending finely chopped mushrooms with meat can be a cooking technique that's both nutritious and delicious.

A one-year randomized clinical trial at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health indicated increasing intake of low-energy-density foods, specifically mushrooms, in place of high-energy-density foods, like lean ground beef, can be an effective method for reducing daily energy and fat intake while still feeling full and satiated after the meal. Participants following the mushroom-rich diet lost seven pounds, showed improvements in body composition and maintained these changes for six months after losing weight.

Another study conducted by University of California, Davis and the Culinary Institute of America found that substituting mushrooms for a portion of meat helped improve nutrition and flavor. Adding mushrooms to the mix helped lower calorie, saturated fat and sodium intake, while adding nutrients to the plate like B vitamins, vitamin D, antioxidants and potassium (8-percent). Today, the mushroom-meat mix, also referred to as The Blend, is popular both professional chefs and home cooks. For more information on The Blend, visit http://www.blenditarian.com.

Mushrooms: A Nutrient Powerhouse

Often grouped with vegetables, mushrooms provide many of the nutrient attributes of produce, as well as attributes more commonly found in meat, beans or grains. One serving (5 medium/84g) of white, raw mushrooms contains 20 calories, 0g fat, 3g protein and is very low in sodium (15mg/1% recommended daily value). Few foods naturally contain vitamin D, and mushrooms are unique in that they are the only food in the produce aisle that contain vitamin D. Specifically, one serving of raw, UV-exposed, white and crimini mushrooms contains 890 IU and 1086 IIU of vitamin D, respectively.

 

 

Americans are eating more ultra-processed foods

New York University School of Global Public Health, October 14, 2021

Consumption of ultra-processed foods has increased over the past two decades across nearly all segments of the U.S. population, according to a new study by researchers at NYU School of Global Public Health. 

"The overall composition of the average U.S. diet has shifted towards a more processed diet. This is concerning, as eating more ultra-processed foods is associated with poor diet quality and higher risk of several chronic diseases," said Filippa Juul, an assistant professor and postdoctoral fellow at NYU School of Public Health and the study's lead author. "The high and increasing consumption of ultra-processed foods in the 21st century may be a key driver of the obesity epidemic."

Ultra-processed foods are industrially manufactured, ready-to-eat or heat, include additives, and are largely devoid of whole foods. Previous studies by researchers at NYU School of Global Public Health have found that higher consumption of ultra-processed foods is associated with obesity and heart disease.

In the new study, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Juul and her colleagues analyzed dietary data from nearly 41,000 adults who took part in the CDC's National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey from 2001 through 2018. Participants were asked what they ate in the past 24 hours, and the researchers sorted the foods reported into four categories:

1. Minimally processed foods (whole foods), such as vegetables, fruits, grains, meat, and dairy
2. Processed culinary ingredients, such as olive oil, butter, sugar, and salt
3. Processed foods, such as cheese, canned fish, and canned beans 
4. Ultra-processed foods, such as frozen pizza, soda, fast food, sweets, salty snacks, canned soup, and most breakfast cereals 

The researchers then calculated the percentage of calories consumed from each food group. 

Ultra-processed food consumption grew from 53.5 percent of calories in the beginning of the period studied (2001-2002) to 57 percent at the end (2017-2018). The intake of ready-to-eat or heat meals, like frozen dinners, increased the most, while the intake of some sugary foods and drinks declined. In contrast, the consumption of whole foods decreased from 32.7 percent to 27.4 percent of calories, mostly due to people eating less meat and dairy.

People across nearly all demographic groups, regardless of income, increased their consumption of ultra-processed foods, with the exception of Hispanic adults, who ate significantly less ultra-processed foods and more whole foods compared with non-Hispanic white and Black adults. College graduates also ate significantly less ultra-processed foods. Notably, older adults (aged 60+) experienced the sharpest increase in consuming ultra-processed foods: this age group ate the least ultra-processed foods and most whole foods at the beginning of the period studied, yet ate the most ultra-processed foods and least whole foods at the end.

Given the growing intake of ultra-processed foods in the U.S. and mounting evidence linking these foods to chronic diseases, the researchers recommend implementing policies to reduce their consumption, such as revised dietary guidelines, marketing restrictions, package labeling changes, and taxes on soda and other ultra-processed foods. They also support programs and policies to increase the availability, accessibility, and affordability of whole foods, especially among disadvantaged populations.

"In the current industrial food environment, most of the foods that are marketed to us are in fact industrial formulations that are far removed from whole foods. Nevertheless, nutritional science tends to focus on the nutrient content of foods and has historically ignored the health implications of industrial food processing," said Juul.

Moreover, while the study focused on data from before COVID-19, there are indications that the pandemic led to an increase in eating less nutritious, shelf-stable foods.

"In the early days of the pandemic, people changed their purchasing behaviors to shop less frequently, and sales of ultra-processed foods such as boxed macaroni and cheese, canned soups, and snack foods increased substantially. People may have also eaten more packaged 'comfort foods' as a way of coping with the uncertainty of the pandemic," added Juul. "We look forward to examining dietary changes during this period as data become available.

 

Gary‘s Daily Health News - Vol. 16

Clinical Trial: Vegetable Extract may Treat Autism Better than Drugs

Harvard Medical School, September 24, 2021

 

A recent clinical trial has shown that one vegetable extract may have astounding positive effects on those with autism – broccoli extract.

 

The US Centers for Disease Control tells the world that there is no treatment for autism spectrum disorder (ASD). But now that one in every 68 children is showing symptoms of the disorder (a huge spike since the year 2000), you would think that a clinical trial involving a simple, natural food-based supplement would be front page news. This, however, is not the world we live in, so you likely haven’t heard about a possible solution for autism that doesn’t rely on pharmaceutical medication – until now.

 

Along with an extensive Autism Spectrum Disease research database at GMI, there is evidence suggesting that broccoli extract (along with avoiding heavy metals, minimizing glyphosate exposure, and eradicating the diet of gluten) shows promise in improving ASD.

 

The active ingredient in broccoli that seems to help is called sulforaphane, a molecule found in cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli, cabbage, and Brussels sprouts.

 

A groundbreaking study published in The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA titled, “Sulforaphane treatment of autism spectrum disorder (ASD),” found that a broccoli sprout extract significantly improved the behavior of boys and men (those who most often suffer from autism). Sulforaphane was selected, in part, because its physiological effects are well characterized and ideal for those with ASD:

 

“Dietary sulforaphane, of recognized low toxicity, was selected for its capacity to reverse abnormalities that have been associated with ASD, including oxidative stress and lower antioxidant capacity, depressed glutathione synthesis, reduced mitochondrial function and oxidative phosphorylation, increased lipid peroxidation, and neuroinflammmation.”

 

The placebo-controlled, randomized pilot study of 44 males, ages 13-27, showed that after 18 weeks of treatment with a sulforaphane-rich broccoli sprout extract, 46% had noticeable improvements in social interactions and 42% has improvements in verbal communication. More than half of all participants also showed a decrease in irritability, hyperactivity, and repetitive movements.

 

Of note, once treatment with broccoli extract stopped, most of the behaviors associated with autism returned. For more details on the study, read a Medscape report, including an interview with the study’s lead researcher.

 

The dosing schedule was determined by body weight:

• 100 lbs or less: one capsule containing 50 µmol (232 mg) of sulforaphane-rich broccoli extract was given daily
• 101–199 lbs, 100 µmol (two capsules of 232 mg each) of sulforaphane-rich broccoli extract was given daily
• More than 200 lbs: 150 µmol (three capsules of 232 mg each) of sulforaphane-rich broccoli extract was given daily

 

Sulforaphane happens to be one of the most extensively studied and promising natural substances in existence.

Consider that sulforaphane concentrations are several hundred times higher in the broccoli sprouts versus mature broccoli.  This may very well be why the extract is therapeutic.

 

 

Small but mighty: Microgreens go from trendy vegetables to functional food

Study suggests ‘gourmet’ sprouts have potential to help provide global nutrition security

Penn State University, September 28, 2021

Starting decades ago as fashionable, high-value gourmet greens, today microgreens have gained popularity among consumers for their nutritional profile and high content of antioxidant compounds. Now, a new study suggests that the tiny plants have the potential to help provide global nutrition security.

As part of a project titled, "Food Resilience in the Face of Catastrophic Global Events," an international team of researchers has found that these vegetables can be grown in a variety of soilless production systems in small spaces indoors, with or without artificial lighting. The findings are especially relevant amid a pandemic that has disrupted food supply chains.

With microgreens, people can produce fresh and nutritious vegetables even in areas that are considered food deserts, according to team leader Francesco Di Gioia, assistant professor of vegetable crop science, College of Agricultural Sciences, Penn State.

“The current COVID-19 pandemic revealed the vulnerability of our food system and the need to address malnutrition issues and nutrition-security inequality, which could be exacerbated by potential future emergencies or catastrophes,” he said. “Nutrient-dense microgreens have great potential as an efficient food-resilience resource.”

Microgreens’ nutritional profile is associated with the rich variety of colors, shapes, textural properties and flavors obtained from sprouting a multitude of edible vegetable species, including herbs, herbaceous crops and wild edible species.

With a short growth cycle requiring only minimal inputs of fertilizer, microgreens have great potential to provide essential nutrients and antioxidants, Di Gioia noted. Using simple agronomic techniques, it is possible to produce microvegetables that could address specific dietary needs or micronutrient deficiencies, as well as nutrition-security issues in emergency situations or in challenging environmental conditions.

Consumers could produce microgreens at home using simple tools available in a kitchen, Di Gioia pointed out. A grower also would need seeds, growing trays and a growth medium — which could consist of a common peat or peat and perlite growth mix.

Given all the characteristics of microgreens, scientists at NASA and the European Space Agency also have proposed them as a source of fresh food and essential nutrients for astronauts engaged in long-term space missions. And because microgreens may be used as functional food to enhance nutrition security under current conditions and during future emergencies or catastrophes, Di Gioia suggested that microgreen production kits including seeds could be prepared and stored, then made available when needed.

“Under such circumstances, a variety of fresh and nutrient-rich microgreens could be grown providing a source of minerals, vitamins and antioxidants in a relatively short time,” he said. “Or alternatively, kits could be distributed to vulnerable segments of the population as a short-term nutrition-security resource.”

 

 

How high-fat diets allow cancer cells to go unnoticed

Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, September 28, 2021

A high-fat diet increases the incidence of colorectal cancer. Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Fellow Semir Beyaz and collaborators from Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts Institute of Technology have discovered that in mice, fat disrupts the relationship between intestinal cells and the immune cells that patrol them looking for emerging tumors. Reconfiguring the gut microbiome may be a way to heal the relationship.

The immune system patrols tissues looking for and eliminating threats. Certain immune cells look for tags that distinguish between normal and abnormal cells. One tag, called MHC-II, helps target cells for destruction. Cell-surface MHC-II activates the immune system to destroy that cell, whether it is just worn out or about to become cancerous. Beyaz and his colleagues found that when mice ate diets high in fat, MHC-II levels were suppressed in intestinal cells. Cells with reduced levels of these tags were not recognized as abnormal and thus could grow into tumors. Charlie Chung, a Stony Brook University graduate student-in-residence in Beyaz's lab, says, "If we alter the level of these immune recognition molecules in a positive way, then the tumor will more likely be recognized by the immune cell. We hope this can be coupled with the existing strategies, such as immunotherapy, to eradicate tumors."

The researchers found that a high-fat diet changed the mouse's intestinal microbiome (the mixture of microbes in the gut). Several bacteria, including ones called Helicobacter, increase MHC-II, which may help immune cells locate abnormal cells. The team did a "dirty roommate" experiment where mice without these bacteria were housed with ones that had it. The "clean" mice became infected with the Helicobacter bacteria and produced more of the MHC-II tag.

The scientists' findings suggest a new way to boost current immunotherapy treatments against cancer. Increasing the production of this MHC-II tag, either by diet, drugs, or changing the microbes in the body, can help the immune system recognize and eliminate cancer cells. Beyaz says:

"This interaction between diet, microbes, and immune recognition has the potential to help us explain how lifestyle factors can contribute to tumor initiation, progression, or response to therapy."

Cancer cells use many tricks to avoid being recognized as abnormal by the immune system, but Beyaz hopes he's found several ways to outwit them.

The research was published in Cell Stem Cell.

 

 

Do people who supplement with vitamin C have greater mental vitality?

Seoul National University (South Korea), September 24 2021. 

A trial that evaluated the effects of vitamin C supplementation in healthy young adults found increased aspects of mental vitality and improved performance among those who received the vitamin. The research was reported on September 2, 2021 in the European Journal of Nutrition.

Minju Sim of Seoul National University and colleagues team conducted a cross-sectional study that examined the association of serum vitamin C levels with aspects of mood and vitality among 214 young adults. Higher levels of the vitamin were found to be associated with improved attention. 

Acting on these results, the researchers conducted a randomized, double-blind trial in which 46 healthy men and women between the ages of 20 and 39 years with inadequate levels of vitamin C received 500 milligrams of the vitamin twice daily or a placebo for four weeks. Fatigue, attention, work engagement, and self-control resources were evaluated as indicators of vitality at the beginning and end of the study. A test that evaluated sustained attention and processing speed after mental stress was administered to both groups at the end of the study.

After four weeks, participants who received vitamin C had greater increases in attention and work absorption scores than the placebo group, with trends toward decreased fatigue and greater comprehensive work engagement. Processing speed was increased in the vitamin C group compared to the placebo group at the end of the study.

“This study is the first, to our knowledge, to show the link between vitamin C status with mental functions in healthy young adults using both population-based observational studies and randomized clinical trials,” the authors announced. 

They concluded that “Vitamin C supplementation effectively increased work motivation and attentional focus and contributed to better performance on cognitive tasks requiring sustained attention.”

 

 

 

Happiness in early adulthood may protect against dementia

University of California San Francisco, September 28, 2021

While research has shown that poor cardiovascular health can damage blood flow to the brain increasing the risk for dementia, a new study led by UC San Francisco indicates that poor mental health may also take its toll on cognition.

The research adds to a body of evidence that links depression with dementia, but while most studies have pointed to its association in later life, the UCSF study shows that depression in early adulthood may lead to lower cognition 10 years later and to cognitive decline in old age. 

The study publishes in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease on Sept. 28, 2021. 

The researchers used innovative statistical methods to predict average trajectories of depressive symptoms for approximately 15,000 participants ages 20 to 89, divided into three life stages: older, midlife and young adulthood. They then applied these predicted trajectories and found that in a group of approximately 6,000 older participants, the odds of cognitive impairment were 73 percent higher for those estimated to have elevated depressive symptoms in early adulthood, and 43 percent higher for those estimated to have elevated depressive symptoms in later life. 

These results were adjusted for depressive symptoms in other life stages and for differences in age, sex, race, educational attainment, body mass index, history of diabetes and smoking status. For depressive symptoms in midlife, the researchers found an association with cognitive impairment, but this was discounted when they adjusted for depression in other life stages.

Excess stress hormones may damage ability to make new memories

"Several mechanisms explain how depression might increase dementia risk," said first author Willa Brenowitz, Ph.D., MPH, of the UCSF Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and the Weill Institute for Neurosciences. "Among them is that hyperactivity of the central stress response system increases production of the stress hormones glucocorticoids, leading to damage of the hippocampus, the part of the brain essential for forming, organizing and storing new memories."

Other studies have linked depression with atrophy of the hippocampus, and one study has shown faster rates of volume loss in women, she said.

In estimating the depressive symptoms across each life stage, researchers pooled data from younger participants with data from the approximately 6,000 older participants and predicted average trajectories. These participants, whose average age was 72 at the start of the study and lived at home, had been enrolled by the Health Aging and Body Composition Study and the Cardiovascular Health Study. They were followed annually or semi-annually for up to 11 years.

U-shaped curve adds credence to predicted trajectories 

While assumed values were used, the authors stated, no longitudinal studies have been completed across the life course. "Imputed depressive symptom trajectories fit a U-shaped curve, similar to age-related trends in other research," they noted. 

Participants were screened for depression using a tool called the CESD-10, a 10-item questionnaire assessing symptoms in the past week. Moderate or high depressive symptoms were found in 13 percent of young adults, 26 percent of midlife adults and 34 percent of older participants. 

Some 1,277 participants were diagnosed with cognitive impairment following neuropsychological testing, evidence of global decline, documented use of a dementia medication or hospitalization with dementia as a primary or secondary diagnosis. 

"Generally, we found that the greater the depressive symptoms, the lower the cognition and the faster the rates of decline," said Brenowitz, who is also affiliated with the UCSF Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics. "Older adults estimated to have moderate or high depressive symptoms in early adulthood were found to experience a drop in cognition over 10 years."

With up to 20 percent of the population suffering from depression during their lifetime, it's important to recognize its role in cognitive aging, said senior author Kristine Yaffe, MD, of the UCSF departments of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, and Epidemiology and Biostatistics. "Future work will be needed to confirm these findings, but in the meantime, we should screen and treat depression for many reasons."

 

Novel mind-body program outperforms other forms of treatment for chronic back pain

Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, September 28, 2021

Chronic back pain is the leading cause of disability worldwide. In the United States, patients spend up to $300 billion each year to treat the condition, according to a 2012 study published in the Journal of Pain. However, common therapies such as surgery and steroid injections intended to address physical origins of back pain have not been clearly proven to work in randomized clinical trials, and a growing body of evidence suggests that psychological factors may be associated with of some forms of back pain.

Physician-scientists from Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) developed a 12-week mind-body program that takes a new approach to chronic back pain. The novel intervention—which is not yet available at BIDMC to the general public—is based on an idea pioneered by the late John Sarno, MD, a professor of rehabilitation medicine at the New York University School of Medicine. In a new publication appearing in journal PAIN, the team demonstrated that the mind-body intervention was highly beneficial for treating back pain when compared to standard care, with 64 percent of research volunteers reporting being 100 percent pain free six months later. 

"The current paradigm of pain management focuses mostly on treatment of a physical origin of pain, however, in many cases of chronic back pain a physical source of pain cannot be identified," said corresponding author Michael W. Donnino, MD, a physician in the Departments of Critical Care and Emergency Medicine at BIDMC. "Our group focused on the hypothesis that non-specific back pain is the symptomatic manifestation of a psychological process, substantively driven by stress, repressed emotions and other psychological processes. The exact mechanism remains unclear, but an analogy could be made to other known effects of acute emotional states on acute physiological changes, such as how the emotion of embarrassment may result in the capillary vasodilation we know as blushing." 

Donnino and colleagues' experimental program, termed Psychophysiologic Symptom Relief Therapy (PSRT), is designed to address underlying stressors and psychological contributors to persistent pain as well as conditioned pain responses and fear avoidant behaviors. Treatment strategies include educating patients about the links between stressors and pain, as well as the relationship with emotions. Armed with this knowledge, participants learn healthier ways to process stress and express emotions. The program also focuses on desensitization or reverse conditioning to help patients break the associations that often are formed with triggers of pain such as bending or sitting. 

"Often these triggers are assumed to be cause of pain, but they are perhaps better described as associations that can be unknowingly conditioned in a way that is similar to how Pavlov conditioned dogs to salivate to a bell by pairing the bell with food," Donnino noted. "Our program works to reverse these conditioned responses and thus improve pain and pain disability." 

The program's final eight weeks focus on mindfulness-based stress reduction, or MBSR, the goal of which is to provide the tools to better process current and future stressors, while allowing time to practice the techniques from the first portion of the program. 

To assess whether PSRT can reduce symptoms and pain-related anxiety in patients with non-specific chronic back pain, Donnino and colleagues enrolled 35 participants, 18 to 67 years old with chronic back pain that lacked a clear physical origin. Participants were randomly assigned to receive either the novel 12-week PSRT intervention, eight weeks of MBSR only, or usual care under the guidance of their physicians without influence from the study team. All participants filled out pain-related questionnaires prior to the interventions and periodically up to six months after the interventions to assess changes in functional limitations or disability, back pain bothersomeness and pain-related anxiety. 

After just four weeks, researchers saw an astonishing 83 percent decrease in reported pain disability in the PSRT group compared to 22 percent and 11 percent in the MBSR and usual care groups, respectively. With regard to pain bothersomeness over the same time period, the PSRT group had a 60 percent drop compared to 8 percent and 18 percent decreases in pain bothersomeness for the mindfulness and usual care groups, respectively. 

The PSRT group was superior to both usual care and MBSR for the primary endpoint of pain disability at every interval and at the end of the six-month monitoring period. Moreover, at the end of the six-month period, 64 percent of patients with chronic back pain in the PSRT group were completely pain free (reporting 0 out 10 on a pain scale) whereas only 25 percent and 17 percent reported being pain free in the mindfulness and usual care arms, respectively. 

"Within four weeks, differences between PSRT, MBSR, and usual care were apparent across multiple domains including the primary outcome measure of functional disability as well as pain bothersomeness," Donnino said. "When patients recognize the relationship between the mind and their physical pain, this orientation sheds new light and provides them a basis to engage with the multifaceted program that works interchangeably to improve pain and disability. This study shows that our program has the potential to be highly beneficial when compared to both usual care as well as usual care plus additional treatments such as MBSR."

 

Meditation keeps emotional brain in check

Michigan State University, September 29, 2021  

 

Meditation can help tame your emotions even if you're not a mindful person, suggests a new study from Michigan State University.

 

Reporting in the journal Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, psychology researchers recorded the brain activity of people looking at disturbing pictures immediately after meditating for the first time. These participants were able to tame their negative emotions just as well as participants who were naturally mindful.

 

"Our findings not only demonstrate that meditation improves emotional health, but that people can acquire these benefits regardless of their 'natural' ability to be mindful," said Yanli Lin, an MSU graduate student and lead investigator of the study. "It just takes some practice."

 

Mindfulness, a moment-by-moment awareness of one's thoughts, feelings and sensations, has gained worldwide popularity as a way to promote health and well-being. But what if someone isn't naturally mindful? Can they become so simply by trying to make mindfulness a "state of mind"? Or perhaps through a more focused, deliberate effort like meditation?

 

Researchers assessed 68 participants for mindfulness using a scientifically validated survey. The participants were then randomly assigned to engage in an 18-minute audio guided meditation or listen to a control presentation of how to learn a newlanguage, before viewing negative pictures (such as a bloody corpse) while their brain activity was recorded.

 

The participants who meditated – they had varying levels of natural mindfulness – showed similar levels of "emotion regulatory" brain activity as people with high levels of natural mindfulness. In other words their emotional brains recovered quickly after viewing the troubling photos, essentially keeping their negative emotions in check.

In addition, some of the participants were instructed to look at the gruesome photos "mindfully" (be in a mindful state of mind) while others received no such instruction. Interestingly, the people who viewed the photos "mindfully" showed no better ability to keep their negative emotions in check.

 

This suggests that for non-meditators, the emotional benefits of mindfulness might be better achieved through meditation, rather than "forcing it" as a state of mind, said Moser, MSU associate professor of clinical psychology and co-author of the study.

 

"If you're a naturally mindful person, and you're walking around very aware of things, you're good to go. You shed your emotions quickly," Moser said. "If you're not naturally mindful, then meditating can make you look like a person who walks around with a lot of mindfulness. But for people who are not naturally mindful and have never meditated, forcing oneself to be mindful 'in the moment' doesn't work. You'd be better off meditating for 20 minutes."

 

Gary‘s Daily Health News - Vol. 15

Resveratrol can help to reduce inflammation, study finds

Georgia State University September 28, 2021 

 

 

A component of red wine and grapes can help control inflammation induced by a bacterial pathogen that is linked to upper respiratory tract inflammatory diseases such as asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases (COPD) and middle ear infection (otitis media), according to a study by researchers at Georgia State University.

 

The findings, published in the online journal Scientific Reports, identify a novel mechanism that resveratrol, a compound found naturally in some plant foods such as grapes, uses to alleviate inflammation in airway disease. The results suggest this compound could offer health benefits and be used to develop new, effective anti-inflammatory therapeutic agents.

 

"We showed that an important component in red wine and also grapes called resveratrol can suppress inflammation," said Dr. Jian-Dong Li, a senior author of the study, director of the Institute for Biomedical Sciences at Georgia State and a Georgia Research Alliance Eminent Scholar. "It has been shown that resveratrol can suppress inflammation, but how it regulates inflammation still remains largely unknown. We found that resveratrol suppresses a major bacterial pathogen causing otitis media and COPD by upregulating or increasing the production of a negative regulator called MyD88 short."

 

Resveratrol belongs to a group of compounds called polyphenols that are thought to act like antioxidants and protect the body against damage. It has long been considered a therapeutic agent for various diseases, including inflammatory diseases. In the study, resveratrol was effective against inflammation caused by nontypeable Haemophilus influenzae (NTHi), a major respiratory pathogen.

 

An appropriate amount of inflammation in the body is beneficial for defense against bacterial infection, but uncontrolled inflammation leads to inflammatory diseases. Upper respiratory tract inflammatory diseases such as asthma and COPD affect more than half a billion people worldwide and are characterized by chronic inflammation that is aggravated by respiratory pathogens such as NTHi. Asthma results in 250,000 deaths annually and is the leading cause of hospitalizations in children younger than 15 in the United States. COPD is the third leading cause of death in the U.S., and the World Health Organization predicts it will be the fifth most significant contributor to worldwide disease by 2020. Otitis media is the most common bacterial infection and also the leading cause of conductive hearing loss in children.

 

Antibiotics are routinely used to treat NTHi infections, but the increasing numbers of antibiotic-resistant bacterial strains and the limited success of currently available pharmaceuticals used to manage the symptoms of these diseases present an urgent need for the development of non-antibiotic therapeutics.

 

This study found for the first time that resveratrol decreases NTHi-induced expression of pro-inflammatory mediators in airway epithelial cells and in the lungs of mice by enhancing MyD88 short, a negative regulator of inflammatory signaling pathways. MyD88 short is considered a "brake pedal protein" because it can tightly control inflammation induced by this respiratory pathogen. It could be a critical target with significant therapeutic potential for suppressing inflammation associated with chronic airway disease.

 

The researchers also found that resveratrol has anti-inflammatory effects after NTHi infection, which demonstrates its therapeutic potential.

 

"The findings help us to shed light on developing new therapeutic strategies by targeting or pharmacologically upregulating MyD88 short production," Li said. "We could use resveratrol to suppress inflammation or develop resveratrol derivatives that could be pharmacological agents to suppress inflammation using the same strategy."

 

 

 

 

 

Cognitive function maintained among elderly who feel good about life

University of Michigan, September 28, 2021

Feeling happy about life slowed the cognitive decline among older adults in China, a new 12-year study suggests.

Researchers found that the odds of developing cognitive impairment, such as dementia, were lower in those with better psychological well-being.

While previous studies have reported the benefits of positive psychology on cognitive functions, the research only tracked individuals for a short time, which can underestimate the association between psychological well-being and cognitive change.

Knowing more about cognitive impairment is an important public health issue in an aging society, said Lydia Li, professor of social work at the University of Michigan and the current study's co-author.

"The findings have implications for policy and practice regarding supporting older people to preserve cognitive function in older age, given that psychological well-being is modifiable," she said.

In addition, enhancing the psychological well-being of older adults not only improves their quality of life, but may also lessen the burden and cost associated with cognitive impairment, Li said.

Data came from a subset of the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey. The sample included nearly 9,500 respondents aged 60 and older without any cognitive impairments at baseline (2002). The respondents were interviewed five times between 2002 and 2014.

About 2,640 respondents had onset of cognitive impairment at one of the follow-up interviews, and the numbers slightly increased over time, from nearly 11% during the 2002-2005 interval to 13.3% in the 2011-2014 interval.

To assess psychological well-being, respondents answered questions about their optimism, conscientiousness, loneliness, self-esteem and other factors. They also disclosed what social support they received, such as visits from family and friends, as well as their health status.

Although the research focused entirely on Chinese residents, Li said there's no reason the findings could not be applied to other racial, ethnic or geographic groups.

The research was published in the Journal of Aging and Health.

 

 

Children who eat more fruit and vegetables have better mental health

University of East Anglia, September 28, 2021

Children who eat a better diet, packed with fruit and vegetables, have better mental wellbeing—according to new research from the University of East Anglia.

A new study published today is the first to investigate the association between fruit and vegetable intakes, breakfast and lunch choices, and mental wellbeing in UK school children.

It shows how eating more fruit and veg is linked with better wellbeing among secondary school pupils in particular. And children who consumed five or more portions of fruit and veg a day had the highest scores for mental wellbeing.

The study was led by UEA Health and Social Care Partners in collaboration with Norfolk County Council.

The research team say that public health strategies and school policies should be developed to ensure that good quality nutrition is available to all children before and during school to optimize mental wellbeing and empower children to fulfill their full potential.

Lead researcher Prof Ailsa Welch, from UEA's Norwich Medical School, said: "We know that poor mental wellbeing is a major issue for young people and is likely to have long-term negative consequences.

"The pressures of social media and modern school culture have been touted as potential reasons for a rising prevalence of low mental wellbeing in children and young people.

"And there is a growing recognition of the importance of mental health and wellbeing in early life—not least because adolescent mental health problems often persist into adulthood, leading to poorer life outcomes and achievement.

"While the links between nutrition and physical health are well understood, until now, not much has been known about whether nutrition plays a part in children's emotional wellbeing. So, we set out to investigate the association between dietary choices and mental wellbeing among schoolchildren."

The research team studied data from almost 9,000 children in 50 schools across Norfolk (7,570 secondary and 1,253 primary school children) taken from the Norfolk children and Young People's Health and wellbeing Survey.

This survey was commissioned by the Public Health department of Norfolk County Council and the Norfolk Safeguarding Children Board. It was open to all Norfolk schools during October 2017.

Children involved in the study self-reported their dietary choices and took part in age-appropriate tests of mental wellbeing that covered cheerfulness, relaxation, and having good interpersonal relationships.

Prof Welch said: "In terms of nutrition, we found that only around a quarter of secondary-school children and 28 percent of primary-school children reported eating the recommended five-a-day fruits and vegetables. And just under one in ten children were not eating any fruits or vegetables.

"More than one in five secondary school children and one in 10 primary children didn't eat breakfast. And more than one in 10 secondary school children didn't eat lunch.

The team looked at the association between nutritional factors and mental wellbeing and took into account other factors that might have an impact—such as adverse childhood experiences and home situations.

Dr. Richard Hayhoe, also from UEA's Norwich Medical School, said: "We found that eating well was associated with better mental wellbeing in children. And that among secondary school children in particular, there was a really strong link between eating a nutritious diet, packed with fruit and vegetables, and having better mental wellbeing.

"We also found that the types of breakfast and lunch eaten by both primary and secondary school pupils were also significantly associated with wellbeing.

"Children who ate a traditional breakfast experienced better wellbeing than those who only had a snack or drink. But secondary school children who drank energy drinks for breakfast had particularly low mental wellbeing scores, even lower than for those children consuming no breakfast at all.

"According to our data, in a class of 30 secondary school pupils, around 21 will have consumed a conventional-type breakfast, and at least four will have had nothing to eat or drink before starting classes in the morning.

"Similarly, at least three pupils will go into afternoon classes without eating any lunch. This is of concern, and likely to affect not only academic performance at school but also physical growth and development.

"Another interesting thing that we found was that nutrition had as much or more of an impact on wellbeing as factors such as witnessing regular arguing or violence at home.

Prof Welch said: "As a potentially modifiable factor at an individual and societal level, nutrition represents an important public health target for strategies to address childhood mental wellbeing.

"Public health strategies and school policies should be developed to ensure that good quality nutrition is available to all children both before and during school in order to optimize mental wellbeing and empower children to fulfill their full potential."

"Cross-sectional associations of schoolchildren's fruit and vegetable consumption, and meal choices, with their mental wellbeing: a cross-sectional study" is published in the journal BMJ Nutrition, Prevention & Health.

 

Low-carb diet shown to improve cardiometabolic risk profile

Children's Hospital Boston, September 28, 2021

Low-carbohydrate diets are popular for weight loss and diabetes control. However, for most of the past 50 years, medical and public health experts have instead embraced low-fat diets, concerned about the health effects of saturated fats on cardiovascular risk factors like LDL cholesterol. As a result, low-fat and fat-free foods have proliferated—many of them high in processed carbohydrates.

A clinical trial led by Boston Children's Hospital, one of the largest and most rigorous study of its kind, now challenges that thinking. It demonstrates that low-carb diets—even though higher in saturated fat—produce better cardiovascular and metabolic profiles than low-fat, higher-carb diets. The findings were published online September 28 by the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

"Surprisingly, the low-carb diet did not adversely affect LDL ("bad") cholesterol, despite having saturated fat levels far in excess of current recommendations," says David Ludwig, MD, Ph.D., who led the study together with first author Cara Ebbeling, Ph.D..

Carbohydrates, insulin resistance, and disease

While high LDL cholesterol is the traditional risk factor for heart disease, a group of other risk factors is increasingly being tied to both heart disease and diabetes: high triglycerides, low HDL ("good") cholesterol, high blood pressure, high blood sugar, chronic inflammation, a tendency toward blood clotting, and fatty liver.

These factors are hallmarks of metabolic syndrome, also known as insulin resistance syndrome because the body's cells lose their sensitivity to signals from insulin to take up sugars from the blood. Mounting evidence implicates increased consumption of carbohydrates, especially highly processed carbs like refined grains and added sugars.

As people switch to low-fat diets, carbohydrates make up more and more of what we eat. This is one reason why metabolic syndrome is rising—while obesity remains an epidemic.

Comparing low-carb and low-fat diets

Ebbeling and Ludwig wanted to test the idea that a low-carb diet would improve people's cardiometabolic risk profiles as compared with a low-fat diet. In partnership with Framingham State University, they enrolled 164 adults with overweight or obesity who had lost 10-14 percent of their body weight on a reduced-calorie diet.

The participants then followed one of three weight-loss maintenance diets for five months, assigned at random:

• Low-carb diet (20 percent carbs, 60 percent fat, 20 percent protein)
• Moderate-carb diet (40 percent carbs, 40 percent fat, 20 percent protein)
• High-carb diet (60 percent carbs, 20 percent fat, 20 percent protein)

All participants received fully prepared, customized meals that they could eat in cafeterias or take to go. This protocol ensured that they stuck to the diets, unlike many other studies that just give people nutritional guidelines.

"We had a commercial food service provide more than 100,000 meals, tailored to each participant's caloric needs," says Ebbeling. "The meals were designed to keep participants at the same weight throughout the five months, so that everything we saw in this study would be independent of weight loss."

In all three diets, 35 percent of the fat consumed was saturated fat. This meant that the low-carb diet had three times the saturated fat of the high-carb diet (21 vs. 7 percent), well above the range of current recommendations.

But of note, the low-carb diet wasn't a ketogenic diet—a restrictive very-low-carb, very high-fat diet in which carbs typically constitute less than 10 percent of calories.  

"The less restricted low-carb diet we studied is pragmatic," says Ludwig. "There's still room for whole fruits, all the non-starchy vegetables you want, beans, and small amounts of grains."

The benefits of restricting carbs

As compared with higher-carb, lower-fat diets, the low-carb diet improved the profiles of a range of blood lipids related to cardiovascular disease and insulin resistance. It also increased adiponectin, a hormone made by fat cells that promotes sensitivity to insulin and protects against atherosclerosis (the formation of fatty plaques in the arteries).

"We also found that the low-carb diet reduced lipoprotein(a), an under-appreciated risk factor for atherosclerosis, heart disease, and stroke that previously was not thought to be influenced by diet," says Ludwig.

Specifically, lipoprotein(a) fell by an average of nearly 15 percent with the low-carb diet, versus a 2 percent reduction with the moderate-carb diet and a slight increase of 0.2 percent with the high-carb diet.

In a related, recently published commentary, Ludwig, Ebbeling, and their colleagues specifically implicate refined carbohydrates—not excess calories—as fueling the obesity epidemic. Foods like white bread, white rice, most breakfast cereals, and highly-processed snack foods cause spikes in blood sugar and insulin that slow metabolism, increase hunger, and set the stage for weight gain, the authors write. 

What about children?

Although the clinical trial was done in adults, low-carb diets are appropriate for children, says Ludwig. Children coming to the Optimal Wellness for Life (OWL) clinic at Boston Children's may be prescribed diets with reduced proportions of carbohydrates depending on their individual needs. Pediatric cardiologists are also starting to embrace low-carb diets.

"The roots of heart disease are planted in childhood," Ludwig says. "A moderate change now could lead to a huge benefit when kids reach middle age, and if you establish healthy habits early, they're more likely to stick. We're trying to shift the lifetime trajectory of heart disease risk."

 

 

Sunlight exposure guidelines may need to be revised, researchers warn

Kings College London, September 27, 2021

Previously published solar exposure guidelines for optimal vitamin D synthesis based on a study of skin samples may need to be revised, according to new research published today in PNAS.

A study by researchers from King’s College London, with support from the NIHR Guy’s and St Thomas’ Biomedical Research Centre, has tested the optimum ultraviolet radiation (UVR) wavelengths for human skin production of vitamin D in sunlight.

UVR from sunlight can cause sunburn and skin cancer, however, it is the most important source of vitamin D that is essential for healthy bone development and maintenance.

Public health advice on sunlight exposure takes both risk and benefits into account. Calculating the potential risks and benefits from sunlight exposure is not simple because the health outcomes from UVR exposure vary considerably with wavelength within the sun’s UVR spectrum. For example, the sun’s UVR contains less than 5% short wavelength UVB radiation but this is responsible for over 80% of the sunburn response. Each health outcome from solar exposure has its own unique wavelength dependency.

The association between specific UVB wavelengths and vitamin D production was determined more than thirty years ago in skin samples (ex vivo). However, the finding is less well established and there have been doubts about its accuracy. These doubts compromise risk/benefit calculations for optimal solar exposure.

Researchers led by the Professor Antony Young from King’s College London measured blood vitamin D levels in 75 healthy young volunteers, before, during, and after partial or full body exposure to five different artificial UVR sources with different amounts of UVB radiation, to weigh the trade-off between the benefits of solar exposure, which include vitamin D synthesis, versus the risks of sunburn and skin cancer.

They then compared their results with those that would be predicted from the old ex vivovitamin D study and found the previous study is not an accurate predictor of benefit from UVR exposure.  

The authors recommend a simple systematic correction of the ex vivo wavelength dependency for vitamin D. The new study means that many risk benefit calculations for solar UVR exposure must be reviewed with a revised version of the wavelength dependency for vitamin D. 

Professor Antony Young said: “Our study shows that risk versus benefit calculations from solar exposure may need to be re-evaluated. The results from the study are timely because the global technical committee, Commission internationale de l'éclairage, that sets UVR standards will be able to discuss the findings of this paper to re-evaluate the wavelength dependency of vitamin D. Further research from our group will determine the risk/benefit calculations.”

 

 

At-home exercise reduced depression levels significantly during COVID-19 lockdowns, says research

University of British Columbia, September 28, 2021

At-home, app-based workouts were very effective at reducing people's depression levels during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic, finds a new UBC research trial whose findings were released today in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.

"We found that regardless of the type of movement that people did in a week—whether it was high-intensity interval training (HIIT) or yoga—their mental health improved," said Dr. Eli Puterman, an associate professor at UBC's school of kinesiology and the Canada Research Chair in Physical Activity and Health.

Dr. Puterman, who is also a health psychologist studying how exercise can benefit highly stressed people, says he noticed a lot of people suffering from isolation, loneliness and depression in the early days of the pandemic. One study found that global rates of depression and anxiety reached 28 percent and 26 percent, or more, in the beginning of the pandemic, respectively.

He says his findings show that low-cost and accessible exercises are important strategies for managing depression and should be implemented widely.

Big mental health benefits for people with high depressive symptoms

In the first trial that examined the capacity of at-home app-based exercise programs to buffer against depression symptoms during the pandemic, Dr. Puterman and his team partnered with the mobile app company DownDog to run a six-week study between May and August 2020.

They randomized a group of 334 participants (a mix of both women and men between 18-64 years old who were, at the time, engaging in no or low levels of regular physical activity) to a specific at-home workout. One group was assigned to yoga, one to HIIT, and another to a combination of both. A final comparison group was asked to maintain their current levels of activity.

The team measured the participants' depressive symptoms before beginning the study and in each of the six weeks after they were assigned to their specific exercise group.

All participants in the exercise groups improved in their depression symptoms compared to the control group.

The greatest change was seen among participants who began the study with high depression symptoms and were placed in the combination (HIIT+yoga) exercise group. At the end of the trial, 72 percent of these participants were no longer categorized as having significant depression symptoms.

"This is likely because the women and men in the HIIT+yoga group did more frequent at-home exercises (four times or more) per week consistently." Dr. Puterman said. The importance of having variety in one's exercise routines to maintain a physically active routine has been shown previously.

In all three exercise groups, 57 percent of the participants who were identified as having high depression symptoms had symptoms decrease significantly, while a minority did so in the control group.

Promising for widespread public health interventions

The World Economic Forum projects that by 2030 mental illness will account for US$6 trillion of the annual global economic burden, accounting for more than half the burden from all non‐communicable diseases.

"The findings show that we should be promoting at-home and app-based workouts as a beneficial tool to manage depression since it has little to no cost," Dr. Puterman says, "especially in light of the long-term mental health consequences COVID-19 will have on many adults even beyond the pandemic."

He strongly encourages widespread promotion of at-home and app-based exercises that can be done with little space and no equipment to improve people's mental health.

"I think there is an opportunity here to tell people you can work out at home and still feel better, especially during the pandemic when some people are still reluctant to be in large groups."

He hopes to see physical activity and exercise initiatives integrated into clinical and health policy initiatives in the future.

 

Could a shot of orange juice boost brain power for men?

University of Reading (UK), September 23, 2021

Scientists from the University of Reading report that a single glass of flavonoid-rich orange juice may boost cognitive function, compared to placebo.

Data published in the European Journal of Nutrition indicated that a 240 ml glass of the flavonoid-rich orange juice was associated with significantly improved scores for attention, executive function, and psychomotor speed in healthy middle-aged men without mild cognitive impairment six hours after consumption, compared with placebo.

“It is important to acknowledge that orange juice consumption was not associated with a significant improvement on every individual cognitive test; this would not be expected given that the effects of nutritional interventions on cognitive performance are small and difficult to detect in healthy adults,” wrote the researchers.

“However, consistently higher means were observed following orange juice relative to the placebo in the vast majority of outcomes.”

The researchers recruited 24 healthy men aged between 30 and 65 to participate in their randomized, double-blind, crossover study. The men were randomly assigned to consumer orange juice containing 272 mg of flavonoid or a calorie-matched placebo, with the interventions separated by two weeks.

A battery of tests revealed that, compared to placebo, the flavonoid-rich orange juice was associated with significantly better performance on tests of executive function and psychomotor speed.

Alertness was also reportedly improved following orange juice consumption.

Bioavailability data would suggest that the cognitive benefits observed after six hours are related to the flavanones hesperidin and narirutin, said the researchers.

“One plausible hypothesis is that flavonoid consumption may lead to acute cognitive benefits via increased [cerebral blood flow] as a result of enhanced endothelial function and increased bioavailability of nitric oxide,” they wrote. “Human studies show significantly increased [cerebral blood flow] several hours following cocoa flavanol consumption. These are supported by chronic studies which show increased activation in the right middle prefrontal cortex and the right superior parietal cortex following anthocyanin and flavanol-rich grape juice consumption.

“Moreover, increased steady-state-evoked potentials in posterior parietal and central–frontal regions and increased [cerebral blood flow] in the hippocampus during a spatial memory task have been observed following several weeks daily consumption of cocoa flavanols. As yet, there are no published data examining peripheral or [cerebral blood flow] in humans following flavanone consumption; therefore, these potential mechanisms are speculative at this time.

To conclude, the authors stated: “These data demonstrate that fruit juice-based flavonoids can acutely enhance cognition in healthy adults. This is consistent with the accumulating evidence from chronic interventions and epidemiological research that increased consumption of fruits, fruit juices and other flavonoid-rich foods over the lifespan is associated with cognitive benefits such as a reduced risk of neuropsychological disease, attenuation of aging-induced cognitive decline and maintenance of optimal cognitive facilities.”

Source: European Journal of Nutrition 

Gary‘s Daily Health News - Vol. 14

Eating spinach could protect against colon cancer

Texas A&M University, September 26, 2021

A new study from the Texas A&M University Health Science Center (Texas A&M Health) suggests eating spinach could prevent colon cancer. And now, building on previous work, researchers are closer to understanding exactly how it works.

In the United States, colon cancer is the fourth-most common cancer and second-leading cause of cancer-related deaths. Previous studies have shown that eating green vegetables and fiber reduces risk of colon cancer by as much as half. This new study, recently published in the journal Gut Microbes, explores the relationship between spinach, gut health, genes and colon cancer outcomes.

The researchers used a model of a hereditary disease called familial adenomatous polyposis, an inherited disorder that causes young people to develop multiple noncancerous growths (polyps) in their colon. Most people with this disease must have their colon surgically removed to prevent hundreds of tumors from growing in their colon as they age. They then undergo often-toxic NSAID treatment to prevent additional tumors from forming in the duodenum, the first part of the small intestine. The results of this study indicate spinach might aid in cancer prevention in these patients by delaying the need for colon removal and prolonged drug treatment.

After feeding freeze-dried spinach to an animal model of familial adenomatous polyposis for 26 weeks, the researchers observed significant antitumor activity in the colon and small intestine. Using an unbiased approach called multi-omics, the researchers found that the tumor suppression by spinach involved increased diversity in the gut microbiome (helpful microbes) and changes in gene expression to help prevent cancer. They also found that fatty acids associated with regulation of inflammation, called linoleate metabolites, were brought to up to a beneficial level after a spinach diet.

"We believe eating spinach can also be protective for people who do not have familial adenomatous polyposis," said principal investigator Roderick Dashwood, director of the Center for Epigenetics & Disease Prevention at the Texas A&M Health Institute of Biosciences and Technology.

Hereditary forms of colon cancer only account for about 10 to 15 percent of cases. The majority of colon cancers are sporadic, meaning they are not driven by a genetic predisposition inherited through a family. Dashwood explains that over decades, exposure to carcinogens through diet and environment can change the way genes are expressed in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, and this can cause people to develop polyps in the colon and lower GI tract later in life that can progress into cancer. This is why the American Cancer Society recommends starting colon cancer screening at age 45.

Dashwood's lab previously noticed the benefits of spinach in a carcinogen-induced model of colorectal cancer that mimics sporadic cases. In that model, spinach was very effective in preventing polyps, which spurred the team to see how spinach might work in colon cancer driven by genetics.

"My bias was to focus on the chlorophyll story because of my long history examining anti-cancer effects of chlorophyll," Dashwood said. "But it turned out the multi-omics approach prompted other ideas. When we looked at the metabolomic data, there was no chlorophyll. It was actually fatty acids and linoleic acid derivatives that were causing the beneficial effects."

Multi-omics allows scientists to carefully analyze biological "big data" to find associations between different systems in the body, pinpoint biomarkers and better understand the complex interrelationships that drive life. Instead of traditional hypothesis-driven research, multi-omics is a hypothesis-generating approach in which scientists follow the data to land at explanations for results. The three omics used in this study were microbiome (helpful and harmful microbes), transcriptome (gene expression) and metabolome (metabolites, such as amino acids and fatty acids). The word "omics" comes from the "ome" in these words.

To crunch the metabolome data, Dashwood's team utilized the Integrated Metabolomics Analysis Core facility established by Arul Jayaraman at the Texas A&M College of Engineering. First author of the study, Ying-Shiuan Chen, worked closely with Jayaraman and his team for two years to analyze the hundreds of samples collected from the study's models.

"This is one of the most comprehensive metabolomics analyses of its kind, especially in the context of cancer prevention by a whole food, spinach," said Jayaraman, Ray B. Nesbitt Endowed Chair, Presidential Impact Fellow and head of the Artie McFerrin Department of Chemical Engineering at the College of Engineering. "This work was possible due to generous support from the Research Development Fund and Texas A&M System Chancellor Sharp for establishing the Integrated Metabolomics core."

The next step for Dashwood's team is to validate some of the metabolomic aspects of their findings, such as concentrations of linoleic acid metabolites and short chain fatty acids with anticancer effects on the preclinical model, and ideally in human patients.

When it comes to how soon people should start adding spinach into their diet to help prevent colon cancer, it doesn't hurt to start now.

"The sooner the better," Dashwood said. "You shouldn't wait until polyps arise in order to start to do these sorts of preventive things."

 

Increased risk of heart disease may be linked to your stress hormone sensitivity

Medical School at University of Patras (Greece), September 24, 2021

People that are particularly sensitive to stress hormones also exhibit markers that suggest they are at greater risk of developing cardiovascular disease, according to research presented at the 59th Annual European Society for Paediatric Endocrinology Meeting. The study aimed to create a test that could differentiate between stress hormone sensitive and resistant people, to help clinicians better determine therapeutic outcomes and minimise adverse effects in those requiring glucocorticoid treatment. Interestingly, the protein profile associated with glucocorticoid sensitivity included increased risk markers of stress-related disorders such as stroke and heart attack, and may point to new possibilities for diagnostics or therapy in these areas.

Glucocorticoids (GCs) are a group of hormones produced naturally in the body, one of which is the stress hormone cortisol, and they are essential for metabolism and healthy immune function. They act as anti-inflammatories and are routinely used to treat allergies, asthma and other conditions involving an overactive immune system. However, people respond differently to GCs. A test distinguishing between sensitive and resistant people would be very useful in improving treatment outcomes. Proteins in our body are responsible for recognising, transporting and effecting the actions of hormones such as GCs, so it may be that the protein profiles of sensitive and resistant people could indicate GC effectiveness. Chronic stress has long been associated with an increased risk of developing heart disease and stroke but the underlying physiological changes are not well understood.  

In this study, Dr Nicolas Nicolaides and colleagues in Athens, Greece, investigated whether a set of proteins could be identified that would distinguish between GC sensitive and resistant people. 101 healthy volunteers were given a low dose of the GC, dexamethasone, then ranked from the most sensitive to most resistant, based on their blood cortisol levels the following morning. Samples from the top and bottom 10% were then analysed using liquid chromatography mass spectrometry to identify differences in the protein profile between these groups. The sensitive group had 110 upregulated and 66 downregulated proteins compared with the resistant group. Of the upregulated proteins in the sensitive group, several were associated with enhanced blood clotting, amyloid plaque formation in Alzheimer’s disease and immune function.

Dr Nicolaides states, Our findings show, for the first time, how increased glucocorticoid sensitivity may be associated with stress-related disorders, including myocardial and brain infarctions, which could lead to new therapeutic interventions.“

Although Dr Nicolaides, cautions, “This was a small, study, so further, larger studies are needed to confirm the differences observed between the glucocorticoid-sensitive and resistant people.”

This study was part of a larger project, involving genetic and metabolic analyses in healthy subjects with differences in tissue sensitivity to glucocorticoids. The team now plan to perform larger studies to confirm these findings and develop a signature profile for identifying these patient groups, which may also have increased susceptibility to stress-related disorders.

Dr Nicolaides comments, “We speculate that if the most glucocorticoid sensitive people are exposed to excessive or prolonged stress, the resultant increased blood cell activation could predispose them to clot formation in the heart and brain, leading to heart attacks or strokes. We could potentially identify those at more risk and in need of stress management."

 

 

Taking folic acid around conception may help reduce autism risk from pesticides, suggests study

University of California, Davis, September 11, 2021

Mothers exposed to pesticides who took high-doses of folic acid around conception reduced their risk of having children with autistic spectrum disorder (ASD), according to a study in Environmental Health Perspectives.

Mothers who had been exposed to agricultural pesticides at any time in the 3 months before and after conceiving, and who took 800 micrograms/ day (ug/d) of folic acid in the first month of pregnancy halved the risk of their child  developing ASD, found a multi-disciplinary team of researchers from the University of California, Davis.

Regular exposure to outdoor pesticide sprays and foggers, combined with low folic acid intake (800 ug/d) increased the risk of ASD in offspring by 4 times compared with no exposure and high intake. Increasing intake above the 800 ug/d threshold mitigated this risk to 1.8 times in offspring of frequently exposed mothers.

The study also identified significant ASD risk reductions for high-dose folic acid consumers in mothers exposed to household pesticide products.

"We found that if the mom was taking folic acid during the window around conception, the risk associated with pesticides seemed to be attenuated," said first author Professor Rebecca Schmidt.  "Mothers should try to avoid pesticides. But if they live near agriculture, where pesticides can blow in, this might be a way to counter those effects."

"Folic acid intake below the median and exposure to pesticides was associated with higher risk of autism than either low intake or exposure alone," she added. "The mothers who had the highest risk were the ones who were exposed to pesticides regularly."

Although higher folic acid consumption was associated with lower ASD risk, the higher vitamin intake did not eliminate risk.

"It would be better for women to avoid chronic pesticide exposure if they can while pregnant," Schmidt said.

The study is important, the researchers suggest, as it is the first to show evidence for the mitigation of ASD risk from pesticides through maternal folic acid intake. Results are nevertheless consistent with previous research identifying benefits of maternal folic acid intake in protecting against the effects of environmental toxins (including arsenic) on developing offspring.

Study Details

The case-control study used data from the Childhood Autism Risks from Genetics and the Environment (CHARGE) trial. The cohort of children aged between 2 and 5 included 296 who had developed ASD and 220 healthy controls.

Folic acid consumption and peri-conceptual exposure to household pesticides were evaluated by interview, while exposure to agricultural pesticides was estimated by linking data from California Pesticide Use reports to mothers’ addresses.

The observational design of the study prevents establishment of a causal effect. However, it is widely recognised that pesticides can adversely affect DNA methylation, and that folic acid is a major methyl donor. Therefore, the researchers were able to hypothesise potential causal mechanisms for folic acid’s protective effect.

"Folate plays a critical role in DNA methylation (a process by which genes are turned off or on), as well as in DNA repair and synthesis," said Schmidt. "These are all really important during periods of rapid growth when there are lots of cells dividing, as in a developing foetus. Adding folic acid might be helping out in a number of these genomic functions."

“Larger studies, exposure measurements or markers that are prospectively collected, and research on potential mechanisms would be helpful in moving the field forward,” the researchers proposed regarding possible next steps.

 

 

A study shows the effectiveness of ozone as a disinfectant agent against SARS-CoV-2 in public transport

University of Valencia (Spain), September 24, 2021

The Hydrens team of researchers developed a numerical model that estimates the ozone concentration needed to meet the disinfection criteria. To do this, it takes into account the geometry and volume of the space to be treated, the type of materials inside it and their capacity to absorb ozone, and the characteristics of the impulsion-distribution system used.

"To determine the amount of ozone required, the model also takes into account the barriers that the ozone may encounter, such as seats, bars, handles, etc. –which cause the gas to decompose when it hits them. As part of the ozone is lost in this way, this has to be allowed for when calculating the amount of gas necessary for proper disinfection. That is precisely what our model does," says Javier Navarro, a researcher at the UPV's Department of Chemical and Nuclear Engineering.

The catalyst is key

The model was validated through several tests, both in the laboratory and in metro and tram wagons –which were provided by Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat Valenciana, the Valencian Government railway company. An ozonisation system was installed in them that injected more and more gas, until it reached the concentration determined by the model. A catalyst for the decomposition of the residual ozone was installed too, in order to preventing its emission into the atmosphere.

"After disinfection, some residual ozone remains inside the wagons which has to be eliminated as quickly as possible, and that is what the catalyst that we at the ITQ provide does. In the tests that we have carried out, after applying the disinfection protocol that has been developed and taking our model into account, the residual ozone is eliminated through catalytic decomposition. In this way, the inside of the wagons remains free of ozone, and the emission of this gas into the atmosphere is prevented," says Antonio Chica, a senior CSIC scientist at the Institute of Chemical Technology (ITQ), a joint centre of the UPV and the CSIC.

The study team stresses that this procedure should be carried out when wagons are empty, with no passengers, starting with the injection of ozone and ending with the catalytic decomposition of the residual gas. Researchers also point out that using ozone in this way makes it possible to disinfect areas that cannot be disinfected with other methods –such as ultraviolet light, which does not reach every corner of the passenger compartment.

A system suitable for buses, aeroplanes...

"The efficacy of the system has been validated using porcine epidemic diarrhoea virus (PEDV) and murine norovirus (MNV-1) as surrogates for SARS-CoV-2 and human norovirus, respectively. The results clearly support the use of ozone as an effective measure for virus inactivation in public transport. In laboratory-scale experiments, we achieved inactivation with ozone concentrations of 100 ppm for 25 min at 25 °C and 95% relative humidity. In a live test, we achieved the same inactivation efficiency with 55 ppm ozone for 20 min at 32 °C and 87% RH, which shows the relevance of humidity for inactivation efficiency," says Gloria Sánchez, the researcher in charge of the IATA-CSIC Environmental Virology and Food Safety Laboratory (VISAFELab).

Additionally, the UPV, CSIC, Hydrens, UJI and IATA team points out that, even though the experiments were carried out on real metro and tram wagons, the procedure that they developed can be extended to other vehicles such as buses and aeroplanes, and to interior spaces of buildings.

 

 

The spice of life—cinnamon cools your stomach

Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (Australia), September 28, 2021 

 

Adding cinnamon to your diet can cool your body by up to two degrees, according to research published today. And the spice may also contribute to a general improvement in overall health. The research has been published in the journal Scientific Reports.

 

Project leader Distinguished Professor Kourosh Kalantar-zadeh, from RMIT's School of Engineering, said the results of the study, which used pigs, seemed to show that cinnamon maintained the integrity of the stomach wall.

 

"When pigs feed at room temperature, carbon dioxide (CO2) gas increases in their stomach. Cinnamon in their food reduces this gas by decreasing the secretion of gastric acid and pepsin from the stomach walls, which in turn cools the pigs' stomachs during digestion. When the pigs are hot, they hyperventilate, which reduces CO2 production. With cinnamon treatment, CO2 decreases even further. This not only cools the pigs but leads to a significant improvement in their overall health."

 

Fellow researcher Dr Jian Zhen Ou said: "Altogether cinnamon cooled the stomach by up to 2C.

 

"No wonder cinnamon is so popular in warm regions as taking it makes people feel better and gives them a feeling of cooling down."

 

The research is part of a bigger study at RMIT into gut health using swallowable gas sensor capsules or smart pills, developed at the University.

 

Kalantar-zadeh said gut gases were the by-product of digestion and could provide valuable insights into the functioning and health of the gut.

 

"Our experiments with pigs and cinnamon show how swallowable gas sensor capsules can help provide new physiological information that will improve our understanding of diet or medicine. They are a highly reliable device for monitoring and diagnosing gastrointestinal disorders. They will revolutionise food science as we know it."

 

Scientists at the University of Melbourne and Monash University also contributed to the paper, entitled "Potential of in vivo real-time gastric gas profiling: a pilot evaluation of heat-stress and modulating dietary cinnamon effect in an animal model."

 

 

 

Healthiest Produce That's in Season in September

GreenMedInfo, September 24th 2021 

 

These seven nutrient-packed fruits and vegetables are just in time for your fall-season plans for optimal health and well-being

As the fall season rolls around we're reminded of cool weather, the richest earth colors and the start of another school year. September is also a great time to enjoy the healthiest fruits and vegetables from nature. Keep a list of the freshest produce available in this season and have a look at their unique benefits.

1. Apples: Anticancer Potential

It's fairly easy to take apples for granted for their availability all year round. But their healing properties stand out from the rest; apples have been found, for instance, to prevent oxidative damage and impaired maze performance, as well as reduced cognitive performance in aging animal models.[i],[ii]

Consuming apples has also been linked by a few studies to cancer risk reduction, including the risk of colorectal cancer.

In a study, this type of cancer was inversely correlated with daily number of apple servings, with the most significant reductions observed for an intake of one or more servings of the fruit daily.[iii] In liver cancer, the peel was experimentally confirmed to kill cancer cells, likely due to its high content of phenolic compounds, antioxidants and anti-proliferative action.[iv] In breast cancer, the fruit was seen to inhibit mammary tumors in animal subjects.[v]

2. Plums: Bone Health and Constipation

You can consume plums either fresh or dried, commonly known as prunes in such a form. Plums can be enjoyed as sauces, jams and chutneys; they can also add a nice sweet touch to meat dishes or turnovers.

Prunus domestica L. is believed to promote bone health, effectively preventing and reversing bone loss. To test this, researchers recruited 236 women, one to 10 years postmenopausal, to their trial and found that only dried plum significantly reduced the blood levels of bone turnover markers in the subjects.[vi]

For everyday wellness, consuming prunes may also help treat constipation. People who ate 2 ounces or 50 grams (g) of prunes every day for three weeks reported having better stool consistency as well as frequency versus the psyllium group.[vii]It's important, though, not to consume too many prunes to prevent unwanted effects such as diarrhea.

3. Artichokes: Pro-Liver Action

Known by the names French artichoke and green artichoke in the U.S., the artichoke is part of the species of thistle that's been cultivated as food. The plant's edible portion is made up of flower buds before the flower fully blooms.

In studies, artichoke has been found to have antioxidant, choleretic, bile-enhancing as well as lipid-lowering effects, along with standout benefits for the liver.[viii] In animal findings, the leaves and roots' liquid extracts have exhibited an ability to protect the liver and potentially help liver cells regenerate.

In healthy subjects, boiled wild artichoke also appeared to reduce postprandial glycemic and insulin responses, although with no effect seen on metabolic syndrome patients.[ix]

4. Okra: Benefits From Mucilage

An economically valued vegetable in tropical and subtropical areas, okra has immature fruits used as a vegetable in soups, stews or salads whether fresh, dried or boiled.

Okra is known to be mucilaginous after it's cooked. The mucilage has a number of medicinal uses, including binding cholesterol and bile acid carrying toxins dumped into it by the liver.[x] Okra also offers fiber and protein consisting of lysine and tryptophan amino acids.

Okra has a number of potential health benefits, from helping to prevent cardiovascular disease and Type 2 diabetes to supporting digestion and fighting some forms of cancer.[xi]

5. Cauliflower: Weight Management

Cauliflower belongs to the Brassica species, known for their health-promoting phytochemicals such as vitamin C, minerals and phenolic compounds.[xii]

Some of cauliflower's properties may aid in weight loss: it is low-calorie, with only 25 calories in every cup, and often serves as a substitute to less nutrient-dense foods such as rice. Its dietary fiber helps slow digestion as well as promote satiety, which may reduce the number of calories consumed throughout the day.[xiii]

In cooking cauliflower, boiling and blanching it had a significant effect on nutrient composition and led to significant losses of protein, minerals and phytochemicals.[xiv] As good news, steaming and stir-frying showed the lowest nutrient reduction.

6. Pears: Inflammation Fighter

This sweet, bell-shaped fruit is chock-full of health benefits. For one, it contains antioxidants and offers 27 to 41 milligrams of phenolics for every 100 g.[xv]According to animal studies, pears may regulate alcohol metabolism, prevent ulcers and lower cholesterol levels.

Pears aren't just a juicy fall treat but also a potent inflammation fighter. They are a rich source of flavonoid antioxidants, which can combat inflammation and help reduce disease risk.[xvi] In a large study involving more than 200,000 subjects, eating five or more weekly servings of fruits like pears, which are rich in anthocyanins, was linked with a lower risk of Type 2 diabetes.[xvii]

7. Mushroom: Reduced Mortality Risk

Mushrooms have a long history as a health-promoting food, dating back to their cultivation in ancient China. These fungi contain the same form of vitamin B12 found in meat, albeit in very low quantity, as well as fiber, selenium and other vitamins and minerals.[xviii]

Preclinical and clinical studies hail mushrooms' benefits on cognition, weight loss, oral health and even cancer prevention.[xix] They are thought to support healthy immune and inflammatory responses through their effects on gut microbiota.

Investigating the ties between mushroom intake and all-cause and cause-specific mortality risk, a 2021 study concluded that consuming mushroom was associated with a lower risk of total mortality in a nationally representative sample of U.S. adults.[xx]

Several different types of mushrooms are available in the market, with the common button mushroom as the most popular in the U.S. It can be eaten raw or cooked.[xxi] Other varieties include:

• Enoki, with long and thin white stems with small white caps
• Oyster, a fan-shaped delicate cap

Portobello, a large brown thick cap with a rich, juicy flavor often used as a meat substitute.

Gary‘s Daily Health News - Vol. 13

Nutrients Help Protect Against HPV

Louisiana State University, August 30, 2021

 

New research suggests your diet might help prevent serious health problems from the common infection.

Human Papillomavirus is the most common sexually transmitted infection.“If you've had three sexual partners in your life, you have gotten an HPV infection. It's that prevalent,” said Dr. Michael Hagensee, an infectious disease expert and microbiologist at LSU Health Sciences Center.

In most people, around 80 to 90 percent, HPV is harmless. Your body clears it in a year or two, but some people can't. And certain types of HPV can lead to genital warts or cancer. Those cancers are of the penis, vagina, vulva, cervix, anus and oral cancers of the throat and tongue.

“Oral cancer is the most concerning, because that's been rising in incidence over the last 10-to-20 years, probably related to our sexual practices,” Dr. Hagensee explained.

There are usually no outward signs or symptoms of HPV infection, nor is there treatment to get rid of the virus. That's why regular pap smears and genital exams are so important. Caught early, precancerous lesions are treatable. But there are no similar oral screenings for infection. 

Both Dr. Michael Hagensee and Dr. Hui-Yi Lin, at LSU Health Sciences Center, study HPV infection.

“Around like 20 percent of U.S. women have been infected with the high risk HPV. That means they are in the high risk group for developing cervical cancers,” said Dr. Hui-Yi Lin, in Biostatistics at LSUHSC.

And Dr. Lin's latest research also uncovered that women with HPV that lingers in their bodies, have lower levels of four antioxidants – vitamins A, B2, E, and folate as well as the blood protein, albumin.

“It is affected by the protein intake, the protein we eat,” Dr. Lin said of albumin levels.

So foods with protein: nuts eggs, dairy, meats, along with and fruits and vegetables, and a multivitamin may help. It might be that those good dietary choices make your immune system better able to get rid of the virus.

“What a great way to maybe help prevent cervical cancer, by just having changes in your diet. And these are changes in your diet you should probably have anyway,” Dr. Hagensee said..

 

1 in 5 parents say kids eat fast food more often since pandemic

University of Michigan, September 21, 2021

For some families, pandemic times have meant increased screen time, attending class from bedrooms and maybe even more dinners from a drive through.

While many parents say their family has eaten healthier since the start of the pandemic, one in five report their children ate fast food more often, according to the University of Michigan Health C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital National Poll on Children’s Health.

“The pandemic disrupted many family routines, including where and what they eat,” said Gary L. Freed, M.D., M.P.H., poll co-director and Mott pediatrician.

“We know families’ lifestyles can impact children’s diets, and we looked to see how the pandemic may have changed their eating habits.”

Around one in six parents say their child eats fast food at least twice a week, reports the nationally representative poll, which is based responses from 2,019 parents of children aged 3-18.

Families’ views on fast food consumption varied based on parents’ perceptions of their child’s weight.

Parents who said their kids are overweight were almost twice as likely to say their children have fast food at least twice a week, compared to those who say their kids are at a normal weight.

Parents also identified some barriers to home cooked meals. Around 40% of parents reported being too busy to cook and one in five said they were too stressed. These challenges were also reported more commonly among parents with kids who were overweight.

Views on Fast Food

While almost all parents agree that fast food is unhealthy for their children, more than four in five feel it’s OK in moderation, according to the poll. Three-quarters of parents also agree with the statement that when stressed for time, fast food is a good family option.

A third of parents also say that fast food is good value for the money and 24% feel it is less expensive than making meals at home.

“Parents mostly acknowledge that fast food isn’t an ideal choice but see it as an acceptable ‘sometimes food,’” Freed said.

But parents don’t usually dictate their kids’ food choices at fast food restaurants, with 88% allowing their child to choose what they eat and only 1 in 3 parents reading the nutritional information.

Sixty-seven percent of parents, however, say they encourage their child to choose healthier options and try to limit unhealthy items like fries and milkshakes.

“One fast food meal often exceeds the recommended fat, sodium and calorie intake for the entire day without providing many nutrients,” Freed said. “Parents should consider using nutritional information to help their kids learn how to make healthier choices. Trying to make those meals even a little bit healthier can have an important impact.”

Among the least healthy items on the menu are soft drinks and soda, which often contain the single largest source of calories for many fast food meals and have also been associated with childhood obesity.

Parents who said their children were overweight were almost twice as likely to report their child has a soft drink with their fast food compared to other families.

“Consuming sugary drinks poses a real health risk to both kids and adults,” Freed said. “It increases children’s risk of excess weight gain and tooth decay, and preventable conditions such as obesity.”

Encouraging water or milk with their fast food, he said, can help kids moderate the calories and added sugar they consume.

Silver Linings in Pandemic Health Habits

On the other end of the spectrum, the pandemic-era may have been linked to a healthier lifestyle for many families, with half of parents saying their kids had home-cooked meals more often since the COVID shutdowns began in March 2020.

Freed pointed to several contributing factors, including more parents working from home with potentially increased opportunities to make meals, or families possibly feeling unsafe at restaurants.

Financial concerns may have also prompted some families to have more home-cooked meals, allowing parents to shop for bargains and plan additional meals with the leftovers.

This may not be the case, however, for others who don’t have a car or who live far from a grocery store.

“We were encouraged to see that for many families, pandemic-related lifestyle changes seemed to actually prompt healthier eating habits,” Freed said.

“But for others, there were challenges and demands that may have made it difficult to maintain healthy eating, which can negatively impact children’s health.”

 

 

How rosemary essential oil can improve memory by 75 percent

Northumbria University (UK),  September 17, 2021

In a British study, researchers found that sniffing the essential oil of rosemary improved memory by a remarkable 75 percent – making it a possible treatment for memory problems.

The study, conducted by psychologists at Northumbria University in Newcastle, involved 66 people. Some were exposed to a rosemary-scented room, in which four drops of essential oil had been placed on an aroma stream diffuser and switched on for five minutes before the participants entered the room. Another group worked in an unscented room.

The psychologists found that the participants in the rosemary-scented room performed between 60 and 75 percent better on assorted memory tasks and on performing simple arithmetic when compared to the control group – an impressive result. As part of the study, researchers took blood samples to detect levels of 1,8-cineole – the constituent in rosemary linked with improving memory function. Participants in the rosemary room had higher levels of cineole – demonstrating that the compound can enter the bloodstream by way of inhalation.

In their findings, which were presented at the Annual Conference of the British Psychology Society in Harrogate, the team concluded that rosemary could have implications for treating memory impairments, especially in older adults who are experiencing some decline. Rosemary seems to be particularly helpful in promoting “prospective memory” – helping people to remember future events such as appointments or medication schedules.

So powerful was rosemary that lead researcher Dr. Mark Moss, head of psychology at Northumbria University, likened its effect to that of a drug.

In an earlier study, published in 2003 in International Journal of Neuroscience, researchers examined the effects of rosemary and lavender and found that rosemary produced significant enhancements in performance for overall quality of memory.  Interestingly, lavender oil was actually a deterrent to memory – probably because of its mildly sedating effects. While lavender helped people to feel more “content,” when compared to placebo, rosemary helped people feel simultaneously more content and more alert.

In a study of aromatherapy published in Psychogeriatrics, researchers examined the effects of rosemary and lemon administered in the morning – and lavender and orange in the evening – on patients with dementia. The team found that patients experienced significant improvement in personal orientation – with no side effects.

 

Lack of trust exacerbates loneliness spiral

University of Bonn (Germany) & University of Haifa (Israel), September 21, 2021

Loneliness is a painful feeling. If it persists, it can lead to mental illnesses such as depression or anxiety disorders. Researchers from the Universities of Bonn, Haifa (Israel) and Oldenburg have now discovered how loneliness is associated with reduced trust. This is reflected in changes in the activity and interaction of various brain structures, especially the insular cortex. The results therefore provide clues for therapeutic options. They are now published in the journal Advanced Science.

Everyone knows what loneliness feels like. Behind this feeling is the perceived discrepancy of the need for social relationships not being met to the desired degree. As with hunger that wants to be satisfied, feelings of loneliness can also provide the motivation to connect with other people. However, some people are affected by persistent loneliness. Such cases can increase the risk of developing a mental illness, such as depression or anxiety disorders. "One reason for this keenly felt loneliness may be a lack of trust in fellow human beings," says Dr. Dirk Scheele from the Research Section Medical Psychology at Bonn University Hospital, referring to initial study evidence.

Together with Prof. Dr. Simone G. Shamay-Tsoory from the University of Haifa (Israel) and Prof. Dr. Dr. René Hurlemann from the University of Oldenburg, Dr. Scheele's team therefore investigated the relationship between trust and loneliness in more detail. Using an online questionnaire, the researchers selected 42 people from 3678 adults who were affected by severe loneliness but did not suffer from a mental illness or were receiving psychotherapy. The control group consisted of 40 people who did not suffer from persistent loneliness. "It was important to us that our findings could be attributed to the loneliness experienced and that any influence of mental illness could be ruled out as far as possible," explains lead author Jana Lieberz from Scheele's team.

In the brain scanner: How great is the willingness to share?

Participants first completed tasks in the brain scanner. Among other things, they played a trust game. Here they were given ten euros in start-up capital. Based on portrait photos displayed on a screen, they were asked to decide how much of the money they were willing to share with each of the people shown. They knew that making a profit beyond their start-up capital was only possible if they shared their start-up capital with others. At the same time, however, they had to trust that their gambling partners would not keep the money they had staked for themselves. "Participants with pronounced feelings of loneliness shared less with others than the control group," Scheele explains. "We interpret that as a lower level of trust."

The researchers also found processing deviations in brain areas involved in trust formation compared to the control group. This was particularly evident in the anterior insular cortex, which was less active in lonely individuals and did not connect as prominently with other brain areas. "An important function of the insular cortex is to perceive and interpret one's own body signals, such as the heartbeat," Lieberz says. "It also helps to correctly interpret other people's reactions, such as facial expressions or mood - or trustworthiness."

After the trust game, the experimenters also simulated a standardized conversation situation with the respective participant, which dealt with emotionally positive content: What would you do with a lottery win? What are your hobbies? Afterwards, the team asked the participants about their mood. The researchers also collected blood and saliva samples to examine, among other things, an increase in the bonding hormone oxytocin in response to the conversation and measured the distance in centimeters that the subjects maintained from the experimenter.

It was found that those affected by severe loneliness were in a less positive mood after small talk than the control group. Levels of the bonding hormone oxytocin also changed less. Furthermore, lonely people maintained a spatial distance from the experimenter that was about ten centimeters greater than that of those hardly affected by loneliness. "Overall, the results show across tasks that chronic loneliness is associated with reduced trust in fellow human beings," says Scheele, summarizing the most important finding. "This can mean that interactions with others are experienced as less positive, which makes it harder to connect with others and exacerbates the loneliness spiral."

Starting points for therapies

The research team also sees these findings as starting points for interventions. "The reduced trust of lonely people could be given greater focus in therapies by making it a topic of discussion and thus making those affected aware of it," Lieberz adds. It would then also be possible to look at strategies on how affected individuals can strengthen their trust in other people. In a study currently underway at Bonn University Hospital, the researchers, together with colleagues from Haifa and Oldenburg, are investigating whether psychotherapeutic group interventions can reduce these negative mental biases.

 

 

Socializing Gives Older Adults a Cognitive Boost

Penn State University, September 21, 2021

When adults age 70 to 90 report more frequent, pleasant social interactions, they also have better cognitive performance on that day and the following two, research finds

The findings, published in PLOS ONE, may have special relevance now due to social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic, says study leader Ruixue Zhaoyang, assistant research professor at Penn State’s Center for Healthy Aging.

“Our study is one of the first to show that whether you have social interactions on one day can immediately affect your cognitive performance that same day and also on the following days,” Zhaoyang says. “The fact that we found that the cognitive benefits of having pleasant social interactions could manifest over such a short time period was a happy surprise and could be a promising area for future intervention studies.”

According to the Alzheimer’s Association, more than six million Americans are currently living with Alzheimer’s disease, and that number is expected to rise to almost 13 million by 2050. Additionally, deaths from Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias have risen by 16% during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Zhaoyang says that without reliable drug therapies, it’s critical to find ways to help prevent these conditions before they reach the clinical stage.

“Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias impose substantial burdens on patients as well as their family and caregivers,” Zhaoyang says. “It’s important to find modifiable risk factors for cognitive decline before they progress to the clinical stages of Alzheimer’s disease. Social isolation later in life is one risk factor for dementia, and also one we have some control over.”

The researchers used data collected by smartphones over 16 days on 312 older adults for the study. The participants were prompted five times throughout the day to report how many social interactions they’d had, with whom they interacted, and whether it was a positive or negative experience. Digital interactions like talking by phone or texting counted, as did in-person ones.

In addition, participants completed three mobile cognitive tests after each check-in. One was designed to measure processing speed and attention, one measured spatial working memory, and the last measured intra-item feature memory binding.

The researchers found that when older adults interacted more frequently with people they were close to—especially their friends—they performed better on these cognitive tests than those who interacted less frequently with close partners.

They also found that when older adults weren’t typically experiencing certain types of social contact, they performed better cognitively on days when they had the type of contact they’d been lacking. For example, if a person usually didn’t have much contact with family, they experienced a boost in cognition on days they had more than usual contact with their family.

Zhaoyang says that while the study suggests that a lack of socializing can have negative effects on cognition, it also shows an opportunity for future interventions.

“Our findings suggest that the lack of positive social interactions in daily life could be a critical risk factor for declining cognitive function later in life,” Zhaoyang says. “Older adults who are relatively more deprived in certain social interaction experiences could potentially benefit the most from interventions that help to ‘boost’ their usual levels of social interactions in daily life.”

 

Study shows chilli & ginger cancer-battling properties

American Chemical Society, September 16, 2021

 

Consuming gingerol and capsaicin together could combat cancer, with gingerol counteracting capsaicin’s carcinogenic effects, according to a new study on mice.

 

Researchers hypothesised that the long-term effects of gingerol and capsaicin, the main pungent and spicy compounds in ginger and chilli peppers respectively, on the TRPV1 receptor were the cause of their pro-carcinogenic or anti-carcinogenic properties.

 

Over 20 weeks they injected mice with urethane, known to cause adenocarcinoma, a lung cancer – then fed rats capsaicin in olive oil, gingerol in olive oil, capsaicin and gingerol in olive oil, or just olive oil on its own as a control. Mice received 50mg/kg body weight of capsaicin or gingerol. While the control group saw a 70% incidence of carcinoma, the capsaicin-only group had a 100% incident rate, and the gingerol-only group had a 50% carcinoma rate.

 

Combination cuts cancer rate

 

However the group receiving gingerol and capsaicin together had only a 20% incident rate of carcinoma.

 

“Our results suggested that the combination of gingerol and capsaicin not only reduced the risk of capsaicin carcinogenesis but also synergistically prevented urethane-induced lung carcinogenesis,” wrote the authors of the study, published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. “This finding opens a new avenue for to counteract the capsaicin-related adverse health factors due to consumption of chili and represents a novel strategy in cancer chemoprevention.”

 

Both capsaicin and gingerol act on the TRPV1 receptor, and capsaicin has been linked to higher incidence of cancers, particularly stomach cancer.

 

“6-Gingerol […] is the predominant pungent constituent of fresh ginger and is also an agonist of TRPV1, and 6-gingerol has received much attention regarding cancer prevention but has never been reported to be carcinogenic,” noted the authors.

 

“Those [explanations] of how both capsaicin and 6-gingerol are agonists of TRPV1 but have opposite effects on cancer activities remains unclear,” they added.

 

Gingerol corrects signalling, cuts inflammation

 

Following their study, the researchers came to three main conclusions: first, and unexpectedly, the capsaicin-gingerol combination can reverse the cancer-promoting effects of capsaicin, “suggesting a corrective role of gingerol in malfunctioning molecules along the disrupted signal transduction pathway during carcinogenesis”.

 

They also showed gingerol reversed the pro-inflammatory and oxidative stress-promoting effect of capsaicin during lung carcinogenesis.

 

“Finally, we showed that gingerol reversed the efficacy of capsaicin in the lung protein levels of TRPV1, EGFR, NF-κB and cyclin D1, and also reversed the pro-proliferation and EMT-promoting effects of capsaicin during lung carcinogenesis, indicating the major carcinogenic effect of capsaicin and anti-carcinogenic effect of gingerol,” the authors wrote.

Gary‘s Daily Health News - Vol. 12

Korean scientists emphasize the health benefits of ginseng

Pusan National University (South Korea), September 16, 2021

Ginseng, a widely popular superfood, has long been used in traditional medicine. The health benefits of ginseng are largely attributed to compounds called ginsenosides, which are present in the roots, stems, and leaves of the plant. Ginsenosides are known to prevent inflammation, diabetes, and cancer, and can also help control blood cholesterol levels and reduce aging.

Although there are 13 known species of ginseng, Korean ginseng—which contains the highest number of ginsenosides—is not commonly found in nature. Moreover, of the two types of ginsenosides, the more effective variety—the minor ginsenosides—accounts for only 20% of the total ginsenoside content in ginseng. As a result, the supply of ginsenosides is insufficient to meet the high demand in the nutraceutical and pharmaceutical industries. In order to improve ginsenoside production, a one-stop resource with consolidated information from previous ginsenoside studies is required, but such a resource is currently unavailable.

A team of researchers led by Dr. Ravi Gupta from Kookmin University and Dr. Sun Tae Kim from Pusan National University, Korea, embarked on a journey to address this gap. In their recent review published in Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition, they compiled a vast amount of data from a large number of ginsenoside studies across multiple fields, including botany, biochemistry, genetics, and drug research.

In addition to providing an overview of the different types and sources of ginsenosides, this review highlights several opportunities for improving ginsenoside production, both in the natural sources, as well as in synthetic biosystems. First, it discusses how major ginsenosides can be converted to the more effective minor type using chemical and enzymatic treatments as well as microbial action. Subsequently, it focuses on how treatments such as water restriction, light stress, gamma radiation, and the administration of plant hormones like jasmonic acid can enhance the ginsenoside content of ginseng.

Finally, the review provides a detailed summary of the biochemistry underlying ginsenoside synthesis in plants as well as its regulation at the gene level. “Understanding and identifying the genes and pathways involved in ginsenoside production can help us develop plants containing high levels of ginsenosides. The identified genes can also be inserted into other organisms that do not make ginsenosides to create artificial systems like ginsenoside-producing yeasts,” explains Dr. Gupta, adding that such strategies would be essential for large-scale ginsenoside production. 

This review is the first of its kind to focus on ginsenosides on a wide scale. “This was a mammoth challenge, but we strongly believe that our efforts will bear fruit. Our work cements together all the research that has been conducted in the past, and we hope that in the future, scientists will capitalize on it and develop new ways to meet the global demand for ginsenosides,” according to Dr. Kim.

This work by Dr. Gupta, Dr. Kim, and their team is an important tool in further improving the industrial potential of a natural food that is a trove of nutrients necessary for healthy living. This is indeed great news for health enthusiasts the world over!

 

Study reveals how saline solution can inhibit replication of SARS-CoV-2

The use of a hypertonic solution of sodium chloride at 1.1% reduced viral replication by 88% in tests involving infected lung cells 

University of San Paulo (Brazil), September 21, 2021

Researchers at the University of São Paulo (USP) in Brazil have shown that a hypertonic saline solution inhibits replication of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, and have elucidated the biochemical mechanism involved. An article reporting the research is published in ACS Pharmacology & Translational Science. The study was performed in the laboratory using human epithelial lung cells infected with the virus.

If the strategy proves effective in clinical trials, it could contribute to the development of novel prophylactic interventions to prevent COVID-19 or even treatments for the disease.

“Given the gravity of the pandemic, we believe it would be important to extend this line of research by conducting clinical trials designed to verify the efficacy of using a spray with hypertonic sodium chloride [NaCl] saline as a form of prophylaxis, helping to stop the virus from spreading within the infected organism and reducing the likelihood of more severe inflammation,” said Cristiane Guzzo, last author of the article and a researcher at the university’s Biomedical Sciences Institute (ICB-USP).

The study was supported by FAPESP. Edison Durigon, Professor of Virology at ICB-USP, and Henning Ulrich, at the Institute of Chemistry (IQ-USP), also participated.

Although the evidence suggests the use of saline inhibits viral replication, it does not afford full protection against infection, let alone a cure. “It’s very simple and cheap. It’s already used prophylactically against other respiratory diseases, and it could minimize the severity of COVID-19 by reducing viral load. It could be added to safety protocols without replacing the use of face coverings, social distancing and vaccination,” Guzzo said.

The right concentration

By comparing different concentrations of the product, the researchers found that a 1.5% NaCl solution completely inhibited viral replication in Vero cells. In human epithelial lung cells, a 1.1% solution was sufficient to achieve 88% inhibition. Vero cells are derived from kidney epithelial cells extracted from an African green monkey, and widely used as a model for studying SARS-CoV-2.

Hypertonic saline is already adopted prophylactically to manage cases of influenza, bronchiolitis, rhinitis, sinusitis, and other respiratory disorders. A spray is sufficient for the upper airways, while a nebulizer is needed to reach the lungs. These interventions can minimize the symptoms of such diseases, but the mechanisms underlying their effects are poorly understood.

“Our explanation of this intracellular response to the hypertonic solution was basic science but the findings of the study have evident applications in healthcare and clinical approaches to the management of various respiratory diseases,” Ulrich said. “What we observed with regard to SARS-CoV-2 is likely to apply to other viruses as well, since the mechanism concerned is part of the host cell’s response to infection.”

No energy

To grasp the mechanism involved, it is useful to bear in mind that viruses use elements of the host cell such as proteins and energy sources to replicate their genetic material and invade other cells and organs. “We discovered that NaCl doesn’t interfere with interaction between the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein and the ACE-2 receptor used by the virus to invade cells, but the saline does affect the post-infection viral cycle,” Guzzo said.

In an earlier article, published in The Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters, Guzzo and colleagues showed how interaction between the spike protein and ACE-2 receptor survived different concentrations of NaCl. “The virus probably evolves so as to compensate for fluctuations in ionic strength and maintain an effective medium for cell invasion,” she said.

When NaCl molecules enter a cell, the membrane surrounding the cytoplasm is polarized owing to an increase in sodium ions (Na+). As a result of this energy imbalance, a large amount of the cell’s potassium (K+) is ejected to restore a balance of charges in the membrane (this mechanism is known as the sodium-potassium pump). 

Saturation due to the sodium-potassium pump makes the cell expend ATP (adenosine triphosphate), one of the main sources of energy for cellular processes. Consumption of ATP for cellular depolarization prevents the virus from using it to replicate.

“Cells have to get rid of sodium via the sodium-potassium pump, and this uses up their energy store, so there’s no ATP left for viral replication,” Ulrich explained.

The study also showed that the salt does not affect mitochondrial activity. Mitochondria are dynamic organelles involved in cellular respiration and ATP creation, as well as other metabolic processes. “At these concentrations, the salt doesn’t damage the cell. We observed that mitochondria remained healthy throughout the process,” Guzzo said.

In the study, the researchers suggest that the use of hypertonic saline could be tested in two ways. One is a nasal spray for prophylaxis of the airways, the main gateway for SARS-CoV-2 to enter the organism. “This type of spray can be found in any pharmacy and could be used prophylactically by front-line health workers or other people who are highly exposed to the virus. If its efficacy is confirmed in clinical trials, it could reduce viral replication in the nose and throat,” Guzzo said.

The other strategy they propose is nebulizing the saline into the lungs. In this case, the right concentration of NaCl is essential, and the efficacy of the method can be assessed only in clinical trials involving COVID-19 patients. It is worth recalling that hypertonic saline nebulization is already used to treat children with bronchiolitis, for example.

In the case of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), the most common cause of bronchiolitis, hypertonic saline is known to reduce infection and inflammation in cultured human respiratory epithelial cells.

“It’s not a single solution, and it would have to be used in the first few days after infection,” Guzzo said. “Reducing viral replication means reducing the severity of the disease and the inflammatory response. COVID-19 is a complex disease, comprising the viral replication stage, which hypertonic saline could treat, and then systemic inflammation, which is far more extensive. This second stage can be intense and lead to a number of complications in different organs.”

 

Link between inflammation and pancreatic cancer development uncovered

University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, September 16, 2021

A new discovery from researchers at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center has clarified the long-established connection between inflammation and pancreatic cancer development. According to the study published today in Science, pancreatic cells display an adaptive response to repeated inflammatory episodes that initially protects against tissue damage but can promote tumor formation in the presence of mutant KRAS.

The authors demonstrated that mutant KRAS—which is found in roughly 95% of all pancreatic cancers—supports this adaptive response, leading to selective pressure to maintain the cancer-causing mutation.

"We discovered that a single transient inflammatory event induced long-term transcriptomic and epigenetic reprogramming of epithelial cells that cooperated with oncogenic KRAS to promote pancreatic tumors long after the inflammation was resolved," said corresponding author Andrea Viale, M.D., assistant professor of Genomic Medicine. "In the setting of repeated pancreatitis, KRAS mutations can be acquired early on to limit tissue damage, suggesting the existence of a strong evolutionary pressure to select mutated cells and providing a possible explanation for the nearly universal presence of mutant KRAS in pancreatic cancers."

Clarifying the connection between inflammation and cancer

Inflammation has long been linked to tumor development in several cancer types, but the specific reasons behind this connection were previously unclear. The research team, led by co-first authors Edoardo Del Poggetto, Ph.D., postdoctoral fellow, and I-Lin Ho, graduate student in the Viale Laboratory, sought to study the effect of pancreatitis—a condition of inflammation in the pancreas linked with a higher risk of pancreatic cancer—on pancreatic epithelial cells.

The researchers stimulated transient inflammation in a model system of inducible KRAS-driven pancreatic cancer. Inflammation caused immediate pathological changes in pancreatic cells, but they resolved within one week. However, activation of KRAS even months following the resolution of inflammation resulted in accelerated tumor formation compared with controls, suggesting that inflammation drives long-term changes in epithelial cells that cooperate with mutant KRAS to promote cancer development.

Deep molecular analysis of epithelial cells following a single inflammatory event demonstrated substantial reprogramming of gene expression and epigenetic regulation that persisted long after recovery of the tissue damage, a process the researchers termed "epithelial memory." This cellular reprogramming activated pathways related to cell survival, proliferation and embryonic development, which are similar to pathways active during cancer development.

Epithelial memory enables rapid response to limit tissue damage during recurrent pancreatitis

The cellular reprogramming caused by inflammation also facilitated the acquisition of acinar-to-ductal metaplasia (ADM), a reversible process in which pancreatic acinar cells acquire features of ductal cells. Acinar cells are responsible for producing and secreting digestive enzymes, while ductal cells are responsible for delivering those enzymes to the small intestine. ADM, a process that normally occurs in response to pancreatic damage, is thought to be a pancreatic cancer precursor.

In the context of epithelial memory, repeated inflammatory episodes resulted in the rapid and extensive appearance of ADM with minimal signs of cellular damage, suggesting that the cellular reprogramming protects the pancreas against an accumulation of tissue damage. These findings also clarify that ADM is not a cancer precursor state, but rather an adaptive response to inflammation.

Previous research has shown that KRAS mutations can induce and stabilize ADM. Here, the authors demonstrated that induction of mutant KRAS during repeated inflammations resulted in more pronounced ADM and virtually no tissue damage. Thus, the authors predict that cells undergoing inflammation would have a strong positive selection for KRAS mutations or other alterations that stimulate ADM and limit damage accumulations.

"We are working to better understand how cells maintain the epithelial memory we observed, but our data suggest that KRAS initially has a beneficial role during pancreatitis," Ho said. "There may be similar phenomenon in other cancers with universal driver mutations, where there is a strong pressure to select those mutations based on some purpose unrelated to cancer development."

The research team now is working to develop strategies to stimulate ADM in the pancreas while countering the selection pressure for mutated KRAS. If effective, the work may offer new treatments for pancreatitis that could also prevent pancreatic cancer development.

 

Cure For Aids? Bee Venom Destroys HIV Cells, Finds Study

Washington University School of Medicine, September 18, 2021

 

Ever wondered why bees are so important to our survival? One of the thousands of reasons is the fact that they help to cure AIDS.

Scientists from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, have found that by poking holes in the protective envelope surrounding HIV and other viruses, melittin – a toxin found in bee venom – kills the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) while leaving the body unharmed. This breakthrough could lead to drugs that are immune to HIV resistance; development of an anti-HIV vaginal gel that may prevent the spread of HIV; as well as possible treatments for existing HIV infections (In 2015, nearly 40 million people were living with the lethal virus globally).

 

Dr Joshua L. Hood, a research instructor in medicine at Washington University, remarked:

Melittin on the nanoparticles fuses with the viral envelope. The melittin forms little pore-like attack complexes and ruptures the envelope; stripping it off the virus… We are attacking an inherent physical property of HIV. Theoretically, there isn’t any way for the virus to adapt to that. The virus has to have a protective coat, a double-layered membrane that covers the virus.

 

In laboratory tests, the researchers fused melittin to nanoparticles, which are physically smaller than HIV. Since “protective bumpers” were earlier added to the nanoparticles’ surface, the melittin-loaded nanoparticles simply bounced off when they came into contact with normal cells. But when they contacted the HIV, the melittin-loaded nanoparticles ruptured the virus’ protective coat and killed it.

 

Hood says, as this thrilling anti-viral therapy attacks an essential part of the virus’ structure, it has the potential to prevent the HIV infection, to stop initial infection, as well as to cure existing infections, especially those that are drug-resistant.

 

Our hope is that in places where HIV is running rampant, people could use the vaginal gel as a preventive measure to stop the initial infection… We are attacking an inherent physical property of HIV. Theoretically, there isn’t any way for the virus to adapt to that. The virus has to have a protective coat, a double-layered membrane that covers the virus.

 

The basic particle that we are using in these experiments was developed many years ago as an artificial blood product. It didn’t work very well for delivering oxygen, but it circulates safely in the body and gives us a nice platform that we can adapt to fight different kinds of infections.

 

Could the bee venom-based anti-viral therapy be a game-changer for stopping the spread of AIDS, especially for couples in which one partner is infected with HIV and the other is not? Hood noted:

 

We also are looking at this [therapy] for couples where only one of the partners has HIV, and they want to have a baby. These particles by themselves are actually very safe for sperm, for the same reason they are safe for vaginal cells.

 

The study, published in the journal Antiviral Therapy, came after researchers from Johns Hopkins Children’s Center, the University of Mississippi Medical Center and the University Of Massachusetts Medical School reported that a Mississippi baby with HIV had apparently been cured, only after he received antiretroviral therapy within 30 hours of birth.

 

Recently, researchers at Philadelphia’s Temple University employed CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing technology (first developed in 2012) to remove HIV-1 DNA out of the human genome; and when they reintroduced HIV to the edited genomes, the cells were no longer infected with the lethal virus. The study authors observed:

These observations suggest that a cure strategy for HIV-1 infection should include methods that directly eliminate the pro-viral genome from the majority of HIV-1-positive cells, including CD4+ T-cells, and protect cells from future infection, with little or no harm to the host. The results point toward this approach as a promising potential therapeutic avenue to eradicating HIV-1 from T reservoir cells of host patients, to prevent AIDS re-emergence.

 

 

Vegetable Compound Shows Promise Against Diabetic Kidney Disease

AlMaarefa University (Saudi Arabia), September 9, 2021

A compound that occurs in watercress and other cruciferous vegetables, phenethyl isothiocyanate (PEITC), has shown a potential benefit against diabetic nephropathy, according to research on rodents presented at the American Association for Anatomy annual meeting, held during Experimental Biology 2021.*

“Diabetic nephropathy is a serious microvascular complication of diabetes mellitus and the major cause of end-stage renal disease,” Mohamed El-Sherbiny, PhD, and colleagues wrote.

Previous research has indicated that a vegetable compound known as sulforaphane that is related to PEITC reduces diabetes-associated kidney damage. For the current study, the research team evaluated the effects of PEITC in a rat model of diabetic nephropathy. The animals were given 3, 10 or 30 milligrams per kilogram PEITC for eight weeks. Kidney function, inflammation, oxidative stress, total antioxidant capacity, antioxidant enzyme levels, protein glycation and kidney structure were assessed at the beginning and end of the treatment period.

Phenethyl isothiocyanate administration was associated with improved kidney function, oxidant/antioxidant balance, inflammation and protein glycation, with higher doses associated with greater results. Kidney structure was also better preserved in association with PEITC. 

"Phenethyl isothiocyanate seems to manage one of the most serious and painful diabetic complications,” remarked Dr El-Sherbiny, who is a postdoctoral fellow at AlMaarefa University in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. “Phenethyl isothiocyanate is naturally present in many dietary sources, importantly watercress, broccoli, turnips and radish.”

"Our study provides, for the first time, evidence that PEITC might be effective as a naturally occurring agent to reverse serious kidney damage in people with diabetes," he announced. "Our study introduces mechanistic evidence of how PEITC might manage kidney injury associated with diabetes by targeting multiple interconnected pathways involved in diabetic nephropathy, including inflammation, glycation and oxidative status."

 

 

 

High-calcium, low-lactose diet may reduce risk of ovarian cancer in African-American women

Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey, September 16, 2021 

 

Research from Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey and and other U.S. health and academic institutions shows a diet high in calcium and low in lactose may reduce the risk of ovarian cancer in African-American women. The work, which appears in the latest edition of the British Journal of Cancer, also found sun exposure in the summer months may reduce the risk of developing the disease in this population.

 

Ovarian cancer is the fifth leading cause of cancer death among women in the U.S., according to the National Cancer Institute. And while five-year survival rates for this disease have improved in Caucasian women from 35 percent to 46 percent, rates decreased in African-American females during this period from 42 to 38 percent (Howlader, et al., 2005). Previous studies have revealed positive associations between dairy consumption or lactose intake with the risk of ovarian cancer, and other studies have not. Given the populations in these previous works were primarily of European ancestry, Rutgers Cancer Institute investigators and their collaborators wanted to focus on the African-American population.

 

The associations were evaluated among participants in the African-American Cancer Epidemiology Study, which is an ongoing population-based case-control study of ovarian cancer in African-American women in 11 states including NewJersey. African-American females aged 20 to 79 years old with newly diagnosed invasive epithelial ovarian cancer were deemed eligible case participants. Healthy control participants were self-identified African-American women and were selected using random-digit phone dialing. Eligible for analysis were 490 case participants and 656 control participants who completed a phone questionnaire regarding various lifestyle factors including how many dairy products they consumed each week and how much time they spent in the sun.

Investigators found that both lactose intake and consumption of whole milk were significantly associated with an increased risk of ovarian cancer risk in African-American women, while skim and low-fat milk were not. No association was found for cheese or yogurt products. Calcium intake, whether through food and/or supplement, was associated with a decreased risk of disease. While researchers found no association between dietary and supplemental vitamin D intake and ovarian cancer risk, they noticed that fewer than 20 percent of African-American women in the study achieved the recommended daily vitamin D intake of at least 600 IU (or 800 IU if older than 70 years of age).

 

Results also showed that increased sun exposure may reduce ovarian cancer risk in this population. While separate research (Holick, 2011) shows Caucasian women need only five to 15 minutes of mid-day sun during spring, summer and fall to achieve an adequate amount of vitamin D production, African-American women need exposure five to 10 times longer due to their skin pigment. The current study's lead author, Rutgers Cancer Institute researcher Bo "Bonnie" Qin, PhD, is aware of the risks for skin cancer. "Because the benefits of increased sun exposure in African-American women may be offset by an increased risk of skin cancer, a combination of moderate sun exposure coupled with sufficient vitamin D intake from diet and supplements may be a safer solution for adequate vitamin D levels," notes Dr. Qin.

 

The study's senior author Elisa Bandera, MD, PhD, who is co-leader of the Cancer Prevention and Control Program at Rutgers Cancer Institute, notes this research adds to the scarce literature on causes of ovarian cancer in the African-American population. "Given that we were able to recruit a large sample of healthy African-American women and those with ovarian cancer from various geographic regions with diverse socioeconomic and lifestyle characteristics, we are able to generalize our findings to the African-American population," says Dr. Bandera, who is also a professor of medicine at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School and a professor of epidemiology at Rutgers School of Public Health. "Considering there is no effective screening tool for ovarian cancer and that African-American patients have poor survival rates with this disease, prevention through lifestyle or dietary modifications is critical."

Gary‘s Daily Health News - Vol. 11

UCF researchers identify food products that could reduce COVID transmission

The products can reduce the transmission potential of airborne pathogens by thickening and reducing a person’s saliva and could be added to foods, such as a chocolate

University of Central Florida, Sept. 16, 2021 

Face masks and social distancing are both well-known ways to keep airborne pathogens, like COVID-19, at bay, but University of Central Florida researchers Michael Kinzel and Kareem Ahmed are working on a possible new one — a combination of food products that alters people’s saliva.

The concept is based on new work from the researchers showing that food product ingredients can be used to thicken and reduce a person’s saliva, thus decreasing the transmission potential of airborne pathogens. The results were published recently in the journal Nature Scientific Reports.

“This is a new concept in the context of source control,” says study co-author Kinzel, an assistant professor in UCF’s Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering. “There are obviously masks, but this is the first research focusing on what comes out of one’s buccal cavity or mouth.”

The work builds on the Kinzel and Ahmed’s previous studies examining the effectiveness of masks in the classroom, features that could make someone a super spreader, and initial studies of food ingredients to control airborne disease transmission. Ahmed is an associate professor in UCF’s Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering.

“The group has researched droplet formation for years,” Kinzel says. “When we heard sneezes transported aerosols over 27 feet early in the pandemic, we realized that this has to be small aerosols, similar to what you see in a misting nozzle. Our thinking has been let’s focus on altering those droplets such that they fall to the ground and not travel so far.”

For the study, the researchers examined characteristics of saliva, such as thickness and amount, and their influence on how far droplets and aerosols from a human’s sneeze travel, which are factors related to airborne pathogen transmission.

High-speed cameras were used to capture the sneezes frame-by-frame in mid-air, and image processing software was used to quantify droplets and aerosols. Subsequent numerical methods using computational fluid dynamics provided detailed quantification to better understand the sneeze events.

Saliva was altered using a range of food-grade compounds, including cornstarch, agar agar, xanthan gum and ginger.

The researchers found that ginger reduced the amount of saliva expelled from a sneeze by more than 80% and was as effective as a mask in reducing the distance of droplets and aerosols from a sneeze.

Cornstarch and xanthan gum were found to increase the thickness of saliva by 5 and 2,000%, respectively. They also reduced the distance of aerosols from a sneeze more than not wearing a mask. However, a mask was still more effective in reducing aerosol distance than cornstarch and xanthan gum.

A neck gaiter combined with a surgical mask was the type of mask used in the study.

The findings suggest that certain food products can be tailored to both thicken and reduce saliva emitted to reduce airborne disease transmission. This can also be used in combination with a mask, or without as the impact of the pandemic changes, and could perhaps allow for increased capacity, Kinzel says.

One such product could be a chocolate to deliver the saliva changing compound, the researcher says.

“Much like vitamin gummies, this would not be a candy, but rather a form to deliver the solution,” he says. “It could perhaps be referred to as a ‘chocaceutical.’”

 

Zinc supplementation associated with improvements in oxidative stress, homocysteine

Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, September 15 2021. 

A systematic review and meta-analysis of clinical trials published on September 12, 2021 in the International Journal of Clinical Practice found an association between supplementing with the mineral zinc and lower levels of homocysteine and a biomarker of oxidative stress.   

Oxidative stress occurs when oxidants and antioxidants are imbalanced, resulting in an increase in reactive oxygen species (ROS). Greater ROS production overwhelms the body’s capacity to overcome their adverse effects, resulting in an increased risk of chronic disease risk.

Homocysteine is an amino acid that increases oxidative damage in the body when elevated above normal levels. High homocysteine levels have been linked to cardiovascular disease, stroke, Alzheimer disease and other disorders.  

For the meta-analysis, Meysam Zarezadeh at Tabriz University of Medical Sciences and colleagues selected 18 articles that included a total of 1,187 participants. Eleven articles reported clinical trials that evaluated the association between zinc supplementation and malondialdehyde (MDA, a biomarker of oxidative stress), three articles evaluated zinc’s association with thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS, another biomarker of oxidative stress) and four articles studied supplemental zinc’s effect on homocysteine.

Supplementing with zinc was associated with a significant reduction in MDA, which was greater among subgroups who received less than 40 milligrams zinc per day. Zinc supplementation was also associated with a significant decrease in homocysteine, particularly among type 2 diabetics. No significant association was observed between zinc supplementation and TBARS levels.

“This meta-analysis demonstrated that zinc supplementation reduces malondialdehyde and homocysteine levels in adult subjects,” the authors concluded. “Supplementation with elemental zinc less than 40 mg/day has optimum effect on oxidative stress biomarkers. However, future studies are required to assess the effect of zinc on oxidative stress conditions in different demographic subgroups.”

 

 

Can You Lose Weight? Ask Your Microbiome

The strongest associations with weight loss success or failure, independent of BMI, are found in the genetic capacity of the gut microbiome

Institute for Systems Biology, September 15, 2021

The strongest associations with weight loss success or failure – independent of BMI – are found in the genetic capacity of the gut microbiome. These new findings open the door to diagnostic tests that can identify people likely to lose weight with healthy lifestyle changes and those who might need more drastic interventions. 

ISB researchers looked at 105 people who participated in a consumer wellness program. About half of the cohort showed consistent weight loss and improved metabolic health markers. The other half did not respond to the intervention and maintained a stable weight. The microbiomes of those who lost weight had higher bacterial growth rates and were enriched in genes that divert dietary nutrients toward bacterial cell growth. Conversely, microbiomes in those resistant to weight loss had lower growth rates, combined with a higher capacity for breaking down non-absorbable fibers and starches into absorbable sugars. Weight-loss resistant microbiomes were also primed to deal with a more inflamed gut environment. 

“Our results underscore the fact that our gut microbiome is an important filter between the food we consume and our bloodstream. Weight loss may be especially hard when our gut bacteria slow their own growth, while also breaking down dietary fibers into energy-rich sugars that make their way into our bloodstream before they can be fermented into organic acids by the microbiota,” said Dr. Christian Diener, the paper’s lead author.

Importantly, the team examined determinants of successful weight loss that were independent of BMI. People with higher baseline BMIs tend to lose more weight following an intervention – a condition known as the “regression-to-the-mean” effect.

Researchers found specific bacteria (Prevotella and other Bacteroidetes genera) that appear to be more efficient at using the degradation products from complex starches and fibers to fuel growth, likely outcompeting the body for these energy-rich small molecules and reducing the caloric energy harvest from consumed food. Ensuring our gut microbes can efficiently convert sugars cleaved away from dietary fibers into short-chain-fatty-acids and/or reducing the abundance of bacterial fiber-degrading genes in our intestine may help to ensure improved weight loss responses to lifestyle interventions and better metabolic health.

“At a minimum, this work may lead to diagnostics for identifying individuals who will respond well to moderate healthy lifestyle changes, and those who may require more drastic measures to achieve weight loss,” said ISB Assistant Professor Dr. Sean Gibbons, corresponding author on the paper. “By understanding which microbes and metabolic processes help promote weight loss in the gut microbiome, we can begin to design targeted prebiotic and probiotic interventions that might push a weight-loss resistant microbiome to look more like a weight-loss permissive microbiome.” 

 

 

Men with anxiety are more likely to die of cancer, study says

Cambridge University's Institute of Public Health, September 20, 2021 

 

Men over 40 who are plagued with the omnipresent of generalized anxiety disorder are more than twice as likely to die of cancer than are men who do not have the mental affliction, new research finds. But for women who suffer from severe anxiety, the research found no increased risk of cancer death.

 

That finding, presented Tuesday at the European College of Neuropsychopharmacology's Congress in Vienna, emerges from the largest study ever to explore a link between anxiety and cancer. It tracked 15,938 Britons over 40 for 15 years.

 

Even after researchers took account of factors that boost the risk of cancer, including age, alcohol consumption, smoking and chronic diseases, men with a diagnosis of generalized anxiety disorder were 2.15 times as likely to die of cancer than were those with no such diagnosis.

 

Generalized anxiety disorder - a condition marked by excessive, uncontrollable worry about many areas of life - affected women more commonly than it did men. Among women in the large cohort studied, 2.4 percent suffered from the disorder. Among men in the cohort, 1.8 percent did.

 

The authors of the new research acknowledge that the findings do not reveal how cancer and anxiety are related, and do not show that anxiety causes cancer. Men with anxiety may engage in behaviors that increase cancer risk. But the two diseases may also spring from common origins, including, possibly, higher rates of systemic inflammation. Whatever the relationship, says the study's lead author, the new findings identify extremely anxious men as a population whose mental and physical health should be closely tracked.

 

"Society may need to consider anxiety as a warning signal for poor health," said study lead author Olivia Remes of Cambridge University's Institute of Public Health. "With this study, we show that anxiety is more than just a personality trait," but rather, a disorder linked to real and serious health risks.

 

Imperial College psychiatrist David Nutt, who was not involved in the new research, said the intense distress suffered by those with anxiety comes with insomnia and widespread physical stress.

 

"That is bound to have a major impact on many physiological processes, including immune supervision of cancerous cells," said Nutt, a former president of the European College of Neuropsychopharmacology.  "As a psychiatrist who used to run one of the very few clinics in the U.K. specialized in the treatment of people with severe anxiety disorders, these results do not surprise me," Nutt added.

 

Cholesterol drives Alzheimer’s plaque formation, study finds

University of Virginia, September 15, 2021

Cholesterol manufactured in the brain appears to play a key role in the development of Alzheimer’s disease, new research indicates.

Scientists from the University of Virginia School of Medicine and their collaborators found that cholesterol produced by cells called astrocytes is required for controlling the production of amyloid beta, a sticky protein that builds up in the brains of patients with Alzheimer’s. The protein accumulates into insoluble plaques that are a hallmark of the disease. Many efforts have targeted these plaques in the hope that removing or preventing them could treat or prevent Alzheimer’s.

The new findings offer important insights into how and why the plaques form and may explain why genes associated with cholesterol have been linked to increased risk for Alzheimer’s. The results also provide scientists with important direction as they seek to prevent Alzheimer’s.

“This study helps us to understand why genes linked to cholesterol are so important to the development of Alzheimer’s disease,” said researcher Heather A. Ferris, MD, PhD, of UVA’s Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism. “Our data point to the importance of focusing on the production of cholesterol in astrocytes and the transport to neurons as a way to reduce amyloid beta and prevent plaques from ever being formed.”

Alzheimer’s Plaques and Cholesterol

While cholesterol is often associated with clogged arteries and heart disease, it plays important roles in the healthy body. The body makes cholesterol naturally so it can produce hormones and carry out other important functions. The new discovery from Ferris and her collaborators adds a new entry to cholesterol’s list of responsibilities.

The work also sheds light on the role of astrocytes in Alzheimer’s disease. Scientists have known that these common brain cells undergo dramatic changes in Alzheimer’s, but they have been uncertain if the cells were suffering from the disease or contributing to it. The new results suggest the latter.

The scientists found that astrocytes help drive the progression of Alzheimer’s by making and distributing cholesterol to brain cells called neurons. This cholesterol buildup increases amyloid beta production and, in turn, fuels plaque accumulation.

Normally, cholesterol is kept quite low in neurons, limiting the buildup of amyloid beta. But in Alzheimer’s, the neurons lose their ability to regulate amyloid beta, resulting in plaque formation.

Blocking the astrocytes’ cholesterol manufacturing “robustly” decreased amyloid beta production in lab mice, the researchers report in a new scientific paper. It’s too soon to say if this could be mimicked in people to prevent plaque formation, but the researchers believe that further research is likely to yield important insights that will benefit the battle against Alzheimer’s.

The fact that amyloid beta production is normally tightly controlled suggests that it may play an important role in brain cells, the researchers say. As such, doctors may need to be careful in trying to block or remove amyloid beta. Additional research into the discovery could shed light on how to prevent the over-production of amyloid beta as a strategy against Alzheimer’s, the researchers believe.

“If we can find strategies to prevent astrocytes from over-producing cholesterol, we might make a real impact on the development of Alzheimer’s disease,” Ferris said. “Once people start having memory problems from Alzheimer’s disease, countless neurons have already died. We hope that targeting cholesterol can prevent that death from ever occurring in the first place.”

 

Is greenery the secret to slowing the biological ageing process?

Monash University (Australia), September 16, 2021

We all know being surrounded by greenery is good for the mind and soul, but can it be good for the body, too?

Planetary health researchers at Monash University's School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine have found that may indeed be the case, at least for women.

In a world first, they've shown a link between the amount of plant life in a person's immediate environment and slower biological aging, based on changes to DNA methylation.

"We searched the medical literature prior to embarking on this project," says Ph.D. candidate and first author Rongbin Xu, "and could only find a single abstract, presented at a conference but never written up and published in a peer-reviewed journal, that touched on this subject.

"It focused on infants, and compared their biological gestational age with the greenness surrounding the mother during pregnancy, so it was quite a different application to our current study."

Their study was recently published in Environmental Health Perspectives.

With an aging global population driven by increased longevity and falling birth rates, understanding how to prolong good health and functioning into old age is a priority.

One of the most robust markers of biological aging is the aging-related methylation changes found in an individual's DNA. This is where some sections of DNA become covered by methyl molecules.

The role of methylation

Some sections of DNA have CpG sites that are particularly prone to increased methylation with age, and this restricts the functionality of affected genes. Conversely, aging can also reduce methylation in other areas, leading to over-expression of genes, which can be equally as harmful.

DNAmAge is a measure of a person's biological age as measured by methylation, and there are four main algorithms in popular use to calculate it: Horvath's Age, Hannum's Age, PhenoAge and GrimAge.

There's a growing body of research that indicates GrimAge may be the most robust DNAmAge estimator, given its strong predictive power of future health, such as time to death, cancer, and heart diseases.

By comparing an individual's DNAmAge to their chronological age in years, researchers can calculate the acceleration of biological aging (DNAmAgeAC). Increased acceleration is associated with early death and numerous diseases of aging, such as cancer and heart disease.

While some methylation changes are inevitable, we actually do have some influence over it. Research shows that interventions such as dietary adjustments and environmental factors may reverse adverse methylation changes.

"We speculated that the amount of greenery in a person's immediate environment may play a role in reducing accelerated biological aging," says Rongbin.

"A high degree of local vegetation density—gardens, parkland, bush—can reduce mental stress, provide a space for social interaction, encourage physical activity and reduce harm from air pollution and heat. Given these are all determinants for good health, it made sense that there may be a connection."

The researchers leveraged existing data from the Australian Mammographic Density Twins and Sisters Study, which had previously explored the links between environmental, genetic and lifestyle factors and breast tissue density, a known risk factor for breast cancer.

Initial trial participants included female twins aged 40-70 years in Perth, Sydney and Melbourne, and the cohort was later expanded to include their non-twin sisters. Blood samples were collected and stored as Guthrie cards, much like is done for newborn babies.

These cards formed the source for the DNA methylation analysis performed as part of this current study. Methylation levels were analyzed in a laboratory, and four DNAmAges were calculated for each of 479 women from 130 different families, using the four algorithms mentioned above.

The second part of the project involved mapping vegetation levels near participants' homes. Those taking part had provided residential addresses for the study, which were converted to longitude-latitude coordinates using a Google Maps interface.

While there's a risk some participants may have moved house during that time, a national Australian survey in 2008 showed 80% in this age group hadn't moved house for more than five years.

The team used infrared and visible light readings from a NASA satellite to estimate local vegetation mass in the 12 months leading up to each participant's blood draw.

Plant life absorbs visible red light for photosynthesis, but strongly reflects infrared and near-infrared light. The researchers used this—and some fairly complex mathematical formulas that accounted for atmospheric distortion in light readings—to estimate greenness density up to 2km from their homes.

"We found that using the most robust of the algorithms, GrimAge, increased surrounding greenness was associated with slower biological aging," says Rongbin. "Our study shows that a 0.1-unit increase in the Normalised Difference Vegetation Index within 500 meters of home is associated with a 0.31-years reduction in biological aging as measured by GrimAge.

"Previous cohort studies tell us this is equivalent to a 3% reduction in all-cause mortality. The association remained stable when measuring greenness at 300 meters, one kilometer and two kilometers from home."

Three components of GrimAge showed particularly strong association with slowed biological aging:

• Greenness is associated with a reversal of DNA methylation changes arising from exposure to cigarette smoke
• Greenness may be associated with improved immune function and metabolic health as indicated by the biomarker GDF-15
• Greenness may be associated with a reduction in fatty tissues seen in obesity, and improved kidney health as indicated by the biomarker cystatin

"More research is needed to confirm our results in larger studies," says Rongbin, "and to look at the process in men, but it's an exciting foray into this field."