The Gary Null Show: Recent Episodes
Progressive Radio Network
Gary takes on the real issues that the mainstream media is afraid to tackle. Tune in to find out the latest about health news, healing, politics, and the economy.
HEALTH NEWS
· Berries pack more fiber and antioxidants than America’s most-eaten fruits· Intermittent fasting comparable to traditional diets for weight loss· Natural Plant Extract Removes up to 90% of Microplastics From Water· Black coffee linked to lower risk of death· Hope is the key to a meaningful life, according to new research· Study suggests vitamin D supports testosterone’s cardiometabolic benefits
HEALTH NEWS * Effects of High-Intensity Intermittent Training Combined with Asparagus Extract Supplementation on Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Function * What 300 grams of ultra-processed food a day does to your diabetes risk * New study from landmark trial suggests avocados may play a role in sleep, a key factor in cardiovascular health * Longer walks linked to lower risk of chronic low back pain * Natural Compound in Fruit and Vegetables Found To Slash Heart Disease and Diabetes Risk * Cannabis use linked to doubling in risk of cardiovascular disease death
HEALTH NEWS
· A combination of exercise and omega-3 reduces the severity of tooth root infections· Healthy lifestyle habits may shield aging cells from brain disorders· French maritime pine bark improves cellulite in women· Chromium-rich fiber supplement keeps you fuller and reduces insulin spikes· Household Drinking Water Is Spreading Dangerous Bacteria· ‘Junk food’ plant diets raise heart risk even if meat is cut out
HEALTH NEWS
· Sea cucumbers could hold key to stopping cancer spread· Exercise targets specific brain cells to protect against Alzheimer’s· Skip The 10,000 Steps? Japanese Walking Proven More Effective Than Continuous Stroll· Study: Eating more fruits and veggies could help you sleep better· Strawberry Tree Extract Could Prevent and Treat Gastrointestinal Disorders, Study Finds
Dr. Gary Null reads his article "Are COVID Vaccines Accelerating Deadly Cancer Epidemics?"
HEALTH NEWS
· Review underscores ergothioneine's anti-aging potential for cognitive function· Cortisone Shots Do More Harm Than Good? Knee Injections Could Actually Make Arthritis Worse, Major Study Suggests· Less is more: To build muscle and gain strength, researchers say train smarter—not longer· Newly discovered cancer cell energy pathway blocked with natural substance· Lower-sodium diet can effectively reduce blood pressure for people with type 2 diabetes· Effects of Spirulina supplementation on intestinal permeability and oxidative stress markers irritable bowel syndrome
HEALTH NEWS
· L-carnitine may help support kidney function· Scientists discover food that flushes out cancer-causing forever chemicals· Mouth and gut bacteria linked to brain changes in Parkinson’s disease· Effectiveness of laughter yoga in reducing postpartum depression symptoms: A randomized controlled study· Creatine shows potential to boost cognition in Alzheimer’s patients· Creatine is safe, effective and important for everyone, longtime researcher says
HEALTH NEWS
· Rosemary Shows Link To Better Memory, Lower Anxiety And Even Alzheimer’s Protection· Current vitamin C recommendations inadequate for many people· Fermenting legume pulses boosts their antidiabetic, antioxidant properties· Scientists Discover Cancer-Causing Chemicals in Common Personal Care Products· Eating more pulses and vegetables lowers stress by boosting beneficial gut bacteria, study finds· Over-the-counter supplement could prevent heart disease in type 2 diabetes patients
HEALTH NEWS
- Eating nuts linked to lower risk of colon cancer
· Consuming less cysteine can burn fat to induce weight loss· Vitamin A deficiency is detrimental to blood stem cells· Nicotinamide riboside shows promise in treating Werner syndrome symptoms· Sacred Moment Experiences Among Internal Medicine Physicians· New research shows excessive oleic acid, found in olive oil, drives fat cell growth
HEALTH NEWS * Tea, berries, dark chocolate and apples could lead to a longer life span, flavonoid study finds * Cranberry Powder Attenuates Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia in Rats * Diet, exercise help prevent colon cancer recurrence * Moderate exercise slows brain aging: U-shaped association revealed by accelerometry * Rethinking Alzheimer’s Disease: New Research Reveals That It Affects the Entire Body, Not Just the Brain * Dried Plum Consumption Improves Total Cholesterol and Antioxidant Capacity and Reduces Inflammation in Healthy Postmenopausal Women
HEALTH NEWS * Study finds daily cup of beans boosts heart and metabolic health * Cannabis extract could treat fungal diseases * Popular Processed Foods Linked to Early Signs of Parkinson’s Disease * Daily mango intake may support postmenopausal heart and metabolic health * Greenspace exposure supports brain development and mental health in adolescents * It’s not too late to start eating better for your brain
HEALTH NEWS * Fighting myeloma with fiber: Plant-based diet offers promise * Mouse study reveals harmful effects of polystyrene nanoplastics in food and beverages * Double serving of evidence underscores power of plant-based diet for heart health * Scientists Say They’ve Found The Hidden Culprit Behind Aging * Review shows how extra virgin olive oil transforms heart health * Group activities reduced depressive symptoms among older people with dement
HEALTH NEWS
· Higher linoleic acid levels linked to lower heart disease and diabetes risk· Fish oil linked with better lung function· Lower 'bad' cholesterol and higher fat-transport markers linked to less Alzheimer's risk· Heart Deaths At Home Surged During COVID — And Numbers Still Haven’t Returned To Normal· Novel bitter melon extract show metabolic and anti-obesity effects: Study· Mediterranean diet provides symptom relief for patients with IBS in pilot study
HEALTH NEWS
- Low vitamin D levels linked to lupus
- This overlooked class of food additives is linked to cancer
- Acupuncture for nocturia in survivors of prostate cancer
- First-of-its-kind study suggests that mindfulness and brain stimulation could reduce bladder leaks
- Most Americans unaware of cancer risks associated with drinking alcohol
- Acrylamide Increases Women's Breast Cancer Risk
Dr. Gary Null dedicates this show to mental health and reads a chapter from his new book.
Dr. Gary Null provides a commentary on his article "The Coming Artificial Intelligence Crisis: Power Without Oversight"
HEALTH NEWS
· More β-carotene in diet reduces psychosomatic symptoms in youth* Curcumin offers potential therapy for oral cancers
· Daylight can boost the immune system's ability to fight infections· Researchers Reveal Two Simple Eating Habits That Lower Weight· Orange essential oil may help alleviate post-traumatic stress disorder· Timing and consistency of activity linked to better fitness in older adults
HEALTH NEWS* Looking to cut calories? Try adding chilies, study suggests * Could a natural compound spare our livers? * Nutritional content of ready-to-eat breakfast cereals marketed to children * Forget Keto: This Fiber-Fueled Gut Trick Helped Mice Melt Fat Fast * Selenium exposure during pregnancy may reduce childhood streptococcal infections * Household action can play major role in climate change fight - study
HEALTH NEWS * Vitamin D supplements show signs of protection against biological aging * Could strawberry tree extract prevent and treat gastrointestinal disorders? * Study shows any exercise can benefit older adults' health * Can engaging in social activities prolong life? * Sodium Levels Deemed ‘Normal’ Now Linked To Heart Problems * Positive expressive writing consistently improves wellbeing, but not all techniques are created equal
HEALTH NEWS * Green tea, turmeric, and berries may help reverse epigenetic aging in men * Could Your Energy Drink Be Feeding Cancer? What Scientists Just Discovered * Fast food, fast impact: How fatty meals rapidly weaken our gut defenses * A natural compound found in rice, coffee and vegetables may help relax heart arteries * Inhaled microplastics inhibit key immune cell in the lungs * Older adults eating four daily servings of ultra-processed food face 10% higher depression risk
HEALTH NEWS * Can One Gram of Omega-3 Really Slow Aging? Here’s What Science Says * Common drugs can help viruses spread * Microplastics Are Invading Our Arteries, and It Could Be Increasing Your Risk of Stroke * Coq10 Helps Protect Against Muscle Damage in Athletes * Don’t hit snooze on new research about waking up each morning * Portfolio diet delays heart risk and lowers cholesterol in young adults
HEALTH NEWS
* In healthy aging, carb quality counts
* New genetic factor identified in worsening of MASLD, with vitamin B3 as the most effective therapeutic agent
* Brisk Walking for Just 5 Minutes Could Boost Brain Power
* Can mindfulness combat anxiety?
* Study finds omega-3s shape kinder, smarter kids
* Public health impact of synthetic chemicals in food is underestimated
HEALTH NEWS * Black tea kombucha reduces harmful gut microbes linked to obesity * Adding nutrients to the diet may benefit people with COPD * Newborn vitamin D deficiency linked to higher risk of ADHD, schizophrenia and autism * How 7,000 Steps A Day Could Help Reduce Your Risk Of Cancer * Always Tired? A Mini-Stroke You Didn’t Notice Could Be Why * Cancer risk significantly lower when vitamin D levels hit 40 ng/mL
HEALTH NEWS * Traditional Chinese medicinal fungi might show potential for central nervous system diseases * Exercise is the key to maintaining Vitamin D levels in winter, study finds * Mindfulness course found to be effective in people with difficult-to-treat depression * Working Long Hours Could Be Making Your Brain Bigger — In A Bad Way * Too much sleep can hurt cognitive performance, especially for those with depression, UT Health San Antonio study finds * Intermittent fasting may dampen inflammatory responses in the gums
HEALTH NEWS * New study finds that tea and chocolate may help lower blood pressure * Phosphate levels in blood strongly affect sperm quality in men * Golf course proximity linked to higher Parkinson's disease risk * More screen time, less happiness? New study links phones to poorer children and adolescent health * Sedentary behavior is an independent risk factor for Alzheimer's disease, 7-year study reveals * Daily mindfulness practice can reduce anxiety for autistic adults
HEALTH NEWS * Clinical trial finds faster recovery from COVID-19 through targeted use of high-dose vitamin B3 in the gut * Chokeberry juice reduces blood vessel resistance in people with pre-diabetes * Antibiotics taken during infancy linked to early puberty in girls * Multivitamin use associated with lower risk of prostate cancer recurrence * Older adults with active social circles report better health, study finds * Heart rhythm disorder traced to bacterium lurking in our gums
HEALTH NEWS * Brain changes seen in veterans with PTSD after mindfulness training * This Common Breakfast Food Could Be Damaging Your Gut * Probiotic supplementation may help reduce chemotherapy side effects in breast cancer * Natural Mushroom Compound Shows Promise in Treating Parkinson’s Symptoms * Phthalates may impact key genital measurement in 3-year-olds * Phosphatidylserine Improves ADHD in Kids
HEALTH NEWS
· Vitamin supplements slow down the progression of glaucoma· Walnuts With Breakfast Make Your Brain Work Better – But There’s A Surprising Catch· Removing Children's Tonsils and Adenoids Increases Risk for 28 Diseases, Study Finds· How exercise helps prevent acute muscle pain from becoming chronic· Healthy diet in childhood linked to later onset of menstruation· Nature visits can improve well-being disparities among urban dwellers
HEALTH NEWS
· Eating avocados during pregnancy associated with lower food allergy risk in baby* Six new studies point to red raspberry's potential anti-inflammatory properties
· Better physical health probably follows religious and spiritual engagement, rather than vice versa· Tomato and fruit juice improve quality of life for kids with asthma· Discover how parsley helps to fight cancer· Eating ultra processed foods may speed up early signs of Parkinson's diseaseEating avocados during pregnancy associated with lower food allergy risk in babyUniversity of Eastern Finland, May 7, 2025 (Eurekalert)
An observational study among 2,272 mother-child pairs in Finland found that infants had 44% lower odds of developing food allergies at 12 months if their mother consumed fresh avocado during pregnancy, after adjusting for other lifestyle, delivery, and maternal health factors.
This is the first published study to link avocados in the maternal diet to a lower risk of infant food allergies—a growing public health concern that affects nearly one in 13 children, or roughly two in every classroom.
Researchers analyzed data collected as part of the Kuopio Birth Cohort (KuBiCo). Participants who reported eating any avocado (>0 grams) in either trimester were defined as avocado consumers, and non-consumers were those who did not report consuming any avocado in either trimester.
Infant allergic outcomes, including rhinitis, paroxysmal wheezing, eczema, and food allergy, were evaluated at 12-months of age. After adjusting for factors food allergy was found to be significantly higher in infants of non-avocado consumers (4.2%) versus avocado consumers (2.4%).
Six new studies point to red raspberry's potential anti-inflammatory properties
Various Universities, May 2, 2025 (Medical Xpress)
Initial findings from six animal model studies reveal the potential effects of red raspberry consumption on cardiovascular disease risk reduction, maintaining normal blood glucose levels and liver function as well as potential anti-inflammatory effects related to bone health.
Cardiovascular
University of Michigan observed potential benefits of red raspberry intake on obesity-prone rats.
Metabolic Syndrome
Washington State University noted positive effects of red raspberry consumption on metabolic syndrome in male mice with diet-induced obesity.
Oregon State University studied the effects of red raspberries in mice fed a high-fat, high-sugar Western diet.
Diabetes
Texas A&M University reported positive effects of red raspberry consumption on diabetes-related complications and heart disease in obese diabetic mice.
Liver Function
Oregon State University noted raspberry's capacity for ellagic acid quercetin to bind to the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-alpha (PPARa).
Inflammation and Bone Health
Texas Woman's University observed anti-inflammatory effect of polyphenols in red raspberries in the production of osteoclasts, the cells associated with the breakdown of bone.
Better physical health probably follows religious and spiritual engagement, rather than vice versaUniversity of Miami, May 7, 2025 (PLoS One)
Better physical health probably follows religious and spiritual engagement, rather than vice versa, per six year longitudinal U.S. study aiming to tease out this relationship
Religious and spiritual (R/S) engagement is generally associated with better health. However, it is not known which comes first between R/S engagement and health due to a lack of longitudinal studies. We examined this issue in a sample assessed six years apart.
We examined the measurement invariance and reciprocal relationships of R/S engagement and self-rated physical health (SRH) at two timepoints (six years apart). We then assessed whether the strength of their relationships with each other differed.
Our findings demonstrate that religious and spiritual engagement predicts better self-rated physical health six years later, whereas better SRH does not significantly predict future R/S engagement.
Tomato and fruit juice improve quality of life for kids with asthmaKing Mongkut’s Institute of Technology (Thailand), May 7, 2025 (News Medical)
In a recent study published in the journal BMC Nutrition, researchers evaluated the effects of an antioxidant-rich diet on asthma outcomes in children.
In the present study, researchers examined clinical outcomes, pulmonary function, and serum antioxidant levels in asthmatic children in Thailand.
Participants were randomized to the intervention or control group. The control group received conventional usual care, whereas the intervention group received usual care and mixed fruit and tomato juices. Further, serum antioxidants (ascorbic acid, lycopene, and beta-carotene) were measured.
In sum, the consumption of tomato and mixed-fruit juices for eight weeks improved asthma symptom control and quality of life in children. Serum beta-carotene increased within the intervention group, though this was not significantly different compared to controls. However, pulmonary function, ICS usage, and between-group antioxidant levels were unaffected by the intervention.
Discover how parsley helps to fight cancerUniversity of Missouri, April 25, 2025 (NaturalHealth365)Research published in Oncotarget detailed for the how apigenin in parsely slows and halts the production of the enzyme IKKa, which is behind the growth and progression of cancer. The scientists concluded that apigenin has a profound ability to slow cancer progression or stop it altogether.
In addition to these results, combined apigenin with green tea successfully treats colon cancer and the University of Missouri researchers found apigenin was effective against breast cancer and killed as much as 86 percent of lung cancer cells.
Parsley is an excellent source of carotenoids, which protect against cancer-causing cell damage. Additionally, it’s considered a “chemoprotective” food due to its ability to protect healthy tissues in the body from the toxic effects of many cancer treatments or drugs. As a powerful anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties – and its rich source of vitamins A, C, E, beta-carotene, chlorophyll, fiber, lutein, zeaxanthin, folate and cryptoxanthin.It’s also packed with a higher concentration of vitamin K than kale.
Eating ultra processed foods may speed up early signs of Parkinson's diseaseFudan University (China), May 7, 2025 (Eurekalert)
People who eat more ultra processed foods like cold breakfast cereal, cookies and hot dogs are more likely to have early signs of Parkinson’s disease when compared to those who eat very few ultra processed foods.
Researchers looked for signs of prodromal Parkinson’s disease, which is the earliest stage, when neurodegeneration begins, but more characteristic symptoms of Parkinson’s disease, like tremors, balance problems and slow movement, have not yet begun. These early symptoms can begin years or even decades before the typical symptoms start.
The study included 42,853 people with an average age of 48 who did not have Parkinson’s disease at the start of the study. They were followed up to 26 years. After adjusting for factorsg, researchers found that participants who ate 11 or more servings of ultra processed foods per day had a 2.5-fold higher likelihood of having three or more early signs of Parkinson’s disease compared to those consuming fewer than three servings per day.
When looking at individual early signs of Parkinson’s disease, researchers also found that eating more ultra processed foods was tied to an increased risk for nearly all symptoms except constipation.
HEALTH NEWS
· Fisetin, a natural compound, helps prevent artery hardening from aging and kidney disease* Carnitine supplementation alleviates lipid metabolism derangements and protects against oxidative stress
· Low testosterone linked to higher kidney stone risk in men, study finds· Study suggests we don’t just hear music, but ‘become it’* SSRI antidepressants promote bone loss during lactation
· Open-label placebo appears to reduce premenstrual symptoms, study suggests
HEALTH NEWS
· Ultra-processed foods linked to higher psoriasis risk· Rethinking Thyroxine Treatment: The High Rates of Spontaneous Normalization in Subclinical Hypothyroidism· Black coffee improves insulin sensitivity in women, study finds· This Simple Mind Trick Could Make You Actually Want To Exercise· Mindfulness therapy reduces opioid craving and addiction, study finds· Home washing machines fail to remove important pathogens from textiles
HEALTH NEWS
- Capsaicin plus green tea combo aids weight loss: Study
· High fructose diets impair brain function and appetite control, study shows· Exercise can counter detrimental effects of cancer treatment, review suggests· Depression and other mental health conditions linked to immune response, study finds* A grateful heart is a healthier heart
· Heart disease deaths worldwide linked to chemical widely used in plastics
HEALTH NEWS· Curcumin shows promise for treating obesity, inflammation, and neurodegenerative diseases· Effects of Xylitol on Tumor Progression in Syngeneic Mice Cancer Models· Midlife exercise may help lower Alzheimer's risk· Can Potatoes Help With Weight Loss? Scientists Reveal Surprising Benefits· Long-term study links chronic conditions in midlife to higher cancer risk and mortality· Sound Waves That Heal: A Breakthrough for Depression and Anxiety
HEALTH NEWS
· Health Benefits of Polyphenols from Cherries: A Review of Clinical Trials· Three minutes of moderate activity a day may reduce risk of having a cardiovascular event· If You're Over 60, Taking This Fiber Supplement Can Improve Your Brain Health· Low iron could cause brain fog during menopause transition, study suggests· Effectiveness of Red Clover for the Treatment of Symptoms in Menopausal Women—A Narrative Review· High cannabis use associated with increased colon cancer mortality
HEALTH NEWS
· Can saw palmetto treat an enlarged prostate?· Improving cognitive function in older adults through mind-body Qigong exercise at senior daycare centers· Circular breathwork induces altered states of consciousness linked to improved mental health· Scientists Reveal That Eating Walnuts Could Reduce Your Risk of Cancer* Rise in Childhood Thyroid Cancer Linked to Artificial Light and Air Pollution
· Grow 40% More Hair Naturally with This Garden Oil Shown to Reverse Baldness in Men
HEALTH NEWS
· Tomatoes, lycopene shows promise for weight maintenance· The Science Of Brain Farts: What Happens When Your Mind Goes Completely Blank· Even light exercise could help slow cognitive decline in people at risk of Alzheimer’s· Regular chicken consumption linked to higher risk of early death from gastrointestinal cancers· Early antibiotic use linked to higher childhood BMI· Medication-induced sterol disruption: A silent threat to brain development and public health
HEALTH NEWS * Vitamin D during chemotherapy improves pathological complete response in women with breast cancer * Quorn, Inflammation & Depression * Study: Late midlife is a time of less regret and increased acceptance * Exercise boosts brain health — even when energy is low * Eating more peanuts may reduce your mortality risk by 21 percent * More trees near homes connected to healthier newborns
HEALTH NEWS
- Natural extract from rosehips shows promise for preventing breast cancer, study suggests
- Move more, think sharper: How physical activity boosts brain health in aging
- Mediterranean diet lowers breast cancer risk by 13%, postmenopausal women benefit most
- Healthy sleep patterns decrease the risk of being hospitalized for infections, study finds
- Study: middle-aged Americans are lonelier than adults in other countries, age groups
- Hearing loss in older adults linked to nearly one-third of dementia cases
HEALTH NEWS
- Turkey Tail mushrooms boost immunity in women with breast cancer
- Study identifies link between body clock disruption and metabolic disease
- Walking at This Speed Lowers Risk of Irregular Heartbeat by 43 Percent
- Color of lettuce determines the speed of its antioxidant effect
- Shampoo, Soap, and… Brain Changes? Study Links Everyday Products to Infant Development Harm
- New research highlights how parental awe and pride enhance well-being
HEALTH NEWS
· Vitamin D curbs colorectal cancer by boosting immunity and blocking tumor growth· Pomegranate extract lowers cardiometabolic risk factors in older men and women· Replacing Meat With Plants Could Add Years to Your Life, According to New Study· Researchers Reveal That Climbing Stairs Could Extend Your Life· Meta-analysis finds Transcendental Meditation reduces post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms across populations and cultures· Youth anxiety and depression rates rose steadily from 2016 to 2022, survey finds
HEALTH NEWS
- Roseroot herb shows promise as potential depression treatment option
- Eating Too Much Salt Could Increase Your Risk of Obesity by Over 330%
- Is nitrogen fertilizer supercharging allergy-causing pollen?
- Low vitamin D levels damage erectile health via superoxide surge, study finds
- Evidence alcohol even prior to conception may harm your baby
- Garlic extract works as well as blood pressure medication Can it replace blood pressure medicine?
HEALTH NEWS
· What sauerkraut can do for your gut· Drinking This Fruit Juice May Cut Gut Inflammation by 40%· How long can you stand on one leg? This simple test is the single clearest indicator of physical aging· Peanuts pack a punch for youth: study finds cellular benefits· Favorite music sets the brain's opioids in motion, imaging study reveals· Mother’s Childhood Trauma May Worsen Child’s Autism or ADHD, Study Finds
HEALTH NEWS * Study Finds Green Tea may Heal Neurodegenerative Conditions like Alzheimer’s * High blood pressure? Eat more bananas * Mediterranean diet and exercise may slow bone loss in aging women * Can gut microbes help prevent Alzheimer’s? * Radiation from CT scans could account for 5% of all cancer cases a year, study suggests * Thermography is Key for Early Detection of Breast Cancer
HEALTH NEWS
- Peaches inhibit breast cancer metastasis in mice, study says
- 780,000-Year-Old Discovery Reveals That Early Humans Thrived on a Plant-Based Diet
- Antibiotic exposure in infancy may boost Type 1 diabetes risk
- Yoga is as effective as strengthening exercises for knee osteoarthritis pain relief, study finds
- Mulberry Leaf Lowers Triglycerides, LDL-c and Artery Inflammation
- Apathy and lack of motivation are symptoms of cancer cachexia, research suggests
HEALTH NEWS
- The Tropical Fruit that can Detox Toxic Fluoride
· Probiotics linked to reduced negative feelings, offering potential mental health benefits· Meditation and critical thinking are the ‘key to meaningful AI use’* Grapefruit naturally prevents formation of kidney cysts
· Playing classical music can smooth variations in fetal heart rates, researchers find· Doing This Could Prevent Mental Decline by Up to 32%
HEALTH NEWS
· Fiber consumption protects gut from serious bacterial infection, study suggests· This Plant-Based Gum Neutralizes 95% of Flu and Herpes Viruses – And Could Curb the Next Pandemic* Neuropsychology: Power naps produce a significant improvement in memory performance
· New research deepens understanding of how vitamin K affects brain health· Starch-based microplastics linked to health issues in mouse study· Eating brown rice increases exposure to arsenic compared to white rice
HEALTH NEWS
- Study shows how omega-3 inhibits cancer cell growth
· Cannabidiol therapy could reduce symptoms in autistic children and teenagers· Lower LDL cholesterol linked to reduced dementia risk· Certain food additive mixtures may be associated with an increased risk of type 2 diabetes· Relaxation techniques may help lower high blood pressure—at least in the short term· Researchers discover natural compound may slow ALS and dementia
HEALTH NEWS * Nonprescription magnesium use associated with reduced heart failure risk * Scientists cast new light on how fasting impacts the immune system * New study highlights strong anti-cancer properties of soybeans * New Study Reveals Just 10 Days of Inactivity Can Harm Your Brain * These Machines at Your Gym Can Help Prevent Brain Shrinkage Linked to Dementia * Obesity severity tied to increased risk across 16 common conditions
HEALTH NEWS * Could a pure maple syrup extract be tapped for better brain health? * Morning Magic? Wednesday ‘Slump’ Day? Science Shows When Mental Health Peaks and Dips * Western diet causes inflammation, traditional African food protects * High-fat diet promotes breast cancer metastasis in animal models * Yoga improves quality of life in patients with atrial fibrillation * Phthalate exposure during pregnancy affects newborn metabolism
Dr. Gary Null provides a commentary on his article "America’s Legacy of Recklessness and Covert Biological Crimes"
HEALTH NEWS * Dietary curcumin may boost brain DHA: Study * Glutamate supports liver regeneration * How Cold Water Rewires Your Cells to Fight Stress and Aging * Lead exposure may alter gut microbiota and promote obesity, study finds * Intermittent fasting increases sex drive in male mice: An approach for low libido in humans? * Can brain-healthy eating improve your quality of life?
HEALTH NEWS * Melatonin makes old bones stronger * CoQ10, nicotinamide riboside improve blood markers in people with kidney disease * More on antioxidants and lung cancer * Testing for just three genes could help prevent 75% of avoidable side effects for certain medications * Researchers find ways purple corn could lower risk of diseases * Glucosamine-chondroitin combination shows anti-inflammatory potential: RCT data
HEALTH NEWS
· Healthy eating in midlife linked to overall healthy aging· Could eating chili during pregnancy help lower the risk of gestational diabetes? · High-salt diet linked to depression: Protein IL-17A plays key role in mice study· Factors that lower magnesium associated with reduced anti-aging enzyme· Higher income is linked to both greater life satisfaction and more stress, study finds· Chewing gum releases microplastics into mouth: researchers
Health News
· High‑dose vitamin D significantly reduces disease activity in early multiple sclerosis onset, clinical trial finds· Omega-3 fatty acids help prevent cancer and improve survival rates · A stressed mind is made more prone to rigid thinking, mouse study finds· Mediterranean diet shows promise in easing psoriasis, acne, and hidradenitis suppurativa· Mindfulness Is More Effective Than Drugs For Both Anxiety and Depression· Ginseng’s Secret Anti-Aging Weapon: How Compound K is Changing Skincare Science
HEALTH NEWS
- Low dietary omega-3 intake linked to increased ischemic heart disease burden
- Natural Herbal HPV "Cure" Discovered
- Chronic sucrose consumption in mice reveals organ-specific metabolic disruptions
- Glyphosate poses widespread risks to female fertility and reproductive health, researchers say
- New Study: Sitting Too Much Can Hurt Your Heart
- Sports supplement creatine makes no difference to muscle gains, trial finds
HEALTH NEWS
- Strawberries enhance brain speed and heart health, but cognitive benefits remain unclear
- Scientists identify top food sources of prebiotics for better digestion
- A high-fat diet may impair response to infection
- People who share meals report greater life satisfaction and wellbeing
- Could tea during pregnancy give your baby a brain boost? Research says yes
- Eating more fruits and vegetables may help prevent falls in older adults, especially women
HEALTH NEWS
· 'Healthy fats' could protect against motor neuron disease and frontotemporal dementia· Healthy plant-based diets linked to longer life for people with cardiometabolic disorders· New research unveils the secrets of movement in stress management· Study shows how exercise counteracts stress-induced high blood pressure· Why are night owls at greater risk of depression?· Glucosamine slows liver disease
HEALTH NEWS
· Increasing fruit, fiber, dairy and caffeine linked to lower risk of tinnitus· Replacing other snacks with pecans may improve cholesterol, diet quality· Breast cancer treatments contribute to aging acceleration in survivors· Early embryo development holds key to healthy lifestyles, study suggests· One new experience a day can boost memory and mood· Cannabidiol may be a promising agent for promoting dental biomineralization
HEALTH NEWS
· L-carnitine, alpha-linolenic acid improve migraine frequency, severity in women· Maternal diet and infant allergies: The avocado connection· Your environment can increase your dementia risks· Better heart health slows brain aging and lowers dementia risk, study finds· Effects of Environmental Toxicants Reach Down Through Generations· Drinking Coffee Every Day Could Reduce Your Risk of Cancer
HEALTH NEWS
- Magnesium-L-Threonate Improves Sleep Quality, Daytime Alertness
- Study shows how autism-linked picky eating causes serious vitamin deficiencies
- Exercise could fortify immune system against future cancers
- Lower waist-to-hip ratio in midlife linked to longer lasting cognitive function
- Tapuy rice wine fermentation yields possible anti-aging superfood
- Adding chemotherapy to radiotherapy does not improve outcomes for cervical cancer patients
HEALTH NEWS
· Garlic Cures 100% of Warts In Clinical Study· Chewing on wood for 5 minutes may improve your memory, study shows· Nature relieves physical pain: pain-related signals in the brain are reduced· Exercise key to improving sexual dysfunction for patients with prostate cancer, study says· Mother’s high-fat diet can cause liver stress in fetus, study shows· Study finds antioxidant supplements help protect against hearing loss
HEALTH NEWS
· Naturally occurring molecule shows promise for lupus treatment· The Surprising Role of Vitamin C in Hormone Regeneration· Swapping animal products for plant-based foods—no matter how processed—leads to weight loss, finds new study· More than 1.2 million medical device side-effect reports not submitted within legal timeframe, analysis finds· The Secret to Healthy Aging? Scientists Uncover the Power of Selenoproteins· Morning blue light therapy can greatly improve sleep quality for older adults
HEALTH NEWS * Omega-3 fatty acids from fish oil improve markers of inflammation in obese men and women * High social media use linked to delusional disorders * Male Sexual Health: The Power of Pomegranate and Cacao * Is fluoride safe for your gut? New study investigates * Menopause symptoms associated with future memory and neuropsychiatric problems * Adults abused as children twice as likely to develop health and mental health conditions, study finds
Dr. Gary Null gives a commentary on his article "It's Time for a Vaccination Reckoning"
Ask any federal health official—whether from the FDA, CDC, NIH, or National Cancer Institute—if vaccines contribute to neurological damage or autism, and their response will be unequivocal: No, there is no evidence of any association. In fact, they might find the very question offensive. After all, these agencies have access to unlimited resources, the brightest scientific minds, and cutting-edge research facilities at institutions like Harvard, Johns Hopkins, and Stanford. If there were any credible link between vaccines and neurological harm, surely, they would have found it by now.
And yet, despite decades of investigation and countless opportunities, their stance remains unchanged: vaccines are safe and effective. Any claim to the contrary is dismissed as conspiracy theory and an assault on the very foundations of modern medicine. This has been the dominant narrative for the past forty years. Federal health officials and policymakers have long prioritized private pharmaceutical industry interests and upheld the belief that vaccination is the single most important tool for eradicating infectious diseases. Dissent is neither tolerated nor entertained. The agencies responsible for vaccine safety, such as HHS, FDA, NIAID and the CDC, are ruled by a rigid scientific orthodoxy that allows no room for alternative perspectives.
But now, for the first time in modern history, an outsider has entered the room. Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the new head of the Department of Health and Human Services, is neither a scientist nor a physician. Unlike his predecessors, he has no allegiance to the status quo. His appointment signals a possible turning point to usher a new opportunity for a truly independent investigation into whether vaccines, either individually or collectively, contribute to neurological damage. If pursued earnestly, this could be one of the most consequential moments in American medical history.
The stakes could not be higher. Over the past few decades, childhood chronic illnesses have skyrocketed to unprecedented levels. The rise in autism spectrum disorders (ASD), ADHD, autoimmune conditions, and other neurological and developmental disorders has been explained away as the result of better diagnostic tools or genetic predispositions. But are these explanations sufficient? What if something more fundamental has changed in children's health over the past 30 years? Federal health agencies continue to dismiss environmental factors, including vaccines, as a potential cause. But if we truly care about children’s well-being, it is time to ask the hard questions. And we must ask without fear, without bias, and without ideological blinders.
The dramatic increase in neurological disorders, including autism spectrum disorders that is now diagnosed in 1 in every 36 children, has often been attributed to improved definitions for ASD and diagnostic tools. However, a closer look at government statistics reveals alarming trends in children’s health that go far beyond better diagnostics. Since the early 1990s, there has been a staggering increase in several chronic conditions: ADHD rates have risen by 890 percent, autism diagnoses by 2,094 percent, bipolar disease in youth by 10,833 percent, and celiac disease by 1,011 percent. These numbers beg the question—what has fundamentally changed in our children’s health over the past three decades?
The media plays a crucial role in reinforcing the official vaccine narrative while systematically silencing dissenting voices. This lack of transparency allows federal health agencies like the CDC, NIAID, and HHS to evade accountability. Instead of safeguarding public health, these institutions have become politically and ideologically entangled with private pharmaceutical interests. Their close ties to the industry have led to the approval of insufficiently tested vaccines, the medicalization of normal childhood behaviors, and the delivery of subpar healthcare—all at a staggering cost of $5 trillion annually.
Medical authorities insist that vaccines, even when administered in multiple doses on a single day, are safe and do not cause chronic health problems. They claim that vaccine ingredients are either harmless or present in amounts too small to pose any risk. Any attempt to challenge these assertions is met with ridicule. Despite a sharp rise in childhood neurological disorders, there has been no significant push for reform or independent long-term safety studies on the effects of vaccines.
For decades, concerns about vaccine safety have not only come from parents and advocacy groups but also from government investigations. A three-year congressional investigation led by Rep. Dan Burton strongly criticized the CDC, FDA, and HHS for their failure to conduct proper vaccine safety studies. The committee found that federal agencies systematically downplayed risks, ignored growing evidence of vaccine-related neurological disorders, and relied on poorly designed epidemiological studies rather than clinical research. The report also exposed the failure of vaccine manufacturers to conduct adequate safety testing, highlighting decades of negligence. Despite these damning conclusions, little has changed, and concerns about vaccine safety remain unaddressed. While thimerosal has been largely removed from childhood vaccines, it remains in some flu shots and multi-dose vials, and broader concerns about vaccine ingredients and neurological damage continue to grow.
One of the most alarming revelations came from the secretive 2000 Simpsonwood meeting, where top CDC officials and vaccine industry representatives discussed an internal study linking thimerosal exposure to increased risks of tics, ADHD, speech delays, and developmental disorders. Instead of alerting the public, the attendees decided to suppress the findings and rework the data to obscure any association. This manipulation, later exposed by Robert Kennedy Jr. through a Freedom of Information Act request, exemplifies the CDC’s ongoing pattern of data suppression and scientific misconduct when vaccine safety is called into question. The congressional committee later confirmed that many participants in the vaccine debate “allowed their standards to be dictated by their desire to disprove an unpleasant theory.” Rather than conducting thorough biological studies to assess vaccine safety, federal agencies have deflected scrutiny by blaming autism and other neurological conditions on genetic factors, despite a lack of conclusive evidence supporting this theory.
Today’s CDC childhood immunization schedule recommends over 27 vaccines by the age of two, with some visits involving up to six shots at once. Parents are expected to trust that these vaccines are rigorously tested and proven safe. However, a review of hundreds of toxicology and immunology studies fails to reveal a gold standard of long-term, double-blind, placebo-controlled trials proving vaccine safety. There is also no comprehensive epidemiological study comparing the long-term health outcomes of fully vaccinated versus unvaccinated children. Without this research, public health officials rely on inconclusive data, which is shaped more by policy than by science.
Humans possess unique biochemical makeups that make them more or less susceptible to toxins. While one child may experience minor effects from environmental toxins, another may develop autoimmune disorders, learning disabilities, or neurological impairments. Vaccine safety cannot be proven simply by stating that not every vaccinated child has autism. Given the dramatic rise in autoimmune diseases, food allergies, encephalitis, and conditions like Crohn’s disease, it is imperative to investigate environmental toxins' role in childhood health. Independent research suggests that ingredients in vaccines, even in small amounts, may contribute to these illnesses, particularly as the number of required vaccines continues to grow.
Ironically, the U.S. government's own Vaccine Injury Compensation Program (VICP) has awarded settlements to families whose children developed autism-like symptoms following vaccination. High-profile cases such as Hannah Poling, who developed ASD after receiving nine vaccines in one day, Ryan Mojabi, whose vaccines caused severe brain inflammation, and Bailey Banks, who suffered vaccine-induced brain inflammation leading to developmental delays, demonstrate that vaccine injury can, in some cases, result in autism spectrum disorders. A broader analysis of VICP cases revealed that 83 children with autism were compensated for vaccine-related brain injuries, primarily involving encephalopathy or seizure disorders with developmental regression. These cases contradict federal health agencies' claims that no connection between vaccines and autism has ever been recognized.
The National Library of Medicine lists over 3,000 studies on aluminum’s toxicity to human biochemistry. Its dangers have been known for over a century. Early FDA director Dr. Harvey Wiley resigned in protest over aluminum’s commercial use in food canning as early as 1912. Today, aluminum compounds, such as aluminum hydroxide and aluminum phosphate, are found in many vaccines, including hepatitis A and B, DTP, Hib, Pneumococcus, and the HPV vaccine (Gardasil).
In the 1980s, a fully vaccinated child would have received 1,250 mcg of aluminum by adulthood. Today, that number has risen to over 4,900 mcg, a nearly fourfold increase. Aluminum exposure is further compounded by its presence in municipal drinking water due to aluminum sulfate used in purification. A 1997 study published in the New England Journal of Medicine found that premature infants receiving aluminum-containing intravenous feeding solutions developed learning problems at a significantly higher rate than those who received aluminum-free solutions.
Dr. James Lyons-Weiler at the Institute for Pure and Applied Knowledge has criticized vaccine aluminum levels, pointing out that dosage guidelines are based on immune response rather than body weight safety. Alarmingly, aluminum exposure standards for children are based on dietary intake studies in rodents rather than human infants. He notes that on Day 1 of life, newborns receive 17 times more aluminum than would be permitted if doses were adjusted per body weight.
Despite these findings, federal agencies continue to dismiss concerns over aluminum toxicity in vaccines. The refusal to conduct comprehensive long-term safety studies, coupled with regulatory agencies' deep entanglement with the pharmaceutical industry, has led to a public health crisis. The growing prevalence of neurological and autoimmune disorders in children demands urgent, unbiased investigation into environmental and vaccine-related factors. Until federal health agencies commit to transparency and rigorous scientific inquiry, parents will be left to navigate vaccine safety decisions without the full picture of potential risks.
Christopher Exley at Keele University analyzed brain tissue from children and teenagers diagnosed with ASD and found consistently high aluminum levels, among the highest recorded in human brain tissue. The aluminum was concentrated in inflammatory non-neuronal cells across various brain regions, supporting its role in ASD neuropathology. In a systematic review of 59 studies, Exley found significant associations between aluminum, cadmium, mercury, and ASD, further underscoring aluminum’s neurotoxic impact. His research strongly advocates for reducing vaccine-derived aluminum exposure in pregnant women and children to help mitigate the rise in autism.
Despite the CDC's consistent denials, researchers at Imperial College London found a significant correlation between rising ASD rates and increased vaccination. Their 2017 study in Metabolic Brain Disease showed that a 1% increase in vaccination rates correlated with 680 additional ASD cases, raising urgent concerns over vaccine components as environmental triggers.
CDC whistleblower Dr. William Thompson provided thousands of pages of internal research revealing a cover-up of vaccine-autism links. His documents proved the CDC had prior knowledge that African American boys under 36 months had a significantly higher autism risk following the MMR vaccine and that neurological tics—indicators of brain disturbances—were linked to thimerosal-containing vaccines like the flu shot. Yet, instead of acknowledging this risk, federal agencies buried, in fact shredded, the findings, ensuring that vaccine safety concerns were dismissed as conspiracy theories rather than investigated as public health imperatives.
The official denial of a vaccine-autism connection has become entrenched dogma, unsupported by a single gold-standard study definitively disproving such a link. Meanwhile, the health of American children continues to decline, ranking among the worst in the developed world. Neurodevelopmental disorders like autism and ADHD are at crisis levels, yet federal agencies remain unwilling to conduct the comprehensive safety studies that could expose the full impact of mass vaccination on childhood health.
Now, with Robert F. Kennedy Jr. at the helm of the Department of Health and Human Services, a long-overdue reckoning may finally be at hand. Unlike his predecessors, Kennedy is an advocate for transparency and accountability. If pursued earnestly, Kennedy’s leadership could potentially reshape public health policies and exposing the truth about vaccines’ role in the rise of neurological disorders, including autism. The question now is: Will the truth finally be allowed to come to light?
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Dr. Gary Null provides a commentary on "Universal Healthcare"
Universal Healthcare is the Solution to a Broken Medical System
Gary Null, PhD
Progressive Radio Network, March 3, 2025
For over 50 years, there has been no concerted or successful effort to bring down medical costs in the American healthcare system. Nor are the federal health agencies making disease prevention a priority. Regardless whether the political left or right sponsors proposals for reform, such measures are repeatedly defeated by both parties in Congress. As a result, the nation’s healthcare system remains one of the most expensive and least efficient in the developed world. For the past 30 years, medical bills contributing to personal debt regularly rank among the top three causes of personal bankruptcy. This is a reality that reflects not only the financial strain on ordinary Americans but the systemic failure of the healthcare system itself.
The urgent question is: If President Trump and his administration are truly seeking to reduce the nation's $36 trillion deficit, why is there no serious effort to reform the most bloated and corrupt sector of the economy? A key obstacle is the widespread misinformation campaign that falsely claims universal health care would cost an additional $2 trillion annually and further balloon the national debt. However, a more honest assessment reveals the opposite. If the US adopted a universal single-payer system, the nation could actually save up to $20 trillion over the next 10 years rather than add to the deficit. Even with the most ambitious efforts by people like Elon Musk to rein in federal spending or optimize government efficiency, the estimated savings would only amount to $500 billion. This is only a fraction of what could be achieved through comprehensive healthcare reform alone.
Healthcare is the largest single expenditure of the federal budget. A careful examination of where the $5 trillion spent annually on healthcare actually goes reveals massive systemic fraud and inefficiency. Aside from emergency medicine, which accounts for only 10-12 percent of total healthcare expenditures, the bulk of this spending does not deliver better health outcomes nor reduce trends in physical and mental illness. Applying Ockham's Razor, the principle that the simplest solution is often the best, the obvious conclusion is that America's astronomical healthcare costs are the direct result of price gouging on an unimaginable scale. For example, in most small businesses, profit margins range between 1.6 and 2.5 percent, such as in grocery retail. Yet the pharmaceutical industrial complex routinely operates on markup rates as high as 150,000 percent for many prescription drugs. The chart below highlights the astronomical gap between the retail price of some top-selling patented pharmaceutical medications and their generic equivalents.
Drug Condition Patent Price (per unit) Generic Price Estimated Manufacture Cost Markup Source
Insulin (Humalog) Diabetes $300 $30 $3 10,000% Rand (2021)
EpiPen Allergic reactions $600 $30 $10 6,000% BMJ (2022)
Daraprim Toxoplasmosis $750/pill $2 $0.50 150,000% JAMA (2019)
Harvoni Hepatitis C $94,500 (12 weeks) $30,000 $200 47,000% WHO Report (2018)
Lipitor Cholesterol $150 $10 $0.50 29,900% Health Affairs (2020)
Xarelto Blood Thinner $450 $25 $1.50 30,000% NEJM (2020)
Abilify Schizophrenia $800 (30 tablets) $15 $2 39,900% AJMC (2019)
Revlimid Cancer $16,000/mo $450 $150 10,500% Kaiser Health News (2021)
Humira Arthritis $2,984/dose $400 $50 5,868% Rand (2021)
Sovaldi Hepatitis C $1,000/pill $10 $2 49,900% JAMA (2021)
Xolair Asthma $2,400/dose $300 $50 4,800% NEJM (2020)
Gleevec Leukemia $10,000/mo $350 $200 4,900% Harvard Public Health Review (2020)
OxyContin Pain Relief $600 (30 tablets) $15 $0.50 119,900% BMJ (2022)
Remdesivir Covid-19 $3,120 (5 doses) N/A $10 31,100% The Lancet (2020)
The corruption extends far beyond price gouging. Many pharmaceutical companies convince federal health agencies to fund their basic research and drug development with taxpayer dollars. Yet when these companies bring successful products to market, the profits are kept entirely by the corporations or shared with the agencies or groups of government scientists. On the other hand, the public, who funded the research, receives no financial return. This amounts to a systemic betrayal of the public trust on a scale of hundreds of billions of dollars annually.
Another significant contributor to rising healthcare costs is the widespread practice of defensive medicine that is driven by the constant threat of litigation. Over the past 40 years, defensive medicine has become a cottage industry. Physicians order excessive diagnostic tests and unnecessary treatments simply to protect themselves from lawsuits. Study after study has shown that these over-performed procedures not only inflate costs but lead to iatrogenesis or medical injury and death caused by the medical system and practices itself. The solution is simple: adopting no-fault healthcare coverage for everyone where patients receive care without needing to sue and thereby freeing doctors from the burden of excessive malpractice insurance.
A single-payer universal healthcare system could fundamentally transform the entire industry by capping profits at every level — from drug manufacturers to hospitals to medical equipment suppliers. The Department of Health and Human Services would have the authority to set profit margins for medical procedures. This would ensure that healthcare is determined by outcomes, not profits. Additionally, the growing influence of private equity firms and vulture capitalists buying up hospitals and medical clinics across America must be reined in. These equity firms prioritize profit extraction over improving the quality of care. They often slash staff, raise prices, and dictate medical procedures based on what will yield the highest returns.
Another vital reform would be to provide free medical education for doctors and nurses in exchange for five years of service under the universal system. Medical professionals would earn a realistic salary cap to prevent them from being lured into equity partnerships or charging exorbitant rates. The biggest single expense in the current system, however, is the private health insurance industry, which consumes 33 percent of the $5 trillion healthcare budget. Health insurance CEOs consistently rank among the highest-paid executives in the country. Their companies, who are nothing more than bean counters, decide what procedures and drugs will be covered, partially covered, or denied altogether. This entire industry is designed to place profits above patients' lives.
If the US dismantled its existing insurance-based system and replaced it with a fully reformed national healthcare model, the country could save $2.7 trillion annually while simultaneously improving health outcomes. Over the course of 10 years, those savings would amount to $27 trillion. This could wipe out nearly the entire national debt in a short time. This solution has been available for decades but has been systematically blocked by corporate lobbying and bipartisan corruption in Washington.
The path forward is clear but only if American citizens demand a system where healthcare is valued as a public service and not a commodity. The national healthcare crisis is not just a fiscal issue. It is a crucial moral failure of the highest order. With the right reforms, the nation could simultaneously restore its financial health and deliver the kind of healthcare system its citizens have long deserved.
American Healthcare: Corrupt, Broken and Lethal
Richard Gale and Gary Null
Progressive Radio Network, March 3, 2025
For a nation that prides itself on being the world's wealthiest, most innovative and technologically advanced, the US' healthcare system is nothing less than a disaster and disgrace. Not only are Americans the least healthy among the most developed nations, but the US' health system ranks dead last among high-income countries. Despite rising costs and our unshakeable faith in American medical exceptionalism, average life expectancy in the US has remained lower than other OECD nations for many years and continues to decline. The United Nations recognizes healthcare as a human right. In 2018, former UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon denounced the American healthcare system as "politically and morally wrong."
During the pandemic it is estimated that two to three years was lost on average life expectancy. On the other hand, before the Covid-19 pandemic, countries with universal healthcare coverage found their average life expectancy stable or slowly increasing. The fundamental problem in the U.S. is that politics have been far too beholden to the pharmaceutical, HMO and private insurance industries. Neither party has made any concerted effort to reign in the corruption of corporate campaign funding and do what is sensible, financially feasible and morally correct to improve Americans' quality of health and well-being.
The fact that our healthcare system is horribly broken is proof that moneyed interests have become so powerful to keep single-payer debate out of the media spotlight and censored. Poll after poll shows that the American public favors the expansion of public health coverage. Other incremental proposals, including Medicare and Medicaid buy-in plans, are also widely preferred to the Affordable Care Act or Obamacare mess we are currently stuck with.
It is not difficult to understand how the dismal state of American medicine is the result of a system that has been sold out to the free-market and the bottom line interests of drug makers and an inflated private insurance industry. How advanced and ethically sound can a healthcare system be if tens of millions of people have no access to medical care because it is financially out of their reach?
The figures speak for themselves. The U.S. is burdened with a $41 trillion Medicare liability. The number of uninsured has declined during the past several years but still lingers around 25 million. An additional 30-35 million are underinsured. There are currently 65 million Medicare enrollees and 89 million Medicaid recipients. This is an extremely unhealthy snapshot of the country’s ability to provide affordable healthcare and it is certainly unsustainable. The system is a public economic failure, benefiting no one except the large and increasingly consolidated insurance and pharmaceutical firms at the top that supervise the racket.
Our political parties have wrestled with single-payer or universal healthcare for decades. Obama ran his first 2008 presidential campaign on a single-payer platform. Since 1985, his campaign health adviser, the late Dr. Quentin Young from the University of Illinois Medical School, was one of the nation's leading voices calling for universal health coverage.
During a private conversation with Dr. Young shortly before his passing in 2016, he conveyed his sense of betrayal at the hands of the Obama administration. Dr. Young was in his 80s when he joined the Obama campaign team to help lead the young Senator to victory on a promise that America would finally catch up with other nations. The doctor sounded defeated. He shared how he was manipulated, and that Obama held no sincere intention to make universal healthcare a part of his administration's agenda. During the closed-door negotiations, which spawned the weak and compromised Affordable Care Act, Dr. Young was neither consulted nor invited to participate. In fact, he told us that he never heard from Obama again after his White House victory.
Past efforts to even raise the issue have been viciously attacked. A huge army of private interests is determined to keep the public enslaved to private insurers and high medical costs. The failure of our healthcare is in no small measure due to it being a fully for-profit operation. Last year, private health insurance accounted for 65 percent of coverage. Consider that there are over 900 private insurance companies in the US. National Health Expenditures (NHE) grew to $4.5 trillion in 2022, which was 17.3 percent of GDP. Older corporate rank-and-file Democrats and Republicans argue that a single-payer or socialized medical program is unaffordable. However, not only is single-payer affordable, it will end bankruptcies due to unpayable medical debt. In addition, universal healthcare, structured on a preventative model, will reduce disease rates at the outset.
Corporate Democrats argue that Obama's Affordable Care Act (ACA) was a positive step inching the country towards complete public coverage. However, aside from providing coverage to the poorest of Americans, Obamacare turned into another financial anchor around the necks of millions more. According to the health policy research group KFF, the average annual health insurance premium for single coverage is $8,400 and almost $24,000 for a family. In addition, patient out-of-pocket costs continue to increase, a 6.6% increase to $471 billion in 2022. Rather than healthcare spending falling, it has exploded, and the Trump and Biden administrations made matters worse.
Clearly, a universal healthcare program will require flipping the script on the entire private insurance industry, which employed over half a million people last year. Obviously, the most volatile debate concerning a national universal healthcare system concerns cost. Although there is already a socialized healthcare system in place -- every federal legislator, bureaucrat, government employee and veteran benefits from it -- fiscal Republican conservatives and groups such as the Koch Brothers network are single-mindedly dedicated to preventing the expansion of Medicare and Medicaid. A Koch-funded Mercatus analysis made the outrageous claim that a single-payer system would increase federal health spending by $32 trillion in ten years. However, analyses and reviews by the Congressional Budget Office in the early 1990s concluded that such a system would only increase spending at the start; enormous savings would quickly offset it as the years pass. In one analysis, "the savings in administrative costs [10 percent of health spending] would be more than enough to offset the expense of universal coverage."
Defenders of those advocating for funding a National Health Program argue this can primarily be accomplished by raising taxes to levels comparable to other developed nations. This was a platform Senator Bernie Sanders and some of the younger progressive Democrats in the House campaigned on. The strategy was to tax the highest multimillion-dollar earners 60-70 percent. Despite the outrage of its critics, including old rank-and-file multi-millionaire Democrats like Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer, this is still far less than in the past. During the Korean War, the top tax rate was 91 percent; it declined to 70 percent in the late 1960s. Throughout most of the 1970s, those in the lowest income bracket were taxed at 14 percent. We are not advocating for this strategy because it ignores where the funding is going, and the corruption in the system that is contributing to exorbitant waste.
But Democratic supporters of the ACA who oppose a universal healthcare plan ignore the additional taxes Obama levied to pay for the program. These included surtaxes on investment income, Medicare taxes from those earning over $200,000, taxes on tanning services, an excise tax on medical equipment, and a 40 percent tax on health coverage for costs over the designated cap that applied to flexible savings and health savings accounts. The entire ACA was reckless, sloppy and unnecessarily complicated from the start.
The fact that Obamacare further strengthened the distinctions between two parallel systems -- federal and private -- with entirely different economic structures created a labyrinth of red tape, rules, and wasteful bureaucracy. Since the ACA went into effect, over 150 new boards, agencies and programs have had to be established to monitor its 2,700 pages of gibberish. A federal single-payer system would easily eliminate this bureaucracy and waste.
A medical New Deal to establish universal healthcare coverage is a decisive step in the correct direction. But we must look at the crisis holistically and in a systematic way. Simply shuffling private insurance into a federal Medicare-for-all or buy-in program, funded by taxing the wealthiest of citizens, would only temporarily reduce costs. It will neither curtail nor slash escalating disease rates e. Any effective healthcare reform must also tackle the underlying reasons for Americans' poor state of health. We cannot shy away from examining the social illnesses infecting our entire free-market capitalist culture and its addiction to deregulation. A viable healthcare model would have to structurally transform how the medical economy operates. Finally, a successful medical New Deal must honestly evaluate the best and most reliable scientific evidence in order to effectively redirect public health spending.
For example, Dr. Ezekiel Emanuel, a former Obama healthcare adviser, observed that AIDS-HIV measures consume the most public health spending, even though the disease "ranked 75th on the list of diseases by personal health expenditures." On the other hand, according to the American Medical Association, a large percentage of the nation's $3.4 trillion healthcare spending goes towards treating preventable diseases, notably diabetes, common forms of heart disease, and back and neck pain conditions. In 2016, these three conditions were the most costly and accounted for approximately $277 billion in spending. Last year, the CDC announced the autism rate is now 1 in 36 children compared to 1 in 44 two years ago. A retracted study by Mark Blaxill, an autism activist at the Holland Center and a friend of the authors, estimates that ASD costs will reach $589 billion annually by 2030. There are no signs that this alarming trend will reverse and decline; and yet, our entire federal health system has failed to conscientiously investigate the underlying causes of this epidemic. All explanations that might interfere with the pharmaceutical industry’s unchecked growth, such as over-vaccination, are ignored and viciously discredited without any sound scientific evidence.
Therefore, a proper medical New Deal will require a systemic overhaul and reform of our federal health agencies, especially the HHS, CDC and FDA. Only the Robert Kennedy Jr presidential campaign is even addressing the crisis and has an inexpensive and comprehensive plan to deal with it. For any medical revolution to succeed in advancing universal healthcare, the plan must prioritize spending in a manner that serves public health and not private interests. It will also require reshuffling private corporate interests and their lobbyists to the sidelines, away from any strategic planning, in order to break up the private interests’ control over federal agencies and its revolving door policies. Aside from those who benefit from this medical corruption, the overwhelming majority of Americans would agree with this criticism. However, there is a complete lack of national trust that our legislators, including the so-called progressives, would be willing to undertake such actions.
In addition, America's healthcare system ignores the single most critical initiative to reduce costs - that is, preventative efforts and programs instead of deregulation and closing loopholes designed to protect the drug and insurance industries' bottom line. Prevention can begin with banning toxic chemicals that are proven health hazards associated with current disease epidemics, and it can begin by removing a 1,000-plus toxins already banned in Europe. This should be a no-brainer for any legislator who cares for public health. For example, Stacy Malkan, co-founder of the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics, notes that "the policy approach in the US and Europe is dramatically different" when it comes to chemical allowances in cosmetic products. Whereas the EU has banned 1,328 toxic substances from the cosmetic industry alone, the US has banned only 11. The US continues to allow carcinogenic formaldehyde, petroleum, forever chemicals, many parabens (an estrogen mimicker and endocrine hormone destroyer), the highly allergenic p-phenylenediamine or PBD, triclosan, which has been associated with the rise in antibiotic resistant bacteria, avobenzone, and many others to be used in cosmetics, sunscreens, shampoo and hair dyes.
Next, the food Americans consume can be reevaluated for its health benefits. There should be no hesitation to tax the unhealthiest foods, such as commercial junk food, sodas and candy relying on high fructose corn syrup, products that contain ingredients proven to be toxic, and meat products laden with dangerous chemicals including growth hormones and antibiotics. The scientific evidence that the average American diet is contributing to rising disease trends is indisputable. We could also implement additional taxes on the public advertising of these demonstrably unhealthy products. All such tax revenue would accrue to a national universal health program to offset medical expenditures associated with the very illnesses linked to these products. Although such tax measures would help pay for a new medical New Deal, it may be combined with programs to educate the public about healthy nutrition if it is to produce a reduction in the most common preventable diseases. In fact, comprehensive nutrition courses in medical schools should be mandatory because the average physician receives no education in this crucial subject. In addition, preventative health education should be mandatory throughout public school systems.
Private insurers force hospitals, clinics and private physicians into financial corners, and this is contributing to prodigious waste in money and resources. Annually, healthcare spending towards medical liability insurance costs tens of billions of dollars. In particular, this economic burden has taxed small clinics and physicians. It is well past the time that physician liability insurance is replaced with no-fault options. Today's doctors are spending an inordinate amount of money to protect themselves. Legions of liability and trial lawyers seek big paydays for themselves stemming from physician error. This has created a culture of fear among doctors and hospitals, resulting in the overly cautious practice of defensive medicine, driving up costs and insurance premiums just to avoid lawsuits. Doctors are forced to order unnecessary tests and prescribe more medications and medical procedures just to cover their backsides. No-fault insurance is a common-sense plan that enables physicians to pursue their profession in a manner that will reduce iatrogenic injuries and costs. Individual cases requiring additional medical intervention and loss of income would still be compensated. This would generate huge savings.
No other nation suffers from the scourge of excessive drug price gouging like the US. After many years of haggling to lower prices and increase access to generic drugs, only a minute amount of progress has been made in recent years. A 60 Minutes feature about the Affordable Care Act reported an "orgy of lobbying and backroom deals in which just about everyone with a stake in the $3-trillion-a-year health industry came out ahead—except the taxpayers.” For example, Life Extension magazine reported that an antiviral cream (acyclovir), which had lost its patent protection, "was being sold to pharmacies for 7,500% over the active ingredient cost. The active ingredient (acyclovir) costs only 8 pennies, yet pharmacies are paying a generic maker $600 for this drug and selling it to consumers for around $700." Other examples include the antibiotic Doxycycline. The price per pill averages 7 cents to $3.36 but has a 5,300 percent markup when it reaches the consumer. The antidepressant Clomipramine is marked up 3,780 percent, and the anti-hypertensive drug Captopril’s mark-up is 2,850 percent. And these are generic drugs!
Medication costs need to be dramatically cut to allow drug manufacturers a reasonable but not obscene profit margin. By capping profits approximately 100 percent above all costs, we would save our system hundreds of billions of dollars. Such a measure would also extirpate the growing corporate misdemeanors of pricing fraud, which forces patients to pay out-of-pocket in order to make up for the costs insurers are unwilling to pay.
Finally, we can acknowledge that our healthcare is fundamentally a despotic rationing system based upon high insurance costs vis-a-vis a toss of the dice to determine where a person sits on the economic ladder. For the past three decades it has contributed to inequality. The present insurance-based economic metrics cast millions of Americans out of coverage because private insurance costs are beyond their means. Uwe Reinhardt, a Princeton University political economist, has called our system "brutal" because it "rations [people] out of the system." He defined rationing as "withholding something from someone that is beneficial." Discriminatory healthcare rationing now affects upwards to 60 million people who have been either priced out of the system or under insured. They make too much to qualify for Medicare under Obamacare, yet earn far too little to afford private insurance costs and premiums. In the final analysis, the entire system is discriminatory and predatory.
However, we must be realistic. Almost every member of Congress has benefited from Big Pharma and private insurance lobbyists. The only way to begin to bring our healthcare program up to the level of a truly developed nation is to remove the drug industry's rampant and unnecessary profiteering from the equation.
How did Fauci memory-hole a cure for AIDS and get away with it?
By Helen Buyniski
Over 700,000 Americans have died of AIDS since 1981, with the disease claiming some 42.3 million victims worldwide. While an HIV diagnosis is no longer considered a certain death sentence, the disease looms large in the public imagination and in public health funding, with contemporary treatments running into thousands of dollars per patient annually.
But was there a cure for AIDS all this time - an affordable and safe treatment that was ruthlessly suppressed and attacked by the US public health bureaucracy and its agents? Could this have saved millions of lives and billions of dollars spent on AZT, ddI and failed HIV vaccine trials? What could possibly justify the decision to disappear a safe and effective approach down the memory hole?
The inventor of the cure, Gary Null, already had several decades of experience creating healing protocols for physicians to help patients not responding well to conventional treatments by the time AIDS was officially defined in 1981. Null, a registered dietitian and board-certified nutritionist with a PhD in human nutrition and public health science, was a senior research fellow and Director of Anti-Aging Medicine at the Institute of Applied Biology for 36 years and has published over 950 papers, conducting groundbreaking experiments in reversing biological aging as confirmed with DNA methylation testing. Additionally, Null is a multi-award-winning documentary filmmaker, bestselling author, and investigative journalist whose work exposing crimes against humanity over the last 50 years has highlighted abuses by Big Pharma, the military-industrial complex, the financial industry, and the permanent government stay-behind networks that have come to be known as the Deep State.
Null was contacted in 1974 by Dr. Stephen Caiazza, a physician working with a subculture of gay men in New York living the so-called “fast track” lifestyle, an extreme manifestation of the gay liberation movement that began with the Stonewall riots. Defined by rampant sexual promiscuity and copious use of illegal and prescription drugs, including heavy antibiotic use for a cornucopia of sexually-transmitted diseases, the fast-track never included more than about two percent of gay men, though these dominated many of the bathhouses and clubs that defined gay nightlife in the era. These patients had become seriously ill as a result of their indulgence, generally arriving at the clinic with multiple STDs including cytomegalovirus and several types of herpes and hepatitis, along with candida overgrowth, nutritional deficiencies, gut issues, and recurring pneumonia. Every week for the next 10 years, Null would counsel two or three of these men - a total of 800 patients - on how to detoxify their bodies and de-stress their lives, tracking their progress with Caiazza and the other providers at weekly feedback meetings that he credits with allowing the team to quickly evaluate which treatments were most effective. He observed that it only took about two years on the “fast track” for a healthy young person to begin seeing muscle loss and the recurrent, lingering opportunistic infections that would later come to be associated with AIDS - while those willing to commit to a healthier lifestyle could regain their health in about a year.
It was with this background that Null established the Tri-State Healing Center in Manhattan in 1980, staffing the facility with what would eventually run to 22 certified health professionals to offer safe, natural, and effective low- and no-cost treatments to thousands of patients with HIV and AIDS-defining conditions. Null and his staff used variations of the protocols he had perfected with Caiazza’s patients, a multifactorial patient-tailored approach that included high-dose vitamin C drips, intravenous ozone therapy, juicing and nutritional improvements and supplementation, aspects of homeopathy and naturopathy with some Traditional Chinese Medicine and Ayurvedic practices. Additional services offered on-site included acupuncture and holistic dentistry, while peer support groups were also held at the facility so that patients could find community and a positive environment, healing their minds and spirits while they healed their bodies.
“Instead of trying to kill the virus with antiretroviral pharmaceuticals designed to stop viral replication before it kills patients, we focused on what benefits could be gained by building up the patients’ natural immunity and restoring biochemical integrity so the body could fight for itself,” Null wrote in a 2014 article describing the philosophy behind the Center’s approach, which was wholly at odds with the pharmaceutical model.1
Patients were comprehensively tested every week, with any “recovery” defined solely by the labs, which documented AIDS patient after patient - 1,200 of them - returning to good health and reversing their debilitating conditions. Null claims to have never lost an AIDS patient in the Center’s care, even as the death toll for the disease - and its pharmaceutical standard of care AZT - reached an all-time high in the early 1990s. Eight patients who had opted for a more intensive course of treatment - visiting the Center six days a week rather than one - actually sero-deconverted, with repeated subsequent testing showing no trace of HIV in their bodies.
As an experienced clinical researcher himself, Null recognized that any claims made by the Center would be massively scrutinized, challenging as they did the prevailing scientific consensus that AIDS was an incurable, terminal illness. He freely gave his protocols to any medical practitioner who asked, understanding that his own work could be considered scientifically valid only if others could replicate it under the same conditions. After weeks of daily observational visits to the Center, Dr. Robert Cathcart took the protocols back to San Francisco, where he excitedly reported that patients were no longer dying in his care.
Null’s own colleague at the Institute of Applied Biology, senior research fellow Elana Avram, set up IV drip rooms at the Institute and used his intensive protocols to sero-deconvert 10 patients over a two-year period. While the experiment had been conducted in secret, as the Institute had been funded by Big Pharma since its inception half a century earlier, Avram had hoped she would be able to publish a journal article to further publicize Null’s protocols and potentially help AIDS patients, who were still dying at incredibly high rates thanks to Burroughs Wellcome’s noxious but profitable AZT. But as she would later explain in a 2019 letter to Null, their groundbreaking research never made it into print - despite meticulous documentation of their successes - because the Institute’s director and board feared their pharmaceutical benefactors would withdraw the funding on which they depended, given that Null’s protocols did not involve any patentable or otherwise profitable drugs. When Avram approached them about publication, the board vetoed the idea, arguing that it would “draw negative attention because [the work] was contrary to standard drug treatments.” With no real point in continuing experiments along those lines without institutional support and no hope of obtaining funding from elsewhere, the department she had created specifically for these experiments shut down after a two-year followup with her test subjects - all of whom remained alive and healthy - was completed.2
While the Center was receiving regular visits by this time from medical professionals and, increasingly, black celebrities like Stokely Carmichael and Isaac Hayes, who would occasionally perform for the patients, the news was spreading by word of mouth alone - not a single media outlet had dared to document the clinic that was curing AIDS patients for free. Instead, they gave airtime to Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergies and Infectious Diseases, who had for years been spreading baseless, hysteria-fueling claims about HIV and AIDS to any news outlet that would put him on. His claim that children could contract the virus from “ordinary household conduct” with an infected relative proved so outrageous he had to walk it back,3 and he never really stopped insisting the deadly plague associated with gays and drug users was about to explode like a nuclear bomb among the law-abiding heterosexual population. Fauci by this time controlled all government science funding through NIAID, and his zero-tolerance approach to dissent on the HIV/AIDS front had already seen prominent scientists like virologist Peter Duesberg stripped of the resources they needed for their work because they had dared to question his commandment: There is no cause of AIDS but HIV, and AZT is its treatment. Even the AIDS activist groups, which by then had been coopted by Big Pharma and essentially reduced to astroturfing for the toxic failed chemotherapy drug AZT backed by the institutional might of Fauci’s NIAID,4 didn’t seem to want to hear that there was a cure. Unconcerned with the irrationality of denouncing the man touting his free AIDS cure as an “AIDS denier,” they warned journalists that platforming Null or anyone else rejecting the mainstream medical line would be met with organized demands for their firing.
Determined to breach the institutional iron curtain and get his message to the masses, Null and his team staged a press conference in New York, inviting scientists and doctors from around the world to share their research on alternative approaches to HIV and AIDS in 1993. To emphasize the sound scientific basis of the Center’s protocols and encourage guests to adopt them into their own practices, Null printed out thousands of abstracts in support of each nutrient and treatment being used. However, despite over 7,000 invitations sent three times to major media, government figures, scientists, and activists, almost none of the intended audience members showed up. Over 100 AIDS patients and their doctors, whose charts exhaustively documented their improvements using natural and nontoxic modalities over the preceding 12 months, gave filmed testimonials, declaring that the feared disease was no longer a death sentence, but the conference had effectively been silenced. Bill Tatum, publisher of the Amsterdam News, suggested Null and his patients would find a more welcoming audience in his home neighborhood of Harlem - specifically, its iconic Apollo Theatre. For three nights, the theater was packed to capacity. Hit especially hard by the epidemic and distrustful of a medical system that had only recently stopped being openly racist (the Tuskegee syphilis experiment only ended in 1972), black Americans, at least, did not seem to care what Anthony Fauci would do if he found out they were investigating alternatives to AZT and death.
PBS journalist Tony Brown, having obtained a copy of the video of patient testimonials from the failed press conference, was among a handful of black journalists who began visiting the Center to investigate the legitimacy of Null’s claims. Satisfied they had something significant to offer his audience, Brown invited eight patients - along with Null himself - onto his program over the course of several episodes to discuss the work. It was the first time these protocols had received any attention in the media, despite Null having released nearly two dozen articles and multiple documentaries on the subject by that time. A typical patient on one program, Al, a recovered IV drug user who was diagnosed with AIDS at age 32, described how he “panicked,” saw a doctor and started taking AZT despite his misgivings - only to be forced to discontinue the drug after just a few weeks due to his condition deteriorating rapidly. Researching alternatives brought him to Null, and after six months of “detoxing [his] lifestyle,” he observed his initial symptoms - swollen lymph nodes and weight loss - begin to reverse, culminating with sero-deconversion. On Bill McCreary’s Channel 5 program, a married couple diagnosed with HIV described how they watched their T-cell counts increase as they cut out sugar, caffeine, smoking, and drinking and began eating a healthy diet. They also saw the virus leave their bodies.
For HIV-positive viewers surrounded by fear and negativity, watching healthy-looking, cheerful “AIDS patients” detail their recovery while Null backed up their claims with charts must have been balm for the soul. But the TV programs were also a form of outreach to the medical community, with patients’ charts always on hand to convince skeptics the cure was scientifically valid. Null brought patients’ charts to every program, urging them to keep an open mind: “Other physicians and public health officials should know that there’s good science in the alternative perspective. It may not be a therapy that they’re familiar with, because they’re just not trained in it, but if the results are positive, and you can document them…” He challenged doubters to send in charts from their own sero-deconverted patients on AZT, and volunteered to debate proponents of the orthodox treatment paradigm - though the NIH and WHO both refused to participate in such a debate on Tony Brown’s Journal, following Fauci’s directive prohibiting engagement with forbidden ideas.
Aside from those few TV programs and Null’s own films, suppression of Null’s AIDS cure beyond word of mouth was total. The 2021 documentary The Cost of Denial, produced by the Society for Independent Journalists, tells the story of the Tri-State Healing Center and the medical paradigm that sought to destroy it, lamenting the loss of the lives that might have been saved in a more enlightened society. Nurse practitioner Luanne Pennesi, who treated many of the AIDS patients at the Center, speculated in the film that the refusal by the scientific establishment and AIDS activists to accept their successes was financially motivated. “It was as if they didn’t want this information to get out. Understand that our healthcare system as we know it is a corporation, it’s a corporate model, and it’s about generating revenue. My concern was that maybe they couldn’t generate enough revenue from these natural approaches.”5
Funding was certainly the main disciplinary tool Fauci’s NIAID used to keep the scientific community in line. Despite the massive community interest in the work being done at the Center, no foundation or institution would defy Fauci and risk getting itself blacklisted, leaving Null to continue funding the operation out of his pocket with the profits from book sales. After 15 years, he left the Center in 1995, convinced the mainstream model had so thoroughly been institutionalized that there was no chance of overthrowing it. He has continued to counsel patients and advocate for a reappraisal of the HIV=AIDS hypothesis and its pharmaceutical treatments, highlighting the deeply flawed science underpinning the model of the disease espoused by the scientific establishment in 39 articles, six documentaries and a 700-page textbook on AIDS, but the Center’s achievements have been effectively memory-holed by Fauci’s multi-billion-dollar propaganda apparatus.
FRUIT OF THE POISONOUS TREE
To understand just how much of a threat Null’s work was to the HIV/AIDS establishment, it is instructive to revisit the 1984 paper, published by Dr. Robert Gallo of the National Cancer Institute, that established HIV as the sole cause of AIDS. The CDC’s official recognition of AIDS in 1981 had done little to quell the mounting public panic over the mysterious illness afflicting gay men in the US, as the agency had effectively admitted it had no idea what was causing them to sicken and die. As years passed with no progress determining the causative agent of the plague, activist groups like Gay Men’s Health Crisis disrupted public events and threatened further mass civil disobedience as they excoriated the NIH for its sluggish allocation of government science funding to uncovering the cause of the “gay cancer.”6 When Gallo published his paper declaring that the retrovirus we now know as HIV was the sole “probable” cause of AIDS, its simple, single-factor hypothesis was the answer to the scientific establishment’s prayers. This was particularly true for Fauci, as the NIAID chief was able to claim the hot new disease as his agency’s own domain in what has been described as a “dramatic confrontation” with his rival Sam Broder at the National Cancer Institute. After all, Fauci pointed out, Gallo’s findings - presented by Health and Human Services Secretary Margaret Heckler as if they were gospel truth before any other scientists had had a chance to inspect them, never mind conduct a full peer review - clearly classified AIDS as an infectious disease, and not a cancer like the Kaposi’s sarcoma which was at the time its most visible manifestation. Money and media attention began pouring in, even as funding for the investigation of other potential causes of AIDS dried up. Having already patented a diagnostic test for “his” retrovirus before introducing it to the world, Gallo was poised for a financial windfall, while Fauci was busily leveraging the discovery into full bureaucratic empire of the US scientific apparatus.
While it would serve as the sole basis for all US government-backed AIDS research to follow - quickly turning Gallo into the most-cited scientist in the world during the 1980s,7 Gallo’s “discovery” of HIV was deeply problematic. The sample that yielded the momentous discovery actually belonged to Prof. Luc Montagnier of the French Institut Pasteur, a fact Gallo finally admitted in 1991, four years after a lawsuit from the French government challenged his patent on the HIV antibody test, forcing the US government to negotiate a hasty profit-sharing agreement between Gallo’s and Montagnier’s labs. That lawsuit triggered a cascade of official investigations into scientific misconduct by Gallo, and evidence submitted during one of these probes, unearthed in 2008 by journalist Janine Roberts, revealed a much deeper problem with the seminal “discovery.” While Gallo’s co-author, Mikulas Popovic, had concluded after numerous experiments with the French samples that the virus they contained was not the cause of AIDS, Gallo had drastically altered the paper’s conclusion, scribbling his notes in the margins, and submitted it for publication to the journal Science without informing his co-author.
After Roberts shared her discovery with contacts in the scientific community, 37 scientific experts wrote to the journal demanding that Gallo’s career-defining HIV paper be retracted from Science for lacking scientific integrity.8 Their call, backed by an endorsement from the 2,600-member scientific organization Rethinking AIDS, was ignored by the publication and by the rest of mainstream science despite - or perhaps because of - its profound implications.
That 2008 letter, addressed to Science editor-in-chief Bruce Alberts and copied to American Association for the Advancement of Science CEO Alan Leshner, is worth reproducing here in its entirety, as it utterly dismantles Gallo’s hypothesis - and with them the entire HIV is the sole cause of AIDS dogma upon which the contemporary medical model of the disease rests:
On May 4, 1984 your journal published four papers by a group led by Dr. Robert Gallo. We are writing to express our serious concerns with regard to the integrity and veracity of the lead paper among these four of which Dr. Mikulas Popovic is the lead author.[1] The other three are also of concern because they rely upon the conclusions of the lead paper .[2][3][4]
In the early 1990s, several highly critical reports on the research underlying these papers were produced as a result of governmental inquiries working under the supervision of scientists nominated by the National Academy of Sciences and the Institute of Medicine. The Office of Research Integrity of the US Department of Health and Human Services concluded that the lead paper was “fraught with false and erroneous statements,” and that the “ORI believes that the careless and unacceptable keeping of research records...reflects irresponsible laboratory management that has permanently impaired the ability to retrace the important steps taken.”[5] Further, a Congressional Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations led by US Representative John D. Dingell of Michigan produced a staff report on the papers which contains scathing criticisms of their integrity.[6]
Despite the publically available record of challenges to their veracity, these papers have remained uncorrected and continue to be part of the scientific record.
What prompts our communication today is the recent revelation of an astonishing number of previously unreported deletions and unjustified alterations made by Gallo to the lead paper. There are several documents originating from Gallo's laboratory that, while available for some time, have only recently been fully analyzed. These include a draft of the lead paper typewritten by Popovic which contains handwritten changes made to it by Gallo.[7] This draft was the key evidence used in the above described inquiries to establish that Gallo had concealed his laboratory's use of a cell culture sample (known as LAV) which it received from the Institut Pasteur.
These earlier inquiries verified that the typed manuscript draft was produced by Popovic who had carried out the recorded experiment while his laboratory chief, Gallo, was in Europe and that, upon his return, Gallo changed the document by hand a few days before it was submitted to Science on March 30, 1984. According to the ORI investigation, “Dr. Gallo systematically rewrote the manuscript for what would become a renowned LTCB [Gallo's laboratory at the National Cancer Institute] paper.”[5]
This document provided the important evidence that established the basis for awarding Dr. Luc Montagnier and Dr. Francoise Barré-Sinoussi the 2008 Nobel Prize in Medicine for the discovery of the AIDS virus by proving it was their samples of LAV that Popovic used in his key experiment. The draft reveals that Popovic had forthrightly admitted using the French samples of LAV renamed as Gallo’s virus, HTLV-III, and that Gallo had deleted this admission, concealing their use of LAV.
However, it has not been previously reported that on page three of this same document Gallo had also deleted Popovic's unambiguous statement that, "Despite intensive research efforts, the causative agent of AIDS has not yet been identified,” replacing it in the published paper with a statement that said practically the opposite, namely, “That a retrovirus of the HTLV family might be an etiologic agent of AIDS was suggested by the findings.”
It is clear that the rest of Popovic's typed paper is entirely consistent with his statement that the cause of AIDS had not been found, despite his use of the French LAV. Popovic’s final conclusion was that the culture he produced “provides the possibility” for detailed studies. He claimed to have achieved nothing more. At no point in his paper did Popovic attempt to prove that any virus caused AIDS, and it is evident that Gallo concealed these key elements in Popovic’s experimental findings.
It is astonishing now to discover these unreported changes to such a seminal document. We can only assume that Gallo’s alterations of Popovic’s conclusions were not highlighted by earlier inquiries because the focus at the time was on establishing that the sample used by Gallo's lab came from Montagnier and was not independently collected by Gallo. In fact, the only attention paid to the deletions made by Gallo pertains to his effort to hide the identity of the sample. The questions of whether Gallo and Popovic’s research proved that LAV or any other virus was the cause of AIDS were clearly not considered.
Related to these questions are other long overlooked documents that merit your attention. One of these is a letter from Dr. Matthew A. Gonda, then Head of the Electron Microscopy Laboratory at the National Cancer Institute, which is addressed to Popovic, copied to Gallo and dated just four days prior to Gallo’s submission to Science.[8] In this letter, Gonda remarks on samples he had been sent for imaging because “Dr Gallo wanted these micrographs for publication because they contain HTLV.” He states, “I do not believe any of the particles photographed are of HTLV-I, II or III.” According to Gonda, one sample contained cellular debris, while another had no particles near the size of a retrovirus. Despite Gonda’s clearly worded statement, Science published on May 4, 1984 papers attributed to Gallo et al with micrographs attributed to Gonda and described unequivocally as HTLV-III.
In another letter by Gallo, dated one day before he submitted his papers to Science, Gallo states, “It’s extremely rare to find fresh cells [from AIDS patients] expressing the virus... cell culture seems to be necessary to induce virus,” a statement which raises the possibility he was working with a laboratory artifact. [9]
Included here are copies of these documents and links to the same. The very serious flaws they reveal in the preparation of the lead paper published in your journal in 1984 prompts our request that this paper be withdrawn. It appears that key experimental findings have been concealed. We further request that the three associated papers published on the same date also be withdrawn as they depend on the accuracy of this paper.
For the scientific record to be reliable, it is vital that papers shown to be flawed, or falsified be retracted. Because a very public record now exists showing that the Gallo papers drew unjustified conclusions, their withdrawal from Science is all the more important to maintain integrity. Future researchers must also understand they cannot rely on the 1984 Gallo papers for statements about HIV and AIDS, and all authors of papers that previously relied on this set of four papers should have the opportunity to consider whether their own conclusions are weakened by these revelations.
Gallo’s handwritten revision, submitted without his colleague’s knowledge despite multiple experiments that failed to support the new conclusion, was the sole foundation for the HIV=AIDS hypothesis. Had Science published the manuscript the way Popovic had typed it, there would be no AIDS “pandemic” - merely small clusters of people with AIDS. Without a viral hypothesis backing the development of expensive and deadly pharmaceuticals, would Fauci have allowed these patients to learn about the cure that existed all along?
Faced with a potential rebellion, Fauci marshaled the full resources under his control to squelch the publication of the investigations into Gallo and restrict any discussion of competing hypotheses in the scientific and mainstream press, which had been running virus-scare stories full-time since 1984. The effect was total, according to biochemist Dr. Kary Mullis, inventor of the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) procedure. In a 2009 interview, Mullis recalled his own shock when he attempted to unearth the experimental basis for the HIV=AIDS hypothesis. Despite his extensive inquiry into the literature, “there wasn’t a scientific reference…[that] said ‘here’s how come we know that HIV is the probable cause of AIDS.’ There was nothing out there like that.”9 This yawning void at the core of HIV/AIDS “science" turned him into a strident critic of AIDS dogma - and those views made him persona non grata where the scientific press was concerned, suddenly unable to publish a single paper despite having won the Nobel Prize for his invention of the PCR test just weeks before.
10
DISSENT BECOMES “DENIAL”
While many of those who dissent from the orthodox HIV=AIDS view believe HIV plays a role in the development of AIDS, they point to lifestyle and other co-factors as being equally if not more important. Individuals who test positive for HIV can live for decades in perfect health - so long as they don’t take AZT or the other toxic antivirals fast-tracked by Fauci’s NIAID - but those who developed full-blown AIDS generally engaged in highly risky behaviors like extreme promiscuity and prodigious drug abuse, contracting STDs they took large quantities of antibiotics to treat, further running down their immune systems. While AIDS was largely portrayed as a “gay disease,” it was only the “fast track” gays, hooking up with dozens of partners nightly in sex marathons fueled by “poppers” (nitrate inhalants notorious for their own devastating effects on the immune system), who became sick. Kaposi’s sarcoma, one of the original AIDS-defining conditions, was widespread among poppers-using gay men, but never appeared among IV drug users or hemophiliacs, the other two main risk groups during the early years of the epidemic. Even Robert Gallo himself, at a 1994 conference on poppers held by the National Institute on Drug Abuse, would admit that the previously-rare form of skin cancer surging among gay men was not primarily caused by HIV - and that it was immune stimulation, rather than suppression, that was likely responsible.11 Similarly, IV drug users are often riddled with opportunistic infections as their habit depresses the immune system and their focus on maintaining their addiction means that healthier habits - like good nutrition and even basic hygiene - fall by the wayside.
Supporting the call for revising the HIV=AIDS hypothesis to include co-factors is the fact that the mass heterosexual outbreaks long predicted by Fauci and his ilk in seemingly every country on Earth have failed to materialize, except - supposedly - in Africa, where the diagnostic standard for AIDS differs dramatically from those of the West. Given the prohibitively high cost of HIV testing for poor African nations, the WHO in 1985 crafted a diagnostic loophole that became known as the “Bangui definition,” allowing medical professionals to diagnose AIDS in the absence of a test using just clinical symptoms: high fever, persistent cough, at least 30 days of diarrhea, and the loss of 10% of one’s body weight within two months. Often suffering from malnutrition and without access to clean drinking water, many of the inhabitants of sub-Saharan Africa fit the bill, especially when the WHO added tuberculosis to the list of AIDS-defining illnesses in 1993 - a move which may be responsible for as many as one half of African “AIDS” cases, according to journalist Christine Johnson. The WHO’s former Chief of Global HIV Surveillance, James Chin, acknowledged their manipulation of statistics, but stressed that it was the entire AIDS industry - not just his organization - perpetrating the fraud. “There’s the saying that, if you knew what sausages are made of, most people would hesitate to sort of eat them, because they wouldn’t like what’s in it. And if you knew how HIV/AIDS numbers are cooked, or made up, you would use them with extreme caution,” Chin told an interviewer in 2009.12
With infected numbers stubbornly remaining constant in the US despite Fauci’s fearmongering projections of the looming heterosexually-transmitted plague, the CDC in 1993 broadened its definition of AIDS to include asymptomatic (that is, healthy) HIV-positive people with low T-cell counts - an absurd criteria given that an individual’s T-cell count can fluctuate by hundreds within a single day. As a result, the number of “AIDS cases” in the US immediately doubled. Supervised by Fauci, the NIAID had been quietly piling on diseases into the “AIDS-related” category for years, bloating the list from just two conditions - pneumocystis carinii pneumonia and Kaposi’s sarcoma - to 30 so fast it raised eyebrows among some of science’s leading lights. Deeming the entire process “bizarre” and unprecedented, Kary Mullis wondered aloud why no one had called the AIDS establishment out: “There’s something wrong here. And it’s got to be financial.”13
Indeed, an early CDC public relations campaign was exposed by the Wall Street Journal in 1987 as having deliberately mischaracterized AIDS as a threat to the entire population so as to garner increased public and private funding for what was very much a niche issue, with the risk to average heterosexuals from a single act of sex “smaller than the risk of ever getting hit by lightning.” Ironically, the ads, which sought to humanize AIDS patients in an era when few Americans knew anyone with the disease and more than half the adult population thought infected people should be forced to carry cards warning of their status, could be seen as a reaction to the fear tactics deployed by Fauci early on.14
It’s hard to tell where fraud ends and incompetence begins with Gallo’s HIV antibody test. Much like Covid-19 would become a “pandemic of testing,” with murder victims and motorcycle crashes lumped into “Covid deaths” thanks to over-sensitized PCR tests that yielded as many as 90% false positives,15 HIV testing is fraught with false positives - and unlike with Covid-19, most people who hear they are HIV-positive still believe they are receiving a death sentence. Due to the difficulty of isolating HIV itself from human samples, the most common diagnostic tests, ELISA and the Western Blot, are designed to detect not the virus but antibodies to it, upending the traditional medical understanding that the presence of antibodies indicates only exposure - and often that the body has actually vanquished the pathogen. Patients are known to test positive for HIV antibodies in the absence of the virus due to at least 70 other conditions, including hepatitis, lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, syphilis, recent vaccination or even pregnancy. (https://www.chcfl.org/diseases-that-can-cause-a-false-positive-hiv-test/) Positive results are often followed up with a PCR “viral load” test, even though the inventor of the PCR technique Kary Mullis famously condemned its misuse as a tool for diagnosing infection. Packaging inserts for all three tests warn the user that they cannot be reliably used to diagnose HIV.16 The ELISA HIV antibody test explicitly states: “At present there is no recognized standard for establishing the presence and absence of HIV antibody in human blood.”17
That the public remains largely unaware of these and other massive holes in the supposedly airtight HIV=AIDS=DEATH paradigm is a testament to Fauci’s multi-layered control of the press. Like the writers of the Great Barrington Declaration and other Covid-19 dissidents, scientists who question HIV/AIDS dogma have been brutally punished for their heresy, no matter how prestigious their prior standing in the field and no matter how much evidence they have for their own claims. In 1987, the year the FDA’s approval of AZT made AIDS the most profitable epidemic yet (a dubious designation Covid-19 has since surpassed), Fauci made it clearer than ever that scientific inquiry and debate - the basis of the scientific method - would no longer be welcome in the American public health sector, eliminating retrovirologist Peter Duesberg, then one of the most prominent opponents of the HIV=AIDS hypothesis, from the scientific conversation with a professional disemboweling that would make a cartel hitman blush. Duesberg had just eviscerated Gallo’s 1984 HIV paper with an article of his own in the journal Cancer Research, pointing out that retroviruses had never before been found to cause a single disease in humans - let alone 30 AIDS-defining diseases. Rather than allow Gallo or any of the other scientists in his camp to respond to the challenge, Fauci waged a scorched-earth campaign against Duesberg, who had until then been one of the most highly regarded researchers in his field. Every research grant he requested was denied; every media appearance was canceled or preempted. The University of California at Berkeley, unable to fully fire him due to tenure, took away his lab, his graduate students, and the rest of his funding. The few colleagues who dared speak up for him in public were also attacked, while enemies and opportunists were encouraged to slander Duesberg at the conferences he was barred from attending and in the journals that would no longer publish his replies. When Duesberg was summoned to the White House later that year by then-President Ronald Reagan to debate Fauci on the origins of AIDS, Fauci convinced the president to cancel, allegedly pulling rank on the Commander-in-Chief with an accusation that the “White House was interfering in scientific matters that belonged to the NIH and the Office of Science and Technology Assessment.” After seven years of this treatment, Duesberg was contacted by NIH official Stephen O’Brien and offered an escape from professional purgatory. He could have “everything back,” he was told, and shown a manuscript of a scientific paper - apparently commissioned by the editor of the journal Nature - “HIV Causes AIDS: Koch’s Postulates Fulfilled” with his own name listed alongside O’Brien’s as an author.18 His refusal to take the bribe effectively guaranteed the epithet “AIDS denier” will appear on his tombstone.
The character assassination of Duesberg became a template that would be deployed to great effectiveness wherever Fauci encountered dissent - never debate, only demonize, deplatform and destroy.
Even Luc Montagnier, the real discoverer of HIV, soon found himself on the wrong side of the Fauci machine. With his 1990 declaration that “the HIV virus [by itself] is harmless and passive, a benign virus,” Montagnier began distancing himself from Gallo’s fraud, effectively placing a target on his own back. In a 1995 interview, he elaborated: “four factors that have come together to account for the sudden epidemic [of AIDS]: HIV presence, immune hyper-activation, increased sexually transmitted disease incidence, sexual behavior changes and other behavioral changes” such as drug use, poor nutrition and stress - all of which he said had to occur “essentially simultaneously” for HIV to be transmitted, creating the modern epidemic. Like the professionals at the Tri-State Healing Center, Montagnier advocated for the use of antioxidants like vitamin C and N-acetyl cysteine, naming oxidative stress as a critical factor in the progression from HIV to AIDS.19 When Montagnier died in 2022, Fauci’s media mouthpieces sneered that the scientist (who was awarded the Nobel Prize in 2008 for his discovery of HIV, despite his flagging faith in that discovery’s significance) “started espousing views devoid of a scientific basis” in the late 2000s, leading him to be “shunned by the scientific community.”20 In a particularly egregious jab, the Washington Post’s obit sings the praises of Robert Gallo, implying it was the American scientist who really should have won the Nobel for HIV, while dismissing as “unlikely” Montagnier’s later theory that HIV requires the presence of mycoplasma to cause AIDS.21
It is this media smear machine where Fauci’s influence truly shines. Establishment journalists are forbidden to interview dissidents, told they will receive no access to government officials if they do, threatened with firing campaigns and boycotts by AIDS activist groups, and finally fired, deplatformed, and demonized themselves if they persist in contacting these scientific lepers or giving airtime to their ideas. Next, the “reputable” press dismisses those ideas as pseudoscience, quackery, or “conspiracy theory” without engaging on the merits, with ad hominem attacks inserted wherever possible (off-color social media posts, youthful indiscretions, and photos taken in questionable company are unearthed as weapons in this character assassination). Any member of the public who attempts to research the blacklisted individual independently runs into libelous Wikipedia articles written by a proudly biased coterie of editors who call themselves “Skeptics” and boast of their rejection of any work that does not carry the imprimatur of scientific materialism, and those articles are in turn used by lazy journalists as a substitute for research, isolating the victim in a Kafkaesque nightmare from which he cannot escape. Those journalists who bypass the Wikipedia writeup and make the mistake of interviewing the dissident risk have their lives destroyed, professionally and personally. “Every journalist who tackled [HIV=AIDS dogma] in every medium found themselves targeted, eliminated, if not driven from the profession permanently,” journalist Celia Farber recalled in 2021. “It’s not just that your article is going to be decried or not published or protested against. It’s going to filter out into every facet of your life and it’s not going to stop.”22
Funding is the Achilles’ heel of most scientific research, and decades of Fauci exercising control over every science dollar dispensed by Washington have profoundly crippled American science. The Tri-State Healing Center was only able to do its work for 15 years because Gary Null had written a string of best-selling books, and only able to publicize that work - albeit minimally and with much resistance from the establishment - because his investigative experience and connections had clued him in to the corruption at the heart of the paradigm he was challenging. The rise of Wikipedia and other Deep State-controlled social media platforms now rivals Fauci’s lock on research dollars in its ability to impose ideological conformity, however. Libeled on Wikipedia as an “AIDS denier” and worse by editors who wear their disdain for non-mainstream healing protocols on their sleeves ever since his biography was added to the site without his knowledge in 2007, Null would have a much harder time in 2025 securing a publisher for the bestsellers that financed the Center, and this is perhaps the biggest threat this weaponized system of informational control poses to the nation’s future. The full-scale assault on First Amendment freedom of speech the government marshaled during Covid-19, which saw no less than a dozen agencies colluding with Big Tech platforms to silence influential dissidents and suppress information about lifesaving medicines like ivermectin, would not have been possible without the decades of rigid ideological conformity Fauci enforced across the scientific field.
KILL TO CURE
It is impossible to estimate how many other safe and effective AIDS cures have disappeared down the memory hole in the last 45 years thanks to Fauci’s pharmacratic dictatorship. While a handful of scientific papers published in the last 40 years attest to achieving sero-deconversion of HIV/AIDS patients, including a 1996 Chinese paper describing eight sero-deconversions with the use of Traditional Chinese Medicine23 and a 2012 paper outlining the case of a Nigerian man who returned to HIV-negative status from full-blown AIDS after an unspecified five-month herbal regimen,24 there is no evidence of further research into holistic protocols in the US in the medical literature.
With its important clinical trial positions occupied by Burroughs Wellcome executives, Fauci’s NIAID was so faithful to AZT that it studied almost nothing else during his first three years at the helm, burning through $374 million between 1984 and 1987 without bringing a single AIDS drug to market even as patients clamored for access to some of the safer (and considerably cheaper) off-patent drugs that had shown promise in treating AIDS-defining conditions like pneumocystis carinii pneumonia, the primary cause of death for AIDS patients in the first decade of the epidemic. While it was known as early as 1977 that Bactrim (trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole), a relatively inexpensive two-drug antibiotic combination, was effective in treating the infection, the medical establishment refused to acknowledge it for over a decade, waiting until 1989 - after 30,534 Americans had already died of AIDS-associated PCP - to publicly recommend its use in treating the condition.
AIDS patient and activist Michael Callen recalled the 1987 meeting in which he and a group of fellow activists personally met with Fauci, “beg[ging] him to issue interim guidelines urging physicians to prophylax those patients deemed at high risk for PCP. He steadfastly refused to issue such guidelines. His reason? No data. As a result many more people died of PCP who didn’t have to.”25And Fauci didn’t just tell desperate AIDS patients to stop taking PCP prophylaxis because it was untested and useless - he alleged it could even be dangerous. Besides, NCI director Sam Broder added, AZT was about to make any PCP-specific treatment obsolete.26
AZT had been rejected by its inventor in 1964 over its deadly side effects and was rescued from the scrap heap and patented by Burroughs Wellcome with full knowledge of those effects. Famously described by physician Joseph Sonnabend as “toxic to life,” it blocks DNA synthesis, preventing new cells from developing and killing healthy cells, and a manufacturer’s insert warns prescribers that the drug’s horrific side effects mirror the symptoms of AIDS itself: among them life-threatening anemia, caused by the destruction of bone marrow; muscle wasting; and damage to the liver, kidney, and nerves, causing severe headaches, muscular pain and nausea. While cancer patients are typically put on chemotherapy for brief periods in the hope the drug kills the cancer before it kills the patient, AZT was deemed too toxic even for these short bursts - and AIDS patients, already severely weakened by their disease, were expected to take the drug for life.
Even before these debilitating effects resurfaced in clinical trials, Fauci was smoothing the way for AZT’s approval by the FDA, skipping animal trials and massaging human trials to camouflage some of the more egregious outcomes, including deaths. He even fast-tracked the human trials to a mere four months - then unheard-of for a chemotherapy drug patients were supposed to take for the rest of their lives - declaring it “unethical” to withhold the supposedly life-saving drug from the placebo arm of the study, a practice that would infamously crop up again in the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine trials. The decision to throw the full might of the US public health bureaucracy behind AZT as the gold standard for treating not just AIDS patients but HIV-positive asymptomatic individuals despite the drug’s obvious harms was morally inexcusable and amounted to nothing short of a premeditated chemical assault on these populations, one that would only be multiplied by the NIAID’s horrific experiments on AIDS orphans and African children exposed in detail in Robert F. Kennedy’s The Real Anthony Fauci..
Fauci and his colleagues’ insistence on a clinical trial to endorse Bactrim rang utterly hollow in light of the fraud that buoyed AZT through its approval. Basic safety protocols were sidelined or discarded entirely, according to multiple accounts including that of whistleblower Lynn Gannett, who worked as a data manager on the NIH’s AZT trials in Syracuse from 1987 to 1990. Gannett attempted to alert the agency to what she described as “gross irregularities and medical incompetence” extending to patient endangerment, noting that adverse effects from the drug often went unrecorded. “If there was a rule that could be broken - they broke it!” Gannett wrote in a 2000 account of her work on the trials, calling for a congressional investigation as the NIH had refused to act on the information she provided. “The level of medical incompetence, unprofessionalism, unethical, dishonest, corrupt, illegal and immoral behavior was shocking and inexcusable.”
“For the NIH to knowingly ignore serious and credible DOCUMENTED reports of gross scientific misconduct coming from someone working on the INSIDE of these trials – if that doesn't constitute scientific ‘fraud,’ I don't know what does,” she continued, adding that “if the general public knew what I knew about AZT, this so-called ‘drug’ would be banned immediately.”27 The trial site that employed Gannett was hardly an outlier - journalist John Lauritsen documented similarly egregious violations across the Phase 2 trials of the drug in his book AZT: Poison by Prescription, pointing out that the supposedly double-blind placebo controlled studies “became unblinded almost immediately” as patients could tell by the taste of their pills whether they were receiving the sugar placebo or the active drug, adverse events were routinely removed even when clearly recorded as AZT-related, and the FDA actually recommended one trial center’s data be rejected due to “multiple deviations from standard protocol procedure.” In fact, FDA analyst Harvey Chernov, tasked with evaluating the trial data, recommended against AZT’s approval, citing the drug’s extreme toxicity.28
By permitting Burroughs Wellcome and AZT to monopolize NIAID’s clinical trial process to the exclusion of all competitors, Fauci was potentially responsible for hundreds of thousands - if not millions - of deaths. “We could have saved millions of lives with repurposed and therapeutic drugs. But there’s no profit in it. It’s all got to be about newly patented antivirals and their mischievous vaccines,” National Cancer Institute virologist Dr. Frank Ruscetti told Robert F. Kennedy Jr. in 2020 as the same corrupt clinical trial process was giving another toxic antiviral drug, remdesivir, and its manufacturer Gilead a monopoly on treating Covid-19.29
It was not simply corruption but AZT itself that killed many of those early “AIDS casualties” - at least 333,000 mostly gay men, according to journalist John Lauritsen.30 AIDS deaths in the US actually increased following the FDA approval of AZT in 1987, jumping from 4,135 to 14,544 in just two years. In 1990, one year after Burroughs Wellcome caved to pressure from ACT UP and other astroturf groups and lowered the drug’s price by 20%, there were 18,447 US deaths. The numbers continued to climb with the introduction of ddI and the protease inhibitors, finally peaking in 1995 with 48,371 Americans dead of the disease.31 Fauci was fully aware of the potential for debilitating or fatal harm from consuming his wonder drugs, just as he was aware of the harms of the experimental mRNA shots he pushed on the public as lifesaving Covid-19 vaccines. His actions then and now constitute an egregious violation of medical ethics and a violation of the Nuremberg Code, which requires patients give informed consent before participating in a medical experiment.
THE COST OF DENIAL
Had the findings of Gary Null and the Tri-State Healing Center come to the public’s awareness in the early 1990s, at the same time as Gallo was taking a beating by successive misconduct probes and Montagnier was urging reevaluation of the medical-pharmaceutical model, they might have sunk Fauci’s battleship, which had by that point been fortified into a veritable aircraft carrier with profits from AZT and its similarly deadly sequels. Instead, 700,000 Americans have died of AIDS since 1981.32 The UN estimates the total number of deaths worldwide from AIDS and related conditions at 42.3 million.33 While the disease is no longer the headline-grabbing plague it was during the 1980s and 1990s, and deaths have declined 69% since 2004, hundreds of thousands of people still die from AIDS-related illnesses every year.
It is impossible to calculate how many of those might have been saved had they (or their doctors) been aware of the existence of the Tri-State Healing Center and its affiliates’ success in treating and even curing HIV and AIDS. Beyond those who would have physically benefited from these treatments, an even wider pool of HIV-positive individuals frightened to death (sometimes literally) by their diagnosis would have retained a ray of hope to cling to. The suggestion that there was not only a cure but one that was inexpensive and harmless might have stayed the hand of many of those who killed themselves upon receiving what was portrayed as a death sentence via a profoundly unscientific diagnostic test.
The devastating effects of Fauci’s militant groupthink on scientific research itself are also impossible to ignore. Dissent is necessary for science to progress, and entire disciplines terrified of stepping out of line - even if only to unveil a promising new discovery or propose a novel hypothesis - cannot evolve. The corrupt and unsafe drug development model pioneered by Fauci and his Burroughs Wellcome principal investigators with AZT has become the industry standard, leading to untold millions of deaths and injuries from pharmaceuticals rushed to market without adequate safety studies. The problem extends far beyond HIV/AIDS and Covid-19 to broader American public health policy, which under Fauci has been slowly depriving patients of both their wealth and health through increasingly pricey and unsafe medications. Merck’s bestselling painkiller Vioxx killed tens of thousands before it was taken off the market in 2004 despite the company having discovered during clinical trials that the drug caused heart attacks and strokes.34 Blame for the opioid crisis that has replaced AIDS as the top killer of young Americans can arguably be traced back to the overly-permissive regulatory climate fostered by Fauci and his PIs, with Sackler Pharmaceuticals passing off its novel opioid OxyContin as a wonder drug that miraculously avoided the pitfalls of addiction in order to dramatically expand a market that had previously been limited to hospice patients and other terminally ill populations for whom addiction was a lesser evil.
Fauci’s embrace of shameless price-gouging by Burroughs Wellcome, selling AZT for $10,000 per year when it cost cents to make, opened the door to the torrent of medical debt that has become the top cause of bankruptcy in the US, where the high prevalence of chronic disease has increasingly meant patients who try a new drug are expected to stay on it for life. While his motives for allowing such predation are known only to him, the Bayh-Dole Act, which became law in 1980, allowed the NIAID and Fauci himself to file patents on the drugs his PI network were shepherding to market and license those patents to drug companies for royalties that quickly ran into the millions.35
Fauci’s emphasis on pharmaceuticals as the sole legitimate healing modality has objectively made the US less healthy. In a decline that has snowballed since the US became only the second country to allow direct-to-consumer prescription drug advertising in 1997, Americans are increasingly sicker and shorter-lived than any other developed nation, despite spending nearly twice as much per person on healthcare as the next biggest spender.36 In fact, the practice of allopathic medicine itself is the leading cause of death in the US, according to Gary Null, who worked with a team of doctors on 2003’s Death by Medicine to expose how iatrogenic harm outstrips even cancer and heart disease in annual casualties.37
MORE RELEVANT NOW THAN EVER
The HIV/AIDS pandemic may seem like ancient history to some, but the atrocities committed by Fauci and his collaborators nearly half a century ago continue to echo into the present in the form of the Covid-19 response and the ongoing march toward medical totalitarianism. Millions of people still live with HIV and AIDS because these power-mad bureaucrats opted to suppress of a cure that has been freely available for decades in order to profit off the disease by price-gouging supposedly lifesaving drugs. This is a crime against humanity disguised as a business model. There is no statute of limitations on atrocities like the US government response to AIDS, and while Fauci may believe the pardon he received from outgoing President Joe Biden will safeguard him from accountability, that pardon only dates back to 2014. Nor is Fauci the only individual who could be considered at least indirectly responsible for millions of AIDS-related deaths who continues to receive a paycheck from the US government, having been rewarded for holding the pharmaceutical line against the factual assault from AIDS dissidents.
Even setting aside the moral outrage of medical science rejecting the scientific method to swear fealty to Robert Gallo’s flagrant fraud, from a purely academic perspective, the dangers of allowing it to go unchallenged must not be underestimated. Scientific advances proceed linearly with new discoveries, building on the work of their predecessors so that hypotheses and theories are gradually cemented into assumed fact. Science that is based on flawed assumptions is necessarily flawed by default. This is hardly unique to the realm of HIV/AIDS - nearly two decades ago, Professor John Ioannidis warned that medical science was effectively broken, as over 90% of published experimental results could not be replicated.38 However, the stakes are especially high with regards to HIV/AIDS due to the disproportionate amount of government funds expended in the study and treatment of the disease, and one wrong assumption could (and has) cost taxpayers billions if not trillions of dollars. By the time Covid-19 was declared a pandemic in 2020, half a trillion dollars had been spent on HIV/AIDS research - none of it producing anything approaching the “cure” or vaccine Fauci and others like him had long promised.
Because the perpetrators of the AIDS deception effectively “got away with it” - Fauci attained the near-mythical heroic status he would subsequently weaponize to humanity’s detriment during the Covid-19 outbreak and now enjoys round-the-clock security on the taxpayer’s dime, having enjoyed the dubious distinction of being the highest-paid federal employee in the US - others who might have been discouraged by the possibility of punishment have instead been emboldened to follow in their footsteps. It is imperative that both the original and more recent perpetrators be held accountable for their misdeeds to discourage copycats. This is especially urgent as the medical-industrial complex appears to be preparing for H5N1 “bird flu” as the next pandemic following the HIV/AIDS-Covid playbook, with the CDC recently ordering US hospitals to test all influenza patients for H5N139 and a vaccine already approved without human trials.40
Nor are the harms of the HIV/AIDS pandemic itself firmly in the rearview mirror. Amid the growing problem of HIV and associated pathogens becoming resistant to the effects of its drug cocktails, Big Pharma parlayed the threat into a novel revenue stream, selling the gullible public on the idea that while while their drugs may not be able to cure AIDS - or even treat it effectively - they can maybe at least prevent it, so long as you take this pill for the rest of your sexually-active life. Marketed as “pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP),” the antiviral drugs tenofivir and emtricitabine were combined into a branded blue pill called Truvada by Gilead Pharmaceuticals and sold as “safe and effective in reducing the risk of sexual HIV acquisition in adults.” A sunny fact-sheet on the CDC’s website touts the supposed breakthrough as if the agency itself had been deputized by Gilead (makers of remdesivir, which similarly destroys patients’ kidneys) to hawk their product, declaring PrEP is “99% effective when used as directed.”41
Even though AIDS no longer commands the public attention it once did, it remains an outsize destination for public health dollars wholly out of proportion to its actual effect on the population. Aid workers in some African countries have complained that no funding is available for clean water or malaria prevention - only AIDS (with the occasional vaccine). Given the wildly unscientific diagnostic process associated with AIDS in Africa, it is much more likely that clean water and nutritious food, not antiviral drugs and condoms, would help these people for a fraction of the cost - but that cost, as former WHO AIDS head David Chin has pointed out, has increasingly become the raison d’être for UNAIDS and other global programs now that even these organizations have had to acknowledge that HIV infection numbers have been trending steadily downwards for years.42 While the specter of entire African nations falling prey to HIV infection is used to extract money abroad, Fauci and his private-sector counterparts like Gates use well-worn promises that an “HIV vaccine” is just around the corner to suck out tax dollars domestically. Despite over three decades of promises and billions of dollars spent, no HIV vaccine has ever made it to market - even the most cutting edge medicine cannot vaccinate against behavioral cofactors, after all.
Perhaps the starkest indicator of AIDS’ continuing relevance to the biopharmaceutical state Covid-19 served to advance was Microsoft founder turned vaccine evangelist Bill Gates’ recent meeting with US President Donald Trump ahead of the latter’s inauguration to discuss what Gates referred to as “Operation Warp Speed 2” - an HIV vaccine using mRNA technology.43 The mRNA shots hurriedly rolled out for Covid-19 and forced into many Americans’ arms on penalty of losing their jobs turned out to be wholly ineffective in preventing infection, and - like AZT - their potential for debilitating side effects was amply documented during clinical trials but pushed on the public anyway. Gates presumably glossed over decades of failed HIV vaccine trials in his bid to convince the incoming president that a cure was finally just around the corner so long as all good citizens rolled up their sleeves.
Gates, whose Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation funded the development of Pfizer, Moderna, and several other companies’ mRNA ooronavirus vaccines, was one of the loudest and earliest voices pushing mandatory vaccination and a slate of draconian controls to accompany it, including digital vaccine certificates.44 Even in the absence of a vaccine, similarly strict measures have been proposed surrounding HIV/AIDS detection and treatment, meeting far more public acceptance than similar measures for Covid-19 due to public perception that the disease meant certain death. In 2007, the state of New Jersey sought to compel pregnant women and their newborns to be tested for HIV. While the version passed into law allowed the mother to skip the screening if she objected, babies must be tested if the HIV status of the mother is unknown - tests which are also compulsory in New York, Connecticut, and Illinois - and infected mothers who refuse to take AZT during pregnancy have had their children taken by the state, injected with the drug, and placed into foster care. HIV-positive children whose parents or guardians refuse to subject them to standard drug protocols may be forcibly removed from their homes, even if they were improving on the drug-free regimen.45
Both Gates and Trump have repeatedly dismissed the harms caused by Operation Warp Speed and the shots it rushed into American arms. However, Trump was reelected in part due to his perceived support for the “Make America Healthy Again” movement, which seeks to hold corporations - including Big Pharma - accountable for the detrimental effect their products have on consumers. Gates’ foundation has been associated with a long list of scandals around the world, from polio vaccine recipients contracting polio from the oral vaccine in four African countries46 to young Kenyan women being sterilized without their knowledge or consent during a purported tetanus vaccination campaign.47 Gates’ foundation and its public-private vaccine program Gavi are the largest private contributors to the World Health Organization. Gates briefly became the largest contributor outright after Trump pulled the US out of the WHO in 2020 only to pour billions of dollars into Gavi, and Gates bragged during the president’s first term that he had advised Trump to drop plans for a vaccine safety commission headed by lawyer and Children’s Health Defense founder Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.
The US Senate’s approval of Kennedy as Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services has provided Americans with an unprecedented opportunity to refocus the nation’s public health policy on actually keeping people healthy, rather than marketing pharmaceuticals or maximizing corporate profits. The Trump administration must understand that this simple agenda has numerous powerful enemies who will constantly seek to pit the president against his new HHS secretary, as Gates claimed to have done in 2016.
Kennedy’s HHS should prioritize a reexamination of HIV/AIDS, including publicizing the cure. This will begin to dislodge the stranglehold Big Pharma has on the operations of government and allow the new administration to reallocate resources effectively to improve Americans’ health instead of plutocrats’ stock portfolios. The incoming Justice Department should prioritize investigating and prosecuting Fauci and his cronies for their crimes against humanity during that HIV/AIDS crisis. Instead of being permitted to live out his days in comfortable retirement, milking the taxpayer until he draws his last breath, the highest-paid federal employee in US history will be required to answer for his actions. Such a probe would only begin to deliver justice to the millions harmed by Fauci’s policies, but it is a necessary first step. If momentum is allowed to lapse, the Trump administration risks being led by the nose into another pandemic, most likely the H5N1 bird flu the CDC is currently struggling to present as a valid public health threat.
That the NIAID chief, supposedly tasked with safeguarding the health of Americans, allowed so many to die who could have been saved with low-cost, low-risk interventions in order to save his own empire is inexcusable. That he has gotten away with it for so long is unspeakable. There is no statute of limitations on crimes against humanity, and Fauci’s actions during the AIDS crisis constitute the worst crime against humanity ever perpetrated in modern times, full stop. Armed with the solution to the crisis he caused, we can begin to right these historical wrongs.
1 https://www.globalresearch.ca/the-importance-of-integrative-medicine-in-the-treatment-of-hivaids/5364126?pdf=5364126
2 The Cost of Denial (documentary). 2021. Society for Independent Investigative Journalism. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VAOCVqpgBEA
3 Hoft, Jim. “It’s Like Déjà Vu… FLASHBACK VIDEO: Fauci Says Kids can Get AIDS From Casual Contact – Withheld Life-Saving Drugs from Gays with AIDS.” The Gateway Pundit, 10 November 2021.
https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2021/11/like-deja-vu-flashback-video-fauci-says-kids-can-get-aids-casual-contact-withheld-life-saving-drugs-gays-aids/
4 Farber, Celia. “Tribute to John Lauritsen, Author of ‘Poison by Prescription: the AZT Stoy.” Children’s Health Defense, 22 April 2022. https://childrenshealthdefense.org/defender/john-lauritsen-poison-by-prescription-the-azt-story/
5 The Cost of Denial.
6 Ocamb, Karen. “Larry Kramer’s Historic Essay: AIDS at 30.” Bilerico Project, 14 June 2011. https://web.archive.org/web/20200528121417/http://bilerico.lgbtqnation.com/2011/06/larry_kramers_historic_essay_aids_at_30.php
7”NIH Eminent Scientist Profiles: Robert C. Gallo.” National Institutes of Health Office of NIH History & Stetten Museum. https://web.archive.org/web/20200607235002/https://history.nih.gov/display/history/Robert+C.+Gallo
8Press release. ”Top Scientists Ask Journal Science to Retract Original AIDS Papers.” Rethinking AIDS, 9 December 2008. https://rethinkingaids.com/index.php/press-release-december-9-2008
9”Why I Began Questioning HIV.” Clip from House of Numbers (documentary), 2009. Brett Leung. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vaMZ4NyNCwI
10Gallo, Robert and Mikulas Popovic. "Rescue and Continuous production of Human T-Cell Lymphotropic Retrovirus (HTLV-III) from Patients with AIDS." Draft of 4 May 1984 article published in Science. https://www.sciencefictions.net/pdfdocs/draft_of_m_popovic_05.04.84_science_article_undated.pdf
11Lauritsen, John. “NIDA Meeting Calls For Research Into the Poppers-Kaposi's Sarcoma Connection.” New York Native, 13 June 1994. https://www.duesberg.com/media/jlpoppers-3.html)
12 HIV=AIDS: Fauci’s First Fraud (documentary), 2020. Ken McCarthy. https://realdocumentaries.com/hiv-aids-faucis-first-fraud/
13 ibid.
14 “Evolution of an Epidemic: 25 Years of HIV/AIDS Media Campaigns in the US.” Kaiser Family Foundation, June 2006. https://www.kff.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/7515.pdf
15 Brown, Jeff. “Up to 90% of PCR Tests for Covid-19 May Be False Positives.” Brownstone Research, 31 August 2020. https://www.brownstoneresearch.com/bleeding-edge/up-to-90-of-pcr-tests-for-covid-19-may-be-false-positives/
16Giraldo, Robert and Etienne de Harven. “HIV tests cannot diagnose HIV infection.” Archived. https://web.archive.org/web/20090214164106/https://www.robertogiraldo.com/eng/papers/Farber_Reply_April_2006.html
17HIV=AIDS: Fauci’s First Fraud.
18 Kennedy, Robert F. Jr. The Real Anthony. Fauci. Skyhorse Publishing, 2021.
19Passwater, Richard. “Antioxidant Nutrients and AIDS: Exploring the Possibilities.” Healthy.Net. Archived. https://web.archive.org/web/20120417101134/https://healthy.net/Health/Interview/Antioxidant_Nutrients_and_AIDS_Exploring_the_Possibilities/187
20”French Discoverer of HIV virus Luc Montagnier Dies at 89.” AP, 10 February 2022. https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-entertainment-science-health-paris-193dc14afc8822c16f133450278a57aa
21Smith, Harrison. “Luc Montagnier, Nobel-winning virologist who co-discovered HIV, dead at 89.” Washington Post, 10 February 2022. https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/obituaries/nobel-laureate-luc-montagnier-dead/2022/02/10/e317c046-b6d5-11e8-94eb-3bd52dfe917b_story.html
22 The Cost of Denial.
23Lu, W; Wen R; Guan C. “A report on 8 seronegative converted HIV/AIDS patients with traditional Chinese medicine.” Zhongguo Zhong xi yi jie he za zhi Zhongguo Zhongxiyi jiehe zazhi = Chinese journal of integrated traditional and Western medicine / Zhongguo Zhong xi yi jie he xue hui, Zhongguo Zhong yi yan jiu yuan zhu ban (1997) 17(5) 271-273. https://www.mendeley.com/catalogue/5235d2f3-66d0-3f52-acf1-bbfabd434fb5/
24Onifade, AA; AP Jewell; AB Okesina; TA Ajadi; SK Rahamon; MO Muhibi. “5-Month Herbal Therapy and Complete Sero-Reversion with Recovery in an Adult HIV/AIDS Patient.” Open Access Scientific Reports, 27 June 2012. https://www.omicsonline.org/scientific-reports/srep124.php
25Sonnabend, Joseph. “The long road to PCP prophylaxis in AIDS. An early history.” POZ, 23 September 2009. https://www.poz.com/blog/the-long-road-to-pcp
26Strub, Sean. “Whitewashing AIDS History.” Huffpost, 21 February 2014. https://www.huffpost.com/entry/whitewashing-aids-history_b_4762295
27Gannett, Lynn. “An Eyewitness Account of Gross Irregularities and Medical Incompetence in the Early Clinical Trials of AZT.” Virus Myth, 2000. http://www.virusmyth.com/aids/hiv/lgazt.htm
28Lauritsen, John. Poison by Prescription, the AZT Story. Pagan Press, 1992.
29Kennedy, op. cit.
30HIV=AIDS: Fauci’s First Fraud.
31“A Brief Timeline of AIDS.” Fighting AIDS Continuously Together. http://www.factlv.org/timeline.htm
32“The HIV/AIDS Epidemic in the United States: The Basics.” Kaiser Family Foundation, 16 August 2024. https://www.kff.org/hivaids/fact-sheet/the-hivaids-epidemic-in-the-united-states-the-basics/
33”Global HIV & AIDS Statistics - Fact Sheet.” UNAIDS. https://www.unaids.org/en/resources/fact-sheet
34Unz, Ron. “Chinese Melamine and American Vioxx: A Comparison.” The American Conservative, 17 April 2012. https://www.theamericanconservative.com/chinese-melamine-and-american-vioxx-a-comparison/
35 Kennedy, op.cit.
36Howard, Jacqueline. “US spends most on health care but has worst health outcomes among high-income countries, new report finds.” CNN, 31 January 2023.
https://edition.cnn.com/2023/01/31/health/us-health-care-spending-global-perspective/index.html
37Null, Gary. Death by Medicine. Axios Press, 2011.
38Ioiannidis, John. “Why Most Published Research Findings Are False.” PLOS Medicine, 30 August 2005. https://journals.plos.org/plosmedicine/article?id=10.1371/journal.pmed.0020124
39”Accelerated Subtyping of Influenza A in Hospitalized Patients.” CDC Health Alert Network, 16 January 2025. https://www.cdc.gov/han/2025/han00520.html
40Wilson, Rhoda. “The bird flu operation is looking like a repeat of the covid operation. So are the vaccines safe?” The Exposé, 7 June 2024. https://expose-news.com/2024/06/07/are-bird-flu-vaccines-safe/
41 “Let’s Stop HIV Together.” CDC. https://www.cdc.gov/stophivtogether/hiv-prevention/prep.html
42Chin, James. “The Myth of a General AIDS Pandemic.” Campaign for Fighting Diseases, January 2008. https://healthalert.net/pdf/Chin_The_Myth_of_a_General_AIDS_Pandemic.pdf
43 “Bill Gates and Donald Trump had a Three Hour Dinner.” Wall Street Journal, 17 January 2025. https://www.wsj.com/video/bill-gates-and-donald-trump-had-a-three-hour-dinner/0D8AAD77-E55E-443B-8155-B507BE285395.htm
44”I’m Bill Gates, co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. AMA about Covid-19.” Reddit. Archived. https://old.reddit.com/r/Coronavirus/comments/fksnbf/im_bill_gates_cochair_of_the_bill_melinda_gates/
45Scheff, Liam. “Orphans on Trial.” New York Press, July 2004. https://www.altheal.org/toxicity/orphans.htm
46”More polio cases caused by vaccine than by wild virus” AP, 25 November 2019. https://apnews.com/article/health-united-nations-ap-top-news-pakistan-international-news-7d8b0e32efd0480fbd12acf27729f6a5
47Shilhavy, Brian. “‘Mass Sterilization’: Kenyan doctors find anti-fertility agent in UN tetanus vaccine?” Health Impact News, 30 December 2020. https://healthimpactnews.com/2014/mass-sterilization-kenyan-doctors-find-anti-fertility-agent-in-un-tetanus-vaccine/
HEALTH NEWS
· Repairing DNA Damage: Scientists Identify New Benefits of Melatonin Supplementation· Sweet potato extracts slow breast and lung cancer growth, study finds· Study finds pursuit of happiness drains self-control, increases unhappiness· Physical activity linked to lower risk of dementia, sleep disorders, other diseases· Added sugar and salt are the 'villains' in relationship between dietary patterns and stomach cancer· Scientists Bust the Myth: Healthy Habits Require More Than 21 Days To Stick
HEALTH NEWS
- Can chili peppers improve ADHD symptoms? Scientists explore their gut-brain connection
- Extreme heat may speed up aging in older adults, research suggests
- Antidepressants linked to faster cognitive decline in dementia
- Green tea supplements may benefit skin from within
- Ultra-processed foods make up over half of American diets, even at home
- Daily time-restricted eating shows promise in new studies
HEALTH NEWS
· Harvard Study Finds Eating an Orange a Day Could Cut Depression Risk by 20%· Research shows just one hour of screen time increases risk of nearsightedness· Exploring EGCG's role in protecting against acetaminophen-induced liver injury· New Study Reveals Alarming Connection Between Microplastics and Neurological Decline· EPIC study highlights Mediterranean diet impact on obesity-linked cancer risk· Exercise improves mental well-being of women living with chronic pelvic pain disorders
HEALTH NEWS
· Eating walnuts for breakfast may boost your brain function· High dietary fish intake may slow disability progression in multiple sclerosis, study suggests· Frequent takeaway food and low exercise levels linked to higher anxiety and depression· Young women suffering menopause symptoms in silence, study reveals· Eating more flavonoids may slow aging and boost brain health, study finds· Spending more than 3 hours a day sedentary worsens teens’ mental health
Dr. Gary Null provides part two of a special presentation on aids with Helen Buyniski
HEALTH NEWS
- Long-term grape consumption shown to improve muscle health in both men and women
- Optimism can encourage healthy habits
- Plant-rich, low saturated-fat diet associated with reduced psoriasis severity
- Can red ginseng prevent diabetes? New research uncovers its potential
- Child ADHD risk linked to mother’s use of acetaminophen
- Lower vitamin B12 levels could impact brain function in older adults
HEALTH NEWS
· Consumption of fruit, coffee, chocolate may reduce risk of metabolic syndrome by up to 23%· Olive oil prevents weight gain while butter and margarine add pounds, study finds· New Mechanism Behind Wheatgrass's Anti-Aging Properties Revealed· Paxlovid's promise fades: Vaccinated seniors see minimal COVID-19 protection· Small amounts of exercise linked to lower dementia risk in older adults· Taking vitamin E during pregnancy may decrease peanut allergy in children
HEALTH NEWS
- Study suggests taxifolin could be a safe, natural way to aid weight loss
- Ginger compound has potential to treat inflammatory bowel disease
- Lifestyle and environmental factors affect health and aging more than our genes, study finds
- Artificial sweetener triggers insulin spike, leading to blood vessel inflammation in mice
- Children found to perform cognitive tasks faster on their own than with supervision
- Drinking more water may lower heart disease risk, but too much coffee and tea could raise it
HEALTH NEWS
· Why Black Cohosh Works Better Than Prozac for Menopause—Without the Side Effects· Children with avoidant restrictive food intake disorder face increased risk of disease· Beta-glucan from fungi could help protect against influenza· Pro-inflammatory diet associated with increased heart disease risk· Taking a break from smartphones: Study confirms its benefits· Olive oil polyphenols may boost cognition: Nutrigenomic data
HEALTH NEWS
- Study links shatavari to improved muscle function in older women
- Ginseng and L-carnitine supplementation may enhance exercise performance
- Research shows the unseen danger of air fresheners and cleaning products
- Study: Gardening offers physical and mental health benefits for cancer survivors
- Can changing how we think about being alone reduce loneliness?
- Apple cider vinegar shows promise for blood sugar management
HEALTH NEWS
· Daily omega-3 supplements and regular exercise may slow aging· Antioxidants reduce oxidative stress and stabilize liver function· Maternal acetaminophen (paracetamol) use may alter placental gene expression, raising ADHD risk in children· ADHD linked to 'astonishing' reduction in life expectancy· Turmeric proves more effective than pharma pills at treating rheumatoid arthritis· Air pollution exposure in final month of pregnancy increases NICU admission risk
HEALTH NEWS
· Broccoli sprout compound shown to reduce prediabetes in study participants· Long-term yogurt consumption tied to decreased incidence of certain types of colorectal cancer· Disordered eating and certain foods linked to higher risk for urinary incontinence in middle-aged women · Depression linked with higher risk of long-term physical health conditions· Study show how curcumin regulates neuroinflammation after epileptic seizures· Modern parenting may hinder brain development, research shows
HEALTH NEWS
· Vitamin E succinate shown to control tumor growth and enhance immunotherapy effects· Vitamin B may counter negative effect of pesticide on fertility· Marigold flowers: A potential new superfood· People who drink more green tea have fewer brain white matter lesions · Myth-Melting Study Finds Chocolate Burns Belly Fat, Improves Cholesterol· Loneliness and social isolation linked to increased risk of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, study finds
HEALTH NEWS
- Tomato Juice Reduces Inflammation and Waist Size In Women
- Microplastics in food packaging may increase heart disease risk
- Fiber, magnesium associated with lower long-term mortality risk among diabetics
- Playful people are more resilient in hard times
- CT scans ‘increase cancer risk’
- Resveratrol found in grapes protects DNA, cuts risk of heart disease, cancer
HEALTH NEWS
- Tomato Juice Reduces Inflammation and Waist Size In Women
- Microplastics in food packaging may increase heart disease risk
- Fiber, magnesium associated with lower long-term mortality risk among diabetics
- Playful people are more resilient in hard times
- CT scans ‘increase cancer risk’
- Resveratrol found in grapes protects DNA, cuts risk of heart disease, cancer
HEALTH NEWS
· L-cysteine could boost vitamin D levels· Natural Compound (Quercetin) Blocks Hepatitis C Infection· Excessive screen time linked to lower language development in toddlers· Plant-based diets and the incidence of cardiovascular disease: the Million Veteran Program· Walking in Nature Changes the Brain· Mounting evidence demonstrates improved cognitive function from cocoa flavanol consumption
HEALTH NEWS * How olive oil bioactives regulate genes linked to insulin resistance * How gut bacteria might trigger autoimmune diseases like lupus * Oral bacteria may be linked to changes in brain function as people age * Green tea extract may boost short term memory: Pilot study data * Air pollution clouds the mind and makes everyday tasks challenging, researchers discover * Lentils: Key to beating high BP
HEALTH NEWS
- Gut microbes' surprising connection to anxiety point toward a potential probiotic solution
- Grape compound increases good fat hormone
- ‘Good’ cholesterol may be linked to heightened glaucoma risk among over 55s
- Meditation found to induce changes in deep brain areas associated with memory and emotional regulation
- Cases of schizophrenia linked to cannabis use disorder have almost tripled over the past 17 years: Study
- Yo-yo dieting may significantly increase kidney disease risk in people with type 1 diabetes
HEALTH NEWS
· Luteolin, an antioxidant in vegetables, may contribute to the prevention of hair graying· Early pregnancy vitamin D deficiency increases risk of preterm birth· Scientists find more microplastics in human brains than in kidneys and livers—and levels are rising· Generally, things really do seem better in the morning, large study suggests· Study reveals copper may raise fibromyalgia risk, iron could offer relief· Faith may help reduce psychological distress during times of crisis
HEALTH NEWS
· Daily omega-3 fatty acids may help human organs stay young· Increased risk of late-life brain disorders associated with short telomeres· Regular dental flossing may lower risk of stroke from blood clots, irregular heartbeats· Study shows exercise could lead to changes that help stave off dementia· Improving insulin sensitivity with regular mango consumption· Low-level traffic air pollution linked to liver damage and fatty liver disease
HEALTH NEWS
· Eating a Mediterranean-style diet improved brain health in study of Hispanic/Latino adults· Omega-3 improves endothelial function in people with metabolic syndrome· Intermittent fasting aids some outcomes for postmenopausal women with rheumatoid arthritis· New study finds high concentrations of plastics in the placentae of infants born prematurely· Poor diet choices associated with faster biological aging· The big chill: Is cold-water immersion good for our health?
HEALTH NEWS
· Microplastics found in the brains of mice within hours of consumption· New study explains why you shouldn't scratch an itchy rash· Study shows potential of resveratrol to aid fertility · Cannabinoids offer new hope for safe and effective pain relief· Freshwater alga could be the next superfood that feeds the world· The key to healthy aging? Exercise might be the answer
HEALTH NEWS
· Analysis identifies beneficial prenatal vitamins to reduce risk of infant death· Potato consumption not linked to heart disease or hypertension· Vitamin D, magnesium deficiencies common in people with type 2 diabetes· Chiropractic care associated with reduction in opioid-related adverse drug events· Can Antibiotics Make You Fat?· Stress during pregnancy could leave traces in placenta that affect baby's development, study suggests
Dr. Gary Null provides part two of his "Classroom on the Air" from the 11.14.24 episode.
HEALTH NEWS
· Researchers discover why taking a mushroom supplement slows or prevents prostate cancer from getting worse· New study explores the role of BMI in disease risk· Higher vitamin C levels associated with lower risk of stomach cancer · Vitamin D supplements may lower blood pressure in older people with obesity· Biochemical and physical effects of exercise could help heal nerves· Can everyday physical activity improve cognitive health in middle age?
HEALTH NEWS
· Korean Red Ginseng Extract Powder Mitigates Fasting And Postprandial Hyperglycemia in Type 2 Diabetic Mice· Individualized Homeopathic Medicinal Products in the Treatment of Post-COVID-19 Conditions: A Double-Blind, Randomized, Placebo-Controlled, Feasibility Trial· 'Water on the knee' could be early sign of Lyme disease · Modern science uncovers brain-boosting power of ancient spice coriander and its key compound linalool· While more is better, even moderate amounts of exercise may reduce risk for common heart condition· An emotional connection: Study finds heart rate variability syncs between dogs and owners
HEALTH NEWS
· Study sheds light on copper's role in driving kidney cancer· Study Finds COVID-19 Vaccination Increases Risk of Depression, Anxiety, and Sleep Disorders· Poor sleep quality linked to incident motoric cognitive risk syndrome· Ancient herb shows promise in fighting dementia· Gut microbiome changes linked to onset of clinically evident rheumatoid arthritis· Swapping milk for yogurt could help women avoid heart problems
HEALTH NEWS
· Vitamin D during pregnancy boosts children's bone health even at age seven, bone density scans reveal· Could vitamin D help COVID-19 patients? Meta-analysis highlights potential ICU reduction· Study links tanning bed use to rising melanoma rates in New England· Polyphenol-rich Mediterranean diets could help keep the brain younger· Evaluation of Ashwagandha on Physical Performance, Biomarkers of Inflammation, and Muscle Status in Healthy Volunteers· An extra five minutes of exercise per day could help to lower blood pressure
HEALTH NEWS
· High levels of omega-3, omega-6 may protect against cancer· Iron and vitamin D reduce depression risk, while selenium and magnesium raise it· Study reveals links between many pesticides and prostate cancer· Snooze your way to well-being: Study finds 46 extra minutes of sleep boosts gratitude and resilience· Research links ultra-processed foods to accelerated biological aging· Gut microbes play key role in regulating stress responsiveness throughout the day, research finds
HEALTH NEWS
- Fruits and vegetables may slow ALS
- Tamarind can remove fluoride from the body and reduce the risk of chronic disease
- UC researchers affirm diet can impact migraines
- Enzyme in Broccoli, Cucumbers and Avocados Reverses Aging In Cells
- UCI study finds acupuncture lowers hypertension by activating natural opioids
HEALTH NEWS
· Honey & “Magic Seeds” Slashes COVID Death Rate by ~75%: Landmark Trial· Diet that simulates fasting supports kidney function in study· Prolonged sitting can sabotage health, even if you're young and exercise· After a heart attack, the heart signals to the brain to increase sleep to promote healing· Vitamin K2 reduces the frequency, intensity, and duration of nighttime leg cramps· Research shows therapeutic virtual yoga program can be effective for chronic low back pain
J.J. Carrell is a former US border patrol officer who served for 24 years and retired as a deputy patrol agent in charge. He was a supervisor of the San Diego-Tijuana border unit that had a high rate of violence and supervised Coastal Border Enforcement Team operations to stop maritime narcotic smuggling and human trafficking run by the global Mexican Sinaloa cartel and securing convictions against its leader and the notorious drug lord El Chapo. JJ has made it his mission to research and document the increasing immigration crisis and the culture of crime including child sex and drug trafficking, organ harvesting and gang activity as a consequence of the Biden-Harris administration's immigration and refugee relocation policies. The US is now among the top nations in sex trafficking and organized pedophilia. J.J. has been speaking out against this invasion and putting the facts in order based upon years of first hand eye-witness experiences. He recently released his documentary film "The is Treason" that presents this crisis in harrowing detail with testimonies of many whistleblowers who are first hand observers and players. He is also the author of "Invaded: The Intentional Destruction of America's Immigration System", which documents the nation's border patrol's narrative. J.J. is a graduate of Southern Arkansas University where he attended on a football scholarship. He also competed in two races around the world on two episodes of CBS's The Amazing Race. His website is JJCarrell.com and J.J. blogs articles at Border Truth on Substack at jjcarrell.substack.com.
HEALTH NEWS
· Curcumin-Based Nutritional Supplements and Risk of Age-Related Macular Degeneration· Curcumin shows promise in preventing and treating oral submucosal fibrosis· Smell loss is linked to more than 100 diseases in new study· Positive aging expectations linked to better cognitive perception· Dietary selenium intake, hypertension and cognitive function among US adults· Taking five or more medications daily can negatively impact older adults with Alzheimer’s disease or related dementias
HEALTH NEWS· Vitamin D may boost total testosterone· Aerobic exercise boosts cognitive function and quality of life in breast cancer patients· Standing desks are bad for your health, according to a new study· Low vitamin D associated with increased depression risk in pregnancy and after birth· Burning incense can pose health risks for those with allergies and asthma· Data analysis explores connection between inflammation and depression
HEALTH NEWS
· Pistachios may help improve eye health, new study finds· Taurine supplementation linked to reduced atherosclerotic plaque development· Discrimination leads to changes in the gut microbiome· Doula support found to be significant and impactful for Medicaid patient outcomes· Beta-glucan lowers insulin resistance in people with diabetes· Best Form of Magnesium for Preventing Kidney Stones
HEALTH NEWS
- Vitamin K supplement slows prostate cancer in mice, researchers discover
- Research in mice suggests zinc supplements have potential value to directly treat short bowel syndrome
- Plastic chemical phthalate causes DNA breakage and chromosome defects in sex cells, new study finds
- How dancing can supercharge your health after 55: Discover why ballroom beats the gym
- Belief in growth is key to becoming the best
- Intense exercise found to suppress appetite more than moderate workouts
HEALTH NEWS
- Study suggests soy compound may help delay Alzheimer disease
- Mediterranean diet lowers risk of multiple heart and metabolic diseases
- Could poor sleep in middle age speed up brain aging?
- Live well, think well: Research shows healthy habits tied to brain health
- Even an occasional 30-minute exercise session reduces type 2 diabetes risk factors, study finds
- Frequent ultra-processed food consumption raises mortality risks, especially in women
HEALTH NEWS
- Fish oil speeds muscle recovery in aging rats, suggesting potential benefits for humans
- Effect of Nicotinamide Riboside Against the Exhaustion of CD8+ T Cells via Alleviating Mitochondrial Dysfunction
- Ultra-processed foods linked to liver disease and insulin resistance in obese children
- New review suggests evaluating Tibetan medicinal herb as potential treatment for mild cognitive impairment
- People with type 2 diabetes who eat low-carb may be able to discontinue medication
- Elderberry juice boosts fat burning and gut health in overweight adults
HEALTH NEWS
· The Surprising Power of Wheatgrass in Rejuvenating Health and Longevity· The training technique that’s turning back the clock for older adults· New study shows diet, exercise reverses liver damage· How vitamin D deficiency can lead to autoimmune diseases· Listening to music may speed up recovery from surgery, research suggests· Aerobic exercise boosts cognitive function in breast cancer patients
Gary Null presents part one of a panel on HIV/AIDS featuring LuAnne Pennisi, Dr. Elena Avram, and Dr. Howard Robins.
HEALTH NEWS
· New study reveals strawberries as a powerful ally for heart health· Could a shot of orange juice boost brain power for men?· A healthy diet may help keep low grade prostate cancer from progressing to more dangerous states· Bright night light exposure increases mortality risk, while daylight reduces it· Vitamin B12 Identified as a potential therapeutic agent in the prevention and treatment of acute pancreatitis· Microplastics accelerate aging and inflammation in fat tissue, increasing risk of chronic disease
HEALTH NEWS
- This Simple Vegetable Can Flush Environmental Toxins from Your Body, Fast
- New study shows that yoga and meditation may help train the brain
- Study finds widespread exposure to hormone-disrupting chemical during pregnancy
- Young people with ADHD benefit from tactile massage
- Five Reasons for Men to Use Saw Palmetto Berry
- Body composition can affect risk of dementia or Parkinson's, research suggests
HEALTH NEWS
Lifestyle Influences Metabolism Via DNA Methylation
Vitamin D signaling pattern within prostate tumors linked with improved survival
Memory loss is NOT a normal part of ageing, say dementia expertsBoth low and high folate levels during pregnancy linked to increased heart defects in babiesAcupuncture helps prevent suicidesCan the Mediterranean diet protect against childhood overweight and obesity?
HEALTH NEWS
· Vitamin D supplements may help improve blood pressure, cholesterol, and insulin· Curcumin's Unexpected Journey in Diabetes Research· Friendship drives happiness in single emerging adults, new study reveals· Study finds 'brain endurance training' boosts cognitive and physical abilities in older adults· Increased Dietary Fructose Linked to Elevated Uric Acid Levels and Lower Liver Energy Stores· Excess sugar consumption triggers inflammation and dysbiosis, worsening periodontal disease
HEALTH NEWS
- Consuming Soy Peptide May Reduce Colon Cancer Metastasis
- Maternal exercise during pregnancy may protect child against asthma
- Mindfulness found as effective as leading antidepressant in treating anxiety disorders
- New Cochrane Review Finds Water Fluoridation Has Minimal Effect on Dental Health
- Why people think they’re right, even when they are wrong
- Loneliness increases dementia odds by 31%, study finds
HEALTH NEWS
· Extra virgin olive oil may delay cognitive decline in Down syndrome· How Curcumin May Revolutionize Radiation Therapy Side Effects· Having a sweet tooth is linked to higher risk of depression, diabetes and stroke, study finds· Study links symptomatic chlamydia to higher risk of reproductive complications· Eating Brazil nuts daily may reduce inflammation, improve gut health· Wide-ranging mouse study uncovers new details about how eating less can extend lifespan
Dr. Gary Null plays an excerpt from one of his documentaries "How to Over Come Our Dysfunction"
HEALTH NEWS
Hibiscus-lemon verbena extract shows weight management potential: RCT
Study finds common breast cancer treatments may speed aging process
Novel flavonoid combination reduces oxidative stress: Study
Park runs boost life satisfaction and save money by improving well-being
Zinc may protect against antimicrobial resistance
Screen time tied to depression, anxiety in 9- and 10-year-olds
HEALTH NEWS
- New research suggests that omega-3 supplements can help you live longer
- Blue light from your phone can damage your skin too, dermatologist warns
- Your therapist wants you to go outside
- PFAS exposure linked to sleep disruptions in young adults
- Yogic breathing shows promise in reducing symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder
- Hearing loss can raise risks for cognitive decline, study shows
HEALTH NEWS
· Adding beans and pulses can lead to improved shortfall nutrient intakes and a higher diet quality in American adults· Antioxidant-rich diet could help lower risk of infertility in women, new study suggests· High levels of microplastics found in prostate tumors, possibly linked to take-out food· Study finds microplastics in semen and urine, linking PTFE exposure to lower sperm count· Milk thistle compound shows promise as cancer therapy· Common consumer product chemicals now tied to cardiac electrical changes
HEALTH NEWS
· Plant compound used in traditional medicine may help fight tuberculosis· Combining apple peel and mistletoe extracts to boost muscle health and endurance· Reducing sitting by about 40 minutes daily may prevent back pain, research suggests· Breast milk antibodies linked to protection against rotavirus in infants· Vitamin B12 boosts testosterone levels in men with infertility· Serious questions over safety and effectiveness of new Alzheimer's drug
HEALTH NEWS
- The consumption of flavonoid-rich foods was associated with a reduced risk of NAFLD among middle-aged adults
- Phytoene increases lifespan, reduces oxidative stress and amyloid toxicity
- One in three Americans has a dysfunctional metabolism, but intermittent fasting could help
- Keeping a longer overnight fast and eating an early breakfast may be associated with a lower body mass index
- Meta-analysis concludes benefit for cranberry against UTI
- Multiple surgeries could contribute to cognitive decline in older people
HEALTH NEWS
· Low Vitamin D levels in pediatric patients linked to slow healing process · Diet and gut dysbiosis linked to rheumatoid arthritis· TCM tonic herb 'can kill HIV', study finds· Two studies find SARS-CoV-2 virus becoming resistant to antiviral drugs used to treat patients· Brief bouts of exercise begin to reverse heart abnormalities in people with type 2 diabetes· Maternal obesity doubles the risk of developing autism in children
HEALTH NEWS
· Meta-analysis finds reduced heart failure mortality in association with CoQ10· Simple saline spray could be as effective as drug therapy for treating chronic nosebleeds· Maternal cannabis use linked to genetic changes in babies· Weekend warrior exercise linked with lower risk of developing 264 diseases· Bacteria involved in gum disease linked to increased risk of head and neck cancer· Everyday experiences may bring us unexpected joy in the future
HEALTH NEWS * More on flavonoids * Blueberry-derived compound shows promise in enhancing colonic mucosal Barrier function * Soil and water pollution: An invisible threat to cardiovascular health * Study shows psilocybin gives comparable long-term antidepressant effects to standard antidepressants * Nearsightedness Epidemic Projected to Impact 740 Million Children by 2050 * EWG's Dirty Dozen Guide to Food Chemicals: The Top 12 to Avoid
HEALTH NEWS * Purple potato may pack cancer prevention punch - even after cooking * Chamomile Shown to Battle Anxiety, Depression Significantly * Keto Could Help You Lose Weight—But It May Not Be Good for Your Gut or Heart Health * Harvard scientists find another secret to longevity: Feeling grateful * Brazil nuts reduce inflammation and improve gut health in women on restricted diets * Research identifies nearly 200 potential breast carcinogens in food packaging materials
HEALTH NEWS * Why Raspberries Are the New Heart-Healthy Superfruit * Effects of Ashwagandha (Withania Somnifera) on Stress and Anxiety: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis * Magnetic stimulation effective in helping Parkinson's patients walk * Vitamin E deficiency may lead to increased colorectal cancer risk: Chinese meta-analysis * Exposure to phthalates could be linked to pregnancy loss * Children who claim previous life memories: A Case Report and Literature Review
HEALTH NEWS * Flavonoid consumption may reduce the risk of dementia, new study shows * Breastfeeding is crucial to shaping infant's microbes and promoting lung health, study shows * Moderate physical activity linked with 50 percent reduction in cardiovascular death in over-65s * Eat more fruit and vegetables to lower frailty risk * The Effect of Qigong Exercise on State Anxiety Levels of Inpatients in Psychiatric Wards: A Randomized Controlled Study * Air pollution linked to higher risk of infertility in men
HEALTH NEWS
- Manuka Honey Shows Potential in Fighting Breast Cancer
- Study identifies optimal meditation positions for ADHD patients
- Happy with your life? Research links contentment with fewer heart attacks and strokes
- Benefits of Ozone on Mortality in Patients with COVID-19: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis
- Metal exposure can increase cardiovascular disease risk
- Study shows political leanings influence happiness, meaning, and psychological richness
HEALTH NEWS
- Study suggests blackcurrant supplementation mitigates postmenopausal bone loss
- Soft drinks worsen menstrual pain, study shows
- Study: Women Who Surround Themselves With Nature Live Longer
- Cutting smartphone use enhances well-being and job satisfaction
- Acrylamide exposure impairs blood-cerebrospinal fluid barrier function
- Unhealthy maternal diet may lead to heart and diabetes risks in offspring
HEALTH NEWS
- Do organic foods really offer better health benefits?
- Anti-aging tricks from dietary supplement seen in mice
- New research highlights role of dietary antioxidants in reducing erectile dysfunction risk
- Depression Definitely Linked To Refined Carbohydrates
- Daily prunes may help reduce bone loss in young women using oral contraceptives
HEALTH NEWS * Review reveals multiple benefits of citicoline * Eating more raw vegetables may help weight loss, reduce heart disease risk * High-Dose of ADHD Drugs Linked to Higher Risks of Psychosis and Mania: Harvard Study * Placebos can alleviate chronic back pain, even when patients know they're placebos * Prolonged exposure to wildfire smoke increases mental illness risk in youth * AminoSweet: The Deceptive Rebrand of Toxic Aspartame You Need to Know About
HEALTH NEWS
- Low levels of manganese can aggravate inflammatory bowel disease
- Coffee and tea may lower dementia risk in hypertensives
- Kids in families with too much screen time struggle with language skills, study suggests
- 75% boost in memory! How a mixed mental diet keeps cognition gleaming in golden years
- Exposure to air pollution during pregnancy increases postpartum depression risk for at least three years, study finds
- Early lifestyle changes lead to lasting impacts on metabolism
HEALTH NEWS * Homeopathy's Promise in Halting Pre-Diabetes Progression * Laughter may be as effective as drops for dry eye disease * COVID-19 mRNA vaccine linked to myocardial scarring in adolescents and young adults * Higher vitamin E intake linked with lower mortality risk in COPD patients * Sitting for long hours found to reduce blood flow to the brain * Study reveals how antibiotics contribute to inflammatory bowel disease risk
HEALTH NEWS
- Cochrane Review Finds Coenzyme Q10 (Ubiquinol) Associated with Reduced Heart Failure Mortality
- Long-term exercisers have 'healthier' belly fat, study reveals
- Refined dietary fiber may increase risk for inflammatory bowel disease
- Raw white garlic shows promise in boosting heart health and reducing disease risks
- Study finds link between nighttime light exposure and increased Alzheimer's disease risk
- 'Low Dose' Vitamin B12 Supplementation Improves Muscle Function in Elderly, Study Finds
HEALTH NEWS * Astragalus lengthens telomeres in human study * Cruciferous vegetables proven to lower blood pressure more than root vegetables * COVID-19 lockdowns prematurely aged teenage brains, study finds * Low-impact yoga and exercise found to help older women manage urinary incontinence * Niacin associated with lower markers of inflammation * Study shows increased alcohol consumption directly raises dementia risk
HEALTH NEWS
- Selenium and manganese levels significantly impact mortality risk in asthma patients
- Study puts understanding of long COVID and vaccination into question
- Study links 'forever chemical' PFOS with colorectal cancer
- Nicotinamide riboside increases brain NAD+
- Regularly using mobile phones linked to heart disease risk
- Shedding light on how oral bacteria can aggravate rheumatoid arthritis
HEALTH NEWS
· Effects of Green Coffee Bean Extract on Obesity· High cholesterol levels at a young age found to be a significant risk factor for atherosclerosis· Anti-Inflammatory Diet May Reduce Dementia Risk By Up To A Third: Study· Sperm Quality and Ultraprocessed Food Consumption · Ultra-processed foods significantly raise heart disease risk· Psilocybin Shows Promise for Anorexia Treatme
HEALTH NEWS
· More evidence for vitamin E benefit in liver disease· Groundbreaking Study Shows 100% Success Rate in Treating Feline Kidney Disease with Magnesium· Researchers find 60% of infant and toddler foods sold in US do not meet desired nutritional standards· Your soap and toothpaste could be messing with your microbiome· Vinegar: The Surprising Natural Remedy for Depression Symptoms· False-positive mammograms discourage some women from future screenings
HEALTH NEWS· Mankai plant found to reduce post-meal sugar levels in diabetics· Catching up on sleep on weekends may lower heart disease risk by up to 20%· Parents’ drinking history could lead to accelerated aging among their kids· A healthy lifestyle may counteract diabetes-associated brain ageing· Protect your teeth with fruit: antimicrobial effects found in biomass compounds· Compounds from nucleic acids in food show anticancer effects
HEALTH NEWS
· CoQ10 and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide may aid chronic fatigue syndrome in women· Findings suggest common salt activates anti-tumor cells· People are consistently and confidently wrong about those with opposing views· General exercise as good as yoga for female urinary incontinence · Meta-analysis affirms association between vitamin D deficiency and MS· Study: Pycnogenol relieves tinnitus symptoms
HEALTH NEWS
- Mediterranean diet lowers COVID-19 risk, but its effect on symptoms and severity remains uncertain
- Eucalyptus Essential Oil Reduces Spread of Tuberculosis
- Running reduces risk of death regardless of duration, speed
- Improved IVF success with the Mediterranean diet, study shows
- Meat's red colour link to bowel cancer
- One Herb: ‘Triple Action’ Against Skin Cancer, Photo-Aging
HEALTH NEWS
· Meta-analysis affirms taurine’s heart benefits· Serum levels of vitamin B12 combined with folate and plasma total homocysteine predict ischemic stroke disease· Minority Rules: Scientists Discover Tipping Point for the Spread of Ideas· Blueberry extract could help fight gum disease and reduce antibiotic use· Short-duration, light-intensity exercises improve cerebral blood flow in children, research reveals· Seaweeds, a natural source of bioactive peptides, shown to improve heart health
HEALTH NEWS
· Study links fine particulate matter exposure to increased risk of gestational diabetes· Better multivitamin compliance results in lower injury rate in female military recruits· Flexibility could be key to longer life· Research identifies 31 additional cancers potentially linked to obesity· Just 10 minutes of mindfulness daily boosts wellbeing and fights depression – study reveals· Gluten is a proinflammatory inducer of autoimmunity
HEALTH NEWS · A camu-camu fruit extract to reduce liver fat shows promise in clinical trial· Brain Shrinkage Alert: Long-Term Benzodiazepine Use Linked to Reduced Brain Volume· Switching to a planet-friendly diet could slash global emissions by 17%· Two thirds of baby foods in US grocery stores are unhealthy, study shows· Study reveals best exercise for diabetes patients· Low-dose THC reverses brain aging and enhances cognition, research suggests
HEALTH NEWS
· Preclinical study shows potential of Manuka honey as a nutraceutical for breast cancer· High antioxidant intake associated with lower hair loss risk· Study finds constipation is a significant risk factor for major cardiac events· A common fatty acid may help restore healthy vaginal bacteria after infection· Sunlight exposure reduces cancer risk, study finds· Weight-loss success depends on eating more protein, fiber while limiting calories, study says
HEALTH NEWS
- Study finds vitamin A directs immune cells to the intestines
- Arts and crafts may improve your mental health at least as much as being employed, scientists find
- Juicing for Fertility: New Study Reveals Natural Way to Enhance IVF Results
- Vasectomy linked with aggressive prostate cancer risk
- Gen Z Blames Social Media For Ruining Their Mental Health — But No One’s Signing Off
- Non-deceptive placebos can reduce stress, anxiety and depression, study finds
HEALTH NEWS
· Dark chocolate polyphenols could yield small benefit for people with PAD· Your Plate Is Your Medicine Cabinet: How Ancient Wisdom Is Transforming Modern Diets· Aging suddenly speeds up when you turn 44 and 60· Chinese botanical medicine eases a cancer treatment side effect· Chronic loneliness may increase stroke risk among older adults· Understanding the role of an omega-3 fatty acid in the prevention of arrhythmias
HEALTH NEWS
· Higher magnesium intake linked with lower risk of premature mortality in RA patients· Apolipoprotein B test may be more accurate measure of heart disease risk· Significant link found between heme iron, found in red meat and other animal products, and type 2 diabetes risk· The Hidden Danger in Your Tissue Box: Extremely Toxic PFAS Contamination Uncovered in 46% of Products· Healthy lifestyle lowers the risk of post-COVID complications, finds study· Common antibiotics linked to severe skin reactions, study warns doctors to choose wisely
HEALTH NEWS
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High Fructose Corn Syrup’s Profits over Health:
Richard Gale & Gary Null PhD
Progressive Radio Network, July 24, 2024
There is an unseen culprit hiding in the shadows. It is a toxic poison contained in many of the foods and beverages that we commonly eat. A toxin that has been implicated in causing cancer, diabetes, heart disease, lowered cognitive function, addiction, depression, and obesity. The magicians and alchemists of the corporate food industry have cleverly disguised this ingredient and sing its praises. If you are waiting for mainstream media to undertake an in-depth investigative report on this topic you will be waiting a long time.
Back in 2015 Tufts University’s department of nutritional sciences conducted a study published by the American Heart Association that documented the annual rates of global deaths directly due to over-consumption of beverages with high sugar content. The results estimated that 184,000 adults die annually from sugary drinks. Dr. Gitanjali at Tufts analyzed data documenting sugar-related deaths across 51 countries between 1980 and 2010. Deaths were compiled according to cardiovascular disease, diabetes and various cancers. Based upon the data, the study concluded that sugar contributed to 45,000 annual deaths from cardiovascular disease, 13,000 deaths from diabetic complications, and 6,450 deaths related to cancer.
Credit Suisse’s Research Institute published a scathing report that brought sugar’s health risks into sharper focus. The study revealed that upward to 40% of American healthcare expenditures could be directly tied to overconsumption of sugar in the average American diet. Today, the US’ national addiction to sugar contributes to $1 trillion in healthcare costs annually, which includes coronary heart disease, diabetes and metabolic syndrome. There are numerous studies published in reliable peer-reviewed medical journals associating sugar with each of these life threatening diseases.
As far back as 1971, I began writing about the hazards of sugar. In 2002, my documentary Seven Steps to Perfect Health was premiered on PBS stations. During a special appearance on one station’s fund drive, I poured sugar out of a bag. The amount I poured equaled the number of teaspoons that an average American teenager consumes daily. My general counsel, David Slater, verified the quantity by proper measurement according to scientific food and diet data.
After the initial airing of this special, I was informed by the station’s program director that they could not rebroadcast the performance, even though it was the most successful program during the fund drive. I was informed that the station had received harsh criticism from the sugar industry. The program director explained that the information I presented about sugar’s dangers, even though I provided full scientific verification of the facts, ran up against the president of the station board Sharon Rockefeller. I was told she had received a phone call from a sugar-lobbying group representing soft drink makers and sugar manufacturers. Therefore the station made the decision to pull my program. I was never asked to return to the station. Not surprisingly, a subsequent investigation revealed Sharon Rockefeller sat on Pepsi’s board at the time, one of America’s largest manufacturers of sweetened soft drinks.
That was my first personal encounter with the political forces supporting sugar. I wrote letters to the sugar industry, the station board and Sharon Rockefeller contesting their suppression of my program and their claim that sugar was unrelated to the declining health of Americans. They were presented with dozens of peer-reviewed studies.
However in recent decades, the sweetener industry has undergone a dramatic transformation with the introduction and widespread adoption of high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) throughout our food system. This shift from traditional cane sugar, which dominated my criticism earlier, to fructose corn sugars has led to deep human health and environmental concerns due to its economic benefits for food manufacturers.
High fructose corn syrup was developed in the late 1960s by Japanese scientists who discovered a method to convert glucose from cornstarch into fructose using enzymes. This innovation was spurred by the need to find a cheaper and more versatile sweetener as an alternative to the more labor-intensive production of traditional cane sugar. HFCS is made by milling corn to produce cornstarch. The starch is then hydrolyzed into glucose by adding the enzyme alpha-amylase. Finally the glucose is further processed into fructose. The result is a syrup that typically contains 42-55 percent fructose, with the rest being glucose. Some methods can produce fructose as high as 90 percent.
Today, HFCS production has been so optimized that it has become the most cost-effective and efficient means to produce sweeteners. Monsanto’s genetically modified Round-Up Ready corn, enabling the use of more toxic herbicides and pesticides, has now made HFCS the cornerstone of the sugar industry. However, the shift to HFCS has been fundamentally driven by economics and the agro-chemical industry and has absolutely nothing to do with creating a healthier sugar. Since corn is one of the most extensively cultivated crops in the United States, which is heavily subsidized by the government, it has provided an enormous, inexpensive supply of the raw material needed for HFCS production. In addition, the enzymatic conversion process can result in a high yield of sweetener from a relatively small amount of corn.
HFCS is now a ubiquitous ingredient that permeates our entire modern food supply. Starting in the 1980s, the introduction of HFCS has gradually displaced traditional sweeteners such as natural cane sugar, glucose and honey. According to the USDA, HFCS can cost up to 50% less than cane and other traditional sugars. This cost differential is particularly significant in industries where sweeteners constitute a major portion of production costs such as in soft drinks, artificial fruit juices, sweet baked goods, snack foods and candy, breakfast cereals, condiments and sauces, sweetened dairy products such as yoghurt and ice cream, and a large variety of processed canned and prepared meals. A study published in American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that HFCS accounts for over 40% increase of caloric sweeteners added to foods and beverages.
Having a purview of the distribution of different sugars in the American diet helps to illustrate the dominance of HFCS in the food system. Approximately 45 percent of added sugars in the American diet come from HFCS and an additional 2 percent from pure fructose. Between 35-40 percent of sweeteners derive from sucrose, the common table sugar made from sugarcane and sugar beets -- the latter now being genetically modified. The production process involves crushing the plant material to extract the juice, which is then purified, concentrated, and crystallized to produce table sugar.
Not to be confused with HFCS, corn syrup is largely glucose and represents about 10-15 percent of the nation’s sugar intake. It is the most common sugar used in baked goods and candy. Lactose and galactose each account for about 4-5 percent of consumed sugars. However they are typically not added sugars to foods but naturally present in all dairy products.
Finally, honey, which at one time was a common food ingredient, today only accounts for about 1-2 percent of sweeteners. Moreover, according to FDA testing, a lot of commercial honey found in grocery stores has been adulterated with HFCS and other sweeteners, such sucrose derived from cane and GMO beet sugars and artificial honey-flavored imitators. A general estimate is that 20-30 percent of honey sold is impure.
Back in the 1970s and 1980s when I frequently railed publicly against the sugar industry and the health risks of processed table sugar that then completely dominated the food industry, I would never have imagined that sucrose would be gradually replaced by HFCS. This replacement accelerated after the emergence of genetically modified (GM) corn.
As noted above, the vast majority of HFCS produced in the United States, the world’s larger corn producer globally, is derived from genetically modified (GM) corn. Estimates suggest that around 85-90% of the corn grown in the U.S. is genetically modified. Therefore it is reasonable to infer that approximately 85-90% of HFCS is derived from GM corn. As many court cases and exposes of corruption in the agro-chemical industry have cone to light, GM corn has dire implications for the production and consumption of HFCS, especially considering the associated health risks linked to the use of toxic herbicides such as glyphosate. Research has linked glyphosate to various health issues, including cancer. A decade ago, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) classified glyphosate as a "probable human carcinogen"; today, it is no longer probable but a medical fact. Several studies have detected glyphosate residues in food products containing HFCS. A study published in Environmental Health found glyphosate residues in a variety of food products, highlighting the widespread contamination of the food supply with this herbicide. In addition to glyphosate’s carcinogenic potential, the toxin has also been shown to disrupt endocrine function and it has been implicated in gut dysbiosis, an imbalance in the gut microbiome. This disruption can lead to a range of health problems, including inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and other gastrointestinal disorders. Research published in Current Microbiology indicates that glyphosate exposure can alter the composition of the gut microbiota, leading to adverse health outcomes.
HFCS and traditional sugars like table sugar differ significantly in their composition and metabolic effects. Sucrose is a disaccharide composed of equal parts glucose and fructose, while HFCS is a mixture of free glucose and fructose, with the fructose content higher than that in sucrose. This difference in composition affects how the body metabolizes these sugars. Briefly, HFCS poses more serious health risks than sucrose. The free fructose in HFCS is absorbed more rapidly than the bound fructose in sucrose, leading to quicker spikes in blood sugar and insulin levels. In addition, the high fructose content in HFCS places a greater burden on the liver, leading to increased fat production and storage, contributing to fatty liver disease and metabolic disorders. In contrast, the balanced glucose-fructose composition of sucrose is metabolized more evenly, posing lower risks. However, it is crucial to realize that excessive or even moderate consumption of any form of sugar can be detrimental to health.
Extensive research has linked the consumption of HFCS to a range of adverse health effects. Key among these is metabolic disorders and cardiovascular diseases. A study published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism found that high consumption of HFCS is associated with an increased risk of developing metabolic syndrome, which includes conditions such as obesity, insulin resistance, hypertension, and dyslipidemia. These conditions collectively elevate the risk of heart disease and stroke.
HFCS has been directly implicated in America’s obesity epidemic due to its high fructose content, which is metabolized differently than glucose. Fructose is primarily processed in the liver, where it can be converted into fat more readily than glucose. This process can lead to increased fat accumulation and insulin resistance, both of which are risk factors for obesity and type 2 diabetes. A study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition highlighted that high HFCS consumption is correlated with an increased risk of obesity and diabetes, particularly in children and adolescents.
HFCS intake also leads to non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Unlike glucose, which is metabolized by all cells in the body, fructose is metabolized almost entirely in the liver. High levels of fructose overwhelms the liver's capacity to process it, leading to fat accumulation and liver damage. Research published in Hepatology has shown a strong correlation between HFCS consumption and the progression to more severe liver diseases, such as cirrhosis and liver cancer.
Recent evidence reveals that HFCS has detrimental effects on cognitive function and mental health. Studies indicate that fructose impairs insulin signaling in the brain, which is crucial for maintaining cognitive functions. A study in the Journal of Physiology found that high-fructose diets can lead to insulin resistance in the brain, potentially increasing the risk of neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's. Additionally, high sugar diets, including those high in HFCS, have been linked to mood disorders, such as depression and anxiety, as detailed in a review in Nature Reviews Neuroscience.
HFCS and other fructose-rich sugars can have profound adverse effects on the gut and digestive system. These sugars are known to disrupt the normal functioning of the gastrointestinal tract, contributing to various digestive disorders and altering the gut microbiome. Fructose, unlike glucose, is not directly absorbed by the body. It requires a specific transporter, GLUT5, to be taken up by the intestinal cells. Fructose interferes with these transporters, leading to malabsorption. Unabsorbed fructose travels to the large intestine, where it undergoes fermentation by gut bacteria. This process produces gases such as hydrogen, carbon dioxide, and methane, which cause bloating, gas, and abdominal pain leading to malabsorption and the intestine’s inability to absorb fructose efficiently.
The gut microbiome, a complex community of trillions of microorganisms living in the digestive tract, is crucial for maintaining digestive health, immune function, and overall well-being. High intake of fructose negatively affects this delicate balance. Studies have shown that diets high in fructose can lead to an imbalance in the gut microbiota composition. This imbalance is characterized by a decrease in beneficial bacteria such as Bifidobacteria and Lactobacilli and an increase in harmful bacteria like Clostridia and Enterobacteria.
A study published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that high fructose levels increase intestinal permeability, also known as "leaky gut." This condition allows harmful substances, such as toxins and bacteria, to pass from the gut into the bloodstream, triggering inflammation and contributing to the development of various diseases, including inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Inflammatory bowel disease, which includes conditions like Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, is exacerbated by promoting inflammation and altering the gut microbiota. A study in the journal Gut reported that reducing fructose intake improved symptoms in individuals with IBS, suggesting a direct link between fructose consumption and IBS symptom severity.
Finally we need to also consider the catastrophic effects of HFCS on children. Children are particularly vulnerable to the health risks associated with HFCS due to their higher consumption levels relative to their body weight. According to data from the CDC, the average American child consumes approximately 12-16 teaspoons of added sugars per day, a significant portion of which comes from HFCS. This high intake is largely driven by the consumption of sweetened beverages, snacks, and processed foods that are marketed specifically to children.
The high consumption of HFCS among children is a major contributor to the rising rates of childhood obesity and metabolic disorders. Studies have shown that children who consume high levels of sugary beverages and snacks are more likely to develop obesity, insulin resistance, and type 2 diabetes. A study published in Pediatrics found that children who consume sugary drinks daily are at a significantly higher risk of developing obesity compared to those who consume them less frequently.
There is also growing concern about the impact of HFCS on children's cognitive development and behavior. High sugar diets have been linked to attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and other behavioral issues in children. A study in the Journal of Attention Disorders found that excessive sugar consumption, including HFCS, exacerbates symptoms of ADHD and impair cognitive functions such as memory and learning.
A deeper look at the politics of the sugar industry reveals that huge sums are being doled out by the government to support and subsidize sugar companies. Writing for the Wall Street Journal, health journalist Alexandra Wexler explains that American taxpayers are currently responsible for shelling out $280 million to cover the cost of loans from the USDA which sugar producers are unable to pay back. Given the undeniable evidence demonstrating the toxicity of HFCS and other commercial sugars and their enormous toll on the wellbeing of Americans, why is it that our health agencies and elected officials are not calling for an urgent overhaul of existing policies, which graciously support the domestic sugar industry to poison the population? Where is the outrage over bailing out the purveyors of what is likely the most dangerous staple in the American diet? For our answers we must follow the money-trail.
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HEALTH NEWS
· Personalized nutrition more effective than general diet advice, study finds· Vitamin K1 may improve insulin sensitivity and blood sugar levels for pre-diabetics · Frequent salting of food increases the risk of stomach cancer· A 30-year US study links ultra-processed food to higher risk of early death· Mechanism outlined by which inadequate vitamin E can cause brain damage· About 90% of US adults are on the way to heart disease, study suggestsPersonalized nutrition more effective than general diet advice, study findsKing's College London, May 8, 2024 (Medical Xpress)
Personalized nutrition approaches can improve several key health metrics, including lower weight, lower cholesterol, better mood, improved gut health, lower heart disease risk, and better metabolic health.
Improvements for those following personalized guidance were also greater in some areas than for those following current, generalized government advice.
In this study, researchers wanted to see if a personalized diet plan, tailored to an individual's biology, lifestyle, and health history, would have a greater impact than generic nutrition advice such as avoiding red meat. 347 Americans took part in the study, with researchers comparing the effects of following an 18-week personalized program to generic US government-issued nutrition advice. While both groups improved their health overall, participants on the personalized diet plan lost more weight than the control group and lowered their triglyceride levels more—decreasing their risk of heart disease.
Participants following the personalized diet plan were also twice as likely to report improved mood, twice as likely to feel less hungry, and more than four times more likely to report better sleep quality and energy levels compared with the control group.
Vitamin K1 may improve insulin sensitivity and blood sugar levels for pre-diabetics
Ahvaz Jundishapur University (Iran), May 6, 2024 (Nutraingredients)
Supplements containing vitamin K1 (phylloquinone) may improve glycemic status and insulin sensitivity for premenopausal and pre-diabetic women, says a new study.
“To the best of our knowledge, the present study is the first one that investigated the effects of vitamin K1 supplementation on the glycemic status and insulin sensitivity via different forms of [osteocalcin] in pre-diabetic women,” wrote the researchers in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition .
Osteocalcin (cOC) is a vitamin K-dependent protein. Without adequate vitamin K, the osteocalcin remains inactive (uncarboxylated osteocalcin, ucOC), and thus not effective.
The new study used phylloquinone at a daily dose of 1,000 micrograms for four weeks. Eighty-two pre-diabetic and pre-menopausal women participated in the study and were randomly assigned to either the vitamin K1 group or placebo.
Results showed that cOC levels increased as a result of K1 supplementation, while ucOC levels decreased, compared with placebo.
In addition, results of the two hour post-oral glucose tolerance test showed improvements in both glucose and insulin levels in the K1 group, compared with placebo. Data from the insulin sensitivity index (ISI) showed increases in the K1 group, they added.
Frequent salting of food increases the risk of stomach cancerMedical University of Vienna (Austria), May 8, 2024 (Eurekalert)
In Asian countries, where high-salt foods are popular, the link between high salt consumption and stomach cancer has already been proven. A long-term study by MedUni Vienna has now shown for the first time that this risk is also reflected in the cancer statistics in Europe. As the analysis recently published in the specialist journalGastric Cancer shows, people who frequently add salt to their food are around 40 per cent more likely to develop stomach cancer than those who do not use the salt shaker at the table.
Data from more than 470,000 adults from the large-scale British cohort study "UK-Biobank" was analysed. This revealed that people who said they always or frequently added salt to their food were 39 per cent more likely to develop stomach cancer over an observation period of around 11 years than those who never or rarely added an extra pinch of salt to their food.
In the list of the most common types of cancer worldwide, stomach cancer is in fifth place. The risk of this tumour disease increases with age, but the latest statistics paint a worrying picture of an increase in adults under the age of 50.
"Our research shows the connection between the frequency of added salt and stomach cancer in Western countries too," emphasises first author Selma Kronsteiner-Gicevic. "With our study, we want to raise awareness of the negative effects of extremely high salt consumption and provide a basis for measures to prevent stomach cancer," summarises study leader Tilman Kühn.
A 30-year US study links ultra-processed food to higher risk of early deathHarvard University, May 8, 2024 (Medical Xpress)
Higher consumption of most ultra-processed foods is linked to a slightly higher risk of death, with ready-to-eat meat, poultry, and seafood based products, sugary drinks, dairy based desserts, and highly processed breakfast foods showing the strongest associations, finds a 30-year US study in The BMJ today.
Mounting evidence links ultra-processed foods to higher risks of obesity, heart disease, diabetes and bowel cancer, but few long term studies have examined links to all cause and cause specific deaths, especially due to cancer.
To address this knowledge gap, researchers tracked the long-term health of 74,563 female registered nurses from 11 US states in the Nurses' Health Study and 39,501 male health professionals from all 50 US states in the Health Professionals Follow-up Study with no history of cancer, cardiovascular diseases, or diabetes at study enrollment.
Compared with participants in the lowest quarter of ultra-processed food intake (average 3 servings per day), those in the highest quarter (average 7 servings per day) had a 4% higher risk of total deaths and a 9% higher risk of other deaths, including an 8% higher risk of neurodegenerative deaths.
The association between ultra-processed food intake and death varied across specific food groups, with meat, poultry, and seafood-based ready-to-eat products showing the strongest and most consistent associations, followed by sugar-sweetened and artificially-sweetened beverages, dairy-based desserts, and ultra-processed breakfast food.
Mechanism outlined by which inadequate vitamin E can cause brain damage
Oregon State University, May 3, 2024 (Daily Science)
Researchers at Oregon State University have discovered how vitamin E deficiency may cause neurological damage by interrupting a supply line of specific nutrients and robbing the brain of the "building blocks" it needs to maintain neuronal health.
The research showed that zebrafish fed a diet deficient in vitamin E throughout their life had about 30 percent lower levels of DHA-PC, which is a part of the cellular membrane in every brain cell, or neuron. Other recent studies have also concluded that low levels of DHA-PC in the blood plasma of humans is a biomarker than can predict a higher risk of Alzheimer's disease.
Just as important, the new research studied the level of compounds called "lyso PLs," which are nutrients needed for getting DHA into the brain, and serve as building blocks that aid in membrane repair. It showed the lyso PLs are an average of 60 percent lower in fish with a vitamin E deficient diet.
The year-old zebrafish used in this study, and the deficient levels of vitamin E they were given, are equivalent to humans eating a low vitamin E diet for a lifetime. In the United States, 96 percent of adult women and 90 percent of men do not receive adequate levels of vitamin E in their diet.
"This research showed that vitamin E is needed to prevent a dramatic loss of a critically important molecule in the brain, and helps explain why vitamin E is needed for brain health," said Maret Traber, at OSU and lead author on this research.
About 90% of US adults are on the way to heart disease, study suggestsBrigham and Women's Hospital & Harvard Medical School, May 8, 2024 (Medical Xpress)
Nine of 10 American adults are in the early, middle or late stages of a syndrome that leads to heart disease, a new report finds, and almost 10% have the disease already.
"Poor cardiovascular, kidney, and metabolic health is widespread among the U.S. population," concludes a team led by Dr. Muthiah Vaduganathan of Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School in Boston.
Researchers looked specifically at rates of what the American Heart Association has dubbed cardiovascular, kidney and metabolic (CKM) syndrome
Among adults age 20 or older, only 10.6% did not have some level of CKM syndrome. About 26% fell into the early stage 1 category, meaning they were gaining dangerous levels of body fat. Nearly half (49%) of adults fell into stage 2 CVM syndrome, and 5.4% were stage 3.
According to the study, 9.2% of adults were in stage 4, with full-blown heart disease and, in some cases, failed kidneys.
The bottom line: "Almost 90% of US adults met criteria for CKM syndrome (stage 1 or higher) and 15% met criteria for advanced stages, neither of which improved between 2011 and 2020," according to the Boston researchers.
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· Melatonin helps prevent weight gain in preclinical research· Dietary treatment more effective than medicines in IBS· New England seafood loaded with more toxic ‘forever chemicals’ than realized, especially shrimp and lobster· Nattokinase Dissolves Fibrinaloid Microclots· Protecting brain cells with cannabinol: Research suggests CBN shows promise for treating neurological disorders· Research explores how a father’s diet could shape the health of his offspringMelatonin helps prevent weight gain in preclinical researchUniversity of Granada (Spain), April 17 2024 (Life Extension)
Findings from a study reported in Biomedicine & Pharmacotherapy indicated that melatonin, a hormone that induces sleep, may be helpful in the prevention of obesity.
The study included 32 six-week-old rats that were bred to develop obesity and diabetes and 32 lean rats of the same age.
Obese rats that received melatonin gained less weight and had less visceral fat (central obesity) compared with obese untreated animals at the end of the 12-week period. Melatonin-treated rats also had less obesity-induced muscle fiber atrophy and showed increased mitochondrial activity, which may contribute to the decrease in weight gain observed in these animals. Additional research showed that melatonin increased a thermogenic response to cold exposure, which helps burn fat.
"During the day, it is good to expose yourself to natural light, do adequate physical activity, choose low-calorie diets loaded with unprocessed foods and replace these additives with thermogenic spices and herbs, avoid eating between meals, do not wear insulating clothing and keep the heating at a comfortable and cool temperature of around 17⁰ C, as well as showering with cool water," senior author Ahmad Agil of the University of Granada School of Medicine recommended.
Dietary treatment more effective than medicines in IBSUniversity of Gothenburg (Sweden), April 18, 2024 (Eurekalert)
Dietary treatment is more effective than medications in irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). These are the findings of a study conducted at the University of Gothenburg. With dietary adjustments, more than seven out of ten patients had significantly reduced symptoms.
The current study, published in The Lancet Gastroenterology & Hepatology, compared three treatments: two dietary and one based on use of medications. The participants were adult patients with severe or moderate IBS symptoms at Sahlgrenska University Hospital in Gothenburg.
The first group was given traditional IBS dietary advice, focusing on eating behavior combined with low intake of fermentable carbohydrates, known as FODMAPs. These include e.g. products with lactose, legumes, onions, and grains, which ferment in the colon and can cause pain in IBS.
The second group received a dietary treatment low in carbohydrates and proportionally high in protein and fat. In the third group, the best possible medication was given based on the patient's most troublesome IBS symptoms.
Of those who received traditional IBS dietary advice and low content of FODMAPs, 76% had significantly reduced symptoms. In the group receiving low carbohydrates and high protein and fat, the proportion was 71%, and in the medication group 58%.
New England seafood loaded with more toxic ‘forever chemicals’ than realized, especially shrimp and lobsterDartmouth College, April 17, 2024 (Study Finds)
A new study out of Dartmouth College suggests that seafood from succulent lobster to flaky cod may come with an unseen risk: exposure to a class of persistent, man-made toxins known as PFAS.
PFAS, short for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, are a family of chemicals that have been widely used in consumer products since the 1950s. You might know them best for their role in making non-stick cookware and stain-resistant fabrics, but they’re also found in a host of other items, from food packaging to firefighting foams. PFAS are incredibly resistant to breaking down in the environment. They can linger for years, even decades, accumulating in soil, water, and living organisms. This persistence is particularly concerning because exposure to certain PFAS has been linked to a range of health issues, including cancer, thyroid problems, and reproductive disorders.
Dartmouth researchers conducted a two-pronged study, published in the journal Exposure and Health. First, they analyzed fresh seafood samples purchased from a coastal New Hampshire market, testing for 26 different PFAS compounds. They focused on some of the most commonly consumed species in the region: cod, haddock, lobster, salmon, scallops, shrimp, and tuna. Several PFAS compounds were detected in the seafood samples, with the highest levels found in shrimp and lobster.
New Hampshire’s children between two and 11 years-old in the state eat about a fifth of an ounce of seafood daily, putting them at the top end of the range for kids nationwide.
Nattokinase Dissolves Fibrinaloid MicroclotsUniversity of Liverpool (UK), April 18, 2024 (BioRxiv)
Post-acute sequelae after SARS-CoV-2 infection (long COVID) and after COVID-19 vaccination are characterized by micro blood clotting . The work of Scheim et al suggests the majority of syndromes in both cases are due to Spike protein mediated hemagglutination and then the development of small clots that serve the major organs in the body.
Nattokinase, from the Japanese fermented food natto, is a protease with fibrinolytic activity that can thus degrade conventional blood clots.
In some cases, however, including in Long COVID, fibrinogen can polymerise into an anomalous amyloid form to create clots that are resistant to normal fibrinolysis and that we refer to as fibrinaloid microclots.
The study shows that recombinant nattokinase is effective at degrading the fibrinaloid microclots in vitro. This adds to the otherwise largely anecdotal evidence, that we review, that nattokinase might be anticipated to have value as part of therapeutic treatments for individuals with Long COVID and related disorders that involve fibrinaloid microclots.
Protecting brain cells with cannabinol: Research suggests CBN shows promise for treating neurological disordersSalk Institute, April 18, 2024 (Medical Xpress)
One in every 10 individuals above the age of 65 develops an age-related neurological disorder like Alzheimer's or Parkinson's, yet treatment options remain sparse for this population. Scientists have begun exploring whether cannabinoids—compounds derived from the cannabis plant, like well-known THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) and CBD (cannabidiol)—may offer a solution. A third, lesser-known cannabinoid called CBN (cannabinol) has recently piqued the interest of researchers, who have begun exploring the clinical potential of the milder, less psychoactive substance.
In a new study, scientists at the Salk Institute help explain how CBN protects the brain against aging and neurodegeneration, then use their findings to develop potential therapeutics. The researchers created four CBN compounds that were more neuroprotective than the standard CBN molecule
The findings, published in Redox Biology, suggest promise for CBN in treating neurological disorders like traumatic brain injury, Alzheimer's disease, and Parkinson's disease, and also highlight how further studies of CBN's effects on the brain could inspire the development of new therapies for clinical use.
Research explores how a father’s diet could shape the health of his offspringUniversity of Sydney (Australia) April 16, 2024New research, published in Nature Communications, finds that the macronutrient balance in the diet of male mice affects the level of anxiety-like behaviour of sons and the metabolic health of daughters.
The research provides a step towards understanding how the effect of diet can transmit from one generation to the next via a father’s sperm. It could ultimately inform dietary guidelines for fathers-to-be, with the goal of lowering the risk of metabolic disease and mood disorders in the next generation.
At the University of Sydney’s Charles Perkins Centre in Australia researchers fed male mice one of ten diets differing in the proportions of protein, fats, and carbohydrates, then allowed them to mate with females reared on standard diet. The behaviour and physiology of the resulting pups were then studied.
The scientists discovered that male mice fed low protein and high carbohydrate diets were more likely to have male offspring with higher levels of anxiety, as measured by time spent in the safety zones of their maze. They also found that male mice that were fed high fat diets were more likely to have daughters with higher levels of body fat and markers of metabolic disease.
“Our study shows that the type of diet eaten before conception can program specific characteristics of the next generation,” says co-senior author and leader of the GECKO consortium Professor Romain Barrès, from the University of Copenhagen and Université Côte d’Azur, Nice.
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An apple cider vinegar drink a day? New study shows it might help weight lossHoly Spirit University of Kaslik (Lebanon), March 13, 2024
An experimental study, released today, looks into whether apple cider vinegar could be effective for weight loss, reduce blood glucose levels and reduce blood lipids (cholesterol and triglycerides).
A double-blinded, randomized, clinical trial in a group of overweight and obese young people aged from 12–25 years suggest it could reduce all three—but it might not be as simple as downing an apple cider vinegar drink a day.
The participants were instructed to consume either 5, 10 or 15ml of apple cider vinegar diluted into 250ml of water each morning before they ate anything for 12 weeks. A control group consumed an inactive drink (a placebo) made (from lactic acid added to water) to look and taste the same.
After a period of three months apple cider vinegar consumption was linked with significant falls in body weight and body mass index (BMI). On average, those who drank apple cider vinegar during that period lost 6–8kg in weight and reduced their BMI by 2.7–3 points, depending on the dose. They also showed significant decreases in the waist and hip circumference.
The authors also report significant decreases in levels of blood glucose, triglycerides, and cholesterol in the apple cider groups.
While the study appears promising, there are also reasons for caution. The study participants were aged from 12 to 25, so we can't say whether the results could apply to everyone.
Food Additive in Pizza, Pancakes Linked to Lower Sperm CountsUniversity of Kentucky, March 11, 2024
An ingredient commonly found in many baked goods and processed foods — including school lunches — may cause oxidative stress, DNA damage and decreased testosterone levels and sperm counts in male mammals.
Sodium aluminum phosphate is an additive used in food products as an emulsifying agent, leavening acid and stabilizer. It is a white, odorless solid slightly soluble in water. The widespread use of sodium aluminum phosphate in everyday food products and commercially baked goods such as cakes, muffins and biscuits, and self-rising flours and baking powders. It is also used in processed cheeses to improve texture and melting properties.
A peer-reviewed scientific literature on aluminum reproductive toxicity by Robert A. Yokel, Ph.D., published in Critical Reviews in Toxicology found aluminum exposure can lead to adverse reproductive outcomes in male and female mammals.
Yokel’s analysis revealed that “male reproductive endpoints were significantly affected after exposure to lower levels of Al [aluminum] than females.” In both male and female mice and rats, increased aluminum intake resulted in higher concentrations of the metal in the fetus, placenta and testes.
Ramadan fasting may protect patients with heart problems, say researchersUniversity of Sharjah (United Arab Emirates) & University of Utah, March 13, 2024
Those observing Ramadan may have their cholesterol, other lipids, and inflammatory markers in their blood reduced. This is the conclusion of a group of scientists examining the model of Ramadan Intermittent Fasting (RIF) in overweight and obese people.
"RIF is associated with improvements in plasma sphingosine, sphinganine sphingomyelin, and dihydrosphingomyelin lipid species," the scientists write in their study published in Scientific Reports.
RIF is a special type of intermittent fasting during which fasting Muslims refrain from eating, drinking (including water), smoking, or engaging in sexual activities from pre-dawn to sunset.
The fasting duration differs depending on geographical location, but it is generally estimated to last between 12-17 hours a day. The daily average fasting duration for Muslims worldwide is reported to be approximately 15 hours per day, depending on location.
An investigation into the potential association between nutrition and Alzheimer’s disease
Capital Medical University (China) (Frontiers)
Malnutrition is the most common nutritional issue in Alzheimer’s disease (AD) patients, but there is still a lack of a comprehensive evaluation of the nutritional status in AD patients. This study aimed to determine the potential association of various nutritional indices with AD at different stages.
Lower levels of total protein, albumin, globulin, and apolipoprotein A1 were associated with AD (all p < 0.05). Total protein and albumin levels had the greatest ability to distinguish AD from non-AD. Albumin level had the greatest ability to distinguish NC from AD-MCI
Nutritional status of AD patients is significantly compromised compared with normal controls, and tends to be worsened with AD progresses. Early identification and intervention of individuals with nutritional risk or malnutrition may be significantly beneficial for reducing the risk, development, and progression of AD.
Breakthrough Discovery Shows That Resonant Frequencies Can Kill Cancer Cells
Skidmore College, March 4, 2024
An important breakthrough may prevent people from suffering from cancer or the aggressive radiation and chemotherapy treatments used to kill cancer cells.
Anthony Holland at Skidmore College in New York and his fellow researchers discovered that, by creating custom digital electronic signals, they can destroy cancer cells and Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MSRA). In their laboratory experiments, the team used Oscillating Pulsed Electric Fields (OPEF) to induce sympathetic resonant vibrations which in a short amount of time shattered targeted cells from pancreatic cancer, leukemia, ovarian cancer, and the dangerous antibiotic-resistant bacterium MSRA.
Just as various sound frequencies can shatter different types of crystal and glass, shattering microscopic organisms is possible because they have many similar properties of liquid crystals.
Holland’s research showed that not only can one change the vibration of a biological living microorganism with an electronic signal, but also that different frequencies of this electronic signal can be used to target different types of microorganisms.
Study finds interactions with dogs can increase brainwaves associated with stress relief and heightened concentrationKonkuk University (South Korea), March 13, 2024
Spending quality time with dogs reduces stress and increases the power of brain waves associated with relaxation and concentration, according to a study published in the open-access journal PLOS ONE from Konkuk University, South Korea.
Studies of the potential benefits of animal interactions often take a holistic approach, comparing people's mood or hormone levels before and after spending time with a service animal. But this approach doesn't differentiate between types of interactions, like grooming, feeding, or playing with an animal, limiting our understanding of how each specific interaction impacts a person's health and well-being.
To better understand how such animal-related activities affect mood, Yoo and colleagues recruited a small sample of 30 adult participants to each perform eight different activities with a well-trained dog, such as playing with a hand-held toy, giving her treats, and taking pictures with her.
The relative strength of alpha-band oscillations in the brain increased while participants played with and walked the dog, reflecting a state of relaxed wakefulness. When grooming, gently massaging, or playing with the dog, relative beta-band oscillation strength increased, a boost typically linked to heightened concentration. Participants also reported feeling significantly less fatigued, depressed, and stressed after all dog-related activities.
HEALTH NEWS
· Swapping meat for mushroom protein may be better for reducing cholesterol· Vitamin D₂ may help preserve honeymoon phase of type I diabetes· Chronic stress and inflammation linked to societal and environmental impacts in new study· 20% Drop in Post-Surgery Opioids With Simple, Safe Supplement· Couch potatoes may have smaller brains later in life· Eczema in Early Childhood May Influence Mental Health Later
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- Olive Oil Component Alleviates Intestinal Ischemia and Reperfusion
- Vegetarian Diet Reduces Risk Of Heart Disease By A Third
- Effect of Tai Chi vs Aerobic Exercise on Blood Pressure in Patients With Prehypertension
- Curcumin nanoemulsion is tested for treatment of intestinal inflammation
- Effect of Reiki Application on Menopausal Symptoms
- Sedentarianism Increases Risk of Mortality
HEALTH NEWS * Mushroom compound improves lifespan in mice * NMN's Anti-Aging Effects * Analysis reveals long-term impact of calcium and vitamin D supplements on health in postmenopausal women * Alteration of Gut Microbiota Affects the Severity and Complications of COVID-19 * Exploring the therapeutic potential of natural mushroom compounds to address psychiatric disorders * Exercise may slow progression of retinal degeneration
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· Nigella Sativa: A Natural Remedy for COVID-19 Backed by Randomized Controlled Trials· Study shows good sleep stimulates the immune system· Calcium, phosphorus, potassium lower in men with ED· Green tea ingredient may target protein to kill oral cancer cells· Green Light's Surprising Role in Combating Migraines· Fasting for three days can regenerate entire immune system, study finds
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· 5-HTP improves sleep, microbiome in older men and women· Hepatitis C linked to ink· Vitamin D deficiency is associated with inflammatory cytokine · One quarter of pregnant women may not be obtaining adequate omega-3 in metabolic syndrome, ED· Stress can be contagious: infants can catch it from their mothers
HEALTH NEWS
· Broccoli-derived compound could help prevent and treat stroke· Acts of Kindness Can Make You Happier· Research suggests prenatal carnitine supplementation could help prevent autism· Sweetened drinks linked to atrial fibrillation risk· Qigong Improves Quality of Life for Breast Cancer Patients, Study Suggests· Too little sleep raises risk of type 2 diabetes, suggests study
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· Food Syrup Matches Amphetamine for ADHD With Fewer Risks· Natural Remedy Effective for Respiratory Tract Infections· Study confirms benefits of auricular acupuncture to treat depression· Young people look, feel older when they're stressed· Bee’s Propolis Found to Combat Aluminum Toxicity and Much More · Study finds pesticide use linked to Parkinson's in Rocky Mountain, Great Plains region
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· Study finds daily fiber supplement improves older adults' brain function in just 12 weeks· Meta-analysis affirms benefits of Kaempferia parviflora in metabolic syndrome, ED· Empathy is something people can actually ‘transmit’ to others· Teens benefit from "forest bathing" – even in cities· More schooling is linked to slowed aging and increased longevity· Plant Compounds May Be Effective Alternative Treatment for Rosacea: New Review
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· Melatonin supplementation associated with lower markers of cardiometabolic risk in diabetics· Brisk Walking May Help Men With Prostate Cancer, Study Finds· Boiling tap water could remove up to 90% of the microplastics in it· Could Carrots Reduce Risk Of Type-2 Diabetes?· Abdominal fat can impact brain health and cognition in high Alzheimer’s risk individuals· Refrigerate lettuce to reduce risk of E. coli contamination, researchers say
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· Female ginseng could hold the key to new osteoporosis treatments· Omega-3 Fatty Acids for Depression in the Elderly and Patients with Dementia: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis· Sunlight exposure linked to improved fertility outcomes, study finds· High-intensity exercise can reverse neurodegeneration in Parkinson's, study suggests· Eating a healthy plant-based diet may make sleep apnea less likely· CBD found to ease anxiety without the risks of THC
HEALTH NEWS * Omega-3 outperforms other treatments for migraine prevention * Research suggests natural compound could be promising new alternative treatment for colon cancer * Physical fitness in adolescence linked to less atherosclerosis in middle age * New study indicates students' cognitive functioning improves when using standing desks * Melatonin may lower prostate cancer risk * Study suggests people in urban areas with more green space have better mental health
HEALTH NEWS
· Resveratrol, soy, vitamin E show promise against cellular senescence· Thyme Oil Can Inhibit COX2 and Suppress Inflammation· Mindfulness at work protects against stress and burnout · Research finds relaxing words heard during sleep can slow the heart down· Yoga Reduces Cytokine Levels Known to Promote Inflammation, Study Shows· Whether you exercise regularly or one-to-two days a week, weight loss is possible, shows study
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· Ginseng speeds up recovery and reduces muscle fatigue after exercise· Small Amount of Zinc Reduces DNA Damage· Unsaturated fats can help control damaging bouts of inflammation in colitis· Can yoga effectively treat chronic back pain?· Families of men with fertility problems show distinct patterns of increased risk for several types of cancer· Apple Extracts Remove Radiation: Chernobyl Survivors Show Protection Potential Amid Nuclear Fears
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· Reduced visceral fat associated with greater antioxidant intake· High Fiber Diet Could Inhibit Prostate Cancer Spread · New research finds microplastics in all human placenta samples tested· CoQ10 improves childhood autism symptoms· Study Suggests That Spirituality Is Key To Kids’ Happiness · Red light can reduce blood glucose levels, says study
HEALTH NEWS
- Green tea drinking linked with lower risk of cardiovascular disease in diabetics
- Herpes may double the risk of developing dementia
- Study shows physical activity can counteract the negative consequences of being alone
- Higher dietary nitrate and green leafy vegetable intake associated with lower risk of glaucoma
- New fasting-like diet could reverse your biological age, study claims
- Could ultra-processed foods be the new ‘silent’ killer?
HEALTH NEWS
- Why Turmeric May Be The Vegetarian’s Best Friend
- Paricalcitol, a vitamin d receptor activator, inhibits tumor formation of uterine fibroids
- American Academy of Pediatrics Advises Avoiding GMO Foods Due to Glyphosate Residues
- Revealing the gut's crucial role in lung disease
- Bach Flowers Prove Superior to Placebo for Obese Adults' Anxiety
- Study discovers molecular mechanism that could explain why eating too much protein is bad for your arteries
HEALTH NEWS
· Berberine Supplement Shows Promise for Pre-Diabetes Management: New Study· Study: Sesame oil found to promote bone health in post-menopausal women· CT scans ‘increase cancer risk’· Greater niacin intake linked with lower ED risk· Positive childhood relationships linked to improved adult mental health, study shows· Study finds neurological symptoms are not a direct result of SARS-CoV-2 infection of the brain
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· Natural Herbal HPV "Cure" Discovered· Associations between mango eaters and moms-to-be: better diets and improved nutrient intakes· Viral Infections Don’t Cause Neurological Damage Our Immune Responses Does· Cannabis Extract Kills Skin Cancer Cells, Study Reveals· Viral Infections Don't Cause Neurological Damage, Our Immune Responses Do· Impact of Silymarin Supplements on Liver Enzyme Levels
HEALTH NEWS
- Higher dietary niacin intake linked to lower COPD risk, study finds
- People in Europe ate seaweed for thousands of years before it largely disappeared from their diets – new research
- An alternate-day modified fasting diet improves premenstrual syndrome symptoms and health-related quality of life overweight women with premenstrual syndrome
- Higher intake of vitamin K1 associated with lower mortality risk during 15 years of follow-up
- A diet high in fish, cereals, omega-3 and folic acid reduces the probability of miscarriage by 13 to 15%
- Age when periods first start and early menopause linked to heightened COPD risk
HEALTH NEWS
· Kiwis Can Significantly Boost Your Mood In Just 4 Days· Plant-based diet tied to improved sexual health in men treated for prostate cancer· Modern parenting may hinder brain development, research shows· Acupuncture may curb heightened risk of stroke associated with rheumatoid arthritis· Study finds high levels of physical activity lower risk of developing COVID-19 infection and hospitalization· Exposure to Agent Orange damages brain tissue in ways similar to Alzheimer's disease, study reveals
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· Vitamin intake linked with lower stroke risk· Study suggests tai chi is better at reducing high blood pressure than aerobic exercise· Low selenium tied to throat, stomach cancers· Dancing may be better than other exercise for improving mental health· Newly discovered mechanism explains heightened risk for suicidal behavior among some contraceptive users· Natural Compound (Quercetin) Blocks Hepatitis C Infection
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· COVID Patients Recover 11 Days Sooner Thanks to Virgin Coconut Oil· Snacking On Nuts Doesn’t Lead To Weight Gain, Debunking Unhealthy Myth· Physical activity is insufficient to counter cardiovascular risk associated with sugar-sweetened beverage consumption· People in touch with their feelings have less belly fat· Green tea extract may boost short term memory: Pilot study data· Common Food Preservative In Beer And Cheese May Wreak Havoc On Your Gut
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· Adding omega-3 to the diet associated with lower risk of mortality during up to seven years of follow up· Study demonstrates antitumor action of substance present in Brazilian green propolis· Stress found to influence brain and psyche via immune system· Eating when we are not hungry is bad for our health· Reduced mineral intake linked to higher dementia risk· Study: Pregnant women should avoid ultraprocessed, fast foods
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· Greater vitamin E intake associated with lower lung cancer risk· Black Mulberry Leaf May Improve Menopausal Symptoms· BPA exposure during pregnancy causes oxidative stress in child, mother· Turkey Tail Mushroom Used to Help Immune System Fight Cancer· Europe-wide study finds gut microbiota predict severity of acute pancreatitis· Dietary vitamin E intake and risk of Parkinson's disease: a cross-sectional study
HEALTH NEWS
- Ginkgo improves stroke recovery
- Moringa Leaf Extract Outperforms Drug for Oral Precancer Lesions
- Warning Issued After Researchers Link Energy Drinks To Suicidal Thoughts In Children
- Do Cabbage Leaves Really Relieve Pain?
- A high-fiber diet may delay clinical onset of Huntington's disease, study indicates
- Gut bacteria can process dietary fiber into an anti-allergy weapon, finds new study
HEALTH NEWS
· Effects of Matcha green tea on heart rate variability and metabolic responses in young adult females· Cinnamon: A potent nutraceutical agent for the protection of the cardiovascular system· Exposure to even moderate levels of radon linked to increased risk of stroke· Playing an instrument linked to better brain health in older adults· Royal jelly improves learning and memory deficits in an amyloid β-induced model of Alzheimer's disease: Involvement of oxidative stress· When a stressful situation is perceived as a threat, health and wellbeing suffer
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· Eating more broccoli associated with decreased risk of premature mortality· N-acetylcysteine could decrease the need for pain relief following surgery· Emergence of taurine as a therapeutic agent for neurological disorders· Study urges people to think twice before going on a diet· Unveiling the Protective Power of Black Seed Oil Against Fluoride Toxicity· Analysis reveals a significant rise in use of complementary health approaches, especially for pain management
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- Tomato juice’s antimicrobial properties can kill salmonella
- Up to three daily servings of kimchi may lower men’s obesity risk
- Switching to vegan or ketogenic diet rapidly impacts immune system, study shows
- Scientists identify how fasting may protect against inflammation
- Vitamin C Boosts the Reprogramming of Adult Cells Into Stem Cells
- 33% Increased Dementia Risk for Long Term Users of Acid-Blockers
HEALTH NEWS
- Schisandra berries and astragalus root work in synergy to heal the liver - Study
- Blueberries Treat Widespread IBS Safely Where Drugs Fail
- Revolutionary Trial Favors Exercise Over NSAIDs For Knee Arthritis
- Nighttime electronic device use lowers melatonin levels
- How a walk in nature restores attention
- Exposure To Toxic Metals Accelerates Aging Of Women’s Ovaries, Study Warn
HEALTH NEWS
- When in Europe, search no further than black raspberries
- Study shows a drink before bed can cause reductions in REM sleep
- Supplement combo lowers Alzheimer's disease risk
- Physical exercise boosts motor learning – and remembering what one has learned
- Study explains why protein-poor diet during pregnancy increases risk of prostate cancer in offspring
- Writing by hand may increase brain connectivity more than typing on a keyboard
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· Pine bark extract improves blood vessel health, heals psoriasis and hemorrhoids· Lime Juice Shines Light for Sickle Cell Patients· Multi-generational toxicant exposures show cumulative, inherited health effects· Stressing Over Money Literally Makes You Sick· More than half of US adults don’t know heart disease is leading cause of death, despite 100-year reign· Researchers add to evidence that common bacterial cause of gum disease may drive rheumatoid arthritis
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· Study shows coconut oil can promote weight loss, reduce body fat and improve liver health· Adding zinc to the diet associated with reduced risk of Alzheimer disease· Medical Team's Support of Terminal Cancer Patients' Spiritual Needs Improves Quality of Life· Energy drinks linked to poor sleep quality and insomnia among college students· Pomegranates: Latest Weapon in the Fight Against MRSA· Study shows ginger is a potent natural anti-obesity agent
HEALTH NEWS
· Association found between dark chocolate consumption, reduced risk of essential hypertension· Research shows Lion’s mane mushroom can combat dementia and cognitive decline· Aerobic exercise can help fight liver diseases · Meditation Reduces Heart Disease Deaths· Refrigerated Fruit Loses Over 80 Percent of Its Antioxidants· Study: Sesame oil found to promote bone health in post-menopausal women
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· A handful of nuts a day reduces major disease risk: Review· Plant protein key to women’s long-term health, study reveals· Therapy vs. medication: Comparing treatments for depression in patients with heart failure· Does more outdoor light at night help cause macular degeneration?· Chinese licorice used in traditional medicine can prevent diabetes · Link Between Sleep Deprivation and Cell Damage on these Organs
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· Taking Vitamin D Supplements Regularly Reduces Risk Of Developing Melanoma, Study Says· Green Mediterranean Diet Twice As Effective At Preventing Blood Vessel Stiffness· Coming off antidepressants can trigger emotional and social difficulties alongside physical withdrawal symptoms· Study shows a single session of aerobic exercise improves blood pressure in rheumatoid arthritis patients· Capsaicin molecule inhibits growth of breast cancer cells· Higher acetaminophen intake in pregnancy linked to attention deficits in young children
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- Feeling old and blue? Green tea may help
- How Do You Slow Down Aging? Scientists Explain How Exercise Keeps You Young
- Almonds show prebiotic promise for the whole family
- Study shows that lack of free-time exercise significantly increases risk of cardiac death
- Has a High Dose of Vitamin D3 Impacted Health Conditions in Older Adults?—A Meta-Analysis on Dose 100,000 IU
- How gum disease aggravates chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
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· Higher vitamin C levels associated with lower kidney disease risk· Dopamine could explain why exercise helps boost your brain· Stress, via inflammation, is linked to metabolic syndrome· Yoga can have social benefits for children in care, says a new study· This One Thing Helps People Live Longer Than Anything Else· The health benefits of being outdoors
HEALTH NEWS· Researchers find Boswellia, an extract of frankincense, shows anti-cancer activity in small trial· Effects of Resveratrol on Polycystic Ovary Syndrome: A Double-blind, Randomized, Placebo-controlled Trial.· Neurological Adverse Reactions to SARS-CoV-2 Vaccines. “Affect the central or peripheral nervous system (CNS, PNS)”· Scientists identify how dietary restriction slows brain aging and increases lifespan· Perinatal depression linked to increased risk of death· War metaphors for cancer hurt certain prevention behaviors
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· Identical twin study reveals whether a vegan or meat-based diet is healthier· Natural compounds derived from soy and other plants reduce breast cancer recurrence and improve survival, research shows· Intermittent Fasting Found to Increase Cognitive Functions· More than 900 chemicals, many found in consumer products and the environment, display breast-cancer causing traits· Elite athletes may benefit from vitamin D· New study on ‘better-for-you’ beta glucans give oats a boost
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· Predominantly plant-based or vegetarian diet linked to 39% lower odds of COVID-19· Pumpkin Seed Oil Restores Female Hair Loss· Exposure to Residential Green Space and Bone Mineral Density in Young Children· Early menopause and HRT among hormonal factors linked to heightened rheumatoid arthritis risk· Little Known Chinese Herb & Iron Kill 98% of Cancer Cells in 16 Hours· Low fitness in youth increases the risk of cardiometabolic diseases in middle age
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· Black cumin seed lowers insulin, markers of inflammation in overweight women· Flaxseed oil improves cardiac function, decreases apoptosis, and suppresses miRNA-29b and miRNA 1 gene expression· Bottled water can contain hundreds of thousands of previously uncounted tiny plastic bits· 35 year study finds exercise reduces risk of dementia· Reduced microbiota diversity linked to colorectal cancer risk: Study· New Study Finds Magnesium Superior to Drug for Severe Asthma in Children
HEALTH NEWS
· A naturally-occurring molecule shows promise as effective first-line treatment for prostate cancer· Rye beats laxatives for constipation relief: Study· Does Cursive Writing Boost Brain Development and Make Us Smarter?· Study: Having This Device Nearby Can Give You Serious "Brain Drain"· Supplement Offers Hope for Parkinson’s Patients Plagued by Bad Dreams· Margarine Consumption Linked to Lower IQ of Children
HEALTH NEWS· Cacao Extract to Help Middle-Aged Women’s Mood States· Soy isoflavones may aid with sleep, says study · High folic acid and low B12 can affect fetal brain development in mice· Valuing your time more than money is linked to happiness· Even in midlife, disrupted sleep tied to memory, thinking problems later on· Vitamin D sufficiency associated with lower in-hospital and one-year mortality risk in rehab inpatients
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· New Research Offers “Glimmer of Hope” for Slowing ALS Through Vitamin Shots· Artificial Sweeteners Significantly Alter the Small Bowel Microbiome· Study finds high-fat diets impair immune, intestinal and brain health· Active Component of Grape Seed Extract Effective Against Cancer Cells· Cancer cells slurp up fructose, US study finds · Study: Acetaminophen use during pregnancy linked to language delays in children
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· Healthy omega-3 fats may slow deadly pulmonary fibrosis, research suggests· Honey & “Magic Seeds” Slashes COVID Death Rate by ~75%: Landmark Trial· Combine mindfulness with exercise for mental health boost in 2024 – study· Improving Memory Naturally: Sage Contains Similar Compounds as Modern Alzheimer’s Drugs· Yo-yo dieting might cause extra weight gain· High adolescent BMI increases the risk of early chronic kidney disease, large cohort study finds
HEALTH NEWS
· High-dose nicotinamide riboside found safe in trial of Parkinson's disease patients· Growth and spread of breast cancer may be fueled by high cholesterol· Vitamin D3 supplements shown to significantly improve autism symptoms· How Breathing Calms Your Brain, And Other Science-Based Benefits Of Controlled Breathing· Many ‘healthy’ people are vitamin K2 insufficient, says new study· Low-carbohydrate diets emphasizing healthy, plant-based sources associated with slower long-term weight gain
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- Vitamin D Decreases Pain in Women With Type 2 Diabetes, Depression
- Angelica gigas extract inhibits acetylation of eNOS in vascular dysfunction
- Materialism makes bad events even worse
- Could green vegetables boost efficacy of omega-3 supplements?
- Study reveals relationship of gut microbiome on children's brain development and function
- Destroying contaminants in baby formula with a touch of garlic
HEALTH NEWS
· Magnesium helps prevent amyloid beta aggregation in experimental research· Mindfulness meditation found to relieve the stress of waiting for bad news· High-fat diets in puberty linked to breast cancer· Fasting may improve gut microbiome balance in people with obesity· Constipation, depression, UTIs may be red flags for surprising autoimmune disease· Association between Seaweed Intake and Risk of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: A Prospective Cohort Study
HEALTH NEWS
· Diet rich in polyphenols might delay onset of Alzheimer’s· Fermented tea could help protect the liver from high-fat diet damage· Risk of young-onset dementia could be reduced through targeting health and lifestyle factors, finds study· ADHD raises risk for several mental health issues, study concludes· Study finds reading information aloud to yourself improves memory· Spiritual experiences activate brain reward circuits
HEALTH NEWS
· Why Turmeric May Be the Diseased Liver's Best Friend· Garlic and onions may reduce cholesterol gallstones: Study· Meditation improves link of well-being to telomerase· Study suggests serotonin loss may contribute to cognitive decline in the early stages of Alzheimer's disease· Want To Be Happier? Be More Grateful· Light physical activity shows promise in reversing childhood obesity caused by being sedentary
HEALTH NEWS
· New Study Shows Flaxseed and Diet Can Reduce Rheumatoid Arthritis Symptoms· Mediterranean diet ‘a straightforward approach’ among many nutritional options for improving the chance of success in IVF· Study associates higher acetaminophen use during pregnancy with language delays in early childhood· Chocolate eases chronic fatigue syndrome· Study uncovers link between air pollution and intellectual disabilities in children· Artery calcification more common in night owls, shows study
HEALTH NEWS
· Greater antioxidant intake linked with lower risk of glaucoma· Study finds natto consumption inhibits arteriosclerosis by altering intestinal microflora, suppressing inflammation· New study sheds light on the connection between the microbiome and kidney stones· Study backs acidity regulator for bone health benefits· Common Pain Medication Fuels Cancer Growth· Vinegar boosts good cholesterol levels
HEALTH NEWS
- Eating More Berries May Reduce Cognitive Decline in the Elderly
- Low vitamin D associated with increased inflammation in IBD
- Exposure to chemicals found in many household products can lower odds of getting pregnant
- Study shows the microbiome of fruit and vegetables positively influences diversity in the gut
- Inflammation linked to weakened reward circuits in depression
- Long-term antacid use linked to vitamin B12 deficiency
HEALTH NEWS
· Quercetin found to offer natural protection against influenza virus· Heavy metals in our food are most dangerous for kids· Wandering Minds Associated With Aging Cells· Mainstream medicine finally embracing the placebo effect as “real medicine”· Omega 3 can help children with ADD· Endocrine-disrupting chemicals found in menstrual products including tampons, pads, and liners
HEALTH NEWS
· Curcumin in turmeric found to suppress cancer growth in clinical trials· Study: D-mannose reduces age-triggered changes in urinary tract that increase susceptibility to UTIs· Eating meals early could reduce cardiovascular risk· Eating more nuts can help young adults avoid obesity and diabetes· Diet makes all the difference with pancreatic cancer risk· PFAS pollutants promote cancer cell migration: Study
HEALTH NEWS
- Study: Citrus fruits can help you maintain healthy cognitive function as you age
- Yoga nidra might be a path to better sleep and improved memory
- American Academy of Pediatrics advises avoiding GMO foods where practical due to glyphosate residues
- Multiple periods of loneliness may add up to higher mortality risk
- Japanese black vinegar found to be effective against metabolic syndrome
- With Endometrial (Uterine) Cancer on the Rise, the Science Points to an Association with Pesticides
HEALTH NEWS
· New study explores ways to reduce inflammation and preserve bone health with prunes· Ashwagandha root extracts shows anti-aging effect: Cell study· New evidence suggests link between gut health and Parkinson's disease· Japanese researchers say that ultrasound therapy can be used to treat patients with dementia· Review supports exercise plus nutrients for menopausal women
HEALTH NEWS
· Research shows CBD reduces inflammation in HIV-infected brain cells· Healthy plant-based diet reduces diabetes risk by 24 per cent· Early childhood fish consumption may protect against neurodevelopmental delays· Transcendental Meditation significantly reduced PTSD and anxiety in frontline nurses during COVID-19 pandemic by more than half over a 3-month period· Light therapy may improve symptoms of Alzheimer's disease· Oat oil preparation makes you feel fuller
Rachael Collins is the Chief Inspiration Officer of Partners in Prosperity, a business improvement consulting service she has run since 1988. Rachael received her degree at an ivy league university and a masters degree in organizational development and has helped business leaders effectively run their companies and serve clients. Following an automobile accident that left her permanently disabled and resulting in bankruptcy and homelessness, Rachael turned her attention full time as a pro bono social justice warrior confronting corporate corruption and their crimes against humanity, in particular the epidemic of industrial toxic contamination and its adverse impact on human health, communities and the environment. She is currently involved in the widespread contamination of the city of Cottonwood, New Mexico and the serious cost of human health from the Minerals Research Inc's mining waste refining operations. Her website is CottonwoodContamination.com.
HEALTH NEWS
- Turmeric may be as good for treating indigestion as drug to curb excess stomach acid
- Large amounts of sedentary time linked with higher risk of dementia in older adults, study shows
- Listening to yoga music at bedtime is good for the heart
- Treating arthritis with algae
- Moderate physical activity linked with 50 percent reduction in cardiovascular death in over-65s
- Your body's own cannabinoid molecules may calm you during stress
HEALTH NEWS
- Greater antioxidant intake linked with lower risk of gout
- Reduced vitamin D levels linked with low ovarian reserves
- Healthy lifestyle can help prevent depression: New research may explain why
- Hobbies linked to lower depression levels among older people
- Sorghum bran packs bigger punch than whole grain
- Poverty during pregnancy causes high cortisol levels which are passed to fetus
HEALTH NEWS
- Urolithin A reverses blood stem cell decline
- Researchers explain plant’s medicinal power against COVID and glioblastoma
- Exercising immediately after study may help you remember
- Study finds vaping renders frontline immune cells unable to move to meet threats
- Drinking green tea to prevent artery explosion
- Music More Effective Than Drugs At Releasing Brain's Painkillers
HEALTH NEWS
· Vitamin C and D associated with fewer complications in leukemia patients· The Effects of the Oyster Mushroom on Glycemic Control · Is Diet to Blame for Rising Cancer Rates Among Younger People?· Study: Breath-focused practices help alleviate symptoms of ADHD and cognitive decline· Anti-aging tricks from dietary supplement seen in mice· Low vitamin D tied to dry eye syndromes
HEALTH NEWS
· Berry eaters may be at lower risk of diabetes: Meta-analysis· Unhealthy diet during pregnancy could be linked to ADHD· Brain waves of distressed patients slow to meditative state as violist plays, study finds· Common plastics chemical could harm boys' development· Is Modern living leading to a ‘hidden epidemic’ of neurological disease? · Calcium-rich fermented foods preferred in improving bone and heart health, study says
HEALTH NEWS
· Study finds greater omega-3 fatty acid intake linked with lower atrial fibrillation risk· Placebo effect demonstrates healing power of the mind· Di-isononyl phthalate disrupts pregnancy in mice, study finds· Consuming highly refined carbohydrates increases risk of depression · CBD carries powerful anti-inflammatory benefits, study shows· Rapid aging of the thymus linked to decline in free radical defenses
HEALTH NEWS
· The anti-depressive effects of the chili pepper· Antioxidants in fruit boosts immunity and protects thymus gland · 30 Minutes of Reading a Day Could Add Years to Your Life· Could time-restricted eating help manage Alzheimer's symptoms?· Modern Processed Diets Are Coding DNA and Gut Bacteria To Pass On Poor Immune Functions To Our Children· Screen time is contributing to chronic sleep deprivation in tweens and teens
HEALTH NEWS
- Preclinical research suggests flavonoid could benefit Alzheimer disease patients
- Barefoot is Better! Modern Day Shoes Unhealthy
- Ginkgo may enhance performance, boost brain health for active men
- Study finds high blood and urinary metal levels among exclusive marijuana users
- Could body posture during sleep affect how your brain clears waste?
- Regular energy drink use linked to later drug use among young adults
HEALTH NEWS
- Researchers propose new treatment to prevent kidney stones – HCA in Garcinia Cambogia
- High-fat diets alter gut bacteria, boosting colorectal cancer risk in mice
- Study: How cardio fitness and rigorous exercise counteract cognitive decline
- The starch risk to teeth
- Pomegranate improves synaptic function in experimental model of Alzheimer's disease
- Produce prescription programs yield positive health benefits for participants, study finds
HEALTH NEWS
- Real veggies fight real migrain
- Vitamin C supplements may boost activity levels & reduce colds in young me
- Mask study suggests N95 Covid masks may expose wearers to dangerous level of toxic compounds linked to seizures and cancer
- Sun exposure cuts the risk of certain cancers in half
- Organic diets reduce glyphosate exposure for pregnant people: Study
- Exposure to inflammatory bowel disease drugs could increase leukemia risk
HEALTH NEWS
- Real veggies fight real migrain
- Vitamin C supplements may boost activity levels & reduce colds in young me
- Mask study suggests N95 Covid masks may expose wearers to dangerous level of toxic compounds linked to seizures and cancer
- Sun exposure cuts the risk of certain cancers in half
- Organic diets reduce glyphosate exposure for pregnant people: Study
- Exposure to inflammatory bowel disease drugs could increase leukemia risk
Celia Farber is an independent investigative journalist who has been published in Harpers, Esquire, Rolling Stone, Spin and many others. Since 1987, she has covered the HIV and AIDS controversy extensively. Activist Michael Callen called Farber "the best AIDS journalist in the world." Her 2006 article for Harper's magazine detailing the totalitarian corruption of HIV/AIDS research was titled "Out of Control: AIDS And The Corruption of Medical Science." The attacks from the AIDS industry were predictable and fierce. In 2008 she was awarded the Semmelweis Clean Hands Award for Outstanding Investigative Journalism. A new revised edition of her book "Serious Adverse Events: An Uncensored History of AIDS," is being rereleased with a forward by Mark Crispin Miller and endorsed by Bobby Kennedy Jr. Her website and blog is The Truth Barrier at CeliaFarber.Substack.com
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- Protein at all 3 meals may help preserve seniors' strength
- Worrying about climate change is damaging the mental health of young people
- Your soap and toothpaste could be messing with your microbiome
HEALTH NEWS
· Vitamin D supplementation was found to improve more than 1.5 fold survival of cancers of the digestive tract · Soy-rich diet before menopause 'could benefit heart health' · Endurance exercises might play role in regulating telomere transcription · Grow-your-own households eat more fruit and vegetables and waste less · Mammograms Leading to Widespread Overdiagnosis -- Unnecessary Treatment -- In Older Women, NCI Study Reveals · Sandalwood scent facilitates wound healing and skin regeneration
HEALTH NEWS
· Intermittent fasting improves Alzheimer’s pathology · Melatonin and its derivatives found to enhance long-term object recognition memory · Heat therapy boosts mitochondrial function in muscles · Too young for arthritis? 15% of global population over age 30 have condition · Decreased acetyl-L-carnitine levels associated with depression · Floatation Therapy for Specific Health Concerns
Intermittent fasting improves Alzheimer’s pathology
University of California San Diego School of Medicine, August 21, 2023
One of the hallmarks of Alzheimer’s disease is disruption to the body’s circadian rhythm, the internal biological clock that regulates many of our physiological processes. Nearly 80% of people with Alzheimer’s experience these issues, including difficulty sleeping and worsening cognitive function at night. However, there are no existing treatments for Alzheimer’s that target this aspect of the disease.
A new study from researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine has shown in mice that it is possible to correct the circadian disruptions seen in Alzheimer’s disease with time-restricted feeding, a type of intermittent fasting focused on limiting the daily eating window without limiting the amount of food consumed.
In the study, published in Cell Metabolism, mice that were fed on a time-restricted schedule showed improvements in memory and reduced accumulation of amyloid proteins in the brain. The authors say the findings will likely result in a human clinical trial.
“Circadian disruptions in Alzheimer’s are the leading cause of nursing home placement,” said Desplats. “Anything we can do to help patients restore their circadian rhythm will make a huge difference in how we manage Alzheimer’s in the clinic and how caregivers help patients manage the disease at home.”
Compared to control mice who were provided food at all hours, mice fed on the time-restricted schedule had better memory, were less hyperactive at night, followed a more regular sleep schedule and experienced fewer disruptions during sleep. The test mice also performed better on cognitive assessments than control mice, demonstrating that the time-restricted feeding schedule was able to help mitigate the behavioral symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease.
The researchers also observed improvements in the mice on a molecular level. In mice fed on a restricted schedule, the researchers found that multiple genes associated with Alzheimer’s and neuroinflammation were expressed differently. They also found that the feeding schedule helped reduce the amount of amyloid protein that accumulated in the brain. Amyloid deposits are one of the most well-known features of Alzheimer’s disease.
Melatonin and its derivatives found to enhance long-term object recognition memory Sophia University (Japan), August 21, 2023
Multiple studies have demonstrated the memory-enhancing effects of melatonin and its derivatives in animal models. It is also known that the formation of both short- and long-term memories require the phosphorylation of certain memory-related proteins.
However, the molecular mechanisms underlying melatonin-induced memory enhancement have remained elusive. Now, medical researchers from Sophia University, Japan, have made important findings that contribute significantly to the elucidation of the underlying mechanisms in a recent article that was published NeuroReport on June 7, 2023.
The research team, which included Dr. Masahiro Sano (currently affiliated with Tohoku University) and Dr. Hikaru Iwashita (currently affiliated with Kansai Medical University), examined the effects of three compounds on memory formation; these compounds were melatonin, a hormone secreted by the pineal gland located in the brain; N1-acetyl-5-methoxyquinuramine (AMK), melatonin's biological metabolite; and ramelteon, a drug that binds and activates the melatonin receptor.
Initial experiments conducted on male mice clearly showed that the administration of melatonin, ramelteon, or AMK at a dose of 1 mg/kg facilitated the formation of long-term memory. The researchers did not investigate the effects of the three compounds on female mice to avoid any likely data variability resulting from the reproductive cycles occurring in female mammals.
Prof. Chiba concludes, "Our findings suggest that melatonin is involved in promoting the formation of long-term object recognition memory by modulating the phosphorylation levels of memory-related proteins such as ERK, CaMKIIs, and CREB in both receptor-mediated and nonreceptor-mediated signaling pathways."
Heat therapy boosts mitochondrial function in muscles
Brigham Young University, July 31, 2023
A new study finds that long-term heat therapy may increase mitochondrial function in the muscles. The discovery could lead to new treatments for people with chronic illness or disease.
Mitochondria, the "energy centers" of the cells, are essential for maintaining good health. Exercise has been shown to create new mitochondria and improve function of existing mitochondria. However, some people with chronic illnesses are not able to exercise long enough--previous research suggests close to two hours daily--to reap the benefits. Rodent studies have suggested that heat exposure may also induce the production of more mitochondria.
Researchers from Brigham Young University in Utah studied 20 adult volunteers who had not participated in regular exercise in the three months prior to the study. The research team applied two hours of shortwave diathermy--a type of heat therapy generated by electrical pulses--to the thigh muscles of one leg of each person every day. The researchers based the six-day trial of heat on the minimum amount of exercise needed to measure changes in muscle, or about two hours each day. They designed the treatment to mimic the effects of muscle heating that occurs during exercise.
Mitochondrial function increased by an average of 28 percent in the heated legs after the heat treatment. The concentration of several mitochondrial proteins also increased in the heated legs, which suggests that "in addition to improving function, [repeated exposure to heat] increased mitochondrial content in human skeletal muscle," the research team wrote.
"Our data provide evidence to support further research into the mechanisms of heat-induced mitochondrial adaptations," the researchers explained. People who are not able to exercise for long periods of time due to their health may benefit from [heat] treatments.
Too young for arthritis? 15% of global population over age 30 have condition
Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (US), August 21, 2023
Arthritis is just a problem for the elderly, right? Not so fast. A recent study finds that osteoarthritis affects 15 percent of individuals over the age of 30 worldwide. Contributing factors include obesity, as well as an aging and growing global population. Remarkably, excess weight is responsible for 20 percent of these cases. Moreover, for those over 70, osteoarthritis ranks as the seventh leading cause of years people live with a disability.
Experts forecast that by 2050, one billion people will be afflicted by this condition. Women tend to be more susceptible than men. The most commonly impacted areas include the hands, hips, knees, and other joints like the shoulders and elbows. By 2050, estimates predict a 78.6-percent increase in hip pain cases, 75 percent in the knee, 50 percent in the hand, and a staggering 95.1-percent increase in other areas.
This research, led by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) in Seattle, assessed three decades of osteoarthritis data from over 200 countries. In 1990, the global count was 256 million individuals with osteoarthritis. By 2020, this number skyrocketed to 595 million, marking a 132-percent increase from 1990. The dramatic rise can be attributed to three primary causes: aging, population growth, and the obesity epidemic.
The team’s findings underscored the mounting influence of obesity over time as its rates have soared. They estimate that effectively addressing obesity could reduce the osteoarthritis burden by one-fifth.
Decreased acetyl-L-carnitine levels associated with depression
Stanford University, July 30 2023 An article that appeared in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences reported a link between low levels of acetyl-L-carnitine and a greater risk of depression.
Acting on the findings of animal research conducted by lead author Carla Nasca, PhD, the researchers recruited men and women between the ages of 20 and 70 years who had been admitted to Weill Cornell Medicine or Mount Sinai School of Medicine for treatment of acute depression. Clinical assessments were conducted upon enrollment and blood samples were analyzed for levels of acetyl-L-carnitine.
In comparison with levels measured in blood samples provided by 45 demographically matched healthy men and women, acetyl-L-carnitine blood levels in depressed subjects were substantially lower. Acetyl-L-carnitine levels were lowest among depressed patients who had severe symptoms, a history of treatment resistance, or early onset disease. Having a history of childhood abuse was also associated with low acetyl-L-carnitine levels.
"We've identified an important new biomarker of major depression disorder,” Dr Rasgon stated. “We didn't test whether supplementing with that substance could actually improve patients' symptoms. What's the appropriate dose, frequency, duration? This is the first step toward developing that knowledge, which will require large-scale, carefully controlled clinical trials."
Floatation Therapy for Specific Health Concerns
Medical University of South Carolina, August 6, 2023
We conducted a search of multiple databases using the following search terms: float, floatation therapy, floatation REST, isolation tank, stress, relaxation response, magnesium sulfate, transdermal magnesium, cortisol, pain, depression, anxiety, sleep, and addiction. The reviewed studies revealed benefits of floating, specifically regarding participants experiencing muscular pain, depression, anxiety, stress, and sleep disorders. Long-term benefits appear variable.
Traditionally, isolation tanks are enclosed to inhibit light and sound as much as possible and reduce all incoming stimuli. The float experience minimizes sensory signals including visual, auditory, olfactory, thermal, tactile, and gravitational. The studies discussed were conducted with the combination of water and Epsom salt. The salt-saturated water in most commercial centers is cleaned with a filtration system that runs between each session, in addition to manual skimming and treatment with ultraviolet light, hydrogen peroxide, and ozone. Generally, a float session lasts for 60 minutes, although it can be shorter or longer. The benefits of magnesium sulfate (MgSO4), better known as Epsom salt, are well known. The World Health Organization (WHO) lists it as an essential medication. A proposed mechanism of action of the aforementioned benefits of floatation therapy lies in the transdermal absorption of MgSO4. Given the selectivity of the stratum corneum layer of the skin and the ionic nature of elemental magnesium, it appears that specific lipophilic carriers are required for MgSO4 to cross the dermal layer into the circulation.
Among the benefits the analysis of studies suggest include:
Pain: Kjellgren and colleagues found a significant improvement with floatation therapy in those who experienced the most intense muscle pain (P=0.004), but there was no benefit found in participants who experienced lower levels of pain. There were 37 participants in this study, all of whom had chronic muscular pain of the neck and back regions. Individuals floated 9 times during a 3-week period. Of the 32 participants in this study, 22% became pain-free, 56% had improvement of pain, 19% experienced no increase or decrease of pain, and 3% experienced worsening of pain.
Depression and Anxiety: At the Laureate Institute for Brain Research in Tulsa, Oklahoma, researchers have extensively studied floatation therapy, particularly in the areas of depression and generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). One study involving 50 participants at LIBR examined the anxiolytic and antidepressant effects of floating. Results showed a significant reduction in anxiety among participants, regardless of gender. All changes were significant. Anxiety and stress-related disorders in this study included post-traumatic stress disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder, agoraphobia, and social anxiety disorder. In addition to reduced anxiety, there was a significant improvement in mood characterized by “serenity, relaxation, happiness, positive affect, overall well-being, energy levels, and feeling refreshed, content and peaceful.”
Stress: Research generally finds floatation therapy to be beneficial for stress reduction. The relaxation response (which is associated with the parasympathetic nervous system) occurs when floating, lowering blood pressure and lowering cortisol levels in some studies.
Sleep: People have used floatation therapy to aid with sleep. Since magnesium is a common supplement used to aid with sleep, this is a logical area of float research interest. In a study looking at 19 athletes and floating, participants not only had improved athletic performance recovery, but also experienced significant improvements in having “deeper sleep, fewer awakenings during the night, and a sense of renewed energy upon awakening in the morning.”
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https://www.zerohedge.com/covid-19/fda-drops-ivermectin-bombshell
https://www.lewrockwell.com/2023/08/no_author/indoctrination-intimidation-intolerance-what-passes-for-education-today/
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HEALTH NEWS
· Fermented red clover extract stops menopausal hot flushes and symptoms · Resveratrol, quercetin could provide new options for cancer therapy · World's largest study shows the more you walk, the lower your risk of death, even if you walk fewer than 5,000 steps · Brains of overweight people 'ten years older' than lean counterparts at middle-age · Soy protein found to deplete testosterone in men · Study shows endometriosis is linked to higher risk of depression, anxiety, eating disorders
Fermented red clover extract stops menopausal hot flushes and symptoms Aarhus University (Denmark), July 24, 2023
The vast majority of women in the menopause are familiar with the status of Red Clover as an herbal medicine that soothes hot flush symptoms and hormonal fluctuations. This holds true, new research shows, if the red clover is taken in a fermented form. Fermented Red Clover extract is demonstrated to decrease significantly both the number and severity of daily hot flushes.
The study also found that the extract prevents the normally accelerated menopausal bone loss affecting one in three women over the age of 50 (e.g. results showed treatment blunted bone loss in the spine completely). These findings are very promising as the benefits take place without any of the side effects of traditionally proscribed hormone therapies that increase the risk of cancers and cardiovascular diseases.
"It is the fermentation process of the Red Clover extract that makes the difference, as the lactic acid fermentation increases the bioavailability of the bioactive estrogen-like compounds (known as isoflavones or phytoestrogens) that Red Clover has in abundance," explains Max Norman Tandrup Lambert.
"The challenge with isoflavones is that they can be difficult to digest as they naturally occur in the plant bound to sugar molecules which prevent absorption. Hence, a large proportion of the isoflavones that are consumed (e.g. as a pill or capsule) can pass through the intestine without entering circulation. This problem is bypassed when the Red Clover extract undergoes a fermentation process. To be technical the process separates the sugar molecules from the isoflavones, thereby increasing bioavailability," explains Max Norman Tandup Lambert.
A studyrecruited 130 women with menopause symptoms, of which 60 were selected based on criteria of at least five severe hot flushes per day and blood tests (including FSH, that indicates the "stage" of menopause).
"The women were separated into two groups of 30, so 30 drank 150ml Red Clover extract per day for 12 weeks, whilst the other 30 drank a masked placebo product. After 12 weeks we tested again and were speechless about the data. There was a much greater effect than we had hoped for." Says Max Norman Tandrup Lambert.
Resveratrol, quercetin could provide new options for cancer therapy
Oregon State University, July 16, 2023
Resveratrol and quercetin, two polyphenols that have been widely studied for their health properties, may soon become the basis of an important new advance in cancer treatment, primarily by improving the efficacy and potential use of an existing chemotherapeutic cancer drug.
In laboratory experiments, researchers at Oregon State University have developed a system to increase the bioavailability of these compounds in the body by using "copolymers" that make them water soluble and allow their injection into the blood stream, creating levels that are far higher than could ever be obtained by diet or oral intake.
The resveratrol and quercetin then appear to reduce the cardiac toxicity of a very widely used cancer drug, Adriamycin. Although highly effective in the treatment of lymphomas, breast, ovarian and other cancers, Adriamycin can only be used for a limited time in humans because of its cardiotoxicity.
The co-administration of these polyphenols might allow much more extensive use of this drug, while at the same time improving its efficacy and demonstrating the polyphenols' own anti-cancer properties, scientists said.
Findings on this research have been published in the Journal of Controlled Release, by scientists from the College of Pharmacy at Oregon State University and the School of Pharmacy at Pacific University. Both institutions supported the research.
"The co-administration of high levels of resveratrol and quercetin, in both in vitro and in vivo studies, shows that it significantly reduces the cardiac toxicity of Adriamycin," Alani said. "And these compounds have a synergistic effect that enhances the efficacy of the cancer drug, by sensitizing the cancer cells to the effects of the drug."
It's possible, Alani said, that after further research it could be demonstrated that use of these compounds can completely eliminate the cardiotoxicity of Adriamycin, as they scavenge the toxic free radicals produced by use of this drug. It's also possible, he said, that administration of these natural polyphenols could have value in cancer therapy by themselves, or in combination with a wider range of other chemotherapeutic drugs.
World's largest study shows the more you walk, the lower your risk of death, even if you walk fewer than 5,000 steps
Medical University of Lodz (Poland) & Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, August 8, 2023
The number of steps you should walk every day to start seeing benefits to your health is lower than previously thought, according to the largest analysis to investigate this.
The study, published in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology, found that walking at least 3967 steps a day started to reduce the risk of dying from any cause, and 2337 steps a day reduced the risk of dying from diseases of the heart and blood vessels (cardiovascular disease).
However, the new analysis of 226,889 people from 17 different studies around the world has shown that the more you walk, the greater the health benefits. The risk of dying from any cause or from cardiovascular disease decreases significantly with every 500 to 1000 extra steps you walk. An increase of 1000 steps a day was associated with a 15% reduction in the risk of dying from any cause, and an increase of 500 steps a day was associated with a 7% reduction in dying from cardiovascular disease.
The researchers, led by Maciej Banach, Professor of Cardiology at the Medical University of Lodz, Poland, and Adjunct Professor at the Ciccarone Center for the Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, found that even if people walked as many as 20,000 steps a day, the health benefits continued to increase. They have not found an upper limit yet.
"Our study confirms that the more you walk, the better," says Prof. Banach. "We found that this applied to both men and women, irrespective of age, and irrespective of whether you live in a temperate, sub-tropical or sub-polar region of the world, or a region with a mixture of climates. In addition, our analysis indicates that as little as 4,000 steps a day are needed to significantly reduce deaths from any cause, and even fewer to reduce deaths from cardiovascular disease."
There is strong evidence that a sedentary lifestyle may contribute to an increase in cardiovascular disease and a shorter life. Studies have shown that insufficient physical activity affects more than a quarter of the world's population. More women than men (32% versus 23%), and people in higher income countries compared to low-income countries (37% versus 16%) do not undertake a sufficient amount of physical activity.
The studies analyzed by the researchers followed up participants for a median (average) of seven years. The mean (average) age was 64, and 49% of participants were female.
In people aged 60 years or older, the size of the reduction in risk of death was smaller than that seen in people aged younger than 60 years. In the older adults, there was a 42% reduction in risk seen in those who walked between 6,000 and 10,000 steps a day, while there was a 49% reduction in risk in younger adults who walked between 7,000 and 13,000 steps a day.
Brains of overweight people 'ten years older' than lean counterparts at middle-age
University of Cambridge, August 4, 2023
From middle-age, the brains of obese individuals display differences in white matter similar to those in lean individuals ten years their senior, according to new research led by the University of Cambridge. White matter is the tissue that connects areas of the brain and allows for information to be communicated between regions.
Our brains naturally shrink with age, but scientists are increasingly recognising that obesity - already linked to conditions such as diabetes, cancer and heart disease - may also affect the onset and progression of brain ageing; however, direct studies to support this link are lacking.
The team studied data from 473 individuals between the ages of 20 and 87, recruited by the Cambridge Centre for Aging and Neuroscience. The researchers divided the data into two categories based on weight: lean and overweight. They found striking differences in the volume of white matter in the brains of overweight individuals compared with those of their leaner counterparts. Overweight individuals had a widespread reduction in white matter compared to lean people.
They discovered that an overweight person at, say, 50 years old had a comparable white matter volume to a lean person aged 60 years, implying a difference in brain age of 10 years. Strikingly, however, the researchers only observed these differences from middle-age onwards, suggesting that our brains may be particularly vulnerable during this period of ageing.
"As our brains age, they naturally shrink in size, but it isn't clear why people who are overweight have a greater reduction in the amount of white matter," says first author Dr Lisa Ronan from the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Cambridge, "We can only speculate on whether obesity might in some way cause these changes or whether obesity is a consequence of brain changes."
Soy protein found to deplete testosterone in men
University of Connecticut, July 27, 2023
The health detriments of soy consumption are reiterated in a new study out of the University of Connecticut that highlights the importance of avoiding soy at all costs. Researchers from the school found that men who consume soy protein rather than whey protein for muscle recovery and growth experience considerable reductions in their testosterone levels, as well as marked increases in levels of the stress hormone cortisol.
Published in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition (JACN), the randomized, placebo-controlled crossover study looked at how soy supplementation affects testosterone, cortisol and sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) levels in men who engage in resistance exercises and training. They compared these effects to those brought about in men who supplement with whey.
For the research, 10 resistance-trained men in their early 20s had their hormones evaluated in conjunction with an assigned supplemental diet. The men were divided into three groups: one receiving whey protein isolate, one receiving soy protein isolate and the last receiving a maltodextrin-based placebo control. The men were not allowed to take any other supplements, and vegetarians, vegans and individuals who were consuming high-protein diets were excluded.
For two weeks, the men were told to ingest 20 grams of their assigned supplement every morning at the same time. The participants were then instructed to perform six sets of heavy resistance squats at 10 reps each, exerting 80 percent of their maximum lifting weight. At the end of the 14-day period, the researchers collected hormone profiles from each of the men and made comparisons.
They found that, compared to the men who supplemented with whey, those taking soy did not necessarily produce more estrogen. They did, however, experience decreased testosterone levels and elevated cortisol levels, a deadly combination that can leave men at risk of disease and weight gain.
Lowered testosterone levels and elevated cortisol levels are also generally attributed to the feminization phenomenon occurring in men that sometimes leads to disorders like nipple discharge, breast enlargement and hot flashes. It can also lead to inhibited thyroid function, bone loss, sleeping disorders, decreased sex function and reproductive problems.
Study shows endometriosis is linked to higher risk of depression, anxiety, eating disorders Yale University, August 7, 2023
Endometriosis is not just a condition that affects the pelvis, but a systemic disease that involves the entire body. Now, the largest epidemiological study to date on the psychiatric factors that can accompany endometriosis has demonstrated that depression, anxiety, and eating disorders are not only a result of the chronic pain endometriosis generates, but also have their own underlying genetic mechanisms. The team published its findings in JAMA Network Open.
"The relationship between endometriosis and mental health is more complicated than we expected," says Renato Polimanti, Ph.D., associate professor of psychiatry and the study's principal investigator. "The biological basis is not just chronic pain, and there is much more that we need to understand."
Endometriosis is an extremely painful condition in which tissue similar to the lining of the uterus (endometrium) grows outside the uterus. The disease manifests in a wide array of symptoms including pelvic, abdominal, and low back pain, heavy bleeding, painful sexual intercourse, painful urination and bowel movements, constipation or diarrhea, bloating, nausea, fatigue, and infertility.
In this new study, the Yale research team obtained data from the UK Biobank which included more than 8,200 patients with endometriosis and 194,000 healthy controls.
First, they investigated if depression, anxiety, and eating disorders were more prevalent in those with endometriosis, accounting for chronic pain, socioeconomic status, age, body mass index, various medications, and co-morbid conditions. They found that having endometriosis significantly increases the odds of having these three psychiatric conditions.
through running a genetic correlation analysis, they found a significantly high genetic correlation between endometriosis and each of the three disorders.
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https://brownstone.org/articles/the-censors-henchmen/?utm_medium=onesignal&utm_source=push
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tuyu7IKg95U
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Survival in the New Woke Order Authors Richard Gale and Dr. Gary Null
“We have this ability in Lake Wobegon to look reality right in the eye and deny it.”
-- Garrison Keillor
Keen observers of history realize that the US and the West have entered a new Dark Age. The light of reason and the capacities for critical thought are rapidly being snuffed out by widespread emotional immaturity. The erosion of American culture has largely been the result of a decades’ long merger of adolescent attitudes and the corporate commodification of human life and values. Mass culture, Hannah Arendt observed, was not culture but personal entertainment, or better stated self-aggrandizement. Our civilizational collapse into intellectual darkness and the catastrophic failure in democracy were presciently predicted by many of our wisest cultural critics such as Lewis Lapham, Morris Berman, and Robert Kaplan two decades ago. Likewise, earlier works of science fiction such as Fahrenheit 451, The Perfect Day and The Canticle for Leibowitz describe not only the dystopian triumph of a puerile citizenry blindly subservient to the tricks and treats disbursed by an elite corporate and political class, but also the consequences of the intentional disorientation of a distracted human mind. Aldous Huxley perfectly predicted our times in Brave New World. Hungarian-born journalist and author Arthur Koestler (d. 1983) envisioned a future America being populated with human automatons in a replay of the fall of the Roman Empire; at such time the US will have turned into a “soulless, politically corrupt, everybody-for-himself civilization.” Although these modern critics and fiction authors may not have foreseen the exact structures and popular social values society has now transitioned into, such as the worst expressions of critical race theory’s inverted racism, institutionalized woke culture, endemic mental disorders, and growing gender dysphoria, they nevertheless accurately observed the trends that have led America to this impasse of moral anarchy.
Critical race theory and the woke movement will never democratize society; rather it will further erode universal ethical norms to a cacophony of subjective emotions and aberrant personal beliefs felt at any given moment. These mythologies about race and gender, which are mistaken for hard truths, now permeate our elementary schools and universities, which are being fashioned into what Morris Berman calls “a gigantic dolt-manufacturing machine.” And the global elite, political legislators and pseudo-intellectuals dominating our educational institutions, willingly or not, declare this feat of social deterioration as a political victory.
At the core of our society’s collective daze in the marketplace of frivolous pursuits resides a deep existential emptiness. In particular this vacuity of a life enriched by meaning and purpose is being acted out by the younger generations. In 2022, the national suicide rate again rose to 14.3 suicides per 100,000; two years earlier 5.2 million either planned or attempted to take their lives. The prevalence of gender dysphoria continues to rise significantly and starts at younger ages. Although the percentage of people either professionally or self diagnosed, with gender dysphoria remains very small, it has nevertheless been raised to a level of national priority at the expense of other mentally and physically handicapped persons that make up 27 percent of the population.
This brief reference above noting the consequences of the dark abyss at the center of American culture only highlights a small sliver of the consequences of the intellectual ignorance underlying critical race theory and woke culture. During the past five years, there has been an aggressive encroachment of woke and postmodern race ideologies into every aspect of society: local school boards, college campuses, corporations’ human resources, and the halls of federal and state legislative bodies. The leaders of this trend are by no means our culture’s best and brightest; rather those are the first to find themselves cancelled or handed their termination papers. Rather it is the activists who shout the loudest who manage to be heard. Those of us who critically recognize social dynamics observe this hysterical phenomenon with credulous amusement. When Tucker Carlson reports about a woman who wouldn’t change a baby’s diaper unless she received the infant’s permission, the sane among us step back and wonder what the hell is going on. Self-righteous university students demand professors abide by their demands and teach only what they want. Those teachers who stand up for educational integrity and the teaching profession’s tradition, are ostracized. Students petition college administrators to have dissenting un-woke professors fired.
What is especially notable is how rapidly this raging woke and inverse racist movement has become incorporated into our public and private institutions. This includes the adolescent tantrums by political parties to censor their opponents, pass laws banning certain kinds of free speech and the gradual erasure of social norms of binding relationships that fueled the founding of the nation. None of this could have happened if the majority of Americans were not asleep. In the twenty-first century we can agree that equality is crucial for harmonizing the historical aberrations such as slavery and the denigration of women and gays that have haunted us through the generations. Everyone should be able to have the opportunity to succeed in reaching their goals. However, despite the new woke and critical race movements’ condemnation of meritocracy, its followers demand the same out come.
Of course, once Rome passed a certain threshold after several centuries of decline, its final collapse accelerated quickly. This is the nature of entropy. Aside from the enormous disparity in wealth between Rome’s social classes, a perpetual war economy, widespread political corruption and the decline in literacy, Roman society was also plagued by a mental virus of magical thinking and superstition. In our own time, the level of American illiteracy is astounding. The average American likewise lives in a garbage heap of superstitious hopes for a utopian carnival where a superficial free thought reigns; however, at the same time a future utopia requires a new vocabulary and the banning of words the new woke order finds personally offensive.
Following the warnings of social psychologist Leon Festinger in the 1950s, the American populace is being “deindividuated.” Deindividuation is a state whereby individuals lose their sense of self-awareness and their realistic and healthy personal identity in order to become part of a crowd that opposes other crowds. Normal moral restraints are cast aside and replaced by impulsive and deviant behavior.
The entire woke narrative now giving way to antisocial behavior is a notable consequence of the deindividuation being approved by government and private industry. Deindividuation reinforces illiteracy and blatant stupidity. For example, when Democrats brought Aimee Arrambide, an executive for an abortion rights organization, before the House Judiciary Committee to give testimony, she claimed men could get pregnant and have abortions. Again we are reminded of Jefferson’s words “Illiteracy is the enemy of progress and the ally of tyranny.”
Dr. Henry Nasrallah, editor in chief of the journal Current Psychiatry, remarks that we are in a historical moment when “the passage of time ruthlessly increases the entropy of everything in life.” We not only witness entropy in civilizations and societies, but also in our possessions, dwellings, businesses, and our physical body and mental faculties. Therefore, new energy must be invested in order to slow or reverse entropic processes. Yet without the restraints of a new constructive and restorative vision, entropy runs amok. During the dramatic public shock triggered by the Covid-19 pandemic, lockdowns, social distancing, business and school closures, and financial loss, there was a parade of incessant media porn reminded us repeatedly that death could knock on our door at any moment. The federal government’s and medical establishment’s gross negligence on multiple fronts during the pandemic gave rise to a rapid degeneration of America’s social order. Distress from the loss of normalcy accelerated the nation’s collective psychological entropy; this in turn contributed to resurrected racial tensions, hateful biases, toxic relationships, drug addiction and suicide, permissible crime, homelessness, rampant disinformation across mainstream media, the implosion of social norms, a psychological disoriented citizenry and a ruthless cancel culture that is utterly intolerant of others’ beliefs.
Remarkably, the mobs in the street are little more than bland reflections, a Jungian shadow, of the instability and disorder created by the agents of chaos and entropy who sit in the seats of power. “Just as the individual has a shadow,” wrote Jung, “so does society at large. And just as the individual must come to terms with his shadow so too must society if it is to be healthy and whole.” The rising psychological deindividuation and existential angst infecting our youth over their self-identity, gender, moral alienation and a lack of existential purpose in our technological driven materialistic society has reduced our youth to sentient robots screaming for self-expression. This is a cause for today’s woke groupthink contributing to social and political unrest with its destructive outcomes. Or as Nobel laureate Bertrand Russell warned, the “collective passions” have a penchant to inflame “hatred and rivalry directed towards other groups.”
Despite the original values of American liberalism and non-dogmatic healthy skeptical inquiry, today’s Left has perverted its own legacy. The woke have become every bit as intolerant and wrong-headed as the most zealous fundamentalist on the Right. This “exclusivist humanism,” as the prominent cultural philosopher Charles Taylor has termed it, is giving rise to a faux universalism. The new woke order’s myopic obeisance increasingly relies on the secular power structure of the ruling elite that in turn legislates on its behalf to marginalize and imprison alternative belief systems that do not embrace a secular universalism. Hence the new radical Left no longer tolerates the diversity of traditional beliefs and worldviews. The entropic descent into irrational hostility, collective emotional hysteria, and what the Russian-American sociologist Pritrim Sorokin called “cultural schizophrenia,” clings desperately to a grossly materialistic society and a fragile false sense of individuality, an empty void, which is completely divorced from any deeper purpose in life.
America is a “society in chains,” an expression stated by Nelson Mandela to describe a citizenry psychologically crippled for making informed decisions and incapable of participating thoughtfully in a democratic process. Consequently, a democratic renaissance, a new energy to reverse entropy, can only proceed following a revitalization of moral and spiritual values that have universal appeal, which respects pluralist ideals both within and beyond national borders. To be worthy of participating in any viable possibility for a democracy in the 21st century, it is necessary to return to becoming John Adams’ “moral people.”
HEALTH NEWS
· Eight habits = more life · More evidence for protective role of vitamin D against development of uterine fibroids · Study highlights importance of quality and potency of saw palmetto extracts in prostate health supplements · Research identifies the herbal supplements that are effective in treating anxiety · Men and women who are vegetarian face increased risk of hip fracture · Well-being in later life: The mind plays an important role
HEALTH NEWS
· Consuming Soy Peptide May Reduce Colon Cancer Metastasis · New study identifies association between lower levels of vitamin D and inflammation in older adults · Meta-analysis finds vegetarian diets effective in lowering cholesterol, glucose and weight · Study finds psychiatric diagnosis to be 'scientifically meaningless' · Brain imaging shows how children inherit their parents' anxiety · Low fiber intake during pregnancy may delay development in infants’ brains
https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2023/07/ed-dowd-drops-bombshell-data-hematological-blood-related/
https://jonathanturley.org/2023/07/27/pew-seventy-percent-of-democrats-and-democratic-leaning-independents-support-speech-limits/
https://yournews.com/2023/07/26/2611030/subclinical-heart-damage-more-prevalent-than-thought-after-moderna-vaccination/
https://open.substack.com/pub/garynull/p/gary-nulls-newsletter-739?r=4ue50&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web
HEALTH NEWS
· Scientists find that supplementation with a special omega-3 lipid could treat acute kidney injury · Korean Red Ginseng can alleviate addictive effects of alcohol · Constipation linked to 73% higher risk of cognitive decline · Short bursts of daily activity linked to reduced cancer risk · Fermented vegetables found to positively impact gut health · New Research Finds Fruit Can Convert ‘Bad’ Fat into ‘Good’ Fat
HEALTH NEWS
· A spoonful of olive oil daily could save the brain from dementia · Higher vitamin D levels associated with less severe psoriasis · Older women at risk for Alzheimer’s disease may benefit from yoga · Losing sense of smell an early warning sign for people carrying Alzheimer’s gene · Consumption of soluble dietary fiber favors renewal of intestinal epithelial cells, study shows · Antidepressant drugs do not improve well-being in children and adolescents
HEALTH NEWS
· Bilberry extract may bring tears to your eyes · Study finds that a 100-year-old treatment inhibits COVID-19 infection · Flaxseed beats probiotics for improved insulin sensitivity & altered microbiota · Could probiotics help slow age-related cognitive decline? · Non-alcoholic muscadine wine shows promise in improving aging skin · Link found between childhood television watching and adulthood metabolic syndrome
HEALTH NEWS
· Bilberry extract may bring tears to your eyes · Study finds that a 100-year-old treatment inhibits COVID-19 infection · Flaxseed beats probiotics for improved insulin sensitivity & altered microbiota · Could probiotics help slow age-related cognitive decline? · Non-alcoholic muscadine wine shows promise in improving aging skin · Link found between childhood television watching and adulthood metabolic syndrome
HEALTH NEWS
· More findings for CoQ10 and selenium · Trial finds reduction in depressive symptoms following magnesium supplementation · False-positive mammogram results linked to spike in anxiety prescriptions · Scientists name top five foods rich in prebiotics · Newly Discovered Danger of High Fructose Corn Syrup is Alarming · These foods can help you live longer and protect the planet
HEALTH NEWS
- Omega-3 fatty acids appear promising for maintaining lung health
- Vitamin C stops drug addiction with zero withdrawal symptoms
- Volunteering in late life may protect the brain against cognitive decline and dementia
- Sauerkraut Could Be The Secret To Curing Social Anxiety
- ‘An exciting finding’: Are the brain health benefits of B vitamins dependent on omega-3 levels?
- Low CoQ10 levels linked with neurodegeneration: Study
HEALTH NEWS
- Deeper her wrinkles, weaker will be her bones
- Espresso can prevent Alzheimer’s protein clumping in lab tests
- Mild exercise for three months shown to enhance cognitive function and brain efficiency in older adults
- 3 hrs in the sun daily cuts breast cancer risk
- Zinc prevents diabetes damage
- Study shows maternal diet could reduce childhood asthma risk
HEALTH NEWS
· Study unveils picolinic acid's broad-spectrum antiviral abilities · Resveratrol may prevent sedentary lifestyle effects · An early breakfast may reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes · Why does acupuncture work? Study finds it elevates nitric oxide, leading to pain reduction · Living in the country really is healthier than city life · 18 Medicinal Properties of Cucumbers
HEALTH NEWS
· Green tea compound shows promise against uterine fibroids · Eat right, live longer: could a moderate protein diet be the coveted elixir of youth? · Social stress, problem-solving deficits contribute to suicide risk for teen girls, research suggests · Are you in ‘the zone’? Scientists can now measure your flow · Supplemental antioxidants may reduce exacerbations in cystic fibrosis · Exposure to chemicals found in everyday products linked to reduced fertility, study says
HEALTH NEWS
- Chinese Herbal Extract May Help Kill Off Pancreatic Cancer Cells
- Anxiety increases the risk of gastrointestinal infection and long-term complications
- Repeated courses of antibiotics may profoundly alter children's development
- Parkinson's disease: Intense exercise may help to keep the disease at bay
- Doing good deeds helps socially anxious people relax
- Omega-3 supplements and antioxidants may help with preclinical Alzheimer's disease
HEALTH NEWS
· New study using human fibroid cells supports use of green tea compound as treatment for uterine fibroids · TMG supplementation associated with improved testosterone levels, exercise performance · Research shows even moderate levels of physical activity can protect against depression among older adults · Metal pollution in everything we eat and breathe triggering strokes and heart attacks · Muscadine grape seed oil may help reduce obesity · Student of Neuroscience Shows How Meditation may Vanquish Mental Disorders
HEALTH NEWS
- Eat dark chocolate to beat the midday slump?
- Cannabinoids remove plaque-forming Alzheimer's proteins from brain cells
- Hairdressers, beauticians, accountants may be at heightened risk of ovarian cancer, study finds
- Feeling impulsive or frustrated? Take a nap
- Ashwagandha root and leaf extract shows cognitive benefits for people with bipolar disorder
- Christian Orthodox Fasting as a Traditional Diet Promotes Human Health
HEALTH NEWS
- Tangerine tomatoes beat red variety for lycopene bioavailability
- Dahlia flower extract has anti-diabetic properties, improves insulin 1 function in the brain: Study
- In-person mindfulness courses help improve mental health for at least six months, study shows
- Higher vitamin C levels associated with lower mortality risk during 16-year period
- SSRI antidepressants taken for menopausal symptoms may boost bone fracture risk
- Compound in Parsley Among ‘Most Potent Anti-Cancer Compounds’
HEALTH NEWS
· Taurine deficiency as a driver of aging · Mindfulness meditation could mitigate the adverse effects of fatigue on emotional processing · Methylene blue shows promise for improving short-term memory · Anti-anxiety medication limits empathetic behavior in rats · Lower levels of coenzyme Q10 in blood associated with multiple system atrophy · How hot is too hot for the human body? Study offers new insight
Dr. Gary Null plays clips from British Journalist Melanie Phillips and American Academic Camille Paglia.
Health News
· Quercetin supports post-exercise muscle recovery · Could a cocoa extract prevent Alzheimer's? · Widely consumed vegetable oil leads to an unhealthy gut, finds mouse study · Can Chronic Cellphone Use Hinder your Infant’s Development? · Study suggests resistance training can prevent or delay Alzheimer's disease · Alpha-linolenic Acid Is Associated With Lower Multiple Sclerosis Risk
HEALTH NEWS
· Taking good care of your teeth may be good for your brain, study suggests · Broccoli sprout extract may protect against oral cancer recurrence · Fluctuating levels of cholesterol and triglycerides linked to increased risk of dementia · Study links overuse of antibiotics with severe COVID-19 side effects · The potential neuroprotective properties of salidroside from Rhodiola rosea · Lack of sleep found to lessen cognitive benefits of physical activity
HEALTH NEWS
· Mediterranean diet plus AREDS supplements slows macular degeneration · Too much time in front of a screen? Omega-3s may ease computer-related dry eye · Living in walkable neighborhoods can boost your social life — and your health · Cardiorespiratory fitness levels associated with lower cancer death in men · Combination of curcumin and bicalutamide enhanced the growth inhibition of androgen-independent prostate cancer cells · Single tick bite can pack double pathogen punch
HEALTH NEWS
- Carotenoids lower lipid oxidation and DNA damage in middle-aged men
- Grape consumption may offer benefits for symptomatic knee osteoarthritis
- Exercise + weight loss perfect combo to fight diabetes
- Study: Meditation & Natural Remedies Lead to 28% Reduction in Medical Costs
- Children consuming a Mediterranean Diet are 15% less likely to be overweight
- Higher levels of lean muscle might protect against Alzheimer's disease
HEALTH NEWS
· Black tea shows cholesterol-busting potential: Meta-analysis · Plastics used for baby food packaging found to release large numbers of microparticles when microwaved · Kidney stones can be avoided by drinking lemonade · Living near green space makes you 2.5 years younger: study · Benzodiazepine use associated with brain injury, job loss and suicide · Homocysteine imbalance connected to a HIGHER risk of Alzheimer’s disease
HEALTH NEWS
- High carotene levels associated with lower amount of atherosclerotic plaque
- Vitamin D supplements may reduce risk of serious cardiovascular events in older people
- Kindness meditation helps people with depression recall positive memories, study finds
- Study finds mice make better distance runners on time-restricted diet
- Decreased DHEA sulfate levels linked to greater stroke risk in women
- Menopausal hormone therapy linked to increased rate of dementia
HEALTH NEWS
- Study: Tart cherries can help improve sustained attention and reduce mental fatigue
- Propolis found to improve immunity, reduce free radicals and attenuate chronic inflammation in HIV patients
- Extreme exercise linked to blood poisoning
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- Green coffee bean extract supplementation associated with healthier weight, BMI, waist circumference
- 19-year-olds as sedentary as 60-year-olds, study suggests
HEALTH NEWS
- Study: Consuming walnuts found to reduce the negative effects of stress
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Eating 80% of your daily calorie intake before 1 p.m. could help prevent diabetes
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Global study shows loneliness can shorten life spans
- Fighting loneliness by finding purpose
- FDA finally admits that cocoa flavonols boost cardiovascular health
- Recurrent major depressive disorder and use of antidepressants associated with lower bone density
HEALTH NEWS
- People who consume curry live longer
- Effect of Vitamin E Supplementation on Chronic Insomnia Disorder in Postmenopausal Women
- Losing a parent early in life impacts a person's immune system as they age, study finds
- Energy drinks cause insomnia, nervousness in athletes
- Acai and brain health: Has study unlocked Amazonian fruit’s neuroprotective effects?
- Online cognitive training not effective in reducing ADHD symptoms, finds major review
HEALTH NEWS
- Melatonin, vitamins and minerals supplements for the treatment of Covid-19 and Covid-like illness
- Starches common in processed grains can curb helpful gut bacteria
- Autism-Antidepressant Link Affirmed by Johns Hopkins Review
- Sage Contains Similar Compounds as Modern Alzheimer’s Drugs
- Carotene-rich diet linked to lower fat levels in arteries
- Global diabetes cases expected to soar from 529 million to 1.3 billion by 2050
HEALTH NEWS
- Omega-3 fatty acids linked with slower progression of ALS
- New study finds that plant extracts used by Indigenous people hold promise in treatment of ataxia
- Loss of Y chromosome in men enables cancer to grow, finds new study
- Want the most nutritious yogurt? Study says choose plant-based milk over dairy
- Just 10 minutes of mindfulness practice each day boosts your brain as much as 45 minutes of extra sleep
- A common vegetable cures skin cancer
HEALTH NEWS
- Eating Flaxseed May Reduce Breast Cancer Mortality By Up To 70%
- America’s most widely consumed cooking oil causes genetic changes in the brain
- Regular napping linked to larger brain volume
- Yoga improves cancer-related fatigue, lowers inflammation, research finds
- Boosting gut bacteria defense system may lead to better treatments for bloodstream infections
- Social contact may help preserve brain function in later life
HEALTH NEWS
- Meta-analysis findings affirm reductions in body weight, BMI with green tea supplementation
- Isoflavones, calcium, vitamin D and inulin improve quality of life, sexual function, body composition and metabolic parameters in menopausal women
- Sleep problems put individuals at risk of respiratory infections, suggests large study
- Self-administered aroma foot massage may reduce symptoms of anxiety
- Ginger linked to healthier hearts: Study
- UM study finds air pollution affects short-term memory, IQ and brain metabolic ratios
HEALTH NEWS
- Multivitamin-mineral study demonstrates need for supplementation
- New study finds that spirulina can help treat pancreatic cancer
- Is your high blood sugar caused by electromagnetic hypersensitivity?
- Study: Exercise mitigates genetic effects of obesity later in life
- A probiotic could help mitigate mercury absorption in the gut
- How the body responds to exercise at the cellular level
HEALTH NEWS
- Improvement in adults with major depressive disorder treated with probiotics
- Sweet cherry anthocyanins support liver health... for rats at least
- Sitting tied to raised risk of death from 14 diseases
- Fewer meals may help prevent type 2 diabetes and obesity, suggests research
- Vitamin D supplementation associated with longer lifespan among cancer patients
- Cutting back on social media reduces anxiety, depression, loneliness
HEALTH NEWS
- Olive oil nutrient may help prevent brain cancer
- Low antioxidant intake could play a role in male infertility
- People who preserve 'immune resilience' live longer and resist infections, study finds
- Maternal vitamin D deficiency found to increase lifetime diabetes risk in offspring
- What if the Most Powerful Way to Live Longer Is Just Exercise?
- Expecting a stressful day may lower cognitive abilities throughout the day
HEALTH NEWS
· Vitamin D deficiency linked with premature mortality in large study of older adults · Juice concentrate from Japanese fruit benefits cardiovascular health, scientists report · Fasting-Like Diet Has Profound Effect On Autoimmune And Inflammatory Conditions Like MS · New computerized training approach found to significantly reduce ADHD symptoms in 1 in 3 participants · Effect of Korean Red Ginseng on Cognitive Function and Quantitative EEG in Alzheimer Patients · A Traumatic Experience Can Reshape Your Microbiome
HEALTH NEWS
· Blueberry powders shows endothelial benefits: Human data · Clinical study: Medicinal cannabis is a 'life-changing treatment' for people with Tourette syndrome · Obesity impairs the brain's response to nutrients, suggests study · New study links contraceptive pills and depression · Green tea may help reduce risk of heart attacks · Population health study: Alcohol consumption increases the risks of over 60 diseases
HEALTH NEWS
· Dietary Red Raspberry Reduces Colorectal Inflammation and Carcinogenic Risk with Dextran Sulfate Sodium–Induced Colitis · Taurine may be a key to longer and healthier life · Resistance training improves sleep quality and reduces inflammation in older people with sarcopenia · Lifestyle may be key to improving ADHD in kids · Eating pineapple clears up eye floaters: study · Coconut Water Reduces Body Weight and Blood Sugar
HEALTH NEWS
· Meta-analysis affirms omega-3 benefits in osteoarthritis · Lemon scent found to slow development of liver cancer · Social participation promotes optimal aging in older adults, research shows · Trouble falling asleep, staying asleep linked to increased risk of stroke · Exercise could help with common sexual complaint · High-dose vitamin D may boost diversity of the gut microbiome: Study
HEALTH NEWS
· Antioxidant supplement benefits CF patients · Daily beetroot juice reduces rate of repeat procedures and heart attacks in angina patients with stents · Acupuncture of benefit to those with unexplained symptoms · The Most Cancer Suppressing Compounds Are Found In These Veggies · Study: Doing good for others is good for children’s and teens’ mental, physical health · Progesterone’s protective potential against Parkinson’s
HEALTH NEWS
· Australian garlic kills COVID-19, says Doherty Institute · Vitamin B3 can reduce skin cancer risk by 23% · Can exercise help counteract genetic risk of disease? · Breastfeeding for longer may be linked to better exam results in later life · Ozone antiseptic shows potential for treating severe gum infections · Vegan diet might ease diabetic nerve pain
· How does consuming grapes affect our gut bacteria?
· Garlic compounds may boost cardio health indirectly via gut microbiome
· Don't worry, be happy? It's not that simple, according to research
· 1 in 5 ‘healthy’ people actually have the metabolism of a prediabetic
· Extra Virgin Olive Oil Kills Cancer Cells In One Hour But Quality Is The Difference
· Mild fever helps clear infections faster, new study suggests
This is the third and final part of what was three part series where Dr. Gary Null discusses his article "All vaccines are safe and effective….or are they?". You can find this article at GaryNull.com in the articles section labeled vaccines articles.
This is part two of what will be a three part series where Dr. Gary Null discusses his article "All vaccines are safe and effective….or are they?". You can find this article at GaryNull.com in the articles section labeled vaccines articles.
This is part one of what will be a three part series where Dr. Gary Null discusses his article "All vaccines are safe and effective….or are they?". You can find this article at GaryNull.com in the articles section labeled vaccines articles.
HEALTH NEWS
Colon cancer: Curcumin activates tumor suppressive signaling pathway Almond milk yogurt packs an overall greater nutritional punch than dairy-based milk In resistance training, focusing on load or number of repetitions leads to same muscle growth Study finds diet contributes to risk of HPV-related cancer Mighty Broccoli Sprouts Rapidly Detox Pollutants Running throughout middle age keeps 'old' adult-born neurons 'wired'
HEALTH NEWS
- Orange juice is good for ageing brain: Study
- Vitamin D deficiency linked to increased risk of developing long COVID
- Causal association found between evening social media use and delayed sleep
- How Botox enters brain cells, a discovery that could save lives
- Fasting shown to regenerate stem cells, reverse immunosuppression after three days
- Afternoon exercise linked with greater improvements in blood sugar levels for patients with type 2 diabetes
HEALTH NEWS
Study suggests alpha-lipoic acid, vitamin D could slow brain aging
Multivitamins help maintain memory in older adults
Mind-body practice of qigong can improve cancer-related fatigue, finds study
The effect of loving-kindness meditation on positive emotions: a meta-analytic review
Here’s why sugar wreaks havoc on gut health, worsens inflammatory bowel disease
Study explores association between religiosity and morning preference, life satisfaction
HEALTH NEWS * Flavonol-rich foods like apples and blackberries can lower chances of developing frailty * High fruit intake during adolescence linked with lower breast cancer risk * Brief weekly magnetic muscle therapy improves mobility and lean body mass in older adults * A larger dose of vitamin D may decrease psychiatric symptoms at school age * Working memory is better after a barefoot run * People more likely to trust, cooperate if they can tolerate ambiguity, study finds
FOR ANYONE ATTENDING THE RALLY THIS SUNDAY AND NEED TRANSPORTATION, GO TO TRAILWAYS.COM, TAKE THE BUS FROM PORT AUTHORITY TO KINGSTON ITS TWO BLOCKS AWAY FROM DROP OFF POINT
- Rheumatoid arthritis patients may benefit from NAD+ Boosters
- Higher vitamin D levels, supplementation linked with overactive bladder improvement
- Higher blood sugar linked to faster loss of brain power in stroke survivors
- Here’s why skipping ‘leg day’ at the gym is bad for your heart
- Soil microbes help relieve stress and combat depression
- Study finds that yoga and meditation can help minimize cognitive impairment
- Zinc is cancer’s worst enemy: This mineral is key to preventing cancer, scientists conclude
- Vegetable hormone helps reverse brain alterations caused by high-fat diets, obesity
- Dad's involvement with baby early on associated with boost in mental development
- Anger more harmful to health of older adults than sadness
- Panaxatriol in ginseng improves protein synthesis from exercise
- New link between gut microbiome and artery hardening discovered
HEALTH NEWS
New research reveals how vitamin K helps protect against diabetes
Nutmeg's hidden power: Helping the liver
Probiotics mitigate stress in medical students at exam time
Weight gain in late teens and 20s associated with higher risk of fatal prostate cancer
Study Finds Fructose Alters Genes in the Brain, Sabotages Learning and Memory
Can exercise lower the risk of developing Parkinson’s disease?
Gary dedicates the whole episode on the topic of Artificial Intelligence(AI) and the potential impact it will bring and have on you.
HEALTH NEWS
* Vitamin A deficiency is detrimental to blood stem cells * Melatonin to Reduce Death Toll Due to COVID-19: From Innate to Adaptive Immune Response * Binge eating linked to habit circuitry in the brain * Daily aspirin linked to higher melanoma risk in men * Dietary Polyphenol Intake and Risk of Hypertension: An 18-year Nationwide Cohort Study * New study finds people are more creative after waking from the earliest stage of sleep
HEALTH NEWS
Nutrient metabolic cofactors boost cognitive function in Alzheimer patientsGrape polyphenols help counter negative effects of high fat diet
Grape polyphenols help counter negative effects of high fat diet
Healthy dieting can be just as good for seniors as taking 4,000 steps
Frequent sauna bathing reduces risk of stroke
Fracking chemicals may harm developing immune system
Black Pepper Alleviates Oxidative Stress as a Multitargeting Neuroprotective Agent against Neurodegenerative Diseases
HEALTH NEWS
· Topical Black Seed Oil Beats Tylenol For Pain Relief in Osteoarthritis
· A vitamin that stops the aging process of organs
· Higher aerobic fitness levels are associated with better word production skills in healthy older adults
· Early signals of Parkinson's found in gut microbiota of REM sleep behavior disorder patients
· Moderate to severe mid-life anxiety may be linked to later life dementia
· Too much red meat and too few vegetables may increase your body's biological age
HEALTH NEWS
· Higher vitamin E intake associated with lower COPD risk
· Probiotics may keep you from dwelling on the past
· Pre-existing inflammation may promote the spread of cancer
HEALTH NEWS
- Blackcurrant extract triggers same process as statin drugs
- The hepatoprotective, anti-hyperglycemic, and anti-diabetic properties of spirulina
- Indoor pollution: 2 in 3 adults don’t realize how unhealthy the air inside their home could be
- Sedentary lifestyle associated with coronary artery calcium, researchers find
- Walnuts may crack Alzheimer’s
- The ability to chew properly may improve blood sugar levels in patients with type 2 diabetes
· Fish oil, cocoa & plant sterols: The winning combination against heart disease?
· Rosemary aroma can help older adults to remember to do things
· Stress relief could help reverse aging
· A special omega-3 fatty acid lipid will change how we look at the developing and ageing brain, researchers find
· Research sheds new light on self-destructive behavior
· The beneficial effects of music on memory may depend on how it is listened to
· Meta-analysis concludes CoQ10 supports a healthy inflammatory response
· Apple-Bergamot Juice as an Add-On to a Healthy Diet
· Does stir frying destroy the cancer-fighting properties of glucosinolates
· Deep sleep may mitigate Alzheimer's memory loss, research shows
· GlyNAC supplementation found to improve cognitive decline and brain health in aging
· 'Cybersickness' from Virtual Reality (VR) Headsets Hit Women More Often
HEALTH NEWS
· New study: Substance in rhubarb cuts cancer cell growth in half
· Curcumin concoction could combat colitis: Study
· Drinking water may help exercising seniors stay mentally sharp
· Why Sunlight Deficiency is as Deadly as Smoking
· Can low-carbohydrate or low-fat diets prolong life in middle-aged and older adults?
· Maternal and early-life high-fat diets found to result in a taste for salty food
HEALTH NEWS
Kombucha to kimchi: Which fermented foods are best for your brain?
Eat 29 grams of peas, chickpeas, beans daily to lower risk of diabetes
Exercise can increase the number of immune cells in the bloodstream of cancer patients
Consuming protein supplements with meals may work better for weight control
Do vitamin D levels affect the body’s response to anti-cancer immunotherapy?
Learning and longevity: High school quality may impact brain performance 60 years later!
Kombucha to kimchi: Which fermented foods are best for your brain?
University College Cork, April 25, 2023
Many countries around the world have their own staple fermented foods which are ingrained into culture and diet. It can’t be a coincidence that this has happened again and again. It seems logical that fermented foods offer more than a method of preservation.
HEALTH NEWS
· Pycnogenol French Maritime Pine Bark Extract Reduces Jet Lag, Study Finds
· Chilli peppers hold promise of preventing liver damage and progression
· Compassion meditation reduces 'mind-wandering,' research shows
· Study provides evidence that breathing exercises may reduce Alzheimer's risk
· Cannabis knocks down pain, improves sleep and lifts brain fog in cancer patients
· Slowing down in your old age? It may be a dementia warning sign
· Onion extract naturally improves blood sugar and cholesterol level
· Emotional well-being may be directly linked to women's gut health
· Frequent fried food consumption linked to anxiety and depression
· Musical expertise makes older adults better listeners by keeping brain young, says study
· Napping longer than 30 minutes linked to higher risk of obesity and high blood pressure
Videos:1. Naomi Wolf clip2. Camille Paglia: What Went Wrong with Feminism? (14:00)3. SPINE-TINGLING: Indy Journo Jose Vega Confronts Pro-War Media Execs to Their Smug Faces! (3:35)4. The REAL Reason Tucker Carlson Was Fired By Fox News! (7:00)5. I Quit Teaching: Out of control students get ZERO consequences w/ PBIS, Restorative Circles & BIST (5:24) ASK THE AUDIENCES IF THERE ARE ANY CARPENTERS THAT WILL LIKE TO HELP BUILD THE STUDIO · Higher magnesium intake, serum vitamin D associated with lower mortality risk in colorectal cancer patients during follow-up· Mindful eating helps to lose weight—and keep it off· Cycling or walking to and from work linked to substantial health benefits· Biochemical and molecular evidences for the antitumor potential of ginkgo biloba· Strength training helps older adults live longer· Consuming too much fructose during pregnancy raises the child's risk for heart disease
Videos:
1. Naomi Wolf Clip from the PCH
2. The WHO Pandemic Treaty will change EVERYTHING | Redacted with Clayton Morris (7:07)
3. It's STARTING! This is how they will track everything you do | Redacted with Clayton Morris (2:05)
4. I Quit Teaching: Out of control students get ZERO consequences w/ PBIS, Restorative Circles & BIST (5:00)
· Vegetables may help protect elderly women from hardening of neck arteries
· Study links nutrients, brain structure, cognition in healthy aging
· Keeping a tighter rein on blood pressure in adults over 50 is desirable for brain health
· Most US adults say today's children have worse health than in past generations
· Research links common insecticide to neurodevelopmental disorders
· Study Finds Homeopathic Medicine Extremely Helpful For Cancer Patients
Videos:
1. Nurse turned whistleblower speaks out on health care corruption (15:00)
2. The Truth About COVID-19 Death Certificates | Dr. Scott Jensen (9:43)
3. Reading Articles
Pecans May Improve Certain Markers Related to Cardiometabolic Health· Could This be the Key to Better Heart Health?· People who are ‘spiritually fulfilled’ twice as likely to believe they control their happiness· Biological age is increased by stress and restored upon recovery· Sugar-sweetened beverages linked with increased risk of premature death for people with type 2 diabetes· Good times with friends really can fight depression
videos:
1. Your Guide to 5th-Generation Warfare (21:00)
2. Neil Oliver: ALL manners of freedom are being eroded | Neil Oliver Live (11:18)
· New evidence for how green tea and apples protect from atherosclerosis· Rosehips Melt Belly Fat Naturally· Research: Benefit of NAC in biopolar depression· Life skills are important for wellbeing in later life· Vitamin B diminishes effects of air pollution-induced cardiovascular disease · Does physical activity influence the health of future offspring?
Videos:
1. Ed Dowd – “Cause Unknown”: The Epidemic of Sudden Deaths | Part 1 Of 2
2. Dr.John Campbell, Misinformation, and the Big Pharma Empire that RULES us (7:00)
3. COVID-19 isn’t ‘over’—but your Medicaid might be | The Chris Hedges Report w/ Dr. Margaret Flowers (10:00)
4. Young People Dropping Dead | The Global Lane – April 6, 2023 (6:42)
· New evidence for how green tea and apples protect from atherosclerosis· Rosehips Melt Belly Fat Naturally· Research: Benefit of NAC in biopolar depression· Life skills are important for wellbeing in later life· Vitamin B diminishes effects of air pollution-induced cardiovascular disease · Does physical activity influence the health of future offspring?
- Vitamin D deficiency disrupts neuronal integrity in cognitively impaired patients
- Rosehips Melt Belly Fat Naturally
- Adding a small plant to your desk can improve memory and make you happier
- Vitamin deficiency could explain African Americans’ greater risk of aggressive prostate cancer
- Curcumin Found To Outperform Pneumococcal Vaccines In Protecting Infants
- How electricity can heal wounds three times faster
Videos:
1. smart cities weaponized concentration-camps (20:00)
2.Glenn Greenwald: The government is lying about the war in Ukraine (4:24)
3. Watch Out For Increased Security State Crackdown On Internet After Discord Pentagon Leaker Found (4:00)
Videos:
1. smart cities weaponized concentration-camps (20:00)
2.Glenn Greenwald: The government is lying about the war in Ukraine (4:24)
3. Watch Out For Increased Security State Crackdown On Internet After Discord Pentagon Leaker Found (4:00)
· Meta-analysis affirms curcumin benefit in MAFLD· Broccoli Compound May Fight Leukemia · Do altered gut microbes affect risk of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder?· Exercise boosts brain health with chemical signals, study shows· Study: Over half of top selling Medicare drugs have low added therapeutic benefit· Hibernating bears may hold the secret to preventing blood clots in humans
Videos:
1.We watched shoplifters steal from Nike, Home Depot and Target. Nobody stopped them. (8:40)
2. I Quit Teaching: Out of control students get ZERO consequences w/ PBIS, Restorative Circles & BIST (22:25)
3. Glenn Greenwald: The government is lying about the war in Ukraine (4:24)
- Dietary curcumin may boost brain DHA: Study
- Spicy compound from chili peppers slows lung cancer progression
- Possible 'steps' to revealing super-agers
- Practicing Tai Chi helps improve respiratory function in patients with COPD
- Practicing and listening to music may help prevent cognitive decline
- How diet may help protect against effects of insufficient sleep
1. Trapped in paradise: how we got the homeless situation (part 1) (start @ 0:30 )
2. What happens when you lose your home at 72 in Amesbury, Massachusetts? (6:28)
3. 97-year-old left homeless after losing housing department home | A Current Affair (8:00)
4. Families face homelessness as crisis accommodation closes doors | A Current Affair (8:00)
5. Villagers pushed to the brink as fees go ‘through the roof’ | A Current Affair (8:00)
6. Young people living a lavish lifestyle on credit card debt | 60 Minutes Australia (14:36)
- Eating blueberries could regulate genetic and biochemical drivers of depression and suicide
- Tufts/Harvard meta-analysis supports omega-3s for child brain development
- Brain changes seen in veterans with PTSD after mindfulness training
- Drop in body temperature linked to aging aggravates manifestations of Alzheimer's disease
- Research finds that wisdom is a matter of both heart and mind
- Pomegranate-date cocktail a day keeps the doctor away
VIDEO:
1. 5 Signs a Civilization is about to Fail (6:18)
2. What’s in the Pfizer Documents? | Naomi Wolf (Start @ 3:27)
3. The Cover-Up: How Pfizer and Biontech FALSIFIED lab results in order to bring vaccines to market
4. Ed Dowd - "Cause Unknown": The Epidemic of Sudden Deaths | Part 1 Of 2 (2:29)
- Blues-busters: Study shows blueberry juice antioxidants ease stress
- Omega-3s may lower homocysteine levels, but B vitamins enhance the effects
- Listening to music during pregnancy benefits baby brain's ability to encode speech sounds, finds study
- People who think positively about aging are more likely to recover memory
- Joint hypermobility linked to folate deficiency
- Sedentary time may significantly enlarge adolescents’ heart
Videos :
1. Former Leftist NAILS Why The Left Is So Angry (start @ 1:22)
2. Room Sits In Stunned Silence After Ex-Trans Teen’s Shocking Testimony | DM CLIPS | Rubin Report (start @ 0:47)
3. “Women Are Being ERASED” Julia Hartley-Brewer and Sharron Davies Fume At Nike Transgender Model (5:52)
4. What’s in the Pfizer Documents? | Naomi Wolf (Start @ 3:27)
- One serving of spinach a day could keep mental decline away by 11 years
- Microbiota may determine if pomegranate extracts are beneficial or not
- Probiotic company finds links between youthful gut microbiota and potential centenarians
- Exercise found to reduce the severity of Alzheimer’s symptoms
- Menopausal women can reduce their symptoms by eating fenugreek
- Exposure to common flame retardants may raise the risk of papillary thyroid cancer
- Garlic extract works as well as blood pressure medication Can it replace blood pressure medicine?
- Study suggests brain age reversal
- Meditate regularly for an improved attention span in old age
- Common antibiotics found to cause delirium and other brain disorders
- Diet, lifestyle regimen associated with reversal of biologic age
- DNA can't explain all inherited biological traits, research shows
1. Can You Believe This Wonder Drug Exists? (1:30)
2.The Youtube Short Videos, 1 -7 (5:50)
3. Who Is Funding the Trans Movement? (2:59)
4. THE INSANE WITCH-HUNT OF THE UNVAXXED (2:16)
5. Major Publisher Retracts 511 Peer Reviewed Scientific Articles (5:30)
· Broccoli consumption protects gut lining, reduces disease, in mice· Turkey Tail mushrooms boost immunity in women with breast cancer · Exercising can wipe out the damage of poor sleep, help you live longer· Cortisol excess hits natural DNA process and mental health hard· Never Waste Food Again With This Unique Storage Method· High blood pressure in your 30s is associated with worse brain health in your 70s
1. Gerald Celente Gerald Celente is one of today’s pioneers in trend strategy and identifying the developments of change occurring in our world. He founded the Trends Research Institute in Kingston NY and is the publisher of the Trends Journal that has been in publication since 1980. Gerald has since become one of the nation’s most sought after diagnosticians and forecasters. In 2015, he founded the Occupy Peace initiative -- a grassroots movement to restore individual freedoms, cease foreign entanglements, reduce the military establishment, and restore Congress' power to declare war. He is also the host of the weekly show "Trends This Week," heard every Wednesday at 11 am Eastern Time on the Progressive Radio Network. More information can be found on the Institute's website TrendsResearch.com
RADIO SHOW "Trends This Week," every Wednesday at 11 am Eastern Time on PRN.
WEBSITE: TrendsResearch.com
1. THE INSANE WITCH-HUNT OF THE UNVAXXED (2:16)
2. Major Publisher Retracts 511 Peer Reviewed Scientific Articles (5:30)
3. The Youtube Short Videos, 1 -7 (5:50)
- Study Finds Green Tea may Heal Neurodegenerative Conditions like Alzheimer’s
- Research links greater gestational vitamin D in blood with reduced childhood behavioral issues
- How meditation can reduce inflammation and alter gene expression
- Marijuana-derived compounds could reverse opioid overdoses
- Herbal compound blocks progression of rheumatoid arthritis by inhibiting protein
- All About Nuts: Eight Healthiest Varieties
Videos:1. Hang on! We knew about Covid WHEN??? (6:00) 2. This Evil Company Owns ALL The Food In Your House | The Class Room ft. Second Thought (10:00) 3. Dr. Roger Hodkinson with New Numbers (11:00)· Walking downhill after meals boosts bone health in postmenopausal women with diabetes· Cocoa may help curb fatigue typically associated with multiple sclerosis (MS): Study· 'Nature prescriptions' can improve physical and mental health· Strength training shown to reduce blood pressure when practiced with moderate to vigorous intensity 2–3 times a week· Grilling and other high-temperature cooking may raise risk of high blood pressure· ‘Brain food’ is real. Here’s what to eat to keep it healthy and strong.
-
Kat Cammack Is Stunned By Democratic Witness's Response At Weaponization Committee Hearing (4:58)
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This Evil Company Owns ALL The Food In Your House | The Class Room ft. Second Thought (10:09)
-
The next Corona lie (LONG COVID) is exposed At the recent meeting of the official EU COVID Special Committee, I questioned the EU Commissioner for Health and Food Safety, Stella Kyriakides, and the Director of the European Medicines Agency (EMA) (6:46)
-
Big Pharma's attempts to evade our questions in the official EU COVID investigation committee with empty phrases and excuses have now come to an end. Top manager of AstraZeneca tries the same trick, (7:15)
-
Elena Interview
· Rosemary, peppermint oils enhance memory in rodent model of Alzheimer's disease· Rooibos Targets Adipocytes and Obesity-Associated Inflammation· Exercise may slow brain aging by 10 years for older people · Mushrooms Reduce Mortality Risk· A healthy microbiome may prevent deadly infections in critically ill people· Probiotic potential for pear antioxidants explored in study
Videos:
-
‘NO WITNESS CHECK’ Jim Jordan Dr0p Hammer on Biden’s aide after FOOLISH request at hearing (START @ 4:47)
-
‘You Refer To Yourself As A Professor’: Dan Bishop Grills Stanford Prof On Free Speech Threats (5:22)
-
Kat Cammack Is Stunned By Democratic Witness’s Response At Weaponization Committee Hearing (4:58)
-
‘YOU MADE FBI POLITICAL’ Watch Josh Hawley UNLEASH HELL on Merrick Garland For His Attack on Parents (10:57)
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‘WHY DIDN’T YOU FIRE HER’ Matt Gaetz BRUTALLY DEMOLISH Biden Witness For RIDICULOUS ‘Racist Hire’ (11:36)
-
Can olives help guard against dementia?
- Study finds centenarians possess unique immunity that helps them achieve exceptional longevity
- Can yoga help those experiencing depression, anxiety or PTSD?
- Dried fruit proves plum choice for preventing bone loss, study finds
- Self-harm less likely among young people who use melatonin
- Mayo discovers high-intensity aerobic training can reverse aging processes in adults
Video:
1. 'We need peace and we need it NOW!' - MEP Clare Daly- speech from 29 Mar 2023 (1:27)
2. Jimmy Dore goes WILD (0:58)
3. 'FBI SPY ON TRUMP'S CAMPAIGN' Wray HIDES LIKE RAT After Rand Paul NAILS Him For 'Invading Privacy' (8:24)
4. People Are Waking Up to How Depraved Those in Power Really Are (3:35)
5. This Evil Company Owns ALL The Food In Your House | The Class Room ft. Second Thought (10:09)
· Blueberries may help burn fat· Vegan protein supports muscle building as effectively as animal protein, according to study· Study links stress to chromosomal damage· Cranberries improve oral health, study concludes· Study: Mediterranean and low fat diet programs lower risk of death and heart attack in patients at risk· Red meat consumption linked to earlier onset of girls' menstrual cycles
- Vitamin B3 Helps Prevent Visual Loss
- Low-dose radiation linked to heart disease
- Chinese exercises may improve cardiovascular health
- Can mindful eating help lower risk of type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease?
- Bacillus subtilis CU1 shows immune support for the elderly
- Study of dietary and nutrition recommendations from worldwide clinical practice guidelines finds close alignment on benefits of plant food groups for treatment and prevention of chronic disease
Videos:
-
Christopher Black: The Criminalisation of International Justice (19:00)
-
Taking B vitamins may reduce epigenetic effects of air pollution
- Several supplements help to chelate metal toxicities
- Positive experiences in close relationships are associated with better physical health, new research suggests
- Eating peanuts could have a beneficial impact on vascular health in young and healthy people
- When performers are in the zone, it's spiritual, researcher finds
- Bacteria from meat likely to cause more than a half-million urinary tract infections in the US every year
Videos:
1.US General: Secret Plan to Invade 7 Muslim Countries
- The Higher The Magnesium Level, The Healthier Our Arteries
- Black Seed May Treat Hypothyroidism (Hashimoto's Disease), Clinical Trial Reveals
- Twice weekly yoga classes plus home practice effective in reducing symptoms of depression
- Social media and the self-perpetuating cycle of risk for body image and eating disorders
- Can you really die of a broken heart?
- The Link Between Nightshades, Chronic Pain And Inflammation
videos:
2.You Won't Believe What JUST HAPPENED in Netherlands... (11:00)
3.Consistency over war crimes? - TD Richard Boyd Barrett (6:21) part 2
4.IRISH MP HUMILIATES ISRAELI AMBASSADOR - EPIC (2:47) part 1
· A higher dose of magnesium each day keeps dementia at bay
· Resveratrol preserves neuromuscular synapses, muscle fibers in aging mice
· Artificial sweetener found to dampen immune response to disease in mice
· Brain decline comes later than thought? Scientists now say it starts in our thirties
· Use of melatonin linked to decreased self-harm in young people
· Vitamin C 10 Times More Effective Killing Cancer Stem Cells Than Pharmaceuticals
Video:
1.Woke Cambridge Students HATE Historian's FACTS - Rafe Heydel-Mankoo (start @ 0:32)
· Meta-analysis affirms weight management benefit for chili pepper compound· Omega-3 fatty acids help prevent cancer and improve survival rates · How fit is your gut microbiome? · Researchers find that older adults suffering from depression age faster than their peers· Too much cholesterol speeds up formation of toxic plaques that cause Alzheimer’s disease· Study finds 'considerable uncertainty' around effectiveness and safety of analgesics for low back pain
1.'That's A Lie!': Bill Cassidy Harshly Confronts Janet Yellen (6:46) 2.Former Michael Cohen legal adviser Robert Costello claims ex-client said he'd 'do whatever it takes' to avoid jail (6:24) * Leafy greens may boost gut immunity: Study * 95% Cure Rate for Prostate Cancer In Men Treated With High Intensity Focused Ultrasound * Forests reduce health risks, new global report confirms * For clues to healthy brain aging, look to the Bolivian Amazon * Sleep quality is significantly associated with quality of life indicators over time * Ginger Helps Relieve Inflammation Caused by Rheumatoid Arthritis
Videos:
1. The Medical System is a Complete Scam: You may want to Stay Away (3:30)
· Omega-3 supplementation may benefit women with PCOS· Beating the blues! Berries may boost mood, improve memory· Certain personality traits and satisfaction linked throughout adult lifespan· Exposure to chemicals found in everyday products is linked to significantly reduced fertility, says study· Leafy greens may boost gut immunity: Study· Can positive thinking prolong your life? Science says yes
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- Physician Assistant Fired for Reporting COVID-19 Vaccine Adverse Events to VAERS (11:29)
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NAC--(N-Acetylcysteine) Potent Antioxidant and Anti-Inflammatory (5:09) 3. Nattokinase and blood pressure – Video abstract [99553] (2:40) 4. Can Nattokinase Help Break Down 'Microclots'? | With Prof Resia Pretorius & Prof Doug Kell (5:23) 5. Destroying spike protein! - COVID-19 update 60 (5:49) 6. Why are all our young men being demonised? | SpectatorTV (3:00) 7. Jon Stewart SMEARED As RACIST And ALT-RIGHT After Coming Out Pro-Lab Leak Theory: Brie & Robby REACT (9:32) 8. "Arrested for a social media post" | Konstantin Kisin (5:00) * Colon cancer patients who eat nuts have lower death risk
- Exercise could fortify immune system against future cancers
- Short night-time sleep linked with nearly doubled risk of clogged leg arteries
- Prenatal cigarette, cannabis exposure may have associations with childhood obesity
- Ginseng Provides Natural Help For Hair Loss
- Mediterranean diet cuts women's cardiovascular disease and death risk by nearly 25%, finds study
Video:
1.Tulsi Gabbard on Justin Trudeau (1:00)
2.Mayor Demands Entire schoolboard Resignation For Supporting P0rnography (1:00)
3. "I demand accountability for the Covid scam" - Marcel de Graaff MEP (6:21)
4.Beatty Cohan Interview
Beatty Cohan, MSW, LCSW, AASECT, a nationally recognized psychotherapist, sex therapist, author of for Better for Worse Forever: Discover the Path to Lasting Love, advice columnist for Dan’s Papers, national speaker and national radio and television expert guest. Her show is about EMPOWERMENT. Beatty discusses mental issues, sexuality, relationships and newsworthy subjects and teaches listeners the things that we all need to DO to maximize our physical and emotional well-being, despite the stressors of life. Her mantra. ACKNOWLEDGE, ADDRESS AND RESOLVE AS BEST AS WE CAN THE THINGS THAT GET IN THE WAY OF OUR LIFE AND RELATIONSHIPS. Beatty has a private practice in New York City and East Hampton.
· A closer look at Matcha tea powder's antidepressant-like effects· Lycopene may ward off kidney cancer in older women· Understanding how exercise induces systemic metabolic benefits· Rhythm Of Breathing Key To Controlling Fear And Emotional Behavior· Study finds loss of Menin helps drive the aging process, and dietary supplement (D-serine) can reverse it in mice· Common dry cleaning chemical linked to Parkinson's
VIDEOS;
1.Bill Gates getting facts told about himself. (1:40)
2.Barbados PM Mia Mottley Set A Reporter Straight In Just 2 Minutes (2:00)
3.They knew about this massive bra-in washing machine in 1981, and probably way before…(2:55)
4.Dr. Peter McCullough’s Courage to Face Covid | CPAC 2023 (10:45)
5. The Radical Left Need Cancel Culture | Konstantin Kisin (6:27)
- Garlic sprouted for five days has improved antioxidant potential
- Folic acid and B12 lower in men with erectile dysfunction
- What’s on your plate? 60% of foods in America contain unhealthy additives
- Teach yourself everyday happiness with human imagery
- Vitamin A may reduce pancreatitis risk during ALL treatment
- New research establishes how and why diets high in sugar and fat cause liver disease
Videos:
1."It's Bullsh*t!" - Did The Government LIE About The Unemployment Rate? (3:00)2. DR MICHAEL YEADON : MUST SEE INTERVIEW: WE HAVE BEEN LIED TO ABOUT EVERY PART OF THE COVID PANDEMIC (1:21)3.'Censorship Industrial Complex': Twitter Files Journalist Michael Shellenberger Issues Dire Warning (5:50)4.New Emails Indicate Dr. Fauci Prompted Publication To Suppress Lab-Leak Theory: GOP Lawmaker (6:08)5.Mediaite SMEARS Jimmy Dore For Telling Truth About Ukraine N@zis (START @ 0:28)6. A compilation of Yuval Noah Harari talking about crazzy stuff. (4:29)
· Study Reveals Anthocyanins in Strawberries Improve Insulin Resistance· Olive oil polyphenol supplementation associated with better exercise performance· Common cold may give children immunity against COVID-19, reveals study· Ozone pollution is linked with increased hospitalizations for cardiovascular disease· Depression is more than a mental disorder—it affects the whole body · Grape seed protects against damaging effects of chemo while boosting its effectiveness
videos:
1.'Do You Think Dr. Fauci Intentionally Lied Under Oath?': Ex-CDC Director Gives Bombshell Testimony2.Kat Cammack Calls Out 'Blacklists' Of People Who Disagreed With Fauci On COVID-19 (6:23)
3.Clayton Morris: They want to watch the banks burn on purpose (START @ 5:01)4.Neil Oliver '...they lied to & manipulated us, and it's still happening!' (13:40)5.Tulsi Gabbard: Nancy Pelosi is getting away with this (1:00)
· Meta-analysis adds evidence to comfort-supportive property of palmitoylethanolamide (PEA)
· Compound in wakame seaweed found to have anticancer properties
· Mediterranean diet associated with decreased risk of dementia
· Meditation and music improve quality of life for older people with cognitive decline
· New study aims to break the taboo surrounding spirituality
· Red meat compound linked to worse outcomes in heart failure patients
1. Courageous Mother Gave Testimony Against Teachers Union For Suing Her Over Woke Curriculum (4:20) 2.Elon Musk's Brutally Honest Opinion on ChatGPT and His Involvement...(3:29) 3.World War 3 - Elon Musk's SHOCKING PREDICTION (2031) (3:03) 4.Now, Let's Put the "Lab Leak" Debate to Rest... (6:46) 5."Power Slap: Road to the Title" - Neurologist Dr. Gayatri Devi tells Inside Edition that slap-fighting could cause brain damage. (1:54) * Omega-3 could decrease mortality rate in postmenopausal women, study suggests * Why melatonin is a powerful anticancer indolamine * Replaying experiences can help future decision making * Study finds common artificial sweetener linked to higher rates of heart attack and stroke * Fiber reduces inflammation, reducing risk of inflammatory diseases and the rate of mortality * Healthy gut bacteria can help fight cancer in other parts of the body, researchers find
Videos:
- short youtube clips (4:34)
Dr Fauci engaged in ‘elaborate coverup’ of COVID-19 origins (THE EXCLUSIVE) (4:20)
Town Councillor Apologizes for Mandates (2:50)
Don't Envy People | JORDAN PETERSON Advice (1:00)
Ricky Gervais on Will Smith (1:00)
NANOPARTICLE CONTAMINATION COVER-UP: ANSWERS FROM A SCIENTIST (26:00)
· Rainbow of fruit and veg the best prevention against prostate cancer
· White mulberry extracts “clearly relieve’ diabetes symptoms in rat model: Study
· Blood pressure greater than 130/85 mmHg can cause heart damage in adolescents
· Watching birds near your home is good for your mental health
· Study shows women experience less pain when holding loved one's hand
· Low-dose radiation linked to increased lifetime risk of heart disease
Videos:
5 short youtube clips (4:34)
The Ingraham Angle - Breakdown Of Covid Scandal (start @ 0:38 - 9:00)
Ex-CDC director speaks out on COVID lab leak theory (4:39)
Dr Fauci engaged in ‘elaborate coverup’ of COVID-19 origins (THE EXCLUSIVE) (4:20)
Matt Gaetz Completely DEMOLISHED General Milley and Sec. Austin For Incompetence (start @ 0:03 - 5:58 )Don't Envy People | JORDAN PETERSON Advice (1:00)
· Chickpea extract a potential prebiotic: China study shows microflora and short-chain fatty acid benefits· Black Seed Oil Puts Deadly Asthma Meds To Shame· Reducing social media use by just 15 minutes a day can improve your health, says study· Study associates long COVID with physical inactivity· Exposure to green space linked to reduced risk of postpartum depression· Long-term exposure to nitrates in drinking water may be a risk factor for prostate cancer
Videos:
1.Neil Oliver '...they lied to & manipulated us, and it's still happening!' (13:40)
2.Catherine Austin Fitts bij Tucker Carlson over de gevaren van CBDC - Live vanuit de blckbx-studio (5:02)
· Researcher finds olive oil to improve brain health, memory in mild cognitive impairment individuals
· Eating wild blueberries could help save a stunning 37 percent of the U.S. adult population
· Frequent socializing linked to longer lifespan of older people
· Exercise has a direct role in fighting breast cancer
· L-citrulline may enhance time trial performance for cyclists: Kyowa study
· Too much salt could potentially contribute to liver damage
Videos:
1. What you didn’t know about CONGRESS!!! (1:00) 2. 10 more youtube short clips for people (9:02)
· Tomato extract yields better skin· SAMe shows promise against breast cancer· Acupuncture holds promise for treating inflammatory disease· Researcher uncovers link between ultra-processed foods and Crohn's disease· A good night’s sleep may make it easier to stick to exercise and diet goals, study found · Why smiles (and frowns) are contagious
Videos:
- Naomi Wolf: Some Men Are Going To Have Horrible Problems As The Result Of COVID-19 Injections2. https://www.youtube.com/shorts/TIkoP7xNPQY
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/o2rnN1ksMbE
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/9Si4-jemOl0
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/AcVJWLkytGA
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/IO9JoIrvuBk
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/SHr1ti1Cutc
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/ruV6IcH2kd0
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/1MKTdOr23ew
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/t9Hw748wIFU
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/1_8Sk1mNWcA3. Dr. Peter McCullough On The Shannon Joy Show
· Pine bark extract boosts hair density in women· Garlic extract could help cystic fibrosis patients fight infection· Sleep too much or too little and you might get sick more, scientists find· Researchers find link between impatience and faster aging · New study finds forgoing one food may treat eosinophilic esophagitis as well as excluding six· Self-compassion may protect people from the harmful effects of perfectionism
After Hours: Govt. Scientists Earning Private Royalties on the Taxpayer Dime (start @ 0:33)
Wow. An 11-year-old boy named Knox Zajac from Maine confronted his school board by reading them pornographic material found in his middle school. (2:00)
· People who use vitamin D supplements have lower dementia risk· Study Reveals How Sleep Removes Toxic Waste from the Brain· Early-life stress can disrupt maturation of brain's reward circuits, promoting disorders· Daily 11-minute brisk walk is enough to reduce risk of early death, say researchers· Meta-analysis affirms benefit for ginseng in type 2 diabetics · Breast milk boosts premature babies' brain development, suggests study
Videos:
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/GCdISlX-Z8g
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/NmyGngBEV7I
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/cYcJguHslZk
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/pZ9c__OOdNU
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/fE5T08fOF_w
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/cPsthdkEh7Q
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/Oj1gDW7DIdQ
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/qNDsah1LKno
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/oUEmXuD-Ds4
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/-6zaGStsdpk
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/Hgn50IOg0Eg
West tells Global South 'you can't be neutral' in Ukraine war: You are either with us, or against us (5:00)
Konstantin Kisin DESTROYS the BBC with FACTS & LOGIC (AGAIN!) (5:05)
· B vitamins may boost cognitive ability in older adults: Study· Sphaeranthus indicus, Mangifera indica (Mango) increase strength, endurance· Study: People who regularly use laxatives may have an increased risk of dementia· Multiple sclerosis: High doses of omega-3 reduce symptoms in animal study· Tahini Shown to Promote Heart Health Significantly· Excessive screen time linked to suicidal behaviors in US preteens
· Apples and pears can slash your stroke risk by half· Consuming turmeric for just 2 months can increase your good gut bacteria by 7%· Excess weight, obesity more deadly than previously believed· Survey: 9 in 10 adults have tried losing weight in past 5 years — but 44% gained more than 20 pounds· Fruits, vegetables, 'farm-to-fork continuum' vital to cancer prevention · Exercise more effective than medicines to manage mental health, says study
Videos :
Elon Musk - You have LESS than 24 hours. (4:00)
Ralph Nader - Shocking Reason HARVARD LAW Is CORRUPT... (5:30)
Questions from Australian Senators - Gerald Rennick (10:30)
· Cochrane review should ‘end all the debates on chondroitin’s efficacy for osteoarthritis’· Skipping breakfast may compromise the immune system, says study · L-Glutamine Changes Gut Bacteria Leading To Weight Loss· Study of intravenous mistletoe extract to treat advanced cancer· Hypnosis, meditation, and prayer: which is most helpful for pain management?· Blue collar benefits: Lifting heavy objects linked to better male fertility
· Psyllium fiber protects against colitis by activating bile acid sensor, researchers find· Researchers link supplement (NA) to reduced biomarkers of Alzheimer's in the brain· Getting good sleep could add years to your life· The benefits of olive oil for health and wellbeing· Hormone therapy for gender dysphoria may raise cardiovascular risks· Mystical and insightful psychedelic experience may improve mental health
Video:
Banks admit the COLLAPSE is coming and they don't want YOU to know about it | Redacted News
New Rule: Equality of Outcomes | Real Time with Bill Maher (HBO) (6:30)
12-Year Old Girl Exposes the Dystopian Reality of 15-Minute Cities! (2:52)
US TO SUPPORT UKRAINIAN PENSIONS (0:29)15 Things School Won’t Teach You (16:40)
How eating less can slow the aging process· Evaluating the effect of manuka honey on collagen scaffolds· Iron deficiency suppresses important arm of the innate immune system· New Study Outlines What Meditation, Yoga, & Prayer Can Do To The Human Body· Study finds 'forever chemicals' disrupt key biological processes· 16 Reasons Black Seed Is “The Remedy For Everything But Death”
Videos:
Naomi Wolf discusses Post Vaxx Death Autopsies 6 (start @ 0:08)
Brazil: Get a COVID vaccine or ELSE we’ll take your government assistance | Redacted News (1:20)
· Glycemic index and insulin index after a standard carbohydrate meal consumed with live kombucha· Polyphenols may be missing component in regulating inflammatory immune responses· Plant extract fights brain tumor· Any kind of regular exercise at any age helps the brain fight off dementia later in life· Polyphenol-rich tomato extract supports cardiovascular health through modulation of gut microbiome· Vaping can cause even more DNA damage than smoking regular cigarettes, study reveals
· Cardiovascular Activity of Ginkgo biloba· Psychobiotics: Are they the future intervention for managing depression and anxiety?· Anxiety About Relationships May Lower Immunity, Increase Vulnerability to Illness · Garlic supplementation improves intestinal transit time, lipid accumulation product and cardiometabolic indices in subjects with metabolic syndrome· Over 40? Just 20 minutes of daily exercise can keep you out of the hospital· Effect of Watermelon Juice Supplementation on Heart Rate Variability and Metabolic Response during an Oral Glucose Challenge
Videos:
- Neil Oliver ‘…conflict & conversation’ (9:45)
- Rage Against the War Machine Rally! (start @ 35:18)
Higher vitamin D levels linked to longer telomeres: StudyAçai pulp may improve antioxidant defenses, protect arteriesHow To Sleep Better Without Meds: Soak In More Daylight Outdoors, Even If It’s CloudyStudy suggests alcohol consumption linked to acceleration of Alzheimer's diseaseNutritional supplement improves cognitive performance in older adults, USF researchers findHow to avoid long COVID: These 5 factors are key to preventing severe infection
Video:
MEP Clare Daly: Where are the questions about Nord-Stream sabotage? (1:11)
Jordan Peterson Exposes The World Economic Forum | With Joe Rogan (12:21)
· Purple fruits and veggies can protect against diabetes, study reveals· Increased B vitamin intake associated with lower pancreatic cancer risk· Nanoparticles in food coloring may be harming your gut health, researchers warn· Being bullied is associated with mental distress and suicide attempts in teens· Sustained aerobic exercise increases adult neurogenesis in the brain · Positive attitudes about aging reduce risk of dementia in older adults
Videos:
- – Gerald Celente – Rage Against the War Rally in DC
- TUCKER ON WHY IT’S NOT SAFE TO FLY TODAY (3:30)
US plans plunder of Africa for “green” revolution (10:00)
Jordan Peterson Exposes The World Economic Forum | With Joe Rogan (12:21)
Why You Should Hate Corporate News Even More Than You Do (3:24)
· Tackling skin inflammation with vitamin D· Alternate-day fasting could be a good option for patients with fatty liver disease· Barley helps improve blood sugar levels and reduce appetite · Sweet potatoes may be the secret ingredient for making healthy gluten-free flour· Most health claims on infant formula products seem to have little or no supporting evidence· Nightly sleep is key to student success
Videos:
- Australian senator Malcom Roberts’ dire warning of the W.H.O. pandemic treaty vote on 5/2023 (2:45)
- STOP THE SHOTS! 40 DOCTORS ASKING FOR THE COVID VACCINE TO BE STOPPED Stop the Frankenclotshot genocide IMPORTANT!
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Rachel Maddow’s Unhinged Over-The-Top WARMONGERING! (3:00)
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The Mushroom Being Used to Suppress Cancer Tumors
- Pungent ginger compound puts immune cells on heightened alert
- Time of day may determine the amount of fat burned by exercise
- Stress can be contagious: infants can catch it from their mothers
- Pilot study highlights role of grapes in preventing Alzheimer's disease
- Sense of Purpose May Have Significant Impact on Teens' Emotional Well-Being
Videos:
- . The slow creep of ugliness into the language of public debate is impossible to ignore | Neil Oliver (10:35)
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- Tulsi Gabbard Testifies on the Weaponization of Federal Government (5:00)
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- Clips from film “My Dinner with Andre” (1:00)
- 4.why did you shave your head (1:00)
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- Jordan Peterson on GENDER EQUALITY in Work-Force (1:00)
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- Ricky Gervais Pushes Back On Woke Culture & Things Being “Offensive” (1:00)
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- Joe Rogan, with this generation is somthing wrong! (1:00)
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- My Experience of Riding Along With a White Police Officer (1:00)9. 2Pac Court (Shock G) (1:00)
- Vitamin B3 nicotinamide riboside improves muscle mitochondria and gut microbiota composition
- Meta-analysis affirms association between omega-3 fatty acid intake and lowered inflammation
- The scent of a rose improves learning during sleep
- Study suggests fructose could drive Alzheimer's disease
- Meditation builds brain cells, Harvard study shows proof
- Sunshine Vitamin Regenerates and Detoxifies Your Hormones
- Olive oil protects against breast cancer by launching multiple attacks against tumour
- Higher dietary fiber intake in young women may reduce breast cancer risk
- Study finds that salt cuts off the energy supply to immune regulators
- Study finds mushrooms magnify memory by boosting nerve growth
- Fluoride exposure associated with hypothyroidism in pregnancy, study finds
- Fasting ramps up human metabolism, study shows
Video:
Interview with Dr. Andrew Huff
· Lifelong exposure to dietary isoflavones reduces risk of obesity · L-carnitine combination may promote muscle growth, strength in older adults· Chronic fatigue syndrome is associated with distinct changes in the microbiome· 150 minutes of aerobic exercise per week reduces liver fat, study finds· Red Rice Bran Extract Alleviates High-Fat Diet-Induced Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease and Dyslipidemia · Alzheimer's: Healthy lifestyle linked to slower memory decline, regardless of genetic risk
- John Mearsheimer | THE US CREATES CONFLICT FOR THE WORLD (10:00)
- Neil Oliver ‘…if you thought that was scary just wait & see what’s coming now’ (10:00)
- I get calls every day from the same people saying the same exact thing as this rightfully bloody angry lady (1:50)
- 3 Million More Disabled American (1:40)
Greater intake of vitamin D linked to lower risk of diabetes among prediabetics· Chamomile Oil For Carpal Tunnel Syndrome· Acts Of Kindness Can Make You Happier· Frontiers Publishes Systematic Review On The Effects Of Yoga On Major Psychiatric Disorders· Qigong Improves Quality Of Life For Breast Cancer Patients, Study Suggests· Phthalate exposure may increase diabetes risk in women
Videos:
- NO ONE is ready for what’s coming in 2023 and the banks are in DEEP SH*T | Redacted News (40:00 to 55:00)
- Neil Oliver ‘…if you thought that was scary just wait & see what’s coming now’(13:04)
- Astronomer Carl Sagan on children and their curious questions (0:26)
- Moderna CEO Stéphane Bancel Admits Company Produced 100,000 COVID-19 Vaccine Doses In 2019 Before The Pandemic Started (1:00)
- Green tea supplements may benefit skin from within
- Vitamin D supplements may protect millions from developing Type 2 diabetes
- Mindfulness meditation training lowers biomarkers of stress response in anxiety disorder
- The neurons in our gut help the immune system keep inflammation in check
- Protective Effect of Vitamin D Supplementation on COVID-19-Related Intensive Care Hospitalization and Mortality
- Mitochondrial deterioration linked to major depression in older adults
Videos:
- The Moral Case for Mockery (4:55)2. New Rule: A Woke Revolution | Real Time with Bill Maher (HBO) (7:17)3. Neil Oliver ‘…if you thought that was scary just wait & see what’s coming now’ (13:04)4. Astronomer Carl Sagan on children and their curious questions (0:26)
- The magic of mushrooms: Can this fungus help delay or prevent depression?
- Following healthy lifestyle may reduce risk of long COVID
- Drinking Matcha Tea Can Reduce Anxiety
- Researchers recommend organic agriculture for human health
- Snacking on tree nuts may boost serotonin, cardiovascular benefits
- Extra vitamin D during pregnancy may increase chance of a 'natural birth'
Videos:
- They’re Trying to take my License AGAIN. (7:46)
- The horrible truth about cobalt mining and lithium battery – Joe Rogan & Siddharth Kara (1:00)
- Tulsi Gabbard Defends Jordan Peterson, BLASTS Trudeau’s Govt. As ‘Increasingly Authoritarian,’ (8:30)
- New Rule: A Woke Revolution | Real Time with Bill Maher (HBO) (7:17)
- Fish oil, vitamin B12 supplementation associated with lower plasma homocysteine
- The possible effects of cinnamon on memory and learning
- Long-term use of hormonal contraceptives is associated with an increased risk of brain tumorslp women choose the best contraception for them.
- A blend of soy and dairy proteins promotes muscle protein synthesis when consumed after exercise
- 5-HTP: Prozac’s True Alternative
- ‘Food swamps’ may be sending older adults to an early grave
Videos:
- Tucker Carlson interviews Dr Aseem Malhotra on the corruption of medicine by Big Pharma (10:00)
- Neil Oliver ‘…they are trying to alter the fabric of our reality’ (16:14)
- European excess deaths, official data (5:00)
Vitamin D supplementation linked to fewer suicide attempts· Compelling research concludes sesame seed paste can reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease by 39% in only 6 weeks· Ultra-processed foods may be linked to increased risk of cancer· 1 in 8 Americans over 50 show signs of food addiction, U-M poll finds· New study shows aged garlic extract can reduce dangerous plaque buildup in arteries· Study examines association between sleep medication use and risk of dementia
Videos :
- The Re-Education of Jordan Peterson: Why His Clinical Psychology License is Under Threat (9:00)
- Neil Oliver ‘…they are trying to alter the fabric of our reality’ (16:14)
- Liz QUESTIONS
- More lycopene linked to longer lives for people with metabolic syndromE
- Study findings suggest inflammation resolution may be behind omega-3’s antidepressant effect
- Poor literacy linked to worse mental health worldwide, study shows
- Study finds berry pigments may decrease bad cholesterol in overweight individuals
- Study finds new association between social isolation and dementia risk factors
- Honeybee Protein May Help To Keep Stem Cells Youthful
Videos:
- (‘VAX’) The CDC Knew Before The Rollout That It Is Going To Be A Disaster Of Side Effects (8:00)
- Senator Malcolm Roberts WARNING : World Health Organisation’s Dictator style power grab (2:40)
- This WEF plan is the most INSANE one yet | Redacted with Natali and Clayton Morris (10:00)
- The Re-Education of Jordan Peterson: Why His Clinical Psychology License is Under Threat (9:00)
· Twelve Intervention Trials Conclude That Vitamin C Works for Covid· Antioxidants from mitochondria protect cells from dying· New Study Links Strength and Biological Age· Vitamin B3, fiber 'protects against colon cancer and inflammation'· New study finds depression, poor mental health linked to higher heart disease risks among young adults· Study links poor sleep in seniors to more severe arteriosclerosis
Videos:
- The Higher Ed Cartel | Real Time with Bill Maher (HBO) (4:53)
- This WEF plan is the most INSANE one yet | Redacted with Natali and Clayton Morris (10:00
- Senator Malcolm Roberts WARNI : World Health Organisation’s Dictator style power grab
- The Re-Education of Jordan Peterson: Why His Clinical Psychology License is Under Threat
- Drinking beetroot juice reduces high blood pressure, trial shows
- Effectively Treating Colorectal Cancer With Grape Seed Extract, Even As Cancer Gets More Aggressive
- Healthy lifestyle linked to slower memory decline in older adults
- Using running to escape everyday stresses may lead to exercise dependence instead of mental well-being
- Japanese study concludes that boysenberries help maintain vascular stability
- Study finds health impact of chemicals in plastics is handed down two generations
Video:
- Real Time With Bill Maher " I'm A Hypocrite" (45:00 - 54:00)
- Neil Oliver: 'We are sleepwalking into a ZERO TRUST new world (11:00)
- The Higher Ed Cartel | Real Time with Bill Maher (HBO) (4:53)
Videos :
- Interview with Dr. James Lyons-Weile [Jim] – Dr. James Lyons-Weile [Jim] is the CEO and Director of The Institute for Pure and Applied Knowledge, which performs research in the public interest aimed at finding ways to reduce human suffering using funds donated from the public . His research program is currently focused on aluminum toxicity, autoimmunity, and the differences in health outcomes between highly vaccinated and unvaccinated children. A life-long biomedical researcher, he is best known for contributions to advances in medical bioinformatics, and has published three books: “Ebola: An Evolving Story,” “Cures vs. Profits: Successes in Translational Research,” and “The Environmental and Genetic Causes of Autism” . A true-blue academic, Dr. Lyons-Weiler has directed the analysis of data from over 100 medical studies, served as Founding Editor-in-Chief of the journal Cancer Informatics, is currently the Editor-in-Chief of the journal Science, Public Health Policy & the Law, and has published more than 57 papers in reputable journals. He has created an online University (IPAK-EDU) to bring reason, logic and scientific facts to the debates in the public square. His blog JamesLyonsWeiler.com contains deep analysis of issues that confront us today on the mismatches that exist between biomedical science and public health policy. IPAK can be visited at Ipaknowledge.org
- Dr. Fauci is his MENTOR! An investigation into Dr. Peter Hotez Part 1 of 2 | Redacted News (10:00)
- BRICS challenges US dollar, Saudi considers selling oil in other currencies: Financial multipolarity (4:00)
- Drinking beetroot juice reduces high blood pressure, trial show
- Omega-3 levels affect whether B vitamins can slow brain's decline
- Why a high-fat diet could reduce the brain's ability to regulate food intake
- More steps, moderate physical activity can cut dementia, cognitive impairment risk
- Melatonin may lower prostate cancer risk
- Yoga: Modern research shows a variety of benefits to both body and mind from the ancient practice
Videos:
- Pfizer Exposed For Exploring "Mutating" COVID-19 Virus For New Vaccines Via 'Directed Evolution' (9:58)
- WATCH: ChaptGPT AI Bots NIGHTMARISH Conversation | Breaking Points (1:28)
- EXPOSED: Biden Names Woke Obesity 'Expert' To Nutrition Council | Breaking Points (5:00)
- S.4090 Bill
- BRICS challenges US dollar, Saudi considers selling oil in other currencies: Financial multipolarity (4:00)
- Berry compounds’ heart health benefits linked to impact on platelets
- Update on Anti-Inflammatory Molecular Mechanisms Induced by Oleic Acid
- Going for a walk outside found to have more mental health benefits than walking indoors
- Supplementation with amino acid serine eases neuropathy in diabetic mice
- High Consumption of Sugar-Sweetened Beverages Is Associated with Low Bone Mineral Density in Young People
- Prolonged exposure to work-related stress thought to be related to certain cancers
Videos:
- Celia Farber Interview
- Majority of COVID-19 Deaths In America Occur Among the Vaccinated & Boosted CDC Data Reveals (2:07)
- WATCH: ChaptGPT AI Bots NIGHTMARISH Conversation | Breaking Points (1:28)
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Dr. Fauci is his MENTOR! An investigation into Dr. Peter Hotez | Redacted with Clayton Morris (10:00)
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Rose hip supplements may increase energy expenditure, weight management
- Yeast is a Cause of Cancer and Turmeric Can Kill Both, Research Confirms
- A soybean protein blocks LDL cholesterol production, reducing risks of metabolic diseases
- Study provides first evidence that mindfulness can help adolescents overcome traumas
- Small Amount of Zinc Reduces DNA Damage
- Higher physical activity levels associated with reduced respiratory infection susceptibility in children
Videos:
- Konstantin Kisin | This House Believes Woke Culture Has Gone Too Far – 7/8 | Oxford Union (9:19)
- Toby Young | This House Believes Woke Culture Has Gone Too Far – 3/8 | Oxford Union (13:01)
- Hospitals are paid to KlLL patients during the C0VID-19 pLandemic (1:57)
- Supercut: Please Meet President George Santos (4:04)
- Sweet potato leaves a good source of vitamins
- Strawberries and blueberries may cut heart attack risk in women
- Mother's health, diet during pregnancy may impact child's later neurodevelopment
- Midlife moderate and vigorous physical activity levels associated with brain power
- Study Suggests That Spirituality Is Key To Kids’ Happiness
- Vitamin D Deficiency Is Associated With Endothelial Dysfunction
Videos :
- UK Doctors Call For Government To Urgently Pause and Investigate the Use of Novel mRNA Covid Vaccines (18:00)
- Fauci previously said an AIDS vaccine wasn’t happening because they didn’t know if “all hell would break loose” 12 years later with side effects. (0:28)
- Hospitals are paid to KlLL patients during the C0VID-19 pLandemic (1:57)
- SHOCKING FOIA DOCUMENTS: COVID Pandemic Was a Secret DoD Operation dating back to Obama Administration (Start @ 43:58 – End )
- Supercut: Please Meet President George Santos (4:04)
- Research Confirms Ayurvedic Spice Good for Prostate
- Gut Bacteria Could be Key to Preventing Alzheimer's
- ‘Unprecedented in its potential impact’: Could new anti-cancer study re-ignite the kava market?
- The Case for Eating Pulses
- People with cluster headaches more likely to have other illnesses, study finds
- Vitamin D improves symptoms of toxic erythema during chemotherap
· High fat diet activates early inflammation in mouse brains, supports link to neurologic disease· Effects of abdominal massage applied with ginger and lavender oil for elderly with constipation· Study shows link between regular attendance at religious services and health and longevity· Efficacy of various forms of acupuncture for the treatment of urinary incontinence in women· Study: Turmeric proves more effective than pharma pills at treating rheumatoid arthritis· High temperature cooking increases risk of prostate and breast cancer by 50%
· Omega 3 fatty acids in seafood linked to lower risk of chronic kidney problems· Study suggests vitamin D benefits and metabolism may depend on body weight· Nitrite additives associated with increased risk of type 2 diabetes· One Minute Exposure to Monochromatic Light Shown to Modify Neural Connections· Olive oil polyphenols may boost cognition: Nutrigenomic data· Drinking sugary beverages linked to hair loss in men
Videos:
- Brought to you by… Pfizer!
- FORMER PFIZER VP, DR. MIKE YEADON – EVERYTHING WE HAVE BEEN TOLD ABOUT COVID-19 WAS A LIE
- Fauci didn’t want autopsies done on Covid victims. I wonder why?
- Dr. Peter McCullough SLAMS Pfizer board member over censorship and propaganda | Redacted News
Study explores effects of dietary choline deficiency on neurologic and system-wide health
Arizona State University, January 16, 2023
Choline, an essential nutrient produced in small amounts in the liver and found in foods including eggs, broccoli, beans, meat and poultry, is a vital ingredient for human health. A new study explores how a deficiency of dietary choline adversely affects the body and may be a missing piece in the puzzle of Alzheimer’s disease. It’s estimated that more than 90% of Americans are not meeting the recommended daily intake of choline. The current research, conducted in mice, suggests that dietary choline deficiency can have profound negative effects on the heart, liver and other organs. Lack of adequate choline is also linked with profound changes in the brain associated with Alzheimer’s disease. These include pathologies implicated in the development of two classic hallmarks of the illness: amyloid plaques, which aggregate in the intercellular spaces between neurons; and tau tangles, which condense within the bodies of neurons. The new research, led by scientists at Arizona State University and published in Aging Cell, describes pathologies in normal mice deprived of dietary choline and in choline-deficient transgenic mice, the latter of which already exhibit symptoms associated with the disease. In both cases, dietary choline deficiency results in liver damage, enlargement of the heart and neurologic alterations in the AD mice, typically accompanying Alzheimer’s disease and including increased levels of plaque-forming amyloid-beta protein and disease-linked alterations in tau protein. Further, the study illustrates that choline deficiency in mice causes significant weight gain, alterations in glucose metabolism (which are tied to conditions such as diabetes), and deficits in motor skills. In the case of humans, “it’s a twofold problem,” according to Ramon Velazquez, senior author of the study and assistant professor with the ASU-Banner Neurodegenerative Disease Research Center. “First, people don’t reach the adequate daily intake of choline established by the Institute of Medicine in 1998. And secondly, there is vast literature showing that the recommended daily intake amounts are not optimal for brain-related functions.” The research highlights a constellation of physical and neurological changes linked to choline deficiency. Sufficient choline in the diet reduces levels of the amino acid homocysteine, which has been recognized as a neurotoxin contributing to neurodegeneration, and is important for mediating functions such as learning and memory through the production of acetylcholine. The growing awareness of choline’s importance should encourage all adults to ensure proper choline intake. This is particularly true for those on plant-based diets, which may be low in naturally occurring choline, given that many foods high in choline are eggs, meats, and poultry. Plant-based, choline-rich foods, including soybeans, Brussels sprouts and certain nuts can help boost choline in these cases. Moreover, inexpensive, over-the-counter choline supplements are encouraged to promote overall health and guard the brain from the effects of neurodegeneration. The new study examines mice at 3-12 months, or early to late adulthood (roughly equivalent to 20-60 years of age for humans). In the case of both normal and transgenic mice displaying symptoms of Alzheimer’s, those exposed to a choline-deficient diet exhibited weight gain and adverse effects to their metabolism. Damage to the liver was observed through tissue analysis, as was enlargement of the heart. Elevated soluble, oligomeric and insoluble amyloid-beta protein were detected, as well as modifications to tau protein characteristic of those leading to neurofibrillary tangles in the brain. Further, choline-deficient mice performed poorly in a test of motor skills, when compared with mice receiving adequate choline in their diet. These adverse effects were heightened in the transgenic mice. Translating these findings to humans, this implies that people who are predisposed to Alzheimer’s disease or in the throes of the illness should ensure they are getting enough choline.”Our work provides further support that dietary choline should be consumed on a daily basis given the need throughout the body,” Velazquez says.
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Melanoma: Vitamin D supplements linked to reduced skin cancer risk
University of Eastern Finland & Kuopio University, January 15, 2023
A new study finds that the regular use of vitamin D is associated with lower rates of melanoma skin cancer. The cross-sectional study was a collaboration between the University of Eastern Finland and Kuopio University Hospital. The research involved 498 Finnish adults determined by dermatologists to be at high risk of skin cancer, such as melanoma, as well as squamous cell carcinoma and basal cell carcinoma. According to researchers, people who took vitamin D regularly were less likely to have had melanoma in the past or currently and were deemed by dermatologists to be less likely to develop melanoma in the future. Study participants ranged in age from 21 to 79 years old, including 253 males and 245 females. Participants were divided into three groups based on their intake of vitamin D supplements: non-use, occasional use, or regular use. The researchers were also interested in finding out whether regular use of vitamin D supplements corresponded to higher blood levels of vitamin D, known as serum calcidiol or 25-hydroxy-vitamin D3. This is the “storage form” of vitamin D in the body. Some research has linked low serum calcidiol with increased cancer risk, while other research has suggested otherwise. Nonetheless, it is a measure often used to determine a person’s vitamin D levels. After testing serum calcidiol levels in 260 participants, researchers found that regular vitamin D supplementation corresponded with the highest levels of serum calcidiol and non-supplementation with the lowest levels. “Human skin itself expresses [the enzyme] CYP27A1 that produces calcidiol from vitamin D, and CYP27B1 that produces biologically very active calcitriol from calcidiol,” Dr. Harvima explained, noting that enzyme expression determines the level of vitamin D and its metabolites in the body.
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New research furthers case for exercise promoting youthfulness
University of Arkansas, January 17, 2023
A recent paper published in the Journal of Physiology deepened the case for the youthfulness-promoting effects of exercise on aging organisms, building on previous work done with lab mice nearing the end of their natural lifespan that had access to a weighted exercise wheel. For this paper, the researchers compared aging mice that had access to a weighted exercise wheel with mice that had undergone epigenetic reprogramming via the expression of Yamanaka factors. The Yamanaka factors are four protein transcription factors (identified as Oct3/4, Sox2, Klf4 and c-Myc, often abbreviated to OKSM) that can revert highly specified cells (such as a skin cell) back to a stem cell, which is a younger and more adaptable state. The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was awarded to Dr. Shinya Yamanaka for this discovery in 2012. In the correct dosages, inducing the Yamanaka factors throughout the body in rodents can ameliorate the hallmarks of aging by mimicking the adaptability that is common to more youthful cells. Of the four factors, Myc is induced by exercising skeletal muscle. Myc may serve as a naturally induced reprogramming stimulus in muscle, making it a useful point of comparison between cells that have been reprogrammed via over expression of the Yamanaka factors and cells that have been reprogrammed through exercise—”reprogramming” in the latter case reflecting how an environmental stimulus can alter the accessibility and expression of genes. Ultimately, the team determined that exercise promotes a molecular profile consistent with epigenetic partial programming. That is to say, exercise can mimic aspects of the molecular profile of muscles that have been exposed to Yamanaka factors (thus displaying molecular characteristics of more youthful cells). This beneficial effect of exercise may in part be attributed to the specific actions of Myc in muscle. Murach sees their research as further validation of exercise as a polypill. “Exercise is the most powerful drug we have,” he says, and should be considered a health-enhancing—and potentially life-extending—treatment along with medications and a healthy diet.
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Exploiting the synergy of nutraceuticals for cancer prevention and treatmentResearch suggests that free radicals (ROS) generated upon mixing two nutraceuticals—resveratrol and copper—can help ameliorate various diseases by inactivating cell-free chromatin particles
Tata Memorial Centre (India), January 16, 2023
Chromatin comprises a complex mixture of DNA and proteins that forms the structural basis of chromosomes in the cellular nuclei. When cells die, they release cell-free chromatin particles or “cfChPs” into the circulatory system. In 1996, evidence for tumour-derived DNA circulating in the blood of cancer patients was first reported. This evidence caught the interest Dr. Indraneel Mittra, who is now Professor Emeritus and the Dr. Ernest Borges Chair in Translational Research at Tata Memorial Centre in Mumbai, India. His tryst with research on genetic material in cancer metastases began, and after 15 years of research he has presented various papers, developing a body of evidence that indicates the critical role of cfChPs in orchestrating development of not only cancer, but various other diseases. Emerging evidence indicates that cfChPs play an essential role in ageing, sepsis, cancer development, and chemotherapy-related toxicity. With respect to the latter, Prof. Mittra explains, “Chemo-toxicity is not primarily caused by chemotherapeutic drugs, but rather by cfChPs that are released from the first cells that die after chemotherapy. The released cfChPs set in motion a cascading effect, increasingly damaging the DNA of healthy host cells, and triggering inflammatory processes in a vicious cycle that perpetuates and prolongs the toxicity of chemotherapy.” Recently, a team from Tata Memorial Centre have demonstrated the therapeutic benefits of a pro-oxidant mixture of resveratrol and copper, R-Cu, in patients undergoing chemotherapy for advanced gastric cancer. Combining R with Cu (R-Cu) leads to the generation of free oxygen radicals which can inactivate the offending cfChPs. In this context, the research team launched a single-arm phase II clinical trial to study the synergistic effects of R-Cu administration on cfChPs inactivation in patients with advanced gastric cancer. The primary objective was to determine whether R-Cu, via cfChPs’ inactivation, was successful in reducing the grade ≥ 3 toxicity seen with docetaxel-based chemotherapies. To this end, the researchers monitored the likely changes in the toxicities of chemotherapeutic treatments using a grading system that provides a framework for the assessment of unwanted physiological effects. The results were promising—although R-Cu did not reduce haematological toxicities, it significantly reduced the incidence of non-haematological toxicities comprising hand-foot syndrome, diarrhoea, and vomiting. Moreover, R-Cu reduced docetaxel exposure compared to the control arm without affecting efficacy in terms of overall survival.
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Deep meditation may alter gut microbes for better health
Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine (China), January 16, 2023
Regular deep meditation, practiced for several years, may help to regulate the gut microbiome and potentially lower the risks of physical and mental ill health, finds a small comparative study published in the open access journal General Psychiatry. The gut microbes found in a group of Tibetan Buddhist monks differed substantially from those of their secular neighbors, and have been linked to a lower risk of anxiety, depression, and cardiovascular disease. Research shows that the gut microbiome can affect mood and behavior through the gut–brain axis. This includes the body’s immune response, hormonal signaling, stress response and the vagus nerve—the main component of the parasympathetic nervous system, which oversees an array of crucial bodily functions. The significance of the group and specimen design is that these deep-thinking Tibetan monks can serve as representatives of some deeper meditations. Although the number of samples is small, they are rare because of their geographical location. The researchers analyzed the stool and blood samples of 37 Tibetan Buddhist monks from three temples and 19 secular residents in the neighboring areas. None of the participants had used agents that can alter the volume and diversity of gut microbes: antibiotics; probiotics; prebiotics; or antifungal drugs in the preceding 3 months. Sample analysis revealed significant differences in the diversity and volume of microbes between the monks and their neighbors.”Collectively, several bacteria enriched in the meditation group [have been] associated with the alleviation of mental illness, suggesting that meditation can influence certain bacteria that may have a role in mental health,” write the researchers. These include Prevotella, Bacteroidetes, Megamonas and Faecalibacterium species, the previously published research suggests. Finally, blood sample analysis showed that levels of agents associated with a heightened risk of cardiovascular disease, including total cholesterol and apolipoprotein B, were significantly lower in the monks than in their secular neighbors by their functional analysis with the gut microbes.
(NEXT)
Curcumin/Boswellia shows promise in chronic kidney disease
Baylor University, January 14, 2023.
The Journal of Complementary and Integrative Medicine reports the finding of researchers at Baylor University of a reduction in a marker of inflammation among chronic kidney disease patients given a combination of Curcuma longa (curcumin) and Boswellia serrata. The study included sixteen individuals receiving standard care for chronic kidney disease who were not undergoing dialysis. Participants were randomized to receive capsules containing curcumin from turmeric extract plus Boswellia serrata, or a placebo for eight weeks. Blood samples collected before and after treatment were analyzed for plasma interleukin-6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor alpha (markers of inflammation), and the endogenous antioxidant enzyme glutathione peroxidase, as well as serum C-reactive protein (CRP, another marker of inflammation.) Blood test results from the beginning of the study revealed increased inflammation and reduced glutathione peroxide levels. At the study’s conclusion, participants who received curcumin and Boswellia serrata experienced a reduction in interleukin-6 in comparison with pretreatment values, indicating decreased inflammation, while IL-6 values rose among those who received a placebo. In their discussion of the findings, the authors remark that curcumin and Boswellia serrata have been separately shown to lower interleukin-6 via inhibition of the nuclear factor kappa beta and mitogen activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathways.
Videos:
- Lara Logan & Sasha Latypova on DoD "vaccine" Coverup /w FDA Theater (part 3 - 10:00)
- Katie Hopkins: In support of those speaking out. And punished for ‘wrong-think’. (8:10)
- Tory Party is 'going down this totalitarian, woke way of looking at the world' | Adam Holloway MP (3:49)
- All Hell Breaks Loose At School Board Meeting When GOP Lawmaker Slams Trans-Inclusive Bathroom Rules (5:15)
- Peter A. McCullough, MD, MPH Names Those Who Played Roles in the Greatest Conspiracy Against Humankind:
Rhodiola defeats chronic fatigue in just one week· Study shows cyclic breathing technique more effective in reducing stress than mindfulness meditation· Natural Herbal HPV "Cure" Discovered· Do earbuds and headphones cause hearing loss? Scientists warn 1 billion young people at risk· Preterm birth linked to chemicals found in the vagina· Modern parenting may hinder brain development, research shows
Videos:
- 6ft Social Distancing "Made Up": HHS Insider Dr. Paul Alexander w/ Dr. Kelly Victory – Ask Dr. Drew (13:00)
- Lara Logan & Sasha Latypova on DoD VAXX Coverup /w FDA Theater (START @ 1:12)
CDC Finally Released Its VAERS Safety Monitoring Analyses for COVID Vaccines via FOIAAnd now it’s clear why they tried to hide them.Josh Guetzkow
Jan 4, 2023
SUMMARY* CDC’s VAERS safety signal analysis based on reports from Dec. 14, 2020 – July 29, 2022 for mRNA COVID-19 vaccines shows clear safety signals for death and a range of highly concerning thrombo-embolic, cardiac, neurological, hemorrhagic, hematological, immune-system and menstrual adverse events (AEs) among U.S. adults. * There were 770 different types of adverse events that showed safety signals in ages 18+, of which over 500 (or 2/3) had a larger safety signal than myocarditis/pericarditis. * The CDC analysis shows that the number of serious adverse events reported in less than two years for mRNA COVID-19 vaccines is 5.5 times larger than all serious reports for vaccines given to adults in the US since 2009 (~73,000 vs. ~13,000). * Twice as many mRNA COVID-19 vaccine reports were classified as serious compared to all other vaccines given to adults (11% vs. 5.5%). This meets the CDC definition of a safety signal. * There are 96 safety signals for 12-17 year-olds, which include: myocarditis, pericarditis, Bell’s Palsy, genital ulcerations, high blood pressure and heartrate, menstrual irregularities, cardiac valve incompetencies, pulmonary embolism, cardiac arrhythmias, thromboses, pericardial and pleural effusion, appendicitis and perforated appendix, immune thrombocytopenia, chest pain, increased troponin levels, being in intensive care, and having anticoagulant therapy. * There are 66 safety signals for 5-11 year-olds, which include: myocarditis, pericarditis, ventricular dysfunction and cardiac valve incompetencies, pericardial and pleural effusion, chest pain, appendicitis & appendectomies, Kawasaki’s disease, menstrual irregularities, vitiligo, and vaccine breakthrough infection. * The safety signals cannot be dismissed as due to “stimulated,” exaggerated, fraudulent or otherwise artificially inflated reporting, nor can they be dismissed due to the huge number of COVID vaccines administered. There are several reasons why, but the simplest one is this: the safety signal analysis does not depend on the number of reports, but whether or not some AEs are reported at a higher rate for these vaccines than for other non-COVID vaccines. Other reasons are discussed in the full post below. * In August, 2022, the CDC told the Epoch Times that the results of their safety signal analysis “were generally consistent with EB [Empirical Bayesian] data mining [conducted by the FDA], revealing no additional unexpected safety signals.” So either the FDA’s data mining was consistent with the CDC’s method—meaning they “generally” found the same large number of highly alarming safety signals—or the signals they did find were expected. Or they were lying. We may never know because the FDA has refused to release their data mining results.
INTRODUCTIONFinally! Zachary Stieber at the Epoch Times managed to get the CDC to release the results of its VAERS safety signal monitoring for COVID-19 vaccines, and they paint a very alarming picture (see his reporting and the data files here, or if that is behind a paywall then here). The analyses cover VAERS reports for mRNA COVID vaccines from the period from the vaccine rollout on December 14, 2020 through to the end of July, 2022. The CDC admitted to only having started its safety signal analysis on March 25, 2022 (coincidentally 3 days after a lawyer at Children’s Health Defense wrote to them reminding them about our FOIA request for it).
[UPDATE: T Coddington left a link in comments to a website where he made the data in the Excel files more accessible.]
Like me, you might be wondering why the CDC waited over 15 months before doing its first safety signal analysis of VAERS, despite having said in a document posted to its website that it would begin in early 2021—especially since VAERS is touted as our early warning vaccine safety system. You might also wonder how they could insist all the while that the COVID-19 vaccines are being subjected to the most rigorous safety monitoring the world has ever known. I’ll come back to that later. First I’m going to give a little background information on the analysis they did (which you can skip if you’re up to speed) and then describe what they found.
BACKGROUND ON SAFETY SIGNAL ANALYSISBack in June 2022, the CDC replied to a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request for the safety signal monitoring of the Vaccine Adverse Events Reporting System (VAERS)—the one it had said it was going to do weekly beginning in early 2021. Their response was: we never did it. Then a little later they said they had been doing it from early on. But by August, 2022, they had finally gotten their story straight, saying that they actually did do it, but only from March 25, 2022 through end of July.
The analysis they were supposed to do uses what’s called proportional reporting ratios (PRRs). This is a type of disproportionality analysis commonly used in pharmacovigilance (meaning the monitoring of adverse events after drugs/vaccines go to market). The basic idea of disproportionality analysis is to take a new drug and compare it to one or more existing drugs generally considered safe. We look for disproportionality in the number of adverse events (AEs) reported for a specific AE out of the total number of AEs reported (since we generally don’t know how many people take a given drug). We then compare to existing drugs considered safe to see if there is a higher proportion of particular adverse events reported for the new drug compared to existing ones. (In this case they are looking at vaccines, but they still use PRR even though they generally have a much better sense of how many vaccines were administered.)
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Fewer cases of melanoma among people taking vitamin D supplements
University of Eastern Finland, January 10, 2023
Fewer cases of melanoma were observed among regular users of vitamin D supplements than among non-users, a new study finds. People taking vitamin D supplements regularly also had a considerably lower risk of skin cancer, according to estimates by experienced dermatologists. The study, conducted in collaboration between the University of Eastern Finland and Kuopio University Hospital and published in Melanoma Research, included nearly 500 people with an increased risk of skin cancer. 498 adult patients estimated to have an increased risk of a skin cancer, such as basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma or melanoma, were recruited at the dermatological outpatient clinic of Kuopio University Hospital. Experienced dermatologists at the University of Eastern Finland carefully analysed the patients’ background information and medical history and examined their skin. The dermatologists also classified the patients into different skin cancer risk classes, namely low risk, moderate risk and high risk. Based on their use of oral vitamin D supplements, the patients were divided into three groups: non-users, occasional users and regular users. Serum calcidiol levels were analysed in half of the patients and found to correspond to their self-reported use of vitamin D.A key finding of the study is that there were considerably fewer cases of melanoma among regular users of vitamin D than among non-users, and that the skin cancer risk classification of regular users was considerably better than non-users’. Logistic regression analysis showed that the risk for melanoma among regular users was considerably reduced, more than halved, compared to non-users.The findings suggest that even occasional users of vitamin D may have a lower risk for melanoma than non-users. Other relatively recent studies, too, have provided evidence of the benefits of vitamin D in melanoma, such as of the association of vitamin D with a less aggressive melanoma.
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Diabetics should pay attention to vitamin C
University of Otago (New Zealand), January 9 2023.
Research reported in Nutrients suggests that low intake and serum levels of vitamin C may be particularly risky for adults with diabetes. The study analyzed data from 25,206 men and 26,944 women who participated in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) between 1999 and 2018. Four hundred twenty-eight individuals had type 1 diabetes and 6,807 had type 2 diabetes. At the beginning of the study, 38% of the people had an intake of vitamin C that was below the estimated average requirement (EAR), which worsened to 46.5% by 2017-2018. Individuals whose intake of vitamin C was lower than the EAR had a 20% higher risk of type 2 diabetes compared with an intake above the EAR, and those who did not use vitamin C supplements had a 28% greater risk than vitamin C supplement users. Low and deficient serum vitamin C levels were associated with fewer years of life in comparison with normal vitamin levels. Compared with an adequate intake of vitamin C, the risk of mortality through 2019 among type 2 diabetics was 25% greater for those with a very low intake of the vitamin. Deficient serum levels of the vitamin were associated with an 84% greater mortality risk compared with adequate levels. Not supplementing with vitamin C was associated with a 25% greater mortality risk among people with type 1 diabetes, a 20% greater risk among those with type 2 diabetes and a 24% greater risk among nondiabetics compared with supplementation. “Observation of declining vitamin C intake and deleterious consequences of low serum vitamin C in US adults with diabetes suggests encouragement of vitamin C intake, including vitamin C supplementation of 500–1000 mg/day, may be beneficial for pre-diabetic and diabetic US adults,” the authors concluded.
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Feeling depressed? Performing acts of kindness may help
Ohio State University, January 10, 2023
People suffering from symptoms of depression or anxiety may help heal themselves by doing good deeds for others, new research shows.The study found that performing acts of kindness led to improvements not seen in two other therapeutic techniques used to treat depression or anxiety. Most importantly, the acts of kindness technique was the only intervention tested that helped people feel more connected to others, said study co-author David Cregg at The Ohio State University. “Social connection is one of the ingredients of life most strongly associated with well-being. Performing acts of kindness seems to be one of the best ways to promote those connections,” Cregg said. The research also revealed why performing acts of kindness worked so well: It helped people take their minds off their own depression and anxiety symptoms. This finding suggests that one intuition many people have about people with depression may be wrong, Cheavens said. “We often think that people with depression have enough to deal with, so we don’t want to burden them by asking them to help others. But these results run counter to that,” she said. “Doing nice things for people and focusing on the needs of others may actually help people with depression and anxiety feel better about themselves.” The study involved 122 people in central Ohio who had moderate to severe symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress. After an introductory session, the participants were split into three groups. Two of the groups were assigned to techniques often used in cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) for depression: planning social activities or cognitive reappraisal. Members of the third group were instructed to perform three acts of kindness a day for two days out of the week. Acts of kindness were defined as “big or small acts that benefit others or make others happy, typically at some cost to you in terms of time or resources.” Some of the acts of kindness that participants later said they did included baking cookies for friends, offering to give a friend a ride, and leaving sticky notes for roommates with words of encouragement. Participants followed their instructions for five weeks, after which they were evaluated again. The researchers then checked with the participants after another five weeks to see if the interventions were still effective. The findings showed that participants in all three groups showed an increase in life satisfaction and a reduction of depression and anxiety symptoms after the 10 weeks of the study. “But acts of kindness still showed an advantage over both social activities and cognitive reappraisal by making people feel more connected to other people, which is an important part of well-being,” he said. In addition, the acts of kindness group showed greater improvements than the cognitive reappraisal group for life satisfaction and symptoms of depression and anxiety, results showed. Cheavens noted that just participating in social activities did not improve feelings of social connection in this study. “There’s something specific about performing acts of kindness that makes people feel connected to others. It’s not enough to just be around other people, participating in social activities,” she said.
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Selenium protects a specific type of interneurons in the brain
Helmholtz Zentrum München (Germany) December 29, 2022
Exactly 200 years ago, the Swedish scientist Jöns Jacob Berzelius discovered the trace element selenium, which he named after the goddess of the moon, Selene. Selenium is an essential trace element and indispensable for humans, many animals and some bacteria. A team led by Dr. Marcus Conrad, research group leader at the Institute of Developmental Genetics (IDG) at Helmholtz Zentrum München, showed for the first time why selenium is a limiting factor for mammals. The scientists have been investigating for years the processes of a novel type of cell death, known as ferroptosis. In this context, the enzyme GPX4, which normally contains selenium in the form of the amino acid selenocysteine, plays an important role. In order to better understand the role of GPX4 in this death process, we established and studied mouse models in which the enzyme was modified,” said study leader Conrad. “In one of these models, we observed that mice with a replacement of selenium to sulfur in GPX4 did not survive for longer than three weeks due to neurological complications.” In their search for the underlying reasons, the researchers identified a distinct subpopulation of specialized neurons in the brain, which were absent when selenium-containing GPX4 was lacking. “In further studies, we were able to show that these neurons were lost during postnatal development, when sulfur- instead of selenium-containing GPX4 was present,” stated first author of the study, Irina Ingold. Furthermore, the scientists were able to show that ferroptosis is triggered by oxidative stress, which is known to occur for instance during high metabolic activity of cells and high neuronal activity. “Our study demonstrates for the first time that selenium is an essential factor for the postnatal development of a specific type of interneurons,” said Dr. José Pedro Friedmann Angeli, a scientist at the IDG, describing the results. “Selenium-containing GPX4 protects these specialized neurons from oxidative stress and from ferroptotic cell death.”
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Association of Dietary α-Carotene and β-Carotene Intake with Low Cognitive Performance in Older Adults
Sun Yat-sen University (China), January 3, 2023
With the increased life expectancy around the world, the number of elderly people with cognitive decline has been escalating, causing a burden for their families and governments. The decline in cognitive function is associated with various factors, including normal aging processes and neurological diseases. However, without any prevention measures to delay cognitive function decline, the decline in cognitive function will gradually develop into mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and Alzheimer’s disease. The process of Alzheimer’s disease is irreversible, and medical treatment for this disease is still limited. The underlying mechanism of vitamin B12 on cognitive function is related to the activation of methylation reactions in the brain. According to previous studies, vitamin A, an antioxidant in the central nervous system, also participates in cognitive function decline in older people. Both α-carotene and β-carotene can be transformed into retinol, which will be converted into a long-chain fatty acid ester that is the main precursor of vitamin A in the human body. Thus, α-carotene and β-carotene may have similar effects on neurocognitive decline. Some previous studies showed that higher levels of α-carotene and β-carotene in the plasma were associated with better cognitive function. In this study, our results reflected that dietary α-carotene and β-carotene intake might have inverse effects on cognitive function decline in older people. However, the excessive intake of dietary α-carotene and β-carotene may be a problem that needs special attention.
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Consumption of fast food linked to liver disease
University of Southern California, January 10, 2023
The new year has begun, and with it, resolutions for change. A study from Keck Medicine of USC published in Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology gives people extra motivation to reduce fast-food consumption. The study found that eating fast food is associated with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, a potentially life-threatening condition in which fat builds up in the liver. Researchers discovered that people with obesity or diabetes who consume 20% or more of their daily calories from fast food have severely elevated levels of fat in their liver compared to those who consume less or no fast food. And the general population has moderate increases of liver fat when one-fifth or more of their diet is fast food. “Healthy livers contain a small amount of fat, usually less than 5%, and even a moderate increase in fat can lead to nonalcoholic fatty liver disease,” said Ani Kardashian, MD, a hepatologist with Keck Medicine and lead author of the study. “The severe rise in liver fat in those with obesity or diabetes is especially striking, and probably due to the fact that these conditions cause a greater susceptibility for fat to build up in the liver.” The findings also reveal that a relatively modest amount of fast food, which is high in carbohydrates and fat, can hurt the liver. “If people eat one meal a day at a fast-food restaurant, they may think they aren’t doing harm,” said Kardashian. “However, if that one meal equals at least one-fifth of their daily calories, they are putting their livers at risk.” Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, also known as liver steatosis, can lead to cirrhosis, or scarring of the liver, which can cause liver cancer or failure. Liver steatosis affects over 30% of the U.S. population. The study characterized fast food as meals, including pizza, from either a drive-through restaurant or one without wait staff. The researchers evaluated the fatty liver measurement of approximately 4,000 adults whose fatty liver measurements were included in the survey and compared these measurements to their fast-food consumption. Of those surveyed, 52% consumed some fast food. Of these, 29% consumed one-fifth or more daily calories from fast food. Only this 29% of survey subjects experienced a rise in liver fat levels. The association between liver steatosis and a 20% diet of fast food held steady for both the general population and those with obesity or diabetes even after data was adjusted for multiple other factors such as age, sex, race, ethnicity, alcohol use and physical activity.
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Eating almonds daily boosts exercise recovery molecule by 69% among ‘weekend warriors’Appalachian State University, January 6, 2023
For those who exercise regularly, eating almonds each day might be the ideal new year’s resolution. A randomized controlled trial in Frontiers in Nutrition showed that female and male participants who ate 57g almonds daily for one month had more of the beneficial fat 12,13-dihydroxy-9Z-octadecenoic acid (12,13-DiHOME) in their blood immediately after a session of intense exercise than control participants. This molecule, a so-called oxylipin (oxidized fat) is synthetized from linoleic acid by brown fat tissue, and has a beneficial effect on metabolic health and energy regulation.
Corresponding author Dr. David C Nieman, a professor and director of the Appalachian State University Human Performance Laboratory at the North Carolina Research Campus, said, “Here we show that volunteers who consumed 57g of almonds daily for one month before a single ‘weekend warrior’ exercise bout had more beneficial 12,13-DiHOME in their blood immediately after exercising than control volunteers. They also reported feeling less fatigue and tension, better leg-back strength, and decreased muscle damage after exercise than control volunteers.”
The clinical trial involved 38 men and 26 women between the ages of 30 and 65, who didn’t engage in regular weight training. Approximately half were randomized to the almond diet group, and the other half to the control group, who daily ate a calorie-matched cereal bar. The researchers took blood and urine samples before and after the four-week period of dietary supplementation. Performance measures included a 30 second Wingate anaerobic test, a 50 meter shuttle run test, and vertical jump, bench press, and leg-back strength exercises. Additional blood and urine samples were taken immediately after this 90 minute session of ‘eccentric exercise’ and daily for four days afterwards.
As expected, the 90 minute exercise led to an increase in the volunteers’ self-reported feeling of muscle damage and muscle soreness, as well as an increased POMS score, indicating self-reported decreased vigor and increased fatigue, anxiety, and depression.
The exercise also resulted in transient elevated levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines such as IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, and MCP-1 in the blood, consistent with minor muscle damage. However, these changes in cytokines were equal in the almond and cereal bar groups.
Importantly, immediately after exercise, the concentration of the beneficial 12,13-DiHOME was 69% higher in blood plasma of participants in the almond group than in participants in the control group. 12,13-DiHOME is known to increase the transport of fatty acid and its uptake by skeletal muscle, with the overall effect of stimulating metabolic recovery after exercise.
The reverse pattern was found for another oxylipin, the mildly toxic 9,10-Dihydroxy-12-octadecenoic acid (9,10-diHOME), which was 40% higher immediately after exercise in the blood of the control group than in the almond group. Unlike 12,13-DiHOME, 9,10-diHOME has been shown have negative effects on overall health and the body’s recovery to exercise.
Nieman and colleagues concluded that daily consumption of almonds leads to a change in metabolism, downregulating inflammation and oxidative stress from exercise and enabling the body to recover faster.
“We conclude that almonds provide a unique and complex nutrient and polyphenol mixture that may support metabolic recovery from stressful levels of exercise. Almonds have high amounts of protein, healthy types of fats, vitamin E, minerals, and fiber. And the brown skin of almonds contains polyphenols that end up in the large intestine and help control inflammation and oxidative stress,” said Nieman.
Omega-3 supplements can prevent childhood asthma
Copenhagen University Hospital, December 29, 2022
Taking certain omega-3 fatty acid supplements during pregnancy can reduce the risk of childhood asthma by almost one third, according to a new study from the Copenhagen Prospective Studies on Asthma in Childhood (COPSAC) and the University of Waterloo.
The study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, found that women who were prescribed 2.4 grams of long-chain omega-3 supplements during the third trimester of pregnancy reduced their children’s risk of asthma by 31 per cent. Long-chain omega-3 fatty acids, which include eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), are found in cold water fish, and key to regulating human immune response.
“We’ve long suspected there was a link between the anti-inflammatory properties of long-chain omega-3 fats, the low intakes of omega-3 in Western diets and the rising rates of childhood asthma,” said Professor Hans Bisgaard of COPSAC at the Copenhagen University Hospital. “This study proves that they are definitively and significantly related.”
The testing also revealed that women with low blood levels of EPA and DHA at the beginning of the study benefitted the most from the supplements. For these women, it reduced their children’s relative risk of developing asthma by 54 per cent.
“The proportion of women with low EPA and DHA in their blood is even higher in Canada and the United States as compared with Denmark. So we would expect an even greater reduction in risk among North American populations,” said Professor Stark. “Identifying these women and providing them with supplements should be considered a front-line defense to reduce and prevent childhood asthma.”
“Asthma and wheezing disorders have more than doubled in Western countries in recent decades,” said Professor Bisgaard. “We now have a preventative measure to help bring those numbers down.”
Currently, one out of five young children suffer from asthma or a related disorder before school age.
Study shows gardening may help reduce cancer risk, boost mental healthUniversity of Colorado at Boulder, January 6, 2023
The first-ever, randomized, controlled trial of community gardening found that those who started gardening ate more fiber and got more physical activity—two known ways to reduce risk of cancer and chronic diseases. They also saw their levels of stress and anxiety significantly decrease.
The findings were published in The Lancet Planetary Health.
“These findings provide concrete evidence that community gardening could play an important role in preventing cancer, chronic diseases and mental health disorders,” said senior author Jill Litt, a professor in the Department of Environmental Studies at CU Boulder.
“No matter where you go, people say there’s just something about gardening that makes them feel better,” said Litt, who is also a researcher with the Barcelona Institute for Global Health.
Some small observational studies have found that people who garden tend to eat more fruits and vegetables and have a healthier weight. But it has been unclear whether healthier people just tend to garden, or gardening influences health.
Only three studies have applied the gold standard of scientific research, the randomized controlled trial, to the pastime. None have looked specifically at community gardening.
To fill the gap, Litt recruited 291 non-gardening adults, average age of 41, from the Denver area. More than a third were Hispanic and more than half came from low-income households.
The gardening group received a free community garden plot, some seeds and seedlings, and an introductory gardening course through the nonprofit Denver Urban Gardens program and a study partner.
By fall, those in the gardening group were eating, on average, 1.4 grams more fiber per day than the control group—an increase of about 7%.
The authors note that fiber exerts a profound effect on inflammatory and immune responses, influencing everything from how we metabolize food to how healthy our gut microbiome is to how susceptible we are to diabetes and certain cancers.
While doctors recommend about 25 to 38 grams of fiber per day, the average adult consumes less than 16 grams.
“An increase of one gram of fiber can have large, positive effects on health,” said co-author James Hebert, director of University of South Carolina’s cancer prevention and control program.
The gardening group also increased their physical activity levels by about 42 minutes per week. Public health agencies recommend at least 150 minutes of physical activity per week, a recommendation only a quarter of the U.S. population meets. With just two to three visits to the community garden weekly, participants met 28% of that requirement.
Study participants also saw their stress and anxiety levels decrease, with those who came into the study most stressed and anxious seeing the greatest reduction in mental health issues.
The study also confirmed that even novice gardeners can reap measurable health benefits of the pastime in their first season. As they have more experience and enjoy greater yields, Litt suspects such benefits will increase.
Researchers shed light on how exercise preserves physical fitness during agingJoslin Diabetes Center, December 6, 2023
Proven to protect against a wide array of diseases, exercise may be the most powerful anti-aging intervention known to science. However, while physical activity can improve health during aging, its beneficial effects inevitably decline. The cellular mechanisms underlying the relationship among exercise, fitness and aging remain poorly understood.
In a paper published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, researchers at Joslin Diabetes Center investigated the role of one cellular mechanism in improving physical fitness by exercise training and identified one anti-aging intervention that delayed the declines that occur with aging in the model organism. Together, the scientists’ findings open the door to new strategies for promoting muscle function during aging.
“Our data identify an essential mediator of exercise responsiveness and an entry point for interventions to maintain muscle function during aging.”
That essential mediator is the cycle of fragmentation and repair of the mitochondria, the specialized structures, or organelles, inside every cell responsible for producing energy. Mitochondrial function is critical to health, and disruption of mitochondrial dynamics the cycle of repairing dysfunctional mitochondria and restoring the connectivity among the energy-producing organelles — has been linked to the development and progression of chronic, age-related diseases, such as heart disease and type 2 diabetes.
“As we perceive that our muscles undergo a pattern of fatigue and restoration after an exercise session, they are undergoing this mitochondrial dynamic cycle,” said Blackwell, who is also acting section head of Immunobiology at Joslin. “In this process, muscles manage the aftermath of the metabolic demand of exercise and restore their functional capability.”
“We determined that a single exercise session induces a cycle of fatigue and physical fitness recovery that is paralleled by a cycle of the mitochondrial network rebuilding,” said first author Juliane Cruz Campos, a postdoctoral fellow at Joslin Diabetes Center. “Aging dampened the extent to which this occurred and induced a parallel decline in physical fitness. That suggested that mitochondrial dynamics might be important for maintaining physical fitness and possibly for physical fitness to be enhanced by a bout of exercise.”
Finally, the researchers tested known, lifespan-extending interventions for their ability to improve exercise capacity during aging. Worms with increased AMPK — a molecule that is a key regulator of energy during exercise which also promotes remodeling of mitochondrial morphology and metabolism — exhibited improved physical fitness. They also demonstrated maintenance of, but not enhancement of, exercise performance during aging. Worms engineered to lack AMPK exhibited reduced physical fitness during aging as well as impairment of the recovery cycle. They also did not receive the age-delaying benefits of exercise over the course of the lifespan.
Nighttime electronic device use lowers melatonin levels
Brigham and Women’s Hospital, December 24 2022.
The Proceedings of the National Academy of Science published the findings researchers at Boston’s Brigham and Women’s Hospital of a suppressive effect for evening use of light-emitting electronic devices on sleep and melatonin secretion.
“Electronic devices emit light that is short-wavelength-enriched light, which has a higher concentration of blue light — with a peak around 450 nm — than natural light,” explained lead author Anne-Marie Chang. “This is different from natural light in composition, having a greater impact on sleep and circadian rhythms.”
Twelve healthy adults were randomized to read a light-emitting eBook or a printed book in dim room light approximately four hours before bedtime for five evenings. At the end of the five day period, participants switched their assignments. Blood samples collected during portions of the study were analyzed for melatonin levels. Sleep latency, time and efficiency were assessed via polysomnography.
eBook reading was associated with more time needed to fall asleep and less rapid eye movement sleep in comparison with reading a printed book. Evening melatonin levels were suppressed by an average of 55.12% in eBook readers, while those who read printed books had no suppression. Compared to printed book reading, the onset of melatonin release in response to dim light occurred 1 ½ hours later the day following reading of an eBook.
“Our most surprising finding was that individuals using the e-reader would be more tired and take longer to become alert the next morning,” Dr Chang reported. “This has real consequences for daytime functioning, and these effects might be worse in the real world as opposed to the controlled environment we used.”
“We live in a sleep-restricted society, in general,” she added. “It is important to further study the effects of using light-emitting devices, especially before bed, as they may have longer term health consequences than we previously considered.”
Iron deficiency anemia associated with hearing loss
Penn State University, December 29, 2022
In a study published online by JAMA Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery, Kathleen M. Schieffer, B.S., of the Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, Hershey, Pa., and colleagues examined the association between sensorineural hearing loss and conductive hearing loss and iron deficiency anemia in adults ages 21 to 90 years in the United States.
Approximately 15 percent of adults report difficulty with hearing. Because iron deficiency anemia (IDA) is a common and easily correctable condition, further understanding of the association between IDA and all types of hearing loss may help to open new possibilities for early identification and appropriate treatment. For this study, using data obtained from deidentified electronic medical records from the Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center in Hershey, Pa., iron deficiency anemia was determined by low hemoglobin and ferritin levels for age and sex in 305,339 adults ages 21 to 90 years; associations between hearing loss and IDA were evaluated.
Of the patients in the study population, 43 percent were men; average age was 50 years. There was a 1.6 percent prevalence of combined hearing loss (defined as any combination of conductive hearing loss [hearing loss due to problems with the bones of the middle ear], sensorineural hearing loss, deafness, and unspecified hearing loss) and 0.7 percent prevalence of IDA. Both sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL; when there is damage to the cochlea or to the nerve pathways from the inner ear to the brain) (present in 1.1 percent of individuals with IDA) and combined hearing loss (present in 3.4 percent) were significantly associated with IDA. Analysis confirmed increased odds of SNHL and combined hearing loss among adults with IDA.
“An association exists between IDA in adults and hearing loss. The next steps are to better understand this correlation and whether promptly diagnosing and treating IDA may positively affect the overall health status of adults with hearing loss,” the authors write.
- Eating almonds daily boosts exercise recovery molecule by 69% among 'weekend warriors'
- Omega-3 supplements can prevent childhood asthma
- Study shows gardening may help reduce cancer risk, boost mental health
- Researchers shed light on how exercise preserves physical fitness during aging
- Nighttime electronic device use lowers melatonin levels
- Iron deficiency anemia associated with hearing loss
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- Intermittent fasting can alter expression of genes which influence health and longevity
- Procrastinators may delay all the way to worse health
- Midnight munchies mangle memory
- Anecdotals (18:30 - 28:30)
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- Anti-inflammatory diet plus supplements associated with improved survival among women with cancer
- Dark chocolate may boost time trial performance for cyclists
- Physical Activity Interventions to Alleviate Depressive Symptoms in Children and Adolescents
- Children who frequently check social media face significant brain changes
- Nutritional Supplement May Benefit Parkinson's Patients
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Max Blumenthal is a multi award-winning author and investigative journalist and the founding editor in chief of The Grayzone -- one the most insightful and well-documented sources for commentaries addressing America's perpetual state of war and its geopolitical activities. Max's articles and video documentaries have appeared in the New York Times, The Nation, Salon, Huffington Post and many others. He has also frequently appeared on national TV and radio broadcasts including Bill Moyers, Tucker Carlson, RT, CNN, MSNBC and al-Jazeera. His books include the New York Times best seller Republican Gomorrah and his latest is The Management of Savagery -- which connects the relationships between the rise of global extremism with the US imperial agenda. His video documentaries, notably Killing Gaza have been viewed by millions. Max' and his colleagues Aaron Matte's investigative articles can be found at TheGrayzone.com, and their video reports and interviews can be found on Youtube and Odysee. You can also follow him on Telegram and the restored Twitter
- Researchers identify molecule with anti-inflammatory properties in maple syrup
- Midnight munchies mangle memory
- More Connectivity In The Brain Found In People Who Run
- Singing found to support stroke rehabilitation
- Violence spreads like a disease among adolescents, study finds
- Vitamin D “sufficiency” is disease-dependent
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Omega-3 fatty acid intake linked to lower risk of premature mortality among diabetic men and women
· Seniors Who Drink This Type Of Juice Every Day May Have Stronger Memory
· Your Ability To Balance On One Leg Reflects Your Brain Health
· Actinidia arguta (sarunashi) juice found to inhibit lung cancer in mice
· Overweight affects DNA methylation
· Researchers find magnesium intake may be beneficial in preventing pancreatic cancer
- Chris Hedges | Peace sacrificed for PROFIT (8:01)
- 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐚 𝐙𝐞𝐞𝐞 | 𝐖𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐡𝐲 𝐛𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐦𝐞𝐧 𝐫𝐞𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐫𝐞 𝐮𝐧𝐯𝐚𝐜𝐜𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐰 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐣𝐞𝐭𝐬 (1:27)
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Study links nutrients in blood to better brain connectivity, cognition in older adults
University of Illinois, December 20, 2022
A new study links higher levels of several key nutrients in the blood with more efficient brain connectivity and performance on cognitive tests in older adults. The study, reported in the journal NeuroImage, looked at 32 key nutrients in the Mediterranean diet, which previous research has shown is associated with better brain function in aging. It included 116 healthy adults 65-75 years of age. "We wanted to investigate whether diet and nutrition predict cognitive performance in healthy older adults," said University of Illinois postdoctoral researcher Christopher Zwilling, who led the study with U. of I. psychology professor Aron Barbey in the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology. The analysis linked specific patterns of a handful of nutrient biomarkers in the blood to better brain health and cognition. The nutrient patterns included omega-3 fatty acids, which are abundant in fish, walnuts and Brussels sprouts; omega-6 fatty acids, found in flaxseed, pumpkin seeds, pine nuts and pistachios; lycopene, a vivid red pigment in tomatoes, watermelon and a few other fruits and vegetables; alpha- and beta-carotenoids, which give sweet potatoes and carrots their characteristic orange color; and vitamins B and D. The researchers relied on some of the most rigorous methods available for examining nutrient intake and brain health, Barbey said. Rather than asking participants to answer food-intake surveys, which require the accurate recall of what and how much participants ate, the team looked for patterns of nutrient "biomarkers" in the blood. The team also used functional magnetic resonance imaging to carefully evaluate the efficiency with which various brain networks performed. The analysis found a robust link between higher levels of several nutrient biomarkers in the blood and enhanced performance on specific cognitive tests. These nutrients, which appeared to work synergistically, included omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, carotenoids, lycopene, riboflavin, folate, vitamin B12 and vitamin D. The analysis also revealed that a pattern of omega-3s, omega-6s and carotene was linked to better functional brain network efficiency. Different nutrient patterns appeared to moderate the efficiency in different brain networks. For example, higher levels of omega-3 fatty acids paralleled the positive relationship between a healthy frontoparietal network and general intelligence. The frontoparietal network supports the ability to focus attention and engage in goal-directed behavior. "Our study suggests that diet and nutrition moderate the association between network efficiency and cognitive performance," Barbey said. "This means that the strength of the association between functional brain network efficiency and cognitive performance is associated with the level of the nutrients."
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Sunlight offers surprise benefit -- it energizes infection fighting T cells
Georgetown University Medical Center, December 20, 2022
Sunlight allows us to make vitamin D, credited with healthier living, but a surprise research finding could reveal another powerful benefit of getting some sun. Georgetown University Medical Center researchers have found that sunlight, through a mechanism separate than vitamin D production, energizes T cells that play a central role in human immunity. Their findings, published in Scientific Reports, suggest how the skin, the body's largest organ, stays alert to the many microbes that can nest there. "We all know sunlight provides vitamin D, which is suggested to have an impact on immunity, among other things. But what we found is a completely separate role of sunlight on immunity," says the study's senior investigator, Gerard Ahern, PhD, associate professor in the Georgetown's Department of Pharmacology and Physiology. "Some of the roles attributed to vitamin D on immunity may be due to this new mechanism." They specifically found that low levels of blue light, found in sun rays, makes T cells move faster -- marking the first reported human cell responding to sunlight by speeding its pace. "T cells, whether they are helper or killer, need to move to do their work, which is to get to the site of an infection and orchestrate a response," Ahern says. "This study shows that sunlight directly activates key immune cells by increasing their movement." Ahern also added that while production of vitamin D required UV light, which can promote skin cancer and melanoma, blue light from the sun, as well as from special lamps, is safer. And while the human and T cells they studied in the laboratory were not specifically skin T cells -- they were isolated from mouse cell culture and from human blood -- the skin has a large share of T cells in humans, he says, approximately twice the number circulating in the blood. What drove the motility response in T cells was synthesis of hydrogen peroxide, which then activated a signaling pathway that increases T cell movement. Hydrogen peroxide is a compound that white blood cells release when they sense an infection in order to kill bacteria and to "call" T cells and other immune cells to mount an immune response. "We found that sunlight makes hydrogen peroxide in T cells, which makes the cells move. And we know that an immune response also uses hydrogen peroxide to make T cells move to the damage," Ahern says. "This all fits together."
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Capsaicin molecule inhibits growth of breast cancer cells
Centre of Genomics, Ruhr-Universität Bochum (Germany), December 22, 2022
Capsaicin, an active ingredient of pungent substances such as chilli or pepper, inhibits the growth of breast cancer cells. This was reported by a team headed by the Bochum-based scent researcher Prof Dr Dr Dr habil Hanns Hatt and Dr Lea Weber, following experiments in cultivated tumour cells. The experiments were carried out with the SUM149PT cell culture, a model system for a particularly aggressive type of breast cancer, i.e. the triple-negative type. Chemotherapy is currently the only available treatment for this type of cancer. In the cultivated cells, the team detected a number of typical olfactory receptors. One receptor occurred very frequently; it is usually found in the fifth cranial nerve, i.e. the trigeminal nerve. It belongs to the so-called Transient Receptor Potential Channels and is named TRPV1. That receptor is activated by the spicy molecule capsaicin as well as by helional – a scent of fresh sea breeze. In collaboration with Dr Gabriele Bonatz from the Augusta clinics in Bochum (Brustzentrum), Hatt's team confirmed the existence of TRPV1 in tumour cells in nine different samples from patients suffering from breast cancer. The researchers activated the TRPV1 receptor in the cell culture with capsaicin or helional, by adding the substances to the culture for a period of several hours or days. As a result, the cancer cells divide more slowly. Moreover, the treatment caused tumour cells to die in larger numbers. The surviving cells were no longer able to move as quickly as heretofore; this implies that their ability to form metastases in the body was impeded. Earlier studies had demonstrated that the chemical arvanil – with a chemical make-up similar to that of the spicy molecule capsaicin – was effective against brain tumours in mice; it reduces tumour growth in the animals. Due to its side effects, however, this substance is not approved for humans. In addition to capsaicin and helional, the endovanilloids, produced naturally in the body, also activate the TRPV1 receptor.
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Losing body fat could be facilitated by light evening exercise and fasting
Baylor College of Medicine, December 20, 2022
Making muscles burn more fat and less glucose can increase exercise endurance, but could simultaneously cause diabetes, says a team of scientists from Baylor College of Medicine and other institutions.Mouse muscles use glucose (carbohydrate) as fuel when the animals are awake and active and switch to fat (lipid) when they are asleep. The team discovered that disrupting this natural cycle may lead to diabetes but, surprisingly, can also enhance exercise endurance. The switch is controlled by a molecule called histone deacetylase 3, or HDAC3. This finding opens the possibility of selecting the right time to exercise for losing body fat but also raises the concern of using HDAC inhibitors as doping drugs for endurance exercise. The study appears in Nature Medicine. Skeletal muscles, the voluntary muscles, are important in the control of blood glucose in the body. They consume most of the glucose, and if they develop insulin resistance and consequently are not able to use glucose, then diabetes likely will develop. To study the role of HDAC3 in mouse skeletal muscle, Sun and colleagues genetically engineered laboratory mice to deplete HDAC3 only in the skeletal muscles. Then they compared these knocked out mice with normal mice regarding how their muscles burn fuel. When normal mice eat, their blood sugar increases and insulin is released, which stimulates muscles to take in and use glucose as fuel. "When the knocked out mice ate, their blood sugar increased and insulin was released just fine, but their muscles refused to take in and use glucose," said Sun. "Lacking HDAC3 made the mice insulin resistant and more prone to develop diabetes." Yet, when the HDAC3-knocked out mice ran on a treadmill, they showed superior endurance, "which was intriguing because diabetes is usually associated with poor muscle performance," said Sun. "Glucose is the main fuel of muscle, so if a condition limits the use of glucose, the expectation is low performance in endurance exercises. That's the surprise." The researchers then studied what fueled the HDAC3-knocked out mice's stellar performance using metabolomics approaches and found that their muscles break down more amino acids. This changed the muscles' preference from glucose to lipids and allowed them to burn lipid very efficiently. This explains the high endurance, because the body carries a much larger energy reservoir in the form of lipid than carbohydrate. The team performed a number of functional genomics studies that established the link between HDAC3 and the circadian clock. "In normal mice, when the mouse is awake, the clock in the muscle anticipates a feeding cycle and uses HDAC3 to turn off many metabolic genes. This leads the muscles to use more carbohydrate," said Sun. "When the animal is about to go to sleep and anticipates a fasting cycle, the clock removes HDAC3. This leads the muscles to use more lipid." Although these studies were done in mice, the researchers speculate that human muscles most likely will follow the same cycle. The study opens the possibility of promoting body fat burning by increasing exercise activity during the periods in which muscles use lipid, which is at night for people. "Losing body fat would be easier by exercising lightly and fasting at night," said Sun. "It's not a bad idea to take a walk after dinner."
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Employees who are open about religion are happier, study suggests
Kansas State University, December 17, 2022
It may be beneficial for employers to not only encourage office Christmas parties but also celebrate holidays and festivals from a variety of religions, according to a Kansas State University researcher. Sooyeol Kim was involved in a collaborative study that found that employees who openly discuss their religious beliefs at work are often happier and have higher job satisfaction than those employees who do not. "For many people, religion is the core of their lives," Kim said. "Being able to express important aspects of one's life can influence work-related issues, such as job satisfaction, work performance or engagement. It can be beneficial for organizations to have a climate that is welcoming to every religion and culture."Kim said employers might even want to consider a religion-friendly policy or find ways to encourage religious expression. For example, organizations could have an office Christmas party, but also could celebrate and recognize other religious holidays and dates, such as Hanukkah, Ramadan or Buddhist holidays. For the cross-cultural study, the researchers surveyed nearly 600 working adults from a variety of industries -- including education and finance -- in the U.S. and South Korea. The surveyed employees were all Christian, but identified with a variety of denominations, including Presbyterian, Baptist and Methodist, among others. Results showed that employees who valued religion as a core part of their lives were more likely to disclose their religion in the workplace. Employees who felt pressure to assimilate in the workplace were less likely to disclose their religious identity, Kim said. But most significantly, the researchers found that the employees who disclosed their religion in the workplace had several positive outcomes, including higher job satisfaction and higher perceived well-being. "Disclosing your religion can be beneficial for employees and individual well-being," Kim said. "When you try to hide your identity, you have to pretend or you have to lie to others, which can be stressful and negatively impact how you build relationships with co-workers." Kim said the research on religion in the workplace plays a part into work-life balance. Research continues to show that individual characteristics -- such as family and religion -- can influence work-related issues.
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New Cannabis Capsule Is So Powerful It’s Going To Completely Replace All Pain Killers
University of Pennsylvania, December 19, 2022
In places where medical marijuana is legal, opioid abuse and addiction has fallen by 25%, but the government maintain they are stumped as to why Opioid abuse and addiction is a massive problem all over the US, hence why people are eager to find natural alternatives. The health benefits of cannabis are become more and more accepted in mainstream society, as more studies which support cannaboid use are published. This doesn’t sit well with big pharma, who are desperate to hold on to the monopoly they control. In the U.S. states where medical marijuana is legal to use, deaths from opioid overdoses have decreased by almost 25 percent, according to a new data. The study was done by Bachhuber, of the Philadelphia Veterans Affairs Medical Center and the University of Pennsylvania, and his colleagues who used state-level death certificate data for all 50 states. According to JAMA Medicine, in states with a medical marijuana law, overdose deaths from opioids like morphine, oxycodone and heroin decreased by an average of 20 percent after just one year. After two years, they continued to decrease to 25 percent. In the mean time, opioid overdose deaths across the country skyrocketed. The cannabis capsules are made from the extract of cannabis flower. The active ingredients are processed without microbials and then packaged with a specific mix of 60 mg of THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) and 10 mg of CBD (cannabidiol). The combination together creates the perfect effect to relieve pain. The THC helps send happy feelings to the brain, while the CBD helps promote relaxation of the muscles. This helps reduce muscle spasms as well as inflammation.
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Mediterranean diet linked to lower preeclampsia risk
Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, December 22, 2022
In a new study evaluating the Mediterranean diet and adverse pregnancy outcomes, investigators from the Smidt Heart Institute at Cedars-Sinai found that women who conceived while adhering to the anti-inflammatory diet had a significantly lower risk of developing preeclampsia during pregnancy. The study, published in the peer-reviewed journal JAMA Network Open, also evaluated the association between the Mediterranean diet and other adverse pregnancy outcomes, including gestational diabetes and hypertension, preterm birth, delivery of a small-for-gestational-age infant, and stillbirth. “This multicenter, population-based study validates that a healthier eating pattern is associated with a lower risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes, the most exciting being a 28% lower risk for preeclampsia,” said Natalie Bello, MD, MPH, senior and corresponding author of the study and director of Hypertension Research in the Smidt Heart Institute. “Importantly, this connection between the Mediterranean diet and lower risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes was seen in a geographically, racially and ethnically diverse population.” Bello also notes that researchers found the association was stronger in women who are traditionally considered to be of advanced maternal age, those 35 or older. Preeclampsia is a serious blood pressure condition that develops during pregnancy and puts stress on the mother’s heart. Left untreated, the condition can cause serious complications like weakened kidney and liver function and decreased blood supply to the fetus. In addition to preeclampsia, the risk of gestational diabetes also decreased in women who more closely followed the heart-healthy diet. The study was part of the Nulliparous Pregnancy Outcomes Study: Monitoring Mothers-to-be, which enrolled 10,038 women . Of the women enrolled, 7,798 were included in the JAMA Network Open study. Women who were pregnant with their first child were asked to complete a semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire during their first study visit, which occurred in the first trimester. The questionnaire focused on the women’s eating habits during the three months prior to their visit and asked the participants to report their intake of common foods and beverages. Individuals’ responses were then categorized into the nine components of a Mediterranean diet—vegetables, fruits, nuts, whole grains, legumes, fish, monounsaturated-to-saturated fat ratio, red and processed meats, and alcohol—to calculate a Mediterranean diet score. The data was compiled, analyzed and studied by researchers and showed: A high Mediterranean diet score was related to 21% lower odds of having any adverse pregnancy outcome, as well as a 28% and 37% lower risk of having preeclampsia/eclampsia and gestational diabetes.
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Almond findings continue to demonstrate prebiotic promise
University of Florida, December 17, 2022
Eating almonds is beneficial to maintaining a healthy gut microbiota composition and improving the diet quality of parents and children suggests a new study. The research is the first to monitor the effects of dietary change on digestive health and immune function in a parent and child and whether this positively affects immunity, inflammation and general health. Writing in Nutrition Research, researchers began by enrolling 29 healthy parent and child pairs in to a 14-week, randomised, controlled, crossover study. Parents and children consumed 1.5 and 0.5 ounces of almonds and/or almond butter, respectively, on a daily basis for three weeks, as part of their usual diet, followed by a 6-week washout period and another 3-week period of following the usual diet with no almonds. Using the Healthy Eating Index (HEI) score—a measure of adherence to recommended dietary guidance—parents and children increased their scores to 61.4, (above national averages of 57.4 for adults 31-50 years and 54.9 for children 4-8 years). HEI scores also increased for fatty acids, total protein, seafood and plant protein and decreased for fruit and empty calories. When eating almonds, participants also consumed more vitamin E and magnesium, two nutrients lacking in the majority of adult’s and children’s diets. Almond consumption also seemed to change gut bacteria levels in subjects. Although the children consumed one-third of the amount of almonds compared to adults, microbiota was affected to a greater extent in their bodies. No specific changes in immune markers were noted. Last year, NutraIngredients reported on a study in which fibre-rich almonds and their skin may selectively boost the populations of Bifidobacterium spp. and Lactobacillus spp in the gut. The study suggested that populations of these bacteria were enhanced after six weeks of consuming almonds or almond skins.
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Probiotic bacteria found in fermented foods might help dispel bad breathSichuan University (China), December 21, 2022
Probiotic bacteria usually found in fermented foods, such as yoghurt, sourdough bread, and miso soup, might help dispel the embarrassment of persistent bad breath (halitosis), finds a pooled data analysis of the available evidence, published in the open access journal BMJ Open. Lactobacillus salivarius, Lactobacillus reuteri, Streptococcus salivarius, Weissella cibaria, taken in the form of supplements in this study, may help freshen the breath, but more good quality research is needed, say the researchers. Volatile sulphuric compounds are the main cause of persistent bad breath. These compounds are produced by mouth bacteria as a result of bacterial mixing and food debris associated with poor gum and dental hygiene. Options used to tackle the problem include mouthwashes, chewing gums, teeth scaling and tongue scraping. Emerging evidence suggests that probiotic bacteria might offer a simpler alternative. To explore this further, and find out how long any such effects might last, the researchers trawled research databases for relevant randomised clinical trials published up to February 2021. Probiotics may inhibit the decomposition of amino acids and proteins by anaerobic bacteria in the mouth, so curbing the production of smelly by-products, the researchers explain.
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War metaphors for cancer hurt certain prevention behaviors
University of Michigan, December 15, 2022
It’s not unusual for people to use war metaphors such as “fight” and “battle” when trying to motivate patients with cancer.But a University of Michigan study indicates that using those words can have an unintended negative effect. David Hauser, a U-M doctoral student in psychology, and colleague Norbert Schwarz, found in three studies that exposure to metaphoric language relating cancer to an enemy significantly lessens the extent to which people consider cancer-prevention behaviors. “Hearing metaphoric utterances is enough to change the way we think about a concept,” said Hauser, the study’s lead investigator. “When we hear the phrase ‘win the battle against cancer,’ it forces us to think of cancer as if it’s an enemy that we are at war with.”These metaphors emphasize power and taking aggressive actions toward an enemy. However, the bulk of cancer prevention behaviors–such as curbing alcohol intake, salty foods and smoking–involve limitation and restraint. None of them fit with an enemy metaphor that promotes power and aggression, the researchers said. “Hence, enemy metaphors de-emphasize this subset of beneficial prevention behaviors and hurts people’s willingness to engage in them,” he said. In one study, the authors asked participants to list cancer-prevention behaviors they would be willing to undertake. For one group of participants, the request contained metaphors relating cancer to an enemy (“What things would you do to fight against developing cancer?”). For a second group, the request contained no metaphors. The group exposed to the enemy metaphor listed significantly less limitation-related prevention behaviors. “This suggests that simply seeing war metaphors for cancer diminishes the extent to which these behaviors come to mind,” Hauser said. In another study, 313 participants read one of two health information passages about colorectal cancer. One passage contained metaphors relating cancer to an enemy (“This disease involves an enemy uprising of abnormal cellular growth in the large intestine.”), whereas the second passage contained no enemy metaphors. Participants then rated the extent to which they intended to engage in various prevention, screening and treatment behaviors. Those who read the enemy metaphor passage had less intention to engage in limitation-related prevention behaviors (such as limiting red meat intake or excessive alcohol consumption) than the participants who read the second passage. “Enemy metaphoric language for cancer diminishes people’s intentions for these types of prevention behaviors,” Schwarz said. “Importantly, these negative effects of enemy metaphors on prevention behaviors are not accompanied by a positive effect on intentions to undertake screening or treatment behaviors.” War and enemy metaphors are the most common metaphors found in science journalism about cancer, and they pervade public discourse about the disease.”Fight and battle are actually among the top 10 verbs used to describe cancer,” Hauser said. “Constant exposure to even minor metaphorical utterances may be enough to make enemy metaphors for cancer a powerful influence on public health–with unfortunate side-effects.”
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More proof that cannabis is an anti-aging powerhouse to rapidly restore memory performance of older mice
Hebrew University Jerusalem & University of Bonn (Germany), December 14, 2022
Scientists from The Hebrew University of Jerusalem and the University of Bonn teamed up to examine the potential brain benefits of cannabis in mice. This amazing study is years in the making, with the researchers having built a strong body of evidence on the brain benefits of THC. To conduct their study, researchers administered a small amount of THC, derived from cannabis, to mice aged two, twelve and 18 months old for the course of one month. Some mice were given a placebo. As sources explain, mice have very short life spans and show substantial cognitive deficiencies at just 12 months of age. Afterwards, the mice were subjected to a battery of tests to gauge their learning capacity and memory. Incredibly, the team found that older mice treated with cannabis displayed cognitive function that was as good as the youngest control subjects.
As reported by The Hebrew University of Jerusalem:
Mice that were only given a placebo displayed natural age-dependent learning and memory losses. In contrast, the cognitive functions of the animals treated with cannabis were just as good as the two-month-old control animals. “The treatment completely reversed the loss of performance in the old animals,” reported Prof. Andreas Zimmer from the Institute of Molecular Psychiatry at the University of Bonn and member of the Cluster of Excellence ImmunoSensation. In past studies, the team found that brain aging is accelerated when THC receptors are absent, prompting them to investigate further. In the brain, THC acts very similarly to the cannabinoids naturally produced by the body. “With increasing age, the quantity of the cannabinoids naturally formed in the brain reduces. When the activity of the cannabinoid system declines, we find rapid aging in the brain,” Prof. Zimmer commented. Treating the mice with THC yielded incredibly impressive epigenetic changes in their brains, and the number of links between neurons dramatically increased, as well. “It looked as though the THC treatment turned back the molecular clock,” Zimmer commented.
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Brussels Sprouts Have As Much Vitamin C As Oranges – And Plenty Of Other Health Benefits
Quadram Institute, December 22, 2022
For many people, Christmas dinner is not complete without a side helping of Brussels sprouts. Indeed, they are Britain’s favourite Christmas dinner vegetable. But if you’re not a convert, perhaps these health benefits will convince you to give them a second chance. Sprouts belong to the wholesome family of cruciferous or brassica vegetables, including cabbage, kale and broccoli. As with all brassica, Brussels sprouts are packed with fibre, which is good for keeping the beneficial bacteria in your gut happy. They also provide essential minerals, such as potassium and calcium, to keep your muscle and bones healthy. They are rich in vitamins K and C, supporting a healthy immune system and bones. Pound for pound, you’ll get more vitamin C from them when eaten raw than from oranges. Cooked Brussels sprouts still contain vitamin C, though – about the same pound for pound as you’d get from orange juice and raw oranges.Most importantly, Brussels sprouts are rich in a wide range of natural chemicals, such as carotenoids and polyphenols, that have been linked to good health. They are particularly abundant in sulphur-containing compounds called glucosinolates. Several scientific studies have shown that these sulphurous compounds are potent antioxidants that can promote health by preventing cell damage. Several studies have also shown that consuming more of these glucosinolates from cruciferous vegetables, including Brussels sprouts, broccoli, kale and cabbage, are associated with a reduced risk of developing a wide range of cancers. Research continues collecting more evidence of their benefits, but the best advice to keep in mind is to try to consume roughly five portions of brassica vegetables weekly and to vary the options.
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Mushroom compound level predicts cognitive function
jcvzNational University of Singapore, December 21 2022.
Findings from a study reported in Antioxidants revealed an association between lower plasma levels of ergothioneine (ET), a compound that occurs in mushrooms, and an increased risk of cognitive impairment and dementia.”Before this study, there was little evidence that ET levels in the blood can predict the risk of developing cognitive issues,” noted lead researcher Barry Halliwell, of the National University of Singapore Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine. “Our findings demonstrate that if your ET levels are low, your risk of developing cognitive problems increases.” The study included 470 men and women of an average age of 73. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans conducted at recruitment determined the presence of cerebrovascular disease and/or brain atrophy and blood samples were evaluated for plasma ergothioneine. Neuropsychological tests administered at the beginning of the study and during up to 5 years of follow-up evaluated cognitive function. At the beginning of the study, 189 study participants had dementia, 193 were cognitively impaired without dementia and 88 had no cognitive impairment. Men and women with low (below the median) ergothioneine levels had worse cognitive function in comparison with those who had high levels. While cognitive function decreased over time among those with low or high levels of ergothioneine, the rate of decline was greater among participants who had low ergothioneine levels. When examined according to cognitive status, the long-term associations occurred only in participants who did not have dementia at the beginning of the study. “This points to the possibility of using a simple blood test to detect ET levels for early screening in the elderly to identify those who may have higher risk of cognitive decline,” Dr Halliwell stated. The researchers are planning a trial to evaluate the effects of ergothioneine supplementation among adults with mild cognitive impairment.
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Acupressure versus acupuncture—which one is better at treating sleep disturbance in patients with cancer?
University of Hong Kong, December 21, 2022
Both acupuncture—which is invasive and involves inserted needles—and acupressure—which is non-invasive and involves mechanical pressure—can potentially help reduce sleep disturbance in patients with cancer. A recent analysis of published clinical trials suggests that acupressure may have a greater effect than acupuncture. The analysis, which is published in Worldviews on Evidence-Based Nursing, included 24 randomized controlled trials involving 2,002 patients. The findings suggest that nurses and other health professionals in oncology settings should be provided with acupressure training to help patients who are experiencing sleep problems.“Based on available evidence, acupressure may be a more promising approach than acupuncture for reducing sleep disturbance in patients with cancer,” said corresponding author Denise Shuk Ting Cheung, BNurs, PhD, RN, of the University of Hong Kong. “Future studies should focus on the differential mechanisms of action of acupressure and acupuncture and link them to the multifactorial causes of sleep disturbance in patients with cancer.”
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Extraversion, conscientiousness linked to immune system function
University of Nottingham, December 15, 2022
Researchers have long suggested that personality may influence health. Now, a new study suggests that certain personality traits may play a role in immune system function. The research team – led by Prof. Kavita Vedhara of the School of Medicine at the University of Nottingham in the UK – found that extraverts are more likely to have strong immune systems, while people who are conscientious tend to have weaker immune systems. To reach their findings, published in the journal Psychoneuroendocrinology, the team enrolled 121 healthy adults – 86 females and 35 males – aged between 18 and 59 years. All participants were required to complete a test that measured five primary dimensions of personality: extraversion, neuroticism, openness, agreeableness and conscientiousness. The participants also provided blood samples, and the researchers used microarray technology to assess the link between the five personality traits and the activity of genes in white blood cells that play a role in immune system response. In addition, the researchers took note of participants’ exercise, smoking and drinking behaviors so they could rule these out as contributing factors. Results of the analysis revealed that participants who scored higher for extraversion – a personality that is more assertive, talkative and enthusiastic – had increased expression of pro-inflammatory genes in white blood cells, while those who scored higher on conscientiousness had reduced expression of these genes. “Individuals who we would expect to be exposed to more infections as a result of their socially orientated nature (i.e., extraverts) appear to have immune systems that we would expect can deal effectively with infection, while individuals who may be less exposed to infections because of their cautious/conscientious dispositions have immune systems that may respond less well.”A smaller relationship was found between increased pro-inflammatory gene expression and higher scores on openness, while no link was found between agreeableness and neuroticism and heightened expression of pro-inflammatory genes. The team notes that their findings remained, even after accounting for participants’ smoking, drinking and exercise status, as well as any reported negative emotions. In addition, Medical News Today reported on a study suggesting that men who are narcissistic – defined as having an inflated view of self-importance – may be more likely to develop cardiovascular problems than those who do not have narcissistic traits.
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They may be 95 and older, but they still crave independenceUniversity of York & Newcastle University (UK), December 20, 2022
People aged 95 and over still want to be part of society and enjoy a level of independence, despite having a more limited interaction with the world, a new study shows. The research, by a team at the University of York and Newcastle University, looked at the lives of 23 people from Newcastle, UK, as part of a 10-year follow-up study to the Newcastle 85+ study—an observational study spanning decades, following the experiences of people born in 1921. The research is published in the journal PLOS One. The study found that there were five key elements to sustaining a positive attitude to life post-95, the most important being a sense of independence, even if that meant reframing what independence is to them. Other areas included being able to reflect on past successes; being in control of when they need help from family; being outwardly presentable; and normalizing the impact of ill health. “We found that participants in the study saw themselves as content with their lives, despite their world becoming smaller, and in poor health and other challenges, they were able to find pleasure in the smaller things of their daily routines and events.” “Being independent came through strongly as a way of explaining their continued passion for life, and was strongly equated to feelings of dignity and youth. A bit of risk-taking, particularly with their health, was also important in order to keep their autonomy, particularly with family, where children had now become the caregiver.” Family relationships, however, were the most complex issue and those that felt most content were those that had made decisions about their own care—when to ask for help and when to ignore advice from their children or grandchildren. Participants also reported that even in serious ill health, accepting it as “normal” helped in minimizing its impact on their lives. The study aims to give voices to an age range that is rarely heard and provide insight into their experiences that needs to be considered as the population continues to live longer. The researchers argue that more research into older people needs to focus on the age range of 90+ years, and not just focus on the younger range of 65 to 80.
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Walking ‘Teabag style’ for a few minutes a day could help adults meet physical activity targetsArizona State University, December 21, 2022
Adults could achieve global physical activity targets by walking inefficiently for just a few minutes each day, finds a study in the Christmas issue of The BMJ. Global rates of physical inactivity have not budged in the past 20 years, despite campaigns to increase physical activity and boost cardiovascular fitness in adults. The inefficient walking styles of Mr. Teabag and Mr. Putey, acted by John Cleese and Michael Palin in the 1971 Monty Python Ministry of Silly Walks sketch, have been shown to be more variable than usual walking, but their energy expenditure has never been measured. To fill this vital research gap, a team of U.S. researchers set out to compare the energy expenditure of low efficiency walking with high efficiency walking. Their findings are based on data from 13 healthy adults (six women, seven men) aged 22-71 years (average age 34) with no history of heart or lung disease, and no known gait disorder. Height and body weight were measured and each participant was shown a video of the Ministry of Silly Walks sketch before performing three walking trials, each lasting five minutes, around an indoor 30-meter course. In the first trial, participants walked in their usual style at a freely chosen pace. For the next two trials, participants were asked to recreate, to the best of their ability, the walks of Mr. Teabag and Mr. Putey that they had seen in the video. Distance covered during the five minute walks was used to calculate average speed. Oxygen uptake (mL/kg/min), energy expenditure (kcal/kg/min) and exercise intensity (METs)—the amount of calories expended per minute of physical activity—were also measured. The researchers found that only the Teabag walk resulted in a significantly greater energy expenditure—about 2.5 times that of usual walking. For men and women combined, oxygen uptake during normal walking was 11.3 mL/kg/min (or 3.2 METs), which was similar to that of the Putey walk (12.3 mL/kg/min, or 3.5 METs). However, the Teabag walk elicited an oxygen uptake of 27.9 mL/kg/min, or 8 METs, which qualifies as vigorous intensity exercise. In terms of energy expenditure, exchanging just one minute of usual walking style with one minute of Teabag walking was associated with an increase in energy expenditure of 8 kcal/min for men and 5 kcal/min for women. The researchers estimate that adults could achieve 75 minutes of vigorous intensity physical activity per week by walking in Teabag style—rather than their usual style—for about 11 min/day. And substituting usual style steps with Teabag style steps for about 12-19 min/day would increase daily energy expenditure by approximately 100 kcal. This amount of walking in Teabag style would likely increase cardiorespiratory fitness, reduce mortality risk, and would require no extra time commitment because it replaces movement adults already do with higher energy physical activity, they add.
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Wolfberry consumption may offer flu protection: Mouse data
Tufts University, December 17, 2022
Consumption of wolfberries – also known as goji berries – may be associated with increasing the protective effect of influenza vaccines against the virus, according to new research in mice.
Writing in the Journal of Nutrition, the study analysed the effect of goji berry consumption on the effectiveness of the influenze vaccine to prevent infection with the influenza virus in older mice. Led by researchers at the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging (USDA HNRCA) at Tufts University, the research team noted that current vaccines for influenza do not fully protect the elderly against infection, and although wolfberry has been shown to improve immune responses “it is not known if this effect would translate to better protection.”The findings of the new study suggest that wolfberries appear to interact with the influenza vaccine, and therefore offer additional protection against the flu virus, by increasing the activity of dendritic cells – which play an important role in the ability of the immune system to defend against viral infections. “We observed higher antibody response and better protection against flu as indicated by less weight loss in the older mice that consumed wolfberries,” explained senior author Dr Simin Nikbin Meydani. “While previous studies have shown that wolfberries bolster immune response in mice, our results introduce their potential to reduce the age-related risk and severity of the flu virus in the presence of the vaccine.” “Wolfberries are rich in complex carbohydrates known as polysaccharides, as well as vitamins, carotenoids and flavonoids,” he commented. “Future studies in rodent models would be necessary to understand which components appear to be stimulating the dendritic cells.”
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Drinking hot tea every day linked to lower glaucoma risk
Brown University and UCLA, December 14, 2022
Drinking a cup of hot tea at least once a day may be linked to a significantly lower risk of developing the serious eye condition, glaucoma, finds a small study published online in the British Journal of Ophthalmology. The researchers looked at data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) in the US. This is a nationally representative annual survey of around 10, 000 people that includes interviews, physical examinations, and blood samples, designed to gauge the health and nutritional status of US adults and children. In this particular year, it also included eye tests for glaucoma. Among the 1678 participants who had full eye test results, including photos, 84 (5%) adults had developed the condition. They were asked how often and how much they had drunk of caffeinated and decaffeinated drinks, including soft drinks and iced tea, over the preceding 12 months, using a validated questionnaire (Food Frequency). Compared with those who didn’t drink hot tea every day, those who did, had a lower glaucoma risk, the data showed. After taking account of potentially influential factors, such as diabetes and smoking, hot tea-drinkers were 74 per cent less likely to have glaucoma. But no such associations were found for coffee—caffeinated or decaffeinated—decaffeinated tea, iced tea or soft drinks. This is an observational study so no firm conclusions can be drawn about cause and effect, and the absolute numbers of those with glaucoma were small. Information on when glaucoma had been diagnosed was also unavailable. But tea contains antioxidants and anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective chemicals, which have been associated with a lowered risk of serious conditions, including heart disease, cancer, and diabetes, say the researchers.
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Effects of Resveratrol on Polycystic Ovary Syndrome: A Double-blind, Randomized, Placebo-controlled Trial.
Poznan University of Medical Sciences (Poland), November 29, 2022
Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is the most common endocrinopathy affecting women of reproductive age. Hyperandrogenism is the central feature of PCOS. Studies on isolated ovarian theca-interstitial cells suggest that resveratrol, a natural polyphenol, reduces androgen production. This study was designed to evaluate endocrine and metabolic effects of resveratrol on PCOS. This was a randomized (1:1) double-blind, placebo-controlled trial that evaluated the effects of resveratrol over a period of 3 months in an academic hospital. Resveratrol (1,500 mg p.o.) or placebo were administered daily. Primary outcome was the change in the serum total T. Resveratrol treatment led to a significant decrease of total T by 23.1% . In parallel, resveratrol induced a 22.2% decrease of dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate, a decrease of fasting insulin level by 31.8% and an increase of the Insulin Sensitivity Index (Matsuda and DeFronzo) by 66.3%. Levels of gonadotropins, the lipid profile as well as markers of inflammation and endothelial function were not significantly altered. Resveratrol significantly reduced ovarian and adrenal androgens. This effect may be, at least in part, related to an improvement of insulin sensitivity and a decline of insulin level.
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Encouraging risk-taking in children may reduce the prevalence of childhood anxiety
Macquarie University’s Centre for Emotional Health (Netherlands), December 13, 2022
A new international study suggests that parents who employ challenging parent behavioural (CPB) methods – active physical and verbal behaviours that encourage children to push their limits – are likely protecting their children from developing childhood anxiety disorders. Researchers from Macquarie University’s Centre for Emotional Health, along with partners from the University of Amsterdam and the University of Reading, surveyed 312 families with preschool-aged children across the Netherlands and Australia. Results showed that the parents who scored higher in their CPB methods, thereby encouraging their kids to push their limits to a greater extent, had children who were less at risk of exhibiting anxiety disorder symptoms, demonstrating that CPB was related to significantly less anxiety in children. CPB encourages safe risk-taking in children such as giving them a fright, engaging in rough-and-tumble play or letting them lose a game, as well as encouraging them to practice social assertion and confidently enter into unfamiliar situations. This study aimed to build upon existing research that establishes a relationship between parenting behaviours – particularly overinvolvement and overcontrol – and the development and maintenance of childhood anxiety disorders. To determine the effects of CPB on preschool-aged children, parents’ CPB was assessed via a questionnaire assessing how much the parents encourage the exhibition of risky behaviour in their children, as well as the extent to which they encourage their children to venture beyond their comfort zones. “While Dutch and Australian mothers showed no differences in CPB towards their sons or daughters, both Dutch and Australian fathers of sons demonstrated more competition towards their sons than fathers of daughters. Dutch fathers in particular reported more rough-and-tumble play than the other groups of parents,” says Rebecca Lazarus from Macquarie University, another co-author of the study. The results are promising in raising the clinical relevance of CPB methods, which could potentially be used to aid parents in helping their children’s wellbeing.
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Music therapy reduces pain and anxiety for patients with cancer and sickle cell disease
University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center, December 19, 2022
A new study found patients with cancer and patients with sickle cell disease (SCD) treated at an academic cancer center reported clinically significant reductions in pain and anxiety in response to music therapy. Furthermore, patients with SCD who received music therapy reported significantly higher pain and anxiety at baseline than patients with hematologic and/or oncologic conditions excluding SCD. The findings from this study were recently published in the journal, Integrative Cancer Therapies, a leading journal focusing on understanding the science of integrative cancer treatments. In this retrospective study conducted between January 2017 and July 202, music therapists at UH Connor Whole Health provided 4,002 music therapy sessions to 1,152 patients across 2,400 encounters at UH Seidman Cancer Center, making this the largest investigation of the real-world effectiveness of music therapy within hematology and oncology to date. This study builds upon a history of seminal music therapy studies funded by the Kulas Foundation, the country’s leading foundation for funding scientific research in music therapy, that have investigated the efficacy of music therapy in palliative care, surgery, and sickle cell disease at UH. Music therapists provided interventions including live music listening, active music making, and songwriting to address patients’ needs including coping, pain management, anxiety reduction, and self-expression. As part of clinical care, the music therapists assessed patients’ self-reported pain, anxiety, and fatigue on a 0 to 10 scale at the beginning and end of each session and documented their sessions in the electronic health record.“This research highlights the increased symptom burden that adults with SCD face in the hospital and the significant impact that a single session of music therapy can have on their pain and anxiety.” These studies support the benefits of music therapy for managing acute pain, improving self-efficacy and quality of life, and improving sickle cell disease knowledge in adolescents and young adults transitioning from pediatric to adult care. Music therapy sessions differed between the two groups, with interventions including active music making, songwriting, and song recording being much more prevalent in the SCD group than the HemOnc group. Furthermore, in an analysis of patients’ comments about music therapy, patients expressed themes including enjoyment, gratitude, and improvements in mood, pain, and anxiety. “Integrative Oncology utilizes complementary therapies, such as music therapy discussed in this study, to improve well-being for those affected by cancer. Using an evidence-based approach and building off research allows us to confidently build a program around supporting patients with integrative modalities as part of a strategy to manage symptoms that they may encounter through therapies or from cancer,” explained Santosh Rao, MD, a board-certified medical oncologist and integrative medicine provider and Medical Director of Integrative Oncology at UH Connor Whole Health.
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Study links health risks to electromagnetic field exposure
Kaiser Permanente Division of Research, December 16, 2022
A study of real-world exposure to non-ionizing radiation from magnetic fields in pregnant women found a significantly higher rate of miscarriage, providing new evidence regarding their potential health risks. The Kaiser Permanente study was published in the journal Scientific Reports. Non-ionizing radiation from magnetic fields is produced when electric devices are in use and electricity is flowing. It can be generated by a number of environmental sources, including electric appliances, power lines and transformers, wireless devices and wireless networks. Humans are exposed to magnetic fields via close proximity to these sources while they are in use. While the health hazards from ionizing radiation are well-established and include radiation sickness, cancer and genetic damage, the evidence of health risks to humans from non-ionizing radiation remains limited, said De-Kun Li, MD, PhD, principal investigator of the study and a reproductive and perinatal epidemiologist at the Kaiser Permanente Division of Research in Oakland, California. In a new study funded by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, researchers asked women over age 18 with confirmed pregnancies to wear a small (a bit larger than a deck of cards) magnetic-field monitoring device for 24 hours. Participants also kept a diary of their activities on that day, and were interviewed in person to better control for possible confounding factors, as well as how typical their activities were on the monitoring day. Researchers controlled for multiple variables known to influence the risk of miscarriage, including nausea/vomiting, past history of miscarriage, alcohol use, caffeine intake, and maternal fever and infections. Objective magnetic field measurements and pregnancy outcomes were obtained for 913 pregnant women, all members of Kaiser Permanente Northern California. Miscarriage occurred in 10.4 percent of the women with the lowest measured exposure level (1st quartile) of magnetic field non-ionizing radiation on a typical day, and in 24.2 percent of the women with the higher measured exposure level (2nd, 3rd and 4th quartiles), a nearly three times higher relative risk. The rate of miscarriage reported in the general population is between 10 and 15 percent, Dr. Li said. “This study provides evidence from a human population that magnetic field non-ionizing radiation could have adverse biological impacts on human health,” he said.
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Common food dye can trigger inflammatory bowel diseases, say researchers
McMaster University (Ontario), December 20 2022
Long-term consumption of Allura Red food dye can be a potential trigger of inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs), Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, says McMaster University’s Waliul Khan. Researchers using experimental animal models of IBD found that continual exposure to Allura Red AC harms gut health and promotes inflammation. The dye directly disrupts gut barrier function and increases the production of serotonin, a hormone/neurotransmitter found in the gut, which subsequently alters gut microbiota composition leading to increased susceptibility to colitis. Khan said Allura Red (also called FD&C Red 40 and Food Red 17), is a common ingredient in candies, soft drinks, dairy products and some cereals. The dye is used to add color and texture to foodstuffs, often to attract children. The use of synthetic food dyes such as Allura Red has increased significantly over the last several decades, but there has been little earlier study of these dyes’ effects on gut health. Khan and his team published their findings in Nature Communications. Yun Han (Eric) Kwon, who recently completed Ph.D. in Khan’s laboratory, is first author. “This study demonstrates significant harmful effects of Allura Red on gut health and identifies gut serotonin as a critical factor mediating these effects. These findings have important implication in the prevention and management of gut inflammation,” said Khan, the study’s senior author, a professor of the Department of Pathology and Molecular Medicine and a principal investigator of Farncombe Family Digestive Health Research Institute.”What we have found is striking and alarming, as this common synthetic food dye is a possible dietary trigger for IBDs. This research is a significant advance in alerting the public on the potential harms of food dyes that we consume daily,” he said. “The literature suggests that the consumption of Allura Red also affects certain allergies, immune disorders and behavioral problems in children, such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.”
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Turmeric studied for its ability to seek out and destroy cancer stem cells, the source of all tumors
Montclair State University, December 13, 202
Turmeric has gained immense popularity over the years not just for the unique flavor it adds to dishes like curries, but also for its various health benefits. One of its most promising therapeutic applications is as a natural remedy for cancer. Although the anticancer potential of turmeric isn’t new, a recent study published in Cancer Letters further proved the importance of this golden spice in understanding and treating cancer. The team of American researchers evaluated the ability of curcumin, which is a polyphenol in turmeric, to target cancer stem cells that are assumed to be the primary cause of cancer tumor formation and malignancy. Unlike conventional cancer models used in previous studies, the cancer stem cell model suggests that only a small population of cancer cells drive the initiation, maintenance, and growth of tumors. These stem cells regularly undergo renewal and differentiation into other cancer cells, which no longer have the ability to regenerate themselves. Therefore, in this model, cancer stem cells that are not killed by treatments lead to the formation of more invasive and treatment-resistant tumors. In this study, the researchers found that curcumin is more effective in eradicating cancer since unlike conventional treatments, this polyphenol also targets cancer stem cells. It can do so through various mechanisms of action, which include the following. Regulation of cancer stem cell self-renewal pathway — There are different pathways involved in the self-renewal of cancer stem cells. These include the Wnt/beta-catenin, sonic hedgehog 89 (SHH), and Notch pathways. The researchers found that curcumin can directly or indirectly interfere with these pathways in 12 different cancer cell lines Modulation of microRNA — The body contains microRNAs, which are short RNA sequences that don’t encode for anything. These microRNAs regulate more than 33 percent of protein-coding genes by targeting and binding to their corresponding messenger RNAs so that these won’t be expressed. In this study, the authors observed that curcumin altered microRNA expression in cancer stem cells so that they can’t produce everything that they need for tumor formation and growth. Direct anti-cancer activity — Curcumin selectively targets cancer cells and programs their death. When used in conjunction with conventional anticancer agents, this effect becomes more evident and the damage typically caused by chemotherapy is no longer observed. Overall, the results of this study show that for cancer treatments to be effective, they have to target and kill cancer stem cells just like turmeric does. Otherwise, these cancer stem cells will pave the way for the formation of more invasive and treatment-resistant tumors.
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Chiropractic spinal manipulation associated with reduction in low back surgeryUniversity Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center, December 19, 2022
A recent study from University Hospitals (UH) Connor Whole Health has found that adults who initially visit a chiropractor to receive spinal manipulation for low back pain caused by disc herniation or radiculopathy (i.e., sciatica) are less likely to undergo discectomy (i.e., disc surgery) over the subsequent two years. This study was recently published in the journal BMJ Open. In this retrospective cohort study, the authors selected adult patients, age 18 to 49, from a 101 million patient United States health records network (TriNetX, Cambridge, MA, U.S.). Patients with serious pathology or urgent indications for surgery were excluded from the study. Ultimately, the authors identified 5,785 patients who initially received chiropractic spinal manipulative therapy, and the same number of patients who received other forms of medical care for their low back pain. The authors used a statistical technique called propensity score matching to control for variables that could influence the likelihood that patients would undergo discectomy. In this process, they matched patients in both cohorts according to several such as age, sex, obesity, smoking, previous injections, and medications. The authors found that patients who initially received chiropractic spinal manipulation for their low back pain were significantly less likely to undergo lumbar discectomy through two years’ follow-up.At one year follow-up, 1.5% of the patients in the chiropractic cohort had undergone discectomy, compared to 2.2% of patients in the cohort receiving other care At two years’ follow-up, 1.9% of the patients in the chiropractic cohort had undergone discectomy, compared to 2.4% of patients in the cohort receiving other careThis study represents the first study to examine whether chiropractic care is associated with a reduction in likelihood of discectomy.
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High-intensity exercise delays Parkinson’s progression
Northwestern Medicine and University of Denver, December 11, 2022
High-intensity exercise three times a week is safe for individuals with early-stage Parkinson’s disease and decreases worsening of motor symptoms, according to a new phase 2, multi-site trial led by Northwestern Medicine and University of Denver scientists. This is the first time scientists have tested the effects of high-intensity exercise on patients with Parkinson’s disease, the second most common neurodegenerative disorder and the most common movement disorder, affecting more than a million people in the United States. It previously had been thought high-intensity exercise was too physically stressful for individuals with Parkinson’s disease.“If you have Parkinson’s disease and you want to delay the progression of your symptoms, you should exercise three times a week with your heart rate between 80 to 85 percent maximum.Because medications for Parkinson’s have adverse side effects and reduced effectiveness over time, new treatments are needed.The randomized clinical trial included 128 participants ages 40 to 80 years old from Northwestern University, Rush University Medical Center, the University of Colorado and the University of Pittsburgh. Participants enrolled in the Study in Parkinson Disease of Exercise (SPARX) were at an early stage of the disease and not taking Parkinson’s medication, ensuring the results of the study were related to the exercise and not affected by medication.“The earlier in the disease you intervene, the more likely it is you can prevent the progression of the disease,” Corcos said. “We delayed worsening of symptoms for six months; whether we can prevent progression any longer than six months will require further study.” Scientists examined the safety and effects of exercise three times weekly for six months at high intensity, 80 to 85 percent of maximum heart rate, and moderate intensity, 60 to 65 percent of maximum heart rate. They compared the results to a control group who did not exercise. After six months, participants were rated by clinicians on a Parkinson’s disease scale ranging from 0 to 108. The higher the number, the more severe the symptoms. Participants in the study had a score of about 20 before exercise. Those in the high intensity group stayed at 20. The group with moderate exercise got worse by 1.5 points. The group that did not exercise worsened by three points. Three points out of a score of 20 points is a 15 percent change in the primary signs of the disease and considered clinically important to patients. It makes a difference in their quality of life.
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Meditation adapts the brain to respond better to feedbackUniversity of Surrey UK, December 11, 2022
In a study in the Journal of Cognitive, Affective & Behavioral Neuroscience researchers from the University of Surrey have discovered a link between meditation and how individuals respond to feedback. Participants in the study, a mixture of experienced, novice and non-meditators, were trained to select images associated with a reward. Each pair of images had varying probabilities of a reward e.g. images that result in a reward 80 per cent of the time versus those that result in a reward 20 per cent of the time. Participants eventually learnt to select the pairing with the higher outcome. Researchers found that participants who meditated were more successful in selecting high-probability pairings indicating a tendency to learn from positive outcomes, compared to non – meditators who learned the pattern via low-probability pairings suggesting a tendency to learn from negative outcomes.During the study participants were connected to an EEG, a non-invasive method that records electrical patterns in the brain. Results from the EEG found that while all three groups responded similarly to positive feedback, the neurological response to negative feedback was highest in the non-meditation group, followed by the novice group and then by the experienced meditation group. These results indicate that the brains of meditators are less affected by negative feedback, and that this may be a result of altered dopamine levels caused by meditation. Paul Knytl, lead author and PhD candidate in psychology at the University of Surrey, said: “Humans have been meditating for over 2000 years, but the neural mechanisms of this practice are still relatively unknown. These findings demonstrate that, on a deep level, meditators respond to feedback in a more even-handed way than non-meditators, which may help to explain some of the psychological benefits they experience from the practice.”
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Caution to pregnant women on red meat diabetes link
University of Adelaide (Australia) December 12, 2022
Pregnant women and women planning to become pregnant can make use of the holiday season to adjust their diets and reduce the risk of gestational diabetes, according to researchers at the University of Adelaide’s Robinson Institute. The recommendation comes at a time when there is increasing evidence to suggest that red meat is linked with a higher rate of gestational diabetes in pregnant women, which poses risks to the health of both the mother and the baby. In a commentary published in the jjournal Evidence-Based Nursing, author Philippa Middleton says the latest international research shows that women who eat a lot of red and processed meats even before they become pregnant have a significant risk of developing gestational diabetes. “There have been several reports linking red meat with increased risk of type 2 diabetes, and now the work of a number of research teams worldwide is showing this link for diabetes during pregnancy,” says Ms Middleton, who is one of the Robinson Institute’s research leaders. “While this news is alarming, there are also some positives. The latest research from the United States has shown that eating fish and poultry does not increase the risk of gestational diabetes, and consuming more vegetable and non-meat protein is associated with a reduction in risk. “For example, just over half a serving of nuts per day can reduce the risk of gestational diabetes by 40%.” “Based on current evidence, pregnant women or women planning to become pregnant should consider eating more vegetable protein, and nuts, and replacing some red meat with fish and poultry.
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Treatment for lupus may depend on restoring proteins in patients’ bloodSingapore General Hospital, December 19, 2022
Restoring protein balance in the blood may be key to developing an effective treatment for lupus. The incurable autoimmune disease reportedly affects about 100 in every 100,000 people worldwide, and disproportionally affects women between 15 and 45 years-old and Asians. Lupus causes the body’s immune system to attack itself, which can inflame several vital organs like the kidneys, brain, heart, and lungs. The aggressive nature of the disease is what makes it life-threatening for many who have it, especially since current treatments don’t help that much. “We are excited about the possibility of a new treatment option for lupus as 30 to 60 percent of patients do not respond to conventional medications despite aggressive regimens. In the past 65 years, only three drugs for lupus have been approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration but these drugs have modest efficacy. There is therefore a real and urgent need for better therapies, particularly for the more severe spectrum of lupus that we see in Asia,” says senior author Andrea Low, the Head and Senior Consultant in the Department of Rheumatology & Immunology at Singapore General Hospital (SGH), in a media release. To reach their findings, Low and her team studied CXCL5, a protein that helps to regulate the immune system through neutrophils, which are a type of white blood cell. They revealed that lupus patients had considerably lower levels of the protein in their blood compared to healthy people, thus suggesting that it may have a connection to the disease. They also discovered that mice with severe lupus injected weekly with CXCL5 displayed restored protein balance. Moreover, their survival outcomes increased from 25 percent to over 75 percent after 10 weeks. Not only did the injections reduce mortality risk, but they didn’t cause any adverse side-effects, study authors report. “Our study has shown CXCL5 to be safe. There was no liver or kidney toxicity or cancer inducing effects. Major components of the immune system were also not compromised,” reports principal investigator Dr Fan Xiubo, Senior Research Fellow, Department of Clinical Translational Research, SGH. The entire team is hopeful that they can continue to build on their research to better the lives of patient’s suffering from this debilitating disease. “To be in the forefront of medicine means we have to constantly further our understanding of diseases and offer patients better treatment options through rigorous scientific research. I’m heartened that the team has shed new light on lupus and the possibility of a more efficacious therapy for patients some years down the road,” says Professor Fong Kok Yong, Deputy Group CEO (Medical and Clinical Services), SingHealth, and Senior Consultant, Department Rheumatology & Immunology, SGH
Menopausal women should eat more blackcurrant to prevent bone lossUniversity of Connecticut, December 11, 2022
Hormonal changes are one of the leading causes of bone loss or osteoporosis. Menopausal women, in particular, are more likely to experience bone loss because they are deficient in estrogen, a hormone in women that protects the bones. The amount of estrogen drops when women reach menopause. To lower the risk of bone loss, researchers at the University of Connecticut suggested menopausal women should eat more blackcurrant. The researchers conducted an animal study to look at the effect of blackcurrant on bone mass in an estrogen-deficient mouse model. Earlier studies have reported that the anthocyanins in blackcurrant have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties that could potentially improve bone mass.For their study, which was published in the Journal of Medicinal Food, the team removed the ovaries of the mice to mimic estrogen deficiency in menopausal women. Then, they gave the mice either a basal diet alone or a basal diet that contains anthocyanin-rich blackcurrant extract. They measured bone mineral density, trabecular bone volume, and serum bone markers. Ovariectomy resulted in a significant reduction in bone mineral density and trabecular bone volume. However, the treatment of blackcurrant reduced ovariectomy-induced bone loss. In addition, the treatment decreased osteoclast-like cell formation and bone resorption activity. These outcomes suggest that blackcurrant may mitigate postmenopausal bone loss. Adequate estrogen level is important for maintaining the rhythm of bone remodeling. Since estrogen levels decline after menopause, this causes an imbalance in bone production and breakdown. Osteoclasts are cells that break down bone and are responsible for bone remodeling. With the decline of estrogen levels, osteoclasts become more active and break down more bone than it can form. With these findings, the researchers concluded that blackcurrant may help prevent bone loss in postmenopausal women. Improving your gut microbiome is also a way to prevent and reduce your risk of age-related bone loss. A study published in the Journal of Internal Medicine suggested that taking probiotic supplements daily can cut age-related bone loss by half. Researchers at the University of Gothenburg in Sweden gave elderly women a probiotic supplement to be taken twice a day for one year. The supplementation resulted in lower bone loss compared to those who did not take the supplement.
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Long-term antacid use linked to vitamin B12 deficiency
Kaiser Permanente in California, December 16, 2022
Antacids are commonly used to neutralize the acid in the stomach, helping many individuals who have acid reflux. But a new study suggests that using this medication consistently for 2 years or more is linked to a deficiency of vitamin B12, which can have adverse effects for the nervous system. The research, published in JAMA, is among the first to show associations between long-term exposure to antacids and vitamin B12 deficiencyin a large population-based study. The investigators say that antacids, including proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) and histamine 2 receptor antagonists (H2RAs), are some of the most commonly used pharmaceuticals in the US.However, because they suppress the creation of gastric acid, the team says antacids may lead to malabsorption of vitamin B12. This vitamin helps to keep the nervous system - consisting of the brain, nerves and spinal cord - healthy."Vitamin B12 deficiency is relatively common," say the researchers, "especially among older adults; it has potentially serious medical complications if undiagnosed." "Left untreated, vitamin B12 deficiency can lead to dementia, neurologic damage, anemia and other complications, which may be irreversible."The study found a link between 2 years' use of antacids or more and a deficiency of vitamin B12.Similarly, 4.2% of the vitamin-deficient patients had a 2-year or more supply of H2RAs, versus 3.2% in the control group.
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Microbiome: Scientists highlight role of harmful gut bacteria in fever afflicting cancer patients
University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, December 16, 2022
An altered gut microbiome is an unexpected cause of fever afflicting many patients undergoing chemotherapy, according to scientists who've also discovered that poor appetite during cancer treatment may trigger the biological forces that can likewise adversely raise body temperature. The domino effect that leads to dangerous fevers in cancer patients is driven by a loss of infection-fighting white blood cells, a condition called neutropenia. Chemotherapy lowers blood neutrophils—white blood cells and key constituents of the immune system—resulting in fever in some, but not all, cancer patients. The new research shines a spotlight on the role of the gut microbiome and how it can promote neutropenic fever. An interdisciplinary group of researchers at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston has uncovered intriguing evidence demonstrating that an increase in a specific species of detrimental bacteria can overwhelm the gut among people receiving chemo. The research adds a tantalizing new dimension of understanding to the role of the gut microbiome among patients undergoing one of the most widely administered forms of cancer care. Concerns about neutropenia and fever are important because an estimated half of people with cancer who are receiving chemotherapy develop some degree of neutropenia. For patients undergoing treatment for leukemia, it's a common side effect, according to the American Cancer Society. Turning to an animal model in the laboratory, the team discovered that when they transferred the gut microbiota from 119 patients with cancer who developed neutropenic fever to irradiated mice, some of the animals inevitably developed a fever, too.What the team found when analyzing the gut microbiota of the mice was an excess of mucin-degrading Akkermansia bacteria, the same bacteria in the patients with neutropenic fever. The study of fecal samples confirmed that Akkermansia muciniphila replicates prolifically in the absence of sufficient neutrophils and is linked with subsequent fever. The bacteria are also noteworthy because they are mucin-degrading, which means they actively deplete the protective mucin layer of the intestines. A total of 63 patients—53%—developed a fever and their fecal microbiome displayed increased accumulation of Akkermansia muciniphila, the same species that grew excessively in the mice.
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Healthy diet may mean longer life for kidney patients
University of Bari (Italy), December 9, 2022
A healthy diet may help people with kidney disease live longer, researchers report.They analyzed seven studies that included more than 15,000 people with chronic kidney disease, to assess the effects of a diet high in fruits, vegetables, fish, legumes, cereals, whole grains and fiber. In six of the studies, a healthy diet was consistently associated with a 20 percent to 30 percent lower rate of early death, and with 46 fewer deaths per 1,000 people over five years. But the study did not directly prove that a healthy diet would lengthen life.
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Study finds higher levels of common diet-associated microbe elevates heart failure riskCleveland Clinic, December 16, 2022
New research at Cleveland Clinic expands the link between what we eat and how the gut microbiome impacts our susceptibility to develop different diseases—in this case, how a specific gut microbe-generated byproduct is linked to heart failure risk. Elevated levels of phenylacetylglutamine (PAG)—a byproduct created when microbes in the gut breakdown dietary protein—can be directly linked to both increased heart failure risk and severity, according to findings published in Circulation: Heart Failure.The new findings improve researchers' understanding of how the gut microbiome, through PAG levels, are linked to cardiac disease risks, and suggest potential approaches to modify PAG-associated risks through interventions such as diet and beta blocker use. Elevated PAG levels also were shown to correspond with types of heart failure. For example, elevated blood PAG was observed in subjects with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction, a condition where the heart muscle doesn't relax enough between beats and becomes too stiff, making it less able to fill and consequently pump blood.This new study dug deeper into other potential functions of PAG with focus on heart failure. The team of investigators found that PAG levels were linked to heart failure risks through patient data from thousands of patients in two independent study cohorts, one from Europe and another the U.S. In other studies, introducing PAG into cardiac cells in the lab allowed researchers to better understand the mechanism behind PAG's association with heart failure—and a foundation for countering its effects.
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Study: Running actually lowers inflammation in knee joints
Running may also slow the process that leads to osteoarthritis
Brigham Young University, December 12, 2022We all know that running causes a bit of inflammation and soreness, and that's just the price you pay for cardiovascular health. You know; no pain, no gain. Well, maybe not. New research from BYU exercise science professors finds that pro-inflammatory molecules actually go down in the knee joint after running. In other words, it appears running can reduce joint inflammation. In a study recently published in the European Journal of Applied Physiology, Seeley and a group of BYU colleagues, as well as Dr. Eric Robinson from Intermountain Healthcare, measured inflammation markers in the knee joint fluid of several healthymen and women aged 18-35, both before and after running. The researchers found that the specific markers they were looking for in the extracted synovial fluid--two cytokines named GM-CSF and IL-15--decreased in concentration in the subjects after 30 minutes of running. When the same fluids were extracted before and after a non-running condition, the inflammation markers stayed at similar levels. Hyldahl said the study results indicate running is chondroprotective, which means exercise may help delay the onset of joint degenerative diseases such as osteoarthritis. This is potentially great news, since osteoarthritis--the painful disease where cartilage at the end of bones wears down and gradually worsens over time--affects about 27 million people in the United States.
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Anecdotals was made by Jennifer Sharp
Jennifer Sharp is an award winning director, editor, writer and graduate of NYU, Tisch School of the Arts. In 2015, while traveling alone in Honduras, she was inspired to document the story of locals she encountered. With only her cell phone and her artistic vision, she shot the short documentary, “Solitary Worlds,” which won the grand jury prize at the 2016 Rincon International film festival. She is a believer that Art has the power to change the world, and that artists have a responsibility to facilitate that change through sharing their truths. Her film, Waiting, reflects on how we spend our lives waiting passively for dreams to come true. Boxed speaks of the baggage that we choose to carry around. Time Travelers, is a reflection of the absurdity of humans’ obsession with time. In Una Great Movie, Jennifer uses humor to address racism, tourism, and how making art a business can destroy art.
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Supplemental, dietary antioxidant intake linked with lower dementia riskLishui University (China), December 12 2022.
Results from a systematic review and meta-analysis published in the journal European Geriatric Medicine revealed a relationship between increased intake of antioxidant vitamins C and E and a lower risk of dementia.Futao Zhou and colleagues identified 75 studies from 19 articles that included a total of 28,257 participants for their review. The studies evaluated the association between intake from diet and/or supplements of beta-carotene, flavonoids, vitamin C and vitamin E with Alzheimer disease, all-cause dementia and cognitive impairment without dementia. The research included 2,557 participants with Alzheimer disease, 1,035 cases categorized as all-cause dementia and 6,197 cases of cognitive impairment without dementia. When high intake of vitamins C or E was compared to low intake, high dietary plus supplemental intake of either vitamin was associated with a “markedly” lower risk of Alzheimer disease. High vitamin C from diet plus supplementation was associated with 30% lower risk and high vitamin E with a 27% lower risk of the disease in comparison with low intake. Each 20 milligram per day increase in vitamin C from diet, diet plus supplements, or overall, was associated with a 2% reduction in the risk of Alzheimer disease. When dementia from all causes was examined, the authors reported that “It is supplemental, not dietary, use of vitamin E or vitamin C that can significantly reduce the risk.” High supplemental vitamin C intake was associated with a 19% lower risk of all-cause dementia and high supplemental vitamin E intake with a 20% lower risk compared with low intake.
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Antioxidant capacity of orange juice is multiplied tenfold
University of Granada, December 5, 2022
The antioxidant activity of citrus juices and other foods is undervalued. A new technique developed by researchers from the University of Granada for measuring this property generates values that are ten times higher than those indicated by current analysis methods. The results suggest that tables on the antioxidant capacities of food products that dieticians and health authorities use must be revised. In order to study these compounds in the laboratory, techniques that simulate the digestion of food in the digestive tract are used, which analyse only the antioxidant capacities of those substances that can potentially be absorbed in the small intestine: the liquid fraction of what we eat. “The problem is that the antioxidant activity of the solid fraction (the fibre) isn’t measured, as it’s assumed that it isn’t beneficial. However, this insoluble fraction arrives at the large intestine and the intestinal microbiota can also ferment it and extract even more antioxidant substances, which we can assess with our new methodology,” José Ángel Rufián Henares, professor at the University of Granada, explains. His team has developed a technique called ‘global antioxidant response’ (GAR), which includes an in vitro simulation of the gastrointestinal digestion that occurs in our body, whilst taking into account the ‘forgotten’ antioxidant capacity of the solid fraction. Upon applying the technique to commercial and natural orange, mandarin, lemon and grapefruit juices, it has been proved that their values greatly increase. For example, in the case of orange juice, the value ranges from 2.3 mmol Trolox/L (units for the antioxidant capacity) registered with a traditional technique to 23 mmol Trolox/L with the new GAR method.
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‘Obesity can reduce life by up to 8 years’
McGill University (Montreal), December 8, 2022
Life expectancy can be reduced by up to 8 years by obesity, which can also cause adults to lose as much as 19 years of healthy life if it leads to type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. A study published in The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinologyexamines the issue. The researchers behind the study analyzed data from the US National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), creating a disease-simulation model to estimate the risk of adults of different body weight developing diabetes and cardiovascular disease. From this, the researchers then calculated the extent to which overweight and obesity may contribute to both years of life lost and years of healthy life lost in American adults aged between 20 and 79 years old, in comparison to people of normal weight. They found that people who were overweight (BMI 25-30 kg/m2) were estimated to lose up to 3 years of life, depending on age and gender. Individuals classed as obese (BMI 30-35 kg/m2) were calculated to lose up to 6 years, and people classed as very obese (BMI 35 kg/m2 or more) could lose up to 8 years of life. According to the study, excess weight had the greatest impact on lost years of life among the young and dropped with increasing age. As well as reducing life expectancy, carrying extra weight was also found to reduce “healthy life-years,” which were defined in the study as years free of obesity-linked cardiovascular disease and diabetes. Young adults aged between 20 and 29 showed the highest losses of healthy life-years, adding up to around 19 lost years for very obese people. Among people who were overweight or obese, the researchers calculated that two to four times as many healthy life-years were lost than total years of life lost. The researchers behind that study found that infant mortality was “moderately increased” among overweight and mildly obese mothers (BMI 25-35 kg/m2) compared with mothers of a normal weight; but among more obese mothers (BMI over 35 kg/m2), the risk of infant mortality was more than doubled.
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The more TV you watch, the more bodily pain you have over time: Study
Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute (Australia), December 12, 2022
Data from 4,099 participants of the Australian Diabetes, Obesity and Lifestyle Study (AusDiab) has revealed that an increase in daily TV-watching time is significantly associated with an increase in bodily pain severity over time, according to a new study from the Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute. Bodily pain is common in aging adults and a common presentation in several chronic diseases, including people living with type 2 diabetes. “We found that increments in TV-viewing time over time predicted bodily pain severity,” Professor David Dunstan, principal researcher and Head of the Baker-Deakin Department of Lifestyle and Diabetes said. “Even a one-hour increase in daily TV time was significantly associated with an increase in pain severity. “And those findings were even more pronounced in those living with type 2 diabetes.” The study found that as average daily TV-viewing time increased, bodily pain worsened (score decreased). The mean bodily pain score for those aged 50 years at the start of the study, for example, was 76.9 and worsened by 0.3 units year-on-year. An increase of one hour in TV watching led to a worsening of bodily pain by 0.69 units (score further decreased), or the equivalent of more than two years of pain associated with natural aging. The study also found that the bodily pain scores for people living with type 2 diabetes were even more pronounced. The type 2 diabetes cohort had higher TV-viewing time and more severe bodily pain than those without the condition. People without type 2 diabetes watched on average 1.6 hours per day, compared to 2.2 hours for people with type 2 diabetes. When TV-watching time increased above 2.5 hours per day, the impact on bodily pain severity increased even more significantly. Long uninterrupted periods of time spent sitting (sedentary behavior), especially watching TV, can adversely impact blood glucose control, insulin and other aspects of metabolism in people with type 2 diabetes. Such alterations in metabolism increase levels of inflammation, which can act to precipitate bodily pain. These new findings highlight the benefits of reducing time spent in sedentary behaviors, for both the general population and those living with chronic disease.
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Study shows clear new evidence for mind-body connection
University of Calgary (Canada), December 4, 2022
A group working out of the University of Calgary Department of Oncology has demonstrated that telomeres – protein complexes at the end of chromosomes – maintain their length in breast cancer survivors who practise meditation or are involved in support groups, while they shorten in a comparison group without any intervention.A total of 88 breast cancer survivors who had completed their treatments for at least three months were involved for the duration of the study. The average age was 55 and most participants had ended treatment two years prior. To be eligible, they also had to be experiencing significant levels of emotional distress. In the Mindfulness-Based Cancer Recovery group, participants attended eight weekly, 90-minute group sessions that provided instruction on mindfulness meditation and gentle Hatha yoga, with the goal of cultivating non-judgmental awareness of the present moment. Participants were also asked to practise meditation and yoga at home for 45 minutes daily. In the Supportive Expressive Therapy group, participants met for 90 minutes weekly for 12 weeks and were encouraged to talk openly about their concerns and their feelings. The objectives were to build mutual support and to guide women in expressing a wide range of both difficult and positive emotions, rather than suppressing or repressing them. All study participants had their blood analysed and telomere length measured before and after the interventions. Scientists have shown a short-term effect of these interventions on telomere length compared to a control group, but it’s not known if the effects are lasting. Dr. Carlson says another avenue for further research is to see if the psychosocial interventions have a positive impact beyond the three months of the study period.
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Yoga reduces blood pressure in patients with prehypertension
Sir Gangaram Hospital (India), December 8, 2022
Yoga reduces blood pressure in patients with prehypertension, according to a study. This study investigated the impact of hatha yoga on blood pressure in 60 patients with prehypertension who were otherwise healthy. Patients were randomised to two groups of 30 each to assess the effect of three months of yoga plus conventional lifestyle changes versus conventional lifestyle changes alone (control group) on 24 hour ambulatory blood pressure. Yoga included stretching exercises (asanas), breath control (pranayam) and meditation. Yoga practice was for one hour every day. Conventional lifestyle changes consisted of moderate aerobic exercise, diet, and smoking cessation. The investigators found that in the yoga group, both 24 hour diastolic BP and night diastolic BP significantly decreased by approximately 4.5 mmHg and 24 hour mean arterial pressure significantly decreased by around 4.9 mmHg. The control groupdid not show any significant change in blood pressure. Dr Angrish said: “Although the reduction in blood pressure was modest, it could be clinically very meaningful because even a 2 mmHg decrease in diastolic BP has the potential to decrease the risk of coronary heart disease by 6% and the risk of stroke and transient ischaemic attack by 15%.”He concluded: “Our research suggests that patients with prehypertension should be advised to practice hatha yoga (a combination of asanas, pranayam and meditation) for one hour daily. It may prevent the development of hypertension and in addition give a sense of well-being.”
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Watercress Found to Block Breast Cancer Cell Growth
Natural Society November 27, 2022
A new study from the University of Southampton indicates that watercress could be useful in the fight against breast cancer. According to the study, published in the British Journal of Nutrition, a compound in the cruciferous plant could work to turn off signals in the cells that are used to facilitate cancer growth, thereby starving cancer cells to death. When a tumor outgrows its own blood supply, it sends signals to surrounding tissues to deliver more oxygen and nutrients. Its these signals that phenylethyl isothiocyanate—the watercress compound—may actually shut off. For the research, a small group of breast cancer survivors ate a bowl of watercress and then had their blood tested for a period of 24 hours following. The participants had a significant level of phenylethyl isothiocyanate in their blood following the meal and the signaling function was “measurably affected.”
According to the study’s abstract:“Although further investigations with larger numbers of participants are required to confirm these findings, this pilot study suggests that flow cytometry may be a suitable approach to measure changes in 4E-BP1 phosphorylation following the ingestion of watercress, and that dietary intake of watercress may be sufficient to modulate this potential anti-cancer pathway.” The research is promising, and when paired with research on the benefits of other cruciferous vegetables, we may have identified the family of vegetables that can successfully combat cancer
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Going to the gym in later life could lower dementia riskAustralian National University, November 30, 2022
Early results from a new study led by ANU indicate that people aged in their 60s and early 70s could lower their risk of dementia if they maintained a healthy weight by going to the gym to retain muscle mass. Lead researcher Dr Marnie Shaw said “As our population ages, the number of people with dementia will increase, but an active lifestyle offers real opportunities for reducing dementia risk,” said Dr Shaw from the ANU Research School of Engineering. The researchers observed about 400 people aged in their 60s and early 70s from Canberra at several different stages over time. Dr Shaw said the study was the first to show that the relationship between body mass index (BMI) and brain shrinkage changed from midlife to older age. Research evidence has linked brain shrinkage to the onset of dementia. “Both increasing and decreasing BMI was associated with more brain shrinkage at an older age,” Dr Shaw said.”Preliminary results from our research indicate that it’s important for people in later years to go to the gym to maintain a healthy weight and not lose their muscles,” Dr Shaw said
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Not all micronutrients are created equal: Study identifies some supplements that benefit cardiovascular health
Brown University, December 5, 2022
Healthy diets are rich in antioxidants like amino acids, omega-3 fatty acids and vitamin C, but exactly how beneficial these micronutrients are for cardiovascular health has long been controversial. Now a new meta-analysis published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology provides some clarity. Researchers systematically reviewed a total of 884 studies available to date on micronutrients taken as dietary supplements and analyzed their data. They identified several micronutrients that do reduce cardiovascular risk—as well as others that offer no benefit or even have a negative effect. More than 883,000 patients were involved in the combined studies. “For the first time, we developed a comprehensive, evidence-based integrative map to characterize and quantify micronutrient supplements’ potential effects on cardiometabolic outcomes,” said Simin Liu, MD, professor of epidemiology and medicine at Brown University and a principal investigator for the study. “Our study highlights the importance of micronutrient diversity and the balance of health benefits and risks.” “Research on micronutrient supplementation has mainly focused on the health effects of a single or a few vitamins and minerals,” Liu said. “We decided to take a comprehensive and systematic approach to evaluate all the publicly available and accessible studies reporting all micronutrients, including phytochemicals and antioxidant supplements and their effects on cardiovascular risk factors as well as multiple cardiovascular diseases.”The researchers looked at randomized, controlled intervention trials evaluating 27 different types of antioxidant supplements. They found strong evidence that several offered cardiovascular benefit. These included omega-3 fatty acid, which decreased mortality from cardiovascular disease; folic acid, which lowered stroke risk; and coenzyme Q10, an antioxidant sometimes marketed as CoQ10, which decreased all-cause mortality. Omega-6 fatty acid, L-arginine, L-citrulline, Vitamin D, magnesium, zinc, alpha-lipoic acid, melatonin, catechin, curcumin, flavanol, genistein and quercetin also showed evidence of reducing cardiovascular risk. Not all supplements were beneficial. Vitamin C, Vitamin D, Vitamin E and selenium showed no effect on long-term cardiovascular disease outcomes or type-2 diabetes risk, while beta carotene supplements increased all-cause mortality. According to the researchers, the findings point to the need for more personalized, precision-based dietary interventions that involve specific combinations of beneficial supplements. Further study is needed, including large, high-quality interventional trials to investigate the long-term effects of certain micronutrients on health.
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Scientists find inorganic food additives might make babies more vulnerable to allergiesUniversité Paris-Saclay (France), December 5, 2022
Nanotechnologies have revolutionized food technology with changes to food production, manufacture, and processing that are intended to make our food safer and healthier. Phytosanitary products, processing aids, food additives, and surfaces that touch food in storage can all transfer nanoparticles that might be consumed by humans.In a review published in Frontiers in Allergy, Mohammad Issa, at the Université Paris-Saclay, and colleagues pointed out that such a significant change to food production could have unforeseen health consequences. The team presented evidence that suggested that nanoparticles not only cross the placenta to reach developing fetuses but leave them at greater risk of potentially life-threatening food allergies. “Due to the immunotoxic and biocidal properties of nanoparticles, exposure may disrupt the host-intestinal microbiota’s beneficial exchanges and may interfere with intestinal barrier and gut-associated immune system development in fetus and neonate,” said Dr. Karine Adel-Patient, corresponding author of the study. “This may be linked to the epidemic of immune-related disorders in children, such as food allergies—a major public health concern.” We know that environmental factors play a significant role in allergy development, and the higher prevalence in children suggests that early life environmental factors are likely key. Dietary practices and the environment affect gut health in young children, and the deprivation of gut microbiota and a wide range of dietary proteins can affect the development of oral tolerance. To understand how nanoparticles can disrupt this delicate balance, the team focused on three nanoparticle-bearing additives which are regularly found in food. “Such agents can cross the placental barrier and then reach the developing fetus,” explained Adel-Patient. “Excretion in milk is also suggested, continuing to expose the neonate.” While nanoparticles crossing the placenta has been demonstrated in rodents, there is also evidence that the additives cross the placenta in humans as well. Nanoparticles are not absorbed in the gut but accumulate there, and affect the bacteria present in the gut microbiome by changing the number of species present and their proportions. Given the evidence for the importance of the gut microbiome in developing a well-educated immune system, this is concerning for allergy development. Nanoparticles also affect the epithelium intestinal barrier, which is another essential component of a healthy reaction to dietary proteins. “Our review highlights the urgent need for researchers to assess the risk related to exposure to foodborne inorganic nanoparticles during a critical window of susceptibility and its impact on children health.”
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Pregnant moms’ stress may accelerate cell aging of white, not Black, kidsUniversity of California, San Francisco, December 4, 2022
Does stress during pregnancy impact children’s cell aging, and does race matter? The answer is yes, according to a new UC San Francisco study published in Psychological Medicine. UCSF researchers followed 110 white and 112 Black women from age 10 to about 40 as well as their first child (average age 8) to understand stress influences on the women’s health and its effects on their children.What they found surprised them. Financial stress during pregnancy, such as job loss and the inability to pay bills, was linked to accelerated cellular aging of white children but not Black children. “Ours is the first study we know of that examined effects of stressor type and timing on this aspect of health for white and Black mothers and their children,” said lead study author Stefanie Mayer, Ph.D., UCSF assistant professor of psychiatry at the Weill Institute for Neurosciences. “We can speculate on the reasons for the results, but the truth is we need to do more research to understand them.” Cellular age can be measured by the length of one’s telomeres, the protective DNA caps at the end of chromosomes. Telomere length naturally shortens with age, and shorter telomeres predict earlier onset of illnesses such as heart disease and diabetes as well as earlier death.Previous studies showed that prenatal stressors are linked to shorter offspring telomeres, but those studies comprised mostly white mothers. The UCSF study recruited an equal number of white and Black mothers, and examined how stressors that occurred during their adolescence (pre-pregnancy), pregnancy and throughout their lifespan affected their children’s telomeres. The telomere effect in white children was seen only for stressors during pregnancy—not adolescence or across the lifespan. Non-financial stressors, such as divorce or death of a loved one, had no observable telomere effect on children of either race.
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Association Between Consumption of Ultraprocessed Foods and Cognitive Decline
University of São Paulo Medical School (Brazil), December 5, 2022
Although consumption of ultraprocessed food has been linked to higher risk of cardiovascular disease, metabolic syndrome, and obesity, little is known about the association of consumption of ultraprocessed foods with cognitive decline. This was a multicenter, prospective cohort study with 3 waves, approximately 4 years apart, from 2008 to 2017. Data were analyzed from December 2021 to May 2022. Participants were public servants aged 35 to 74 years old recruited in 6 Brazilian cities. Main Outcomes and Measures Changes in cognitive performance over time evaluated by the immediate and delayed word recall, word recognition, phonemic and semantic verbal fluency tests, and Trail-Making Test B version.Results A total of 10, 775 participants data were analyzed. The mean (SD) age at the baseline was 51.6 years. During follow-up of 8 (6-10) years, individuals with ultraprocessed food consumption above the first quartile showed a 28% faster rate of global cognitive decline and a 25% faster rate of executive function decline compared with those in the first quartile. A higher percentage of daily energy consumption of ultraprocessed foods was associated with cognitive decline among adults from an ethnically diverse sample. These findings support current public health recommendations on limiting ultraprocessed food consumption because of their potential harm to cognitive function.
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Tomato extract shows blood thinning potential versus aspirin: StudyUniversity of Aberdeen (Scotland), November 23, 2022
A proprietary tomato extract has been shown to thin blood in healthy people – but less severely than aspirin and without typical side-effects. The research – published in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition concluded the lycopene-free extract “may be appropriate for use as a dietary antiplatelet.” Lead researcher Dr Niamh O’Kennedy working at the Rowett Institute of Nutrition & Health at the University of Aberdeen in Scotland told us the research showed tomato extracts could be used as alternatives to drugs like aspirin for blood thinning. This was especially the case for groups like the elderly who frequently were intolerant of drugs like aspirin typically prescribed for that purpose. “Platelet function is very tricky,” Dr O’Kennedy told us. “If you knock out the platelets it can have a bad effect on the body. And many treatments knock out too much. Some people respond strongly so bad they bleed. ” She added: “Results like this show that people and the medical world should start looking at dietary interventions like these that can have a big impact.” Platelet plugs usually form within 50-100 seconds. The researchers found platelet plugs were formed within 100-150 seconds among tomato extract users, compared to 300-600 seconds for aspirin users. Because of this more gentle effect, Dr Kennedy and her team suggested tomato extract could be a suitable dietary intervention to control platelet hyperactivity which increases with age, the onset of type II diabetes, mellitus, atherosclerosis and other conditions in subjects with low cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk.
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Use of penicillin early in life, even in low doses, affects the gut microbiome, contributing to brain inflammation and changes in behavior
McMaster University (Ontario), November 18, 2022
It is truly unavoidable to catch a cold or contract a disease, especially with today’s lifestyle trends and medical misinformation. A lot of the medicine we use to treat our health conditions may actually cause more harm than good. A St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton and McMaster University joint study found that low doses of penicillin administered to pregnant mice and their young results in behavioral changes that have long-term effects. The study, which was published in Nature Communications, reports that the behavioral changes noted in the mice included elevated levels of aggression, characteristic neurochemical changes in the brain, and imbalance in the gut microbiome of the mice. On the bright side, giving the mice a lactobacillus strain of bacteria managed to prevent the effects of the administered penicillin. Low-dose penicillin taken in late pregnancy and early life of mice offspring results in behavioral changes and imbalances in the microbes of the gut. While the tests were done on mice, there are increasing concerns about the long-term effects of antiobiotics in humans, according to Dr. John Bienenstock, director of the Brain-Body Institute at St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton and distinguished professor at McMaster University. Large doses of multipurpose antibiotics in adult animals have been shown to affect behavior, but none have been able to test the effects of clinical doses of commonly used antibiotics, such as penicillin, on the bacteria in the gut and in behavior. Almost all babies in North America have received some dose of antibiotics during their first year of life. Researchers are looking into analyzing the effects of the drug on the offspring of the mice if given only to the pregnant mothers (teratogenesis). Penicillin is the first type of medication that is effective against bacterial infections caused by staphylococci and streptococci, but is however, easy to build resistance against. Almost 10 percent of all people around the world are allergic to penicillin.
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High-dose vitamin C reduces inflammation in cancer patients, study shows
Riordan Clinic (Wichita KS), November 22, 2022
The value and impact of a daily vitamin C supplement as well as high, concentrated doses for acute illnesses is becoming increasingly clear. Studies have already shown the efficacy of liposomal vitamin C in treating infections and as an anti-cancer therapy. Now, another study is confirming its effectiveness against inflammation in cancer patients, one of the primary markers.
High levels of inflammation seem to indicate a higher risk of cancer as well as a less hopeful prognosis for healing and recovery. Inflammation impairs the immune system, plays a role in cachexia, lowers toleration of numerous cancer treatments, and generally decreases health and quality of life.
This study made use of high-dose intravenous vitamin C (IVC) treatments and analyzed their effects.
The results found indicate great promise for the use of high-dose intravenous vitamin C treatments to help reduce inflammation in cancer patients, which is one of the major factors of cancer and its progression.
Markers of inflammation such as pro-inflammatory cytokines and C-reactive protein tumor markers showed a positive response to vitamin C treatments, with inflammation reduced significantly. This improvement correlated with reduced tumor size and the hindrance of the cancer’s ability to metastasize.
Vitamin C is especially valuable in extremely high doses taken either orally or intravenously. A range of cancers have been proven to benefit from vitamin C treatments, including cancers of the prostate, breast, skin, bladder, lung, pancreas, thyroid, and B-cell lymphoma.
This research was conducted by Riordan Clinic scientists and published in the Journal of Translational Medicine. When supplementing with liposomal vitamin C orally for major health issues, 10,000 to 12,000 mg per day should be taken. This dose can be taken in 2,000 to 4,000 mg doses gradually throughout the day to aid absorption.
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Having trouble sleeping? Try exercise!Norwegian University of Science and Technology, December 1, 2022
The vast majority of people have trouble sleeping from time to time. However, 10 to 20 per cent of the population struggle more than the rest of us and have serious long-term sleep problems. Many people who struggle with insomnia sooner or later resort to some form of sleeping aid. However, one study of more than 34 000 adults would suggest that some of them should exercise instead. “We’ve observed that people who are in better physical condition have a lower risk of taking prescription sleeping pills,” says Linda Ernstsen, an associate professor at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology’s (NTNU) Department of Public Health and Nursing. The researchers reviewed participant data in Norway’s large Trøndelag Health Survey (The HUNT study). A total of 240 000 people from Trondheim have taken part in the survey since it began in 1984. Four survey rounds have been carried out to date. “Almost 5800 of the participants received their first prescription sleep medication during the study period,” says Ernstsen. This means that approximately 17 percent of the participants’ sleep issues were serious enough to warrant a prescription from their doctor. But the participants who were in the best condition used fewer of these prescription drugs. “These findings suggest that being physically fit can also help you sleep better,” Ernstsen says. Unfortunately, the beneficial effect of exercise is stronger for men than for women. The findings show that the fittest men had a 15 per cent lower risk of needing drugs for troublesome sleep issues. “The corresponding percentage risk for the fittest women was much lower. But women who struggle with sleep can still benefit from getting in better shape,” says Ernstsen.
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New study puts gut microbiome at the center of Parkinson’s disease pathogenesisUniversity of Alabama at Birmingham, December 1, 2022
New research from the University of Alabama at Birmingham says the gut microbiome is involved in multiple pathways in the pathogenesis of Parkinson’s disease (PD). The findings, published in Nature Communications, show a wide imbalance in microbiome composition in persons with Parkinson’s disease. The study is the largest microbiome study conducted at the highest resolution. The investigators employed metagenomics, the study of genetic material recovered directly from the stool microbiome of persons with PD and neurologically healthy control subjects. “The primary aim of this study was to generate a full, unaltered view of the imbalance in PD gut microbiome,” said Haydeh Payami, Ph.D., professor in the Marnix E. Heersink School of Medicine Department of Neurology and senior author on the study. The study reports Parkinson’s disease metagenome is indicative of a disease-promoting microbiome. “We found evidence for multiple mechanisms that we know are linked to PD, but we didn’t know they were happening in the gut also and are orchestrated by the microbiome,” Payami said. Investigators found an overabundance of opportunistic pathogens and immunogenic components, which suggest infection and inflammation at play, overproduction of toxic molecules, and overabundance of the bacterial product curli. This induces PD pathology and dysregulation of neurotransmitters, including L-dopa. At the same time, there was a shortage of neuroprotective molecules and anti-inflammatory components, which makes recovery difficult. The researchers studied 257 species of organisms in the microbiome, and of these, analysis indicated 84, more than 30%, were associated with Parkinson’s disease. “Of the 84 PD-associated species, 55 had abnormally high abundance in persons with PD, and 29 were depleted,” Payami said. “We found that over 30% of the micro-organisms and bacterial genes and pathways tested have altered abundances in Parkinson’s disease, which indicates a widespread imbalance.” At one end of the spectrum, Bifidobacterium dentium was elevated by sevenfold, Actinomyces oris by 6.5-fold and Streptococcus mutans by sixfold. At the other end of the spectrum, Roseburia intestinalis was reduced by 7.5-fold and Blautia wexlerae by fivefold. Overall, 36% of PD-associated species had higher than twofold change in abundance, reflecting a 100% to 750% increase or decrease in PD versus the healthy control group. “This is exciting research, as metagenomics is a new, albeit fast-evolving field, and the resources, methods and tools, while state-of-the-art, are still in development,” Payami said.
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Five precepts of Buddhism may be linked to lower depression riskStudy suggests the moral practice may buffer known links between high stress levels and depression
Chiang Mai University (Thailand) & Károli Gáspár University (Hungary), November 30, 2022
A new study suggests that people with high levels of neuroticism and stress may be at greater risk for depressive symptoms, but those links could be buffered for people who observe the five precepts of Buddhism—a fundamental system of ethics for the religion’s followers.The five precepts of Buddhism guide followers not to kill, steal, engage in sexual misconduct, tell ill-intentioned lies, or use intoxicants. Previous research suggests that observing the five precepts can boost wellbeing and quality of life for the general public, including nonserious followers. However, it has been less clear whether the five precepts could ease symptoms of depression for those at higher risk. To address this question, Wongpakaran and colleagues focused on known links between neuroticism, stress, and depression. Prior research has shown that greater neuroticism is associated with greater risk of depression, both directly as well as indirectly through perceived stress—how people think and feel after stressful life events. From late 2019 through September 2022, the researchers conducted an online survey of 644 adults in Thailand. The survey included standard questionnaires to measure each participant’s levels of perceived stress, neuroticism, and depressive symptoms, as well as their observance of the five precepts of Buddhism. Statistical analysis of the survey results showed that observing the five precepts to a high degree appeared to buffer the influence of perceived stress on depression. These results suggests that people with high levels of neuroticism and stress may be less likely to develop depressive symptoms if they follow the five precepts closely. The researchers note that, while their study suggests potential benefits for the five precepts in the context of depression, it does not confirm a cause-effect relationship. A large proportion of participants were female and people who lived alone, and participants’ religious involvement was unknown, although 93.3% reported that they were Buddhist. More research will be needed to determine whether these findings might extend to the general population of Thailand and beyond, as well as to non-Buddhists. The authors add: “The five precepts practice makes other people feel safe, as all these behaviors are harmless, and it potentially provides the stressful practitioner with a buffer against depression.”
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Higher vitamin K intake linked to lower bone fracture risk late in life Edith Cowan University (Australia), November 28,. 2022
Breaking bones can be life changing events—especially as we age, when hip fractures can become particularly damaging and result in disability, compromised independence and a higher mortality risk. But research from Edith Cowan University’s Nutrition and Health Innovation Research Institute has revealed there may be something you can do to help reduce your risk of fractures later in life. In collaboration with the University of Western Australia, the study looked at the relationship between fracture-related hospitalizations and vitamin K1 intake in almost 1,400 older Australian women over a 14.5-year period from the Perth Longitudinal Study of Aging Women. It found women who ate more than 100 micrograms of vitamin K1 consumption—equivalent to about 125g of dark leafy vegetables, or one-to-two serves of vegetables—were 31% less likely to have any fracture compared to participants who consumed less than 60 micrograms per day, which is the current vitamin K adequate intake guideline in Australia for women. There were even more positive results regarding hip fractures, with those who ate the most vitamin K1 cutting their risk of hospitalization almost in half (49%). “Basic studies of vitamin K1 have identified a critical role in the carboxylation of the vitamin K1-dependant bone proteins such as osteocalcin, which is believed to improve bone toughness.”A previous ECU trial indicates dietary vitamin K1 intakes of less than 100 micrograms per day may be too low for this carboxylation. “Vitamin K1 may also promote bone health by inhibiting various bone resorbing agents.”Dr. Sim said eating more than 100 micrograms of vitamin K1 daily was ideal—and, happily, it isn’t too difficult to do.”Consuming this much daily vitamin K1 can easily be achieved by consuming between 75–150g, equivalent to one to two serves, of vegetables such as spinach, kale, broccoli and cabbage,” he said.
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Quercetin found to offer natural protection against influenza virus
Southern Medical Institute (Guangdong China) November 23, 2022
With the flu season upon us, and it looks like they may have a powerful new ally in quercetin, a potent flavonoid and phytonutrient found in many healthy foods and online.
New research reveals: A group of Chinese scientists released a study showing that quercetin can actually block the flu virus from entering cells – which the virus needs to do in order to live and replicate. The team conducted the study by adding quercetin to cells prior to infecting them with influenza, and found that the quercetin-treated cells had significantly lower rates of infection than the cells that had not been treated – an obvious inhibitory effect. Quercetin was found to be effective against Influenza A, as well as its subtypes H1N1 and H3N1. It was also found to work against H5N1, or avian flu – a particularly dangerous subtype with a 60 percent mortality rate. Researchers characterized quercetin as having the potential to be a safe, effective and affordable treatment for Influenza The team noted that quercetin blocked the H protein and, along with it, virus entry. This finding showed that quercetin was effective when added during the process of virus infection, rather than post-virus infection. In other words, quercetin stopped the influenza virus in its tracks, near the beginning of the infection process – which consists of attachment, entry, replication and release. Also encouraging is the fact that viruses are not able to develop resistance to quercetin. In fact, when quercetin was used with anti-viral drugs, it prevented the development of resistance that otherwise would occur. This is an immense benefit, as for years scientists have been concerned about viruses’ ability to mutate and become resistant to antiviral drugs.
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Vitamin B12 Deficiency A Common Health Problem That Can Have Serious Consequences – But Doctors Often Overlook It Wayne State University, November 28, 2022
B12 deficiency is a common health problem that affects an estimated 6% to 20% of the U.S. population. B12 is scarce in the diet, and it is found only in foods from animal sources. Fortunately, humans need only 2.4 micrograms of B12 daily, which is equivalent to one ten-millionth of an ounce – a very, very small amount. Without adequate B12 in the body, overall health and quality of life are negatively affected. Signs and symptoms One primary symptom of B12 deficiency is fatigue – a level of tiredness or exhaustion so deep that it affects daily life activities. Other symptoms are neurological and may include tingling in the extremities, confusion, memory loss, depression and difficulty maintaining balance. Some of these can be permanent if the vitamin deficiency is not addressed. However, since there can be so many causes for these symptoms, health care providers may overlook the possibility of a B12 deficiency and fail to screen for it. Further, having a healthy diet may seem to rule out any vitamin deficiency. B12 absorption is a complex multistep process that begins in the mouth and ends at the far end of the small intestine. When we chew, our food gets mixed with saliva. When the food is swallowed, a substance in saliva called R-protein – a protein that protects B12 from being destroyed by stomach acid – travels to the stomach along with the food. Specific cells in the stomach lining, called parietal cells, secrete two substances that are important to B12 absorption. One is stomach acid – it splits food and B12 apart, allowing the vitamin to bind to the saliva’s R-protein. Treatment for B12 deficiency can be oral, applied under the tongue or administered through the nose, or it may require various types of injections. A B12 supplement or balanced multivitamin may be enough to correct the deficiency, as it was for Scout, but it’s best to work with a health care provider to ensure proper diagnosis and treatment.The Conversation
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The real benefits of walking in a winter wonderland Medical University of Silesia (Poland) & Anglia Ruskin University (UK), November 29, 2022
Research has shown for the first time that spending time in snowy surroundings can improve how you feel about your body. Previous studies have found that green spaces, such as parks and forests, and “blue environments,” such as being at the coast or close to a river, can improve body image. Now new research, published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, has discovered that white spaces, in this case a snow-covered woodland, can have a similar effect. Led by academics from the Medical University of Silesia, in Katowice, Poland, and Anglia Ruskin University (ARU) in the U.K., the research was carried out last winter and involved 87 women, with an average age of 24, who took part in small groups. Before and after walking in a snowy woodland in the Silesia region of Poland, the participants completed a measure of their body appreciation. Before the walk, they also completed measures of connectedness to nature and self-compassion. The study found that spending a short amount of time in nature—in this case approximately 40 minutes—results in greater body appreciation. Additionally, people who scored highly in the trait of self-compassion displayed greater improvement in body appreciation. Senior author Viren Swami, Professor of Social Psychology at Anglia Ruskin University (ARU), said, “Natural environments help to restrict negative appearance-related thoughts and shift attention away from an aesthetic view of the body and toward greater appreciation of the body’s functionality. Positive body image is important not only in its own right, but has other beneficial effects, including more positive psychological well-being. “Our findings demonstrate the importance of ensuring that everyone can access restorative natural environments, which may be a cost-effective way of promoting healthier body image, and highlight that there are significant benefits of being outside in nature, whatever the weather.”
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Diet can lower risk of cardiovascular disease by 10 percent, study shows Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, November 29, 2022
In a new study, researchers at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) compared the effects of three eating patterns on patients’ risk of experiencing a cardiovascular event within in the next ten years—the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet, a diet rich in fruits and vegetables, and the Western diet that is typically low in fruits and vegetables while high in fat and sodium. The team’s findings suggest that while the DASH and fruit/vegetable diet each reduced risk scores by about 10 percent over an eight-week period, the DASH diet conferred additional benefits for women and Black adults compared to Western diet. The results are published in the American Journal of Cardiology. “Our study suggests that the benefits associated with these diets may vary by sex and race. While a diet rich in fruits and vegetables produced reductions in risk for woman and Black participants, the effect with the DASH diet was twice as large in women and four times as large in Black adults.” To determine the effect of the different diets on an individual’s risk of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, Juraschek and colleagues acquired data from 459 adults aged 22 to 75 who participated in the original DASH trial between 1994 and 1996. Participants—who were roughly half women and half Black—were randomized to one of three diets for eight weeks. The control diet was high in total fat, saturated fat and cholesterol. The fruit and vegetable diet provided more produce, but did not otherwise significantly differ from the control diet. The DASH diet also provided more fruit and vegetables, but emphasized more whole grains, lean proteins, nuts and low-fat dairy while reducing fat, saturated fat, cholesterol and sugar. When Juraschek and colleagues compared the data, they found that both the DASH diet and the fruit and vegetable diet had lowered participants’ 10-year risk for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease by about 10 percent overall. However, the effect was not consistent across demographics. The DASH diet reduced the 10-year risk score among women by nearly 13 percent, compared to just over six percent among men. Moreover, DASH reduced the 10-year risk score by nearly 14 percent among Black adults, versus just 3 percent among non-Black adults.
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Researchers explain how lipids can control immune response King’s College London, November 23, 2022
When we consume fats (also called lipids) in our diet, they can be metabolized or stored to provide energy for the body. But they are also involved in regulating the genes expressed within—and the signaling between—cells. Lipids influence how our cells behave and function, which affects many processes in the body including the immune system. Though researchers are now aware that lipids help regulate immune cell behavior, there is little understanding of how specific mechanisms and lipid molecules are involved. To address this gap in our knowledge, researchers from the School of Immunology & Microbial Sciences at King’s College London looked at how lipids affect the immune system. The paper, recently published in Nature Communications, investigated the role of lipids in controlling macrophages. These are cells of the innate immune system that patrol the body to ingest and destroy microbes, toxic chemicals, and dead/cancerous cells in a process called phagocytosis. They can also help coordinate a wider immune response by sending signals to other immune cells. The researchers, led by Phillip Brailey and Lauren Evans under the supervision of Patricia Barral, identified a direct link between macrophages and a lipid molecular pathway. Lipid pathways trigger a chemical signal in the macrophage that influences its activation and behavior, making it more responsive to signals from the immune system. When researchers modified the lipid pathway in macrophages, they also found that the changes affected its behavior. Specifically, the changes made macrophages less responsive to immune signals, affecting the overall immune response. This shows how immune cells can be influenced by modifications to the lipid-dependent pathway. As well as identifying a new molecular mechanism in the immune system, the data highlights a potential new avenue for therapy. As targeting this lipid pathway changes the behavior of macrophages, this could form the basis of therapies in a wide range of diseases, including autoimmune diseases, cancers, infections, and sepsis.”Our paper identifies novel mechanisms underpinning the activation of immune cells, by providing a direct link between lipid pathways and immune cell activation. Our data suggest that manipulation of lipid pathways could represent a therapeutic target to improve immune responses in a variety of diseases,” noted Dr. Patricia Barral, Reader in the School of Immunology & Microbial Sciences.
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Higher vitamin C levels associated with lower mortality risk during 16-year period
Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, November 25, 2022
A study reported in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health has uncovered an association between higher plasma vitamin C levels and a lower risk of mortality during more than 16 years of follow-up. The study included 473 men and 475 women between the ages of 53 and 84 who were enrolled in the General Population Nutrition Intervention Trial (NIT) cohort in Linxian, China. Plasma samples collected from 1999 to 2000 were analyzed for vitamin C levels. During the 16.4-year follow-up period, among subjects whose plasma vitamin C concentrations were among the top 25%, the adjusted risk of dying from any cause during follow-up was 25% lower than the risk experienced by subjects whose vitamin C levels were among the lowest quarter. Those whose plasma vitamin C levels were among the highest 25% had an adjusted risk of dying from cancer or stroke that was 28% lower and a risk of dying from heart disease that was 35% lower than subjects whose levels were lowest. When subjects with low vitamin C levels (defined as 28 micromoles per liter or below) and normal levels (greater than 28 micromoles per liter) were compared, a normal level was associated with a 23% lower risk of premature mortality and a 38% lower risk of dying from heart disease, in comparison with low levels. As a possible reason for their findings, Shao-Ming Wang and colleagues note that oxidative stress is lowered by vitamin C. Oxidative stress can promote endothelial dysfunction that underlies heart disease by increasing inflammation and lipid peroxidation and decreasing nitric oxide availability. Oxidative stress also causes DNA damage associated with cancer.”This study is the first to find the general benefits for higher plasma vitamin C concentrations on total and cause-specific mortalities, including cancer and heart diseases, in a long-term prospective cohort from China,” the authors announce. “In this long-term prospective Chinese cohort study, higher plasma vitamin C concentration was associated with lower total mortality, heart disease mortality, and cancer mortality. Our results corroborate the importance of adequate vitamin C to human health.”
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Cauliflower Prevent Various Cancers: Thanks to Sulforaphane Compounds
Rugters University, November 19, 2022
Cauliflower contains glucosinolates and thiocyanates — both sulfur-containing phytonutrients that cleanse the body of damaging free radicals. It also contains a substance called sulforaphane (SFN), a compound known to inhibit the occurrence of some cancers in rats caused by carcinogens, primarily colon cancer. In the Rutger’s research, it was found once again that diet does matter in cancer prevention: “Our research has substantiated the connection between diet and cancer prevention, and it is now clear that the expression of cancer-related genes can be influenced by chemopreventive compounds in the things we eat,” said Kong, a professor of pharmaceutics in the Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey. In this particular study, mice fed a diet high in sulforaphane, the substance naturally occurring in cauliflower and broccoli, enjoyed fewer cancerous tumors, polyps, and smaller tumors in their colons. After three weeks, the mice fed sulforaphane had a 25% decline in tumors and those given double the dose had a 47% decrease in cancerous tumors. The results are obvious, “Our results showed that SFN produced its cancer preventive effects in the mice by inducing apoptosis (programmed cell death) and inhibiting proliferation of the tumors; however, it was not clear what mechanism SFN employs to accomplish this,” Kong said. Kong’s team found that SFN suppressed certain enzymes or kinases that are highly expressed both in the mice and in patients with colon cancer. The researchers concluded that this enzymatic suppression activity is the likely basis for the chemopreventive effects of SFN. Along with cauliflower’s high levels of SFN, it is also a powerful antioxidant with high levels of vitamin C and vitamin A, also known as cancer inhibitors. Researchers also believe that if you consume cauliflower and turmeric spice together, you can prevent or eradicate prostate cancer totally. The scientists, once again from Rutger’s, tested turmeric and it’s active compound known as curcumin along with phenethyl isothiocyanate (PEITC), a naturally occurring substance in certain vegetables such as watercress, cabbage, winter cress, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, kale, cauliflower, kohlrabi and turnips. They found cancer-preventative qualities in the duo.
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Increasing protein intake by 25 g a day could help women reduce hip fracture risk by up to 14%
University of Leeds (UK), November 28, 2022
Increasing intake of protein and drinking regular cups of tea or coffee is one way women could reduce their risk of suffering a hip fracture, according to new research. Food scientists at the University of Leeds in the UK have found that for women, a 25 g a day increase in protein was associated with, on average, a 14% reduction in their risk of hip fracture. In a surprise twist, they also discovered that every additional cup of tea or coffee they drank was linked with a 4% reduction in risk. Writing in the journal Clinical Nutrition, the researchers noted that the protective benefits were greater for women who were underweight, with a 25 g/day increase in protein reducing their risk by 45%. The investigation—”Foods, nutrients and hip fracture risk: A prospective study of middle-aged women”—is based on a large observational analysis of more than 26,000 women. As an observational study, the researchers were able to identify associations between factors in diet and health. They could not single out direct cause and effect. “Diet is a factor that people can modify to protect themselves by maintaining healthy bones and muscles. This study is one of the first to investigate relationships between food and nutrient intakes and risk of hip fracture, with hip fractures accurately identified through hospital records.” The recommended protein intake in the UK is 0.8 g per kilogram of bodyweight per day, a limit some nutritional experts believe is too low. As the study revealed, people who had a higher protein consumption had a reduction in the risk of hip fracture. However, intakes of protein which are very high—where intake is greater than 2 to 3 g of protein/kg body weight/day—can have negative health effects. The study was not able to explore these very high protein intake levels. Professor Janet Cade, who leads the Nutritional Epidemiology Group at Leeds and supervised the research, said, “In the UK most people eat an adequate amount of protein, however, certain groups, such as vegetarians or vegans need to check that their protein intakes are high enough for good health.”Tea and coffee both contain biologically active compounds called polyphenols and phytoestrogens which may help to maintain bone health. Professor Cade added, “This is an interesting finding given that tea and coffee are the UK’s favorite drinks. We still need to know more about how these drinks could affect bone health but it might be through promoting the amount of calcium present in our bones.”
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Mindfulness meditation trumps placebo in pain reduction
Wake Forest Medical Center – November 11, 2022
Scientists at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center have found new evidence that mindfulness meditation reduces pain more effectively than placebo. This is significant because placebo-controlled trials are the recognized standard for demonstrating the efficacy of clinical and pharmacological treatments. The research, published in the Journal of Neuroscience, showed that study participants who practiced mindfulness meditation reported greater pain relief than placebo. Significantly, brain scans showed that mindfulness meditation produced very different patterns of activity than those produced by placebo to reduce pain. “We were completely surprised by the findings,” said Fadel Zeidan, Ph.D., assistant professor of neurobiology and anatomy at Wake Forest Baptist and lead investigator of the study. “While we thought that there would be some overlap in brain regions between meditation and placebo, the findings from this study provide novel and objective evidence that mindfulness meditation reduces pain in a unique fashion.”Pain was induced by using a thermal probe to heat a small area of the participants’ skin to 49 degrees Centigrade (120.2 degrees Fahrenheit), a level of heat most people find very painful. Study participants then rated pain intensity (physical sensation) and pain unpleasantness (emotional response). The participants’ brains were scanned with arterial spin labeling magnetic resonance imaging (ASL MRI) before and after their respective four-day group interventions. The mindfulness meditation group reported that pain intensity was reduced by 27 percent and by 44 percent for the emotional aspect of pain. In contrast, the placebo cream reduced the sensation of pain by 11 percent and emotional aspect of pain by 13 percent. “The MRI scans showed for the first time that mindfulness meditation produced patterns of brain activity that are different than those produced by the placebo cream,” Zeidan said. Mindfulness meditation reduced pain by activating brain regions (orbitofrontal and anterior cingulate cortex) associated with the self-control of pain while the placebo cream lowered pain by reducing brain activity in pain-processing areas (secondary somatosensory cortex). Another brain region, the thalamus, was deactivated during mindfulness meditation, but was activated during all other conditions. This brain region serves as a gateway that determines if sensory information is allowed to reach higher brain centers. By deactivating this area, mindfulness meditation may have caused signals about pain to simply fade away, Zeidan said. Mindfulness meditation also was significantly better at reducing pain intensity and pain unpleasantness than the placebo meditation. The placebo-meditation group had relatively small decreases in pain intensity (9 percent) and pain unpleasantness (24 percent). The study findings suggest that placebo meditation may have reduced pain through a relaxation effect that was associated with slower breathing. “This study is the first to show that mindfulness meditation is mechanistically distinct and produces pain relief above and beyond the analgesic effects seen with either placebo cream or sham meditation,” Zeidan said. “Based on our findings, we believe that as little as four 20-minute daily sessions of mindfulness meditation could enhance pain treatment in a clinical setting. However, given that the present study examined healthy, pain-free volunteers, we cannot generalize our findings to chronic pain patients at this time.
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Shaking less salt on your food at the table could reduce heart disease risk Researchers found a link between a lower frequency of dietary salt and a reduced CVD risk
Tulane University, November 27, 2022
Adding additional salt to foods at a lower frequency is associated with a reduced risk of heart disease, heart failure and ischemic heart disease, according to a new study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. Even among those following a DASH-style diet, behavioral interventions to lessen salt consumption could further improve heart health. “Overall, we found that people who don’t shake on a little additional salt to their foods very often had a much lower risk of heart disease events, regardless of lifestyle factors and pre-existing disease,” said Lu Qi, MD, Regents Distinguished Chair at the School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine at Tulane University in New Orleans. “We also found that when patients combine a DASH diet with a low frequency of adding salt, they had the lowest heart disease risk. This is meaningful as reducing additional salt to food, not removing salt entirely, is an incredibly modifiable risk factor that we can hopefully encourage our patients to make without much sacrifice.” In the current study, the authors evaluated whether the frequency of adding salt to foods was linked with incident heart disease risk in 176,570 participants from the UK Biobank. The study also examined the association between the frequency of adding salt to foods and the DASH diet as it relates to heart disease risk. The study used a questionnaire at baseline to collect data on the frequency of adding salt to foods, not including salt used in cooking. Participants were also asked if they had made any major changes to their diet in the last 5 years, as well as complete 1-5 rounds of 24-hour dietary recalls over a three-year period. The DASH-style diet was developed to prevent hypertension by limiting consumption of red and processed meats and focusing on vegetables, fruit, whole grains, low-fat dairy, nuts, and legumes. While the DASH diet has yielded benefits in relation to reducing cardiovascular disease risk, a recent clinical trial found that combining the DASH diet with sodium reduction was more beneficial for certain cardiac biomarkers, including cardiac injury, strain, and inflammation. The researchers calculated a modified DASH score that did not consider sodium intake based on seven foods and nutrients that were emphasized or deemphasized in the DASH-style diet. Overall, study participants with a lower frequency of adding salt to foods were more likely to be women; white; have a lower body mass index; more likely to have moderate alcohol consumption; less likely to be current smokers; and more physically active. They also had a higher prevalence of high blood pressure and chronic kidney disease, but a lower prevalence of cancer. These participants were also more likely to adhere to a DASH-style diet and consumed more fruits, vegetables, nuts and legumes, whole grains, low-fat dietary but less sugar-sweetened drinks or red/processed meats than those with a higher frequency of adding salt to foods. The researchers found the association of adding salt to foods with heart disease risk was stronger in participants of lower socioeconomic status, as well as in current smokers. A higher modified DASH diet score was associated with lower risk of heart disease events.
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Ten minutes of aerobic exercise with exposure therapy found to reduce PTSD symptoms
University of New South Wales, November 25, 2022
Exposure therapy is one of the leading treatments for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), but up to a half of all patients don’t respond to it. But now a study led by UNSW Sydney psychologists has found that augmenting the therapy with 10 minutes of aerobic exercise has led to patients reporting greater reduction to PTSD symptom severity six months after the nine-week treatment ended. In the first known single-blind randomized control trial of its kind, researchers in Sydney recruited 130 adults with clinically diagnosed PTSD and assigned them to two groups. People in both groups received nine 90-minute exposure therapy sessions. At the end of each session, one group was put through 10 minutes of aerobic exercises, while members of the control group were given 10 minutes of passive stretching. People in the aerobic exercise group on average reported lower severity of PTSD symptoms—as measured on the CAPS-2 scale—than those who had their exposure therapy augmented by stretching exercises at the six-month follow-up. Interestingly, there were no clear differences between the two groups one week after the treatment program ended, suggesting the benefits take time to develop. The findings were reported in The Lancet Psychiatry.
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Healthy plant-based diets associated with lower colorectal cancer risk in men Kyung Hee University, South Korea, November 28, 2022
Eating a plant-based diet rich in healthy plant foods—such as whole grains, vegetables, and legumes—and low in unhealthy plant foods—including refined grains, fruit juices, and added sugars—is associated with a lower risk of colorectal cancer in men. The findings are published in the open access journal BMC Medicine.Jihye Kim, the corresponding author, said, “Colorectal cancer is the third-most common cancer worldwide, and the risk of developing colorectal cancer over a lifetime is one in 23 for men and one in 25 for women. Although previous research has suggested that plant-based diets may play a role in preventing colorectal cancer, the impact of plant foods’ nutritional quality on this association has been unclear. Our findings suggest that eating a healthy plant-based diet is associated with a reduced risk of colorectal cancer.” Researchers from Kyung Hee University, South Korea found that among a population of 79,952 American men, those who ate the highest average daily amounts of healthy plant-based foods had a 22% lower risk of colorectal cancer, compared to those who ate the lowest amounts of healthy plant foods. However, the authors did not identify any significant associations between the nutritional quality of plant-based diets and colorectal cancer risk among a population of 93,475 American women. Jihye Kim said, “We speculate that the antioxidants found in foods such as fruits, vegetables, and whole grains could contribute to lowering colorectal cancer risk by suppressing chronic inflammation, which can lead to cancer. As men tend to have a higher risk of colorectal cancer than women, we propose that this could help explain why eating greater amounts of healthy plant-based foods was associated with reduced colorectal cancer risk in men but not women.” The authors found that the association between the nutritional quality of plant-based diets and colorectal cancer risk among men varied by race and ethnicity. Among Japanese American men, colorectal cancer risk was 20% lower for those who ate the highest amount of healthy plant foods per day than for those who ate the lowest amount. Among white men, those who ate the highest amount of highest amount of healthy plant foods had a 24% lower colorectal cancer risk than those who ate the lowest amount. The authors did not identify any significant associations between plant-based diets and colorectal cancer risk among African American, Latino or Native Hawaiian men.
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Green Mediterranean diet reduces twice as much visceral fat as traditional Mediterranean diet Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (Israel), November 28, 2022
Following the green Mediterranean diet significantly reduces visceral adipose tissue, a type of fat around internal organs that is much more dangerous than the extra “tire” around your waist. Recently, researchers compared the green Mediterranean diet to the traditional Mediterranean diet and a non-Mediterranean healthy diet in a large-scale clinical interventional trial—the DIRECT PLUS. Subsequent analysis found that the green Mediterranean diet reduced visceral fat by 14%, the Mediterranean diet by 7% and the non-Mediterranean healthy diet by 4.5%. The study was published in BMC Medicine. Reducing visceral fat is considered the true goal of weight loss, as it is a more important indicator than a person’s weight or the circumference of their waist. Visceral fat aggregates over time between organs, and produces hormones and poisons linked to heart disease, diabetes, dementia and premature death. The DIRECT-PLUS trial research team was the first to introduce the concept of the green Mediterranean diet. This modified Mediterranean diet is further enriched with dietary polyphenols and is lower in red/processed meat than the traditional Mediterranean diet. On top of a daily intake of walnuts (28 grams), the participants consumed 3-4 cups of green tea/day and 100 grams (frozen cubes) of duckweed green shake/day. The aquatic green plant duckweed is high in bioavailable protein, iron, B12, vitamins, minerals, and polyphenols and substituted meat intake. The team has shown in previous studies that the green Mediterranean diet has a variety of salutary effects ranging from the microbiome to age-related degenerative diseases. A group of 294 participants took part in the 18-month long trial. “A 14% reduction in visceral fat is a dramatic achievement for making simple changes to your diet and lifestyle. Weight loss is an important goal only if it is accompanied by impressive results in reducing adipose tissue,” notes Dr. Hila Zelicha.
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Are older women being over-screened for cervical cancer? University of Illinois at Chicago, November 28, 2022
A new study published in JAMA Internal Medicine suggests that women over the age of 65 may be undergoing unnecessary cervical cancer screenings and that more public health data is needed on the utilization of cervical cancer screening-associated services among older women to prevent potential harm and unnecessary costs.
The study, which is authored by experts from the University of Illinois Chicago, the University of California San Francisco and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, looked at Medicare claims data from 1999 to 2019 for fee-for-service care for women over the age of 65.
The analysis showed that in 2019 more than 1.3 million women received cervical cancer screening-associated services, such as a Pap test, colposcopy, and other cervical procedures after age 65. While these services cost more than $83 million, the researchers concluded they were of “unclear clinical appropriateness.”
“Cervical cancer screening and other preventive services are among our most important tools for keeping people healthy throughout life, but screenings should also follow evidence-based guidelines to prevent overspending, potential complications and patient discomfort,” said study co-author Dr. Hunter Holt, assistant professor of family and community medicine at the University of Illinois Chicago.
According to recommendations and guidelines from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, the American Cancer Society and the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology, women considered to be of average risk can stop undergoing routine cervical cancer screening once they reach the age of 65 if they have had adequate prior screening. “The decision to end cervical cancer screening for women after age 65 requires review of past screening results and related medical history. This process can promote cervical cancer prevention and prevent harms and costs from unnecessary tests and procedures,” said Jin Qin, study co-author and epidemiologist in CDC’s Division of Cancer Prevention and Control.
The researchers say that the high rates of screening among older women is potentially concerning.
“It could be that women are getting screened when they do not need to, or that these women are considered to be at higher-than-average risk, for example, because they have not been adequately screened prior to 65. We do not want to see either of these things and unfortunately, there is not enough public health data to shed light on the causes,” said Holt, who is also affiliated with the University of Illinois Cancer Center at UIC.
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Chemotherapy could increase disease susceptibility in future generations Washington State University, November 28, 2022
A common chemotherapy drug could carry a toxic inheritance for children and grandchildren of adolescent cancer survivors, Washington State University-led research indicates.
The study, published online in iScience, found that male rats who received the drug ifosfamide during adolescence had offspring and grand-offspring with increased incidence of disease. While other research has shown that cancer treatments can increase patients’ chance of developing disease later in life, this is one of the first-known studies showing that susceptibility can be passed down to a third generation of unexposed offspring.
“The findings suggest that if a patient receives chemotherapy, and then later has children, that their grandchildren, and even great-grandchildren, may have an increased disease susceptibility due to their ancestors’ chemotherapy exposure,” said Michael Skinner, a WSU biologist and corresponding author on the study.
Given this study’s implications, the researchers recommend that cancer patients who plan to have children later take precautions, such as using cryopreservation to freeze sperm or ova before having chemotherapy.
In the study, researchers exposed a set of young male rats to ifosfamide over three days, mimicking a course of treatment an adolescent human cancer patient might receive. Those rats were later bred with female rats who had not been exposed to the drug. The resulting offspring were bred again with another set of unexposed rats.
The first-generation offspring had some exposure to the chemotherapy drug since their fathers’ sperm was exposed, but researchers found greater incidence of disease in not only the first- but also the second-generation, who had no direct exposure to the drug. While there were some differences by generation and sex, the associated problems included greater incidence of kidney and testis diseases as well as delayed onset of puberty and abnormally low anxiety, indicating a lowered ability to assess risk.
The results of the researchers’ analysis showed epigenetic changes in two generations linked to the chemotherapy exposure of the originally exposed rats. The fact that these changes could be seen in the grand-offspring, who had no direct exposure to the chemotherapy drug, indicates that the negative effects were passed down through epigenetic inheritance.
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Saffron can fight liver cancer, reveal UAE researchers United Arab Emirates University, November 20, 2022
It may be an expensive spice but you cannot put a label or price on health, said Professor Amr Amin who has researched a breakthrough in the properties of saffron in fighting liver cancer.
Professor Amin from Cellular & Molecular Biology at United Arab Emirates University said that researchers have investigated and found saffron to have anti-liver cancer properties.
“Safranal, a major biomolecule of the golden spice saffron arrests and stops the cancer cell division at two different stages,” he said.
The UAE researchers have been working on this project since 2011 when they first published the research in the Hepatology Journal.
The study suggests a novel mechanism of anti-proliferative activity of safranal against human liver cancer cells.
“This molecule could serve as a novel and/or adjuvant drug to treat liver cancer,” said Dr Amin.
The findings are now also published in a Nature journal Scientific Reports.
“The ingredient works in two ways; it stops cell division and promotes cell death,” he explained.
Prof Amin and colleagues concluded that safranal exerts its anticancer effect in HepG2 cells by inhibiting DNA repair, resulting in increased DNA damage.
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Japanese researchers say that ultrasound therapy can be used to treat patients with dementia Tohoku University (Japan), November 20, 2022
A new therapy based on ultrasound waves might be able to improve the cognitive powers of patients suffering from Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia. According to an article on the Tohoku University news page, the approach improved the condition of mice with symptoms similar to human dementia.
In their experiment, the Tohoku University research team sent low-intensity pulsed ultrasound (LIPUS) waves through the brain of the mice. They found that the waves improved the creation of blood vessels and the rate of regeneration of nerve cells.
Furthermore, the treatment did not cause any notable side effects on the mice. The results led the researchers to believe that they can replicate their experimental success in actual human patients one day.
“The LIPUS therapy is a non-invasive physiotherapy that could apply to high-risk elderly patients without the need for surgery or anaesthesia, and could be used repeatedly,” explained TU researcher Hiroaki Shimokawa.
The Tohoku researchers applied LIPUS therapy to the whole brain of mice with symptoms that resemble those of Alzheimer’s disease or vascular dementia. They did this three times a day, with each session lasting for 20 minutes. The mice that simulated vascular dementia underwent surgery that reduced the amount of blood that reached the brain. These animals underwent LIPUS treatment on the first, third, and fifth days after that surgery. Meanwhile, the mice that modeled Alzheimer’s disease got 11 LIPUS treatments over a three-month-long trial period.
By the end of the experiment, the researchers found that LIPUS activated genes involved with the cells that made up the inner lining of blood vessels. Furthermore, an enzyme that promoted blood vessel formation displayed increased activity, as did a protein which helped nerve cells grow.
Based on their findings, whole-brain LIPUS therapy can help alleviate the symptoms of certain forms of dementia by encouraging the development of cells that are normally affected by the condition. The technique is currently undergoing initial clinical trials that will determine its efficacy and safety.
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Pomegranate juice found to combat systemic inflammation throughout the body University of Bologna (Italy) & University of Auckland (New Zealand), November 18, 2022
The researchers from the University of Bologna and the University of Auckland looked at the effects of the juice of the pomegranate in particular, which has already been shown to help conditions like diabetes, atherosclerosis and prostate cancer. Chronic inflammation, a response by the body to infection and tissue damage, has been linked to the development of disorders such as inflammatory bowel disease, asthma, rheumatoid arthritis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and psoriasis. After analyzing an extensive number of existing studies on pomegranate, they found plenty of evidence that shows pomegranate juice can indeed help inflammation-related diseases, although they pointed out that a definitive relationship has not been officially established. Most of the scientific research on pomegranate’s health benefits has been carried out on cell culture or animal models, they point out, and clinical trials with humans are generally lacking. They found that pomegranate seems to show the most promise in fighting cardiovascular diseases, metabolic syndrome and diabetes, but the researchers urge care, calling on further studies to determine its specific effects and explain why the fruit juice seems to help chronic inflammatory diseases. A Case Western study published in the Journal of Inflammation, for example, found that the extract of pomegranate significantly inhibited the buildup of damaging proteins associated with Alzheimer’s disease by as much as a half. This effect is being attributed to its ability to protect against the oxidative stress that leads to beta-amyloid deposits. Researchers have also demonstrated its potential to help those with prostate, colon and breast cancer. In studies where tumor cells were treated with pomegranate, cell migration dropped and the cancer was stopped from spreading to other areas of the body. Pomegranate juice came out on top in a study of beverages known for their antioxidant content carried out by the Center for Human Nutrition at the University of California – Los Angeles’s David Geffen School of Medicine. While all of the beverages examined – blueberry juice, acai berry juice, green tea, white tea, Concord grape juice, orange juice, pomegranate juice and red wine, had impressive amounts of antioxidants, pomegranate juice outperformed them all when it came to polyphenols and protective benefits. Its antioxidant potency composite index was a full 20 percent higher than any of the other drinks that were put through the rigorous testing.
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Handful of walnuts daily cuts risk of asthma University of North’s Carolina, November 20, 2022
Here’s another reason for you to eat more walnuts as a type of vitamin E, found in these nuts, may prevent the risk of asthma attacks by reducing airway inflammation. According to researchers, sufferers of a common breathing condition, taking it as part of the study, were also found to have less sticky mucus in their lungs. Gamma-tocopherol is a major form of vitamin E, which is abundant in nuts like walnuts and pecans and in the legume peanut, as well as seed oils such as corn, soybean and sesame. Senior study author Professor Michelle Hernandez from the University of North’s Carolina school of medicine said epidemiologic data suggested that people with high amounts of vitamin E in their diet were less prone to asthma and allergic disease. The team randomly analysed participants into two groups, one that received gamma tocopherol supplement and other that received a placebo for two weeks. After a three-week period break, the findings indicated that when people were taking the vitamin E supplement, they had less eosinophilic inflammation. In addition, those who were taking vitamin E were also found to have lower levels of proteins called mucins, which affect the stickiness of mucus. Mucins are often elevated in asthmatics.
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Using vapes may set the stage for dental decay Tufts University, November 23, 2022
A vaping habit could end up leading to a tarnished smile, and more frequent visits to the dentist. Research by faculty from Tufts University School of Dental Medicine found patients who said they used vaping devices were more likely to have a higher risk of developing cavities. With CDC surveys reporting that 9.1 million American adults—and 2 million teenagers—use tobacco-based vaping products, that means a lot of vulnerable teeth. The findings of this study on the association between vaping and risk of caries—the dental term for cavities—serve as an alert that this once seemingly harmless habit may be very detrimental, says Karina Irusa, assistant professor of comprehensive care and lead author on the paper. The study was published in The Journal of the American Dental Association. Irusa says that the recent Tufts finding may be just a hint of the damage vaping causes to the mouth. “The extent of the effects on dental health, specifically on dental decay, are still relatively unknown,” she says. “At this point, I’m just trying to raise awareness,” among both dentists and patients. This study, Irusa says, is the first known specifically to investigate the association of vaping and e-cigarettes with the increased risk for getting cavities. She and her colleagues analyzed data from more than 13,000 patients older than 16 who were treated at Tufts dental clinics from 2019-2022. While the vast majority of the patients said they did not use vapes, there was a statistically significant difference in dental caries risk levels between the e-cigarette/vaping group and the control group, Irusa found. Some 79% of the vaping patients were categorized as having high-caries risk, compared to just about 60% of the control group. The vaping patients were not asked whether they used devices that contained nicotine or THC, although nicotine is more common. It’s also been observed that vaping seems to encourage decay in areas where it usually doesn’t occur—such as the bottom edges of front teeth. “It takes an aesthetic toll,” Irusa says.
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Study finds link between foods scored higher by new nutrient profiling system and better long-term health outcomes Tufts University, November 22, 2022
The idea that what we eat directly affects our health is ancient; Hippocrates recognized this as far back as 400 B.C. But, identifying healthier foods in the supermarket aisle and on restaurant menus is increasingly challenging. Now, researchers at the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts have shown that a holistic food profiling system, Food Compass, identifies better overall health and lower risk for mortality. In a paper published in Nature Communications, researchers assessed whether adults who ate more foods with higher Food Compass scores had better long-term health outcomes and found that they did. Introduced in 2021, Food Compass provides a holistic measure of the overall nutritional value of a food, beverage, or mixed meal. It measures nine domains of each item, such as nutrient ratios, food-based ingredients, vitamins, minerals, extent of processing, and additives. Based on scores of 10,000 commonly consumed products in the U.S., researchers recommend foods with scores of 70 or above as foods to encourage; foods with scores of 31-69 to be eaten in moderation; and anything that scores 30 or below to be consumed sparingly. For this new study, Food Compass was used to score a person’s entire diet, based on the Food Compass scores of all the foods and beverages they regularly consume. For this validation study, researchers used nationally representative dietary records and health data from 47,999 U.S. adults aged 20-85 who were enrolled between 1999-2018 in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). Deaths were determined through linkage with the National Death Index (NDI). Overall, researchers found that the mean Food Compass score for the diets of the nearly 50,000 subjects was only 35.5 out of 100, well below ideal. “One of the most alarming discoveries was just how poor the national average diet is,” said O’Hearn. “This is a call for actions to improve diet quality in the United States.” A higher Food Compass diet score was associated with lower blood pressure, blood sugar, blood cholesterol, body mass index, and hemoglobin A1c levels; and lower prevalence of metabolic syndrome and cancer. A higher Food Compass diet score was also associated with lower risk of mortality: for each 10-point increase, there was a 7 percent lower risk of death from all causes. Food Compass also boosts scores for ingredients shown to have protective effects on health, like fruits, non-starchy vegetables, beans and legumes, whole grains, nuts and seeds, seafood, yogurt, and plant oils; and lowers scores for less healthful ingredients like refined grains, red and processed meat, and ultra-processed foods and additives. “We know Food Compass is not perfect,” said Mozaffarian. “But, it provides a more comprehensive, holistic rating of a food’s nutritional value than existing systems, and these new findings support its validity by showing it predicts better health.”
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Acupuncture can relieve lower back and pelvic pain often experienced during pregnancy Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, November 21, 2022
Acupuncture can significantly relieve the lower back and/or pelvic pain frequently experienced by women during their pregnancy, suggests a pooled data analysis of the available evidence, published in BMJ Open. And there were no observable major side effects for newborns whose moms opted for the therapy, the findings indicate, although only a few of the published studies included in the analysis evaluated outcomes, such as premature birth, note the researchers. To add to the evidence base, the researchers trawled research databases for relevant clinical trials that compared the pain relief afforded to pregnant womengiven acupuncture, alone or when combined with other therapies, with other/no/dummy treatments, as well as the potential impact on their newborns. The final analysis included 10 randomized controlled trials, involving 1,040 women. Every study was published between 2000 and 2020, and carried out variously in Sweden, the UK, the U.S., Spain and Brazil. The moms-to-be were all healthy, 17 to 30 weeks into their pregnancy on average, and had lower back and/or pelvic pain. Pooled data analysis of the trial results for nine studies suggested that acupuncture significantly relieved pain during pregnancy. Four of those studies reported on the potential of acupuncture to restore physical function, and the results showed that this was significantly improved. Quality of life was recorded in five studies. When the results of these were pooled, the findings suggested that acupuncture significantly improved this too. Pooled data analysis of four studies indicated that there was a significant difference in overall effects when acupuncture was compared with other or no interventions. The researchers conclude that acupuncture merits closer attention for its potential to ease pain at a time when it’s preferable to avoid drugs because of their potential side effects for mother and baby.
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6 Health Benefits Of Rutin, And Where To Find It GreenMedInfo, November 24, 2022
Rutin is an antioxidant and anti-inflammatory powerhouse found in a variety of delicious food that may boost your health via multiple avenues, from promoting healthy circulation to providing pain relief.
Rutin is one of about 4,000 types of flavonoids that are found abundantly in plants. Also known as rutoside and vitamin P, rutin is a flavonol that acts as an active constituent in tea leaves, apples, buckwheat, most citrus fruits and passion flower, for example, with nutraceutical effects that have been valued since ancient times.
Medicinal plant compounds often have a range of biological activities that are both impressive and varied. Rutin is no exception, with a number of pharmacological activities that include:
Six Top Reasons to Try Rutin Rutin is perhaps best known for its ability to ward off oxidative stress via potent antioxidant properties. This makes it valuable in a number of disease conditions and even as a tool for healthy aging. Rutin, for instance, reduces skin aging by strengthening dermal density and elasticity, and is found in more than 130 registered therapeutic medicinal preparations.
GreenMedInfo.com has additionally compiled nearly 70 pharmacological actions related to rutin, along with 136 diseases that it may be useful for. Some of its top health benefits follow.
- Protection From Neurodegenerative Disease
Rutin has demonstrated benefits to the central nervous system, including prevention of neuroinflammation, anticonvulsant activity and antidepressant effects. Rutin may be useful for recovery after stroke and also shows promise for Alzheimer’s disease.
With an ability to cross the blood-brain barrier, rutin may benefit the cognitive and behavioral symptoms of neurodegenerative diseases and helps to remove the inflammatory component of neurodegeneration.
- Relieve Arthritis Pain
Rutin not only has analgesic and antinociceptive effects but also antiarthritic effects, making it an ideal natural option for arthritis.The plant compound has been found to suppress oxidative stress in people with rheumatoid arthritis,while also inhibiting both the acute and chronic phases of inflammation in an arthritis rat model.
- Antidiabetic Effects
Rutin has beneficial effects on the endocrine system, including antidiabetic and anti-hypercholesterolemic effects. Rutin helps fight diabetes by decreasing carbohydrates absorption from the small intestine, increasing the uptake of glucose into tissues and stimulating the secretion of insulin from beta cells, leading to antihyperglycemic effects as well as protection against the development of diabetic complications.
Rutin is also useful for protecting against age-related metabolic dysfunction, with research suggesting it inhibits age-related mitochondrial dysfunction and oxidative stress, as well as endoplasmic reticulum, or ER, stress, which is related to proteins that are not properly folded.
- Promote Healthy Circulation and Reduce Blood Clots
Consuming rutin, either from foods or supplements, may be an effective way to block the formation of blood clots. Research by Harvard Medical School researchers suggests that rutin is effective against both platelet-rich clots that form in arteries and fibrin-rich clots that form in veins.
Rutin was found to be a “champion compound” for inhibiting protein disulfide isomerase (PDI), which plays a role in the initial stages of clot formation. A nano-formulation of rutin was also found to exert powerful antithrombotic effects by inhibiting PDI,while rutin may also augment the production of nitric oxide in human endothelial cells, which is useful for blood pressure and cardiovascular system health.
In terms of improved circulation, rutin is a venoactive compound, which means it may be useful for symptoms of chronic venous diseases (CVD). The compound has been demonstrated to reduce severity of lower leg pain, leg cramps, heaviness and itching, as well as edema (swelling), in people with CVD.
- Anticancer Effects
Rutin’s anticancer properties have been extensively studied. In human leukemia cells, rutin led to a significant reduction in tumor size, and it’s known to inhibit cancer cell growth by cell cycle arrest and apoptosis. It also inhibits proliferation and metastasis of colorectal cancer cell lines and shows promise for use in ovarian and color cancers, as well as neuroblastoma.
- Support Gastrointestinal Health
Rutin has antiulcer effects, as it inhibits the gastric proton pump that sends acid to your stomach. It also has potential against inflammatory bowel disease, not only due to its antioxidant effects but also by suppressing the release of proinflammatory mediators and the expression of inflammatory proteins.
Top Sources of Rutin
As noted in the Saudi Pharmaceutical Journal, “An ancient saying ‘an apple a day, keeps doctor away’ seems to be true as rutin, one of the important constituents of apples, has a wide array of biological activities.”
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The ultimate stress buster: L-theanine Columbia University Medical Center, November 16, 2022
Honestly, who would have thought that stress can cause heart damage equivalent to smoking five cigarettes?
This is according to a study conducted by Columbia University Medical Center and published in the American Journal of Cardiology.
The study reveals how an amino acid known as L-theanine reduces both stress levels and heart rate. As a way to increase stress levels, scientists asked 12 participants to solve a mentally stressful task in four double blind trials.
L-theanine was given to participants in one of the four trials before dealing with the stressful task. In the second group, study subjects took L-theanine midway through the work. In the third and fourth variations, subjects were respectively given a placebo and nothing at all before attempting the task.
In comparison to the placebo group, there was a reduced amount of immunoglobulin (a stress marker in saliva released by the immune system after exposure to viruses, bacteria, and other foreign entities) and a lower heart rate in participants who took L-theanine.
The researchers explained that L-theanine works by suppressing the sympathetic nervous system responsible for the ‘fight or flight’ response during emergency situations.
This is achieved by blocking a chemical known as glutamate (L-glutamic acid) that carries electric signals transmitted from nerve cells to the rest of the body cells. The conclusion was that L-theanine plays a major role in terms of influencing psychology (mind) and physiology (body) function during stressful situation.
Greater flavonoid intake associated with less arterial calcification Edith Cowen University (Australia), November 23 2022.
The December 2022 issue of Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology reported a study that uncovered a relationship between greater consumption of plant compounds known as flavonoids and decreased calcification in the abdominal aorta, which supplies blood to the abdominal organs and lower limbs.
Greater abdominal aortic calcification has been associated with an increased risk of stroke, heart attack and dementia.
The study included 881 participants in the Perth Longitudinal Study of Ageing Women. Dietary questionnaire responses were analyzed to determine total and individual flavonoid intake.
Women whose total flavonoid intake was among the top 25% of participants had a 36% lower risk of extensive abdominal aortic calcification than women whose intake was among the lowest 25%. Among women whose intake of individual flavonoids known as flavan-3-ols and flavonols was among the top 25%, respective risks were 39% and 38% lower.
Those who consumed 2–6 cups per day of black tea (the main source of total flavonoid intake in this study), had a 16%–42% lower risk of extensive abdominal aortic calcification than women who were not tea drinkers.
“In most populations, a small group of foods and beverages—uniquely high in flavonoids—contribute the bulk of total dietary flavonoid intake,” first author Ben Parmenter noted. “The main contributors are usually black or green tea, blueberries, strawberries, oranges, red wine, apples, raisins/grapes and dark chocolate.”
“Out of the women who don’t drink black tea, higher total non-tea flavonoid intake also appears to protect against extensive calcification of the arteries,” he continued. “This implies flavonoids from sources other than black tea may be protective against abdominal aortic calcification when tea is not consumed.”
“Abdominal aortic calcification is a major predictor of vascular disease events, and this study shows intake of flavonoids, that could protect against abdominal aortic calcification, are easily achievable in most people’s diets,” he concluded.
Researchers discover that vitamin C improves health for children of pregnant smokers Oregon Health & Science University, November 22, 2022
Researchers at Oregon Health & Science University have found that vitamin C supplementation to pregnant women unable to quit smoking significantly improves airway function and respiratory health in their offspring at 5 years of age.
While previous studies have shown that vitamin C improves airway function in infants, this is the first study to demonstrate that the improvement in airway function can be maintained through preschool age.
The study published this week in JAMA Pediatrics.
Despite anti-smoking efforts and a steady decrease of smoking among the adult population over the past decade, the addictive properties of tobacco products can make quitting smoking incredibly challenging for many individuals. Roughly 10% of American women continue to smoke in pregnancy, each year resulting in about 400,000 infants being exposed to smoke in-utero, or in the uterus.
In-utero smoke exposure from maternal smoking during pregnancy can be dangerous for a developing baby and is linked to poor health outcomes, including impaired fetal lung development, decreased airway function and an increased risk for wheezing and asthma. Additionally, decreased airway growth early in life causes increased risk for serious lifelong conditions, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, which is now the third leading cause of death worldwide.
For this study, participating women were enrolled in a double-blind, randomized controlled trial to receive either vitamin C (500 mg/day) or a placebo.
Statistical analyses showed that the effect of vitamin C supplementation to pregnant smokers prior to 23 weeks of gestation consistently resulted in significantly better airway function in their offspring at 5 years old.
While the findings may improve the health of the many children who face in-utero smoke exposure, these findings may have even broader implications: The results may potentially lead to better understanding of—and treatments for—the health impacts of other smoke exposures, including indoor and outdoor air pollution, vaping and wildfires.
Decades of air pollution undermine the immune system, lymph nodes study finds Columbia University Irving Medical Center, November 23, 2022
The diminished power of the immune system in older adults is usually blamed on the aging process. But a new study by Columbia immunologists shows that decades of particulate air pollution also take a toll.
The study found that inhaled particles from environmental pollutants accumulate over decades inside immune cells in lymph nodes associated with the lung, eventually weakening the cells’ ability to fight respiratory infections.
The findings—published Nov. 21 in Nature Medicine—offer a new reason why individuals become more susceptible to respiratory diseases with age.
The Columbia researchers weren’t initially looking at air pollution’s influence on the immune system. More than ten years ago, they began to collect tissues from deceased organ donors to study immune cells in multiple mucosal and lymphoid tissues. Such cells have been largely inaccessible to researchers studying the immune system where sampling is limited to peripheral blood.
“When we looked at people’s lymph nodes, we were struck by how many of the nodes in the lung appeared black in color, while those in the GI tract and other areas of the body were the typical beige color,” says Donna Farber, Ph.D., the George H. Humphreys II Professor of Surgical Sciences at Columbia University , who led the study.
And as the researchers collected more tissue from younger donors, they also noticed an age difference in the appearance of the lung’s lymph nodes: Those from children and teenagers were largely beige while those from donors over age 30 looked were tinged with black and got darker with increasing age.
“When we imaged the lung’s blackened lymph nodes and found they were clogged with particles from airborne pollutants, we started to think about their impact on the lung’s ability to fight infection as people age,” Farber says.
In the new study, she and her colleagues examined tissues from 84 deceased human organ donors ranging in age from 11 to 93, all nonsmokers.
They found that the pollutant particles in the lung’s lymph nodes were located inside macrophages, immune cells that engulf and destroy bacteria, viruses, cellular debris, and other potentially dangerous substances.
The macrophages containing particulates were significantly impaired: they were much less capable of ingesting other particles and producing cytokines—chemical “help” signals—that activate other parts of the immune system. Macrophages in those same lymph nodes that did not contain particulates were unimpaired.
“We do not know yet the full impact pollution has on the immune system in the lung,” Farber adds, “but pollution undoubtedly plays a role in creating more dangerous respiratory infections in elderly individuals and is another reason to continue the work in improving air quality.”
Biologist explains how cannabinoids cause tumor cells to commit suicide
Compultense University (Spain): November 17, 2018
A molecular biologist from Compultense University in Madrid, Christina Sanchez, has been studying the molecular activity of cannabinoids for over a decade. Through her studies, she and colleagues found that tetrahydrocannabinol , (THC) which is the main psychoactive part of cannabis, kills tumerous cells while allowing healthy cells to be. It was an unexpected discovery when Sanchez and crew were studying brain cancer cells to grasp a better understanding of how they function. They observed that when cells were exposed to THC, the tumeral cells stopped growing then destroyed themselves. This occurred both in lab tests and animal trials. Sanchez first reported her miraculous findings back in 1998.
According to Sanchez ,”After the discovery of this compound that is called THC, it was pretty obvious that this compound had to be acting on the cells, on our organism, through a molecular mechanism.” Research finds that the human body is designed to use cannabis compounds. In the eighties, research first showed the human body contains two targets for THC. One is the endocannabinoid system which processes THC through an endogenous framework. Then the various cannabinoid receptors throughout the body that use them. In conjunction, the body benefits from cannabinoids via these two natural systems. Cannabis is the only place in nature where some certain cannabinoids are found.
Sanchez continues, “The endocannabinoids, together with the receptors and the enzymes that synthesize, that produce, the endocannabinoids and that degrade the endocannabinoids, are what we call the endocannabinoid system. We now know that the endocannabinoid system regulates a lot of biological functions: appetite, food intake, motor behavior, reproduction, and many, many other functions. And that’s why the plant has such a wide therapeutic potential.”
Cannabis cannabinoids, when consumed, work with the body’s natural endocannabinoid system and bind to the receptors in the same manner as endogenous cannabinoids. The effects cancer-wise as demonstrated in animal models of breast and brain cancers is that the cancerous cells self destruct. A big advantage of cannabinoids is their unique ability to specifically target tumor cells with no effect on normal cells. This gives cannabinoids the advantage over chemotherapy which targets way more then the actual target
Spending Time in the Forest or the Field: Investigations on Stress Perception and Psychological Well-Being University of Freiburg (Germany), November 16, 2022 Research suggests that stays in a forest promote relaxation and reduce stress compared to spending time in a city. The aim of this study was to compare stays in a forest with another natural environment, a cultivated field. Healthy, highly sensitive persons aged between 18 and 70 years spent one hour in the forest and in the field at intervals of one week. The primary outcome was measured using the Change in Subjective Self-Perception (CSP-14) questionnaire. Secondary outcomes were measured using the Profile Of Mood States (POMS) questionnaire and by analyzing salivary cortisol. The medicinal use of forests is of increasing interest worldwide. Forest air is refreshing because trees clean the air of pollutants such as nitrogen oxides and sulfur oxides, produce oxygen, and release volatile bioactive terpenes into the air . Research from Japan, South Korea], China, Taiwan, Australia, the United States, Italy, Norway, Iceland, Finland, and Austria suggests that spending time in the forest promotes relaxation, lowers stress hormones and blood pressure and strengthens the immune system. Most studies compared stays in the forest to stays in the city. Accordingly, forests potentially contribute to the prevention of stress-related diseases. Controlled studies have shown positive effects in high blood pressure, chronic heart failure, COPD and chronic neck pain. In addition, spending time in the forest seems to improve psychological well-being. Spending time in forests reduced adrenaline and noradrenaline in urine, cortisol in saliva and self-rated stress perception; it also induced relaxation in controlled trials. This indicates that forest stays can reduce stress. The available data also indicate that “forest bathing”, i.e., walking, standing or sitting in a forest with the purpose of relaxation, perceiving the environment and inhaling phytoncides stabilizes the autonomic nervous system by reducing the sympathetic and activating the parasympathetic tones. With regard to the immune system, which is linked to stress response and vegetative nerve system, an increase in the activity of natural killer cells and the expression of anti-cancer proteins such as perforin, granzyme A/B, granulysin could be demonstrated. In view of these findings, forests could make an important contribution to the prevention of stress-related diseases. As shown in previous studies, the stressful environment of a city was most often compared to a forest; it remains unclear whether forests have specific effects or are just acting as natural environments. Therefore, we wanted to compare two natural but polar-opposite environments. In cultivated fields, sensory impressions are different from the forest. In order to maximize profitability, fields are mostly structured into rectangular shapes and usually mainly one type of plant is found, while in a natural forest, different types of plants grow side by side. Accordingly, visual, auditory and olfactory impressions are less diverse in fields than in forestsThe play of light and shadow that characterizes the forest atmosphere is not found in fields. The plants are usually not tall enough to provide shade, whereas the height of the trees in the forest can provide a sense of shelter. Field paths are more often sealed than forest paths, which changes haptic perception when walking on them. Thus, there are significant differences in the types of sensory impressions between forests and fields. Highly sensitive persons (HSP), due to their subtle perception, intensely perceive stimuli that others might not even consciously notice. These stimuli may consist of the behavior or moods of other people, the media, medications, pain, and hunger [32]. They perceive stimuli, positively or negatively, to a higher degree, which may, on the one hand, lead to a prolonged reaction time, and on the other hand to more intense feelings and emotional excitability. Our main outcome results show that, as soon as one hour after entering the forest, participants felt a sense of security, relaxation and inner connectedness. In summer, forest interventions had a better effect on vitality. Our study was the first to use the CSP-14 questionnaire, and the comparisons between field and forest interventions were also novel. Forest interventions significantly lowered perceptions of depression, anxiety, hostility, fatigue, confusion and total mood disturbance, and greatly increased vigor. This study shows that forests are not the only kind of natural environment that can promote psychological well-being. The characteristics and qualities of natural environments might influence people’s mood and well-being differently. There might also be differences dependent on the preferences of the respective individuals. We regard it as meaningful to study these different effects of nature on the human soul and body in more detail. In addition, future studies examining the effects of different natural environments on human health should respect seasonal aspects and weather conditions.
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Greater niacin intake linked with lower mortality risk among cancer patients during 15-year period First People’s Hospital in China, November 21 2022.
A study reported in BMC Cancer found that men and women with cancer who consumed a higher amount of niacin (vitamin B3) from food or supplements had a lower risk of dying from the disease during a 15-year follow-up period than patients with lower consumption.
Researchers analyzed data from 3,504 cancer patients who participated in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (NHANES) between 1999 and 2014.
Among participants whose niacin intake from food was among the top 25%, the adjusted risk of mortality from all causes was 27% lower, and the risk of dying from cancer was 49% lower during follow-up compared with participants whose intake was among the lowest 25%. Each 10 mg per day increase in dietary niacin was associated with an adjusted 11% lower risk of all-cause mortality and a 19% reduction in the risk of cancer mortality.
Total daily niacin intake was 76.4 mg per day among participants who reported using niacin supplements compared to 21.4 mg per day among those who did not supplement. Cancer mortality was 52% lower among those who supplemented with niacin versus unsupplemented participants.
“Our study found that higher intake of dietary niacin was associated with lower risk of mortality from all-causes and cancer mortality,” Hongyan Ying Taizhou of First People’s Hospital in China and colleagues concluded. “The consumption of niacin had a dose-effect relationship for all-cause mortality, but not for cancer mortality. This conclusion was verified by the data of supplemental niacin consumption.”
Study: Antioxidant flavonols linked to slower memory decline Rush University Medical Center, November 22, 2022
People who eat or drink more foods with antioxidant flavonols, which are found in several fruits and vegetables as well as tea and wine, may have a slower rate of memory decline, according to a study published in Neurology.
“It’s exciting that our study shows making specific diet choices may lead to a slower rate of cognitive decline,” said study author Thomas M. Holland, MD, MS of Rush University Medical Center in Chicago. “Something as simple as eating more fruits and vegetables and drinking more tea is an easy way for people to take an active role in maintaining their brain health.”
The study involved 961 people with an average age of 81 without dementia. They filled out a questionnaire each year on how often they ate certain foods. They also completed annual cognitive and memory tests including recalling lists of words, remembering numbers and putting them in the correct order. They were also asked about other factors, such as their level of education, how much time they spent doing physical activities and how much time they spent doing mentally engaging activities such as reading and playing games. They were followed for an average of seven years.
The people were divided into five equal groups based on the amount of flavonols they had in their diet. While the average amount of flavonol intake in US adults is about 16 to 20 milligrams (mg) per day, the study population had an average dietary intake of total flavonols of approximately 10 mg per day. The lowest group had an intake of about 5 mg per day and the highest group consumed an average of 15 mg per day; which is equivalent to about one cup of dark leafy greens.
After adjusting for other factors researchers found that the cognitive score of people who had the highest intake of flavonols declined at a rate of 0.4 units per decade more slowly than people whose had the lowest intake. Holland noted this is probably due to the inherent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties of flavonols.
The study also broke the flavonol class down into the four constituents: kaempferol, quercetin, myricetin and isorhamnetin. The top food contributors for each category were: kale, beans, tea, spinach and broccoli for kaempferol; tomatoes, kale, apples and tea for quercetin; tea, wine, kale, oranges and tomatoes for myricetin; and pears, olive oil, wine and tomato sauce for isorhamnetin.
People who had the highest intake of kaempferol had a 0.4 units per decade slower rate of cognitive decline compared to those in the lowest group. Those with the highest intake of quercetin had a 0.2 units per decade slower rate of cognitive decline compared to those in the lowest group. And people with the highest intake of myricetin had a 0.3 units per decade slower rate of cognitive decline compared to those in the lowest group. Dietary isorhamnetin was not tied to global cognition.
Examining how poor diet damages blood vessels Leipzig University & Helmholtz Institute for Metabolic, Obesity and Vascular Research (Germany), November 21, 2022
A research team led by Bilal Sheikh from the Helmholtz Institute for Metabolic, Obesity and Vascular Research (HI-MAG) and Leipzig University’s Faculty of Medicine investigated how obesity impacts blood vessels’ structure at a molecular level.
The team’s research, now published in Nature Metabolism, illustrates that metabolic disease affects blood vessels in different organs of our body in a unique way. For instance, blood vessels in the liver and fat tissue struggle to process the excess lipids, kidney vessels develop metabolic dysfunction, lung vessels become highly inflammatory, and transport across the brain vessels is defective.
“As vascular dysfunction drives all major pathologies, from heart failure to atherosclerosis and neurodegeneration, our research shows how bad eating habits molecularly promote the development of diverse diseases,” explains Dr. Olga Bondareva, the first author of the study.
“We want to elucidate molecular mechanisms of obesity in order to be able to offer patients tailor-made therapies in the future,” adds HI-MAG director Professor Matthias Blüher. Blüher has been conducting research on morbid obesity at Leipzig University for years. The present study also involves scientists from Leipzig who work in the fields of cardiology and laboratory medicine.
The researchers then asked whether a healthy diet could reduce the disease-causing molecular signatures induced by a bad diet. Their results show that a healthy diet can indeed improve the molecular health of blood vessels, albeit only partially. For instance, the blood vessels in the liver recovered nearly completely, but blood vessels in the kidneys retained the disease signature, despite a healthy diet and significant weight loss. This means that some of our blood vessels can develop a “memory” of metabolic disease, which is difficult to reverse.
Lab mice fed processed food found to fare worse against flu than those eating grains University of Sydney & Shenzhen University School of Medicine (China), November 21, 2022
A team of researchers at the University of Sydney working with a colleague from Shenzhen University School of Medicine has found that lab mice are more likely to survive a flu infection if they are fed grain-based foods rather than processed food. The paper is published in Cell Reports.
In recent years, medical researchers have reported evidence that diet plays a larger role in illness recovery than was thought. Some studies have shown, for example, that caloric density and the concentration of nutrients consumed while recovering from an infection can have a major impact on the severity of the infection. In this new effort, the researchers found evidence suggesting that other characteristics of food can also play a role in illness recovery, at least in mice.
In this new effort, the researchers were studying how mammals such as mice fight off influenza infections. As part of that effort, they inadvertently fed two groups of lab mice slightly different meals that were thought to be equivalent in nutritional value and hence unlikely to have an impact on disease recovery. More specifically, they fed one group of mice a diet consisting mostly of grains. The other mice were fed a highly processed diet.
Both groups were subsequently infected with the influenza virus and were kept on the same diets they had prior to being infected. The researchers note that prior studies had shown that mice fed either diet when not battling an infection displayed little difference in health or behavior. But when infected with influenza, the researchers found that all of those fed the highly processed diet died. They also found that those fed the highly processed diet failed to regain weight lost due to the illness. In sharp contrast, all of the mice on the grain-based diet began regaining weight within 10 days of initial infection, and all of them recovered.
The researchers note that the difference in survival was not due to differences in an immune response, but was instead due to recovery issues. They note that the mice on the highly processed food diet ate less than those given grains and wound up getting less nutrients.
Study: Olive Leaf Extract as Effective as Typical Diabetes Drugs
University of Auckland (New Zealand), November 17, 2022
Researchers from the University of Auckland have discovered that olive leaf extract has the ability to decrease insulin resistance and increase the production of insulin by the pancreas. This is one of the main problems that most diabetes patients suffer from – the lack of proper insulin balance in the body.
To test olive leaf extract’s effects on diabetes, the researchers conducted a randomized, double-blinded and placebo-controlled clinical study dividing 46 overweight men into two groups. One of the groups received olive leaf extract, while the other group was given a placebo. The olive leaf extract was standardized to contain its active ingredients – oleuropein and hydroxytyrosol.
After six weeks to allow the men’s bodies to return to their ‘normal levels,’ the groups were switched. The original placebo group then received the olive leaf extract, and vice versa. None of the men knew which group they were in at which time.
The researchers found that the olive leaf extract lowered insulin resistance by an average of 15% and increased the productivity of the pancreas’ beta cells – which produce insulin – by 28%.
The researchers concluded: “Supplementation with olive leaf polyphenols for 12 weeks significantly improved insulin sensitivity and pancreatic β-cell secretory capacity in overweight middle-aged men at risk of developing the metabolic syndrome.”
This research also showed that olive leaf could possibly effectively treat both Diabetes 1 and Diabetes type 2. In addition, the olive leaf extract would likely help individuals with type 2 Diabetes the most.
Researchers also found that olive leaf extract may be just as effective as conventional drugs. They stated:
“Hence, compared to these drugs that only improve insulin secretion, olive leaf extract improves both insulin sensitivity and pancreatic β-cell secretory capacity. Remarkably, the observed effects of olive leaf extract supplementation in our study population is comparable to common diabetic therapeutics (particularly metformin)…”
Common Painkillers Like Ibuprofen And Naproxen Can Make Arthritis Inflammation Even Worse University of California-San Francisco, November 20, 2022
Common painkillers can make the misery of osteoarthritis even worse, a new study warns.
Ibuprofen, naproxen, and diclofenac are among the many drugs for relieving aching joints. However, researchers say they may aggravate inflammation of the knee over time. They belong to a class of medications known as NSAIDS, or non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. The study, based on a review of over 1,000 patients, is one of the first to investigate their long-term effects.
“NSAIDs are frequently used to treat pain, but it is still an open discussion of how NSAID use influences outcomes for osteoarthritis patients. In particular, the impact of NSAIDs on synovitis, or the inflammation of the membrane lining the joint, has never been analyzed using MRI-based structural biomarkers.”
The team found no benefit in 277 patients with moderate to severe osteoarthritis who also engaged in sustained NSAID use. In fact, joint inflammation and cartilage quality got worse over the next four years compared to a group of 793 controls who did not take the drugs. Dr. Luitjens and her colleagues looked at the link between NSAIDs and synovitis and assessed how the therapy impacted joint structure over time.
“Synovitis mediates development and progression of osteoarthritis and may be a therapeutic target,” Dr. Luitjens continues. “Therefore, the goal of our study was to analyze whether NSAID treatment influences the development or progression of synovitis and to investigate whether cartilage imaging biomarkers, which reflect changes in osteoarthritis, are impacted by NSAID treatment.”
“In this large group of participants, we were able to show that there were no protective mechanisms from NSAIDs in reducing inflammation or slowing down progression of osteoarthritis of the knee joint,” the study author reports. “The use of NSAIDs for their anti-inflammatory function has been frequently propagated in patients with osteoarthritis in recent years and should be revisited, since a positive impact on joint inflammation could not be demonstrated.”
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Almonds can help you cut calories University of South Australia, November 20, 2022
Weight loss is never an easy nut to crack, but a handful of almonds could keep extra kilos at bay according to new research from the University of South Australia.
Examining how almonds can affect appetite, researchers found that a snack of 30-50 grams of almonds could help people cut back on the number of kilojoules they consume each day.
Published in the European Journal of Nutrition, the study found that people who consumed almonds – as opposed to an energy-equivalent carbohydrate snack – lowered their energy intake by 300 kilojoules (most of which came from junk food) at the subsequent meal.
“Our research examined the hormones that regulate appetite, and how nuts – specifically almonds – might contribute to appetite control. We found that people who ate almonds experienced changes in their appetite-regulating hormones, and that these may have contributed to reduced food intake (by 300kJ).”
The study found that people who ate almonds had 47 per cent lower C-peptide responses (which can improve insulin sensitivity and reduce the risk of developing diabetes and cardiovascular disease); and higher levels of glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (18 per cent higher), glucagon (39 per cent higher), and pancreatic polypeptide responses (44 per cent higher). Glucagon sends satiety signals to the brain, while pancreatic polypeptide slows digestion which may reduce food intake, both encouraging weight loss.
“Almonds are high in protein, fibre, and unsaturated fatty acids, which may contribute to their satiating properties and help explain why fewer kilojoules were consumed.”
The findings of this study show that eating almonds produce small changes to people’s energy intake, Dr Carter says this may have clinical effects in the long term.
Probiotics help maintain a healthy microbiome when taken with antibiotics Texas Christian University, November 18 2022.
A systematic review published in the Journal of Medical Microbiology helps answer the question concerning whether probiotics should be taken along with antibiotics to support gut health.
Although probiotics decrease the adverse gastrointestinal effects caused by antibiotics, their ability to preserve intestinal microbial composition that is negatively impacted by antibiotic therapy is not well understood.
“Like in a human community, we need people that have different professions because we don’t all know how to do every single job,” she explained. “And so, the same happens with bacteria. We need lots of different gut bacteria that know how to do different things.”
While it is well known that antibiotics destroy some beneficial intestinal microorganisms, some healthcare professionals have expressed a concern that administering probiotics to antibiotic-treated patients could further alter the established gut microbe balance.
The review included 29 studies published during a 7-year period. The authors concluded that consuming probiotics with antibiotics can prevent or reduce some changes caused by antibiotics to the microbiome. “When participants take antibiotics, we see several consistent changes in some bacterial species,” Dr Marroquin observed. “But when treatment was combined with probiotics, the majority of those changes were less pronounced and some changes were completely prevented.”
New study shows repeated stress accelerates aging of the eye University of California, Irvine, November 21, 2022
New research from the University of California, Irvine, suggests aging is an important component of retinal ganglion cell death in glaucoma, and that novel pathways can be targeted when designing new treatments for glaucoma patients.
The study was published today in Aging Cell. Along with her colleagues, Dorota Skowronska‐Krawczyk, Ph.D., at the UCI School of Medicine, describes the transcriptional and epigenetic changes happening in aging retina.
The team shows how stress, such as intraocular pressure (IOP) elevation in the eye, causes retinal tissue to undergo epigenetic and transcriptional changes similar to natural aging. And, how in young retinal tissue, repetitive stress induces features of accelerated aging including the accelerated epigenetic age.
Aging is a universal process that affects all cells in an organism. In the eye, it is a major risk factor for a group of neuropathies called glaucoma. Because of the increase in aging populations worldwide, current estimates show that the number of people with glaucoma (aged 40-80) will increase to over 110 million in 2040.
In humans, IOP has a circadian rhythm. In healthy individuals, it oscillates typically in the 12-21 mmHg range and tends to be highest in approximately two thirds of individuals during the nocturnal period. Due to IOP fluctuations, a single IOP measurement is often insufficient to characterize the real pathology and risk of disease progression in glaucoma patients.
Long-term IOP fluctuation has been reported to be a strong predictor for glaucoma progression. This new study suggests that the cumulative impact of the fluctuations of IOP is directly responsible for the aging of the tissue.
Researchers now have a new tool to estimate the impact of stress and treatment on the aging status of retinal tissue, which has made these new discoveries possible. In collaboration with the Clock Foundation and Steve Horvath, Ph.D., from Altos Labs, who pioneered the development of epigenetic clocks that can measure age based on methylation changes in the DNA of tissues, it was possible for researchers to show that repetitive, mild IOP elevation can accelerate epigenetic age of the tissues.
What do people experience at the border between life and death? University of London & New York University, November 20, 2022
- A new study on near-death experiences featured 567 men and women whose hearts stopped while hospitalized in the United States and the United Kingdom.
- Out of 28 survivors of cardiac arrest interviewed as part of the study, 11 recalled memories suggesting consciousness while undergoing CPR.
- Additional cardiac arrest survivors provided self-reports about what they experienced while their hearts stopped.
- Reports included perceiving separating from their bodies and meaningful examinations of their lives.
- Researchers discovered spikes of brain activity up to an hour into CPR.
Dr. Parnia, who served as lead investigator of the study, explained that he and the other researchers undertook this research in an attempt to scientifically explore something that health professionals have discussed anecdotally for decades: The similar stories people revived by cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) often tell about the time when their hearts stopped.
“For decades now, millions of people who’ve gone through this have reported having lucid heightened consciousness, even though from the perspective of their doctors they were not conscious and they were in death,” Dr. Parnia told MNT.
The study centered around 567 men and women who received CPR after their hearts stopped beating while at one of 25 participating hospitals in the United States and the United Kingdom.
When health practitioners began CPR on a patient whose heart stopped, researchers rushed to the scene, bringing along a portable electroencephalogram, or EEG, to monitor electrical activity in different parts of the brain, and near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) to measure oxygen saturation of superficial brain cortex regions. Taking care not to get in the way of health practitioners performing CPR, researchers also clamped a tablet computer above the patient’s head. The tablet was connected to Bluetooth headphones which were placed on the patient’s ears.
Of 567 subjects, 213 or about 38% experienced sustained return of spontaneous circulation, meaning their pulse was restored for 20 minutes or longer. Only 53, or fewer than 10% of the participants, lived to be discharged from the hospital.
Of those 53, 25 were unable to be interviewed by researchers due to poor health. The remaining 28 participants were interviewed 2 to 4 weeks after cardiac arrest depending on their recovery.
Of the 28 participants interviewed, 11 — or 39% — reported having memories during cardiac arrest. Two of the 28 participants could hear the medical staff working while receiving CPR. One participant recalled seeing the medical staff working and could feel someone rubbing his chest.
Using the near-death scale, six participants had transcendent experiences. Three participants reported dream-like experiences, which included a singing fisherman.
Six of the 28 participants interviewed remembered the experience of dying. These recollections included one person who heard a deceased grandmother telling her to return to her body.
“We characterize the testimonies that people had and were able to identify that there is a unique recalled experience of death that is different to other experiences that people may have in the hospital or elsewhere,” Dr. Parnia said, “and that these are not hallucinations, they are not illusions, they are not delusions, they are real experiences that emerge when you die.”
Fifty-three participants had interpretable EEG data. Researchers discovered spikes of brain activity, including so-called gamma, delta, theta, alpha, and beta waves emerging up to 60 minutes into CPR.
Some of these brain waves normally occur when people are conscious and performing functions like memory retrieval and thinking. According to the researchers, this is the first time such biomarkers of consciousness have been identified during CPR for cardiac arrest.
“We found the brain electrical markers of heightened […] lucid consciousness, the same markers as you get in people who are having memory retrievals who are having […] high order cognitive processes, except that this was occurring when the brain had shut down.
Research suggests agmatine can boost brain health and uplift your mood naturally Yonsei University College of Medicine (S Korea), October 28, 2022.
Athletes and bodybuilders are always eager to learn more about new products that can help enhance their workouts by promoting strength and stamina. Agmatine, a natural compound, is often used by health enthusiasts as a pre-workout supplement.
According to research, agmatine can also potentially be used to boost brain health and improve mood.
In one scientific review, researchers suggest that the compound can help prevent neurodegenerative diseases and assist in the recovery of brain injury patients.
Agmatine or 4-aminobutyl-guanidine is produced in your body from arginine, an amino acid found in foods like chickpeas, lentils, pork and poultry. When used as a pre-workout supplement, experts recommend not taking it with protein since dietary protein can slow the absorption of agmatine. This then diminishes its benefits.
Agmatine is often listed on supplement labels as agmatine sulfate. Dosages range between 250 mg to 1,000 mg per scoop, with intake recommendations between one to two grams per day.
Agmatine has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects and can scavenge harmful free radicals that cause oxidative damage to your organs and tissues. Some people believe agmatine can help enhance workouts by increasing levels of beneficial nitric oxide. This then dilates blood vessels and promotes healthy circulation.
Data also suggests that agmatine may help activate the release of pain-killing, mood-lifting endorphins, which can boost motivation and mood. This suggests taking agmatine can help make you feel more inclined to exercise.
The compound may also help block aged glycation end products. Your body produces these potentially carcinogenic compounds after you eat charcoal-broiled or well-done meats.
Agmatine may also help down-regulate matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs), which are tissue-degrading enzymes that can facilitate the spread of malignant tumors.
Studies show that agmatine works against the glutamate receptors that affect pain perception.
Data from preliminary studies have supported agmatine’s ability to reduce pain and strengthen the pain-killing effects of prescription opioids. Experts hope that agmatine can be used to help reduce the amount of medications needed and decrease the possibility of addiction to opioids.
Supplementation with agmatine may help activate serotonin, the “feel good” chemical in your body while also decreasing levels of cortisol, the “stress” hormone that builds up when you are under duress. In a review published in the European Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology, scientists suggest that agmatine has antidepressant effects.
According to a 2018 study published in the journal Human and Experimental Toxicology, agmatine can help protect brain cells from oxidative stress and inflammation caused by laboratory-induced Parkinson’s.
Prenatal phthalate exposure can significantly impact infant behavior and cognition, says study University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, November 16, 2022
Prenatal exposure to phthalates, a set of chemicals commonly found in plastics and personal care products, has been shown to significantly impact aspects of behavior and cognition in infants, according to a team of researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.
“Phthalates are widespread, and several well-known studies have reported that 100% of pregnant individuals had detectable levels of phthalates in their bodies,” said developmental neurotoxicologist Jenna Sprowles, a former postdoctoral research associate at the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology.
Children’s toys, cosmetics, and constructional materials are all potential sources of phthalate exposure, as are other materials made from polyvinyl chloride.
When individuals who are pregnant are exposed to phthalates, the chemical compound crosses the placental barrier to interact directly with the fetus. Phthalates can also be transferred to a newborn through breast milk.
Their study, reported in the journal Neurotoxicology and Teratology, investigated the neurobehavioral impacts of prenatal phthalate exposure in infants aged 4.5 and 7.5 months. Since many existing studies focus on individuals in early and middle childhood, providing attention to this age group is especially important.
“Phthalates are endocrine-disrupting chemicals, meaning they interact with and alter how hormones typically act in the body. Hormones play crucial roles in brain development, so when the activities of hormones are altered by chemicals like phthalates, adverse functional effects are possible,” Sprowles said. “While we do know that different phthalates can affect different hormone systems, we don’t yet know exactly how particular phthalates exert their specific effects.”
The researchers found that the impact of prenatal phthalate exposure was specific to each phthalate’s particular properties. For example, higher prenatal concentrations of a phthalate called MEP, which is commonly found in personal care products, were associated with lower ASQ scores (indicating below-average development) in certain domains.
Their results align with existing studies, some of which have been carried out in animal models, which indicate that both prenatal and neonatal exposure to phthalates alters neural structure and function, resulting in impaired cognition and altered behavior.
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Potatoes can be part of a healthy diet Louisiana State University, November 18, 2022
When we think of healthy vegetables, we don’t think of potatoes, but we should. Potatoes have developed a reputation for causing weight gain and an increased risk for type 2 diabetes, and often find themselves on a list of foods to avoid, especially for individuals with insulin resistance. However, a new study from Pennington Biomedical Research Center at Louisiana State University, published in the Journal of Medicinal Food, says that potatoes actually did not increase that risk, are filled with key nutrients, and packed with health benefits. Candida Rebello, PhD, an assistant professor at Pennington Biomedical, said, “We demonstrated that contrary to common belief, potatoes do not negatively impact blood glucose levels. In fact, the individuals who participated in our study lost weight.” “People tend to eat the same weight of food regardless of calorie content in order to feel full,” Rebello explained. “By eating foods with a heavier weight that are low in calories, you can easily reduce the number of calories you consume. The key aspect of our study is that we did not reduce the portion size of meals but lowered their caloric content by including potatoes. Each participant’s meal was tailored to their personalized caloric needs, yet by replacing some meat content with potato, participants found themselves fuller, quicker, and often did not even finish their meal. In effect, you can lose weight with little effort.” The study involved 36 participants between the ages of 18 and 60 who were overweight, had obesity, or insulin resistance. Insulin resistance refers to a health condition in which the body’s cells do not respond well to insulin and glucose does not enter into the cells to make energy. Insulin resistance is linked to obesity, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and type 2 diabetes Participants were fed precisely-controlled diets of widely available common foods including either beans, peas, and meat or fish, or white potatoes with meat or fish. Both diets were high in fruit and vegetable content and substituted an estimated 40% of typical meat consumption with either beans and peas or potatoes. Previous studies have shown that eating beans and peas improves blood glucose levels in individuals with newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes. To increase the dietary fiber component of the potatoes, they were boiled with the skin intact and then refrigerated between 12 and 24 hours. Potatoes were incorporated into the main lunch and dinner entrées, and served together with sides such as mashed potatoes, oven-roasted potato wedges, potato salad, and scalloped potatoes with lunch and dinner entrees. “We prepared the potatoes in a way that would maximize their fiber content. When we compared a diet with potatoes to a diet with beans and peas, we found them to be equal in terms of health benefits,” Rebello said. “People typically do not stick with a diet they don’t like or isn’t varied enough. The meal plans provided a variety of dishes, and we showed that a healthy eating plan can have varied options for individuals striving to eat healthy. In addition, potatoes are a fairly inexpensive vegetable to incorporate into a diet.”
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Celery Seed Extract Lowers High Blood Pressure in Human Study
University of Chicago Medical Center, November 8, 2022
Drugs to lower blood pressure are among the most commonly prescribed medicines in the U.S. More than 678 million blood pressure prescriptions were filled in 2010. All of the current classes of blood pressure lowering drugs possess significant side effects.A recent study with a special extract of celery seed extract indicates that it may produce clinical results without producing the side effects that plague current drug treatment. Celery seed extract contains an important compound known as 3-n-butylphthalide, or 3nB for short, that is also responsible for the characteristic flavor and odor of celery. 3nB was discovered as the active component of celery in response to investigations by researchers seeking to explain some of the medicinal effects of celery, including the lowering of blood pressure and the relief of arthritis. 3nB first drew significant scientific attention when researchers identified it as the factor in celery responsible for the blood pressure lowering effect of celery. The research was prompted by one of the researcher’s father, who after eating a quarter-pound of celery every day for one week observed his blood pressure dropped from 158 over 96 to a normal reading of 118 over 82. A recent human study evaluated the efficacy of a standardized extract of celery seed supplying 85 percent 3nB in 30 patients with mild to moderate hypertension. The dosage was 150 mg per day. The results showed a statistically significant decrease in both systolic (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) compared to baseline measurements. The change at week six for the SBP was 8.2 mmHg and for the DBP was 8.5 mmHG. No side effects were reported. These results indicate that celery seed extract may produce the greatest blood pressure-lowering effects in natural products available on health food store shelves. A major advantage of celery extract over conventional drugs used in high blood pressure is that drugs like beta-blockers, angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors, and calcium channel blockers tend to significantly lower the blood flow to the brain While this effect is helpful in reducing the likelihood of stroke, it often leaves patients taking these drugs feeling tired, depressed, dizzy, and forgetful. Celery extract on the other hand has actually been shown to not only help prevent stroke in animal studies, but also improve blood flow as well and act to protect the brain and enhance energy production with the brain.
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Exercise during pregnancy gives newborn brain development a head start
University of Montreal, November 10, 2022
As little as 20 minutes of moderate exercise three times per week during pregnancy enhances the newborn child’s brain development, according to researchers at the University of Montreal and its affiliated CHU Sainte-Justine children’s hospital. This head-start could have an impact on the child’s entire life. “Our research indicates that exercise during pregnancy enhances the newborn child’s brain development,” explained Professor Dave Ellemberg, who led the study. “While animal studies have shown similar results, this is the first randomized controlled trial in humans to objectively measure the impact of exercise during pregnancy directly on the newborn’s brain.We hope these results will guide public health interventions and research on brain plasticity. Most of all, we are optimistic that this will encourage women to change their health habits, given that the simple act of exercising during pregnancy could make a difference for their child’s future.” Not so long ago, obstetricians would tell women to take it easy and rest during their pregnancy. Recently, the tides have turned and it is now commonly accepted that inactivity is actually a health concern. “While being sedentary increases the risks of suffering complications during pregnancy, being active can ease post-partum recovery, make pregnancy more comfortable and reduce the risk of obesity in the children,” Curier explained. “Given that exercise has been demonstrated to be beneficial for the adult’s brain, we hypothesized that it could also be beneficial for the unborn child through the mother’s actions.” To verify this, starting at the beginning of their second trimester, women were randomly assigned to an exercise group or a sedentary group. Women in the exercise group had to perform at least 20 minutes of cardiovascular exercise three times per week at a moderate intensity, which should lead to at least a slight shortness of breath. Women in the sedentary group did not exercise. The brain activity of the newborns was assessed between the ages of 8 to 12 days, by means of electroencephalography, which enables the recording of the electrical activity of the brain. “We used 124 soft electrodes placed on the infant’s head and waited for the child to fall asleep on his or her mother’s lap. We then measured auditory memory by means of the brain’s unconscious response to repeated and novel sounds,” Labonté-LeMoyne said. “Our results show that the babies born from the mothers who were physically active have a more mature cerebral activation, suggesting that their brains developed more rapidly.”
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Keeping indoor humidity levels at a ‘sweet spot’ may reduce the spread of COVID-19 Massachusetts Institute of Technology, November 14, 2022
We know proper indoor ventilation is key to reducing the spread of COVID-19. Now, a study by MIT researchers finds that indoor relative humidity may also influence transmission of the virus. Relative humidity is the amount of moisture in the air compared to the total moisture the air can hold at a given temperature before saturating and forming condensation. In a study appearing in the Journal of the Royal Society Interface, the MIT team reports that maintaining an indoor relative humidity between 40 and 60% is associated with relatively lower rates of COVID-19 infections and deaths, while indoor conditions outside this range are associated with worse COVID-19 outcomes. To put this into perspective, most people are comfortable between 30 and 50% relative humidity, and an airplane cabin is at around 20% relative humidity. The findings are based on the team’s analysis of COVID-19 data combined with meteorological measurements from 121 countries, from January 2020 through August 2020. Their study suggests a strong connection between regional outbreaks and indoor relative humidity. In general, the researchers found that whenever a region experienced a rise in COVID-19 cases and deaths prevaccination, the estimated indoor relative humidity in that region, on average, was either lower than 40% or higher than 60% regardless of season. Nearly all regions in the study experienced fewer COVID-19 cases and deaths during periods when estimated indoor relative humidity was within a “sweet spot” between 40 and 60%. “There’s potentially a protective effect of this intermediate indoor relative humidity,” suggests lead author Connor Verheyen, a Ph.D. student in medical engineering and medical physics in the Harvard-MIT Program in Health Sciences and Technology. “However, we find that maintaining an indoor relative humidity in that sweet spot—of 40 to 60%—is associated with reduced COVID-19 cases and deaths.”In all, they focused on 121 countries where COVID-19 outbreaks occurred. For each country, they also tracked the local COVID-19 related policies, such as isolation, quarantine, and testing measures, and their statistical association with COVID-19 outcomes. In warmer times, both outdoor and indoor relative humidity for each country was about the same, but they quickly diverged in colder times. While outdoor humidity remained around 50% throughout the year, indoor relative humidity for countries in the Northern and Southern Hemispheres dropped below 40% in their respective colder periods, when COVID-19 cases and deaths also spiked in these regions.
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Why Are Kids So Great at Learning? GABA
Brown University, November 16, 2022
GABA is the abbreviation for the neurotransmitter γ-aminobutyric acid. In the study, published in the journal Current Biology, researchers explain GABA’s crucial role in helping children process new information and prepare their brains to learn and store even more. “What we found is a rapid increase in GABA in children, associated with learning,” says lead study author Takeo Watanabe, a professor of cognitive and linguistic sciences at Brown University. The neurotransmitter GABA plays an important role in helping the brain consolidate new info, Watanabe says. It “stabilizes” the network so that subsequent learning doesn’t override what was already there and defends knowledge against retrograde interference. Yet this kind of GABA inhibitory processing is not fully matured in children, he says. Kids have lower levels of GABA—it’s why they have less inhibitory abilities and weaker impulse control than adults. So if GABA is necessary to set the brain up to learn consecutive items, and children have less GABA than adults, then how are children able to, as Watanabe puts it, “learn and learn and learn and learn?” Using an advanced imaging technique called functional MRS, they measured the concentration of GABA in early visual cortical areas before, during and after learning sessions. They then compared the concentrations between children (ages 8 to 11) and adults (ages 18 to 35). They found that before learning begins, the overall amount of GABA in children is indeed smaller than in adults, Watanabe says. However, the researchers found that children exhibited a rapid boost in GABA concentration in the second round of learning, while the concentration of GABA in adults did not change.The results of the experiments suggest that compared with adults, children exhibit more dynamic GABA-associated inhibitory processing, which more rapidly adapts to stabilize learning than in adults, the researchers conclude.
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Being comfortable with aging can benefit sex life University of Missouri, November 17, 2022
Researchers have long known that having a positive outlook can benefit a person’s health.Now, a new study by the University of Missouri has found older adults who feel positively about aging have a healthier sex life—a finding that didn’t surprise the researcher, who’s been studying the benefits of the positive perceptions of aging.”We know positive perceptions of aging can be really beneficial, but when they are negative, they can be really detrimental. Negative perceptions of aging are linked to higher likelihood of cognitive decline, higher likelihood of cardiovascular disease and even shorter lifespans. We wanted to see how it would affect people’s sexual relationships. As expected, thinking positively about the way you age can also lead to a healthy sex life.” “We found this relationship to be strong with both men and women,” Skoblow said. “With data from more than 1,100 couples, we were able to find that participants with a more positive perception of aging also had sex more frequently as well as increased satisfaction.” “It’s possible that if people expect a steep physical decline as an inevitable part of aging, they could have anticipatory inhibitions. They stop enjoying themselves in the moment and could have less satisfying sexual encounters,” Skoblow said. “We also know that western cultures often have many youthful beauty ideals, so maybe people with more positive perceptions of aging don’t buy into them as much, leading to a more satisfying sex life as their body begins to change.”
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Lycopene, lutein supplements show skin protection from within against UV radiation Leibniz Research Institute for Environmental Medicine (Germany), November 10, 2022
The study’s findings, published in the British Journal of Dermatology , indicated that oral supplementation with the carotenoids changed the expression of genes that are indicators of oxidative stress, photo-dermatoses and photo-aging. “To the best of our knowledge we show here for the 1st time that (i) tomato nutrient complex as well as lutein do not only protect healthy human skin against UVB/A, but also against long wave UVA1 radiation, and (ii) that oral photo-protection of healthy human skin can be demonstrated at the level of HO-1, ICAM-1 and MMP-1 gene expression,” wrote researchers from IUF – Leibniz Research Institute for Environmental Medicine in Dusseldorf. Heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1), intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) and matrix metalloproteinase-1 (MMP-1) are reported to be UVA1/UVB radiation-inducible genes. “On top of that, as part of the photo-aging process we have evidence of the effect of our ingredients on the levels of expression of genes involved in collagen degradation, suggesting a link not only to skin health but also to skin appearance. This study suggests an effect of natural antioxidants on overall skin wellness, which is relevant for men and women in all age groups.” The new study included 65 healthy volunteers aged between 18 and 60. The participants were randomly assigned to randomly consume 20 mg per day of the tomato nutrient complex or placebo for 12 weeks, or 20 mg per day of lutein or placebo for 12 weeks. A two-week washout period separated the placebo and active intervention periods. At the beginning and at the end of each phase the skin was irradiated.Results of the placebo-controlled, double blinded, randomized cross-over study indicated that the tomato nutrient complex (TNC) totally inhibited the upregulation of HO-1, ICAM-1 and MMP1 mRNA by both UVA1 and UVA/B. On the other hand, lutein only completely inhibited gene expression if taken during the first 12 weeks (ie. prior to placebo), while a significantly smaller effect was observed if it was taken during the second 12 week phase (ie. after placebo), compared to TNC.
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Diallyl trisulfide in garlic induces apoptosis in primary effusion lymphoma Kyoto Pharmaceutical University (Japan), November 7, 2022
Reports from Kyoto Pharmaceutical University stated, “The allyl sulfides, including diallyl sulfide (DAS), diallyl disulfide (DAD), and diallyl trisulfide (DAT), contained in garlic and members of the Allium family, have a variety of pharmacological activities. Therefore, allyl sulfides have been evaluated as potential novel chemotherapeutic agents.” Our news editors obtained a quote from the research, “Here, we found that DAT inhibited nuclear factor-kB (NF-kB) signaling and induced apoptosis in primary effusion lymphoma (PEL), a subtype of non-Hodgkin’s B-cell lymphoma caused by Kaposi’s sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV). We examined the cytotoxic effects of DAS, DAD and DAT on PEL cells. DAT significantly reduced the viability of PEL cells compared with uninfected B-lymphoma cells, and induced the apoptosis of PEL cells by activating caspase-9. DAT induced stabilization of IkBa, and suppressed NF-kB transcriptional activity in PEL cells. We examined the mechanism underlying DAT-mediated IkBa stabilization. The results indicated that DAT stabilized IkBa by inhibiting the phosphorylation of IkBa by the IkB kinase (IKK) complex. Furthermore, DAT induced proteasomal degradation of TRAF6, and DAT suppressed IKKb-phosphorylation through downregulation of TRAF6. It is known that activation of NF-kB is essential for survival of PEL cells. In fact, the NF-kB inhibitor BAY11-7082 induced apoptosis in PEL cells. In addition, DAT suppressed the production of progeny virus from PEL cells. The administration of DAT suppressed the development of PEL cells and ascites in SCID mice xenografted with PEL cells.” According to the news editors, the research concluded: “These findings provide evidence that DAT has antitumor activity against PEL cells in-vitro and in-vivo, suggesting it to be a novel therapeutic agent for the treatment of PEL.”
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PTSD May Speed Up Cellular Aging Boston University, November 13, 2022
From birth to death, a lot may change, but our DNA—the long, double-helix molecule that contains all of a person’s genetic code—stays the same. The instructions for reading that code can shift, however, as the chemical tags on and around a DNA sequence change throughout our lives, depending on our age, environment, and behavior. This outside influence on how our genes are read and expressed by cells is called epigenetics—and researchers studying it have discovered clues that may show why some veterans live longer than others. In a new study of military veterans published in Translational Psychiatry, researchers report findings that suggest former service personnel with PTSD are at greater risk of early death. “Our study found that PTSD and comorbid conditions, like substance misuse, are associated with a cellular marker of early death found in DNA methylation patterns,” says Erika Wolf, a professor of psychiatry at the Boston University School of Medicine and senior author of the study. The study included two samples of veterans that had representative levels of trauma and other psychiatric conditions, like substance use and personality disorders. One group included 434 veterans in their early 30s, who had served in post-9/11 conflicts; the other group included 647 middle-age veterans and their trauma-exposed spouses. Both groups were assessed for a range of psychological conditions, and had blood drawn to obtain genetic information and to test for levels of a variety of inflammatory molecules. The results indicate PTSD symptoms were a factor in faster cellular aging—.36 of a year faster. So, for every year that the cells of someone without PTSD age, the cells of someone with more severe PTSD symptoms age a year and a third.
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Higher sense of purpose in life may be linked to lower mortality risk Boston University, November 14, 2022
Growing research indicates that one’s purpose—i.e., the extent to which someone perceives a sense of direction and goals in their life—may be linked to health-protective benefits such as better physical functioning and lower risks of cardiovascular disease or cognitive decline. Now, a new study led by a Boston University School of Public Health (BUSPH) researcher found that people with higher levels of purpose may have a lower risk of death from any cause, and that this association is applicable across race/ethnicity and gender. Published in the journal Preventive Medicine, the study results did suggest that this association is slightly stronger among women than it is among men, but there was no significant difference by race/ethnicity. “In another study I led, we found that the effect of purpose on lowering all-cause mortality may differ by socioeconomic status. In this study, we extended the prior evidence and found that the beneficial effect of purpose persisted regardless of gender and race/ethnicity.” For the study, the team assessed self-reported sense of purpose among more than 13,000 people, based on the “purpose in life” of the Ryff Psychological Well-being Scales, a widely used tool that measures different aspects of well-being and happiness. The researchers also examined mortality risk over an eight-year period beginning between 2006-2008. The results showed that people with the highest sense of purpose indicated the lowest risk of death (15.2 percent mortality risk), compared to people with the lowest sense of purpose (36.5 percent mortality risk). The team also gathered data on additional factors that can influence health, such socioeconomic status, other demographic characteristics, baseline physical health, and depression, and found that an increase in these factors was also associated with increases in a higher sense of purpose.
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Hibiscus compound shows anti-Alzheimer disease activity Pohang University of Science and Technology,
November 16 2022.
A report published in Alzheimer’s Research & Therapy revealed that gossypetin, a flavonoid occurring in the calyx of the hibiscus flower, activates a process that reduces brain accumulation of amyloid beta, a protein that clumps to form toxic brain plaques in people with Alzheimer disease. Gossypetin has been reported to have antioxidant, antiatherosclerotic and anticancer effects. Earlier research had suggested a benefit for gossypetin, which is structurally similar to quercetin, against the aggregation of amyloid beta and tau proteins that occurs in Alzheimer disease. However, gossypetin’s action in animal models of the disease had not been evaluated. Researchers at Pohang University of Science and Technology administered gossypetin or a control substance to mice that were bred to develop a condition similar to that of Alzheimer disease in humans. After 13 weeks of daily treatment, mice that received the flavonoid had less amyloid beta in the brain’s hippocampus (an area involved in memory and learning) and cortex in comparison with the control mice. Gossypetin-treated animals also demonstrated better spatial learning and memory than untreated mice. Rather than affecting the production of amyloid beta, the research team found that gossypetin helped clear it by enhancing the scavenging ability of the brain’s immune cells, which are known as microglia. Microglia normally consume amyloid beta but can become exhausted by continual exposure, which leads to a chronic damaging inflammatory reaction.
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Over a billion young people are potentially at risk of hearing loss from headphones, earbuds, loud music venues Mayo Clinic, November 15, 2022
More than 1 billion teens and young people are potentially at risk of hearing loss because of their use of headphones and earbuds and attendance at loud music venues, concludes a pooled data analysis of the available evidence, published in the open access journal BMJ Global Health. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that over 430 million people worldwide currently have disabling hearing loss. Young people are particularly vulnerable because of their use of personal listening devices (PLDs), such as smartphones, headphones and earbuds, and attendance at loud music venues, amid poor regulatory enforcement. Previously published research suggests that PLD users often choose volumes as high as 105 dB while average sound levels at entertainment venues range from 104 to 112 dB, exceeding permissible levels (80 dB for adults; 75 dB for children) even if for very short periods of time. A group of 33 studies, corresponding to data from 35 records and 19,046 participants, was included; 17 records focused on PLD use and 18 focused on loud entertainment venues. The pooled data analysis indicates that the prevalence of unsafe listening practices from PLD use and attendance at loud entertainment venues is common worldwide—24% and 48%, respectively, among teens and young people. Based on these figures, the researchers estimate that the global number of teens and young adults who could potentially be at risk of hearing loss as a result ranges from 0.67 to 1.35 billion.
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Korean ginseng prevents oxidative stress caused by work Ohiol State University, November 07, 2022
People who are stressed may find relief from taking Korean ginseng. A study published in the Journal of Medicinal Food has revealed that the Korean ginseng called GINST15 can help reduce stress, mentally and physically. In the study, researchers from The Ohio State University in the U.S. found that Korean ginseng prevents damage caused by intense work stress due to its antioxidants. For the study, the researchers aimed to determine the effects of GINST15 supplement on hormonal and inflammatory responses to physical stress in humans. They recruited 10 women and nine men to participate in the study. The participants were tasked to complete three two-week treatment cycles with 960 milligrams (mg) of the Korean ginseng supplement, 160 mg of the Korean ginseng supplement, or a placebo, separated by a one-week washout period. After the treatment, the participants underwent an intense resistance exercise to induce physical stress. The participants also provided blood samples at rest and at various points after the exercise, particularly immediately, 30 minutes, 60 minutes, and 24 hours after exercise. Then, the researchers measured the levels of cortisol, superoxide dismutase, total glutathione, nonspecific antioxidant activity, total antioxidant power, and creatine kinase. The results showed that the supplementation of Korean ginseng reduced cortisol and increased enzymatic and nonspecific antioxidant activity. In addition, the high dose of the Korean ginseng supplement (960 mg) greatly reduced muscle damage and hypothalamic pituitary adrenal (HPA) responses to physical stress 24 hours after the intense exercise. Based on the findings of the study, the researchers concluded that taking Korean ginseng supplements can help ward off mental and physical stress by reducing cortisol levels and muscle damage.
When low-income families can meet their basic needs, children are healthier Boston Medical Center, November 8, 2022
A series of reports from five cities across the US found that young children and their parents are healthier when they are able to afford basic needs. New research published by Children’s HealthWatch, headquartered at Boston Medical Center, highlights the need for policymakers to improve access to and effectiveness of programs that enable all families with low incomes to afford basic needs such as food, shelter, utilities, medical care, prescription medicines and childcare. Researchers surveyed more than 18,000 families of children under age 4 in the emergency departments and primary care clinics at urban hospitals in Baltimore, Boston, Minneapolis, Philadelphia, and Little Rock. The study team created a composite measure of hardships that included a family’s ability to afford food, utilities, and health care, and maintain stable housing. All hardships described in the study have previously been associated with poor child and caregiver health. This study, however, examined the differences between children living in hardship-free families versus those in families with any or multiple hardships. In all cities, living in a hardship-free family was associated with good overall health for children and caregivers, positive developmental outcomes for young children, and positive mental healthamong mothers. Nearly half of families interviewed at Hennepin County Medical Center in Minneapolis reported that they were hardship-free. At Boston Medical Center, only about one quarter of the families surveyed reported zero hardships, which may be due to higher housing costs. The reports also examine the link between childcare constraints, when parents are unable to work or attend school because of an inability to afford childcare, and hardships. In each city, parents who reported being able to access affordable childcare were more likely to be hardship free. The research teams advocate for implementing policies to increase wages, along with ensuring access to programs that support low-income families being able to meet basic needs, such as food and housing security and medical care. Further, the authors suggested screening for hardships in health care settings and connecting patients and their families to resources that promote health.
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Vitamin D vs. Flu Shots Alliance for Natural Health & Queen Mary University, November 8, 2022
New research shows vitamin D helps prevent infection. Will the crony medical establishment listen? We at ANH-USA have been beating the drum about vitamin D and its well-documented anti-viral capabilities for years, and there is new evidence demonstrating vitamin D’s role in preventing respiratory infections. When faced with the choice of a cheap, safe, and effective natural immune defense against the flu, or an expensive, dangerous, and ineffective vaccine that makes drug companies billions of dollars—which will our crony health officials choose? The Queen Mary University of London study, which pooled data from 25 studies that included more than 10,000 participants, found that vitamin D supplementation reduced the risk of respiratory infections (cold and flu) by 10 percent overall—and there are reasons to think this figure greatly understates the degree of protection. The protective effect of the sunshine vitamin was even more dramatic in those who were deficient. For the deficient, which about 40% of Americans are, the risk of infection was reduced by half with vitamin D supplementation. This builds upon earlier findings from a 2010 Japanese study which found that vitamin D supplementation was as effective as the vaccine at preventing colds and flu. Predictably, the media tries to diminish these findings, stating that “not everyone is convinced that this study should lead us to the supplement aisle.” We’re then told that the Institute of Medicine (IOM) has determined that adults need only 600 IU of vitamin D—an amount that most Americans do not get from sun exposure or their diet alone. The IOM also said that a vitamin D blood level of 20 ng/mL was adequate This is nonsense. The Vitamin D Council, for example, recommends 5,000 IU of vitamin D per day to achieve at least 40 ng/mL; other integrative doctors we respect advise that the D serum level needs to be around 70 in order to avoid viral infection. Other calculations have shown that IOM recommendations are only about one-tenth of what is needed to cut the incidence of diseases related to vitamin D deficiency. What this means is that most Americans are not getting the vitamin D they need, in part because health authorities at the IOM and elsewhere in the government are mistaken when telling Americans how much to take. That we do not get enough vitamin D in our diet or through sun exposure to meet a paltry 600 IU means that the number of Americans who are deficient must be staggering. It is a crime that health authorities are not telling people to take vitamin D supplements. The good news is that this study shows that those who are deficient in vitamin D—likely most Americans, given how wrong the IOM is about how much vitamin D we really need—can reduce their risk of cold or flu by 50 percent. That is more effective than the flu vaccine usually is.
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The therapeutic power of Indian frankincense for multiple sclerosis patients Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences (Iran), November 07, 2022
Boswellia serrata, the plant from which Indian frankincense is derived, can improve cognitive performance in people with multiple sclerosis (MS). This finding, from a study published in the Journal of Herbal Medicine, promises a new and natural way of delaying the complications and effects of MS. Neurons, the special cells that make up the nerves and the different parts of the nervous system, have what is called the myelin sheath. This is a layer that coats and protects the nerve fiber or axon, a long, thin projection that carries electrical impulses from one end of the neuron to the other. The myelin sheath insulates the axon and enhances its function, allowing it to more efficiently deliver messages between the brain and the different parts of the body. In multiple sclerosis, the immune system attacks the cells that make up the myelin sheath. This causes the nerves to “short circuit” and creates problems in the way that messages are delivered from or to the brain. With time, multiple sclerosis can result in permanent nerve impairment and damage. Researchers say B. serrata can help remedy certain symptoms and effects of multiple sclerosis, in particular, the cognitive impairment that occurs in 40 to 65 percent of patients. This usually entails problems with complex attention, a slower information processing speed, and episodic lapses in memory and executive functions. MS-related cognitive impairment has been known to affect patients quality of life, personal relationships, and vocational potential.
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Social media use increases depression and loneliness University of Pennsylvania, November 8, 2022
The link between the two has been talked about for years, but a causal connection had never been proven. For the first time, University of Pennsylvania research based on experimental data connects Facebook, Snapchat, and Instagram use to decreased well-being. Psychologist Melissa G. Hunt published her findings in the December Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology. “We set out to do a much more comprehensive, rigorous study that was also more ecologically valid,” says Hunt, associate director of clinical training in Penn’s Psychology Department. To that end, the research team designed their experiment to include the three platforms most popular with a cohort of undergraduates, and then collected objective usage data automatically tracked by iPhones for active apps, not those running the background. Each of 143 participants completed a survey to determine mood and well-being at the study’s start, plus shared shots of their iPhone battery screens to offer a week’s worth of baseline social-media data. Participants were then randomly assigned to a control group, which had users maintain their typical social-media behavior, or an experimental group that limited time on Facebook, Snapchat, and Instagram to 10 minutes per platform per day.”Here’s the bottom line,” she says. “Using less social media than you normally would leads to significant decreases in both depression and loneliness. These effects are particularly pronounced for folks who were more depressed when they came into the study.” “It is a little ironic that reducing your use of social media actually makes you feel less lonely,” she says. But when she digs a little deeper, the findings make sense. “Some of the existing literature on social media suggests there’s an enormous amount of social comparison that happens. When you look at other people’s lives, particularly on Instagram, it’s easy to conclude that everyone else’s life is cooler or better than yours.”
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Acupuncture at these specific points alleviates pain in cancer patients Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, November 07, 2022
Cancer causes many adverse complications, including constant pain. A study published in the journal BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicinelooked into the viability of using acupuncture to soothe this pain and cause relief to cancer patients. Although cancers are named after the body part where the tumor – or tumors, in some cases – is located, its effects can be felt in other parts of the body. In the case of bone and testicular cancers, pain is one of the first signs. In others, such as pancreatic cancer, discomfort may be a sign that the disease has progressed or metastasized. The authors of the study wanted to know if acupuncture’s pain relieving properties extended to cancer patients. In a single-blind, randomized controlled pilot trial, they recruited 42 patients going through moderate to severe cancer pain. The participants were randomly assigned to one of three groups. Each group had 14 members. The first group had acupuncture at the acupoints si guan xue, while the second group combined si guan xue with commonly used acupoints. The third group served as the control and was treated only on the most frequently used acupoints.The researchers’ analysis showed that the second group experienced the most cancer pain reduction at around day five. This was compared to the control group. Scores in the PGIC, EORTC QLQ-C30, or KPS did not indicate much variance among the three groups. They concluded that acupuncture at the si guan xue, combined with commonly used acupoints, was the most effective at treating pain caused by cancer. However, a larger study needed to be performed owing to the small sample size employed by the present study.
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Taurine Supplementation Benefits Diabetes Patients Capital Medical University (China), October 6, 2022
People with diabetes who received taurine supplements experienced improvements in glucose and other factors, according to the results of a review and meta-analysis of clinical trials, published in Food Chemistry: Molecular Sciences.Researchers analyzed five controlled trials including 209 participants, that evaluated the effects of taurine on individuals with type I or type II diabetes. Taurine doses ranged from 500 mg daily to 1,000 mg three times per day.Participants who received taurine had lower fasting blood glucose, hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c, a marker of long-term glucose control), and insulin resistance, compared to those given a placebo.“Taurine emerges as a new option for the management of patients with diabetes,” the scientists asserted.
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Vitamin D Deficiency Linked to Breast Cancer Ankara Numune Research Oncology Clinic (Turkey), November 1, 2022
Most women with breast cancer were found to be deficient in vitamin D, according to the results of a study published in the journal Progress in Nutrition.Researchers analyzed the vitamin D status of 561 women, average age 55, with non-metastatic breast cancer.In this group, 81% of the women were deficient in vitamin D, and 11% had insufficient levels of the vitamin.Median 25-hydroxyvitamin D blood levels were only 13.91 ng/mL in this group of Turkish women.Optimal ranges by U.S. standards are 30-80 ng/mL. Life Extension’s minimal target for 25-hydroxyvitamin D is around 50 ng/mL.The researchers concluded that vitamin D levels should be measured in breast cancer patients and low levels should be corrected whenever diagnosed.
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Marijuana smokers show higher rates of emphysema, airway diseases than tobacco smokers University of Ottawa (Ontario), November 15, 2022
Researchers from the University of Ottawa and The Ottawa Hospital have found marijuana smokers have a higher rate of emphysema and airway diseases compared to cigarette smokers.The findings, published in Radiology, examined the chest CT examinations of 56 marijuana smokers, 57 non-smokers and 33 tobacco-only smokers between 2005 and 2020. They determined higher rates of paraseptal emphysema and airway inflammatory changes, such as bronchiectasis, bronchial wall thickening, and mucoid impaction, in the marijuana smokers.”What’s unique about this study is that there hasn’t been anything comparing the imaging findings in tobacco smokers to marijuana smokers before. In fact, there is a lack of imaging research in marijuana, probably because it’s still illegal in many parts of the world, and in many U.S. states, which is why I think we were the first to do a project like this.” Despite the small sample size, Revah’s findings suggest that marijuana smokers saw additional effects on the lungs above tobacco alone, including more instances of large and small airways diseases.
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Morning physical activity is associated with the lowest risk of heart disease and stroke Leiden University Medical Centre (Netherlands), November 14, 2022
Morning physical activity is associated with the lowest risk of heart disease and stroke, according to a study in more than 85,000 individuals published today in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology. The findings were consistent regardless of the total amount of daily activity.The study included 86,657 adults aged 42 to 78 years who were free of cardiovascular disease at baseline. The average age was 62 years and 58% were women. Participants wore an activity tracker on their wrist for seven consecutive days. During six to eight years of follow up, 2,911 participants developed coronary artery disease and 796 had a stroke. Comparing peak activity times across a 24 hour period, being most active between 8 am and 11 am was linked with the lowest risks of both heart disease and stroke. In a second analysis, the investigators divided participants into four groups based on the peak time of physical activity: 1) midday; 2) early morning (~8 am); 3) late morning (~10 am); and 4) evening (~7 pm). The categories were selected according to peak times of activity in the study population, rather than being pre-determined before the study began.Participants who were most active in the early morning or late morning had 11% and 16% lower risks of incident coronary artery disease, respectively, compared to the reference group. In addition, those who were most active in the late morning had a 17% decreased risk of incident stroke compared with the reference group.When the results were analyzed separately according to sex, the investigators found that the results were particularly prominent in women but no longer significant in men. Women who were most active in the early morning or late morning had 22% and 24% lower risks of incident coronary artery disease, respectively, compared to the reference group. In addition, women who were most active in the late morning had a 35% decreased risk of incident stroke compared with the reference group.
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New study shows astaxanthin is effective against daily mental and physical fatigue
AstaReal Research (Japan), November 7, 2022
Japanese nutraceutical firm AstaReal says its astaxanthin has been found to be simultaneously effective against both mental and physical fatigue in a new published study. The research, published in the Journal of Clinical Therapeutics & Medicines, states that individuals were treated with astaxanthin for eight weeks in a double-blind, placebo-controlled study. The study was designed to induce fatigue and stress, similar to that encountered in daily life. There was a mental challenge, where individuals were subjected to a number of timed calculations (the Uchida-Kraepelin test), and a physical test with a bicycle ergometer. Metrics of fatigue were assessed both before and after the stressor tests. The study states: “Thirty-nine healthy subjects reporting awareness of fatigue were divided onto two groups. The subjects in one group (Astaxanthin group) ingested 12mg of astaxanthin and 20mg of tocotrienols for eight weeks. The other group (control group) ingested 20mg of tocotrienols for eight weeks.” Analysis showed that astaxanthin significantly reduced perceived symptoms of mental and physical fatigue compared to the placebo. These included improvements in clarity of thinking, concentration, motivation, and mood. Irritation and feeling of body heaviness were reduced. In the calculation test, an increase in errors observed in the placebo during the second half of the test was almost eliminated in the astaxanthin group. Supplementation with astaxanthin also significantly reduced salivary cortisol, a biomarker for stress. The study concludes: “The results suggest that astaxanthin supplementation has beneficial effects on fatigue encountered in daily life.”
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High-fat diet can provoke pain sensitivity without obesity or diabetes University of Texas at Dallas, November 14, 2022
A new study in mice from researchers at The University of Texas at Dallas suggests that a short-term exposure to a high-fat diet may be linked to pain sensations even in the absence of a prior injury or a pre-existing condition like obesity or diabetes. The study, published in the journal Scientific Reports, compared the effects of eight weeks of different diets on two cohorts of mice. One group received normal chow, while the other was fed a high-fat diet in a way that did not precipitate the development of obesity or high blood sugar, both of which are conditions that can result in diabetic neuropathy and other types of pain. The researchers found that the high-fat diet induced hyperalgesic priming—a neurological change that represents the transition from acute to chronic pain—and allodynia, which is pain resulting from stimuli that do not normally provoke pain.
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Grape Powder Could Extend Lifespan by 4-5 Years Long Island University, November 3, 2022
In a study the authors called “remarkable,” researchers found that giving grape powder to mice reduced the risk of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and extended lifespan.
To see if grape powder could modulate the harmful effects of a high-fat diet, researchers fed mice a typical Western (high-fat) diet. Half then received 5% standardized grape powder while the other half didn’t.
Compared to mice not fed the grape powder, the mice given grape powder saw beneficial increases in antioxidant genes, reductions in fatty liver, and extended lifespans.
The lead author estimated that when translated to humans, the extended lifespan would correspond to an additional 4-5 years in the life of a human.
The grape powder used in this study was composed of fresh red, green and black grapes that were freeze-dried to retain their bioactive compounds.
The researchers concluded: “These results suggest the potential of dietary grapes to modulate hepatic gene expression, prevent oxidative damage, induce fatty acid metabolism, ameliorate NAFLD (non-alcoholic fatty liver disease), and increase longevity when co-administered with a high-fat diet.”
Study: Neuroprotective Effect of Virgin Coconut Oil Helps Relieve ALS Katholieke University (Belgium), November 6, 2022 An animal study looked into the potential of coconut oil for preventing or reducing ALS symptoms. Coconut oil has already demonstrated safe efficacy for treating Alzheimer’s disease symptoms, which is also a neurodegenerative disease for which mainstream medicine has no answer. 1H-magnetic resonance spectroscopy is ideal for ALS treatment diagnostics and research. It is used for many animal and human studies to isolate minute molecular changes in brain and nervous system studies without having to procure tissue and blood samples. Thus, it is non-invasive.[The study results] revealed that the coconut oil supplementation together with the regular diet delayed disease symptoms, enhanced motor performance, and prolonged survival in the SOD1G93A mouse model. Furthermore, MRS data showed stable metabolic profile at day 120 in the coconut oil diet group compared to the group receiving a standard diet without coconut oil supplementation. In addition, a positive correlation between survival and the neuronal marker NAA was found. … this is the first study that reports metabolic changes in the brainstem using in vivo MRS and effects of coconut oil supplementation as a prophylactic treatment in SOD1G93A mice.One of the major metabolites NAA (N-acetylaspartate), has been observed as an integral part of neuron loss, which is a major factor of onset ALS when it is diminished from the central nervous system. NAA reduction was greater in the non-coconut oil fed group of rats, indicating those on coconut oil were experiencing less neurodegeneration and neuronal destruction. Aerobic activity can reduce the risk of metastatic cancer by 72% Tel Aviv University (Israel), November 14, 2022
A new study at Tel Aviv University found that aerobic exercise can reduce the risk of metastatic cancer by 72%. According to the researchers, intensity aerobic exercise increases the glucose (sugar) consumption of internal organs, thereby reducing the availability of energy to the tumor.
The study was led by two researchers from TAU’s Sackler Faculty of Medicine.
Prof. Levy and Dr. Gepner said, “Studies have demonstrated that physical exercise reduces the risk for some types of cancer by up to 35%. This positive effect is similar to the impact of exercise on other conditions, such as heart disease and diabetes. In this study we added new insight, showing that high-intensity aerobic exercise, which derives its energy from sugar, can reduce the risk of metastatic cancer by as much as 72%. If so far the general message to the public has been ‘be active, be healthy,’ now we can explain how aerobic activity can maximize the prevention of the most aggressive and metastatic types of cancer.”
The study combined an animal model in which mice were trained under a strict exercise regimen, with data from healthy human volunteers examined before and after running. The human data, obtained from an epidemiological study that monitored 3,000 individuals for about 20 years, indicated 72% less metastatic cancer in participants who reported regular aerobic activity at high intensity, compared to those who did not engage in physical exercise.
They found that aerobic activity significantly reduced the development of metastatic tumors in the lymph nodes, lungs, and liver. The researchers hypothesized that in both humans and model animals, this favorable outcome is related to the enhanced rate of glucose consumption induced by exercise.
Prof. Levy stated, “Our study is the first to investigate the impact of exercise on the internal organs in which metastases usually develop, like the lungs, liver, and lymph nodes.
“Consequently, if cancer develops, the fierce competition over glucose reduces the availability of energy that is critical to metastasis. Moreover, when a person exercises regularly, this condition becomes permanent: the tissues of internal organs change and become similar to muscle tissue. We all know that sports and physical exercise are good for our health. Our study, examining the internal organs, discovered that exercise changes the whole body, so that the cancer cannot spread, and the primary tumor also shrinks in size.”
Dr. Gepner adds, “Our results indicate that unlike fat-burning exercise, which is relatively moderate, it is a high-intensity aerobic activity that helps in cancer prevention. If the optimal intensity range for burning fat is 65–70% of the maximum pulse rate, sugar burning requires 80–85%—even if only for brief intervals. For example: a one-minute sprint followed by walking, then another sprint.
Vegan diet best for weight loss even with carbohydrate consumption, study finds
University of South Carolina, November 6, 2022
The month of November often brings about a sense of dread at the thought of food filled holiday parties and gatherings, but those who consume a plant based diet have little need for concern. A newstudy by the University of South Carolina confirms one big draw of saying no to all animal products: the ability to shed weight faster than those who consume a diet that contains meat and dairy.
The study compared the amount of weight lost by those on vegan diets to those on a mostly plant-based diet, and those eating an omnivorous diet with a mix of animal products and plant based foods. At the end of six months, individuals on the vegan diet lost more weight than the other two groups by an average of 4.3%, or 16.5 pounds.
The study followed participants who were randomly assigned to one of five diets on the dietary spectrum: vegan which excludes all animal products, semi-vegetarian with occasional meat intake; pesco-vegetarian which excludes all meat except seafood; vegetarian which excludes all meat and seafood but includes animal products, and omnivorous, which excludes no foods.
Participants followed their assigned dietary restrictions for six months, with all groups except the omnivorous participating in weekly group meetings. Those who stuck to the vegan diet showed the greatest weight loss at the two and six month marks.
The lead authornotes that the diet consumed by vegan participants was high in carbohydrates that rate low on the glycemic index. “We’ve gotten somewhat carb-phobic here in the U.S. when it comes to weight loss. This study might help alleviate the fears of people who enjoy pasta, rice, and other grains but want to lose weight,” she said.
Weight loss was not the only positive outcome for participants in the strictly vegan group. They also showed the greatest amount of decrease in their fat and saturated fat levels at the two and six month checks, had lower BMIs, and improved macro nutrients more than other diets. Eschewing all animal products appears to be key for these positive results.
Uterine fibroid growth activated by chemicals found in everyday products Northwestern University, November 14, 2022
For the first time, scientists at Northwestern Medicine have demonstrated a causal link between environmental phthalates (toxic chemicals found in everyday consumer products) and the increased growth of uterine fibroids, the most common tumors among women.
Manufacturers use environmental phthalates in numerous industrial and consumer products, and they’ve also been detected in medical supplies and food. Although they are known to be toxic, they are currently unbanned in the U.S.
“These toxic pollutants are everywhere, including food packaging, hair and makeup products, and more, and their usage is not banned,” said corresponding study author Dr. Serdar Bulun, chair of the department of obstetrics and gynecology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and a Northwestern Medicine physician. “These are more than simply environmental pollutants. They can cause specific harm to human tissues.”
Up to 80% of all women may develop a fibroid tumor during their lifetime, Bulun said. One-quarter of these women become symptomatic with excessive and uncontrolled uterine bleeding, anemia, miscarriages, infertility and large abdominal tumors necessitating technically difficult surgeries.
The new study found women with a high exposure to certain phthalates such as DEHP (used as a plasticizer to increase the durability of products such as shower curtains, car upholstery, lunchboxes, shoes and more) and its metabolites have a high risk for having a symptomatic fibroid.
The scientists discovered exposure to DEHP may activate a hormonal pathway that activates an environmentally responsive receptor (AHR) to bind to DNA and cause increased growth of fibroid tumors.
Immune cells mistake heart attacks for viral infections University of California San Diego and Harvard University, November 12, 2022
A study led by Kevin King, a bioengineer and physician at the University of California San Diego, has found that the immune system plays a surprising role in the aftermath of heart attacks. The research could lead to new therapeutic strategies for heart disease.
The team, which also includes researchers from the Center for Systems Biology at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, and the University of Massachusetts, presents the findings in Nature Medicine. Ischemic heart disease is the most common cause of death in the world and it begins with a heart attack. During this process, heart cells die, prompting immune cells to enter the dead tissue, clear debris and orchestrate stabilization of the heart wall.
But what is it about dying cells in the heart that stimulates the immune system? To answer this, researchers looked deep inside thousands of individual cardiac immune cells and mapped their individual transcriptomes using a method called single cell RNA-Seq. This led to the discovery that after a heart attack, DNA from dying cells masquerades as a virus and activates an ancient antiviral program called the type I interferon response in specialized immune cells. The researchers named these “interferon inducible cells (IFNICs).”
When investigators blocked the interferon response, either genetically or with a neutralizing antibody given after the heart attack, there was less inflammation, less heart dysfunction, and improved survival. Specifically, blocking antiviral responses in mice improved survival from 60 percent to over 95 percent. These findings reveal a new potential therapeutic opportunity to prevent heart attacks from progressing to heart failure in patients.
“We are interested to learn whether interferons contribute to adverse cardiovascular outcomes after heart attacks in humans,” said King, who did most of the work on the study while he was a cardiology fellow at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and at the Center for Systems Biology at MGH in Boston.
Investigators found that surprisingly, the antiviral interferon response is also turned on after a heart attack despite the absence of any infection. Their results point to dying cell DNA as the cause of this confusion because the immune system interprets it as the molecular signature of a virus.
Surprisingly, the immune cells participating in the interferon response were a previously unrecognized subset of cardiac macrophages. These cells could not be identified by conventional flow sorting because unique markers on the cell surface were not known. By using single cell RNA Seq, an emerging technique that combines microfluidic nanoliter droplet reactors with single cell barcoding and next generation sequencing, the researchers were able to examine expression of every gene in over 4,000 cardiac immune cells and found the specialized IFNIC population of responsible cells.
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Asthma Can Be Reduced By Increasing Vitamin D Levels And Consuming Ginger
Tel Aviv University (Israel) & Columbia University, November 13, 2022 According to research published in the journal Allergy, Dr Ronit Confino-Cohen and colleagues at Tel Aviv University analysed data from more than four million Israeli’s that are members of the nation’s largest healthcare provider — finding that of the 21,000 with asthma, those with a vitamin D deficiency were 25% more likely than other asthmatics to have had at least one flare-up in the recent past. The effect of the vitamin is strongest in people with asthma and other lung diseases who are predisposed to respiratory infections. People with the worst vitamin D deficiency were 36 percent more likely to suffer respiratory infections than those with sufficient levels, according to research in Archives of Internal Medicine.
“Vitamin D has significant immunomodulatory effects and, as such, was believed to have an effect on asthma — an immunologically mediated disease,” said Confino-Cohen. “But most of the existing data regarding vitamin D and asthma came from the pediatric population and was inconsistent. Our present study is unique because the study population of young adults is very large and ‘uncontaminated’ by other diseases.”
Professor Catherine Hawrylowicz from King’s College London explained that findings already suggest that supplementation with vitamin D may one day be used not only to treat people who don’t respond to medications but also to reduce the doses of dangerous steroids in other asthma patients – thus reducing the risk of harmful side effects.
Of the 21,000 asthmatics studied, the team reported that those with vitamin D deficiency were at a higher risk of an asthma attack.
Meanwhile, a team of US-based researchers have suggested that ginger compounds could also be effective in reducing the symptoms of asthma.
The study, led by Elizabeth Townsend from Columbia University, investigated whether purified extracts of ginger that contained specific components of the spicy root could help enhance the relaxing effects of bronchodilators in asthmatic people.
The research team explained that they studied the effects of three separate components of ginger: 6-gingerol, 8-gingerol or 6-shogaol when exposed to airway smooth muscle (ASM) tissue samples that were caused to contract by exposing them to acetylcholine.
“We demonstrated that purified components of ginger can work synergistically with Beta-agonists to relax ASM,” said Townsend – adding that tissues treated with the combination of purified ginger components and isoproterenol showed significantly greater relaxation than those treated only with isoprotereno.
Indeed, one of the three ginger components, 6-shogaol appeared most effective in increasing the relaxing effects of the Beta-agonist.
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Natural matcha green tea extract found to effectively kill breast cancer cells University of Salford (UK), November 05, 2022
A recent study carried out by the University of Salford has found that one kind of green tea in particular, matcha, can kill breast cancer cells effectively.
The scientists at the university’s Biomedical Research Center used a process known as metabolism phenotyping on breast cancer stem cell lines. They discovered that matcha “shifted cancer cells towards a quiescent metabolic state” while stopping them from spreading. Best of all, this was achieved using a rather low concentration of just 0.2 mg/mL.
In addition, they discovered evidence that matcha affects the signaling pathways that promote cancer stem cells in a way that may make it a viable alternative to chemical cancer drugs like rapamycin.
The scientist explained that the tea essentially suppresses oxidative mitochondral metabolism, preventing these cells from refueling. This causes them to become inactive and eventually die.
University of Salford Professor of Translational Medicine Michael Lisanti said: “Our results are consistent with the idea that Matcha may have significant therapeutic potential, mediating the metabolic reprogramming of cancer cells.”
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Inflammation in midlife linked to brain shrinkage later Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, November 11, 2022
People who show signs of inflammation in middle age are more likely to suffer from brain shrinkage later in life, a possible precursor to dementia or Alzheimer’s disease, researchers said Wednesday.
The findings in the journal Neurology are the latest to uncover an association between dementia and inflammation, in which the body’s immune cells rev up in response to harms like smoking, stress, illness or poor diet.
However, the findings stopped short of proving any cause-and-effect relationship.
“These results suggest that inflammation in mid-life may be an early contributor to the brain changes that are associated with Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia,” said study author Keenan Walker of the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.
“Because the processes that lead to brain cell loss begin decades before people start showing any symptoms, it is vital that we figure out how these processes that happen in middle age affect people many years later.”
The study was based on 1,633 people with an average age of 53.
Researchers tested their blood for levels of five markers of inflammation—not in any specific part of the body but rather throughout it—including the white blood cell count.
An average of 24 years later, participants took a memory test and underwent brain scans.
Those who had higher levels of inflammation at midlife on three or more biomarkers had an average five percent lower brain volume in the hippocampus and other areas associated with Alzheimer’s disease, said the report.
The effect was similar to having one copy of a gene—called apolipoprotein E (APOE) e4—that predisposes people to Alzheimer’s, researchers said.
People with higher inflammation also performed slightly worse on a memory test, remembering on average five of 10 words they were asked to recall, compared to 5.5 in the non-inflammation group.
Outside experts described the study as large and rigorously conducted, but stressed that it did not study whether patients went on to develop Alzheimer’s disease, only that some showed signs of brain shrinkage and memory loss.
“This research points to inflammation as a potential early indicator of later brain degeneration, but we cannot say whether inflammation could be causing brain shrinkage or if it is a response to other damaging processes that might already be underway,” said Carol Routledge, director of Research at Alzheimer’s Research UK.
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Adult ADHD has become epidemic—experts explain why University of California at Berkeley, November 7, 2022
Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder is growing up. Stephen Hinshaw and Katherine Ellison authors of ADHD: What Everyone Needs to Know, confirm that adults—and particularly women—are reporting to clinics in record numbers, becoming the fastest-growing part of the population receiving diagnoses and prescriptions for stimulant medications.
“ADHD was never just for kids, and today many adults are getting the help they’ve needed for years,” says Hinshaw, a professor at the University of California at Berkeley and a respected global expert on ADHD.
Ellison, a Pultizer-prize winning journalist, notes, “At least half of all children diagnosed with ADHD will continue to be impaired by their symptoms as adults, suggesting that approximately 10 million U.S. adults qualify for the diagnosis. Adult ADHD can lead to suffering through commonly accompanying disorders such as anxiety, depression, substance abuse, antisocial behavior, and gambling or Internet addictions. Social ties may well be frayed, with high risk of difficulties in intimate relationships. And, people with ADHD are also more likely to have a bitter history of academic and professional failures.”
Indeed, researchers have found that adults who have been diagnosed with ADHD are up to 14 percent less likely than their peers to have a job. On average they also earn 33 percent less compared with people in similar lines of work and are 15 percent more likely to be receiving some form of government aid. The bottom line is that adult ADHD is not only real but has potentially devastating consequences, the experts agree.
Hinshaw and Ellison also reveal a recent rapid rise in adult prescriptions for ADHD medication. One of the biggest surprises is that women of child-bearing age have become the fastest-growing group of consumers of ADHD medications. The number of annual prescriptions of generic and brand-name forms of Adderall surged among women over 26 years old, from a total of roughly 800,000 to some 5.4 million.
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Study shows clear new evidence for mind-body connection
University of Calgary Department of Oncology, November 3, 2022
Impact of meditation, support groups seen at cellular level in breast cancer survivors
For the first time, researchers have shown that practising mindfulness meditation or being involved in a support group has a positive physical impact at the cellular level in breast cancer survivors.
A group working out of Alberta Health Services’ Tom Baker Cancer Centre and the University of Calgary Department of Oncology has demonstrated that telomeres – protein complexes at the end of chromosomes – maintain their length in breast cancer survivors who practise meditation or are involved in support groups, while they shorten in a comparison group without any intervention.
“We already know that psychosocial interventions like mindfulness meditation will help you feel better mentally, but now for the first time we have evidence that they can also influence key aspects of your biology,” says Dr. Linda E. Carlson, PhD, principal investigator and director of research in the Psychosocial Resources Department at the Tom Baker Cancer Centre.
“It was surprising that we could see any difference in telomere length at all over the three-month period studied,” says Dr. Carlson, who is also a U of C professor in the Faculty of Arts and the Cumming School of Medicine, and a member of the Southern Alberta Cancer Institute. “Further research is needed to better quantify these potential health benefits, but this is an exciting discovery that provides encouraging news.”
The study was published online in the journal Cancer.
A total of 88 breast cancer survivors who had completed their treatments for at least three months were involved for the duration of the study. The average age was 55 and most participants had ended treatment two years prior. To be eligible, they also had to be experiencing significant levels of emotional distress.
In the Mindfulness-Based Cancer Recovery group, participants attended eight weekly, 90-minute group sessions that provided instruction on mindfulness meditation and gentle Hatha yoga, with the goal of cultivating non-judgmental awareness of the present moment. Participants were also asked to practise meditation and yoga at home for 45 minutes daily.
In the Supportive Expressive Therapy group, participants met for 90 minutes weekly for 12 weeks and were encouraged to talk openly about their concerns and their feelings. The objectives were to build mutual support and to guide women in expressing a wide range of both difficult and positive emotions, rather than suppressing or repressing them.
The participants randomly placed in the control group attended one, six-hour stress management seminar.
All study participants had their blood analysed and telomere length measured before and after the interventions.
Scientists have shown a short-term effect of these interventions on telomere length compared to a control group, but it’s not known if the effects are lasting. Dr. Carlson says another avenue for further research is to see if the psychosocial interventions have a positive impact beyond the three months of the study period.
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Lion’s Mane Mushroom for Your Brain and Neuronal Health Green Med Info, November 8th 2022
Lion’s mane mushrooms (Hericium erinaceus), with their shaggy, mane-like spines, stand out among fungi not only for their appearance but for their mild, sweet, seafood-like flavor. Like other mushrooms, lion’s mane are multi-faceted healers, with antimicrobial, antihypertensive, antidiabetic and wound healing properties among their many therapeutic properties. Of the 68 diseases and conditions that lion’s mane mushroom may support, many of them relate to the nervous system, including cognitive function, memory, dementia, depression, anxiety and sleep disorders.
Lion’s mane mushroom contains more than 35 beneficial polysaccharides that may help prevent or treat cancer, gastric ulcers, diabetes, hyperlipidemia, liver injury and neurodegenerative diseases, according to a review published in the International Journal of Biological Macromolecules.
With a long history of use in Traditional Chinese Medicine, including for brain and neurological health, it’s now known that two terpenoid compounds– hericenones and erinacines — in these mushrooms and their mycelia may stimulate the synthesis of nerve growth factor (NGF).
Active compounds in lion’s mane mushrooms may also delay neuronal death in neurodegenerative diseases, including ischemic stroke, Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease and depression, while promoting nerve regeneration in cases of neuropathic pain or age-related hearing loss (presbycusis). Some of their top therapeutic benefits include:
Regenerate Damaged Nerves – Lion’s mane has been shown to trigger neurite outgrowth in brain, spinal cord and retinal cells. It also stimulates the activity of nerve growth factor, which is important for the growth and differentiation of neurons.
Boost Cognitive Function – In adults with mild cognitive impairment , those who took lion’s mane powder three times a day for 16 weeks significantly increased their scores on a cognitive function scale compared with those who took a placebo.
Hericenones in lion’s mane are believed to be responsible for some of the mushroom’s beneficial effects on brain neural networks and improvements to cognitive function. This brain-boosting mushroom has also been found to improve memory in mice.[xi]
Fight Depression – Lion’s mane may ameliorate depressive disorder through a variety of mechanisms, including neurogenic/neurotrophic and anti-inflammatory pathways. Animal studies suggest that lion’s mane may reverse depressive behaviors caused by stress by modulating monoamine neurotransmitters and regulating BDNF pathways.
Support for Neurodegenerative Disease – neurotrophic compounds are known to pass through the blood-brain barrier and have been used to treat cognitive impairments, Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease. In a study of patients with mild Alzheimer’s disease, those who took lion’s mane mycelia capsules for 49 weeks had improvements in their ability to carry out daily activities, such as personal hygiene and preparing food.
Improve Mood and Sleep Disorders – Among overweight or obese people with sleep disorders or mood disorders, lion’s mane was effective in relieving symptoms. Eight weeks of lion’s mane supplementation decreased depression, anxiety and sleep disorders in the study, while also improving mood disorders of a “depressive-anxious nature” and boosting the quality of sleep at night.
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Quercetin helps to reduce the risk of pancreatic cancer Univ. of Hawaii and Univ. of Southern California, November 1, 2022
Quercetin, which is found naturally in apples and onions, has been identified as one of the most beneficial flavonols in preventing and reducing the risk of pancreatic cancer. Although the overall risk was reduced among the study participants, smokers who consumed foods rich in flavonols had a significantly greater risk reduction.
This study, published in the American Journal of Epidemiology, is the first of its kind to evaluate the effect of flavonols – compounds found specifically in plants – on developing pancreatic cancer.
Researchers from the Univ. of Hawaii and Univ. of Southern California tracked food intake and health outcomes of 183,518 participants in the Multiethnic Cohort Study for eight years. The study evaluated the participants’ food consumption and calculated the intake of the three flavonols quercetin, kaempferol, and myricetin. The analyses determined that flavonol intake does have an impact on the risk for developing pancreatic cancer.
The most significant finding was among smokers. Smokers with the lowest intake of flavonols presented with the most pancreatic cancer. Smoking is an established risk factor for the often fatal pancreatic cancer, notes the research.
Among the other findings were that women had the highest intake of total flavonols and seventy percent of the flavonol intake came from quercetin, linked to apple and onion consumption.
It is believed that these compounds may have anticancer effects due to their ability to reduce oxidative stress and alter other cellular functions related to cancer development. Previously, the most consistent inverse association was found between flavonols, especially quercetin in apples and lung cancer, as pointed out in this study. No other epidemiological flavonol studies have included evaluation of pancreatic cancer.
While found in many plants, flavonols are found in high concentrations in apples, onions, tea, berries, kale, and broccoli. Quercetin is most plentiful in apples and onions.
Hops may help lower Alzheimer disease risk University of Milano-Bicocca (Italy), November 9 2022.
Hops, the plant whose flowers are used to make beer, could have a future in the prevention of Alzheimer disease according to research reported in the journal ACS Chemical Neuroscience.
“The search for natural compounds, whose intake through diet can help prevent the main biochemical mechanisms responsible for Alzheimer disease onset, led us to screen hops,” Alessandro Palmioli of the University of Milano-Bicocca and colleagues wrote.
Acting on other positive findings for hops, the team identified feruloyl and p-coumaroylquinic acids, flavan-3-ol glycosides and procyanidins as compounds responsible for the plant’s neuroprotective action. These molecules interacted with amyloid-beta (a substance that forms sticky plaques in the brains of Alzheimer disease patients), to prevent it from forming fibrils and becoming toxic. Hops extracts were also found to prevent cell death by inhibiting oxidative stress and inducing autophagy, a process by which cells break down and destroy old or damaged proteins or other substances. The Tettnang variety of hops proved to be the most successful of the four varieties tested.
“The identification of natural compounds or natural mixtures, such as nutraceuticals, exploitable for the development of preventive strategies against Alzheimer disease (and other neurodegenerative diseases) appears as a better alternative to the treatment of symptoms, as the neuronal damage associated with the disease is irreversible,” the authors remarked. “Our results show that hop is a source of bioactive molecules with synergistic and multitarget activity against the early events underlying Alzheimer disease development. We can therefore think of its use for the preparation of nutraceuticals useful for the prevention of this pathology.”
Healthy plant-based diets better for the environment than less healthy plant-based diets Harvard School of Public Health, November 10. 2022
Healthier plant-based dietary patterns are associated with better environmental health, while less healthy plant-based dietary patterns, which are higher in foods like refined grains and sugar-sweetened beverages, require more cropland and fertilizer, according to a new study led by researchers at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Health and Brigham and Women’s Hospital. The findings also showed that red and processed meat had the highest environmental impact out of all food groups in participants’ diets, producing the greatest share of greenhouse gas emissions and requiring the most irrigation water, cropland, and fertilizer.
“The differences between plant-based diets was surprising because they’re often portrayed as universally healthy and good for the environment, but it’s more nuanced than that,” said Aviva Musicus, postdoctoral research fellow in the Department of Nutrition at Harvard Chan School and corresponding author of the study.
Previous research has documented that different types of plant-based diets have various health effects. For example, plant-based diets higher in whole grains, fruits, vegetables, nuts, legumes, vegetable oils, and tea/coffee are associated with reduced chronic disease risk, while plant-based diets high in fruit juices, sugar-sweetened beverages, refined grains, potatoes, and sweets/desserts are associated with an increased risk of chronic disease. Yet little research has been conducted to determine the environmental impacts, such as greenhouse gas emissions, use of high-quality cropland, nitrogen from fertilizer, and irrigation water, of these dietary approaches.
The researchers analyzed the food intakes of more than 65,000 qualifying participants, and examined their diets’ associations with health outcomes, including relative risks of cardiovascular disease, and with environmental impacts. Higher scores on the unhealthy plant-based diet index indicated higher consumption of refined grains, sugary drinks, fruit juice, potatoes, and sweets/desserts; while higher scores on the healthy plant-based diet index indicated higher consumption of vegetables, fruits, whole grains, nuts, legumes, vegetable oils, and tea/coffee.
Participants who consumed healthy plant-based diets had lower cardiovascular disease risk, and those diets had lower greenhouse gas emissions and use of cropland, irrigation water, and nitrogenous fertilizer than diets that were higher in unhealthy plant-based and animal-based foods.
Participants who ate unhealthy plant-based diets experienced a higher risk of cardiovascular disease, and their diets required more cropland and fertilizer than diets that were higher in healthy plant-based and animal foods. The findings also reinforced earlier studies showing that diets higher in animal-based foods, especially red and processed meat, have greater adverse environmental impacts than plant-based diets.
Removing digital devices from the bedroom can improve sleep for children, teens Penn State University, November 4, 2022
Removing electronic media from the bedroom and encouraging a calming bedtime routine are among recommendations Penn State researchers outline in a recent manuscript on digital media and sleep in childhood and adolescence.
The recommendations, for clinicians and parents, are:
- Make sleep a priority by talking with family members about the importance of sleep and healthy sleep expectations;
- Encourage a bedtime routine that includes calming activities and avoids electronic media use;
- Encourage families to remove all electronic devices from their child or teen’s bedroom, including TVs, video games, computers, tablets and cell phones;
- Talk with family members about the negative consequences of bright light in the evening on sleep; and
- If a child or adolescent is exhibiting mood or behavioral problems, consider insufficient sleep as a contributing factor.
“Recent reviews of scientific literature reveal that the vast majority of studies find evidence for an adverse association between screen-based media consumption and sleep health, primarily delayed bedtimes and reduced total sleep duration,” said Orfeu Buxton, associate professor of biobehavioral health at Penn State.
The reasons behind this adverse association likely include time spent on screens replacing time spent sleeping; mental stimulation from media content; and the effects of light interrupting sleep cycles, according to the researchers.
Black Sesame Seed Reduces High Blood Pressure
Mahidol University (Thailand), November 10, 2022
Research from Thailand’s Mahidol University has found that black sesame seeds can significantly reduce blood pressure among men and women.
The research tested 30 men and women with an average age of 50 years old. They were considered ‘pre-hypertensive’ as their blood pressure levels were high but not yet high enough to be prescribed medication. During the four week study, the patients did not take any medications or dietary supplements.
The volunteers were divided into two groups. One group was given six placebo capsules per day, and the other group was given six capsules of 420 milligrams of black sesame seed meal. Each person in the sesame seed group was given a total of 2,520 milligrams (2.5 grams) per day.
According to the USDA, a tablespoon of sesame seeds weighs about nine grams. This would mean that the subjects were given a little less than a quarter tablespoon per day.
The research found the sesame seed meal significantly decreased the blood pressure among the treated group. Their average systolic blood pressure after the four weeks was 121 mmHg, while the average blood pressure of the placebo group was 129 mmHg.
The sesame seed group also showed decreased levels of malondialdehyde and increases in their blood vitamin E levels.
Malondialdehyde is an indicator of the amount of lipid peroxidation taking place within the bloodstream. As other research has shown, lipid peroxidation is linked to the blood vessel damage seen in atherosclerosis. This is a relationship of free radical oxidation. When low-density lipoproteins are oxidized, they can damage blood vessels because they effectively steal electrons from blood vessel wall cells.
Conversely, higher vitamin E levels are typically linked with lower lipid peroxidation because vitamin E is an antioxidant.
The researchers analyzed the black sesame seed meal, and it was found to contain 105 micrograms per gram of tocopherols – primarily gamma tocopherol. By the way, this is a different configuration of synthetic vitamin E found in most supplements – rac-α-tocopheryl acetate – referred also as alpha-tocopherol.
The main medicinal constituents of black sesame seed include sesamol, sesamin and sesamolin, which are known to be antioxidants. They also contain catechins, known for their anticancer properties.
Is muscle weakness the new smoking? Grip strength tied to accelerated biological age, study shows University of Michigan, November 10, 2022
Everyone ages at a different pace. That’s why two 50-year-olds, despite living the same number of years, may have different biological ages—meaning that a host of intrinsic and extrinsic factors have caused them to age at varying paces with different levels of risk for disease and early death. Lifestyle choices, such as diet, and smoking, and illness all contribute to accelerating biological age beyond one’s chronological age.
For the first time, researchers have found that muscle weakness marked by grip strength, a proxy for overall strength capacity, is associated with accelerated biological age. Specifically, the weaker your grip strength, the older your biological age, according to results published in the Journal of Cachexia, Sarcopenia and Muscle.
Researchers at Michigan Medicine modeled the relationship between biological age and grip strength of 1,274 middle aged and older adults using three “age acceleration clocks” based on DNA methylation, a process that provides a molecular biomarker and estimator of the pace of aging. The clocks were originally modeled from various studies examining diabetes, cardiovascular disease, cancer, physical disability, Alzheimer’s disease, inflammation and early mortality.
Results reveal that both older men and women showed an association between lower grip strength and biological age acceleration across the DNA methylation clocks.
“We’ve known that muscular strength is a predictor of longevity, and that weakness is a powerful indicator of disease and mortality, but for the first time, we have found strong evidence of a biological link between muscle weakness and actual acceleration in biological age,” said Mark Peterson, Ph.D., M.S. at University of Michigan.
“This suggests that if you maintain your muscle strength across the lifespan, you may be able to protect against many common age-related diseases. We know that smoking, for example, can be a powerful predictor of disease and mortality, but now we know that muscle weakness could be the new smoking.”
The real strength of this study was in the 8 to 10 years of observation, in which lower grip strength predicted faster biological aging measured up to a decade later, said Jessica Faul, Ph.D., M.P.H., a co-author of the study and research associate professor at the U-M Institute for Social Research.
Past studies have shown that low grip strength is an extremely strong predictor of adverse health events. One study even found that it is a better predictor of cardiovascular events, such as myocardial infarction, than systolic blood pressure—the clinical hallmark for detecting heart disorders. Peterson and his team have previously shown a robust association between weakness and chronic disease and mortality across populations.
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Antioxidants may reduce oxidative stress in men with prostate cancer
Universities of Connecticut, Louisiana State, North Carolina, South Carolina, and California , November 3, 2022
This latest paper – which looked at men with prostate cancer from the North Carolina-Louisiana Prostate Cancer Project – came in light of a growing body of evidence suggesting oxidative stress plays a role in the development and progression of prostate cancer. The researchers looked at biomarkers of oxidative stress in the blood, urine and prostate tissue.
They found a greater antioxidant intake was associated with lower urinary 8-isoprostane concentrations.
A 10% increase in antioxidant intake saw an unadjusted 1.1% decrease in urinary 8-isoprostane levels.
8-Isoprostane has been described as a “reliable marker” and recognised “gold standard” for lipid peroxidation – the oxidative degradation of lipids.
“This study demonstrated that intake of antioxidants was associated with less oxidative stress among men with incident prostate cancer,” the researchers concluded in the British Journal of Nutrition.
“The results of this study and others warrant additional research in humans on the mechanisms underlying the relationship between dietary antioxidants and prostate tissue redox status and carcinogenesis, as well as determining whether this relationship may influence disease severity, progression and recurrence.”
High-intensity exercise changes how muscle cells manage calcium Karolinska Institute (Sweden) November 2, 2022
Researchers at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden have discovered a cellular mechanism behind the surprising benefits of short, high-intensity interval exercise. Their findings, which are published in the scientific journal PNAS, also provide clues to why antioxidants undermine the effect of endurance training.
A few minutes of high-intensity interval exercise is enough to produce an effect at least equivalent to that achieved with traditional much more time-consuming endurance training. High-intensity exercise has become popular with sportspeople and recreational joggers alike, as well as with patients with impaired muscle function. However, one question has so far remained unanswered: how can a few minutes’ high-intensity exercise be so effective?
To investigate what happens in muscle cells during high-intensity exercise, the researchers asked male recreational exercisers to do 30 seconds of maximum exertion cycling followed by four minutes of rest, and to repeat the procedure six times. They then took muscle tissue samples from their thighs.
“Our study shows that three minutes of high-intensity exercise breaks down calcium channels in the muscle cells,” says Professor Håkan Westerblad, principal investigator at Karolinska Institutet’s Department of Physiology and Pharmacology. “This causes a lasting change in how the cells handle calcium, and is an excellent signal for adaptation, such as the formation of new mitochondria.”
Mitochondria are like the cell’s power plants, and changes that stimulate the formation of new mitochondria increase muscle endurance. What the researchers found was that the breakdown of calcium channels that was triggered by the high-intensity exercise was caused by an increase in free radicals, which are very reactive and oxidise cellular proteins.
The cells therefore have antioxidative systems for trapping and neutralising the radicals. Antioxidants, like vitamins E and C, are also present in food and are common ingredients in dietary supplements. In the present study, the researchers examined what happens when isolated mouse muscles are treated with an antioxidant before and after simulated high-intensity interval exercise.
“Our study shows that antioxidants remove the effect on the calcium channels, which might explain why they can weaken muscular response to endurance training,” says Professor Westerblad. “Our results also show that the calcium channels aren’t affected by the three minutes of high-intensity interval exercise in elite endurance athletes, who have built up more effective antioxidative systems.”
8 Weeks Of Mindfulness Training Can Lower Blood Pressure For Months Brown University, November 8, 2022
A custom mindfulness program which teaches people how to have healthy relationships with their diet, physical activity, alcohol use, and stress can help lower blood pressure for at least six months, a new study finds.
A team with the American Heart Association found that eight weeks of mindfulness training significantly lowers systolic blood pressure readings — the top number in a blood pressure measurement. The training focused on attention control, meditation, self-awareness, and emotion regulation, using weekly group sessions and daily mindfulness exercises.
“Mindfulness is non-judgmental, present-moment awareness of physical sensations, emotions and thoughts,” says lead study author Eric Loucks, Ph.D., an associate professor of epidemiology and director of the Mindfulness Center at Brown University, in a media release.
“It is almost like a scientist curiously and objectively observing the information coming in through the sense organs and the mind, and then responding skillfully to that information. Mindfulness also involves the concept of remembering, or in other words, remembering to bring one’s wisdom (wherever it was gained, such as from health care professionals or public health messages) into the present moment. Wisdom in the context of elevated blood pressure levels may include knowledge that evidence-based practices, such as physical activity, diet, limited alcohol consumption and antihypertensive medication adherence, can improve well-being.”The participant group included over 200 adults from the Providence, Rhode Island area who all had high blood pressure, meaning their readings were higher than 120 mm Hg systolic or 80 mm Hg diastolic blood pressure (the bottom number). Nearly six in 10 were women (59%) and had an average age of 59.
Results show the Mindfulness-Based Blood Pressure Reduction group saw their systolic blood pressure drop by an average of 5.9 mm Hg. Those using enhanced usual care only saw their blood pressure drop by 1.4 mm Hg. While systolic blood pressure changed, neither group saw their diastolic blood pressure drop.
In addition to improving their blood pressure, the mindfulness group also engaged in far fewer sedentary activities over the six months. Those in mindfulness training reduced their sedentary sitting by an average of 351 minutes each week. Those doing mindfulness training were also more likely to eat a heart-healthy diet and experienced less stress during the course of the study.
Grapefruit Juice Supports Healthy Arteries French National Institute for Agricultural Research, November 2022
Want to hydrate your way toward a healthier heart? Then you may want to consider adding grapefruit juice into your diet.
Because a recent study found that grapefruit juice enriched with the flavonoid naringenin actually improved a marker associated with arterial function.
The results of the study were published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
Previous research shows citrus bioflavonoids support blood vessel function. They strengthen blood vessel walls, decrease bruising, prevent bleeding, and heal hemorrhoids (hemorrhoids are swollen veins). Of the group of citrus bioflavonoids, naringenin stands out. For the current study, 48 healthy post-menopausal women were recruited and assigned to drink grapefruit juice or a drink without flavonoids for 6 months. The grapefruit juice contained 210 mg of naringenin glycosides.
According to the results of the study, the women drinking the grapefruit juice showed a lower carotid femoral pulse wave velocity, indicating a reduction in arterial stiffening.
Naringenin is also found in oranges and tomatoes. It’s also available as a dietary supplement and is usually found in citrus bioflavonoid formulas.
Low levels of air pollution deadlier than previously thought McGill University, November 7, 2022
The World Health Organization’s most recent estimates (2016) are that over 4.2 million people die prematurely each year due to long-term exposure to fine particulate outdoor air pollution (often referred to as PM2.5). A recent study involving McGill researchers now suggests that the annual global death toll from outdoor PM2.5 may be significantly higher than previously thought. That’s because the researchers found that mortality risk was increased even at very low levels of outdoor PM2.5, ones which had not previously been recognized as being potentially deadly. These microscopic toxins cause a range of cardiovascular and respiratory diseases and cancers.
“We found that outdoor PM2.5 may be responsible for as many as 1.5 million additional deaths around the globe each year because of effects at very-low concentrations that were not previously appreciated,” said Scott Weichenthal, an Associate Professor at McGill University and the lead author on the recent paper in Science Advances.
The researchers arrived at this conclusion by combining health and mortality data for seven million Canadians gathered over a twenty-five-year period with information about the levels of outdoor PM2.5 concentrations across the country.
The WHO recently set out ambitious new guidelines for annual average outdoor fine particulate air pollution, cutting its earlier recommendations in half, from concentrations of 10 to concentrations of 5 micrograms (ug) per cubic meter. The current United States Environmental Protection Agency standard of 12 (ug) per cubic meter is now more than double the value recommended by the WHO.
Highly processed foods can be considered addictive like tobacco products, study claims University of Michigan & Virginia Tech University, November 9, 2022
Can highly processed foods be addictive?
A new University of Michigan and Virginia Tech analysis took the criteria used in a 1988 U.S. Surgeon General’s report that established that tobacco was addictive and applied it to food.
Based on the criteria set for tobacco, the findings indicate that highly processed foods can be addictive, said lead author Ashley Gearhardt, U-M associate professor of psychology, and Alexandra DiFeliceantonio, assistant professor at Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at Virginia Tech.
In fact, the addictive potential for food such as potato chips, cookies, ice cream and French fries may be a key factor contributing to the high public health costs associated with a food environment dominated by cheap, accessible and heavily marketed highly processed foods, the researchers said.
The research, published in the current issue of Addiction, offers evidence that highly processed foods meet the same criteria used to identify cigarettes as an addictive substance:
- They trigger compulsive use where people are unable to quit or cut down (even in the face of life-threatening diseases like diabetes and heart disease)
- They can change the way we feel and cause changes in the brain that are of a similar magnitude as the nicotine in tobacco products
- They are highly reinforcing
- They trigger intense urges and cravings
DiFeliceantonio said the ability of highly processed foods to rapidly deliver unnaturally high doses of refined carbohydrates and fat appear key to their addictive potential.
Highly processed foods contain complex substances that cannot be simplified to a single chemical agent acting through a specific central mechanism. The same can be said for industrial tobacco products, which contain thousands of chemicals including nicotine, Gearhardt said.
Poor diets dominated by highly processed foods now contribute to preventable deaths on par with cigarettes. Similar to tobacco products, the food industry designs their highly processed foods to be intensely rewarding and hard to resist, the researchers said.
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Study shows eating prunes daily can help prevent bone loss Penn State University, November 3, 2022
People often eat prunes to boost their digestive health, but a study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition shows that consuming a handful of prunes a day may also help prevent bone loss when you are older.
Researchers from Penn State University reported that women in their 60s who consumed prunes had significantly less bone loss in their hips in a year compared to those who didn’t eat the dried fruits. This suggests that prunes can help reduce inflammation in the body, which is a key driver of bone loss.
The researchers recruited 235 women for the study. The volunteers had an average age of 62 and had already gone through menopause.
The participants were split into three equal groups:
One group didn’t consume prunes. Another group consumed at least 50 grams (g) of prunes a day, or four to six pieces daily. The last group consumed 100g of prunes, or 10 to 12 pieces daily. The volunteers ate the “Improved French” prune variety. All of their diet included calcium and vitamin D3 supplements, which can also help prevent bone loss.
The research team used scans to measure bone density in the hip, neck and hip socket at the start of the study, after six months and after one year. They found that the hips of the non-eaters had an estimated 1.1 percent loss of bone density a year after the study began.
Meanwhile, the bone density of those who consumed four to six prunes a day barely shifted.
The result was similar for the group that ate more prunes, but the researchers noted that any protective effect could be masked because of its much higher dropout rate.
Blood tests also showed that the women who consumed prunes had significantly lower inflammation levels than those who did not. There was no significant documented difference in bone mass in the spine or hip socket between the groups one year after the study began.
Tracing tomatoes’ health benefits to gut microbes Ohio State University, November 7, 2022
Two weeks of eating a diet heavy in tomatoes increased the diversity of gut microbes and altered gut bacteria toward a more favorable profile in young pigs, researchers found.
After observing these results with a short-term intervention, the research team plans to progress to similar studies in people, looking for health-related links between tomatoes in the diet and changes to the human gut microbiome – the community of microorganisms living in the gastrointestinal tract.
“It’s possible that tomatoes impart benefits through their modulation of the gut microbiome,” said senior author Jessica Cooperstone, assistant professor at The Ohio State University.
The tomatoes used in the study were developed by Ohio State plant breeder, tand co-author David Francis, and are the type typically found in canned tomato products.
Ten recently weaned control pigs were fed a standard diet and 10 pigs were fed the standard diet fine-tuned so that 10% of the food consisted of a freeze-dried powder made from the tomatoes.
Fiber, sugar, protein, fat and calories were identical for both diets. The control and study pig populations lived separately, and researchers running the study minimized their time spent with the pigs – a series of precautions designed to ensure that any microbiome changes seen with the study diet could be attributed to chemical compounds in the tomatoes.
Results showed two main changes in the microbiomes of pigs fed the tomato-heavy diet – the diversity of microbe species in their guts increased, and the concentrations of two types of bacteria common in the mammal microbiome shifted to a more favorable profile.
This higher ratio of the phyla Bacteroidota (formerly known as Bacteriodetes) compared to Bacillota (formerly known as Firmicutes) present in the microbiome has been found to be linked with positive health outcomes, while other studies have linked this ratio in reverse, of higher Bacillota compared to Bacteroidota, to obesity.
Tomatoes account for about 22% of vegetable intake in Western diets, and previous research has associated consumption of tomatoes with reduced risk for the development of various conditions that include cardiovascular disease and some cancers.
But tomatoes’ impact on the gut microbiome is still a mystery, and Cooperstone said these findings in pigs – whose gastrointestinal tract is more similar than rodents’ to the human GI system – suggest it’s an avenue worth exploring.
New study examines how breathing shapes our brains Aarhus University (Denmark), November 8, 2022
“Breathe in… Breathe out…” or “take a deep breath and count to ten.” The calming effect of breathing in stressful situations is a concept most of us have met before. Now Professor Micah Allen from the Department of Clinical Medicine at Aarhus University has come a step closer to understanding how the very act of breathing shapes our brain.
The researchers synthesized results from more than a dozen studies with rodent, monkey, and human brain imaging, and used it to propose a new computational model that explains how our breathing influences the brain’s expectations.
“What we found is that, across many different types of tasks and animals, brain rhythms are closely tied to the rhythm of our breath. We are more sensitive to the outside world when we are breathing in, whereas the brain tunes out more when we breathe out. This also aligns with how some extreme sports use breathing, for example professional marksmen are trained to pull the trigger at the end of exhalation,” explains Professor Micah Allen.
The study suggest that breathing is more than just something we do to stay alive, explains Micah Allen.
“It suggests that the brain and breathing are closely intertwined in a way that goes far beyond survival, to actually impact our emotions, our attention, and how we process the outside world. Our model suggests there is a common mechanism in the brain which links the rhythm of breathing to these events.”
Stabilizing our mind through breathing is a well-known and used tactic in many traditions such as yoga and meditation. The new study sheds light on how the brain makes it possible. It suggests that there are three pathways in the brain that control this interaction between breathing and brain activity. It also suggests that our pattern of breathing makes the brain more “excitable”, meaning neurons are more likely to fire during certain times of breathing
Close friends linked to a sharper memory Northwestern University School of Medicine, November 1, 2022
Maintaining positive, warm and trusting friendships might be the key to a slower decline in memory and cognitive functioning, according to a new Northwestern Medicine study.
SuperAgers—who are 80 years of age and older who have cognitive ability at least as good as people in their 50s or 60s—reported having more satisfying, high-quality relationships compared to their cognitively average, same-age peers, the study reports.
Previous SuperAger research at the Cognitive Neurology and Alzheimer’s Disease Center (CNADC) at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine has focused on the biological differences in SuperAgers, such as discovering that the cortex in their brain is actually larger than their cognitively average, same-age peers.
“You don’t have to be the life of the party, but this study supports the theory that maintaining strong social networks seems to be linked to slower cognitive decline,” said senior author Emily Rogalski, associate professor at Northwestern’s CNADC.
Motivation is affected by oxidative stress, but nutrition can help Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne. Novembre 7. 2022
In life, motivation can be the difference between success and failure, goal-setting and aimlessness, well-being and unhappiness. And yet, becoming and staying motivated is often the hardest step, a problem which has prompted much research.
How does stress affect our capacity for motivation?” asks Professor Carmen Sandi at EPFL’s School of Life Sciences. “If that is the case, could nutritional interventions that can affect metabolite levels be an effective vehicle to improve motivated performance?”
The researchers focused on an area deep into the brain called the “nucleus accumbens”, which is known to play a major role regulating functions like reward, reinforcement, aversion, and not least, motivation.
The idea behind the study was that the brain itself—like all tissues in our body—is subjected to constant oxidative stress, as a result of its metabolism.
The brain then is often subjected to excessive oxidative stress from its neurometabolic processes—and the question for the researchers was whether antioxidant levels in the nucleus accumbens can affect motivation. To answer the question, the scientists looked at the brain’s most important antioxidant, a protein called glutathione (GSH), and its relationship to motivation.
What they found was that higher levels of GSH in the nucleus accumbens correlated with better and steady performance in the motivation tasks.
“N-acetylcysteine, the nutritional supplement that we gave in our study can also be synthesized in the body from its precursor cysteine,” says Sandi. “Cysteine is contained in ‘high-protein foods’, such as meat, chicken, fish or seafood. Other sources with lower content are eggs, whole-grain foods such as breads and cereals, and some vegetables such as broccoli, onions, and legumes.”
“Of course, there are other ways beyond N-acetylcysteine to increase GSH levels in the body, but how they relate to levels in the brain—and particularly in the nucleus accumbens—is largely unknown. Our study represents a proof of principle that dietary N-acetylcysteine can increase brain GSH levels and facilitate effortful behavior.”
Purple corn found to improve libido in males University of Tlaxcala (Mexico), November 1, 2022
Purple corn (Zea mays) has been used as an aphrodisiac since the time of ancient Mexico. A study published in the journal Journal of Evidence-Based Integrative Medicine sought to understand the mechanisms behind this plant’s effect.
The researchers suspected that purple corn extract stimulated the ejaculatory response in males. They used an animal model composed of male rats able to copulate and male rats whose spinal cord had been transected. Three doses of purple corn extract (25, 50, and 75 mg/kg) were administered to the animals. The rats’ copulating behavior was noted before and after the administration of the extracts. In the control group, the researchers noted no change in the animals’ mount latency and the number of mounts performed. All doses, however, increased the number of intromissions performed by male animals. Ejaculation latency was decreased In the spinal group, the researchers successfully used the extract to stimulate an increase in the number of discharges of the ejaculatory motor patterns. According to the researchers, these are proof that purple corn extract has aphrodisiac effects.
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Zinc supplementation associated with higher levels of brain growth factor Soybean foods may protect menopausal women against osteoporosis Study finds diet high in saturated fat can reprogram immune cells in mice Coenzyme Q10 consumption reverses cholesterol transport Study confirms that processed foods key to rising obesity Violence on TV: Effects from age 3 can stretch into the teen years Zinc supplementation associated with higher levels of brain growth factor Iran University of Medical Sciences, November 4 2022.
A review and meta-analysis of randomized, controlled trials affirmed an association between supplementing with zinc and higher circulating levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). Brain-derived neurotrophic factor plays a positive role in the survival of brain cells known as neurons. A reduction in BDNF expression occurs in Alzheimer and Parkinson diseases, multiple sclerosis and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Antidepressants and anthocyanin supplements have been shown to increase BDNF gene expression, and serum or plasma levels have been elevated by exercise and omega-3 fatty acid, resveratrol or zinc supplementation.
For their review and meta-analysis, Fahimeh Agh of Iran University of Medical Sciences and colleagues identified four trials that evaluated the effects of zinc supplements on serum or plasma BDNF levels among 185. Zinc dosages ranged from 25–30 milligrams per day given for 84–90 days.
Pooled results of the trials found significantly higher BDNF levels among participants who received zinc compared with participants in the control groups. The increase in BDNF was significant at 30 milligram doses (which were used in 3 trials) and at all trial durations. Among the 3 trials that analyzed serum zinc levels, participants who were given zinc supplements had significantly increased zinc levels in comparison with the control participants.
“A large body of evidence indicated BDNF as an important predictive factor for following the beginning, progress and cure of brain disorders due to its main role in brain neurogenesis and neuroplasticity,” Agh and her associates wrote.
“Increased circulating levels of BDNF as a result of zinc supplementation suggest that zinc supplementation may be a safe and effective strategy to counteract neurodegenerative diseases that are correlated with low BDNF levels,” they concluded.
Soybean foods may protect menopausal women against osteoporosis
University of Hull (UK), November 1, 2022
Eating a diet rich in both soy protein and isoflavones can protect menopausal women from bone weakening and osteoporosis, according to the results of a preliminary study presented today at the Society for Endocrinology annual conference in Edinburgh.
Soybean foods contain chemicals known as isoflavones that are similar in structure to oestrogen and so could theoretically protect women against osteoporosis by mimicking the action of oestrogen.
In this study, researchers from the University of Hull gave two hundred women in early menopause a daily supplement containing soy protein with 66mg of isoflavones or a supplement with soy protein alone for six months. The researchers investigated changes in the women’s bone activity by measuring certain proteins (βCTX and P1NP) in their blood.
They found that the women on the soy diet with isoflavones had significantly lower levels of βCTX than the women on soy alone, suggesting that their rate of bone loss was slowing down and lowering their risk of developing osteoporosis. Women taking soy protein with isoflavones were also found to have decreased risk of cardiovascular disease than those taking soy alone.
“The 66 mg of isoflavone that we use in this study is equivalent to eating an oriental diet, which is rich in soy foods. In contrast, we only get around 2-16 mg of isoflavone with the average western diet.”
“Supplementing our food with isoflavones could lead to a significant decrease in the number of women being diagnosed with osteoporosis.”
Study finds diet high in saturated fat can reprogram immune cells in mice Portland State University, November 7, 2022
A new study by Portland State University researchers is the first to show that eating a diet exclusively high in saturated fats can reprogram the mouse immune system, making it better able to fight off infection but more susceptible to systemic inflammatory conditions, including sepsis. Brooke Napier, assistant professor of biology at PSU, led the study, which was published in eLife.
The ketogenic or “keto” diet is a popular high-fat diet used for weight loss or to control epileptic seizures. This study shows that when mice eat a ketogenic diet that is high in saturated fats it can have a significant impact on their immune system.
A previous study by Napier and colleagues found that mice fed a high-fat, high-sugar Western diet were more susceptible to sepsis and had a higher mortality rate than mice fed a standard diet. In the current study, the researchers found similar effects in mice fed a high-fat ketogenic diet, suggesting that dietary fat may play a role in sepsis.
The researchers focused on one particular fat found in the blood of the mice fed a ketogenic diet: palmitic acid, which is commonly found in animal fats and dairy products. Remarkably, mice fed a normal diet who were injected with palmitic acid also became more susceptible to sepsis.
“It was just exposure to this one saturated fat that made them more susceptible to sepsis mortality,” says Napier. “The idea that you could have a specific fat in your diet that would cause such a drastic outcome in disease is kind of incredible.”
Napier and her team next probed just how exactly high levels of palmitic acid could initiate sepsis. Their first clue came when they noticed that mice fed the Western diet, mice fed the ketogenic diet, and mice treated with palmitic acid all had high levels of inflammatory cytokines, immunological hormones that can cause fever and systemic inflammation during sepsis.
The presence of the inflammatory cytokines suggested that palmitic acid could be affecting the immune system by causing inflammation, but Napier soon discovered that the story was more complicated—and more interesting—than that.
Napier and colleagues also found that another type of fat may be able to counteract the harmful effects of palmitic acid. Oleic acid, a polyunsaturated fat found in many plant-based oils including olive oil, can block the synthesis of ceramide, a fatty substance that can initiate a stress response in cells and may play a role in the hyperinflammatory response that causes sepsis. When the researchers fed mice a ketogenic diet for two weeks but also gave them oleic acid for the final three days, they no longer showed an increased susceptibility to sepsis.
Coenzyme Q10 consumption reverses cholesterol transport Sun Yat Sen University (Taiwan), October 31, 2022
According to news reporting out of Guangdong, People’s Republic of China, research stated, “We have recently shown that coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) enhances macrophage reverse cholesterol transport via activator protein-1/miRNA-378/ABCG1 signal pathway in vivo and in vitro. Whether CoQ10 exerts similar beneficial effects in human is currently unknown.”
Our news journalists obtained a quote from the research from Sun Yat Sen University, “The present study evaluated the effect of CoQ10 on ABCG1-mediated macrophage cholesterol efflux in 20 healthy volunteers. Participants were given 100 mg CoQ10 twice daily or placebo for 1 week with a 1-week washout period. Human monocyte-derived macrophages (MDMs) were differentiated under pooled sera obtained before (preCoQ10) or after CoQ10 (postCoQ10) consumption. The CoQ10-induced inhibition of MDMs foam cell formation was blocked by ABCG1 silencing in postCoQ10 MDMs incubated with postCoQ10 sera compared to preCoQ10 sera. The cholesterol efflux to HDL, and mRNA as well as protein expressions of ATP-binding cassette transporter G1 (ABCG1) were augmented in postCoQ10 MDMs incubated with postCoQ10 sera compared to preCoQ10 sera. The change in the serum CoQ10 concentration positively correlated with cholesterol efflux to HDL and ABCG1 mRNA level in the CoQ10 group. MDMs treated with purified CoQ10 had an enhanced cholesterol efflux to HDL.”
According to the news editors, the research concluded: “CoQ10 consumption may have an atheroprotective property by inducing ABCG1 expression and enhancing HDL-mediated macrophage cholesterol efflux in healthyindividuals.”
Study confirms that processed foods key to rising obesity University of Sydney (Australia), November 7, 2022
A year-long study of the dietary habits of 9,341 Australians has backed growing evidence that highly processed and refined foods are the leading contributor of rising obesity rates in the Western world.
“As people consume more junk foods or highly processed and refined foods, they dilute their dietary protein and increase their risk of being overweight and obese, which we know increases the risk of chronic disease,” said lead author Dr. Amanda Grech, a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the CPC and the university’s School of Life and Environmental Sciences.
“It’s increasingly clear that our bodies eat to satisfy a protein target,” added Professor David Raubenheimer, the Leonard Ullmann Chair in Nutritional Ecology at the School of Life and Environmental Sciences. “But the problem is that the food in Western diets has increasingly less protein. So, you have to consume more of it to reach your protein target, which effectively elevates your daily energy intake.
The University of Sydney scientists analyzed data from a cross-sectional survey of nutrition and physical activity in 9,341 adults, known as the National Nutrition and Physical Activity Survey with a mean age of 46.3 years. They found the population’s mean energy intake was 8,671 kilojoules (kJ), with the mean percentage of energy from protein being just 18.4 percent, compared with 43.5 percent from carbohydrates and from 30.9 percent from fat, and just 2.2 percent from fiber and 4.3 percent from alcohol.
They also found a statistically significant difference between groups by the third meal of the day: those with a higher proportion of energy from protein at the start of the day had much lower total energy intake for the day. Meanwhile, those who consumed foods low in protein at the start of the day proceeded to increase consumption, indicating they were seeking to compensate with a higher consumption of overall energy. This is despite the fact the first meal was the smallest for both groups, with the least amount of energy and food consumed, whereas the last meal was the largest.
Participants with a lower proportion of protein than recommended at the first meal consumed more discretionary foods—energy-dense foods high in saturated fats, sugars, salt, or alcohol—throughout the day, and less of the recommended five food groups (grains; vegetables/legumes; fruit; dairy and meats). Consequently, they had an overall poorer diet at each mealtime, with their percentage of protein energy decreasing even as their discretionary food intake rose—an effect the scientists call ‘protein dilution’.
While many factors contribute to excess weight gain—including eating patterns, physical activity levels, and sleep routines—the University of Sydney scientists argue the body’s powerful demand for protein, and its lack in highly processed and refined foods, is a key driver of energy overconsumption and obesity in the Western world.
Violence on TV: Effects from age 3 can stretch into the teen years University of Montreal, November 7, 2022
Watching violent TV during the preschool years can lead to later risks of psychological and academic impairment by the summer before middle school starts, according to a new study led by Linda Pagani, a professor at Université de Montréal’s School of Psycho-Education.
Before now, “it was unclear to what extent exposure to typical violent screen content in early childhood—a particularly critical time in brain development—can predict later psychological distress and academic risks,” said Pagani.
“The detection of early modifiable factors that influence a child’s later well-being is an important target for individual and community health initiatives, and psychological adjustment and academic motivation are essential elements in the successful transition to adolescence,” she added. “So, we wanted to see the long-term effect of typical violent screen exposure in preschoolers on normal development, based on several key indicators of youth adjustment at age 12.”
To do this, Pagani and her team examined the violent screen content that parents reported their children viewing between ages 3 1/2 and 4 1/2, and then conducted a follow-up when the children reached age 12.
“Compared to their same-sex peers who were not exposed to violent screen content, boys and girls who were exposed to typical violent content on television were more likely to experience subsequent increases in emotional distress,” said Pagani.
“They also experienced decreases in classroom engagement, academic achievement and academic motivation by the end of the sixth grade,” she added. “For youth, transition to middle school already represents a crucial stage in their development as adolescents. Feeling sadness and anxiety and being at risk academically tends to complicate their situation.”
In all, the parents of 978 girls and 998 boys participated in the study of violent TV viewing at the preschool age. At age 12 years, the children and their teachers rated the children’s psychosocial and academic achievement, motivation and participation in classroom activities.
“Preschool children tend to identify with characters on TV and treat everything they see as real,” Pagani said. “They are especially vulnerable to humorous depictions of glorified heroes and villains who use violence as a justified means to solve problems.
“Repeated exposure,” she added, “to rapidly paced, adrenaline-inducing action sequences and captivating special effects could reinforce beliefs, attitudes and impressions that habitual violence in social interactions is ‘normal.’ Mislearning essential social skills can make it difficult to fit in at school.”
Added Bernard, “Just like witnessing violence in real life, being repeatedly exposed to a hostile and violent world populated by sometimes grotesque-looking creatures could trigger fear and stress and lead these children to perceive society as dangerous and frightening. And this can lead to habitually overreacting in ambiguous social situations. In the preschool years, the number of hours in a day is limited, and the more children get exposed to aggressive interactions (on screens) the more they might think it normal to behave that way.”
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Study reveals the powerful pain-relieving properties of ashwagandha Nizam Institute of Medical Science (India), October 30, 2022
People experiencing knee joint pain and discomfort, particularly those with knee osteoarthritis, may find relief in an Ayurvedic medicine called ashwagandha(Withania somnifera). A study published in the Journal of Ayurveda and Integrative Medicine found that the root and leaf extracts of ashwagandha relieve knee pain and discomfort caused by osteoarthritis.
In the search for safe and effective natural pain relief treatments, researchers from Nizam’s Institute of Medical Sciences (NIMS) evaluated the efficacy and safety of the root and leaf extracts of ashwagandha in patients with knee joint pain and discomfort. Ashwagandha is known to contain analgesic, anti-inflammatory, and chondroprotective properties.
In the study, the researchers recruited 60 patients with knee joint pain and discomfort. These participants received placebo capsules, 125 milligrams (mg) of ashwagandha extract, or 250 mg of ashwagandha extract twice a day for 12 weeks.
The results revealed that participants who received doses of ashwagandha extracts experienced great reductions in pain, stiffness, and disability. Those who received the higher dose of ashwagandha, which was 250 mg, experienced even greater and faster effects than those who received the 125 mg dose. In addition, the ashwagandha treatment did not cause any side effect. Overall, both doses of ashwagandha extract caused significant reductions in pain, stiffness, and disability of patients in a dose-dependent manner without causing any side effect.Ashwagandha Root Supports Thyroid Hormone Levels
Sudbhawana Hospital (India), October 31, 2022
Eight weeks of supplementation with Ashwagandha root extract were associated with normalization of the thyroid stimulating hormones (TSH), serum thyroxine (T4) and serum triiodothyronine (T3) in people with elevated TSH levels.
“The results of the present study are in accordance with previous studies,” wrote the researchers in the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine. “The results indicate a possible role for ashwagandha in regulating HPT axis. The anti-stress and cortisol-lowering effect of ashwagandha may provide a suitable explanation for the current outcome.”
Ashwagandha has been used traditionally as an adaptogen to rejuvenate health, maintain homeostasis, sustain normal thyroid function and maintain hormonal balance in human body. However, very few modern published papers have reported ashwagandha’s beneficial effects on thyroid function. This is the first clinical study that supports the traditional claim of ashwagandha as a thyroid modulator.
The new double blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study involved 50 people with elevated TSH levels. So called subclinical hypothyroidism is described as a thyroid disorder with no obvious symptoms of thyroid deficiency. Participants were randomly assigned to receive either ashwagandha supplements (600mg daily) or placebo for eight weeks.
Results showed that ashwagandha significantly improved serum TSH, serum T4 and serum T3 levels, achieving change toward normalization of 19%, 45% and 21% respectively.
“The outcome of the present study highlights the beneficial role of ashwagandha root extract for normalizing thyroid hormone levels in subclinical hypothyroid patients; however, further studies are required to elucidate the underlying mechanisms of ashwagandha,” concluded the researchers.
Enzyme in Broccoli, Cucumbers and Avocados Reverses Aging In Cells
Washington University School of Medicine, October 31, 2022
Researchers have zeroed in on an enzyme — found in natural foods like broccoli and cucumbers — that can slow the chronic conditions that come with age.
Scientists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have shown that supplementing healthy mice with a natural compound called NMN can compensate for this loss of energy production, reducing typical signs of aging such as gradual weight gain, loss of insulin sensitivity and declines in physical activity.
The compound, called nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN), is involved in producing another compound that is critical for energy metabolism. When they gave normal aging mice infusions of NMN, they made more of that energy-fueling compound and some of the biological problems associated with aging went away. The NMN-treated animals did not gain as much weight, they were able to convert food into energy more efficiently, their blood sugar was better–even their eyesight improved. The mice receiving NMN were also able to prevent some of the genetic changes associated with aging.
“We have shown a way to slow the physiologic decline that we see in aging mice,” said Shin-ichiro Imai, MD, PhD, a professor of developmental biology and of medicine. “This means older mice have metabolism and energy levels resembling that of younger mice. Since human cells rely on this same energy production process, we are hopeful this will translate into a method to help people remain healthier as they age.”
With age, the body loses its capacity to make a key element of energy production called NAD (nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide). Past work by Imai and co-senior author Jun Yoshino, MD, PhD, an assistant professor of medicine, has shown that NAD levels decrease in multiple tissues as mice age. Past research also has shown that NAD is not effective when given directly to mice so the researchers sought an indirect method to boost its levels. To do so, they only had to look one step earlier in the NAD supply chain to the NMN compound.
“It’s clear that in humans and in rodents, we lose energy with age,” says Imai. “We are losing the enzyme NMN. But if we can bypass that process by adding NMN, we can make energy again. These results provide a very important foundation for the human studies.”
“Even though NAD synthesis was stopped only in the fat tissue, we saw metabolic dysfunction throughout the body, including the skeletal muscle, the heart muscle, the liver and in measures of the blood lipids,” Yoshino said. “When we gave NMN to these mice, these dysfunctions were reversed. That means NAD in adipose tissue is a critical regulator of whole body metabolism.”
Meta-analysis of the efficacy of acupuncture in the treatment of the vascular cognitive impairment associated with cerebral small vessel disease Guangzhou Medical University (China), November 5, 2022
To systematically evaluate the efficacy and safety of acupuncture in the treatment of the vascular cognitive impairment (VCI) associated with cerebral small vessel disease (CSVD–VCI) and to provide a theoretical basis for clinical acupuncture treatment for CSVD–VCI. Ten articles on RCTs were included, involving 761 patients, i.e., 381 in the acupuncture group and 380 in the control group. The meta-analysis results indicated that the use of acupuncture alone and acupuncture alongside other therapies for CSVD–VCI could improve the overall clinical response rate, increase the patients’ Montreal Cognitive Assessment scores, and activities of daily living scores. Conclusion: Acupuncture alone and acupuncture alongside other therapies are superior to non-acupuncture-based therapies in the treatment of CSVD–VCI. However, due to the small number of relevant available articles and their general low quality, this conclusion may be biased. More clinical RCTs with a larger sample size and higher quality are needed to support this theory. Kids with vitamin D deficiency more likely to develop asthma: 10-year study
Telethon Kids Institute (Australia), November 1, 2022
The findings, published in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, showed repeated bouts of vitamin D deficiency in early childhood were linked to higher rates of asthma at aged 10, as well as allergy and eczema.
The study also found that allergic immune responses were more common in children with low vitamin D in the first few years, while children with vitamin D deficiency at 6 months of age were more likely to experience two conditions previously associated with heightened asthma risk: increased colonisation of the upper airways by harmful bacteria and increased susceptibility to severe lower respiratory infections involving fever.
“We know vitamin D plays an important role in regulating the immune system and promoting healthy lung development…But while it has been suggested that inadequate vitamin D may be a factor contributing to the surge in asthma rates over recent decades, previous studies investigating the relationship have yielded conflicting results. There has been a lack of research looking at whether vitamin D deficiency is more detrimental at certain periods in childhood.”
The study tracked vitamin D levels from birth to asthma onset, and it had shown a clear link between prolonged vitamin D deficiency in early childhood and the development of asthma. The paper states that the children were assessed at birth and at clinical follow-ups at the ages of 0.5, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 10 years, and relationships with clinical outcomes were examined.
“Vitamin D deficiency in early childhood is associated with increased risk for persistent asthma, potentially through modulating susceptibility to early allergic sensitization, upper respiratory tract colonization with bacterial pathogens, or both. These relationships are only evident if vitamin D status is monitored prospectively and longitudinally,” the study concluded.
“Australia is one of the few developed countries that does not fortify its food supply with Vitamin D and therefore it may not be a coincidence that we have the highest rates of allergic disease, including food allergies, in the developed world. We believe that Vitamin D supplementation trials in infancy are essential to answer this important public health question,” she said.
Boost Memory, Regenerate Neurons with This Ancient Plant GreenMedInfo, November 1st 2022
Considering the fact that gingko biloba is the oldest known tree in existence (deemed for this reason a “living fossil“), isn’t it poetic how this plant has also been used to promote long life as both a food and medicine in traditional cultures as well?
A 2006 paper published in the European Journal of Neurology described a 24-week randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind study showing an extract of this plant was as clinically effective as the blockbuster donepezil for mild-to-moderate Alzheimer’s disease
You will find gingko has been studied to have value in over 100 different diseases, and has been identified to have at least 50 distinct beneficial physiological actions. Isn’t this amazing?
It has been known that gingko can stimulate brain-derived neutrophic factor (BDNF), a protein found in the brain and in the peripheral nervous system which is essential in the regulation, growth and survival of brain cells, and which is especially important for long-term memory. The ability to increase BDNF, therefore, implies it will improve brain and cognitive function.
Only recently a new mechanism behind gingko biloba’s brain and neurological tissue healing properties been revealed in the publication of an article in Cell and Molecular Neurobiology titled, “Ginkgo Biloba Extract Enhances Differentiation and Performance of Neural Stem Cells in Mouse Cochlea.”
In the new study researchers tested the premise that ginkgo biloba’s wide range of benefits in the treatment of neural damage and disorders is due, in part, to its ability to positively modulate neural stem cells (NSC), a subpopulation of cells within the brain that as multipotent cells are capable of generating the many different types (phenotypes) of cells that make up the brain. Their results, using mouse cochlea-derived neural stem cells, showed a number of ways that gingko biloba exact (GBE) resulted in a beneficial effect:
“Our data showed that GBE treatment promotes cell survival and NSC proliferation. In addition, GBE treatment also increases NSC differentiation to neurons and enhances the performance of mature neural networks evident by the increased frequency of calcium oscillation. Moreover, neurite outgrowth is also dramatically increased upon GBE treatment. Overall, our study demonstrates the positive regulatory role of GBE in NSC proliferation and differentiation into functional neurons in vitro, supporting the potential therapeutic use of GBE in hearing loss recovery.”
It is noted that neural stem cell stimulation and subsequent brain repair has also been observed in preclinical research with a little known component of turmeric known as ar-turmerone, which is found in whole turmeric but not in the increasingly popular 95% standardized curcumin extracts of turmeric.
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Dietary supplement found to improve concentration levels University of Granada, November 3, 2022
The research group from the University of Granada (UGR) has tested the effects of a multi-ingredient dietary nootropic on concentration levels and cognitive performance. Nootropics are cognitive enhancers that have traditionally been used in the treatment of cognitive pathologies.
Leading this study was Lucas Jurado Fasoli—a researcher from the Scientific Unit of Excellence in Exercise, Nutrition and Health (UCEENS) at the Sport and Health Joint University Institute (iMUDS). He explains that, traditionally, nootropics have been drugs, with their corresponding side-effects.
“To address the issue of potential side-effects, different dietary nootropics have emerged as an alternative way to enhance cognitive performance. And these, as is the case in this study, are used by healthy individuals in activities such as preparing for competitive exams or video-game competitions,” explains Jurado Fasoli.
The results of the study showed that the acute intake of this multi-ingredient nootropic decreases the response time across different cognitive tests: in processing speed, inhibitory control, working memory, and cognitive flexibility. It also increases accuracy in tests involving processing speed, inhibitory control, and cognitive flexibility. The supplement contains L-tyrosine, acetyl L-carnitine, sodium citicoline, alpha-GPC, taurine, caffeine, mango leaf extract and huperzia serrata leaf.
These results were accompanied by an increase in positive emotions and a decrease in negative emotions and depression. And, importantly, the favorable effects of this nootropic did not appear to have any effect on the heart-rate of participants.
Previous studies have shown that supplementation with the combination of caffeine and taurine, L-theanine, tyrosine, and mango leaves extract can improve the RT in different cognitive and computerized tests. In this study, we showed that a dietary multi-ingredient nootropic improves the processing speed of information in young healthy adults. This effect could be due to the synergic effects of different dietary ingredients included in the nootropic. Also, it could be partially explained by the central nervous system activation and alertness enhancement effect of caffeine, which could increase the processing speed and decrease the RT. The inclusion of L-theanine as a dietary ingredient in the nootropic counteracts the potential effects derived from a high dose of caffeine on anxiety, psychological stress, blood pressure, and HR, which completely agrees with our results.
A sample comprising 26 young adults (50:50 male/female, with an average age of 25) participated in the study. They were required to undertake various cognitive tests twice, separated by 48 hours, having ingested either the multi-ingredient dietary nootropic or a placebo (randomized and triple-blinded across the sample).
Thirty minutes after ingestion, measurements were taken of processing speed, inhibitory control, working memory, cognitive flexibility, creativity, and verbal fluency. Different emotions were also evaluated and the participants’ heart-rate was recorded while they undertook the tests.
Consuming more magnesium associated with lower risk of mortality during years following heart attack Wageningen University and Research (Netherlands), October 31, 2022
A study of people with a history of heart attack found that those who consumed more magnesium lived longer than those whose intake was low. Having a high magnesium intake, defined as greater than 320 milligrams (mg) per day, was associated with a 28% lower risk of dying from cardiovascular disease and a 22% lower risk of death from any cause compared to a low intake, defined as less than 283 mg per day.
The protective effect of magnesium was even stronger in patients who were being treated with diuretic drugs. In this group, the risk of mortality from cardiovascular disease was 45% lower among those with high magnesium compared to those with low magnesium.
“Little is known about magnesium intake and long-term mortality risk in cardiovascular disease patients,” authors Ilse Evers and colleagues noted. “Magnesium requirements may be different in cardiovascular disease patients because of alterations in the cardiovascular system, comorbidities and/or medication use.”
The study included 4,365 participants in the Alpha Omega Cohort, an ongoing follow-up of participants in the earlier 40-month Alpha Omega Trial. The Alpha Omega Trial included men and women between the ages of 60 and 80 years who had experienced a heart attack within 10 years prior to enrolling between 2002 and 2006. Dietary questionnaire responses obtained at enrollment provided information concerning magnesium intake from food and non-food sources. Mortality was ascertained through 2018. The findings were published in Frontiers in Cardiovascular Medicine.
Calorie restriction promotes longevity through effects on mitochondrial network Harvard School of Public Health, October 27 2022.
Research reported in Cell Metabolism helps explain the effects of calorie restriction and activation of AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK, an energy-sensing protein) on longevity. Harvard researchers have determined that AMPK and calorie restriction promote homeostasis and plasticity of networks formed by the cells’ power plants known as mitochondria.
Mitochondria networks change shape according to energy demand, however, this ability declines with age. “Dynamic remodeling of mitochondrial networks by fusion and fission promotes maintenance of cellular homeostasis,” explain Heather J. Weir and colleagues at the Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health. “Dysregulation of mitochondrial dynamics and aberrant mitochondrial morphology are hallmarks of aging and are thought to contribute to the pathology of numerous age-related pathologies including Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease.”
By restricting calories in the diet of roundworms or using a strain of roundworm in which an AMPK subunit is activated, the researchers found that the roundworms maintained a youthful fused mitochondrial network shape with age. The youthful networks lengthen life by communicating with peroxisomes within the cells to alter fat metabolism.
“Low-energy conditions such as dietary restriction and intermittent fasting have previously been shown to promote healthy aging,” Dr Weir commented.
“Our work shows how crucial the plasticity of mitochondria networks is for the benefits of fasting. If we lock mitochondria in one state, we completely block the effects of fasting or dietary restriction on longevity.”
Electroacupuncture found to ease nausea and vomiting in ICU patients recovering from chemotherapy Narbonne Hospital (France), October 28, 2022
Refractory vomiting is just one of many complications endured by patients confined to intensive care units (ICU) due to chemotherapy and other major medical treatments. But relief may be coming in the form of transcutaneous electroacupuncture (TEA) therapy that can alleviate the worst symptoms of persistent vomiting.
Earlier studies have shown that TEA can reduce episodes of nausea and vomiting attributed to chemotherapy treatments, recently concluded medical operations, and pregnancy. It is growing popular as an alternative to anti-emetic medication.
The TEA treatment consisted of two electrodes attached on either side of the Neiguan (PC 6) pressure point, also known as the pericardium meridian. The researchers employed a standard neuromuscular transmission monitor to stimulate the acupuncture point for 30 minutes.
The overall incidence of nausea or vomiting within the first 24 hours after TEA was 50 percent. After the 24-hour mark, 30 percent of the patients perceived nausea, and 20 percent experienced vomiting.
Ninety percent of patients reported suppression of nausea/vomiting immediately after undergoing TEA. During a six-hour period after TEA, 60 percent of patients did not sense nausea or experience vomiting.
Between six to 24 hours after TEA, 60 percent of patients remained free from nausea or vomiting episodes. Two patients who experienced nausea were given a second TEA session that remedied all symptoms.TEA itself was free from any complication and side effects.
The Mindfulness Skill That Is Crucial for Stress A new study suggests that practicing acceptance helps reduce our stress more than simple mindful awareness. Carnegie Mellon University, October 28, 2022
In this study, researchers randomly assigned 137 stressed adults of various ages and ethnicities to one of three programs: an eight-week Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) course, where they learned to mindfully pay attention to their present-moment experiences in an accepting, nonjudgmental way; an MBSR course without instructions on acceptance; or no course. The courses included many lessons—for example, how to pay attention to your breath and your body sensations, and how to eat food or take a walk mindfully—as well as practice time outside of class. Before, during, and afterwards, participants reported five times daily about how stressed they felt in the moment and whether they’d experienced a stressful event since their last report.In response to stress, many people today are turning to meditation or mindfulness apps (myself included). But not all mindfulness practice is equally effective for combating stress, a new study suggests. It’s possible that some of our practices may be missing a vital ingredient: acceptance.
Though all of the groups experienced less stress and fewer incidents of feeling stressed over time, the people who took the full MBSR course had a significantly steeper improvement than the other two groups.
“Learning how to accept your present-moment experience is really important for reducing stress,” says Emily Lindsay, one of the study’s coauthors. “It seems to be a key element of mindfulness training.”
Mindfulness practices that specifically emphasize acceptance teach us a nonjudgmental attitude toward our experiences—meaning, learning not to label our thoughts, feelings, or experiences as good or bad, and trying not to change or resist them in any way. While many mindfulness courses include instructions in acceptance as par for the course, those that don’t may not be as effective.
People who learn to accept and not just notice their experiences become less prone to mind-wandering, which has been tied to well-being, and less reactive to stress—meaning, they show reductions in systolic blood pressure, the stress hormone cortisol, and feelings of stress in a stressful situation. Her recent study adds to these results by monitoring participants daily, helping to show that acceptance makes a difference in everyday life situations and not just in the laboratory.
Accepting stress helps people to stop focusing only on what’s wrong and to notice other feelings, sensations, and thoughts occurring at the same time, enabling them to see the “bigger picture.”
Acceptance is not about acquiescing to your fate, though —like getting a diagnosis of a terminal illness and just accepting that you’re going to die. That kind of “acceptance” leads to worse outcomes. Nor is it about accepting poor treatment from other people. It’s more about accepting your internal experience—your thoughts and feelings—which informs you about how to respond to your external circumstances in a wiser way. For example, if you feel angry and accept your anger in the moment, it may prevent you from lashing out at someone and help you see that your feelings aren’t their fault
Eat more trifoliate oranges to keep your prostate healthy Korean Institute of Oriental Medicine, October 26, 2022
Compared to younger individuals, older men are at a higher risk of developing benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) or an enlarged prostate. A study published in the journal BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine reveals a compelling reason for men to eat trifoliate oranges, as extracts from the fruit were proven effective in preventing the onset of BPH and cease its progression.
The trifoliate orange (Poncirus trifoliata), also known as the hardy orange, is a citrus fruit native to China. It is grown in parts of the US and Europe for use in jellies, marmalades, and jams despite its notoriously bitter taste. It has been used as an ingredient in Traditional Chinese Medicine since ancient times, and current studies have shown its importance in maintaining prostate health.
As the word “benign” in its name implies, BPH is relatively harmless. In fact, some consider it a normal part of the aging process among males. It can, however, be extremely inconvenient as its symptoms can make the vital act of urinating difficult. It can also cause a constant feeling of needing to pee even at night; in most cases, sufferers may find themselves unable to sleep properly because of this particular symptom.
The researchers in the aforementioned looked at the trifoliate orange as a possible treatment for BPH. In particular, the study investigated the extract from Ponciri Fructus (PFE), the young fruit of the trifoliate orange, and its protective effects on the development of the BPH.
In the study, the researchers induced BPH in a rat model by injecting testosterone propionate (TP) and corn oil every day for four weeks. PFE was administered via oral gavage at a dose level of 200 mg/kg, one hour before these injections over the same duration.
At the end of the study, the rats were sacrificed and examined for markers of BPH. Specifically, the researchers took note of relative prostate weight, the levels of testosterone and dihydrotestosterone (DHT), common factors influencing the development of BPH.
At the end of the study, the researchers noticed reductions in relative prostate weight, the level of testosterone and DHT in serum and prostatic tissue, prostatic hyperplasia, and the expression of PCNA. They also noted higher levels of antioxidant enzymes.
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Green tea and resveratrol reduce Alzheimer’s plaques in lab tests Tufts University, November 2, 2022
Tufts researchers are working to understand what might slow progression of Alzheimer’s disease. They have tested 21 different compounds in Alzheimer’s-afflicted neural cells in the lab, measuring the compounds’ effect on the growth of sticky beta amyloid plaques. These plaques develop in the brains of people with Alzheimer’s.
The researchers found that two common compounds—green tea catechins and resveratrol, found in red wine and other foods—reduced the formation of plaques in those neural cells. And they did so with few or no side effects. The researchers reported their findings in the journal Free Radical Biology and Medicine.
Some of the 21 compounds tested reduced the disease progression by acting as anti-viral agents—slowing Alzheimer’s induced by the herpes virus. But finding a compound “that could diminish the plaques regardless of the virus component would be ideal, because that would show that regardless of the cause of Alzheimer’s, you might still see some kind of improvement,” says Dana Cairns, GBS12. Cairns is a research associate in the Kaplan Lab in the School of Engineering and led the research.
The initial screen found five compounds had “really robust prevention of these plaques,” she says. In addition to the green tea compounds and resveratrol, they found curcumin from turmeric, the diabetic medication Metformin, and a compound called citicoline prevented plaques from forming and did not have anti-viral effects.
“We hoped to find compounds that would be harmless and show some level of efficacy,” she said. Green tea compounds and resveratrol met that standard. “We got lucky that some of these showed some pretty strong efficacy,” Cairns said. “In the case of these compounds that passed the screening, they had virtually no plaques visible after about a week.”
The discovery is significant because there is no cure for Alzheimer’s or a way to prevent its progression, aside from several potential drugs developed by pharmaceutical companies that are still in trials, Cairns says. Compounds like these two that show some efficacy and are known to be safe and easily accessible could be taken as a supplement or consumed as part of one’s diet, she adds.
High fiber, yogurt diet associated with lower lung cancer risk Vanderbilt University Medical School, October 28, 2022
A diet high in fiber and yogurt is associated with a reduced risk for lung cancer, according to a study by Vanderbilt University Medical Center researchers published in JAMA Oncology.
The benefits of a diet high in fiber and yogurt have already been established for cardiovascular disease and gastrointestinal cancer. The new findings based on an analysis of data from studies involving 1.4 million adults in the United States, Europe and Asia suggest this diet may also protect against lung cancer.
Participants were divided into five groups, according to the amount of fiber and yogurt they consumed. Those with the highest yogurt and fiber consumption had a 33% reduced lung cancer risk as compared to the group who did not consume yogurt and consumed the least amount of fiber.
“This inverse association was robust, consistently seen across current, past and never smokers, as well as men, women and individuals with different backgrounds,” she added. Shu said the health benefits may be rooted in their prebiotic (nondigestible food that promotes growth of beneficial microorganisms in the intestines) and probiotic properties. The properties may independently or synergistically modulate gut microbiota in a beneficial way.
Yoga Practice Beneficial to Patients With COPD
All India Institute of Medical Sciences Oct. 28, 2022
Patients with COPD who practice yoga can improve their lung function, according to a study by researchers at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Department of Pulmonary Medicine and Sleep Disorders. The study found that lung function, shortness of breath, and inflammation all showed significant improvement after patients completed 12 weeks of training.
An estimated 24 million Americans may have COPD, which includes chronic bronchitis, emphysema, or both. Patients with COPD have trouble pushing used air out of their lungs, making it difficult to take in healthy new air. Although there is no cure for COPD, a patient’s quality of life can be improved by controlling symptoms, such as shortness of breath.
The study included 29 stable patients with COPD who received yoga training in a format that included the use of physical postures (asanas), breathing techniques (pranayama), cleansing techniques, (kriyas), meditation, and a relaxation technique (shavasan) for 1 hour, twice a week, for 4 weeks. Following the 4-week period, patients were trained for 1 hour every 2 weeks, with the remaining sessions completed at home. Patients were evaluated on assessment of lung function, breathing, quality of life, and inflammation status. A repeat assessment was done at the end of the 12-week training session. All parameters showed significant improvement at the end of the 12-week period.
“We found that yoga can be a simple, cost-effective method that can help improve quality of life in patients with COPD,” stated Dr. Guleria.
Iron proposed as cause of heart failure in many heart attack patients Indiana University School of Medicine, November 2 2022.
A study published in Nature Communications revealed the discovery of a cause for chronic heart failure that occurs in approximately half of the people who experience a heart attack.
“For the first time, we have identified a root cause of chronic heart failure following a heart attack,” lead researcher Rohan Dharmakumar of Indiana University School of Medicine’s Cardiovascular Institute announced.
Using large animal models, the research team found that in heart attacks in which bleeding within the heart muscle occurs upon restoration of circulation, scar tissue is gradually replaced by fat. The inability of fat to effectively propel blood from the heart can lead to heart failure in survivors of this type of heart attack. “Using noninvasive imaging, histology and molecular biology techniques, and various other technologies, we have shown that iron from red blood cells is what drives this process,” Dr Dharmakumar reported. “When we removed the iron, we reduced the amount of fat in the heart muscle. This finding establishes a pathway for clinical investigations to remedy or mitigate the effects associated with iron in hemorrhagic myocardial infarction patients.”
The finding led to a clinical trial to determine the effect of iron chelation therapy to remove excess iron in patients with hemorrhagic heart attack.
“While advances across populations have made survival after a heart attack possible for most, too many survivors suffer long-term complications like heart failure,” Indiana University’s Cardiovascular Institute physician director Subha Raman, MD noted. “Dr Dharmakumar’s breakthrough science illuminates who is at risk and why and points to an effective way to prevent these complications.”
DHEA supplementation associated with improved sexual function in women Center for Human Reproduction (New York), October 6, 2022 A report published in the journal Endocrine revealed improvements in sexual function among older premenopausal women who supplemented with the hormone dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA).
In their introduction to the article, authors Vitaly A. Kushnir of the Center for Human Reproduction in New York and colleagues describe their use of DHEA in the treatment of infertile women who had low levels of androgen hormones. “In the process of treating thousands of so-affected infertile women, we noticed that many spontaneously reported improvements in libido, sexual desire and, sometimes, even pain status, leading to the paradoxical situation of women refusing to discontinue DHEA supplementation once they conceived,” they remarked. “When we, in a review of the literature, were unable to find a study that investigated the effectiveness of DHEA on female sexuality in older premenopausal women, this study was developed.”
The study included 50 infertile premenopausal women whose age averaged 41 years. The participants supplemented with oral DHEA for a minimum of six weeks prior to starting any other fertility treatments.
Serum androgen hormone levels, including DHEA and testosterone, were shown to increase following DHEA supplementation. In comparison with pretreatment scores, FSFI index scores improved by 7%, including a 17% increase in desire, a 12% increase in arousal, and an 8% increase in lubrication. However, among women whose scores were among the lowest 25% of the group, total FSFI scores increased by 34%, which included a 40% increase in desire, a 46% increase in arousal, and a 33% increase in lubrication. Women in this group also experienced a 54% increase in orgasm, greater satisfaction, and less pain in comparison with pretreatment values.
Trauma during childhood triples the risk of suffering a serious mental disorder in adulthood, study finds Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute (Spain), November 2, 2022
A study led by researchers at the Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute links psychological trauma in childhood with an increased risk of developing some kind of mental disorder years later.
Suffering psychological trauma during childhood significantly increases the risk of developing a mental disorder in adulthood. Specifically, as much as three times, according to a recent study, published in the journal European Archives of Psychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience. The study analyses the fourteen reviews and meta-analyses published to date in specialized journals on this issue, and is the first to take into account the full range of existing mental disorders.
In total, the studies analyzed incorporate more than 93,000 cases, revealing a direct link between suffering psychological trauma at a pediatric age and the risk of developing a mental pathology later in life. “It is the strongest evidence to date that psychological trauma really is a risk factor for suffering a mental disorder later on,” says Dr. Benedikt Amann, lead author of the study
The most common childhood traumas are emotional, physical and sexual abuse, as well as emotional or physical neglect and bullying, although there are many others. Suffering one of these situations damages the brain, causing physical as well as psychological consequences in the form of various disorders. In the case of emotional abuse, the most frequent trauma is associated with the most prevalent disorder in the population, that of anxiety. But there is also a relationship between childhood trauma and other pathologies, such as psychosis, which is linked to all traumas, obsessive-compulsive disorder or bipolar disorder. The risk of suffering from borderline personality disorder increases up to fifteen times in the case of having experienced trauma during childhood.
Trauma in adulthood is also associated with a four-fold increase in the risk of a later mental disorder. The researchers point out, however, that there is less evidence for this type of pathology.
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Pycnogenol, gotu kola supplementation associated with decreased progression of atherosclerosis D’Annunzio University (Italy), October 23, 2022
The results of studies published in Minerva Cardioangiologica suggest a benefit for supplementation with extracts of pine bark and the herb gotu kola in atherosclerosis.
In one study, participants with arterial wall atherosclerotic lesions and intima-media thickening (thickening of the artery walls’ innermost layers) received standard management, standard management plus aspirin, or standard management, aspirin and Pycnogenol® pine bark extract plus gotu kola extract daily for three years, after which atherosclerotic lesion progression, carotid artery intima-media thickness and oxidative stress were assessed.
At the end of the trial, 5.3% of those who received Pycnogenol and gotu kola had experienced atherosclerotic lesion progression in comparison with over 20% of the remainder of the participants. Cardiovascular events that required hospital admission were less than 4% in the supplemented group compared to over 12% in the rest of the subjects. Carotid artery intima thickness and oxidative stress were also lower in association with supplementation.
In the second study, 90 men with coronary artery calcifications received standard management alone, standard management and daily Pycnogenol, or standard management with daily Pycnogenol plus gotu kola. All participants received daily aspirin. Calcification was assessed at the beginning of the study and after one year.
While Pycnogenol plus standard management was more effective than standard management alone, men who received Pycnogenol plus gotu kola experienced a 10% decline in the number of calcifications by the end of the study, in contrast with a 34.9% increase in the standard management group. “This indicates that supplementation with the combined supplements blocks the increase in calcified areas and, possibly, in time may decrease the number of calcified spots,” Shu Hu and colleagues write.
Effects of pistachios on cardiovascular disease risk factors and potential mechanisms of action: a dose-response study. Pennsylvania State University, October 22, 2022 Nut consumption lowers cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk. Studies are lacking about the effects of pistachios, a nutrient-dense nut, on CVD risk factors, dose-response relations, and lipid-lowering mechanisms.
We evaluated the effects of 2 doses of pistachios, added to a lower-fat diet, on lipids and lipoproteins, apolipoprotein (apo)-defined lipoprotein subclasses, and plasma fatty acids. To investigate the mechanisms of action, we measured cholesteryl ester transfer protein and indexes of plasma stearoyl-CoA desaturase activity (SCD).
In a randomized crossover controlled-feeding study, 28 individuals with LDL cholesterol > or = 2.86 mmol/L consumed 3 isoenergetic diets for 4 wk each. Baseline measures were assessed after 2 wk of a typical Western diet. The experimental diets included a lower-fat control diet with no pistachios [25% total fat; 8% saturated fatty acids (SFAs), 9% monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs), and 5% polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs)], 1 serving/d of a pistachio diet (1 PD; 10% of energy from pistachios; 30% total fat; 8% SFAs, 12% MUFAs, and 6% PUFAs), and 2 servings/d of a pistachio diet (2 PD; 20% of energy from pistachios; 34% total fat; 8% SFAs, 15% MUFAs, and 8% PUFAs).
Inclusion of pistachios in a healthy diet beneficially affects CVD risk factors in a dose-dependent manner, which may reflect effects on SCD.
Poor quality sleep may be linked to heightened risk of glaucoma, irreversible sight loss Sichuan University (China), November 1, 2022
Poor quality sleep, including too much or too little shuteye, daytime sleepiness, and snoring, may be linked to a heightened risk of developing irreversible sight loss (glaucoma), suggests a large UK Biobank study published in the open access journal BMJ Open.
The findings underscore the need for sleep therapy in people at high risk of the disease as well as eye checks among those with chronic sleep disorders to check for early signs of glaucoma, conclude the researchers.
While population screening may not be cost-effective, targeted screening of high-risk groups might be, suggest the researchers. And previously published research suggests that sleep disorders may be an important risk factor.
To explore these issues further, the researchers set out to ascertain the risk of glaucoma among people with different sleep behaviors: insomnia; too much or too little sleep; night or morning chronotypes (“owls” or “larks”); daytime sleepiness; and snoring.
They drew on 409,053 participants in the UK Biobank, all of whom were aged between 40 and 69, and who had provided details of their sleep behaviors.
Sleep duration of 7 to less than 9 hours per day was defined as normal, and as too little or too much outside this range. Chronotype was defined according to whether the person described themselves as more of a morning lark or night owl.
During an average monitoring period of just over 10.5 years, 8690 cases of glaucoma were identified.
Those with glaucoma tended to be older and were more likely to be male, chronic smokers, and to have high blood pressure or diabetes than those who weren’t diagnosed with the disease.
Short or long sleep duration was associated with a heightened risk of 8%; insomnia, 12%; snoring, 4%; and frequent daytime sleepiness, 20%.
Compared to those with a healthy sleep pattern, snorers and those who experienced daytime sleepiness were 10% more likely to have glaucoma, while insomniacs and those with a short/long sleep duration pattern were 13% more likely to have it.
Could a Japanese mushroom extract eradicate HPV?
University of Texas Health Science Center October 29, 2022
A study by researchers from The University of Texas Health Science Center suggests that an extract from a Japanese mushroom has potential to eradicate human papillomavirus – the leading cause of cervical cancer.
HPV is also accountable for around 95% of anal cancers, 65% of vaginal cancers, 60% of oropharyngeal cancers, 50% of vulvar cancers and 35% of penile cancers. .
As such, the team set out to assess the effects of active hexose correlated compound (AHCC) against HPV. AHCC is a substance produced by the shiitake mushroom, also called the Japanese mushroom, native to Asia.
AHCC is already available as a nutritional supplement, hailed for its immune-boosting properties. Previous studies, however, have suggested that the compound may improve the growth and function of cells that ward off infections and prevent tumor growth.
To reach their findings, Smith and colleagues enrolled 10 women to their study who had tested positive for HPV infection. Once a day for up to 6 months, each woman took an oral formulation of AHCC.
Five of these women tested negative for HPV infection after 3 months of AHCC use. Among three of the participants, it was confirmed that HPV had been completely eradicated after AHCC use had ceased. The remaining two women needed to take AHCC for the full 6 months to see results.
The team’s findings are “very encouraging,” according to Smith. “We were able to determine that at least 3 months of treatment is necessary, but some need to extend that to 6 months,” she says, adding:
“Since AHCC is a nutritional supplement with no side effects and other immune-modulating benefits, we will be planning on using 6 months of treatment in our phase 2 clinical study to have a consistent study treatment plan. This confirms our earlier preclinical research.”
Research suggests higher testosterone reference range for young men University of Michigan, October 31 2022.
In an article appearing in the Journal of Urology, Alex Zhu , of University of Michigan and his associates asserted that the standard cutoff for testosterone deficiency of 300 nanograms per deciliter (ng/dL) is too low for men younger than 45 years of age. The study is “the first evaluation of normative, population-based testosterone levels for young men in the United States,” according to Dr Zhu and colleagues.
“There is an age-related decline in male testosterone production,” they wrote. “It is therefore surprising that young men are evaluated for testosterone deficiency with the same cutoff of 300 ng/dL that was developed from samples of older men.”
The investigation included 1,486 men between the ages of 20 to 44 years who participated in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (NHANES) of United States residents. Men who were receiving hormone replacement therapy were excluded from the study. The men’s testosterone levels were evaluated according to 5-year age groups. Testosterone levels that fell in the middle one-third of each group were categorized as normal.
For every 1-year increase in age, a 4.3 ng/dL decline in testosterone was observed. Normal levels of testosterone for men aged 20 to 24 years were categorized as 409-558 ng/dL, for those 25-29 as 413-575 ng/dL, for men 30 to 34 as 359-498 ng/dL, for 35-39-year-olds as 352-478 ng/dL and for 40 to 44-year-olds as 350-473 ng/dL. This resulted in age-specific cutoffs for low testosterone levels of 409, 413, 359, 352 and 350 ng/dL for each age group.
“Young men have different testosterone reference ranges than older men,” Dr Zhu, remarked. “Our findings suggest we should be using age-specific cutoffs when assessing testosterone levels in younger men.”
Why 80% of Us Are Deficient In Magnesium Dr Mark Sircus, October 31st 2022
Magnesium deficiency is often misdiagnosed because it does not show up in blood tests – only 1% of the body’s magnesium is stored in the blood
Most doctors and laboratories don’t even include magnesium status in routine blood tests. Thus, most doctors don’t know when their patients are deficient in magnesium, even though studies show that the majority of Americans are deficient in magnesium.
Consider Dr. Norman Shealy’s statements, “Every known illness is associated with a magnesium deficiency” and that, “magnesium is the most critical mineral required for electrical stability of every cell in the body. A magnesium deficiency may be responsible for more diseases than any other nutrient.”
Few people are aware of the enormous role magnesium plays in our bodies. Magnesium is by far the most important mineral in the body. After oxygen, water, and basic food, magnesium may be the most important element needed by our bodies; vitally important, yet hardly known. It is more important than calcium, potassium or sodium and regulates all three of them. Millions suffer daily from magnesium deficiency without even knowing it
Symptoms of Magnesium Deficiency
The first symptoms of deficiency can be subtle – as most magnesium is stored in the tissues, leg cramps, foot pain, or muscle ‘twitches’ can be the first sign. Other early signs of deficiency include loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, fatigue, and weakness. As magnesium deficiency worsens, numbness, tingling, seizures, personality changes, abnormal heart rhythms, and coronary spasms can occur.
Symptoms involving impaired contraction of smooth muscles include constipation; urinary spasms; menstrual cramps; difficulty swallowing or a lump in the throat-especially provoked by eating sugar; photophobia, especially difficulty adjusting to oncoming bright headlights in the absence of eye disease; and loud noise sensitivity from stapedius muscle tension in the ear.
Continuing with the symptoms of magnesium deficiency, the central nervous system is markedly affected. Symptoms include insomnia, anxiety, hyperactivity and restlessness with constant movement, panic attacks, agoraphobia, and premenstrual irritability.
“Symptoms or signs of the cardiovascular system include palpitations, heart arrhythmias, and angina due to spasms of the coronary arteries, high blood pressure and mitral valve prolapse. Be aware that not all of the symptoms need to be present to presume magnesium deficiency; but, many of them often occur together.
One of the principle reason doctors write millions of prescriptions for tranquilizers each year is the nervousness, irritability, and jitters largely brought on by inadequate diets lacking magnesium. Persons only slightly deficient in magnesium become irritable, highly-strung, and sensitive to noise, hyper-excitable, apprehensive and belligerent.
If magnesium is severely deficient, the brain is particularly affected. Clouded thinking, confusion, disorientation, marked depression and even the terrifying hallucinations of delirium tremens are largely brought on by a lack of this nutrient and remedied when magnesium is given.
Another good list of early warning symptoms suggestive of magnesium insufficiency:
Physical and mental fatigue Persistent under-eye twitch Tension in the upper back, shoulders and neck Headaches Pre-menstrual fluid retention and/or breast tenderness Possible manifestations of magnesium deficiency include:
Low energy Fatigue Weakness Confusion Nervousness Anxiousness Irritability Seizures (and tantrums) Poor digestion PMS and hormonal imbalances Inability to sleep Muscle tension, spasm and cramps Calcification of organs Weakening of the bones Abnormal heart rhythm Signs of severe magnesium deficiency include:
Extreme thirst Extreme hunger Frequent urination Sores or bruises that heal slowly Dry, itchy skin Unexplained weight loss Blurry vision that changes from day to day Unusual tiredness or drowsiness Tingling or numbness in the hands or feet Frequent or recurring skin, gum, bladder or vaginal yeast infections Magnesium deficiency is a predictor of diabetes and heart disease both; diabetics both need more magnesium and lose more magnesium than most people. In two new studies, in both men and women, those who consumed the most magnesium in their diet were least likely to develop type 2 diabetes
Dr. Michael Hudson is one of our nation’s finest and most important economists and Wall Street financial analysts. Dr. Paul Craig Roberts has called Michael “the world’s best economist.” He is the President of The Institution for the Study of Long-Term Economic Trends, and a distinguished research professor of economics at the University of Missouri. He was the Chief Economic Policy Advisor for the Rep. Dennis Kucinich’s 2008 presidential campaign and has served as an adviser to the White House, State and Defense departments and served as an economic advisor to other governments including Iceland, Latvia and China. Michael has written many books and important papers and articles. His most recent must-read book is "The Destiny of Civilization: Finance Capitalism, Industrial Capitalism or Socialism" which explains the reason for crisis in the US and other Western nations due to a drainage o income, indebtedness and a collapse of industrialization. His website is Michael-Hudson.com
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Almonds can help support the gut microbiome, study claims Kings College London, October 31, 2022 A new study finds that eating 56 grams of almonds daily — the equivalent of approximately 46 almonds — can improve gut health by promoting levels of butyrate. The research involved three groups replacing their regular snacks with whole almonds, ground almonds, or an energy-equivalent control muffin. The authors conclude that incorporating almonds into the diet could be a way of increasing fiber intake without triggering gut symptoms. An important player in gut health appears to be butyrate, a short-chain fatty acid that supports the health of the microbiome itself.
Dr. Alice Creedon explained to Medical News Today: “Butyrate is important to gut health, as it acts as the primary source of fuel for the cells of the colon, allowing them to function correctly and optimally. It is also involved in signaling to the gut to initiate the process of nutrient absorption.”
“In addition,” said Dr. Creedon, “butyrate produced in the gut can enter the bloodstream where it is involved in the regulation of health in other areas of the body, such as the liver, brain, and lungs.”
The study demonstrates that eating a healthy handful of almonds each day promotes the production of butyrate.
Dr. Creedon’s research documents the benefits of eating about 56 grams, or 2 ounces, of almonds daily — that amounts to about 46 almonds.
“Butyrate supports the gut barrier, which keeps bacteria and other microbes from entering your blood. In doing so, butyrate can help to reduce inflammation, manage conditions like IBS [irritable bowel syndrome], and decrease gastrointestinal discomfort like bloating.
“Butyrate is produced through the fermentation of fiber in the colon. Therefore, increasing fiber in the diet, such as in almonds, increases butyrate levels, which has a positive effect on our gut health,” said Tallman.
Additional benefit of omega-3 fatty acids for the clearance of metabolites from the brain
Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology, October 23, 2022
New research published online in The FASEB Journal suggests that omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, which are found in fish oil, could improve the function of the glymphatic system, which facilitates the clearance of waste from the brain, and promote the clearance of metabolites including amyloid-β peptides, a primary culprit in Alzheimer’s disease.
To make this discovery, scientists first used transgenic fat-1 mice, which express high endogenous omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) in the brain, to investigate the effect of omega-3 PUFAs on the clearance function of the glymphatic system. Compared to the wild-type mice, the fat-1 mice with enriched endogenous omega-3 PUFAs significantly promote the clearance function of the lymphatic system, including the Aβ clearance from the brain. Wild-type mice were supplemented with fish oil, which contains high concentrations of omega-3 PUFAs, and found that fish oil-supplemented mice also improved the clearance function of the glymphatic system compared to the control mice without fish oil supplementation. Omega-3 PUFAs help maintain the brain homeostasis, which may provide benefits in a number of neurological diseases, such as Alzheimer’s disease, traumatic brain injury, and sleep impairment, among others.
“These now-famous fatty acids have been the subject of major studies both in academia and industry. Just when we thought we had heard everything, here is something new, and it is provocative indeed,” said Thoru Pederson, Ph.D., Editor-in-Chief of The FASEB Journal. “This study should not turn attention away from the roles of these substances in maintaining vascular health, but neither should they restrict our view. The brain is an extremely vascularized organ, while we might also bear in mind that omega-3 fatty acids may impact neurons, glia, and astrocytes themselves.”
Are our brains physically shaped by life experiences?
University of Ottawa, 23 October 2022
The notion that an experience external to the body – not something we have ingested, that has been affected by disease or damaged through physical injury – can measurably change the physical properties of an organ as intrinsic to our functioning as the brain is revelatory. But can we prove cause and effect?
Tracy Vaillancourt, a psychologist at the University of Ottawa, Canada, who has conducted a range of studies into the emotional and psychological effects of bullying – as well as the neurobiological impact of bullying – finds it frustrating the media, public and policy makers are more inclined to pay attention to research on the subject if researchers can demonstrate biological damage.
“When I show that something is biological, it makes headlines,” she told The Boston Globe. “For some reason I think humans are more compelled to believe biological evidence than someone saying, ‘Oh I’m depressed. I don’t feel good about this.’ I’m hoping that that is a policy changer.”
Vaillancourt found that while bullied boys have higher levels of the stress hormone cortisol than their non-bullied peers, bullied girls have much lower levels of cortisol compared with their peers.
She also found that bullied teens score less well on tests of verbal memory than their peers, suggesting that the abnormal cortisol levels may be killing neurons in the hippocampus, leading to memory problems.
As part of an ongoing, long-term study, Vaillancourt has been following teenagers – some of whom have a history of being bullied by their peers – and assessing their cognitive functioning every 6 months. Vaillancourt is also using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to scan the brains of the teens for evidence of damage to the hippocampus.
In a previous study, neuroscientist Martin Teicher scanned the brains of 63 young adults, as part of a study into verbal victimization.
Teicher found that, among the subjects who reported being the victims of verbal bullying, there were abnormalities in the corpus callosum. This region of the brain consists of a bundle of fibers connecting the brain’s left and right hemispheres and is known to be important in visual processing and memory.
The neurons in the corpus callosums of the bullied subjects were found to have less of the myelin coating that boosts communication between brain cells.
It has been suggested that these brain abnormalities might make it difficult for victims to process what is happening around them and respond appropriately. It might also explain some of the cognitive impairments associated with being bullied – poor memory, attention and concentration – and could even contribute to the anxiety, depression and suicidal thoughts experienced by many victims.
The impact of childhood maltreatment, more generally, on neurobiology has been explored in several studies. Previously, the results of neuroimaging studies in abused children have been considered to be inconsistent.
The researchers found that the participants who had been exposed to maltreatment exhibited significantly smaller volumes of grey matter in several brain regions.
“Childhood maltreatment acts as a severe stressor that produces a cascade of physiological and neurobiological changes that lead to enduring alterations in the brain structure,” says author Joaquim Radua.
The researchers found that the participants who had been exposed to maltreatment exhibited significantly smaller volumes of grey matter in several brain regions.
‘Processed meats have same cancer risk as cigarettes’ World Health Organization, October 23, 2022
Bacon, ham and sausages have the same cancer risk as cigarettes, according to a report by the World Health Organisation (WHO), a media report said.
WHO listed processed meat as a carcinogenic substance, while fresh red meat is also expected to join the encyclopaedia of carcinogens’ and is likely to be regarded as bad for health.
The classifications, by the WHO’s International Agency for Research on Cancer, are believed to regard processed meat as “carcinogenic to humans”, the highest of five possible rankings, shared with alcohol, asbestos, arsenic and cigarettes, the daily added.
Studies have shown that people who eat a lot of red meat tend to eat fewer plant-based foods that protect against cancer.
The WHO report follows a meeting of scientists from 10 countries who reviewed all available evidence.
Processed meat is made by smoking, curing, salting, or adding chemicals. Examples include ham, bacon, pastrami and salami, as well as hot dogs and some sausages. Burgers are also expected to be included in the WHO list of carcinogens.
Early supplementation may help offset early-life stress on the adult brain
University of Amsterdam, October 25, 20229
Early-life stress has been shown to impair learning and memory in later life, but new research, published online in The FASEB Journal, suggests that improved nutrition may help offset the negative effects of this stress. Specifically, using mice, scientists focused on essential micronutrients, including methionine, vitamins B6 and B12, and folic acid, none of which are made by the body and need to be ingested through diet. They found that early-life stress reduces the levels of these nutrients in mouse pups, but supplementation prevented the reduction of methionine levels and even prevented some of the lasting negative effects of early-life stress on later learning and memory in adult offspring.
To make their discovery, Korosi and colleagues mimicked a stressful early-life environment during the first week after birth (postnatal days 2-9) for newborn mice and their mothers. Control mice and their mothers were housed in a normal environment. During the stress period, half of the mouse mothers (control and early-life stress) received a standard rodent diet, the other half received a diet that was supplemented with essential micronutrients. The lactating mouse mothers ate the diet and thereby developed elevated micronutrient levels in maternal milk and subsequently in the blood and the brains of their pups. After the initial stress period, all mice received a standard diet and environment. Once the mice became 4 months old, their learning and memory skills were tested in various cognitive/behavioral tasks. Mice that were previously exposed to early-life stress performed worse than control animals and demonstrated poor learning and memory skills. However, stress-exposed mice from mothers that received the supplemented diet performed equally well as the control mice did.
“The field of postnatal nutrition has sometimes taken a back seat to research on the maternal-fetal axis, but of course we cannot ever ignore either,” said Thoru Pederson, Ph.D., Editor-in-Chief of The FASEB Journal. “Here we see strikingly beneficial cognitive effects of a sound postnatal diet. The nutrients tested were familiar ones, but the results speak for themselves.”
Cold Homes Increase The Risk Of Severe Mental Health Problems – New Study University of Adelaide (Australia), October 31, 2022
Concerns about fuel poverty and people not being able to heat their homes adequately are not new in the UK, but these worries have been heightened by significant increases in energy costs and the cost-of-living crisis. And as winter approaches, things are about to get a lot worse.
Colder temperatures suppress the immune system. But we know relatively little about the effects on mental health. Our new research shows that living in a cold home is a significant mental health risk.
Living in a cold home can affect your mental health in several ways. For many, heating costs are a source of stress and financial strain. Not being able to keep your home and family comfortably warm reduces feelings of control and autonomy over your environment. People who are unable to heat their home often adopt coping mechanisms that limit socialising – for example, not inviting friends over and going to bed early to keep warm. And many people are just worn down by the drudgery of a whole winter of being uncomfortably cold.
Using data from a large representative sample of adults in the UK, we followed people over many years and tracked the effect of being unable to keep your home warm on mental health.
When people’s homes became cold, their risk of severe mental distress significantly increased. For people who previously had no mental health problems, the odds of severe mental distress doubled when they had a cold home, while for those who had some (but not severe) mental health symptoms, the risk tripled . We found these effects even after taking into account many other factors associated with mental health, including income.
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Chlorophyllin shows promise for inflammatory bowel disease Sichuan University (China) & Cedars Sinai Medical Center, October 28 2022.
The August 2022 issue of the American Journal of Physiology Gastrointestinal and Liver Physiology reported research which found that supplementation with chlorophyllin suppressed intestinal inflammation in a mouse model of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).
Chlorophyllin is a water-soluble derivative of chlorophyll, the pigment that gives green plants their color. “Consuming green-colored vegetables or green pigment supplement such as chlorophyllin might help people with inflammatory bowel disease,” senior author Xiaofeng Zheng, PhD, of Sichuan University West China Hospital in Chengdu, China predicted.
Current treatments for inflammatory bowel diseases include immunosuppressant medications and surgery, both of which are associated with potentially serious adverse effects. “The study was designed to determine the effect of safe agents that are easily available to have a beneficial effect in inflammatory bowel disease,” commented report coauthor Stephen J. Pandol, MD, of Cedars Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles.
The team induced colitis in mice by administering dextran sulfate sodium. They found that supplementing the animals’ diets with chlorophyllin or directly administering the compound suppressed intestinal inflammation and downregulated disease-associated autophagy in the intestine.
“What we found in the study was that the agent used, chlorophyllin, would inhibit the inflammation and tissue damage that occurs in an experimental model of colitis,” Dr Pandol commented. “In this case it was in a mouse model. The results were promising in an experimental model, and those can justify a clinical trial.”
Curcumin Prodrug Shows Promise As Cancer Treatment Without Toxic Side Effects Kyoto University (Japan), October 30, 2022
Curcumin, the biologically active compound found in turmeric, has shown lots of promise in clinical cancer research. A new study from Kyoto University adds more evidence that supports its use in clinical-care settings. Researchers are developing a curcumin prodrug called TBP1901 that demonstrates anti-tumor effects without adverse toxicities.
Curcumin is an appealing compound for oncology researchers, as many current pharmacological treatments lead to significant side effects in patients. Thus far, anecdotal findings report strong efficacy when taken orally among cancer patients. However, until this recent development, curcumin’s low bioavailability and instability has put limitations on its clinical use.
Kanai and team have maneuvered their way around this by successfully identifying the enzyme GUSB, which may activate curcumin to increase its bioavailability. The enzyme plays a crucial role in TBP1901 conversion to curcumin. However, the research team hypothesized that the conversion wouldn’t be observable in mice with genetically-weakened GUSB enzyme.
Further, they were able to confirm through analysis with CRISPR-Cas9 screening that curcumin may also have additional specific therapeutic targets. “The high conversion rate of TBP1901 to curcumin in bone marrow warrants its clinical application for diseases growing in the marrow like multiple myeloma and leukemia,” states Kanai.
Now that scientists have begun to crack the code with curcumin, the cancer field may start to put things into motion as more targets and enzymatic processes are explained.
Study Reveals How Turmeric Inhibits Pancreatic Cancer Cell Growth
University of California Los Angeles, October 23, 2022
Pancreatic cancer is one of the most deadly forms of cancer around. While treatment is often considered futile in this highly lethal form of cancer, a new study indicates a turmeric extract could provide a reasonable chemotherapy alternative.
Research published in the peer-reviewed medical journal Anticancer Research found liposomal curcumin was able to inhibit pancreatic cancer cell proliferation in vitro and when administered to mice three times a week for four weeks, it was able to suppress tumor growth when compared with control groups.
Liposomal curcumin is curcumin delivered by encapsulation in liposomes, or a prepared carrier with a lipd (fat) layer. Because curcumin is fat soluble and is resistant to water solubility, this liposomal vehicle increases its bioavailability, sending it through a barrier in the liver that would normally block it.
The study used a dosage of 20 mg/kg of the liposomal curcumin, an amount that would be the equivalent of 1,360 mg for a 150 lb. adult.
The study abstract concludes:
“These data clearly establish the efficacy of liposomal curcumin in reducing human pancreatic cancer growth in the examined model,” concluded the researchers. “The therapeutic curcumin-based effects, with no limiting side-effects, suggest that liposomal curcumin may be beneficial in patients with pancreatic cancer.”
One study published in the journal PLoS One found that curcumin has the power to inhibit the growth of esophageal cancer cell lines, while other research from UCLA actually found curcumin to decrease brain tumor size by a whopping 81%.
Fermented foods and fiber may lower stress levels, says new study APC Microbiome Ireland & University College Cork, October 28, 2022
When it comes to dealing with stress, we’re often told the best things we can do are exercise, make time for our favorite activities or try meditation or mindfulness.
But the kinds of foods we eat may also be an effective way of dealing with stress, according to research published by me and other members of APC Microbiome Ireland. Our latest study, now published in Molecular Psychiatry, has shown that eating more fermented foods and fiber daily for just four weeks had a significant effect on lowering perceived stress levels.
The mechanisms underpinning the effect of diet on mental health are still not fully understood. But one explanation for this link could be via the relationship between our brain and our microbiome (the trillions of bacteria that live in our gut). It means that the emotional and cognitive centers in our brain are closely connected to our gut.
To test this, we recruited 45 healthy people with relatively low-fiber diets, aged 18–59 years. More than half were women. The participants were split into two groups and randomly assigned a diet to follow for the four-week duration of the study.
Around half were assigned a diet which would increase the amount of prebiotic and fermented foods they ate. This is known as a “psychobiotic” diet, as it included foods that have been linked to better mental health.
They were told they should aim to include 6–8 servings daily of fruits and vegetables high in prebiotic fibers (such as onions, leeks, cabbage, apples, bananas and oats), 5–8 servings of grains per day, and 3–4 servings of legumes per week. They were also told to include 2–3 servings of fermented foods daily (such as sauerkraut, kefir and kombucha). Participants on the control diet only received general dietary advice, based on the healthy eating food pyramid.
Intriguingly, those who followed the psychobiotic diet reported they felt less stressed compared with those who followed the control diet. There was also a direct correlation between how strictly participants followed the diet and their perceived stress levels, with those who ate more psychobiotic foods during the four-week period reporting the greatest reduction in perceived stress levels.
Interestingly, the quality of sleep improved in both groups—though those on the psychobiotic diet reported greater improvements in sleep. Other studies have also shown that gut microbes are implicated in sleep processes, which may explain this link.
The psychobiotic diet only caused subtle changes in the composition and function of microbes in the gut. However, we observed significant changes in the level of certain key chemicals produced by these gut microbes. Some of these chemicals have been linked to mental health, which could potentially explain why participants on the diet reported feeling less stressed.
Sedentary lifestyle and sugary diet more detrimental to men, study finds University of Missouri, October 27, 2022
A new study from the University of Missouri School of Medicine is the first evidence in humans that short-term lifestyle changes can disrupt the response to insulin of blood vessels. It’s also the first study to show men and women react differently to these changes.
Vascular insulin resistance is a feature of obesity and type 2 diabetes that contributes to vascular disease. Researchers examined vascular insulin resistance in 36 young and healthy men and women by exposing them to 10 days of reduced physical activity, cutting their step count from 10,000 to 5,000 steps per day. The participants also increased their sugary beverage intake to six cans of soda per day.
The results showed that only in men did the sedentary lifestyle and high sugar intake cause decreased insulin-stimulated leg blood flow and a drop in a protein called adropin, which regulates insulin sensitivity and is an important biomarker for cardiovascular disease.
“These findings underscore a sex-related difference in the development of vascular insulin resistance induced by adopting a lifestyle high in sugar and low on exercise,” said Manrique-Acevedo.
“To our knowledge, this is the first evidence in humans that vascular insulin resistance can be provoked by short-term adverse lifestyle changes, and it’s the first documentation of sex-related differences in the development of vascular insulin resistance in association with changes in adropin levels.”
Spearmint can significantly improve memory, concentration, and brain function St Louis University School of Medicine, October 25, 2022
Around 64 percent of Americans start their day with a cup of coffee (or several). And, many health article mention that this popular beverage can actually improve memory? But, does it really? And, is there a healthy alternative?
The caffeine in coffee causes a brain release of noradrenaline along with an energy boost and cognitive stimulation. However, this is inevitably followed shortly by a “caffeine crash” as the noradrenaline is depleted.
Research is showing there’s a more effective alternative to caffeine and it’s called spearmint. Long used medicinally for its stimulating and uplifting effects, it can provide a healthier and more reliable energy boost. Even better, spearmint has also been found to improve memory, sharpen concentration and support overall brain health.
Research shows spearmint dramatically improves brain function in older individuals The benefits of spearmint are particularly beneficial for cognitive functioning. It offers an enticing combination of relaxation as well as an almost immediate boosting of cognitive function.
Two studies confirm and quantify the powers of spearmint’s ability to support brain health and boost memory. The study results also showed improvements to concentration, attention span, planning capacity and overall brain functioning.
The subjects took memory and cognition tests that assessed their ability to concentrate, pay attention and plan. A single dose of spearmint extract showed significant improvements within the four hours following the dose. At the four hour mark, participants showed a stunning improvement in their memory performance ranging from 46 percent to 121 percent. Planning abilities improved by 39 percent four hours after taking the spearmint extract.
Long-term tests after the 30-day study period showed significant overall improvements in all areas. Reasoning abilities improved by 35 percent, and concentration and attention were 125 percent higher. Planning capacity was better by 48 percent.
Another spearmint study published in the journal Neurology looked at 90 subjects with an average age of 59. All participants showed age-associated memory impairment at the study outset. Subjects received either 600 mg or 900 mg of spearmint extract daily. They all showed dramatic improvements in spacial working memory as well as their sleep patterns. Other health benefits of spearmint include improved digestion and relief from sore throat, toothache, cramps, arthritis symptoms, headache, fatigue and the common cold.
Researchers find Cordyceps used in traditional medicine can fight cancer Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, October 23, 2022
Chinese scientists have found evidence that a fungus used in traditional Chinese medicine widely sought by the public for its healing powers, also carries anti-cancer benefits.
The scientists found there was an interaction between two anti-cancer compounds in the fungus Cordyceps militaris.
The first, cordycepin, was noted in Cordyceps militaris in 1950, but how it interacted remained unknown. The second, pentostatin, was first identified from a bacterium and was developed as a commercial drug to treat leukemia and other cancers in the 1990s.
“For the first time, we decoded the biosynthesis mechanism of cordycepin in the fungus, and during the research we unexpectedly discovered pentostatin,” said Wang Chengshu, head of the research team at the Institute of Plant Physiology and Ecology, a branch of the Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
“These two compounds coexist in fungal cells in the form of a protector and protege – that is to say, cordycepin is synthesized with the coupled production of pentostatin to protect the stability of the former,” he said.
Their research also showed that the fungus initiates a detoxification process when the cordycepin in the body reaches an excessively high level, which can be toxic.
Cordyceps fungi are popular in China for their widely believed immunity-enhancing and energy-strengthening properties. Their uses in medical treatment date to the Compendium of Materia Medica, a book widely deemed the encyclopedia of traditional Chinese medicine written in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644).
Omega-3 fatty acid could boost IQ for preterm babies South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute, October 27, 2022
New research from SAHMRI has found a link between the omega-3 fatty acid known as docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and increased IQ among children born prematurely.
Preterm children are more likely to have lower IQ scores and cognitive impairments compared with term-born children.
Dr. Jacqueline Gould, who led the study now published in the New England Journal of Medicine, says infants born at the earliest gestations are deprived of the natural supply of DHA that normally builds up in the brain during the last trimester of pregnancy. “These babies have low concentrations of DHA in their brain tissue, which may contribute to poorer cognitive outcomes,” Dr. Gould said.
The study followed 323 infants born before 29 weeks’ gestation, who were given 60mg of DHA/kg per day via enteral or control tube feeding.
They were compared with 333 children in the control group, who received an emulsion with no DHA. At five years old, children in both groups underwent the Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence (WPPSI) IQ test.
“On average, those in the DHA group scored 3.5 points higher on the IQ scale than those in the control group,” Dr. Gould said.
“These very promising results suggest DHA has the potential to improve cognitive performance when administered via emulsion for infants born before 29 weeks’ gestation.”
Crossword puzzles beat computer video games in slowing memory loss Columbia University Irving Medical Center & Duke University, October 27, 2022
A new study by researchers from Columbia University and Duke University published in the journal NEJM Evidence shows that doing crossword puzzles has an advantage over computer video games for memory functioning in older adults with mild cognitive impairment.
In a randomized, controlled trial, led by D.P. Devanand, MD, professor of psychiatry and neurology at Columbia, with Murali Doraiswamy, MD, professor of psychiatry and medicine at Duke, researchers determined that participants (average age 71) trained in doing web-based crossword puzzles demonstrated greater cognitive improvement than those who were trained on cognitive video games.
“This is the first study to document both short-term and longer-term benefits for home-based crossword puzzles training compared to another intervention,” said Dr. Devanand, who oversees brain aging and mental health research at Columbia. “The results are important in light of difficulty in showing improvement with interventions in mild cognitive impairment.”
To conduct their study, researchers at Columbia and Duke randomly assigned 107 participants with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) at the two different sites to either crossword puzzles training or cognitive games training with intensive training for 12 weeks followed by booster sessions up to 78 weeks. Both interventions were delivered via a computerized platform with weekly compliance monitoring.
The most striking findings of the trial were:
Crossword puzzles were superior to cognitive games on the primary cognitive outcome measure, ADAS-Cog, at both 12 weeks and 78 weeks. Crossword puzzles were superior on FAQ, a measure of daily functioning, at 78 weeks. Crossword puzzles were superior for participants at a later disease stage but both forms of training were equally effective in an earlier stage. Brain shrinkage (measured with MRI) was less for crossword puzzles at 78 weeks. “The benefits were seen not only in cognition but also in daily activities with indications of brain shrinkage on MRI that suggests that the effects are clinically meaningful,” Dr. Devanand said.
The study also highlights the importance of engagement. Based on remote electronic monitoring of computer use, participants at a later stage of impairment may have better engaged with the more familiar crossword puzzles than with computerized cognitive games.
Atherosclerosis, ED, low vitamin D levels linked Guizhou Medical University (China), October 24 2022.
A study published in Frontiers in Endocrinology evaluated the associations between lower serum levels of vitamin D, erectile dysfunction (ED) and an increased risk of atherosclerosis.
The investigation included 163 men aged 30 to 60 years who received physical examinations at the Affiliated Hospital of Guizhou Medical University. Fasting blood samples were analyzed for serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D and other factors. Carotid intima-media thickness, an indicator of atherosclerosis in the carotid arteries, was measured using ultrasound. International index of erectile function-5 (IIEF-5) scores were graded as mild, moderate or severe according to ED severity. Thirty-nine participants whose IIEF-5 scores indicated no ED served as control subjects.
Serum vitamin D levels were lower and carotid intima-media thickness values were higher among men with moderate and severe ED compared to the control group. Carotid intima-media thickness was significantly higher among men with severe ED compared with those who had mild ED. After adjustment, significant correlations were found between IIEF-5 scores, carotid intima-media thickness and serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D.
In their discussion, authors Jun-hao Zhang of Soochow University and colleagues remarked that vitamin D may affect erectile function via its interaction with the endothelial cells of the corpora cavernosa, which is the spongy tissue within the penis that fills with blood during an erection. Vitamin D may affect the production and release by endothelial cells of nitric oxide, a compound that helps relax the blood vessels, thereby improving erectile function. The vitamin may also help decrease damage to endothelial cell function caused by oxidative stress.
“Serum vitamin D level should be analyzed in men with ED, especially in patients with vasculogenic ED, and supplementation is recommended for those who were with vitamin D deficiency,” the authors wrote.
Carnitine supplementation could improve cold tolerance and more University of Utah, October 23 2022
Cell Metabolism reported research findings from the University of Utah School of Medicine that reveal a role for carnitine in the body’s response to cold temperatures.
“Cold-induced thermogenesis is an energy-demanding process that protects endotherms against a reduction in ambient temperature,” Judith Simcox, PhD, and colleagues write. “We found that the liver undergoes a metabolic switch to provide fuel for brown fat thermogenesis by producing acylcarnitines.”
“Cold stimulates white adipocytes to release free fatty acids that activate the nuclear receptor HNF4α, which is required for acylcarnitine production in the liver and adaptive thermogenesis,” they continue. “Once in circulation, acylcarnitines are transported to brown adipose tissue, while uptake into white adipose tissue and liver is blocked.”
Acylcarnitines are fatty acyl esters of L-carnitine that were found to increase in young mice during cold adaptation. “It was surprising to see acylcarnitines in the bloodstream,” Dr Simcox remarked.
With aging comes a decline in the ability to adapt to cold exposure. In the current study, researchers found that a single dose of L-carnitine or palmitoylcarnitine improved aging-related cold sensitivity in mice. Because activating cold adaptation burns calories, improving the process be useful for more than the ability to tolerate cold environments.
Feeling chirpy: Being around birds is linked to lasting mental health benefits King’s College London, October 27, 2022
New research from King’s College London has found that seeing or hearing birds is associated with an improvement in mental well-being that can last up to eight hours.
This improvement was also evident in people with a diagnosis of depression—the most common mental illness worldwide—indicating the potential role of birdlife in helping those with mental health conditions.
Lead author Ryan Hammoud, Research Assistant at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience (IoPPN), King’s College London, said: “There is growing evidence on the mental health benefits of being around nature and we intuitively think that the presence of birdsong and birds would help lift our mood. However, there is little research that has actually investigated the impact of birds on mental health in real-time and in a real environment.
The study took place with 1,292 participants completing 26,856 assessments. Participants were recruited worldwide.
The app asked participants three times a day whether they could see or hear birds, followed by questions on mental well-being to enable researchers to establish an association between the two and to estimate how long this association lasted.
Researchers showed that the links between birds and mental well-being were not explained by co-occurring environmental factors such the presence of trees, plants, or waterways.
Our study provides an evidence base for creating and supporting biodiverse spaces that harbor birdlife, since this is strongly linked with our mental health. In addition, the findings support the implementation of measures to increase opportunities for people to come across birdlife, particularly for those living with mental health conditions such as depression.”
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Peanuts Linked to Lower Breast Cancer Risk
Washington University in St. Louis & Harvard University, October 22, 2022
Girls ages 9 to 15 who regularly ate peanut butter or nuts were 39 percent less likely to develop benign breast disease by age 30, according to a new study.
Benign breast disease, although noncancerous, increases risk of breast cancer later in life.
“These findings suggest that peanut butter could help reduce the risk of breast cancer in women,” says senior author Graham Colditz, professor of surgery at Washington University School of Medicine and associate director for cancer prevention and control at Siteman Cancer Center at Barnes-Jewish Hospital.
Published in the journal Breast Cancer Research and Treatment, the findings are based on the health histories of 9,039 US girls enrolled in the Growing Up Today Study .
When the study participants were 18 to 30 years old, they reported whether they had been diagnosed with benign breast disease that had been confirmed by breast biopsy.
Participants who ate peanut butter or nuts two times each week were 39 percent less likely to have developed benign breast disease than those who never ate them.
The study’s findings suggest that beans, lentils, soybeans, and corn also may help prevent benign breast disease, but consumption of these foods was much lower in these girls so the evidence was weaker.
Past studies have linked peanut butter, nut, and vegetable fat consumption to a lower risk for benign breast disease. However, participants in those studies were asked to recall their high school dietary intakes years later.
Perinatal Brain DHA Concentration Has a Lasting Impact on Cognition National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism October 20, 2022
A new study on Proteomics is now available. According to news out of Bethesda, Maryland, research stated, “Premature infants are deprived of prenatal accumulation of brain docosahexaenoic acid [DHA (22: 6n-3)], an omega-3 fatty acid [omega-3 FA (n-3 FA)] important for proper development of cognitive function. The resulting brain DHA deficit can be reversed by omega-3 FA supplementation.”
“The objective was to test whether there is a critical period for providing omega-3 FA to correct cognitive deficits caused by developmental omega-3 FA deprivation in mice. Twelve timed-pregnant mice were fed an omega-3 FA-deficient diet containing 0.04% a-linolenic acid, and their offspring were fed the same deficient diet (Def group) or changed to an omega-3 FA-adequate diet containing 3.1% ALA at 3 wk, 2 mo, or 4 mo of age. In parallel, 3 E14 pregnant mice were fed the adequate diet and their offspring were fed the same diet (Adeq group) throughout the experiment. Brain FA composition, learning and memory, and hippocampal synaptic protein expression were evaluated at 6 mo by gas chromatography, the Morris water maze test, and western blot analysis, respectively.
Maternal dietary omega-3 FA deprivation decreased DHA by > 50% in the brain of their offspring at 3 wk of age. The Def group showed significantly worse learning and memory at 6 mo than those groups fed the adequate diet. These pups also had decreased hippocampal expression of postsynaptic density protein 95 (43% of Adeq group), Homer protein homolog 1 (21% of Adeq group), and synaptosome-associated protein of 25 kDa (64% of Adeq group).
Changing mice to the adequate diet at 3 wk, 2 mo, or 4 mo of age restored brain DHA to the age-matched adequate concentration. However, deficits in hippocampal synaptic protein expression and spatial learning and memory were normalized only when the diet was changed at 3 wk.”
The research concluded: “Developmental deprivation of brain DHA by dietary omega-3 FA depletion in mice may have a lasting impact on cognitive function if not corrected at an early age.”
At risk for diabetes? Cut the carbs, says new study Tulane University, October 26, 2022
While low-carb diets are often recommended for those being treated for diabetes, little evidence exists on whether eating fewer carbs can impact the blood sugar of those with diabetes or prediabetes who aren’t treated by medications.
Now, according to new research from Tulane University, a low-carb diet can help those with unmedicated diabetes—and those at risk for diabetes—lower their blood sugar.
The study, published in the journal JAMA Network Open, compared two groups: one assigned to a low-carb diet and another that continued with their usual diet. After six months, the low-carb diet group had greater drops in hemoglobin A1c, a marker for blood sugar levels, when compared with the group who ate their usual diet. The low-carbohydrate diet group also lost weight and had lower fasting glucose levels.
“The key message is that a low-carbohydrate diet, if maintained, might be a useful approach for preventing and treating Type 2 diabetes, though more research is needed,” said lead author Kirsten Dorans, assistant professor of epidemiology at Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine.
The study’s findings are especially important for those with prediabetes whose A1c levels are higher than normal but below levels that would be classified as diabetes. Approximately 96 million Americans have prediabetes and more than 80% of those with prediabetes are unaware, according to the CDC. Those with prediabetes are at increased risk for Type 2 diabetes, heart attacks or strokes and are usually not taking medications to lower blood sugar levels, making a healthy diet more crucial.
How early fears play a role in future anxiety, depression University of Texas at Dallas, October 26, 2022
A recent imaging study led by a scientist at The University of Texas at Dallas has identified early risk factors linked to children’s temperament and a neural process that could foretell whether an individual might develop depression and anxiety in adolescence and early adulthood.
The study, published Oct. 26 in JAMA Psychiatry, tracked a cohort of 165 individuals from 4 months old, between 1989 and 1993, through age 26.
Dr. Alva Tang, assistant professor of psychology in the School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences and corresponding author of the study, found that people who are more inhibited in early childhood and who also don’t respond typically to potential rewards as adolescents are vulnerable to developing depression later in life, more so than anxiety.
When babies are exposed to novel objects, people or situations, some react positively and approach them without fear, whereas others respond with wariness or avoidance. This differentiation defines uninhibited versus inhibited behavior.
“We know that inhibited children are more likely to have anxiety disorders later, particularly social anxiety, that begins in late childhood to adolescence,” Tang said. “Less has been known about depression, which generally has a later onset, in young adulthood. But we do know that people who have had an anxiety disorder are 50% to 60% more likely to have depression later in life, so inhibited children should have higher risk for depression as well.”
The researchers found that the association between inhibition at 14 to 24 months of age and worsening depressive symptoms from ages 15 to 26 was present only among those who also showed blunted activity in the ventral striatum as adolescents. There was no similar association with anxiety.
“We found that behavioral inhibition was related to worsening depressive symptoms into adulthood. This supports the assertion that this temperament shows a stronger relation to developing anxiety in adolescence, but in adulthood it is tied more strongly to depression. However, not all inhibited children develop anxiety or depression,” Tang said. “It was particularly the inhibited children who showed blunted striatal activity who were more likely to become more depressed in young adulthood.”
Pressure chamber therapy is effective in the functional improvement of autism, study finds Tel-Aviv University (Israel), October 26, 2022
A new Tel Aviv University study succeeded in significantly improving social skills and the condition of the autistic brain through pressure chamber therapy. The study was conducted on animal models of autism. In it, the researchers identified changes in the brain, including a reduction in neuroinflammation, which is known to be associated with autism.
Moreover, a significant improvement was found in the social functioning of the animal models treated in the pressure chamber. The study’s success has many implications regarding the applicability and understanding of treating autism using pressure chamber therapy.
Fischer and Barak explain that hyperbaric medicine is a form of therapy in which patients are treated in special chambers where the atmospheric pressure is higher than the pressure we experience at sea level, and in addition are delivered 100% oxygen to breathe.
Dr. Barak says that “the medical causes of autism are numerous and varied, and ultimately create the diverse autistic spectrum with which we are familiar. About 20% of autistic cases today are explained by genetic causes, that is, those involving genetic defects, but not necessarily ones that are inherited from the parents.”
“Despite the variety of sources of autism, the entire spectrum of behavioral problems associated with it are still included under the single broad heading of ‘autism,’ and the treatments and medications offered do not necessarily correspond directly to the reason why the autism developed.”
Dr. Barak says that they “discovered that treatment in the oxygen-enriched pressure chamber reduces inflammation in the brain and leads to an increase in the expression of substances responsible for improving blood and oxygen supply to the brain, and therefore brain function. In addition, we saw a decrease in the number of microglial cells, immune system cells that indicate inflammation, which is associated with autism.
“To our surprise, the findings showed a significant improvement in the social behavior of the animal models of autism that underwent treatment in the pressure chamber compared to those in the control group, who were exposed to air at normal pressure, and without oxygen enrichment.”
Study reveals connection between microbiome and autoimmune disorders University of Calgary, October 23, 2022
Published in Cell, a study by Santamaria and Kathy McCoy, PhD, from the University of Calgary’s Cumming School of Medicine (CSM) reveals a new mechanism in the gut microbiome that regulates pro- and anti-inflammatory cells. “We found that a protein expressed by gut bacteria called Bacteroides works to prevent IBD by rapidly recruiting white blood cells to kill a cell of the immune system that is responsible for orchestrating inflammatory bowel disease (IBD),” says McCoy. “We think that this mechanism is likely involved in preventing most people from developing IBD.”
However, there is a flipside to the protein’s call for help. “In some people, the white blood cells overreact to the presence of the IBD bacteria. This is what causes problems like IBD—it’s not the bacteria itself, but the immune system’s severe reaction triggered by the protein. These same overstimulated white blood cells are also the cells that cause other autoimmune disorders like diabetes,” says Santamaria.
“This discovery demonstrates the effect the gut microbiome has on the immune system and unearths a novel mechanism via which changes in the gut microbiome can increase the risk of autoimmune disorders. While we looked specifically at IBD, it is likely there are many proteins in the gut that contribute to the development of other autoimmune disorders via similar mechanisms.”
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Study shows inexpensive, readily available chemical (GABA) may limit impact of COVID-19 University of California, Los Angeles, October 25, 2022
Preclinical studies in mice that model human COVID-19 suggest that an inexpensive, readily available amino acid might limit the effects of the disease and provide a new off-the-shelf therapeutic option for infections with SARS-CoV-2 variants and perhaps future novel coronaviruses.
A team led by researchers at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA report in Frontiers in Immunology that an amino acid called GABA, which is available over-the-counter in many countries, reduced disease severity, viral load in the lungs, and death rates in SARS-CoV-2-infected mice. This follows up on their previous finding that GABA consumption also protected mice from another lethal mouse coronavirus called MHV-1. In both cases, GABA treatment was effective when given just after infection or several days later near the peak of virus production. The protective effects of GABA against two different types of coronaviruses suggest that GABA may provide a generalizable therapy to help treat diseases induced by new SARS-CoV-2 variants and novel beta-coronaviruses.
Their previous studies showed that GABA administration protected mice from developing severe disease after infection with a mouse coronavirus called MHV-1. To more stringently test the potential of GABA as a therapy for COVID-19, they studied transgenic mice that when infected with SARS-CoV-2 develop severe pneumonia with a high mortality rate. “If our observations of the protective effects of GABA therapy in SARS-CoV-2-infected mice are confirmed in clinical trials, GABA could provide an off-the-shelf treatment to help ameliorate infections with SARS-CoV-2 variants. GABA is inexpensive and stable at room temperature, which could make it widely and easily accessible, and especially beneficial in developing countries.”
The researchers said that GABA and GABA receptors are most often thought of as a major neurotransmitter system in the brain. Years ago, they, as well as other researchers, found that cells of the immune system also possessed GABA receptors and that the activation of these receptors inhibited the inflammatory actions of immune cells. Taking advantage of this property, the authors reported in a series of studies that GABA administration inhibited autoimmune diseases such as type 1 diabetes, multiple sclerosis, and rheumatoid arthritis in mouse models of these ailments.
Other scientists who study gas anesthetics have found that lung epithelial cells also possess GABA receptors and that drugs that activate these receptors could limit lung injuries and inflammation in the lung. The dual actions of GABA in inflammatory immune cells and lung epithelial cells, along with its safety for clinical use, made GABA a theoretically appealing candidate for limiting the overreactive immune responses and lung damage due to coronavirus infection.
Working with colleagues at the University of Southern California, the UCLA research team in this study administered GABA to the mice just after infection with SARS-CoV-2, or two days later when the virus levels are near their peak in the mouse lungs. While the vast majority of untreated mice did not survive this infection, those given GABA just after infection, or two days later, had less illness severity and a lower mortality rate over the course of the study. Treated mice also displayed reduced levels of virus in their lungs and changes in circulating immune signaling molecules, known as cytokines and chemokines, toward patterns that were associated with better outcomes in COVID-19 patients. Thus, GABA receptor activation had multiple beneficial effects in this mouse model that are also desirable for the treatment of COVID-19.
Yoga as effective as traditional pulmonary rehab in patients with COPD
All India Institute of Medical Sciences (India), October 19, 2022
Researchers from the Department of Pulmonary Medicine and Sleep Disorders and All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India, studied the effects of yoga as a form of pulmonary rehabilitation on markers of inflammation in the body. Results from this study showed yoga exercises provide improvements that are just as effective as traditional pulmonary rehabilitation methods in improving pulmonary function, exercise capacity, and indices of systemic inflammation.
Sixty patients with COPD were randomly divided into two groups, one of which was taught yoga exercises while the other underwent a structured pulmonary rehabilitation program. These groups were tested on shortness of breath, serum inflammation, and lung function tests. Each group participated in 1 hour of training twice a week for the first 4 weeks, then training every 2 weeks for 8 weeks, and the remaining weeks were at home. Results showed that yoga and pulmonary rehabilitation exercises resulted in similar improvements in pulmonary function, 6-minute walk distance, Borg scale, severity of dyspnea, quality of life, and levels of C-reactive protein after 12 weeks of training.
“This study suggests yoga may be a cost-effective form of rehabilitation that is more convenient for patients,” said Mark J. Rosen, MD, Master FCCP, CHEST Medical Director. “The authors recommended adoption of yoga programs as an option as part of long-term management of COPD. These findings should be confirmed in new studies and the potential mechanisms explored.”
Resveratrol can help correct hormone imbalance in women with PCOS
University of California, San Diego, October 19, 2022
Resveratrol–a natural compound found in red wine and grapes–can help address a hormone imbalance in women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), a leading cause of infertility in women, according to a study published in the Endocrine Society’s Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism.
Women who have PCOS produce slightly higher amounts of testosterone and other androgen hormones than average. Although these reproductive hormones are typically associated with men, women also have small amounts. The elevated levels in women with PCOS can contribute to irregular or absent menstrual periods, infertility, weight gain, acne or excess hair on the face and body. Women who have PCOS also face a higher risk of developing other health problems, such as diabetes.
“Our study is the first clinical trial to find resveratrol significantly lowers PCOS patients’ levels of testosterone as well as dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEAS), another hormone that the body can convert into testosterone,” said the study’s senior author, Antoni J. Duleba, MD, of the University of California, San Diego in La Jolla, CA. “This nutritional supplement can help moderate the hormone imbalance that is one of the central features of PCOS.”
Thirty women with PCOS completed the randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial conducted at Poznan University of Medical Sciences in Poland. The women were randomly assigned to either take a resveratrol supplement or a placebo pill daily for three months. The participants had blood samples drawn at the beginning and end of the study to determine levels of testosterone and other androgen hormones.
The researchers found total testosterone levels fell by 23.1 percent among the women who received the resveratrol supplement. In comparison, testosterone levels increased 2.9 percent in the placebo group. DHEAS declined by 22.2 percent in the resveratrol group, while the placebo group experienced a 10.5 percent increase in DHEAS levels.
In addition to moderating androgen hormones, the women who received resveratrol showed improvement in diabetes risk factors. Among the resveratrol group, fasting insulin levels dropped by 31.8 percent during the three-month study. The researchers also found the women who received resveratrol during the study became more responsive to the hormone insulin over the course of the study.
Fluoridated water calcifies your arteries: study
University of Zaragoza (Spain), October 22, 2014
A major promoter of heart disease in the U.S. today could be a chemical that the government has been intentionally dumping into the water supply for decades on the premise that it prevents tooth decay. Fluoride, according to a study published in the journal Toxicology, shows demonstrated cardiotoxic effects, which include the calcification and hardening of arteries.
Researchers from the University of Zaragoza in Spain looked at the effects of water fluoridation on the progression of vascular calcification in renal (kidney) disease. The team used real-world concentrations of fluoride as recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) for optimal oral health — 1.5 milligrams per liter (mg/L) — administering this amount to rats via water in the same way humans would receive it.
It was observed that, for five days, the rats, all of whom had experimental chronic kidney disease (CKD), experienced calcification of their aortic smooth muscle cells. The rats also experienced further declines in renal function as a result of exposure to fluoride, demonstrating the nephrotoxicity of this common water additive.
“[F]luoridation of drinking water… dramatically increased the incipient aortic calcification observed in rats with experimental chronic kidney disease,” wrote the authors. “[T]he WHO’s recommended concentrations in drinking water become nephrotoxic to CKD rats, thereby aggravating renal disease and making media vascular calcification significant.”
Previous research, as noted in the new study, has confirmed that 90 percent or more of digested fluoride is absorbed through the intestines and distributed throughout the body to soft tissues, calcified structures and blood plasma. At WHO-recommended doses, fluoride can still get lodged throughout the body and remain there for many years.
In healthy individuals, plasma fluoride is cleared through the dual action of calcifying tissues and expelling through the kidneys. But in those with renal disease, the kidneys are not up to the task of removing fluoride from the body, greatly amplifying both the calcification process and the advancement of renal failure.
Lower magnesium levels linked with increased mortality risk during up to 40 years of follow-up Jiao Tong University School of Medicine (China), October 20 2022.
In an article in the journal Clinical Nutrition, Xi Zhang of Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine and colleagues reported an association between decreased serum levels of magnesium and a greater risk of dying from any cause during a follow-up period of up to 40 years.
The study included data from 14,343 participants in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey I Epidemiologic Follow-Up Study.
There were 9,012 deaths during a median follow-up of 28.6 years. In comparison with subjects whose serum magnesium levels were between 0.8 and 0.89 micromoles per liter (mmol/L), having a deficient level of less than 0.7 mmol/L was associated with an adjusted 34% greater risk of dying over follow-up. Those with magnesium levels of less than 0.7 mmol/L had more than two and a half times the risk of dying from stroke than subjects with magnesium levels of 0.8-0.89 mmol/L. Further analysis found the strongest protective association for magnesium in men.
“Several mechanisms may explain the beneficial effects of magnesium, including maintaining glucose and insulin homeostasis, improving lipid metabolism, enhancing the vascular or myocardial contractility and vasodilation, and providing antiarrhythmic and antiplatelet effects,” the authors write. “Moreover, several small secondary prevention randomized trials have shown that oral magnesium supplementation improved endothelial function, reduced thrombosis, and increased cardiopulmonary function and left ventricular ejection fraction among cardiovascular disease patients.”
“Our findings support the hypothesis that serum magnesium may be clinically useful for predicting long-term health outcomes and mortality in the general population,” they conclude.
Anxiety Makes It Harder to Listen to Your Intuition Freie Universität Berlin, Psychologische Hochschule Berlin, University of Basel, October 19, 2022
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.
A new study suggests this is probably not the case. 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.
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.” BFor 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.
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Polyphenol consumption in adolescents is associated with better cardiovascular health University of Barcelona (Spain), October 24, 2022
The consumption of polyphenols in adolescents is associated with a better cardiovascular health, according to a collaborative research study which includes the University of Barcelona.
The study has been published in Scientific Reports. As part of the study, the researchers analyzed the amount of polyphenols in the urine of 1,326 adolescents that took part in the SI! Program (Integral Health) of 24 secondary education schools in Madrid and Barcelona.
Polyphenols are bioactive compounds with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties found in several plant-based foods, mainly in fruit, vegetables, nuts and olive oil. To date, there were few studies on the intake of polyphenols in children and adolescents.
“With the results of this study, we observed that a higher urinary polyphenol excretion is linearly associated with a higher cardiovascular health index in adolescents aged 11-14, specially in children. This cardiovascular health index is defined by the criteria established by the American Heart Association (AHA), which considers seven variables: body mass index, physical activity, smoking, diet, blood pressure, total cholesterol and blood glucose,” says Professor Rosa M Lamuela, director of the Institute for Research in Nutrition and Food Safety of the University of Barcelona
NAC supplements may benefit cardiovascular health: Human data University of Marburg (Germany), October 16, 2022 Four weeks of supplementation with N-acetylcysteine (NAC) may reduce levels of homocysteine and improve blood pressure, says a new analysis of two randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trials.
A daily dose of 1.8 grams of NAC could lower homocysteine levels by about 12%, and may improve systolic and diastolic blood pressure, according to findings published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition .
Elevated levels of the amino acid homocysteine have been reported to increase the risk of cardiovascular disease. This has led some to point to the potential of the B-vitamins to reduce homocysteine levels and reduce the risk of CVD. B vitamins are cofactors for enzymes involved in homocysteine metabolism and therefore giving people vitamin B supplements is hypothesized to reduce homocysteine levels and therefore reduce cognitive impairment.
However, clinical trials including participants at risk of, or already suffering from, cardiovascular disease have produced null results, with some experts arguing that short term B vitamin supplementation should not be expected to reverse the long-term development of heart disease.
“Because recent analyses that controlled for confounders such as statins or folate fortification detected a benefit of folate/B-vitamins for stroke (22–24), homocysteine may conditionally be a therapeutic target,” wrote the authors of the new study, led by Prof Wulf Hildebrandt, formerly with the German Cancer Research Center and now at the University of Marburg (Germany).
“Therefore, an alternative agent for (more) effective homocysteine lowering may be desirable, especially for conditions in which B-vitamins are ineffective [e.g., in renal disease] or if a reduction in homocysteine of >25% is intended.”
There is a known link between homocysteine and NAC, and some studies have shown that NAC may reduce levels of the amino acid, but the data is somewhat mixed.
Results showed that NAC supplementation significant decreased homocysteine levels by an average of 11.7% (versus 4.1% in the placebo groups), which cysteine levels increased by an average of 28.1% (versus 4% in the placebo groups). There were no significant differences between the hyperlipidemic and normolipidemic men, and the smoking status also did not affect the results.
The researchers also found that NAC significantly decreased blood pressure in all the men. However, significant decreases in diastolic BP were observed only for the hyperlipidemic men, and not for the normolipidemic men.
Study: Late afternoon exercise helps control blood sugar, cholesterol and triglyceride levels Huazhong University of Science and Technology (China), October 22, 2022
Results of a study published in the journal Front Endocrinol show that exercising at around 4 to 6 p.m. helps to control blood sugar, cholesterol and triglyceride levels better than exercising in the morning, or around 9 to 11 a.m.
For the study, researchers observed 12 healthy young men. The volunteers were told to walk on a treadmill for one hour at 60 percent of their maximal oxygen uptake (VO2max) on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. The volunteers were all tested during and after a week of exercising only in the morning or just in the afternoon.
After continuous 24-hour monitoring of their blood sugar levels, the total blood sugar levels of the men were lower when they exercised in the afternoon. Their blood sugar levels after meals were also lower following afternoon exercise. Most cell damage from high blood sugar is linked to a high rise in blood sugar at least one to two hours after eating a meal.
The volunteers’ triglyceride levels were also lower after afternoon exercise. This is crucial since your blood sugar level rises after you eat. If it rises too high, sugar sticks to cell membranes and damages them. That’s why diabetes can damage every cell in your body.
When your blood sugar level increases, your pancreas releases insulin to keep blood sugar levels from rising too high. Insulin lowers blood sugar by then driving sugar from the bloodstream into the liver. But if your liver is full of sugar, the liver does not accept more sugar and all the extra sugar is converted to fatty triglycerides. Having a blood triglyceride level greater than 150 indicates that your blood sugar rises too high after meals and that you are already diabetic or prediabetic.
Blood levels of the good high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol were also higher after afternoon exercise.
When triglycerides rise too high, you are at increased risk for clots. To protect your body from a high rise in triglycerides, your HDL cholesterol carries the triglycerides from your bloodstream into your liver and a high rise in triglycerides causes a drop in blood levels of the HDL cholesterol. So the lower your HDL, the more likely you are to suffer a heart attack.
Scientists reveal the relationship between sugar and cancer Flanders Institute for Biotechnology, October 16, 2022
A nine-year joint research project has led to a crucial breakthrough in cancer research. Scientists have clarified how the Warburg effect, a phenomenon in which cancer cells rapidly break down sugars, stimulates tumor growth. This discovery provides evidence for a positive correlation between sugar and cancer, which may have far-reaching impacts on tailor-made diets for cancer patients. The research has been published in the leading academic journal Nature Communications.
This project main focus was the Warburg effect, or the observation that tumors convert significantly higher amounts of sugar into lactate compared to healthy tissues. As one of the most prominent features of cancer cells, this phenomenon has been extensively studied and even used to detect brain tumors, among other applications. But thus far, it has been unclear whether the effect is merely a symptom of cancer, or a cause.
Prof. Johan Thevelein (VIB-KU Leuven): “Our research reveals how the hyperactive sugar consumption of cancerous cells leads to a vicious cycle of continued stimulation of cancer development and growth. Thus, it is able to explain the correlation between the strength of the Warburg effect and tumor aggressiveness. This link between sugar and cancer has sweeping consequences. Our results provide a foundation for future research in this domain, which can now be performed with a much more precise and relevant focus.”
Living with others and community engagement are keys to reduced dementia risk University of New South Wales (Australia), October 24, 2022
Research published in The Lancet Healthy Longevity provides evidence to support that living with others, community group engagement and never feeling lonely are associated with slower cognitive decline.
It is widely recognized that poor social connections such as small networks, infrequent interactions, and loneliness are modifiable risk factors for cognitive decline, with the 2020 Lancet Commission on dementia prevention estimating that tackling social isolation could prevent 4% of dementia cases worldwide.
This research, led by UNSW Sydney’s Centre for Healthy Brain Aging (CHeBA), investigated a range of measures of social connectedness to discover which had the most robust findings in relation to risk reduction of cognitive decline—and dementia.
“We looked at a range of measures of social connections, in approximately 40,000 people across 13 international studies,” says lead author Dr. Suraj Samtani, Postdoctoral Fellow and social health expert at CHeBA. “Previous analyses of multiple international studies have many limitations.
Co-author and CHeBA Co-Director Professor Henry Brodaty said that the findings have socio-economic significance. “We found that sharing a home with one or more person[s] and weekly community group engagement had the most robust results across studies, indicating these factors are fundamental components in the link with less cognitive decline,” says Professor Brodaty. “We also identified an association between never feeling lonely and a slower rate of cognitive decline.”
Carrots Do Help Aging Eyes, Study Shows University of Utah School of Medicine, October 21, 2022
Your parents may have told you, “Eat your carrots, they’re good for your eyes,” and a new study suggests they were on to something. Pigments called carotenoids — which give red or orange hues to carrots, sweet potatoes and orange peppers, or deep greens to produce like spinach, broccoli and kale — may help ward off the age-linked vision ailment known as macular degeneration, researchers said.
“I tell my patients that fruit and vegetable consumption are very important for eye health — this study validates that notion,” said Dr. Paul Bernstein, a professor of ophthalmology and visual sciences at the University of Utah School of Medicine in Salt Lake City.
Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is one of the most common causes of vision loss, especially in the elderly. It affects the macula, the center part of the retina, and can lead to declines in sharp central vision and even blindness, experts say. Scientists have already linked a variety of factors to the condition including genetics, smoking and nutrition, said Bernstein, who was not involved in the new study. However, treatment for AMD may be limited depending on the type of macular degeneration that a person develops, he said.
In the new study, Wu’s team looked at data from health surveys that tracked people aged 50 and older — more than 63,000 women and almost 39,000 men -over a 25 year period. Participants were all nurses and other health professionals. Overall, about 2.5 percent of study participants developed either intermediate or advanced forms of the eye condition during the years of the study.
Wu’s team found that people who consumed the very highest levels of carotenoids known as lutein and zeaxanthin had a 40 percent lower risk of the advanced form of AMD compared to those who ate the very least.
“Other carotenoids, including beta cryptoxanthin, alpha carotene and beta carotene, may also play protective roles,” Wu added. People who consumed the very highest amount of these carotenoids — found in foods such as carrots and sweet potato — had a 25 to 35 percent lower risk of the advanced form of the illness, the findings showed.
Researchers did not find any link between the carotenoids and the intermediate form of macular degeneration, however.
Lutein is found in eggs and dark leafy vegetables including broccoli, kale and spinach, Bernstein said. Zeaxanthin is harder to find in the diet, he said, but you can get it from corn, orange peppers and goji berries.
Wu noted that both lutein and zeaxanthin concentrate in the macula, where they are thought to protect it from damage from oxygen and light.
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Carotenoids linked to lower diabetes Utrecht University Medical Center (Netherlands), October 21, 2022
A prospective study of 37,846 subjects links higher carotenoid consumption to a lower risk of diabetes.
People who consume a diet high in antioxidant-rich carotenoids have a lower occurrence of diabetes, according to a new study. The researchers linked higher intakes of beta and alpha carotene with lower risks of type 2 diabetes.
The research analyzed data from validated food frequency questionnaires from 37,846 participants in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition, which followed subjects for a mean of 10 years. They focused on dietary carotenoid intake levels consisting of beta-carotene, alpha-carotene, beta-cryptoxanthin, lycopene, lutein, zeaxanthin and the total of these six carotenoids. The study also examined how smoking (tobacco, not carotenoids) played into the subjects’ risk of developing diabetes. Thirty-one percent of the subjects smoked.
“This study shows that diets high in beta-carotene and alpha-carotene are associated with reduced type 2 diabetes in generally healthy men and women,” concluded the authors of the study, which appeared in the journal Nutrition, Metabolism & Cardiovascular Disease. Smoking, according the researchers’ analysis, made no difference in the risk of diabetes.
An earlier study linked low carotenoids with increased risk of colon cancer. Animal and human studies have found that beta-carotene can enhance many aspects of immunity. Some of this research has shown that beta-carotene boosts the activity of “natural-killer” cells, a type of immune cell that fights cancer.
Melatonin and CoQ10 for migraines University of California, Los Angeles, October 20, 2022
Migraines affect about 12 percent of people in the United States, occurring more often in women, in people between the ages of 30 and 39, and within families.
A retrospective analysis of migraine sufferers found that emotional stress was a trigger for 80 percent of them, missing a meal was a trigger for 57 percent, and lack of sleep was a trigger for 50 percent.
In a study, patients who experienced migraine headaches two to eight times per month were randomly assigned to take either a placebo or 100 milligrams of CoQ10 three times per day for at least three months. The authors measured success as a greater than 50 percent reduction in the frequency of migraines. Only 14.4 percent of those who took the placebo showed this level of reduction, but 47.6 percent of those who took CoQ10 reduced their frequency of migraines by that amount.
Then there’s the B vitamin riboflavin. Another study found that 59 percent of people who took a daily dose of 400 milligrams had a greater than 50 percent reduction in the frequency of migraines, compared to 15 percent of those who took a placebo. However, it took three months for riboflavin to show this benefit.
Knowing that sleep problems increase the risk of migraines, researchers compared the effects of 3 milligrams of melatonin to the effects of the anti-depressant amitriptyline or of a placebo. After three months, 54.4 percent of people who took melatonin had a 50 percent or greater reduction in frequency of headaches compared to 39.1 percent in the amitriptyline group and 20 percent in the placebo group.
Study: Eating foods high in healthy fats helps fight off skin cancer University Medical Center Groningen (Netherlands), October 21, 2022
A study has found that foods rich in healthy fats can help protect against skin cancer and boost the effectiveness of immunotherapy among skin cancer patients. Results showed that patients who followed the Mediterranean diet and received the drugs were more likely to survive and remain progression-free after 12 months.
The Mediterranean diet includes lots of superfoods like olive oil, nuts and fish, along with fruits, vegetables and whole grains. The diet is popular because it is associated with amazing health benefits such as a longer lifespan and protection against cardiovascular diseases.
For the study, researchers from the U.K. and UMCG tracked the diets of 91 patients with advanced melanoma. The volunteers were all taking Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors (ICIs). ICIs have worked well for those with melanoma, the most serious type of skin cancer.
Researchers analyzed the patients’ progress and gave them frequent X-ray check ups. The findings revealed that the patients following a Mediterranean diet responded better to ICIs and were also most likely to not get any worse a year later.
According to the results of the study, whole grains and legumes in particular also helped reduce the likelihood of patients experiencing side effects from the immunotherapy drugs kike colitis or inflammation of the colon. Meanwhile, those who consumed a lot of red and processed meat experienced more side effects.
Exercise Matters Regardless of Genetics When it Comes to Longevity University of California San Diego, October 21, 2022
A study from the University of California San Diego found that engaging in physical activity contributed to your longevity, regardless of genetic predispositions.
This study of over 5,400 postmenopausal women aged 63 and up examined the role fitness habits play in longevity. The findings? Even light activity makes a difference, correlating with a 45% reduced risk of death, compared with those leading a sedentary lifestyle. Meanwhile, moderate-to-vigorous activity was found to have an even greater impact, with a 54% reduced risk of death.
These results were consistent among the women, regardless of any specific genetic predisposition. “Even if you aren’t likely to live long based on your genes, you can still extend your lifespan by engaging in positive lifestyle behaviors such as regular exercise and sitting less,” concluded senior author and assistant professor at UC San Diego, Aladdin H. Shadyab, Ph.D.
The UC San Diego study sought to answer the question of whether this risk changes if the person is genetically predisposed to live a long life. The conclusion is that no, it does not. Exercise increased the likelihood to live longer regardless of the subject’s genetic profile, just as being sedentary increased their risk to die younger than would have otherwise been predicted based on their genes.
When accounting for activity of the subjects and adjusting for variables like race, age, BMI, smoker vs. nonsmoker and overall health status the authors found:
The highest quartile for light physical activity had a whopping 45% reduced risk of death compared to those in the lowest quartile The highest quartile of moderate-to vigorous activity category had a 54% reduced risk of death vs. the lowest The highest quartile for sedentary time doubled their risk of death compared to those with the lowest sedentary quartile This association of activity and longevity carried through even with the genetic risk score taken into account, confirming that the benefit of exercise on longevity was present, regardless of genetics. Shadyab emphasized the importance of these findings and physical activity’s impact on living longer, stating, “Even if your genes predispose you to a long life, remaining physically active is still important to achieve longevity.”
Pesticide Free Organic Food Lowers Blood Cancer Risk by 86%
Centre of Research in Epidemiology and Statistics (France), October 22, 2022
Cutting out pesticides by eating only organic food could slash your cancer risk by up to 86 percent, a new study claims.
The biggest impact was seen on non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma risk, which plummeted among those who shunned chemical-sprayed food, according to the survey of nearly 70,000 French adults. Overall, organic eaters were 25 percent less likely to develop any cancer, and their risks of skin and breast cancers dropped by a third.
The health benefit was far greater for obese people, they found.
However, the diet had no significant effect on bowel cancer – which is soaring in numbers globally – or prostate cancer.
‘Our results indicate that higher organic food consumption is associated with a reduction in the risk of overall cancer,’ lead author Dr Julia Baudry of the Centre of Research in Epidemiology and Statistics Sorbonne, Paris said. ‘We observed reduced risks for specific cancer sites – postmenopausal breast cancer, non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, and all lymphomas – among individuals with a higher frequency of organic food consumption.
Dr Baudry explained among the environmental risk factors for cancer there was growing evidence of a link between exposure to pesticides notably in farm workers and cancer development. ‘Because of their lower exposure to pesticide residues, it can be hypothesised that high organic food consumers may have a lower risk of developing cancer.
The cohort, who were 78 percent female and an average age of 44 were broken up into four groups according their organic diet food scores. Factoring in known cancer risks, the proportion of participants in the top quartile for eating organic food who got certain cancers was a fraction compared to those in the bottom quartile.
The most common was 459 breast cancers, followed by 180 prostate cancers, 135 skin cancers, 99 colorectal cancers, 47 non-Hodgkin lymphomas, and 15 other lymphomas.
High organic food scores were inversely associated with the overall risk of cancer being 25 percent less for those of the top quartile compared to the bottom.
WHO highlights high cost of physical inactivity in first-ever global report World Health Organization, October 21, 2022
Almost 500 million people will develop heart disease, obesity, diabetes or other noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) attributable to physical inactivity, between 2020 and 2030, costing US$ 27 billion annually, if governments don’t take urgent action to encourage more physical activity among their populations.
The Global status report on physical activity 2022, published by the World Health Organization, measures the extent to which governments are implementing recommendations to increase physical activity across all ages and abilities.
Data from 194 countries show that overall, progress is slow and that countries need to accelerate the development and implementation of policies to increase levels of physical activity and thereby prevent disease and reduce burden on already overwhelmed health care systems.
Less than 50% of countries have a national physical activity policy, of which less than 40% are operational Only 30% of countries have national physical activity guidelines for all age groups While nearly all countries report a system for monitoring physical activity in adults, 75% of countries monitor physical activity among adolescents, and less than 30% monitor physical activity in children under 5 years In policy areas that could encourage active and sustainable transport, only just over 40% of countries have road design standards that make walking and cycling safer. The economic burden of physical inactivity is significant and the cost of treating new cases of preventable non-communicable diseases (NCDs) will reach nearly US$ 300 billion by 2030, around US$ 27 billion annually.
The report calls for countries to prioritize physical activity as key to improving health and tackling NCDs, integrate physical activity into all relevant policies, and develop tools, guidance and training to improve implementation.
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Clinical trial for nicotinamide riboside: Vitamin safely boosts levels of important cell metabolite linked to multiple health benefits
University of Iowa Health Care, October 10, 2022
In a clinical trial of nicotinamide riboside (NR), a newly discovered form of Vitamin B3, researchers have shown that the compound is safe for humans and increases levels of a cell metabolite that is critical for cellular energy production and protection against stress and DNA damage.
Studies in mice have shown that boosting the levels of this cell metabolite — known as NAD+ — can produce multiple health benefits, including resistance to weight gain, improved control of blood sugar and cholesterol, reduced nerve damage, and longer lifespan. Levels of NAD+ diminish with age, and it has been suggested that loss of this metabolite may play a role in age-related health decline. These findings in animal studies have spurred people to take commercially available NR supplements designed to boost NAD+. However, these over-the-counter supplements have not undergone many clinical trials to see if they work in people.
The new research, reported in the journal Nature Communications, was led by Charles Brenner, PhD, professor and Roy J. Carver Chair of Biochemistry at the University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine
The human trial involved six men and six women, all healthy. Each participant received single oral doses of 100 mg, 300 mg, or 1,000 mg of NR in a different sequence with a seven-day gap between doses. After each dose, blood and urine samples were collected and analyzed to measure various NAD+ metabolites in a process called metabolomics. The trial showed that the NR vitamin increased NAD+ metabolism by amounts directly related to the dose, and there were no serious side effects with any of the doses.
“This trial shows that oral NR safely boosts human NAD+ metabolism,” Brenner says. “We are excited because everything we are learning from animal systems indicates that the effectiveness of NR depends on preserving and/or boosting NAD+ and related compounds in the face of metabolic stresses. Because the levels of supplementation in mice that produce beneficial effects are achievable in people, it appears than health benefits of NR will be translatable to humans safely.”
Consumption of a bioactive compound from Neem plant could significantly suppress development of prostate cancer
National University of Singapore, September 29, 2022
Oral administration of nimbolide, over 12 weeks shows reduction of prostate tumor size by up to 70 per cent and decrease in tumor metastasis by up to 50 per cent
A team of international researchers led by Associate Professor Gautam Sethi from the Department of Pharmacology at the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine at the National University of Singapore (NUS) has found that nimbolide, a bioactive terpenoid compound derived from Azadirachta indica or more commonly known as the neem plant or curry leaf common in throughout Indian cuisine, could reduce the size of prostate tumor by up to 70 per cent and suppress its spread or metastasis by half.
In this research, we have demonstrated that nimbolide can inhibit tumor cell viability — a cellular process that directly affects the ability of a cell to proliferate, grow, divide, or repair damaged cell components — and induce programmed cell death in prostate cancer cells,” said Assoc Prof Sethi.
The researchers observed that upon the 12 weeks of administering nimbolide, the size of prostate cancer tumor was reduced by as much as 70 per cent and its metastasis decreased by about 50 per cent, without exhibiting any significant adverse effects. “This is possible because a direct target of nimbolide in prostate cancer is glutathione reductase, an enzyme which is responsible for maintaining the antioxidant system that regulates the STAT3 gene in the body. The activation of the STAT3 gene has been reported to contribute to prostate tumor growth and metastasis,” explained Assoc Prof Sethi. “We have found that nimbolide can substantially inhibit STAT3 activation and thereby abrogating the growth and metastasis of prostate tumor,” he added.
Mindfulness training provides a natural high, study finds University of Utah, October 20, 2022
New research from the University of Utah finds that a mindfulness meditation practice can produce a healthy altered state of consciousness in the treatment of individuals with addictive behaviors. Not unlike what one might experience under the influence of psychedelic drugs—achieving this altered state through mindful meditation has the potential lifesaving benefit of decreasing one’s addictive behaviors by promoting healthy changes to the brain. The findings come from the largest neuroscience study to date on mindfulness as a treatment for addiction.
The study, published in the journal Science Advances, provides new insight into the neurobiological mechanisms by which mindfulness treats addiction. Study findings provide a promising, safe and accessible treatment option for the more than 9 million Americans misusing opioids. Eric Garland is the lead author of the paper and is a distinguished professor and directs the University of Utah’s Center on Mindfulness and Integrative Health Intervention Development.
Garland’s study builds on previous research measuring the positive effects of theta waves in the human brain. Researchers have found that individuals with low theta waves tend to experience a wandering mind, trouble concentrating or they ruminate on thoughts about themselves. Low theta waves result in a loss of self-control as the brain slips into its default mode of automatic habits. In contrast, when a person is focused, present and fully absorbed in a task, EEG scans will show increased frontal midline theta wave activity.
“With high theta activity, your mind becomes very quiet, you focus less on yourself and become so deeply absorbed in what you are doing that the boundary between yourself and the thing you are focusing on starts to fade away. You lose yourself in what you are doing,” said Garland.
Garland’s new study showed it is in this mindful, theta wave state that people begin to experience feelings of self-transcendence and bliss, and the brain changes in ways that actually reduce one’s addictive behaviors.
Garland’s research team recruited 165 adults with long-term opioid use for the study. Participants were randomly placed into either the control group that participated in supportive group psychotherapy or the experimental group taught to incorporate Mindfulness-Oriented Recovery Enhancement (MORE) into their daily lives.
Participants showed more than twice as much frontal midline theta brain activity following treatment with MORE, whereas those in supportive therapy showed no increase in theta. Participants in MORE who showed the biggest increases in theta waves reported more intense experiences of self-transcendence during meditation, including the sense of one’s ego fading away, a sense of oneness with the universe or feelings of blissful energy and love.
MORE also led to significant decreases in opioid misuse through the nine-month follow-up. These reductions in opioid misuse were caused in part by the increases in frontal midline theta brain waves. Garland explained that by achieving “tastes of self-transcendence” through meditation, mindfulness therapy boosted theta waves in the frontal lobes of the brain to help participants gain self-control over their addictive behaviors.
Free radicals blamed for toxic buildup in Alzheimer’s brains Rutgers University, October 11, 2022.
A study reported in Cell Death & Disease revealed a previously unknown mechanism that may contribute to traumatic brain injury and Alzheimer’s disease. While a buildup of the protein amyloid-beta has been hypothesized to be the major driver of Alzheimer’s disease, the study suggests that another protein, after undergoing oxidation by free radicals, could be a causative factor.
“Indeed, scientists have known for a long time that during aging or in neurodegenerative disease cells produce free radicals,” explained lead researcher Federico Sesti, who is a professor of neuroscience and cell biology at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. “Free radicals are toxic molecules that can cause a reaction that results in lost electrons in important cellular components, including the channels.”
Dr Sesti and colleagues determined that oxidation of a potassium channel known as KCNB1 results in a toxic buildup of this protein, leading to increased amyloid-beta production and damage to brain function. “The discovery of KCNB1’s oxidation/build-up was found through observation of both mouse and human brains, which is significant as most scientific studies do not usually go beyond observing animals,” Dr Sesti reported. “Further, KCBB1 channels may not only contribute to Alzheimer’s but also to other conditions of stress as it was found in a recent study that they are formed following brain trauma.”
Study: Maternal, paternal exercise affects metabolic health in offspring Ohio State University, October 19, 2022
A mouse study by Kristin Stanford, with The Ohio State University College of Medicine at the Wexner Medical Center, provides new ways to determine how maternal and paternal exercise improve metabolic health of offspring.
This study used mice to evaluate how their lifestyles—eating fatty foods vs. healthy and exercising vs. not—affected the metabolites of their offspring.
Metabolites are substances made or used when the body breaks down food, drugs or chemicals, or its own fat or muscle tissue. This process, called metabolism, makes energy and the materials needed for growth, reproduction and maintaining health. Metabolites can serve as disease markers, particularly for type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
“Tissue metabolites contribute to overall metabolism, including glucose or fatty acid metabolism, and thus systemic metabolism. We have previously shown that maternal and paternal exercise improve health of offspring. Tissue and serum metabolites play a fundamental role in the health of an organism, but how parental exercise affects offspring tissue and serum metabolites has not yet been investigated. This new data contributes to how maternal or paternal exercise could improve metabolism in offspring,” Stanford said.
This study found that all forms of parental exercise improved whole-body glucose metabolism in offspring as adults, and metabolomics profiling of offspring serum, muscle, and liver reveal that parental exercise results in extensive effects across all classes of metabolites in all of these offspring tissues.
Regular consumption of fried food before pregnancy increases risk of developing gestational diabetes
Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, October 10, 2022
New research published in Diabetologia (the journal of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes) shows that women who eat fried food regularly before conceiving are at increased risk of developing gestational diabetes during pregnancy.
Gestational diabetes (GDM) is a complication that can arise during pregnancy, and is characterised by abnormally high blood glucose during the pregnancy (especially in the final 3 months). It can lead to increased birthweight of the child, as well jaundice and other complications. When left untreated, it can cause complications or stillbirth. Women who have GDM are more likely to later develop full blown type 2 diabetes.
The authors included 21,079 singleton pregnancies from 15,027 women in the Nurses’ Health Study II (NHS II) cohort. NHS II is an ongoing prospective cohort study of 116,671 female nurses in the USA aged 25-44 years at the start of study.
For fried food consumption, participants were asked “how often do you eat fried food away from home (e.g. French fries, fried chicken, fried fish)?” and “how often do you eat food that is fried at home?” Both questions had four possible frequency responses: less than once per week, 1-3 times per week, 4-6 times per week, or daily. The researchers analysed fried food consumption at home and away from home separately, as well as total fried food consumption. In addition, they asked the participants what kind of frying fat/oils they usually used at home, with the possible responses as follows: real butter, margarine, vegetable oil, vegetable shortening, or lard.
The association persisted after further adjustments were made for varying body-mass index (BMI). After this, the risk ratios of GDM among women who consumed total fried foods 1-3, 4-6, and 7 or more times per week, compared with those who consumed less than once per week, were 1.06, 1.14, and 1.88 respectively (thus an 88% increased risk for 7 or more times per week compared with less than once per week).
The authors say: “The potential detrimental effects of fried food consumption on GDM risk may result from the modification of foods and frying medium and generation of harmful by-products during the frying process. Frying deteriorates oils through the processes of oxidation and hydrogenation, leading to an increase in the absorption of oil degradation products by the foods being fried, and also a loss of unsaturated fatty acids such as linoleic and linolenic acids and an increase in the corresponding trans fatty acids such as trans-linoleic acids and trans-linolenic acids.”
They add: “Frying also results in significantly higher levels of dietary advanced glycation end products (AGEs), the derivatives of glucose-protein or glucose-lipid interactions. Recently, AGEs have been implicated in insulin resistance, pancreatic beta-cell damage, and diabetes, partly because they promote oxidative stress and inflammation. Moreover, intervention studies with a diet low in AGEs have shown significantly improved insulin sensitivity, reduced oxidant stress, and alleviated inflammation.”
When analysed separately, the authors found that there was a statistically significant association of GDM with fried food consumption away from home, but not with fried food consumption at home. The authors say: “Deterioration of oils during frying is more profound when the oils are reused, a practice more common away from home than at home. This may partly explain why we observed a stronger association of GDM risk with fried foods consumed away from home than fried foods consumed at home.”
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Stomach cancer cells halted with whole tomato extracts Sbarro Institute for Molecular Medicine at Temple University October 10, 2022
The Mediterranean diet has become regarded as highly beneficial to overall health, maintaining ideal weight and a reduced risk of cancer plus many other chronic disease conditions. One of the staples of this diet is tomatoes, especially the low-acid varieties that are grown in Italy and its impact on cancer risk is quite interesting.
Recent research by the Sbarro Institute for Molecular Medicine at Temple University in Philadelphia, Pa. has confirmed that two tomato cultivars grown in Southern Italy inhibit both malignant features and cellular growth in stomach cancer cells.
For the study, whole tomato lipophilic extracts were analyzed for their ability to fight and diminish neoplastic features of stomach cancer cells. Both the Corbarino and San Marzano tomato varieties were found to inhibit the cloning behavior of malignant cancer cells as well as impede their growth.
When tomato extracts were used on stomach cancer cells, key processes related to cell development, migration and proliferation were inhibited. The tomato extracts ultimately induced apoptosis, or cancer cell death in cancer cells. The study results were published in the Journal of Cellular Physiology.
Significantly, the tomato extracts contributed to the movement of cancer cells away from the primary tumor, which resulted in their death. These anticancer effects weren’t related to just one particular compound such as lycopene. Instead, the whole tomato seemed to contribute to its anticancer effects.
Previous studies had suggested the carotenoid compound lycopene, which creates the orange-red color of tomatoes, is what fights cancer cells. While lycopene may still be a major factor, the entire tomato seemed to have a highly potent effect against cancer.
Amino Acid Arginine Found As Effective As Drugs For Glucose Metabolism And DiabetesUniversity of Copenhagen & University of Cincinnati, October 9, 2022 If you suffer from type 2 diabetes, you may want to consider snacking on nuts to treat the condition. Supplementation with the amino acid arginine, commonly found in almonds and hazelnuts, could help to improve glucose metabolism by as much as 40%, according to new research in mice. The study shows that supplementation with the amino acid significantly improves glucose metabolism in both insulin-sensitive and insulin-resistant metabolisms. In new experiments, researchers from the University of Copenhagen working in collaboration with a research group at the University of Cincinnati, have demonstrated that the amino acid arginine, found in salmon, eggs, and nuts, improves glucose metabolism significantly in both lean (insulin-sensitive) and obese (insulin-resistant) mice. ”In fact, the amino acid is just as effective as several well-established drugs for type 2 diabetics,” says postdoc Christoffer Clemmensen. As improbable as it may seem, the most important molecule in regulating the function of our arteries is nitric oxide (NO), a gas better known to us as an air pollutant. As synthesized in our arteries in tiny quantities, however, NO acts as a powerful mediator of vasodilation, the mechanism by which arteries dilate, when necessary, to lower our blood pressure and increase the flow of blood to tissues that need it. The principal source of our NO is arginine. This occurs via enzyme-catalyzed reactions that occur in endothelial cells, the thin layer of smooth, tightly “tiled” cells that line the inner walls of our arteries. What researchers have found is that L-arginine potentiation of glucose-induced insulin secretion occurs independently of NO. The researchers found that arginine improves glucose metabolism significantly in both lean (insulin-sensitive) and obese (insulin-resistant) mice. “We can also see that arginine increases the body’s production of glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1), an intestinal hormone which plays an important role in regulating appetite and glucose metabolism, and which is therefore used in numerous drugs for treating type 2 diabetes,” said Clemmensen. Supplemental dosages of 6 to 8 grams L-Arginine per day are considered safe. Although available in food, for some applications such as stimulating secretion of growth hormone from the pituitary, it is not released quickly enough as the food is digested. The supplemental doses taken on an empty stomach will arrive at the blood-brain barrier without competition. Then growth hormone secretion will be stimulated which in turn can affect glucose metabolism Increasing green space could narrow lifespan gap between poorest and richest areas University of Glasgow (Scotland), October 19, 2022
Increasing the amount of natural (green and blue) space and private gardens has the potential to narrow the lifespan gap between those living in the most and least deprived areas, suggests research published online in the Journal of Epidemiology of Community Health.
Each 10% increase in natural space is linked to a 7% fall in the incidence of early death among the under 65s, the findings indicate.
It’s not clear if access to natural space might also be associated with differences in lifespan and protection against an earlier than expected death, so the researchers used the measure of “years of life lost,” or YLL for short, to try and find out.
Natural space was defined as: woodland; scattered trees; scrub; marsh; heath; open water (inland or tidal); semi natural grassland; general natural areas, such as grass on sports pitches, roadside verges, and farmland; agriculture; hard bare ground, such as rocks, boulders, and cliffs; and soft bare ground, such as sand, soil, and foreshore.
Areas with the highest income deprivation had the lowest average percentage cover of natural space and gardens (58.5%, 49–65%). People living in these areas had the highest levels of ill health.
The study found that every 10% increase in natural space cover was associated with a 7% fall in the incidence of premature death.
Food for thought: Study finds link between depression and unhealthy diets Macquarie University, October 18, 2022
A Macquarie University study of 169 adults aged 17 to 35 found those eating a Western-style diet were more likely to have lower levels of kynurenic acid (KA)—a small molecule important to a number of bodily functions—and report higher levels of depression than those eating diets rich in fresh fruit and vegetables.
Neuroscientist Dr. Edwin Lim and neuropsychologist Dr. Heather Francis published a paper on the findings of the study in the journal Frontiers in Nutrition.
“Western-style diets high in fat, sugar and processed foods were already known to increase the risk of depression, but this is the first time a biological link involving the kynurenine pathway has been established,” Lim says.
“People from the group eating an unhealthy diet had lower levels of KA and more severe symptoms of depression. This indicates that KA may help to protect us against depression.”
The human body has a number of ways of producing important molecules and metabolites necessary to keep it functioning. One of these important molecules is tryptophan—an essential amino acid that the body can’t make itself, that is found in foods like dairy products, poultry, bananas, oats, nuts and seeds.
When tryptophan is broken down, it can produce either serotonin and melatonin—important for our mood and sleep—or it can be processed by the kynurenine pathway, which creates KA and other important metabolites linked to neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease.
Lim says this is the first time anyone has been able to show that Western-style diet has an effect on the way that tryptophan is metabolized in otherwise healthy young people.
“There is, however, a clear relationship between an increased risk of depression and eating an unhealthy diet that is high in fat, sugar and processed foods, giving us all the incentive to eat more fresh vegetables and fruit,” she says.
Study finds Mediterranean diet more effective cure for acid reflux than meds Feinstein Institute for Medical Research & New York Medical College, October 8, 2022
Sticking to a Mediterranean diet is just as effective at controlling reflux as medicines prescribed to millions of people each year, research suggests.
Patients who ate primarily fish, vegetables and whole grains – and drank alkaline-heavy water – reported a greater reduction in their symptoms than those on proton pump inhibitors (PPIs), the small study found.
Patients who ate fish, vegetables and whole grains reported a greater reduction in symptoms than those on proton pump inhibitors (PPIs), the study found
Gastric, or oesophageal, reflux describes the traveling of stomach contents back up into the esophagus — a reversal of the normal flow. This is due to a poorly functioning lower esophageal sphincter, a ring of muscle at the top of the stomach that normally shuts to stop the contents of the stomach leaking out and up the foodpipe.
In the study, published in the journal JAMA Otolaryngology – experts compared 85 patients treated with PPIs with 99 who followed a 90 percent plant-based, Mediterranean-style diet, who also drank alkaline water.
The diet consisted mostly of fruits, vegetables, grains and nuts and barely any dairy or meat including beef, chicken, fish, eggs and pork. People were also told to avoid known triggers of reflux, including coffee, tea, chocolate, fizzy drinks, greasy and fried food, spicy food, fatty food and alcohol.
Patients on the plant-based diet also lost weight and needed fewer medicines for other conditions, including high blood pressure and high cholesterol.
‘The results we found show we are heading in the right direction to treating reflux without medication.’
Shorter sleep in later life linked to higher risk of multiple diseases University College London, October 19, 2022
Getting less than five hours of sleep in mid-to-late life could be linked to an increased risk of developing at least two chronic diseases, finds a new study led by UCL researchers.
The research, published in PLOS Medicine, analyzed the impact of sleep duration on the health of more than 7,000 men and women at the ages of 50, 60 and 70, from the Whitehall II cohort study.
Researchers examined the relationship between how long each participant slept for, mortality and whether they had been diagnosed with two or more chronic diseases(multimorbidity)—such as heart disease, cancer or diabetes—over the course of 25 years.
People who reported getting five hours of sleep or less at age 50 were 20% more likely to have been diagnosed with a chronic disease and 40% more likely to be diagnosed with two or more chronic diseases over 25 years, compared to people who slept for up to seven hours.
Additionally, sleeping for five hours or less at the age of 50, 60, and 70 was linked to a 30% to 40% increased risk of multimorbidity when compared with those who slept for up to seven hours.
Researchers also found that sleep duration of five hours or less at age 50 was associated with 25% increased risk of mortality over the 25 years of follow-up—which can mainly be explained by the fact that short sleep duration increases the risk of chronic disease(s) that in turn increase the risk of death.
“Our findings show that short sleep duration is also associated with multimorbidity.
As part of the study, researchers also assessed whether sleeping for a long duration, of nine hours or more, affected health outcomes. There was no clear association between long sleep durations at age 50 and multimorbidity in healthy people.
Study finds Mediterranean diet more effective cure for acid reflux than meds Feinstein Institute for Medical Research & New York Medical College, October 8, 2017
Sticking to a Mediterranean diet is just as effective at controlling reflux as medicines prescribed to millions of people each year, research suggests.
Patients who ate primarily fish, vegetables and whole grains – and drank alkaline-heavy water – reported a greater reduction in their symptoms than those on proton pump inhibitors (PPIs), the small study found. Gastric, or oesophageal, reflux describes the traveling of stomach contents back up into the esophagus — a reversal of the normal flow. This is due to a poorly functioning lower esophageal sphincter, a ring of muscle at the top of the stomach that normally shuts to stop the contents of the stomach leaking out and up the foodpipe.
In the study, published in the journal JAMA Otolaryngology, experts compared 85 patients treated with PPIs with 99 who followed a 90 percent plant-based, Mediterranean-style diet, who also drank alkaline water.
The diet consisted mostly of fruits, vegetables, grains and nuts and barely any dairy or meat including beef, chicken, fish, eggs and pork. People were also told to avoid known triggers of reflux, including coffee, tea, chocolate, fizzy drinks, greasy and fried food, spicy food, fatty food and alcohol.
Patients on the plant-based diet also lost weight and needed fewer medicines for other conditions, including high blood pressure and high cholesterol.
‘The results we found show we are heading in the right direction to treating reflux without medication.’
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Aronia berry supplementation supports gut, arterial health King’s College London, October 17 2022.
The issue of Clinical Nutrition reported findings from a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial that uncovered a benefit for supplementation with aronia berry among men and women with prehypertension.
“Aronia melanocarpa, or black chokeberry, has gained increased attention for its high content of (poly)phenols, and potential protection against chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease and diabetes,” authors Melanie Le Sayec of King’s College London and colleagues remarked.
The trial included 102 participants between the ages of 40 and 70 years who received aronia berry extract capsules that contained 106 milligrams total polyphenols or identical placebo capsules for 12 weeks. Blood pressure, arterial function, gut microbiome composition and other factors were assessed before and after the treatment period.
At the end of the study, augmentation index and pulse wave velocity, which measure arterial stiffness, significantly improved among participants who received aronia in comparison with the placebo group. The aronia-supplemented group also had a significant increase in microbiome species richness and abundance of species that produce butyrate, a compound that has a favorable effect in gut health.
The researchers observed associations between plasma and urinary aronia-derived polyphenol metabolites, decreased arterial stiffness and various gut flora species. “To our knowledge, this is the first time these species are shown to correlate with beneficial effects on arterial function,” they announced.
“The present findings suggest that daily consumption of aronia berry extract led to improvements in arterial function in healthy middle-aged people, with a concomitant and related increase in potentially health-promoting bacterial taxa,” the authors concluded.
Zinc enhances albumin’s protective role against Parkinson’s disease University of Science and Technology, October 17, 2022
Revealing zinc’s interaction with a critical transport protein underscores the need to study biological pathways under physiologically relevant conditions.
Heavy metals in the body have long been thought to induce the aggregation of disease-linked proteins, but a KAUST study shows this is not always the case.
It turns out that zinc ions tune the ability of human serum albumin (HSA), an abundant transport protein in the body, to better prevent α-synuclein from aggregating, a process directly linked to Parkinson’s disease.
In unrealistically massive quantities, zinc tends to accelerate the aggregation of α-synuclein, a neuronal protein implicated in Parkinson’s disease. This is what other scientists had shown in the past. But, under the types of biologically plausible experimental conditions considered by Al-Harthi, the metal actually interacts with HSA to cause the opposite effect.
Using a state-of-the-art imaging technique known as proton-less nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, Al-Harthi and colleagues showed that zinc binding alters the chaperone function of HSA, a multifunctional molecule that plays a role in blocking α-synuclein accretion. In particular, zinc ions biased HSA toward stronger interactions with the aggregation-prone fragments of α-synuclein, a change that blunts fibril formation and slows down the toxic process of protein deposition that can lead to neurodegeneration.
High exposure to glyphosate in pregnancy could cause lower birth weights in babies Indiana University School of Medicine, October 17, 2022
Indiana University School of Medicine researchers are learning more about the effects of herbicide exposure during pregnancy, finding glyphosate in 99% of the pregnant women they observed in the Midwest. In the study, published recently in Environmental Health, higher glyphosate levels were associated with lower birth weight and may also lead to higher neonatal intensive care unit admission risk.
This is the second study the researchers have conducted with significant findings. The team’s previous study, published in 2018, was the first study to confirm glyphosate in 93% of pregnancies which found associations with shortened pregnancies. Other recent studies have also confirmed their findings.
“Pesticide exposure in pregnancy, especially in early pregnancy, can imprint DNA and alter gene expression,” said Paul Winchester, MD, professor of clinical pediatrics and the study’s lead author.
Glyphosate is a chemical, commonly found in Roundup, used to kill weeds. It is used by farmers and homeowners across the United States, but especially in the Midwest on corn and soybeans. Previous studies have shown people can be exposed to glyphosate in all the foods they eat, even packaged or organic foods.
“As a neonatologist, I’m seeing more and more infants with problems like low birth weight as well as mothers with issues like obesity or gestational diabetes,” Winchester said. “We need to keep studying these herbicides long term to find out how they could be causing these issues and what we can do to prevent them.”
Omega-3 supplements linked to younger biological age in older people University of South Australia & University of Newcastle, October 13, 2022 Supplements of omega-3s may slow cellular ageing in older people with mild cognitive impairment, according to results of a pilot randomized clinical trial
DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) was associated with reduced shortening of telomeres, DNA sequences at the end of chromosomes that shorten as cells replicate and age, report researchers from Australia in Nutrition .
The aging and lifespan of normal, healthy cells are linked to the so-called telomerase shortening mechanism, which limits cells to a fixed number of divisions. During cell replication, the telomeres function by ensuring the cell’s chromosomes do not fuse with each other or rearrange, which can lead to cancer. Elizabeth Blackburn, a telomere pioneer at the University of California San Francisco, likened telomeres to the ends of shoelaces, without which the lace would unravel. With each replication the telomeres shorten, and when the telomeres are totally consumed, the cells are destroyed (apoptosis). Previous studies have also reported that telomeres are highly susceptible to oxidative stress.
This is not the first time that omega-3s have been linked to reduced telomere shortening, with findings from a study by researchers from the University of California, San Francisco indicating that high blood levels of omega-3 fatty acids may slow cellular ageing in people with coronary heart disease (JAMA, Vol. 303, pp. 250-257).
The new study, performed by scientists from the University of South Australia, and the University of Newcastle is an intervention study, albeit on a pilot scale.
Results of the study showed that the omega-6 group exhibited the greatest shortening of telomere length, compared to the DHA and EPA groups. Increased levels of DHA in red blood cells was significantly associated with reduced telomere shortening in the DHA group, said O’Callaghan and his co-workers.
Reading Is Good for Your Health
University of Stavanger (Norway) Oct. 8, 2022
People with poor reading skills are likely to be less healthy than those who read easily, according to recent research. Literacy skills are important for keeping in good shape. A relationship exists between self-perceived health and literacy, and draws on data from the international adult literacy and life skills survey (ALL).
Self-perceived health can mean feeling pains, physical condition hampering everyday activities, fatigue, or emotional problems which affect social relationships. “Other research shows that self-perceived health is closely related to actual well-being,” explains Lundetræ. “So adults with low literacy skills, as a group, are likely to be in worse physical shape than those who can read well.”
A perception of poor health increases among weak readers with age. It is greatest among those aged 45-65 and lowest in the youngest group, aged 16-24. “So it’s natural that the relationship between weak reading skills and the perception of poor health rises with age. That’s when you usually feel the effects of an unhealthy lifestyle or failing to look after yourself properly.”
“Advice on nutrition, healthy diet and physical activity is increasingly communicated through newspaper and magazine articles and on the internet,” Lundetræ explains. “We receive a great deal of information by reading. It’s conceivable that certain people miss out on important health advice because they read poorly and seldom.” How well people understand such written details could be crucial for how good they are at looking after their own health, Lundetræ observes. Health-related text is often complicated. It can contain a lot of technical terms, and is frequently badly written. That makes it difficult to grasp for poor readers.
A general improvement in reading skills might accordingly give more people better health and, in the longer terms, have a beneficial effect on the cost of health services. Since a lot of those who are most in need of such knowledge are poor readers, these texts have to be easy to read. They must be written in a language which is not too technical or which uses too many words, and must communicate clearly and simply.
Hair straightening chemicals associated with higher uterine cancer risk National Institutes of Health, October 17, 2022
Women who used chemical hair straightening products were at higher risk for uterine cancer compared to women who did not report using these products, according to a new study from the National Institutes of Health. The researchers found no associations with uterine cancer for other hair products that the women reported using, including hair dyes, bleach, highlights, or perms.
The study data includes 33,497 U.S. women ages 35-74 participating in the Sister Study, a study led by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), part of NIH, that seeks to identify risk factors for breast cancer and other health conditions. The women were followed for almost 11 years and during that time 378 uterine cancer cases were diagnosed.
The researchers found that women who reported frequent use of hair straightening products, defined as more than four times in the previous year, were more than twice as likely to go on to develop uterine cancer compared to those who did not use the products.
“We estimated that 1.64% of women who never used hair straighteners would go on to develop uterine cancer by the age of 70; but for frequent users, that risk goes up to 4.05%,” said Alexandra White, Ph.D., head of the NIEHS Environment and Cancer Epidemiology group and lead author on the new study. “This doubling rate is concerning. However, it is important to put this information into context—uterine cancer is a relatively rare type of cancer.”
Uterine cancer accounts for about 3% of all new cancer cases but is the most common cancer of the female reproductive system, with 65,950 estimated new cases in 2022. Studies show that incidence rates of uterine cancer have been rising in the United States, particularly among Black women.
The researchers did not collect information on brands or ingredients in the hair products the women used. However, in the paper they note that several chemicals that have been found in straighteners (such as parabens, bisphenol A, metals, and formaldehyde) could be contributing to the increased uterine cancer risk observed. Chemical exposure from hair product use, especially straighteners, could be more concerning than other personal care products due to increased absorption through the scalp which may be exacerbated by burns and lesions caused by straighteners.
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Research identifies the herbal supplements that are effective in treating anxiety
Global Neuroscience Initiative Foundation, October 6, 2022
A systematic review of research into the use of nutritional supplements for the treatment of anxiety disorders has found strong evidence for the use of extracts of passionflower or kava and combinations of L-lysine and L-arginine. Researchers writing in open access Nutrition Journal pooled the results of 24 studies involving a total of more than 2000 participants, showing that some nutritional and herbal supplements can be effective, without the risk of serious side effects.
The research was carried out by Shaheen Lakhan and Karen Vieira from the Global Neuroscience Initiative Foundation, a non-profit charity organization for the advancement of neurological and mental health patient welfare, education, and research, based in Los Angeles, USA. Lakhan said, “Our review and summary of the literature on herbal remedies and dietary supplements for anxiety should aid mental health practitioners in advising their patients and provide insight for future research in this field. We found mixed results – while passionflower or kava and L-lysine and L-arginine appeared to be effective, St John’s Wort and magnesium supplements were not”.
Of the studies included in the review, 21 were randomized controlled trials. Of these, 15 showed positive effects from either a nutritional or herbal remedy and any reported side effects were mild to moderate.
Melatonin improves mitochondrial function in rat model of diabetes
University of Granada, La Paz University Hospital & University of Texas, October 6 2022.
The Journal of Pineal Research published an article by researchers that reported a protective effect for melatonin on mitochondrial function in obese rats.
“Mitochondrial dysfunction in adipose tissue may contribute to obesity-related metabolic derangements such as type 2 diabetes mellitus,” write principle investigator Ahmad Agil and colleagues. “Because mitochondria are a target for melatonin action, the goal of this study was to investigate the effects of melatonin on mitochondrial function in white and beige inguinal adipose tissue of Zücker diabetic fatty rats.
The team divided eight diabetic rats and eight lean littermates to receive melatonin-enhanced or plain drinking water for six weeks, after which mitochondrial function was evaluated. They observed improvement in mitochondrial respiration, and a reduction in oxidative status among both lean and obese animals that received melatonin.
He observed that, along with other factors, the rise in obesity in both developed and developing countries has coincided with exposure to artificial light at night, which inhibits the body’s production of melatonin. The inhibition of melatonin production that occurs when a lamp, computer or television is left on leads to disrupted sleep and an increased risk of weight gain, which negatively impacts the mitochondria, promoting insulin resistance and diabetes. “For all these reasons, it is important to try to sleep in absolute darkness, to avoid interference in the generation of melatonin,” Professor Agil noted.
Walking can reduce breast cancer risk
American Cancer Society, October 4, 2022
Postmenopausal women who were very active or walked for at least seven hours a week had a reduced risk for breast cancer, according to a study published in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research.
Women who engaged in at least an hour of vigorous physical activity every day had a 25 percent lower risk for breast cancer, and those who walked for at least seven hours a week had a 14 percent lower risk for breast cancer, in this study of 73,615 postmenopausal women.
“We examined whether recreational physical activity, specifically walking, was associated with lower breast cancer risk. Given that more than 60 percent of women report some daily walking, promoting walking as a healthy leisure-time activity could be an effective strategy for increasing physical activity among postmenopausal women,” said Alpa Patel, Ph.D., senior epidemiologist at the American Cancer Society (ACS) in Atlanta, G. “We were pleased to find that without any other recreational activity, just walking an average of one hour per day was associated with lower risk of breast cancer in these women.”
“Current guidelines recommend that adults should strive to get at least 2.5 hours per week of moderate-intensity activity, or 75 minutes per week of vigorous-intensity aerobic activity for overall health. Higher levels of activity may provide greater benefit for breast cancer prevention,” said Patel.
Patel and colleagues identified 73,615 postmenopausal women from a large cohort of 97,785 women aged 50 to 74 years. All participants provided information on the average number of hours they spent on various physical activities including walking, jogging, swimming, playing tennis, bicycling, and performing aerobic exercises every week, and the number of hours spent in leisure time sitting, including watching television and reading. The researchers calculated the total hours of metabolic equivalent (MET) per week for each participant, which is a ratio of the energy spent during a specific activity to the resting metabolic rate.
The researchers found that about 9.2 percent of the participants did not partake in any physical activity, and about 47 percent of them reported walking as their only activity. The median MET expenditure among active women was 9.5 MET hours per week, which translates to 3.5 hours of moderately-paced walking.
They found that the most active women with 42 MET hours per week or more (at least one hour of vigorous activity every day) had a 25 percent lower risk for breast cancer compared with women who were least active, with less than seven MET hours per week (e.g., moderately-paced walking for two hours a week). Among women who reported walking as their only activity, those who walked for seven hours or more per week had a 14 percent lower risk for breast cancer, compared with those who walked for three hours or less.
Selenium may help fight pre-cancer cervical condition Arak University of Medical Sciences (Iran) , October 10, 2022 Long-term consumption of selenium supplements may help reverse the progression of the ‘pre-cancer’ condition cervical intraepithelial neoplasia grade 1 (CIN1), say researchers in Iran.
Published in the British Journal of Nutrition, the study saw 58 women diagnosed with this low-grade CIN given either a placebo tablet or 200 micrograms of selenium supplements as selenium yeast daily for six months.
After six months of supplementation they saw a regression in the condition and other beneficial metabolic effects.
This included significant decreases in fasting plasma glucose levels, serum insulin levels and serum TAG levels and increased HDL-cholesterol levels.
Cervical intra-epithelial neoplasia (CIN) is a term used to describe changes in the squamous cells of the cervix. CIN is not a cancer but if left untreated may develop into cancer and is therefore often described as a ‘pre-cancerous condition’ by doctors. However if left untreated, the risk of progression to invasive cervical carcinoma was about 30–50%.
The results from this latest research found significant rises in total plasma antioxidant capacity in the supplemented group compared with the placebo. There was also a significant decrease in malondialdehyde, a marker of oxidative stress.
X-rays raise childhood leukemia risk
University of California at Berkeley, Oct 5, 2022
A new study by researchers at the University of California has revealed that diagnostic X-rays may increase the risk of developing childhood leukemia.
Specifically, the researchers found that children with acute lymphoid leukemia (ALL) had almost twice the chance of having been exposed to three or more X-rays compared with children who did not have leukemia.
For B-cell ALL, even one X-ray was enough to moderately increase the risk.
The findings come from the Northern California Childhood Leukemia Study, a population-based case-control study that includes 35 counties in the northern and central regions of the state.
The study included 827 children up to age 15 diagnosed with either ALL or AML. The children with leukemia were each compared with other children randomly selected from the California birth registry who were matched by factors such as age, gender, ethnicity and maternal race.
The study found an increased risk from X-rays for ALL, but not for AML or T-cell leukemia, and there was no association with age at first exposure.
Furthermore, there was no increased risk associated with prenatal exposure to X-rays or maternal X-rays occurring before pregnancy.
Surfing can prevent suicidal feelings in combat veterans with PTSD
Loughborough University (UK) October 11, 2022
Surfing can help improve well-being in combat veterans experiencing post-traumatic stress disorder and even avert suicidal feelings, according to a Loughborough University researcher.
Nick Caddick said some of the veterans from Northern Ireland, Iraq and Afghanistan, who took part in his study, revealed that surfing had not only improved their health and quality of life but saved their lives.
It is the first time research has been conducted into a ‘Blue Gym’ – the sea – therapy that is becoming increasingly popular in Britain and America and is being seen as an alternative to the traditional medical option which can involve drugs.
It is estimated that 6.9 per cent of UK combat soldiers will go on to suffer significant distress as a result of their service. Nick said: “A number of veterans said they would most likely not be around if it wasn’t for experiencing surfing in the ‘Blue Gym’ environment. For the men, being active in this environment was an excellent example of ‘exercise is medicine’
Nick spent time with them, both in and out of the water, observing how surfing gave them respite from PTSD symptoms like nightmares, flashbacks, severe depression, anxiety, and suicidal thoughts. Nick stressed that surfing was not a cure, and that the veterans expected to live with PTSD for the rest of their lives. But he said his research suggested that, if undertaken regularly, surfing was a powerful alternative to medical treatments which the veterans were sceptical about.
“The veterans referred to it as a tremendous sense of freedom. It takes them completely away from the traumatic thoughts that spin through their minds all day long. Most of them don’t believe they will be cured, but it gives them something important to look forward to, which stops them dwelling on all the bad stuff.
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Folic Acid Supplement Linked With Reduction in Suicide Attempts and Self-Harm University Of Chicago, October 10, 2022
Study finds folic acid treatment is associated with decreased risk of suicide attempt. The common, inexpensive supplement was linked with a 44% reduction in suicide attempts and self-harm. With nearly 46,000 people in America dying by suicide in 2020, it is one of the leading causes of death in the US. To decrease the risk of suicide, experts recommend many strategies and treatments including psychotherapy, economic support, peer support, and medications such as antidepressants. Few if any would be likely to put folic acid supplements on that list. However, an eye-opening study recent conducted at the University of Chicago may change that.
The study, published on in JAMA Psychiatry, used data from the health insurance claims of 866,586 patients. It investigated the relationship between folic acid treatment and suicide attempts over a two-year period. They found that patients who filled prescriptions for folic acid, also known as vitamin B9, experienced a 44% reduction in suicidal events (suicide attempts and intentional self-harm). Robert Gibbons, PhD, the lead author of the study, is hopeful that these findings could improve suicide prevention efforts, especially because of how accessible folic acid is. He is the Blum-Riese Professor of Biostatistics and Medicine at the University of Chicago.
“There are no real side effects, it doesn’t cost a lot of money, you can get it without a prescription,” Gibbons said. “This could potentially save tens of thousands of lives.”
To investigate and further confirm the relationship between folic acid and suicide risk, Gibbons and his co-authors did this new study and focused specifically on folic acid, and accounted for many possible confounding factors, including age, sex, mental health diagnoses, other central nervous system drugs, conditions that affect folic acid metabolism, and more. Even after adjusting for all these factors, filling a prescription for folic acid was still associated with a decreased risk of attempting suicide.
They even found that the longer a person took folic acid, the lower their risk of suicide attempt tended to be. Each month of being prescribed folic acid was associated with an additional 5% decrease in risk of suicide attempt during the 24-month follow-up period of their study.
It also occurred to the authors that maybe people who take vitamin supplements, in general, want to improve their health and would thus be less likely to attempt suicide. To address this possibility, they did a similar analysis with another supplement, vitamin B12, as a negative control. But unlike folic acid, there didn’t seem to be any relationship between vitamin B12 and risk of suicide.
Zinc is cancer’s worst enemy: This mineral is key to preventing cancer, scientists conclude University of Texas Arlington, October 3, 2022
Researchers from the University of Texas at Arlington have discovered the important role zinc can play in preventing cancer, especially the esophageal variety. Although past studies had indicated zinc had a protective effect on the esophagus when it comes to cancer, it wasn’t clear why.
A team of researchers led by Associate Professor of Nursing Zui Pan found that zinc has the incredibly useful ability to selectively stop the growth of cancerous cells while leaving normal esophageal epithelial cells intact. The researchers say their finding could help improve treatment for esophageal cancer and even provide some insight into how it might be prevented. Pan pointed out that many cancer patients have a zinc deficiency.
It’s a significant discovery; esophageal cancer is now the sixth-leading cause of cancer death in humans globally, and the average five-year survival rate for those with the disease is less than 20 percent.
Zinc deficiency is a serious problem. It’s needed for many of the proteins and enzymes in the body, and a lack of zinc can prevent cells from functioning properly, leading to the development of not only cancer but also other diseases. Zinc is also important for immune function and proper wound healing.
According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), adult men need 11 milligrams per day, while women need 8 milligrams. It’s important not to go overboard, however; the NIH reports that zinc toxicity can cause adverse health effects, such as vomiting, diarrhea, headaches, and nausea.
Listen! Birdsong is good for mental health Max Planck Institute for Human Development, October 13, 2022
When you next hear cheerful twittering of birds, you should stop and listen. Researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Human Development and the Universitätsklinikum Hamburg-Eppendorf (UKE) have shown that birdsong reduces anxiety and irrational thoughts. Their findings are published in the journal Scientific Reports.
In the study, the researchers examined how traffic noise and birdsong affect mood, paranoia, and cognitive functioning by carrying out a randomized online experiment with 295 participants. These individuals heard six minutes of either typical traffic noise or birdsong with varying numbers of different traffic sounds or birdsongs. Before and after hearing the sound clips, the participants filled in questionnaires assessing their mental health and performed cognitive tests.
The present study suggests that listening to birdsong reduces anxiety and paranoia in healthy participants. Birdsong did not appear to have an influence on depressive states in this experiment. Traffic noise, however, generally worsened depressive states, especially if the audio clip involved many different kinds of traffic sounds. The positive influence of birdsong on mood is already known, but to the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first to reveal an effect on paranoid states. This was independent of whether the birdsong came from two or more different bird species. The researchers also found that neither birdsong nor traffic noise influenced cognitive performance.
In the researchers’ view, the explanation for these effects is that birdsong is a subtle indication of an intact natural environment, detracting attention from stressors that could otherwise signal an acute threat. Taken together, the results suggest interesting avenues for further research and applications, such as the active manipulation of background noise in different situations or the examination of its influence on patients with diagnosed anxiety disorders or paranoia.
Vegetable hormone helps reverse brain alterations caused by high-fat diets, obesity University of Jaume I (Spain), October 8, 2022
The Neurobiotechnology research team of the Universitat Jaume I (UJI) in Castellón, Spain, headed by professor Ana María Sánchez, has proven the positive effects of a vegetable hormone, helping reverse brain alterations caused by high-fat diets, type-2 diabetes, obesity and physical inactivity.
“We have verified how a vegetable hormone, abscisic acid in green leafy plants, is able to counter the deleterious effects that a high-fat diet has on the central nervous system,” explains Ana María Sánchez. By making use of this molecule, expressed in plants, on an animal model with neuroinflammation induced by a high-fat diet, the results of the study “have shown that the alterations on the expression of some genes would be reversed, as well as alterations in the creation process of new neurons – neurogenesis -, while we also noted a decrease of the inflammation markers in the brain,” adds the UJI professor.
The study carried out in the UJI analyzed the expression of several genes related to the insulin signaling pathway together with the expression of genes which act as neuroinflammation markers with quantitative PCR. This way, as researcher Alberto Ribes Navarro argues, “we have been able to prove that the expression of proteins required for the proper functioning of insulin (the IRS) decreases in neuroinflammatory situations induced by a high-fat diet.” “With the addition of abscisic acid to the high-fat diet it is possible to recover the expression of these genes, even reaching normal levels”, he adds.
With a high-fat diet they noticed alterations to cognitive functions, which were also recovered with the vegetable hormone treatment.
Diets High in Processed Fiber May Increase Cancer Risk University Of Toledo, October 13, 2022
The study found that men who had high processed fiber intake and high blood bile acid levels had a 40% higher risk of liver cancer. Fiber-enriched foods are often consumed by many individuals to promote weight loss and fend against chronic diseases like cancer and diabetes. Consuming highly refined fiber, however, may raise the risk of liver cancer in certain people, especially those with a silent vascular deformity, according to a recent study from The University of Toledo.
“We have worked for a long time on this idea that all diseases start from the gut,” said Dr. Matam Vijay-Kumar, a professor in the Department of Physiology and Pharmacology in the College of Medicine and Life Sciences and the paper’s senior author. “This study is a notable advancement of that concept. It also provides clues that may help identify individuals at a higher risk for liver cancer and potentially enable us to lower that risk with simple dietary modifications.”
Vijay-Kumar’s team published a major paper in the journal Cell in 2018 that revealed a large proportion of mice with immune system defects developed liver cancer after being given an inulin-fortified diet. Inulin is a refined, plant-based fermentable fiber that is sold in supermarkets as a health-promoting prebiotic. Additionally, it is often found in processed foods.The findings raised real questions about the potential risks of certain refined fibers, but only now do we understand why the mice were developing such aggressive cancer.”
The new study offers a clear explanation — and may have implications that go beyond laboratory animals.
As the team furthered its investigation, the researchers discovered all mice that developed malignant tumors had high concentrations of bile acids in their blood caused by a previously unnoticed congenital defect called a portosystemic shunt. While all mice with excess bile acids in their blood were predisposed to liver injury, only those fed inulin progressed to hepatocellular carcinoma, a deadly primary liver cancer.
Remarkably, 100% of the mice with high bile acids in their blood went on to develop cancer when fed inulin. None of the mice with low bile acids developed cancer when fed the same diet.
Dietary inulin is good in subduing inflammation, but it can be subverted into causing immunosuppression, which is not good for the liver.
Theorizing that high bile acid levels might serve as a viable marker for liver cancer risk, Vijay-Kumar’s team tested bile acid levels in serum samples collected between 1985 and 1988 as part of a large-scale cancer prevention study. The research team also sought to examine the relationship between fiber consumption, bile acid levels, and liver cancer in humans.
There are two basic types of naturally occurring dietary fiber, soluble and insoluble. Soluble fibers are fermented by gut bacteria into short-chain fatty acids. Insoluble fibers pass through the digestive system unchanged.
Intriguingly, researchers found high total fiber intake reduced the risk of liver cancer by 29% in those whose serum bile acid levels were in the lowest quartile of their sample.
However, in men whose blood bile acid levels placed them in the top quarter of the sample, high fiber intake conferred a 40% increased risk of liver cancer.
What kinds of exercise can boost long-term memory?
Georgia Institute of Technology October 5, 2022
Think that improving your memory is all brain training and omega-3 supplements? Think again. A study from researchers at Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta suggests that working out at the gym for as little as 20 minutes can improve long-term memory.
Previous studies have shown that memory may be improved by several months of aerobic exercises, such as running, cycling or swimming. However, the findings of the new study – published in the journal Acta Psychologica – demonstrate that a similar memory boost can be achieved in a much shorter period.
“Our study indicates that people don’t have to dedicate large amounts of time to give their brain a boost,” says Lisa Weinberg who led the project.
As well as looking at aerobic exercise, Weinberg’s team also examined how resistance exercise – weightlifting, push-ups and sit-ups – might affect memory.
The team recruited 46 participants (29 women and 17 men), who were randomly assigned into two groups. For the first part of the experiment, all participants viewed a series of 90 images on a computer screen. These images were split evenly been photographs that had been classed “positive,” “neutral,” and “negative.” These ranged from pictures of children playing on a waterslide, to photographs of clocks, to images of mutilated bodies. The participants were asked to try and remember as many of them as they could.
Next, the participants were randomized into “active” and “passive” groups and seated at leg extension resistance exercise machines. The active group were told to extend and contract each leg 50 times, at their personal maximum effort. The passive group were told to simply sit in the chair and allow the machine to move their legs.
Two days later, the participants were again shown the original 90 images they had seen previously, but this time they were mixed in with 90 new photos that the participants had not seen before.
The researchers found about 50% of the original photos were recalled by the passive group, while the active group remembered about 60% of the images. All of the participants were better at recalling the positive and negative images than the neutral images, but this was even more true for the active participants.
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Omega-3 fatty acid stops known trigger of lupus
Michigan State University, September 29, 2022
A team of Michigan State University researchers has found that consuming an omega-3 fatty acid called DHA, or docosahexaenoic acid, can stop a known trigger of lupus and potentially other autoimmune disorders.
"What we discovered was when lupus was triggered by crystalline silica, a toxic mineral also known as quartz that's linked to human autoimmunity, DHA blocked the activation of the disease," said Melissa Bates, one of the study's lead authors in MSU's Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition and the Institute of Integrative Toxicology.
The preclinical study looked at the effect of DHA on lupus lesions in the lungs and kidneys of female mice that were already genetically predisposed to the disease. Their results were overwhelmingly positive.
"Ninety-six percent of the lung lesions were stopped with DHA after being triggered by the silica," said Jack Harkema, another study author and pulmonary pathologist. "I've never seen such a dramatic protective response in the lung before."
Lupus is considered a genetic disease and is triggered not only by inhaling crystalline silica toxicants, but also by other environmental factors such as sun exposure. Quartz is the most common, and most dangerous, form of crystalline silica and is often found in the agriculture, construction and mining industries where workers can breathe in the mineral dust. Lupus is the body's immune system attacking itself and it can damage any part of the body including skin, joints and organs.
Although it's still unknown exactly why DHA is able to prevent the onset of lupus, the researchers said this study provides scientists with a better model for looking at just how much DHA is needed to ward off the environmental trigger of the disease.
According to Harkema, the DHA could be changing the way cells, also known as macrophages, react to the silica in the lungs and somehow alter the immune system's response.
"What we do know is this study is a clear indication that eating DHA can prevent this one type of environmental triggering of lupus," Pestka said. "It can suppress many of the disease's signaling pathways, which current drugs on the market now try to target and treat."
Study offers real-world evidence of vitamin D’s protective effects German Cancer Research Center, October 12 2022.
A study reported in the Journal of Internal Medicine provides “real-world” evidence of the benefits of vitamin D supplementation.
“Given the increasing importance of real-world evidence in determining the drug effectiveness outside of the strictly defined and controlled situations of randomized controlled trials, it is of great interest how the efficacy data of vitamin D3 supplementation obtained from well-defined and well-controlled clinical trial populations translate into effectiveness in real-world practice,” the authors remarked. “The primary objective of this study was to investigate whether the intake of vitamin D supplements (in the form of a vitamin D preparation or as part of a multivitamin product) is associated with reduced all-cause and cause-specific mortality including cancer mortality, cardiovascular disease mortality and respiratory disease mortality in the large UK Biobank, a nationwide, population-based cohort from the United Kingdom.”
The researchers analyzed information from 445,601 UK Biobank participants. Regular vitamin D supplement use was reported by 4.3% of the participants and multivitamin use was reported by 20.4%.
Vitamin D and multivitamin supplement users had higher median 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels than nonusers. Multivitamin users experienced a 74% reduction in the risk of vitamin D deficiency and users of over-the-counter vitamin D supplements had an 84% lower risk.
During the 11.8-year median follow-up, individuals who used multivitamins had a 5% lower risk of mortality and those who used vitamin D had a 10% lower risk compared to nonusers. Regular vitamin D use was associated with 11% lower risk of dying from cancer and a 29% lower risk of mortality from respiratory disease.
“This large study suggests that in the real world, the efficacy of vitamin D supplements in reducing mortality may be at least as good as observed in randomized clinical trials,” the authors concluded.
What you eat could contribute to your menstrual cramps North American Menopause Society, October 12, 2022
Despite the fact that menstrual pain (dysmenorrhea) is the leading cause of school absences for adolescent girls, few girls seek treatment. An analysis of relevant studies suggests that diet may be a key contributor, specifically diets high in meat, oil, sugar, salt, and coffee, which have been shown to cause inflammation. Results will be presented during The North American Menopause Society (NAMS) Annual Meeting in Atlanta.
Roughly 90% of adolescent girls experience menstrual pain. Most use over-the-counter medicine to manage the pain but with limited positive results. Evidence has highlighted that diets high in omega-3 fatty acids and low in processed foods, oil, and sugar reduce inflammation, a key contributor to menstrual pain.
This analysis was designed to study the effect of diet on menstrual pain and identify which foods contribute to it and which can reduce it. Research was conducted through a literature review that found multiple studies that examined dietary patterns that resulted in menstrual pain. In general terms, these studies found that diets high in omega-6 fatty acids promote inflammation and foods high in omega-3 fatty acids reduce it. The muscles in the uterus contract because of prostaglandins, which are active in inflammatory responses. When measuring the Dietary Inflammatory Index, it was found that those on a vegan diet (that excluded animal fat) had the lowest rates of inflammation.
“Researching the effects of diet on menstrual pain started as a search to remedy the pain I personally experienced; I wanted to understand the science behind the association. Learning about different foods that increase and decrease inflammation, which subsequently increase or reduce menstrual pain, revealed that diet is one of the many contributors to health outcomes that is often overlooked. I am hopeful that this research can help those who menstruate reduce the pain they experience and shed light on the importance of holistic treatment options,” says Serah Sannoh, lead author of the poster presentation from Rutgers University.
“Since menstrual pain is a leading cause of school absenteeism for adolescent girls, it’s important to explore options that can minimize the pain. Something like diet modification could be a relatively simple solution that could provide substantial relief for them,” said Dr. Stephanie Faubion, NAMS medical director.
Free radicals blamed for toxic buildup in Alzheimer’s brains Rutgers University, October 10, 2022.
A study reported in Cell Death & Disease revealed a previously unknown mechanism that may contribute to traumatic brain injury and Alzheimer’s disease. While a buildup of the protein amyloid-beta has been hypothesized to be the major driver of Alzheimer’s disease, the study suggests that another protein, after undergoing oxidation by free radicals, could be a causative factor.
"Indeed, scientists have known for a long time that during aging or in neurodegenerative disease cells produce free radicals," explained lead researcher Federico Sesti, who is a professor of neuroscience and cell biology at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. "Free radicals are toxic molecules that can cause a reaction that results in lost electrons in important cellular components, including the channels."
Dr Sesti and colleagues determined that oxidation of a potassium channel known as KCNB1 results in a toxic buildup of this protein, leading to increased amyloid-beta production and damage to brain function. "The discovery of KCNB1's oxidation/build-up was found through observation of both mouse and human brains, which is significant as most scientific studies do not usually go beyond observing animals," Dr Sesti reported. "Further, KCBB1 channels may not only contribute to Alzheimer's but also to other conditions of stress as it was found in a recent study that they are formed following brain trauma."
How much radioactivity is in infant formula?
University of Malaya & University of Surrey (UK), October 10, 2022
Based on measurements of radioactivity in samples of infant formula manufactured and sold around the world, researchers estimate that infants 1 year of age or younger who consume these formulas would ingest a significantly higher radioactivity dose than reported levels, but lower than internationally recommended limits. The researchers report the radioactivity levels for each brand of formula in an article published in Environmental Engineering Science, a peer-reviewed journal.
Onoshohwo Bemigho Uwatse and coauthors, University of Malaya (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia), University of Surrey (U.K.), and King Saud University (Riyadh, Saudi Arabia), determined the levels of radioactive radium, potassium, radium, and thorium in 14 brands of powdered infant milk prepared and sold in various regions around the world. Levels of radioactivity in the formula may vary depending on several factors including radioactivity in the soil, grass, or hay from which the cows were fed, in other raw materials used in processing the formula, or due to processing conditions.
"This paper focuses on a topic that has not drawn significant attention but, nonetheless, has important health implications," says Domenico Grasso, PhD, Editor-in-Chief of Environmental Engineering Science and Provost, University of Delaware.
Using more social media increases depression risk for all personality types, study says University of Arkansas, October 11, 2022 Public policy and education researchers found that higher social media exposure may contribute to depression, regardless of personality traits. In their recent study, high neuroticism was associated with an increased risk of developing depression within six months. On the other hand, low agreeableness was associated with a greater depression risk within that period. The study’s authors suggest that interventions should encourage reduced social media use for all personality types, especially high neuroticism, and low agreeableness. Experts have found evidence that suggests that increased social media use (SMU) may increase the risk of developing depression for certain personality characteristics, as the study showed that people low in conscientiousness with high SMU were more likely to perceive social isolation.
A new study led by University of Arkansas researchers further explores how personality traits may influence the development of SMU-related depression. The findings appear in the Journal of Affective Disorders Reports.
Merrill and co-authors used data collected over six months by researchers, using a national sample of 978 people aged 18–30. Merrill explained that her team used the Patient Health Questionnaire to assess depression at baseline and follow-up. The participants in this study reported how much time they spent on 10 leading social media platforms.
The researchers assessed personality traits. They examined data for associations between personality characteristics (neuroticism, agreeableness, openness, conscientiousness, and extraversion), social media use, and the development of depression over 6 months.
The team found that participants with high agreeableness were 49% less likely to develop depression than those with low agreeableness. However, individuals with high neuroticism were more than twice as likely to develop depression as people with low neuroticism.
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Component of citrus fruits found to block the formation of kidney cysts
University of London and Kingston University, UK October 3, 2022
A study published in British Journal of Pharmacology has identified that a component of grapefruit and other citrus fruits, naringenin, successfully blocks the formation of kidney cysts.
Known as polycystic kidney disease, this is an inherited disorder which leads to the loss of kidney function, high blood pressure and the need for dialysis. Few treatment options are currently available.
The team of scientists from University of London and Kingston University London used a simple, single-celled amoeba to identify that naringenin regulates the PKD2 protein responsible for polycystic kidney disease and as a result, blocks formation of cysts.
To test how this discovery could apply in treatments, the team used a mammalian kidney cell-line, and triggered the formation of cysts in these cells. They were then able to block the formation of the cysts by adding naringenin and saw that when levels of the PKD2 protein were reduced in the kidney cells, so was the block in cyst formation, confirming that the effect was connected.
“Indeed, this study provides a good example of how chemicals identified in plants can help us develop new drugs for the treatment of disease,” added Professor Debbie Baines from St George’s, University of London.
Medical cannabis treats cancer and boosts the immune system, say scientists after reviewing more than 100 studies Rostock University Medical Center (Germany), October 1, 2022
A review of over 100 studies has shown that cannabis really is medicinal. Indeed, scientific analysis has shown that the cannabinoid compounds found in marijuana can stop cancer cells from dividing and spreading — and can even cut off blood supply to tumors. The researchers say that their findings prove that cannabis can be used as a cancer treatment. Does that mean plants will finally start getting recognized for their medicinal powers? One can only hope.
A team of German researchers, led by Professor Burkhard Hinz, have concluded that cannabis compounds can fight cancer. The scientists, say that an array of cannabinoids have medicinal value.
Professor Hinz and his team have shown that over 100 different studies have indicated cannabis has the ability to treat cancer.
“In this context accumulating data from preclinical models suggest that cannabinoids elicit anti-cancer effects on several levels of cancer progression,” Hinz explained.
“Clinical studies are now urgently needed to investigate the impact of cannabinoids on cancer growth and progression in patients,” he added.
Older adults living unhealthy lifestyles twice as likely to end up in a nursing home Older adults who lead an unhealthy lifestyle are twice as likely to end up needing a nursing home in comparison to their more active peers, a new study reveals.
Researchers at the University of Sydney found smoking, physical activity, sitting, and sleep quality to have a strong link to nursing home admission rates. Surprisingly, diet quality did not display the same connection.
Smokers were 55 percent more likely than non-smokers to end up needing nursing care. For the study, which is the first of its kind, researchers looked at data on more than 127,000 Australians who took part in a large study on healthy aging between 2006 and 2009. Study authors followed up with these patients for 11 years on average.
The team divided them into the three risk groups based on five lifestyle factors: smoking, physical activity, sitting, sleep quality, and diet quality.
One quarter of participants (24%) ended up in the lowest risk group with a score of nine or 10 points. Almost two-thirds (62%) were in the medium risk group with a score of six to eight points and 14 percent were in the unhealthiest group with a score below five points.
The Australian research team found people over 60 who eat badly and spend too much time on the sofa were 43 percent more likely to end up in a nursing home compared with the fittest retirees. Older people with a moderately healthy lifestyle were 12 percent more likely to need nursing home care than the healthiest seniors.
Paternal stress associated with children’s emotional and behavioral problems at age two King’s College London, October 11, 2022
New research from the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience (IoPPN) at King’s College London and others has found an association between fathers who experience too much stress in the months following the birth of their child, and the child’s subsequent development of emotional and behavioral problems at age two.
The research, published in the Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, suggests that new fathers should be assessed for stress during the perinatal period as it presents an opportunity for early intervention to help prevent future difficulties for both father and child.
901 fathers and 939 mothers completed questionnaires on stress, anxiety and depression during pregnancy and three stages in the postpartum period, with a final survey taking place at 24 months.
Overall, around 7% of participating fathers experienced high stress at the first three stages measured in the perinatal period. This then rose to 10% at two years postpartum.
Researchers identified the strongest association between paternal stress at three months postpartum and childhood emotional and behavioral problems at age two, even when accounting for other factors like maternal stress, anxiety and depression. Paternal stress was more strongly associated with childhood outcomes than paternal depression or anxiety.
Dr. Fiona Challacombe, and lead author of the study says, “Our study found that paternal stress makes a unique contribution to child outcomes, particularly during the early postpartum months. Nonetheless, men may be reluctant to seek help or express their needs during this time and may feel excluded from the maternal focus of perinatal services. The rise in paternal stress at two years indicates that this does not dissipate over time—returning to work, chronic sleep difficulties and behavioral difficulties becoming more apparent may all contribute.”
Stevia – A Natural Alternative For Your Metabolism Autonomous University of Yucatan (Mexico), September 28, 2022
Stevia’s health benefits go beyond sugar reduction — it could also be a natural alternative for treating metabolic disorders, such as obesity and type 2 diabetes, say researchers. If you’re determined to sweeten your foods and beverages, consider using this amazing natural herb.
Publishing their findings in the peer-reviewed Journal of Medicinal Food, the Mexican researchers reviewed both in vitro and in vivo studies which looked at the beneficial effects reported for steviol compounds — aqueous and alcoholic stevia extracts — derived from the leaves, flowers and roots of the stevia plant.
These studies analysed the plant’s anti-obesity, anti-hyperglycemic, anti-hypertensive and anti-hyperlipidemic effects, all of which make it interesting to tackle the symptoms of metabolic syndrome. This is characterised by factors such as abdominal obesity, inflammation and diabetes, that are associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular diseases.
Stevia contains other compounds, such as phytochemicals, that provide beneficial properties to health.
Theses include: diterpenes, labdabos, triterpenes, stigmasterol, tannins, ascorbic acid, alkaloids, steroids, saponins, flavonoids, b-carotene, chromium, cobalt, magnesium, iron, potassium, phosphorus, riboflavin, thiamine, tin, zinc, apigenin, austroinilina, avicularin, b-sitosterol, caffeic acid, campesterol, caryophyllene, centaureidin, chlorogenic acid, chlorophyll, kaempferol, luteolin and quercetin.
The authors identify three separate rat or mice studies in which orally administered stevia for a period of between three and nine weeks led to a weight reduction.
One study looking for sucrose replacement in beverages found that that satiety levels of SR, aspartame, and saccharose were similar among each other but stevia reduced the glucose and postprandial insulin levels, write the authors.
Other human and animal studies identified stevia as beneficial in lowering blood pressure. For instance, one study, hypertensive patients were given 250 mg of steviosides for one year. “Results indicate that their systolic and diastolic APs decreased after 3 months of starting the treatment without any negative effect on the biochemical parameters.”
Did the COVID-19 pandemic lead to changes in our personality traits? University of Illinois, October 1, 2022
Previous studies have shown that levels of neuroticism declined during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. A new study published in PLOS One found that these changes in neuroticism were short-lived and normalized later in the pandemic in 2021-2022.
However, other personality traits such as agreeableness, openness, extraversion, and conscientiousness declined during the later stages of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021-2022.
The study found that younger individuals were especially susceptible to changes in personality traits during the pandemic, suggesting a disruption of the personality development and maturation process that normally occurs during young adulthood.
The five-factor model of personality is a widely used model that describes personality based on the presence of five broad traits. The model includes the following five personality traits:
Extraversion — a tendency for outgoing, energetic, and assertive behaviors Neuroticism — a tendency for persistent and excessive pessimism and anxiety Conscientiousness — a tendency to be organized, self-disciplined, responsible, and hard-working Agreeableness — a tendency to be empathetic, friendly, compliant, and trustworthy Openness — a tendency to be curious, imaginative, and open-minded These personality traits remain relatively stable over an adult’s lifetime and are generally unaffected by personal experience. Previous studies have shown that individuals show a small change in personality traits with age. Specifically, conscientiousness and agreeableness tend to increase gradually with age, whereas neuroticism, openness, and extraversion tend to decrease.
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Resveratrol supplementation linked to better blood lipids Southeast University (China), October 10 2022.
A meta-analysis of randomized, controlled trials published in the journal Nutrients found an association between lower lipids and supplementing with resveratrol, a nonflavonoid polyphenol compound found in grapes, knotweed and other plants.
Researchers at Southeast University in Nanjing, China identified 17 trials that included a total of 968 men and women for their meta-analysis. Resveratrol doses ranged from 10 to 3,000 milligrams per day administered from 4 to 48 weeks.
The meta-analysis revealed a significant association between resveratrol supplementation and reductions in total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol and triglyceride levels. The reduction in LDL cholesterol associated with resveratrol was significantly greater in trials of at least 12 weeks duration, trials that administered dosages of 500 milligrams resveratrol per day or more and among people with type 2 diabetes. The researchers did not find an association between supplementing with resveratrol and “good” high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol levels.
“This meta-analysis indicated that the supplementation of resveratrol could significantly affect the serum levels of total cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol and triglycerides, but not the level of HDL-cholesterol,” they concluded. “Findings from this meta-analysis could be helpful for providing suggestions for the use of resveratrol as nutraceutical.”
A Mulberry Component, Prevents SARS-CoV-2 Infection by Blocking the Interaction between SARS-CoV-2 Spike Protein S1 Receptor-Binding Domain Korea Institute of Oriental Medicine, September 28, 2022
Despite the recent development of RNA replication-targeted COVID-19 drugs by global pharmaceutical companies, their prescription in clinical practice is limited by certain factors, including drug interaction, reproductive toxicity, and drug resistance. Natural products are a potential source of molecules with therapeutic effects against COVID-19.
In this study, we investigated the inhibitory efficacy of mulberrofuran G (MG), a component of mulberry, which has been used as food and traditional medicine, on the binding of the spike S1 receptor-binding domain (RBD) protein to the angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) receptor, which is the initial stage of the SARS-CoV-2 infection. In competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays, MG effectively blocked the spike S1 RBD: ACE2 receptor molecular binding, and investigations using the BLItz system and in silico modeling revealed that MG has high affinity for both proteins.
Finally, we confirmed that MG inhibits the entry of SARS-CoV-2 spike pseudotyped virus and a clinical isolate of SARS-CoV-2 into cells, suggesting that MG might be a promising therapeutic candidate for preventing SARS-CoV-2 binding to the cell surface during early infection.
Positive childhood experiences of blue spaces linked to better adult well-being Sapienza University (Italy) & University of Exeter (UK), October 10, 2022 New research based on data from 18 countries concludes that adults with better mental health are more likely to report having spent time playing in and around coastal and inland waters, such as rivers and lakes (also known collectively as blue spaces) as children. The finding was replicated in each of the countries studied.
Mounting evidence shows that spending time in and around green spaces such as parks and woodlands in adulthood is associated with stress reduction and better mental health. However, we know far less about the benefits of blue spaces, or the role childhood contact has in these relationships in later life.
The research, published in the Journal of Environmental Psychology, found that individuals who recalled more childhood blue space experiences tended to place greater intrinsic value on natural settings in general, and to visit them more often as adults – each of which, in turn, were associated with better mental wellbeing in adulthood.
Valeria Vitale, Lead author at Sapienza University of Rome, said: “In the context of an increasingly technological and industrialized world, it’s important to understand how childhood nature experiences relate to wellbeing in later life.
“Our findings suggest that building familiarity and confidence in and around blue spaces during childhood may stimulate an inherent joy of nature and encourage people to seek out recreational nature experiences, with beneficial consequences for adult mental health.”
New survey: 91% of parents say their family is less stressed when they eat together American Heart Association & John Hopkins University, October 10, 2022 Survey Highlights:
91% of parents notice their family is less stressed when they share family meals together. 65% of surveyed adults say they are at least somewhat stressed, and more than a quarter (27%) are very or extremely stressed. 84% of adults wish they could share a meal together more often. Overall, respondents reported eating alone about half of the time. Stress reduction, connecting with other people and taking time to slow down are identified as top benefits of mealtime. Of the 1,000 U.S. adults nationwide surveyed in September 2022 for the American Heart Association’s Healthy for GoodTM movement by Wakefield Research, the vast majority (84%) say they wish they could share a meal more often with loved ones, and nearly all parents report lower levels of stress among their family when they regularly connect over a meal.
“Sharing meals with others is a great way to reduces stress, boost self-esteem and improve social connection, particularly for kids,” said Erin Michos, M.D, M.H.S, American Heart Association volunteer, associate director of preventive cardiology at Johns Hopkins . “Chronic, constant stress can also increase your lifetime risk of heart disease and stroke, so it is important for people to find ways to reduce and manage stress as much as possible, as soon as possible.“
Connecting with friends, family, coworkers and neighbors benefits people beyond stress relief. In fact, the survey found 67% of people say sharing a meal remind them of the importance of connecting with other people, and 54% say it reminds them to slow down and take a break.
Those surveyed say they are more likely (59%) to make healthier food choices when eating with other people but have difficulty aligning schedules with their friends or family to do so, according to the survey. Overall, respondents reported eating alone about half of the time.
Study says zinc can halt the growth of cancer cells University of Texas at Arlington, September 28, 2022
Zinc supplements can significantly inhibit the proliferation of esophageal cancer cells, according to a new study co-authored by a University of Texas at Arlington researcher.
Previous studies had shown that zinc is essential for maintaining human health and protects the esophagus from cancer. However, it has never been fully understood why zinc has the ability to prevent cancer in the esophagus. In this study, a team led by Zui Pan, discovered that zinc selectively halts the growth of cancer cells but not normal esophageal epithelial cells.
“Zinc deficiency has been found in many cancer patients,” said Pan.
“But previously we didn’t know why the same physiological concentrations of zinc inhibit cancer cell growth but not normal cells. Our study, for the first time to our knowledge, reveals that zinc impedes overactive calcium signals in cancer cells, which is absent in normal cells, and thus zinc selectively inhibits cancer cell growth.” said Pan. “It now appears that zinc and calcium can have a cross talk, meaning that they can be linked.”
Zinc enriched foods include spinach, flax seeds, beef, pumpkin seeds and seafood like shrimp and oysters.
Meditation Could Protect Older People Against Alzheimer’s, Study Says Caen-Normandy University (France), October 9, 2022
Meditation may protect older people against Alzheimer’s, the most common form of dementia, according to new research.
The ancient relaxation technique boosts brainpower among people over 65 years-old, scientists in France say. It can boost attention, awareness, and emotional health – faculties that decline with dementia.
French participants assigned to an 18-month course did better than those given English lessons instead to keep their brains busy.
“Meditation was superior to non-native language training on changing a global composite score and two of its subscores reflecting attention regulation and socio-emotional capacities,” says corresponding author Dr. Gael Chetelat from Caen-Normandy University in a statement, according to SWNS.
“The attention regulation subscore increased after meditation only,” Dr. Chetelat tells SWNS. “In the context of meditation practices, this capacity allows a heightened awareness and monitoring of the contents of experience without becoming absorbed by them. Socio-emotional capacities decreased substantially after non-native language training, suggesting the difference observed may be due to maintenance of skills by meditation.”
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Quinoa-Based Diet Stabilizes Blood Sugar In Older Adults University of Barcelona (Spain), October 2, 2022
According to a recent study published in the journal Nutrients, a quinoa-based diet was able to normalize glucose metabolism, and this effect was more pronounced among elderly people with impaired glucose tolerance, suggesting that quinoa is a healthy pseudocereal that is far more beneficial and nutritious than other cereal products.
This study examined the effects of a quinoa-rich diet on mediating hyperglycemia and other metabolic risk factors. Glycemic data was collected by glucose sensors operating over extended periods of time with regular prespecified recording points that could be analyzed using the functional data analysis approach to yield glucose concentrations over time.
All of the participants in this pilot study were aged 65+, without a history of diabetes, and fasting glucose levels were between 100-125 mg/dL. The participants ate grains, legumes, and tuber daily while also consuming quinoa, quinoa flakes, and quinoa flour as well as biscuits, brioche, sponge cake, baguettes, sliced bread, and pasta which all had a quinoa content of 70% or greater.
During the initial four weeks, the participants consumed their regular diets, then they were switched to the quinoa-based diet for the following four weeks, during this time all grains, grain-based products, legumes, and tubers were substituted with quinoa-based products without changing the overall composition of nutrients with exception to the cereal. During the study, all food products were provided to the participants who commonly consumed them. Additionally, eight recipes were introduced to the participants using quinoa substitutions.
At the beginning of the study most of the participants had an overweight profile, and hypertension, 45% had high blood lipids, and 33% had one or more close family members with disease. At the end of the study glucose levels were reduced before and after the quinoa-based diet, and glycated hemoglobin levels were reduced by the end of the study, as was weight and waist circumference by slight decreases.
Additional analysis revealed that multiple nutrients were associated with enhanced or reduced glucose concentrations: Gamma-tocopherol, soluble fiber insoluble dietary fiber, and ORAC were associated with enhanced glucose concentrations, while fatty acids, fructose, citric acid, cellulose, phytic acid, omega-6 PUFA, theobromine, and the proportion of total energy from proteins had a link with reduced glucose concentrations.
The nutritional profile of quinoa accounts for the difference in nutritional intake between the two diet phases. Consuming more carbs increases insulin levels, and fat storage and reduces the metabolic rate causing a cycle of fat accumulation. A high-fat diet with the same amount of calories reduces insulin secretion by triggering fat turnover in the cells making free fatty acids available for use in energy production. Dietary proteins also enhance the building of lean muscle during weight loss which also helps to expend more energy and improve the overall body composition.
Mediterranean diet improves immunotherapy response rates and progression-free survival in advanced melanoma, new study suggests Eating a Mediterranean diet, rich in fibre, mono-unsaturated fatty acids and polyphenols, has been associated with improved immunotherapy response rates and progression-free survival in advanced melanoma patients.
University Medical Center Groningen (Netherlands), October 9, 2022
Eating a Mediterranean diet, rich in fibre, mono-unsaturated fatty acids and polyphenols, has been associated with improved immunotherapy response rates and progression-free survival in advanced melanoma patients, a new study has found.1
Experts anticipate that the diet will play an important role in the success of immunotherapy and trials are being expanded to investigate outcomes for different tumour types, including digestive cancers.
A Mediterranean diet, containing mono-and polyunsaturated fats from olive oil, nuts and fish, polyphenols and fibre from vegetables, fruit, and wholegrains, was significantly associated with an improved response to immunotherapy drugs called Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors (ICIs). ICIs, which have been highly successful in treating melanoma, work by blocking immune system checkpoints, which then force the body’s own T-cells to attack cancers.2
The new multi-centre study by researchers from the UK and the Netherlands, recorded the dietary intake of 91 patients with advanced melanoma, who were treated with ICI drugs and monitored their progress with regular radiographic response check-ups.
As well as having a significant association with overall response rate, a Mediterranean diet was significantly associated with progression-free survival at 12 months.
The study also found that eating whole grains and legumes reduced the likelihood of developing drug induced immune-related side effects, such as colitis. In contrast, red and processed meat was associated with a higher probability of immune-related side effects.
Music practice can sharpen the brain
University of St Andrews (Scotland) October 1, 2022
A new study by researchers at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland concludes that people who practice playing musical instruments have sharper brains because they pick up mistakes in their performance and fix them more quickly than other people.
Writing about their work in a recent issue of the journal Neuropsychologia, psychologist Doctor Ines Jentzsch and colleagues suggest playing music may help guard against mental decline, either through age or disease.
“Our study shows that even moderate levels of musical activity can benefit brain functioning.” For their study, the researchers compared the mental performance of musicians versus non-musicians as they challenged them to complete simple conflict tasks.
There were 36 young adult participants in total, divided into four groups of 8 to 10, according to the number of accumulated hours of practicing a musical instrument over their lifetime (from “high,” over 5,000 hours, through “intermediate,” 2,000 to 5,000 hours and “low,” between 200 and 2,000 hours, to “no,” under 200 hours).
The researchers tested each participant’s mental ability in a single session that lasted about 2 hours. During the session, they measured the participant’s reaction times to the simple mental tasks and also took various physiological measurements.
Their results show that the amount of musical practice was positively linked to response speed – the more-practiced musicians responded faster than those with little or no musical training, with no loss in accuracy.
“This result suggests that higher levels of musical training might result in more efficient information processing in general […] and confirms earlier reports indicating a positive link between mental speed and musical ability,” write the authors.
However, what this study particularly highlights is that more hours of musical practice were also linked with “better engagement of cognitive control processes,” which came through in more efficient error and conflict detection, and reduced levels of post-error interference and post-conflict adjustments.
In other words, the more practice hours musicians had accumulated, the faster their reaction times in completing mental challenges, the better they were able to recognize and correct mistakes, and the less likely they were to go back and adjust their responses when they made mistakes.
“The research suggests that musical activity could be used as an effective intervention to slow, stop or even reverse age- or illness-related decline in mental functioning.”
3 Weeks Of Vitamin C Supplements Reduces Inflammation In Cystic Fibrosis Patients Oregon State University, October 6, 2022
Cystic fibrosis, being the aggressive disease that it is, often presents new clinical obstacles tied to treatment. Now, a new study by Oregon State University researchers may help improve patient outcomes, revealing that CF patients who take vitamin C supplements can help increase their uptake of vitamin E, which reduces inflammation.
“Cystic fibrosis is a genetic disease that is associated with increased inflammation, and like many inflammatory diseases, it comes with a large amount of oxidative stress,” says Maret Traber of OSU’s Linus Pauling Institute in a university release.
Traber also notes that CF patients have difficulty absorbing fat, limiting their body’s ability to use fat-soluble vitamins like vitamin E. This generally means that this patient population has to take in more fat than an average person to break even. Studies have connected vitamin C to reducing inflammation and making use of oxidized vitamin E that the body wouldn’t otherwise absorb.
The team found that after 3.5 weeks of daily vitamin C supplementation at a dose of 1,000 milligrams, the patients had lower concentrations of malondialdehyde (MDA), which is a marker of oxidative stress. Additionally, they noticed that vitamin E wasn’t leaving the bloodstream as quickly.
These findings aren’t just promising for CF patients, but also for smokers and people with metabolic syndrome since they normally also struggle with oxidative stress in their bodies, which may also suggest that vitamin C and E supplements could help them find relief. Traber also explains that while this study reinforces that getting ample vitamin C and E through a varied and nutritious diet is important, the effects have more to do with adding high amounts of vitamin C to a healthy diet.
“This study used vitamin C far in excess of what someone can easily obtain from the diet,” Traber concludes. “One thousand milligrams is the equivalent of 15 oranges or four or five medium bell peppers. But the research does suggest a high dosage may be beneficial in inflammatory conditions.”
Link Found Between High-Fat, High-Calorie Diet and Pancreas Cancer
University of California Los Angeles, Oct. 1, 2022
Researchers at UCLA’s Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center (JCCC) have found that mice made obese by being given high-calorie, high-fat diets (HFCD) developed abnormally high numbers of lesions known as pancreatic intraepithelial neoplasias (PanINs), which are known to be precursors to pancreas cancer. This is the first study to show a direct causative link in an animal model between obesity and risk of this deadly cancer.
Cancer of the pancreas (scientifically known as pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma or PaCa) is one of the most deadly forms of the disease in humans. Overall five-year survival rates are approximately three to five percent and the average survival period after diagnosis is just four to six months. It is a particularly aggressive disease and often beyond the point of effective treatment by the time symptoms appear.
Dr. Eibl and colleagues set out to develop diet-induced obesity and development of pancreas cancer in a set of mice and then compare them to another set of mice that are genetically identical but not given a high-fat, high-calorie diet. Obesity in these mice resembles several important clinical features of human obesity such as weight gain and disturbance of metabolism, and this mouse model was ideal for unraveling any underlying biological mechanisms of pancreas cancer that are put in motion by obesity.
Mice that ate the normal diet gained an average of approximately 7.2 grams, plus or minus approximately 2.8 grams over 14 months. Mice that ate the high-fat, high-calorie diet gained an average of 15.9 grams, plus or minus 3.2grams. Mice fed the normal diet had mostly normal pancreases with very few scattered PanIN lesions. Mice fed the high-fat, high-calorie diet had significantly more PanIN lesions and fewer overall healthy pancreases.
The study showed that the mice fed a diet high in fats and calories gained significantly more weight, had abnormalities of their metabolism and increased insulin levels, and had marked pancreatic tissue inflammation and development of PanIN lesions. These observations strongly suggest that such a diet leads to weight gain, metabolism disturbances, can cause pancreas inflammation and promotes pancreas lesions that are precursors to cancer.
“The development of these lesions in mice is very similar to what happens in humans,” Dr. Eibl said. “These lesions take a long time to develop into cancer, so there is enough time for cancer preventive strategies, such as changing to a lower fat, lower calorie diet, to have a positive effect.”
The vegetable that treated gunshot wounds National Geographic, October 9, 2022
One of the most expensive meals ever eaten—barring Cleopatra’s show-stopping vinegar cocktail with dissolved pearl—was an onion.
At least, the eater thought it was an onion. He was a (nameless) sailor in the 1630s, on board a ship transporting a cargo of tulip bulbs at the height of the European tulip craze. Now nicknamed tulipomania, this was the dot-com bubble of the day, in which speculators drove the price of tulip bulbs, recently introduced from the seraglios of the Middle East, to unsustainably astronomical heights. (Predictably, the market crashed, leaving many tulip investors ruined.) The clueless sailor, who said only that he thought his meal remarkably blah-tasting for an onion, had chowed down on a bulb of Semper Augustus, then worth 5,500 florins—a fortune on the open market.
It’s an interesting story because, frankly, it’s hard to miss an onion. Onions—members of the odoriferous Allium genus that includes some 700 species, among them garlic, leeks, shallots, chives, rakkyo, and kurrats—are crammed with smelly, eye-stinging, volatile chemicals that are distinctly absent from tulip bulbs. Collectively, these pack such a powerful sensory punch that onions and relatives have an historical reputation for effectively fending off everything from devils, demons, and vampires to witches, serpents, tigers, the black plague, and the common cold.
Onions, traditionally, have also been known as fighting food. Onions were fed to Greek athletes in training for the brutally competitive Olympics, and gladiators were massaged with onion juice before entering the arena. The Roman legions, who had a passion for all things onion, distributed alliums across Europe. (One authority claims that it’s possible to follow the advance of the Roman Empire by plotting range maps for garlic.) For the legionnaires, alliums were not only tasty, but militarily helpful, believed to promote strength and courage in face of the enemy. In ancient times, gamecocks and warhorses were fed garlic to boost their fighting spirit; and in Aristophanes’s 5th-century BCE play The Knights, warriors stuff themselves with garlic in preparation for battle. Garlic, in Rome, was dedicated to Mars, the god of war.
Onions themselves are fine-tuned biological fighting machines. The compounds generated when an onion is bitten, nibbled, sliced, chopped, diced, or otherwise disrupted are the onion’s anti-pest defense mechanism, a phenomenal battery of repellants nasty enough to discourage most onion attackers from ever coming back again. When onion cells are damaged, the onion goes into red alert, releasing enzymes that act upon ordinarily benign sulfur-containing organic compounds to produce a barrage of malodorous, painful, and highly reactive molecules. It doesn’t pay to mess with an onion.
The Onion Equivalent of Tear Gas Some allium-generated chemicals simply smell awful: onions and garlic, for example, contain some of the same sulfurous ingredients found in skunk spray. (American cowboys once called onions skunk eggs.) Others make us cry. An abused onion undergoes chemical reactions that lead to the production of syn-propanethial-S-oxide—known as a lachrymator, from the Latin lacrima meaning “tear.” Fast-acting and potent, syn-propanethial-S-oxide, is the onion equivalent of tear gas.
When syn-propanethial-S-oxide hits the cornea of the eye—which happens within seconds of chopping knife meeting onion—it activates nerve endings that, detecting an irritant, send a signal to the lachrymal glands to pump out tears to wash the invader away. And well it should; onion irritant is really irritating. Chemist and onion expert Eric Block compares its effect to a punch in the eye-socket. Combined with the water in tears, syn-propanethial-S-oxide breaks down to make sulfuric acid, which is something nobody wants in the eye. Solutions to the onion-slicing lachrymator problem—none of them totally foolproof—include goggles, fans, or dicing up your onion under cold running water.
Mean as onions are, they’ve got a lot going for them. Onion and garlic juices are both mild antibiotics. In the Civil War, onion juice was routinely used to treat gunshot wounds. General Grant, deprived of it, sent a testy memo to the War Department in Washington: “I will not move my troops without onions.” (They promptly sent him three cartloads.) Garlic was used as an antiseptic in both World Wars I and II.
Modern research shows that these weren’t bad picks in a medical pinch: garlic juice, for example, inhibits Streptococcus, Staphylococcus, and the causative agents of typhus and dysentery. Alliums, if not optimal, were certainly better than nothing.
Healing Properties of Onions Today onions are considered more than food. They’re now touted as nutraceuticals—a portmanteau word cobbled together from “nutrient” and “pharmaceutical”—indicating that as well as adding flavor to spaghetti sauce and stew, they also have substantial medicinal and health-promoting qualities. Onions not only inhibit bacterial and fungal growth, but are laden with antioxidants, effective at protecting us from cancers and cardiovascular disease. Various chemicals in the versatile onion have been found to ameliorate everything from allergies and asthma to diabetes; and onions are lush sources of vitamins and minerals.
Foodwise, it’s hard to imagine living without onions. Onions are essential components of any number of global cuisines. Perhaps the best plug for the culinary versatility of the onion is the story of the 18th-century French caterer who-faced with hungry customers and nothing in the larder-served up a pair of leather gloves, shredded, and sautéed with onions, mustard, and vinegar. The recipients thought it delicious.
Nowadays we may soon even be able to have all the pleasures and perks of onions without the pain. Colin Leady and colleagues, of New Zealand’s Crop and Food Research, along with collaborators in Japan, have come up with a tear-free onion. It was created using a gene-silencing technology in which the gene for the enzyme that generates the onion lachrymator is shut down. The result is an onion with all the flavorful and nutritional bennies of a conventional onion, but without the tear-inducing syn-propanethial-S-oxide.
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Rhodiola found to be an effective herbal medicine for treating fatigue and weakness National Academy of Medical Sciences of Ukraine, September 28, 2022
With everything that’s going on in life, it’s normal to feel tired at some point. Fatigue is a condition characterized by extreme feelings of either physical or mental tiredness. One study shows that rhodiola (Rhodiola rosea) can be used as an herbal medicine for fatigue.
People who are experiencing fatigue can have symptoms like sore muscles, lack of motivation, headaches, drowsiness, and irritability. If fatigue lasts for one to six months it can be classified as prolonged fatigue. However, if it goes beyond that it is already classified as chronic fatigue. Studies show that a third of the adult population has experienced chronic fatigue at least once in their life. With the high prevalence of chronic fatigue, it is unfortunate that there is still no standard medication available for it.
Previous studies have shown that rhodiola can reduce symptoms in people suffering from mental fatigue. In addition to this, animal studies have also revealed that rhodiola can stimulate physical work capacity.
For this study, which was published in Complementary Medicine Research, the researchers looked at rhodiola as a potential medication for prolonged and chronic fatigue. Researchers performed a clinical trial with 100 participants suffering from either prolonged or chronic fatigue. Although the trial lasted for eight weeks, significant improvements in fatigue symptoms were already observable after just one week. Further improvements could still be observed throughout the trial period. Furthermore, no adverse effects were observed with rhodiola intake.
Parenting practices in teen years set the stage for closeness, warmth later on Penn State University, October 5, 2022 High-quality parenting practices in adolescence lay the foundation for close parent-child relationships when the children become young adults, according to new research from Penn State.
The study is one of the first to examine how changes in parental involvement, parental warmth, and effective discipline during adolescence predict the quality of the relationships between parents and their young adult children, said Greg Fosco, professor of human development and family studies and associate director of the Edna Bennett Pierce Prevention Research Center at Penn State, who was co-principal investigator on the study.
The study’s findings were published recently in Developmental Psychology. The research team surveyed 1,631 participants in a long-term research study of families in rural and semi-rural Pennsylvania and Iowa who completed surveys between sixth and 12th grades and again at age 22.
“Our research showed that parenting can change a lot during the teenage years: parents often express less warmth and affection, spend less time with their teens, and become more harsh in their discipline. Parents that were able to maintain positive parenting and involvement laid the foundation for a close relationship when their teens became adults,” said Fosco.
Staying involved in teens’ lives may look different than when they were younger, and it can be challenging to stay close with teens as they seek greater independence and autonomy, Fosco acknowledged. Based on the study’s findings, he suggested these activities:
Do something together, like playing sports, bike riding, exercising, going for a walk, gaming, cooking, attending events, or going out for a meal or dessert. Work on a project together around the house. Talk about what’s going on at school. Discuss what you want to do in the future. Further, adolescents who experienced higher levels of parental warmth in the early teen years reported feeling more closeness and warmth with mothers and fathers when they were in their 20s, Fosco said.
The study also found that parents who were skilled at using effective discipline with their sixth grade children — and maintained these effective practices over the course of adolescence — had less conflictual relationships when their children were in their 20s.
Lifestyle Influences Metabolism Via DNA Methylation
Helmholtz Zentrum Munchen (Germany) September 20, 2022
An unhealthy lifestyle leaves traces in the DNA. These may have specific effects on metabolism, causing organ damage or disease. Scientists of Helmholtz Zentrum München have now identified 28 DNA alterations associated with metabolic traits. This world-first epigenome-wide association study (EWAS) of modified genes and metabolites has been now published in the journal Human Molecular Genetics.
In the course of life, aging processes, environmental influences and lifestyle factors such as smoking or diet induce biochemical alterations to the DNA. Frequently, these lead to DNA methylation, a process in which methyl groups are added to particular DNA segments, without changing the DNA sequence. Such processes can influence gene function and are known as epigenetics.
To this end, the team analyzed blood samples from more than 1800 participants of the KORA study *. In doing so, they analyzed more than 457,000 loci in the DNA as to biochemical alterations and compared them with the concentrations of 649 different metabolites. The analysis showed that the methylation of 28 DNA segments changed a number of important metabolic processes.
In the relevant DNA regions there were also already known disease-related genes: for example, the TXNIP gene that regulates glucose metabolism and is associated with the development of diabetes mellitus. Appropriately, with the methylated TXNIP there were altered concentrations of metabolites from the lipid and glucose metabolism. Also genes that are known to be biochemically altered due to smoking affect different metabolic activities, and specifically those with corresponding biological functions.
“This study gives us new insights into how lifestyle factors can influence metabolism via the resulting alterations in the DNA,” said Gieger, research group leader at the IGE. “We can now use these results to develop new diagnostic and therapeutic approaches for lifestyle-related diseases such as diabetes.”
Exposure to fluoridated water and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder prevalence among children and adolescents in the United States: an ecological association York University (Ontario), September 30, 2022 Epidemiological and animal-based studies have suggested that prenatal and postnatal fluoride exposure has adverse effects on neurodevelopment. The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between exposure to fluoridated water and Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) prevalence among children and adolescents in the United States. Methods: Data on ADHD prevalence among 4-17 year olds collected in 2003, 2007 and 2011 as part of the National Survey of Children’s Health, and state water fluoridation prevalence from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) collected between 1992 and 2008 were utilized. Results: State prevalence of artificial water fluoridation in 1992 significantly positively predicted state prevalence of ADHD in 2003, 2007 and 2011, even after controlling for socioeconomic status. A multivariate regression analysis showed that after socioeconomic status was controlled each 1% increase in artificial fluoridation prevalence in 1992 was associated with approximately 67,000 to 131,000 additional ADHD diagnoses from 2003 to 2011. Overall state water fluoridation prevalence (not distinguishing between fluoridation types) was also significantly positively correlated with state prevalence of ADHD for all but one year examined. Conclusions: Parents reported higher rates of medically-diagnosed ADHD in their children in states in which a greater proportion of people receive fluoridated water from public water supplies. The relationship between fluoride exposure and ADHD warrants future study.
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Study links omega-3s to improved brain structure, cognition at midlife University of Texas Health Science Center, October 5, 2022
Eating cold-water fish and other sources of omega-3 fatty acids may preserve brain health and enhance cognition in middle age, new evidence indicates.
Having at least some omega-3s in red blood cells was associated with better brain structure and cognitive function among healthy study volunteers in their 40s and 50s, according to research published in Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.
“Studies have looked at this association in older populations. The new contribution here is that, even at younger ages, if you have a diet that includes some omega-3 fatty acids, you are already protecting your brain for most of the indicators of brain aging that we see at middle age,” said Claudia Satizabal, PhD the lead author of the study.
Volunteers’ average age was 46. The team looked at the relation of red blood cell omega-3 fatty acid concentrations with MRI and cognitive markers of brain aging. Researchers also studied the effect of omega-3 red blood cell concentrations in volunteers who carried APOE4, a genetic variation linked to higher risk of Alzheimer’s disease.
The study of 2,183 dementia- and stroke-free participants found that:
Higher omega-3 index was associated with larger hippocampal volumes. The hippocampus, a structure in the brain, plays a major role in learning and memory. Consuming more omega-3s was associated with better abstract reasoning, or the ability to understand complex concepts using logical thinking. APOE4 carriers with a higher omega-3 index had less small-vessel disease. The APOE4 gene is associated with cardiovascular disease and vascular dementia. “Omega-3 fatty acids such as EPA and DHA are key micronutrients that enhance and protect the brain,” said study coauthor Debora Melo van Lent, PhD, postdoctoral research fellow at the Biggs Institute. “Our study is one of the first to observe this effect in a younger population. More studies in this age group are needed.”
Multiple health benefits of b-type procyanidin-rich foods like chocolate and apples consumed in right amounts Shibaura Institute of Technology (Japan), October 5, 2022 B-type procyanidins, made of catechin oligomers, are a class of polyphenols found abundantly in foods like cocoa, apples, grape seeds, and red wine. Several studies have established the benefits of these micronutrients in reducing the risk of cardiovascular diseases and strokes. B-type procyanidins are also successful in controlling hypertension, dyslipidemia, and glucose intolerance. Studies attest to the physiological benefits of their intake on the central nervous system (CNS), namely an improvement in cognitive functions. These physiological changes follow a pattern of hormesis—a phenomenon in which peak benefits of a substance are achieved at mid-range doses, becoming progressively lesser at lower and higher doses.
Researchers from Shibaura Institute of Technology (SIT), Japan, led by Professor Naomi Osakabe, reviewed the data from intervention trials supporting hormetic responses of B-type procyanidin ingestion. The team conducted in vivo experiments to understand possible connections between B-type procyanidin hormetic responses and CNS neurotransmitter receptor activation. Their article has been published in Frontiers of Nutrition .
The researchers noted that a single oral administration of an optimal dose of cocoa flavanol temporarily increased the blood pressure and heart rate in rats. But the hemodynamics did not change when the dose was increased or decreased. Administration of B-type procyanidin monomer and various oligomers produced similar results. According to Professor Osakabe, “These results are consistent with those of intervention studies following a single intake of food rich in B-type procyanidin, and support the U-shaped dose-response theory, or hormesis, of polyphenols.”
To observe whether the sympathetic nervous system (SNS) is involved in the hemodynamic changes induced by B-type procyanidins, the team administered adrenaline blockers in test rats. This successfully decreased the temporary increase in heart rate induced by the optimal dose of cocoa flavanol. A different kind of blocker—a1 blocker—inhibited the transient rise in blood pressure. This suggested that the SNS, which controls the action of adrenaline blockers, is responsible for the hemodynamic and metabolic changes induced by a single oral dose of B-type procyanidin.
The researchers next ascertained why optimal doses, and not high doses, are responsible for the thermogenic and metabolic responses. They co-administered a high dose of cocoa flavanol and yohimbine (an α2 blocker) and noted a temporary but distinct increase in blood pressure in test animals. Similar observations were made with the use of B-type procyanidin oligomer and yohimbine. Professor Osakabe surmises, “Since α2 blockers are associated with the down-regulation of the SNS, the reduced metabolic and thermogenic outputs at a high dose of B-type procyanidins seen in our study may have induced α2 auto-receptor activation. Thus, SNS deactivation may be induced by a high dose of B-type procyanidins.”
Meditation keeps emotional brain in check
Michigan State University, September 29, 2022
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.”
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 new language, 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.
A mother’s ultra-processed food intake may be linked to obesity risk in her children Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, October 5, 2022
A mother’s consumption of ultra-processed foods appears to be linked to an increased risk of overweight or obesity in her offspring, irrespective of other lifestyle risk factors, suggests a U.S. study published by The BMJ today.
The researchers that mothers might benefit from limiting their intake of ultra-processed foods, that dietary guidelines should be refined, and financial and social barriers removed to improve nutrition for women of childbearing age and reduce childhood obesity.
Researchers drew on data for 19,958 children born to 14,553 mothers (45% boys, aged 7-17 years at study enrollment) from the Nurses’ Health Study II (NHS II) and the Growing Up Today Study (GUTS I and II) in the United States.
The results show that a mother’s ultra-processed food consumption was associated with an increased risk of overweight or obesity in her offspring. For example, a 26% higher risk was seen in the group with the highest maternal ultra-processed food consumption (12.1 servings/day) versus the lowest consumption group (3.4 servings/day).
Reishi Mushrooms Proven For Fibromyalgia Pain Relief In Human Study University of Extremadura (Spain), September 29, 2022
A promising double-blind, randomized human clinical study of ganoderma lucidum, also known as reishi mushroom, has been shown to be effective in treating fibromyalgia chronic pain.
To begin, science knows that the reishi mushroom is the most studied nutraceutical and that it has been used safely and effectively for thousands of years. It is often called the mushroom of longevity and immortality.
Reishi has several biologically-active compounds in it, including triterpenes, which have been shown to increase the production of Nerve Growth Factor. NGF is a protein that helps to create new neurons and repair damaged neurons. This also enhances the communication between cells and reduces inflammation.
In the fibromyalgia chronic pain study, one group consumed 6 grams of reishi mushroom powder per day and another group consumed 6 grams of carob powder per day. Each group participated for 6 weeks and continued to self-report their experiences for 72 days after the treatment. The reishi mushroom group experienced pain reduction by up to 30%, which is significant.
They also reported getting better sleep, were happier and gained aerobic endurance and body flexibility.
Time-restricted eating improves health of firefighters Salk Institute, October 3, 2022 In collaboration with the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department, scientists from the Salk Institute and UC San Diego Health conducted a clinical trial and found that time-restricted eating improved measures of health and well-being in firefighters. The lifestyle intervention only required the firefighters to eat during a 10-hour window and did not involve skipping meals.
The new findings, published in Cell Metabolism may also have implications for shift workers, such as military personnel; health care, food service, and transportation professionals; telecommunications staff; and new parents, whose schedules often mimic shift work when caring for a new baby.
“Doctors and researchers are always thinking about the magic pill that can cure or reduce disease. Our study showed that shift workers with high blood pressure, blood sugar, or cholesterol can benefit from a simple lifestyle intervention called time-restricted eating,” says Salk Professor Satchidananda Panda, co-corresponding author of the study and holder of the Rita and Richard Atkinson Chair.
Almost every cell in the body has a 24-hour biological clock that produces circadian (daily) rhythms. These rhythms regulate behavior (e.g., when to be active and when to rest) and physiology (e.g., blood pressure, blood sugar, muscle function). Circadian rhythms coordinate with the environment in part by regular, timed cycles of light and dark and eating and fasting. Disruptions to these cycles, which can occur with shift work, can impact health, leading to obesity, heart disease, diabetes, and cancer.
In this clinical trial, 150 firefighters from the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department used the myCircadianClock app on their phones to track their eating for three months. Half the group ate within a 10-hour window, while the other half (the control group) changed nothing and ate within a 14-hour window. Both groups were encouraged to follow a Mediterranean diet, which is known to have health benefits. The study included both individuals who were healthy and those who were overweight or who had health conditions such as high blood pressure, cholesterol, and/or blood glucose.
The researchers found that time-restricted eating within a 10-hour eating window was feasible without adverse effects and helped the firefighters significantly decrease their VLDL (“bad”) cholesterol size by 1.34 nanometers (small VLDL is less likely to block arteries), improve their mental health, and reduce their alcohol intake by roughly three drinks per week. Time-restricted eating also significantly improved blood sugar and blood pressure in firefighters who had elevated levels at the start of the study. The researchers concluded that time-restricted eating may provide even greater benefit for those at risk for cardiometabolic disease and other chronic diseases.
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Breast health linked to eating peanut butter and nuts
Washington University School of Medicine, September 27, 2022
By eating more peanut butter during their high school years, girls could be improving their breast health in adulthood, according to a US study published recently in the journal Breast Cancer Research and Treatment.
Dr. Graham Colditz, of Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, and colleagues found that girls aged 9 to 15 who ate peanut butter and nuts twice a week were 39% less likely to develop benign breast disease by the age of 30 than girls who did not.
Benign breast disease includes lumps or tender spots that turn out to be fibrous tissue and/or cysts, as well as other conditions like hyperplasia, an overgrowth of the cells that line the ducts in the glandular breast tissue. Although benign breast disease is not cancerous, it can raise the risk of developing breast cancer later in life.
For their study, he and his colleagues looked at health data on over 9,000 American schoolgirls recruited to The Growing Up Today Study. The data also included reports from the girls between when they were 18 to 30 years old, that indicated whether they had ever been diagnosed with biopsy-confirmed benign breast disease.
When they compared the two sets of data, the researchers found that participants who had eaten peanut butter or nuts twice a week were 39% less likely than peers who never ate those foods to receive a diagnosis for benign breast disease.
The data suggest pulse foods – soy and other beans and lentils – and corn may also be linked to reduced risk of benign breast disease, but because they did not feature as much in the diets of these girls, the evidence was not so strong.And they concluded that “consumption of vegetable protein, fat, peanut butter, or nuts by older girls may help reduce their risk of BBD [benign breast disease] as young women.”
Pine bark extracts may help curb age-related muscle loss; Study D’Annunzio University (Italy), September 28, 2022 Supplements containing the French maritime pine bark extract Pycnogenol may help stabilize muscle loss, support muscular function, and boosts daily muscle endurance, says a new study.
Data from a study with 64 healthy seniors aged 70-78 indicated that 150 mg per day of Pycnogenol may improve muscle function and endurance in a range of everyday activities, from carrying items to climbing stairs and walking.
Results published in Minerva Ortopedica e Traumatologica also indicated that supplementation with the pine bark was associated with a reduction in oxidative stress of 14%. Oxidative stress is reportedly a common measurement of sarcopenia which prevents the body from normal detoxifying and repair.
“Supplementation with Pycnogenol – suppressing the excess in oxidative stress and controlling muscular pain and fatigue – possibly in association with some specific protein and vitamins supplementation, may produce faster muscular replacement and muscular remodeling improving physical functions and fitness. In this study, muscle loss appeared to be controlled and reduced,” wrote the authors from Irvine3 Labs and D’Annunzio University in Italy.
Sarcopenia
Muscle loss is a natural part of aging, and researchers have estimated that, after the age of 50, we lose 1-2% of our muscles each year. Strength declines as well, at a rate of 1.5% per year beginning at 50 years and accelerating to 3% after the age of 60.
Results showed that the pine bark group experienced greater muscular function and endurance in daily tasks such as carrying items (4-5 lbs) (71% improvement versus 23% in the control group), climbing stairs (52 % improvement versus 20% in the control ground) and distance walked (38% improvement versus 17% in the control group).
Supplementation with Pycnogenol was also associated with reduced proteinuria – the presence of protein in urine which, with normal kidney function, can indicate waste from muscle erosion – by 40%.
In addition, individuals who took the pine bark extract supplements demonstrated improved general fitness scores by more than 46% in comparison with the control group.
Study links prenatal phthalate exposure to reduced childhood lung function Barcelona Institute for Global Health, October 3, 2022
A study led by the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal) has found that exposure to phthalates in the womb is associated with reduced lung function during childhood. The findings of the study, published in Environmental Pollution, support the European Union’s current restrictions on the use of these substances
Phthalates are chemical compounds that are widely used as plasticizers, as well as in lacquers and varnishes. They are found in a wide variety of consumer products, ranging from toys to food packaging, clothing, detergents, cosmetics, solvents, etc. Over time, phthalates in these products leach into the surrounding environment—for example, into the air, dust and food—making them virtually ubiquitous. Moreover, human exposure to phthalates starts as early as in utero, given that these compounds are able to cross the placental barrier. Phthalates act as endocrine disruptors and have been associated with numerous developmental and reproductive health problems.
“Research has consistently found that gestational phthalate exposure is associated with increased risk of childhood asthma, but the evidence on its possible association with lung function is scarce and unclear,” explained ISGlobal researcher Magda Bosch de Basea, lead author of the study.
The study included 641 mother-child pairs from the INMA Project birth cohorts in Sabadell and Gipuzkoa. Gestational phthalate exposure was analyzed using urine samples collected from the mothers during pregnancy. The children’s lung function was assessed by spirometry at various stages of development between the ages of four and eleven years.
As an indication of the ubiquity of these compounds, laboratory analyses detected all nine of the studied phthalate metabolites—i.e., substances into which phthalates are transformed once metabolized by the human body—in nearly 100% of the urine samples examined. At all stages of development, the studied metabolites were associated with decreases in two lung function parameters: forced vital capacity (FVC), which measures the maximum volume of air a person is able to exhale, and forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1), which measures the maximum exhaled volume in the first second of exhalation. T
The researchers found that the associations between certain metabolites (e.g. MiBP and MBzP) and decreased lung function were generally statistically significant at younger ages, but not in spirometries performed in later years. This pattern is consistent with the findings of studies in animal models suggesting that the possible effects of these compounds on lung function revert over time.
Eating late increases hunger, decreases calories burned, and changes fat tissue Brigham and Women’s Hospital, October 4, 2022
A new study by investigators from Brigham and Women’s Hospital, a founding member of the Mass General Brigham healthcare system, found that when we eat significantly impacts our energy expenditure, appetite, and molecular pathways in adipose tissue. Their results are published in Cell Metabolism.
“In this study, we asked, ‘Does the time that we eat matter when everything else is kept consistent?'” said first author Nina Vujović, Ph.D. “And we found that eating four hours later makes a significant difference for our hunger levels, the way we burn calories after we eat, and the way we store fat.”
Vujović, Scheer and their team studied 16 patients with a body mass index (BMI) in the overweight or obese range. Each participant completed two laboratory protocols: one with a strictly scheduled early meal schedule, and the other with the exact same meals, each scheduled about four hours later in the day. In the last two to three weeks before starting each of the in-laboratory protocols, participants maintained fixed sleep and wake schedules, and in the final three days before entering the laboratory, they strictly followed identical diets and meal schedules at home. In the lab, participants regularly documented their hunger and appetite, provided frequent small blood samples throughout the day, and had their body temperature and energy expenditure measured. To measure how eating time affected molecular pathways involved in adipogenesis, or how the body stores fat, investigators collected biopsies of adipose tissue from a subset of participants during laboratory testing in both the early and late eating protocols, to enable comparison of gene expression patterns/levels between these two eating conditions.
Results revealed that eating later had profound effects on hunger and appetite-regulating hormones leptin and ghrelin, which influence our drive to eat. Specifically, levels of the hormone leptin, which signals satiety, were decreased across the 24 hours in the late eating condition compared to the early eating conditions. When participants ate later, they also burned calories at a slower rate and exhibited adipose tissue gene expression towards increased adipogenesis and decreased lipolysis, which promote fat growth. Notably, these findings convey converging physiological and molecular mechanisms underlying the correlation between late eating and increased obesity risk.
“This study shows the impact of late versus early eating. Here, we isolated these effects by controlling for confounding variables like caloric intake, physical activity, sleep, and light exposure, but in real life, many of these factors may themselves be influenced by meal timing,” said Scheer.
The immune system benefits from life in the countrysideAarhus University (Denmark), September 30, 2022Research from Aarhus University has demonstrated that exposure to a farming environment may prevent or dampen hypersensitivities and allergies — even in adultsAdults who move to farming areas where they experience a wider range of environmental exposures than in cities may reduce the symptoms of their hypersensitivities and allergies considerably. This is the result of new research from Aarhus University.This pioneering result was published online in the esteemed periodical, The Journal of Allergy and Clinical ImmunologyThe immune systems of people who work in farming are frequently exposed to a wide range of bacteria, fungi, pollen and other irritants which may trigger a response that protects them against hypersensitivity. Working in a farming environment may therefore serve to prevent or dampen hypersensitivity to the most widespread plant allergens: grass and birch pollen.Surprisingly, the positive effect on the immune system is seen both in people who have lived in urban environments and in adults who were born and raised in farming areas. But the real surprise is that the effect is not only seen in children:”Previously, the assumption was that only persons who had lived in farming areas while growing up would benefit from the environment’s protective effect on the immune system. But now we can demonstrate that it’s not too late simply because you are an adult,” says postdoc Grethe Elholm.It is, in other words, possible to affect the immune system and thereby the hypersensitivity which may cause allergy and allergic asthma − and what is more, this can be done at a much later point in life than previously assumed. High Blood Pressure Linked To Faster Cognitive Decline, Dementia Risk
University of Michigan, October 1, 2022
High blood pressure, or hypertension, often causes people to feel perpetually stressed out or angry. Now, researchers from the University of Michigan say people with hypertension may also experience a faster deterioration in their cognitive abilities (thinking skills, decision making, memory) in comparison to those with normal blood pressure.
The team performed a “study of studies” focusing on high blood pressure’s association with declining brain function over a period of several years. They gathered and analyzed datasets collected for six large prior studies.
Originally, researchers set out to determine if fluctuations in long-term blood pressure control may somewhat explain why Hispanic Americans experience a 50-percent higher risk of developing dementia by the end of their lives in comparison to non-Hispanic white people living in the United States. Somewhat surprisingly, that study failed to produce a clear answer, as blood pressure-related cognitive decline appears to occur at about the same pace among Hispanics and Caucasians. Study authors conclude their work suggests other factors are at play regarding why Hispanics are generally more at risk of dementia.
Still, these findings make a strong case that blood pressure has a connection to cognitive outcomes later in life. Maintaining a healthy blood pressure level looks to protect thinking skills, study authors say.
“Our findings suggest that high blood pressure causes faster cognitive decline, and that taking hypertension medication slows the pace of that decline,” says lead study author Deborah Levine, M.D., M.P.H., director of the University of Michigan’s Cognitive Health Services Research Program and a professor of internal medicine at the U-M’s academic medical center, in a media release.
Researchers examined changes in the thinking and memory abilities among a group of adults (18+) who took part in six long-term studies conducted over the past five decades. Study authors enjoyed access to an average of eight years’ worth of data for each participant, including systolic blood pressure (the top number in any blood pressure reading).
The data encompassed 22,095 non-Hispanic white adults and 2,475 Hispanic adults. None of the participants had any documented history of stroke or dementia at the time of enrollment. To start, average systolic blood pressure was lower among Hispanic adults in comparison to non-Hispanic white adults (132.5 mmHg compared with 134 mmHg). This is especially notable considering Hispanic adults in the study displayed an older average age than non-Hispanic adults (62 versus 54 years-old). Blood pressure readings tend to increase with age.
Among both Hispanics and non-Hispanics, the team observed the same pace of deteriorating thinking skills and memory linked to high blood pressure. However, when researchers focused solely on the two studies that had deliberately recruited Hispanics, they noted an undeniably faster decline in overall cognitive performance among Hispanics in comparison to the non-Hispanic white group. Importantly, though, blood pressure differences between those two groups didn’t appear to explain this cognitive decline difference. This may be due to Hispanic participants having lower blood pressure than non-Hispanic whites in these studies, researchers speculate.The study is published in the Journal of Alzheimer s Disease.
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Can Eating Peppers Help You Live Longer
Tulane University September 28, 2022
People who have a taste for chili peppers and other hot spicy foods may live longer, research suggests.
A new study of more than 500,000 Chinese adults over seven years finds that participants who ate foods flavored with chili peppers every day reduced their risk of premature dying by 14 percent, as compared to people who ate chili peppers less than once a week.
“Even among those who consumed spicy foods less frequently [one to two days a week], the beneficial effects could be observed,” says Lu Qi, professor of epidemiology at Tulane University. “Indeed, moderate increase of spicy foods would benefit.”
While his study, published in the BMJ, doesn’t address other foods, earlier research has indicated that horseradish, black pepper, garlic, and ginger may offer similar benefits.”There also is preliminary data from other studies showing such potential,” Qi says. Capsaicin in chili peppers may be what protects health, Qi says. It reduces risk of obesity, offers antibacterial properties, and helps protect against diabetes, cardiovascular disease, cancer, and other conditions. Chili peppers also improve inflammation and reduce blood pressure and oxidative stress.
Omega-3 may be helpful for attention, impulse control in adolescents University Pompeu Fabra (Spain), October 3 2022.
Research findings reported in European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry revealed that higher blood levels of the omega-3 fatty acids docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) were respectively associated with better test scores for attention and impulsiveness among adolescent boys and girls compared with adolescents who had lower levels.
“Polyunsaturated fatty acids are critical for brain development and function, and their deficiency may have long-term functional consequences” authors Ariadna Pinar-Marti and colleagues explained.
“Despite the established importance of DHA in brain development, few studies have evaluated whether it plays a role in the attention performance of healthy adolescents,” commented study coordinator Jordi Júlvez, PhD. “In addition, the possible role of alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), another omega-3 but of plant origin, has not been as extensively studied.”
In comparison with adolescents whose DHA levels were among the lowest one-third of participants, those whose levels were among the top third showed better attention performance as indicated by scores for reaction time and conflict response. Higher ALA levels were associated with less impulsivity. “The role of ALA in attention control is still unclear, but this finding may be clinically relevant, as impulsivity is a feature of several psychiatric conditions, such as ADHD,” Dr Pinar-Martí noted.
Weighted blankets found to increase melatonin Uppsala University (Sweden), October 3, 2022
A new study from Uppsala University shows that using a weighted blanket at bedtime increases melatonin in young adults. This hormone increases in response to darkness, and some evidence suggests that it promotes sleep. The findings are published in the Journal of Sleep Research.
Previous research has shown that weighted blankets may ease insomnia in humans. Researchers from Uppsala University in Sweden experimented with 26 young men and women to examine if the bedtime use of a weighted blanket increases the production of sleep-promoting and anti-stress hormones like melatonin and oxytocin. In addition, they investigated whether the bedtime use of a weighted blanket (12% of participants’ body weight) reduced the activity of stress systems in the body. To this end, saliva was collected repeatedly from participants while they were covered with either a weighted or a light blanket to measure melatonin, oxytocin, cortisol, and the activity of the fight and flight sympathetic nervous system.
“Using a weighted blanket increased melatonin concentrations in saliva by about 30%. However, no differences in oxytocin, cortisol, and the activity of the sympathetic nervous system were observed between the weighted and light blanket conditions,” says Elisa Meth, first author and Ph.D. student at the Department of Pharmaceutical Biosciences at Uppsala University.
“Our study may offer a mechanism explaining why weighted blankets may exert some therapeutic benefits, such as improved sleep. However, our findings rely on a small sample and investigated only the acute effects of a weighted blanket. Thus, larger trials are needed, including an investigation of whether the observed effects of a weighted blanket on melatonin are sustained over longer periods,” says senior author Christian Benedict, Associate Professor of Pharmacology at the Department of Pharmaceutical Biosciences at Uppsala University.
Clinical Trial: Vegetable Extract may Treat Autism Better than Drugs
Harvard Medical School, September 30, 2022
A recent clinical trial has shown that one vegetable extract may have astounding positive effects on those with autism – broccoli extract.
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.
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
Social media use linked to developing depression regardless of personality University of Arkansas, October 3, 2022
Researchers in public policy and education recently found that young adults who use more social media are significantly more likely to develop depression within six months, regardless of personality type.
Published in the Journal of Affective Disorders Reports, the study, “Associations between social media use, personality structure, and development of depression,” was co-authored by Renae Merrill, a doctoral student in the Public Policy Program at the University of Arkansas.
This new study found strong and linear associations of depression across all personality traits.”
Among the study’s findings was that people with high agreeableness were 49% less likely to become depressed than people with low agreeableness. Additionally, those with high neuroticism were twice as likely to develop depression than those with low neuroticism when using more than 300 minutes of social media per day. More importantly, for each personality trait, social media use was strongly associated with the development of depression.
The sample of more than 1,000 U.S. adults between the ages of 18 to 30 was from data collected by Primack and his colleagues at the University of Pittsburgh.
The authors suggest that problematic social comparison can enhance negative feelings of oneself and others, which could explain how risk of depression increases with increased social media use. Engaging primarily in negative content can also enhance these feelings. And lastly, engaging in more social media reduces opportunities for in-person interactions and activities outside of the home.
“Findings from this study are important during a time of technology expansion and integration,” Merrill said. “Connecting to people virtually may increase the risk of miscommunication or misperception that leads to relationship difficulties and potential risk for developing mental health problems.”
“People have innate emotional needs for social connection and understanding,” Merrill added. “For example, social media experiences can be improved by becoming more aware of our emotions and our connection with others in various life circumstances. This awareness helps improve relationship quality by simply reaching shared meaning and understanding through more effective communication and concern for others and ourselves. Despite our differences, we have the ability to create a culture of empathy and kindness.”
Which grains you eat can impact your risk of getting heart disease earlier Isfahan University of Medical Sciences (Iran), October 3, 2022
In one of the first studies to examine the relationship between different types of grain intake and premature coronary artery disease in the Middle East, researchers found a higher intake of refined grain was associated with an increased risk of premature coronary artery disease in an Iranian population, while eating whole grains was associated with reduced risk.
According to the researchers, previous epidemiological studies have reported an association between different types of grain intake with the risk of coronary artery disease. The current study evaluated the association between refined and whole grains consumption and risk of PCAD in an Iranian population.
Premature coronary artery disease (PCAD) refers to atherosclerotic narrowing of coronary arteries in males under 55 years old or in females under 65 years old. It is often asymptomatic early in the course of the disease but may lead to chest pain (angina) and/or heart attack with progressive development of narrowing (stenosis) or plaque rupture of the arterial wall. Risk factors for PCAD include smoking, high cholesterol, high blood pressure and diabetes.
Whole grains are defined as containing the entire grain, while refined grains have been milled—ground into flour or meal—to improve shelf life but they lose important nutrients in the process. The ACC/American Heart Association Guideline on the Primary Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease recommends a diet that emphasizes the intake of vegetables, fruits, legumes, whole grains and fish to decrease heart disease risk factors.
The study recruited 2099 individuals with PCAD from hospitals with catheterization labs in different cities and ethnicities throughout Iran who underwent coronary angiography (women aged ≤ 70 and men ≤ 60). In total, 1,168 patients with normal coronary arteries were included in the control group, while 1,369 patients with CAD with obstruction equal or above 75% in at least a single coronary artery or ≥ 50% in the left main coronary artery made up the case group.
After adjusting for confounders, a higher intake of refined grains was associated with an increased risk of PCAD, while whole grain intake was inversely related to reduced risk of PCAD.
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Regeneration of brain stem cells boosted by turmeric compound
Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine (Germany) September 28, 2022
A bioactive compound found in turmeric promotes stem cell proliferation and differentiation in the brain, reveals new research published in the open access journal Stem Cell Research & Therapy. The findings suggest aromatic turmerone could be a future drug candidate for treating neurological disorders, such as stroke and Alzheimer’s disease.
The study looked at the effects of aromatic (ar-) turmerone on endogenous neutral stem cells (NSC), which are stem cells found within adult brains. NSC differentiate into neurons, and play an important role in self-repair and recovery of brain function in neurodegenerative diseases. Previous studies of ar-turmerone have shown that the compound can block activation of microglia cells. When activated, these cells cause neuroinflammation, which is associated with different neurological disorders. However, ar-turmerone’s impact on the brain’s capacity to self-repair was unknown.
Researchers from the Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine in Jülich, Germany, studied the effects of ar-turmerone on NSC proliferation and differentiation both in vitro and in vivo. Rat fetal NSC were cultured and grown in six different concentrations of ar-turmerone over a 72 hour period. At certain concentrations, ar-turmerone was shown to increase NSC proliferation by up to 80%, without having any impact on cell death. The cell differentiation process also accelerated in ar-turmerone-treated cells compared to untreated control cells.
Lead author of the study, Adele Rueger, said: “While several substances have been described to promote stem cell proliferation in the brain, fewer drugs additionally promote the differentiation of stem cells into neurons, which constitutes a major goal in regenerative medicine. Our findings on aromatic turmerone take us one step closer to achieving this goal.”
Ar-turmerone is the lesser-studied of two major bioactive compounds found in turmeric. The other compound is curcumin, which is well known for its anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective properties.
Study finds mind-body practices lower blood sugar levels in people with type 2 diabetes University of Southern California School of Medicine, September 30, 2022
Mind-body practices such as yoga and meditation are increasingly popular tools for promoting health and combating diseases, including type 2 diabetes. Approximately 66% of Americans with type 2 diabetes use mind-body practices and many do so because they believe it helps control their blood sugar. Until now, however, whether mind-practices can reduce blood glucose levels has never been rigorously quantified.
According to new research conducted by a team from the Keck School of Medicine of USC, published in the Journal of Integrative and Complementary Medicine, some mind-body practices can be nearly as effective as commonly prescribed drugs at reducing blood glucose levels in people with type 2 diabetes.
The team analyzed data from randomized controlled trials conducted across the globe between 1993 and 2022. They found 28 trials in which people with type 2 diabetes began a mind-body practice in addition to receiving medication and compared their results with people who only received medication to reduce their blood sugar levels.
This study, the first to analyze a range of mind-body practices including meditation, qigong, yoga and mindfulness-based stress reduction and their effect on blood glucose levels, revealed that all mind-body practices led to significant reductions in blood sugar levels.
Taken as a whole, the mind-body practices averaged a .84% reduction in hemoglobin A1c, a measure of the average blood glucose level for the past 3 months. Yoga, the most-studied modality, provided the largest benefit, about a 1% reduction in hemoglobin A1c. The authors noted that a 1% reduction is particularly notable because metformin, the most prescribed diabetes drug, reduces hemoglobin A1c in people with type 2 diabetes by 1.1% on average.
The research suggests that mind-body practices could be used as a both as a complementary nonpharmacological treatment for people with type 2 diabetes and possibly as a preventive measure as well.
Compound in Celery Found to Destroy 86% of Lung Cancer CellsGuangdong Pharmaceutical University (China), September 28th, 2022 Celery ihas been found to be extremely effective at killing ovarian, pancreatic, prostate, breast, liver, and lung cancer cells. In fact, in a recent study, celery killed up to 86% of cancer cells in the lungs (in vitro). In addition to calming your nervous system, aiding digestion, reducing inflammation, and lowering blood pressure, celery also contains an anti-cancer compound called apigenin, which has been effective at causing apoptosis (cell suicide) in numerous types of cancer cells. Researchers in China have found that by eating just two medium stalks of celery 2 to 3 times a week can reduce the risk of getting lung cancer by 60%. It is still not definitive through the scientists research, however, if the apigenin alone does the work of killing cancerous cells or if they work in cooperation with other compounds found in celery Furthering the link, other research found: “Apigenin widely inhibits cell proliferation of various lung cancer cell lines in a dose-dependent manner and the combination treatment of apigenin and antitumor drugs is very effective in human lung cancer cells, and Nrf2-ARE pathway may contribute to the mechanism.” And another study’s abstract focusing on the broader impact of fruit and vegetable intake on cancer concluded: “In particular, high intake of Chinese cabbage (OR = 0.53), chives (OR = 0 .54), carrots (OR = 0.51) and celery (OR = 0.40) was inversely associated with lung cancer. The OR was more than six-fold elevated for smokers reporting low intake of vegetables, and more than four-fold elevated for smokers reporting low intake of fruit, as compared with never smokers reporting high intake of these items. Moderate alcohol use linked to heart chamber damage, atrial fibrillation in new studyUniversity of California, San Francisco September 28, 2022 A study by UC San Francisco researchers found that even moderate alcohol consumption may change the structure of the heart in ways that increase the risk of atrial fibrillation.
“There’s growing evidence that moderate alcohol intake may be a risk factor for atrial fibrillation, the most common heart rhythm disturbance in the world, but the mechanism by which alcohol may lead to atrial fibrillation is unknown,” said Gregory Marcus, MD, endowed professor of atrial fibrillation research at UCSF and senior author of the study published in the Journal of the American Heart Association. Marcus and colleagues looked at damage to the left atrium of the heart as a possible pathway between alcohol and atrial fibrillation. Atrial fibrillation is a known risk factor for stroke. The irregular pumping of blood can lead to blood clots, which may travel to the brain and cause stroke. The researchers evaluated data from more than 5,000 adults collected over several years in the Framingham Heart Study, including echocardiograms, medical history and self-reported alcohol intake. The study participants, mostly white and in their 40s to 60s, reported on average just over one drink per day. The overall rate of atrial fibrillation in the group was 8.4 cases per 1,000 people per year – meaning over a 10-year period, eight out of 100 people were likely to develop atrial fibrillation. Every additional drink per day was associated with a 5 percent increase in the yearly risk. Every additional drink per day also was associated with a statistically significant 0.16 millimeter enlargement of the left atrium, highlighting a possible site of physical damage caused by drinking Ginger effective for muscle pain relief
University of Georgia, Sep 29, 2022
A new study has suggested that daily doses of raw or heat-treated ginger are effective for relieving muscle pain following strenuous exercise.
Some research has shown that ginger may have anti-inflammatory and analgesic properties similar to nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. In one study, four to 36 weeks of daily ginger doses (30 to 500 mg.) achieved reductions in knee pain from osteoarthritis.
Researchers from the University of Georgia examined the efficacy of multiple days of ginger doses for relieving experimentally induced muscle pain from 18 eccentric muscle exercises.
For the study, student volunteers were tested on 11 consecutive days while taking ginger supplements. Seventy-four students were divided in three groups given either raw ginger, heated ginger or placebo.
The authors hypothesized that pain ratings after exercise would be lower in the ginger group compared to placebo subjects.
Results from the subjects’ responses data showed that both raw and heat-treated ginger lowered muscle pain intensity after eccentric exercise by 25 and 23 per cent, respectively. Heat treating ginger, therefore, did not increase the analgesic benefit.
Whether ground, instant or decaffeinated, coffee drinking associated with longer life Baker Heart and Diabetes Research Institute (Australia), September 28 2022.
Regardless of the type of coffee consumed, people who drink coffee may live longer, as indicated by research findings reported in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology.
“In this large, observational study, ground, instant and decaffeinated coffee were associated with equivalent reductions in the incidence of cardiovascular disease and death from cardiovascular disease or any cause,” senior author Peter Kistler, PhD, stated.
The study included 449,563 men and women enrolled in the UK Biobank, which recruited UK residents from 2006 to 2010 and collected data concerning dietary intake, including coffee consumed, and other factors. Individuals included in the current investigation did not have cardiovascular disease or heart arrhythmias at the beginning of the study.
During an average follow-up of 12.5 years, 27,809 deaths occurred. Compared with non-coffee drinkers, people who reported drinking ground, instant or decaffeinated coffee had a significantly lower risk of dying from all causes during follow-up. The greatest risk reduction was associated with drinking 2 to 3 cups coffee per day, with ground coffee associated with 27% lower risk compared with no coffee drinking. Drinking any type of coffee was also associated with a reduced chance of developing cardiovascular disease, and 2 to 3 cups was again associated with the most protection. The development of arrhythmias was less among people who consumed ground or instant coffee, but not decaffeinated coffee.
“The beverage contains more than 100 biologically active components,” Dr Kistler remarked. “It is likely that the non-caffeinated compounds were responsible for the positive relationships observed between coffee drinking, cardiovascular disease and survival. Our findings indicate that drinking modest amounts of coffee of all types should not be discouraged but can be enjoyed as a heart healthy behavior.”
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Can Cabbage Beat Chemo for Cervical Cancer? South Dakota State University, September 26, 2022 In a study published in the journal Cancer, UCLA researchers showed that radiation actually makes breast cancer cells MORE malignant. They found that radiation kills about half of the tumor cells treated.
But radiation also transforms other cells into “induced breast cancer stem cells.” Though cancer stem cells make up less than 5 percent of a tumor, they can regenerate the original tumor. In fact, these new stem cells are up to 30 times more likely to form tumors compared to cancer cells that didn’t get radiation. CSCs can also migrate through blood vessels spreading cancer to secondary locations.
Chemo works the same way.
Researchers from South Dakota State University have found that a compound in cruciferous vegetables like broccoli, cabbage, and cauliflower may target those cancer stem cells. In fact, it may help prevent the recurrence and spread of some cancers.
The compound is called phenethyl isothiocyanate (PEITC). When the researchers added PEITC to a Petri dish with human cervical cancer stem cells about 75 percent of the stem cells died within 24 hours.
The South Dakota researchers found that PEITC slowed the formation of cervical cancer stem cells in a dose-dependent manner. The researchers also found that PEITC significantly reduced the proliferation of both cervical cancer cells and stem cells. In fact, it worked comparably to salinomycin, a chemo drug, but without the toxic side effects.
In addition, the effects of PEITC were significantly better in abrogating cervical cancer stem cell proliferation than paclitaxel, another toxic chemo drug.
More physical activity, less screen time linked to better executive function in toddlers, study finds University of Illinois at Urbana, September 29, 2022
A new study explored whether adherence to American Academy of Pediatrics guidelines for diet and physical activity had any relationship with toddlers’ ability to remember, plan, pay attention, shift between tasks and regulate their own thoughts and behavior, a suite of skills known as executive function.
Reported in The Journal of Pediatrics, the study found that 24-month-old children who spent less than 60 minutes looking at screens each day and those who engaged in daily physical activity had better executive function than those who didn’t meet the guidelines.
“Executive function underlies your ability to engage in goal-directed behaviors,” said University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign professor Naiman Khan,. “It includes abilities such as inhibitory control, which allows you to regulate your thoughts, emotions and behavior; working memory, by which you are able to hold information in mind long enough to accomplish a task; and cognitive flexibility, the adeptness with which you switch your attention between tasks or competing demands.”
Through its Bright Futures initiative, the AAP recommends that children spend less than 60 minutes looking at screens each day, engage in at least 60 minutes of physical activity, consume five or more servings of fruits and vegetables and minimize or eliminate the consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages.
“We found that toddlers who engaged in less than 60 minutes of screen time per day had significantly greater ability to actively control their own cognition than those who spent more time staring at phones, tablets, televisions and computers,” McMath said. “They had greater inhibitory control, working memory and overall executive function.”
Toddlers who got daily physical activity also did significantly better on tests of working memory than those who didn’t, the researchers found.
How rosemary essential oil can improve memory by 75 percent Northumbria University (UK),
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, 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.
Other studies have supported the ability of rosemary to both promote concentration and enhance memory of past events. Scientifically known as Rosmarinus officinalis, rosemary has long been used by natural healers to boost the immune system, reduce inflammation, fight pathogens and promote healthy digestion. The antioxidant value, or ORAC score, of rosemary is a massive 3,300, giving it the same potent free radical-fighting power of goji berries. Rosemary is rich in carnosic acid, an antioxidant that fights oxidative stress in the brain. Another rosemary constituent, carnosol, is strongly antioxidant and anti-inflammatory as well.
Study confirms energy transfer in different types of energy healing, including Reiki and acupuncture Holistic Research Institute (Knoxville TN), September 25, 2022
For many people, the benefits of energy healing practices like Reiki are immeasurable. But in a recent study, scientists attempted to do just that: Measure (and confirm) the energy transfer which takes place during a typical Reiki session. Reiki is an ancient practice of energy healing that first rose to fame in Japan during the 1800’s — but different takes on energy healing have existed for centuries. Now, scientists seek to confirm what the healers of the past already knew.
Reiki advocates say that the practice keys in on the flow of universal energy and that Reiki practitioners can transfer energy to their patients by channeling it through their hands. MedicalNewsToday.com reports that at least 60 hospitals in the United States offer Reiki therapy to their patients. Survey data suggests that over a million people will try Reiki or a similar therapy in a given year. Despite the naysayers in “modern” medicine, Reiki continues to grow in popularity.
Maria Kuman, Ph.D. at the Holistic Research Institute in Knoxville, Tennessee, conducted a study to analyze the potential energy transfers that occur during a Reiki healing session. Kuman herself admits that she was more than skeptical at the notion of real energy transfers taking place. To conduct her research, Kuman created patented highly sensitive equipment in order to measure the energy of Reiki practitioners and their patients during practice.
Kuman reports that their results showed that Reiki healers do not lose their own energy while healing. In fact, her equipment showed that there was an increase in energy for the healers, as well as their patients. “This proved the Reiki Masters right when claiming that by healing others they heal themselves,” she notes.
She explained further, “There could be only one explanation to this – the Reiki healers are not using their own body energy to heal. The fact that their energies have increased after healing and their energetic balance has improved means that there is a third source of energy, from which they draw. ”
To that end, Kuman contends that energy healing could be especially useful for disease prevention, by addressing energy imbalances before they lead to illness. Kuman also notes that the practice of acupuncture may offer similar benefits to Reiki, particularly regarding disease prevention.
Low-calorie sugar substitute consumption during adolescence appears to impair memory later in life University of Southern California, September 29, 2022
A high-sugar diet early in life has been shown to harm brain function, but what about low-calorie sugar substitutes? A new study reveals they may take a heavy toll on the developing brain and gut.
In a study published in the journal JCI Insight, scientists at USC show that adolescent rats that consumed the low-calorie sweetenerssaccharin, ACE-K and stevia exhibited long-term impairments in memory.
The findings align with those from earlier studies in which the researchers show that adolescent rats that consume sugar suffer lingering memory impairment. Consuming low-calorie sweeteners also affected metabolic signaling in the body, which can lead to diabetes and other metabolism-related diseases. Rats that consumed low-calorie sweeteners as adolescents were less willing to work for sugar as adults, but they consumed more sugar if it was freely available, another factor that might affect the likelihood of developing metabolic disease. While most studies of low-calorie sweeteners focus on one substance and use amounts far exceeding the norm, the researchers made sure the study was in line with real-life conditions for people — Sweeteners tested include saccharin, acesulfame potassium (ACE-K) and stevia—which are commonly used in sweetened foods.
In the end, rats consuming sweetener were less likely to remember an object or the path through the maze than those that drank only plain water.
The scientists also found other effects among the rats after they consumed sweeteners.
They had fewer receptors on their tongues that detect sweet taste. The biological mechanism in their intestines that transports glucose into the blood was altered. Their brains had changed, specifically in regions associated with memory control and reward-motivated behavior.
Study finds folic acid treatment is associated with decreased risk of suicide attempts University of Chicago, September 28, 2022
Suicide is one of the leading causes of death in the US, with more than 45,000 people dying by suicide in 2020.
The study, published in JAMA Psychiatry used data from the health insurance claims of 866,586 patients and looked at the relationship between folic acidtreatment and suicide attempts over a two-year period. They found that patients who filled prescriptions for folic acid, also known as vitamin B9, experienced a 44% reduction in suicidal events (suicide attempts and intentional self-harm).
Gibbons initially became interested in folic acid in the context of suicide because of a previous study in which his group looked for relationships between risk of attempting suicide and 922 different prescribed drugs. The study simultaneously screened each drug for associations with increases and decreases in suicide attempts. Surprisingly, folic acid was associated with a decreased risk of suicide attempt, along with drugs expected to be associated with risk of suicide, like antidepressants, anxiolytics, and antipsychotics.
To investigate and further confirm the relationship between folic acid and suicide risk, Gibbons and his co-authors did this new study and focused specifically on folic acid, and accounted for many possible confounding factors, including age, sex, mental health diagnoses, other central nervous system drugs, conditions that affect folic acid metabolism, and more.
They even found that the longer a person took folic acid, the lower their risk of suicide attempt tended to be. Each month of being prescribed folic acid was associated with an additional 5% decrease in risk of suicide attempt during the 24-month follow-up period of their study.
If their findings are confirmed in the new research, folic acid would be a safe, inexpensive, and widely available suicide prevention strategy, and potentially help save thousands of lives.
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Black gold? Rhizome extract said to have anti-ageing and anti-diabetic effects Oryza Chemical (Thailand), Black ginger extract could have important implications for healthy ageing and diabetes, as well as athletic performance.
Presented in Bangkok by Oryza Oil & Fat Chemical’s Masami Kawaziri, the herbaceous plant is also called black turmeric in Japan, and krachai dum in its country of origin, Thailand.
The plant’s extract has been used in Thailand for many years as a traditional medicine to boost energy and relieve gastrointestinal problems, and more recently, researchers in Asia have been looking into its benefits for seniors, diabetics and sportspersons.
Energising results Its polymethoxyflavones are said to enhance energy production, thereby improving glucose, fat and lipid metabolism. This can either prevent metabolic syndrome, or aid in treating diabetes.
The boost in energy production also helps to enhance athletic performance and recovery.
Kawaziri shared the results of a 2016 study on the effects of black ginger extract intake on physical strength, skin condition, post-exercise fatigue, and general fatigue.
Subjects who had been given the extract reported an increase in strength, and being less fatigued overall and after exercise.
Brains and brawn Kawaziri said this was important for the elderly as well, since the extract is believed to minimise muscle loss. He added that the extract could play a part in “preventing poor blood circulation” and lowering blood pressure.
Furthermore, he said the extract could help to enhance and maintain cognitive function, delaying or perhaps even preventing diseases like Alzheimer’s.
Higher levels of fluoride in pregnant woman linked to lower intelligence in their children University of Toronto
Fluoride in the urine of pregnant women shows a correlation with lower measures of intelligence in their children, according to University of Toronto researchers who conducted the first study of its kind and size to examine fluoride exposure and multiple states of neurodevelopment.
“Our study shows that the growing fetal nervous system may be adversely affected by higher levels of fluoride exposure,” said Dr. Howard Hu, the study’s principal investigator and professor of environmental health, epidemiology and global health at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health. “It also suggests that the prenatal nervous system may be more sensitive to fluoride compared to that of school-aged children.”
Tap water and dental products have been fluoridated in communities in Canada and the United States (as well as milk and table salt in some other countries) by varying amounts for more than 60 years to prevent cavities and improve bone health. In recent years, fierce debate over the safety of water fluoridation – particularly for children’s developing brains – has fuelled researchers to explore the issue and provide evidence to inform national drinking water standards.
There are some known side effects of fluoride. For example, dental defects like mild staining are common among those ingesting recommended levels of fluoride in the United States and Canada. Skeletal fluorosis – excessive accumulation of fluoride in the bones – is much less common and only observed at levels of fluoride in the water that are more than five to 10 times higher than those recommended.
“Relatively little is known, with confidence, about fluoride’s impact on neurodevelopment,” said Hu, whose research team included experts from U of T, National Institute of Public Health of Mexico, University of Michigan, McGill University, Indiana University, Mount Sinai School of Medicine and Harvard School of Public Health.
The study, “Prenatal Fluoride Exposure and Cognitive Outcomes in Children at 4 and 6-12 Years of Age in Mexico,” published today in Environmental Health Perspectives, analyzed data from 287 mother-child pairs in Mexico City that were part of the Early Life Exposures in Mexico to Environmental Toxicants (ELEMENT) project, which recruited pregnant women from 1994 to 2005 and has continued to follow the women and their children ever since.
The research team analyzed urine samples that had been taken from mothers during pregnancy and from their children between six and 12 years of age to reconstruct personal measures of fluoride exposure for both mother and child.
“This is significant because previous studies estimated exposures based on neighbourhood measurements of drinking water fluoride levels, which are indirect and much less precise measures of exposure. They also looked at children’s exposures instead of prenatal exposures or had much smaller sample sizes of subjects to study,” said Dr. Hu.
The researchers then analyzed how levels of fluoride in urine related to the children’s verbal, perceptual-performance, quantitative, memory, and motor abilities at age four and once more between the ages of six and 12. Analyses were adjusted for other factors known to impact neurodevelopment, such as gestational age at birth, birthweight, birth order, sex, maternal marital status, smoking history, age at delivery, IQ, education, socioeconomic status and lead exposure.
With regard to the study’s implications for populations in North America, researchers found that urinary fluoride levels in pregnant women were somewhat higher than, but within the general range of, urinary fluoride levels seen in non-pregnant general populations in Canada and the United States. However, in Dr. Hu’s opinion, the findings do not provide enough information to suggest there is no safe level of fluoride exposure.
“The potential risks associated with fluoride should be further studied, particularly among vulnerable populations such as pregnant women and children, and more research on fluoride’s impact on the developing brain is clearly needed.”
Polyphenol blend may boost post-exercise recovery: RCT University of Murcia (Spain), and the University of Montpellier (France) Daily supplementation with a blend of extracts from mangosteen, elderberry, and pomegranate may delay muscle soreness and help manage post-exercise recovery, says a new study.
Consumption of Fytexia’s polyphenol-rich ingredient branded TensLess was associated with a 28% reduction in the perception of delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS), compared with a placebo group, according to results of a randomized, placebo-controlled, crossover study.
Biomarkers of muscle damage were also reduced, in correlation with the decreases in DOMS, reported scientists from Fytexia (France), Catholic University of Murcia (Spain), and the University of Montpellier (France) in the journal Phytotherapy Research .
“This prospective study highlights the beneficial, both acute and sub-chronic effects of the supplementation with TensLess, a polyphenol-rich extract-based food supplement, on adverse symptoms associated with DOMS, namely eccentric exercise-related markers of muscle impairment,” they wrote.
Study details The researchers recruited 13 recreationally active athletes (men and women) to participate in their study. Participants were randomly assigned to consume placebo or 1.5 grams per day of TensLess, composed of polyphenol-rich extracts from mangosteen (Garcinia mangostana L.), pomegranate (Punica granatum L.), and black elderberry (Sambucus nigra L.) combination for five days. All of the study participants performed an eccentric exercise protocol on day one of the study, and DOMS and biomarkers of muscle damage were monitored for four more days. This was then followed by a three-week “washout” period before they were crossed over to the other group for five more days.
The results showed that TensLess supplementation provided a significant 33% decrease in DOMS perception as early as the first 24 hours following physical exercise, compared to placebo. In addition to this acute benefit, a 28% reduction in DOMS perception was reported compared to the placebo group for the full duration of the study.
These effects were correlated with a lower levels of muscle damage-associated biomarkers, specifically creatine kinase, creatinine and myoglobin during the 4 days post-workout, added the researchers.
Taken together, these positive results clearly indicate that post-exercise supplementation with TensLess may preserve myocytes and reduce soreness following eccentric exercise-induced damages, and, accordingly, significantly shorten muscle recovery.
Study supports efficacy of hyaluronan for wrinkle reduction Toho University Ohashi Medical Center (Japan) Twelve weeks of supplementation with hyaluronan – also known as hyaluronic acid – may improve the “luster” of the skin and reduce wrinkles, says a new study from Japan.
Data from a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial with 60 adults indicated that 120 milligrams per day of Kewpie’s hyaluronan ingredients Hyabest (A) and Hyabest (S) LF-P also led to improvements in skin suppleness.
“This study showed that the oral ingestion of the [molecular weight] 2 k or 300 k [hyaluronic acid] for 12 weeks suppresses wrinkles and improves the skin’s luster and suppleness in people aged 59 years or less who were healthy Japanese men and women over 22 years old. From the above, [hyaluronic acid] consumption is expected to be used as a method to maintain healthy skin,” wrote researchers from Kewpie Corporation and the Toho University Ohashi Medical Center in Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology .
Kewpie Corp funded the study.
HA and skin The skin contains about 50% of the body’s hyaluronan (HA), a component present in every connective tissue. Degradation of HA and collagen is reported to be a cause of wrinkles, with many ingredient suppliers exploring the potential of supplementation to improve skin health from within.
Scientists from Kewpie authored a review i published in the Nutrition Journal, which concluded: “The reduction of HA in the skin by intrinsic and extrinsic factors such as aging and ultraviolet radiation, smoking and air pollutants induce dryness in the skin. However, daily HA supplements can moisturize the skin because the metabolites of HA increases the skin moisture content by having an effect on the skin cells. Thus, consuming HA affects skin cell and improves dry skin physiologically.
“This review shows that consuming HA moisturizes the skin and employing HA as a dietary supplement makes the skin healthy. We believe that countries worldwide will benefit from this review and consume HA to alleviate dry skin.”
The new double-blinded, placebo-controlled study adds to this body of evidence and investigated the effects of the ingredient on wrinkles.
The researchers recruited 60 Japanese men and women aged between 22 and 59 to participate in their study. The participants were randomly assigned to one of three groups: Placebo, or a HA formulation using one of two varieties, with a molecular weight of 2k or 300k (Hyabest (A) and Hyabest (S) LF-P, respectively). Both groups received a dosage of 120 mg per day.
Three-dimensional analysis of their skin indicated that the HA groups showed a better level of the whole sulcus (grooves in the skin) to volume ratio, wrinkle area ratio, and wrinkle volume ratio, compared to placebo and baseline values. However, only the 300 k (Hyabest (S) LF-P) group showed significantly diminished wrinkles compared with the placebo group.
Exercise can make cells healthier, promoting longer life, study finds University of Virginia
Whether it’s running, walking, cycling, swimming or rowing, it’s been well-known since ancient times that doing some form of aerobic exercise is essential to good health and well-being. You can lose weight, sleep better, fight stress and high blood pressure, improve your mood, plus strengthen bones and muscles.
“Whether muscle is healthy or not really determines whether the entire body is healthy or not,” said Zhen Yan of the University of Virginia School of Medicine. “And exercise capacity, mainly determined by muscle size and function, is the best predictor of mortality in the general population.”
Yan and colleagues have completed a study in mice that, for the first time, shows that just one bout of moderate-to-intense exercise acts as a “stress test” on mitochondria in muscles. They discovered that this “stress test” induced by aerobic exercise triggers a process called mitophagy, where the muscle disposes of the damaged or dysfunctional mitochondria, making the muscle healthier. Yan compares exercise-induced mitophagy to a state vehicle inspection that removes damaged cars from the streets.
“Aerobic exercise removes damaged mitochondria in skeletal muscle,” Yan said. “If you do it repeatedly, you keep removing the damaged ones. You have a better muscle with better mitochondrial quality. We clean up the clunkers, now the city, the cell, is full of healthy, functional cars.”
How Exercise Removes Mitochondria ‘Clunkers’
For this study, Yan and colleagues assessed the skeletal muscle of a mouse model where they had added a mitochondrial reporter gene called “pMitoTimer.” The mitochondria fluoresce green when they are healthy and turn red when damaged and broken down by the cell’s waste-disposal system, the lysosomes.
The mice ran on a small treadmill for 90 minutes and Yan’s team observed mitochondrial stress (signs of “state inspection”) and some mitophagy (towing of the clunkers) at six hours after exercise. Yan explained that exercise in these mice also stimulated a kinase called AMPK, which in turn switched on another kinase, Ulk1. These chemical reactions appear to be important in control of the removal of dysfunctional mitochondria.
“When its turned on, Ulk1 activates other components in the cell to execute the removal of dysfunctional mitochondria,” Yan said. “It’s analogous to a 911 call where a tow truck removes the clunkers. However, we still do not know how these activities are coordinated.”
LED lights safer, more effective in producing Vitamin D3 than sunlight Boston University
Research published in Scientific Reports showsthat light from RayVio’s 293nm ultraviolet (UV) LED is more efficient than sunlight at producing vitamin D3 in skin samples. Tyler Kalajian and his research team, led by Dr. Michael F. Holick, Ph.D., M.D., and supported by Boston University School of Medicine and a Boston University Ignition Award, found that skin samples exposed to RayVio’s UV LED for just 0.52 minutes produced more than twice as much vitamin D3 as samples exposed to 32.5 minutes of sunlight.
“We tested ultraviolet LEDs from different sources and at different wavelengths. LED showed the most significantpotential for vitamin D3 production in the shortest amount of time,” said Dr. Holick, a Professor of Medicine, Physiology and Biophysics atBoston University School of Medicine, and endocrinologist at BostonMedical Center. “This study will lead to a new generation of technologythat can be labeled as photopharmacology in which the use of LEDswith targeted wavelengths can cause specific biologic effects in humanskin to help treat and prevent chronic illnesses.”
Vitamin D deficiency is associated with osteoporosis, rickets and other metabolic bone diseases and is more prevalent in northern and southern latitudes where sunlight is limited for a significant part of the year. This device for making vitamin D is ideally suited for patients with fat malabsorption syndromes including inflammatory bowel disease and gastric bypass surgery.
The research shows that LEDs could be used for treating patients that are vitamin D deficient. A vitamin D3 producing UV LED device could be used on skin areas that experience less exposure to sunlight such as upper legs and arms and abdomen and back thus minimizing risk for developing non-melanoma skin cancer. The UV LED device also emits a much narrower band of UVB light and thereby decreasing likelihood of skin damage that can occur when the skin is exposed to higher wavelengths of UV radiation.
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- Iain McGilchrist is a former Fellow of All Souls College, Oxford, an associate Fellow of Green Templeton College, Oxford, a Fellow of the Royal College of Psychiatrists, a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, a Consultant Emeritus of the Bethlem and Maudsley Hospital, London, a former research Fellow in Neuroimaging at Johns Hopkins University Medical School, Baltimore, and a former Fellow of the Institute of Advanced Studies in Stellenbosch. He now lives on the Isle of Skye, off the coast of North West Scotland, where he continues to write, and lectures worldwide.
California’s “holy herb” Yerba Santa found to be an effective natural treatment for Alzheimer’s
Salk Institute for Biological Studies, September 19, 2022
Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia, and aging is its primary risk factor. Therefore, researchers continue to look for ways to counter the effects of aging on the brain. In a recent study, researchers from The Salk Institute for Biological Studies discovered a potential natural treatment for Alzheimer’s in the form of a medicinal herb found in California.
In their study published in the journal Redox Biology, they found that yerba santa (Eriodictyon californicum), a plant native to California, contains an active compound called sterubin that could be used to treat people with Alzheimer’s. Yerba santa, which is the Spanish for “holy herb,” is highly regarded as a medicine for respiratory diseases, bruising, fever, headaches, infections, and pain.
For the current study, the researchers first examined 400 plant extracts with known medicinal properties for their ability to prevent oxytosis – a type of cell death that occurs in Alzheimer’s disease – in mouse hippocampal nerve cells.
The researchers found that sterubin exhibited the greatest protective effect against inflammation and other triggers of brain cell death. In particular, sterubin strongly reduced inflammation in microglia, which are brain cells that provide support to nerve cells.
In addition, the researchers found that sterubin can remove iron from cells, helping to prevent iron accumulation. Iron accumulation can result in a type of nerve cell damage that accompanies aging and occurs in neurodegenerative problems.
“Not only did sterubin turn out to be much more active than the other flavonoids in Yerba santa in our assays, it appears as good as, if not better than, other flavonoids we have studied,” said Pamela Maher, the corresponding author of the study.
Vitamin B may reduce risk of stroke
Zhengzhou University (China) September 23, 2022
Researchers have uncovered evidence that suggests vitamin B supplements could help to reduce the risk of stroke, according to a study published in the journal Neurology.
Vitamin B supplements are said to be beneficial for many health issues, including stress, anxiety, depression, dementia, Alzheimer’s disease and heart disease.
However, according to Xu Yuming of Zhengzhou University in Zhengzhou, China, previous studies have conflicting findings regarding the use of vitamin B supplements and stroke or heart attack.
In order to determine the role of vitamin B supplements in the risk of stroke, Prof. Yuming and colleagues analyzed 14 randomized clinical trials involving a total of 54,913 participants All studies compared use of vitamin B supplements with a placebo, or a very low dosage of the vitamin. All participants were then followed for a period of 6 months.
Results of the analysis revealed that the participants taking the vitamin B supplements had a 7% reduced risk of stroke, compared with those taking the placebo supplements or a low dosage of vitamin B.
The researchers found that a supplemental form of folate (vitamin B9) – a vitamin frequently found in fortified cereals – actually reduced the effect of vitamin B on the risk of stroke Additionally, the study showed that vitamin B12 did not have any effect on the risk of stroke.
Ginger may protect the brain from MSG toxicity, says fascinating research
University of Jeddah (Saudi Arabia), September 23, 2013
For thousands of years, ginger has been hailed as a superfood for its healing properties that aid every system of the body. The oils that ginger contains are antibacterial, antiviral and antifungal, and ginger has even been found to inhibit cancer growth. Now a study has actually proven that ginger can reverse the damage done by monosodium glutamate, or MSG, a known harmful excitotoxin.
After injecting pure MSG into rats for 30 days, researchers found subsequent withdrawal caused adverse effects including significant epinephrine, norepinephine, dopamine and serotonin depletion. Low levels of these important neurotransmitters can be detrimental to health.
Subsequent to injecting lab rats with MSG, researchers injected ginger root extract for 30 more days and were able to completely reverse the neurotransmitter depletion and brain damage that MSG caused. Not only that, but the positive effects of ginger were maintained even after scientists stopped administering it!
A wealth of independent studies show that MSG should be avoided at all costs. Also popularly printed on food labels as hydrolyzed protein, torula or autolyzed yeast, soy or yeast extract and soy protein isolate among some 40 other names, scientists have found that consuming MSG even in low doses can cause blood glutamate levels to fluctuate abnormally high and then stay there. Anyone suffering from a disease or immunity issue that would contribute to a weakened blood-brain barrier is then much more susceptible to the chemical seeping into his or her brain and doing damage. Studies have effectively linked MSG consumption to several neurodegenerative diseases, such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s.
Men with anxiety are more likely to die of cancer, study says
Cambridge University’s Institute of Public Health, September 20, 2022
Men over 40 who are plagued with 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 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.
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.
Out of Over 400 Compounds Analyzed, Red Grapes and Blueberries Are Tops In Boosting Immunity – So Effective They Work As Well As Drugs Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon State University, September 18, 2022Pterostilbene, an antioxidant produced by plants has been shown to exhibit exceptional properties in fighting infections, cancer, hypertriglycerides, as well as the ability to reverse cognitive decline. It is believed that the compound also has anti-diabetic properties. In an analysis of 446 compounds for their the ability to boost the innate immune system in humans, researchers in the Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon State University discovered just two that stood out from the crowd. Red grapes and blueberies both have an exceptional ability to significantly impact immune function. In fact, pterostilbene works as well as some commercial drugs. Both of these compounds, which are called stilbenoids, worked in synergy with vitamin D and had a significant impact in raising the expression of the human cathelicidin antimicrobial peptide, or CAMP gene, that is involved in immune function.The research was published in Molecular Nutrition and Food Research, in studies supported by the National Institutes of Health. Almost a decade ago, researchers discovered that pterostilbene helps regulate blood sugar and might help fight type-2 diabetes. The finding adds to a growing list of reasons to eat colorful fruit, especially blueberries, which are rich in compounds known as antioxidants. These molecules battle cell and DNA damage involved in cancer, heart disease, diabetes and perhaps also brain degeneration. Pterostilbene works as well as the commercial drug ciprofibrate to lower the levels of fats (lipids) and triglycerides — but they worked even more accurately. They are so specific that side-effects are non-existent.”Out of a study of hundreds of compounds, just these two popped right out,” said Adrian Gombart, an LPI principal investigator and associate professor in the OSU College of Science. “Their synergy with vitamin D to increase CAMP gene expression was significant and intriguing. It’s a pretty interesting interaction.”This research is the first to show a clear synergy with vitamin D that increased CAMP expression by several times, scientists said.The CAMP gene itself is also the subject of much study, as it has been shown to play a key role in the “innate” immune system, or the body’s first line of defense and ability to combat bacterial infection. The innate immune response is especially important as many antibiotics increasingly lose their effectiveness. Grapes don’t have to be fermented to contain this antioxidant. It’s actually found in the skin of red grapes along with other nutrients, such as minerals manganese and potassium and vitamins K, C and B1.Stilbenoids are compounds produced by plants to fight infections, and in human biology appear to affect some of the signaling pathways that allow vitamin D to do its job, researchers said. It appears that combining these compounds with vitamin D has considerably more biological impact than any of them would separately. Fungus in humans identified for first time as key factor in Crohn’s disease
Case Western Reserve University, September 22, 2022
A Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine-led team of international researchers has for the first time identified a fungus as a key factor in the development of Crohn’s disease. The researchers also linked a new bacterium to the previous bacteria associated with Crohn’s. The groundbreaking findings, published in mBio, could lead to potential new treatments and ultimately, cures for the debilitating inflammatory bowel disease, which causes severe abdominal pain, diarrhea, weight loss, and fatigue.
Mycology at Case Western Reserve and University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center “Essentially, patients with Crohn’s have abnormal immune responses to these bacteria, which inhabit the intestines of all people. While most researchers focus their investigations on these bacteria, few have examined the role of fungi, which are also present in everyone’s intestines. Our study adds significant new information to understanding why some people develop Crohn’s disease. Equally important, it can result in a new generation of treatments, including medications and probiotics, which hold the potential for making qualitative and quantitative differences in the lives of people suffering from Crohn’s.”
The researchers assessed the mycobiome and bacteriome of patients with Crohn’s disease and their Crohn’s-free first degree relatives in nine families in northern France and Belgium, and in Crohn’s-free individuals from four families living in the same geographic area. Specifically, they analyzed fecal samples of 20 Crohn’s and 28 Crohn’s-free patients from nine families and of 21 Crohn’s-free patients of four families. The researchers found strong fungal-bacterial interactions in those with Crohn’s disease: two bacteria (Escherichia coli and Serratia marcescens) and one fungus (Candida tropicalis) moved in lock step. The presence of all three in the sick family members was significantly higher compared to their healthy relatives, suggesting that the bacteria and fungus interact in the intestines. Additionally, test-tube research by the Ghannoum-led team found that the three work together (with the E. coli cells fusing to the fungal cells and S. marcescens forming a bridge connecting the microbes) to produce a biofilm — a thin, slimy layer of microorganisms found in the body that adheres to, among other sites, a portion of the intestines — which can prompt inflammation that results in the symptoms of Crohn’s disease.
This is first time any fungus has been linked to Crohn’s in humans; previously it was only found in mice with the disease. The study is also the first to include S. marcescens in the Crohn’s-linked bacteriome. Additionally, the researchers found that the presence of beneficial bacteria was significantly lower in the Crohn’s patients, corroborating previous research findings.
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Vitamin C supplementation associated with improved lung function in COPD Medical College of Lanzhou University (China), September 23 2022.
The International Journal of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease published a systematic review and meta-analysis of clinical trials that found improvement in lung function among chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients who received vitamin C. The disease is characterized by airflow limitation and persistent respiratory symptoms.
Ting Lei of Medical College of Lanzhou University in Lanzhou, China and associates identified 10 randomized, controlled trials that included a total of 487 adults with COPD for the meta-analysis. The trials compared lung function and/or antioxidant enzyme or nutrient levels of COPD patients who received vitamin C to a placebo or control group.
The meta-analysis found improvement in forced expiratory volume in one second as a percentage (FEV1%, a measure of lung function) in association with vitamin C supplementation. When dosage was analyzed, it was determined that consuming more than 400 milligrams vitamin C per day was needed experience a significant benefit.
The ratio of FEV1 to forced vital capacity (another lung function assessment), and levels of vitamin C and glutathione, both of which are antioxidants, also improved among participants who received vitamin C supplements. The authors remarked that oxidative stress, which is a disturbance of the oxidant to antioxidant balance, has been suggested as playing a role in the development of COPD.
The current investigation is the first systematic review and meta-analysis to assess the effect of vitamin C supplementation in people with COPD.
“We found that supplementing vitamin C to patients with COPD demonstrated vital clinical significance,” Lei and associates concluded. “Vitamin C supplementation could increase the levels of antioxidation in serum (vitamin C and glutathione) and improve lung function (FEV1% and FEV1/FVC), especially in patients treated with vitamin C supplementation greater than 400 mg/day.”
Single Flavanoid (Found in 6 Foods) Reduces Cognitive Impairment Drastically
Fourth Military Medical University (China), September 19, 2022
A singular flavanoid can protect the brain against cognitive deficit and other cellular damage, according to studies from the Fourth Military Medical University. The news comes from Xi’an, People’s Republic of China, and shows great promise for those suffering from mental impairment due to Alzheimer’s disease, vascular dementia, and other debilitating cognitive conditions.
The study abstract concludes:
“Our results provide new insights into the pharmacological actions of rutin and suggest that rutin has multi-targeted therapeutical potential on cognitive deficits associated with conditions with chronic cerebral hypoperfusion such as vascular dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.”
Rutin is a biologically active flavonoid found in the following foods:
Buckwheat – Possibly the best source of rutin, and much better than boiled oats, uncooked buckwheat leaf flower offers about 675 mg in a 1.1 cup serving. Uncooked buckwheat groats contain 230 mg of rutin per 1 kg, dark buckwheat flour has 218 mg per 1 kg and buckwheat noodles provide 78 mg.
Elderflower Tea – When dried, the white flowers of the elderflower make a delicious and rutin-filled tea. According to the Czech Journal of Food Science, elderflower tea contains approximately 10.9g/kg of rutin per brewed cup.
Amaranth Leaves – In Western cultures, most people are familiar with the edible seeds of amaranth, though in Chinese and Southeast Asian cooking the leaves are also gaining traction, partly due to their high rutin content. You can expect around 24.5g/kg from the dried leaves. Seeds only contain trace amounts of the important nutrient.
Unpeeled Apples – Keep the peel on your apples to enjoy lots of rutin. Just be sure that they are organic, since apple peels are especially prone to pesticide build-up. Apple skins are 6x as powerful as the flesh at preventing high blood pressure due to this flavanoid, too.
• Unfermented Rooibos Tea – While rooibos tea contains fewer antioxidants than black or green teas, it is a good source of rutin, providing around 1.69 mg/g.
• Figs – These little gems contain about the same amount of rutin as apples, so be sure to add them to your diet.
The scientists found that rutin works primarily through anti-inflammatory mechanisms, and reducing hypofusion in the brain.
Resistance-breathing training found to lower blood pressure University of Colorado and University of Arizona, September 23, 2022
A team of researchers with members from the University of Colorado, the University of Arizona and Alma College, has found that resistance-breathing training can lower blood pressure as much as some medicines and/or exercises. The study is published in the Journal of Applied Physiology.
Hypertension, also known as chronic high blood pressure, can lead to a wide variety of health problems, from loss of vision to strokes and heart attacks. For that reason, doctors take it seriously. Typically, patients are directed to modify their diet and to exercise more. If that does not fix the problem, medications are prescribed. In this new effort, the researchers looked into a new type of therapy to reduce blood pressure levels—resistance-breathing training.
Resistance-breathing training involves breathing in and out of a small device, called, quite naturally, a POWERbreathe, every day for several minutes. The device forces the patient to use their breathing muscles to push and pull air through it, making them stronger. And that, the researchers found, also reduces blood pressure. The device has been in use for several years as a means to assist athletes, singers and people with weak lung muscles.
Several groups of healthy volunteers practiced the training for a few minutes every day for six weeks. Each was breathed in and out with the device 30 times each session. Each of the volunteers had their blood pressure measured before and after the training.
The researchers found a sustained average drop of 9 mmHg in systolic blood pressure (the top number in blood pressure readings)—normal pressure is defined as 120/80. They describe the change as significant, as much as some patients see with medication. They also note that it is similar to changes in many patients who begin an aerobic exercise regimen, such as walking, cycling or running. They suggest such training could be used by patients of all ages who are unable to exercise to lower their blood pressure.
How To Maintain Peak Brain Health: Scientists Say It Comes Down To These 3 Factors Norwegian University of Science and Technology, September 23, 2022
What’s the best way to maintain peak brain health as we age? There are countless studies detailing ways to prevent cognitive decline, so scientists in Norway sought to simplify the science of managing strong brain health to three recommendations.
This report is something of a summation covering modern science’s current understanding of how best to cultivate robust brain health. The team at NTNU cite 101 references to prior articles in this latest theoretical perspective paper.
“Three factors stand out if you want to keep your brain at its best,” Prof. Sigmundsson adds.
The three identified keys to strong brain health are:
Physical exercise Social activity Strong, passionate interests and hobbies It’s common knowledge that spending all day on the couch isn’t healthy for the body, but physical activity is also key to brain health. “An active lifestyle helps to develop the central nervous system and to counteract the aging of the brain,” according to study authors.
Researchers add that consistency is essential. Do your best to get in at least a little movement each and every day. Even if you work a sedentary job that requires lots of sitting, get moving every hour or so for just a few minutes at the very least.
Some people are naturally more social than others, but researchers stress that no one is an island. Even if you prefer a quiet night in to attending a party, make an effort to stay in touch with the people who matter to you. Our brains thrive on social interactions and connections. “Relationships with other people, and interacting with them, contribute to a number of complex biological factors that can prevent the brain from slowing down,” Prof. Sigmundsson explains.
Just like bicep curls help us build muscle, keeping the brain active promotes strong lifelong cognition. Consider taking up a new hobby, or learning a new skill. Perhaps most importantly, though, don’t force it; find something you’re actually passionate about. It’s never too late in life to learn something new!
“Passion, or having a strong interest in something, can be the decisive, driving factor that leads us to learn new things. Over time, this impacts the development and maintenance of our neural networks,” Prof. Sigmundsson says.
“Brain development is closely linked to lifestyle. Physical exercise, relationships and passion help to develop and maintain the basic structures of our brain as we get older,” Prof. Sigmundsson concludes.
Calcium supplements may support a healthy colon: Harvard study
Harvard School of Public Health, September 18, 2022
Supplements of calcium or non-dairy products fortified with the mineral may reduce the risk of colorectal cancer, according to meta-analysis of prospective observational studies by researchers at Harvard School of Public Health.
For every 300 mg increase in calcium from supplements was associated with a 9% reduction in risk, wrote NaNa Keum and her co-authors in the International Journal of Cancer .
Every 300 mg increase in total calcium was associated with a similar reduction in risk (8%), they added.
“Our findings have several important clinical and public health implications,” they explained. “First, according to the 2003 to 2006 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, a nationally representative cross-sectional survey in the U.S., median total calcium intake of adults aged over 50 years was approximately 650 mg/day for no calcium-supplement users and 1,000 mg/day for calcium-supplement users.
“As the benefit of calcium intake on CRC is expected to continue beyond 1,000 mg/day, not only non-supplement users but also supplement users may further reduce their CRC risk through additional calcium intake.”
“Second, while dairy products, especially milk, are the major sources of calcium in many countries, they are a substantial source of calories and contain potentially harmful factors such as saturated fat, hormones, and casein proteins. Since our analyses provide evidence for an equivalent benefit of dietary and supplementary calcium, the benefit of calcium on CRC risk may be obtained through supplements and non-dairy products fortified with calcium.”
The Boston-based scientists conducted dose-response meta-analyses of 15 studies involving 12,305 cases of colorectal cancer and calcium intakes ranging from 250-1,900 mg/day. The studies varied in duration from 3.3 to 16 years.
The data indicated that both total and supplemental calcium were associated with reductions in the risk of colorectal cancer.
“In conclusion, both dietary and supplementary calcium intake may continue to decrease colorectal cancer risk beyond 1,000 mg/day,” wrote Keum and her co-authors.
Yoga’s Age-Defying Effects Confirmed by Science Defence Institute of Physiology and Allied Sciences (India), September 21st 2022 While yoga’s longevity promoting effects have been the subject of legend for millennia, increasingly modern science is confirming this ancient technology for spiritual and physical well-being actually can slow aging and stimulate our regenerative potential.
One particularly powerful study published lin the journal Age titled, “Age-related changes in cardiovascular system, autonomic functions, and levels of BDNF of healthy active males: role of yogic practice”, found that a brief yoga intervention (3 months) resulted in widespread improvements in cardiovascular and neurological function.
Indian researchers studied healthy active males of three age groups (20-29, 30-39, and 40-49 years) by randomly assigning them to practice one hour of yoga daily for 3 months.
The observed significant differences between the younger and older participants in the study, specifically: “Significantly higher values of heart rate (HR), blood pressure (BP), load in heart (DoP), myocardial oxygen consumption (RPP), and total cholesterol (TC) were noted in senior age group.” The yogic practice resulted in significant reductions in all of these parameters (HR, BP, DoP, RPP and TC).
Also observed in the older participants were decreases in high frequency (HF), total power (TP), all time domain variables of heart rate variability (HRV), and skin conductance (SC) — all of which increased following yogic practice.
Higher levels of catecholamines (“stress hormones”) and low frequency (LF) power of HRV were noted in advancement of age, both of which decreased following yogic practice.
Additionally, the senior age group had highest levels of cortisol and adrenocorticotrophic hormone (ACTH), both of which decreased following yogic practice.
Finally, brain-derived neurotropic factor (BDNF), serotonin, and dopamine were low in higher age group, but these increased following yogic practice; an indication of improved brain function and cognition.
The researchers concluded: ‘This study revealed that yogic practices might help in the prevention of age-related degeneration by changing cardiometabolic risk factors, autonomic function, and BDNF in healthy male.”
There are a number of promising studies revealing the age-defying potential of this ancient practice. Here are some additional benefits confirmed in 2014 alone:
Age-Related Respiratory Problems: A 2014 study from the journal of Human Kinetics found that a 3 month yoga intervention in 36 elderly women (average age 63.1) significantly improved pulmonary (respiratory) function. Age-Related Brain Cognitive Decline: A review in the Journals of Gerontology, involving a two month Hatha yoga intervention in the elderly (average age 62.0) resulted in significant improvements in “executive function measures of working memory capacity and efficiency of mental set shifting and flexibility compared with their stretching-strengthening counterparts.” Age-Related Hormone Insufficiency: A study published in Evidence Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine found that a 3 month yogic intervention in men (average age 42.8) and women (average age 44.75) resulted in improvements in the level of growth hormone and DHEAS, two essential hormones that drop off precipitously as we age. Age-Related Sleep Problems: Astudy published in Alternatives Therapies in Health and Medicine found a 12 week yogic intervention (yoga 2x a week) resulted in significant improvements in the quality of sleep in older individuals (average age 60). Age-Related Depression: From the Chinese Journal of Nursing found that not only did yoga improve sleep as found in the study above but also significantly reduced the depressive symptoms of elderly participants…after 6 months. “ This is just a small sampling of the literature. There is older research revealing that yoga has even more benefits for aging populations.
Omega-3 and Omega-6 supplement improves reading for children
University of Gothenburg, Sweden - September 14, 2022
Supplement of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids may improve reading skills of mainstream schoolchildren, according to a new study from Sahlgrenska Academy, at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden. Children with attention problems, in particular, may be helped in their reading with the addition of these fatty acids.
The study included 154 schoolchildren from western Sweden in grade 3, between nine and ten years old. The children took a computer-based test (known as the Logos test) that measured their reading skills in a variety of ways, including reading speed, ability to read nonsense words and vocabulary.
The children were randomly assigned to receive either capsules with omega-3 and omega-6, or identical capsules that contained a placebo (palm oil) for 3 months. The children, parents and researchers did not learn until the study was completed which children had received fatty acids and which had received the placebo. After three months, all children received real omega-3/6 capsules for the final three months of the study.
"Even after three months, we could see that the children's reading skills improved with the addition of fatty acids, compared with those who received the placebo. This was particularly evident in the ability to read a nonsense word aloud and pronounce it correctly (phonologic decoding), and the ability to read a series of letters quickly (visual analysis time)," says Mats Johnson, who is chief physician and researcher at the Gillberg Neuropsychiatry Centre at Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg.
No children diagnosed with ADHD were included in the study, but with the help of the children's parents, the researchers could identify children who had milder attention problems. These children attained even greater improvements in several tests, including faster reading already after three months of receiving fatty acid supplements.
Mango could help maintain gut bacteria at risk from high-fat diets Oklahoma State University, SEPTEMBER 21, 2022 Mango consumption could help prevent the loss of beneficial gut bacteria caused by a high fat diet, according to research on mice.
The findings, published in the Journal of Nutrition , appears to reveal for the first time the positive impact of mango on gut microbiota.
In the study, 60 male mice were assigned to one of four dietary treatment groups for 12 weeks - control (with 10% of calories from fat), high fat (with 60% calories from fat), or high fat with 1% or 10% mango. All high-fat diets had similar macronutrient, calcium, phosphorus, and fiber content.
“We investigated the effects of freeze-dried mango pulp combined with an high-fat diet on the cecal microbial population and its relation to body composition, lipids, glucose parameters, short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) production, and gut inflammatory markers in a mouse model of diet-induced obesity,” the study reports.
The high-fat dietary treatment with 10% mango (equivalent to 1½ cups of fresh mango pieces) was found to be the most effective in preventing the loss of beneficial bacteria from a high-fat diet without decreasing body weight or fat accumulation.
Specifically, mango supplementation regulated gut bacteria in favor of Bifidobacteria and Akkermansia and enhanced short-chain fatty acid (SFCA) production. SCFAs have been shown to possess a wide range of beneficial effects, such as anti-inflammatory properties.
Yoga improves arthritis symptoms and mood, study finds Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, September 15, 2022
A randomized trial of people with two common forms of arthritis has found that yoga can be safe and effective for people with arthritis. Johns Hopkins researchers report that 8 weeks of yoga classes improved the physical and mental wellbeing of people with two common forms of arthritis, knee osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. The study is believed to be the largest randomized trial so far to examine the effect of yoga on physical and psychological health and quality of life among people with arthritis.
The study recruited 75 people with either knee osteoarthritis or rheumatoid arthritis. Participants were randomly assigned to either a wait list or eight weeks of twice-weekly yoga classes, plus a weekly practice session at home. Participants' physical and mental wellbeing was assessed before and after the yoga session by researchers who did not know which group the participants had been assigned to.
Compared with the control group, those doing yoga reported a 20% improvement in pain, energy levels, mood and physical function, including their ability to complete physical tasks at work and home. Walking speed also improved to a smaller extent, though there was little difference between the groups in tests of balance and upper body strength. Improvements in those who completed yoga was still apparent nine months later.
Stevia Kills Lyme Disease Pathogen Better Than Antibiotics (Preclinical Study) University of New Haven, September 21, 2022
A promising new preclinical study has revealed that whole stevia leaf extract possesses exceptional antibiotic activity against the exceedingly difficult to treat pathogen Borrelia Burgdorferi known to cause Lyme disease. The study found,
"Stevia whole leaf extract, as an individual agent, was effective against all known morphological forms of B. burgdorferi."
At present, the CDC acknowledges that at least 300,000 are infected with Lyme disease, annually, with the conventional standard of care relying on antibiotics that are not only toxic but increasingly coming under scrutiny for addressing only surface aspects of the infection, often leaving antibiotic-resistance Lyme disease deep within the system to continue to cause harm.
The new study was published in the European Journal of Microbiology & Immunology and conducted by researchers from the Department of Biology and Environmental Science, University of New Haven, West Haven, CT.
The researchers directly compared an alcohol extract of a whole stevia leaf product commonly found on the U.S. retail market to conventional antibiotics, and assessed their respective abilities to kill the various forms of Borrelia burgdorferi, including so called "persister" forms.
The researchers explored Stevia's potential effectiveness against B. burgdorferi cultures, comparing it to three common antibiotics sometimes used to treat Lyme's disease: doxycycline, cefoperazone, daptomycin, as well as their combination.
The study results were summarized as follows: Our results demonstrated that Stevia had significant effect in eliminating B. burgdorferi spirochetes and persisters. Sub-culture experiments with Stevia and antibiotics treated cells were established for 7 and 14 days yielding, no and 10% viable cells, respectively compared to the above-mentioned antibiotics and antibiotic combination. When Stevia and the three antibiotics were tested against attached biofilms, Stevia significantly reduced B. burgdorferi forms. Results from this study suggest that a natural product such as Stevia leaf extract could be considered as an effective agent against B. burgdorferi."
Notably, the study found that the most antibiotic resistant form of B. burgdorferi, the biofilm form, actually increased in mass when individual antibiotics were administered. Stevia, on the other hand, reduced the biofilm mass on both tested surfaces (plastic and collagen) by about 40%.
Green soy extract could prevent cognitive dysfunction: Mouse data
University of Shizuoka (Japan), September 19, 2022
Intake of green soybean extract could help reverse cognitive dysfunction and its associated accumulation of beta-amyloid proteins in the brain, say researchers.
The accumulation of beta-amyloid proteins has long been linked to the development of brain stunting conditions including Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia.
Writing in the Journal of Functional Foods, the team revealed that brain functions were ‘significantly better-preserved’ in aged mice fed green soybean than age-matched control mice with or without yellow soybean feeding.
An increased expression of lipocalin-type prostaglandin D2 synthase (Ptgds) and a significant reduction in the amyloid precursor protein Aplp1 was reported by the team, led by Keiko Unno from the University of Shizuoka in Japan.
“Furthermore, the amount of beta-amyloid 40 and 42 was reduced in the insoluble fraction of cerebral cortex,” the team noted.
In the current study, the isoflavones found to be present in soybean extracts were mostly the glycosides genstin and daidzin. Furthermore, the contents of saponin and carotene in green soybean were found to be slightly higher in the green than in yellow, however the contents of other components were not different between green and yellow soybeans.
JAMA study links low vitamin D levels to ‘profound’ and ‘rapid’ cognitive decline
Rutgers University & University of California Davis, September 15, 2022
Vitamin D deficiency and insufficiency may have “substantial” accelerating effects on cognitive decline in the elderly, says a new study from UC Davis and Rutgers University.
Low levels of the sunshine vitamin were associated with a three times faster rate of cognitive decline than those with adequate vitamin D levels, according to findings published in JAMA Neurology .
The low vitamin D levels were associated with impaired performance, particularly in domains such as memory loss that are associated with Alzheimer’s disease and dementia, added the researchers.
The researchers said their findings amplify the importance of identifying vitamin D insufficiency among the elderly, particularly high-risk groups such as African-Americans and Hispanics, who are less able to absorb the nutrient from its most plentiful source: sunshine. Among those groups and other darker-skinned individuals, low vitamin D should be considered a risk factor for dementia, they added.
Dr Miller and his co-workers analyzed data from 382 racially and ethnically diverse men and women (mean age of 76) in Northern California participating in longitudinal research at the Alzheimer’s Disease Center in Sacramento. Of the participants, 41% were white, 30% were African American, 25% were Hispanics, and 4% were from other racial/ethnic groups. The participants were either cognitively normal, or had mild cognitive impairment or dementia.
Baseline data showed that 26% of the participants were vitamin D deficient, while 35% were insufficient. Among Caucasians, 54% had low vitamin D, compared with 70% of African-Americans and Hispanics.
The rate of cognitive decline was found to be two-to-three times faster in the vitamin D deficient people over five years of study, compared to people with adequate serum vitamin D levels. In other words, it took only two years for the deficient individuals to decline as much as those with adequate vitamin D declined during the five-year follow-up period.
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Blackcurrant nectar shows exercise benefits for college students: Study
University of the Incarnate Word, September 14, 2022
Daily consumption of blackcurrant nectar for eight days may reduce muscle damage and inflammation after exercise, according to a new study from scientists at the University of the Incarnate Word in San Antonio, Texas.
Sixteen ounces per day of the blackcurrant nectar were associated with reductions in the activity of creatine kinase, a blood marker of muscle damage, by 6.7%, compared to 82% increases in activity in the placebo group 48 hours after exercise, report the researchers in the Journal of Dietary Supplements .
Researchers led by Alexander Hutchison, PhD, also report that levels of the inflammatory compound interleukin-6 decreased after exercise in participants in the blackcurrant group, compared with increases seen in the placebo group.
“In partial support of our primary hypotheses, we found that consumption of black currant nectar for four days before and three days after a bout of eccentric leg exercise significantly reduced circulating markers of muscle damage while maintaining circulating antioxidant capacity,” they wrote in their paper. “Although pain scores in the blackcurrant nectar group returned to baseline a day earlier than the placebo group, there were no significant differences observed between groups at any time point after exercise.
The study included 16 college students randomly assigned to consumer either the blackcurrant nectar beverage (CurrantC provided by CropPharms from Staatsburg, NY) or placebo twice a day for eight days. On day 4 the participants performed a bout of knee extension exercises, and blood samples taken 24, 48, and 96 hours after the exercise.
Results showed that ORAC levels in the blood significantly decreased in the placebo group, while no significant decreases from the baseline values were observed in the blackcurrant group. In addition, significant differences between the groups were observed for IL-6 levels 24 hours after exercise, while significant differences were observed in creatine kinase activity between the groups after 48 and 96 hours..
How does what we eat affect our health span and longevity? It’s a complex, dynamic system Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health, September 21, 2022
How does what we eat affect how we age? The answer to this relatively concise question is unavoidably complex, according to a new study at the Butler Columbia Aging Center at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health. The findings are published online in the journal BMC Biology.
While most analyses had been concerned with the effects of a single nutrient on a single outcome, a conventional, unidimensional approach to understanding the effects of diet on health and aging no longer provides us with the full picture: A healthy diet must be considered based on the balance of ensembles of nutrients, rather than by optimizing a series of nutrients one at a time. Until now little was known about how normal variation in dietary patterns in humans affects the aging process.
“”This study therefore provides further support to the importance of looking beyond ‘a single nutrient at a time’ as the one size fits all response to the age-old question of how to live a long and healthy life.” Cohen also points that the results are also concordant with numerous studies highlighting the need for increased protein intake in older people, in particular, to offset sarcopenia and decreased physical performance associated with aging.
The researchers analyzed data from 1,560 older men and women, aged 67-84 years selected randomly from the Montreal, Laval, or Sherbrooke areas in Quebec, Canada, who were re-examined annually for three years and followed over four years to assess on a large scale how nutrient intake associates with the aging process.
Aging and age-related loss of homeostasis (physiological dysregulation) were quantified via the integration of blood biomarkers. The effects of diet used the geometric framework for nutrition, applied to macronutrients and 19 micronutrients/nutrient subclasses. Researchers fitted a series of eight models exploring different nutritional predictors and adjusted for income, education level, age, physical activity, number of comorbidities, sex, and current smoking status.
Four broad patterns were observed:
The optimal level of nutrient intake was dependent on the aging metric used. Elevated protein intake improved/depressed some aging parameters, whereas elevated carbohydrate levels improved/depressed others; There were cases where intermediate levels of nutrients performed well for many outcomes (i.e. arguing against a simple more/less is better perspective); There is broad tolerance for nutrient intake patterns that don’t deviate too much from norms (“homeostatic plateaus”). Optimal levels of one nutrient often depend on levels of another (e.g. vitamin E and vitamin C). Simpler analytical approaches are insufficient to capture such associations.
Mediterranean diet could play a key role in preventing cognitive decline Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard University, September 20, 2022
Individuals of minoritized ethnic or racial groups are often underrepresented in research, thus hindering the understanding of risk factors and the efficacy of treatments for diseases in these minoritized groups.
A recent study published in the journal Alzheimer’s & Dementia found that the levels of six plasma metabolites were associated with lower cognitive function across all racial/ethnic groups, and the levels of most of these blood metabolites were associated with adherence to a Mediterranean diet.
Speaking to Medical News Today, the study’s corresponding author Dr. Tamar Sofer, a professor at Brigham and Women’s Hospital at Harvard University, said:
“We identified a few metabolites (small molecules) in blood that their levels are correlated with cognitive function, and they are all related to diet.
Characterizing metabolites associated with cognitive function can help researchers understand the mechanisms underlying the development of dementia. Moreover, blood metabolites can be easily measured and could serve as biomarkers for cognitive function.
A previous study involving older Puerto Rican individuals showed that the levels of 13 blood metabolites were associated with global cognitive function, which is a composite measure of multiple cognitive abilities.
Metabolite levels are influenced by the interplay between genetics, health status, and environmental factors, including diet, other lifestyle factors, and socioeconomic factors, which may differ among and even within ethnic/racial groups.
The meta-analysis showed that six blood metabolites were associated with lower cognitive function across all ethnic/racial groups. Four out of the six metabolites associated with overall cognitive function were sugars, including glucose, ribitol, mannose, and mannitol/sorbitol.
Out of the six metabolites, the analysis revealed a potential causal effect of only ribitol on cognitive function.
The researchers also assessed the association between dietary habits, including adherence to a Mediterranean diet and intake of food groups (i.e. intake of legumes, fruits, vegetables, meat, fish, etc.), and blood metabolite levels.
They found that adhering to a Mediterranean diet or its component food groups was correlated with several blood metabolites assessed in the study.
Notably, the strongest association was observed between beta-cryptoxanthin and fruit intake participants.
Beta-cryptoxanthin is a carotenoid with antioxidant properties found in fruits and vegetables, and beta-cryptoxanthin levels are associated with a lower risk of insulin resistance and liver dysfunction.
“[T]his study is a step in the right direction in relation to examining the role of diet and the body’s metabolism for brain health. It provides suggestive evidence that adherence to a good diet such as the Mediterranean style diet may be beneficial for brain health over a wide age range.”
Indigo Rose Tomatoes Contain An Antioxidant That Fights Diabetes, Cancer and Neurodegenerative Diseases
Oregon State University, September 15, 2022
Not only do dark tomatoes turn heads, but they are also healthier than normal red varieties, according to plant scientists. Indigo Rose Tomatoes were cultivated by breeding red and purple tomato plants, and are being heralded as a new superfood with potent antioxidants.
Scientists bred purple tomatoes containing anthocyanin, an antioxidant said to help fight several diseases, with normal red varieties.
‘There are some dark coloured tomatoes but Indigo Rose is the only real black tomato and is the darkest that has ever been bred. “It’s not genetically modified or GMO-based as many assume,” said Botanist Marjorie Varga. “People often get confused between GMO and hybridization which farmers have been using to cultivate new plant varieties for thousands of years.”
“It is the first improved tomato variety in the world that has anthocyanins in its fruit,” he said.
Myers’ team found some tomatoes with purple pigmentation and tests revealed that anthocyanins were providing the colour, the same as blueberries. They crossed the purple tomatoes with some wild tomatoes and eventually came up with a black strain.
Foot massage effective in improving sleep quality and anxiety in postmenopausal women Çankiri Karatekin University (Turkey), September 21, 2022
The therapeutic benefits of massage have long been recognized. A new study suggests that foot massage, in particular, can help minimize a number of common menopause symptoms, including sleep disruption, effectively extending sleep duration by an average of an hour per day. Study results are published online today in Menopause.
During the menopause transition, estrogen deficiency can lead to a number of physical and mental health problems, including insomnia, hot flashes, vaginal dryness, headaches and anxiety. Although hot flashes and negative moods commonly seen in in the menopause transition often improve, conditions such as sleep complaints and vaginal dryness tend to persist or worsen over time.
Previous studies have suggested that foot reflexology is an effective intervention in reducing stress and fatigue in premenopausal women. However, no previous studies were found that evaluated the effects of foot massage on anxiety, fatigue and sleep at the same time in postmenopausal women.
In this new, small-scale study, researchers specifically sought to evaluate the effects of foot massage on anxiety, fatigue and sleep in postmenopausal women. Study results determined that foot massage applied during menopause increases the average daily sleep duration—as much as an hour per day—and reduces women’s fatigue and anxiety levels.
“Sleep disturbances, fatigue and anxiety symptoms are common during menopause. This small study in Turkish women shows how a simple, inexpensive intervention such as foot massage can improve these bothersome symptoms in postmenopausal women.
Lack of sleep negatively impacts immune stem cells, increasing risk of inflammatory disorders and heart disease Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, September 21, 2022
Chronic insufficient sleep can negatively affect immune cells, which may lead to inflammatory disorders and cardiovascular disease, according to a new study from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. More specifically, consistently losing an hour and a half of sleep a night potentially increases the risk.
The research, published in the Journal of Experimental Medicine, is the first to show that sleep alters the structure of DNA inside the immune stem cells that produce white blood cells—also known as immune cells—and this can have a long-lasting impact on inflammation and contribute to inflammatory diseases. Immune cells fight infection, but if the number of these cells gets too high, they overreact and cause inflammation. The study is also the first to show that catching up on sleep doesn’t reverse the effects of sleep disruption.
“This study begins to identify the biological mechanisms that link sleep and immunological health over the long-term. It shows that in humans and mice, disrupted sleep has a profound influence on the programming of immune cells and rate of their production, causing them to lose their protective effects and actually make infections worse—and these changes are long-lasting. This is important because it is yet another key observation that sleep reduces inflammation and, conversely, that sleep interruption increases inflammation,” says lead author Filip Swirski, Ph.D., Director of the Cardiovascular Research Institute at Icahn Mount Sinai.
“This work emphasizes the importance of adults consistently sleeping seven to eight hours a day to help prevent inflammation and disease, especially for those with underlying medical conditions.”
A team of investigators analyzed 14 healthy adults who regularly sleep eight hours a night. First, researchers monitored them sleeping at least eight hours a night for six weeks. They drew their blood and analyzed their immune cells. Then, the same group of adults reduced their sleep time by 90 minutes every night for six weeks, and had their blood and immune cells reanalyzed.
At the end of the study researchers compared the blood and cell samples from the full night’s sleep and restricted sleep periods. All participants had significant changes in their immune cells (also known as hematopoietic cells) due to a lack of sleep—there were more of them, and the DNA structure was altered. After six weeks of sleep restriction, they had an increased number of immune cells.
Results in humans showed that fragmented sleep had significant changes to their immune stem cells, producing an increased number of immune cells, and also showed evidence of rewiring and reprogramming. A notable finding from the mouse group was that even after sleep recovery, the immune stem cells retained this rewiring structure, and they continued to produce additional white blood cells, making the mice susceptible to inflammation and disease.
“Our findings suggest that sleep recovery is not able to fully reverse the effects of poor-quality sleep. We can detect a molecular imprint of insufficient sleep in immune stem cells, even after weeks of recovery sleep. This molecular imprint can cause the cells to respond in inappropriate ways leading to inflammation and disease,” says co-lead investigator Cameron McAlpine, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Medicine (Cardiology) at Icahn Mount Sinai.
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Antioxidants protect against cartilage damage Skeletal Biology and Engineering Research Center (Belgium), September 12 20228.
An article appearing in Science Translational Medicine adds evidence to the role of antioxidants in protecting the body’s cartilage from the damage that contributes to osteoarthritis.
Acting on the finding that the protein ANP32A, which is involved in a number of processes in the body, was downregulated in osteoarthritic cartilage in mice and humans, Frederique Cornelis of the Skeletal Biology and Engineering Research Center in Belgium and colleagues discovered that ANP32A protects against oxidative damage in the joints, thereby helping to prevent the development of osteoarthritis and its progression. It was determined that ANP32A increases levels of the enzyme ATM, a regulator of the cellular oxidative defense, in response to oxidative stress in joint cartilage.
The discovery suggests that antioxidant therapies could help protect against further damage in patients with osteoarthritis, as well as providing a benefit in other disorders. Administration of the antioxidant N-acetylcysteine (NAC) to the drinking water of mice that were deficient in ANP32A was shown to decrease cartilage damage and arthritis symptoms. It was additionally revealed that ANP32A deficiency was associated with osteopenia and a neurologic disease known as cerebellar ataxia in mice and that NAC helped with these conditions.
“Aging, a key risk factor for the development of osteoarthritis, is associated with elevated oxidative damage of DNA, proteins, and lipids, and accumulating evidence indicates that oxidative stress is a major physiological inducer of aging,” the authors write. “We observed reduced expression of ANP32A in aged mouse cartilage and in human cartilage from patients with osteoarthritis, and we showed that Anp32a-deficient mice develop spontaneous osteoarthritis upon aging. Thus, ANP32A can be considered as a key coordinator of oxidative stress and aging in joints.”
“Our findings indicate that modulating ANP32A signaling could help manage oxidative stress in cartilage, brain, and bone with therapeutic implications for osteoarthritis, neurological disease, and osteoporosis,” they conclude.
Consuming Soy Peptide May Reduce Colon Cancer Metastasis
University of Illinois, September 18, 2022
After a recent University of Illinois study showed that injection of the soy peptide lunasin dramatically reduced colon cancer metastasis in mice, the researchers were eager to see how making lunasin part of the animals’ daily diet would affect the spread of the disease.
“In this new study, we find that giving lunasin orally at 20 mg/kg of body weight reduced the number of metastatic tumors by 94 percent — we went from 18 tumors to only one. And that was done using lunasin alone; no other type of therapy was used,” said Elvira de Mejia, a U of I professor of food chemistry and food toxicology.
“We learned in that study that lunasin can penetrate the cancer cell, cause cell death, and interact with at least one type of receptor in a cell that is ready to metastasize,” said Vermont Dia, a postdoctoral associate in the de Mejia laboratory.
Using mice that had been injected with human colon cancer cells, the scientists began by feeding the animals 8 mg/kg of lunasin daily, which reduced the number of new tumors in the liver by 55 percent. They increased the dose five times, at last achieving a 94 percent reduction in tumors at 20 mg/kg of lunasin.
“We were very impressed by the reduction, but the results were short of statistical significance from the control group. More animals are needed to strengthen the power of the analysis. It’s a small study but very promising,” de Mejia said.
The scientists said that consuming the equivalent of 20 to 30 mg/kg of lunasin in soy foods would be daunting in terms of number of servings per day. “But it would certainly be possible if food companies began to offer lunasin-enriched soy milk or yogurt,” she said, noting that lunasin-enriched flour is already on the market.
Globally, diets are not much healthier today than they were thirty years ago Tufts University, September 19, 2022
On a scale from 0 to 100 of how well people stick to recommended diets, with 0 being a poor diet (think heavy consumption of sugar and processed meats), and 100 representing the recommended balance of fruits, vegetables, legumes/nuts and whole grains, most countries would earn a score around 40.3. Globally, this represents a small, but meaningful, 1.5-point gain between 1990 and 2018, researchers from the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University report today in the journal Nature Food.
The study, one of the most comprehensive estimates yet of global dietary quality—and the first to include findings among children as well as adults—highlights the challenges worldwide to encourage healthy eating. Although global gains were modest, there was notable variation by country, with nutritious options becoming more popular in the United States, Vietnam, China, and Iran, and less so in Tanzania, Nigeria, and Japan.
“Intake of legumes/nuts and non-starchy vegetables increased over time, but overall improvements in dietary quality were offset by increased intake of unhealthy components such as red/processed meat, sugar-sweetened beverages, and sodium,” says lead author Victoria Miller, a visiting scientist from McMaster University in Canada who started this study as a postdoctoral scholar with Dariush Mozaffarian, Dean for Policy and Jean Mayer Professor of Nutrition at the Friedman School, and senior author on the paper.
Miller and colleagues addressed this gap by measuring global, regional, and national eating patterns among adults and children across 185 countries based on data from over 1,100 surveys from the Global Dietary Database, a large, collaborative compilation of data on food and nutrient consumption levels worldwide. The researchers’ primary outcome was the 0 to 100 scale known as the Alternative Healthy Eating Index, a validated measure of diet quality.
Regionally, averages ranged from as low as 30.3 in Latin America and the Caribbean to as high as 45.7 in South Asia. The average score of all 185 countries included in the study was 40.3. Only 10 countries, representing less than 1 percent of the world’s population, had scores over 50. The world’s highest scoring countries were Vietnam, Iran, Indonesia and India, and the lowest scoring were Brazil, Mexico, the United States and Egypt.
Globally, among adults, women were more likely to eat recommended diets than men, and older adults more so than younger adults.
Yogic breathing shows promise in reducing symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder
University of Wisconsin-Madison September 11, 2022
One of the greatest casualties of war is its lasting effect on the minds of soldiers. This presents a daunting public health problem: More than 20 percent of veterans returning from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have post-traumatic stress disorder, according to a report by RAND Corp.
A new study from the Center for Investigating Healthy Minds at the Waisman Center of the University of Wisconsin-Madison offers hope for those suffering from the disorder. Researchers there have shown that a breathing-based meditation practice called Sudarshan Kriya Yoga can be an effective treatment for PTSD.
Standard treatment interventions for PTSD offer mixed results. Some individuals are prescribed antidepressants and do well while others do not; others are treated with psychotherapy and still experience residual affects of the disorder.
Sudarshan Kriya Yoga is a practice of controlled breathing that directly affects the autonomic nervous system. While the practice has proven effective in balancing the autonomic nervous system and reducing symptoms of PTSD in tsunami survivors, it has not been well studied until now.
The CIHM team was interested in Sudarshan Yoga because of its focus on manipulating the breath, and how that in turn may have consequences for the autonomic nervous system and specifically, hyperarousal. Theirs is the first randomized, controlled, longitudinal study to show that the practice of controlled breathing can benefit people with PTSD.
The CIHM study included 21 soldiers: an active group of 11 and a control group of 10. Those who received the one-week training in yogic breathing showed lower anxiety, reduced respiration rates and fewer PTSD symptoms.
Cognition May Decline With Old Age, But Well-Being Actually Improves University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, September 19, 2022
Children and adolescents usually want to grow up as soon as possible, but most older adults will say they want nothing more than to turn back the clock. Research out of the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine gives both the old and the young reason to envy each other. Scientists say that while older adults usually see a decline in thinking skills, well-being typically increases as we grow older.
More specifically, scientists report that healthy older adults display greater mental well-being than younger adults, but also score lower on cognitive performances. The UCSD team is hopeful that the underlying neural mechanisms identified during this project contributing may inspire new interventions to promote healthy brain function in the future.
Researchers sampled a total of 62 healthy younger adults in their 20s, and 54 healthy older adults over 60. Each subject’s mental health was measured via a survey asking about symptoms including anxiety, depression, loneliness, and overall mental wellbeing. Participants also took part in a series of cognitively demanding tasks, all while their brain activity was measured using electroencephalography (EEG).
Results show that young adults experience far more anxiety, depression, and loneliness than older adults. On the other hand, older individuals show higher levels of well-being. Regarding cognition, older adults, unsurprisingly, were much weaker. The EEG recordings provided further insight, detailing greater activity in the anterior portions of the brain’s default mode network among older adults. This brain area is active when we ruminate, daydream, etc., and is usually suppressed during goal-oriented tasks. Notably, several other brain regions appeared to improve cognition. Strong cognitive scores among young adults were associated with more activity in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, which is part of the brain’s executive control system. For older adults, though, those with strong cognitive scores actually displayed greater activity in their inferior frontal cortex, a brain region known to help guide attention and avoid distractions. The dorsolateral prefrontal cortex is known to break down as the body ages. Consequently, researchers theorize that the increased inferior frontal cortex activity among cognitively strong older individuals may be an avenue for older minds to compensate during mentally tougher tasks.
Drinking plenty of tea may reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes, finds study in over a million adults Wuhan University of Science and Technology (China), September 17, 2022
A systematic review and meta-analysis of 19 cohort studies involving more than 1 million adults from eight countries finds that moderate consumption of black, green or Oolong tea is linked to a lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
The findings, being presented at this year’s European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) Annual Meeting in Stockholm, Sweden suggest that drinking at least four cups of tea a day is associated with a 17% lower risk of T2D over an average period of 10 years.
While it’s long been known that regularly drinking tea may be beneficial for health because of the various antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and anticarcinogenic compounds tea contains, less clear has been the relationship between tea drinking and the risk of T2D. So far, published cohort studies and meta-analyses have reported inconsistent findings.
Overall, the meta-analysis found a linear association between tea drinking and T2D risk, with each cup of tea consumed per day reducing the risk of developing T2D by around 1%.
When compared with adults who didn’t drink tea, those who drank 1-3 cups daily lowered their risk of T2D by 4%, while those who consumed at least 4 cups every day reduced their risk by 17%.
The associations were observed regardless of the type of tea participants drank, whether they were male or female, or where they lived, suggesting that it may be the amount of tea consumed, rather than any other factor, that plays a major role.
“While more research needs to be done to determine the exact dosage and mechanisms behind these observations, our findings suggest that drinking tea is beneficial in reducing the risk of type 2 diabetes, but only at high doses (at least 4 cups a day)”, says Li.
She adds, “It is possible that particular components in tea, such as polyphenols, may reduce blood glucose levels, but a sufficient amount of these bioactive compounds may be needed to be effective. It may also explain why we did not find an association between tea drinking and type 2 diabetes in our cohort study, because we did not look at higher tea consumption.”
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Meta-analysis finds less fatigue with CoQ10 supplementation National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University (Taiwan), September 16 2022.
The results of a systematic review and meta-analysis of clinical trials, published in Frontiers in Pharmacology, support an anti-fatigue effect among individuals who supplemented with coenzyme Q10.
“Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) is a popular nutritional supplement and a lipid-soluble antioxidant that is endogenously produced by the human body,” authors I-Chen Tsai of National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University and associates observed. “CoQ10 supplementation has been successfully applied for reducing fatigue in patients with various conditions, including chronic fatigue and fibromyalgia, as well as in healthy subjects.”
For their analysis, Tsai colleagues identified 13 randomized, controlled trials that compared fatigue scores of participants who received CoQ10 or a placebo. The trials included a total of 1,126 participants.
Analysis of the 13 trials showed a consistent significant effect for CoQ10 in reducing fatigue. When trials that included healthy participants were analyzed separately from trials that included patients with fatigue-associated diseases, both supplemented populations showed decreases in fatigue, however the effects were significant among the unhealthy participants, who may have more severe CoQ10 depletion. Higher CoQ10 doses and longer duration of supplementation were correlated with increased fatigue reduction.
The anti-fatigue effect of CoQ10 is unsurprising, given its role in energy production. Chronic fatigue syndrome patients have lower plasma levels of CoQ10 in comparison with healthy subjects. While the body makes some CoQ10, the authors remarked that studies have provided evidence that supplementing with CoQ10 does not affect the body’s synthesis of the coenzyme.
Researchers identify a potential new approach with a dietary supplement to treat HER2 positive breast cancer Mayo Clinic, September 9, 2022
Researchers at Mayo Clinic have identified an important new pathway by which HER2 positive breast cancers grow and have discovered that a dietary supplement called cyclocreatine may block the growth of HER2 positive breast cancer. Their findings were published in Cell Metabolism.
“The HER2 receptor tyrosine kinase, which functions as an ‘on’ or ‘off’ switch in cellular functions, is a key driver of breast cancer, and is overexpressed in about a quarter of all breast cancers,” says Taro Hitosugi, Ph.D., a pharmacologist at Mayo Clinic and corresponding author of the paper.
Dr. Hitosugi and his colleagues decided to explore ways to resolve an unmet clinical need. Their strategy was to develop a treatment to target tumor mitochondrial energy metabolism, which is the process cancer cells use to manipulate energy during cell metabolism in order to grow.
Dr. Hitosugi and his colleagues discovered that cyclocreatine, a dietary supplement used in sports drinks, effectively targets mitochondrial creatine kinase 1 enzyme and reduces cancer growth without toxicity. This finding was confirmed in mice models where a patient-derived, trastuzumab-resistant HER2 positive tumors were administered to the mice.
“Mitochondrial creatine kinase 1 may be a new drug target for the treatment of HER2 positive breast cancer,” says Matthew Goetz, M.D., director of the Mayo Clinic Breast Cancer research program. “Future clinical trials will be necessary to determine the effectiveness of this drug for HER2 positive breast cancer resistant to standard therapies.”
Excessive smartphone screen time linked to earlier puberty onset Gazi University (Turkey), September 16, 2022
Exposure to blue light, via regular use of tablets and smartphones, may alter hormone levels and increase the risk of earlier puberty, according to data from a rat study presented at the Annual European Society for Paediatric Endocrinology Meeting.
Longer duration of blue light exposure was associated with earlier puberty onset in the female rats, which also showed reduced levels of melatonin, increased levels of some reproductive hormones and physical changes in their ovaries. Use of blue light-emitting mobile devices has previously been linked to disrupted sleeping patterns in children but these findings suggest there could be additional risks for childhood development and future fertility.
The escalating use of blue light-emitting devices, such as tablets and smartphones, has previously been implicated in reducing sleep quality in both children and adults. This is thought to be through disruption of our body clock as blue light inhibits the evening rise in levels of the hormone, melatonin, which prepares our bodies for rest and sleep. Melatonin levels are overall higher during pre-puberty than in puberty, which is believed to play a role in delaying the start of puberty. Puberty is a complex process that involves co-ordination of several body systems and hormones.
In recent years, several studies have reported increases in early puberty onset for girls, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic. The link between blue light exposure and reduced melatonin levels suggests that increased screen time, such as during the pandemic restrictions, may be playing a role in this reported increase. However, it is very difficult to assess this in children.
In this study, Dr. Aylin Kilinç Uğurlu and colleagues in Ankara, Turkey, used a rat model to investigate the effects of blue light exposure on reproductive hormone levels and the time of puberty onset. Female rats were divided into three groups of six and exposed to either a normal light cycle, 6 hours or 12 hours of blue light. The first signs of puberty occurred significantly earlier in both groups exposed to blue light, and the longer the duration of exposure, the earlier the onset of puberty. Rats exposed to blue light also had reduced melatonin levels and elevated levels of specific reproductive hormones (estradiol and luteinizing hormone), as well as physical changes in their ovarian tissue, all consistent with puberty onset. At the 12-hour exposure, rats also showed some signs of cell damage and inflammation in their ovaries.
Dr. Aylin Kilinç Uğurlu comments, “We have found that blue light exposure, sufficient to alter melatonin levels, is also able to alter reproductive hormone levels and cause earlier puberty onset in our rat model. In addition, the longer the exposure, the earlier the onset.”
Fitness trackers reveal links among exercise, memory, and mental health Dartmouth College, September 15, 2022
Exercise can improve your cognitive and mental health—but not all forms and intensities of exercise affect the brain equally. The effects of exercise are much more nuanced, as specific intensities of exercise over a long period of time are associated with different aspects of memory and mental health, according to a new Dartmouth study. The findings are published in Scientific Reports and provide insight into how exercise could be optimized.
“Mental health and memory are central to nearly everything we do in our everyday lives,” says lead author Jeremy Manning, an assistant professor of psychological and brain sciences at Dartmouth. “Our study is trying to build a foundation for understanding how different intensities of physical exercise affect different aspects of mental and cognitive health.”
The researchers asked 113 Fitbit users to perform a series of memory tests, answer some questions about their mental health, and share their fitness data from the previous year. They expected that more active individuals would have better memory performance and mental health, but the results were more nuanced. People who tended to exercise at low intensities performed better at some memory tasks while those who exercised at a high intensities did better on other memory tasks. Participants who were more intensely active also reported higher stress levels, whereas people who regularly exercised at lower intensities showed lower rates of anxiety and depression.
Participants who had been more active over the prior year tended to show better memory performance overall, but the specific areas of improvement depended on which types of activity people did. The researchers found that participants who often exercised at moderate intensities tended to perform better on the episodic memory tasks while participants who often exercised at high intensities did better on the spatial memory tasks. Sedentary participants who seldom exercised tended to perform worse on the spatial memory tasks.
The researchers also identified connections between participants’ mental health and their memory performance. Participants with self-reported anxiety or depression tended to perform better on the spatial and associative memory tasks, while those with self-reported bipolar disorder tended to perform better on the episodic memorytasks. Participants who reported higher levels of stress tended to perform worse on the associative memory tasks.
Positive psychological well-being can improve overall heart health Northwestern University, September 10, 2022 Maintaining positive thoughts and feelings through intervention programs can help patients achieve better overall outcomes when it comes to their cardiovascular health, according to a review paper published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
“We addressed how social environment, psychological well-being and the effectiveness of intervention strategies can help strengthen a patient’s outlook,” said Darwin R. Labarthe, MD, MPH, Ph.D., professor of Preventive Medicine at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and the review’s lead author. “We focused on whether psychological well-being can be consistently related with a reduced risk of heart disease.”
In this review, the authors looked at a growing body of research to examine whether psychological well-being might lead to reduced risk of heart disease. Prospective studies have shown a positive relationship between optimism (one facet of psychological well-being) and heart disease, including a study showing older women in the highest quartile of optimism had a 38 percent reduced risk of heart disease mortality. Additional studies since 2012 have associated a perceived higher purpose in life with lower odds of having a stroke.
Optimistic patients sustained healthier diets by consuming more fruits and vegetables, and less processed meats and sweets, leading patients to maintain a healthy BMI.
The review authors found that psychological well-being influenced heart health through biological processes, health behaviors and psychosocial resources.
Having a strong network of social support also gives patients confidence about their future health and helps them act readily on medical advice, engage in problem solving and take active preventive measures. A likely link is that favorable social environment, known to influence heart disease risk, has also been shown to predict psychological well-being.
Milk thistle protects against COPD caused by secondhand smoke Sichuan University, (China), September 11, 2022
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 15.7 million people suffer from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) – a serious respiratory condition which can cause scarring of the lungs, narrowing of the airway and extreme difficulty breathing. Taking enough milk thistle – on a regular basis – can help protect you from harm.
Exposure to tobacco smoke – whether through actively smoking or simply inhaling the smoke from another’s cigarette – is the primary cause of COPD. Although Western medicine currently offers no cure for COPD, recent studies generate a ray of hope. Groundbreaking new research suggests that milk thistle extracts may not only prevent COPD but, help to treat it.
In a study published in the journal Inflammation, researchers exposed mice to the equivalent of 1.5 packs of cigarettes a day for four weeks, creating drastic increases in peribronchial inflammation, thickening of airway walls and airway obstruction.
The team found that pretreating the mice with silymarin – the active component of milk thistle – an hour before exposure dramatically decreased inflammatory changes, and cut production of pro-inflammatory chemicals such as TNF-alpha and interleukin.
Encouragingly, silymarin also helped safeguard levels of superoxide dismutase, an important disease-fighting antioxidant produced in the body.
A year later, the same team of researchers took another, closer look at the workings of milk thistle. And what they found was encouraging.
In a study of human bronchial cells published in Scientific Report, the team explored the molecular and cellular mechanisms of silymarin – and found once again that the flavonoid attenuated cigarette smoke-induced upregulation of pro-inflammatory chemicals.
And, researchers discovered for the first time that silymarin modulated a certain pathway – known as MAPK – that governs inflammation.
The takeaway? The team concluded that silymarin might be “an ideal agent for treating inflammatory pulmonary diseases.”
In a third study, recently published in Food and Chemical Toxicology, researchers treated mice with silibinin (a constituent of silymarin) one hour before exposure to cigarette smoke. The team found that the silibinin caused the mice to not only experience the sharp reductions in inflammatory changes seen in earlier studies – but discovered that it also suppressed the scarring and fibrosis that are typical of COPD in humans.
This means that silibinin may not only help prevent COPD – but, reverse it!
Intriguingly, the silibinin directly affected the expression of a certain pro-inflammatory protein – transforming growth factor beta-1 – that is activated and spurred on by exposure to smoke, making it appear that this compound is custom-designed to protect against secondhand smoke.
Milk thistle extracts are available in the form of pills, powders, extracts, liposomes and teas. Look for a high-quality preparation that is standardized to contain 70 to 80 percent silymarin.
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Astragulus found to inhibit breast cancer cell proliferation Fujian University of Traditional Medicine (China), September 8, 2022 Huang qi (Astragalus) is one of the fundamental herbs in traditional Chinese medicine, with earliest records of its use dating back over 2,000 years ago. Now, a study in BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine has found that astragulus is also able to prevent the spread of breast cancer cells in the body.
In the study, researchers from the Fujian University of Traditional Chinese Medicine in China looked at how astragulus extract can affect breast cancer cells and the process behind this biological effect. They also looked at the primary isoflavones in the extract, as well as its anti-proliferative activity on three breast cancer lines: MCF-7 (ER+), SK-BR-3 (HER2+) and MDA-MB-231 (triple-negative). They did this by exposing these breast cancer cells to the extract for 48 hours.
In addition, they examined the effect of astragulus extract on phosphatidylinositol-4,5-bisphosphate 3-kinase (PI3K)/protein kinase B (Akt)/mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling pathways, a primary intracellular signaling pathway that contributes to cell proliferation, growth, migration, metabolism, and apoptosis.
The results of the study showed that the treatment of astragulus exhibited anti-proliferative activity on breast cancer cells. Furthermore, the therapy promoted the death of breast cancer cells. These suggested that it’s ability to inhibit breast cancer cell growth was linked to its ability to inhibit PI3K/Akt/mTOR activity. Moreover, the researchers found that the Huang qi extract contains four types of isoflavones, such as campanulin, ononin, calycosin, and formononetin, which contributed to the inhibitory effect of Huang qi extract on breast cancer cells proliferation.
Vitamin D supplementation could help critically ill patients University Hospital Würzburg (Germany) September 12 2022.
Findings from a review and meta-analysis reported in Critical Care suggest that providing critically ill patients with vitamin D supplements may improve some clinical outcomes, including survival.
“Upon ICU admission, the majority of patients have significantly reduced 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels, which remain significantly reduced over the entire ICU length of stay,” Johannes Menger and colleagues wrote. “In these patients, significantly reduced vitamin D (25-hydroxyvitamin D) serum levels are frequent and independently associated with higher incidence and severity of sepsis.”
Sixteen randomized, controlled trials that evaluated vitamin D supplementation’s association with mortality were identified.
Vitamin D supplementation was associated with a 22% lower risk of overall mortality in comparison with a placebo or standard care. Among studies that reported 28-day mortality, vitamin D supplementation was associated with a trend toward lower a lower risk. Receiving vitamin D by injection or intravenously had the strongest effect. Patients who received vitamin D spent an average of 3.13 days less in the ICU and 5 fewer days on a ventilator than those who received a placebo.
“The results of this systematic review and meta-analysis suggest that vitamin D supplementation may be associated with reduced overall mortality in critically ill patients,” they concluded.
Natural compound could reduce breast cancer risk in some women
Luteolin may inhibit growth of human breast cancer cells in postmenopausal women taking hormone replacement therapy
University of Missouri-Columbia, September 9, 2022
More than 100 women die from breast cancer every day in the United States. The odds increase in postmenopausal women who have taken a combined estrogen and progestin hormone replacement therapy; these women also have an increased risk of developing progestin-accelerated breast tumors. Now, University of Missouri researchers have found that luteolin, a natural compound found in herbs such as thyme and parsley as well as vegetables such as celery and broccoli, could reduce the cancer risk for women who have taken hormone replacement therapy.
“Most older women normally have benign lesions in breast tissue,” Hyder said. “These lesions typically don’t form tumors until they receive the ‘trigger’– in this case, progestin–that attracts blood vessels to cells essentially feeding the lesions causing them to expand.” His newest study shows that when the supplement luteolin is administered to human breast cancer cells in the lab, benefits can be observed including the reduction of those vessels “feeding” the cancer cells causing cancer cell death.
Hyder’s lab has found that as human breast cancer cells develop, they tend to take on stem cell-like properties, which can make them harder to kill. Here, luteolin was used to monitor stem cell-like characteristics of breast cancer cells and his team saw a vast reduction in this phenomenon, further proving that the natural compound exerts its anti-tumor effects in a variety of ways.
“We feel that luteolin can be effective when injected directly into the bloodstream, so IV supplements may still be a possibility,” Hyder said. “But, until the supplement is tested for safety and commercialized, which we hope will happen after further testing and clinical trials, women should continue consuming a healthy diet with fresh fruits and vegetables.”
CBD shows health benefits in estrogen-deficient mice that model postmenopause Rutgers University, September 14, 2022
A Rutgers study points to cannabidiol (CBD), a major component of hemp and medical marijuana used to treat conditions such as chronic pain, inflammation, migraines, epilepsy, autoimmune diseases, depression, and anxiety, as a possible treatment for postmenopausal women whose ovaries no longer make estrogen.
In a study published in Frontiers in Pharmacology, scientists reported that when estrogen-deficient mice were fed CBD, a non-intoxicating compound extracted from hemp, they showed marked improvement in several areas. Their bloodstreams more readily disposed of glucose, and they burned more energy. In addition, their bone density improved, they had less inflammation in gut and bone tissues and they possessed higher levels of beneficial gut bacteria.
“This preclinical study is the first to suggest the therapeutic potential of CBD for alleviating symptoms of estrogen deficiency,” said Diana Roopchand, an assistant professor in the Department of Food Science of the Rutgers School of Environmental and Biological Sciences (SEBS) and senior author on the study. “There is much anecdotal evidence of CBD’s health benefits for menopausal and postmenopausal women, but our study is the first to investigate some of the claims in an established preclinical model of postmenopause.”
Over 18 weeks, researchers fed the estrogen-deficient mice a steady diet of either tiny, CBD-laced peanut butter balls or peanut butter balls without CBD. The untreated estrogen-deficient mice developed symptoms that resembled those of postmenopausal human females, such as metabolic dysfunction, evidence of inflammation, lower bone density, and lower levels of beneficial gut bacteria. However, in mice that ingested CBD, these conditions were significantly improved.
Mediterranean diet and depression among older individuals Harokopio University (Greece), September 9, 2022 According to news originating from Athens, Greece,research stated, “In Europe, depression is one of the most frequent mental disorders across all age groups, but particularly in people aged 65 years and over, and higher depressive symptoms have been reported among individuals with chronic diseases (e.g., diabetes and heart disease).”
Research from Harokopio University stated, “To evaluate the role of adherence to the Mediterranean diet (MedDiet) in depression in a sample of older people living in the Mediterranean basin. Standard procedures were used to determine socio-demographic, lifestyle, and clinical characteristics of the participants, as well as their dietary habits, and depressive symptoms were evaluated using the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS). Participants classified as having mild or severe depression were less educated and physically active, and more diabetic, and they reported less adherence to the MedDiet. Adherence to the MedDiet was associated with the absence of depression [(OR, 95% CI): 0.65, 0.50 – 0.85]. In addition, daily tea drinking was also related to the absence of depression [(OR, 95% CI): 0.51, 0.40 – 0.65].”
According to the news editors, the research concluded: “Greater adherence to the MedDiet and daily tea drinking seem to have a beneficial effect on depressive symptoms in older adults.”
High cholesterol leads to long-term liver scarring and immune cell dysfunction in lab study University of Southern California, September 15, 2022
There’s a long-established link between a high-fat, high-sugar diet and fatty liver disease, which can lead to life-threatening conditions such as cirrhosis and liver cancer. Now, new research from the Keck School of Medicine of USC adds some detail and dimension to this picture.
The lab study, published in Frontiers in Immunology, is the first-ever to focus on how different amounts of cholesterol as part of a diet high in fat and sugar affect fatty liver disease progression. Modeling the disease in mice, the investigators demonstrated that high cholesterol intake can make fatty liver disease worse—driving inflammation and scarring—and that, importantly, scar tissuecan persist even after switching to a diet low in cholesterol. The findings also indicated that a high-cholesterol diet can create long-lasting dysfunction in a specific population of immune cells previously shown to play a role in fatty liver disease.
“We saw that you may have a high-fat and high-sugar diet, but when you add high cholesterol to that, it will accelerate the process that causes inflammation in your liver,” said corresponding author Ana Maretti-Mira, Ph.D., an assistant research professor of medicine at USC. “People focus on high cholesterol as a risk for heart disease, but we showed that your liver may also be affected, causing inflammation, scarring and, potentially, cirrhosis.”
High cholesterol makes fatty liver disease worse
The researchers fed mice a high-fat, high-sugar diet shown to cause a form of advanced fatty liver disease similar to human illness.
The mice were split into three groups that received different amounts of cholesterol in their food for 20 weeks—midlife for the animals. The low-cholesterol group received one-quarter the cholesterol compared to medium; the high-cholesterol group received 25 times more than the low-cholesterol group.
After 20 weeks, the livers of mice from all three groups showed accumulation of fat, a benign feature of fatty liver disease, but the high-cholesterol group had more advanced disease, with increased inflammation and scar tissue.
For the following 10 weeks, mice from all three groups received low cholesterol as part of a diet that remained high in fat and sugar. At the end of that time, that change in diet had reversed inflammation in the original high-cholesterol mice, but had not reduced scar tissue. This finding shows that damage caused by high cholesterol can be hard to undo.
The high-fat, high-sugar diet given to mice in the study has unfortunate similarities to the typical Western diet in humans.
“Our daily diet has lots of carbohydrates, such as sugary drinks, bread, rice and pasta,” Maretti-Mira said. “Then there’s high fat, since everybody likes deep fried foods. At the same time, we don’t have the same active life we used to, so we end up eating much more than our body needs.”
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Higher omega-3 levels linked to better sleep University of British Columbia, September 14 2022.
Having higher blood concentrations of the omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and docosapentaenoic acid (DPA) was found to be associated with a reduction in excessive sleep in an analysis reported in 2022 in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
Sleep duration of over 9 hours per night has been correlated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease and premature mortality from all causes.
The analysis included 21,653 participants in 12 studies for whom information was available concerning sleep duration and/or difficulty falling asleep and blood levels of the omega-3 fatty acids EPA, DHA, ALA and, when available, DPA, and the omega-6 fatty acids AA and LA.
When men and women whose fatty acid levels were among the lowest 20% of participants were compared to those whose levels were among the top 20%, individuals whose DHA intake was highest had a 22% lower risk of excessive sleep. Being among those who had the highest intake of EPA plus DHA and DPA was associated with a 24% lower risk. The authors noted that DHA’s role in regulating melatonin production helps regulate sleep.
Twice-daily nasal irrigation reduces COVID-related illness, death Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University, September 13, 2022
Starting twice daily flushing of the mucus-lined nasal cavity with a mild saline solution soon after testing positive for COVID-19 can significantly reduce hospitalization and death, investigators report.
They say the technique that can be used at home by mixing a half teaspoon each of salt and baking soda in a cup of boiled or distilled water then putting it into a sinus rinse bottle is a safe, effective and inexpensive way to reduce the risk of severe illness and death from coronavirus infection that could have a vital public health impact.
“By giving extra hydration to your sinuses, it makes them function better.
“We found an 8.5-fold reduction in hospitalizations and no fatalities compared to our controls,” says senior author Dr. Richard Schwartz, chair of the MCG Department of Emergency Medicine. “Both of those are pretty significant endpoints.”
The study appears to be the largest, prospective clinical trial of its kind and the older, high-risk population they studied—many of whom had preexisting conditions like obesity and hypertension—may benefit most from the easy, inexpensive practice, the investigators say.
They found that less than 1.3% of the 79 study subjects age 55 and older who enrolled within 24-hours of testing positive for COVID-19 between Sept. 24 and Dec. 21, 2020, experienced hospitalization. No one died.
Researchers know that the more virus that was present in your body, the worse the impact. “One of our thoughts was: If we can rinse out some of the virus within 24 hours of them testing positive, then maybe we can lower the severity of that whole trajectory,” she says, including reducing the likelihood the virus could get into the lungs, where it was doing permanent, often lethal damage to many.
Baxter says the nasal irrigation with saline helps decrease the usual robust attachment. Saline appears to inhibit the virus’ ability to essentially make two cuts in itself, called furin cleavage, so it can better fit into an ACE2 receptor once it spots one.
Participants self-administered nasal irrigation using either povidone-iodine, that brown antiseptic that gets painted on your body before surgery, or sodium bicarbonate, or baking soda, which is often used as a cleanser, mixed with water that had the same salt concentration normally found in the body.
Those who completed nasal irrigation twice daily reported quicker resolution of symptoms regardless of which of two common antiseptics they were adding to the saline water.
Eating more spicy foods decreases your risk of early death by 14%
Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, September 7, 2022
According to an international team of researchers led by the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, eating spicy foods may be the key to longevity. They found that eating such foods on a regular basis can help prevent people from dying prematurely by 14 percent. While a variety of spicy foods are excellent, one in particular caught their attention.
It was noted that consumption of fresh chili pepper, compared to other spicy foods, was most effective in providing people with a lower risk of dying from cancer, ischemic heart disease and diabetes. It’s explained that fresh chili pepper’s combination of powerful ingredients are responsible for such health-boosting benefits.(1)
“Compared with non-fresh spicy foods such as dried chilli pepper, chilli sauce or chilli oil,” says Lu Qi, associate professor at Harvard School of Public Health, “fresh chilli pepper is richer in bioactive ingredients, including capsaicin, vitamin C, and other nutrients such as vitamin A, K, and B6 and potassium.”(1)
To conduct the study, the experts from the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences assessed nearly 490,000 participants.
After a follow-up that averaged approximately seven years, 20,224 deaths were noted. Analysis of these people led to the finding that compared to those who ingested spicy foods less than once weekly, people who ate such foods one or two days per week had a 10 percent reduced risk of death. More impressive however, was the discovery that those who enjoyed spicy foods nearly every other day were at a 14 percent lowered risk of death compared to those who ate them less than once a week.
In this large prospective study, we observed an inverse association between consumption of spicy foods and total mortality, after adjusting for potential confounders. Compared with those who ate spicy foods less than once a week, those who consumed spicy foods almost every day had a 14% lower risk of death. Inverse associations were also observed for deaths due to cancer, ischemic heart diseases, and respiratory diseases. The associations were consistent in men and women.
Meditation holds the potential to help treat children suffering from traumas, difficult diagnoses or other stressors Wayne State University, September 13, 2022
Children actively meditating experience lower activity in parts of the brain involved in rumination, mind-wandering and depression, our team found in the first brain-imaging study of young people under 18 years old. Over-activity in this collection of brain regions, known as the default mode network, is thought to be involved in the generation of negative self-directed thoughts – such as “I am such a failure” – that are prominent in mental disorders like depression.
In our study, we compared a simple form of distraction – counting backward from 10 – with two relatively simple forms of meditation: focused attention to the breath and mindful acceptance. Children in an MRI scanner had to use these techniques while watching distress-inducing video clips, such as a child receiving an injection.
We found that meditation techniques were more effective than distraction at quelling activity in that brain network. This reinforces research from our lab and others showing that meditation techniques and martial arts-based meditation programs are effective for reducing pain and stress in children with cancer or other chronic illnesses – and in their siblings – as well as in schoolchildren during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Researchers know a lot about what is happening in the brain and body in adults while they meditate, but comparable data for children has been lacking. Understanding what is happening in children’s brains when they meditate is important because the developing brain is wired differently from the adult brain.
Pace as important as 10,000 steps for health, finds new research University of Sydney and University of South Denmark, September 13, 2022
Two studies, published in JAMA Internal Medicine and JAMA Neurology, monitored 78,500 adults with wearable trackers—making these the largest studies to objectively track step count in relation to health outcomes.
The researchers from the University of Sydney, Australia and University of Southern Denmark found lowered risk of dementia, heart disease, cancer and death are associated with achieving 10,000 steps a day. However, a faster stepping pace like a power walk showed benefits above and beyond the number of steps achieved.
“The take-home message here is that for protective health benefits people could not only ideally aim for 10,000 steps a day but also aim to walk faster,” said co-lead author Dr. Matthew Ahmadi, Research Fellow at the University of Sydney’s Charles Perkins Centre and Faculty of Medicine and Health.
Key points:
- Every 2,000 steps lowered risk of premature death incrementally by 8 to 11 percent, up to approximately 10,000 steps a day.
- Similar associations were seen for cardiovascular disease and cancer incidence.
- A higher number of steps per day was associated with a lower risk of all-cause dementia
- 9,800 steps was the optimal dose linked to lower risk of dementia by 50 percent, however risk was reduced by 25 percent at as low as 3,800 steps a day
Feed a virus, starve a bacterial infection?
Yale University, September 8, 2022
A new study puts some old folk wisdom to “feed a cold and starve a fever” to the test. In mouse models of disease, Yale researchers looked at the effects of providing nutrients during infection and found opposing effects depending on whether the infections were bacterial or viral.
Mice with bacterial infections that were fed died, while those with viral infections who were fed lived.
“We were surprised at how profound the effects of feeding were, both positive and negative,” says senior author Ruslan Medzhitov, David W. Wallace Professor of Immunobiology and a Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator at Yale School of Medicine.
In the first series of experiments, the investigators infected mice with the bacterium Listeria monocytogenes, which commonly causes food poisoning. The mice stopped eating, and they eventually recovered. But when the mice were force fed, they died. The researchers then broke the food down by component and found fatal reactions when the mice were given glucose, but not when they were fed proteins or fats.
When the researchers did similar studies in mice with viral infections, they found the opposite effect. Mice infected with the flu virus A/WSN/33 survived when they were force fed glucose, but died when they were denied food or given 2-DG.
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Onion extracts lower blood pressure for hypertensives: study
University of Bonn (Germany), September 7, 2022
Taking onion skin-derived food supplements of the flavonol quercetin can lower blood pressure for people with hypertension, according to a new study published in the British Journal of Nutrition.
Researchers from the University of Bonn in Germany conducted a double-blind study on 68 overweight or obese volunteers with pre-hypertension or stage 1 hypertension, giving them either a quercetin-rich onion skin extract supplement or a placebo for six weeks.
While the subjects who were not classed as having high blood pressure did not show significant changes, those with high blood pressure saw positive results.
“Supplementation with 162 mg/d quercetin from onion skin extract lowers [ambulatory blood pressure] in patients with hypertension, suggesting a cardioprotective effect of quercetin. The mechanisms responsible for the [blood pressure]-lowering effect remain unclear,” wrote the study’s authors.
Quercetin is an antioxidant commonly found in plants, including onions, kale, apple skins, berries, citrus fruits and tea.
Participants with hypertension saw their systolic blood pressure fall an average of 3.6 mmHg, which the authors suggested “would be clinically meaningful when considered at the population level, particularly in view of the large population of people with pre-hypertension and stage I hypertension”.
The dose of 162 mg per day of quercetin-rich onion skin extract, in the form of three 54 mg capsules, was identified as being approximately 10 to 15 times the normal daily quercetin intake for people in the European Union. The study excluded people who consumed high levels of quercetin in their normal diets.
Older adults with regular activity routines are happier and do better on cognitive tests, study finds University of Pittsburgh, September 12, 2022
Older adults who consistently get up early and remain active throughout the day are happier and perform better on cognitive tests than those with irregular activity patterns, according to a new study led by University of Pittsburgh researchers.
The findings, published online in JAMA Psychiatry, suggest that patterns of activity—not just activity intensity—are important for healthy aging and mental health.
“There’s something about getting going early, staying active all day and following the same routine each day that seems to be protecting older adults,” said lead author Stephen Smagula, Ph.D., assistant professor of psychiatry and epidemiology at Pitt. “What’s exciting about these findings is that activity patterns are under voluntary control, which means that making intentional changes to one’s daily routine could improve health and wellness.”
To learn more about daily activity patterns in U.S.-based older adults and identify links with mental health and cognition, Smagula and his team recruited 1,800 senior citizens aged over 65. Participants wore accelerometers—movement-detecting devices often found in smartphones and exercise trackers—on their wrists for seven days to measure activity, and they completed questionnaires to assess depression symptoms and cognitive function.
The analysis showed that 37.6% of participants rose early in the morning, stayed active throughout the day and had consistent daily routines.
Another group comprising 32.6% of participants similarly had consistent daily patterns but the participants were active for an average of just 13.4 hours each day because they rose later in the morning or settled down earlier in the evening. This group had more depression symptoms and poorer cognition than the early risers.
The remaining 29.8% of participants had disrupted activity patterns in which periods of activity were erratic throughout the day and inconsistent across days. These adults had the highest rates of depression and performed worst on cognitive tests.
Smagula said that the first step to developing a consistent routine and getting better sleep is waking up at the same time each day—no matter how tired you are.
“The other thing is having a realistic plan to keep active through the whole day. This can be really hard—especially if you’re in a slump or recovering from an injury—so it’s important to be reasonable with yourself,” he added. “A plan could include making a list of activities you enjoy and scheduling time to meet a friend or neighbor.”
Weight loss water: Drinking before each meal aids weight reduction
University of Birmingham (UK), September 9, 2022
Drinking 500 ml of water around 30 minutes before main meals could help obese and overweight people to lose more weight, according to new research.
The study, published in Obesity, tested the simple intervention of ‘preloading’ with water over a 12 week period – finding that people who drank 500ml of water at half an hour before eating main meals lost, on average, 1.3kg (2.87lbs) more than those in the control group who did not preload.
“The beauty of these findings is in the simplicity,” commented study lead author Dr Helen Parretti, who is from the University of Birmingham, UK. “Just drinking a pint of water, three times a day, before your main meals may help reduce your weight.”
Indeed, the UK-based team reported that preloading before all three main meals in the day resulted in an average loss of 4.3kg (9.48lbs) over the 12 weeks, whereas those who only preloaded once, or not at all, lost an average of 0.8kg (1.76lbs).
“Losing a few extra pounds over the course of a year can be significant to an individual, and this could be an easy way to help with that weight loss,” Parretti added. “It’s a simple message that has the potential to make a real contribution to public health.”
After twelve weeks, Parretti and her team measured weight loss between the two groups – finding that participants who were instructed to consume 500 ml of water 30 min before main meals lost 1.3 kg more than the comparator group.
According to the findings, 27% of those in the preloading intervention group lost more than 5% of their body weight during the 12 week trial, while only 5% in the comparator group lost the same amount.
Exercise hormone halts Parkinson’s disease symptoms in mouse study Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, September 12, 2022
Researchers from Johns Hopkins Medicine and the Dana Farber Cancer Institute in Boston have shown that a hormone secreted into the blood during endurance, or aerobic, exercise reduces levels of a protein linked to Parkinson’s disease and halts movement problems in mice.
If confirmed in additional laboratory research and clinical trials, the researchers’ study in mice engineered to have Parkinson’s disease symptoms could pave the way for a Parkinson’s disease therapy based on the hormone irisin.
In the past decade, other laboratories have found that exercise elevates levels of irisin, and there is interest in looking into the connection between irisin and Alzheimer’s disease as well as Parkinson’s disease.
In the laboratory model, the researchers found that irisin prevented the accumulation of alpha synuclein clumps and its associated brain cell death.
Additional studies of brain cells among the mice given irisin showed that the exercise hormone lowered levels of Parkinson’s disease-related alpha synuclein between 50% and 80%. The research team demonstrated that irisin also speeds up the transport and degradation of alpha synuclein via fluid-filled sacs called lysosomes in brain cells.
Common antidepressant may change brain
Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center, September 4, 2022
A commonly prescribed antidepressant may alter brain structures in depressed and non-depressed individuals in very different ways, according to new research at Wake Forest Baptist MedicalCenter.
The study – conducted in nonhuman primates with brain structures and functions similar to those of humans – found that the antidepressant sertraline, a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) marketed as Zoloft, significantly increased the volume of one brain region in depressed subjects but decreased the volume of two brain areas in non-depressed subjects.
In the study, 41 middle-aged female monkeys were fed a diet formulated to replicate that consumed by many Americans for 18 months, during which time depressive behavior in the animals was recorded. Female monkeys were chosen for this study because depression is nearly twice as common in women as men and the use of antidepressants is most common in women ages 40 to 59.
After the 18-month pre-study phase, the monkeys were divided into two groups balanced for body weight, body mass index and depressive behavior. For the next 18 months, 21 monkeys received sertraline in daily doses comparable to those taken by humans while a group of 20 received a placebo. This treatment regimen is analogous to a human taking an antidepressant for approximately five years.
MRI images taken at the end of the treatment phase revealed that in depressed subjects the drug significantly increased the volume of one region of the brain, the anterior cingulate cortex, while decreasing the volume of this same region and the hippocampus in non-depressed subjects. Both of these areas are highly interconnected with other areas of the brain; are critical in a wide array of functions including memory, learning, spatial navigation, will, motivation and emotion; and are implicated in major depressive disorder.
Daytime eating may benefit mental health Brigham and Women’s Hospital, September 12, 2022
Beating the blues with food? A new study adds evidence that meal timing may affect mental health, including levels of depression- and anxiety-related mood. Investigators from Brigham and Women’s Hospital, a founding member of the Mass General Brigham health care system, designed a study that simulated night work and then tested the effects of daytime and nighttime eating versus daytime eating only. The team found that, among participants in the daytime and nighttime eating group, depression-like mood levels increased by 26% and anxiety-like mood levels by 16%. Participants in the daytime-only eating group did not experience this increase, suggesting that meal timing may influence mood vulnerability. Results are published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
“Our findings provide evidence for the timing of food intake as a novel strategy to potentially minimize mood vulnerability in individuals experiencing circadian misalignment, such as people engaged in shift work, experiencing jet lag, or suffering from circadian rhythm disorders,” said co-corresponding author Frank A. J. L. Scheer, Ph.D., Director of the Medical Chronobiology Program in the Brigham’s Division of Sleep and Circadian Disorders.
The team found that meal timing significantly affected the participants’ mood levels. During the simulated night shift (day 4), those in the Daytime and Nighttime Meal Control Group had increased depression-like mood levels and anxiety-like mood levels, compared to baseline (day 1). In contrast, there were no changes in mood in the Daytime Meal Intervention Group during the simulated night shift. Participants with a greater degree of circadian misalignment experienced more depression- and anxiety-like mood.
“Meal timing is emerging as an important aspect of nutrition that may influence physical health,” said Chellappa. “But the causal role of the timing of food intake on mental health remains to be tested. Future studies are required to establish if changes in meal timing can help individuals experiencing depressive and anxiety/anxiety-related disorders.”
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Dr. Katarina Lindley is a board-certified family physician with a direct primary care practice in Texas. Having grown up in Croatia war-torn Yugoslavia, she traveled and lived in Western Europe before arriving in the US to attend medical school in Florida. In addition to her clinical practice Kat has been active in medical activism to improve our broken healthcare system. Kat is an active member in several medical and civic organizations including the American Academy of Physicians and Surgeons and the American College of Osteopathic Family Physicians. She is on the Steering Committee of World Council for Health, a global network of over 130 organizations in 40 countries taking a lead in addressing the failures of government health ministries failures in dealing with the Covid-19 pandemic. ahe has testified in various health committees in the USA and internationally, including giving testimony at the FDA against the scientific rationale to vaccinate children with the Covid vaccines and boosters. Kat’s website is KatLindleyDO.com and WorldCouncilForHealth.org
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Frequent nut consumption associated with less inflammation
Brigham and Women’s Hospital, September 1, 2022
In a study of more than 5,000 people, investigators from Brigham and Women’s Hospital have found that greater intake of nuts was associated with lower levels of biomarkers of inflammation, a finding that may help explain the healthbenefits of nuts. The results of the study appear in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
“Population studies have consistently supported a protective role of nuts against cardiometabolic disorders such as cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes, and we know that inflammation is a key process in the development of these diseases,” said corresponding author Ying Bao, MD, ScD, an epidemiologist in BWH’s Channing Division of Network Medicine. “Our new work suggests that nuts may exert their beneficial effects in part by reducing systemic inflammation.”
Previously Bao and her colleagues observed an association between increased nut consumption and reduced risk of major chronic diseases and even death, but few prospective cohort studies had examined the link between nut intake and inflammation. In the current study, the research team performed a cross-sectional analysis of data from the Nurses’ Health Study, which includes more than 120,000 female registered nurses, and from the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study, which includes more than 50,000 male health professionals. The team assessed diet using questionnaires and looked at the levels of certain telltale proteins known as biomarkers in blood samples collected from the study participants. They measured three well-established biomarkers of inflammation: C-reactive protein (CRP), interleukin 6 (IL6) and tumor necrosis factor receptor 2 (TNFR2).
After adjusting for age, medical history, lifestyle and other variables, they found that participants who had consumed five or more servings of nuts per week had lower levels of CRP and IL6 than those who never or almost never ate nuts. In addition, people who substituted three servings per week of nuts in place of red meat, processed meat, eggs or refined grains had significantly lower levels of CRP and IL6.
Peanuts and tree nuts contain a number of healthful components including magnesium, fiber, L-arginine, antioxidants and unsaturated fatty acids such as α-linolenic acid. Researchers have not yet determined which of these components, or if the combination of all of them, may offer protection against inflammation, but Bao and her colleagues are interested in exploring this further through clinical trials that would regulate and monitor diet.
“Much remains unknown about how our diet influences inflammation and, in turn, our risk of disease,” said Bao. “But our study supports an overall healthful role for nuts in the diet and suggests reducing inflammation as a potential mechanism that may help explain the benefits of nuts on cardiometabolic diseases.”
Blueberry extract could help fight gum disease and reduce antibiotic use
Laval University (Quebec), September 2, 2022
Gum disease is a common condition among adults that occurs when bacteria form biofilms or plaques on teeth, and consequently the gums become inflamed. Some severe cases, called periodontitis, call for antibiotics. But now scientists have discovered that wild blueberry extract could help prevent dental plaque formation. Their report in ACS’ Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry could lead to a new therapy for periodontitis and a reduced need for antibiotics.
Many people have had some degree of gum inflammation, or gingivitis, caused by dental plaque. The gums get red and swollen, and they bleed easily. If left unchecked, the condition can progress to periodontitis. The plaque hardens into tartar, and the infection can spread below the gum line and destroy the tissue supporting the teeth. To treat this condition, dentists scrape off the tartar and sometimes have to resort to conventional antibiotics. But recently, researchers have started looking at natural antibacterial compounds to treat gum disease. Daniel Grenier and colleagues wanted to see if blueberry polyphenols, which work against foodborne pathogens, could also help fight Fusobacterium nucleatum, one of the main species of bacteria associated with periodontitis.
In the lab, the researchers tested extracts from the wild lowbush blueberry, Vaccinium angustifolium Ait., against F. nucleatum. The polyphenol-rich extracts successfully inhibited the growth of F. nucleatum, as well as its ability to form biofilms. It also blocked a molecular pathway involved in inflammation, a key part of gum disease. The researchers say they’re developing an oral device that could slowly release the extract after deep cleaning to help treat periodontitis.
Meat consumption contributing to global obesity
University of Adelaide, August 11, 2022
Should we be warning consumers about over-consumption of meat as well as sugar?
That’s the question being raised by a team of researchers from the University of Adelaide, who say meat in the modern diet offers surplus energy, and is contributing to the prevalence of global obesity.
“Our findings are likely to be controversial because they suggest that meat contributes to obesity prevalence worldwide at the same extent as sugar,” says Professor Maciej Henneberg.
“In the analysis of obesity prevalence across 170 countries, we have found that sugar availability in a nation explains 50% of obesity variation while meat availability another 50%. After correcting for differences in nations’ wealth (Gross Domestic Product), calorie consumption, levels of urbanization and of physical inactivity, which are all major contributors to obesity, sugar availability remained an important factor, contributing independently 13%, while meat contributed another 13% to obesity.
“While we believe it’s important that the public should be alert to the over-consumption of sugar and some fats in their diets, based on our findings we believe meat protein in the human diet is also making a significant contribution to obesity,” Professor Henneberg says.
“There is a dogma that fats and carbohydrates, especially fats, are the major factors contributing to obesity,” Mr You says.
“Whether we like it or not, fats and carbohydrates in modern diets are supplying enough energy to meet our daily needs. Because meat protein is digested later than fats and carbohydrates, this makes the energy we receive from protein a surplus, which is then converted and stored as fat in the human body.”
“Nevertheless, it is important that we show the contribution meat protein is making to obesity so that we can better understand what is happening. In the modern world in which we live, in order to curb obesity it may make sense for dietary guidelines to advise eating less meat, as well as eating less sugar,” he says.
Study suggests possible link between artificial sweeteners and heart disease French National Institute for Health and Medical Research, September 7, 2022
A large study of French adults published by The BMJ today suggests a potential direct association between higher artificial sweetener consumption and increased cardiovascular disease risk, including heart attack and stroke.
The findings indicate that these food additives, consumed daily by millions of people and present in thousands of foods and drinks, should not be considered a healthy and safe alternative to sugar, in line with the current position of several health agencies.
Artificial sweeteners are widely used as no- or low-calorie alternatives to sugar. They represent a $7.2 billion (£5900m; €7000m) global market and are found in thousands of products worldwide, particularly ultra-processed foods such as artificially sweetened drinks, some snacks, and low calorie ready meals.
Several studies have linked consumption of artificial sweeteners or artificially sweetened beverages (ASB) to weight gain, high blood pressure, and inflammation.
To investigate this further, a team of researchers at the French National Institute for Health and Medical Research (Inserm) and colleagues drew on data for 103,388 participants (average age 42 years; 80% female) of the web-based NutriNet-Santé study, launched in France in 2009 to investigate relations between nutrition and health.
Dietary intakes and consumption of artificial sweeteners were assessed by repeated 24-hour dietary records and a range of potentially influential health, lifestyle, and sociodemographic factors were taken into account.
A total of 37% of participants consumed artificial sweeteners, with an average intake of 42.46 mg/day, which corresponds to approximately one individual packet of table top sweetener or 100 mL of diet soda.
The researchers found that total artificial sweetener intake was associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease (absolute rate 346 per 100,000 person years in higher consumers and 314 per 100,000 person years in non-consumers).
Artificial sweeteners were more particularly associated with cerebrovascular disease risk (absolute rates 195 and 150 per 100,000 person-years in higher and non-consumers, respectively).
Aspartame intake was associated with increased risk of cerebrovascular events (186 and 151 per 100,000 person-years in higher and non-consumers, respectively), while acesulfame potassium and sucralose were associated with increased coronary heart disease risk (acesulfame potassium: 167 and 164 per 100,000 person-years; sucralose: 271 and 161 per 100,000 person-years in higher and non-consumers, respectively).
Your soap and toothpaste could be messing with your microbiome
University of Chicago, September 2, 2022
Antimicrobial chemicals found in common household products could be wreaking havoc with people’s guts, according to a research paper out this week in the journal Science.
Triclosan is an antibacterial compound used in soaps, detergent and toothpaste, as well as toys and plastics. It was originally only used in hospitals, but it found its way into homes as Americans became more germ-phobic. (However, recent studies have found it no more effective at killing bacteria than plain soap. )
Now, there are growing concerns about the possible negative effects of the chemical on human health and the environment. According to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), animal studies have shown that the chemical can act as a hormone disruptor. A 2008 study found traces of triclosan in the urine of 75% of the participants – some as young as six. The chemical has also been found in more than half of freshwater streams in the US.
Disturbing the human microbiome has been “linked to a wide array of diseases and metabolic disorders, including obesity, inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and behavioral and metabolic disorders,” wrote the paper’s authors, Alyson L Yee and Jack A Gilbert.
Yee and Gilbert also suggested that exposure to triclosan could be even more detrimental to the health of developing fetuses and newborns than to adults. A 2014 New York University study found that gut disruptions in early infancy could have lasting negative effects on immune and brain development.
Triclosan could also be contributing to antibiotic resistance, which scientists believe is caused by the overuse of antimicrobials in humans and animals. There are partial bans of the chemical in the European Union and in Minnesota, and the FDA says it will continue reviewing the chemical for its safety.
Exposure to phthalates could be linked to pregnancy loss
Peking University, September 2, 2022
A new study of more than 300 women suggests that exposure to certain phthalates — substances commonly used in food packaging, personal-care and other everyday products — could be associated with miscarriage, mostly between 5 and 13 weeks of pregnancy. The research, appearing in the ACS journal Environmental Science & Technology, is the first epidemiological study on non-work-related exposure to phthalates to provide evidence for the possible link among a general population.
Out of concern over the potential health effects of phthalates, the U.S. has banned six of these substances from use in certain products made for young children. But many are still included as ingredients in paints, medical tubes, vinyl flooring, soaps, shampoos and other items. Research on phthalates has shown that long-term exposure to low levels of some of these compounds harms lab animals’ health and can increase their risk for pregnancy loss. Additionally, at least one study found that female factory workers exposed to high levels of phthalates through their work were at a higher risk for miscarriage. But there is little epidemiological evidence of phthalates’ effects on pregnancy among women with non-occupational exposure. Jianying Hu, Huan Shen and colleagues wanted to find out if there might be a link.
The researchers tested urine samples from 132 women who had miscarriages and 172 healthy pregnant women in China. They found pregnancy loss was associated with higher levels of urinary phthalate metabolites from diethyl phthalate (DEP), di-isobutyl phthalate (DiBP) and di-n-butyl phthalate (DnBP). Although this doesn’t prove that phthalates cause pregnancy loss, the study suggests an association exists that the researchers say should be studied further.
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Purple potato may pack cancer prevention punch – even after cooking Pennsylvania State University, September 1, 2022 Anthocyanin compounds found in purple potatoes may help in the prevention of certain types of cancer, even after cooking, say researchers.
The new data, published in the Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry, tested the potential for anthocyanin-containing purple potatoes to block the growth of cancer tumours, even when they have been cooked – after previous research suggested that the polyphenols found in purple potatoes (PP) may help to battle cancer.
Led by Venkata Charepalli from Pennsylvania State University, the team used laboratory tests including in vitro cell line investigations and animal modelling to test how PP impacted colon cancer growth, and in particular, colon cancer stem cells (CSCs), which have previously been suggested to be target by dietary bioactives such as curcumin.
The team reported that their data from in vitro and mouse models suggests that baked purple-fleshed potatoes suppressed the growth of colon cancer tumours by targeting the cancer’s stem cells.
They added that there may be several substances in purple potatoes that work simultaneously, and on multiple pathways, to help kill the colon cancer stem cells, including anthocyanins and chlorogenic acid, and resistant starch.
“Our earlier work and other research studies suggest that potatoes, including purple potatoes, contain resistant starch, which serves as a food for the gut bacteria, that the bacteria can covert to beneficial short-chain fatty acids such as butyric acid,” said study senior author Professor Jairam Vanamal – also of Penn State. “The butyric acid regulates immune function in the gut, suppresses chronic inflammation and may also help to cause cancer cells to self-destruct.”
Boosting physical activity and curbing sitting time are highly likely to lower breast cancer risk Breast Cancer Association Consortium (UK), September 6, 2022 Boosting physical activity levels and curbing sitting time are highly likely to lower breast cancer risk, finds research designed to strengthen proof of causation and published online in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.
The findings were generally consistent across all types and stages of the disease, reveals the Mendelian randomization study, prompting the researchers to recommend a stronger focus on exercise as a way of warding off breast cancer.
Mendelian randomization is a technique that uses genetic variants as proxies for a particular risk factor—in this case lifelong physical activity levels/sedentary behavior—to obtain genetic evidence in support of a causal relationship.
Observational studies show that physical inactivity and sedentary behavior are linked to higher breast cancer risk, but proving they cause breast cancer is another matter.
The researchers included data from 130,957 women of European ancestry: 69, 838 of them had tumors that had spread locally (invasive); 6667 had tumors that hadn’t yet done so (in situ); and a comparison group of 54,452 women didn’t have breast cancer.
Researchers estimated overall breast cancer risk, according to whether the women had or hadn’t gone through the menopause; and by cancer type (positive for estrogen or progesterone, or HER-2, or positive/negative for all 3 hormones), stage (size and extent of tumor spread), and grade (degree of tumor cell abnormality).
These case-control groups comprised: 23,999 pre/peri-menopausal women with invasive breast cancer and 17,686 women without; 45,839 postmenopausal women with breast cancer and 36,766 without.
Analysis of the data showed that a higher overall level of genetically predicted physical activity was associated with a 41% lower risk of invasive breast cancer, and this was largely irrespective of menopausal status, tumor type, stage, or grade.
Similarly, genetically predicted vigorous physical activity on 3 or more days of the week was associated with a 38% lower risk of breast cancer, compared with no self-reported vigorous activity. These findings were consistent across most of the case groups.
Finally, a greater level of genetically predicted sitting time was associated with a 104% higher risk of triple negative breast cancer. These findings were consistent across hormone-negative tumor types.
How the mind sharpens the senses
Ruhr University Bochum (Germany), August 27, 2022
A study conducted with experienced scholars of Zen-Meditation shows that mental focussing can induce learning mechanisms, similar to physical training. Researchers at the Ruhr-University Bochum and the Ludwig-Maximilians-University München discovered this phenomenon during a scientifically monitored meditation retreat. The journal Scientific Reports, from the makers of Nature, has now published their new findings on the plasticity of the brain.
The participants were all Zen-scholars with many years of meditation practice. The retreat was held in complete silence, with at least eight hours of meditation per day. All participants practiced their familiar meditation, which is characterized by a non-specific monitoring of thoughts and surroundings. Additionally, some participants applied a special finger-meditation for two hours per day, during which they were asked to specifically focus on their right index finger and become aware of spontaneously arising sensory percepts in this finger. Subsequent assessment of the group that practiced finger-meditation showed a significant improvement in the tactile acuity of the right index and middle finger. A control group that had maintained their familiar meditation practice for the whole time, showed no changes in tactile acuity.
In order to assess the sense of touch quantitatively, researchers measured the so-called “two-point discrimination threshold”. This marker indicates how far apart two stimuli need to be, in order to be discriminated as two separate sensations. After the finger meditation, the performance improved on average by 17 percent. By comparison, tactile acuity of the visually impaired is 15 to 25 percent above that of typical sighted individuals, because their sense of touch is used so intensively to make up for the reduced visual information. Hence, the changes induced by meditation are comparable to those achieved by intense long-term training.
It is known for long that extensive training induces neuroplasticity, which denotes the ability of the brain to adapt and restructure itself, thereby improving perception and behavior. Recently, the group of neuroscientists of the Neural Plasticity Lab headed by Hubert Dinse has shown that these processes can be initiated even without training by mere exposure to passive stimulation, which was translated only recently into a stimulating glove, which is used as therapeutical intervention in stroke patients. The fact that merely mental states without any physical stimulation can improve perception has now been shown for the first time. “The results of our study challenge what we know about learning mechanisms in the brain. Our concept of neuroplasticity must be extended, because mental activity seems to induce learning effects similar to active stimulation and physical training,” Dinse suggests.
Elderberry extract may improve obesity inflammation University of Connecticut , September 1, 2022 Black elderberry extract may improve obesity-related metabolic disturbances like triglyceride (TAG) levels, inflammation and insulin resistance, research in mice finds.
The researchers from the University of Connecticut in the US said dietary anthocyanins had been shown to reduce inflammation in animal models and to improve obesity-related complications – and black elderberry (Sambucus nigra) was one of the richest sources of these types of flavonoids.
“Overall, black elderberry extract appeared to attenuate systemic inflammation and insulin resistance that occurs with diet-induced obesity in this mouse model, but further research is warranted on black elderberry consumption and effects in humans,” they wrote in the British Journal of Nutrition.
Mice were fed either a low-fat diet, high-fat lard-based diet, a high-fat diet with 0.25% of the extract or a high-fat with 1.25% of the extract for a period of 16 weeks.
The black elderberry extracts amounted to an anthocyanin dose of 20–40 mg per kg of body weight for the 0.25% group and 100–200 mg for the 1.25% group.
After 16 weeks both extract groups had significantly lower liver weights, serum TAG and serum monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 – a serum marker linked to cardiovascular disease and diabetes – compared to the group given the high fat diet alone.
Liver weights were about 13% lower in both extract groups compared to the group given the high fat diet alone.
“Obese individuals have shortened life expectancies; however, they do not typically die of obesity itself but rather obesity-related comorbidities, such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes and certain types of cancers,” they said.
They said inflammation as a result of adipose fat and excessive accumulation of ectopic lipid in tissues was thought to be a key underlying cause of these obesity-related comorbidities, meaning methods that target and lower inflammation could be effective at preventing obesity-related conditions.
First Ground Breaking Study Shows How Rhodiola Rosea Protects People From Viral Infections
Appalachian State University August 26, 2022
Also known as arctic root or golden root, Rhodiola Rosea has already been clinically shown to stimulate serotonin, norepinephrine and dopamine activity, and support healthy neurotransmitter balance, but human trials have now shown the the herb protects against viral infection.
A 2002 review in HerbalGram, the journal of the American Botanical Council, reported that numerous studies of rhodiola in both humans and animals have indicated that it helps prevent fatigue, stress, and the damaging effects of oxygen deprivation. Evidence also suggests that it acts as an antioxidant, enhances immune system function, and can increase sexual energy. Rhodiola’s efficacy was confirmed in a 2011 review of 11 placebo-controlled human studies. The reviewers considered studies that all had study designs rated as moderate to good quality, and the analysis of their combined data concluded that rhodiola might have beneficial effects on physical performance, mental performance, and certain mental health conditions.
Nieman’s study “Rhodiola rosea exerts antiviral activity in athletes following a competitive marathon race,” which was published July 31 in Frontiers in Nutrition, is the first to show anti-viral activity.
In his study, 48 marathon runners participating in the 2012 Thunder Road Marathon in Charlotte were randomly divided into two groups that ingested either 600 milligrams of Rhodiola rosea or a placebo for a month before the race. Blood samples were collected the day before the marathon and 15 minutes and 1.5 hours post-race. Initial studies found no impact on inflammation and oxidative stress. Additional studies used an in vitro assay to measure the ability of the polyphenolic compounds to protect the cells against Vesicular stomatitis virus. The results demonstrated that Rhodiola rosea delayed viral infection for up to 12 hours after the marathon.
Nieman was the first scientist to find that marathon runners are prone to viral illnesses such as upper respiratory tract infections after competing. This discovery motivated him to research plant-based compounds that could prevent infection and enhance recovery and overall athletic performance.
Since Rhodiola rosea administration appears to impact central monoamine levels, it might also provide benefits and be the adaptogen of choice in clinical conditions characterised by an imbalance of central nervous system monoamines. It also suggests that research in areas such as seasonal affective disorder, fibromyalgia, and chronic fatigue syndrome, among others, is warranted.
“Basically after heavy exertion, bacteria and viruses can multiply at a higher rate than normal due to factors in the serum like stress hormones and inflammatory cytokines,” Nieman said. “This is why runners are six times more likely to get sick after a marathon. We showed that in those who used Rhodiola rosea the viruses could not multiply, meaning it was acting as a countermeasure.”
Rhodiola both stimulates and protects the immune system by reinstating homeostasis (metabolic balance) in the body. It also increases the natural killer cells (NK) in the stomach and spleen. This action may be due to its ability to normalise hormones by modulating the release of glucocorticoid into the body.
How does nature nurture the brain? Max Planck Society, September 6, 2022
After a 60-minute walk in nature, activity in brain regions involved in stress processing decreases. This is the finding of a recent study by the Lise Meitner Group for Environmental Neuroscience at the Max Planck Institute for Human Development, published in Molecular Psychiatry.
Living in a city is a well-known risk factor for developing a mental disorder, while living close to nature is largely beneficial for mental health and the brain. A central brain region involved in stress processing, the amygdala, has been shown to be less activated during stress in people who live in rural areas, compared to those who live in cities, hinting at the potential benefits of nature. “But so far the hen-and-egg problem could not be disentangled, namely whether nature actually caused the effects in the brain or whether the particular individuals chose to live in rural or urban regions,” says Sonja Sudimac, predoctoral fellow in the Lise Meitner Group for Environmental Neuroscience and lead author of the study.
To achieve causal evidence, the researchers from the Lise Meitner Group for Environmental Neuroscience examined brain activity in regions involved in stress processing in 63 healthy volunteers before and after a one-hour walk in Grunewald forest or a shopping street with traffic in Berlin using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). The results of the study revealed that activity in the amygdala decreased after the walk in nature, suggesting that nature elicits beneficial effects on brain regions related to stress.
“The results support the previously assumed positive relationship between nature and brain health, but this is the first study to prove the causal link. Interestingly, the brain activity after the urban walk in these regions remained stable and did not show increases, which argues against a commonly held view that urban exposure causes additional stress,” explains Simone Kühn, head of the Lise Meitner Group for Environmental Neuroscience.
The authors show that nature has a positive impact on brain regions involved in stress processing and that it can already be observed after a one-hour walk. This contributes to the understanding of how our physical living environment affects brain and mental health. Even a short exposure to nature decreases amygdala activity, suggesting that a walk in nature could serve as a preventive measure against developing mental health problems and buffering the potentially disadvantageous impact of the city on the brain.
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Green tea EGCG backed to prevent life-threatening ‘artery explosion’
Kyoto University, August 25, 2022
Drinking polyphenol-packed green tea could help to prevent a deadly condition in the body's main artery, according to new research in rats.
Writing in the Journal of Vascular Surgery, the Japanese research team reported that polyphenols from the nation's favourite drink, green tea, could offer benefits in preventing abdominal aneurysm expansion (AAA) – a serious condition characterised by destruction of the body’s main artery.
The new study from the Kyoto University team found that rats fed a green tea extract containing epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) developed AAA less frequently than rats that were not given the polyphenol.
"The type of polyphenol found in green tea [EGCG] has recently been shown to regenerate elastin, an essential protein that gives the artery its stretchy, yet sturdy, texture," explains Setozaki. "Considering that abdominal arterial aneurysms are caused by inflammation and the degradation of elastin components in the arterial wall, we thought drinking green tea may show promise for treatment."
The results confirmed that EGCG blocked AAA progression in the rat model by preserving the aortic thickness and elastin content through regeneration of elastin.
“Regular green tea consumption might be advantageous for patients with a small AAA or as a prophylactic strategy for AAA,” the team suggested.
Lower potassium intake linked to premature mortality risk
University of California at Irvine, September 2 2022.
A study reported on August 26, 2022, in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found a higher risk of dying during a median 5.8 to 7.8-year follow-up period in association with a lower intake of potassium. The risk was similar between individuals with normal or impaired kidney function.
“In healthy adults, higher dietary potassium intake is recommended given that potassium-rich foods are major sources of micronutrients, antioxidants, and fiber,” Yoko Narasaki of the University of California, Irvine and colleagues explained. “Yet among patients with advanced kidney dysfunction, guidelines recommend dietary potassium restriction given concerns about hyperkalemia [elevated blood potassium—ed.] leading to malignant arrhythmias and mortality.”
The investigation included 37,893 continuous participants in the National Health and Nutrition Education Survey (NHANES, 1999–2014) whose potassium intake was calculated from 24-hour dietary recall interviews. Mortality data was collected through the end of 2014.
Among subjects with impaired kidney function, those whose potassium intake was among the lowest one-third had a risk of dying during a median 5.8-year follow-up period that was 18% greater than those among the top third. For participants with normal kidney function, mortality risk for those among the lowest third was 17% higher during a median 7.8 years of follow-up.
High intake of potassium primarily from plant sources was associated with lower mortality during follow-up in comparison with a low intake of the mineral from animal-dominant sources. In the group with impaired kidney function, a 24% greater risk of mortality during follow-up occurred among those who consumed a low amount of potassium paired with a high amount of protein compared to high potassium/high protein.
“Lower dietary potassium scaled to energy intake was associated with higher mortality, irrespective of kidney function,” the authors concluded. “Further studies are needed to elucidate pathways linking potassium intake and co-existing dietary factors with survival in populations with and without chronic kidney disease.”
People who lack compassion for the environment are also less emotional in general University of Michigan, September 2, 2022
People who respond less emotionally to images of damage to the environment are also less emotional and empathic in general, according to a new University of Michigan study.
Differences in political ideology can limit policy adjustments that address climate change. Researchers and practitioners often raise concern by appealing to people's empathy.
However, some people appear less emotionally impacted by environmental destruction—particularly those who are more ideologically conservative and less pro-environmental, the study showed.
In a series of online experiments in the U.S., psychology professor Stephanie Preston examined the emotional responses of more than 600 people in a variety of contexts.
People not concerned when viewing pictures of damage to the environment—such as oil spills on fire in a gulf—also did not feel bad about other images including crying babies, officers in distress, injured athletes, wounded soldiers and even moldy food.
Consistent with this lack of contagious distress, more "impassive" people said that they felt less empathy for those in daily life and were less pro-environmental and less awed by nature. This group also responded less to positive images such as happy babies, ice cream and stacks of money, the research showed.
The study's results suggest that some people's lack of concern for the environment may not be particularly political or reflect a specific disinterest in the environment. It is instead a characteristic of their broader emotional palette, Preston said.
"Given that our sense of risk and decisions are strongly guided by emotions, more impassive people are less inclined to dedicate resources to this slowly building crisis," she said.
Amino acid supplements may boost vascular endothelial function in older adults: Study University of Alabama, August 28, 2022 A combination of HMB (a metabolite of leucine), glutamine and arginine may improve vascular function and blood flow in older people, says a new study.
Scientists from the University of Alabama report that a supplement containing HMB (beta-hydroxy-beta-methylbutyrate), glutamine and arginine (Juven by Abbott Nutrition) increased flow-mediated dilation (FMD - a measure of blood flow and vascular health) by 27%, whereas no changes were observed in the placebo group.
However, the researchers did not observe any changes to markers of inflammation, including high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha)
“Our results indicate that 6 months of dietary supplementation with HMB, glutamine and arginine had a positive impact on vascular endothelial function in older adults,” wrote the researchers, led by Dr Amy Ellis in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition . “These results are clinically relevant because reduced endothelial-dependent vasodilation is a known risk factor for cardiovascular diseases
Break A Sweat For Your Brain: Exercise Protects Aging Synapses University of California at San Francisco, September 2, 2022
Scientists at UC San Francisco have found that the brains of physically active elderly adults contain more of a specific type of protein known to enhance the connections between neurons and help maintain healthy cognition. Importantly, autopsies show this held up even among people whose brains contained high levels of toxic proteins associated with Alzheimer’s and other neurodegenerative diseases.
“Our work is the first that uses human data to show that synaptic protein regulation is related to physical activity and may drive the beneficial cognitive outcomes we see,” says lead study author Kaitlin Casaletto, PhD, an assistant professor of neurology, in a university release.
“Maintaining the integrity of these connections between neurons may be vital to fending off dementia, since the synapse is really the site where cognition happens,” Dr. Casaletto adds. “Physical activity—a readily available tool—may help boost this synaptic functioning.”
The analysis revealed older adults who had remained active displayed higher levels of proteins that make the exchange of information between neurons possible. Moreover, researchers admit it was surprising to see the beneficial effects extend beyond just the hippocampus — the mind’s memory center — to additional brain regions associated with cognitive function. “It may be that physical activity exerts a global sustaining effect, supporting and stimulating healthy function of proteins that facilitate synaptic transmission throughout the brain,” Dr. Honer explains.
Fermented soymilk isoflavones could cut UV damage
Yakult Central Institute (Japan), August 30, 2022
Consuming fermented soymilk products may help protect against ultraviolet radiation damage by increasing the number of isoflavone compounds in the body, according to a study on mice.
Researchers from the Yakult Central Institute in Japan tested female hairless mice, feeding groups of six soymilk (SM) or fermented soymilk (FSM), with additional untreated and control groups. They found mice fed on FSM showed less skin reddening and skin thickening compared to those fed on regular soymilk.
The researchers found that isoflavone concentrations in the blood and UV-exposed skin were significantly higher in the FSM group compared to the SM mice. They had previously found isoflavone absorption is higher for subjects fed aglycone-enriched FSM compared to glucoside-enriched SM.
We believe that the higher delivery of genistein and daidzein to the serum and dorsal skin is due to differences in effectiveness between FSM and SM,” they added.
“Because of their similar structures, isoflavones exert oestrogen-like activity and can protect against hormone-dependent diseases. We believe that the oestrogen-like activity of isoflavones from FSM partly compensates for the oestrogen depletion in [ovariectomised] hairless mice, preventing the photodamage induced by UVB irradiation,” they added.
Omega-3 fatty acid supplementation could help with cognitive depression Duke University, August 27 2022.
An article appearing in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology: Heart Failure reported the outcome of a pilot study that found an association between supplementation with the omega-3 fatty acids EPA and DHA and reduced cognitive depression in heart failure patients. Cognitive depression is characterized by subjective symptoms such as pessimism and sadness, while somatic depression includes physical manifestations that include fatigue and sleep disturbances.
The study included 108 patients with a major depressive disorder, chronic heart failure and low blood levels of omega-3 fatty acids. Participants received fish oil containing EPA and DHA, a high EPA supplement or a placebo daily for 12 weeks. Blood samples collected before and after treatment were evaluated for red blood cell EPA and DHA, the Omega-3 Index and other factors.
Omega-3 values increased in both the EPA/DHA and EPA only groups, while the placebo group showed little change. Higher omega-3 Index values were associated with lower cognitive depression scores. Social functioning as evaluated by a general health survey significantly improved with EPA/DHA supplementation and showed a tendency toward improvement in the high EPA group.
"This was a study in already depressed individuals, which meant the researchers are looking to high-dose (although it could have been higher) omega-3 supplements to improve depressive symptoms, like a drug," noted coauthor William S. Harris, PhD. "Generally, we think of the function of omega-3s as preventative rather than as treatment. If used as treatment, the dose must be fairly high (4 grams is a typical 'drug' dose) and blood levels must be measured.”
Groundbreaking Study Shows Fasting Can Slow Aging, Rebuild Immune System
University of Southern California, August 28, 2022
Cutting-edge research reveals that occasionally adopting a diet that mimics the effects of fasting may provide dramatic health benefits.
“Fasting flips a regenerative switch essentially regenerating the entire immune system. It gives the OK for stem cells to go begin proliferating and rebuild the entire system,” said Prof Valter Longo, Professor of Gerontology and the Biological Sciences at the University of California.
A study, led by USC’s Dr. Valter, revealed that a “cycles of a four-day low-calorie diet that mimics fasting (FMD) cut visceral belly fat and elevated the number of progenitor and stem cells in several organs of old mice — including the brain, where it boosted neural regeneration and improved learning and memory,” according to USC News.
Dr. Longo notes that strict fasting can be difficult for people to adhere to, and also has the potential to be dangerous, while pointing out that a fasting mimicking diet is much safer and easier.
“Strict fasting is hard for people to stick to, and it can also be dangerous, so we developed a complex diet that triggers the same effects in the body,” said Longo, Edna M. Jones Professor of Biogerontology at the USC Davis School of Gerontology and director of the USC Longevity Institute. “I’ve personally tried both, and the fasting mimicking diet is a lot easier and also a lot safer.”
The fasting mimicking diet cuts a person’s daily caloric intake over the fasting period down to 34 to 54 percent of their daily average, with a specific balance of micronutrients, fats, carbohydrates, and proteins.
In previous groundbreaking research, Longo has shown how fasting can protect immune and other cells from chemotherapy toxicity, while simultaneously starving out cancer cells. Fasting for seventy-two hours protected cancer patients against the toxic impact of chemotherapy:
“The good news is the body got rid of the parts in the system which might be damaged or old and inefficient parts, during the fasting. If you start with a system heavily damaged by chemotherapy or aging, fasting cycles can generate, literally, a new immune system,” he said.
“It’s about reprogramming the body so it enters a slower aging mode, but also rejuvenating it through stem cell-based regeneration,” Longo said. “It’s not a typical diet because it isn’t something you need to stay on.”
“If the results remain as positive as the current ones, I believe this FMD will represent the first safe and effective intervention to promote positive changes associated with longevity and health span, which can be recommended by a physician,” Longo told USC News. “We will soon meet with FDA officers to pursue several FDA claims for disease prevention and treatment.”
“Micro-breaks” from tasks show promise in boosting wellbeing
West University of Timioara (Romania), August 31, 2022
A review of 22 previously published studies suggests that taking micro-breaks—discontinuing a task for periods of 10 minutes or less—is generally associated with reduced fatigue and increased vigor. Patricia Albulescu of the West University of Timioara, Romania, and colleagues present these findings in the open-access journal PLOS ONE .
Concerns are rising over the heavy workloads and long shifts faced by many employees currently in the work force. An increasing number of studies explore various aspects of employee energy management and recovery, often focused on recovery after the workday is over. However, the potential effects of recovery processes during the workday remain unclear.
To improve understanding, Albulescu and colleagues conducted a meta-analysis of 22 studies from 19 manuscripts published within the last 30 years, all of which examined the potential benefits of taking micro-breaks from assigned tasks. Tasks varied between experiments and included work simulations, real work-related tasks, and non-work-related cognitive tests. Types of breaks varied as well, including physical breaks, relaxing activities, and more engaging activities, such as watching videos.
Statistical analysis of the combined study results revealed an overall association between micro-breaks, higher levels of vigor, and lower fatigue in participants, suggesting that micro-breaks may contribute to wellbeing.
These findings support micro-breaks as a potential strategy for boosting wellbeing in the workplace. However, when it comes to job performance, longer breaks may be needed for recovery from more cognitively demanding tasks. Future research could investigate longer breaks as well as address other remaining questions, such as optimal activities to engage in during a micro-break.
Mindfulness training improves diabetes symptoms and blood sugar levels
VA Healthcare System in Pittsburg, August 24, 2022
It's easy to let current circumstances in our lives dictate our thoughts and feelings. When a problem arises, if we get sick, we are quick to blame it on anything but ourselves. In this way, we are undermining the power of our own thoughts and intentions at work, in us and around us, guiding our present reality.
Instead of letting negative circumstances and illness just happen to us, we should embrace the power of mindfulness, allowing ourselves to instead happen to the universe around us. The awareness of our bodily functions, our breathing, our thinking, our motives and the way we treat others helps us be mindful and aware, putting us in the driver seat of determining our paths through life.
Research recently presented at the American Association of Diabetes Educators Annual Meeting & Exhibition showed that positive mindfulness training can help improve diabetes symptoms and blood sugar levels. The research was carried out on 28 veterans with type 1 and type 2 diabetes at the VA Healthcare System in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, as part of the Mindful Stress Reduction in Diabetes Education program (Mind-STRIDE).
Diabetes-related stress falls significantly in veterans during mindfulness training and deep breathing meditation
Veterans' glucose levels drop dramatically as diabetes-related distress falls 41 percent
The changes over the course of the training were significant. Three months after mindfulness training, diabetes-related distress for all 28 veterans fell 41 percent!
A1C levels dropped significantly, almost measuring under the ideal 7.0 range. They went from 8.3 before the mindfulness training to 7.3 after the classes. On top of that, veterans completed diabetes self-management goals with more efficiency after the training. They were better problem solvers, began to eat healthier, were more active and coped better with stress.
An Oral Combination of Vitamins A, C, E, and Mg++ Improves hearing University of Castilla (Spain), August 28, 2022
According to news reporting originating in Albacete, Spain,research stated, "The increasing rate of age-related hearing loss (ARHL), with its subsequent reduction in quality of life and increase in health care costs, requires new therapeutic strategies to reduce and delay its impact. The goal of this study was to determine if ARHL could be reduced in a rat model by administering a combination of antioxidant vitamins A, C, and E acting as free radical scavengers along with Mg, a known powerful cochlear vasodilator (ACEMg)."
The news reporters obtained a quote from the research from the University of Castilla, "Toward this goal, young adult, 3 month-old Wistar rats were divided into two groups: one was fed with a diet composed of regular chow ('normal diet,' ND); the other received a diet based on chow enriched in ACEMg ('enhanced diet,' ED). Auditory brainstem recordings (ABR) were performed at 0.5, 1, 2, 4, 8, 16, and 32 kHz at 3, 6-8, and 12-14 months of age. No differences were observed at 3 months of age, in both ND and ED animals. At 6-8 and 12-14 months of age there were significant increases in auditory thresholds and a reduction in the wave amplitudes at all frequencies tested, compatible with progressive development of ARHL. However, at 6-8 months threshold shifts in ED rats were significantly lower in low and medium frequencies, and wave amplitudes were significantly larger at all frequencies when compared to ND rats. In the oldest animals, differences in the threshold shift persisted, as well as in the amplitude of the wave II, suggesting a protective effect of ACEMg on auditory function during aging."
According to the news reporters, the research concluded: "These findings indicate that oral ACEMg may provide an effective adjuvant therapeutic intervention for the treatment of ARHL, delaying the progression of hearing impairment associated with age."
Scientists use 'sleep age' to infer long-term health Stanford University, September 1, 2022
Sleep age is a projected age that correlates to one's health based on their quality of sleep. So for instance, if you analyze the sleep characteristics of dozens of 55-year-olds and average them out, you'll have an idea of what sleep looks like at that age. For instance, someone who's 55 and sleeps soundly through the night with good quality REM cycles could, theoretically, might have a sleep age of 45.
Sleep expert Emmanuel Mignot, MD, Ph.D., and his colleagues analyzed some 12,000 studies, each of which focused on an individual, that reported characteristics of their sleep—such as chin and leg movement, breathing and heartbeat. Their goal was to develop a system that assigns one's sleep age and, using machine learning, identifies the variations in sleep most closely linked to mortality.
I spoke with Mignot, who has studied sleep for 30 years, about why sleep age is important, how it's calculated and what the study's findings imply about our health.
Why study sleep age?
When you sleep, you're disconnected from sensory inputs—you're, ideally, not being bothered by the noisy external world or bright lights.
During sleep, it's not just the brain that's going through an automatic program, but heart rate and breathing also change, and variations in these can be early predictors of a health disturbance. We spend about a third of our lives sleeping, so it's a substantial component of our general well-being.
It's well known that, in pretty much any disorder, sleep is one of the first things that is disturbed. For example, about five or 10 years before other symptoms appear in Parkinson's disease patients, a specific sleep disturbance occurs during which the patient violently acts out dreams, shouts or punches into a wall.
What was the most important finding from the study?
Our main finding was that sleep fragmentation—when people wake up multiple times throughout the night for less than a minute without remembering it—was the strongest predictor of mortality. Though we see a link in the data, how it contributes to mortality is unknown. This is different from a person realizing they were waking up, which happens during sleep disorders such as insomnia.
Determining why sleep fragmentation is so detrimental to health is something we plan to study in the future.
Can we measure our own sleep age? Can it be improved?
The code is available for physicians and researchers, but the average person would likely have trouble running it through a computer. Regardless, it's not deterministic. There is enormous variation. Even if you have an older sleep age than your chronological age, it doesn't mean that your mortality risk is going to be higher. You see people chain smoking and drinking alcohol at 90 years old and you wonder, "How is this person surviving so long?" There is always huge natural variation.
Going to bed and waking up at regular hours is a key to improving your sleep. This means not oversleeping but ensuring you're fully rested. It's a different amount for everyone and often the window varies slightly—for example, being a night owl versus an early bird.
Getting solid light exposure—preferably with outside light—during the day, keeping the sleep environment dark at night, exercising regularly but not too close to bedtime, not drinking alcohol and caffeine around bedtime, and avoiding heavy nighttime meals all contribute to healthy sleep. And, of course, make sure any sleep disorder is treated.
We found that people with older sleep ages compared to their actual age are at an increased risk of mortality, based on the sleep of patients who later died. From other studies, we know that poor sleep is found in a variety of conditions such as sleep apnea, neurodegeneration, obesity and chronic pain. How poor sleep causes, exacerbates or results from these conditions is unknown.
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Green tea compound shows promise for treating rheumatoid arthritis
Washington State University August 25, 2022
A compound found in green tea could be an effective treatment for rheumatoid arthritis, according to the results of a new study.
Green tea being poured into a cup] EGCG – a compound found in green tea – could help treat rheumatoid arthritis, new research suggests. In the journal Arthritis and Rheumatology, researchers from Washington State University (WSU) in Spokane reveal how the compound – called epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) – reduced ankle swelling in a mouse model of the disease. Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a disease that affects the joints of the body, most commonly the joints of the hands, feet, wrists, elbows knees and ankles. In RA, the immune system mistakingly attacks the synovial tissues surrounding the joints, causing inflammation, swelling and pain. This can cause damage to the cartilage and bone.
Current treatments for RA include non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS), corticosteroids and JAK inhibitors. But study leader Salah-uddin Ahmed, of the WSU College of Pharmacy, notes that some of these treatments are expensive, reduce immune system activity and can be unsuitable for long-term use. In their study, Ahmed and colleagues suggest that the compound EGCG may be a promising alternative to current treatments for RA. EGCG targets key signaling protein to reduce RA inflammation EGCG is a chemical compound that belongs to a class of flavanols known as catechins.
After giving EGCG to mouse models of RA for 10 days, the team noticed that treatment with the compound led to a significant reduction in ankle swelling. The researchers found that EGCG reduces the activity of TAK1 – a key signaling protein through which pro-inflammatory cytokines transmit their signals to trigger the inflammation and tissue damage found in RA. What is more, the team says that EGCG reduced inflammation in RA without interfering with other cellular functions – unlike some current medications for the disease. According to Ahmed, their study suggests the green tea compound may be highly effective against RA.
Antioxidant-rich pomegranate juice may aid blood sugar management for diabetics: Human data
Jordan University of Science and Technology, August 20, 2022
Daily consumption of pomegranate juice may help control blood sugar levels in type-2 diabetics, as well as improving the function of beta cells in the pancreas, say data from a human trial.
Scientists from the Jordan University of Science and Technology report that pomegranate juice at a dose of 1.5 mL per kg of body weight (or 105 mL for a 70 kg human) was associated with reductions in fasting glucose levels in type-2 diabetics.
“Studying the effects of pomegranate consumption (in a juice form) on the reduction of blood glucose levels in type-2 diabetes patients could lead to a dietary approach to control this disease,” they added. “Since there are many herbs and fruits that are easily available and of value in controlling this disease, this study may contribute to a better understanding and improved management of type 2 diabetes by the individual.”
To investigate this, they recruited 85 people with type-2 diabetes and assigned them to receive 1.5 mL of the juice per kg of body weight. Blood sugar and insulin levels, and beta cell function were assessed three hours after ingestion. (Beta-cells are found in the pancreas and their primary function is to store and release insulin.)
Results showed that pomegranate juice was associated with significantly lower fasting glucose levels (8.5 mmol/L) compared with the control participants (9.44 mmol/L). However, this result was an average for the whole cohort and about 20% of the participants did not experience this benefit.
Going with the flow: Study shows canals and rivers help boost your mood King’s College London, August 31, 2022
Researchers report that the combination of blue and green space with wildlife, has a greater impact on well-being than spending time in an environment that is characterized by only green space.
The researchers used Urban Mind, a smartphone-based app, to collect thousands of real time audits about participants’ location and mental well-being.
Results from this first of its kind study showed positive associations between visits to canals and rivers and mental well-being, as well as a positive experience for feelings of safety and social inclusion relative to all other types of environments (such as indoors, or outside in an urban environment, or near green spaces).
Andrea Mechelli, Professor of Early Intervention in Mental Health, King’s College London, said, “Canals and rivers contain not only water but also an abundance of trees and plants, which means their capacity to improve mental well-being is likely to be due to the multiple benefits associated with both green and blue spaces. Canals and rivers also provide homes to a range of wildlife, and we know from other research that there is a positive association between encountering wildlife and mental well-being. Taken collectively, these findings provide an evidence base for what we thought about water and well-being and support the proposal that visits to canals and rivers could become part of social prescribing schemes, playing a role in supporting mental health.”
The study found that visiting canals and rivers was associated with a greater improvement in mental well-being, and this relationship was still present when accounting for individual variation due to age, gender, education, ethnicity, and a diagnosis of a mental health condition. People also reported continued improvements in their mental well-being for up to 24 hours after the visit had taken place.”The powerful mix of blue, green and wildlife-rich space shows that although built for industry, repurposed canals are actually amongst our most important places of health and well-being in our towns and cities.
Men, people over 65 sleep better when they have access to nature University of Illinois College of Agricultural, August 24, 2022
Men and persons age 65 and older who have access to natural surroundings, whether it’s the green space of a nearby park or a sandy beach and an ocean view, report sleeping better, according to a new University of Illinois study published in Preventive Medicine.
In the study, Grigsby-Toussaint worked with both U of I researchers and scientists from the New York University School of Medicine. The team used data from the CDC’s Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, which surveyed 255,171 representative U.S. adults, to learn whether there was an association between self-reported days of insufficient sleep and access to green space. The team also used a USDA index that scores the country’s geographical areas for their natural amenities, using hours of sunlight, which is important in regulating a person’s circadian rhythm, and temperature.
In response to the survey question about sleep quality in the last month, the researchers found that the most common answer was that respondents had slept poorly for less than one week.
“Interestingly, though, across the entire sample, individuals reporting 21 to 29 days of insufficient sleep consistently had lower odds of access to green space and natural amenities compared to those reporting less than one week,” she said.
For men, the relationship between sleep and exposure to green space was much stronger than for women. And males and females 65 and over found nature to be a potent sleep aid, she added.
Grigsby-Toussaint noted that living near green landscapes is associated with higher levels of physical activity and that exercise in turn predicts beneficial sleep patterns.
But men appeared to benefit much more from their natural surroundings. The researcher speculated that women may take less advantage of nearby natural settings out of concern for their safety, but she added that more research is needed.
New study links ultra-processed foods and colorectal cancer in men Tufts University and Harvard University, August 31 ,2022
For many Americans, the convenience of pre-cooked and instant meals may make it easy to overlook the less-than-ideal nutritional information, but a team led by researchers at Tufts University and Harvard University hope that will change after recently discovering a link between the high consumption of ultra-processed foods and an increased risk of colorectal cancer.
In a study published in the BMJ, researchers found that men who consumed high rates of ultra-processed foods were at 29% higher risk for developing colorectal cancer—the third most diagnosed cancer in the United States—than men who consumed much smaller amounts. They did not find the same association in women.
“We started out thinking that colorectal cancer could be the cancer most impacted by diet compared to other cancer types,” said Lu Wang, the study’s lead author and a postdoctoral fellow at the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts. “Processed meats, most of which fall into the category of ultra-processed foods, are a strong risk factor for colorectal cancer. Ultra-processed foods are also high in added sugars and low in fiber, which contribute to weight gain and obesity, and obesity is an established risk factor for colorectal cancer.”
The study analyzed responses from over 200,000 participants—159,907 women and 46,341 men—across three large prospective studies which assessed dietary intakeand were conducted over more than 25 years.
The analyses revealed differences in the ways that men and women consume ultra-processed foods and the prospective associated cancer risk. Out of the 206,000 participants followed for more than 25 years, the research team documented 1,294 cases of colorectal cancer among men, and 1,922 cases among women.
The team found the strongest association between colorectal cancer and ultra-processed foods among men come from the meat, poultry, or fish-based, ready-to-eat products. “These products include some processed meats like sausages, bacon, ham, and fish cakes. This is consistent with our hypothesis,” Wang said.
The team also found higher consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages, like soda, fruit-based beverages, and sugary milk-based beverages, is associated with an increased risk of colorectal cancer in men.
However, not all ultra-processed foods are equally harmful with regard to colorectal cancer risk. “We found an inverse association between ultra-processed dairy foods like yogurt and colorectal cancer risk among women,” said co-senior author Fang Fang Zhang, a cancer epidemiologist and interim chair of the Division of Nutrition Epidemiology and Data Science at the Friedman School.
Overall, there was not a link between ultra-processed food consumption and colorectal cancer risk among women. It’s possible that the composition of the ultra-processed foods consumed by women could be different than that from men.
“Foods like yogurt can potentially counteract the harmful impacts of other types of ultra-processed foods in women,” Zhang said.
8 Benefits of Pine Bark Extract for Your Brain GreenMedInfo, August 31, 2022
Our brains can be harmed by many factors such as disease, stress from the environment, physical injuries or natural aging but pine bark extract may be one key to a healthier brain
Pine bark extract (PE), trade name Pycnogenol (pronounced “pig-nah-gen-all”), has many beneficial properties such as being anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and neuroprotective. It can help with memory, cognition, inattention, hyperactivity, mood, thinking and various symptoms of brain injuries, aging and neurological diseases.
- Fights Inflammation and Protects the Brain
In a systematic review and meta-analysis of Pycnogenol supplementation on C-reactive protein (CRP) — a marker of oxidative stress — researchers examined five trials including 324 participants. Pycnogenol supplementation had a significant effect in reducing CRP and demonstrated a strong anti-inflammatory effect.[i]
In a study of gerbils, pine bark extract was administered at 100 milligrams (mg) per kilogram (kg) once a day for seven days before the brain was submitted to a brain ischemic injury.
The PE treatment markedly inhibited the death of neurons in the brain, significantly decreased the pro-inflammatory cytokines — interleukin 1β and tumor necrosis factor α — and showed a strong activation effect on anti-inflammatory cytokines of interleukin 4 (IL-4) and interleukin 13 (IL-13). Pine bark protected the brain and decreased inflammation.[ii]
- Improves Attention, Memory, Executive Functions and Mood in Healthy People
In a study over eight weeks, Pycnogenol supplementation improved sustained attention, memory, executive functions and mood ratings in 53 healthy students compared to an equivalent control group.[iii]
In a trial of 60 healthy professionals from 35 to 55 years old, half of the participants supplemented with Pycnogenol of 50 mg three times a day for 12 weeks in combination with a controlled health plan — regular sleep, balanced meals and daily exercise — and the other half followed only the health plan as the control group.
PE significantly improved mood by 16%, mental performance by 9%, attention by 13% and memory by 4%, and reduced oxidative stress by 30%, outperforming all results of the control group.[iv]
- Prevents Brain Aging and Cognitive Decline
Brain aging is a complex process involving changes in the brain’s structure, neuron activity and biochemical profile that has been linked to age-associated variations in cognitive function. Increased oxidative stress may also be an important factor related to reduced cognition in older people.
In a systematic review of over 100 research trials and animal studies, the antioxidant Pycnogenol significantly improved cognitive function after chronic administration.[v]
- Improves Cognition and Stress in the Mildly Impaired or Highly Oxidative Stressed
Eighty-seven healthy subjects with mild cognitive impairment scores were included in a trial with one group given standard management (SM) and the other half given Pycnogenol supplements for two months. The median increase in mild impairment scores was 18% with Pycnogenol compared to 2.48% in the SM group, largely due to its effects on oxidative stress levels.[vi]
In a study of 88 healthy patients ages 55 to 70 who had high oxidative stress, half were supplemented with 100 mg per day of Pycnogenol for 12 months and the other half were the control group followed as a reference point for a year. Those in the pine bark group had significantly improved cognitive function scores, attention and mental performance and lowered oxidative stress levels compared to those in the reference group.[vii]
- Increases Cognitive Function and Helps Symptoms in Parkinson’s Disease
Researchers studied 43 Parkinson’s disease (PD) patients who had been diagnosed at least one year before the trial. The condition was considered “mild,” with minimal progression.
The standard management (SM) for PD — carbidopa/levodopa — was used in a similar-sized reference group of PD subjects for comparison purposes. The trial subjects were supplemented with Pycnogenol of 150 mg per day along with SM for a period of four weeks.
Cognitive function was significantly higher with the Pycnogenol group. Target symptoms including tremors, rigidity, bradykinesia — slow or impaired movements in limbs — and speech were improved in the PE group compared to the control group. Oxidative stress was also significantly lower in the pine bark group at four weeks.[viii]
- Enhances Memory and Prevents Harmful Plaque and Tau Buildup in Alzheimer’s Disease
In Alzheimer’s disease (AD), the release of amyloid-beta (Aβ) is a marker. Aβ aggregates into oligomers, then plaques, which induce inflammatory responses, synapse loss and misfolding of tau, a second hallmark of AD. Accumulation of tau misfolding leads to tangles in the brain and neuron cell death impacting brain synapses in a pattern of progression closely related to cognitive decline, which can happen years before memory loss symptoms even appear.[ix]
Pycnogenol significantly decreased the number of plaques in both pre-onset and post-onset treatment paradigms and improved spatial memory in the pre-onset treatment only in an AD-induced mouse model.[x]
In an in vitro study of AD-induced animals, pine bark — Oligopin — prevented and halted the progression of AD preclinically by inhibiting oligomer formation of not only Aβ1-40 and Aβ1-42, but also tau in vitro.[xi]
- Reduces Inflammation and Improves Outcomes for Traumatic Brain Injuries
In a scientific trial of 67 traumatic brain injury (TBI) patients admitted to an intensive care unit (ICU), the intervention group received 150 mg of the PE supplement Oligopin with enteral nutrition — tube feeding through stomach or intestine — for 10 days while the control group received a placebo.[xii]
Pine bark supplementation significantly decreased inflammatory biomarkers of IL-6, IL-1β and CRP compared to the control group after 10 days. In addition, pine bark reduced clinical scores for acute physiology and chronic health evaluation as well as sequential organ failure. The Nutric score — a way to measure if a patient is under-nourished and at critical risk of dying[xiii] — was reduced compared to the control group as well.
Overall, the survival rate was 15% higher in the pine bark group compared to the placebo group. PE supplementation for TBI patients in ICUs reduced inflammation, improved their clinical status and malnutrition score and, thereby, reduced their mortality rate.
- Improves Attention, Focus, Thinking, Behavior and Antioxidant Levels in ADHD
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by impulsivity, distractibility and hyperactivity. One of the factors associated with ADHD is oxidative stress. Pycnogenol consists of bioflavonoids, catechins, procyanidins and phenolic acids.[xiv]
Pycnogenol acts as a powerful antioxidant stimulating certain enzymes, like superoxide dismutase (SOD) and endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS), which can defend against oxidative stress. In the pathophysiology of ADHD, damage to adrenaline, noradrenaline and dopamine metabolism occurs in the brain. These changes can modify attention, thinking and acting.[xv]
In a trial of 43 children ages 6 to 14 with ADHD, patients were administered Pycnogenol — 1 mg per kg of body weight every day — or a placebo of look-alike pills daily for a month. The PE group had a significant decrease in GSSG and a highly significant increase in GSH levels as well as improvement of GSH/GSSG ratio in comparison to the placebo group. The total antioxidant status (TAS) decreased in children with ADHD who took pine bark, showing a normalization of TAS in ADHD children.[xvii]
In a crossover study of 20 children with ADHD, participants experienced two experimental units — four weeks of pine bark supplementation with 25 or 50 mg PE and four weeks with placebo supplementation — separated by two weeks of a washout period. PE supplementation caused a significant reduction in inattention and hyperactivity-impulsivity measures.
HEALTH NEWS
Low magnesium linked to diabetic retinopathy Exercise Outweighs Genetics When It Comes To Longer Life Guarana found to have higher antioxidant potential than green tea Study links caesareans and cardiovascular risk Black tea drinkers live longer Unhealthy diet during pregnancy could be linked to ADHD
Low magnesium linked to diabetic retinopathy Soochow University (China), August 26 2022.
A study reported August 22, 2022, in Biological Trace Element Research found an association between low magnesium and a higher risk of diabetic retinopathy, a major visual complication of long-term diabetes.
“Low magnesium consumption has been linked to an increased risk of type 2 diabetic mellitus,” authors Yuan Chen of Soochow University in China and colleagues noted.
The body’s tight regulation of serum magnesium makes it a poor measure of total body magnesium status. Plasma magnesium also poorly reflects the body’s true magnesium status because of the kidneys’ reabsorption of the mineral. “The magnesium depletion score (MDS) index was recently proposed as a method of measuring magnesium shortage that took into consideration the pathophysiological factors influencing the kidneys’ reabsorption capability and was proven to be more sensitive and reliable than other clinical predictors of magnesium,” Chen and associates wrote.
The study utilized data obtained from 4,308 men and women enrolled in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2005–2018. Diabetes was present in 10.7% of the participants. Dietary questionnaire responses were used to estimate the amount of magnesium consumed each day.
Greater magnesium intake and lower magnesium depletion scores were associated with a decreased risk of diabetic retinopathy. A high amount of magnesium intake was associated with a reduced risk of diabetic retinopathy when the magnesium depletion score was at a middle level or lower.
“Our research indicates that magnesium deficiency predicts a higher risk of diabetic retinopathy in diabetic individuals and that magnesium supplementation may reduce the risk of diabetic retinopathy,” they concluded.
Exercise Outweighs Genetics When It Comes To Longer Life University of California at San Diego, August 26, 2022
If living into your 90s seems to run in the family, don’t just assume that means you will too. Our genetics make us who we are, but new research from the University of California, San Diego finds exercise trumps genes when it comes to promoting a longer life.
You don’t need a medical degree to know that forgoing physical activity in favor of stagnation isn’t the wisest choice for your health and longevity. But, certain people are genetically predisposed to live longer than others. The research team at UCSD set out to determine if such individuals don’t have to move quite as much as the rest of us to live just as long.
This research project began a decade ago. In 2012, as part of the Women’s Health Initiative Objective Physical Activity and Cardiovascular Health study (OPACH), study authors began keeping track of the physical activity habits among 5,446 older U.S. women (ages 63 or older). Subjects were tracked up until 2020, and wore a research-grade accelerometer for up to seven days. That device measured how much time they spent moving, the intensity of that physical activity, and their usual amount of sedentary time.
Sure enough, higher levels of light physical activity and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity were associated with a lower risk of dying during the tracking period. Additionally, more time spent sedentary was associated with a higher risk of mortality. Importantly, this observed connection between exercise and a longer life remained consistent even among women determined to have different levels of genetic predisposition for longevity.
“Our study showed that, even if you aren’t likely to live long based on your genes, you can still extend your lifespan by engaging in positive lifestyle behaviors such as regular exercise and sitting less,” explains senior study author Aladdin H. Shadyab, Ph.D., assistant professor at the Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health and Human Longevity Science at UC San Diego. “Conversely, even if your genes predispose you to a long life, remaining physically active is still important to achieve longevity.”
Guarana found to have higher antioxidant potential than green tea
University of São Paulo's Public Health School (Brazil), August 25, 2022
The millions of people who consume green tea all over the world benefit from the catechins it contains. Catechins are a class of chemical compounds with anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, among other healthy ingredients.
Researchers at the University of São Paulo's Public Health School (FSP-USP) have discovered that guarana (Paullinia cupana) is a worthy competitor, at least as far as catechins are concerned: the seeds of the tropical shrub, used in fizzy drinks that are among the most popular in Brazil, as well as in over-the-counter supplements, contain more than ten times the amount of catechins found in green tea.
A clinical trial with healthy human volunteers has demonstrated that guarana is a rich source of catechins, which, when properly absorbed, reduce the oxidative stress associated with the development of neurodegenerative and cardiovascular disorders, as well as diabetes, cancer, inflammation and premature aging due to cell death, among other conditions harmful to health and wellbeing.
The month-long study was conducted in two stages. After selecting volunteers who were healthy but slightly overweight and with a moderately elevated risk of cardiovascular disease, the researchers measured baseline parameters on the first day and evaluated the same items again on day 15 after a the implementation of a controlled diet. The participants were then asked to take guarana at home every morning before breakfast for the next fortnight. They were given bottles containing guarana seed powder and instructed to prepare a daily drink with the contents of one bottle (3 g of guarana powder) in 300 mL of water.
The oxidative stress markers included oxidation of low-density lipoprotein (LDL), popularly known as bad cholesterol. LDL is essential to an organism's proper functioning because it is the main particle that carries cholesterol to cells. Cholesterol is a structural component of all cell membranes and is used to manufacture steroid hormones (estrogen and testosterone). When oxidized, however, LDL causes atherosclerosis and increases the risk of cardiovascular disease. The tests performed by Yonekura's team showed an increase in oxidation resistance of the LDL in the blood samples taken from the volunteers after they drank guarana.
They also performed a comet assay, also called single cell gel electrophoresis (SCGE), a technique for quantifying and analyzing DNA damage in individual cells due to various factors, including oxidative stress. In this case, lymphocyte DNA in blood samples taken one hour after guarana intake was less damaged than expected when submitted to an oxidizing environment, indicating the presence of anti-oxidant substances or enhanced performance of the lymphocytes' enzymatic anti-oxidant system.
"All these markers depend on the presence of catechins in the bloodstream," Yonekura said. "The improvement in the parameters we assessed was associated with a rise in the concentration of plasma catechins after guarana intake, showing that guarana was indeed responsible for this effect."
Moreover, she went on, the guarana catechins strengthened the cells' native anti-oxidant enzymes, especially glutathione peroxidase, catalase, and superoxide dismutase, which combine to convert superoxide into peroxide and finally into water, protecting cells from the oxidative damage caused by their own metabolism of outside factors.
The tests showed increased glutathione peroxidase and catalase activity both shortly after guarana ingestion and on the following day.
Study links caesareans and cardiovascular risk James Cook University (New Zealand), August 25, 2022
A new Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health study has found Australian children who were born via cesarean section (C-section) have a greater risk of cardiovascular disease and obesity, and it's sparked a call to limit the increasingly popular practice
"C-section births have risen across the world with a disproportionately higher rate in developed countries. In Australia, the C-section birth rate has increased from 18.5% in 1990 to 36% in 2019 and nearly half of Australian babies are projected to be cesarean born by 2045," said Dr. Begum.
She said the study found a relationship between C-section births and cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors in children.
"Four out of six individual CVD risk components and the composite index of the five CVD risk components showed a positive association with C-section birth. Our study also provided a direct relationship between C-section and increased overweight and obesity among children at 10–12 years of age," said Dr. Fatima.
"There's an altered microbial load from C-section birth as compared to vaginal birth. This altered microbial ecosystem hampers the 'gut-brain axis' and releases some pathogenic toxins that cause metabolic damage," said Dr. Begum.
She said it was also possible the fetal stress from physiological or pharmacological induction of labor during a C-section could also have an effect.
Black tea drinkers live longer National Institutes of Health, August 29 2022.
The Annals of Internal Medicine reported a lower risk of dying from any cause during a median follow-up period of 11.2 years among men and women who regularly drank black tea in comparison with those who did not consume the beverage.
The study included 498,03 participants in the UK Biobank, a prospective study of people residing in the United Kingdom. Questionnaires completed upon enrollment provided information concerning tea and coffee intake. Eighty-five percent of the participants reported drinking tea, among whom 89% drank black tea.
During up to 14 years of follow-up, 29,783 deaths occurred. Compared to participants who did not drink tea, those who consumed 1 cup or fewer per day had a 5% lower risk of mortality and 2 to 3 cups was associated with a 13% lower risk. Tea intake was associated with decreased risks of death from cardiovascular disease, ischemic heart disease and stroke.
“In this study of nearly 500,000 participants in the UK Biobank where black tea drinking was common, higher tea intake was associated with modestly lower risk for all-cause mortality and mortality from all cardiovascular disease, ischemic heart disease, and stroke, with lower risks seen for drinking 2 or more cups per day,” Maki Inoue-Choi, PhD, and colleagues at the NIH concluded. “These findings provide reassurance to tea drinkers and suggest that black tea can be part of a healthy diet.”
Unhealthy diet during pregnancy could be linked to ADHD
King's College London and the University of Bristol , August 26, 2022
New research led by scientists from King's College London and the University of Bristol has found that a high-fat, high-sugar diet during pregnancy may be linked to symptoms of ADHD in children who show conduct problems early in life.
Published today in the Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, this study is the first to indicate that epigenetic changes evident at birth may explain the link between unhealthy diet, conduct problems and ADHD.
In this new study of participants from the Bristol-based 'Children of the 90s' cohort, 83 children with early-onset conduct problems were compared with 81 children who had low levels of conduct problems. The researchers assessed how the mothers' nutrition affected epigenetic changes (or DNA methylation) of IGF2, a gene involved in fetal development and the brain development of areas implicated in ADHD - the cerebellum and hippocampus. Notably, DNA methylation of IGF2 had previously been found in children of mothers who were exposed to famine in the Netherlands during World War II.
The researchers from King's and Bristol found that poor prenatal nutrition, comprising high fat and sugar diets of processed food and confectionary, was associated with higher IGF2 methylation in children with early onset conduct problems and those with low conduct problems.
Higher IGF2 methylation was also associated with higher ADHD symptoms between the ages of 7 and 13, but only for children who showed an early onset of conduct problems.
Dr Edward Barker from King's College London said: 'Our finding that poor prenatal nutrition was associated with higher IGF2 methylation highlights the critical importance of a healthy diet during pregnancy.
'These results suggest that promoting a healthy prenatal diet may ultimately lower ADHD symptoms and conduct problems in children. This is encouraging given that nutritional and epigenetic risk factors can be altered.'
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One Acupuncture Treatment Drops Blood Pressure For Over a Month Without Medication
Susan Samueli Center for Integrative Medicine and University of California, Irvine , August 21, 2022
Emerging evidence from a research study shows acupuncture may be an effective treatment for hypertension. Acupuncture regulates blood pressure, blood flow and body temperature. Patients with hypertension treated with acupuncture experienced drops in their blood pressure that lasted up to a month and a half, researchers with the Susan Samueli Center for Integrative Medicine have found.
Their work is the first to scientifically confirm that this ancient Chinese practice is beneficial in treating mild to moderate hypertension, and it indicates that regular use could help people control their blood pressure and lessen their risk of stroke and heart disease.
“This clinical study is the culmination of more than a decade of bench research in this area,” said Dr. John Longhurst, a University of California, Irvine cardiologist and former director of the Samueli Center. “By using Western scientific rigor to validate an ancient Eastern therapy, we feel we have integrated Chinese and Western medicine and provided a beneficial guideline for treating a disease that affects millions in the U.S.”
Longhurst and his UCI colleagues Dr. Peng Li and Stephanie Tjen-A-Looi conducted tests on 65 hypertensive patients who were not receiving any hypertension medication. Separated randomly into two groups, the subjects were treated with electroacupuncture – a form of the practice that employs low-intensity electrical stimulation – at different acupoints on the body.
In one group of 33 receiving electroacupuncture on both sides of the inner wrists and slightly below each knee, the researchers found a noticeable drop in blood pressure rates in 70 percent of participants – an average of 6 to 8 mmHg for systolic blood pressure (the high number) and 4 mmHg for diastolic blood pressure (the low number). These improvements persisted for a month and a half.
Also in this group, the team identified significant declines in blood concentration levels of norepinephrine (41 percent), which constricts blood vessels and increases blood pressure and glucose levels; and renin (67 percent), an enzyme produced in the kidneys that helps control blood pressure. In addition, the electroacupuncture decreased aldosterone (22 percent), a hormone that regulates electrolytes.
No consequential blood pressure changes were found in the group of 32 who received electroacupuncture at other acupoints along the forearm and lower leg.
Although the blood pressure reductions in the first cohort were relatively small – mostly in the 4-to-13-mmHg range – the researchers noted that they were clinically meaningful and that the technique could be especially useful in treating systolic hypertension in patients over 60.
“Because electroacupuncture decreases both peak and average systolic blood pressure over 24 hours, this therapy may decrease the risk for stroke, peripheral artery disease, heart failure and myocardial infarction in hypertensive patients,” Longhurst said.
Vitamin C may encourage blood cancer stem cells to die New York University Langone Health. August 17, 2022 Vitamin C may “tell” faulty stem cells in the bone marrow to mature and die normally, instead of multiplying to cause blood cancers. This is the finding of a study led by researchers from Perlmutter Cancer Center at NYU Langone Health, and published online in the journal Cell.
Certain genetic changes are known to reduce the ability of an enzyme called TET2 to encourage stem cells to become mature blood cells, which eventually die, in many patients with certain kinds of leukemia, say the authors. The new study found that vitamin C activated TET2 function in mice engineered to be deficient in the enzyme.
“We’re excited by the prospect that high-dose vitamin C might become a safe treatment for blood diseases caused by TET2-deficient leukemia stem cells, most likely in combination with other targeted therapies,” says corresponding study author Benjamin G. Neel, MD, PhD, professor in the Department of Medicine and director of the Perlmutter Cancer Center.
Changes in the genetic code (mutations) that reduce TET2 function are found in 10 percent of patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML), 30 percent of those with a form of pre-leukemia called myelodysplastic syndrome, and in nearly 50 percent of patients with chronic myelomonocytic leukemia. Such cancers cause anemia, infection risk, and bleeding as abnormal stem cells multiply in the bone marrow until they interfere with blood cell production, with the number of cases increasing as the population ages.
The study results revolve around the relationship between TET2 and cytosine, one of the four nucleic acid “letters” that comprise the DNA code in genes. Every cell type has the same genes, but each gets different instructions to turn on only those needed in a given cellular context.
These “epigenetic” regulatory mechanisms include DNA methylation, the attachment of a small molecule termed a methyl group to cytosine bases that shuts down the action of a gene containing them.
The back- and-forth attachment and removal of methyl groups also fine-tunes gene expression in stem cells, which can mature, specialize and multiply to become muscle, bone, nerve, or other cell types. This happens as the body first forms, but the bone marrow also keeps pools of stem cells on hand into adulthood, ready to become replacement cells as needed. In leukemia, signals that normally tell a blood stem cell to mature malfunction, leaving it to endlessly multiply and “self-renew” instead of producing normal white blood cells needed to fight infection.
The enzyme studied in this report, Tet methylcytosine dioxygenase 2 (TET2), enables a change in the molecular structure (oxidation) of methyl groups that is needed for them to be removed from cytosines. This “demethylation” turns on genes that direct stem cells to mature, and to start a count-down toward self-destruction as part of normal turnover. This serves as an anti-cancer safety mechanism, one that is disrupted in blood cancer patients with TET2 mutations, says Neel.
To determine the effect of mutations that reduce TET2 function in abnormal stem cells, the research team genetically engineered mice such that the scientists could switch the TET2 gene on or off.
Similar to the naturally occurring effects of TET2 mutations in mice or humans, using molecular biology techniques to turn off TET2 in mice caused abnormal stem cell behavior. Remarkably, these changes were reversed when TET2 expression was restored by a genetic trick. Previous work had shown that vitamin C could stimulate the activity of TET2 and its relatives TET1 and TET3. Because only one of the two copies of the TET2 gene in each stem cell is usually affected in TET2-mutant blood diseases, the authors hypothesized that high doses of vitamin C, which can only be given intravenously, might reverse the effects of TET2 deficiency by turning up the action of the remaining functional gene.
Indeed, they found that vitamin C did the same thing as restoring TET2 function genetically. By promoting DNA demethylation, high-dose vitamin C treatment induced stem cells to mature, and also suppressed the growth of leukemia cancer stem cells from human patients implanted in mice.
“Interestingly, we also found that vitamin C treatment had an effect on leukemic stem cells that resembled damage to their DNA,” says first study author Luisa Cimmino, PhD, an assistant professor in the Department of Pathology at NYU Langone Health. “For this reason, we decided to combine vitamin C with a PARP inhibitor, a drug type known to cause cancer cell death by blocking the repair of DNA damage, and already approved for treating certain patients with ovarian cancer.”
Researchers found that the combination had an enhanced effect on leukemia stem cells, further shifting them from self-renewal back toward maturity and cell death. The results also suggest that vitamin C might drive leukemic stem cells without TET2 mutations toward death, says Cimmino, given that it turns up any TET2 activity normally in place.
“Our team is working to systematically identify genetic changes that contribute to risk for leukemia in significant groups of patients,” says corresponding author Iannis Aifantis, PhD, professor and chair of the Department of Pathology at NYU Langone Health. “This study adds the targeting of abnormal TET2-driven DNA demethylation to our list of potential new treatment approaches.”
Burnt out? Rhodiola rosea supplements may help, says new study Wein University Medical School (Austria), 18-Aug-2022 Daily supplements containing Rhodiola rosea extract may improve the symptoms of burnout, suggests data from the first trial to examine the effects of the botanical extract on this modern day condition.
Results of the open-label, multicenter, single-arm trial provide “an encouraging basis” for future clinical trials to study if R. rosea extract can indeed help people suffering from burnout, which is reported to be an increasing burden to people and economies in the Western world.
“Most of the outcome variables assessed in this trial demonstrated relevant improvement over time with considerable changes already being detectable after the first week of R. rosea administration,” wrote Siegfried Kasper from the Medical University of Vienna in Austria and Angelika Dienel from Dr Willmar Schwabe GmbH & Co. in Germany in Neuropsychiatric Disease and Treatment .
Despite being the first to specifically examine the effects of R. rosea in burnout, the results are in-line with previously reported benefits of the root extract, which is primary used for stress, mental and physical fatigue, depression, and to boost energy.
Study details For the new study, Kasper and Dienel recruited 118 men and women aged between 30 and 60 suffering from symptoms of burnout. The participants were asked to consume 400 mg per day of a R. rosea extract (WS 1375, Rosalin, which is the active ingredient in Dr Willmar Schwabe’s Vitango product) for 12 weeks.
The majority of symptoms improved during the course of the study, with some improvements measurable as early as the first week, said the researchers.
Specifically, improvements in symptoms such as “emotional exhaustion”, “fatigue”, “exhaustion”, “lack of joy”, “loss of zest for life”, and “depersonalization” were all recorded during the study.
In addition, the participants reported increased sexual interest and functioning, which supports the potential activity of R. rosea to ameliorate burnout’s impairment on sexual function.
Resveratrol supplementation improves arterial stiffness in type 2 diabetics Toho University (Japan), August 18 2022.
A randomized, double-blind study reported in the International Heart journal found improvements in arterial stiffness and oxidative stress among type 2 diabetics who were supplemented with resveratrol.
The trial included 50 diabetic men and women who received 100 milligrams resveratrol or a placebo daily for 12 weeks. Cardio-ankle vascular index (CAVI, a novel diagnostic measure of arterial stiffness that is a marker of atherosclerosis) and blood pressure were assessed at the beginning and end of the study, in addition to blood assessments of oxidative stress and other factors.
At the end of the study, subjects who received resveratrol had significantly lower blood pressure, less oxidative stress and decreased arterial stiffness in comparison with values obtained at the beginning of the study. Participants who received a placebo experienced no significant changes in these areas.
“The primary finding in the present study was that oral supplementation of resveratrol for 12 weeks decreased CAVI in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus,” authors Haruki Imamura, MD, and colleagues at Toho University Sakura Medical Center in Japan write. “Many previous studies have demonstrated increased CAVI in atherosclerotic diseases such as acute coronary syndrome and stroke, and these reports indicate that CAVI reflects organic atherosclerosis.”
They suggest that a reduction in oxidative stress may be one mechanism involved in the improvement in arterial stiffness observed in this study among participants who received resveratrol. Improved endothelial function via increased nitric oxide production may be another mechanism.
“Resveratrol may be beneficial in preventing the development of atherosclerosis induced by diabetes,” the authors conclude. “However, a large-scale cohort study is required to validate the present findings.”
Research reveals how physical exercise protects the heart Through experiments with rats and cells, a study shows that aerobic training reactivates system that helps rid heart cells of dysfunctional mitochondria.
University of São Paulo (Brazil), August 18, 2022
Regular exercise is considered an important form of treatment for heart failure, a condition in which the heart is unable to pump enough blood to meet the body’s needs.
The benefits of exercise range from prevention of cachexia -severe loss of weight and muscle mass- and control of arterial blood pressure to improved cardiac function, postponing a degenerative process that causes progressive heart cell death. About 70% of heart failure patients die from the condition within five years.
A study by the University of São Paulo (USP) in Brazil, published recently in the journal Autophagy, helps to elucidate part of the mechanism whereby aerobic exercise protects the sick heart.
“Basically, we discovered that aerobic training facilitates the removal of dysfunctional mitochondria from heart cells,” said Julio Cesar Batista Ferreira, a professor at the Biomedical Science Institute (ICB-USP) and principal investigator for the project which was supported by the São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP)
Mitochondria are the organelles in charge of providing energy to cells. “The removal of dysfunctional mitochondria increases the supply of ATP [adenosine triphosphate, the molecule that stores energy for the cell] and reduces the production of toxic molecules, such as oxygen free radicals and reactive aldehydes, an excess of which damages the cell structure,” he added.
In a previous study, published in PLOS ONE, the group showed through experiments with rats that aerobic training reactivates the proteasome, an intracellular complex responsible for cleansing cells of damaged proteins.
The results also showed that proteasome activity in the heart of a patient with heart failure decreases by more than 50% and that, as a result, highly reactive proteins build up in the cytoplasm, where they interact with other structures and cause heart cell death.
Dietary management of OCD: Study links metabolism and vitamin D status to disease severity Ordu University (Turkey), August 20, 2022 One carbon metabolism that includes vitamin B12 and homocysteine, plus vitamin D deficiency could all play a role in the onset of obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), research suggests.
The study, published in Psychiatry Research, investigated whether vitamin B12, homocysteine folic acid and vitamin D play a role in the cause (aetiology) of childhood OCD.
Led by Erman Esnafoğlu from Ordu University, Turkey, the team noted that one carbon metabolism – which includes vitamin B12 and homocysteine – has been investigated in many psychiatric disorders, while vitamin D has also been considered to contribute in a variety of psychiatric disorders in recent years.
“To the best of our knowledge the role of one carbon mechanism and vitamin D deficiency in children and adolescents with OCD has not yet been investigated,” wrote the Turkish team. “For this reason we aimed to investigate serum vitamin B12, folic acid homocysteine and vitamin D levels in children and adolescents in this study.”
Esnafoğlu and colleagues reported that lower levels of vitamin B12 and higher levels of homocysteine in were found in OCD patients – suggesting that one carbon metabolism plays a role in the onset of the condition.
Furthermore, the team found that low vitamin D levels were linked to OCD, and that vitamin D status in patients had a negative correlation with disease severity.
“This study has demonstrated that there is a significant decrease in vitamin B12 and vitamin D and a significant increase in homocysteine in children and adolescents with OCD,” said the team – noting that vitamin D deficiency may be a risk factor for development of OCD.
“The findings of this study demonstrated that vitamin B12 and vitamin D levels were significantly lower in patients compared to healthy controls, whereas homocysteine was higher in the patient group,” noted Esnafoğlu and colleagues.
Strawberries could help reduce harmful inflammation in the colon University of Massachusetts, August 20, 202
Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a set of painful conditions that can cause severe diarrhea and fatigue. Treatments can include medications and surgery. But now researchers report that a simple dietary intervention could mitigate colonic inflammation and improve gut health. In this case, a strawberry—or rather, less than a cupful of strawberries—a day could help keep the doctor away.
The dietary consumption of fruits and vegetables has been associated with a lowered risk of IBD. To establish an effective and practical approach to decrease colonic inflammation in both IBD patients and the general population, Xiao and his team at the University of Massachusetts Amherst focused on strawberries due to their wide consumption.
The researchers found that dietary consumption of whole strawberries at a dose equivalent to as low as three-quarters of a cup of strawberries per day in humans significantly suppressed symptoms like body weight loss and bloody diarrhea in mice with IBD. Strawberry treatments also diminished inflammatory responses in the mice's colonic tissue.
But decreased inflammation wasn't the strawberry's only conferred benefit during this study. Following the dietary treatments of whole strawberries, the researchers observed a reversal of that unhealthy microbiota composition in the IBD mice. Xiao's team also obtained experimental data that indicated strawberries might impact abnormal metabolic pathways in the IBD mice, which in turn could lead to the decreased colonic inflammation they observed.
Higher diet quality relates to decelerated epigenetic aging Tufts University, August 1, 2022 DNA methylation–based epigenetic age measures have been used as biological aging markers and are associated with a healthy lifespan. Few population-based studies have examined the relation between diet and epigenetic age acceleration. We aimed to investigate the relation between diet quality and epigenetic age acceleration.
We analyzed data from 1995 participants (mean age, 67 years; 55% women) of the Framingham Heart Study Offspring Cohort. Cross-sectional associations between the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) score and 3 whole-blood DNA methylation–derived epigenetic age acceleration measures—Dunedin Pace of Aging Methylation (DunedinPoAm), GrimAge acceleration (GrimAA), and PhenoAge acceleration (PhenoAA)—were examined. Conclusions: Higher diet quality is associated with slower epigenetic age acceleration, which partially explains the beneficial effect of diet quality on the lifespan. Our findings emphasize that adopting a healthy diet is crucial for maintaining healthy aging.
Feeling anxious or blue? Ultra-processed foods may be to blame Florida Atlantic University, August 25, 2022
Do you love those sugary-sweet beverages, reconstituted meat products and packaged snacks? You may want to reconsider based on a new study that explored whether individuals who consume higher amounts of ultra-processed food have more adverse mental health symptoms.
Researchers from Florida Atlantic University's Schmidt College of Medicine and collaborators explored a nationally representative sample of the United States population to determine if individuals who consume high amounts of ultra-processed foods report significantly more adverse mental health symptoms including depression, anxiety and mentally unhealthy days. They measured mild depression, number of mental unhealthy days and number of anxious days in 10,359 adults 18 and older from the U.S. National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.
Results of the study, published in the journal Public Health Nutrition, showed that individuals who consumed the most ultra-processed foods as compared with those who consumed the least amount had statistically significant increases in the adverse mental health symptoms of mild depression, "mentally unhealthy days" and "anxious days." They also had significantly lower rates of reporting zero "mentally unhealthy days" and zero "anxious days." Findings from this study are generalizable to the entire U.S. as well as other Western countries with similar ultra-processed food intakes.
Many types of leisure time activities may lower risk of death for older adults National Cancer Institute, August 25, 2022
Older adults who participate weekly in many different types of leisure time activities, such as walking for exercise, jogging, swimming laps, or playing tennis, may have a lower risk of death from any cause, as well as death from cardiovascular disease and cancer, according to a new study led by researchers at the National Cancer Institute, part of the National Institutes of Health.
The findings suggest that it's important for older adults to engage in leisure time activities that they enjoy and can sustain, because many types of these activities may lower the risk of death, the authors wrote.
Using data from 272,550 adults between the ages of 59 and 82 who had completed questionnaires about their leisure-time activities as part of the NIH-AARP Diet and Health Study, the researchers looked at whether participating in equivalent amounts of seven different exercise and recreational activities—including running, cycling, swimming, other aerobic exercise, racquet sports, golf, and walking for exercise—was associated with lowered risk of death.
The researchers found that achieving the recommended amount of physical activity per week through any combination of these activities was associated with a 13% lower risk of death from any cause compared with no participation in these activities. When they looked at the role of each activity individually, playing racquet sports was associated with a 16% reduction in risk and running with a 15% reduction. However, all the activities investigated were similarly associated with lower risks of death.
The levels of activity by the most active individuals (those who exceeded the recommended levels of physical activity) were associated with even greater reductions in the risk of death, but there were diminishing returns as activity levels increased. Even people who did some recreational activity, though less than the recommended amount, had a 5% reduction in risk of death than those who did not participate in any of the activities studied.
These activities were also associated with a lower risk of death from cardiovascular disease and cancer. Playing racquet sports was associated with the greatest reduction in risk of cardiovascular deaths (27% reduction), while running was associated with the greatest reduction in risk of cancer deaths (19% reduction).
Avocado may resist the effects of leukemia University of Waterloo (Canada), August 19, 2022
One of the many health benefits avocados offer is their ability to ward off cancer. Avocados contain avocatin B, which is a compound found to fight against a type of leukemia called acute myeloid leukemia (AML), according to a study carried out by a researcher from the University of Waterloo, Canada.
AML is known by many names, like acute myelocytic leukemia, acute myelogenous leukemia, acute granulocytic leukemia, and acute non-lymphocytic leukemia. AML is a type of blood cancer that is most common in older people. Approximately 90 percent of people with this type of cancer die within five years of diagnosis.
In the in vitro study, Canadian researcher Paul Spagnuolo found that avocatin B fights AML by targeting leukemia stem cells – which are the root of the disease – without harming healthy, non-cancerous cells. This indicated that the compound is both effective against AML and not toxic to the body.
Avocados can also fight against prostate and oral cancer cells. Researchers from the University of California, Los Angeles conducted a review of studies on the potential health benefits of avocados and looked at evidence that specific avocado extracts can inhibit the growth of prostate cancer cells and oral cancer cells. They found that the active compounds in avocados make them potentially beneficial for preventing cancer.
News addiction is linked to not only poor mental well-being but physical health too, new study Texas Tech University, August 25, 2022 People with an obsessive urge to constantly check the news are more likely to suffer from stress, anxiety, and physical ill health, finds a new study published in the peer-reviewed journal Health Communication.
For many people, reading bad news can make us feel temporarily powerless and distressed. For others, being exposed to a 24-hour news cycle of continually evolving events can have serious impacts on mental and physical well-being—as these new findings, out today, show, with those who have a high-levels of news addiction reporting "significantly greater physical ill-being."
"Witnessing these events unfold in the news can bring about a constant state of high alert in some people, kicking their surveillance motives into overdrive and making the world seem like a dark and dangerous place," says Bryan McLaughlin, associate professor of advertising at the College of Media and Communication at Texas Tech University.
"For these individuals, a vicious cycle can develop, in which rather than tuning out, they become drawn further in, obsessing over the news and checking for updates around the clock to alleviate their emotional distress. But it doesn't help, and the more they check the news, the more it begins to interfere with other aspects of their lives."
To study this phenomenon, McLaughlin and his colleagues, analyzed data from an online survey of 1,100 US adults.
The results revealed that 16.5% of people surveyed showed signs of "severely problematic" news consumption. Such individuals frequently became so immersed and personally invested in news stories that the stories dominated the individual's waking thoughts, disrupted time with family and friends, made it difficult to focus on school or work, and contributed to restlessness and an inability to sleep.
73.6% of those recognized to have severe levels of problematic news consumption reported experiencing mental ill-being "quite a bit" or "very much"—while frequent symptoms were only reported by 8% of all other study participants. 61% of those with severe levels of problematic news reported experiencing physical ill-being "quite a bit" or "very much" compared to only 6.1% for all other study participants. According to McLaughlin, the findings show that there is a need for focused media literacy campaigns to help people develop a healthier relationship with the news.
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Tea, flavonoid intake associated with lower fracture risk University of Western Australia, August 14 2022
An article published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition adds more evidence to a protective effect for tea drinking against the development of osteoporotic fractures in women.
The study included 1,188 women over the age of 75 years enrolled in the Calcium Intake Fracture Outcome Study, which evaluated the effect of calcium supplementation in the prevention of osteoporosis. Tea intake was assessed at the beginning of the study and at two and five years. The subjects were followed for ten years, during which 288 women developed an osteoporotic fracture, including 212 major fractures and 129 hip fractures.
Among women whose intake of tea was three cups or higher per day, there was a 30% decrease in the risk of any osteoporotic fracture in comparison with those whose intake was a cup or less per week. Subjects whose flavonoid intake from tea and foods was among the highest one-third of subjects had risks of osteoporotic fracture, major osteoporotic fracture and hip fracture that were 35%, 34% and 42% lower than those whose intake was among the lowest third. When individual flavonoids were analyzed, higher consumption of flavonols, flavan-3-ols and flavones was significantly associated with a protective effect against osteoporotic fracture risk.
“The current study found that flavonoid intake was associated with a reduced risk of hip, major, and all osteoporotic fractures in elderly women,” write authors Gael Myers and colleagues. “The major flavonoids found in tea, flavan-3-ols, and flavonols were also associated with a reduced fracture risk, providing evidence for the role of tea flavonoids in promoting bone health.”
Skipping breakfast may increase chance of kids and teens developing psychosocial health problems University of Castilla-La Mancha (Spain), August 23, 2022
Young people who eat healthy breakfasts at home have better psychosocial health, shows a recent study in Frontiers in Nutrition. While previous research has reported the important role of a nutritious breakfast, this is the first study to look at the reported effects of whether kids eat breakfast, as well as where and what they eat. These results provide valuable insights and recommendations for parents and their children.
“Our results suggest that it is not only important to eat breakfast, but it’s also important where young people eat breakfast and what they eat,” said first author Dr. José Francisco López-Gil of the University of Castilla-La Mancha in Cuenca, Spain. “Skipping breakfast or eating breakfast away from home is associated with increased likelihood of psychosocial behavioral problems in children and adolescents. Similarly, consumption of certain foods/drinks are associated with higher (eg, processed meat) or lower (eg, dairies, cereals) odds of psychosocial behavioral problems.”
Among the most important results, López-Gil and the team found that eating breakfast away from home was nearly as detrimental as skipping the meal entirely. The authors suggest that this may be because meals away from home are frequently less nutritious than those prepared at home.
The results also showed that coffee, milk, tea, chocolate, cocoa, yogurt, bread, toast, cereals, and pastries were all associated with lower chances of behavioral problems. Surprisingly, eggs, cheese, and ham were linked with higher risks of such issues.
Amla Tea in Hospitalized Patients With COVID-19 Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences (Iran), August 14, 2022 Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial to evaluate whether the addition of Phyllanthus emblica (amla) tea to standard protocols affects lung function, symptomology, and length of hospital stay in a population of hospitalized patients with Covid-19 While amla tea did not reduce the severity of lung involvement nor significantly affect the reverse transcription–polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) results, it did lessen severity of symptomology and C-reactive protein (CRP) levels. Duration of hospital stay was significantly shorterin those taking amla versus placebo. First-line therapy for all patients consisted of hydroxychloroquine tablets (200 mg) and lopinavir/ritonavir (Kaletra) every 12 hours after meals for 7 to 14 days. Phyllanthus emblica (Linn), Euphorbiaceae, known as Indian gooseberry or amla or Emblica officinalis, 2 grams of powder in a sachet for 10 days was the intervention, and the placebo was starch, 2 grams of powder daily for 10 days. Both treatments were taken as 100 mL tea every 12 hours. Hospital nurses administered the treatments every 12 hours for 10 days, and the study team tracked the patients with daily phone calls. Key Findings
Lymphocytes decreased significantly in the intervention group but increased significantly in the control group (P=0.001). There was no significant difference in hemoglobin, polymorphonuclear (PMN) count, platelets, or erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) between the intervention versus placebo groups. CRP was significantly less in the intervention group versus the control (P=0.004). Fever decreased in both groups, with a significantly greater reduction in the intervention group (P
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Vitamin D May Protect Against Autoimmune Diseases Brigham and Women’s Hospital, August 3, 2022 To investigate the effect of vitamin D and fish oil supplementation, alone and in combination, on the 5-year incidence of new-onset autoimmune disease in an older population Design; Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial with a 2-by-2 factorial design Participants: This study included 25,871 participants, of whom 12,786 were men aged ≥50 years (51%) and 13,085 were women aged ≥55 years. The mean age was 67.1 years. Intervention: Participants were randomized to 1 of 4 groups: Omega-3 fatty acid (1,000 mg/day; 460 mg eicosapentaenoic acid and 380 mg docosahexaenoic acid) and vitamin D supplementation (2,000 IU/day) Omega-3 fatty acid (1,000 mg/day) and placebo Vitamin D supplementation (2,000 IU/day) and placebo Placebo Key Findings
In older adults, supplementing with daily vitamin D (2,000 IU) for 5 years decreased the incidence of autoimmune disease by 22%. Omega-3 fatty acid supplementation alone decreased incidence of autoimmune disease by 15% but was not statistically significant. The combination of vitamin D and omega-3 did not appear to have significant added benefit. Omega-3 supplementation alone did appear to be more beneficial for prevention of autoimmune disease onset in those with a positive family history and also appeared to have more impact in the later years of the study.
It does appear that vitamin D supplementation, with or without omega-3 supplementation, decreases the incidence of new-onset autoimmune disease in people aged more than 55 years. The study did an excellent job ensuring regimen adherence with the use of biomarkers.
Bitter Orange: Another Tool to Improve Sleep Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences (Iran), August 13, 2022 To determine whether inhalation of Citrus aurantium (bitter orange) daily over 4 weeks would improve the sleep of postmenopausal women. The bitter orange essential oil used in this study, made from the flowers, is also called neroli oil. The main constituent (35%) is linalool, which has several properties, including anxiolytic, antioxidant, antimicrobial, cytotoxic, and antidiabetic.8 Linalool is present in lavender essential oil also. Inhalation of Citrus aurantium for 5 minutes, twice daily, 4 days a week for 4 weeks resulted in a significant improvement in sleep for postmenopausal women. Sleep complaints affect a significant portion of this subpopulation. Participants: Eighty postmenopausal women, aged 45 to 60 years, participated in this study. Inclusion criteria were the ability to read and write, cessation of menses for 12 months or more, 5 or more on the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index questionnaire, no medical or mental disorder, available medical records, no alcohol, and no stressful events in the 6 months prior. Intervention: Participants placed 2 drops of oil on their forearm and inhaled the aroma from a distance of 30 cm away with normal breathing for 5 minutes twice daily (10 am and 10 pm). The treatment group received 10% Citrus aurantium oil (mixed in odorless almond oil diluted with propylene glycol), while the control group received odorless almond oil, which was also diluted with propylene glycol. They inhaled the aroma 4 consecutive days each week for 4 weeks. Key Findings: The postmenopausal women who used the Citrus aurantium oil had a statistically significant improvement in their subjective sleep, with the PSQI dropping from 12.08 to 5.75 Inhalation aromatherapy for sleep has a historical precedent, and research in this area is accumulating. Reviews have found evidence for use of bergamot, cedar, lemon, rose, sweet orange, valerian, and other essential oils. When the essential oil is smelled, molecules stimulate the olfactory system, which in turn signals the limbic system and autonomic nervous system. Essential oil molecules in the respiratory tract can directly stimulate the central nervous system.
What older adults do while they sit affects dementia risk, study indicates University of Southern California and University of Arizona, August 22, 2022
Adults aged 60 and older who sit for long periods watching TV or other such passive, sedentary behaviors may be at increased risk of developing dementia, according to a new study by USC and University of Arizona researchers.
Their study also showed that the risk is lower for those who are active while sitting, such as when they read or use computers.
The study was published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. It also revealed that the link between sedentary behavior and dementia risk persisted even among participants who were physically active.
“It isn’t the time spent sitting, per se, but the type of sedentary activity performed during leisure time that impacts dementia risk,” said study author David Raichlen, professor of biological sciences and anthropology at the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences.
“Our findings suggest that the brain impacts of sitting during our leisure activities are really separate from how physically active we are,” said Alexander, “and that being more mentally active, like when using computers, may be a key way to help counter the increased risk of dementia related to more passive sedentary behaviors, like watching TV.”
Three Unusual Green Tea Benefits – From Three Unique Forms GreenMedInfo Research Group, August 23, 2022
Green Tea Extract for Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy Diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN) is among the most disabling and common complications of diabetes.
Green tea’s catechins, amino acids, polyphenols and other diverse compounds offer a range of properties that may benefit DPN, including hypolipidemic, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and even anti-neuroinflammatory effects. In a 16-week study, 194 patients with DPN received either green tea extract or placebo.
Significant improvements were noted in the green tea extract group, including:
Positive impact on insulin resistance and glucose homeostasis Reduced fasting insulin levels Anti-adiposity effects Beneficial effects on lipid and insulin levels (green tea has been found to outperform the diabetes drug metformin for this purpose) Anti-inflammatory effects
Matcha Improves Cognitive Function — Even While You’re Stressed
Catechin, l-theanine and caffeine are among the compounds in matcha known to affect cognitive function, and researchers from Japan have found that daily matcha consumption improves attention and executive function in middle-aged and older adults.
They were curious whether these benefits extended to younger adults as well, so they gave two grams of matcha (in capsule form) to 42 25- to 34-year-olds daily for two weeks while subjecting them to mild psychological stress, which is known to cause a decline in cognitive function.
Matcha intake led to maintained attentional function during the stressful period, which suggests it may be useful for helping young adults stay productive and focused while going through their daily grind.
L-Theanine Boosts Brain Function
L-theanine is an amino acid found primarily in tea leaves and mushrooms. It’s particularly prevalent in matcha tea, where it
One Japanese study compared the cognitive effects of a single dose of l-theanine, 12 weeks of regular l-theanine consumption and placebo among adults aged 50 to 69 years. Benefits were found after 12 weeks and even after a single dose, with the researchers stating: A single dose of l-theanine reduced reaction time in the attention task and increased correct answers and decreased the number of omission errors in the working memory task. This suggests that l-theanine may improve working memory and executive function based on the improvement in attention.
Misguided justice: People hurt others to signal their own virtue, study says University of California-San Diego, August 22, 2022 People often proclaim that “violence is never the answer,” but researchers from the University of California-San Diego find many can’t help but turn to violence when facing a situation that they consider unjust. The study finds people hurt others because, from their perspective, violence is actually the morally right thing to do.
With these findings in mind, the team at UCSD add that such individuals will not respond rationally to material benefits or punishments. In other words, throwing someone in jail for a violent offense probably won’t reform the offender if he or she still believes they did the right thing. Similarly, threats involving fines or jail time may not be as effective of a deterrent as lawmakers hope.
These findings are based on numerous experiments involving close to 1,500 study participants. The group received a monetary reward for punishing others. Interestingly, though, when participants actually received money for punishing others, it made them less likely to do so.
“Monetary gains may conflict with their perceived moral justifications,” Prof. Rai adds. “People punish others to signal their own goodness and receiving compensation might make it seem as though they’re driven by greed rather than justice. However, I also find that if your peers tell you you’re still a good person even if you take the money, then you no longer have moral qualms about harming others for profit.”
“When people are aware that they’re being judged negatively by their peers, they may find themselves more likely to question their claims of moral righteousness,” Rai explains.
“The findings suggest people may be more hesitant to do harm when they stand to profit from it if they anticipate condemnation from their peers,” Prof. Rai notes.
Pineapple juice is 500% more effective than cough syrup, study shows
Meerut Institute of Engineering and Technology (India), August 16, 2022
Researchers in India – which has a strong history of natural healing due to its Ayurvedic traditions – compared the effects of over-the-counter syrups to a natural mixture of pineapple juice, salt, pepper and honey on the coughs of tuberculosis patients. It was found that the natural mixture was far more effective at soothing down coughs and throat irritation than the commercial preparation.
This sparked other studies on the subject, and scientists came to the conclusion that the reason that pineapple juice is so effective for taming a cough is the presence of bromelain, an enzyme that has powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties which allow it to reduce irritation of the throat and thus relieve even persistent coughing.
Also helpful is the fact that pineapple contains high amounts of vitamin C (another power antioxidant) as well as a wealth of vitamin A and minerals like magnesium, manganese and potassium, all of which help boost the immune system and make it easier for the body to fight off infections that cause coughs in the first place
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Higher vitamin C levels associated with lower mortality risk during 16-year period Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, August 20 2022
A study reported in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health has uncovered an association between higher plasma vitamin C levels and a lower risk of mortality during more than 16 years of follow-up.
The study included 473 men and 475 women between the ages of 53 and 84.
Among subjects whose plasma vitamin C concentrations were among the top 25%, the adjusted risk of dying from any cause during follow-up was 25% lower than the risk experienced by subjects whose vitamin C levels were among the lowest quarter. Those whose plasma vitamin C levels were among the highest 25% had an adjusted risk of dying from cancer or stroke that was 28% lower and a risk of dying from heart disease that was 35% lower than subjects whose levels were lowest.
When subjects with low vitamin C levels (defined as 28 micromoles per liter or below) and normal levels (greater than 28 micromoles per liter) were compared, a normal level was associated with a 23% lower risk of premature mortality and a 38% lower risk of dying from heart disease, in comparison with low levels.
As a possible reason for their findings, Shao-Ming Wang and colleagues note that oxidative stress is lowered by vitamin C. Oxidative stress can promote endothelial dysfunction that underlies heart disease by increasing inflammation and lipid peroxidation and decreasing nitric oxide availability. Oxidative stress also causes DNA damage associated with cancer.
Pomegranate-cocoa blend helps improve aging men’s symptoms Shetty Hospital (India), August 19 2022.
A study published in the International Journal of Medical Science found benefits for supplementing with a combination of extracts of Punica granatum (pomegranate) fruit rind and Theobroma cocoa seed extracts in middle-aged men.
Previous research that investigated the effects of a blend of extracts of pomegranate fruit rind and cocoa seed in young men resulted in increases in serum and free testosterone levels as well as muscle strength and size. The current study included 120 men between the ages of 36 to 55 years who received 200 mg or 400 mg of pomegranate-cocoa extract or a placebo for 8 weeks. All participants were assigned to a program consisting of 30 minutes of walking per day for 5 days per week.
At the end of the 7-week period, both doses of pomegranate-cocoa extracts were associated with significant improvement in aging males’ symptom scores, free and total testosterone levels, strength and perceived stress compared to the beginning of the study and to the placebo group.
The authors concluded that pomegranate-cocoa “is a well-tolerated, safe, and effective nutraceutical blend that boosts sexual function, testosterone level, and psychological and general well-being in aging males.”
Placebo effect demonstrates healing power of the mind
Harvard Medical School, August 13, 2022
Experts at Harvard Medical School advocate that the placebo effect be received with more positivity, rather than viewed as a deceptive or inaccurate measure designed to test health. They conclude that the power of thought can be extremely effective in helping people heal, focusing on physiological changes that have been linked to the placebo effect.
The placebo effect involves someone being given medicine that is actually typically nothing more than a sugar pill which does not contain active ingredients. Many times, patients receiving a placebo who are in need of healing a certain condition report feeling significantly better, if not altogether healed.
The experts at Harvard explain that improvements may take place because of the anticipated response that a person expects when given medication. The university’s literature says that there is “evidence that some of the placebo effect is a favorable reaction to care and attention from people who patients believe can help ease their suffering and distress.” It goes on to say that the placebo effect “may be an integral part of good medical care and an ally that should be embraced by doctors and patients alike.”
This paves the way for potential changes in how health is handled and, furthermore, reinforces the strength of the human mind to bring about healing and desired outcomes, health or otherwise.
Awake within a dream: Lucid dreamers show greater insight in waking life
University of Lincoln (UK), August 12, 2022
People who are aware they are asleep when they are dreaming have better than average problem-solving abilities, new research has discovered.
Experts from the University of Lincoln, UK, say that those who experience ‘lucid dreaming’ — a phenomena where someone who is asleep can recognise that they are dreaming — can solve problems in the waking world better than those who remain unaware of the dream until they wake up.
It is thought some people are able to do this because of a higher level of insight, meaning their brains detect they are in a dream because events would not make sense otherwise.
This cognitive ability translates to the waking world when it comes to finding the solution to a problem by spotting hidden connections or inconsistencies, researchers say.
The research by Dr Patrick Bourke, Senior Lecturer at the Lincoln School of Psychology, is the first empirical study demonstrating the relationship between lucid dreaming and insight.
The study examined 68 participants aged between 18 and 25 who had experienced different levels of lucid dreaming, from never to several times a month. They were asked to solve 30 problems designed to test insight. Each problem consisted of three words and a solution word.
Results showed that frequent lucid dreamers solved 25 per cent more of the insight problems than the non-lucid dreamers.
The role of dietary coconut for the prevention and treatment of Alzheimer’s disease
Curtin University (Australia), August 12, 2022
According to news reporting originating in Bentley, Australia, research stated, “Coconut oil, derived from the coconut fruit, has been recognised historically as containing high levels of saturated fat; however, closer scrutiny suggests that coconut should be regarded more favourably.”
The news reporters obtained a quote from the research from Curtin University, “Unlike most other dietary fats that are high in long-chain fatty acids, coconut oil comprises medium-chain fatty acids (MCFA). MCFA are unique in that they are easily absorbed and metabolised by the liver, and can be converted to ketones. Ketone bodies are an important alternative energy source in the brain, and may be beneficial to people developing or already with memory impairment, as in Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Coconut is classified as a highly nutritious ‘functional food’. It is rich in dietary fibre, vitamins and minerals; however, notably, evidence is mounting to support the concept that coconut may be beneficial in the treatment of obesity, dyslipidaemia, elevated LDL, insulin resistance and hypertension – these are the risk factors for CVD and type 2 diabetes, and also for AD. In addition, phenolic compounds and hormones (cytokinins) found in coconut may assist in preventing the aggregation of amyloid-beta peptide, potentially inhibiting a key step in the pathogenesis of AD.”
According to the news reporters, the research concluded: “The purpose of the present review was to explore the literature related to coconut, outlining the known mechanistic physiology, and to discuss the potential role of coconut supplementation as a therapeutic option in the prevention and management of AD.”
Cold sores virus, cardiovascular damage linked in study
Brighton and Sussex Medical School, August 14, 2022
A herpes virus similar to the one that causes cold sores has been linked to immune cells that can damage cardiovascular tissue, according to a study.
Researchers at the Brighton and Sussex Medical School in England found that a relevant number of a specific type of immune cells arise when infection with cytomegalovirus is present. Their findings were published in the journal Theranostics.
The virus, which is frequently associated with the salivary glands, has been considered harmless because the immune system usually controls it.
But the CD28null CD4 T-cells have been known to be involved in damaging the arteries around the heart.
Cytomegalovirus infection increases the risk of cardiovascular death by over 20 percent, according to a study published last year in the Journal of the American Heart Association, but the effect wasn’t identified.
One theory was they were a natural consequence of aging.
“While we had previously been aware of a link between these immune cells and cardiovascular damage, this study is the first to show that sufficient numbers to be damaging only occur in the presence of this infection,” lead author Dr. Alejandra Pera, a researcher at BSMS, said in a press release.
They found that certain tissue types, which are determined genetically, make individuals more susceptible to large numbers of these cells.
With this discovery researchers believe heart disease can be controlled by treating the virus.
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A study reported in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health has uncovered an association between higher plasma vitamin C levels and a lower risk of mortality during more than 16 years of follow-up.
The study included 473 men and 475 women between the ages of 53 and 84.
Among subjects whose plasma vitamin C concentrations were among the top 25%, the adjusted risk of dying from any cause during follow-up was 25% lower than the risk experienced by subjects whose vitamin C levels were among the lowest quarter. Those whose plasma vitamin C levels were among the highest 25% had an adjusted risk of dying from cancer or stroke that was 28% lower and a risk of dying from heart disease that was 35% lower than subjects whose levels were lowest.
When subjects with low vitamin C levels (defined as 28 micromoles per liter or below) and normal levels (greater than 28 micromoles per liter) were compared, a normal level was associated with a 23% lower risk of premature mortality and a 38% lower risk of dying from heart disease, in comparison with low levels.
As a possible reason for their findings, Shao-Ming Wang and colleagues note that oxidative stress is lowered by vitamin C. Oxidative stress can promote endothelial dysfunction that underlies heart disease by increasing inflammation and lipid peroxidation and decreasing nitric oxide availability. Oxidative stress also causes DNA damage associated with cancer.
Pomegranate-cocoa blend helps improve aging men’s symptoms Shetty Hospital (India), August 19 2022.
A study published in the International Journal of Medical Science found benefits for supplementing with a combination of extracts of Punica granatum (pomegranate) fruit rind and Theobroma cocoa seed extracts in middle-aged men.
Previous research that investigated the effects of a blend of extracts of pomegranate fruit rind and cocoa seed in young men resulted in increases in serum and free testosterone levels as well as muscle strength and size. The current study included 120 men between the ages of 36 to 55 years who received 200 mg or 400 mg of pomegranate-cocoa extract or a placebo for 8 weeks. All participants were assigned to a program consisting of 30 minutes of walking per day for 5 days per week.
At the end of the 7-week period, both doses of pomegranate-cocoa extracts were associated with significant improvement in aging males’ symptom scores, free and total testosterone levels, strength and perceived stress compared to the beginning of the study and to the placebo group.
The authors concluded that pomegranate-cocoa “is a well-tolerated, safe, and effective nutraceutical blend that boosts sexual function, testosterone level, and psychological and general well-being in aging males.”
Placebo effect demonstrates healing power of the mind
Harvard Medical School, August 13, 2022
Experts at Harvard Medical School advocate that the placebo effect be received with more positivity, rather than viewed as a deceptive or inaccurate measure designed to test health. They conclude that the power of thought can be extremely effective in helping people heal, focusing on physiological changes that have been linked to the placebo effect.
The placebo effect involves someone being given medicine that is actually typically nothing more than a sugar pill which does not contain active ingredients. Many times, patients receiving a placebo who are in need of healing a certain condition report feeling significantly better, if not altogether healed.
The experts at Harvard explain that improvements may take place because of the anticipated response that a person expects when given medication. The university’s literature says that there is “evidence that some of the placebo effect is a favorable reaction to care and attention from people who patients believe can help ease their suffering and distress.” It goes on to say that the placebo effect “may be an integral part of good medical care and an ally that should be embraced by doctors and patients alike.”
This paves the way for potential changes in how health is handled and, furthermore, reinforces the strength of the human mind to bring about healing and desired outcomes, health or otherwise.
Awake within a dream: Lucid dreamers show greater insight in waking life
University of Lincoln (UK), August 12, 2022
People who are aware they are asleep when they are dreaming have better than average problem-solving abilities, new research has discovered.
Experts from the University of Lincoln, UK, say that those who experience ‘lucid dreaming’ — a phenomena where someone who is asleep can recognise that they are dreaming — can solve problems in the waking world better than those who remain unaware of the dream until they wake up.
It is thought some people are able to do this because of a higher level of insight, meaning their brains detect they are in a dream because events would not make sense otherwise.
This cognitive ability translates to the waking world when it comes to finding the solution to a problem by spotting hidden connections or inconsistencies, researchers say.
The research by Dr Patrick Bourke, Senior Lecturer at the Lincoln School of Psychology, is the first empirical study demonstrating the relationship between lucid dreaming and insight.
The study examined 68 participants aged between 18 and 25 who had experienced different levels of lucid dreaming, from never to several times a month. They were asked to solve 30 problems designed to test insight. Each problem consisted of three words and a solution word.
Results showed that frequent lucid dreamers solved 25 per cent more of the insight problems than the non-lucid dreamers.
The role of dietary coconut for the prevention and treatment of Alzheimer’s disease
Curtin University (Australia), August 12, 2022
According to news reporting originating in Bentley, Australia, research stated, “Coconut oil, derived from the coconut fruit, has been recognised historically as containing high levels of saturated fat; however, closer scrutiny suggests that coconut should be regarded more favourably.”
The news reporters obtained a quote from the research from Curtin University, “Unlike most other dietary fats that are high in long-chain fatty acids, coconut oil comprises medium-chain fatty acids (MCFA). MCFA are unique in that they are easily absorbed and metabolised by the liver, and can be converted to ketones. Ketone bodies are an important alternative energy source in the brain, and may be beneficial to people developing or already with memory impairment, as in Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Coconut is classified as a highly nutritious ‘functional food’. It is rich in dietary fibre, vitamins and minerals; however, notably, evidence is mounting to support the concept that coconut may be beneficial in the treatment of obesity, dyslipidaemia, elevated LDL, insulin resistance and hypertension – these are the risk factors for CVD and type 2 diabetes, and also for AD. In addition, phenolic compounds and hormones (cytokinins) found in coconut may assist in preventing the aggregation of amyloid-beta peptide, potentially inhibiting a key step in the pathogenesis of AD.”
According to the news reporters, the research concluded: “The purpose of the present review was to explore the literature related to coconut, outlining the known mechanistic physiology, and to discuss the potential role of coconut supplementation as a therapeutic option in the prevention and management of AD.”
Cold sores virus, cardiovascular damage linked in study
Brighton and Sussex Medical School, August 14, 2022
A herpes virus similar to the one that causes cold sores has been linked to immune cells that can damage cardiovascular tissue, according to a study.
Researchers at the Brighton and Sussex Medical School in England found that a relevant number of a specific type of immune cells arise when infection with cytomegalovirus is present. Their findings were published in the journal Theranostics.
The virus, which is frequently associated with the salivary glands, has been considered harmless because the immune system usually controls it.
But the CD28null CD4 T-cells have been known to be involved in damaging the arteries around the heart.
Cytomegalovirus infection increases the risk of cardiovascular death by over 20 percent, according to a study published last year in the Journal of the American Heart Association, but the effect wasn’t identified.
One theory was they were a natural consequence of aging.
“While we had previously been aware of a link between these immune cells and cardiovascular damage, this study is the first to show that sufficient numbers to be damaging only occur in the presence of this infection,” lead author Dr. Alejandra Pera, a researcher at BSMS, said in a press release.
They found that certain tissue types, which are determined genetically, make individuals more susceptible to large numbers of these cells.
With this discovery researchers believe heart disease can be controlled by treating the virus.
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GlyNAC supplementation reverses aging hallmarks in aging humans Baylor College of Medicine, August 19, 2022
A randomized, double blind human clinical trial conducted by researchers at Baylor College of Medicine reveals that supplementation with GlyNAC—a combination of glycine and N-acetylcysteine—improves many age-associated defects in older humans and powerfully promotes healthy aging. This is relevant because until now, there have been no solutions toward improving many of these age-related declines in people.
Published in The Journals of Gerontology: Series A, the study shows that older humans taking GlyNAC for 16-weeks improved many characteristic defects of aging. This includes oxidative stress, glutathione deficiency and multiple aging hallmarks affecting mitochondrial dysfunction, mitophagy, inflammation, insulin resistance, endothelial dysfunction, genomic damage, stem cell fatigue and cellular senescence. These were associated with improvements in muscle strength, gait speed, exercise capacity, waist circumference and blood pressure.
The improvements in oxidative stress, glutathione levels and mitochondrial function in the muscle tissue of older humans taking GlyNAC were similar to the improvements in organs such as the heart, liver and kidneys of aged mice supplemented with GlyNAC as reported in the researchers’ recent publication. Taken together, the results of these studies show that GlyNAC supplementation can improve these defects in many different organs of the body. “GlyNAC supplementation in aging mice increased their length of life mice by 24%,” said Sekhar. “Gait speed is reported to be associated with survival in older humans. Our randomized clinical trial found a significant improvement in gait speed in older humans supplemented with GlyNAC. This raises the interesting question of whether GlyNAC supplementation could have implications for survival in people.”
Mitochondria generate energy needed for supporting cellular functions. However, the ability of mitochondria to work well declines as we age. How to improve the ability of these failing mitochondria to work is not well understood, and therefore no solutions have been available. Sekhar’s group discovered earlier that supplementing GlyNAC in aged mice corrected malfunctioning mitochondria. However, to definitively determine whether GlyNAC supplementation benefited people, a placebo-controlled randomized clinical trial was required.
After 16-weeks of GlyNAC supplementation, mitochondrial function of older people improve toward levels found in young people. This was accompanied by improvements in multiple additional outcomes as reported in the publication. Analysis of the molecular data from the trial suggests that the GlyNAC supplementation is able to fill cells with younger and more efficient mitochondria. “Collectively these exciting new discoveries hold great promise for improving our mitochondrial and general health as we age,” Sekhar said.
A second vital benefit offered by supplementing GlyNAC is that it also helps protect the body from an important problem called oxidative stress. GlyNAC supplementation corrects glutathione deficiency and lowers oxidative stress in older humans back to youthful levels, thereby solving both problems.
“One of the intriguing questions from this trial is why so many improvements occur toward promoting health. We believe that this is due to the combined effort of three separate components—glycine, cysteine (from NAC) and glutathione, and not just due to glutathione itself. Glycine and cysteine are both very important for cellular health on their own, and GlyNAC provides both. Glycine and cysteine are building blocks to form glutathione, which also has health benefits. We believe that the improvements in this trial and in our previous studies are the result of the combined effects of glycine and NAC and glutathione, and we refer to this combination as the ‘Power of 3,'” said Sekhar.
GlyNAC supplementation improved muscle strength in the upper and lower extremity and a trend toward increased exercise capacity. “These findings could have additional implications for improving the health of older humans, especially in terms of being able to be more physically active,” said Sekhar.
High-fructose corn syrup consumption in adolescence impairs learning and memory
University of Southern California, August 12, 2022
Because most corn in America is genetically modified to kill corn “pests,” no human on Earth should be eating it, especially every day. This is now being proven by scientists who run tests on animals in laboratories and have concluded that high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) and sucrose can impair an adolescent animal’s ability to learn, and it can impair its ability to remember information. And that brings us to the rat genome.
Research reveals a difference between adult animals that consume HFCS-sweetened beverages and adolescent animals that consume the same. The amounts of HFCS used in the research were very similar to the amounts of GMO sugar found in common soft drinks. The study was conducted over one month. The lead author of the study said it’s no secret that soft drinks can lead to not only metabolic disturbances but interference with the brain’s ability to function normally and remember “critical information” about one’s environment.
Dr. Scott Kanoski from the University of Southern California explained, “The hippocampus is such a critical brain region for memory function. In many ways this region is a canary in the coal mine, as it is particularly sensitive to insult by various environmental factors, including eating foods that are high in saturated fat and processed sugar.”
Music More Effective Than Drugs At Releasing Brain’s Painkillers McGill University (Montreal), August 11, 2022
400 published scientific papers have proven the old adage that “music is medicine.” Neurochemical benefits of music can improve the body’s immune system, reduce anxiety levels and help regulate mood in ways that drugs have difficulty competing.
“We’ve found compelling evidence that musical interventions can play a health care role in settings ranging from operating rooms to family clinics,” says Prof. Levitin of McGill University’s Psychology Department. “But even more importantly, we were able to document the neurochemical mechanisms by which music has an effect in four domains: management of mood, stress, immunity and as an aid to social bonding.”
Like other pleasurable experiences, there are two components to enjoying music: anticipation of hearing your favourite song, and then actually hearing it. The brain signalling chemical dopamine, which is linked to reward, is involved in both phases. But neuroscientists have wondered for decades whether there was more to it — what gives music its power to induce euphoria?
The brain’s natural opioids could be key. Professor Levitin’s team showed that blocking opioid signals in the brain by giving people a drug called naltrexone reduces the amount of pleasure they report getting from their favourite song. They still enjoy the anticipation of hearing the song just as much, suggesting that, although dopamine is involved, it’s when the opioids kick in that music really starts to affect our minds.
A flood of opioids would also explain music’s effect on our body. Listening to music is known to raise people’s pain thresholds, so much so that in some cases, it can be used to reduce the need for morphine-like painkillers. In their analysis, Levitin’s team surveyed over 400 papers, looking for patterns in the scientific evidence supporting the claim that music can affect brain chemistry in a positive way. They succeeded in isolating four areas where music can help:
Reward, motivation, and pleasure (to help with eating disorders, as an example) Stress and arousal (to help reduce anxiety) Immunity (to strengthen the body’s immune system and slow-down age related decline) Social affiliation (to assist in trust building and social bonding) The researchers connected these areas with four primary neuro-chemical systems:
Dopamine and opioids Cortisol (and related hormones) Serotonin (and related hormones) Oxytocin
“We know music facilitates active neurochemical processes in a symphony of opioids which pharmaceutical intervention has been unable to match,” said Dr. Francis Chandra commenting on the study.
Calcium & magnesium reduce risk of metabolic syndrome: 9000-strong study
Case Western Reserve University, August 14, 2022
Calcium and magnesium may reduce the risk of metabolic syndrome – but men need above and beyond recommended levels for this effect, say researchers.
The researchers from the Case Western Reserve University in the US used 9,148 adults to test the theory that higher dietary intakes of calcium and magnesium decreased the risk of metabolic syndrome.
Using 24-hour recalls as part of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Study, they found women who met the US recommended dietary allowance (RDA) for both magnesium (310–320 mg per day) and calcium (1000–1200 mg per day) saw the greatest decrease in risk of metabolic syndrome. The European RDA for magnesium is 375 mg and 800 mg for calcium.
Meanwhile, they did not see the same association for men meeting the RDA for magnesium (400–420 mg per day) and calcium (1000–1200 mg per day), individually or in combination. However, when these intakes were increased to over 386 mg for magnesium and over 1224 mg per day for calcium, the odds of metabolic syndrome for the men was lowered.
“The underlying mechanisms driving the differences we and others have observed by sex are not well understood and warrant additional mechanistic studies,” the researchers wrote.
The study measured serum triglyceride, high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol and glucose levels as markers of the condition
Treadmill exercise shown to improve Parkinson’s symptoms in mice Rush University Medical Center, August 18, 2022
Regular treadmill exercise helped improve Parkinson’s disease symptoms in mice in a recent study by researchers at RUSH University Medical Center. The results of the study were recently published in the Cell Reports.
“We’re very excited about the results,” said Kalipada Pahan, Ph.D., Floyd A. Davis, MD, Endowed Chair in Neurology and professor of neurological sciences, biochemistry, pharmacology at the RUSH University Medical Center. “Our hope is that we can use this as a jumping off point for furthering our ability to help Parkinson’s patients manage their symptoms.”
In the study, scientists found positive results in using regular treadmill exercise to stop the spread of the α-synuclein protein and reverse biochemical, cellular, and anatomical changes that occur in the brains of mice with Parkinson’s disease in the absence of any drugs. The mice in the trial ran on a treadmill consistently in 30-minute intervals for six days a week, over the course of two months.
The findings are key in the ongoing research of Parkinson’s, but Pahan and his team were quick to note that while treadmill exercise is something that can be easily available and accessible, some patients with Parkinson’s might not be able to run on a treadmill daily.
“Once patients are diagnosed with these neurodegenerative disorders, there are no drugs available for halting the disease progression,” Pahan said. “Understanding how the treadmill helps the brain is important to developing treadmill-associated drugs that can inhibit α-synuclein pathology, protect the brain, and stop the progression of Lewy body diseases.”
30 Minutes of Reading a Day Could Add Years to Your Life
University of Sussex (UK) and Yale University, August 7, 2022
Past studies have shown that reading books can benefit people in a multitude of ways, physically, mentally, and intellectually. Now in a new study, people who read a book for about 30 minutes a day were found to live approximately 2 years longer than those who didn’t read at all.
In previous research, curling up with a good book has been shown to improve people’s social skills by improving their ability to read the thoughts and feelings of others.
Researchers at the University of Sussex in England found that reading was “the most effective way to overcome stress” – even better than listening to music, having a cup of tea, or going for a walk.
Reading has also been proven to be a great way to keep the mind sharp, and may reduce mental decline by 32%, helping to prevent Alzheimer’s disease.
For the new study, researchers from Yale University analyzed data on 3,635 people age 50 and older. The participants were divided into 3 groups – those who didn’t read at all, those who read up to 30 minutes a day, and those who read for longer than 3.5 hours per week.
Those who read the most tended to be women with college educations and high incomes.
The researchers said that book readers appear to have a “significant survival advantage” over people who don’t read books. The study didn’t address whether reading on a Kindle or other tablet device counted, but it did find that book readers in general lived an average of 2 years longer than non-readers.
Specifically, the researchers found that people who read up to 3.5 hours a week were 17% less likely to die over the study’s 12-year follow-up period than participants who read no books. This was after accounting for the participants’ age, race, self-reported health, depression, employment, and marital status.
Compared with those who didn’t read books, those who read for more than 3.5 hours a week were 23% less likely to die overall.
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Consuming green vegetables, supplements suppresses inflammatory bowel disease
Sichuan University in China and from Cedars Sinai Medical Center, August 17, 2022
The dietary supplement chlorophyllin alleviates inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), including Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, according to researchers from the Center for Diabetes and Metabolism Research at Sichuan University in China and from Cedars Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. In addition, chlorophyllin significantly reduces mortality related to IBD, weight loss, diarrhea and hidden blood in the stool, intestinal epithelial damage and infiltration of inflammatory cells. The findings are published ahead of print in the American Journal of Physiology-Gastrointestinal and Liver Physiology, and the study has been chosen as an APS select article for August. Current therapeutics for IBD include medications that suppress the immune system (immunosuppressants) and surgery. However, long-term use of immunosuppressive treatments could result in severe adverse effects, including opportunistic infections and even organ failure. In this study, researchers found taking an oral chlorophyllin supplement—a compound derived from the green pigment found in plants—reduced colitis and abnormalities in the intestinal epithelia of mice. Also, consumption of green vegetables and chlorophyllin may be helpful for IBD recovery, in part through alleviation of inflammation and autolysosomal flux (a process that uses lysosome to degrade and remove toxic molecules and organelles). Green pigment found in these foods and supplements can initiate a feeding signaling to modulate autophagy in the cells, which suppresses IBD symptoms.
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Coriander is a potent weapon against antibiotic resistant bacteria
University of Beira Interior (Portugal) August 10, 2022
The problem of antibiotic resistant bacteria has been deemed a public health crisis, with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reporting that invasive MRSA – or methicillin-resistant S. aureus – infections affect 80,000 people globally a year, and claim over 11,000 lives. But, what the CDC will never tell you is how coriander can potentially save lives. Researchers in Portugal now say that that the oil from coriander – a common kitchen spice – is quite toxic to a wide range of harmful bacteria, leading to hopes that it may be enlisted in the fight against MRSA and other pathogens. The scientific research about coriander is promising Researchers at University of Beira Interior used flow cytometry to study the effects of coriander oil on 12 different disease-causing types of bacteria, including E. coli, Salmonella, B. cereus and MRSA. In the study, published in Journal of Medical Microbiology, the oil significantly inhibited bacterial growth – especially that of MRSA and E. coli.
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Tumour blood supply stopped in its tracks by modified natural compound
University of New South Wales (Australia), August 10, 2022
Researchers have discovered how the modified natural compound dextran-catechin disrupts formation of blood vessels that fuel growth in the childhood cancer neuroblastoma. Researchers have discovered how a modified natural compound disrupts angiogenesis, the formation of blood vessel networks, in neuroblastoma tumours, stopping them laying down the vital supply lines that fuel cancer growth and spread. Dextran catechin is a sugar based conjugated form of catechin commonly found in green tea, red wine, dark chocolate and apple peels. Lead author Dr Orazio Vittorio of Children’s Cancer Institute found that the natural polyphenol catechin slows tumour growth in the laboratory but breaks down too quickly in the body to be effective.
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Researchers discover how DDT exposure contributes to Alzheimer’s disease risk
Florida International University and Rutgers University, August 17, 2022
A new study led by researchers from Florida International University and Rutgers reveals a mechanism linking the pesticide DDT to Alzheimer’s disease. Published in Environmental Health Perspectives, the study shows how the persistent environmental pollutant DDT causes increased amounts of toxic amyloid beta, which form the characteristic amyloid plaques found in the brains of those with Alzheimer’s disease. According to Jason Richardson, professor at FIU’s Robert Stempel College of Public Health & Social Work and corresponding author, the study further demonstrates that DDT is an environmental risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease.”The vast majority of research on the disease has been on genetics—and genetics are very important—but the genes that actually cause the disease are very rare,” Richardson says. “Environmental risk factors like exposure to DDT are modifiable. So, if we understand how DDT affects the brain, then perhaps we could target those mechanisms and help the people who have been highly exposed.” The study focused on sodium channels, which the nervous system uses to communicate between brain cells (neurons), as the potential mechanism. DDT causes these channels to remain open, leading to increased firing of neurons and increased release of amyloid-beta peptides. In the study, researchers demonstrate that if neurons are treated with tetrodotoxin, a compound that blocks sodium channels in the brain, the increased production of the amyloid precursor protein and toxic amyloid-beta species is prevented. “This finding could potentially provide a roadmap to future therapies for people highly exposed to DDT,” Richardson says.
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Study shows how food preservatives may disrupt human hormones and promote obesity
Cedars-Sinai Medicine Institute, August 9, 2022
Can chemicals that are added to breakfast cereals and other everyday products make you obese? Growing evidence from animal experiments suggests the answer may be “yes.” But confirming these findings in humans has faced formidable obstacles – until now. A new study published in Nature Communications details how Cedars-Sinai investigators developed a novel platform and protocol for testing the effects of chemicals known as endocrine disruptors on humans. The three chemicals tested in this study are abundant in modern life. Butylhydroxytoluene (BHT) is an antioxidant commonly added to breakfast cereals and other foods to protect nutrients and keep fats from turning rancid; perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) is a polymer found in some cookware, carpeting and other products; and tributyltin (TBT) is a compound in paints that can make its way into water and accumulate in seafood. The investigators used hormone-producing tissues grown from human stem cells to demonstrate how chronic exposure to these chemicals can interfere with signals sent from the digestive system to the brain that let people know when they are “full” during meals. When this signaling system breaks down, people often may continue eating, causing them to gain weight.
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Standing desks can improve well-being, reduce stress among office workers
University of Leicester (UK), August 17 2022
Standing desks can improve workers’ performance as well as cut their time sitting by an hour each day, according to new research. Study authors add that getting up from an office chair also boosts well-being and energy levels, while reducing stress. “High levels of sitting time are associated with several health related outcomes and premature mortality, with high levels of workplace sitting associated with low vigor and job performance and high levels of presenteeism.” Presenteeism is the practice of being present at one’s place of work for more hours than is required, especially as a manifestation of insecurity about one’s job. Sedentary lifestyles increase the risk of chronic conditions including cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, depression, anxiety, and cancer.
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Study: Regular consumption of citrus fruits can reduce dementia risk by 15%
Tohoku University (Japan), August 4, 2022
Dementia continues to affect more people worldwide, and countries with aging populations like Japan are especially vulnerable. To address this matter, researchers from Tohoku University studied the health benefits of eating citrus fruits. According to the study findings, regular consumption of citrus fruits like oranges, grapefruits, lemons or limes could help reduce the risk of dementia among older adults by almost 15 percent. The research team hopes that the dietary approach could be both a simple and effective solution for dementia prevention. Findings from some cell and animal experiments have shown that citrus flavonoids can cross the blood-brain barrier and play a part in antioxidant and anti-inflammatory actions. Earlier studies suggest that this could help reverse and repair some forms of cellular damage.
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Olive oil consumption found to reduce risk of death due to cancer, heart disease and Alzheimer’s
Harvard School of Public Health, August 14, 2022
According to a study, replacing butter or full-dairy fat with half a tablespoon or more of olive oil can help increase your chances of living longer. The study was conducted by experts from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and published in the American Journal of Cardiology. The study revealed that people who used seven grams or more (at least half a tablespoon) of olive oil as a dressing or with bread had a reduced risk of dying from Alzheimer’s disease, cancer, heart disease or respiratory disease compared to those who rarely or never consumed olive oil. Findings also showed that replacing 10 grams a day (about 3/4 tablespoons ) of butter, margarine, mayo or dairy fat with the same amount of olive oil was linked to an impressive eight to 34 percent lower risk of disease-related death. For the study, the researchers analyzed data from 60,582 healthy adult women and 31,801 healthy adult men from the Nurses’ Health Study and the Health Professionals Follow-up Study. During the 28-year follow-up, the volunteers had a diet assessment every four years that asked them how often they consumed certain foods, fats and oils on average. The assessment also checked which brand or type of oils they used for cooking or at the table.
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Cutting 1 gram from daily salt intake could ward off nearly 9 million cases of stroke/heart disease
British Medical Journal, August 16, 2022
A modest cut of just 1 gram in daily salt intake could ward off nearly 9 million cases of heart disease and strokes and save 4 million lives by 2030, suggest the estimates of a modeling study published in the open access journal BMJ Nutrition Prevention & Health. Salt intake in China is one of the highest in the world, averaging 11 g/day—over twice the amount recommended by the Chinese government. High salt intake drives up blood pressure and therefore the risk of cardiovascular disease, which accounts for 40% of all deaths in China every year. The researchers set out to estimate the health gains that could be achieved by reducing salt intake across the nation, with the aim of helping to inform the development of a doable salt reduction program.
Given that, on average, adults in China consume 11 g/day of salt, reducing this by 1 g/day should lower average systolic blood pressure by about 1.2 mmHg. And if this reduction were achieved in a year and sustained, some 9 million cases of heart disease and stroke could be prevented by 2030—4 million of them fatal.
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Getting Adequate Amount Of Vitamin D Prevents Harmful Inflammation
University of South Australia, August 7, 2022
A little bit of inflammation is integral to the human body’s natural healing process. Chronic inflammation, however, can actually have the opposite effect. Constantly high levels increase one’s risk of various serious diseases including but not limited to Type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and various autoimmune conditions. Now, a study by scientists at the University of South Australia reports a direct link between low levels of vitamin D and high levels of inflammation. This is the world’s first ever genetic research project to focus on this topic. Study authors believe their work establishes an invaluable biomarker for identifying individuals at a higher risk of developing chronic illnesses with an inflammatory component. The research team used Mendelian randomization on the genetic data of 294 ,970 participants enrolled in the UK Biobank project. That analysis revealed a clear association between vitamin D and C-reactive protein levels, considered an indicator of inflammation.
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Four Natural Options for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
GreenMedInfo, August 16th 2022
Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) is a complex long-term disorder affecting over 2 million Americans that is characterized by extreme fatigue and malaise that doesn’t improve with rest.[i] A whopping 90% of chronic fatigue sufferers are undiagnosed[ii] and may find it difficult to carry on with normal activities such as work, school and household chores. At least 1 in 4 CFS patients are house-bound or bed-bound for long periods of time due to the disorder. While some studies demonstrate correlation between CFS and autoimmune system dysregulation,[v],[vi] the cause of CFS, also referred to as myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), is still unknown. There is no known cure for CFS, with treatment generally focusing on symptom relief.We’ve identified four of the best natural options for chronic fatigue syndrome to provide safe, effective support to revitalize your body and spirit.
- Nicotinamide Adenine Dinucleotide (NADH)
An essential element in the production of energy, nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH) is a coenzyme found in every cell in the human body. NADH is a critical factor in hundreds of metabolic processes, including healthy cell turnover (antiaging), converting food into energy and maintaining the integrity of DNA,[ix] an important factor in disease prevention.
NADH has been studied extensively as a therapeutic for CFS, including a study comparing oral NADH with conventional therapy consisting of nutritional supplements and psychological therapy for a period of 24 months. To rule out specific comorbidities, immunological parameters and viral antibody titers were also evaluated at baseline and each trimester of therapy. Patients who received NADH had a dramatic and statistically significant reduction in symptoms during the first trimester.[x]
Another trial on the stabilized oral form of NADH examined 26 qualified patients over a 12-week double-blind, placebo-controlled study. Subjects were randomized to receive either 10 milligrams (mg) of NADH or placebo for a four-week period, followed by a four-week “washout” period, after which subjects were switched to the alternate treatment for a final four-week period.
Within this cohort of 26 subjects, eight patients, or 31%, responded favorably to NADH compared to just 8% (two patients) of the placebo group, with no severe adverse reactions related to treatment.[xi]
- Astragalus
Astragalus is a traditional herbal remedy known for its adaptogenic qualities, meaning it can help protect the body from damage due to oxidative stress. A powerful antioxidant, astragalus is used to protect and support immunity, as a preventative against colds and upper respiratory tract infections, and to regulate healthy blood pressure, among other uses.[xii] Astragalus can even be applied topically for wound care thanks to antiviral properties.
A 2009 study focused on the herbal formula Myelophil, a combination of two traditional medicinal plants, Astragalus membranaceus and Salvia miltiorrhiza, a member of the sage family. The Myelophil extract was given to the treatment cohort in either low- or high-dose groups of 3 or 6 grams of Myelophil daily. A control group was provided with a placebo and all groups were monitored for four weeks.
Patients were surveyed for symptom severity and blood antibody arrays were taken to measure inflammatory cytokines, an important marker of disease symptoms. Results showed that even at low dosage (3 grams), Myelophil significantly decreased fatigue severity compared with placebo, though no changes in cytokine expression were noted.[xiii]
- Probiotics
Probiotics have garnered the health spotlight in recent years, owing to their ability to support and protect the digestive tract. But probiotics can do more than improve gut health — they may also boost your brain and improve your mood.
Brain fog is a key side effect of CFS and a potentially devastating one when it comes to impact on daily functioning. The same can be said for depression, another common hallmark of CFS. Studies reflecting the mood-boosting, clarity-producing effects of probiotics are cause for optimism for sufferers of chronic fatigue.
A 2018 study in the journal Beneficial Microbes points to the role gut microbiota may play in CFS and fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS), which shares many features of CFS. A systematic review of studies was performed in this meta-analysis, encompassing randomized controlled trials and pilot studies of CFS or FMS conducted between 2006 and 2016. The administration of Lactobacillus casei for eight weeks was found to reduce anxiety scores, while treatment with Bifidobacterium infantis for the same period reduced inflammatory biomarkers.[xiv]
Unhealthful intestinal ecology may play a role in CFS, as it plays a part in the health of the immune system. A 2009 study on probiotics’ effects on energy level and symptomology for CFS patients found that, after four weeks of probiotic supplementation with strains of lactobacillus, acidophilus and Bifidobacterium, patients reported improved neurocognitive functions, though fatigue and physical activity scores were not significantly affected.[xv]
- Antioxidant Formulas
Supplementing with antioxidants is another way to boost your body’s defenses against the damaging effects of free radicals. By increasing the amount of antioxidant enzymes available to your cells, you may be able to prevent or even reverse the effects of oxidative stress that can cause systemic inflammation and fatigue.
Oxidative stress as a factor in CFS was studied by researchers using a mouse model that stressed mice via chronic swimming. Mice treated with melatonin — a hormone with antioxidant effects — carvedilol — a medication that is 10 times more potent than vitamin E[xvi] — were observed to have significantly reduced immobilityperiods each day.[xvii]
Similar results were observed when mice were administered an oral herbal compound (Withania somnifera (100 mg/kg), quercetin (50 mg/kg) and St. John’s wort (10 mg/kg).)[xviii] These treatments further caused a significant reduction in lipid peroxidation, a sign of oxidative stress, and restored the GSH (glutathione) levels decreased by chronic swimming.[xix]
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New study shows Rhodiola rosea root might be beneficial for managing type 2 diabetes
University of California at Irvine, August 15, 2022
A team of researchers led by the University of California, Irvine has discovered that treatment with an extract from the roots of the Rhodiola rosea plant might be effective for helping manage type 2 diabetes, showing promise as a safe and effective non-pharmaceutical alternative. The study, recently published online in Scientific Reports, found that in a mouse model of human type 2 diabetes, Rhodiola rosea lowered fasting blood sugar levels, improved response to insulin injections, modulated the composition of bacteria in the gastrointestinal tract and decreased several biomarkers of inflammation. The team utilized a genetically engineered mouse model that develops obesity, insulin resistance and high blood sugar, similar to advanced human type 2 diabetes, to test whether Rhodiola rosea could improve glucose homeostasis. In the study, cohorts of age-matched male and female mice were randomly assigned to one of two groups: control, which received water, or experimental, which received Rhodiola rosea extract.
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Meta-analysis concludes benefits for selenium supplementation in cognitively impaired individuals
Instituto de Pesquisa Pelé Pequeno Príncipe (Brazil), August 15 2022.
A systematic review and meta-analysis published in Nutrients found that supplementing with selenium was associated with improved levels of the mineral and the antioxidant enzyme glutathione peroxidase, as well as better cognitive function among patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or Alzheimer disease (AD). “For the first time, our study demonstrated, through a systematic review and meta-analysis, the possible benefits of selenium supplementation on selenium levels in patients with MCI or AD, as well as on markers of oxidative stress and on cognitive test performance,” Meire Ellen Pereira and colleagues wrote. Among studies that evaluated the effects of selenium without other nutrients, selenium measured in plasma, serum, red blood cells or cerebrospinal fluid increased among participants who received the mineral while remaining essentially the same or lower in the control groups. The meta-analysis determined that supplementing with selenium increased selenium levels by an average of 4 times in plasma, 1.88 times in serum, 3.73 times in red blood cells and 2.18 times in cerebrospinal fluid.
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Skip the elevator: A 15-minute walk can help your brain fight off Alzheimer’s
German Center for Neurodegenerative Disease, August 15 2022
Older people can stave off Alzheimer’s disease with a daily 15-minute walk or other physical activities, according to new research. Researchers in Germany say moderate physical activity boosts all areas of the brain, especially those involved in memory. Staying active also benefits people over 70 the most. They see the biggest increase in grey matter, compared to their “couch potato” peers. “Our study results indicate that even small behavioral changes, such as walking 15 minutes a day or taking the stairs instead of the elevator, may have a substantial positive effect on the brain and potentially counteract age-related loss of brain matter and the development of neurodegenerative diseases. In particular, older adults can already profit from modest increases of low intensity physical activity.”
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Antioxidants in fruit boosts immunity and protects thymus gland Scripps Research Institute, August 8, 2022
Eating fruit and vegetables or taking antioxidant supplements may combat one of the most harmful aspects of aging by protecting a vital immune system organ, research suggests. Scientists demonstrated how ageing sabotaged the thymus gland, weakening the immune system and putting the elderly at greater risk of infection. But the irreversible damage could be reduced by the action of antioxidants such as vitamin C. Experiments showed that antioxidants – which are abundant in many fruits and vegetables – cut down the destruction wrought by a highly reactive by-product of normal metabolism. In studies on mice, animals given vitamin C and another antioxidant used in human medicine experienced significantly less age-related deterioration of the thymus. US lead scientist Dr Howard Petrie, from the Scripps Research Institute in San Diego, California, said: “The thymus ages more rapidly than any other tissue in the body, diminishing the ability of older individuals to respond to new immunologic challenges, including evolving pathogens and vaccines. Its function is to manufacture T-cells, essential immune system cells in the front-line of the body’s defences against harmful foreign invaders and cancer.
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Modern Processed Diets Are Coding DNA and Gut Bacteria To Pass On Poor Immune Functions To Our Children
Yale University and Erlangen-Nuremberg University, August 6, 2022
A team of scientists from Yale University in the U.S and the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, in Germany, has said that junk food diets could be partly to blame for the sharp increase in autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis, including alopecia, asthma and eczema. The new stark warnings come in a review published in Nutrition Journal, which analysed the impact that the modern Western diet has on immune function and risk of ill-health related to poor immunity and inflammation."While today's modern diet may provide beneficial protection from micro- and macronutrient deficiencies, our over abundance of calories and the macronutrients that compose our diet may all lead to increased inflammation, reduced control of infection, increased rates of cancer, and increased risk for allergic and auto-inflammatory disease," warned Myles in his review. Each person harbors a unique and varied collection of bacteria that's the result of life history as well as their interactions with the environment, diet and medication use. Western diet and lifestyles consisting of fast and processed foods are leading to a lower diversity of bacteria in the gut, say researchers. Of potentially greatest concern, our poor dietary behaviours are encoded into both our DNA scaffolding and gut microbiome, and thus these harmful immune modifications are passed to our offspring during their most critical developmental window.
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The aging heart accumulates mutations—while losing the ability to repair them
Children's Hospital Boston, August 12, 2022
Why does the risk of heart disease go up as we age? Known risk factors such as hypertension or high cholesterol don't explain all cases. A first-of-its-kind study from Boston Children's Hospital now shows that the cells that make up our heart muscle accumulate new genetic mutations over time—while losing the ability to repair them.
The findings were published in the journal Nature Aging.
The research team, led by Sangita Choudhury, Ph.D., and August Yue Huang, Ph.D., in the Division of Genetics and Genomics at Boston Children's, sequenced the entire genomes of 56 individual heart muscle cells, known as cardiomyocytes, from 12 people across the age spectrum—from infancy to 82 years—who had died from causes unrelated to heart disease.
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University of Houston, August 8, 2022
Researchers have found evidence that a natural fruit extract is capable of dissolving calcium oxalate crystals, the most common component of human kidney stones. This finding could lead to the first advance in the treatment of calcium oxalate stones in 30 years.Jeffrey Rimer, associate professor of chemical engineering at the University of Houston, was lead author of the study, published in the online edition of Nature. The work offers the first evidence that the compound hydroxycitrate (HCA) is an effective inhibitor of calcium oxalate crystal growth that, under certain conditions, is actually able to dissolve these crystals. Researchers also explain how it works. Doctors tell patients who are at risk of developing stones to drink lots of water and avoid foods rich in oxalate, such as rhubarb, okra, spinach and almonds. They often recommend taking citrate (CA), in the form of potassium citrate, a supplement that can slow crystal growth, but some people are unable to tolerate the side effects.
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Pomegranate improves synaptic function in experimental model of Alzheimer's disease
University of New South Wales August 11, 2022.
An article published in the journal Oncotarget reports improvement in the loss of synaptic proteins that occurs with aging in association with pomegranate intake in a mouse model of Alzheimer's disease. Synapses are the connections that enable the transmission of messages between neurons. Impairment of synaptic plasticity—the ability of synapses to strengthen or weaken over time in response to variation in their activity—is one of several neurologic changes observed in Alzheimer's disease that contributes to cognitive impairment.
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Yoga May Boost Aging Brains
Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein (Brazil), August 9, 2022
Older women who practice yoga may have greater "thickness" in areas of the brain involved in memory and attention, a small study suggests. Researchers found that even compared with other healthy, active women their age, yoga practitioners typically had greater cortical thickness in the brain's left prefrontal cortex.The findings are based on one-time brain scans of fewer than 50 women—and they do not prove that yoga, itself, altered anyone's brain structure, according to senior researcher Elisa Kozasa.
The study does add to a bigger body of evidence on yoga and brain function, said Dr. Helen Lavretsky, a researcher who was not involved in the work. "This contributes to the evidence that yoga practice has neuroplastic effects on the brain that may translate into other health benefits—like better mood and cognition," said Lavretsky, a professor-in-residence of psychiatry at the UCLA Geffen School of Medicine.
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Resveratrol: The key to reducing elderly frailty?
Universidad Pablo de Olavide (Spain) , August 11, 2022
The so-called red wine nutrient resveratrol may help maintain muscle performance and reduce frailty in the elderly, research in mice has suggested.Using 48 young, mature and old mice models, the study found resveratrol improved muscle performance in the mature and old animals but not in the young. They found resveratrol – found in grapes, red wine, walnuts, peanuts and berries – “primed” the effect of exercise by increasing endurance, coordination and strength in the old animals as well as providing higher protection against oxidative damage and an increase in the mitochondrial mass responsible for the energy-generating process essential for cell metabolism.
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Ginkgo may enhance performance, boost brain health for active men
Poznan University (Poland), August 10, 2022
Extracts of Ginkgo biloba leaves may offer body and mind benefits for young, active men, according to a small supplementation trial from Poland. A daily 160 mg dose of a standardized extract of Ginkgo biloba for six weeks was associated with improvements of VO2max (maximal oxygen uptake) and blood antioxidant capacity, report scientists from the Jerzy Kukuczka Academy of Physical Education and the Poznan University of Physical Education. Writing in Nutrients , the scientists also note that Ginkgo supplementation resulted in increased production of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) during exercise. “BDNF is a molecular mediator of synaptic plasticity, hence, the BDNF signaling pathway is reduced in many neurodegenerative and psychiatric diseases,” they explained. Increasing BDNF levels, therefore, is considered beneficial. The results showed that VO2max increased in both groups, but the greatest increases were measured in the Ginkgo group. However, no statistical significance was found between the groups, which may be due to the dose – previous studies have shown benefits from higher doses.
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Is corn silk beneficial for diabetes? Jilin
University in China study and University of Buffalo, August 2, 2022
Corn silk refers to the threads that grow on corn cobs. People have used corn silk as an herbal remedy for centuries in traditional Chinese and Native American medicine. Proponents suggest that it may have several medicinal applications, which may include reducing inflammation, blood pressure, and blood sugar.Corn silk, also known as Stigma Maydis, refers to a traditional Chinese medicine.
Corn silk describes the thread-like strands that grow underneath the husk of a fresh ear of corn. These thin fibers contain plant compounds that may be responsible for various health benefits. Some evidence suggests that corn silk may possess antidiabetic properties.
A Jilin University in China study and University of Buffalo review suggest that corn silk, and its flavonoids, may possess antidiabetic benefits. The mouse study suggests that the antidiabetic properties of corn silk could make it a good candidate for a functional food or treatment for diabetes. Corn silk may help by slowing the absorption of starchy foods from the intestine. By slowing this process, blood glucose levels rise more steadily after meals, which avoids sudden blood sugar spikes. Corn silk has antioxidant and antiglycation properties that can provide protective effects for insulin-secreting cells.
A review of corn silk's medicinal benefits at Damietta University in Egypt suggests:
Antioxidant and anti-inflammatory: suggests that the compounds present in corn silk are rich in antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. This could provide a protective effect against different conditions. For example, a 2019 paper suggests it could protect against skin damage.
Antihyperlipidemia: Corn silk possesses anti-hyperlipidemic activity. It can help improve cholesterol levels and decrease the risk of cardiovascular conditions.
Lowering blood pressure: Corn silk can help lower blood pressure. Corn silk tea could help improve the effect of antihypertensive drugs and could offer a natural alternative treatment option.
Treating kidney stones: Researchers at Dalien Polytechnic University in China found that sugars present in corn silk can help reduce kidney damage and promote uric acid excretion. As such, corn silk could act as a dietary supplement to help reduce kidney stone formation.
Reduction of nephrotoxicity: Corn silk can help reduce kidney damage that may occur as a side effect of a certain anticancer drug.
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HEALTH NEWS
Chili peppers for a healthy gut: Spicy chemical may inhibit gut tumors
How Tart Cherries Reduce Inflammation and Oxidative Stress Uncovering the links between diet, gut health and immunity Southern-style diet ‘increases death risk’ in kidney disease patients
Could Hibiscus Tea be Better than High Blood Pressure Drugs?
Can breast milk feed a love of vegetables? Chili peppers for a healthy gut: Spicy chemical may inhibit gut tumors
University of California, San Diego August 1, 2022
Researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine report that dietary capsaicin — the active ingredient in chili peppers — produces chronic activation of a receptor on cells lining the intestines of mice, triggering a reaction that ultimately reduces the risk of colorectal tumors.
The receptor or ion channel, called TRPV1, was originally discovered in sensory neurons, where it acts as a sentinel for heat, acidity and spicy chemicals in the environment. TRPV1 was quickly described as a molecular ‘pain receptor.’
But Raz and colleagues have found that TPRV1 is also expressed by epithelial cells of the intestines, where it is activated by epidermal growth factor receptor or EGFR. EGFR is an important driver of cell proliferation in the intestines, whose epithelial lining is replaced approximately every four to six days.
“These results showed us that epithelial TRPV1 normally works as a tumor suppressor in the intestines,” said de Jong. In addition, molecular studies of human colorectal cancer samples recently uncovered multiple mutations in the TRPV1 gene, though Raz noted that currently there is no direct evidence that TRPV1 deficiency is a risk factor for colorectal cancer in humans.
The current study suggests one potential remedy might be spicy capsaicin, which acts as an irritant in mammals, generating a burning sensation in contact with tissue.
The researchers fed capsaicin to mice genetically prone to developing multiple tumors in the gastrointestinal tract. The treatment resulted in a reduced tumor burden and extended the lifespans of the mice by more than 30 percent. The treatment was even more effective when combined with celecoxib, a COX-2 non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug already approved for treating some forms of arthritis and pain.
“Our data suggest that individuals at high risk of developing recurrent intestinal tumors may benefit from chronic TRPV1 activation,” said Raz. “We have provided proof-of-principle.”
How Tart Cherries Reduce Inflammation and Oxidative StressNorthumbria University (UK), August 4, 2022Michigan researchers had previously shown that a cherry-enriched diet not only reduced overall body inflammation, but also reduced inflammation at key sites (belly fat, heart) known to affect heart disease risk in the obese.This study offers further promise that foods rich in antioxidants, such as cherries, could potentially reduce inflammation and have the potential to lower disease risk.” Two daily doses of the tart cherry concentrate was associated with significantly lower levels of interleukin-6 (IL-6) and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP), compared to placebo, according to findings published in Nutrients. ”This is the first study to investigate the impact of cherries on systemic inflammatory and oxidative stress induced by a series of metabolically challenging cycling bouts. Despite both groups demonstrating a similar drop off in performance and no differences in time trial performance, the results show that both oxidative stress and inflammatory responses were attenuated with Montmorency cherry concentrate supplementation versus placebo.” ”With millions of Americans looking for ways to naturally manage pain, it’s promising that tart cherries can help, without the possible side effects often associated with arthritis medications,” said Kerry Kuehl, M.D, Dr.PH., M.S., Oregon Health & Science University, principal study investigator. “I’m intrigued by the potential for a real food to offer such a powerful anti-inflammatory benefit — especially for active adults.” Darren E. Huxley, MD says that a natural alternatives to pain medications are proving effective without unwanted side effects. “In this case we have cherries, another potent, natural antioxidant proving to be as, if not more effective than pain medications because of the ability for sustained long-term use without side effects in common anti-inflammatory drugs.Tart cherries have also been shown to contain naturally high levels of melatonin, a key compound in the human sleep-and-wake cycle, and new research in the European Journal of Nutrition confirms that melatonin from tart cherries is absorbed by humans. In 2001, Burkhardt et al. even observed that the Montmorency variety, in particular, contains about six times more melatonin than the Balaton variety. Uncovering the links between diet, gut health and immunity University of Sydney, August 5, 2022
A preclinical study from the University of Sydney has found a high-protein diet can change the microbiota of the gut, triggering an immune response. Researchers say the study takes us a step closer to understanding the way diet impacts gut health and immunity.
“The focus of our work is on how the gut microbiota—the trillions of bacteria that inhabit the gut—affects the immune system,” said Associate Professor Laurence Macia from the University’s Charles Perkins Center and Faculty of Medicine and Health.
Traditionally, however, scientists have focused on the role of dietary fiber in maintaining a healthy gut.
In this first-of-its-kind study, published in Nature Communications, the team from the Charles Perkins Center used sophisticated modeling to explore the impact of 10 diets with a different makeup of macronutrients—protein, fats and carbohydrate in mice.
Mice fed a high protein diet increased their production of bacterial extracellular vesicles, complex cargo containing bacterial information such as DNA and protein. The body subsequently viewed this activity as a threat and triggered a sequence of events where immune cells traveled into the gut wall.
“Here we found protein had a huge impact on the gut microbiota and it was not so much about the type of bacteria that were there, but the type of activity. In essence, we discovered a new way of communication between the gut bacteria and the host which was mediated by protein,” said Associate Professor Macia.
While it is too early to say if this research might translate in humans, the researchers say activation of the immune system can prove either good or bad news.
“By increasing antibodies in the gut you may see strong protection against potential pathogens, for example salmonella, but on the downside, an activated immune system could mean you are at increased risk of colitis, an inflammatory bowel disease, or autoimmune conditions like Crohn’s,” said lead author and post-doctoral researcher Jian Tan.
The results appear consistent with the population impacts of modern-day diets, with the Western world seeing lower rates of gastrointestinal infection but higher rates of chronic disease.
Southern-style diet ‘increases death risk’ in kidney disease patients
University of Alabama 1 August 2022
New research published in the National Kidney Foundation’s American Journal of Kidney Diseases suggests that eating a “Southern-style diet” is linked with higher death rates in kidney disease patients.
Investigating the influence of diet on kidney disease patients, the researchers studied 3,972 participants with stage 3-5 chronic kidney disease who had not started dialysis. Analyzing the dietary habits of the participants, the researchers found that those who regularly consumed foods familiar to Southern diets had a 50% increase in risk of death across the 6.5-year follow-up period.
Foods that the authors identify as being part of a Southern diet include processed and fried foods, organ meats and sweetened beverages.
Could Hibiscus Tea be Better than High Blood Pressure Drugs?
Tufts University, August 4th, 2022
Naturally healing foods, including hibiscus, don’t carry the side effects of pharmaceuticals and can often offer similar (or better) benefits, without padding the pockets of Big Pharma companies. This is one example of a natural solution for high blood pressure.
When it comes to high blood pressure, a completely preventable condition, there are many natural solutions. Things like cayenne pepper, apple cider vinegar, and celery are just a few alternatives, along with broad dietary and lifestyle changes. But many people aren’t aware of the blood pressure lowering benefits of hibiscus.
Dr. Diane McKay presented her own research on hibiscus Dr. McKay, of Tufts University, conducted a study on 65 people between the ages of 30 and 70 who had been diagnosed with prehypertension or mild hypertension.
After receiving hibiscus tea daily for six weeks, participants experienced reduced diastolic, systolic, and mean arterial pressures when compared with those who received a placebo. The effects were most pronounced in those with the highest beginning baseline blood pressures.
In another study, scientists received a surprise when looking at the effects of hibiscus tea on blood sugar. The study compared the effects of hibiscus and black teas and found that both impacted cholesterol levels. While the black tea positively influenced HDL levels, hibiscus tea helped keep LDL, HDL, and overall cholesterol at healthy levels.
Can breast milk feed a love of vegetables? Monell Chemical Senses Center, August 4, 2022
Want your preschooler to eat veggies without a fuss? Try eating veggies while you’re breast-feeding.
That’s the message from a new study of lactating mothers and their breast-fed babies. The study found that those infants who took in veggie-flavored breast-milk were less likely to turn away from similar-tasting cereal when they graduated to more solid food.
“Every baby’s sensory experience is unique, but the flavor of their first food, beginning in utero, is dependent on what mom is eating,” said Julie Mennella. She is a biopsychologist at the Monell Chemical Senses Center in Philadelphia, and led the study.
“The way I see it is: Mother’s milk is the ultimate in precision medicine,” Mennella said.
When an expectant mother eats vegetables, they flavor her amniotic fluid—and later, her breast-milk—and those flavors get passed along to her baby. As a result, the researchers said, if the baby learns early how veggies taste, he or she will be less apt to squawk when offered that first spoonful.
For her study, Mennella randomly assigned 97 breast-feeding mothers to one of five groups.
For a month, three groups drank a half-cup of carrot, celery, beet or vegetable juice before nursing. One group began when babies were two weeks old, another at 1-1/2 months of age and the third at 2-1/2 months.
A fourth group of moms drank juice for three months, starting when their babies were two weeks old. A fifth group—the “control” group—did not use juice.
The takeaway: Babies who’d been exposed to vegetable flavors in breast-milk preferred carrot-flavored cereal over plain cereal or cereal with the unfamiliar taste of broccoli. Only 8 percent rejected all of the foods, the findings showed.
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HEALTH NEWS Vitamin K protects cells 3 grams of fresh salmon does wonders for high blood pressure, study reveals Physical activity stimulates the generation of new heart muscle cells in aged mice The Human Mind Is Not Meant to Be Awake After Midnight, Scientists Warn Social Isolation, Loneliness Raise Risk Of Death From Heart Attack Or Stroke By Nearly A Third Mushrooms of the Far East hold promise for the anti-cancer therapy Vitamin K protects cells Helmholtz Zentrum München (Germany), August 5 2022
An article appearing in Nature reported that the reduced form of vitamin K has an antioxidant effect that inhibits cell death caused by ferroptosis: an iron-dependent type of programmed cell death characterized by the oxidative destruction of cell membranes. “We identified that vitamin K, including phylloquinone (vitamin K1) and menaquinone-4 (vitamin K2), is able to efficiently rescue cells and tissues from undergoing ferroptosis,” first author Eikan Mishima announced.
Ferroptosis has been implicated in Alzheimer disease and other disorders. “Ferroptosis, a non-apoptotic form of cell death marked by iron-dependent lipid peroxidation, has a key role in organ injury, degenerative disease and vulnerability of therapy-resistant cancers,” the authors explained. “Here we show that the fully reduced forms of vitamin K—a group of naphthoquinones that includes menaquinone and phylloquinone—confer a strong anti-ferroptotic function, in addition to the conventional function linked to blood clotting.”
In the current investigation, they determined that the fully reduced form of vitamin K (vitamin K hydroquinone) is a strong antioxidant and prevents ferroptosis. “The reduced forms of Vitamin K and coenzyme Q10 are not very stable, so our finding that FSP1 can maintain them in their active (reduced) state is key to understanding how they are able to function to maintain cell viability,” coauthor Derek A. Pratt stated.
The team found that vitamin E and three forms of vitamin K— phylloquinone, menaquinone-4 (MK4) and menadione (vitamin K3)—rescued cells that were genetically modified to undergo ferroptosis.
3 grams of fresh salmon does wonders for high blood pressure, study reveals Macau University of Science and Technology (China), August 9, 2022
Omega-3 carries many health benefits, and a new review suggests eating three grams of it per day is enough to lower your blood pressure. The findings include omega-3 fatty acids obtained from food or dietary supplements.
“According to our research, the average adult may have a modest blood pressure reduction from consuming about 3 grams a day of these fatty acids,” says Xinzhi Li, MD, PhD, assistant professor and program director of the School of Pharmacy at Macau University of Science and Technology in China.
The average fish oil supplement carries an average of 300 mg of omega-3 per pill. A four to five-ounce Atlantic salmon carries about three grams of omega-3 fatty acids.
“Most of the studies reported on fish oil supplements rather than on EPA and DHA omega-3s consumed in food, which suggests supplements may be an alternative for those who cannot eat fatty fish such as salmon regularly,” explains Dr. Li. “Algae supplements with EPA and DHA fatty acids are also an option for people who do not consume fish or other animal products.”
The National Institutes of Health recommends 1.1 to 1.6 grams of omega-3 fatty acids daily. The American Heart Association advises getting some of your omega-3 intake through two servings of three to four ounces of cooked fish per week.
The review combed through the data from 71 clinical trials studying the relationship between blood pressure and the omega-3 fatty acids DHA and EPA in adults with or without high blood pressure or cholesterol disorders.
High blood pressure was lower in people who ate between two and three grams of combined DHA and EPA omega-3 fatty acids daily than adults who did not. Eating more than three grams of omega-3s made a tremendous difference in adults with high blood pressure or high blood lipids.
With three grams of daily omega-3s, the average blood pressure in people with hypertension decreased about 4.5 mm/Hg. Those without high blood pressure saw their blood pressure drop by 2.0 mm/Hg.
Eating five grams of omega-3s lowered the blood pressure by nearly 4.0 mm/Hg for people with hypertension. Those without high blood pressure who ate five daily grams of omega-3s saw an average decrease of less than 1.0 mm/Hg.
Physical activity stimulates the generation of new heart muscle cells in aged mice Heidelberg University (Germany), August 8, 2022
Can physical activity support the generation of heart muscle cells (cardiomyocytes) even in aged animals? Researchers at Heidelberg University Hospital (UKHD) together with a team of international collaborators demonstrated positive effects on the formation of new heart muscle cells (cardiomyogenesis) in aged mice and investigated the underlying cellular and molecular mechanisms. The current research results have been published in the journal Circulation.
The heart of adult mammals has a very limited ability to generate new cardiomyocytes. With aging, this capacity continues to decrease, while at the same time the risk of cardiovascular disease increases. Dr. Carolin Lerchenmüller, head of the Cardiac Remodeling and Regeneration research group in the Department of Cardiology, Angiology and Pneumology at the UKHD, and her team have found evidence that physical activity stimulates the new formation of heart muscle cells in aging mice.
The researchers found that the calculated annual rate of newly generated heart muscle cells in the “exercising” group of older mice was 2.3 percent. In contrast, there were no new heart muscle cells in the “sedentary” control group. A previous study with young animals had already shown that mice had a calculated annual rate of 7.5 percent new heart muscle cells through exercise, compared to 1.63 percent in the corresponding “sedentary” control group.
The Human Mind Is Not Meant to Be Awake After Midnight, Scientists Warn Harvard University, August 4, 2022
In the middle of the night, the world can sometimes feel like a dark place. Under the cover of darkness, negative thoughts have a way of drifting through your mind, and as you lie awake, staring at the ceiling, you might start craving guilty pleasures, like a cigarette or a carb-heavy meal.
Plenty of evidence suggests the human mind functions differently if it is awake at nighttime. Past midnight, negative emotions tend to draw our attention more than positive ones, dangerous ideas grow in appeal and inhibitions fall away. A new paper summarizes the evidence of how brain systems function differently after dark.
Their hypothesis, called ‘Mind After Midnight’, suggests the human body and the human mind follow a natural 24-hour cycle of activity that influences our emotions and behavior.
In short, at certain hours, our species is inclined to feel and act in certain ways. In the daytime, for instance, molecular levels and brain activity are tuned to wakefulness. But at night, our usual behavior is to sleep.
According to the researchers, to cope with this increased risk, our attention to negative stimuli is unusually heightened at night. Where it might once have helped us jump at invisible threats, this hyper-focus on the negative can then feed into an altered reward/motivation system, making a person particularly prone to risky behaviors.
Add sleep loss to the equation, and this state of consciousness only becomes more problematic.
The authors of the new hypothesis use two examples to illustrate their point. The first example is of a heroin user who successfully manages their cravings in the day but succumbs to their desires at night.
The second is of a college student struggling with insomnia, who begins to feel a sense of hopelessness, loneliness and despair as the sleepless nights stack up.
Both scenarios can ultimately prove fatal. Suicide and self-harm are very common at nighttime. In fact, some research reports a three-fold higher risk of suicide between midnight and 6:00 am compared to any other time of day.
A study in 2020 concluded that nocturnal wakefulness is a suicide risk factor, “possibly through misalignment of circadian rhythms.”
Social Isolation, Loneliness Raise Risk Of Death From Heart Attack Or Stroke By Nearly A Third University of California, San Diego, August 9, 2022
Loneliness increases the risk of cardiovascular disease by almost a third, according to new research. Socially isolated individuals are about 30 percent more likely to suffer a stroke or heart attack — death from either.
Scientists at the University of California, San Diego also identified a lack of information on interventions that may boost the health of vulnerable individuals. The findings are based on data pooled from studies across the world over the past 40 years.
“Over four decades of research has clearly demonstrated social isolation and loneliness are both associated with adverse health outcomes,” says lead author Dr. Crystal Wiley Cené, a professor of clinical medicine and chief administrative officer for health equity, diversity and inclusion at the school, in a statement. “Given the prevalence of social disconnectedness across the U.S., the public health impact is quite significant.”
Risk increases with age due to life factors, such as widowhood and retirement. But the problem is increasingly affecting young people. The study finds social isolation and and loneliness increase the risk of death from heart disease or stroke by 29 and 32 percent, respectively.
People with heart disease who were socially isolated had a two to threefold increase in death during a six-year follow-up study. Socially isolated adults with three or fewer social contacts a month were up to 40 percent more likely to suffer recurrent strokes or heart attacks. In addition, five year heart failure survival rates were 60 and 62 percent lower for those who were socially isolated or both socially isolated and clinically depressed, respectively.
Isolation and loneliness are associated with elevated inflammatory markers, increasing symptoms of chronic stress. It becomes a vicious circle. Depression may lead to social isolation, and social isolation may increase the likelihood of experiencing depression. Social isolation during childhood can even lead to cardiovascular disease in adulthood, increasing the risk of obesity, high blood pressure and raised blood glucose levels.
Mushrooms of the Far East hold promise for the anti-cancer therapy Far Eastern Federal University (Russia) & University of Lausanne (France), August 3, 2022 Mushrooms from the Far East area contain the natural chemical compounds, which could be used for the design of the novel drugs with highly specific anti-tumor activities and low-toxicity. These compounds may offer new avenues for oncology, providing us with either stand-alone alternatives to chemotherapy, chemopreventive medicines, or drugs to be used in combination with other therapies.
The international team of scientists from the Far Eastern Federal University (FEFU), University of Lausanne, and Federal Scientific Center of the East Asia Terrestrial Biodiversity FEB RAS describes the available body of research on four fungi species with high anti-cancer potential. The article is published in Oncotarget and contains the list of tumors, which were reported to be promising targets of the fungal compounds. Among them sarcoma, leukemia, rectum and colon cancer, stomach cancer, liver cancer, colon carcinoma and others.
For the purpose of the current study scientists chose mushrooms widely used in Asian and Far Eastern folk medicine: Fomitopsis pinicola (conk), Hericium erinaceus (Lion’s mane), Inonotus obliquus (Chaga), and Trametes versicolor (polypore). Each is also indigenous to North America. These species of fungi were shown to selectively target certain malignant tumors. The desired effect is achieved thanks to the various bioactive compounds contained in the mushrooms: polyphenols, polysaccharides, glucans, terpenoids, steroids, cerebrosides, and proteins. These substances are not only capable to hit different critical targets within cancer cells levels but also in certain cases to synergistically boost the chemo. Scientists emphasize that four species of fungi were chosen due to the fact that their medicinal properties are relatively well described. Some of them are already actively used for the anti-cancer drugs manufacturing in certain countires. Undoubtedly, there are many other species of fungi that contain chemical compounds to defeat cancer cells.
The scientists hope that the high potential of the fungi for the anti-cancer therapy showcased in their article will encourage the further research at the junction of oncology and mycology. Currently in the laboratories of the School of Biomedicine (FEFU) led by Vladimir Katanaev and Alexander Kagansky,the new experiments are conducted to reveal the anti-cancer activities of the mushrooms extracts. This work is aimed at creating the new generation of highly specific low-toxic drugs, which could be specifically targeted on different tumor types.
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HEALTH NEWS
Astonishing effects of grapes, remarkable potential for health benefits Frequent nut consumption associated with less inflammation Body posture affects how oral drugs absorbed by stomach [why not supplements too?] Lifting Weights Beats Out Cycling, Swimming For Vegans Wanting Stronger Bones Perfectionism Linked To Burnout At Work, School And Sports, Research Finds Mindfulness Therapy Better Than Antidepressants Astonishing effects of grapes, remarkable potential for health benefits Western New England University, August 8, 2022
Recent studies released by Dr. John Pezzuto and his team from Western New England University show “astonishing” effects of grape consumption and “remarkable” impacts on health and on lifespans.
Published in the journal Foods, one study showed that adding grapes in an amount equal to just under two cups of grapes per day to a high-fat diet, typically consumed in western countries, yielded reductions in fatty liver and extended lifespans. Noting that these studies add an entirely new dimension to the old saying ‘you are what you eat,’ Pezzuto, who has authored over 600 scientific studies, said that the work with grapes showed actual changes in genetic expression. “That is truly remarkable.”
Adding grapes to a high-fat diet also increased levels of antioxidant genes and delayed natural death. Acknowledging that it is not an exact science to translate years of lifespan from a mouse to a human, Pezzuto said that his best estimate is the change observed in the study would correspond to an additional 4-5 years in the life of a human.
Another study by Dr. Pezzuto and his team published in the journal Antioxidants, reported that grape consumption altered gene expression in the brain and had positive effects on behavior and cognition that were impaired by a high-fat diet.
Frequent nut consumption associated with less inflammation
Brigham and Women’s Hospital, August 1, 2022
In a study of more than 5,000 people, investigators from Brigham and Women’s Hospital have found that greater intake of nuts was associated with lower levels of biomarkers of inflammation, a finding that may help explain the health benefits of nuts. The results of the study appear in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
“Population studies have consistently supported a protective role of nuts against cardiometabolic disorders such as cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes, and we know that inflammation is a key process in the development of these diseases,” said corresponding author Ying Bao, MD, ScD, an epidemiologist in BWH’s Channing Division of Network Medicine. “Our new work suggests that nuts may exert their beneficial effects in part by reducing systemic inflammation.”
In the current study, the research team performed a cross-sectional analysis of data from the Nurses’ Health Study, which includes more than 120,000 female registered nurses, and from the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study, which includes more than 50,000 male health professionals. The team assessed diet using questionnaires and looked at the levels of certain telltale proteins known as biomarkers in blood samples collected from the study participants. They measured three well-established biomarkers of inflammation: C-reactive protein (CRP), interleukin 6 (IL6) and tumor necrosis factor receptor 2 (TNFR2).
After adjusting for age, medical history, lifestyle and other variables, they found that participants who had consumed five or more servings of nuts per week had lower levels of CRP and IL6 than those who never or almost never ate nuts. In addition, people who substituted three servings per week of nuts in place of red meat, processed meat, eggs or refined grains had significantly lower levels of CRP and IL6.
Peanuts and tree nuts contain a number of healthful components including magnesium, fiber, L-arginine, antioxidants and unsaturated fatty acids such as α-linolenic acid.
Body posture affects how oral drugs absorbed by stomach [why not supplements too?] Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, August 8, 2022
A common, economic, and easy method of administering drugs is orally, by swallowing a pill or capsule. But oral administration is the most complex way for the human body to absorb an active pharmaceutical ingredient, because the bioavailability of the drug in the gastrointestinal tract depends on the medication’s ingredients and the stomach’s dynamic physiological environment.
In Physics of Fluids, researchers from Johns Hopkins School of Medicine employ a biomimetic in-silico simulator based on the realistic anatomy and morphology of the stomach—a “StomachSim”—to investigate and quantify the effect of body posture and stomach motility on drug bioavailability.
“”When the pill reaches the stomach, the motion of the stomach walls and the flow of contents inside determine the rate at which it dissolves. The properties of the pill and the stomach contents also play a major role.
Stomach contents, motility, and gastric fluid dynamics all play a role in a drug’s bioavailability, and stomach contractions can induce pressure and generate complex pill trajectories. This results in varying rates of pill dissolution and nonuniform emptying of the drug into the duodenum and, sometimes, gastric dumping in the case of modified-release dosage.
The modeling appears to be the first of its kind to couple gastric biomechanics of posture with pill movement and drug dissolution to quantify an active pharmaceutical ingredientpassing through the pylorus into the duodenum. The model enabled the researchers to calculate and compare the emptying rate and the release of a dissolved active pharmaceutical ingredient into the duodenum for a variety of physiological situations.
Lifting Weights Beats Out Cycling, Swimming For Vegans Wanting Stronger Bones Medical University of Vienna (Austria), August 2, 2022
When it comes to bone health, a new study finds people on a plant-based diet should grab the dumbbells. Researchers in Austria have found that lifting weights is the best form of exercise for vegans – trumping cycling and swimming.
The team found that vegans who do resistance training once a week – such as machine-work, free weights, or bodyweight resistance – have stronger bones than plant-based eaters who do other forms of exercise.
The new study, published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, found vegans who did resistance training had similar bone structure to omnivores — people who eat both meat and vegetables.
For at least five years, authors followed 43 men and women on a plant-based diet and 45 men and women who eat meat as well.
“Our study showed resistance training offsets diminished bone structure in vegan people when compared to omnivores.”
Perfectionism linked to burnout at work, school and sports, research finds York St. John University (UK), July 31, 2022
Concerns about perfectionism can sabotage success at work, school or on the playing field, leading to stress, burnout and potential health problems, according to new research published by the Society for Personality and Social Psychology.
In the first meta-analysis of the relationship between perfectionism and burnout, researchers analyzed the findings from 43 previous studies conducted over the past 20 years. It turns out perfectionism isn’t all bad. One aspect of perfectionism called “perfectionistic strivings” involves the setting of high personal standards and working toward those goals in a pro-active manner. These efforts may help maintain a sense of accomplishment and delay the debilitating effects of burnout, the study found.
The dark side of perfectionism, called “perfectionistic concerns,” can be more detrimental when people constantly worry about making mistakes, letting others down, or not measuring up to their own impossibly high standards, said lead researcher Andrew Hill, an associate professor of sport psychology at York St. John University in England. Previous research has shown that perfectionistic concerns and the stress they generate can contribute to serious healthproblems, including depression, anxiety, eating disorders, fatigue and even early mortality. The study was published online in the Personality and Social Psychology Review.
The study found that perfectionistic concerns had the strongest negative effects in contributing to burnout in the workplace, possibly because people have more social support and clearly defined objectives in education and sports. A student can be rewarded for hard work with a high grade, or a tennis player can win the big match, but a stellar performance in the workplace may not be recognized or rewarded, which may contribute to cynicism and burnout.
“People need to learn to challenge the irrational beliefs that underlie perfectionistic concerns by setting realistic goals, accepting failure as a learning opportunity, and forgiving themselves when they fail,” Hill said. “Creating environments where creativity, effort and perseverance are valued also would help.”
Mindfulness Therapy Better Than Antidepressants
University of Exeter (UK), July 31, 2022
Antidepressants are big business. But for the same money, and without the side effects, a little mindfulness can do the same job.
A new study from the University of Exeter in the UK suggests that mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) is just as good as drugs – and maybe even better
MBCT is a structured training program for the mind and body. It was developed to help people deal with repeated bouts of depression. It teaches them skills to recognize and respond constructively to the thoughts and feelings associated with relapse. In other words, it helps patients re-focus their thoughts as a way to avoid falling back into depression.
Prior studies have shown that MBCT reduces the risk of relapse or recurrence of depression by about 34% compared to usual care or placebo. B
The research published in The Lancet followed a group of 424 depressed patients for two years. The patients had all suffered three or more previous major depressive episodes. And they were all taking a maintenance course of antidepressants.
The MBCT group attended eight group therapy sessions in which they learned mindfulness practices and cognitive-behavioral skills, and participated in group discussions.
After two years, relapse rates were worse in the drug group. The drug group relapsed at the rate of 47% compared to only 44% for the mindfulness group.
The researchers concluded that MBCT may be an effective alternative to antidepressants for prevention of depressive relapse with no significant difference in cost. And it may be a good alternative for people who choose not to use drugs. But they also suggested MBCT was more beneficial than drugs in preventing relapses in patients who were at highest risk of relapse especially those who reported severe childhood abuse.
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HEALTH NEWS * B vitamins can potentially be used to treat advanced non-alcoholic fatty liver disease * Decreased acetyl-L-carnitine levels associated with depression * Skip the texts: Face-to-face meetings make college students happier * Eating more plant protein associated with lower risk of death * Heat therapy boosts mitochondrial function in muscles * Your soap and toothpaste could be messing with your microbiome
B vitamins can potentially be used to treat advanced non-alcoholic fatty liver disease Duke University Medical School, August 6, 2022 Scientists at Duke-NUS Medical School have uncovered a mechanism that leads to an advanced form of fatty liver disease—and it turns out that vitamin B12 and folic acid supplements could reverse this process. These findings could help people with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, an umbrella term for a range of liver conditions affecting people who drink little to no alcohol, which affects 25% of all adults globally, and four in 10 adults in Singapore. Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease involves fat build-up in the liver and is a leading cause of liver transplants worldwide. When the condition progresses to inflammation and scar tissue formation, it is known as non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). Dr. Tripathi, study co-author Dr. Brijesh Singh and their colleagues in Singapore, India, China and the US confirmed the association of homocysteine with NASH progression in preclinical models and humans. They also found that when homocysteine attached to a protein called syntaxin 17, it blocked the protein from performing its role of transporting and digesting fat (known as autophagy, an essential cellular process by which cells remove malformed proteins or damaged organelles) in fatty acid metabolism, mitochondrial turnover, and inflammation prevention. This induced the development and progression of fatty liver disease to NASH. Importantly, the researchers found that supplementing the diet in the preclinical models with vitamin B12 and folic acid increased the levels of syntaxin 17 in the liver and restored its role in autophagy. It also slowed NASH progression and reversed liver inflammation and fibrosis.
Decreased acetyl-L-carnitine levels associated with depression Stanford University, July 30 2022. An article that in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences reported a link between low levels of acetyl-L-carnitine and a greater risk of depression. Acting on the findings of animal research conducted by lead author Carla Nasca, PhD, the researchers recruited men and women between the ages of 20 and 70 years who had been admitted to Weill Cornell Medicine or Mount Sinai School of Medicine for treatment of acute depression. Clinical assessments were conducted upon enrollment and blood samples were analyzed for levels of acetyl-L-carnitine. In comparison with levels measured in blood samples provided by 45 demographically matched healthy men and women, acetyl-L-carnitine blood levels in depressed subjects were substantially lower. Acetyl-L-carnitine levels were lowest among depressed patients who had severe symptoms, a history of treatment resistance, or early onset disease. Having a history of childhood abuse was also associated with low acetyl-L-carnitine levels. “We’ve identified an important new biomarker of major depression disorder,” Dr Rasgon stated. What’s the appropriate dose, frequency, duration? We need to answer many questions before proceeding with recommendations, yet.
Skip the texts: Face-to-face meetings make college students happier University of Hamburg (Germany), August 5, 2022 In a world where everyone spends more and more time with eyes fixed on their phones, new research suggests young people feel happier after socializing with friends in person rather than virtually The conclusion is an outgrowth of nearly four years spent analyzing how social habits of more than 3,000 college students affected their state of mind. “The findings of this study suggest that talking to people face to face makes us feel better than texting back and forth, for example,” said James Maddux, senior scholar at the Center for the Advancement of Well-Being in Fairfax, Va., who reviewed the results. Led by Lara Kroencke, of the University of Hamburg in Germany, the researchers noted that other studies have consistently shown that people tend to feel better after socializing with others.To better explore that question, Kroencke’s team conducted three studies between 2017 and 2020 with students from the University of Texas at Austin. Researchers chose that age group because of the “intense” socializing that tends to take place during that phase of life. Participants between 18 and 24 years old; 37% were white, 23% were Asian, 23% were Hispanic, nearly 5% were Black, and the rest identified as multiracial. The result: Students tended to feel best after interacting with others in person or through a mix of in person and virtual, versus entirely by computer or phone. Interacting only virtually was, however, better for well-being than no interaction at all, the team stressed. They also found that socializing with close friends brought about a greater overall sense of well-being than engaging with either family or someone a person didn’t know so well. And those who tended towards high levels of neuroticism were likely to benefit the most from in-person interactions.
Eating more plant protein associated with lower risk of death Massachusetts General Hospital & Harvard Medical School, July 31, 2022 Eating more protein from plant sources was associated with a lower risk of death and eating more protein from animals was associated with a higher risk of death, especially among adults with at least one unhealthy behavior such as smoking, drinking and being overweight or sedentary, according to an article published online by JAMA Internal Medicine. Mingyang Song, M.D., Sc.D., of Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, and coauthors used data from two large U.S. studies that had repeated measures of diet through food questionnaires and up to 32 years of follow-up. Among 131,342 study participants, 85,013 (64.7 percent) were women and the average age of participants was 49. Median protein intake, measured as a percentage of calories, was 14 percent for animal protein and 4 percent for plant protein. The authors report: After adjusting for major lifestyle and dietary risk factors, every 10 percent increment of animal protein from total calories was associated with a 2 percent higher risk of death from all causes and an 8 percent increased risk of death from cardiovascular disease death. In contrast, eating more plant protein was associated with a 10 percent lower risk of death from all causes for every 3 percent increment of total calories and a 12 percent lower risk of cardiovascular death. Increased mortality associated with eating more animal protein was more pronounced among study participants who were obese and those who drank alcohol heavily. The association between eating more plant protein and lower mortality was stronger among study participants who smoked, drank at least 14 grams of alcohol a day, were overweight or obese, were physically inactive or were younger than 65 or older than 80. Substituting 3 percent of calories from animal protein with plant protein was associated with a lower risk of death from all causes: 34 percent for replacing processed red meat, 12 percent for replacing unprocessed red meat and 19 percent for replacing eggs.
Heat therapy boosts mitochondrial function in muscles Brigham Young University, August 2, 2022 A new study finds that long-term heat therapy may increase mitochondrial function in the muscles. The discovery could lead to new treatments for people with chronic illness or disease. The study–the first of its kind in humans–is published in the Journal of Applied Physiology. Mitochondria, the “energy centers” of the cells, are essential for maintaining good health. Exercise has been shown to create new mitochondria and improve function of existing mitochondria. However, some people with chronic illnesses are not able to exercise long enough–previous research suggests close to two hours daily–to reap the benefits. Rodent studies have suggested that heat exposure may also induce the production of more mitochondria. Researchers from Brigham Young University in Utah studied 20 adult volunteers who had not participated in regular exercise in the three months prior to the study. The research team applied two hours of shortwave diathermy–a type of heat therapy generated by electrical pulses–to the thigh muscles of one leg of each person every day. The researchers based the six-day trial of heat on the minimum amount of exercise needed to measure changes in muscle, or about two hours each day. They designed the treatment to mimic the effects of muscle heating that occurs during exercise. The therapy sessions increased the temperature of the heated leg by approximately 7 degrees F. Each participant’s other leg served as a control, receiving no heat therapy or temperature change. The researchers looked at mitochondria content in the muscles on the first day of therapy and 24 hours after the last treatment. Mitochondrial function increased by an average of 28 percent in the heated legs after the heat treatment. The concentration of several mitochondrial proteins also increased in the heated legs, which suggests that “in addition to improving function, [repeated exposure to heat] increased mitochondrial content in human skeletal muscle,” the research team wrote.
Your soap and toothpaste could be messing with your microbiome University of Chicago, August 2, 2022 Antimicrobial chemicals found in common household products could be wreaking havoc with people’s guts, according to a research paper out this week in the journal Science. Triclosan is an antibacterial compound used in soaps, detergent and toothpaste, as well as toys and plastics. It was originally only used in hospitals, but it found its way into homes as Americans became more germ-phobic. (However, recent studies have found it no more effective at killing bacteria than plain soap. ) Now, there are growing concerns about the possible negative effects of the chemical on human health and the environment. According to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), animal studies have shown that the chemical can act as a hormone disruptor. A study found traces of triclosan in the urine of 75% of the participants – some as young as six. The chemical has also been found in more than half of freshwater streams in the US. The latest research paper, written by academics from the University of Chicago, focused on the lesser-known effects of triclosan exposure on the bacteria in people’s guts. Disturbing the human microbiome has been “linked to a wide array of diseases and metabolic disorders, including obesity, inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and behavioral and metabolic disorders,” wrote the paper’s authors, Alyson L Yee and Jack A Gilbert. To test the chemical’s effect in humans, researchers from Stanford and Cornell universities gave seven volunteers triclosan-containing products, such as toothpaste and liquid soap, to use for four months. After that period, the same volunteers were switched to products without triclosan. The volunteers were compared with a second group who first used the non-triclosan products, then changed to those containing triclosan. The results showed that more triclosan was found in the urine of all the participants during the periods when they were using triclosan-containing products. Yee and Gilbert also suggested that exposure to triclosan could be even more detrimental to the health of developing fetuses and newborns than to adults. A 2014 New York University study found that gut disruptions in early infancy could have lasting negative effects on immune and brain development.
HEALTH NEWS
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Cocoa flavanols may be able to reduce blood pressure
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Cool room temperature inhibited cancer growth in mice
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Smells experienced in nature evoke positive wellbeing
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Healthy lifestyle may buffer against stress-related cell aging, study says
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Zinc plus antioxidants: A cost-effective solution to macular degeneration?
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Passive exercise offers same brain health benefits as active movements, study finds
Cocoa flavanols may be able to reduce blood pressure University of Surrey (UK), July 23, 2022
A recent study found that cocoa flavanols can effectively lower blood pressure in people with ideal blood pressure, but not when it was already low, as well as reduce arterial stiffness.
Researchers of the current study note that previous controlled clinical intervention studies have demonstrated the blood pressure-decreasing and arterial stiffness-reducing effects of cocoa flavanols (CF) in healthy humans.
However, as these studies were in tightly controlled settings, the researchers wanted to see how well this intervention played out in real-life scenarios. The researchers used an n-of-1 study design, where a small number of participants were exposed to the same intervention or the placebo multiple times. They then compared the results for each individual as well as between individuals.
The study included eleven healthy adults who received alternating doses of cocoa flavanol capsules and placebo capsules for eight days.
The results showed that cocoa flavanols were effective in lowering blood pressure and reducing arterial stiffness.
One concern about using cocoa flavanols to lower blood pressure is the risk of the blood pressure dropping too low. However, in this study, researchers found that the cocoa had less impact when blood pressure was lower, indicating it was a potentially safe intervention.
Prof. Christian Heiss, study author and professor of cardiovascular medicine, explained to MNT: “The study confirms that cocoa flavanols can lower blood pressure and improve arterial stiffness. The new thing is that it does so in the normal life of healthy people and only lowers it if it is ‘high’ even in the ‘normal range.”
Cool room temperature inhibited cancer growth in mice Karolinska Institutet, August 5, 2022
Turning down the thermostat seems to make it harder for cancer cells to grow, according to a study in mice by researchers at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden. The study, published in the journal Nature, found that chilly temperatures activate heat-producing brown fat that consumes the sugars the tumors need to thrive. Similar metabolic mechanisms were found in a cancer patient exposed to a lowered room temperature.
"We found that cold-activated brown adipose tissue competes against tumors for glucose and can help inhibit tumor growth in mice," says Professor Yihai Cao at the Department of Microbiology, Tumor and Cell Biology, Karolinska Institutet, and corresponding author. "Our findings suggest that cold exposure could be a promising novel approach to cancer therapy, although this needs to be validated in larger clinical studies."
The study compared tumor growth and survival rates in mice with various types of cancer, including colorectal, breast and pancreatic cancers, when exposed to cold versus warm living conditions. Mice acclimatized to temperatures of 4 degrees Celsius had significantly slower tumor growth and lived nearly twice as long compared with mice in rooms of 30 degrees Celsius.
They found that cold temperatures triggered significant glucose uptake in brown adipose tissue, also known as brown fat, a type of fat that is responsible for keep the body warm during cold conditions. At the same time, the glucose signals were barely detectable in the tumor cells.
When the researchers removed either the brown fat or a protein crucial for its metabolism called UCP1, the beneficial effect of the cold exposure was essentially wiped out and the tumors grew at a pace on par with those that were exposed to higher temperatures. Similarly, feeding tumor-bearing mice with a high sugar drink also obliterated the effect of cold temperatures and restored tumor growth.
"Interestingly, high sugar drinks seem to cancel out the effect of cold temperatureson cancer cells, suggesting that limiting glucose supply is probably one of the most important methods for tumor suppression," Yihai Cao says.
Smells experienced in nature evoke positive wellbeing University of Kent (UK), August 5, 2022
Smells experienced in nature can make us feel relaxed, joyful, and healthy, according to new research led by the University of Kent's Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology (DICE).
Smells were found to play an important role in delivering well-being benefits from interacting with nature, often with a strong link to people's personal memories, and specific ecological characteristics and processes (e.g. fallen leaves rotting in the winter).
Researchers found that smells affected multiple types of human well-being, with physical well-being noted most frequently, particularly in relation to relaxation, comfort and rejuvenation. Absence of smell was also perceived to improve physical well-being, providing a cleansing environment due to the removal of pollution and unwanted smells associated with urban areas, and therefore enabling relaxation. Relaxation reduces stress and lowers cortisol levels, which is often linked to a multitude of diseases, and so these findings could be particularly significant to public health professionals.
The research, carried out in woodland settings across four seasons, also found that smells evoked memories related to childhood activities. Many participants created meaningful connections with particular smells, rather than the woodland itself, and associated this with a memorable event. This, in turn, appeared to influence well-being by provoking emotional reactions to the memory.
Healthy lifestyle may buffer against stress-related cell aging, study says
University of California at San Francisco July 29, 2022
A new study from UC San Francisco is the first to show that while the impact of life's stressors accumulate overtime and accelerate cellular aging, these negative effects may be reduced by maintaining a healthy diet, exercising and sleeping well.
"The study participants who exercised, slept well and ate well had less telomere shortening than the ones who didn't maintain healthy lifestyles, even when they had similar levels of stress," said lead author Eli Puterman, PhD, assistant professor in the department of psychiatry at UCSF. "It's very important that we promote healthy living, especially under circumstances of typical experiences of life stressors like death, caregiving and job loss."
In the study, researchers examined three healthy behaviors –physical activity, dietary intake and sleep quality – over the course of one year in 239 post-menopausal, non-smoking women. In women who engaged in lower levels of healthy behaviors, there was a significantly greater decline in telomere length in their immune cells for every major life stressor that occurred during the year. Yet women who maintained active lifestyles, healthy diets, and good quality sleep appeared protected when exposed to stress – accumulated life stressors did not appear to lead to greater shortening.
"This is the first study that supports the idea, at least observationally, that stressful events can accelerate immune cell aging in adults, even in the short period of one year. Exciting, though, is that these results further suggest that keeping active, and eating and sleeping well during periods of high stress are particularly important to attenuate the accelerated aging of our immune cells," said Puterman.
Zinc plus antioxidants: A cost-effective solution to macular degeneration? University of Washington and University College London, July 30, 2022 A formula supplement containing anti-oxidants plus zinc appears to be cost-effective in slowing the progression of the ‘wet’ form of the most common degenerative eye disease, finds a new study in British Journal of Ophthalmology. The cost savings and effectiveness of the supplement in advanced (category 4) cases of neovascular (wet-form) Age Related Macular Degeneration (nAMD) are such that their use should be considered in public health policy, recommend the multi-centre study team on behalf of the UK Electronic Medical Record (EMR) AMD Research Team. Category 4 individuals who already had nAMD in one eye, showed a cost saving of nearly €3250 (£3000) per patient over the lifetime of treatment, compared to those not given supplements. The Age Related Eye Disease Study (AREDS) formula supplements also increased quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) by 0.16. “AREDS supplements are a dominant cost-effective intervention for category 4 AREDS patients, as they are both less expensive than standard care and more effective, and therefore should be considered for public funding,” wrote lead researcher Dr. Adnan Tufail. The study examined the use of AREDS formulation 1 and formulation 2 supplements. AREDS 1 contained 80milligrams (mg) zinc, 2 mg copper, 500 mg vitamin C, 15 mg beta-carotene, 400 IU vitamin E. AREDS 2 reduced the amount of zinc to 25 mg, excluded beta-carotene (due to potential higher cancer risk in smokers), and added 10 mg lutein, 2 mg zeaxanthin, 1000 mg omega-3 fatty acids (650 mg docosahexaenoic acid and 350 mg eicosapentaenoic acid). These findings are consistent with previous research demonstrating the effectiveness of AREDS supplementss. Consequently, the researchers advocate the use of supplements to reduce the necessity for ranibizumab injections, which is the standard NHS treatment for AMD.
Passive exercise offers same brain health benefits as active movements, study finds University of Western Ontario, August 4, 2022 A new study by kinesiology graduate students from Western has found passive exercise leads to increased cerebral blood flow and improved executive function, providing the same cognitive benefits as active exercise. Published in Psychophysiology, the study is the first to look at whether there would be benefits to brain health during passive exercise where a person's limbs are moved via an external force—in this case, cycle pedals pushed by a mechanically driven flywheel. During a 20-minute session with healthy young adults, the team found an improvement in executive function of the same magnitude for both the passive and the active exercise conditions, without an increase in heart rate or diastolic blood pressure. Executive function is a higher-order cognitive ability that allows people to make plans and supports the activities of daily living. People who have mild cognitive impairments, such as people experiencing symptoms of early-stage Alzheimer's, can find their executive function negatively affected. Previous research has documented that active exercise, where a person activates their muscles of their own volition, can increase blood flow to the brain and improve executive function. Passive exercise also increases blood flow to the brain, but this is significantly less documented. During passive exercise, a person's limbs move and their muscle receptors are being stretched. That information is sent to the brain, indicating that more blood is needed in the moving areas of the body and in connected regions of the brain. This increase in cerebral blood flow, while significantly less than with active exercise, produced executive function improvements of a similar magnitude—an exciting result for the researchers. "The potential impact for people with limited or no mobility could be profound. If done regularly, the increase in blood flow to the brain and resultant improvement in executive function will, optimistically, become a compounding effect that has a significant impact on cognitive health and executive function," Heath explained.
HEALTH NEWS
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Hyaluranic acid, a naturally occurring compound, awakens stem cells to repair damaged muscle
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'A banana a day': Starch supplement may reduce the risk of some hereditary cancers
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Running reduces risk of death regardless of duration, speed
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Eating processed foods is hurting your brain, study says: Even '2 cookies' can affect health
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Sharing memories with toddlers helps their well-being into adulthood
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What the Amish can teach us about health and happiness
Hyaluranic acid, a naturally occurring compound, awakens stem cells to repair damaged muscle University of Ottawa (Ontario), August 4 2022
A new study published in the journal Science reveals a unique form of cell communication that controls muscle repair. In damaged muscle, stem cells must work together with immune cells to complete the repair process, yet how these cells coordinate to ensure the efficient removal of dead tissue before making new muscle fibers has remained unknown. The scientists have now shown that a natural substance called hyaluronic acid, which is used in cosmetics and injections for osteoarthritis, is the key molecule that manages this fundamental interaction.
"When muscles get damaged, it is important for immune cells to quickly enter the tissue and remove the damage before stem cellsbegin repair," said Dr. Jeffrey Dilworth, senior scientist at the University of Ottawa and senior author on the study. "Our study shows that muscle stem cells are primed to start repair right away, but the immune cells maintain the stem cells in a resting state while they finish the cleanup job. After about 40 hours, once the cleanup job is finished, an internal alarm goes off in the muscle stem cells that allows them to wake up and start repair."
Dr. Dilworth and his team identified hyaluronic acid as the key ingredient in this internal alarm clock that tells muscle stem cells when to wake up. When muscle damage occurs, stem cells start producing and coating themselves with hyaluronic acid. Once the coating gets thick enough, it blocks the sleep signal from the immune cells and causes the muscle stem cells to wake up.
"Interestingly, aging is associated with chronic inflammation, muscle weakness and a reduced ability of muscle stem cells to wake up and repair damage,. "If we could find a way to enhance hyaluronic acid production in the muscle stem cells of older people it might help with muscle repair."
'A banana a day': Starch supplement may reduce the risk of some hereditary cancers Universities of Newcastle and Leeds (UK), August 4, 2022
Resistant starches (RS) are carbohydrates that pass undigested through the small intestine and are digested, or fermented, in the large intestine. They are present in plant-based foods including beans, oats, breakfast cereals, rice, cooked and cooled pasta, peas, and slightly unripe bananas. RS forms part of dietary fiber, which is known to reduce the risk of colorectal cancer and many other non-communicable diseases.
Researchers at Newcastle University and the University of Leeds in the United Kingdom found that a RS powder supplement may help prevent cancer in people with Lynch syndrome.
Lynch syndrome, an inherited condition, predisposes people to colon cancer, gastric cancer, and several other cancers.
The experts ran a multinational trial involving almost 1,000 people with Lynch syndrome. They gave the participants a 30g dose of RS for an average of two years.
The supplementation did not affect colorectal cancers as expected. However, unexpectedly, its protective potential was most apparent in the upper digestive tract, where cancers are aggressive and not usually caught early.The trial analyzed the long-term effects of aspirin and RS on cancer onset in patients with Lynch syndrome.
The dose used was equivalent to eating one slightly unripe banana daily. Bananas at this stage resist breakdown in the small intestine, reaching the large intestine and feeding the microbiome there.
They found no difference in the number of colorectal cancer cases. However, fewer participants receiving the supplement developed non-colorectal LS cancers compared to those taking the placebo.
Running reduces risk of death regardless of duration, speed
Iowa State University, July 29, 2022
Running 5 minutes daily can reduce risk of cardiovascular disease-related death
Running for only a few minutes a day or at slow speeds may significantly reduce a person's risk of death from cardiovascular disease compared to someone who does not run, according to a study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
Researchers studied 55,137 adults between the ages of 18 and 100 over a 15-year period to determine whether there is a relationship between running and longevity. In the study period, 3,413 participants died, including 1,217 whose deaths were related to cardiovascular disease. In this population, 24 percent of the participants reported running as part of their leisure-time exercise.
Compared with non-runners, the runners had a 30 percent lower risk of death from all causes and a 45 percent lower risk of death from heart disease or stroke. Runners on average lived three years longer compared to non-runners. Also, to reduce mortality risk at a population level from a public health perspective, the authors concluded that promoting running is as important as preventing smoking, obesity or hypertension. The benefits were the same no matter how long, far, frequently or fast participants reported running. Benefits were also the same regardless of sex, age, body mass index, health conditions, smoking status or alcohol use.
The study showed that participants who ran less than 51 minutes, fewer than 6 miles, slower than 6 miles per hour, or only one to two times per week had a lower risk of dying compared to those who did not run. Runners who ran less than an hour per week have the same mortality benefits compared to runners who ran more than three hours per week. Thus, it is possible that the more may not be the better in relation to running and longevity.
Eating processed foods is hurting your brain, study says: Even '2 cookies' can affect health Yale University, August 3, 2022
Although it's obvious that a diet of hot dogs and ice cream won't lead to a healthy physical life, new research illuminates how ultra-processed foods can also cause a significant decrease in brain function.
Research presented at the Alzheimer's Association International Conference in San Diego outlined how foods such as instant noodles, sugary drinks and frozen meals all play a factor in a faster rate of cognitive decline.
"Just 100 calories of processed foods can affect your physical health. So, that's two cookies."
Research has linked ultra-processed food consumption to health problems like obesity, cardiovascular disease, diabetes and cancers. That's because they cause inflammation, which can affect neurotransmitters in the brain. Processed foods also operate on a micro level with billions and billions of bacteria cells that (impair) functioning."
The findings found that participants who were getting 20% or more of their daily calories from ultra-processed foods saw a far faster decline in cognitive performance over the span of six to 10 years versus people with diets containing few processed foods.
Sharing memories with toddlers helps their well-being into adulthood University of Otago (New Zealand), August 3 2022
How mothers share memories with their children during toddlerhood impacts mental health and well-being in early adulthood, a University of Otago study has shown.
Researchers found 21-year-olds told more coherent stories about turning points in their lives if their mothers were taught new conversational techniques two decades earlier.
These adults also reported fewer symptoms of depression and greater self-esteem compared to adults in the study whose mothers interacted with them as usual.
The study, published in Journal of Research in Personality, is a long-term follow-up of a reminiscing intervention in which 115 mothers of toddlers were assigned to either a control group or taught to use elaborative reminiscing for a year.
Elaborative reminiscing involves open, enriched, and responsive conversations with children about shared experiences of everyday events. This is the first study to show long-term benefits of mother-child reminiscing for emerging adult development.
What the Amish can teach us about health and happiness University of Tennessee, July 29, 2022
Often viewed as outcasts by mainstream society, the Amish may seem downright bizarre to the average American. Foregoing technological advancements that many of us would be lost without, the Amish have created a way of life that fosters a connection with the land and environment, while also cultivating an impressive sense of community. And they are healthy -- exceedingly so. The Amish rarely experience disorders like cancer or cardiovascular disease, seemingly able to bypass illness altogether. What's their secret?
One of the most striking aspects of the Amish is how they lead their lives, free from modern inventions like electricity, telephones, cars and the myriad of gadgets most of us consider so essential for our productivity and happiness.
This high level of daily physical activity helps to keep their obesity rates low and cardiovascular health in top form.
"The Amish were able to show us just how far we've fallen in the last 150 years or so in terms of the amount of physical activity we typically perform. Their lifestyle indicates that physical activity played a critical role in keeping our ancestors fit and healthy."
\One of the main contributors to stress is the speed at which we move, think and process. We are bombarded with sensory information at every turn.
Not so with the Amish. Their communities are based on patience and a slower way of being. Competition is frowned upon, while cooperation and harmony are respected. Social support is strong. Through traditional gender roles, each person has a valued part to play within the community.
The study published in Scientific Research discovered that mental health is enhanced by the structure of Amish society. Martial stability, mutual support, a secure parental base and care for the elderly were found to be contributing factors in cultivating happiness and contentment.
Moreover, the Amish tend to have low vaccination rates. Instead, they rely on clean living and a healthy diet of homegrown, organic produce, raw dairy and nourishing fats to keep immunity strong.
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Cardamonin shows promise for treating aggressive breast cancer Florida A&M University, August 3, 2022
Cardamonin—a natural compound found in the spice cardamom and other plants—could have therapeutic potential for triple-negative breast cancer, according to a new study using human cancer cells. The findings also show that the compound targets a gene that helps cancer cells elude the immune system
About 10-15% of breast cancers are triple-negative, which means they don’t have receptors for estrogen or progesterone and don’t make excess amounts of a protein called HER2. These tumors are difficult to treat because they don’t respond to the hormone-based therapies used for other types of breast cancer. They also tend to be more aggressive and have a higher mortality rate than other breast cancers.
“The fact that cardamonin has been used for centuries as a spice and, more recently, as a supplement shows that its intake is safe and may bring health benefits,” said Mendonca. “Our research shows that cardamonin holds potential for improving cancer therapy without as many side effects as other chemotherapeutic agents.”
For the new study, the researchers investigated how cardamonin affected the expression of the programmed cell death ligand 1 (PD-L1) gene, which is found in tumor cells. PD-L1 is overexpressed during breast cancer progression and plays a critical role in helping breast cancer cells evade the body’s immune system.
They found that cardamonin treatment caused a dose-dependent decrease in cell viability in both cell lines. It also reduced PD-L1 expression in the Caucasian cell line but not the African American cell line, indicating that cells from different races may respond differently to cardamonin because of genetic variations among races.
Persistent Low Wages Linked to Faster Memory Decline in Later Life
Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health, August 2 2022Sustained low wages are associated with significantly faster memory decline, according to a new study by Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health. While low-wage jobs have been associated with health outcomes such as depressive symptoms, obesity, and hypertension, which are risk factors for cognitive aging, until now no prior studies had examined the specific relationship between low wages during working years and later-life cognitive functioning. The findings are published in the American Journal of Epidemiology.”Our research provides new evidence that sustained exposure to low wages during peak earning years is associated with accelerated memory decline later in life,” said Katrina Kezios, Ph.D., postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Epidemiology at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health and first author. “This association was observed in our primary sample as well as in a validation cohort.”The researchers found that, compared with workers never earning low wages, sustained low-wage earners experienced significantly faster memory decline in older age. They experienced approximately one excess year of cognitive aging per a 10-year period; in other words, the level of cognitive aging experienced over a 10-year period by sustained low-wage earners would be what those who never earned low wages experienced in 11 years.”Our findings suggest that social policies that enhance the financial well-being of low-wage workers may be especially beneficial for cognitive health,” said senior author Adina Zeki Al Hazzouri, Ph.D., assistant professor of epidemiology at Columbia Mailman School and the Columbia Butler Aging Center. “Future work should rigorously examine the number of dementia cases and excess years of cognitive aging that could be prevented under different hypothetical scenarios that would increase the minimum hourly wage.”Research links red meat intake, gut microbiome, and cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) in older adultsTufts University, August 3, 2022Over the years, scientists have investigated the relationship between heart disease and saturated fat, dietary cholesterol, sodium, nitrites, and even high-temperature cooking, but evidence supporting many of these mechanisms has not been robust. Recent evidence suggests that the underlying culprits may include specialized metabolites created by our gut bacteria when we eat meat. A new study led by researchers at the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University and Cleveland Clinic Lerner Research Institute quantifies the risk of ASCVD associated with meat intake and identifies underlying biologic pathways that may help explain this risk. The study of almost 4,000 U.S. men and women over age 65 shows that higher meat consumption is linked to higher risk of ASCVD—22 percent higher risk for about every 1.1 serving per day—and that about 10 percent of this elevated risk is explained by increased levels of three metabolites produced by gut bacteria from nutrients abundant in meat. Higher risk and interlinkages with gut bacterial metabolites were found for red meat but not poultry, eggs, or fish. The study, published in the journal Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology (ATVB) on August 1, is the first to investigate the interrelationships between animal source foods and risk of ASCVD events, and the mediation of this risk by gut microbiota-generated compounds as well as by traditional ASCVD risk pathways such as blood cholesterol, blood pressure, and blood sugar. Highlights In this community-based cohort of older U.S. men and women, higher intakes of unprocessed red meat, total meat (unprocessed red meat plus processed meat), and total animal source foods were prospectively associated with a higher incidence of ASCVD during a median follow-up of 12.5 years. The positive associations with ASCVD were partly mediated (8-11 percent of excess risk) by plasma levels of TMAO, gamma-butyrobetaine, and crotonobetaine. The higher risk of ASCVD associated with meat intake was also partly mediated by levels of blood glucose and insulin and, for processed meats, by systematic inflammation but not by blood pressure or blood cholesterol levels. Intakes of fish, poultry, and eggs were not significantly associated with ASCVD. The 3,931 study subjects were followed for a median of 12.5 years, and their average age at baseline was 73. The study adjusted for established risk factors such as age, sex, race/ethnicity, education, smoking, physical activity, other dietary habits, and many additional risk factors. Diets higher in calcium and potassium may help prevent recurrent symptomatic kidney stones, study findsMayo Clinic, August 2, 2022Kidney stones can cause not only excruciating pain but also are associated with chronic kidney disease, osteoporosis and cardiovascular disease. If you’ve experienced a kidney stone once, you have a 30% chance of having another kidney stone within five years.Changes in diet are often prescribed to prevent recurrent symptomatic kidney stones. However, little research is available regarding dietary changes for those who have one incident of kidney stone formation versus those who have recurrent incidents.Mayo Clinic findings show that enriching diets with foods high in calcium and potassium may prevent recurrent symptomatic kidney stones.The findings, which were published in Mayo Clinic Proceedings, show that lower dietary calcium and potassium, as well as lower intake of fluids, caffeine and phytate, are associated with higher odds of experiencing a first-time symptomatic kidney stone.Of the patients who had first-time stone formation, 73 experienced recurrent stones within a median of 4.1 years of follow-up. Further analysis found that lower levels of dietary calcium and potassium predicted recurrence.Fluid intake of less than 3,400 milliliters per day, or about nine 12-ounce glasses, is associated with first-time stone formation, along with caffeine intake and phytate, the study finds. Daily fluid intake includes intake from foods such as fruits and vegetables. Low fluid and caffeine intake can result in low urine volume and increased urine concentration, contributing to stone formation. Phytate is an antioxidant compound found in whole grains, nuts and other foods that can lead to increased calcium absorption and urinary calcium excretion.Low dietary calcium and potassium was a more important predictor than fluid intake of recurrent kidney stone formation, says Api Chewcharat, M.D., the article’s first author. The study concludes that diets with daily intake of 1,200 milligrams of calcium may help prevent first-time and recurrent kidney stones.Dr. Chewcharat says the takeaway is that patients should add more fruits and vegetables that are high in calcium and potassium to their diets. Fruits that are high in potassium include bananas, oranges, grapefruits, cantaloupes, honeydew melons and apricots. Vegetables include potatoes, mushrooms, peas, cucumbers and zucchini.Could acupuncture help ward off diabetes?Edith Cowan University, August 2, 2022 A new study from Edith Cowan University has found acupuncture therapy may be a useful tool in avoiding type 2 diabetes. The research team investigated dozens of studies covering the effects of acupuncture on more than 3600 people with prediabetes, a condition which sees higher-than-normal blood glucose levels without being high enough to be diagnosed as diabetes.The findings showed acupuncture therapy significantly improved key markers, such as fasting plasma glucose, two-hour plasma glucose, and glycated haemoglobin, plus a greater decline in the incidence of prediabetes.There were also no reports of adverse reactions among patients. Green tea helps support healthy glucose in metabolic syndrome patients Ohio State University, August 1 2022. Findings from a trial reported in the supplement of Current Developments in Nutrition revealed that consuming green tea extract improved glucose levels in adults with metabolic syndrome: a cluster of factors that increase the risk of diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Supplementation with green tea extract was also associated with improvement in intestinal health, including a reduction in leaky gut. The trial was a follow-up to a study published in 2019 that found protective effects for green tea against inflammation induced by nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) in mice. In the current crossover trial, 21 individuals with metabolic syndrome and 19 healthy participants received 1 gram of green tea extract or a placebo for 28 days. This period was followed by another treatment period in which participants who previously received the extract were given a placebo and those who received a placebo received the extract. Fasting blood glucose, insulin and lipid levels were measured at the beginning of each treatment period and at days 14 and 28. Supplementation with green tea extract was associated with lower fasting glucose and markers of intestinal inflammation in comparison with the placebo. In separately published findings, green tea extract was associated with decreases in small intestinal permeability (leaky gut).
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HEALTH NEWS
Black cardamom bioactives effective against lung cancer cells Soybean oil causes more obesity than coconut oil and fructose Why breast-fed premature infants have healthier guts than formula-fed ones Even simple exercise may help aging brain, study hintsSmall daily portion of Jarlsberg cheese may help to stave off bone thinning Body fat can send signals to brain, affecting stress response Black cardamom bioactives effective against lung cancer cells National University of Singapore, August 1, 2022
The main challenges associated with existing lung cancer drugs are severe side effects and drug resistance. There is hence a constant need to explore new molecules for improving the survival rate and quality of life of lung cancer patients.
In Indian Ayurvedic medicine, black cardamom has been used in formulations to treat cancer and lung conditions. A team of researchers from the NUS Faculty of Science studied the scientific basis behind this traditional medicinal practice and provided evidence of the cytotoxic effect of black cardamom on lung cancer cells. The research highlighted the spice as a source of potent bioactives, such as cardamonin and alpinetin, which could be used in the treatment or prevention of lung cancer. The study is the first to report the association of black cardamom extract with oxidative stress induction in lung cancer cells, and compare the spice’s effects on lung, breast and liver cancer cells.
The findings could potentially lead to the discovery of safe and effective new bioactives which can prevent or cure cancer formation. The research was first published in the Journal of Ethnopharmacology.
Black cardamom is typically used in Asian households in rice preparations, curries and stews either as a whole spice or in powdered form. The spice is also prescribed in Indian Ayurvedic medicine in powder form where it is used for conditions such as cough, lung congestion, pulmonary tuberculosis, and throat diseases.
In the NUS study, black cardamom fruits were powdered and sequentially extracted with five types of solvents, including organic solvents and water. This allowed the researchers to evaluate the best solvents to extract the most potent actives in the fruit. The various types of black cardamom extracts were then tested for their cytotoxicity against several types of cancer cells. These included cancer cells from the lung, liver and breast. Among the three types of cells, lung cancer cells were least likely to survive when tested with the black cardamom extracts.
Soybean oil causes more obesity than coconut oil and fructose
University of California at Riverside, July 22, 2022
A diet high in soybean oil causes more obesity and diabetes than a diet high in fructose, a sugar commonly found in soda and processed foods, according to a published paper by scientists at the University of California, Riverside.
The scientists fed male mice a series of four diets that contained 40 percent fat, similar to what Americans currently consume. In one diet the researchers used coconut oil, which consists primarily of saturated fat. In the second diet about half of the coconut oil was replaced with soybean oil, which contains primarily polyunsaturated fats and is a main ingredient in vegetable oil. That diet corresponded with roughly the amount of soybean oil Americans currently consume.
The other two diets had added fructose, comparable to the amount consumed by many Americans. All four diets contained the same number of calories and there was no significant difference in the amount of food eaten by the mice on the diets. Thus, the researchers were able to study the effects of the different oils and fructose in the context of a constant caloric intake.
Compared to mice on the high coconut oil diet, mice on the high soybean oil diet showed increased weight gain, larger fat deposits, a fatty liver with signs of injury, diabetes and insulin resistance, all of which are part of the Metabolic Syndrome. Fructose in the diet had less severe metabolic effects than soybean oil although it did cause more negative effects in the kidney and a marked increase in prolapsed rectums, a symptom of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), which like obesity is on the rise.
The mice on the soybean oil-enriched diet gained almost 25 percent more weight than the mice on the coconut oil diet and 9 percent more weight than those on the fructose-enriched diet. And the mice on the fructose-enriched diet gained 12 percent more weight than those on a coconut oil rich diet.
Soybean oil now accounts for 60 percent of edible oil consumed in the United States. That increase in soybean oil consumption mirrors the rise in obesity rates in the United States in recent decades.
During the same time, fructose consumption in the United States significantly increased, from about 37 grams per day in 1977 to about 49 grams per day in 2004.
The UC Riverside researchers also did a study with corn oil, which induced more obesity than coconut oil but not quite as much as soybean oil. They are currently doing tests with lard and olive oil. They have not tested canola oil or palm oil.
Why breast-fed premature infants have healthier guts than formula-fed ones University of Maryland School of Medicine, August 2, 2022
Human breastmilk has long been considered “liquid gold” among clinicians treating premature infants in a newborn intensive care unit (NICU). Breastmilk-fed “preemies” are healthier, on average, than those fed formula. Why is that true, however, has remained a mystery.
New research from the University of Maryland School of Medicine’s (UMSOM) Institute for Genome Sciences (IGS), found it is not just the content of breastmilkthat makes the difference. It is also the way the babies digest it.
The research, led by Bing Ma, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Microbiology and Immunology at UMSOM and a researcher at IGS, discovered a strain of the Bifidobacterium breve bacteria or B. breve in the guts of breastfed babies who received higher volumes of breastmilk than their counterparts. Those preemies had better nutrient absorptionbecause they developed an intact intestinal wall one week after birth. B. breve was much less prevalent in both formula-fed babies and breastfed babies with “leaky gut.” Babies with leaky gut do not develop a barrier to protect against bacteria and digested food from getting into the bloodstream. For the first time, the team also found that the way B. breve metabolizes breastmilk keeps breastfed babies healthier and allows them to gain weight by strengthening their underdeveloped intestinal barrier.
An immature or “leaky” gut can lead to necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC), which is the third leading cause of newborn death in United States and worldwide. In fact, NEC impacts up to 10 percent of premature babies with a devastating mortality rate as high as 50 percent.
At the most basic level, the gut microbiome in these breastfed preemies with more B. breve metabolizes carbohydrates differently than it does formula. The researchers say they hypothesize that this process of metabolism then strengthens and matures the intestinal barrier faster, protecting fragile newborns from disease.
Even simple exercise may help aging brain, study hints Wake Forest School of Medicine, August 1, 2022
New research hints that even a simple exercise routine just might help older Americans with mild memory problems.
Researchers recruited about 300 sedentary older adults with hard-to-spot memory changes called mild cognitive impairment or MCI—a condition that’s sometimes, but not always, a precursor to Alzheimer’s. Half were assigned aerobic exercises and the rest stretching-and-balance moves that only modestly raised their heart rate.
After a year, cognitive testing showed overall neither group had worsened, said lead researcher Laura Baker, a neuroscientist at Wake Forest School of Medicine. Nor did brain scans show the shrinkage that accompanies worsening memory problems, she said.
By comparison, similar MCI patients in another long-term study of brain health—but without exercise—experienced significant cognitive decline over a year.
But the results suggest “this is doable for everybody”—not just seniors healthy enough to work up a hard sweat, said Baker, who presented the data Tuesday at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference. “Exercise needs to be part of the prevention strategies” for at-risk seniors.
Small daily portion of Jarlsberg cheese may help to stave off bone thinning Norwegian Research Council, August 2, 2022
A small (57 g) daily portion of Jarlsberg cheese may help to stave off bone thinning (osteopenia/osteoporosis) without boosting harmful low density cholesterol, suggest the results of a small comparative clinical trial, published in the open access journal BMJ Nutrition Prevention & Health.
The effects seem to be specific to this type of cheese, the findings indicate.
Jarlsberg is a mild and semi-soft, nutty-flavored cheese made from cow’s milk, with regular holes. It originates from Jarlsberg in eastern Norway.
Previous research indicates that it may help boost levels of osteocalcin, a hormone that is associated with strong bones and teeth, but it’s not clear if this effect is specific to Jarlsberg or any type of cheese.
In a bid to find out, the researchers studied 66 healthy women (average age 33; average BMI of 24) who were randomly allocated to adding either a daily 57 g portion of Jarlsberg (41) or 50 g of Camembert cheese (25) to their diet for 6 weeks.
At the end of this period, the group eating Camembert was switched to Jarlsberg for another six weeks.
Jarlsberg and Camembert have similar fat and protein contents, but unlike Camembert, Jarlsberg is rich in vitamin K2, also known as menaquinone (MK), of which there are several varieties.
Every six weeks blood samples were taken from all the participants to check for key proteins, osteocalcin, and a peptide (PINP) involved in bone turnover. Vitamin K2 and blood fat levels were also measured.
Blood sample analysis showed that the key biochemical markers of bone turnover, including osteocalcin, and vitamin K2 increased significantly after 6 weeks in the Jarlsberg group.
Glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c)—-the amount of glucose stuck in red blood cells—fell significantly (by 3%) in the Jarlsberg group, while it rose sharply (by 2%) in those eating Camembert. But after switching to Jarlsberg HbA1c fell significantly in this group too.
Calcium and magnesium fell significantly in the Jarlsberg group but remained unchanged in the Camembert group. After switching cheese, calcium levels dropped in this group too, possibly reflecting increased uptake of these key minerals in bone formation, say the researchers.
“Daily Jarlsberg cheese consumption has a positive effect on osteocalcin, other [markers of bone turnover], glycated hemoglobin and lipids,” write the researchers, concluding that the effects are specific to this cheese.
Body fat can send signals to brain, affecting stress response
University of Florida, July 23, 2022
The brain’s effect on other parts of the body has been well established. Now, a group that includes two University of Florida researchers has found that it’s a two-way street: Body fat can send a signal that affects the way the brain deals with stress and metabolism.
While the exact nature of those signals remains a mystery, researchers say simply knowing such a pathway exists and learning more about it could help break a vicious cycle: Stress causes a desire to eat more, which can lead to obesity. And too much extra fat can impair the body’s ability to send a signal to the brain to shut off the stress response.
The findings are important and unique because they show that it’s not simply the brain that drives the way the body responds to stress, said James Herman, Ph.D., a co-author of the paper and a professor in the department of psychiatry and behavioral neuroscience at the University of Cincinnati,.
“It moved our understanding of stress control to include other parts of the body. Before this, everyone thought that the regulation of stress was mainly due to the brain. It’s not just in the brain. This study suggests that stress regulation occurs on a much larger scale, including body systems controlling metabolism, such as fat,” Herman said.
Researchers found that a glucocorticoid receptor in fat tissue can affect the way the brain controls stress and metabolism. Initially, such signals from the receptor can be lifesavers, directing the brain to regulate its energy balance and influencing stress responses in a beneficial way.
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Lutein may counter cognitive aging, study finds A stable gut helps elite athletes perform better Could Spirulina modify the microbiome to protect against age-related damage? It doesn’t matter much which fiber you choose—just get more fiber Plant-based meat ‘healthier and more sustainable than animal products,’ according to new study Pine Bark Extract Treats Meniere’s Disease Lutein may counter cognitive aging, study finds University of Illinois, July 25, 2022
Spinach and kale are favorites of those looking to stay physically fit, but they also could keep consumers cognitively fit, according to a new study from University of Illinois researchers.
The study, which included 60 adults aged 25 to 45, found that middle-aged participants with higher levels of lutein – a nutrient found in green leafy vegetables such as spinach and kale, as well as avocados and eggs — had neural responses that were more on par with younger individuals than with their peers. The findings were published in the journal Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience.
“Now there’s an additional reason to eat nutrient-rich foods such as green leafy vegetables, eggs and avocados,” said Naiman Khan, a professor of kinesiology and community health at Illinois. “We know these foods are related to other healthbenefits, but these data indicate that there may be cognitive benefits as well.”
Lutein is a nutrient that the body can’t make on its own, so it must be acquired through diet. Lutein accumulates in brain tissues, but also accumulates in the eye, which allows researchers to measure levels without relying on invasive techniques.
The Illinois researchers measured lutein in the study participants’ eyes by having participants look into a scope and respond to a flickering light. Then, using electrodes on the scalp, the researchers measured neural activity in the brain while the participants performed a task that tested attention.
“The neuro-electrical signature of older participants with higher levels of lutein looked much more like their younger counterparts than their peers with less lutein,” Walk said. “Lutein appears to have some protective role, since the data suggest that those with more lutein were able to engage more cognitive resources to complete the task.”
Next, Khan’s group is running intervention trials, aiming to understand how increased dietary consumption of lutein may increase lutein in the eye, and how closely the levels relate to changes in cognitive performance.
A stable gut helps elite athletes perform better Anglia Ruskin University, July 29, 2022
New research has found that microbial instability in the gut could hinder the performance of elite endurance athletes, and that short-term, high-protein diets are associated with this type of imbalance.
Researchers from across the UK analyzed the performance and gut health of a group of well-matched, highly trained endurance runners, to explore the impact of both high-protein and high-carbohydrate diets.
The study found that in those following a high-protein regime, this resulted in a disturbance in the stability of the gut microbiome. This was also accompanied by a 23.3% reduction in time trial performance.
Analysis found a significantly reduced diversity and altered composition of the gut phageome, as well as higher levels of certain types of virals and bacterial compartments. Those participants whose gut microbiome was more stable performed better during time trials.
Those following a high-carbohydrate diet resulted in an improved time trial performance of 6.5%.
Could Spirulina modify the microbiome to protect against age-related damage? Louvain Drug Research Institute (Belgium), July 28, 2022 Spirulina might help protect against age-related liver inflammation by modifying pathways in the microbiome, say researchers.
Consumption of spirulina could help protect against hepatic inflammation in the elderly, according to the new animal research published in Nutrients.
Belgian researchers carried out tests on mice, which suggest that the algae Spirulina has an impact on the gut microbiota, which in turn activates the immune system in the gut and improves inflammation in the liver that is associated with ageing.
Led by senior author Professor Nathalie Delzenne from the Louvain Drug Research Institute in Belgium, the team said oral feeding of Spirulina was found to modulates several immunological functions involving, among others, the TLR4 pathway in old mice.
“The fact that its oral consumption can influence both gut immunity and systemic sites, such as the liver, suggests that its immune action is not confined to the gut immune system,” wrote the team – who said the findings open the way to new therapeutic tools “in the management of immune alterations in aging, based on gut microbe-host interactions.”
Furthermore, they suggested that improvement of the homeostasis in the gut ecosystem ‘could be essential’ during the aging process, “and, in this perspective, dietary manipulation of the gut microbiota of the elderly with Spirulina, may represent a tool for preserving a healthy gastrointestinal microbial community in addition to its beneficial effects on immune function.”
It doesn’t matter much which fiber you choose—just get more fiber Duke University, July 30, 2022
That huge array of dietary fiber supplements in the drugstore or grocery aisle can be overwhelming to a consumer. They make all sorts of health claims too, not being subject to FDA review and approval. So how do you know which supplement works and would be best for you?
A rigorous examination of the gut microbes of study participants who were fed three different kinds of supplements in different sequences concludes that people who had been eating the least amount of fiber before the study showed the greatest benefit from supplements, regardless of which ones they consumed.
“The people who responded the best had been eating the least fiber to start with,” said study leader Lawrence David, an associate professor of molecular genetics and microbiology at Duke University.
When your gut bugs are happily munching on a high-fiber diet, they produce more of the short-chain fatty acids that protect you from diseases of the gut, colorectal cancers and even obesity. And in particular, they produce more of a fatty acid called butyrate, which is fuel for your intestinal cells themselves. Butyrate has been shown to improve the gut’s resistance to pathogens, lower inflammation and create happier, healthier cells lining the host’s intestines.
“We didn’t see a lot of difference between the fiber supplements we tested. Rather, they looked interchangeable,” David said during a tour of his sparkling new lab in the MSRB III building
Plant-based meat ‘healthier and more sustainable than animal products,’ according to new study University of Bath (UK), July 30, 2022
Plant-based dietary alternatives to animal products are better for the environment and for human health when compared with the animal products they are designed to replace, say the authors of a new study.
A new paper published in Future Foods argues that because these foods are “specifically formulated to replicate the taste, texture, and overall eating experience of animal products,” they are a much more effective way of reducing demand for meat and dairy than simply encouraging people to cook vegetarian whole foods.
The study, conducted by psychologists at the University of Bath, concludes that plant-based meat and dairy alternatives “offer a healthier and more environmentally sustainable solution which takes into account consumer preferences and behavior.”
The review examined 43 studies into the health and environmental impacts of plant-based foods, as well as consumer attitudes. One study found that almost 90% of consumers who ate plant-based meat and dairy were in fact meat-eaters or flexitarians; another found that plant-based products with a similar taste, texture, and price to processed meat had the best chance of replacing meat.
The paper also found that these plant-based products caused lower levels of greenhouse gas emissions than the animal products they were replacing. One paper found replacing 5% of German beef consumption with pea protein could reduce CO2emissions by up to eight million tons a year. Another found that compared to beef burgers, plant-based burgers were associated with up to 98% less greenhouse gas emissions.
Studies focusing on the healthiness of plant-based products also found they tend to have better nutritional profiles compared to animal products, with one paper finding that 40% of conventional meat products were classified as ‘less healthy’ compared to just 14% of plant-based alternatives based on the UK’s Nutrient Profiling Model.
Others found plant-based meat and dairy were good for weight loss and building muscle mass, and could be used to help people with specific health conditions. Food producers may be able to add ingredients such as edible fungi, microalgae or spirulina to plant-based foods, boosting properties such as amino acids, vitamins B and E and antioxidants. Future innovations in processing and ingredients are likely to lead to further nutritional improvements.
Pine Bark Extract Treats Meniere’s Disease
University of Chieti-Pescara (Italy), July 17, 2022
Research from Italy’s University of Chieti-Pescara has found that a patented pine bark extract significantly treats Meniere’s disease.
Ménière’s disease is a type of vertigo caused by a condition of the inner ear, discovered by the French doctor, Prosper Ménière in the mid-nineteenth century.
Dr. Ménière found the vertigo disorder, which produces a low-pitched tinnitus of varying intensity depending upon the person and the degree of the condition; can eventually result in a complete loss of hearing. Symptoms include periodic headaches, dizziness, nausea and vomiting along with vertigo attacks that can last hours to weeks.
The researchers studied 107 patients with Ménière’s disease – each with varying intensity of symptoms.
The researchers split the 120 patients into two groups and for six months, and both groups were given conventional treatment.
In addition, one group was given 150 milligrams per day of Pycnogenol – a patented pine bark extract from the French Maritime pine tree.
They found that after three months of treatment, the pine bark extract group showed significantly better improvement than the control group. A full 45 percent of the pine bark extract group had a complete recovery after three months compared to 23 percent of the placebo group.
After six months, a full 87 percent of the pine bark extract group experienced recovery – became asymptomatic. Meanwhile, 34 percent of the control group (conventional treatment) recovered after six months.
The patients were given 200 milligrams per day of Pycnogenol for 8 weeks and crossed over with a placebo.
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Canadian Study Gives More Evidence Cancer Is A Lifestyle Disease Largely Caused By Food Cancer Control Alberta, Alberta Health Services and University of Calgary, July 22, 2022
Shockingly, worldwide cancer rates are predicted to rise to 1-in-2 women and 1-in-3 men will be diagnosed with some form of cancer. It is so common already, in fact, that it getting cancer is more common than getting married or having a first baby.
In reality, one can significantly reduce the likelihood of getting cancer by making lifestyle changes. According to a recently published study out of Canada, the total proportion of cancer rates which can be attributed to lifestyle and environmental factors is quite high, nearing 41%.
Regarding the methods used in the study:
We estimated summary population attributable risk estimates for 24 risk factors (smoking [both passive and active], overweight and obesity, inadequate physical activity, diet [inadequate fruit and vegetable consumption, inadequate fibre intake, excess red and processed meat consumption, salt consumption, inadequate calcium and vitamin D intake], alcohol, hormones [oral contraceptives and hormone therapy], infections [Epstein-Barr virus, hepatitis B and C viruses, human papillomavirus, Helicobacter pylori], air pollution, natural and artificial ultraviolet radiation, radon and water disinfection by-products) by combining population attributable risk estimates for each of the 24 factors that had been previously estimated.
The list above essentially outlines the wide range of personal choices we know can increase the risk of cancer, mainly pointing out that food causes cancer. Along with exercise, and common avoidable environmental factors, cancer is somewhat preventable.
Overall, we estimated that 40.8% of incident cancer cases were attributable to exposure to the 24 factors included in the analysis (Table 2). Tobacco smoking was responsible for the greatest cancer burden, accounting for an estimated 15.7% of all incident cancer cases (2485 cases), followed by physical inactivity and excess body weight, which were responsible for an estimated 7.2% and 4.3% of incident cancer cases, respectively. All other exposures of interest were estimated to be responsible for less than 4.0% of incident cancer cases each.
Brain imaging reveals how mindfulness program boosts pain regulation University of Wisconsin-Madison, July 28, 2022
Research at the University of Wisconsin–Madison’s Center for Healthy Minds has isolated the changes in pain-related brain activity that follow mindfulness training—pointing a way toward more targeted and precise pain treatment.
The study, published in The American Journal of Psychiatry, identified pathways in the brain specific to pain regulation on which activity is altered by the center’s eight-week Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction course.
These changes were not seen in participants who took a similar course without the mindfulness instruction—important new evidence that the brain changes are due to the mindfulness training itself, according to Joseph Wielgosz. The study is the first to demonstrate pain-related brain changes from a standardized mindfulness course that is widely offered in clinical settings.
Around one-third of Americans experience pain-related problems, but common treatments—like medications and invasive procedures—don’t work for everyone and, according to Wielgosz, have contributed to an epidemic of addiction to prescription and illicit drugs.
Popular with patients and promising in its clinical outcomes, mindfulness training courses like MBSR have taken a central place in the drive for a more effective approach to pain management.
By practicing nonjudgmental, “present-centered” awareness of mind and body, participants can learn to respond to pain with less distress and more psychological flexibility—which can ultimately lead to reductions in pain itself.
The study also looked at longer-term mindfulness training. Intriguingly, practice on intensive meditation retreats was associated with changes in the neural signature for influences that shape pain indirectly—for example, differences in attention, beliefs and expectations, factors that often increase the perceived levels of distress in non-meditators.
These findings help show the potential for mindfulness practice as a lifestyle behavior.
Optimistic Women More Likely to Live Past 90 Harvard University, July 23, 2022
Turns out that focusing on the good things really is the recipe for a longer life. A new study from Harvard University, published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, found that higher levels of optimism were positively associated with longer lifespan, with the most optimistic women even living past 90 years old across a variety of racial and ethnic groups.
This study included over 150,000 postmenopausal women across a variety of diverse socio-economic and ethnic groups in the United States. These women, aged 50-79, enrolled in the study and were followed for a period of up to 26 years. The results of this study found that the 25% of subjects who were the most optimistic were more likely to have a 5.4% longer lifespan, and a 10% greater likelihood of living beyond 90 years of age compared to the 25% who were the least optimistic.
The authors noted that while social structure factors can affect optimism, there is still reason to look on the bright side of life, regardless of these factors, finding that being optimistic is scientifically significant for longer lifespan and overall longevity. According to Hayami Koga, a PhD candidate in the Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, this new research concluded that “There’s value to focusing on positive psychological factors, like optimism, as possible new ways of promoting longevity and healthy aging across diverse groups.”
The research from Harvard noted that women who were the most optimistic were 10% more likely to celebrate their 90th birthday than the least optimistic. Based on total demographics, however, the highest vs. lowest optimism quartile in the Women’s Health Initiative study is broken down as follows:
- Overall – Associated with 5.4% longer lifespan
- White women – 5.1% longer lifespan
- Black women – 7.6% longer lifespan
- Hispanic/Latina women – 5.4% longer lifespan
- Asian women – 1.5% longer lifespan
This data shows that Black women have the highest longevity rates (at 7.6%) compared to other demographics specifically when optimism is brought into play.
Maintaining a positive outlook and optimism are undeniably large parts of the equation when it comes to living a long life, but there are other factors and lifestyle choices that come into play to ensure not only healthy lifespan, but healthy quality of life. These factors include:
- A healthy diet —It has always been important to maintain a healthy diet to benefit overall health. While the Mediterranean diet, which emphasizes fruits and vegetables along with healthy fats and whole grains, is known for its health benefits, the Japanese diet is also a great option, with adherence to this diet being associated with a longer lifespan.
- Maintaining a healthy weight—Keeping the number on the scale in a healthy range with a combo of diet and exercise is a large aspect of staying healthy.
- Nutrients—Targeted nutrients can also help support your longevity efforts. These nutrients include:
- Nicotinamide riboside: A precursor of NAD+, and a form of vitamin B3 that can fight general fatigue, support cellular energy production, and even contribute to anti-aging.
- Resveratrol: Skip the wine! Resveratrol has potent anti-aging properties, including fighting free radicals and mimicking calorie restricting diets that are key to longevity.
- Curcumin: The golden spice is knowing for its anti-inflammatory benefits, and with that, its ability to benefit whole-body health. Working to keep your joints and your brain healthy, it’s a no brainer that this extract will keep you as young as you feel.
- Managing stress—Keeping stress at bay is crucial to living a long and healthy life. There’s even evidence that managing stress can “un-gray” your hair! And who wouldn’t feel optimistic about that?
Is Vitamin E Good for PCOS? Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, July 25, 2022
Can women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) get pregnant? The answer is: yes…but it can be more challenging than for women without this hormone imbalance condition. For reproductive-age women, the hallmark of PCOS is high androgen levels (the “male” hormone), which can lead to irregular periods and difficulty getting pregnant. But, as daycares full of babies conceived with a little “help” can attest, there are options.
A new study published in BMC Women’s Health suggests that vitamin E may be helpful for women with PCOS undergoing ovulation induction.
According to the study, women with polycystic ovary syndrome undergoing ovulation induction who received vitamin E had lower levels of oxidative stress and required lower doses of human menopausal gonadotropin.
In addition to potentially supporting fertility, vitamin E has many other health benefits for women with PCOS: it also helps maintain healthy levels of insulin, triglycerides and LDL.
In addition to the BMC Women’s Health publication, placebo-controlled studies have shown the benefits of vitamin E for women with PCOS, especially regarding their reproduction and fertility.
In the retrospective study from BMC Women’s Health, 321 women with PCOS underwent ovulation induction.
- 105 received 100 mg/d of vitamin E during the follicular phase
- 106 received 100 mg/d of vitamin E during the luteal phase
- 110 did not receive vitamin E
The results? Those who took vitamin E showed improved resistance to oxidative damage, healthy endometrium thickness, and decreased hMG dosage for healthy ovulation.
Total darkness at night is key to success of breast cancer therapy — Tulane study
Tulane University, July 25, 2022
Exposure to light at night, which shuts off nighttime production of the hormone melatonin, renders breast cancer completely resistant to tamoxifen, a widely used breast cancer drug, says a new study by Tulane University School of Medicine cancer researchers. The study, “Circadian and Melatonin Disruption by Exposure to Light at Night Drives Intrinsic Resistance to Tamoxifen Therapy in Breast Cancer,” published in the journal Cancer Research, is the first to show that melatonin is vital to the success of tamoxifen in treating breast cancer.
“In the first phase of the study, we kept animals in a daily light/dark cycle of 12 hours of light followed by 12 hours of total darkness (melatonin is elevated during the dark phase) for several weeks,” says Hill. “In the second study, we exposed them to the same daily light/dark cycle; however, during the 12 hour dark phase, animals were exposed to extremely dim light at night (melatonin levels are suppressed), roughly equivalent to faint light coming under a door.”
Melatonin by itself delayed the formation of tumors and significantly slowed their growth but tamoxifen caused a dramatic regression of tumors in animals with either high nighttime levels of melatonin during complete darkness or those receiving melatonin supplementation during dim light at night exposure.
These findings have potentially enormous implications for women being treated with tamoxifen and also regularly exposed to light at night due to sleep problems, working night shifts or exposed to light from computer and TV screens.
“High melatonin levels at night put breast cancer cells to ‘sleep’ by turning off key growth mechanisms. These cells are vulnerable to tamoxifen. But when the lights are on and melatonin is suppressed, breast cancer cells ‘wake up’ and ignore tamoxifen,” Blask says.
A Cup of Cranberries a Day Keeps Dementia Away University of East Anglia (UK), July 26, 2022
While aging is inevitable, cognitive decline doesn’t have to be. A recent study from the University of East Anglia found some “berry” good news about a way to help support and maintain brain function: cranberry intervention.
According to the study, having the equivalent of one cup of fresh cranberries a day can improve memory, neuronal functioning, and vascular health, enhancing blood flow to the brain. And as a sweet bonus, researchers found the red fruit also helps lower LDL (low-density lipoprotein) cholesterol levels, which can build up in the arteries and result in a higher risk for cardiovascular disease and Alzheimer’s.
“Cranberries are rich in these micronutrients [flavonoids, anthocyanins and proanthocyanidins] and have been recognized for their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties,” the authors said.
The researchers from the University of East Anglia performed a placebo-controlled study of parallel groups of healthy 50 to 80-year-olds adults to assess the effects of freeze-dried cranberry powder on cognition, brain function and biomarkers for brain cell signaling. The results revealed that taking cranberry extract for 12 weeks improved memory of everyday events (visual episodic memory) and enhanced blood circulation to certain parts of the brain (regional brain perfusion) compared to the placebo group. Better blood flow means essential nutrients such as oxygen and glucose reach areas of the brain associated with memory consolidation and retrieval.
Strawberries may fend off Alzheimer's Rush University Medical Center, July 28, 2022
Could strawberries as a snack or in your cereal, salads or smoothie help protect your brain from Alzheimer's? Maybe so, according to a new study from researchers at RUSH.
RUSH researchers found that a bioactive compound found in strawberries called pelargonidin may be associated with fewer neurofibrillary tau tangles in the brain. Tau tangles are one of the hallmarks of Alzheimer's disease, which is caused by abnormal changes with tau proteins that accumulate in the brain. The study was published in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease.
"We suspect the anti-inflammatory properties of pelargonidin may decrease overall neuroinflammation, which may reduce cytokine production," said Dr. Julie Schneider, author of the study. Schneider is associate professor and neuropathologist in the Rush Alzheimer's Disease Center at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago.
Among berries, strawberries are the most abundant source of pelargonidin.
Florida Seaweed may Hold Promise as Protector Against Cancer
University of Florida College of Pharmacy, July 24, 2022
Among all cancers, new cases of prostate cancer are the most prevalent in the United States. While there are numerous tips for preventing and even reversing prostate cancer, one new study suggests a seaweed found off the coast of Florida could hold the key to preventing this and other forms of cancer.
The news potentially brings the U.S. closer to Asian countries in prostate cancer prevalence—countries that incidentally have high rates of seaweed consumption. Researchers with the University of Florida screened several different seaweeds, searching for one with the most cancer-protective promise. They found it in a common green algae known as sea lettuce.
“We now have scientific evidence that this seaweed raises the body’s antioxidant defense system and therefore might potentially prevent a number of diseases, including cancer,” said Hendrik Luesch, Ph.D., lead research and associate professor of medicinal chemistry in the UF College of Pharmacy. “This mechanism appears to be most relevant to prostate cancer.”
“Antioxidant-rich fruits and vegetables protect the body against these free radicals, mostly through a scavenging process of elimination. Rather than simply removing the damaging free radicals through this direct reaction, compounds in sea lettuce worked through an indirect mechanism, Luesch found. This process increases the levels of a suite of antioxidant enzymes and boosts antioxidants in cells, producing longer-lasting protection. Regulated by stretches of DNA called antioxidant response elements, the enzymes prevent oxidative damage and inflammation.”
Luesch compares the possibilities of sea lettuce compounds to the proven benefits of sulforaphane in broccoli, an enzyme that works through similar methods to prevent damage from oxidative stress and cancer.
Fast food diet before pregnancy can impact breast milk and baby's health, say scientists University of Cambridge, July 27, 2022
A diet high in sugar and fat such as burgers, fries and fizzy drinks can negatively affect a new mother's breast milk and baby's health even before the child is conceived.
The new study using lab mice has found that even relatively short-term consumption of a fast food diet impacts women's health, reducing their ability to produce nutritional breast milk after giving birth. This can affect the newborn's well-being, as well as increasing the risk of both mother and child developing potentially fatal conditions such as heart disease, stroke and diabetes in later life.
Even mothers who appear to be a healthy weight can be suffering from hidden issues such as a fatty liver—which may be seen in people who are overweight or obese—from eating a diet heavy in processed foods, which tend to be high in fat and sugar. This can lead to advanced scarring (cirrhosis) and liver failure.
In this new study, a group of mice was fed a diet of processed high fat pellet with sweetened condensed milk for just three weeks before pregnancy, during the three-week pregnancy itself, and following birth. This diet was designed to mimic the nutritional content of a fast food burger, fries and sugary soft drink. The aim was to determine the impacts on fertility, fetus growth and neonatal outcomes.
The researchers discovered that even a short-term high fat, high sugar diet impacted on the survival of the mice pups in the early period after birth, with an increased loss during the time the mother was feeding her offspring. Milk proteins are hugely important for newborn development but the quality was found to be poor in mouse mothers eating the high fat, high sugar diet.
"They ended up with fatty livers, which is really dangerous for the mum, and there was altered formation of the placenta. The weight of the fetus itself wasn't affected. They seemed lighter, but it wasn't significant. But what was also apparent was that the nutrition to the fetus was changed in pregnancy. Then when we looked at how the mum may be supporting the baby after pregnancy, we found that her mammary gland development and her milk protein composition was altered, and that may have been the explanation for the greater health problems of the newborn pups."
Meditation And Yoga Change Your DNA To Reverse Effects Of Stress, Study Shows
Coventry University (UK), July 25, 2022
Many people participate in practices such as meditation and yoga because they help us relax. At least those are the immediate effects we feel. But much more is happening on a molecular level, reveal researchers out of Coventry University in England.
Published in the journal Frontiers in Immunology, this new research examined 18 studies on mind-body interventions (MBIs). These include practices such as mindfulness meditation and yoga. Comprehensively, these studies encompassed 846 participants over 11 years. The new analysis reveals that MBIs result in molecular changes in the human body. Furthermore, researchers claim that these changes are beneficial to our mental and physical health.
To elaborate, consider the effect that stress has on the body. When we are under stress, the body increases the production of proteins that cause cell inflammation. This is the natural effect of the body’s fight-or-flight response.
It is widely believed that inflammation in the body leads to numerous illnesses, including cancer. Moreover, scientists also deduct that a persistent inflammation is more likely to cause psychiatric problems. Unfortunately, many people suffer from persistent stress, therefore they suffer from pro-inflammatory gene expression.
According to this new analysis out of Coventry, people that practice MBIs such as meditation and yoga can reverse pro-inflammatory gene expression. This results in a reduced risk of inflammation-related diseases and mental conditions.
EGCG in Green Tea inhibits the growth of breast cancer cells Chonbuk National University School of Medicine (S Korea), July 21, 2022
According to news reporting originating in Chonbuk, South Korea, research stated, "Epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), a major constituent of green tea, has potential as a treatment for a variety of diseases, including cancer. EGCG induces apoptosis and inhibits tumorigenesis through multiple signaling pathways in breast cancer cells. b-catenin signaling modulators could be useful in the prevention and therapy of breast cancer."
Research from the Chonbuk National University School of Medicine states, "However, the precise anticancer effect of EGCG through the b-catenin signaling pathway in breast cancer is unclear. The present study investigated the association between b-catenin expression and clinicopathological factors of breast cancer patients, and the effect of EGCG on b-catenin expression in breast cancer cells. b-catenin expression was analyzed according to the clinicopathological factors of 74 patients with breast cancer. Western blot analysis revealed that b-catenin was expressed at higher levels in breast cancer tissue than in normal tissue. b-catenin expression was associated with lymph node metastasis, tumor-node-metastasis stage and estrogen receptor status. EGCG dsignificantly downregulated the expression of b-catenin, phosphorylated Akt and cyclin D1.
The present results suggest that EGCG inhibits the growth of MDA-MB-231 cells through the inactivation of the b-catenin signaling pathway."
According to the news reporters, the research concluded: "Based on these promising results, EGCG may be a potential treatment for triple negative breast cancer patients."
Turmeric eye drops could treat glaucoma University College London, July 264, 2022
A derivative of turmeric could be used in eye drops to treat the early stages of glaucoma, finds a new study led by UCL and Imperial College London researchers.
In the new Scientific Reports paper, the researchers report a new method to deliver curcumin, extracted from the yellow spice turmeric, directly to the back of the eye using eye drops, overcoming the challenge of curcumin's poor solubility.
The research team found the eye drops can reduce the loss of retinal cells in rats, which is known to be an early sign of glaucoma.
"Curcumin is an exciting compound that has shown promise at detecting and treating the neurodegeneration implicated in numerous eye and brain conditions from glaucoma to Alzheimer's disease, so being able to administer it easily in eye drops may end up helping millions of people," said the study's lead author, Professor Francesca Cordeiro.
Curcumin has previously been shown to protect retinal ganglion cells when administered orally. For the current study, the researchers were seeking to find a more reliable method to deliver curcumin. Oral administration is difficult because curcumin has poor solubility, so it does not easily dissolve and get absorbed into the bloodstream, and would require people to take large amounts of tablets (up to 24 a day) that may cause gastrointestinal side effects.
The team developed a novel nanocarrier, wherein the curcumin is contained within a surfactant combined with a stabiliser, both of which are known to be safe for human use and are already in existing eye products. The nanocarrier can be used in eye drops to deliver much higher loads of curcumin than other products in development, increasing the drug's solubility by a factor of almost 400,000, and localises the curcumin in the eyes instead of throughout the body.
After twice-daily use of eye drops in the rats for three weeks, retinal ganglion cell loss was significantly reduced compared to matched controls, and the treatment was found to be well-tolerated with no signs of eye irritation or inflammation.
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Diets high in N-3 polyunsaturated fats may help decrease risk of breast cancer A new study evaluates associations between breast cancer risk and intake of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, based on menopause status
North American Menopause Society, July 27, 2022
Diet has long been reported to potentially affect breast cancer risk. Growing evidence suggests that n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) may play a role in the pathogenesis of breast cancer. A new study documents an inverse association between breast cancer risk and n-3 PUFA consumption, especially in premenopausal women who are obese.
Previous studies have been conducted to investigate the association of n-3 PUFAs with breast cancer risk but have shown mixed results. Many of these studies were performed only in postmenopausal women because the peak age for breast cancer is 60 to 70 years in western countries, whereas it is age 40 to 50 years in Asian countries.
In this latest hospital-based, case-control study including nearly 1,600 cases, researchers not only examined the association between the intake of n-3 PUFAs in general with breast cancer, but they also looked at the effect of individual n-3 PUFAs. Good sources of n-3 PUFAs include fish, vegetable oil, nuts (especially walnuts), flax seeds and flaxseed oil, and leafy vegetables. Because the human body does not produce n-3 fatty acids naturally, these food sources are essential.
The study concluded that a higher intake of marine n-3 PUFAs and total n-3 PUFAs was associated with a lower risk of breast cancer. Dietary a-linolenic acid, eicosapentaenoic acid, docosapentaenoic acid, and docosahexaenoic acid also were inversely associated with breast cancer risk. Such inverse associations were more evident in premenopausal women and women with certain types of breast tumors. In addition, a decreased risk of breast cancer was significantly associated with increasing n-3 PUFA intake in women who were overweight or obese but not in women of normal weight. There was a significant interaction between linoleic acid and marine n-3 PUFAs.
Zinc can halt the growth of cancer cells, study reveals University of Texas Arlington, July 22, 2022 Research out of the University of Texas at Arlington has found that zinc is integral in cancer prevention, particularly cancer of the esophagus. By the way, previous research had determined the importance of zinc and its protective effect for the esophagus; however, scientists were never sure exactly why this was so. Researchers out of the UTA College of Nursing and Health Innovation partnered with an experienced esophageal cancer researcher. Their efforts determined that zinc actually targets esophageal cancer cells while leaving normal cells alone. It seems that it works by impeding overactive calcium signaling in the cancer cells, which isn’t a problem in normal cells. In this way, zinc inhibits cancer selectively, only in the cells that are exhibiting this behavior. Supplementation of just 15 mg of zinc daily has been found to improve T-cell functioning and increase the body’s ability to fight infection, according University of Florida researchers. Harm from blue light exposure increases with age, research suggests Oregon State University, July 27, 2022
The damaging effects of daily, lifelong exposure to the blue light emanating from phones, computers and household fixtures worsen as a person ages, new research by Oregon State University suggests.
The study, published today in Aging, involved Drosophila melanogaster, the common fruit fly, an important model organism because of the cellular and developmental mechanisms it shares with other animals and humans.
Jaga Giebultowicz, a researcher in the OSU College of Science who studies biological clocks, led a collaboration that examined the survival rate of flies kept in darkness and then moved at progressively older ages to an environment of constant blue light from light-emitting diodes, or LEDs.
The darkness-to-light transitions occurred at the ages of two, 20, 40 and 60 days, and the study involved blue light’s effect on the mitochondria of the flies’ cells.
“The novel aspect of this new study is showing that chronic exposure to blue light can impair energy-producing pathways even in cells that are not specialized in sensing light,” Giebultowicz said. “We determined that specific reactions in mitochondria were dramatically reduced by blue light, while other reactions were decreased by age independent of blue light. You can think of it as blue light exposure adding insult to injury in aging flies.”
The scientists note that natural light is crucial for a person’s circadian rhythm—the 24-hour cycle of physiological processes such as brain wave activity, hormone production and cell regeneration that are important factors in eating and sleeping patterns. But there is evidence suggesting that increased exposure to artificial light is a risk factor for sleep and circadian disorders, Giebultowicz said. And with the prevalent use of LED lighting and device displays, humans are subjected to increasing amounts of light in the blue spectrum since commonly used LEDs emit a high fraction of blue light.
In the earlier research, flies subjected to daily cycles of 12 hours in light and 12 hours in darkness had shorter lives compared to flies kept in total darkness or those kept in light with the blue wavelengths filtered out. The flies exposed to blue light showed damage to their retinal cells and brain neurons and had impaired locomotion—the flies’ ability to climb the walls of their enclosures, a common behavior, was diminished.
Amla Extract May Boost Endotheial Function, Immune Response and More Nizam Institute of Medical Sciences (India), July 18, 2022 Endothelial dysfunction (ED) has been observed in individuals with metabolic syndrome (MetS) and contributes to the initiation and progression of atherosclerosis. The primary management of MetS involves lifestyle modifications and treatment of its individual components with drugs all of which have side effects. Thus, it would be of advantageous if natural products would be used as adjuncts or substitutes for conventional drugs. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effect of standardized aqueous extract of fruits of amla (P. emblica) 250 mg and 500 mg twice daily on ED, oxidative stress, systemic inflammation and lipid profile in subjects with MetS. Out of 65 screened subjects all 59 enrolled completed the study. Amla aqueous extract (PEE), 250 mg and 500 mg twice daily dosing, showed significant reduction in mean RI, measure of endothelial function, at 8 and 12 weeks compared to baseline and placebo. PEE 500 mg twice daily was significantly more efficacious than the 250 mg twice daily and placebo. No participant discontinued the study because of adverse events. Amla aqueous extract significantly improved endothelial function, oxidative stress, systemic inflammation and lipid profile at both dosages tested, but especially at 500 mg twice daily. Thus, this product may be used as an adjunct to conventional therapy (lifestyle modification and pharmacological intervention) in the management of metabolic syndrome. Histamine-producing gut bacteria can trigger chronic abdominal pain McMaster University and Queen’s University (Ontario), July 27 ,2022
Researchers from McMaster University and Queen’s University have discovered a gut bacterial “super-producer” of histamine that can cause pain flare-ups in some patients with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).
The culprit is what has now been named Klebsiella aerogenes, identified in up to 25 percent of gut microbiota samples from patients with IBS. Researchers examined stool microbiota samples from both Canadian and American patient cohorts.
“We followed up these patients for several months and found high levels of stool histamine at the time when the patients reported severe pain, and low stool histamine when they were pain-free,” said senior author Premysl Bercik, professor of medicine of McMaster’s School of Medicine.
The McMaster-Queen’s research team pinpointed the bacterium Klebsiella aerogenes as the key histamine producer by studying germ-free mice colonized with gut microbiota from patients with IBS. They also colonized some mice with gut microbiota from healthy volunteers as a control group.
The study found that the bacterium Klebsiella aerogenes converts dietary histidine, an essential amino acid present in animal and plant protein, into histamine, a known mediator of pain. The bacterial histamine then activates the gut immune system through histamine-4 receptor, which draws immune mast cells into the intestines. These activated mast cells produce even more histamine and other pain-signaling mediators, triggering inflammation and pain.
The study found that when the mice colonized with histamine producing bacteria were fed a diet low in fermentable carbohydrates, bacterial histamine production dramatically decreased. This was due to change in bacterial fermentation and acidity within the gut, which inhibited the bacterial enzyme responsible for histamine production.
Bercik said that these results explain the beneficial effects of a low fermentable diet observed in patients with IBS.
Eating more ultra-processed foods associated with increased risk of dementia Tianjin Medical University (China), July 27, 2022
People who eat the highest amounts of ultra-processed foods like soft drinks, chips and cookies may have a higher risk of developing dementia than those who eat the lowest amounts, according to a new study published in the online issue of Neurology. Researchers also found that replacing ultra-processed foods in a person’s diet with unprocessed or minimally processed foods was associated with a lower risk. The study does not prove that ultra-processed foods cause dementia. It only shows an association.
Ultra-processed foods are high in added sugar, fat and salt, and low in protein and fiber. They include soft drinks, salty and sugary snacks, ice cream, sausage, deep-fried chicken, yogurt, canned baked beans and tomatoes, ketchup, mayonnaise, packaged guacamole and hummus, packaged breads and flavored cereals.
For the study, researchers identified 72,083 people from the UK Biobank, a large database containing the health information of half a million people living in the United Kingdom. Participants were age 55 and older and did not have dementia at the start of the study. They were followed for an average of 10 years. By the end of the study, 518 people were diagnosed with dementia.
Researchers determined how much ultra-processed food people ate by calculating the grams per day and comparing it to the grams per day of other foods to create a percentage of their daily diet. They then divided participants into four equal groups from lowest percentage consumption of ultra-processed foods to highest.
After adjusting for age, gender, family history of dementia and heart disease and other factors that could affect risk of dementia, researchers found that for every 10% increase in daily intake of ultra-processed foods, people had a 25% higher risk of dementia.
Researchers also used study data to estimate what would happen if a person substituted 10% of ultra-processed foods with unprocessed or minimally processed foods, like fresh fruit, vegetables, legumes, milk and meat. They found that such a substitution was associated with a 19% lower risk of dementia.
“Our results also show increasing unprocessed or minimally processed foods by only 50 grams a day, which is equivalent to half an apple, a serving of corn, or a bowl of bran cereal, and simultaneously decreasing ultra-processed foods by 50 grams a day, equivalent to a chocolate bar or a serving of fish sticks, is associated with 3% decreased risk of dementia,” said Li. “It’s encouraging to know that small and manageable changes in diet may make a difference in a person’s risk of dementia.”
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Green tea extract promotes gut health, lowers blood sugar Ohio State University, July 26, 2022New research in people with a cluster of heart disease risk factors has shown that consuming green tea extract for four weeks can reduce blood sugar levels and improve gut health by lowering inflammation and decreasing “leaky gut.”Researchers said this is the first study assessing whether the health risks linked to the condition known as metabolic syndrome, which affects about one-third of Americans, may be diminished by green tea’s anti-inflammatory benefits in the gut.”There is much evidence that greater consumption of green tea is associated with good levels of cholesterol, glucose and triglycerides, but no studies have linked its benefits at the gut to those health factors,” said Richard Bruno, senior study author and professor of human nutrition at The Ohio State University.In the new study, green tea extract also lowered blood sugar, or glucose, and decreased gut inflammation and permeability in healthy people—an unexpected finding. “What this tells us is that within one month we’re able to lower blood glucose in both people with metabolic syndrome and healthy people, and the lowering of bloodglucose appears to be related to decreasing leaky gut and decreasing gut inflammation—regardless of health status,” Bruno said.”We did not attempt to cure metabolic syndrome with a one-month study,” he said. “But based on what we know about the causal factors behind metabolic syndrome, there is potential for green tea to be acting at least in part at the gut level to alleviate the risk for either developing it or reversing it if you already have metabolic syndrome.” Blood vessels can actually get better with age Study finds that arteries adapt to oxidative stress caused by agingUniversity of Missouri, July 21, 2022Although the causes of many age-related diseases remain unknown, oxidative stress is thought to be the main culprit. Oxidative stress has been linked to cardiovascular and neurodegenerative diseases including diabetes, hypertension and age-related cancers. However, researchers at the University of Missouri found that aging actually offered significant protection against oxidative stress. These findings suggest that aging may trigger an adaptive response to counteract the effects of oxidative stress on blood vessels.”Molecules known as reactive oxygen species, or ROS, play an important role in regulating cellular function,” said Steven Segal, a professor of medical pharmacology and physiology at the MU School of Medicine and senior author of the study. “However, the overproduction of ROS can help create a condition referred to as oxidative stress, which can alter the function of cells and interfere with their growth and reproduction.””We studied the endothelium from resistance arteries of male mice at 4 months and 24 months of age, which correspond to humans in their early 20s and mid-60s,” Segal said. “We first studied the endothelium under resting conditions and in the absence of oxidative stress. We then simulated oxidative stress by adding hydrogen peroxide. When oxidative stress was induced for 20 minutes, the endothelial cells of the younger mice had abnormal increases in calcium when compared to the endothelial cells of the older mice. This finding is important because when calcium gets too high, cells can be severely damaged.” When oxidative stress was extended to 60 minutes, Segal’s team found that the death of endothelial cells in the younger mice was seven times greater than those from the older mice. These findings indicated that with advancing age, the endothelium had adapted to preserve cellular integrity when confronted with oxidative stress.Our study suggests that blood vessels adapt during the aging process to regulate ROS and minimize cell death when subjected to an abrupt increase in oxidative stress. This adaptation helps to ensure that the arteries of older individuals can still do their jobs.” Elevated tween screen time linked to disruptive behavior disorders University of California, San Francisco, July 26, 2022Tweens who spend more time on screens have a higher likelihood of developing disruptive behavior disorders, with social media having an especially strong influence, a new UC San Francisco-led study published in the Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry found.Social media use was most likely to be linked to conduct disorder, while other forms of screen use—such as watching videos and television, playing video games, and texting—were more likely to be associated with oppositional defiant disorder (ODD).Conduct disorder is characterized by violating others’ basic rights or societal rules with actions such as bullying, vandalism and stealing, while ODD is marked by a pattern of angry or irritable mood, argumentative or defiant behavior, and vindictiveness.Researchers collected data on screen use, then evaluated for behavior disorders one year later. Each hour of social media was linked with a 62% higher prevalence of conduct disorder, while television, video games, video chat, and texting were linked with a 14% to 21% higher prevalence of ODD.In another recent study, Nagata and colleagues found that adolescents are so attached to their phones—the main vehicle for screen time—that they report losing track of time when using their phone (47.5%) and will interrupt whatever they are doing when contacted by phone (31%).The average amount of screen time was four hours per day, with the most time spent watching/streaming TV shows/movies (1.3 hours on average), playing videogames (1.1 hours), and watching/streaming videos (1 hour). In fact, four hours a day was a threshold, with time above four hours associated with a 69% higher prevalence of conduct disorder and a 46% higher prevalence of ODD. Cocoa shown to reduce blood pressure and arterial stiffness in study University of Surrey (UK), July 26, 2022
Cocoa flavanols have previously been found to lower blood pressure and arterial stiffnessas much as some blood pressure medication. However, how effective flavanols are in everyday life in reducing blood pressure has remained unknown, as previous studies in this area have been performed in tightly controlled experimental settings.
Surrey’s new research reduces concerns that cocoa as a treatment for raised blood pressure could pose health risks by decreasing blood pressure when it is not raised, paving the way for it to be potentially used in clinical practice.
In the first study of its kind study, researchers set out to investigate the use of flavanols, a compound found in cocoa, in lowering blood pressure and arterial stiffness in individuals outside of clinical settings.
For several days, eleven healthy participants consumed, on alternating days, either six cocoa flavanol capsules or six placebo capsules containing brown sugar. Participants were provided with an upper arm blood pressure monitor and a finger clip measuring pulse wave velocity (PWV) which gauges levels of arterial stiffness.
Measurements of blood pressure and PWV were taken prior to consumption of the capsules and every 30 minutes after ingestion for the first three hours, and then hourly for the remaining nine hours. Researchers found that blood pressure and arterial stiffness were only lowered in participants if it was high, and there was no effect when the blood pressure was low in the morning.
Professor Heiss added, “The positive impact cocoa flavanols have on our cardiovascular system, in particular, blood vessel function and blood pressure, is undeniable. Doctors often fear that some blood pressure tablets can decrease the blood pressure too much on some days.
Greater potassium intake linked to lower blood pressure in women Amsterdam University Medical Center, July 25 2022.
A study in European Heart Journal found an association between consuming a higher amount of potassium and lower blood pressure among women with a high intake of sodium. “It is well known that high salt consumption is associated with elevated blood pressure and a raised risk of heart attacks and strokes,” noted study author Liffert Vogt, MD, PhD, of Amsterdam University Medical Center. “Health advice has focused on limiting salt intake but this is difficult to achieve when our diets include processed foods. Potassium helps the body excrete more sodium in the urine.”
The study included 11,267 men and 13,696 women who enrolled in England’s EPIC-Norfolk study between 1993 and 1997. Some participants were being treated for hypertension. Sodium and potassium intake were estimated from urinary levels of these minerals and categorized as low, medium or high.
Increased potassium intake was associated with declining blood pressure among women with high sodium intake. In this group, each 1 gram increase in potassium consumption was associated with a 2.4 mmHg decrease in systolic blood pressure.
During a median follow-up of 19.5 years, 54.5% of the men and women experienced cardiovascular disease events. Men whose potassium intake was among the top one-third of participants had a 7% lower risk of hospitalization or death caused by cardiovascular disease compared to men whose intake was among the lowest third. Among women whose potassium intake was highest, the risk was 11% lower.
Elderberry benefits air travelers Griffith University, July 21, 2022
The negative health effects of international air travel are well documented but now it seems that the common elderberry can provide some relief.
Associate Professor Evelin Tiralongo and Dr Shirley Wee from Griffith’s Menzies Health Institute Queensland (MHIQ) have completed a clinical trial showing that an elderberry supplement can provide some protection from cold and flu-like symptoms following long-haul flights.
Intercontinental air travel can be stressful and affect a passenger’s physical and psychological wellbeing. Whilst jet lag and fatigue remain the best known problems, holidaymakers also often experience upper respiratory symptoms.
The randomised, double-blind placebo controlled clinical trial was conducted with 312 economy class passengers travelling from Australia to an overseas destination. Cold episodes, cold duration and symptoms were recorded in a daily diary and participants also completed surveys before, during and after travel.
“We found that most cold episodes occurred in the placebo group. However, the placebo group had a significantly higher number of cold episode days, and the symptom score in the placebo group over these days was also significantly higher,” says Associate Professor Tiralongo.
The trial used capsules containing 300mg of a standardised, proprietary membrane-filtered elderberry extract which has shown to be effective in working against respiratory bacteria and influenza viruses.
First trial to prove a diet supplement can prevent hereditary cancer Newcastle University (UK), July 25, 2022
A trial in people with high hereditary risk of a wide range of cancers has shown a major preventive effect from resistant starch, found in a wide range of foods such as oats, breakfast cereal, cooked and cooled pasta or rice, peas and beans, and slightly green bananas.
An international trial—known as CAPP2—involved almost 1000 patients with Lynch syndrome from around the world, and revealed that a regular dose of resistant starch, also known as fermentable fiber, taken for an average of two years, did not affect cancers in the bowel but did reduce cancers in other parts of the body by more than half. This effect was particularly pronounced for upper gastrointestinal cancers including esophageal, gastric, biliary tract, pancreatic and duodenum cancers.
The astonishing effect was seen to last for 10 years after stopping taking the supplement.
"We found that resistant starch reduces a range of cancers by over 60%. The effect was most obvious in the upper part of the gut," explained Professor John Mathers, professor of Human Nutrition at Newcastle University. "This is important as cancers of the upper GI tract are difficult to diagnose and often are not caught early on.
"Resistant starch can be taken as a powder supplement and is found naturally in peas, beans, oats and other starchy foods. The dose used in the trial is equivalent to eating a daily banana; before they become too ripe and soft, the starch in bananas resists breakdown and reaches the bowel where it can change the type of bacteria that live there.
"Resistant starch is a type of carbohydrate that isn't digested in your small intestine; instead it ferments in your large intestine, feeding beneficial gut bacteria—it acts, in effect, like dietary fiber in your digestive system. This type of starch has several health benefits and fewer calories than regular starch. We think that resistant starch may reduce cancer development by changing the bacterial metabolism of bile acids and to reduce those types of bile acids that can damage our DNA and eventually cause cancer. However, this needs further research."
New study finds lowest risk of death was among adults who exercised 150-600 minutes/week Harvard School of Public Health, July 25, 2022
An analysis of more than 100,000 participants over a 30-year follow-up period found that adults who perform two to four times the currently recommended amount of moderate or vigorous physical activity per week have a significantly reduced risk of mortality, according to new research published today in the American Heart Association's journal Circulation. The reduction was 21-23% for people who engaged in two to four times the recommended amount of vigorous physical activity, and 26-31% for people who engaged in two to four times the recommended amount of moderate physical activity each week.
In 2018, the United States Department of Health and Human Services' Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans recommended that adults engage in at least 150-300 minutes/week of moderate physical activity or 75-150 minutes/week of vigorous physical activity, or an equivalent combination of both intensities.
The analysis also found:
- Participants who met the guidelines for vigorous physical activity had an observed 31% lower risk of CVD mortality and 15% lower risk of non-CVD mortality, for an overall 19% lower risk of death from all causes.
- Participants who met the guidelines for moderate physical activity had an observed 22-25% lower risk of CVD mortality and 19-20% lower risk of non-CVD mortality, for an overall 20-21% lower risk of death from all causes.
- Participants who performed two to four times above the recommended amount of long-term vigorous physical activity (150-300 min/week) had an observed 27-33% lower risk of CVD mortality and 19% non-CVD mortality, for an overall 21-23% lower risk of death from all causes.
- Participants who performed two to four times above the recommended amount of moderate physical activity (300-600 min/week) had an observed 28-38% lower risk of CVD mortality and 25-27% non-CVD mortality, for an overall 26-31% lower risk of mortality from all causes.
In addition, no harmful cardiovascular health effects were found among the adults who reported engaging in more than four times the recommended minimum activity levels. Previous studies have found evidence that long-term, high-intensity, endurance exercise, such as marathons, triathlons and long-distance bicycle races, may increase the risk of adverse cardiovascular events, including myocardial fibrosis, coronary artery calcification, atrial fibrillation and sudden cardiac death.
Treating dementia with the healing waves of sound Ultrasound applied to the brain could help treat patients with dementia.
Tohoku University (Japan), July 20, 2022
Ultrasound waves applied to the whole brain improve cognitive dysfunction in mice with conditions simulating vascular dementia and Alzheimer's disease. The research, conducted by scientists at Tohoku University in Japan, suggests that this type of therapy may also benefit humans.
The team, led by cardiologist Hiroaki Shimokawa, found that applying low-intensity pulsed ultrasound (LIPUS) to the whole brain of the mice improved blood vessel formation and nerve cell regeneration without having obvious side effects.
"The LIPUS therapy is a non-invasive physiotherapy that could apply to high-risk elderly patients without the need for surgery or anaesthesia, and could be used repeatedly," says Shimokawa.
The Tohoku University team found that cognitive impairment markedly improved in mice with conditions similar to vascular dementia and Alzheimer's disease when LIPUS was applied to the whole brain three times a day for 20 minutes each time.
Study: ADHD drugs do not improve cognition in healthy college students
University of Rhode Island, July 19, 2022
Contrary to popular belief across college campuses, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) medications may fail to improve cognition in healthy students and actually can impair functioning, according to a study by researchers at the University of Rhode Island and Brown University.
Study co-investigators Lisa Weyandt, professor of psychology and a faculty member with URI's George and Anne Ryan Institute for Neuroscience, and Tara White, assistant professor of research in behavioral and social sciences at Brown University, had anticipated different findings. "We hypothesized that Adderall would enhance cognition in the healthy students, but instead, the medication did not improve reading comprehension or fluency, and it impaired working memory," she said. "Not only are they not benefitting from it academically, but it could be negatively affecting their performance."
This first-ever multisite pilot study of the impact of so-called "study drugs" on college students who do not have ADHD comes at a time when use of prescription stimulants such as Adderall, Ritalin and Vyvanse is common among young adults who believe the drugs will improve their academic performance.
Results of the study, published in the journal Pharmacy, show that the standard 30 mg dose of Adderall did improve attention and focus -- a typical result from a stimulant -- but that effect failed to translate to better performance on a battery of neurocognitive tasks that measured short-term memory, reading comprehension and fluency.
Weyandt has a theory about why working memory would be adversely affected by the medication. Brain scan research shows that a person with ADHD often has less neural activity in the regions of the brain that control executive function -- working memory, attention, self-control. For people with ADHD, Adderall and similar medications increase activity in those regions and appear to normalize functioning. "If your brain is functioning normally in those regions, the medication is unlikely to have a positive effect on cognition and my actually impair cognition. In other words, you need to have a deficit to benefit from the medicine," Weyandt said.
Guanabana: the cancer killer big pharma doesn't want you to know about
Northeastern University, July 16, 2022
Guanabana is known by a variety of names -- including soursop, cherimoya, custard apple, Brazilian paw paw and graviola.
As far back as the 1970s, the National Cancer Institute (NCI) investigated the merits of guanabana, and discovered the stems and leaves of the tree were successful in destroying cancer cells. "Inexplicably, the results [of the NCI research] were published in an internal report and never released to the public. Since 1976, guanabana has proven to be an immensely potent cancer killer in 20 independent laboratory tests, but as of now, no double-blind clinical trials," reports Christopher Lane, Ph.D., in Psychology Today.
Moreover, this study found that a compound derived from the leaves of guanabana was "selectively cytotoxic for the lung (A-549), colon (HT-29), and pancreatic (PACA-2) cell lines with potencies equal to or exceeding those of Adriamycin." And research in the Journal of Natural Products discovered that extracts of guanabana demonstrated pesticidal, antimalarial, antiviral and antimicrobial properties. Likewise, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center states that guanabana shows anti-inflammatory and anticancer effects in vitro and in vivo.
Revered for centuries in South America and Southeast Asia, the bark, leaves, root, seeds and fruit have been used to tame heart disease, asthma, liver issues and arthritis. Guanabana is also helpful for treating sleep disorders, fevers and cough. According to the article, "Guanabana--Medicinal Uses?" extracts of the plant:
- Attack cancer safely and effectively with an all-natural therapy that does not cause extreme nausea, weight loss and hair loss.
- Protect the immune system.
- Boost energy and outlook on life.
- Effectively target and kill malignant cells in 12 types of cancer -- including colon, breast, prostate, lung and pancreatic cancer.
- Proved to be up to 10,000 times stronger in slowing the growth of cancer cells than Adriamycin, a commonly used chemotherapeutic drug.
- Selectively kill only cancer cells, unlike traditional chemotherapy treatments.
*A word of caution: Excessive consumption of guanabana can lead to neuronal dysfunction and degeneration with symptoms similar to Parkinson's disease. Consult with a qualified practitioner before taking guanabana on a daily basis.
High-strength cannabis linked to addiction and mental health problems University of Bath (UK), July 25, 2022
As the strength or potency of cannabis products has increased internationally over the years, so have rates of people being treated for cannabis addiction, say the authors of a new study.
Researchers from the Addiction and Mental Health Group at the University of Bath (UK) have systematically analyzed the relationship between the types of cannabis people use and their addiction and mental health problems. Their work draws on 20 studies involving almost 120,000 people.
The new study, published in The Lancet Psychiatry, suggests that people who use high-potency cannabis are more likely to experience addiction than those using low-potency products. It also suggests that people using high-potency cannabis are more likely to experience a psychotic disorder, such as schizophrenia.
These findings may help to explain why more people have received treatment for cannabis problems over recent years. Data from the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction show a 76% increase in people entering treatment for cannabis addiction in the past decade.
Antihypertensive and antioxidant activity in black beans
National Polytechnic Institute (Mexico) 16 July 2022
Beans are one of the most important crops for the Mexican population due to its nutritional qualities. In fact, the country is one of the top 10 producers of this legume in the world, and several studies have reflected the correlation between consumption and decreased chronic degenerative diseases, cardiovascular diseases, obesity and diabetes.
Therefore, the National School of Biological Sciences of the National Polytechnic Institute (IPN-ENCB), conducted an investigation to evaluate the antioxidant and antihypertensive activity in black beans, and found that in addition to these qualities, proteins in the bean can remove heavy metals from the body.
The polytechnic research identified bioactive peptides in the legume that have a beneficial effect as antihypertensive and antioxidant, which could favor the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular diseases, with a specific effect on blood pressure and oxidative stress.
It was determined that fasolina and lectin hydrolysates (main proteins in the Jamapa black bean) had chelating activity (removal of heavy metals in the body) and, when hydrolyzed with pepsin-pancratin, they release peptides (amino acids) with antihypertensive and antioxidant effects.
Could Eating Fruit More Often Keep Depression At Bay?
Aston University (UK), July 15, 2022 People who frequently eat fruit are more likely to report greater positive mental well-being and are less likely to report symptoms of depression than those who do not, according to new research from the College of Health and Life Sciences, Aston University
- The study found frequent fruit eaters had greater positive mental wellbeing
- The study surveyed 428 adults and looked at the relationship between their consumption of fruit, vegetables, sweet and savoury food snacks and their psychological health
- The more often people ate fruit, the lower they scored for depression and the higher for mental well-being.
Published in the British Journal of Nutrition, the study surveyed 428 adults from across the UK and looked at the relationship between their consumption of fruit, vegetables, sweet and savoury food snacks, and their psychological health.
People who frequently snacked on nutrient-poor savoury foods (such as crisps) were more likely to experience 'everyday mental lapses' (known as subjective cognitive failures) and report lower mental wellbeing. A greater number of lapses, was associated with higher reported symptoms of anxiety, stress and depression, and lower mental wellbeing scores.
Effect of Short-term Quercetin, Caloric Restriction in Late Life Effective to Counter Age-Related Oxidative Macromolecular Damage. Pondicherry University (India), July 13, 2022
According to news from Pondicherry, India, research stated, "Aging is characterized by gradual accumulation of macromolecular damage leading to progressive loss of physiological function and increased susceptibility to diverse diseases. Effective anti-aging strategies involving caloric restriction or antioxidant supplementation are receiving growing attention to attenuate macromolecular damage in age associated pathology."
Research from Pondicherry University, "In the present study, we for the first time investigated the effect of quercetin, caloric restriction and combined treatment (caloric restriction with quercetin) on oxidative stress parameters, acetylcholinesterase and ATPases enzyme activities in the cerebral cortex of aged male Wistar rats.
Our results demonstrate that combined treatment of caloric restriction and quercetin significantly improved the age associated decline in the activities of endogenous antioxidant enzymes [such as superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT) and glutathione peroxidase (GPx)] and glutathione (GSH), and nitric oxide (NO).
According to the news reporters, the research concluded: "Finally, we conclude that combined treatment of caloric restriction and quercetin in late life is an effective anti-aging therapy to counteract the age related accumulation of oxidative macromolecular damage."
How Drinking Soda on a Hot Day Can Damage Kidneys, Leading to Diabetes, Heart Disease University of Buffalo, July 18, 2022
- Research demonstrates the acute deleterious effects soda can have on your kidney function when used to quench your thirst during exertion on a hot day.
- Drinking soda causes dehydration and raises markers for kidney disease when consumed after performing manual labor or exercise in 95-degree Fahrenheit weather.
- When you exert yourself in a hot environment, your body regulates blood pressure and conserves water by reducing blood flow to your kidneys. A sudden and steep drop in blood flow through your kidneys can cause acute kidney injury due to the fact that it reduces the amount of oxygen being delivered to your kidneys.
- Your diet has an overriding influence over the health of your kidneys, with sugar and excess protein topping the list of food components known to cause problems when consumed regularly.
- The study, published in the American Journal of Physiology-Regulatory, Integrative and Comparative Physiology, found soda caused dehydration and raised markers for kidney disease when consumed after performing manual labor in 95-degree F. weather.
“The volunteers completed … a 30-minute treadmill workout followed by three different five-minute lifting, dexterity and sledgehammer swinging activities. After 45 minutes of exercise, the volunteers rested for 15 minutes … while drinking 16 ounces of either a high-fructose, caffeinated soft drink or water. After the break, they repeated the cycle three more times for a total of four hours. Before leaving the laboratory, the volunteers were given more of their assigned beverages to drink before consuming any further fluids. The volume was either 1 liter or a volume equal to 115% of their body weight lost through sweating if that amount was greater.”
When volunteers drank soda, 75% of them had elevated levels of creatinine in their blood, a marker for kidney injury. Only 8% of participants in the water trial had elevated creatinine. When drinking soda, volunteers also had:
- A lower glomerular filtration rate, another marker for kidney injury
- Higher uric acid levels
- Mild dehydration
- Higher levels of vasopressin, an antidiuretic hormone that raises blood pressure
Black Seed Oil Extract Causes Oral Cancer Cells To Self-Destruct
Institute of Biochemistry and Biotechnology (Taiwan), July 20, 2022
A range of chemotherapeutic options for treating cancer are available, however many of the treatments are themselves associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Today many cancer sufferers search for alternatives to conventional chemotherapy.
Increasingly natural alternative options are becoming available, often with little or no side-effects and concrete science is proving the effects of many natural substances against cancer.
One substance which is increasingly making the headlines is thymoquinone, an active component of Nigella sativa or black seed oil. Scientists from the Institute of Biochemistry and Biotechnology, Taiwan, have found that this remarkable compound elicits cytotoxic effects on various squamous cancer cell lines through various mechanisms. The study examined a highly malignant strain of squamous cell carcinoma, which was taken from various patients with oral cancer; this particular cancer type also causes many other cancers of the head and neck.
The cell lines were grown in a lab and treated with different concentrations of thymoquinone. The results showed that after just 24 hours of treatment there was a significant concentration-dependent cytotoxic effect on these cells. The study further examined why this was happening. Their findings are quite remarkable as they were able to demonstrate that thymoquinone was a potent inhibitor of oral cancer cell viability via two distinct anti-neoplastic mechanisms.
No bones about it: Cannabis may be used to treat fractures
Tel Aviv University researcher finds non-psychotropic compound in marijuana can help heal bone fissures
Tel Aviv University (Israel), July 19, 2022
A study published in the Journal of Bone and Mineral Research by Tel Aviv University and Hebrew University researchers explores another promising new medical application for marijuana. According to the research, the administration of the non-psychotropic component cannabinoid cannabidiol (CBD) significantly helps heal bone fractures. The study, conducted on rats with mid-femoral fractures, found that CBD -- even when isolated from tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the major psychoactive component of cannabis -- markedly enhanced the healing process of the femora after just eight weeks.
Undeniable clinical potential
The same team, in earlier research, discovered that cannabinoid receptors within our bodies stimulated bone formation and inhibited bone loss. This paves the way for the future use of cannabinoid drugs to combat osteoporosis and other bone-related diseases.
"We found that CBD alone makes bones stronger during healing, enhancing the maturation of the collagenous matrix, which provides the basis for new mineralization of bone tissue," said Dr. Gabet. "After being treated with CBD, the healed bone will be harder to break in the future."
The researchers injected one group of rats with CBD alone and another with a combination of CBD and THC. After evaluating the administration of THC and CBD together in the rats, they found CBD alone provided the necessary therapeutic stimulus.
OCCUPY PEACE & FREEDOM RALLY INFO
Saturday, July 23 -- 2:00 pm
Kingston, NY (at the historical 4 corners -- Crown and John Streets)
Speakers:
Gerald Celente
Judge Andrew Napolitano
Gary Null
Scott Ritter
Phil Giraldi (former CIA official)
Live music, food and drink
HEALTH NEWS
· STUDY SHOWS THAT AMINO ACID TAURINE COULD BE USED IN ANTI-AGING THERAPY · ATTENTION CANCER PATIENTS: BOOST THE IMMUNE SYSTEM WITH ONE HOUR OF SINGING · HIGHER OMEGA 3 INTAKE ASSOCIATED WITH LOWER COLORECTAL CANCER MORTALITY RISK · HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE MAY DOUBLE THE RISK OF SEVERE COVID, EVEN AFTER FULL VACCINATION · OUT OF SHAPE NATION: HALF OF AMERICANS ADMIT THEY CAN’T TOUCH THEIR TOES WITHOUT STRAINING · Valuing your time more than money is linked to happiness · OCCUPY PEACE & FREEDOM RALLY INFO
Mary Grant
Mary Grant is the Public Water for All Campaign Director at Food & Water Watch. Food & Water Watch is a national nonprofit organization that mobilizes regular people to build political power to move bold and uncompromised solutions to the most pressing food, water, and climate problems of our time.Since 2015, Mary has overseen Food & Water Watch’s campaigns across the country to support universal access to safe water in the United States by promoting responsible and affordable public provision of water and sewer service. Prior to becoming the organization's campaign director, she was a researcher for Food & Water Watch. Her research has been featured in the Washington Post, the Associated Press, the New York Times, the Guardian, and other news outlets. She has also co-written peer reviewed studies dealing with the privatization of water and public health risks due to lack of water access. Food and Water Watch's website is FWWatch.org
- The (evil?) architect of The Great Reset - Sorelle Amore Finance (10:46)
*Who is Klaus Schwab, really? I'll be trying to bring a more balanced perspective to the answer to that question. Because when it comes to the leader of the WEF, it seems like most of the information that's out there is pushing a very one-sided view.
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United Nations announces Klaus Schwab of the World Economic Forum and UN General Secretary Antonio Guterres have signed an agreement to ‘accelerate’ Agenda 2030 (0:30)
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World Economic Forum | Strategic Intelligence
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If I Were the Devil: Paul Harvey (2:47)
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Paul Harvey Aurandt was an American radio broadcaster for ABC News Radio. He broadcast News and Comment on mornings and mid-days on weekdays and at noon on Saturdays and also his famous The Rest of the Story segments. From 1951 to 2008, his programs reached as many as 24 million people per week.
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Gun Control and The Vaule Of Life (8:09)
Vitamin B6 Supplements In High Doses Can Calm Anxiety, Depression
University of Reading (UK), July 18, 2022
Taking high-dose vitamin B6 supplements may help to reduce feelings of anxiety and depression, a new study reveals. Researchers from the University of Reading in England report that young adults taking a dose 50 times the recommended daily dose reported feeling less anxious and depressed after a month.
Vitamin B6 increases the body’s production of GABA (Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid), a chemical that blocks impulses between nerve cells in the brain. Vitamin B6 is found naturally in a variety of foods, including salmon, tuna, chickpeas, and bananas. Vitamin B6 helps the body produce a specific chemical messenger that inhibits impulses in the brain, and this study links this calming effect with reduced anxiety among the participants.” The study provides evidence lacking in previous studies as to what exactly drives the stress-reducing effects of marmite and multivitamins.
More than 300 participants took either a placebo or Vitamin B6 or B12 supplements at 50 times the recommended amount – around 70mg. Each participant took one tablet a day with food. Vitamin B12 had little effect compared to the placebo, but B6 showed a statistically reliable difference.
The team also detected subtle but harmless changes in visual performance, consistent with controlled levels of brain activity. Health officials in the United Kingdom recommend that people do not take too high a dose – more than 200mg a day – as it can lead to a loss of feeling in the arms and legs. In a few cases, this has become permanent in people who have taken very large doses for several months.
“Many foods, including tuna, chickpeas and many fruits and vegetables, contain Vitamin B6. However, the high doses used in this trial suggest that supplements would be necessary to have a positive effect on mood,” Dr. Field continues. “It is important to acknowledge that this research is at an early stage and the effect of Vitamin B6 on anxiety in our study was quite small compared to what you would expect from medication. However, nutrition-based interventions produce far fewer unpleasant side effects than drugs, and so in the future people might prefer them as an intervention.
Study Ranks Healthiest ‘Powerhouse’ Vegetables, Which is #1?
William Paterson University, July 14
Research from William Paterson University attempted to rank fruits and vegetables according to the amount of nutrition within. In all, they list 41 “powerhouse” vegetables and fruits, scoring them according to the presence of 17 nutrients.
The produce was scored by the presence of: fiber, potassium, protein, calcium, folate, vitamin D, vitamin A, vitamin B12, and more.
To make the study’s “powerhouse” list, the researchers calculated each fruit or vegetable’s “nutrient density” score based on the percentage of your daily need for each nutrient the food provides. (The study assumed a 2,000 calorie per day diet and 100 grams of each food.) The scores were capped to ensure that a fruit or vegetable that provides a huge amount of just a single nutrient wouldn’t receive a disproportionately high overall score.”
So, which earned the top spot? Super easy-to-grow watercress.
Watercress scored an even 100, with Chinese cabbage closest behind with a score of 91.99. In third place was chard (89.27), followed by beet greens (87.08), spinach (86.43), and chicory (73.36).
Fruits scored lower, with red pepper at the top (41.26), followed by pumpkin (32.23), tomatoes (20.37), and lemons (18.72). Many of these are surprising considering they aren’t the “superfruits” we are accustomed to hearing about. But, that’s largely because of the nutrients measured in this study.
Fruits like blueberries, that are considered healthiest by many, earn that spot because of their antioxidant levels. This study didn’t capture the concentration of antioxidants, however.
Can listening to the Beatles improve your memory? New research says music just might stir the brain Northeastern University, July 19, 2022
When Paul McCartney wrote "Get Back," he never would have predicted how useful or relevant the song would become for music therapists.
The song's refrain—"Get back to where you once belonged"—might as well be a therapist encouraging a dementia patient to recall a distant memory. In new research, Psyche Loui, an associate professor of music, is attempting to do exactly that.
Published in Scientific Reports, Loui found that for older adults who listened to some of their favorite music, including The Beatles, connectivity in the brain increased. Specifically, Loui—and her multi-disciplinary team of music therapists, neurologists and geriatric psychiatrists—discovered that music bridged the gap between the brain's auditory system and reward system, the area that governs motivation.
The researchers had a group of older adults between the ages of 54 and 89 from the Boston area listen to a playlist for an hour every day for eight weeks and journal about their response to the music afterward. Loui and the team would scan the participants' brains before and after listening in order to measure their neurological response.
Playlists were highly personalized and featured a combination of the participants' self-selected songs, which ranged from The Beatles to Bruce Springsteen, and a preselected mix of classical pieces, pop and rock songs and new compositions.The most important lesson that we learned from the music therapist was that there is no one-size-fits-all for what kind of music works best," Loui said.
What the researchers found was striking: Music was essentially creating an auditory channel directly to the medial prefrontal cortex, the brain's reward center. Notably, the medial prefrontal cortex "is one of the areas to lose its activity and functional connectivity in aging adults, especially in folks with dementia," Loui said.
Music that was both familiar and well-liked tended to activate the auditory and reward areas more. However, the music that participants selected themselves provided an even stronger connection between these two areas of the brain.
DHA omega-3 linked to ‘significantly improved periodontal outcomes’: Harvard data
Harvard University, July 14 ,2022
Scientists from Harvard report that supplementation with DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) omega-3 may improve periodontal outcomes in people with periodontitis.
Periodontitis is a serious gum infection that destroys the soft tissue and bone supporting the teeth. It is reportedly the second most common disease worldwide, with 30–50% of the US population suffering from it.
Data published in the Journal of Dental Research indicated that DHA supplementation was associated with a decreased the average depth of the pockets between the teeth and the gums, and the gingival index, which is used to assess the extent of gum disease.
In addition, inflammatory biomarkers in the gum tissue were significantly reduced.
Participants were randomly assigned to receive either 2,000 mg per day of DHA or placebo (soy/corn oil) for three months. All of the participants also received 81 mg per day of aspirin.
Results showed DHA levels in red blood cell membranes increased between 3.6% to 6.2%, whereas no such increases were observed in the placebo group. In addition to the improvements in pocket depth and gingival index, the researchers reported that levels of the inflammatory biomarkers C-reactive protein (CRP) and interleukin-1 beta (IL-1beta) decreased significantly in the DHA group.
This “Holy Herb’ Shows Promise in Treating Alzheimer’s Disease Yerba santa may also treat brain swelling in dementia patients Salk Institute, July 14, 2022
A shrub known as Yerba santa, dubbed “holy herb” in Spanish, appears to show promise in treating Alzheimer’s disease, researchers say. It has the potential to reduce brain swelling in people with dementia.
Native to California, Yerba santa has long been used as a treatment for fevers, headaches, and other common ailments. But researchers at Salk’s Cellular Neurobiology Laboratory believe it could be used to treat much more serious health problems. In fact, millions of dementia patients stand to benefit from the natural treatment, they claim.
A molecule in the shrub called sterubin – the plant’s most active component – could be the key to transforming millions of lives. The team found that sterubin had a significant anti-inflammatory effect on brain cells called microglia, which are involved in the development of Alzheimer’s disease, among other ailments.
The researchers further found that sterubin effectively removes iron. This is an important discovery, as iron contributes to nerve cell damage in the aging brain and neurodegenerative diseases.
Sterubin was found to effectively reduce numerous causes of cell death in the nerve cells.
An inflammatory diet correlates with colorectal cancer risk The risk of developing colorectal cancer for individuals that follow a pro-inflammatory diet is two times higher than usual
Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute (Spain), July 15, 2022
Researchers from the Molecular Mechanisms and Experimental Therapy in Oncology program (Oncobell) of the Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBELL) and the Catalan Institute of Oncology (ICO) published in Nutrients the results of a multicenter study that unveils a correlation between inflammatory and antioxidant diets and the risk of developing colorectal and breast cancer.
"We have observed an association between the risk of developing colorectal cancer and the inflammatory potential of the diet. That is, the participants who followed an inflammatory diet had almost twice the risk of developing colorectal cancer, which is the 4th most frequent cancer worldwide", explains Dr. Mireia Obón.
An inflammatory diet is usually characterized by the consumption of refined carbohydrates, red and processed meat, and saturated or trans fats. In an antioxidant diet, the consumption of vegetables, legumes, fruits and nuts predominates. "In this study we have focused on the role of diet, and specifically on its inflammatory and antioxidant capacity, as there is evidence that both chronic inflammation and oxidative stress influence the development of these two types of cancer", says Dr. Víctor Moreno.
"Following a pro-inflammatory and pro-oxidant diet is a very important risk factor for colon cancer. We should reorient our eating habits towards a Mediterranean diet, rich in fruits and vegetables, nuts, whole grains and healthy oils, such as olive oil and move away from a more pro-inflammatory diet", she argues.
OCCUPY PEACE & FREEDOM RALLY INFO
Saturday, July 23 -- 2:00 pm
Kingston, NY (at the historical 4 corners -- Crown and John Streets)
Speakers:
Gerald Celente
Judge Andrew Napolitano
Gary Null
Scott Ritter
Phil Giraldi (former CIA official)
Live music, food and drink
Videos:
- There was an unexpected 40% increase in 'all cause deaths' in 2021 (8:28)
2.Dr. Mike Yeadon: The Reason Why They Had to Use Genetic Vaccines
-
[PROOF] The Great Reset Is HAPPENING!- Russell Brand
-
Dr. Peter McCullough, MD, MPH, Jun 27, 2022 Texas Senate HHS Testimony
-
If I Were the Devil: Paul Harvey (Clean Audio Version)
-
A few highlights of a recent speech of mine that went slightly viral - Simon O'Connor
(Simon David O'Connor MP is a New Zealand politician and a member of the New Zealand House of Representatives. He is a member of the National Party. He has represented the Tāmaki electorate since 2011. He is a member of the Foreign Affairs, Defence, and Trade committee).
- Gun Control and The Vaule Of Life
Health News:
- Cinnamon could stop Parkinson’s in its tracks
- Leucine-rich protein supplements could benefit adults with sarcopenia
- Nutrients for the bones
- Searching for meaning? Try appreciating the small things
- Want a higher GPA in college? Join a gym
- Men's hot flashes: Hypnotic relaxation may ease the discomfort men don't talk about
Cinnamon could stop Parkinson’s in its tracks
Rush University Medical Center, July 14, 2022
In an article appearing in the Journal of Neuroimmune Pharmacology indicates that cinnamon could one day be used by Parkinson’s disease patients to prevent the disease from progressing.
Saurabh Khasnavis and Kalipada Pahan, PhD, of Rush University Medical Center studied the effects of the spice in a mouse model of Parkinson’s disease. They found that when cinnamon is metabolized into sodium benzoate in the blood and brain, the loss of beneficial proteins known as Parkin and DJ-1 is halted, while neurons that produce dopamine, a neurotransmitter that is reduced in Parkinson’s, are protected. Motor function, which can be significantly impaired by the disease, was improved in animals that received cinnamon.
"Cinnamon is metabolized in the liver to sodium benzoate, which is an FDA-approved drug used in the treatment for hepatic metabolic defects associated with hyperammonemia," explained lead researcher Dr Pahan
"Cinnamon has been used widely as a spice throughout the world for centuries,” he noted. “This could potentially be one of the safest approaches to halt disease progression in Parkinson's patients."
Leucine-rich protein supplements could benefit adults with sarcopenia Seoul National University College of Medicine, July 15 2022.
Sarcopenia is a condition characterized by muscle wasting that contributes to frailty in aging men and women. Results from a meta-analysis of randomized trials reported in the Archives of Gerontology and Geriatrics concluded that protein supplements rich in the essential branched-chain amino acid leucine could improve muscle strength in sarcopenic individuals.
“The treatment of choice for sarcopenia is still resistance exercise with nutritional supplementation because no pharmacological agents to treat sarcopenia have become available yet,” Sang Yoon Lee, MD, PhD, and colleagues at Seoul National University College of Medicine noted.
The meta-analysis included 6 randomized, controlled trials that involved a total of 699 men and women with sarcopenia. Three hundred forty-six trial participants received a daily protein supplement containing 3 to 6 grams of leucine and 353 participants received a placebo or no leucine for 8 to 13 weeks. Muscle strength, muscle mass and physical performance were evaluated before and after the treatment periods.
Muscle strength significantly improved in leucine-supplemented participants as a primary outcome in comparison with the control groups. There was also a trend toward improvement in muscle mass and physical performance in the groups that received leucine. There was no significant difference in response between lower and higher amounts of leucine. No serious adverse events were reported.
Nutrients for the bones Catalytic Longevity Foundation, July 13 2022.
A review appearing in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences describes how specific nutrients activate bone-preserving mechanisms.
Osteoclasts are bone cells that break down bone tissue while osteoblasts synthesize bone. With respect to osteoblasts, the RUNX2 transcription factor is the master regulator of osteoblast formation and function, driving the transcription of a number of genes essential for the bone forming process.
Signaling pathways that drive RUNX2 gene transcription are triggered by bone morphogenetic proteins (BMP) 2 and 4. AMPK, which is activated by G. pentaphyllum, hesperidin and metformin, promotes BMP 2 and 4 expression in osteoblasts.
The protein Sirt1 promotes RUNX2 activity. Sirt1 activation is increased by melatonin, nicotinamide riboside, glucosamine and thymoquinone, found in Nigella sativa.
Activation of soluble guanylate cyclase (sGC), the only known nitric oxide receptor, also leads to the promotion of RUNX2. High doses of biotin activate sGC.
Nrf2 regulates the cells’ defense against oxidative stress, as well as enhancing the activation of RUNX2 in osteoblasts and osteocytes. Lipoic acid, melatonin, thymoquinone, astaxanthin and sulforaphane can promote Nrf2 activity.
Activation of these mechanisms also promotes autophagy, a process in which the cells consume their own damaged cellular components, which helps to prevent apoptosis (programmed cell death) and senescence in osteoblasts and osteocytes.
“Regimens providing a selection of these nutraceuticals in clinically meaningful doses may have an important potential for preserving bone health,” the authors concluded. “Concurrent supplementation with taurine, N-acetylcysteine, vitamins D and K2, and minerals, including magnesium, zinc, and manganese, plus a diet naturally high in potassium, may also be helpful in this regard.”
Searching for meaning? Try appreciating the small things Texas A&M University, July 18, 2022
Appreciating the intrinsic beauty in life's everyday moments can contribute to a more meaningful existence, according to new research.
In a paper recently published in Nature Human Behavior, Joshua Hicks, a professor in the Texas A&M University Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, says this may be a previously unaccounted for factor tied to perceptions of meaning.
"It might not relate to whether you matter in the grand scheme of things, but we've shown people who value the little things, like your cup of coffee in the morning or being mindful in conversations with others, tend to have a high sense of meaning in life," he said.
Hicks studies existential psychology. Put simply, he aims to understand the "big questions" in life. He describes his main focus as the experience of life—studying people's subjective feeling that their life has meaning.
Scholars like Hicks generally agree there are three main sources of a subjectively meaningful existence: coherence, or the feeling that one's life "makes sense"; the possession of clear, long-term goals and sense of purpose; and existential mattering. This last factor, he says, is the belief that one's actions matter to others.
What Hicks and his co-authors argue in their latest research is that appreciating and finding value in experiences, referred to as experiential appreciation, is a fourth fundamental pathway toward finding meaning in life.
Want a higher GPA in college? Join a gym
Michigan State University, July 10, 2022
For those students looking to bump up their grade point averages during college, the answer may not be spending more time in a library or study hall, but in a gym.
New Michigan State University research shows that students who were members of the recreational sports and fitness centers on MSU's campus during their freshman and sophomore years had higher GPAs than those who weren't.
The research also indicated that students with memberships stayed in school longer. An increase of 3.5 percent in two-year retention rates was seen among this group.
The research supports previous theories suggesting that by creating an environment that connects students to an institution, in this case a university recreational facility, an increase in academic success and retention can occur. During the project, Pivarnik's team analyzed data from a sample of freshmen and sophomores, totaling 4,843 students, and compared the GPAs of those who purchased a fitness facility membership and those who did not. Results showed that after four consecutive semesters, the students with memberships obtained higher cumulative GPAs. They also had more credits completed by the end of their first year in college.
Men's hot flashes: Hypnotic relaxation may ease the discomfort men don't talk about
Baylor University, July 10, 2022
Men who experience hot flashes are unlikely to talk much about it, but they may find relief from their silent suffering if they are willing to try an unusual treatment, according to findings from a Baylor University case study.
After seven weeks of hypnotic relaxation therapy, a 69-year-old man who had uncontrolled hot flashes following prostate cancer surgery showed a drastic decrease not only in hot flashes but also an impressive improvement in sleep quality, according to the study.
Men's hot flashes are, of course, not related to estrogen, the primary female sex hormone. They occur in men with a history of prostate cancer — the second most common malignancy in men — or another disorder causing a testosterone deficiency.
Up to 80 percent of prostate survivors experience hot flashes, and about 50 percent of those experience them as severe and needing treatment. What's more, hot flashes due to prostate cancer tend to be more frequent, more severe and more prolonged than those women experience.
The new research follows previous published studies by Elkins that found a marked decrease in hot flashes among postmenopausal women and also among breast cancer survivors who have undergone hypnotic relaxation therapy. It reduced hot flashes by as much as 80 percent, and research findings by clinically trained therapists show it also improved participants' quality of life and lessened anxiety and depression. (Quality of life included such issues as work, sexuality, social and leisure activities, mood and concentration.)
Sen. John Kennedy Piles Damning Facts on Biden's 'Deeply, Profoundly Stupid' Energy Policy
Jacinda Ardern admits Highly Vaccinated New Zealand is losing the COVID battle because the Jabs don’t work
Lutein and zeaxanthin isomers benefits during high screen exposure University of Georgia, July 10, 2022
An exciting new peer reviewed publication based on ongoing research on macular carotenoids from the University of Georgia demonstrates that supplementation with lutein and zeaxanthin isomers can protect against a growing issue among the general population -- the undesirable effects of prolonged exposure to high-energy blue light emitted from digital screens of computers, tablets and smartphones. Lutein and zeaxanthin isomers -- known as the macular carotenoids -- are natural filters of high-energy blue light. High-energy blue light reaches deep into the eye and can harm the macula -- the region of the eye responsible for highest visual acuity- by promoting the production of free radicals. Short-term effects can cause eye fatigue while long-term exposure can lead to a progressive loss of visual function.
This is the first study to examine the impact of macular carotenoids supplementation to protect visual health and performance, improve sleep quality and reduce eye strain and fatigue during prolonged exposure to blue light emitting digital screens.
The study was a 6-month randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled supplementation trial with 48 healthy, young adults with screen time exposure of at least 6 hours daily. Subjects were evaluated at baseline, 3-months and 6-months for MPOD (Macular Pigment Optical Density) and markers of visual performance including contrast sensitivity, photostress recovery and disability glare. Sleep quality, which is affected by blue light exposure, and physical indicators of excessive screen use were also measured. The results show that supplementing with lutein and zeaxanthin significantly improved macular pigment optical density, visual performance and indicators of excessive screen use, including eye strain and fatigue and headache frequency. Sleep quality also improved significantly.
Study explores the effects of eating dark chocolate on the brain Isfahan University of Medical Science (Iran), July 14, 2022
Elham Kalantarzedeh, Maryam Radahmadi and Parham Reisi, three researchers at Isfahan University of Medical Science in Iran have recently carried out a study on rats investigating the impact of different dark chocolate dietary patterns on synapses in a specific region of the brain, known as the hippocampal CA1 area. Their findings, published in Nutritional Neuroscience, suggest that dark chocolate consumption could have beneficial effects on the brain of individuals exhibiting chronic isolation stress.
"Although stress causes brain dysfunction, consumption of dark chocolate (DC) has positive effects on brain functions," the researchers wrote in their paper. "The current study investigated the impact of different DC dietary patterns on synaptic potency and plasticity in the hippocampal CA1 area, as well as food intake and body weight in rats under chronic isolation stress."
Overall, the experiments carried out by this team of researchers suggest that the systematic consumption of dark chocolate could reverse the adverse effects of chronic isolation stress on the synaptic potency and plasticity of the hippocampal CA1 area. This would in turn have beneficial effects on both memory and learning.
Vitamin C found to block growth of cancer stem cells, says peer reviewed study University of Salford (UK), July 8, 2022
Increasingly, researchers are discovering the role played by cancer stem cells in the growth and spread of the disease. In groundbreaking new research, vitamin C showed its ability to target cancer stem cells and stop their growth – preventing the recurrence of tumors.
In a newly-published study conducted at the University of Salford in Manchester, vitamin C demonstrated its power to stop tumors in their tracks by interfering with cancer stem cell metabolism – suppressing their ability to process energy for survival and growth.
The study explored the effects of vitamin C on cancer stem cells – and provided evidence that vitamin C, in the form of ascorbic acid, can target and kill them.
The team investigated the impact on cancer stem cells of seven different substances. Three were natural substances, three were experimental drugs, and one was an FDA-approved clinical drug that is widely used.
The natural products studied, along with vitamin C, were silibinin – derived from milk thistle seeds – and caffeic acid phenyl ester – or CAPE – derived from honeybee propolis. The experimental drugs were actinonin, FK866 and 2-DG, and the clinical drug was stiripentol.
Researchers noted that vitamin C destroyed cancer stem cells by inducing oxidative stress. And, the vitamin performed this process ten times more effectively than 2-DG.\
By inhibiting glycolysis, vitamin C inhibited mitrochondrial protein synthesis in cancer stem cells – while leaving healthy cells unaffected.
All seven of the substances tested inhibited the growth of cancer cells to varying degrees – including the non-toxic natural substances. But researchers said the most “exciting” results were with vitamin C.
Again, vitamin C was 1,000 percent more effective than 2-DG, an experimental pharmaceutical drug – in targeting cancer stem cells.
Preterm birth more likely with exposure to phthalates National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, July 11 2022
Pregnant women who were exposed to multiple phthalates during pregnancy had an increased risk of preterm birth, according to new research by the National Institutes of Health. Phthalates are chemicals used in personal care products, such as cosmetics, as well as in solvents, detergents, and food packaging.
After analyzing data from more than 6,000 pregnant women in the United States, researchers found that women with higher concentrations of several phthalate metabolites in their urine were more likely to deliver their babies preterm, which is delivering three or more weeks before a mother’s due date.
“Having a preterm birth can be dangerous for both baby and mom, so it is important to identify risk factors that could prevent it,” said Kelly Ferguson, Ph.D., an epidemiologist at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), part of NIH, and the senior author on the study published in the journal JAMA Pediatrics.
Higher concentrations of most phthalate metabolites examined were associated with slightly higher odds of preterm birth. Exposure to four of the 11 phthalates found in the pregnant women was associated with a 14-16% greater probability of having a preterm birth. The most consistent findings were for exposure to a phthalate that is used commonly in personal care products like nail polish and cosmetics.
The researchers also used statistical models to simulate interventions that reduce phthalate exposures. They found that reducing the mixture of phthalate metabolite levels by 50% could prevent preterm births by 12% on average.
Study finds vitamin A directs immune cells to the intestines
Purdue University, July 9, 2022
A key set of immune cells that protect the body from infection would be lost without directions provided by vitamin A, according to a recent study.
A team of researchers from Purdue University found retinoic acid, a metabolite that comes from digested vitamin A, is necessary for two of the three types of innate immune cells that reside in the intestine to find their proper place.
"It is known that vitamin A deficiencies lead to increased susceptibility to disease and low concentrations of immune cells in the mucosal barrier that lines the intestines," said Chang Kim, the professor and section head of microbiology and immunology in Purdue's College of Veterinary Medicine who led the research. "We wanted to find the specific role the vitamin plays in the immune system and how it influences the cells and biological processes. The more we understand the details of how the immune system works, the better we will be able to design treatments for infection, and autoimmune and inflammatory diseases."
Within the immune system there are two categories of cells that work together to rid the body of infection: innate immune cells, the innate lymphoid cells and leukocytes that are fast acting and immediately present to eliminate infection; and adaptive immune cells, the T-cells and B-cells that arrive later, but are specific to the pathogen and more effective at killing or neutralizing it. All innate immune cells are produced in the bone marrow, but eventually populate other areas of the body.
Innate lymphoid cells first gather in the lymph nodes before traveling to their final destination, and this is where retinoic acid acts upon two of the three subsets destined for the intestines. Kim and his team found that retinoic acid activates specific receptors in the cells that act as homing devices for the intestines.
"It is interesting that both innate and adaptive immune cells share a vitamin A-regulated pathway for migration."
Drinking alcohol while pregnant could have transgenerational effects University of California, Riverside, July 7, 2022
Soon-to-be mothers have heard the warning – don't drink while pregnant.
The study by Kelly Huffman, psychology professor at the University of California, Riverside, was published in the journal Cerebral Cortex.
"Traditionally, prenatal ethanol exposure (PrEE) from maternal consumption of alcohol, was thought to solely impact directly exposed offspring, the embryo or fetus in the womb. However, we now have evidence that the effects of prenatal alcohol exposure could persist transgenerationally and negatively impact the next-generations of offspring who were never exposed to alcohol," Huffman said.
To determine whether the abnormalities in brain and behavior from prenatal ethanol exposure would pass transgenerationally, Huffman generated a mouse model of FASD and tested many aspects of brain and behavioral development across three generations. As expected, the first generation, the directly exposed offspring, showed atypical gene expression, abnormal development of the neural network within the neocortex and behavioral deficits. However, the main discovery of the research lies in the subsequent, non-exposed generations of mice. These animals had neurodevelopmental and behavioral problems similar to the those of the first, directly exposed generation.
"We found that body weight and brain size were significantly reduced in all generations of PrEE animals when compared to controls; all generations of PrEE mice showed increased anxiety-like, depressive-like behaviors and sensory-motor deficits. By demonstrating the strong transgenerational effects of prenatal ethanol exposure in a mouse model of FASD, we suggest that FASD may be a heritable condition in humans," Huffman said.
Quercetin phytosome reduced allergy symptoms in clinical trial University of Shizuoka (Japan), July 11 2022.
A randomized trial described in the European Review for Medical and Pharmacological Sciences revealed a decrease in seasonal allergy symptoms among men and women who were given quercetin, a flavonoid that occurs in fruits, tea, onions and herbs.
The trial included 60 participants who reported experiencing eye and nasal symptoms related to pollen or house dust exposure. Half of the participants received 200 milligrams quercetin phytosome (a food-grade bioavailable formulation of quercetin) and the remainder received a placebo daily for 4 weeks. Blood samples were analyzed for various factors and quality of life questionnaires that evaluated eye and nasal symptoms were administered before the treatment period and at 2 and 4 weeks.
At the end of the study, eye itching, sneezing, nasal discharge and sleep disorder scores, were significantly improved among participants who received quercetin in comparison with participants who received a placebo. Severity of sneezing, nasal discharge and disturbance of daily living were lower at the end of various time points among supplemented participants compared to the placebo group.
Kiwi fruit powder shows gut health benefits
Medicus Research (New Zealand), July 10, 2022
Kiwifruit containing Zyactinase called Kivia may enhance bowel movement frequency and improve other symptoms of occasional constipation, say new data from a randomized clinical trial.
A daily 5.5 gram dose of Kivia powder was associated with a reduction in abdominal pain and flatulence in subjects with occasional constipation, according to findings published in the Nutrition Journal .
While the exact mechanism of action is still to be elucidated, researchers led by Dr Jay Udani at Medicus Research note that kiwifruit extract is rich in enzymes able to aid in digestion, as well as potential prebiotics which may enhance the growth of beneficial bacteria in the gut.
“Improvements were noted in the number of bowel movements, with increased bowel movements in the group using the studied extract,” they wrote. “There were also improvements observed in bowel health and stool formation.
“This suggests that Kivia powder improved bowel habits in this group of subjects.”
Results showed that the Kivia group experienced significant increases in spontaneous bowel movements at every week, compared to data from the start of the study. Significant differences were also observed between the kiwifruit extract group and placebo at weeks 3 and 4.
Lifestyle may be more important than age in determining dementia risk: Study Baycrest Centre for Geriatric Care, July 13, 2022
Individuals with no dementia risk factors, such as smoking, diabetes or hearing loss, have similar brain health as people who are 10 to 20 years younger than them, according to a new Baycrest study. The study found that a single dementia risk factor could reduce cognition by the equivalent of up to three years of aging.
"Our results suggest lifestyle factors may be more important than age in determining someone's level of cognitive functioning. This is great news, since there's a lot you can do to modify these factors, such as managing diabetes, addressing hearing loss, and getting the support you need to quit smoking," says Dr. Annalise LaPlume, Postdoctoral Fellow at Baycrest's Rotman Research Institute (RRI) and the study's lead author.
The study is one of the first to look at lifestyle risk factors for dementia across the entire lifespan.
The study, published in the journal Alzheimer's & Dementia: Diagnosis, Assessment, and Disease Monitoring, a journal of the Alzheimer's Association, included data from 22,117 people aged 18 to 89.
The researchers looked at participants' performance on memory and attention tests, and how this was impacted by eight modifiable risk factors for dementia: low education (less than a high school diploma), hearing loss, traumatic brain injury, alcohol or substance abuse, hypertension, smoking (currently or in the past four years), diabetes and depression.
Each factor led to a decrease in cognitive performance by as much as three years of aging, with each additional factor contributing the same amount of decline. For example, having three risk factors could lead to a decrease in cognitive performance equivalent to as much as nine years of aging. The effects of the risk factors increased with age, as did the number of risk factors people had.
Research shows that drinking Matcha tea can reduce anxiety
Kumamoto University (Japan), July 9, 2022
Many different countries have a tea culture, and Japanese Matcha tea is growing in popularity around the world. A group of Japanese researchers from Kumamoto University has shown that anxious behavior in mice is reduced after consuming Matcha powder or Matcha extract. Its calming effects appear to be due to mechanisms that activate dopamine D1 receptors and serotonin 5-HT1A receptors, both of which are closely related to anxious behavior.
Matcha is the finely ground powder of new leaves from shade-grown (90% shade) Camellia sinensis green tea bushes. In Japan, historical medicinal uses for Matcha included helping people relax, preventing obesity, and treatment of skin conditions. The researchers, therefore, sought to determine its various beneficial effects.
The "elevated plus maze" test is an elevated, plus-shaped, narrow platform with two walled arms that provide safety for the test subject, typically a mouse. It is used as an anxiety test for rodents with the idea that animals experiencing higher anxiety will spend more time in the safer walled-off areas. Using this test, researchers found that mouse anxiety was reduced after consuming Matcha powder or Matcha extract.
Spirituality linked with better health outcomes, patient care Harvard School of Public Health, July 13 2022
Spirituality should be incorporated into care for both serious illness and overall health, according to a study led by researchers at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and Brigham and Women's Hospital.
"This study represents the most rigorous and comprehensive systematic analysis of the modern day literature regarding health and spirituality to date," said Tracy Balboni, lead author and senior physician at Harvard Medical School. "Our findings indicate that attention to spirituality in serious illness and in health should be a vital part of future whole person-centered care, and the results should stimulate more national discussion and progress on how spirituality can be incorporated into this type of value-sensitive care."
According to the International Consensus Conference on Spiritual Care in Health Care, spirituality is "the way individuals seek ultimate meaning, purpose, connection, value, or transcendence." This could include organized religion but extends well beyond to include ways of finding ultimate meaning by connecting, for example, to family, community, or nature.
According to the researchers, the simple act of asking about a patient's spirituality can and should be part of patient-centered, value-sensitive care. The information gleaned from the conversation can guide further medical decision-making, including but not limited to notifying a spiritual care specialist. "Overlooking spirituality leaves patients feeling disconnected from the health care system and the clinicians trying to care for them," said Koh. "Integrating spirituality into care can help each person have a better chance of reaching complete well-being and their highest attainable standard of health."
Kids Who Play Sports Are Happier, Healthier Than Those Who Go Straight To Their Screens University of South Australia, July 11, 2022
Kids who go straight onto their screens after school are more miserable and feel less healthy than those who do homework or play outside, a new study reveals.
Researchers from the University of South Australia say those who meet up with friends, practice sports, or take music lessons feel much better about themselves. They also found that kids didn’t have to get out and exercise to feel more positive than those on screens, as doing their homework or reading also contributed to better well-being.
The team analyzed data from 61,759 school students in fourth through ninth grade to see what they did between 3 p.m. and 6 p.m. each day. Results show most students watched TV about four days a week and spent time on social media about three times a week.
Researchers measured the activities against well-being factors such as happiness, sadness, worry, engagement, perseverance, optimism, emotion regulation, and life satisfaction.
Overall, the study found that children’s well-being improves when they participate in extracurricular activities but drops when they spend time on social media or using screens. Lead researcher Dr. Rosa Virgara says the research highlights an acute need to encourage children to participate in activities and cut down on screen time.
“Our study highlights how some out-of-school activities can boost children’s well-being, while others – particularly screens – can chip away at their mental and physical health,” Virgara says in a university release. “Screens are a massive distraction for children of all ages. Most parents will attest to this. And whether children are gaming, watching TV or on social media, there’s something about all screens that’s damaging to their well-being.”
The study, published in the journal BMC Pediatrics, shows that students in lower socioeconomic backgrounds who frequently played sport were 15 percent more likely to be optimistic, 14 percent more likely to be happy and satisfied with their life, and 10 percent more likely to be able to regulate their emotions.
The Colonization of the American Psyche
Richard Gale & Gary Null
Progressive Radio Network, July 12, 2022
We delude ourselves at our own peril by wrongly believing that government policy makers and the captains of private finance and industry are older and wiser. Because these people have managed to reach the top of their game, we assume they possess the intellectual acumen to steer a nation past its economic and social ills. We falsely believe they have the comprehensive skills to tackle the dire challenges that lie ahead such as a warming planet, growing cultural divisions, and an economic system on the verge of total collapse. But as the years go by, more and more Americans are mounting questions with no realistic answers in sight. People feel we are charging blindly towards unaffordable energy costs, food insecurity, out-of-control debt and runaway inflation. We realize we can no longer rely upon our leading institutions and the mainstream media. Our politicians constantly voice promises that are never fulfilled.
We need to realize that the colonialist perspective, which has dominated American history since its founding, cannot be completely divorced from government efforts to manipulate and control factions within the population. A colonialist mindset can never offer constructive solutions to solve problems. Promoting common ground to simmer disharmony between seeming oppositional segments of society is counterintuitive to colonialism. Rather it must rely on instilling discord, conflict, and eventually violence, either psychological or physical, in order to keep conflicts alive, which in turn validate further control, surveillance and heavy-handed measures. Our nation's leaders and institutions believe they are the adults in the room and we their children deserve their tough love.
Consequently whatever can be weaponized in order to manipulate the sensitivities of others to keep conflicts alive is fair game. The emotions behind racial and gender tensions are weaponized to keep people divided. For example, Biden wants to criminalize parents who oppose school boards that seem determined to sexualize grammar school education. Religion has been weaponized whereby authentic religion barely exists in the American landscape anymore. Politicians on both sides of the aisle weaponize any issue contrary to their ideological goals. The Covid pandemic's controversies are manipulated so that science is weaponized against itself. Physicians and medical professionals who disagree with the pandemic's lockdowns, drug treatments, vaccine mandates and the wet market theory about the SARS-2 virus' origins, are censored, demonized and threatened with the loss of their medical licenses. However there are always blowbacks and serious repercussions when others are weaponized in order to colonize a perceived enemy psychologically or by physical force.
A fundamental problem is that the average person expects very simple solutions to otherwise extremely complex problems. Regardless of the political divide, people expect instant transformation to be backed immediately by legislation. They want their emotional biases and self-righteous believes to written into law. And the easiest solution is to create a scapegoat and then keep the victim alive and wandering in the wasteland until the problem reaches its final solution. Nazis colonized the German psyche by scapegoating Jews, gypsies, and members of the LBGT community. But of course a final solution is never reached constructively and inevitably leaves catastrophic destruction in its wake.
Instead we are led to a more rapid breakdown of the remaining threads of democracy. The educational system, the nuclear family, and the very moral fabric that keeps a culture healthy and vital collapse. Inescapably, whoever is the aggressor generates its own negative and destructive identity. The new cancel culture, which has now been absorbed into the federal government, has become the very cancer of hatred and vitriol it tries to marginalize and eradicate. One party or the other becomes vehemently juxtaposed to the opposing party as an enemy to be abolished; eventually that party identifies subliminally with the very pernicious characteristics it blames on its enemy. The powerless seize power by demonizing those less powerful. What we are witnessing is American culture being displaced by a hyperactive Hollywood dystopia. People are displaced by technological robotism. News porn displaces pragmatic inquiry. And as we look around, we no longer have a culture that is even capable of defining itself in any way other than a psychological tyranny bent on coercive control. It is as if we inhabit a haunted house of horrors while being completely oblivious to that fact.
Perhaps it is time to regard our nation's politick as grievously and mentally unstable. For many people this is self evident. The US is the world's most anxious, depressed and mentally disturbed nation. Despite the widespread use of psychiatric drugs to palliate symptoms and enormous resources spent to tackle the epidemic of mental disorders, Americans’ psychological health continues to worsen. Our ruling institutions believe they understand their own psychology but they are unquestionably clueless. The psychological fragmentation and creation of divisions in American culture are sometimes viewed as the Balkanization of American culture. This doesn’t suggest that the powers that be desire to carve up the nation into separate regions hostile and uncooperative with each other. That is counter-intuitive for any government or corporate ambition to strengthen political and economic control over a population. Nevertheless it has resulted in the red and blue factions becoming more distinctly divided and hostile. The Balkanization of the American psyche is the unwanted consequence of a mentally unsound political apparatus and an equally psychologically unstable media.
Perhaps it is more accurate to regard the belligerent quagmire of factional animosity towards the “other” as a fascist colonization of the American psyche. After Trump’s surprising 2016 electoral win, book sales dealing with fascism soared. Sales of Hannah Arendt’s Origins of Totalitarianism and Orwell’s 1984 skyrocketed. However we should be very wary of our choice of words and the real life definitions we give them. Rather than assuming the reemergence of an early 20th century fascism on American shores, perhaps we might consider the term Americanism as a unique fascist ideology contrary and in opposition to the Constitution.
In 1938, a Yale Divinity School professor, Halford Luccock, gave a sermon at Manhattan’s Riverside Church. Luccock derogatorily coined the term Americanism.
“When and if fascism comes to America it will not be labeled “made in Germany’; it will not be marked with a swastika; it will not even be called fascism; it will be called, of course, ‘Americanism.”
Similar predictive warnings were not uncommon in the 1930s. The prominent social commentator H.L. Mencken gave a similar prediction. Writing for the Baltimore Sun, Mencken wrote:
“My own belief, more than once set afloat from this spot, is that it will take us, soon or late, into the stormy waters of fascism. To be sure, that fascism is not likely to be identical with the kinds on tap in Germany, Italy and Russia; indeed it is very apt to come in under the name of anti-fascism.”
In her 1939 Harper’s Magazine article, Lillian Symes wrote about Huey Long’s suspected prediction that “Fascism would come to America in the name of anti-fascism” (a quote often wrongly attributed to Winston Churchill)
“If a fascist movement ever triumphs in America it will undoubtedly triumph in the name of our most popular slogan – Democracy, and under the leadership of some such “friend of the common people” as the late Huey Long…. Whoever its angels and whatever their purpose, it will speak the language of a populist left.”
The fragmented Balkanization of the American psyche has certainly given rise to warring populist factions. The triumph of cancel culture, in groups such as Antifa, the radicalized factions in the race-based and gender movements, the White Fragility phenomena, and Silicon Valley social media censorship is evidence of a new emerging authoritarian Americanism growing within the ranks of the left’s liberal populism.
Roosevelt’s vice president Henry Wallace likewise observed signs that US’s weakness might flirt with fascism. In April 1944, the New York Times quoted Wallace stating:
“The American fascist would prefer not to use violence. His method is to poison the channels of public information. With a fascist the problem is never how best to present the truth to the public but how best to use the news to deceive the public into giving the fascist and his group more money or more power... They claim to be super-patriots, but they would destroy every liberty guaranteed by the Constitution… Their final objective, toward which all their deceit is directed, is to capture political power so that, using the power of the state and the power of the market simultaneously, they may keep the common man in eternal subjection."
Wallace believed that the greatest weapon to prevent fascism was to prioritize the importance of human well being above dollars and profit. He saw evidence that ‘fascism in the postwar inevitably will push steadily for Anglo-Saxon imperialism and eventually war with Russia.” Although such a war would never erupt during America’s Cold War against the Soviet Union, Wallace’s warning now seems to be at our doorstep. “Already American fascists,” Wallace wrote, “are talking and writing about this conflict and using it as an excuse for their internal hatreds and intolerance toward certain races creeds and classes.” If Wallace could hear the venom spewed by the neo-con cartel surrounding Biden in the Oval Office, he would certainly see America’s fascist moment on hand. However, domestically, the ultimate goal of American political conceit and elitism is to impose homogeneity across society. Thus we observe the government imposing an aberrant universal vanity not only on its own population but repeatedly upon other nations through electoral interference and military or intelligence intervention.
Another obstacle is that America’s attention skills are direly week. Most Americans emotionally react to wherever the headline of the day leads them. Their priorities about the nation’s most urgent challenges shift and change dramatically. For example, when the economy is strong, global warming and the preservation of the environment are high on people’s lists. Today with rising popular uncertainty, confusion and aimlessness, the percentage of people who place climate change as the single most important threat barely reaches double figures. It is only the most conscientious among us who are aware of how our activities and habits contribute to greenhouse gas emissions and the depletion of the environment. Our international climate change summits are utterly worthless. They are little more than weeklong seminars for world leaders to learn more platitudes and more talking points for political campaigns and press conferences. Since no nation is held legally accountable by international environmental treaties, everything is voluntary and nothing essential is done. It is all smoke and mirrors to cover over Washington’s guilt.
Good intentions without deep moral and spiritual understanding and resolve to act, are fruitless. Once the intention fades from awareness, the potential to act constructively vanishes immediately. An amusing comparison can be made between Kim Kardassian’s sister Kylie Jenner and green activist Greta Thunberg.
Kyle Jenner is a fashion mogul billionaire with 300 million Instagram views. She claims to be a strong proponent of protecting the planet and the environment. Yet, typically of the rich and powerful, the sincerity of their claims are questionable. She has a closet stacked with hundreds of pairs of shoes. She is a massive consumer who travels in a private jet. Contrast Kylie's faux environmentalism with Greta Thunberg, and her 12 million social media followers, who rails against the acerbic hypocrisy of national presidents, prime ministers and business leaders. Kylie and Greta both claim to have a mission to protect the planet. Yet one is a habitual spender; the other is an extraordinarily conscientious consumer. One is a plastic manikin of media hype and privileged elitism; the other aggressively challenges the fossil fuel, lumber, mining and livestock industries. Kylie flaunts empty words; Greta pragmatically persuades us in taking account of our lives. There can never be a sustainable future if we are unable to disengage from current American standards of living, consumerism, dietary habits and modes of transportation.
Fortunately distrust in government and the media is growing exponentially. Yet sadly this will not solve our population’s growing disorientation in US’s new no-mans-land. Similar to the warnings given seven decades ago, the American media has been fully captured by private and secretive national security interests. We hear the dreaded dirge of a single official mantra; that is, increase irrational hope, surrender your independence and individuality, leave your reason at the door and obey your elected leaders and the unelected cartels that keep them in office. Only a tiny percent of the US population actually controls the larger national dialogues and agendas, both domestic and foreign. But a new generation of technocrats, groomed in the halls of the culture wars of division, condemnation and conquest are now entering the halls of government, finance and corporate boardrooms. These are new shock troops that are leading the assault to colonize the American psyche, the mass formation of a distinctly American hive mentality, that forebodes far worse things to come in the near future.
Gut bacteria can cause, predict and prevent rheumatoid arthritis
Mayo Clinic July 9, 2022
The bacteria in your gut do more than break down your food. They also can predict susceptibility to rheumatoid arthritis, suggests Veena Taneja, Ph.D., an immunologist at Mayo Clinic's Center
Dr. Taneja and her team identified intestinal bacteria as a possible cause; their studies indicate that testing for specific microbiota in the gut can help physicians predict and prevent the onset of rheumatoid arthritis.
"These are exciting discoveries that we may be able to use to personalize treatment for patients," Dr. Taneja says.
"Using genomic sequencing technology, we were able to pin down some gut microbes that were normally rare and of low abundance in healthy individuals, but expanded in patients with rheumatoid arthritis," Dr. Taneja says.
The second paper, published in Arthritis and Rheumatology, explored another facet of gut bacteria. Dr. Taneja treated one group of arthritis-susceptible mice with a bacterium, Prevotella histicola, and compared that to a group that had no treatment. The study found that mice treated with the bacterium had decreased symptom frequency and severity, and fewer inflammatory conditions associated with rheumatoid arthritis. The treatment produced fewer side effects, such as weight gain and villous atrophy—a condition that prevents the gut from absorbing nutrients—that may be linked with other, more traditional treatments.
While human trials have not yet taken place, the mice's immune systems and arthritis mimic humans, and shows promise for similar, positive effects. Since this bacterium is a part of healthy human gut, treatment is less likely to have side effects, says study co-author Joseph Murray, M.D., a Mayo Clinic gastroenterologist.
Adding salt to your food at the table is linked to higher risk of premature death Tulane University School of Public Health, July 11, 2022
People who add extra salt to their food at the table are at higher risk of dying prematurely from any cause, according to a study of more than 500,000 people, published in the European Heart Journal today.
Compared to those who never or rarely added salt, those who always added salt to their food had a 28% increased risk of dying prematurely. In the general population about three in every hundred people aged between 40 and 69 die prematurely. The increased risk from always adding salt to food seen in the current study suggests that one more person in every hundred may die prematurely in this age group.
In addition, the study found a lower life expectancy among people who always added salt compared to those who never, or rarely added salt. At the age of 50, 1.5 years and 2.28 years were knocked off the life expectancy of women and men, respectively, who always added salt to their food compared to those who never, or rarely, did.
"To my knowledge, our study is the first to assess the relation between adding salt to foods and premature death," he said. "It provides novel evidence to support recommendations to modify eating behaviors for improving health. Even a modest reduction in sodium intake, by adding less or no salt to food at the table, is likely to result in substantial health benefits, especially when it is achieved in the general population."
Hops extract studied to prevent breast cancer
University of Illinois July 8, 2022
An enriched hops extract activates a chemical pathway in cells that could help prevent breast cancer, according to new laboratory findings from the Center for Botanical Dietary Supplements Research at the University of Illinois at Chicago.
Researchers led by Judy Bolton, professor and head of medicinal chemistry, applied hops extract to two different breast cell lines to see if they would affect estrogen metabolism, a key mechanism in breast cancer. One compound, 6-prenylnarigenin, or 6-PN, increased a detoxification pathway in the cells that has been linked to a lower risk for breast cancer.
"We need to further explore this possibility, but our results suggest that 6-PN could have anti-cancer effects," Bolton said.
New study determines psychedelic mushroom microdoses can improve mood, mental health University of British Columbia, July 11, 2022
The latest study to examine how tiny amounts of psychedelics can impact mental health provides further evidence of the therapeutic potential of microdosing.
Published in Scientific Reports, the study followed 953 people taking regular small amounts of psilocybin and a second group of 180 people who were not microdosing.
For the 30-day study, those microdosing demonstrated greater improvements in mood, mental health and psychomotor ability over the one-month period, compared to non-microdosing peers who completed the same assessments.
"This is the largest longitudinal study of this kind to date of microdosing psilocybin, and one of the few studies to engage a control group," says Dr. Walsh, who teaches in the Irving K. Barber Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. "Our findings of improved mood and reduced symptoms of depression, anxiety and stress add to the growing conversation about the therapeutic potential of microdosing."
Microdosing involves regular self-administration in doses small enough to not impair normal cognitive functioning. The doses can be as small as 0.1 to 0.3 grams of dried mushrooms, and may be taken three to five times a week.
The most widely reported substances used for microdosing are psilocybin mushrooms and LSD. Psilocybin mushrooms are considered non-addictive and non-toxic—especially when compared to tobacco, opioids and alcohol.
Could a phytochemical derived from vegetables like broccoli be the answer to antibiotic resistant pathogens?
Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (Israel), July 10, 2022
Antibiotic resistant bacterial pathogens are increasingly playing a role in rising illness and preventing wound healing, especially in hospitals. While more and more pathogens have developed biofilms that protect them from being eradicated by antibiotics, fewer classes of antibiotics are being developed. Researchers from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev decided to go in a different direction and investigated a phytochemical derived from cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli that breaks down the biofilm.
The phytochemical 3,3'-diindolylmethane (DIM) successfully broke down the biofilms protecting two different pathogens including Acinetobacter baumannii and Pseudomonas aeruginosa– enabling their eradication 65% and 70% of the time, respectively. Combined with antibiotics, that number jumped to 94%.
Additionally, when they introduced DIM into an infected wound, it sped up the healing process significantly, the team found.
Researchers find Alzheimer’s begins in the brain 30 years before any symptoms
Daniel Amen Clinic July 9, 2022
Science is beginning to unravel the mystery of Alzheimer’s disease and what they are discovering is alarming. Researchers now believe that Alzheimer’s disease begins with changes in the brain as much as 30 years or more before symptoms begin.
This shocking revelation comes at a time when the aging of the Baby Boomer generation means Alzheimer’s is expected to triple in the coming decades. Long before someone is diagnosed in their 70s or 80s, their brain has begun to deteriorate. With conventional medicine unable to offer a cure, this realization makes it all the more critical to care for brain health throughout your lifetime, naturally reducing the risk of Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia. The idea that a fading memory is just a natural part of the aging process is a misconception. Instead, loss of memory is a sign of the brain beginning to break down.
In addition to a diagnosis for ADD, other factors he believes can increase the risk of developing the disease include:
• Failure to engage the brain in regular learning activities • Lack of exercise or exercising less than twice a week • Personal medical history of cancer, diabetes or heart disease • Suffering of a stroke • Coping with a head injury • Diagnosis of depression
Along with understanding your risk level, Dr. Amen advocates keeping both mind and body active. Dr. Amen also believes it is important to increase antioxidant levels in your diet. He also tells patients it is important to modify lifestyle habits that promote the growth of brain plaques.
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Bye Bye Boris Curcumin reduces muscle soreness: Study
University of Naples, July 3, 2022
A proprietary curcumin extract can ease post-exercise muscle soreness caused by oxidative stress and inflammation, an Italian study has found.
The randomised, placebo-controlled, single-blind pilot trial gave 20 moderately active men 1 g of curcumin twice a day which contained 200 mg of the antioxidant or placebo.
Delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) was reduced in the curcumin group after all the men had taken part in a strenuous downhill running exercise.
The curcumin group reported less pain in the lower limb as compared with subjects in the placebo group, “although significant differences were observed only for the right and left anterior thighs.”
Vitamin C related to reduced risk of cardiovascular disease and early death
University of Copenhagen (Denmark), July 7, 2022
New research from the University of Copenhagen and Herlev and Gentofte Hospital shows that high vitamin C concentrations in the blood from the intake of fruit and vegetables are associated with a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease and early death.
New research from the University of Copenhagen shows that the risk of cardiovascular disease and early death falls with a high intake of fruit and vegetables, and that this may be dued to vitamin C.
As part of the study, the researchers had access to data about 100,000 Danes and their intake of fruit and vegetables as well as their DNA. "We can see that those with the highest intake of fruit and vegetables have a 15% lower risk of developing cardiovascular disease and a 20% lower risk of early death compared with those who very rarely eat fruit and vegetables. At the same time, we can see that the reduced risk is related to high vitamin C concentrations in the blood from the fruit and vegetables.
Mindfulness meditation reduces pain by separating it from the self
by University of California - San Diego, July 9, 2022
For centuries, people have been using mindfulness meditation to try to relieve their pain, but neuroscientists have only recently been able to test if and how this actually works. In the latest of these efforts, researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine measured the effects of mindfulness on pain perception and brain activity.
The study, published in Pain, showed that mindfulness meditation interrupted the communication between brain areas involved in pain sensation and those that produce the sense of self. In the proposed mechanism, pain signals still move from the body to the brain, but the individual does not feel as much ownership over those pain sensations, so their pain and suffering are reduced.
You train yourself to experience thoughts and sensations without attaching your ego or sense of self to them, and we're now finally seeing how this plays out in the brain during the experience of acute pain."
On the first day of the study, 40 participants had their brains scanned while painful heat was applied to their leg. After experiencing a series of these heat stimuli, participants had to rate their average pain levels during the experiment. Participants were then split into two groups. Members of the mindfulness group completed four separate 20-minute mindfulness training sessions.
Researchers found that participants who were actively meditating reported a 32 percent reduction in pain intensity and a 33 percent reduction in pain unpleasantness.
When the team analyzed participants' brain activity during the task, they found that mindfulness-induced pain relief was associated with reduced synchronization between the thalamus (a brain area that relays incoming sensory information to the rest of the brain) and parts of the default mode network (a collection of brain areasmost active while a person is mind-wandering or processing their own thoughts and feelings as opposed to the outside world).
One of these default mode regions is the precuneus, a brain area involved in fundamental features of self-awareness, and one of the first regions to go offline when a person loses consciousness.
Four in 10 pancreatic cancers could be prevented by lifestyle changes
Cancer Research UK, July 2, 2022
Almost 40 per cent of pancreatic cancers -- one of the deadliest forms of cancer -- could be avoided in the UK through maintaining a healthy weight and not smoking according to Cancer Research UK, in a call to arms against the disease.
While more research is needed to find better ways of diagnosing and treating the disease, there is evidence to suggest that some pancreatic cancers are linked to being overweight and to smoking -- and almost four in 10 could be prevented by lifestyle changes to address this.
Doing something is better than doing nothing for most people, study shows
University of Virginia and Harvard University, July 3, 2022
Most people are just not comfortable in their own heads, according to a new psychological investigation led by the University of Virginia. The investigation found that most would rather be doing something -- possibly even hurting themselves -- than doing nothing or sitting alone with their thoughts, said the researchers, whose findings will be published in the journal Science.
In a series of 11 studies, U.Va. psychologist Timothy Wilson and colleagues at U.Va. and Harvard University found that study participants from a range of ages generally did not enjoy spending even brief periods of time alone in a room with nothing to do but think, ponder or daydream. The participants, by and large, enjoyed much more doing external activities such as listening to music or using a smartphone. Some even preferred to give themselves mild electric shocks than to think.
The period of time that Wilson and his colleagues asked participants to be alone with their thoughts ranged from six to 15 minutes. Many of the first studies involved college student participants, most of whom reported that this "thinking period" wasn't very enjoyable and that it was hard to concentrate. So Wilson conducted another study with participants from a broad selection of backgrounds, ranging in age from 18 to 77, and found essentially the same results.
"That was surprising -- that even older people did not show any particular fondness for being alone thinking," Wilson said.
During several of Wilson's experiments, participants were asked to sit alone in an unadorned room at a laboratory with no cell phone, reading materials or writing implements, and to spend six to 15 minutes -- depending on the study -- entertaining themselves with their thoughts. Afterward, they answered questions about how much they enjoyed the experience and if they had difficulty concentrating, among other questions. Most reported they found it difficult to concentrate and that their minds wandered, though nothing was competing for their attention. On average the participants did not enjoy the experience. A similar result was found in further studies when the participants were allowed to spend time alone with their thoughts in their homes.
The researchers took their studies further. Because most people prefer having something to do rather than just thinking, they then asked, "Would they rather do an unpleasant activity than no activity at all?"
The results show that many would. Participants were given the same circumstances as most of the previous studies, with the added option of also administering a mild electric shock to themselves by pressing a button.
Twelve of 18 men in the study gave themselves at least one electric shock during the study's 15-minute "thinking" period. By comparison, six of 24 females shocked themselves. All of these participants had received a sample of the shock and reported that they would pay to avoid being shocked again.
"What is striking," the investigators write, "is that simply being alone with their own thoughts for 15 minutes was apparently so aversive that it drove many participants to self-administer an electric shock that they had earlier said they would pay to avoid." Wilson and his team note that men tend to seek "sensations" more than women, which may explain why 67 percent of men self-administered shocks to the 25 percent of women who did.
Post-pandemic diet shifts could avert millions of deaths University of Edinburgh, July 8, 2022
Encouraging people to eat more fruit and vegetables post-pandemic could avert up to 26 million deaths every year by 2060, a study has found.
Premature deaths from diseases such as heart disease, stroke and cancer—conditions that are also risk factors for COVID-19 patients—could be prevented by including measures to reduce global meat consumption in recovery plans, researchers say.
Reducing the amount of meat eaten globally would also make food more affordable—particularly in low- and middle-income countries—and be better for environment, the analysis shows.
The findings suggest post-pandemic plans prioritizing economic recovery above all else would lead to millions more deaths linked to poor diet, be worse for the environment and do less to reduce food costs.
A team led by Edinburgh researchers show plans that include dietary shifts toward less meat and more fruit and vegetables could prevent 2600 premature deaths per million people by 2060. With the world's population projected to be more than 10 billion by 2060, this could potentially avert 26 million deaths that year alone, the team says.
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Study finds people who practice intermittent fasting experience less severe complications from COVID-19 Intermountain Healthcare, July 7, 2022
Intermittent fasting has previously shown to have a host of health benefits, including lowering the risk of diabetes and heart disease. Now, researchers from Intermountain Healthcare have found that people who regularly fast are less like to experience severe complications from COVID-19.
In a new study published this week in BMJ Nutrition, Prevention & Health, Intermountain researchers found that COVID-19 patients who practiced regular water-only intermittent fasting had lower risk of hospitalization or dying due to the virus than patients who did not.
“Intermittent fasting has already shown to lower inflammation and improve cardiovascular health. In this study, we’re finding additional benefits when it comes to battling an infection of COVID-19 in patients who have been fasting for decades,” said Benjamin Horne, Ph.D., director of cardiovascular and genetic epidemiology at Intermountain Healthcare.
They identified 205 patients who had tested positive for the virus. Of those, 73 said they regularly fasted at least once a month. Researchers found that those who practiced regular fasting had a lower rate of hospitalization or death due to coronavirus.
“Intermittent fasting was not associated with whether or not someone tested positive COVID-19, but it was associated with lower severity once patients had tested positive for it,” Dr. Horne said.
Fasting reduces inflammation, especially since hyperinflammation is associated with poor COVID-19 outcomes. In addition, after 12 to 14 hours of fasting, the body switches from using glucose in the blood to ketones, including linoleic acid. “There’s a pocket on the surface of SARS-CoV-2 that linoleic acid fits into—and can make the virus less able to attach to other cells,” he said.
Low CoQ10 levels linked with neurodegeneration: Study University of Tokyo , July 4, 2022 Researchers have found low levels of CoQ10 in people with multiple system atrophy, and suggested supplementation could help.
The study , published in JAMA Neurology, shows a link between low levels of blood coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) and patients with multiple system atrophy (MSA).
The data backs recent hypotheses that CoQ10 deficiency could be linked with development of the neurodegenerative disorder, and that supplementation could be beneficial for MSA sufferers, the team said.
The study included 44 Japanese patients with MSA (average age of 64) and 39 Japanese control patients (average age 60).
CoQ10 has properties similar to vitamins, but since it is naturally synthesized in the body it is not classed as such. With chemical structure 2,3-dimethoxy-5-methyl-6-decaprenyl-1,4-benzoquinone, it is also known as ubiquinone because of its ‘ubiquitous’ distribution throughout the human body.
The coenzyme is concentrated in the mitochondria – the ‘power plants’ of the cell – and plays a vital role in the production of chemical energy by participating in the production of adenosince triphosphate (ATP), the body’s co-called ‘energy currency’.
A role beyond the mitochondria is also acknowledged, with CoQ10 acting as a potent antioxidant. The coenzyme plays an important role in preserving levels of vitamin E and vitamin C.
They found plasma levels of CoQ10 were significantly lower in MSA patients, regardless of age, sex and Coenzyme Q2, polyprenyltransferase (COQ2) genotype. COQ2 is a protein coding gene which plays a part in the biosynthesis of CoQ10, Dr Tsuji explained.
Gardening can cultivate better mental health University of Florida, July 6, 2022 Many longtime gardeners will tell you that the garden is their happy place. New research suggests that many people may indeed reap mental health benefits from working with plants — even if they’ve never gardened before.
In a study published in the journal “PLOS ONE,” University of Florida scientists found that gardening activities lowered stress, anxiety and depression in healthy women who attended twice-weekly gardening classes. None of study participants had gardened before.
Our study shows that healthy people can also experience a boost in mental wellbeing through gardening,” said Charles Guy, principal investigator on the study and a professor emeritus in the UF/IFAS environmental horticulture department.
Thirty-two women between the ages of 26 and 49 completed the study. All were in good health, which for this experiment meant screening for factors such as chronic health conditions, tobacco use and drug abuse, and having been prescribed medications for anxiety or depression. Half of the participants were assigned to gardening sessions, while the other half were assigned to art-making sessions. Both groups met twice a week for a total eight times. The art group served as a point of comparison with the gardening group.
“Both gardening and art activities involve learning, planning, creativity and physical movement, and they are both used therapeutically in medical settings. This makes them more comparable, scientifically speaking, than, for example, gardening and bowling or gardening and reading,” Guy explained.
Given the relatively small number of participants and the length of the study, the researchers were still able to demonstrate evidence of what medical clinicians would call the dosage effects of gardening — that is, how much gardening someone has to do to see improvements in mental health.
Vitamin B3 reduces the risk of skin cancer
University of Sydney, July 5, 2022
Research published in the New England Journal of Medicine offers new hope to those at high risk of developing the most common types of skin cancer. The study found that a form of vitamin B3 significantly decreased the chance of high-risk patients developing non-melanoma skin cancer.
Nicotinamide, the active form of vitamin B3, was found to reduce the rate of non-melanoma skin cancer by 23 percent. Commonly available in over-the-counter supplements, it has been found to be very well tolerated without unfavorable side effects.
12-month study points to reduced skin cancer risk with vitamin B3
Lab and animal studies have already shown nicotinamide to hold promise in preventing skin cancers, particularly the most common, non-melanoma variety that are the subject of this latest human study. But even though it was suspected that taking vitamin B3 could reduce skin cancer risk, the results were surprisingly dramatic.
The 12-month study involved 386 healthy subjects, all with a history of at least two non-melanoma skin cancers over the past five years, making them at risk for further skin cancers. Subjects were assigned to one of two groups: one receiving 500 mg of nicotinamide twice-daily and the other receiving only a placebo.
After 12 months, the rate of new non-melanoma skin cancers was reduced by 23 percent in those receiving the nicotinamide supplement compared to subjects receiving the placebo. It is unusual for a single, natural change to have such a significant impact.
An Avocado A Day Helps Keep Bad Cholesterol At Bay Penn State University, July 7, 2022
An avocado a day helps keep bad cholesterol away, a new study reveals. Researchers from Penn State have found that eating an avocado daily for six months decreased unhealthy cholesterol levels. The “healthy” fats in avocados also had no negative effect on a person’s belly fat or waist circumference, though it didn’t lead to any weight loss either.
Previous studies have pointed to the benefits of eating avocados for losing weight, but the current study is the largest to date that looks at multiple health effects of avocados.
“While the avocados did not affect belly fat or weight gain, the study still provides evidence that avocados can be a beneficial addition to a well-balanced diet,” says Penny Kris-Etherton, an Evan Pugh University Professor of Nutritional Sciences at Penn State, in a university release. “Incorporating an avocado per day in this study did not cause weight gain and also caused a slight decrease in LDL cholesterol, which are all important findings for better health.”
Doing good deeds helps socially anxious people relax
Simon Fraser University (Canada) July 1, 2022
Being busy with acts of kindness can help people who suffer from social anxiety to mingle more easily. This is the opinion of Canadian researchers Jennifer Trew of Simon Fraser University and Lynn Alden of the University of British Columbia, in a study published in Springer’s journal Motivation and Emotion.
Sufferers from social anxiety are more than just a little shy. Dealings with others might make them feel so threatened or anxious that they often actively avoid socializing. Although this protects them from angst and possible embarrassment, they lose out on the support and intimacy gained from having relationships with others. They have fewer friends, feel insecure when interacting with others, and often do not experience emotional intimacy even in close relationships.
Performing acts of kindness to the benefit of others is known to increase happiness and may lead to positive interactions and perceptions of the world at large. The present study investigated if, over time, the pro-social nature of kindness changes the level of anxiety that socially anxious people experienced while interacting with others, and helped them to engage more easily. It extends previous findings by Alden and Trew about the value that doing good deeds holds to socially anxious people.
Undergraduate students who experience high levels of social anxiety were enrolled in the study. The 115 participants were randomly assigned into three groups for the four-week intervention period. One group performed acts of kindness, such as doing a roommate’s dishes, mowing a neighbour’s lawn, or donating to a charity. The second group was only exposed to social interactions and was not asked to engage in such deeds, while the third group participated in no specific intervention and simply recorded what happened each day.
A greater overall reduction in patients’ desire to avoid social situations was found among the group who actively lent a helping hand. The findings therefore support the value of acts of kindness as an avoidance reduction strategy. It helps to counter feelings of possible rejection and temporary levels of anxiety and distress. It also does so faster than was the case for the participants who were merely exposed to social interactions without engaging in good deeds.
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Greater folate and vitamin B6 intake linked to lower risk of mortality during 9.8-year period Zhengzhou University (China), July 6 2022.
A study published in Nutrients revealed a decreased risk of death during a median period of 9.8 years among men and women with a greater intake of vitamin B6 and the B vitamin folate compared to those whose intake was lower.
The investigation included 55,569 participants enrolled in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) and eight cycles of the continuous NHANES that occurred between 1999 and 2014. Dietary recall interview responses were analyzed for the intake of folate, vitamin B6 and vitamin B12.
Men whose intake of folate was among the top 25% of individuals in the study had a 23% lower risk of death from any cause, a 41% lower risk of cardiovascular disease mortality and a 32% lower risk of cancer mortality during follow-up than those whose intake was among the lowest 25%. Among women in the top 25%, the risks of all-cause and cardiovascular mortality were 14% and 47% lower.
For men whose intake of vitamin B6 was among the highest 25% of those included in the study, the risk of all-cause mortality was 21% lower, cardiovascular disease mortality was 31% lower and cancer mortality was 27% lower compared to individuals whose intake was lowest. The risk of mortality among women whose vitamin B6 intake was among the top 25% was 12% lower than those whose intake was among the lowest 25% and their risk of dying from cardiovascular disease was 44% lower.
To shed weight, go vegan
E-Da Hospital (Taiwan), June 30, 2022
People on a vegetarian diet, and especially those following a vegan one that includes no animal products, see better results than dieters on other weight-reducing plans. In fact, they can lose around two kilograms more on the short term, says Ru-Yi Huang of E-Da Hospital in Taiwan after reviewing the results of twelve diet trials.
Huang’s review includes twelve randomized controlled trials, involving 1,151 dieters who followed a specific eating regime for between nine and 74 weeks.
Overall, individuals assigned to the vegetarian diet groups lost significantly more weight (around 2.02 kilograms) than dieters who ate meat and other animal products. Vegetarians who followed a vegan diet lost even more weight. Comparatively, they lost around 2.52 kilograms more than non-vegetarian dieters. Vegetarians who do consume dairy products and eggs lost around 1.48 kilograms more than those on a non-vegetarian diet. People following vegetarian diets that prescribe a lower than normal intake of calories (so-called energy restriction) also shed more kilograms than those without any such limitations being placed on their eating habits.
According to Huang, the abundant intake of whole grains, fruits and vegetables might play a role in the favorable results seen in vegetarian diets. Whole-grain products and vegetables generally have low glycemic index values and don’t cause blood sugar levels to spike. Fruits are rich in fiber, antioxidants, minerals and protective chemicals that naturally occur in plants. Whole-grain products contain soluble fiber. Such so-called good fiber helps to delay the speed by which food leaves the stomach and ensures good digestion. It also allows enough nutrients to be absorbed while food moves through the intestines.
Social interactions tied to sense of purpose for older adults Washington University in St. Louis, July 6, 2022
Having positive social interactions is associated with older adults’ sense of purposefulness, which can fluctuate from day to day, according to research from the Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences in Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis.
And although these findings, published in the American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, apply to both working and retired adults, the research found that for better and for worse these interactions are more strongly correlated to purposefulness in people who are retired.
The research team worked with a group of some 100 adults with an average age of about 71. For 15 days, participants were asked three times daily about the quality of the social interactions they’d had that day.
After analyzing the responses, they found—relative to each person’s own baseline—the more positive interactions a person had during the day, the more purposeful they reported feeling in the evening. Other measures, including employment and relationship status, did not predict a person’s sense of purpose.
Of note, Pfund said, the study also showed how dynamic a person’s own sense of purpose could be.
Although some people do tend to be generally more or less purposeful overall, Pfund said, “We found purpose can change from day to day. Everyone was experiencing fluctuations relative to their own averages.”
The association was much stronger in retired people, the data showed: more positive social interactions showed a stronger association with a higher sense of purpose while more negative interactions were more strongly tied to a lower sense of purpose.
Resveratrol may prevent sedentary lifestyle effects
University of Strasbourg (France), July 01, 2022
An article published in the FASEB Journal reveals yet another benefit for resveratrol, a polyphenol found in red wine and grapes. The current research suggests that resveratrol could help protect against the adverse effects of weightlessness during space flight as well as those caused by a sedentary lifestyle, which has been linked to cardiovascular disease, obesity and other health conditions.
“Long-term spaceflight induces hypokinesia and hypodynamia, which, along microgravity per se, result in a number of significant physiological alterations, such as muscle atrophy, force reduction, insulin resistance, substrate use shift from fats to carbohydrates, and bone loss. “Each of these adaptations could turn to serious health deterioration during the long-term spaceflight needed for planetary exploration.”
The research team tested the effects of resveratrol in rats undergoing simulated weightlessness. While animals that did not receive resveratrol experienced a reduction in soleus muscle mass and strength, bone mineral density and resistance to breakage, as well as the development of insulin resistance, treatment with resveratrol protected against these conditions.
“There are overwhelming data showing that the human body needs physical activity, but for some of us, getting that activity isn’t easy,” commented FASEB Journal Editor-in-Chief Gerald Weissmann, MD. “A low gravity environment makes it nearly impossible for astronauts. For the earthbound, barriers to physical activity are equally challenging, whether they be disease, injury, or a desk job. Resveratrol may not be a substitute for exercise, but it could slow deterioration until someone can get moving again.”
Why does acupuncture work? Study finds it elevates nitric oxide, leading to pain reduction LA BioMed, June 29, 2022 The use of acupuncture to treat pain dates back to the earliest recorded history in China. Despite centuries of acupuncture, it’s still not clear why this method of applying and stimulating tiny needles at certain points on the body can relieve pain. A new study from LA BioMed researchers offers some answers for why acupuncture may help and why clinical trials have produced mixed results. The researchers found the proper use of acupuncture (with the reinforcement method or coupled with heat, which is often used in acupuncture treatments) can lead to elevated levels of nitric oxide in the skin at the “acupoints” where the needles were inserted and manipulated. They noted that nitric oxide increases blood flow and encourages the release of analgesic or sensitizing substances, which causes the skin to feel warmer and contributes to the beneficial effects of the therapies.For the latest study, the LA BioMed researchers used a low force and rate/reinforcement method of acupuncture. They gently inserted acupuncture needles into the skin of 25 men and women, aged 18-60 years, and delicately twisted the needles for two minutes or until they achieved a sensation of “de qi” (soreness, numbness, distension or pain). They then manipulated the needles using gentle amplitude and moderate speed for two minutes every five minutes for a total of 20 minutes.They also applied electrical heat for 20 minutes and found elevated levels of nitric oxide at the acupoints. To further validate their findings, they conducted the test with high-frequency and force, which is known as a reduction method, and found nitric oxide levels over the areas of the skin region were reduced. Thyroid problems linked to increased risk of dementia Brown University, July 6, 2022
Older people with hypothyroidism, also called underactive thyroid, may be at increased risk of developing dementia, according to a study published in the online issue of Neurology. The risk of developing dementia was even higher for people whose thyroid condition required thyroid hormone replacement medication.
“In some cases, thyroid disorders have been associated with dementia symptoms that can be reversible with treatment,” said study author Chien-Hsiang Weng, MD, MPH, of Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island.
For the study, researchers looked at the health records of 7,843 people newly diagnosed with dementia in Taiwan and compared them to the same number of people who did not have dementia. Their average age was 75. Researchers looked to see who had a history of either hypothyroidism or hyperthyroidism.
A total of 102 people had hypothyroidism and 133 had hyperthyroidism.
The researchers found no link between hyperthyroidism and dementia.
Of the people with dementia, 68 people, or 0.9%, had hypothyroidism, compared to 34 of the people without dementia, or 0.4%. When researchers adjusted for other factors that could affect the risk of dementia, such as sex, age, high blood pressureand diabetes, they found that people over age 65 with hypothyroidism were 80% more likely to develop dementia than people the same age who did not have thyroid problems. For people younger than 65, having a history of hypothyroidism was not associated with an increased risk of dementia.
When researchers looked only at people who took medication for hypothyroidism, they found they were three times more likely to develop dementia than those who did not take medication. “One explanation for this could be that these people are more likely to experience greater symptoms from hypothyroidism where treatment was needed,” Weng said.
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Almonds reduce the risk of heart disease, research show
Aston University (UK) June 30, 2022
Scientists have found that eating almonds in your diet can reduce the risk of heart disease by keeping blood vessels healthy.
Research found that they significantly increase the amount of antioxidants in the blood stream, reduce blood pressure and improve blood flow. These findings add weight to the theory that Mediterranean diets with lots of nuts have big healthbenefits.
Researchers tested the effects of a short-term almond-enriched diet on healthy young and middle-aged men as well as on a group of young men with cardiovascular risk factors including having high blood pressure or being overweight. A control group ate what they normally would, while another group consumed snacks of 50g of almonds a day for one month.
At the end of the study period, the group eating an almond-enriched diet had higher levels of antioxidants (alpha-tocopherol) in their blood stream, improved blood flow and lower blood pressure, potentially reducing their risk of heart disease.
Taking Vitamin D during pregnancy could lower the risk of eczema in babies University of Southampton (UK), July 6, 2022
Taking Vitamin D supplements during pregnancy could substantially reduce the chances of babies up to a year old suffering from atopic eczema, according to a new study by University of Southampton researchers.
The research, published in the British Journal of Dermatology, revealed that babies had a lower risk of developing atopic eczema in their first year if their mothers took 1000 international units (IU) of Vitamin D a day from when they were 14 weeks pregnant until they delivered. The effect was particularly seen in babies who were later breastfed for more than a month.
Atopic eczema is a chronic inflammatory condition that can have a large impact on sufferers, their families, and healthcare. It is estimated that one in six children aged one to five has atopic eczema, and there has been a global rise over recent decades.
More than 700 pregnant women took part in the research—with 352 taking the supplements from 14 weeks until they gave birth and 351 taking a placebo.
“Our results showed that babies of mothers who received supplements had a lower chance of having atopic eczema at 12 months, which supports recommendations for Vitamin D supplements to be routine during pregnancy.”
Student of Neuroscience Shows How Meditation may Vanquish Mental Disorders
University of Massachusetts Medical School, July 3, 2022
According to theNational Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), 7.7 million Americans suffer from schizophrenia and bipolar disorder – approximately 3.3% of the US population when combined. Of these, approximately 40% of the individuals with schizophrenia and 51% of those with bipolar are untreated in any given year, but with the new studies being presented by Juan Santoyo and his peers, there could be strong scientific proof that meditation could help even the most debilitating psychological disorders.
The paper describes how meditation affects a subject’s ability to change brain activity in the posterior cingulate cortex (PCC). Given the chance to observe real-time feedback on their PCC activity, some meditators were even able to control the levels of activity there.
“You can observe both of these phenomena together and discover how they are co-determining one another,” Santoyo said. “Within 10 one-minute sessions they [participants in a meditation study] were able to develop certain strategies to evoke a certain experience and use it to drive the signal.”
In the study on ‘effortless awareness,’ a phenomenon that often accompanies meditation, he noticed that specific memories or thoughts that caused distress could be changed with feedback after a meditation session.
Fasting could regenerate the immune system, study say
University of Southern California, July 1, 2022
Refraining from food for as little as two days can regenerate the immune system, helping the body to fight infection, according to a new study.
Scientists at the University of Southern California said the findings could have major implications for the elderly and people suffering from damaged immune systems, such as cancer patients.
Researchers tested the effects of fasting for two to four day periods over the course of six months on both mice and humans. In both cases, long periods of not eating significantly lowered white blood cell counts. And in mice, each cycle of fasting then “flipped a regenerative switch” that triggered stem cell-based regeneration of new white blood cells, thereby renewing the body’s defence system.
Valter Longo, Professor of Gerontology and the Biological Sciences at the University of Southern California, said:”It gives the OK for stem cells to go ahead and begin proliferating and rebuild the entire system.
“And the good news is that the body got rid of the parts of the system that might be damaged or old, the inefficient parts, during the fasting.”
The study also found that fasting reduces levels of the enzyme PKA, an effect which is known to increase longevity in simple organisms, as well as levels of the hormone IGF-1, which has been linked to ageing, tumour progression and cancer risk. In addition, a small pilot clinical trial found that fasting for a 72-hour period prior to chemotherapy protected patients against toxicity.
Men with ‘low testosterone’ have higher rates of depression
George Washington University Medical Center, July 1, 2022
Researchers at the George Washington University (GW), led by Michael S. Irwig, M.D., found that men referred for tertiary care for borderline testosterone levels had much higher rates of depression and depressive symptoms than those of the general population.
The research, involved 200 adult men, aged 20-77, with a mean age of 48 years old, who were referred for borderline total testosterone levels between 200 and 350 ng/dL.
Depression and/or depressive symptoms were present in 56 percent of the subjects. Furthermore, one quarter of the men in the study were taking antidepressants and that the men had high rates of obesity and low rates of physical activity. The most common symptoms were erectile dysfunction, decreased libido, fewer morning erections, low energy, and sleep disturbances.
While more research is needed in this area of study, the researchers concluded that clinicians should consider screening for depression and depressive symptoms, overweight and unhealthy lifestyle factors in men who are referred for tertiary care for potential hypogonadism.
Research shows how breastfeeding offers immune benefits Binghamton University, July 5, 2022
When infants breastfeed, they receive an immune boost that helps them fight off infectious diseases, according to recent research from Binghamton University Associate Professor of Anthropology Katherine Wander.
For the project, the research team studied almost 100 mother and baby pairs in rural Kilimanjaro. Prolonged breastfeeding is the norm in this population and infectious diseases during infancy are very common, even compared to other areas of East Africa. This makes Kilimanjaro an ideal setting to begin to understand how immune protection from milk might affect infectious disease risk, Wander said.
“You most often hear about the immune system of milk in terms of transferring maternal antibodies to infants via milk—which is probably very important—but it seems there’s much more going on as well. The immune system of milk is a whole system, capable of mounting immune responses,” Wander said. “We’re only beginning to understand the full extent and role of the immune system of milk.”
To test the impact of milk’s immune system on infant health, the researchers combined a few milliliters of milk with a small amount of bacteria, then placed the mixture in an incubator overnight. They then measured the increase of interleukin-6, an immune cell communication molecule that promotes inflammation. This in-vitro response gives an indication of how the milk’s immune system is likely to respond to bacteria encountered in the infant’s body—the gut, for example.
The research team also followed the Tanzanian infants to assess whether those who received milk that mounted stronger immune responses during the in-vitro tests were at lower risk for infectious diseases. That appeared to be the case: infants whose mothers’ milk mounted larger responses to Salmonella had fewer infectious diseases, particularly respiratory infections such as pneumonia.
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Resveratrol may turn white fat into ‘healthier’ brown-like fat
Washington State University, June 26, 2022
Resveratrol, a polyphenol from grapes and red wine, may convert excess white fat into calorie-burning brown-like fat, suggests a new study from Washington State University.
According to data from lab mice, supplementing a high fat diet with resveratrol reduced weight gain by about 40% compared with control mice fed the high fat diet only. Professor Min Du and his co-workers demonstrated that mice fed a diet containing 0.1% resveratrol were able to change their excess white fat into the active, energy-burning ‘beige’ fat.
The researchers also showed that an enzyme called AMPK, which regulates the body’s energy metabolism, stimulates this transition of white fat into the brown-like fat.
“We provide evidence that resveratrol induces the formation of brown-like adipocytes in mouse [white adipose tissue in the groin] by increasing the expression of genes specific to brown adipocytes and stimulating fatty acid oxidation, which appeared to be primarily mediated by AMPK-alpha1,” wrote the researchers in the International Journal of Obesity “These data demonstrate, in addition to the inhibition of adipogenesis and stimulation of lipolysis, a novel browning role of resveratrol in white adipose tissue, which contributes to the beneficial effects of resveratrol in metabolism.
Higher serum antioxidant vitamins predict lower risk of respiratory illness and mortality National Institutes of Health, July 1 2022.
A pooled analysis published in Respiratory Research concluded that having lower serum levels of vitamins C and E was associated with a greater risk of suffering from wheeze or respiratory diseases, and that lower vitamin A, C and D were associated with an increased risk of dying from respiratory diseases.
Paivi M. Salo and colleagues analyzed data from 16,218 men and women who participated in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey III (NHANES III), and 17,838 adults who were continuous NHANES participants who had information available concerning at least one serum antioxidant vitamin level. Forty-two percent of the participants reported using vitamin supplements.
Lower vitamin C levels were associated with a greater risk of wheeze. Among smokers, lower levels of the alpha-tocopherol form of vitamin E were associated with increased wheeze and chronic bronchitis/emphysema.
A higher risk of death from chronic lower respiratory disease was associated with lower levels of vitamin C. Among smokers with lower levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D, chronic lower respiratory disease and influenza/pneumonia deaths were increased. Greater influenza and pneumonia mortality was also associated with lower vitamin A levels. In pooled analysis of NHANES III and continuous NHANEs participants, vitamin C deficiency doubled the risk of dying from influenza or pneumonia in comparison with sufficiency.
Eat dark chocolate to beat the midday slump?
Northern Arizona University, July 1, 2022
Larry Stevens eats a piece of high-cacao content chocolate every afternoon, which is in part because he has developed a taste for the unsweetened dark chocolate. Research shows that eating a piece of high-cacao content chocolate every afternoon lowers blood pressure and his new study reveals that it improves attention, which is especially important when hitting that midday slump.
The study, published in the journal NeuroRegulation, examines the acute effects of chocolate on attentional characteristics of the brain and the first-ever study of chocolate consumption performed using electroencephalography, or EEG technology. EEG studies take images of the brain while it is performing a cognitive task and measure the brain activity.
Stevens and his colleagues in the Department of Psychological Sciences performed the EEG study with 122 participants between the ages of 18 and 25 years old. The researchers examined the EEG levels and blood pressure effects of consuming a 60 percent cacao confection compared with five control conditions.
The results for the participants who consumed the 60 percent cacao chocolate showed that the brain was more alert and attentive after consumption. Their blood pressure also increased for a short time.
The most interesting results came from one of the control conditions, a 60 percent cacao chocolate which included L-theanine, an amino acid found in green tea that acts as a relaxant. This combination hasn’t been introduced to the market yet, so you won’t find it on the candy aisle. But it is of interest to Hershey and the researchers.
“L-theanine is a really fascinating product that lowers blood pressure and produces what we call alpha waves in the brain that are very calm and peaceful,” Stevens said. “We thought that if chocolate acutely elevates blood pressure, and L-theanine lowers blood pressure, then maybe the L-theanine would counteract the short-term hypertensive effects of chocolate.”
For participants who consumed the high-cacao content chocolate with L-theanine, researchers recorded an immediate drop in blood pressure. “It’s remarkable. The potential here is for a heart healthy chocolate confection that contains a high level of cacao with L-theanine that is good for your heart, lowers blood pressure and helps you pay attention,” Stevens said.
Only seven percent of adults have good cardiometabolic health Tufts University, July 1, 2022
Less than 7 percent of the U.S. adult population has good cardiometabolic health, a devastating health crisis requiring urgent action, according to research led by a team from the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University in a pioneering perspective on cardiometabolic health trends and disparities published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
Researchers evaluated Americans across five components of health: levels of blood pressure, blood sugar, blood cholesterol, adiposity (overweight and obesity), and presence or absence of cardiovascular disease (heart attack, stroke, etc.). They found that only 6.8 percent of U.S. adults had optimal levels of all five components as of 2017-2018. Among these five components, trends between 1999 and 2018 also worsened significantly for adiposity and blood glucose. In 1999, 1 out of 3 adults had optimal levels for adiposity (no overweight or obesity); that number decreased to 1 out of 4 by 2018. Likewise, while 3 out of 5 adults didn’t have diabetes or prediabetes in 1999, fewer than 4 out of 10 adults were free of these conditions in 2018.
The study looked at a nationally representative sample of about 55,000 people aged 20 years or older from the 10 most recent cycles of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.
Generations Were Raised To Believe Processed Fruit Juice Was Health Food When It’s Actually Junk Food
Prevent Disease, June 30, 2022
There was a time when fruit juices were marketed as the ultimate health drink. A glass of sunshine packed with vitamins and energy. However, one of the great scams of the industrial food cartel is the so-called “fresh” juices sold in supermarkets. Many of these “fresh” juices can be stored for a year, so how fresh are they?
The idea goes back to the 1920s, when American nutritionist Elmer McCollum blamed a condition called acidosis, an excess of acid in the blood, on diets rich in bread and meat. His solution was lots of lettuce and — paradoxically — citrus fruits. At the time orange juice was not hugely popular, but juice got an even bigger boost thanks to World War II when the U.S. Government wanted a new way to get a product rich in vitamin C to troops overseas. It poured money into research.
In 1947 — just in time for the post-war consumer boom — scientists invented a way to remove water from juice and freeze the concentrate into a palatable product.
The blocks of this concentrate could be sold to the new fridge-owning U.S. consumers or stored by manufacturers for months at a time, and sales exploded.
Turns out there’s a lot more to making juice than simply squeezing some citrus. As part of the mass-production process, big-name brands like Tropicana, Minute Maid, Simply Orange, and Florida’s Natural add artificial flavouring in order to make sure your juice tastes consistent from carton to carton–and to make sure it tastes like oranges.
Pasteurized, not-from-concentrate orange juice takes up a lot of storage space. In order to keep it from spoiling without adding chemical preservatives, the companies “deaerate” (or strip the oxygen out of) the juice. (Another surprise: During production, deaerated juice often sit in million-gallon tanks for as long as a year before it hits supermarket shelves.) The process strips the juice of flavour, which has to be added afterwards.
Findings of a Consumer Reports investigation about arsenic and lead levels in apple juice and grape juice have prompted the organization to call for government standards to limit consumers’ exposure to these toxins.
Mediterranean diet plus olive oil or nuts associated with improved cognitive function
Institute of Biomedical Investigations (Spain), July 2, 2022
Supplementing the plant-based Mediterranean diet with antioxidant-rich extra virgin olive oil or mixed nuts was associated with improved cognitive function in a study of older adults in Spain but the authors warn more investigation is needed, according to an article published by JAMA Internal Medicine.
Previous research suggests following a Mediterranean diet may relate to better cognitive function and a lower risk of dementia. However, the observational studies that have examined these associations have limitations, according to the study background.
Emilio Ros, M.D., Ph.D., of the Institut d’Investigacions Biomediques and coauthors compared a Mediterranean diet supplemented with olive oil or nuts with a low-fat control diet.
The randomized clinical trial included 447 cognitively healthy volunteers (223 were women; average age was nearly 67 years) who were at high cardiovascular risk and were enrolled in the Prevencion con Dieta Mediterranea nutrition intervention.
Of the participants, 155 individuals were assigned to supplement a Mediterranean diet with one liter of extra virgin olive oil per week; 147 were assigned to supplement a Mediterranean diet with 30 grams per day of a mix of walnuts, hazelnuts and almonds; and 145 individuals were assigned to follow a low-fat control diet.
The study found that individuals assigned to the low-fat control diet had a significant decrease from baseline in all composites of cognitive function. Compared with the control group, the memory composite improved significantly in the Mediterranean diet plus nuts, while the frontal and global cognition composites improved in the Mediterranean diet plus olive oil group. The authors note the changes for the two Mediterranean diet arms in each composite were more like each other than when comparing the individual Mediterranean diet groups with the low-fat diet control group.
“Our results suggest that in an older population a Mediterranean diet supplemented with olive oil or nuts may counter-act age-related cognitive decline.
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Anticoagulant activities of curcumin and its derivative
Kyungpook National University (South Korea)
Curcumin, a polyphenol responsible for the yellow color of the curry spice turmeric, possesses antiinflammatory, antiproliferative and antiangiogenic activities. However, anticoagulant activities of curcumin have not been studied.
The anticoagulant properties of curcumin and its derivative (bisdemethoxycurcumin, BDMC) were determined by monitoring activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT), prothrombin time (PT) as well as cell-based thrombin and activated factor X (FXa) generation activities.
Data showed that curcumin and BDMC prolonged aPTT and PT significantly and inhibited thrombin and FXa activities. They inhibited the generation of thrombin or FXa. In accordance with these anticoagulant activities, curcumin and BDMC showed anticoagulant effect in vivo.
Surprisingly, these anticoagulant effects of curcumin were better than those of BDMC indicating that methoxy group in curcumin positively regulated anticoagulant function of curcumin. Therefore, these results suggest that curcumin and BDMC possess antithrombotic activities and daily consumption of the curry spice turmeric might help maintain anticoagulant status.
Probiotics may prevent breast cancer: Study
Western University (Ontario), June 27, 2022
A new study has found probiotics may prove to be a critical factor in preventing breast cancer.
Dr Gregor Reid, the professor of microbiology, immunology and surgery at the Western University in Ontario, Canada, said the bacteria having the potential to abet breast cancer are present in the breasts of cancer patients, while beneficial bacteria are more abundant in healthy breasts.
In the study, Reid's PhD student Camilla Urbaniak obtained breast tissues from 58 women, who were undergoing lumpectomies or mastectomies for either benign (13 women) or cancerous (45 women) tumors as well as from 23 healthy women, who had undergone breast reductions or enhancements.
Researchers found that women with breast cancer had elevated levels of Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus epidermidis, two bacteria known to induce double-stranded breaks in DNA in HeLa cells, which are cultured human cells. They say the breaks are prone to errors, which can cause cancer to develop.
Health-promoting bacteria Lactobacillus and Streptococcus (lactic acid bacteria) were more abundant in women with healthy breasts, both are anti-carcinogenic.
'Mystical' psychedelic compound found in normal brains
University of Michigan, June 27, 2022
In the past few years, thrill-seekers from Hollywood, Silicon Valley and beyond have been travelling to South America to take part in so-called Ayahuasca retreats. Their goal: to partake in a brewed concoction made from a vine plant Banisteriopsis caapi, traditionally used by indigenous people for sacred religious ceremonies. Drinkers of Ayahuasca experience short-term hallucinogenic episodes many describe as life-changing.
The active ingredient responsible for these psychedelic visions is a molecule called dimethyltryptamine (DMT). For the first time, a team led by Michigan Medicine has discovered the widespread presence of naturally-occurring DMT in the mammalian brain. The finding is the first step toward studying DMT-- and figuring out its role -- within the brains of humans.
"DMT is not just in plants, but also can be detected in mammals," says Jimo Borjigin, Ph.D., of the Department of Molecular and Integrative Physiology. Her interest in DMT came about accidentally. Before studying the psychedelic, her research focused on melatonin production in the pineal gland.
In the seventeenth century, the philosopher Rene Descartes claimed that the pineal gland, a small pinecone-shaped organ located deep in the center of the brain, was the seat of the soul. Since its discovery, the pineal gland, known by some as the third eye, has been shrouded in mystery. Scientists now know it controls the production of melatonin, playing an important role in modulating circadian rhythms, or the body's internal clock.
The core idea seems to come from a documentary featuring the work of researcher Rick Strassman, Ph.D. with the University of New Mexico School of Medicine. In the mid-1990s, he conducted an experiment in which human subjects were given DMT by IV injection and interviewed after its effects wore off. In a documentary about the experiment, Strassman claims that he believed the pineal gland makes and secretes DMT.
Borjigin sought to discover how and where DMT was synthesized. They found DMT in other parts of the brain, including the neocortex and hippocampus that are important for higher-order brain functions including learning and memory."
A paper published in 2018 by researchers in the U.K. purported that DMT simulates the near death experience, wherein people report the sensation of transcending their bodies and entering another realm.
Puffing curcumin may blast Alzheimer’s
Vanderbilt University, Jun 22, 2022
The new delivery method may be more effective than others in getting the compound past the blood-brain barrier and into the brain, where it can fight the plaque that leads to Alzheimer's.
Deep breaths of curcumin may be key to fighting Alzheimer’s disease, according to a new study from Vanderbilt University.
Curcumin, a compound in the spice turmeric, has a demonstrated ability to smash the plaques in the brain that lead to the neuron loss that causes Alzheimer’s, according to the study’s senior author,Wellington Pham, Ph.D
The challenge, however, has been getting the curcumin into the brain.
Pham and colleagues at Shiga University of Medical Science in Otsu, Japan, developed a new delivery strategy. They created a curcumin moleculte that could be tracked with an MRI, to be administered as an aerosol through a nebulizer. This method delivers the dose more directly to the brain than taking the compound orally and digesting it.
After tests in mice, the team found that “delivery to the cortex and hippocampal areas is more efficient using aerosolized curcumin than intervenous injection in a transgenic mouse model of Alzheimer’s disease,” said Pham.
Anti-anxiety medication limits empathetic behavior in rats
University of Chicago, June 27, 2022
Rats given midazolam, an anti-anxiety medication, were less likely to free trapped companions because the drug lessened their empathy, according to a new study by University of Chicago neuroscientists.
The research, published in the journal Frontiers in Psychology, validates studies that show rats are emotionally motivated to help other rats in distress. In the latest study, rats treated with midazolam did not open the door to a restrainer device containing a trapped rat, although control rats routinely freed their trapped companions. Midazolam did not interfere with the rats' physical ability to open the restrainer door, however. In fact, when the restrainer device contained chocolate instead of a trapped rat, the test rats routinely opened the door. The findings show that the act of helping others depends on emotional reactions, which are dampened by the anti-anxiety medication.
"The rats help each other because they care," said Peggy Mason, PhD, professor of neurobiology at the University of Chicago. "They need to share the affect of the trapped rat in order to help, and that's a fundamental finding that tells us something about how we operate, because we're mammals like rats too."
7 Simple Ways to Unclog Your Arteries Naturally
GreenMedInfo, June 23, 2022
Statistically, atherosclerosis (the progressive clogging of the arteries) is the #1 killer on the planet. A complex process, involving autoimmunity, infection, dietary incompatibilities, and many known and unknown factors, it is – despite conventional medical opinion – entirely preventable, and in some cases reversible.
Here is the peer-reviewed, published research proving the fact:
- B Vitamins – yes, something as simple as adding a source of B-complex to your regimen can prevent the juggernaut of heart disease from taking your life prematurely. A doubled-blind, randomized study, published in 2005, in the journal Atherosclerosis found that a simple intervention using 2.5 mg folic acid, 25 mg Vitamin B6, and 0.5mg Vitamin B12 for 1 year, resulted in significant reductions in arterial thickness (as measured by intima media thickeness).[1] Even niacin ]or folic acid alone has been show to have this effect in patients. [Note: Always opt for natural sources of the B-group vitamins, including probiotic supplementation (which produce the entire complement for you), or a whole food extract, versus synthetic or semi-synthetic vitamins which, sadly, predominate on the market today].
- Garlic – as we have documented extensively previously, garlic can save your life. It has been found to regress plaque buildup in the arteries, among many other potentially life-saving health benefits.
- Pomegranate – this super healing fruit has been found to regress plaque buildup in the arteries, as well as being demonstrated to provide dozens of validated health benefits, including replacing the function of the mammalian ovary!
- Fermented Cabbage – Kimchi, a Korean recipe, which includes fermented cabbage, hot pepper, and various other ingredients, including fermented fish, appears to stall the atherosclerotic process in the animal model. Additionally, strains of good bacteria in kimchi have been found capable of degrading toxic chemicals that can additional bodily harm.
- L-Arginine: This amino acid is capable of preventing arterial thickening – up to 24% reduction! -- in the animal model. We have done an extensive literature review on arginine supplementation and have found that in over 30 studies demonstrating this fact addition to 150 known health benefits, it is capable of addressing the underlying dysfunction associated with cardiovascular disease: endothelial dysfunction, with no less than 20 studies proving this fact.
- Curcumin: the primary polyphenol in the Indian spice turmeric known as curcumin has been found to be an excellent cardioprotective, with over 30 studies demonstrating this fact. One study found that curcumin prevented damage to the arteries associated with blockage (neointima formation).
- Sesame Seed: probably one of the most underappreciated super foods on the planet, sesame seed, which we have shown is as effective as Tylenol for arthritic pain, may be an excellent cardioprotective substance, ideally suited for preventing the progression of atherosclerosis. One animal study found it was capable of preventing atherosclerosis lesion formation.
Broccoli Reduces Your Risk of Four Major Diseases
University of Illinois, June 23, 2022
It's one of the most advantageous veggies you can eat, and love it or hate it, broccoli offers an array of health benefits. University of Illinois researchers have identified candidate genes controlling the accumulation of phenolic compounds in broccoli. Consumption of phenolic compounds, including certain flavonoids, is associated with a lower risk of coronary heart disease, type II diabetes, asthma, and cancer.
Sulforaphane in broccoli can also help to prevent or slow the progress of one of the most common forms of arthritis. Scientists have also discovered that broccoli protects the skin against the sun's harmful ultraviolet rays. Many studies have shown that a diet rich in vegetables -- particularly brassica vegetables such as broccoli -- is linked to decreased risk of heart disease and stroke.
The researchers crossed two broccoli lines and tested their progeny in terms of total phenolic content and their ability to neutralize oxygen radicals in cellular assays. They then used a genetic technique called quantitative trait locus analysis to search for the genes involved in generating phenolics in the most promising progeny.
By identifying the genes involved in accumulating these compounds, the researchers are one step closer to breeding broccoli and related Brassica vegetables like kale and cabbage with mega-doses of phenolic compounds.
The good news is that phenolic compounds are flavorless and stable, meaning the vegetables can be cooked without losing health-promoting qualities.
Once these vegetables are consumed, the phenolic compounds are absorbed and targeted to certain areas of the body or concentrated in the liver. Flavonoids spread through the bloodstream, reducing inflammation through their antioxidant activity.
"These are things we can't make ourselves, so we have to get them from our diets," Juvik says. "The compounds don't stick around forever, so we need to eat broccoli or some other Brassica vegetable every three or four days to lower the risk of cancers and other degenerative diseases."
Can Chronic Cellphone Use Hinder your Infant’s Development?
Environmental Health Trust, June 23, 2022
The two most important communicative mechanisms a newborn innately has to navigate his world are eye gaze and crying. From birth, newborns are constantly developing speech, language and communication skills with every response they command from their caregiver. As early as 5 days old, an infant can tailor his cries to reflect hunger, wetness, or discomfort as well as differentiate between mother and caregiver. Additionally, very early on newborns and infants develop prelinguistic skills: eye gaze (signaling a cue for communication) and joint attention – the ability of an infant to rest his or her gaze on a object at the same time the caregiver is looking at the same object. It is speculated that eye gaze between baby and mother is one of the most important prelinguistic skills to occur before verbal communication develops.
However, excessive cell phone usage can work to hinder the communicative rhythm and bonding experience that new mothers and infants work to establish, especially within the first six months. Communicative cues can be easily missed and trying to decode differences in newborn cries (hunger vs wet diaper) can become very difficult. As it is so important for new mothers to pay attention to different cries, constant distraction from a cell phone can alter the way the other perceives the cry, thus making it more difficult to decode.
Infants are so intuitive early on, that even the slightest delay in response to a coo or a cry can alter the way they perceive their world. Additionally, if a mother is perusing high-emotion content that is so pertinent in Facebook and social media, the overflow of emotion may inadequately color her response to the infant.
Breastfeeding can also be affected by a constant need to search the web or pursue Facebook, taking away from a significant bonding period for mother and baby, according to Erin Odom.
Physically, the mother may be present but mentally they are “somewhere else”. Many mothers use the cellphone to pass the time during the long nursing/feeding sessions of early infancy. However, infants are highly communicative during feeding, and texting and social media, when so engrossing, can distract a mother from the needs of the infant.
Chronic cell phone usage such as texting and social media usage could absolutely hinder infant development as a result of missed cues on the part of the mother.
The early months of a newborn who continuously has to wait for mother while looking at the cellphone before responding, to cry initiation for communication or other cues, the brain’s connections will actually reorganize around this delay, later dampening the development of instinctual communication between mother and infant.
Yoga And Meditation Could Potentially Reverse The Genetic Effects Of Stress
Coventry University (UK), Antwerp University (Belgium), Radboud University (Netherlands), June 21, 2022
A review of multiple studies focusing on the effects of mindfulness practices like yoga and meditation has found that these efforts may have the potential to reverse genetic expressions of stress.
As the analysis, published in the journal Frontiers in Immunology, explains:
While some MBIs, such as yoga, Tai Chi, and Qigong, have a strong physical component, others like meditation and mindfulness, breath regulation techniques, and the relaxation response (RR) are mainly sedentary. Despite the variability in these techniques, they all seem to produce various psychological benefits on healthy and clinical populations, such as the reduction of perceived stress , the alleviation of depression, decreases in anxiety, or to help in coping with a chronic medical disease. However, it is less clear what are the mechanisms underpinning the self-reported benefits of MBIs.
Noting that there is some speculation that “MBIs increase gray matter in the brain regions related to emotion regulation, learning, memory, self-referential processes, and perspective taking,” they acknowledged the evidence is not conclusive and set out to delve deeper into the genetic expressions of stress and how MBIs may affect them.
The review analyzed 18 studies “that used gene expression analysis in research on meditation and related MBIs [mind-body interventions].” Ultimately, they found that “meditation and related MBIs [were associated with] downregulation of NF-κB-targeted genes, which can be understood as the reversal of the molecular signature of the effects of chronic stress.”h useful information unless the relationship between gene expression and psychological variables is directly explored.”
Curcumin-piperine combo may support heart health for diabetics: Study Baqiyatallah University of Medical Science (Iran), June 25, 2022 A combination supplement containing curcuminoids plus piperine from black pepper may support heart health for diabetics by improving the levels and functionality of cholesterol, says a new study.
The combination reduced total cholesterol and non-HDL cholesterol levels, and improved levels of Lp(a) [Lipoprotein(a)], a structural component of LDL.
“Although elevated Lp(a) has been considered as an important risk factor for premature atherosclerotic CVD for quite a long time independently of LDL-C and non-HDL-C levels, until very recently, the possibilities of influencing Lp(a) were extremely limited,” wrote scientists from Iran, Croatia and the USA in Complementary Therapies in Medicine .
“Hence, this finding that curcuminoids as naturally occurring dietary supplements can decrease elevated Lp(a) in patients with [type 2 diabetes] is very important since such supplements are becoming more and more popular and attractive to the patients.”
On the other hand, the curcumin-piperine combination significantly increased HDL levels by 1.56 mg/dL, compared to only 0.2 mg/dL in the placebo group.
Parkinson's is partly an autoimmune disease, study finds Columbia University, June 21, 2022
Researchers have found direct evidence that autoimmunity—in which the immune system attacks the body's own tissues—plays a role in Parkinson's disease, the neurodegenerative movement disorder. The findings raise the possibility that the death of neurons in Parkinson's could be prevented by therapies that dampen the immune response.
The study, led by scientists at Columbia University Medical Center (CUMC) and the La Jolla Institute for Allergy and Immunology, was published in Nature.
"The idea that a malfunctioning immune system contributes to Parkinson's dates back almost 100 years," said study co-leader David Sulzer, PhD, professor of neurobiology (in psychiatry, neurology and pharmacology) at CUMC. "But until now, no one has been able to connect the dots. Our findings show that two fragments of alpha-synuclein, a protein that accumulates in the brain cells of people with Parkinson's, can activate the T cells involved in autoimmune attacks.
"These findings, however, could provide a much-needed diagnostic test for Parkinson's disease, and could help us to identify individuals at risk or in the early stages of the disease."
Scientists once thought that neurons were protected from autoimmune attacks. However, in a 2014 study, Dr. Sulzer's lab demonstrated that dopamine neurons (those affected by Parkinson's disease) are vulnerable because they have proteins on the cell surface that help the immune system recognize foreign substances. As a result, they concluded, T cells had the potential to mistake neurons damaged by Parkinson's disease for foreign invaders.
The new study found that T cells can be tricked into thinking dopamine neurons are foreign by the buildup of damaged alpha-synuclein proteins, a key feature of Parkinson's disease. "In most cases of Parkinson's, dopamine neurons become filled with structures called Lewy bodies, which are primarily composed of a misfolded form of alpha-synuclein," said Dr. Sulzer.
Vegetarian diets produce fewer greenhouse gases and increase longevity, say new studies
Loma Linda Health University, June 25, 2022
Consuming a plant-based diet results in a more sustainable environment and reduces greenhouse gas emissions, while improving longevity, according to new research from Loma Linda University Health.
Based on findings that identified food systems as a significant contributor to global warming, the study focuses on the dietary patterns of vegetarians, semi-vegetarians and non-vegetarians to quantify and compare greenhouse gas emissions, as well as assess total mortality.
The mortality rate for non-vegetarians was almost 20 percent higher than that for vegetarians and semi-vegetarians. On top of lower mortality rates, switching from non-vegetarian diets to vegetarian diets or even semi-vegetarian diets also helps reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The vegetarian diets resulted in almost a third less emissions compared to the non-vegetarian diets. Modifying the consumption of animal-based foods can therefore be a feasible and effective tool for climate change mitigation and public health improvements, the study concluded.
"The takeaway message is that relatively small reductions in the consumption of animal products result in non-trivial environmental benefits and health benefits," said Sam Soret, Ph.D., MPH, associate dean at Loma Linda University School of Public Health and co-author of the studies.
"The study analyzed more than 73,000 participants. The level of detail we have on food consumption and health outcomes at the individual level makes these findings unprecedented,” Soret said.
Article:
How the organized Left got Covid wrong, learned to love lockdowns and lost its mind: an autopsy
https://thegrayzone.com/2022/03/31/left-covid-lockdowns-mind-autopsy/
EU Renews Digital COVID Pass Despite 99% Negative Public Feedback
https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/eu-renews-digital-covid-pass-despite-99-negative-public-feedback
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HEALTH NEWS
- Grape consumption may offer benefits for symptomatic knee osteoarthritis
- Bad habits that lead to cancer, chronic disease corrected by simple lifestyle intervention
- The blueberry component pterostilbene has potent anti-myeloma activity
- Exercise makes the blood of obese people healthier
- People who go to bed late have less control over OCD symptoms
- Green tea-capsaicin-ginger combo linked to weight and metabolic improvements
Grape consumption may offer benefits for symptomatic knee osteoarthritis
Texas Woman’s University, June 20, 2022
New research suggests that regular grape consumption may help alleviate pain associated with symptomatic osteoarthritis of the knee, and improve joint flexibility and overall mobility. Researchers attribute these potential benefits to the polyphenols found in grapes.
The sixteen week clinical study, undertaken by Texas Woman’s University, was designed to investigate the benefits of grape consumption on inflammation and osteoarthritis outcomes. 72 men and women with knee osteoarthritis (OA) were assigned to either consume grapes in the form of a whole grape freeze-dried powder, or a placebo powder.
The study results showed that both men and women consuming a grape-enriched diet had a significant decrease in self-reported pain related to activity and an overall decrease in total knee symptoms. This beneficial effect was more pronounced in females. Additionally, age-related differences were observed: there was a 70% increase in very hard activity for those under 64 years of age consuming the grape powder, while those receiving the placebo reported a significant decrease in very hard activity. Participants over 65 years, whether consuming grapes or the placebo, reported a decline in moderate to hard activities.
Evidence of increased cartilage metabolism was observed in men consuming the grape-enriched diet; they had higher levels of an important cartilage growth factor (IGF-1) than those on placebo. This protective effect was not observed in the females. T
Bad habits that lead to cancer, chronic disease corrected by simple lifestyle intervention Northwestern University, June 19, 20122
Does this sound like someone you know? He or she spends too much time in front of screens, gets little exercise and eats a diet high in fat and low in fruits and vegetables. It likely sounds familiar because it describes a significant portion of the U.S. population.
A new Northwestern Medicine study found that a lifestyle intervention could fully normalize these four unhealthy behaviors, which put people at risk of developing heart disease and common cancers, including breast, colon and prostate.
“Our findings suggest that prevention of chronic disease through behavior change is feasible. They contradict the pessimistic assumption that it’s not possible to motivate relatively healthy people to make large, long-lasting healthy lifestyle changes,” said lead author Bonnie Spring at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine.
With the help of a smartphone app, a wearable activity tracker, some social support from a coach and a small financial incentive, study participants made large improvements in their eating and activity habits. From a starting point of less than two servings of fruits and vegetables per day, they increased their intake by 6.5 servings per day. They decreased saturated fat intake by 3.6 percent to consume less than 8 percent of their calories from saturated fat. From a baseline of 4.5 hours per day of leisure screen time, they decreased screen time by almost three hours and increased their moderate to vigorous exercise by 25 minutes per day over a nine-month trial.
Previous research has found that healthy behavior change usually reverts once financial incentives cease. But this study stopped offering the financial incentive after only 12 weeks, and participants still achieved positive results throughout the nine-month trial.
The blueberry component pterostilbene has potent anti-myeloma activity
Tongji University (China), June 23, 2022
Investigators at Tongji University School of Medicine Zero stated, “Multiple myeloma (MM) is an incurable hematologic malignancy because of its drug resistance. Pterostilbene (Pter) is found mainly in blueberries and grapes.”
The effects of Pter and its exact pharmacologic mechanisms on chemoresistant myeloma are not known. Herein, we investigated the anti-myeloma activity of Pter in bortezomib-resistant cell line H929R and explored the related mechanism of action for the first time. We found that Pter inhibited proliferation of H929R cells and promoted apoptosis of the cells through a caspase-dependent pathway, loss of mitochondrial membrane potential, and activation of Akt and p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathways. DNA damage and S-phase arrest might be involved in Pter-related toxicity in H929R cells.
The research concluded: “These data supported that Pter might be a promising natural compound for relapsed/refractory myeloma therapy, especially against myeloma resistant to bortezomib chemotherapy.”
Exercise makes the blood of obese people healthier Exercise can reduce inflammation in obese people by changing the characteristics of their blood, according to new research published in The Journal of Physiology.
University of Illinois, June 20, 2022
Many of the health problems linked to obesity are a result of chronic inflammation. Inflammation is a natural process in the body in response to harm, but in obese people it can become long term and this can lead to damage of healthy tissue. Certain blood cells are more likely to cause inflammation, and if these cells are made in the body in greater numbers than normal they can spread to organs in the body and cause them to malfunction.
The blood cells responsible for causing inflammation are formed from stem cells within the body.
This new research is the first to show that exercise alters the characteristics of these blood forming stem cells and therefore reduces the number of blood cells likely to cause inflammation. These findings provide a new explanation of how exercise may improve health in adults with obesity.
Young, lean adults and young, obese adults (who were otherwise healthy) were recruited for this study. The exercise program consisted of three bicycling or treadmill running sessions per week with each session lasting approximately one hour. Blood was collected before and after the exercise training intervention to quantify blood-forming stem cells. The results of the study demonstrated that exercise reduced the number of blood-forming stem cells associated with the production of the type of blood cells responsible for inflammation.
People who go to bed late have less control over OCD symptoms
Binghamton University, June 24, 2022
A late bedtime is associated with lower perceived control of obsessive thoughts, according to new research from Binghamton University, State University of New York.
Binghamton University Professor Meredith E. Coles monitored twenty individuals diagnosed with OCD and ten individuals endorsing subthreshold OCD symptoms during one week of sleep. Participants completed sleep diaries and daily ratings of perceived degree of control over obsessive thoughts and ritualized behaviors. The researchers found that previous night’s bedtime significantly predicted participants’ perceived ability to control their obsessive thoughts and compulsive behavior on the subsequent day.
“We’re really interested in how this kind of unusual timing of sleep might affect cognitive functioning,” said Schubert. “It might be that something about shifting the timing of your sleep might reduce your ability to control your thoughts and your behaviors, so it might make it more likely that you’re going to have a hard time dismissing intrusive thoughts characteristic of obsessions, and it might make it more difficult for you to refrain from compulsive behaviors that are designed to reduce the anxiety caused by obsessive thoughts.”
On average participants in the study went to bed around 12:30 at night. Patients who met criteria for delayed sleep phase disorder, about 40% of the sample, went to bed around 3 a.m.
Green tea-capsaicin-ginger combo linked to weight and metabolic improvements
Kashan University of Medical Sciences (Iran), June 24, 2022
Dietary supplements containing green tea, capsaicin and ginger extracts may lead to weight loss and improvements in BMI, says a new study.
Data from the randomized double-blind placebo-controlled clinical trial involving 50 overweight women also produced beneficial changes in insulin levels, and measure of insulin resistance.
“Our study indicated that taking green tea, capsaicin and ginger co-supplements for 8 weeks among overweight women had beneficial effects on weight, BMI, markers of insulin metabolism and plasma [glutathione] levels,” wrote the scientists.
Women were assigned to consume daily supplements containing 500 mg green tea, 100 mg capsaicin, and 200 mg ginger extracts, while another 25 women were assigned to consume placebo. After eight weeks, the results showed that, in addition to the improvements in body weight and BMI, women receiving the extracts showed significant decreases in serum insulin concentrations (-2.6 µIU/mL) compared to the placebo (-0.6 µIU/mL).
Insulin resistance, as measured by HOMA-IR, also improved compared to placebo, while levels of the antioxidant enzyme glutathione also improved in the women consuming the green tea, capsaicin and ginger supplements (+73.8 µmol/L), while levels decreased in the women receiving placebo (-28.3 µmol/L).
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HEALTH NEWS
- Grape consumption may offer benefits for symptomatic knee osteoarthritis
- Bad habits that lead to cancer, chronic disease corrected by simple lifestyle intervention
- The blueberry component pterostilbene has potent anti-myeloma activity
- Exercise makes the blood of obese people healthier
- People who go to bed late have less control over OCD symptoms
- Green tea-capsaicin-ginger combo linked to weight and metabolic improvements
Grape consumption may offer benefits for symptomatic knee osteoarthritis
Texas Woman’s University, June 20, 2022
New research suggests that regular grape consumption may help alleviate pain associated with symptomatic osteoarthritis of the knee, and improve joint flexibility and overall mobility. Researchers attribute these potential benefits to the polyphenols found in grapes.
The sixteen week clinical study, undertaken by Texas Woman’s University, was designed to investigate the benefits of grape consumption on inflammation and osteoarthritis outcomes. 72 men and women with knee osteoarthritis (OA) were assigned to either consume grapes in the form of a whole grape freeze-dried powder, or a placebo powder.
The study results showed that both men and women consuming a grape-enriched diet had a significant decrease in self-reported pain related to activity and an overall decrease in total knee symptoms. This beneficial effect was more pronounced in females. Additionally, age-related differences were observed: there was a 70% increase in very hard activity for those under 64 years of age consuming the grape powder, while those receiving the placebo reported a significant decrease in very hard activity. Participants over 65 years, whether consuming grapes or the placebo, reported a decline in moderate to hard activities.
Evidence of increased cartilage metabolism was observed in men consuming the grape-enriched diet; they had higher levels of an important cartilage growth factor (IGF-1) than those on placebo. This protective effect was not observed in the females. T
Bad habits that lead to cancer, chronic disease corrected by simple lifestyle intervention Northwestern University, June 19, 20122
Does this sound like someone you know? He or she spends too much time in front of screens, gets little exercise and eats a diet high in fat and low in fruits and vegetables. It likely sounds familiar because it describes a significant portion of the U.S. population.
A new Northwestern Medicine study found that a lifestyle intervention could fully normalize these four unhealthy behaviors, which put people at risk of developing heart disease and common cancers, including breast, colon and prostate.
“Our findings suggest that prevention of chronic disease through behavior change is feasible. They contradict the pessimistic assumption that it’s not possible to motivate relatively healthy people to make large, long-lasting healthy lifestyle changes,” said lead author Bonnie Spring at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine.
With the help of a smartphone app, a wearable activity tracker, some social support from a coach and a small financial incentive, study participants made large improvements in their eating and activity habits. From a starting point of less than two servings of fruits and vegetables per day, they increased their intake by 6.5 servings per day. They decreased saturated fat intake by 3.6 percent to consume less than 8 percent of their calories from saturated fat. From a baseline of 4.5 hours per day of leisure screen time, they decreased screen time by almost three hours and increased their moderate to vigorous exercise by 25 minutes per day over a nine-month trial.
Previous research has found that healthy behavior change usually reverts once financial incentives cease. But this study stopped offering the financial incentive after only 12 weeks, and participants still achieved positive results throughout the nine-month trial.
The blueberry component pterostilbene has potent anti-myeloma activity
Tongji University (China), June 23, 2022
Investigators at Tongji University School of Medicine Zero stated, “Multiple myeloma (MM) is an incurable hematologic malignancy because of its drug resistance. Pterostilbene (Pter) is found mainly in blueberries and grapes.”
The effects of Pter and its exact pharmacologic mechanisms on chemoresistant myeloma are not known. Herein, we investigated the anti-myeloma activity of Pter in bortezomib-resistant cell line H929R and explored the related mechanism of action for the first time. We found that Pter inhibited proliferation of H929R cells and promoted apoptosis of the cells through a caspase-dependent pathway, loss of mitochondrial membrane potential, and activation of Akt and p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathways. DNA damage and S-phase arrest might be involved in Pter-related toxicity in H929R cells.
The research concluded: “These data supported that Pter might be a promising natural compound for relapsed/refractory myeloma therapy, especially against myeloma resistant to bortezomib chemotherapy.”
Exercise makes the blood of obese people healthier Exercise can reduce inflammation in obese people by changing the characteristics of their blood, according to new research published in The Journal of Physiology.
University of Illinois, June 20, 2022
Many of the health problems linked to obesity are a result of chronic inflammation. Inflammation is a natural process in the body in response to harm, but in obese people it can become long term and this can lead to damage of healthy tissue. Certain blood cells are more likely to cause inflammation, and if these cells are made in the body in greater numbers than normal they can spread to organs in the body and cause them to malfunction.
The blood cells responsible for causing inflammation are formed from stem cells within the body.
This new research is the first to show that exercise alters the characteristics of these blood forming stem cells and therefore reduces the number of blood cells likely to cause inflammation. These findings provide a new explanation of how exercise may improve health in adults with obesity.
Young, lean adults and young, obese adults (who were otherwise healthy) were recruited for this study. The exercise program consisted of three bicycling or treadmill running sessions per week with each session lasting approximately one hour. Blood was collected before and after the exercise training intervention to quantify blood-forming stem cells. The results of the study demonstrated that exercise reduced the number of blood-forming stem cells associated with the production of the type of blood cells responsible for inflammation.
People who go to bed late have less control over OCD symptoms
Binghamton University, June 24, 2022
A late bedtime is associated with lower perceived control of obsessive thoughts, according to new research from Binghamton University, State University of New York.
Binghamton University Professor Meredith E. Coles monitored twenty individuals diagnosed with OCD and ten individuals endorsing subthreshold OCD symptoms during one week of sleep. Participants completed sleep diaries and daily ratings of perceived degree of control over obsessive thoughts and ritualized behaviors. The researchers found that previous night’s bedtime significantly predicted participants’ perceived ability to control their obsessive thoughts and compulsive behavior on the subsequent day.
“We’re really interested in how this kind of unusual timing of sleep might affect cognitive functioning,” said Schubert. “It might be that something about shifting the timing of your sleep might reduce your ability to control your thoughts and your behaviors, so it might make it more likely that you’re going to have a hard time dismissing intrusive thoughts characteristic of obsessions, and it might make it more difficult for you to refrain from compulsive behaviors that are designed to reduce the anxiety caused by obsessive thoughts.”
On average participants in the study went to bed around 12:30 at night. Patients who met criteria for delayed sleep phase disorder, about 40% of the sample, went to bed around 3 a.m.
Green tea-capsaicin-ginger combo linked to weight and metabolic improvements
Kashan University of Medical Sciences (Iran), June 24, 2022
Dietary supplements containing green tea, capsaicin and ginger extracts may lead to weight loss and improvements in BMI, says a new study.
Data from the randomized double-blind placebo-controlled clinical trial involving 50 overweight women also produced beneficial changes in insulin levels, and measure of insulin resistance.
“Our study indicated that taking green tea, capsaicin and ginger co-supplements for 8 weeks among overweight women had beneficial effects on weight, BMI, markers of insulin metabolism and plasma [glutathione] levels,” wrote the scientists.
Women were assigned to consume daily supplements containing 500 mg green tea, 100 mg capsaicin, and 200 mg ginger extracts, while another 25 women were assigned to consume placebo. After eight weeks, the results showed that, in addition to the improvements in body weight and BMI, women receiving the extracts showed significant decreases in serum insulin concentrations (-2.6 µIU/mL) compared to the placebo (-0.6 µIU/mL).
Insulin resistance, as measured by HOMA-IR, also improved compared to placebo, while levels of the antioxidant enzyme glutathione also improved in the women consuming the green tea, capsaicin and ginger supplements (+73.8 µmol/L), while levels decreased in the women receiving placebo (-28.3 µmol/L).
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Strawberry Compound Shown to Protect Against Alzheimer’s, Memory Loss
Salk Institute for Biological Studies, June 16, 2022
The thought of losing your mind is a frightening one, but one in three Americans die with Alzheimer’s or some other form of dementia. Regardless how frightening the possibility is, the chances of it happening to you aren’t exactly slim, which means prevention should be at the forefront of your mind. A recent study from the Salk Institute for Biological Studies indicates prevention could be as simple as a natural foods diet—rich in fruits (such as strawberries) and vegetables containing something called fisetin.
Fisetin is a flavonol found in strawberries, mangoes, cucumbers, and other vegetables and fruits. Researchers with the Salk Institute found this simple compound can actually reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s in mice, and could be effective in humans as well.
Maher and her team have documented that fisetin has both anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties in the brain. It is also able to turn on a cellular pathway related to memory function.
The team looked to a type of mouse with mutated genes making them vulnerable to Alzheimer’s. At three months old, the researchers began feeding the mice a diet enriched with fisetin.
Mice who hadn’t received the fisetin began struggling in the mazes at nine months of age, but the fisetin mice performed as well as normal (non-predisposed) mice at both nine and twelve months of age.
Avocados may hold the answer to beating leukemia
University of Waterloo (Canada), June 16, 2022
Rich, creamy, nutritious and now cancer fighting. New research reveals that molecules derived from avocados could be effective in treating a form of cancer.
Professor Paul Spagnuolo from the University of Waterloo has discovered a lipid in avocados that combats acute myeloid leukemia (AML) by targeting the root of the disease – leukemia stem cells. Worldwide, there are few drug treatments available to patients that target leukemia stem cells.
“The stem cell is really the cell that drives the disease,” said Professor Spagnuolo, in Waterloo’s School of Pharmacy. “The stem cell is largely responsible for the disease developing and it’s the reason why so many patients with leukemia relapse. We’ve performed many rounds of testing to determine how this new drug works at a molecular level and confirmed that it targets stem cells selectively, leaving healthy cells unharmed.”
Inability to stand on one leg for 10 seconds in mid to later life linked to near doubling in risk of death Exercise Medicine Clinic-CLINIMEX (Brazil) and University of Eastern Finland, June 21, 2022 The inability to stand on one leg for 10 seconds in mid- to later life is linked to a near doubling in the risk of death from any cause within the next 10 years, finds research published online in the British Journal of Sports Medicine
This simple and safe balance test could be included in routine health checks for older adults, say the researchers.
The researchers wanted to find out whether a balance test might be a reliable indicator of a person’s risk of death from any cause within the next decade, and, as such, might therefore merit inclusion in routine health checks in later life.
Participants were asked to stand on one leg for 10 seconds without any additional support.
To improve standardization of the test, participants were asked to place the front of the free foot on the back of the opposite lower leg, while keeping their arms by their sides and their gaze fixed straight ahead. Up to three attempts on either foot were permitted.
In all, around 1 in 5 (20.5%; 348) participants failed to pass the test. The inability to do so rose in tandem with age, more or less doubling at subsequent 5 year intervals from the age of 51-55 onwards.
The proportions of those unable to stand on one leg for 10 seconds were: nearly 5% among 51-55 year-olds; 8% among 56-60 year-olds; just under 18% among 61-65 year-olds; and just under 37% among 66-70 year-olds.
More than half (around 54%) of those aged 71-75 were unable to complete the test. In other words, people in this age group were more than 11 times as likely to fail the test as those just 20 years younger.
During an average monitoring period of 7 years, 123 (7%) people died: cancer (32%); cardiovascular disease (30%); respiratory disease (9%); and COVID-19 complications (7%). The proportion of deaths among those who failed the test was significantly higher: 17.5% vs. 4.5%, reflecting an absolute difference of just under 13%.
Anxious Children have Bigger “Fear Centers” in the Brain
Stanford University School of Medicine, June 16, 2022
The amygdala is a key “fear center” in the brain. Alterations in the development of the amygdala during childhood may have an important influence on the development of anxiety problems, reports a new study in the current issue of Biological Psychiatry.
Researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine recruited 76 children, 7 to 9 years of age, a period when anxiety-related traits and symptoms can first be reliably identified.
The researchers found that children with high levels of anxiety had enlarged amygdala volume and increased connectivity with other brain regions responsible for attention, emotion perception, and regulation, compared to children with low levels of anxiety. They also developed an equation that reliably predicted the children’s anxiety level from the MRI measurements of amygdala volume and amygdala functional connectivity. The most affected region was the basolateral portion of the amygdala, a subregion of the amygdala implicated in fear learning and the processing of emotion-related information.
Our study represents an important step in characterizing altered brain systems and developing predictive biomarkers in the identification for young children at risk for anxiety disorders,” Qin said.
New research: Olive oil compound destroys cancer cells in 30 minutes
Rutgers University & Hunter College, June 12, 2022
Oleocanthal, a polyphenolic, therapeutic compound found in olive oil is the subject of a new anti-cancer study performed by nutritional science and cancer biology researchers with The School of Environmental and Biological Sciences at Rutgers and Hunter’s College in New York City.
Programmed cell death, known as apoptosis takes approximately 16-24 hours. Dynamic new research just published in the Journal of Molecular and Cellular Oncology blew scientists away – when exposed to oleocanthal, a polyphenol compound found in olive oil, cancerous cells died within 30 minutes to an hour. While researchers previously understood that compounds in olive oil were capable of killing cancer cells, until now, such short apoptosis had not been observed.
Even more fascinating was when the team looked closely to surmise why apoptosis was occurring under such swift circumstances – they discovered that cancer cells were being killed by their own enzymes. And, not only one isolated type of cancerous cell, but all of the cancerous cells they were examining.
Unlike chemotherapeutic pharmaceuticals that devastate healthy cellular activity, the therapeutic polyphenolic compound found in olive oil kills cancer while maintaining vitality among healthy cells. As Paul Breslin, one of the study’s authors at Rutgers noted, while cancerous cells died, healthy cells were not harmed, but rather the oleocanthal “put them to sleep.” The lifecycle of healthy cells was only temporarily affected in this way, without any negative observations and in approximately 24 hours, the healthy cells resumed their life cycle.
Sports, not screens: The key to happier, healthier children University of South Australia, June 21, 2022
Whether it’s sports practice, music lessons or a casual catch up with friends, when children are involved in after-school activities, they’re more likely to feel happier and healthier than their counterparts who are glued to a screen.
In a new study conducted by the University of South Australia, researchers found that children’s well-being is heightened when they participate in extra-curricular activities, yet lowered when they spent time on social media or playing video games.
Published in BMC Pediatrics, the study analyzed data from 61,759 school students in years 4 to 9, assessing the average number of days per week children participated in after-school activities (3–6pm), and measure these against well-being factors—happiness, sadness, worry, engagement, perseverance, optimism, emotion regulation, and life satisfaction.
It found that most students watched TV about four days of the school week and spent time on social media about three days of the week.
Our study highlights how some out-of-school activities can boost children’s well-being, while others—particularly screens—can chip away at their mental and physical health. “Screens are a massive distraction for children of all ages. And whether children are gaming, watching TV or on social media, there’s something about all screens that’s damaging to their well-being.
Students in lower socio-economic backgrounds who frequently played sports were 15% more likely to be optimistic, 14% more likely to be happy and satisfied with their life, and 10% more likely to be able to regulate their emotions.
Conversely, children who played video games and used social media almost always had lower levels of well-being: up to 9% less likely to be happy, up to 8% to be less optimism and 11% to be more likely to give up on things.
Consumption of berries, fruits and vegetables and mortality among 10,000 Men Followed for four decades
Folkhalsan Research Center (Norway), June 17, 2022
Investigators from Folkhalsan Research Center in Norway found that consumption of berries, fruits and vegetables and mortality among 10,000 Norwegian men followed for four decades
"The association between vegetable and fruit consumption and risk of cancer and cardiovascular disease (CVD) has been investigated by several studies, whereas fewer studies have examined consumption of vegetables and fruits in relation to all-cause mortality. Studies on berries, a rich source of antioxidants, are rare."
"The purpose of the current study was to examine the association between intake of vegetables, fruits and berries (together and separately) and the risk of all-cause mortality and cause-specific mortality due to cancer and CVD and subtypes of these, in a cohort with very long follow-up. We used data from a population-based prospective Norwegian cohort study of 10,000 men.
Men who in total consumed vegetables, fruit and berries more than 27 times per month had an 8-10 % reduced risk of all-cause mortality compared with men with a lower consumption. They also had a 20 % reduced risk of stroke mortality. Consumption of fruit was inversely related to overall cancer mortality, with hazard rate ratios of 0.94, 0.84 and 0.79 in the second, third and firth quartile, respectively, compared with the first quartile."
According to the news editors, the research concluded: "Increased consumption of vegetables, fruits and berries was associated with a delayed risk of all-cause mortality and of mortality due to cancer and stroke."
UA researchers discover component of cinnamon prevents colorectal cancer in mice
University of Arizona, June 15, 2022
Research conducted at the University of Arizona College of Pharmacy and the UA Cancer Center indicates that a compound derived from cinnamon is a potent inhibitor of colorectal cancer.
Georg Wondrak, Ph.D., recently completed a study in which they proved that adding cinnamaldehyde, the compound that gives cinnamon its distinctive flavor and smell, to the diet of mice protected the mice against colorectal cancer. In response to cinnamaldehyde, the animals' cells had acquired the ability to protect themselves against exposure to a carcinogen through detoxification and repair.
Given cinnamon's important status as the third-most-consumed spice in the world,' Wondrak adds, 'there's relatively little research on its potential health benefits. If we can ascertain the positive effects of cinnamon, we would like to leverage this opportunity to potentially improve the health of people around the globe.'
Drs. Wondrak and Zhang's study, 'Nrf2-dependent suppression of azoxymethane/dextrane sulfate sodium-induced colon carcinogenesis by the cinnamon-derived dietary factor cinnamaldehyde,' has been published in Cancer Prevention Research later this spring.
Lean tissue benefit of protein supplementation affirmed Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (Brazil), June 17, 2022.
A “systematic review of systematic reviews” published in Sports Medicine showed that the addition of protein supplementation to resistance training is associated with a greater increase in lean body mass (body mass minus fat mass) in comparison with resistance training alone.
Researchers in Brazil selected 46 studies in the meta-analyses involved a total of 2,925 men and women over 50 years of age. Supplemented groups received 12 to 40 grams of protein or 3 to 10 grams of amino acids while the control groups received a placebo or no supplementation.
Among the 4 meta-analyses that evaluated lean body mass, 3 found a significant increase in association with resistance training plus protein supplementation compared to resistance training without supplementation. There was also a significant benefit for protein supplementation combined with training on muscle mass alone.
“It is possible to conclude that protein supplementation associated with resistance training induces greater increases in lean body mass compared with resistance training alone in older participants. In addition, it is suggested that the effect of protein supplementation on lean body mass is extended to the increase in muscle mass, while no additional effect of protein supplementation was observed on muscle strength in older adults.”
Study shows inhaled toxic particles take direct route from lungs to brain University of Birmingham, June 20, 2022
Breathing in polluted air could lead to toxic particles being transported from lungs to brain, via the bloodstream—potentially contributing to brain disorders and neurological damage, a new study reveals.
Scientists have discovered a possible direct pathway used by various inhaled fine particles through blood circulation with indications that, once there, the particles stay longer in the brain than in other main metabolic organs.
The scientists revealed they had found various fine particles in human cerebrospinal fluids taken from patients who had experienced brain disorders—uncovering a process which may result in toxic particulate substances ending up in the brain.
"The data suggests that up to eight times the number of fine particles may reach the brain by traveling, via the bloodstream, from the lungs than pass directly via the nose—adding new evidence on the relationship between air pollution and detrimental effects of such particles on the brain."
Turmeric: A Wellness Promoting Tonic At Low Doses, Research Reveals Ohio State University, June 12, 2022
A study published in the Nutrition Journal holds great interest among those on the fence about using dietary supplements to improve the quality and perhaps length of their lives, but for which clinical proof is lacking.
The study was conducted in healthy middle aged people (40–60 years old) with a low dose of curcumin (80 mg/day) in a fat soluble (lipidated) form. Two groups of 19 subjects were given either curcumin or placebo for 4 weeks. Blood and saliva samples were taken before and after the 4 weeks and analyzed for the following blood and saliva measures relevant to health promotion The positive results were reported as follows:
- Curcumin lowered triglycerides, but not cholesterol (note: lowering cholesterol may harm human health).
- Curcumin increased plasma contents of nitric oxide, a molecule that can work against high blood pressure, as well as lowering plasma concentrations of sICAM, a molecule linked to atherosclerosis.
- Curcumin raised plasma myeloperoxidase concentrations, without raising C-reactive protein and ceruloplasmin values – a sign of normal and inflammation-related neutrophil function.
- Curcumin reduced salivary amylase activities, which are an indicator of sympathetic nervous system stress.
- Curcumin raised salivary radical scavenging capacities, an indicator of reduced oxidative stress.·
- Curcumin reduced plasma contents of beta amyloid protein, a marker for brain aging and Alzheimer’s disease.
- Curcumin reduced ALT liver enzyme activities, a marker for liver injury.
Natural cocoa consumption: Potential to reduce atherogenic factors?
University of North Texas, June 17, 2022
According to news reporting in University of North Texas, research stated, "Short-term consumption of flavanol-rich cocoa has been demonstrated to improve various facets of vascular health. The purpose of the present study was to determine the effect of 4 weeks of natural cocoa consumption on selected cardiovascular disease (CVD) biomarkers in young (19-35 years) women of differing body mass indices (BMI)."
"Subjects (n=24) consumed a natural cocoa-containing product (12.7 g natural cocoa, 148 kcal/serving) or an isocaloric cocoa-free placebo daily for 4 weeks in a random, double-blind manner with a 2-week washout period between treatment arms.
Natural cocoa consumption resulted in a significant decrease in haptoglobin, EMP concentration and monocyte CD62L in obese compared to overweight and normal-weight subjects. Natural cocoa consumption regardless of BMI group was associated with an 18% increase in high-density lipoprotein and a 60% decrease in EMPs. Also, obese subjects experienced a 21% decrease in haptoglobin and a 24% decrease in monocyte CD62L expression in following 4 weeks of natural cocoa consumption. Collectively, these findings indicate that acute natural cocoa consumption was associated with decreased obesity-related disease risk."
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Pistachios may lower vascular response to stress in type 2 diabetes
Penn State University, June 17, 2022
Among people with type 2 diabetes, eating pistachios may reduce the body’s response to the stresses of everyday life, according to Penn State researchers.
“In adults with diabetes, two servings of pistachios per day lowered vascular constriction during stress and improved neural control of the heart,” said Sheila G. West, professor of biobehavioral health and nutritional sciences. “Although nuts are high in fat, they contain good fats, fiber, potassium and antioxidants. Given the high risk of heart disease in people with diabetes, nuts are an important component of a heart healthy diet in this population.”
West and her colleagues investigated the effects of pistachios on responses to standardized stress tasks in patients with well-controlled Type 2 diabetes who were otherwise healthy. They used a randomized, crossover study design in which all meals were provided. Each of the diets contained the same number of calories.
After two weeks on the typical American diet — containing 36 percent fat and 12 percent saturated fats — participants were randomized to one of two test diets. During the four-week test diets, participants ate only food supplied by the study. The researchers reported the results of this study in a recent issue of the Journal of the American Heart Association.
“We found that systolic blood pressure during sleep was particularly affected by pistachios,” she said. “Average sleep blood pressure was reduced by about 4 points and this would be expected to lower workload on the heart.” The researchers found that the pistachio diet lowered vascular constriction during stress. When arteries are dilated, the load on the heart is reduced. The physical challenge involved immersing one hand into icy water for two minutes.
Study finds curcumin, the main polyphenol in turmeric, as effective as Prozac in treating depression
Government Medical College (India), June 6, 2022
A recent study published in Phytotherapy Research shows that curcumin, the main polyphenol in turmeric, is as at least as effective as fluoxetine (Prozac) in treating depression.
Not only can it help ease symptoms of depression, but it does so safely, without the potential to cause suicidal thoughts, weight gain and even changes in blood pressure and heart rate that can lead to shock and death — some of the many side effects which have been linked to Prozac.
The study, conducted by researchers from the Department of Pharmacology at the Government Medical College in Bhavnagar, India, assessed groups of people who took curcumin capsules and Prozac, either individually or combined. Twenty people took 500 mg curcumin capsules twice daily, 20 took 20 mg of Prozac daily, and the remaining 20 people took a combination of the two. The Hamilton Depression Rating Scale, a questionnaire designed to gauge the severity of a person’s depression level, was given to assess any changes in mood among the individuals who participated in this study.
The findings showed that curcumin worked just as well as Prozac, acting as the “first clinical evidence that curcumin may be used as an effective and safe modality for treatment in patients with MDD without concurrent suicidal ideation or other psychotic disorders.” (1, 3) MDD stands for “Major Depressive Disorder.”
Monkeys that eat omega-3 rich diet show more developed brain networks
University of Oregon, June 13, 2022
Study gives new insight into similarity of complex brain networks in monkeys, humans
Monkeys that ate a diet rich in omega-3 fatty acids had brains with highly connected and well organized neural networks — in some ways akin to the neural networks in healthy humans — while monkeys that ate a diet deficient in the fatty acids had much more limited brain networking, according to an Oregon Health & Science University study.
The study, published in the Journal of Neuroscience, provides further evidence for the importance of omega-3 fatty acids in healthy brain development. It also represents the first time scientists have been able to use functional brain imaging in live animals to see the large-scale interaction of multiple brain networks in a monkey. These patterns are remarkably similar to the networks found in humans using the same imaging techniques.
The study measured a kind of omega-3 fatty acid called docosahexaenoic acid, or DHA, which is a primary component of the human brain and important in development of the brain and vision.
The study found that the monkeys that had the high-DHA diet had strong connectivity of early visual pathways in their brains. It also found that monkeys with the high-DHA diet showed greater connections within various brain networks similar to the human brain — including networks for higher-level processing and cognition
‘Mini-strokes’ lead to PTSD and other psychiatric disorder
University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, Germany June 15, 2022
Transient ischemic attacks are commonly referred to as “mini-strokes,” but this does not make them any less serious than major strokes. In fact, a recent study has found that around 30% of patients who have transient ischemic attacks go on to develop the symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Transient ischemic attacks (TIAs) occur when the flow of blood to the brain is disrupted temporarily, often by blood clots or other debris. They differ from major strokes in that the flow of blood is only blocked for a relatively short time – usually no more than 5 minutes.
Despite only disrupting blood flow temporarily, TIAs serve as warning signs for future major strokes. They indicate that there is a partially blocked artery or a clot source in the heart. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report that between 10-15% of people with TIA will experience a major stroke within 3 months.
“We found 1 in 3 TIA patients develop PTSD,” says study author Kathrin Utz from the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, Germany. “PTSD, which is perhaps better known as a problem found in survivors of war zones and natural disasters, can develop when a person experiences a frightening event that poses a serious threat.”
The researchers found that about 30% of the TIA patients reported symptoms of PTSD and 14% showed signs of a significantly reduced mental quality of life. Around 6.5% of the participants also had a reduced physical quality of life.
TIA patients who showed signs of PTSD were also more likely to show signs of depression, anxiety and a lower overall quality of life than those who did not.
Exercise linked to brain cell growth and improved memory University of Jyvaskyla (Finland), June 14, 2022
New research out of the University of Jyvaskyla in Finland has shown that exercise helps with preserving brain cells and preventing loss of memory, cognitive issues and general memory problems.
In the Finnish study, aerobic activity in particular was found to support healthier brain cells and prevent memory problems better than other exercise types studied, including weight lifting and high-intensity interval training (HIIT).
While weight lifting and HIIT have better fat burning properties, moderate aerobic exercise seems to cultivate healthier brain cells and protect against loss of memory.
For the study, University of Jyvaskyla researchers put groups of rats on three different workout programs to determine their effects on memory and overall brain health. Weight lifting, running and high-intensity interval training were the three types studied. The training regimens created were made to model approximately what the typical human might do in a workout program. The running group used a treadmill much as humans do, and the weight lifting group climbed a ladder with little weights attached to their tails. The HIIT group alternated short durations of sprinting and jogging.
By study’s end, while all of the rats showed general fitness gains, the weight lifting group and the HIIT group showed no signs of neurogenesis, or new brain cell growth. By contrast, the running group demonstrated growth in brain cells as well as a reduction in the loss of memory and memory problems.
Organic food consumers have a 21% lower risk of pre-eclampsia
Norwegian Institute of Public Health, June 15, 2022
Pregnant women may be able to lower their risk of a potentially deadly complication known as pre-eclampsia by more than 20 percent simply by eating more organic vegetables, according to a study conducted by researchers from the National Institute for Consumer Research and the Norwegian Institute of Public Health, and published in BMJ Open.
“The result is intriguing and supports that diet during pregnancy can influence the risk of pre-eclampsia,” researcher Hanne Torjusen, PhD, said.
Pre-eclampsia is a complication of late pregnancy characterized by high blood pressure and protein in the urine. The cause of the condition is not known, although it has been linked to a variety of risk factors including some of the same risk factors as cardiovascular disease. Mild cases may resolve without problems, but severe cases may progress into a life-threatening condition that can only be alleviated through premature delivery of the baby.
The new study is the first to show a connection between organic food consumption and lower pre-eclampsia risk.
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George Carlin – It’s A BIG Club & You Ain’t In It! Active Component of Grape Seed Extract Effective Against Cancer Cells
University of Colorado Cancer Center, June 13 2022
A University of Colorado Cancer Center study published online ahead of print in the journal Nutrition and Cancer describes the laboratory synthesis of the most active component of grape seed extract, B2G2, and shows this synthesized compound induces the cell death known as apoptosis in prostate cancer cells while leaving healthy cells unharmed.
“We’ve shown similar anti-cancer activity in the past with grape seed extract (GSE), but now we know B2G2 is its most biologically active ingredient which can be synthesized in quantities that will allow us to study the detailed death mechanism in cancer cells,” says Alpna Tyagi, PhD, of the University of Colorado Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences.
The group pinpointed B2G2 as the most active compound, but, “it’s expensive and it takes a long time to isolate B2G2 from grape seed extract,” Tyagi says.
This expense related to the isolation of B2G2 has limited the group’s further exploration. So instead of purifying B2G2 from GSE, the group decided to synthesize it in the lab. The current study reports the success of this effort, including the ability to synthesize gram-quantity of B2G2 reasonably quickly and inexpensively.
In the paper’s second half, the group shows anti-cancer activity of synthesized B2G2 similar in mechanism and degree to overall GSE effectiveness.
Improving Memory Naturally: Sage Contains Similar Compounds as Modern Alzheimer’s Drugs
Newcastle and Northumbria Universities, June 14 2022
Sage was named “Herb of the Year” in 2001 by the International Herb Association.
Some of the latest research shows how sage can boost memory and cognitive health. The leaves and stems of sage contain these antioxidant enzymes that protect against free radical oxidative cell damage as well as provide inflammatory relief from ailments such as arthritis and asthma.
The Medicinal Plant Research Centre (MPRC) of England conducted studies at Newcastle and Northumbria Universities with sage oil herb pills against placebo pills. Those who took the sage performed much better with a word recall test than those who took the placebo.
In the long run, home-made tinctures are the most economical way to have and use highly effective tinctures for a long time.
Trade the chair for fresh air: Study explores link between sitting time and cardio health Simon Fraser University (Canada), June 15 2022
New research is adding further weight to the argument that prolonged sitting may be hazardous to your health. An international study surveying more than 100,000 individuals in 21 countries found that people who sat for six to eight hours a day had a 12–13 percent increased risk for early death and heart disease, while those who sat for more than eight hours daily increased that to a sobering 20 percent.
Their research followed individuals over an average of 11 years and determined that high amounts of sitting time were associated with increased risk of early death and cardiovascular disease.
Not surprising, those who sat the most and were the least active had the highest risk—up to 50 percent—while those who sat the most but were also the most active had a substantially lower risk of about 17 percent.
“For those sitting more than four hours a day, replacing a half hour of sitting with exercise reduced the risk by two percent,” Lear notes. “With only one in four Canadians meeting the activity guidelines there’s a real opportunity here for people to increase their activity and reduce their chances of early death and heart disease.”
Acupuncture Can Treat Alzheimer’s Disease
Hubei University of Chinese Medicine (China), June 5, 2022
An increasing number of clinical and animal studies have confirmed that acupuncture is effective for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease. Moxibustion is reported to be more effective than electro-acupuncture for improving space-recognizing memory ability in aged mice, suggesting that moxibustion is another alternative or complementary therapy used to treat Alzheimer’s disease.
Dr. Yanjun Du and team from Hubei University of Chinese Medicine, China only used suspended moxibustion (also named warming moxibustion, scarring moxibustion, or herb-partition moxibustion) on Baihui and Shenshu acupoints to observe the action of pre-moxibustion on preventing apoptosis in a rat model of Alzheimer’s disease.
The pre-moxibustion group was treated with moxibustion for eight courses (each course lasting for 6 days) prior to the exposure and 14 days after Aβ1–42 exposure. Moxibustion prior to Aβ1–42 exposure was more effective than moxibustion after Aβ1–42 exposure in protecting the neuronal structure and lowering the apoptosis rate.
Their findings indicate that a combination of preventive and therapeutic moxibustion has a beneficial effect for the prevention of Alzheimer’s disease development.
Men and women with brain condition could be helped by vitamin E Cangzhou Central Hospital (China), June 15 2022.
Leukoaraiosis is an abnormality in the brain’s white matter that appears on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) as white matter hyperintensities. In an article published in the International Journal of Neuroscience, researchers at Cangzhou Central Hospital in Hebei, China reported improvements in factors related to leukoaraiosis among adults given supplements containing vitamin E.
“Leukoaraiosis (LA) is a disease manifested by demyelination and gliosis in white matter, mainly caused by cerebrovascular diseases,” Yan Wang and colleagues wrote. “Leukoaraiosis is closely related to the expression level of inflammatory factors, oxidative stress, and vascular endothelial dysfunction in patients. Vitamin E may play antioxidant and anti-inflammatory roles in various diseases.”
Participants received 200 IU, 400 IU or 600 international units (IU) vitamin E or a placebo daily for 12 weeks. At the end of the treatment period, blood samples were evaluated for the inflammatory factors C-reactive protein, complement C3 and C4, and matrix metalloproteins 2 and 9, as well as for markers of oxidative stress and endothelial function (function of the lining of the arteries, which is impaired in cerebrovascular and cardiovascular disease).
Inflammation, oxidative stress and endothelial function improved in all groups that received vitamin E in comparison with the placebo. Cognitive function scores also significantly improved in the vitamin E-treated groups. Improvement in all measured factors was correlated with higher doses of vitamin E.
Chlorogenic acid plus chromium improves insulin resistance and lowers obesity in mice
University of Toledo, June 10 2022
In an article published in Nutrition & Metabolism, University of Toledo researchers report that a combination of chromium and chlorogenic acid (CGA), a polyphenol occurring in coffee, reversed the development of obesity and insulin resistance in mice caused by the intake of a high-fat diet.
Sonia M. Najjar and her associates fed male BL6 mice a standard diet or a high-fat diet for seven weeks. During the last three weeks of the diet, the high-fat group received a daily oral supplement containing water, chlorogenic acid, or a combination of chlorogenic acid and chromium in a base that contained caffeine. Body weight was measured weekly, insulin tolerance was assessed at four and seven weeks, and glucose and glucose tolerance were assessed at the end of the treatment period.
At four weeks, animals supplemented with chlorogenic acid and the combination of chlorogenic acid and chromium experienced weight loss within two weeks, and attained weights comparable to those of animals that received a standard diet. While insulin resistance after four weeks was greater among high-fat diet-fed mice compared to those fed a standard diet, supplementation with chlorogenic acid plus chromium reduced this effect, and restored it to a level comparable to that of standard-diet-fed mice. Glucose tolerance and glucose levels were similarly restored in animals that received the supplement combination.
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Acai and brain health: Has study unlocked Amazonian fruit’s neuroprotective effects?
University of Adelaide, June 10, 2022
The potential brain health benefits of açai may be linked to an inhibition of the aggregation of beta-amyloid proteins, says a new study from Australia.
The build-up of plaque from beta-amyloid deposits is associated with an increase in brain cell damage and death from oxidative stress. This is related to a loss of cognitive function and an increased risk of Alzheimer’s, the most common form of dementia and currently affects over 13 million people worldwide.
Researchers from the University of Adelaide have now reported that select polyphenols from the native South American palm berry may inhibit this build-up and explain the reported neuroprotective effects of açai.
To-date, pulp of acai has been demonstrated to affect cell signaling, enzyme activity, maintenance of the oxidant and antioxidant balance, receptor sensitivity, gene regulation, and reduction in the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines, while restoring or maintaining functional cellular antioxidant status.
Açai extracts and berry pulp possess high levels of anti-oxidants which are generally attributed to mitigating the damaging effects of reactive oxygen species in cell culture. However, distinct neuroprotection to beta-amyloid loss of viability by açai is a novel finding.
Nuts and peanuts may protect against major causes of death
Maastricht University (Netherlands), June 11, 2022
A paper published in the International Journal of Epidemiology confirms a link between peanut and nut intake and lower mortality rates, but finds no protective effect for peanut butter. Men and women who eat at least 10 grams of nuts or peanuts per day have a lower risk of dying from several major causes of death than people who don’t consume nuts or peanuts.
The reduction in mortality was strongest for respiratory disease, neurodegenerative disease, and diabetes, followed by cancer and cardiovascular diseases. The effects are equal in men and women. Peanuts show at least as strong reductions in mortality as tree nuts, but peanut butter is not associated with mortality, researchers from Maastricht University found.
The associations between nuts and peanut intake and cardiovascular death confirm earlier results from American and Asian studies that were often focused on cardiovascular diseases. However, in this new study, it was found that mortality due to cancer, diabetes, respiratory, and neurodegenerative diseases was also lowered among users of peanuts and nuts.
Are highly processed foods bad for children? Study finds an association between consuming more ultraprocessed foods and lower levels of physical fitness in children
Sacred Heart University, June 14, 2022
A new study found that children ages 3 to 5 who consumed more ultraprocessed foods had poorer locomotor skills than children who consumed less of these foods. It also showed lower cardiovascular fitness in 12- to 15-year-olds who consumed more ultraprocessed foods.
Although previous research has shown that consuming ultraprocessed foods is linked with a higher risk for cardiovascular disease in adults, this is one of the first studies to show a link between consumption of these foods and lower levels of physical fitness in children.
Ultraprocessed foods were categorized in this study as including packaged snacks, breakfast cereals, candies, soda, sweetened juices and yogurts, canned soups and prepared foods like pizza, hotdogs, burgers and chicken nuggets.
For children 5 years old and under, the researchers used locomotor development as a measure of physical fitness. The analysis revealed that children with the lowest locomotor development scores consumed 273 calories more per day of ultraprocessed foods than children with the highest locomotor development scores.
Cardiovascular fitness was used as a physical fitness measure in the older children. The study showed that teens and preteens with good cardiovascular fitness consumed 226 fewer calories daily from ultraprocessed foods than those who did not have healthy cardiovascular fitness.
Qatar Omicron-wave study shows slow decline of natural immunity, rapid decline of vaccine immunity Weill Cornell Medical College,, June 15, 2022
A recent Pfizer or Moderna mRNA-vaccine booster provided good but temporary protection against infection by the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant, according to a study from researchers at Weill Cornell Medicine—Qatar.
In the study, published June 15 in the New England Journal of Medicine, the researchers analyzed the Omicron wave in Qatar last winter, comparing prior infections, vaccine immunity and combinations thereof among more than 100,000 Omicron-infected and non-infected individuals.
The analysis showed vaccine immunity against new infection appeared to wane rapidly, whereas people with a prior-variant infection were moderately protected from Omicron with little decline in protection even a year after their prior infection.
A key finding was that a history of vaccination with the standard two doses of either the Pfizer or Moderna mRNA vaccine, but no history of prior infection, brought no significant protection against symptomatic omicron infection. Having a booster dose appeared to be about 60 percent protective, though most boosters were received just weeks before the Omicron wave. Overall, the analysis suggested—consistently with prior studies—that mRNA vaccines and boosters work fairly well in protecting against symptomatic omicron infection, though their protective effect wanes rapidly and disappears within six months or so.
For those with no history of vaccination, SARS-CoV-2 infection during a prior-variant wave was associated with almost the same degree of protection even a year after infection.
Study links sugar-sweetened beverage consumption with liver cancer Large study of postmenopausal women suggests avoiding sweetened beverages could help reduce likelihood of developing liver cancer
University of South Carolina, June 14, 2022
A study of more than 90,000 postmenopausal women found that those who consumed at least one sugar-sweetened beverage daily faced a 78% higher risk of developing liver cancer compared with people who consumed less than three servings per month of such beverages.
“Our findings suggest sugar-sweetened beverage consumption is a potential modifiable risk factor for liver cancer,” said Longgang Zhao, at the University of South Carolina, the study’s lead author. “If our findings are confirmed, reducing sugar-sweetened beverage consumption might serve as a public health strategy to reduce liver cancer burden. Replacing sugar-sweetened beverages with water, and non-sugar-sweetened coffee or tea could significantly lower liver cancer risk.”
For the new study, researchers analyzed data from 90,504 postmenopausal women who participated in the Women’s Health Initiative, a long-term study launched in the early 1990s. Researchers assessed sugar-sweetened beverage intake based on validated food frequency questionnaires and confirmed liver cancer diagnoses using participants’ medical records.
About 7% of participants reported consuming one or more 12-ounce servings of sugar-sweetened beverages per day and a total of 205 women developed liver cancer. Women consuming one or more sugar-sweetened beverages daily were 78% more likely to develop liver cancer and those consuming at least one soft drink per day were 73% more likely to develop liver cancer compared with those who never consumed these beverages or consumed less than three servings per month.
Most people think their diet is healthier than it is U.S. Department of Agriculture, June 14, 2022
How healthy is your diet? It seems like a simple question, but according to a new study, it’s one that most Americans struggle to get right.
“We found that only a small percentage of U.S. adults can accurately assess the healthfulness of their diet, and interestingly, it’s mostly those who perceive their diet as poor who are able to accurately assess their diet,” said Jessica Thomson, PhD, research epidemiologist with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Research Service in the Southeast Area, the study’s lead author. “Additionally, most adults overrate the quality of their diet, sometimes to a substantial degree.”
The study revealed significant disconnects between the researcher-calculated scores and how participants ranked their own diet. Out of over 9,700 participants, about 8,000 (roughly 85%) inaccurately assessed their diet quality. Of those, almost all (99%) overrated the healthfulness of their diet.
Surprisingly, accuracy was highest among those who rated their diet as poor, among whom the researcher’s score matched the participant’s rating 97% of the time. The proportion of participants who accurately assessed their diet quality ranged from 1%-18% in the other four rating categories.
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Vitamin D deficiency directly linked to dementia University of South Australia, June 14, 2022
Dementia is one of the major causes of disability and dependency among older people worldwide, affecting thinking and behaviors as you age. But what if you could stop this degenerative disease in its tracks?
A world-first study from the University of South Australia could make this a reality as new genetic research shows a direct link between dementia and a lack of vitamin D.
Investigating the association between vitamin D, neuroimaging features, and the risk of dementia and stroke, the study found:
- low levels of vitamin D were associated with lower brain volumes and an increased risk of dementia and stroke
- genetic analyses supported a causal effect of vitamin D deficiency and dementia.
- in some populations as much as 17% of dementia cases might be prevented by increasing everyone to normal levels of vitamin D (50 nmol/L).
Flaxseed supplements linked to improved blood pressure: Meta-analysis
University of Medicine and Pharmacy (Romania), June 9, 2022
Supplements of flaxseed may effectively management blood pressure, says a new meta-analysis of 15 clinical trials.
Data from 1,302 participants indicated that flaxseed supplements are associated with significant reductions in both systolic and diastolic blood pressure of about 2.85 mmHg and 2.39 mmHg, respectively.
“The results obtained in the present meta-analysis – a decrease of 2.85/2.39 mmHg after flaxseed supplementation – might be valuable for the hypertension management using nutraceuticals, since Heart Outcome Evaluation study demonstrated that a 3.3/1.4 mmHg reduction was associated with a 22% decline of relative risk of cardiovascular mortality,” wrote scientists from Romania, Iran, Australia and Poland in Clinical Nutrition .
The scientists also report that supplementation for longer than 12 weeks resulted in even greater reductions in systolic and diastolic blood pressure of 3.10 mmHg and 2.62 mmHg, respectively, compared to trials of shorter duration.
The potential biological mechanism are not completely understood, said the researchers, but could be linked to the lignan content of flaxseed. Specifically, a lignan named SDG is known to be an angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor. ACE inhibitors work by inhibiting the conversion of angiotensin I to the potent vasoconstrictor, angiotensin II, thereby improving blood flow and blood pressure.
Finally, an arginine-rich protein fraction (KCl-F1) from flaxseed may also impact blood pressure.
Flaxseed powder supplements were found to affect systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP), whereas flaxseed oil preparations only affected DBP. On the other hand, lignan extracts was not associated with any changes in SBP and DBP, they said.
Keep calm and carry on — for the sake of your long-term health
Penn State University, June 9, 2022
Reacting positively to stressful situations may play a key role in long-term health, according to researchers.
In a study measuring adults’ reactions to stress and how it affects their bodies, researchers found that adults who fail to maintain positive moods such as cheerfulness or calm when faced with the minor stressors of everyday life appear to have elevated levels of inflammation. Furthermore, women can be at heightened risk.
Nancy Sin, in the Center for Healthy Aging, Penn State and her colleagues showed that the frequency of daily stressors, in and of itself, was less consequential for inflammation than how an individual reacted to those stressors.
“A person’s frequency of stress may be less related to inflammation than responses to stress,” said Sin. “It is how a person reacts to stress that is important.”
In the short-term, with illness or exercise, the body experiences a high immune response to help repair itself. However, in the long term, heightened inflammatory immune responses may not be healthy. Individuals who have trouble regulating their responses may be at risk for certain age-related conditions, such as cardiovascular disease, frailty and cognitive decline, Sin said.
“To our knowledge, this paper is the first to link biomarkers of inflammation with positive mood responses to stressors in everyday life,” said Jennifer E. Graham-Engeland, associate professor of biobehavioral health, Penn State.
For breast cancer prevention, diet quality matters Healthy, plant-based diet linked with lower cancer risk for postmenopausal women
Paris-Saclay University (France), June 14, 2022
Research shows that what we eat can influence our cancer risk, but it’s not always clear which foods or dietary patterns are best for cancer prevention. Results from a new study suggest that the quality or overall healthiness of a person’s diet may be key.
The study, based on data from over 65,000 postmenopausal women who were tracked for more than two decades, found that a healthy plant-based diet was linked with a 14% lower risk of breast cancer while an unhealthy plant-based diet was linked with a 20% higher risk of breast cancer. The findings were consistent across all breast cancer subtypes.
“These findings highlight that increasing the consumption of healthy plant foods and decreasing the consumption of less healthy plant foods and animal foods might help prevent all types of breast cancer,” said Sanam Shah, at Paris-Saclay University, Gustave Roussy, France, the study’s lead author.
Previous studies have examined cancer risks associated with various dietary patterns such as the Western diet, the Mediterranean diet and vegetarian diets. Although some studies suggest diets with less or no meat consumption offer health benefits, results have been somewhat mixed. For the new study, researchers focused on differentiating between healthy plant-based foods — such as whole grains, fruit, vegetables, nuts, legumes, vegetable oils and tea or coffee — and plant-based foods the study categorized as less healthy including fruit juices, refined grains, potatoes, sugar-sweetened beverages and desserts.
Regular exercise beneficial in suppressing inflammation in rheumatic disease
Exercise results in physiological changes that decrease inflammation on a local and systemic level
Ohio State University, June 12, 202
Research findings suggest that exercise transiently suppresses local and systemic inflammation, reinforcing the beneficial effects of exercise and the need for this to be regular in order to achieve clinical efficacy in rheumatic disease.
These new research findings focused on the physiological changes created by exercise and their impact on inflammation. The researchers have found that exercise generates a true biological response and induces changes on a molecular level that stimulate anti-inflammatory effects.
This in-vivo study measured the regulation and activation of NF-kB* in mice. NF-kB, a protein complex that controls many genes involved in inflammation, is found to be chronically active in many inflammatory diseases, such as inflammatory bowel disease and arthritis.
The effect of exercise on the inhibition of NF-kB activation was identified as a transient effect, lasting only 24 hours after exercise.The role of exercise in inhibiting NF-kB activation was linked to the suppression of multiple pro-inflammatory cytokines.
Keeping the faith – or your willingness to push yourself – as you grow older Norwegian University of Science and Technology, June 14, 2022
So you could have become a pro footballer when you were younger, you say? Or really good at chess? Perhaps a world-renowned chef?
Well, maybe not anymore, we think as we get older. And maybe that’s actually okay.
A research group has investigated how important the motivational factors for becoming really proficient at a skill change over the years.
“We wanted to see how the passion, grit and belief that you’ll succeed at getting better – your growth mindset – change with age and in relation to gender,” says Hermundur Sigmundsson, a professor at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology’s (NTNU) Department of Psychology.
“The passion for what you used to burn for declines. And so does the belief that you can succeed at becoming really good at it,” says Professor Sigmundsson.
But this is where it is important to take hold of yourself and not give up. You might not become a world champion in anything, but you could still get really proficient if you go for it. Or at least better.
“That’s when it’s important to maintain a growth mindset. You can’t stop believing in growth even though you’re getting older,” says Sigmundsson.
“Passion and a growth mindset decrease with age, but the willingness to persevere increases if we look at the elderly population as a whole,” says Sigmundsson.
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Nuts Increase Cognitive Scores Among Elderly Women
Harvard University and Brigham and Women’s Hospital, June 4th 2022
Researchers from Harvard University and Brigham and Women’s Hospital have confirmed that eating more nuts every day will increase cognitive skills – at least among elderly women.
For six years, the researchers followed 16,010 women who 70 years old or older, and 15,467 completed the final cognitive interviews.
The researchers found those women who consumed five servings or more of nuts each week had higher scores on their cognitive testing compared to those who did not consume nuts. The average difference in scores was 0.08 units, which is equivalent to two years of cognition decline during the aging process.
The mechanism may be related to the fact that nuts are heart-healthy. And nut consumption has been associated with cardiovascular healthand mortality in other research.
Stress accelerates immune aging, study finds University of Southern California, June 13, 2022
Stress—in the form of traumatic events, job strain, everyday stressors and discrimination—accelerates aging of the immune system, potentially increasing a person’s risk of cancer, cardiovascular disease and illness from infections such as COVID-19, according to a new USC study.
The research, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), could help explain disparities in age-related health, including the unequal toll of the pandemic, and identify possible points for intervention.
USC researchers decided to see if they could tease out a connection between lifetime exposure to stress—a known contributor to poor health—and declining vigor in the immune system.
As expected, people with higher stress scores had older-seeming immune profiles, with lower percentages of fresh disease fighters and higher percentages of worn-out white blood cells. The association between stressful life events and fewer ready to respond, or naive, T cells remained strong even after controlling for education, smoking, drinking, BMI and race or ethnicity.
CoQ10 supplementation associated with lower pro-inflammatory factors in randomized trial Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences (Iran), June 8 2022.
A double-blind trial reported in a recent issue of the International Journal of Vitamin and Nutrition Research found a reduction in markers of inflammation in mildly hypertensive patients given coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) for twelve weeks. Participants who received CoQ10 also experienced an increase in adiponectin: a protein secreted by adipose tissue that has an anti-inflammatory effect and which has been found to be reduced in high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease.
“Considering that coenzyme Q10 has attracted noticeable attention in recent years for the treatment of cardiovascular diseases and hypertension in regard to its effect on inflammatory factors such as cytokines, it is therefore hypothesized that supplementation with coenzyme Q10 reduces the proinflammatory factors,” write Nasim Bagheri Nesami of Iran’s Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences and colleagues. “This study was conducted in order to determine the effects of coenzyme Q10 on proinflammatory factors as well as on adiponectin in patients with mild hypertension.”
Sixty men and women were randomized to receive 100 milligrams CoQ10 or a placebo for a twelve week period. Plasma adiponectin, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP, a marker of inflammation) and the cytokines interleukin 2, interleukin6 and tumor necrosis factor-alpha were measured before and after treatment.
At the end of the study, participants who received CoQ10 had significant declines in interleukin-6 and hs-CRP compared with levels measured upon enrollment. They also experienced an increase in adiponectin, while levels in the placebo group slightly declined.
Probiotics prevent deadly complications of liver disease
Govind Ballabh Pant Hospital, New Delhi, India June 6, 2022
Probiotics are effective in preventing hepatic encephalopathy in patients with cirrhosis of the liver, according to a new study in Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology. Hepatic encephalopathy is a deterioration of brain function that is a serious complication of liver disease.
“This rigorous new research finds that probiotics modify the gut microbiota to prevent hepatic encephalopathy in patients with cirrhosis of the liver,” said David W. Victor III, MD. “These results offer a safe, well-tolerated and perhaps cheaper alternative to current treatments.”
When comparing treatment with probiotics versus placebo, the researchers found that the incidence of hepatic encephalopathy was lower in patients treated with probiotics. Probiotic supplementation was not associated with any side effects and none of the patients required discontinuation of therapy. These results suggest that probiotics are similar in effectiveness to the current standard of care, lactulose, in the prevention of hepatic encephalopathy, yet they appear to be much better tolerated. The effectiveness of lactulose, a nonabsorbable disaccharide, is limited by side effects (diarrhea, bloating and gas) and a narrow therapeutic window.
Chelation therapy and vitamin supplements cut heart disease risk by over 25%
Columbia University, June 9, 2022
A combination of high-dose multivitamins and chelation therapy may protect heart attack survivors from future cardiovascular events and death, according to a multicenter study published in the American Heart Journal.
Intravenous chelation, in which the chemical ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) is injected into the bloodstream in order to bind to minerals and help flush them from the body, is an FDA-approved treatment for heavy metal poisoning that was first used during World War I.
“They’re all in our environment. Any of us who are of an age to have been exposed to leaded gasoline have lead in our bones. If we get an infusion of EDTA, we’ll have lead in our urine. It’s just the way it is. And as you get older and become osteoporotic, that lead starts getting released.”
In a randomized, double-blind trial, the researchers randomly assigned 1,708 stable heart attack survivors at 134 clinics across the United States to one of four experimental conditions: high-dose oral multivitamins plus chelation, chelation plus a vitamin-mimicking placebo, vitamins plus a chelation-mimicking placebo or double placebo. Participants had to get a 500 cc intravenous infusion once per week for 30 weeks, followed by another 10 infusions spaced two to eight weeks apart. All participants also had to take six large capsules daily.
The researchers found that chelation alone led to a statistically significant 18 percent reduction in primary endpoint, relative to placebo. Chelation plus multivitamins led to a 26 percent reduction in risk over placebo. Chelation plus multivitamin also reduced the secondary endpoint by 34 percent, compared with placebo.
Diabetic participants benefited even more dramatically. Among diabetics, chelation resulted in a 41 percent reduction in primary endpoint, while chelation plus vitamins resulted in a 51 percent reduction. The rate of all-cause mortality in diabetic patients dropped 43 percent with chelation alone, and the secondary endpoint was also reduced.
Natural Pain Killer With Powerful Ability to Remove Blood Clots and Dead Tissue GreenMed Info, June 13th 2022
Serrapeptase, also known as serratiopeptidase or serralysin, is a systemic enzyme, specifically it is a proteolytic enzyme. Serrapeptase was first derived from a species of bacteria found in the intestine of the silkworm. The bacteria, Serratia mercesans E1, produces serrapeptase to help breakdown the silkworm coccoon to free the silk moth.
A review study summarized that serrapeptase has immense applications in therapeutic areas which have been validated by several in vitro, in vivo, and clinical studies. “These applications are attributable to its versatile properties including anti-inflammatory, anti-biofilm, analgesic, anti-edemic, and fibrinolytic effects.”
Serrapeptase has been used for a wide range of health concerns:
Serrapeptase for Joint Swelling
Serrapeptase is effective in reducing post-operative joint swelling in comparison to other therapies such as applying ice.
Serrapeptase Dissolves Blood Clots, Dead Tissue, Biofilms
Anticoagulants and antiplatelet drugs are used for managing cardiovascular diseases but they are unable to dissolve an existing blood clot. Serrapeptase dissolves a fibrin clot within a blood vessel. Studies have shown that serrapeptase can digest dead tissues, blood clots, cysts, biofilm and arterial plaques.
Serrapeptase for Acute or Chronic Ear, Nose and Throat Conditions
The Journal of International Medical Research published the results of a study evaluating the efficacy and tolerability of serrapeptase using a double-blind, placebo-controlled study of 193 subjects suffering from acute or chronic ear, nose or throat disorders. Patients treated with serrapeptase reported significant symptom regression within 3 – 4 days. It was concluded that serrapeptase “has anti-inflammatory, anti-oedemic and fibrinolytic activity and acts rapidly on localized inflammation.”
COVID-19 and Chronic Respiratory Conditions
A 2021 study, showed, “Proteolytic enzymes can be useful in the treatment of nosocomial, viral, and resistant infections, especially in pediatric and geriatric age groups due to its relative safety, less tolerance and resistance and its synergic effects.”
Physicians have observed many COVID-19 cases with heart problems, kidney problems, and the presence of blood clots. Serrapeptase helps patients with chronic airway disease by reducing coughing and lessening viscosity of sputum. As a natural anticoagulant it interferes with platelet aggregation and the blood coagulation cascade. Serrapeptase has an anti-inflammatory impact on the tissue inflammation that contributes to the blood clot formation.
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Olive oil nutrient may help prevent brain cancer Wellcome Trust Centre for Cell Biology, June 10, 2022 A compound found in olive oil may help to prevent cancer developing in the brain, a study shows.Research into oleic acid – the primary ingredient in olive oil – has shown how it can help prevent cancer-causing genes from functioning in cells.The oily substance – one of a group of nutrients known as fatty acids – stimulates the production of a cell molecule whose function is to prevent cancer-causing proteins from forming.Scientists from the University analysed the effect of oleic acid on a cell molecule, known as miR-7, which is active in the brain and is known to suppress the formation of tumours. They found that oleic acid prevents a cell protein, known as MSI2, from stopping production of miR-7. In this way, the olive oil component supports the production of miR-7, which helps prevent tumours from forming.Researchers made their discoveries in tests on human cell extracts and in living cells in the lab. CDC lists oil of lemon eucalyptus as comparable to DEET for mosquitoes CDC, June 9, 2022 Even the CDC recommends this botanical ingredient as comparable to DEET for repelling disease-carrying insects.
While DEET is the gold standard of insect repellents, it is also a strong synthetic chemical with a tarnished reputation. Known to the chemistry set as N,N-Diethyl-meta-toluamide, DEET was potentially linked to cases of brain damage in the 1980s and 90s, inciting a flood of fear amongst consumers that has yet to recede.
BUT, there’s an alternative. Behold oil of lemon eucalyptus (OLE), the plant-based active ingredient derived from eucalyptus leaves and approved for efficacy by the CDC.
“Oil of lemon eucalyptus (OLE) or PMD (chemical name: para-menthane-3,8-diol), the synthesized version of OLE. Products containing OLE and PMD include, but are not limited to, Repel and Off! Botanicals. This recommendation refers to EPA-registered products containing the active ingredient OLE (or PMD). “Pure” oil of lemon eucalyptus (essential oil not formulated as a repellent) is not recommended; it has not undergone similar, validated testing for safety and efficacy and is not registered with EPA as an insect repellent.”
Just 5 Minutes Of Breath Training Every Day Makes Exercise Easier For Adults University of Colorado, June 11, 2022
A handheld device which builds breathing muscles could help older people get in shape. Doing just five minutes of the breath training exercises every day for more than six weeks improved people’s performance on the treadmill by 12 percent, according to scientists. Adults are recommended to log 150 minutes of moderate exercise a week. Now scientists have come up with a simple way of making exercising on the treadmill easier for those struggling to get running.
“Developing novel forms of physical training that increase adherence and improve physical function are key to reducing the risk of chronic diseases with aging,” says lead researcher Kaitlin Freeberg, of the University of Colorado, in a statement. “High-resistance IMST (high-resistance inspiratory muscle strength training) may be one such strategy to promote adherence and improve multiple components of health in midlife and older adults.”
IMST involves inhaling through a handheld device which adds resistance to the breath. A total of 35 adults were divided into two groups, a high resistance training group and a low resistance control group. Participants used a manual breathing trainer for 30 breaths a day, or around five minutes, over a period of six weeks.
Those who were part of the high-resistance group improved their treadmill time by 12 percent, the researchers report. Participants in the high-resistance group also showed a relationship with changes in 18 metabolites tested in the study, “predominantly ones that play key roles in energy production and fatty acid metabolism.”
Pregnant women produce super antibodies to protect newborns, now scientists know how Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, June 8, 2022
Scientists discovered years ago that newborn infants depend upon immune components transferred from their mothers to survive the onslaught of pathogens that begin invading their bodies as soon as they are born.
Now, a far-reaching study published in Nature, provides a surprising explanation of how those early days of mother-provided immunity actually work–and what that information could mean for preventing death and disability from a wide range of infectious diseases.
“For many years, scientists believed that antibodies cannot get inside cells. They don’t have the necessary machinery. And so, infections caused by pathogens that live exclusively inside cells were thought to be invisible to antibody-based therapies,” says Sing Sing Way, MD, Ph.D., Division of Infectious Diseases at Cincinnati Children’s. “Our findings show that pregnancy changes the structure of certain sugars attached to the antibodies, which allows them to protect babies from infection by a much wider range of pathogens.”
“The maternal-infant dyad is so special. It’s the intimate connection between a mother and her baby,” says John Erickson, MD, Ph.D., Division of Neonatology, and first-author of the study.
Erickson continues, “This special connection starts when babies are in the womb and continues after birth. I love seeing the closeness between mothers and their babies in our newborn care units. This discovery paves the way for pioneering new therapies that can specifically target infections in pregnant mothers and newborns babies. I believe these findings also will have far-reaching implications for antibody-based therapies in other fields.”
Fasting boosts stem cells’ regenerative capacity Massachusetts Institute of Technology, June 3, 2022
As people age, their intestinal stem cells begin to lose their ability to regenerate. These stem cells are the source for all new intestinal cells, so this decline can make it more difficult to recover from gastrointestinal infections or other conditions that affect the intestine.
This age-related loss of stem cell function can be reversed by a 24-hour fast, according to a new study from MIT biologists. The researchers found that fasting dramatically improves stem cells’ ability to regenerate, in both aged and young mice.
In fasting mice, cells begin breaking down fatty acids instead of glucose, a change that stimulates the stem cells to become more regenerative. The researchers found that they could also boost regeneration with a molecule that activates the same metabolic switch. Such an intervention could potentially help older people recovering from GI infections or cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy, the researchers say.
“This study provided evidence that fasting induces a metabolic switch in the intestinal stem cells, from utilizing carbohydrates to burning fat,” Sabatini says. “Interestingly, switching these cells to fatty acid oxidation enhanced their function significantly. Pharmacological targeting of this pathway may provide a therapeutic opportunity to improve tissue homeostasis in age-associated pathologies.”
After mice fasted for 24 hours, the researchers removed intestinal stem cells and grew them in a culture dish, allowing them to determine whether the cells can give rise to “mini-intestines” known as organoids.
The researchers found that stem cells from the fasting mice doubled their regenerative capacity.
Is your high blood sugar caused by electromagnetic hypersensitivity?
Trent University (Ontario), June 1, 2022
Experts believe that the shocking epidemic of type 2 diabetes is being driven by lifestyle factors, primarily obesity and inactivity. But, evidence is accumulating that hypersensitivity to electromagnetic fields can cause high blood sugar, raising the possibility that a third form of the disease – “type 3 diabetes” – could be caused by this form of environmental pollution.
Case studies show that high blood sugar is triggered by exposure to “dirty electricity” According to peer-reviewed research published in Electromagnetic Biology and Medicine, “dirty electricity,” or transient electrical fields, can affect blood sugar levels in diabetic individuals who are electrically sensitive.
Dr. Havas, an Associate Professor of Environmental and Resource Studies at Trent University, presented case studies showing that plasma glucose levels increased in response to electromagnetic pollution.
Dr. Havas noted that people with unexplained rises in blood sugar could potentially be electrosensitive – and, in fact, suffering type 3 diabetes. (With 3 to 35 percent of the population experiencing electrosensitivity, as many as 5 to 60 million diabetics worldwide could be affected by this perplexing and under-diagnosed condition!)
Electrosensitivity (ES), also known as electrical sensitivity, electromagnetic hypersensitivity and cellphone sickness, was originally termed “radio wave sickness.” It was officially identified in the 1970s by Russian doctors to describe an occupational syndrome developed by workers who were exposed to microwave or radiofrequency radiation.
Symptoms occur when an individual is exposed to wireless technologies or electrical devices such as cell phone towers, “smart” meters, WiFi routers, power line magnetic fields, plasma TVs, laptops, cell phones, energy-efficient lighting, fluorescent lighting and dimmer switches.
The symptoms can be mild or severe, and can include headaches, dizziness, heart palpitations, insomnia, memory problems, depression and fatigue. Numbness and tingling, high blood pressure, nosebleeds, tinnitus (ringing in the ears) and shortness of breath can also be indications of electrosensitivity.
And, in spite of the item’s name, you shouldn’t work with a laptop on your lap.
Avoiding smart meters, sleeping in an electricity-free bedroom, and eliminating dimmer switches are also wise moves, while installing Graham/Stetzer filters can help you cut down on “dirty electricity.”
The takeaway: if you have been diagnosed with diabetes and are electrosensitive, cutting down on your EMF exposure is a commonsense choice you can make today.
A polyphenol-rich diet prevents inflammation in older people University of Barcelona (Spain), June 8, 2022
Polyphenols in the foods that we eat can prevent inflammation in older people, since they alter the intestinal microbiota and induce the production of the indole 3-propionic acid (IPA), a metabolite derived from the degradation of tryptophan due to intestinal bacteria. This is stated in a study published in the journal Molecular Nutrition and Food Research, carried out by the Research Group at the University of Barcelona and the CIBER on Fragility and Healthy Ageing
The study shows the interaction between polyphenols and gut microbiota can induce the proliferation of bacteria with the ability to synthetize beneficial metabolites, such as IPA, a postbiotic with antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective properties that contributes to improve the health of the intestinal wall. Therefore, this compound would contribute to the prevention of some diseases associated with ageing.
“If we consider the beneficial effects of IPA on the gut microbiota and health in general, it is important to find reliable strategies to promote the production of this metabolite.
As part of the study, the researchers carried out a multiomic analysis on faecal samples of fifty-one volunteers aged over sixty-five who kept following a diet rich in polyphenols (green tea, bitter chocolate, fruits including apples, pomegranate and blueberries) for eight weeks.
The results show that the diet rich in polyphenols generated a significant increase in the blood IPA levels, together with a decrease in inflammation levels and changes in the bacteria of the microbiota, from the order of Bacteroidales.
Study shows people with a high omega-3 DHA level in their blood are at 49% lower risk of Alzheimer’s Fatty Acid Research Institute, June 9, 2022
New research published today in Nutrients shows that people with a higher blood DHA level are 49% less likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease vs. those with lower levels, according to the Fatty Acid Research Institute (FARI). The study, led by Aleix Sala-Vila, PhD, suggested that providing extra dietary omega-3 DHA, especially for those carrying the ApoE4 gene (which approximately doubles an individual’s susceptibility to develop AD) might slow the development of the disease. Such a cost-effective, low-risk dietary intervention like this could potentially save billions in health care costs.
In this prospective observational study conducted within the Framingham Offspring Cohort — including 1490 dementia-free participants aged ≥65 years old — researchers examined the association of red blood cell (RBC) docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) with incident Alzheimer’s Disease (AD), while also testing for an interaction with APOE-ε4 carriership.
Tthe researchers noted that an increased intake of DHA might lower risk for developing AD, particularly in higher-risk individuals such as those carrying the APOE-ε4 allele, suggesting that they may benefit more from higher DHA levels than non-carriers.
Vegan diet rich in legumes beneficial for decreased weight in new study Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, June 8, 2022
A vegan diet improves diet quality, leading to decreased weight and improved insulin sensitivity, according to a new study by the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine published in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Decreased weight was most associated with increased intake of legumes and decreased intake of meat, fish, and poultry.
“Our research shows that the best way to improve the quality of your health is to improve the quality of the foods you eat,” says Hana Kahleova, MD, PhD, director of clinical research at the Physicians Committee and a study co-author. “That means avoiding animal products and eating a vegan diet rich in fruits, vegetables, grains, and beans.”
The participants in the 16-week study included 244 overweight adults who were randomly assigned to either make no diet changes or to follow a low-fat vegan diet, without calorie restrictions, consisting of vegetables, grains, legumes, and fruits. Researchers tracked diet quality, body weight, fat mass, and insulin sensitivity. The final data analysis included 219 participants who completed the whole study and submitted their final diet records.
Participants on the vegan diet lost an average of 13 pounds and 9.1 pounds of fat mass. Body weight and fat mass did not decrease in the group that made no diet changes. In the vegan group, increases in fruit, legume, meat alternative, and whole grain intake and decreases in animal products, added oils, and animal fats were associated with weight loss:
- Fruit: Increased intake of whole fruit was associated with a decrease in body weight.
- Legumes and Meat Alternatives: Increased legume consumption was associated with decreased weight, fat mass, and visceral adipose tissue. Consuming more meat alternatives, including tofu, tempeh, and veggie burgers, was associated with a decrease in body weight.
- Grains: Increased consumption of whole grains was associated with decreased body weight and fat mass.
- Eggs and Dairy Products: Decreased egg intake was correlated with decreased weight. Decreased high-fat dairy intake was associated with decreased weight and fat mass.
- Meat, Fish, and Poultry: Reductions in the combined intake of total meat, fish, and poultry were associated with weight loss and a decrease in fat mass.
- Added Fats: Decreases in intake of added animal fats were associated with decreases in weight and fat mass. Decreased intake of added oils also correlated with decreases in weight and fat mass.
The vegan group also experienced improvements in insulin sensitivity.
Western diets rich in fructose and fat cause diabetes via glycerate-mediated loss of pancreatic islet cells Terasaki Institute for Biomedical Innovation, June 9, 2022
Those who are habitually inclined to consume burgers, fries and soda may think twice about their dietary choices following scientists' latest findings about high-fat, high-fructose diets.
As reported in their recent publication in Cell Metabolism, the Terasaki Institute for Biomedical Innovation (TIBI), discovered that a high-fat diet can increase fructose metabolism in the small intestine, leading to release of a fructose-specific metabolite called glycerate into circulation. Circulating glycerate can subsequently cause damage of the insulin-producing pancreatic beta cells, increasing the risk of glucose tolerance disorders, such as Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM).
Although T2DM is typically found in older people, it has been occurring more and more in younger people. In the past two decades alone, T2DM has doubled in prevalence. Equally concerning are the health risks associated with T2DM, including heart disease and stroke.
In T2DM, there are insufficient levels of insulin, a hormone that regulates movement of glucose into peripheral cells. To compensate for this, the pancreas overworks to secrete additional insulin, with eventual loss of this ability. The result is an unhealthy accumulation of glucose in the blood.
Collectively, the scientists' findings suggest that a prolonged exposure to high levels of glycerate due to excessive consumption of western diets rich in dietary fructose and fat poses the risk of damage to the pancreatic islet cells and development of diabetes.
New study associates intake of dairy milk with greater risk of prostate cancer Loma Linda University, June 9, 2022
Men with higher intakes of dairy foods, especially milk, face a significantly higher risk of prostate cancer compared to men with lower intakes, according to a new study conducted by researchers at Loma Linda University Health. The study found no such associations between increased prostate cancer risk and intake of non-dairy calcium, suggesting substances other than calcium play a role in the risk dairy foods poses for prostate cancer.
The study's results reveal that men who consumed about 430 grams of dairy per day (1 ¾ cups of milk) faced a 25% increased risk of prostate cancer compared to men who consumed only 20.2 grams of dairy per day (1/2 cup of milk per week). Also, men who consumed about 430 grams of dairy per day faced an even greater increase in risk when compared to men with zero dairy intake in their diets.
Fraser noted that the results had minimal variation when comparing intake of full fat versus reduced or nonfat milks; there were no important associations reported with cheese and yogurt.
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Zinc found to play an important role in lung fibrosis
Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, June 8, 2022
Investigators from the Women’s Guild Lung Institute at Cedars-Sinai have discovered that zinc, a common mineral, may reverse lung damage and improve survival for patients with a deadly age-related condition known as idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF).”This study has the potential to be a game changer,” said Paul Noble, MD, chair of the Department of Medicine. “We identified a root cause of IPF-related lung damage and a potential therapeutic target that might restore the lungs’ ability to heal themselves.”
Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, or IPF, affects 100,000 people in the U.S. and has no known cause. The condition, which leads to scarring of the lungs, called fibrosis, and progressive breathing difficulty, has no cure, and most patients die or require a lung transplant within three to five years of diagnosis. The incidence of IPF rises dramatically with age and affects men more often than women.
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Do optimists live longer?
Harvard School of Public Health, June 8, 2022
In a study published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society that included a racially diverse group of 159,255 women, higher levels of optimism were associated with longer lifespans and a greater likelihood of living past 90 years of age. Investigators found that the link between optimism and longevity was evident across racial and ethnic groups, and that lifestyle factors accounted for nearly one-quarter of the optimism-lifespan association.
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Sweet cherry anthocyanins support liver health… for rats at least
Zhei-Jang University (China), June 1, 2022
Anthocyanins from sweet cherries may protect against diet-induced liver steatosis, or excessive amounts of fat in the liver’s tissue, says a new study with rats.
The study, published in the journal Nutrition, built upon the abundant existing literature on the beneficial role anthocyanins have as an antioxidative, anti-inflammatory, and anti-hyperlipidemic component. Specifically, the cyanidin-3-glucoside variant “[has] been reported to ameliorate hepatic steatosis and adipose inflammation,” the researchers wrote. The condition known as liver steatosis is a common non-alcoholic fatty liver disease usually treated with drugs, but according to the researchers, some drug used for treatment “are usually accompanied by some adverse effect.” For 15 weeks, the researchers investigated the effects of sweet cherry anthocyanin supplementation have on alleviating high-fat diet-induced liver steatosis in rodents to explore the possibility of a none-drug treatment for the liver condition. According to the researchers, the results demonstrated how sweet cherry anthocyanins may be developed into a supplement to “protect from high-fat diet-induced hepatic steatosis in mice,”leading to a suggested potential for the anthocyanin’s application in the “treatment of hepatic steatosis and other obesity related metabolic disorders.”
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Bad dreams could be early warning of Parkinson’s disease
University of Birmingham, June 8, 2022
Older adults who start to experience bad dreams or nightmares could be exhibiting the earliest signs of Parkinson’s disease, say researchers at the University of Birmingham. A new study, published in eClinicalMedicine, showed that in a cohort of older men, individuals experiencing frequent bad dreams were twice as likely to be later diagnosed with Parkinson’s as those who did not.Previous studies have shown that people with Parkinson’s disease experience nightmares and bad dreams more frequently than adults in the general population, but using nightmares as a risk indicator for Parkinson’s has not previously been considered.”While we need to carry out further research in this area, identifying the significance of bad dreams and nightmares could indicate that individuals who experience changes to their dreams in older age—without any obvious trigger—should seek medical advice.” The team used data from a large cohort study from the U.S., which contained data over a period of 12 years from 3818 older men living independently. Participants reporting bad dreams at least once per week were then followed up at the end of the study to see whether they were more likely to be diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease.
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Beetroot boosts sporting performance in athletes
University of South Australia, June 8, 2022
Evaluating the performance effects of foods that are thought to have a beneficial effect on aerobic performance, researchers found that beetroot, grapes, sour cherries, and pine bark extract, which contribute to nitric oxide availability in the body, boost endurance exercise performance. Assessing data from 118 studies involving 1,872 participants from 25 different countries, the meta-analysis evaluated the effect of consuming nitrate-rich foods (typically green leafy vegetables), foods that contain polyphenols (such as berries, cherries and cocoa), and L-Citrulline (found in watermelon) on exercise endurance performance. The study, published in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, found that the nitrate levels contained in beetroot, which have been shown to boost blood flow and increase the delivery of nutrients and oxygen to muscles during exercise, helped athletes perform better more quickly.
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Asian Plum extract significantly benefit liver functions over placebo Stragen Pharma (Switzerland), The Asian plum of the rosaceae family, has been studied for its antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and liver protecting properties. A study funded by Swiss company Stragen Pharma looks deeper into how this plum extract can benefit the liver.
“Most of the currently available data supporting a potential hepatoprotective [liver protecting] effect of P. mume have been obtained using in vitro testing, in vivo animal models, or non-controled human trials,” the researchers wrote in the study published in Phythotherapy Research.
Hence, the current study was the first that looked into the effects of two doses of a P. mune extract supplement on liver enzymes through a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind study.
From the 44 subjects who participated throughout the 3-month long study, researchers found a “beneficial and statistically significant effect versus placebo of P. mune extract on liver function.”
Researchers found that, over the course of the study, participants supplemented with the low dose of Prunus mume experienced significant decreases in their high aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, and gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase liver enzymes, all of which induce hepatotoxicity, whereas the high dose group did not experience significant changes in their liver enzymes.
Dietary fiber in the gut may help with skin allergies, says new study Monash University (Australia),
A Monash University study exploring the emerging gut-skin axis has found that microbial fermentation of dietary fiber in the gut can protect against allergic skin disease. The research could potentially lead to novel treatments to prevent or treat allergies.
Professor Ben Marsland from the Central Clinical School’s Department of Immunology, together with Swiss colleagues at the University Hospital of Lausanne (CHUV), showed that the fermentation of fiber in the gut by bacteria and subsequent production of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), in particular butyrate, protected against atopic dermatitis in mice.
University of Maine study shows chocolate is brain food University of Maine,
University of Maine published findings in the journal Appetite, saying people who ate chocolate at least once per week performed better on multiple cognitive tasks compared to those who ate chocolate less frequently.
“We don’t know if people are going to get smarter,” Elias, a psychologist and epidemiologist, said from his office on the Orono campus. “What we found out is that people who ate chocolate performed better [on cognitive functions] than people who did not.”
The study, directed by Elias, tracked more than 1,000 people over 35 years and looked specifically at chocolate consumption’s effect on visual-spatial memory and organization, working memory, abstract verbal reasoning, scanning and tracking and overall cognitive functioning.
“We did not follow cognitive function over time and see any rise in intelligence,” he said. “What we did find was that people who ate chocolate on a regular basis performed better on cognitive functions than people who did not.”
The researchers hypothesized that regular intake of cocoa flavanols may be one of several mechanism explaining the cognitive benefits of chocolate. According to the team’s publication, flavonols have multiple effects on the brain on the cellular and molecular levels in the regions involved in learning and memory and by increasing blood flow in the brain promoting development of new blood vessels.
Want to reduce stroke risk? Sit less. Move more. Do chores. San Diego State University,
Imagine watching “The Batman” movie back-to-back four times every day or driving a whopping 390 miles each way on a daily commute. Either uncomfortable choice will take about 12 hours—or the same amount of time most Americans stay seated throughout any day.
The dangerous consequences of prolonged inactivity in humans are widely known. Too much sitting leads to an increased risk of heart disease, Type 2 diabetes, and other chronic illnesses, including depression. To offset the severe side effects of a sedentary lifestyle, doctors recommend adults complete at least 150 minutes of moderate to vigorous aerobic exercise a week.
However, a new study from San Diego State University, published in JAMA Network Open, found that doing lighter intensity daily activities such as household chores can significantly reduce the risk of stroke.
“Light-intensity physical activity can include vacuuming, sweeping the floor, washing the car, leisure strolling, stretching, or playing catch,” said Steven Hooker, dean of SDSU’s College of Health and Human Services and lead researcher of the cohort study.
They found those who were sedentary for 13 hours or more a day had a 44% increased risk of having a stroke.
Uncovering why playing a musical instrument can protect brain health Baycrest Center for Geriatric Care (Canada),
A recent study conducted at Baycrest Health Sciences has uncovered a crucial piece into why playing a musical instrument can help older adults retain their listening skills and ward off age-related cognitive declines. This finding could lead to the development of brain rehabilitation interventions through musical training.
The study, published in the Journal of Neuroscience found that learning to play a sound on a musical instrument alters the brain waves in a way that improves a person’s listening and hearing skills over a short time frame. This change in brain activity demonstrates the brain’s ability to rewire itself and compensate for injuries or diseases that may hamper a person’s capacity to perform tasks.
This finding supports Dr. Ross’ research using musical training to help stroke survivors rehabilitate motor movement in their upper bodies. Baycrest scientists have a history of breakthroughs into how a person’s musical background impacts the listening abilities and cognitive function as they age and they continue to explore how brain changes during aging impact hearing.
The study involved 32 young, healthy adults who had normal hearing and no history of neurological or psychiatric disorders. The brain waves of participants were first recorded while they listened to bell-like sounds from a Tibetan singing bowl (a small bell struck with a wooden mallet to create sounds). After listening to the recording, half of the participants were provided the Tibetan singing bowl and asked to recreate the same sounds and rhythm by striking it and the other half recreated the sound by pressing a key on a computer keypad.
“This study was the first time we saw direct changes in the brain after one session, demonstrating that the action of creating music leads to a strong change in brain activity.”
Effect of Korean Red Ginseng on Cognitive Function and Quantitative EEG in Alzheimer Patients Seoul Medical Center (Korea)
According to news reporting originating in Seoul, South Korea research stated, “Korean red ginseng (KRG) has a nootropic effect. This study assessed the efficacy of red ginseng on cognitive function and quantitative electroencephalography (EEG) in patients with Alzheimer’s disease (AD).”
Research from Seoul Medical Center stated “Fourteen patients with AD (mean age, 74.93 years; 11 women and 3 men) were recruited and treated with KRG (4.5 g per day) for 12 weeks. EEG performed before and after treatment were analyzed with quantitative spectral analysis. The Frontal Assessment Battery score improved significantly after 12 weeks of treatment. In the relative power spectrum analysis performed according to responsiveness, alpha power increased significantly in the right temporal area of the responders. The increments of relative alpha power in the right temporal, parietal, and occipital areas were significantly higher in the responders than the nonresponders.”
According to the news reporters, the research concluded: “This study indicates the efficacy of KRG on frontal lobe function in AD, related to increasing relative alpha power.”
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Researchers investigate cancer-fighing properties of mango
Texas A&M University
In addition to being one of the most important tropical fruits consumed worldwide, recent studies by researchers at the Institute for Obesity Research and Program Evaluation at Texas A&M University in College Station have shown that mangoes also may help prevent breast cancer. Talcott and others recently completed one in vitro study and one using mice to see if the polyphenols found in mango did, in fact, exhibit inflammation- and cancer-fighting properties. “There was already some research done showing that polyphenolic compounds, such as those found in the mango, have cancer-fighting properties,” Talcott said. “Those compounds appear to have antioxidant properties that may contribute to decrease oxidative stress, which can lead to the onset of chronic diseases such as cancer. In addition to that, polyphenolics have been shown to be anti-inflammatory.” Talcott said interest in mango has been increasing in recent years and experimental data has already shown bioactive compounds present in mangoes exert anti-inflammatory, anti-carcinogenic, antiviral and antibacterial properties. “Based on this premise, we extracted mango polyphenols and tested their effects in vitro, or separate from their normal biological context, on commercially obtained non-cancer and cancer breast cells,” she said. These results of the study indicate that the cell-killing effects of mango polyphenols are specific to cancer cells, where inflammation was reduced in both cancer and non-cancer cells, seemingly through the involvement of miRNA-21 – short microRNA molecules associated with cancer,” Talcott said. A second study by this research group using hairless mice showed mango polyphenols also suppressed cell proliferation in the breast cancer BT474 cell line and tumor growth in mice with human breast carcinoma cells transplanted into them.
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Ginseng can treat and prevent influenza and RSV, researcher finds
Georgia State University
Ginseng can help treat and prevent influenza and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), a respiratory virus that infects the lungs and breathing passages, according to research findings by a scientist in Georgia State University’s new Institute for Biomedical Sciences. In a recent issue of Nutrients and an upcoming publication of the International Journal of Molecular Medicine, Sang-Moo Kang reports the beneficial effects of ginseng, a well-known herbal medicine, on human health. He partnered with a university and research institutes in South Korea that wanted international collaborative projects to study if ginseng can be used to improve health and protect against disease because of the potential benefit in fighting these viruses. There are no vaccines available for RSV, which affects millions and is the leading cause of inflammatory bronchiolitis pneumonia and viral death in infants and in some elderly adults. In his study published in Nutrients, Kang investigated whether red ginseng extract has preventive effects on influenza A virus infection. He found that red ginseng extract improves the survival of human lung epithelial cells infected with influenza virus. Also, treatment with red ginseng extract reduced the expression of genes that cause inflammation.
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New study illustrates that potato protein ingestion strongly increases muscle protein synthesis rates at rest and during recovery from exercise
Maastricht University, The Netherlands
Exercise enthusiasts have long presumed animal protein to be superior to plant-derived options for muscle protein synthesis due to its essential amino acid profile. While many plant proteins are deficient in one or more essential amino acids necessary for optimal muscle growth and repair, a new randomized controlled study published in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise shows that plant-derived proteins can still induce strong anabolic responses. Researchers at Maastricht University, The Netherlands, found that consuming 30 grams of potato-derived protein concentrate following resistance exercise strongly increased muscle protein synthesis rates to levels that did not differ from the response following the ingestion of an equivalent amount of milk protein concentrate. In general, plant-derived proteins are considered to have lesser anabolic properties, due to their lower digestibility and incomplete amino acid profile. The results show that ingestion of 30 g potato-derived protein will support muscle growth and repair at rest and during recovery from exercise.”
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Antipsychotic medication during pregnancy does affect babies
Monash University (Australia)
A seven-year study of women who take antipsychotic medication while pregnant, proves it can affect babies. The observational study, published in the journal PLOS ONE, reveals that whilst most women gave birth to healthy babies, the use of mood stabilisers or higher doses of antipsychotics during pregnancy increased the need for special care after birth with 43 per cent of babies placed in a Special Care Nursery (SCN) or a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), almost three times the national rate in Australia. As well as an increased likelihood of the need for intensive care, the world-first study shows antipsychotic drugs affects babies in other ways; 18 per cent were born prematurely, 37 per cent showed signs of respiratory distress and 15 per cent developed withdrawal symptoms.
The Gary Null Show Notes – 06.06.22
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Beetroot-hawthorn berry blend may boost heart health
University of Texas, May 27, 2022
A blend of beetroot and Hawthorn berry may boost the activity of an enzyme linked to improved heart health, suggests a new study from Texas. Researchers from the University of Texas report that the herbal blend could improve the status of nitric oxide in the body – nitric oxide (NO) is a potent vasodilator, or compound that promotes the dilation or relaxation of blood vessels, thereby easing blood pressure and boosting heart health. “The strategy of formulating a combination of natural products and botanicals chosen specifically for their NO activity shows promise in restoring NO [control] in human subjects at risk for cardiovascular disease for use as a dietary supplement,” wrote researchers in Nutrition Research. Dr Bryan explained what makes the combination unique is beet root and hawthorn play a unique and critical role.” Beetroot was chosen because it was found to contain high levels of nitrate, while hawthorn berries have a high activity of the enzyme nitrite reductase, which converts nitrite to nitric oxide.
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Vitamin D needed for male fertility
Copenhagen University Hospital
The journal Human Reproduction reported the finding of Danish researchers of a role for vitamin D in sperm motility: the movement of spermatozoa that is necessary for fertilization. Martin Blomberg Jensen of Copenhagen University Hospital and his associates evaluated motility in sperm samples from 300 Danish men. Blood samples were analyzed for 25-hydroxyvitamin D, parathyroid hormone and other factors. Forty-four percent of the subjects were found to have insufficient vitamin D levels, which were inversely correlated with parathyroid hormone. Increasing vitamin D levels were associated with greater sperm motility as well increased progressive motility, which is the highest grade of sperm motility, applied to sperm that swim rapidly in a straight line. In an in vitro experiment utilizing sperm samples donated by 40 men, vitamin D3 was demonstrated to increase intracellular calcium via vitamin D receptor-mediated calcium release, improve sperm motility, and induce the acrosome reaction, which is needed for fertilization of the ovum. “Our study uncovers some of the functions of vitamin D and generates new hypotheses. This is an intriguing finding, because it suggests that vitamin D has an effect on sperm movement and function.”
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Aromatherapy can reduce post-surgical opioid use by half, preliminary US study finds
University of Pittsburgh
Aromatherapy reduces post-surgical opioid use by half in hip replacement patients anxious before their operation, according to a new preliminary study being presented at the annual meeting of the European Society of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care (ESAIC) in Milan. Previous research has shown that anxiety, depression and catastrophising (patients who believe they are going to die during surgery) increase post-operative pain and opioid use by up to 50%. Aromatherapy, the use of essential oils to enhance wellbeing, has been used for thousands of years and a number of recent studies have found that lavender and peppermint aromatherapy, in particular, can reduce anxiety.1 Participants are randomised to an active treatment (aromatherapy) or placebo group. Those in the active treatment group are given a lavender and peppermint “aromatab”, an adhesive patch that slowly releases essential oils when stuck onto clothes, skin or a hospital gown, to wear from at least an hour before their operation. The patches are changed every 12 hours and are worn for 72 hours after surgery. Those in the placebo group wear a patch which emits sweet almond oil – an oil not credited with anxiety-lowering qualities. Total opioid use in the first 48 hours after surgery was 50% lower in the aromatherapy group (12 OME) than in the placebo group (24.75 OME). (OME, oral morphine equivalent, is a measure that allows comparison between different drugs and methods of administration).
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Coffee consumption link to reduced risk of acute kidney injury, study finds
Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
If you need another reason to start the day drinking a cup of joe, a recent study by Johns Hopkins Medicine researchers has revealed that consuming at least one cup of coffee a day may reduce the risk of acute kidney injury (AKI) when compared to those who do not drink coffee. The findings, published in the journal Kidney International Reports, show that those who drank any quantity of coffee every day had a 15% lower risk of AKI, with the largest reductions observed in the group that drank two to three cups a day (a 22%–23% lower risk).
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Study confirms benefit of supplements for slowing age-related macular degeneration
National Eye Institute, June 2
The Age-Related Eye Disease Studies (AREDS and AREDS2) established that dietary supplements can slow progression of age-related macular degeneration (AMD), the most common cause of blindness in older Americans. In a new report, scientists analyzed 10 years of AREDS2 data. They show that the AREDS2 formula, which substituted antioxidants lutein and zeaxanthin for beta-carotene, not only reduces risk of lung cancer due to beta-carotene, but is also more effective at reducing risk of AMD progression, compared to the original formula. “Because beta-carotene increased the risk of lung cancer for current smokers in two NIH-supported studies, our goal with AREDS2 was to create an equally effective supplement formula that could be used by anyone, whether or not they smoke,” said Emily Chew, M.D., at the National Eye Institute (NEI).” In AREDS2, begun in 2006, Chew and colleagues compared the beta-carotene formulation to one with 10 mg lutein and 2 mg zeaxanthin instead. Like beta-carotene, lutein and zeaxanthin are antioxidants with activity in the retina. The beta-carotene-containing formation was only given to participants who had never smoked or who had quit smoking. At the end of the five-year AREDS2 study period, the researchers concluded that lutein and zeaxanthin did not increase risk for lung cancer, and that the new formation could reduce the risk of AMD progression by about 26%.
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Exercise amplifies immune attack on pancreatic cancer
New York University Langone Health, June 2
Aerobic exercise reprograms the immune system to reduce pancreatic tumor growth and amplify the effects of immunotherapy, a new study finds. Published online in Cancer Cell, the study provides new insight into how the mammalian immune system, designed to attack foreign invaders like bacteria, can also recognize cancer cells as abnormal. Exercise-induced increases in levels of the hormone adrenalin cause changes to the immune system, say the study authors, including in the activity of cells that respond to signaling protein interleukin-15 (IL-15). The current study found that exercise promotes the survival of CD8 T cells sensitive to IL-15, and doubles the number of them homing to pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) tumors in mice. Such “effector” T cells have been shown by other studies to be capable of killing cancer cells. Other tests found that aerobic exercise for 30 minutes five times a week reduced the rate of cancer formation by 50 percent in one mouse model of PDAC, and reduced tumor weight by 25 percent in another model, in which mice ran on treadmills for three weeks. Our findings show, for the first time, how aerobic exercise affects the immune microenvironment within pancreatic tumors,” says first author Emma Kurz, MD, Ph.D., at NYU Grossman School of Medicine’s Vilcek Institute of Graduate Biomedical Sciences.
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Antibiotics wreak havoc on athletic performance
University of California at Riverside, June 1
New research demonstrates that by killing essential gut bacteria, antibiotics ravage athletes’ motivation and endurance. The UC Riverside-led mouse study suggests the microbiome is a big factor separating athletes from couch potatoes. Other studies have examined the way that exercise affects the microbiome, but this study is one of few to examine the reverse — how gut bacteria also impact voluntary exercise behaviors. Voluntary exercise involves both motivation and athletic ability. Researchers confirmed through fecal samples that after 10 days of antibiotics, gut bacteria were reduced in two groups of mice: some bred for high levels of running, and some that were not. So, when wheel running in the athletic mice was reduced by 21 percent, researchers were certain the microbiome damage was responsible. In addition, the high runner mice did not recover their running behavior even 12 days after the antibiotic treatment stopped.
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Study: Trans Fat Hides in at Least a Quarter of Supermarket Foods
Environmental Working Group, May 22
A new analysis by Environmental Working Group has found that harmful artificial trans fatty acids lurk in more than 27 percent of more than 84,000 processed foods common in American supermarkets. Another 10 percent contain ingredients likely to contain trans fat. EWG analysts used information from EWG’s Food Scores database and mobile app to determine which foods contained partially hydrogenated oils and other trans fat containing-ingredients. The interactive, searchable tool rates more than 84,000 foods and 5,000 ingredients based on nutrition, ingredient and processing concerns. In most cases, the products’ trans fat content on the nutrition label doesn’t add up. The reason: an obscure loophole in federal food labeling regulations that allows food processors to round off less than half a gram of trans fat per serving to zero. A single serving of more than 400 foods in the Food Scores database contained enough trans fat to exceed the World Health Organization’s recommended limit of less than 2 grams per day for an adult who consumed a 2,000 calorie diet, the analysis said.
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Coffee drinking again linked with longer life
Jinan University (China), June 1 2022.
Yet another study has found an association between coffee drinking and a lower risk of premature mortality. The research was reported n the Annals of Internal Medicine. The investigation included 171,616 men and women who did not have cancer or heart disease upon enrollment between 2006 to 2010 in the UK Biobank prospective cohort study. Participants were 37 to 73 years old at recruitment. During a 7-year median follow-up period, participants who consumed unsweetened coffee had up to a 29% lower risk of death (which was associated with drinking 2.5 to 4.5 cups per day) compared to those who did not drink coffee. Participants who drank sugar-sweetened coffee had up to a 31% lower risk, associated with consuming 1.5 to 2.5 cups per day. The association between artificially sweetened coffee and mortality risk was inconclusive. “This prospective analysis found that moderate consumption of unsweetened coffee and that of sugar-sweetened coffee were associated with similar reductions in risk for all-cause, cancer-related, and cardiovascular disease-related mortality,” authors Dan Liu, MD, of Jinan University and colleagues concluded.
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Vegan diet might ease diabetic nerve pain
Lenox Hill Hospital (NYC), May 28th, 2022
A vegan diet might help people with diabetes-related nerve damage shed weight and find some pain relief, a small pilot study suggests. In the new study, researchers tested whether a vegan diet could help people with type 2 diabetes and painful nerve damage in their feet or hands. The investigators found that over 20 weeks, the 17 people they assigned to the diet lost an average of 15 pounds. At the same time, blood flow to their feet improved and their pain eased up. The dieters were told to limit themselves to 20 to 30 grams of fat per day, and to load up on “low GI” foods, which are foods that do not cause a large surge in blood sugar. Breakfast might include oatmeal with raisins, Wells said, while dinner could be lentil stew, or a vegetable stir-fry with rice. After about five months, the vegan group had lost 15 pounds, on average, versus about 1 pound in the comparison group. They also reported bigger improvements on a standard pain-rating survey.
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About 3 grams a day of omega-3 fatty acids may lower blood pressure, more research needed
Macau University of Science and Technology (China)
About 3 grams daily of omega-3 fatty acids, consumed in foods or supplements, appears to be the optimal daily dose to help lower blood pressure, according to a research review published today in the Journal of the American Heart Association, an open access, peer-reviewed journal of the American Heart Association. According to our research, the average adult may have a modest blood pressure reduction from consuming about 3 grams a day of these fatty acids,” said study author Xinzhi Li, M.D., Ph.D., at Macau University of Science and Technology in Macau, China. Researchers analyzed the results of 71 clinical trials from around the world published from 1987 to 2020. The analysis found: Compared to adults who did not consume EPA and DHA, those who consumed between 2 and 3 grams daily of combined DHA and EPA omega-3 fatty acids (in supplements, food or both) had reduced systolic (top number) and diastolic (bottom number) blood pressure by an average 2 mm Hg. Consuming more than 3 grams of omega-3 fatty acids daily may have added blood pressure-lowering benefit for adults with high blood pressure or high blood lipids: At 3g a day of omega-3s, systolic blood pressure (SBP) decreased an average of 4.5 mm Hg for those with hypertension, and about 2 mm Hg on average for those without. At 5g a day of omega-3s, SBP declined an average of nearly 4 mm Hg for those with hypertension and less than 1 mm Hg on average for those without.
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When is the best time of day to exercise? The answer may be different for men and women
Skidmore College
When should I fit exercise within my daily schedule? For most, the answer depends on our family’s schedule and working hours, and perhaps on whether we’re “larks” or “night owls.” But over the past decade, researchers have found that much more hangs on this question than these constraints. That’s because recent findings suggest that the effectiveness of exercise depends on the time of day (Exercise Time Of Day, ETOD). Now, a randomized controlled trial not only confirms convincingly that ETOD affects the effectiveness of exercise, but also shows that these effects differ between types of exercise, and between women and men. Principal investigator Dr. Paul J Arciero, a professor at the Health and Human Physiological Sciences Department said: “Here we show for the first time that for women, exercise during the morning reduces belly fat and blood pressure, whereas evening exercise in women increases upper body muscular strength, power, and endurance, and improves overall mood and nutritional satiety.”
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Diabetes may weaken teeth and promote tooth decay
Rutgers University, May 31, 2022
People with both Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes are prone to tooth decay, and a new study from Rutgers may explain why: reduced strength and durability of enamel and dentin, the hard substance under enamel that gives structure to teeth. Researchers induced Type 1 diabetes in 35 mice and used a Vickers microhardness tester to compare their teeth with those of 35 healthy controls over 28 weeks. Although the two groups started with comparable teeth, enamel grew significantly softer in the diabetic mice after 12 weeks, and the gap continued to widen throughout the study. Significant differences in dentin microhardness arose by week 28.
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Could beating drums help beat autism?
King’s College London, June 1, 2022
The percussive skill needed to bang out rhythms on a drum may help improve socializing, inhibition control and focus among teens with autism, new research suggest The finding follows work with 36 teens with an autism spectrum disorder. Half were randomly chosen to receive two months’ worth of drum training, based on a standard electronic drum kit program. The upshot: Learning to drum appeared to reduce hyperactive behavior and improve teens’ ability to focus and pay attention, she said. The activity also seemed to enhance communication “between brain regions responsible for inhibitory control, action-outcome monitoring, and self-regulation.” Drumming requires “motor planning and timing accuracy” as well as focused attention and inhibition control. Those assigned to drum training were given two 45-minute sessions a week for eight weeks. The other group received no drum training.The findings were published online May 31 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
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Vitamin D may restore the body’s natural barrier against ovarian cancer
Nagoya University (Japan)
Ovarian cancer has one of the highest death rates of all cancers. One reason for this is that the cancer turns the body’s defenses against itself. However, new research from Nagoya University published in Matrix Biology suggests that vitamin D can effectively prevent one of the key pathways used by this cancer. Ovarian cancer often undergoes a process called peritoneal metastasis. In this process, its cells detach from their primary site in the ovary and travel to a secondary implantation site, such as the peritoneal wall or diaphragm. The peritoneum defends against this process using a barrier consisting of mesothelial cells, which prevent the adhesion of cancer cells and limit their spread. However, ovarian cancer gets around this defense by transforming the protective mesothelial cells into cancer-associated mesothelial cells. This creates an environment that helps metastasis, assisting the spread of cancer around the body.
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Herbal supplement shows promise against lung cancer
University of Technology at Sydney
Berberine, a natural compound found in plants such as barberry and goldenseal, suppresses the proliferation of lung cancer cells in the lab, new research shows. It also reduces airway inflammation and damage to healthy lung cells exposed to chemicals from cigarette smoke. The evaluation of berberine’s effect on non-small cell lung cancer has just been published in the journal Pharmaceutics. It shows that berberine exhibits potent anticancer activity, suppressing cancer cell growth in vitro. The study follows research recently published in Antioxidants, also led by Dr. Dua, showing berberine can inhibit oxidative stress, and reduce inflammation and cellular senescence induced by cigarette smoke extract in lab-grown human healthy lung cells.
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N-acetylcysteine could improve concussion recovery
Midwestern University (Arizona)
A study reported on April 8, 2022, in The Journal of Trauma and Acute Care Surgery revealed improvement in symptoms of concussion among older men and women with mild traumatic brain injury (TBI) who received supplements containing the antioxidant amino acid N-acetylcysteine (NAC). Free radicals produced following brain injury react with lipids to create toxic molecules within the first hours following a traumatic brain injury. Dr McPherson and his associates suggested that the damage caused by these molecules could be responsible for the symptoms that occur after a concussion and that the use of compounds such as NAC could help mitigate some of these symptoms. The study included 65 traumatic brain injury patients of an average age of 76 years who were within three hours of trauma surgery service evaluation. Thirty-four patients received standard treatments for TBI plus 4 grams NAC within three hours of injury, followed by a 3-day period during which 2 grams NAC was administered twice per day and an additional 3 days during which 1.5 grams NAC was provided twice daily. The remainder of the participants received standard treatment alone. Questionnaires that evaluated post-concussion symptoms were administered at the beginning of the study and at 7 and 30 days. Questionnaire scores were significantly better in the NAC group on days 7 and 30.
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Ozone antiseptic shows potential for treating severe gum infections
Research SEA (Japan)
A powerful new antiseptic agent, called ozone nanobubble water, holds promise for the treatment of periodontitis, or severe gum infections, according to research published in the journal Science and Technology of Advanced Materials. The study, by Professor Shinichi Arakawa and colleagues, evaluated the bactericidal activities of ozone nano-bubble water — also known as NBW3 — against the two main bacterial agents that cause periodontitis. It also assessed NBW3’s toxicity to human oral tissue cells. Their results showed that NBW3 can kill periodontal pathogens within 30 seconds of exposure, yet has only a minor impact on the viability of oral tissue cells after 24 hours of exposure. Based on their in vitro results, the researchers conclude that NBW3 could become a valuable tool for treating periodontitis.
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Eating a Mediterranean diet could cut womb cancer risk
Institute of Pharmacological Research (Italy)
Women who eat a Mediterranean diet could cut their risk of womb cancer by more than half (57 per cent), according to a study published in the British Journal of Cancer. The Italian researchers looked at the diets of over 5,000 Italian women to see how closely they stuck to a Mediterranean diet and whether they went on to develop womb cancer*. The team broke the Mediterranean diet down into nine different components and measured how closely women stuck to them. The diet includes eating lots of vegetables, fruits and nuts, pulses, cereals and potatoes, fish, monounsaturated fats but little meat, milk and other dairy products and moderate alcohol intake. Researchers found that women who adhered to the Mediterranean diet most closely by eating between seven and nine of the beneficial food groups lowered their risk of womb cancer by more than half (57 per cent). Those who stuck to six elements of the diet’s components reduced their risk of womb cancer by 46 per cent and those who stuck to five reduced their risk by a third (34 per cent). But those women whose diet included fewer than five of the components did not lower their risk of womb cancer significantly.
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Regular chocolate consumption may be linked to lower risk of heart flutter
Harvard and Alborg (Denmark) universities,
Regular chocolate consumption may be linked to a lower risk of developing the heart rhythm irregularity atrial fibrillation, also known as heart flutter, finds research published online in the journal Heart. The associations seemed to be strongest for 1 weekly serving for women and between 2 and 6 weekly servings for men, the findings suggest. They drew on 55,502 (26,400 men and 29,100 women) participants, aged between 50 and 64, from the population-based Danish Diet, Cancer and Health Study. Participants provided information on their usual weekly chocolate consumption, with one serving classified as 1 ounce (30 g). But they were not asked to specify which type of chocolate they ate. Most chocolate eaten in Denmark, however, is milk chocolate (minimum 30 per cent cocoa solids). When the data were analysed by sex, the incidence of atrial fibrillation was lower among women than among men irrespective of intake, but the associations between higher chocolate intake and lower risk of heart flutter remained even after accounting for potentially influential factors. The strongest association for women seemed to be 1 weekly serving of chocolate (21 per cent lower risk), while for men, it was 2 to 6 weekly servings (23 per cent lower risk).
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Fruit and vegetable consumption and risk of lung cancer
Qingdao University (China)
According to news reporting originating in Shandong, People's Republic of China, A meta-analysis was conducted to summarize evidence from prospective cohort studies about the association of fruit and vegetable consumption with the risk of lung cancer. A random-effects model was used to combine study-specific relative risks and 95% confidence interval. Dose-response relationship was assessed by restricted cubic spline. The RR (95% CI) of lung cancer for highest versus lowest category of fruit and vegetable (FV) consumption was 0.87 (8 studies including 12,942 cases among 1,571,494 subjects), and the effect was 0.84 for fruit (16 studies including 15,421 cases among 1,791,469 subjects) and 0.90 for vegetable (19 studies including 16,422 cases among 1,877,375 subjects).
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Going For A 10-Minute Power Walk Every Day Could Be Secret To Long Life
National Cancer Institute
Could a 10-minute power walk every day could add years to your life? A recent study of nearly 5,000 older adults found that deaths fell as physical activity increased. Just 10, 20, or 30 minutes extra exercise a day per day reduced annual mortality rates by seven, 13 and 17 percent respectively. The research is based on Americans aged 40 to 85 who wore accelerometers on their waist for a week. Volunteers were tracked for an average of ten years, during which time 1,165 deaths occurred. The study shows that adding 10 minutes of physical activity each day resulted in an estimated 111,174 preventable deaths per year. Not surprisingly, the more physical activity, the more deaths prevented. The number almost doubled and tripled to 209,459 and 367,037, respectively, for 20 and 30 minutes. Similar results were observed for men and women, including those of all ethnic backgrounds.
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Whey protein improves blood glucose in diabetics
Newcastle University (UK),
A study reported in BMJ Open Diabetes Research & Care resulted in improved glucose control among people with type 2 diabetes who consumed whey protein. The crossover study included 18 type 2 diabetic men and women who received a drink that contained 15 grams of whey protein or a protein-depleted placebo to be consumed 10 minutes before breakfast, lunch and dinner for 7 days. This was followed by a 2-week period during which no treatments were given. Participants who had previously received whey were then given a placebo and those who received the placebo were given whey for an additional 7 days. Continuous glucose monitoring revealed improved daily blood glucose levels in association with whey intake. Participants experienced an increase of 2 hours per day of normal glucose during the week in which whey was consumed in comparison with the week in which the placebo was administered.
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Antioxidant-rich grape powder protects brain from damage caused by high fat and high sugar diets: Study Taipei Medical University (Taiwan), May 17, 2022 Antioxidants from grape powder helped ease hyperglycaemia-related cognitive dysfunction in aged rats, a study discovered.
Researchers from the Taipei Medical University said polyphenols from grape powder produced antioxidative and blood sugar-lowering properties that reduced the damage caused by a high-fat-high-fructose (HFHF) diet.
Findings revealed that 6% grape powder group had reduced RAGE, or receptor for advanced glycation end products in the brain tissue.
“Inclusion of up to 6% grape powder in the diet markedly reduced RAGE expression and tau hyperphosphorylation, but upregulated the expression of Nrf2 and BDNF, as well as the phosphorylation of PI3K and ERK, in the brain tissues of aged rats fed the HFHF diet,” the researchers reported.
Thus, while long-term diet high in fructose and fat levels can cause hyperglycemia-related cognitive dysfunction in aged rats, grape powder supplementation can help ease the damaging changes in the brain protein related to neurodegeneration.
Excessive degradation of mitochondria is the tipping point from normal alcohol metabolism to alcoholic liver disease Medical University of South Carolina, May 24, 2022
While most commonly known as “the powerhouses of the cell” because of their energy producing capabilities, mitochondria also play important roles in regulating the health of cells. These important structures can be damaged by alcohol consumption, which can cause them to rupture and release their DNA, proteins and lipids, collectively known as “damage associated molecular patterns (DAMPs).”
To understand more fully how alcohol damages mitochondria, and how this leads to mitophagy, researchers at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) used an advanced imaging technique to investigate changes in mitochondrial function within the livers of mice that were exposed to alcohol. Their findings, published online on March 16 in the journal Autophagy, demonstrated that exposure to alcohol causes a specific type of mitochondrial damage called depolarization. In a completely novel discovery, they found that it is this depolarization that indicates to the cell that the mitochondria are damaged and thereby causes activation of the mitophagy machinery to remove the damaged mitochondria before they can cause harm.
The current study determined that mitochondrial injury, specifically depolarization, initiates mitophagy to prevent damaged mitochondria from accumulating in cells. Blocking depolarization after ethanol exposure also blocks mitophagy, preventing mitochondrial depletion.
Flavonoids may slow lung function decline due to aging Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, May 22, 2022
Previous research has shown that the plant-produced chemicals known as flavonoids have beneficial antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Anthocyanins, the type of flavonoid investigated in the current study, have been detected in lung tissue shortly after being ingested, and in animals models of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The plant chemicals appear to reduce mucus and inflammatory secretions.
The researchers analyzed data from 463 adults (average age: 44) who participated in the second and third European Community Respiratory Health Surveys from 2002 to 2012. The researchers also analyzed the association between anthocyanin consumption and lung function in smokers, those who had never smoked and those who quit. The association between high consumption of the flavonoids and reduced lung function decline appeared to be stronger among both never smokers and those who had quit than in the general study population. Among smokers, the study did not find an association between anthocyanin intake and lung function.
“Our study suggests that the general population could benefit from consuming more fruits rich in these flavonoids like berries, particularly those who have given up smoking or have never smoked, Dr. Larsen said.
Medication doesn’t help kids with ADHD learn, study finds Florida International University, May 24, 2022
For decades, most physicians, parents and teachers have believed that stimulant medications help children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) learn. However, in the first study of its kind, researchers found medication has no detectable impact on how much children with ADHD learn in the classroom.
Approximately 10% of children in the U.S. are diagnosed with ADHD and more than 90% of them are prescribed stimulant medication as the main form of treatment in school settingsbecause most physicians believe that medication will result in better academic achievement.
Researchers evaluated 173 children between the ages of 7 and 12 with ADHD participating in the center’s Summer Treatment Program, a comprehensive eight-week summer camp program for children with ADHD and related behavioral, emotional and learning challenges. Each child was randomized to be medicated with a sustained-release stimulant medication during either the first or second of the instructional phases, receiving a placebo during the other.
Contrary to expectations, researchers found that children learned the same amount of science, social studies, and vocabulary content whether they were taking the medication or the placebo.
Mediterranean diet may blunt air pollution’s ill health effects NYU School of Medicine May 21, 2022
Eating a Mediterranean diet may protect people from some of the harm of long-term exposure to air pollution, and reduce their risk of dying from heart attacks, stroke and other causes of death, according to new research.
The researchers analyzed data from the National Institutes of Health (NIH)-American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) Diet and Health Study. Over 17 years, the study followed 548,699 people (average age 62 at enrollment) from 6 states. During that time, 126,835 people in the study group died.
The researchers created five groups of participants based on their level of adherence to a Mediterranean diet and linked participants to estimates of long-term exposure to fine particulate matter (PM2.5), nitrous oxide (NO2) and ozone (O3) based on census tract information.
When comparing those least and most adherent to a Mediterranean diet, the study found that:
- Deaths from all causes increased by 5 percent for every 10 parts per billion (ppb) increase in long-term average NO2 exposure in those least adherent, compared to 2 percent among the most adherent.
- Cardiovascular disease deaths increased by 17 percent for every 10 micrograms per cubic meter (μg/m3) increase in long-term average PM2.5 exposure in those least adherent, compared to 5 percent among the most adherent.
- Cardiovascular disease deaths increased by 10 percent for every 10 ppb increase in NO2. exposure in those least adherent, compared to 2 percent among the most adherent.
- Heart attack deaths increased by 20 percent for every 10 μg/m3 increase in PM2.5 exposure in those least adherent, compared to 5 percent among the most adherent.
- Heart attack deaths increased by 12 percent for every single ppb increase in NO2 exposure in those least adherent, compared to 4 percent among the most adherent.
Why blueberries are an effective weapon in the war against Alzheimer’s disease University of Cincinnati, May 21, 2022 Could a plump, little blueberry really hold colossal promise in the fight against Alzheimer’s disease? New research adds to the growing evidence that blueberries, bursting with antioxidants, could help diminish the devastating defects of dementia. Newly released study findings show that certain flavonoids found in blueberries could also hold the key to lessening the effects of Alzheimer’s disease. The researchers, led by Krikorian, believe that blueberries’ beneficial effects against Alzheimer’s could be due to certain flavonoids found in the berries. Known as anthocyanins, they have been shown to improve cognition in tests with animals. Those receiving the blueberry powder were found to exhibit improved brain function and cognitive performance compared to those in the control group, with better memory and improved access to words and concepts. In another study, 94 people, aged 62 to 80, were divided into four groups. The subjects did not have diagnosed early-onset Alzheimer’s, but did report feelings of having their memory decline.
Broccoli may beneficially affect microbiota diversity: Study University of Illinois Consuming broccoli may change the diversity and composition of the microbiota in the gastrointestinal tract, says a new study.
Two hundred grams per day of broccoli for 17 days resulted in 37% increase in the proportion of Bacteroidetes relative to Firmicutes, according to data presented at the Experimental Biology meeting in Chicago this week by scientists from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, ARS-USDA, and the National Cancer Institute.
“These novel results reveal that broccoli consumption affects the diversity and composition of the GI microbiota of healthy adults,” they wrote in the FASEB Journal . “These data help fill the gap in knowledge related to the role of bacterial hydrolysis of phytonutrients.
“The increase in Bacteroides spp. is particularly relevant because Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron has been shown in vitro to utilize glucosinolates.”
Acupuncture possible treatment for dental anxiety University of York
Researchers have found evidence that acupuncture could help people who experience dental anxiety.
Dental anxiety affects up to an estimated 30% of the adult population in countries world-wide. Patients can experience nausea, difficulty breathing and dizziness at the thought of going to the dentist, during an examination, and following treatment.
In a review of six trials with 800 patients, researchers used a points scale to measure anxiety and studies show that anxiety reduced by eight points when dental patients were given acupuncture as a treatment. This level of reduction is considered to be clinically relevant, which means that acupuncture could be a possibility for tackling dental anxiety.
Studies that compared anxiety levels between patients that received acupuncture and those that did not, showed a significant difference in anxiety scores during dental treatment. A clinically relevant reduction in anxiety was found when acupuncture was compared with not receiving acupuncture.
Omega-3 may help protect against adverse cardiovascular effects of pollution Case Western University
An article published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology reported a protective effect for supplementation with omega-3 fatty acids against some of the harmful cardiovascular effects of exposure to air pollution in China.
The randomized, double-blinded trial included 65 healthy college students in Shanghai, China who received 2.5 grams fish oil as a source of omega-3 fatty acids or a placebo daily. During the last two months of the trial, the subjects participated in four health examinations that included blood pressure assessment and measurement of blood markers of inflammation, coagulation, endothelial function, oxidative stress, antioxidant activity, cardiometabolism and neuroendocrine stress response.
Campus levels of fine particulate matter air pollution (PM 2.5) measured during the course of the trial averaged 38 micrograms per cubic meter. The researchers observed greater stability of most biomarker levels in responses to changes in fine particulate matter exposure in the fish oil-treated group in comparison with the placebo group. Omega-3 fatty acid supplementation was associated with beneficial effects for five blood biomarkers of inflammation, coagulation, endothelial function, oxidative stress, and neuroendocrine stress response.
Snoring causes injuries and prevention of healing in the upper airways
Umea University (Sweden)
The recurrent vibrations caused by snoring can lead to injuries in the upper airways of people who snore heavily. This in turn, can cause swallowing dysfunction and render individuals more vulnerable for developing the severe condition obstructive sleep apnea. These findings are reported by researchers at Umeå University, Sweden. Their on-going research focuses on the processes behind vibratory damage and healing of the upper airway tract. The data generated will help identify people at high risk of developing sleep apnea and to find novel treatment strategies.
Researchers in Umeå have shown that snorers and sleep apnea patients have neuromuscular injuries in the upper respiratory tract. The injuries can be seen at both the structural and molecular level. Researchers could also observe a correlation between snoring and swallowing dysfunction as well as a relation between nerve damage and obstructive sleep apnea. Sleep apnea is characterized by repeated collapse of the upper respiratory tract leading to respiratory arrest during sleep, which increases the risk of cardiovascular disease.
The studies show that people who constantly snore heavily and have sleep apnea displayed a loss of nerves and muscle mass in the soft palate. Furthermore, the attempts by the body to heal damaged tissue were disturbed resulting in an abnormal muscle structure. Another interesting finding was that muscle fibres in the soft palate lacked or had a disturbed organization of certain structural proteins. These proteins stabilize the organelles of the muscle cell and support cellular structures related to energy production and muscle fibre contraction.
The researchers also found that a neurotransmitter that is normally associated with healing and regeneration of neurons was present in the muscle cells. This finding suggests that the body is trying to heal the injuries, but the recurrent snoring vibrations prevent proper healing. It becomes a vicious circle where snoring causes damage and at the same time disturb healing of injuries, which can lead to swallowing dysfunction and sleep apnea.
Study: Tai chi can reduce hypertension symptoms in young and middle-aged in-service staff Zhei-jian Hospital (China)
Researchers from Zhejiang Hospital in China reported that practicing t’ai chi can help with hypertension.
- The treatment group practiced simplified t’ai chi for three months. On the other hand, the control group underwent general daily lifestyle intervention.
- After one month of exercise, the participants who practiced t’ai chi experienced significant reductions in their systolic blood pressure, heart rate, triglycerides, total cholesterol, and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol.
- At the end of the intervention period, the t’ai chi group experienced substantial decreases in their BMI, heart rate, systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, pulse pressure, triglycerides, total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, and blood sugar levels. Practicing t’ai chi also improved their quality of life.
Lemongrass essential oil protects the liver from acetaminophen-induced injury State University of Maringa (Brazil)
A study published in The American Journal of Chinese Medicine found that the essential oil extracted from lemongrass (Cymbopogon citratus) can protect the liver from damage caused by acetaminophen intake.
- They pretreated mice with 125, 250, or 500 milligrams per kilogram (mg/kg) of lemongrass essential oil or 200 mg/kg of a standard drug per day for seven days.
- Then, they induced liver toxicity by administering 250 mg/kg dose of acetaminophen.
- The researchers found that pretreatment with lemongrass essential oil significantly reduced the levels of liver disease markers alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alkaline phosphatase (ALP).
- Inflammation in the liver was also reduced by lemongrass essential oil.
- Liver lesions in mice were also improved after pretreatment with lemongrass essential oil.
- Pretreatment with lemongrass essential oil increased antioxidant activity in the liver.
Want to escape Alzheimer’s disease? Run for your life and exercise
Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center (Israel), May 20, 2022
Exercise slows down aging of the brain and can reduce risks of Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias by about half. Long-term epidemiological and physical studies show that exercise can improve memory, concentration and mood and minimize pain, as well as reduce the risk of cognitive damage, stroke, Parkinson’s disease and depression.
“These findings flew in the face of the belief that over the age of 30, the neurons decline irreversibly. Today we know that the adult brain has many stem cells that when stimulated can differentiate and turn into ripe neurons that know how to create synapses.” The neurologist added that for some unknown reason, the best potential for differentiation exists in brain regions responsible for memory.
Exercise promotes the secretion of trophic factors — including brain-derived neurotrophic factor that encourage the growth of stem cells that turn into adult nerve cells. he added. These factors activate genes responsible for the development of stem cells in the hippocampus and other brain regions involved in memory, storage and processing of data. They are available in large quantities during a baby’s first years when the brain develops at a rapid pace, but the amounts decline during adolescence and aging.
It was best to do aerobic exercise (causing the heart and lungs to exert themselves) along with non-aerobic exercise (strengthening the muscles on the skeleton) at least three times a week. Even if you exercise just as an adult and the cognitive decline has begun, your physical activity will slow down the rate of decline.
Orange juice is good for ageing brain: Study
University of Reading (UK) May 19, 2022
Drinking orange juice could help improve brain function in elderly people, says a new study.
The study saw a group of 37 healthy adults (mean age 67 years) consuming 500 ml of orange juice daily over an eight week period. At the beginning and end of the eight weeks their memory, reaction time and verbal fluency was measured.
This study is thought to be one of the first to show that regularly consuming orange juice flavanones could have a positive effect on older people’s cognition.
“This is an important discovery which strengthens the growing body of evidence that flavonoid rich foodstuffs could play a big role in tackling cognition decline in old age,” he concluded.
Oil Pulling For Maintaining Oral Hygiene – Review
Yenepoya University and Dental College (India), May 22, 202
Oil pulling is an ancient ayurvedic therapy for maintaining oral hygiene. Oils for oil pulling are easily available in household. Oil pulling is mentioned in the ayurvedic text Charak Samhita and Sushruta Samhita as ‘Kavala Graha’ or ‘Kavala Gandoosha’. In Gandoosha the mouth is completely filled with oil such that gargling is impossible whereas in Kavala Graha comfortable lesser quantities of oil is used such that gargling is possible.
In oil pulling, a tablespoon full of oil is swished around the mouth in the early morning before breakfast and in empty stomach for about 20 min. In case of children greater than five years of age, a teaspoon of oil is used. The oil is ‘pulled’ and forced in between all the teeth by swishing it all around the mouth. At the end of this activity if the procedure is done correctly, the viscous oil will become milky white and thinner. Then it is spit out and mouth is thoroughly washed with clean warm saline water or tap water and teeth are cleaned with fingers or routine tooth brushing is performed.9 If the jaw aches, then the procedure can be done just for 5–10 min. The oil should not be spit into the sink as the oil can cause clogging of the pipes. Instead, the oil should be spit into a trashcan or on a paper towel.
Oil pulling should be ideally performed daily morning on empty stomach before brushing teeth and care should be taken that oil is not swallowed. Swallowing of oil during oil pulling should be avoided as the oil contains bacteria and toxins. Oil pulling is best practiced in sitting position with chin up. It can be practiced thrice daily in empty stomach before meals to fasten the healing effects. It is contraindicated for children below 5 years due to risk of aspiration. The practitioner should take care not to aspirate the oil while performing rigorous oil pulling. In cases of oral ulcers, fever, vomiting tendency, asthma and in conditions where brushing is difficult and sometimes contraindicated, oil pulling can be advantageously used to maintain oral hygiene.
Organic oils such as sunflower oil, sesame oil, and coconut oil are of benefit especially if it is cold pressed, though refined oil also works in “pulling” the bacteria, viruses and protozoa from the oral cavity. Since trans fats are absent in cold pressed oils when compared to commercial oils which are extracted from strong petroleum based solvents; oil pulling is ideally performed with cold pressed oils.
Oil pulling generates antioxidants which damage the cell wall of microorganisms and kill them. These oils will attract the lipid layer of bacterial cell membranes, and cause it to stick or get attracted, and pulled to the oil. During oil pulling, the oil gets emulsified and surface area of the oil gets increased.
Paracetamol (Tyenol) in pregnancy may lower testosterone in unborn boys
University of Edinburgh, May 20th, 2022
Prolonged paracetamol use by pregnant women may reduce testosterone production in unborn baby boys, research has found.
Researchers say their findings could help to explain reported links between paracetamol use in pregnancy and reproductive health problems in young boys.
The University of Edinburgh study tested the effect of paracetamol on testosterone production in mice that carried grafts of human testicular tissue. These grafts have been shown to mimic how the developing testes grow and function during pregnancy.
Scientists gave the mice a typical daily dose of paracetamol – over a period of either 24 hours or seven days. They measured the amount of testosterone produced by the human tissue an hour after the final dose of paracetamol.
They found there was no effect on testosterone production following 24 hours of paracetamol treatment. After seven days of exposure, however, the amount of testosterone was reduced by 45 per cent.
Natural plant chemicals in licorice root could help fight tooth decay, study shows
University of Edinburgh (Scotland), May 20, 2022
Oral care products containing a natural chemical that stops bacteria harming teeth could help prevent decay, a study suggests.
The plant natural product acts against harmful mouth bacteria and could improve oral health by helping to prevent the build-up of plaque, researchers say.
The compound – known as trans-chalcone – is related to chemicals found in liquorice root. The study shows that it blocks the action of a key enzyme that allows the bacteria to thrive in oral cavities.
Researchers found that blocking the activity of the enzyme prevents bacteria forming a protective biological layer – known as a biofilm – around themselves. Plaque is formed when bacteria attach themselves to teeth and construct biofilms. Preventing the assembly of these protective layers would help stop bacteria forming plaque, the teams says.
Another Practice That Helps Gut Disease: Yoga, Meditation and Prayer, Says Study
Benson-Henry Institute at Massachusetts General Hospital, May 19, 2022
A pilot study has found that participating in a nine-week training program including elicitation of the relaxation response (mind body stress reduction techniques such as yoga, meditation and prayer) had a significant impact on clinical symptoms of the gastrointestinal disorders irritable bowel syndrome and inflammatory bowel disease and on the expression of genes related to inflammation and the body’s response to stress. These practices actually have a tangible effect on genes! The report is the first to study the use of the relaxation response in these disorders and the first to investigate the genomic effects of the relaxation response in individuals with any disorder.
The current study was designed both to investigate whether a relaxation-response-based intervention could improve the quality of life in patients with IBS or IBD and to analyze the intervention’s effects on inflammatory markers and gene expression. The study enrolled 48 adult participants – 19 of whom had been diagnosed with IBS and 29 diagnosed with IBD – who participated in a nine-week group program focused on stress reduction, cognitive skills and health-enhancing behaviors. Each of the weekly sessions included relaxation response training, and participants were asked to practice relaxation response elicitation at home for 15 to 20 minutes each day. Along with aspects featured in other group programs offered at the Benson-Henry Institute, this program included a session specifically focused on gastrointestinal health.
Both in patients with IBS and those with IBD, participation in the mind/body program appeared to have significantly improved disease-related symptoms, anxiety and overall quality of life, not only at the end of the study period but also three weeks later. While there were no significant changes in inflammatory markers for either group of participants, changes in expression were observed in almost 200 genes among participants with IBS and more than 1,000 genes in those with IBD. Many of the genes with altered expression are known to contribute to pathways involved with stress response and inflammation.
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Could probiotics restore microbiome imbalance linked to autoimmune disorder? UCLA and Oslo University Probiotics might help restore gut bacterial imbalance in patients with systemic sclerosis, says a new study looking at gastrointestinal bacterial compositions in two geographically-distinct populations suffering from the autoimmune disorder. Systemic sclerosis is an autoimmune disease which impacts the body’s connective tissue. It is an uncommon condition that results in hard, thickened areas of skin and sometimes problems with internal organs and blood vessels.The study ran across the US and Norway and found that Norwegians and Americans with systemic sclerosis had higher levels of bacteria which can cause inflammation and lower levels of bacteria which are said to protect against inflammation compared to those not suffering from systemic sclerosis.The study found that those with systemic sclerosis had significantly lower levels of gut bacteria which is thought to protect against inflammation, such as Bacteroides.They were also found to have higher amounts of bacteria which promote inflammation, such as Fusobacterium, in comparison to those without systemic sclerosis.The study suggests that probiotics may aid restoring gut bacterial balance in those suffering from systemic sclerosis.
Caraway extract shows slimming potential for women University of Malaya (Malaysia), An aqueous extract of caraway seeds may suppress appetite and help slim waistlines and thighs in physically active women, says a new study.
Data published in Phytotherapy Research indicated that 90 days of supplementation with the caraway (Carum carvi L.) extract led to significant reductions in waist circumference of 6.2 cm and thigh circumference of 5.4 cm, compared to baseline levels. No significant waist reductions were recorded in the placebo group.
“This study showed that the consumption of 30 mL/day CAE [caraway aqueous extract] may result in reasonable anti-obesity effects,” wrote the researchers. “Most likely, this occurs through a combination of four major bioactivities, including anti-microbial, anti-oxidant, and anti-inflammatory properties, together with the appetite-suppressing activity.
Scientists from the University of Malaya (Malaysia), Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences (Iran), and Natural Products Inc (USA) recruited 70 aerobically trained, overweight, and obese women to participate in their triple-blind, placebo-controlled, clinical study. The women – who were instructed to not change their diet or physical activity – were randomly assigned to receive either the caraway extract or placebo for 90 days.
Results showed that women in the caraway group had significant reductions in both appetite levels and carbohydrate intake compared with the placebo group.
Commenting on the potential bioactives compounds responsible for the effects, the researchers note that caraway seed extracts contain volatile compounds such as limonene, gamma-terpinene, trans-carveol, carvone, thymol, and carvacrol.
Friends Provide Better Pain Relief Than Morphine, Oxford University Study Reveals Oxford University
Recent studies have explored the science behind friendships and discovered that there are actually measurable differences between people who have strong, healthy social networks and those who don’t. In particular, people with strong friend connections were found to experience significantly better states of physical and mental health.
“People with social support have fewer cardiovascular problems and immune problems, and lower levels of cortisol — a stress hormone,” says Tasha R. Howe, PhD, associate professor of psychology at Humboldt State University.
Adding to the growing research on the benefits of friendship, a recent study conducted by researchers at Oxford University established that people with more friends have higher pain tolerance.
The study was designed to use pain tolerance to test the brain’s endorphin activity. The researchers theorised that people with larger social networks would, as a result, have higher pain tolerance. The findings of the study supported their theory in that it showed that indeed, strong social connections were correlated with higher pain tolerance.
As mentioned in the final statement it is not just the size of our social network that is important to our wellbeing, but the quality of the friendships that matters as well. With the advent of the internet modern society is changing quickly, and our interactions are increasingly occurring online. Even though the internet can be a great way to connect with likeminded people, online friends just aren’t the same as those we can actually sit with and look directly in the eye when we communicate–and a digital hug is just nowhere near as good as a real one!
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Blueberries can lower the risk of cardiovascular disease in postmenopausal women with high blood pressure Colorado State University, May 19 2022
Consuming blueberries can lower the risk of cardiovascular disease in postmenopausal women with high blood pressure, according to new research by Colorado State University faculty member Sarah Ardanuy Johnson.
Consumption of 22 grams of freeze dried blueberry powder (equivalent to about 1 cup of fresh blueberries) mixed with water taken daily for 12 weeks improved the function of the inner lining of blood vessels (called the endothelium), according to preliminary findings of a study.
They performed a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-arm clinical trial in 43 estrogen-deficient postmenopausal women aged 45-65 years with elevated blood pressure or stage 1-hypertension. Johnson’s research team used freeze-dried blueberries to retain the polyphenols as much as possible, and to allow for the study to be double-blind, meaning that neither the investigators nor the study participants knew whether they were getting the treatment (blueberry) or placebo.
Johnson said the team observed increases in blood metabolites that are products of metabolism of anthocyanins (polyphenols found in blueberries that give them their blue color) and metabolism of polyphenols by the gut microbiome.
Diet plays key role in ADHD symptoms in children Ohio State University, May 20, 2022
Here’s a good reason for children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) to eat their fruits and vegetables: It may help reduce inattention issues, a new study suggests.
Results showed that kids who consumed more fruits and vegetables showed less severe symptoms of inattention, said Irene Hatsu, associate professor of human nutrition at The Ohio State University.
The study that evaluated the effectiveness of the supplement showed that children who took the micronutrients were three times as likely to show significant improvement in their ADHD and emotional dysregulation symptoms than those who took a placebo.
Higher dose of melatonin improved sleep in older adults Harvard University, May 19, 2022
In a small study of healthy adults aged 55 and older, 5 mg of melatonin increased total sleep time compared to a placebo.
Researchers conducted the study in 24 healthy, older adults to evaluate whether a high-doseor a low-dose melatonin supplement could improve sleep. The team found that the higher dose had a significant impact, increasing total sleep time compared to placebo by more than 15 minutes for nighttime sleep and by half an hour for daytime sleep. Results are published in the Journal of Pineal Research.
The body naturally produces the hormone melatonin, which helps regulate a person’s sleep-wake cycle with night and day. Melatonin levels peak at night. But among older people, levels of the hormone are often lower.
The team found that the low dose of melatonin did not lead to a statistically significant change in overall sleep time and that the changes that were seen were when sleep was scheduled during the biological day. Participants taking the 5 mg dose had a significant increase in total sleep time and sleep efficiency regardless of whether sleep was scheduled during the day or night.
Sound Waves Boost Older Adult’s Memory, Deep Sleep Northwestern University, May 14, 2022
Gentle sound stimulation—such as the rush of a waterfall—synchronized to the rhythm of brain waves significantly enhanced deep sleep in older adults and improved their ability to recall words. This is according to a Northwestern Medicine study.
Deep sleep is critical for memory consolidation. But beginning in middle age, deep sleep decreases substantially, which scientists believe contributes to memory loss in aging.
The sound stimulation significantly enhanced deep sleep in participants and their scores on a memory test.
The degree of slow wave sleep enhancement was related to the degree of memory improvement, suggesting slow wave sleep remains important for memory, even in old age.
Mulberry extract may ‘activate’ brown fat, help treat obesity Chinese Academy of Sciences, May 9, 2022 Researchers from the Chinese Academy of Sciences say obesity can be treated by using a natural compound in mulberries that “activates” brown fat.The compound, known as rutin, was found to have weight loss properties in a study published in The FASEB Journal. Researchers say this may not only be able to help treat obesity, but related diseases associated with excessive weight gain.”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,” researcher Wan-Zhu Jin said in a press release. During the experiment, supplemental rutin was added to the drinking water of both groups. Researchers observed improved glucose homeostasis in both cohorts. The investigators concluded the rutin improved metabolic functions in the mice. Scientists are confident similar remedies can be used to treat obesity in humans. Psychedelic drugs promote neural plasticity in rats and flies University of California Davis, May 12, 2022
Psychedelic drugs may have mind-altering powers in the physical sense, too. A new study, published in the journal Cell Reports, found psychedelics, specifically DOI, DMT, and LSD, can change brain cells in rats and flies, making neurons more likely to branch out and connect with one another. The work supports the theory that psychedelics could help to fight depression, anxiety, addiction, and post-traumatic stress disorder.
“These are some of the most powerful compounds known to affect brain function, it’s very obvious to me that we should understand how they work,” says senior author David E. Olson, assistant professor at the University of California, Davis.
The idea that depression stems from imbalanced brain chemistry remains popular, but recent studies have revealed evidence that depression manifests as structural changes in brain circuits or atrophy in parts of the brain. This doesn’t mean neurons die off during depression, but that neurites retract. Neurites are the sections—either axons or dendrites—of a neuron that project out to bridge the gap between two neurons at the synapse to facilitate communication.
“One of the hallmarks of depression is that the neurites in the prefrontal cortex—a key brain region that regulates emotion, mood, and anxiety—those neurites tend to shrivel up,” says Olson. These brain changes also appear in cases of anxiety, addiction, and post-traumatic stress disorder.
In their paper, Olson and colleagues tested psychedelics and showed some psychedelics tested, including LSD, proved to be more potent and efficacious in promoting neurite growth.
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Majority of acne sufferers have diminished levels of omega-3 Ludwig-Maximilian University (Germany), May 16 2022.
A study reported during the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology Spring Symposium suggests a protective role for omega-3 fatty acids against acne.
The study revealed that 94% of 100 acne patients whose blood samples were analyzed for red blood cell omega-3 fatty acid levels had lower than the recommended concentrations. Higher omega-3 fatty acid levels were found among people who regularly consumed legumes and among those who supplemented with omega-3.
Omega-3 fatty acids lower inflammation that occurs in acne by stimulating anti-inflammatory eicosanoids and decreasing levels of insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1). Patients with omega-3 fatty acids below the recommended levels had lower serum IGF-1 concentrations than patients who were not deficient in omega-3. Those with severe deficiencies had even greater levels of IGF-1.
Nuts and peanuts may protect against major causes of death
Maastricht University (Netherlands), May 11, 2022
A paper published in the International Journal of Epidemiology confirms a link between peanut and nut intake and lower mortality rates, but finds no protective effect for peanut butter. Men and women who eat at least 10 grams of nuts or peanuts per day have a lower risk of dying from several major causes of death than people who don’t consume nuts or peanuts.
The reduction in mortality was strongest for respiratory disease, neurodegenerative disease, and diabetes, followed by cancer and cardiovascular diseases. The effects are equal in men and women. Peanuts show at least as strong reductions in mortality as tree nuts, but peanut butter is not associated with mortality, researchers from Maastricht University found.
In this new study, it was found that mortality due to cancer, diabetes, respiratory, and neurodegenerative diseases was also lowered among users of peanuts and nuts. Project leader and epidemiologist Professor Piet van den Brandt commented: “It was remarkable that substantially lower mortality was already observed at consumption levels of 15 grams of nuts or peanuts on average per day (half a handful).
People more likely to trust, cooperate if they can tolerate ambiguity, study finds Brown University, May 12, 2022
Can a new colleague be trusted with confidential information? Will she be a cooperative team player on a critical upcoming project? Assessing someone’s motives or intentions, which are often hidden, is difficult, and gauging how to behave toward others involves weighing possible outcomes and personal consequences.
New research published in Nature Communications indicates that individuals who are tolerant of ambiguity—a kind of uncertainty in which the odds of an outcome are unknown—are more likely to cooperate with and trust other people.
Tolerance of ambiguity is distinct from tolerance of risk. With risk, the probability of each future outcome is known. The many unknowns inherent in social situations make them inherently ambiguous, and the study finds that attitudes toward ambiguity are a predictor of one’s willingness to engage in potentially costly social behavior.
Overall, being able to tolerate ambiguity predicted greater prosocial behavior, which prioritizes the welfare of other people and not just one’s own self-benefit. By contrast, there was no association between risk tolerance and social decision-making.
When subjects were allowed to gather information about others—through gossiping about, engaging with or observing another person, for instance—and reduce the amount of ambiguous uncertainty around their social choices, the link between ambiguity tolerance and willingness to trust disappeared, according to the study.
High-fat diet linked to nitric oxide levels, cancer development Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, May 17, 2022
It has long been hypothesized that dietary habits can precede and even exacerbate the development of cancer.
Researchers at the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology proved that a direct link exists between the amount of fat included in one’s diet and bodily levels of nitric oxide, a naturally occurring signaling molecule that is related to inflammation and cancer development.
“Inflammation can play a significant role in this environment. Certain inflammatory response comes from highly processed foods, which are high in calories and high in fat. Yadav and coauthors are familiar with existing research linking increased nitric oxide levels to inflammation, and inflammation to cancer.
The researchers used the probe to design a diet study comparing the tumorigenicity of the breast-cancer-carrying mice on a high-fat diet (60% of calories coming from fat) with mice on a low-fat diet (10% of calories coming from fat) by measuring the nitric oxide levels in both groups.
“As a result of the high-fat diet, we saw an increase in nitric oxide in the tumor microenvironment,” said Michael Lee, a lead coauthor on this study. “The implication of this is that the tumor microenvironment is a very complex system, and we really need to understand it to understand how cancer progression works. A lot of factors can go into this from diet to exercise—external factors that we don’t really take into account that we should when we consider cancer treatments.”
Blood pressure drugs EXPOSED for increasing the risk of pancreatic cancer in women Baylor College of Medicine, May 12, 2022
Arguably, some blood pressure medications may be necessary and offer a benefit for those suffering with cardiovascular issues. But, of equal importance is, research out of the Baylor College of Medicine that has determined some of these drugs – like calcium channel blockers (CCBs) – can raise the risk of pancreatic cancer in menopausal women.
CCBs work by preventing calcium from entering blood vessel walls and heart cells, reducing blood pressure and decreasing cardiac workload and stress.
The study examined a large group of over 145,000 postmenopausal women from the Women’s Health Initiative study between ages 50 and 79 years old. By 2014, over 800 had developed pancreatic cancer, with elevated risk among those taking a short-acting CCB.
WARNING: Blood pressure drugs can double the risk of pancreatic cancer Of the participants, those who had taken a CCB (short-acting calcium channel blocker) had a 66 percent increased chance of getting pancreatic cancer. Those who took short-acting CCBs (as compared with other blood pressure drug types) for over three years had a doubled risk of pancreatic cancer.
The drugs in question include short-acting nifedipine, brand names Adalat CC nicardipine (Cardene IV), Procardia and diltiazem (Cardizem). The short-acting varieties of blood pressure drugs were the only ones linked to higher pancreatic cancer risk; other types did not seem to increase the risk
Heightened dream recall ability linked to increased creativity and functional brain connectivity University of California, Berkeley, May 14, 2022
People who can frequently recall their dreams tend to be more creative and exhibit increased functional connectivity in a key brain network, according to new research published in the journal Nature and Science of Sleep. The findings provide new insights into the neurophysiological correlates of dreaming.
“I think that dreaming is one of the last frontiers of human cognition — a terra incognita of the mind if you will,” said study author Raphael Vallat, at the Center for Human Sleep Science at the University of California, Berkeley. “Although we all spend a significant amount of our lives dreaming, there are still so many basic research questions related to dreams that are unanswered, which obviously makes it such a fascinating topic to study!
For his new study, Vallat and his colleagues used brain imaging techniques to examine whether neurophysiological differences exist between individuals who frequently recall their dreams and those who do not.
The researchers found that high dream recallers and low dream recallers had similar personalities, levels of anxiety, sleep quality, and memory abilities. However, high dream recallers scored significantly higher than low dream recallers, indicating that they had greater creative abilities.
Vallat and his colleagues also observed increased functional connectivity within the default mode network in high dream recallers compared to low dream recallers. The brain network “is known to be active during day-dreaming, mind-wandering (e.g. getting lost in your thoughts), and has been further suggested to promote creativity and dreaming,” Vallat explained. The increased connectivity was specifically found between the medial prefrontal cortex and the temporo-parietal junction, in line with clinical reports that have shown lesions to these brain regions result in a cessation of dream recall.
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Blueberry diet linked to lower breast cancer risk: New Zealand study
Massey University (New Zealand), May 10, 2022
WELLINGTON (CIHAN)- Women might be able to reduce the risk of breast cancer by eating more blueberries, according to a New Zealand research.
A Massey University study in which blueberries were fed to animals as part of their diet found they had a 50-percent lower incidence rate of mammary tumors.
“Blueberries contain phytochemicals called anthocyanins, which may be responsible for the health benefits of blueberries,” Dr Janyawat Vuthijumnonk said in a statement.
Tumours found in animals that received blueberries with fibre included (in pomace form), were smaller and less aggressive than in animals without blueberry consumption or in animals that received just blueberry juice.
“We also found circulating estrogen – the steroid hormone which plays a key role in breast cancer promotion – was lower in animals that consumed the blueberry pomace supplemented diet,” said Vuthijumnonk.
Study finds that yoga and meditation can help minimize cognitive impairment
UCLA, May 10, 2022
Inner peace and a flexible body may not be the most valuable benefits that yoga and meditation have to offer, suggests new research by a UCLA-led team of neuroscientists.
The team found that a three-month course of yoga and meditation practice helped minimize the cognitive and emotional problems that often precede Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia—and that it was even more effective than the memory enhancement exercises that have been considered the gold standard for managing mild cognitive impairment.
“Memory training was comparable to yoga with meditation in terms of improving memory, but yoga provided a broader benefit than memory training because it also helped with mood, anxiety and coping skills,” said Helen Lavretsky, the study’s senior author.
“Historically and anecdotally, yoga has been thought to be beneficial in aging well, but this is the scientific demonstration of that benefit,” said Harris Eyre, the study’s lead author. “We’re converting historical wisdom into the high level of evidence required for doctors to recommend therapy to their patients.”
The researchers report that the participants’ outward improvements in memory corresponded with perceptible changes in their brain activity. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging, they showed that subjects in both groups had changes in their brain connectivity, but the changes among the yoga group were statistically significant, whereas the changes in the memory group were not.
Boost in nerve-growth protein helps explain why running supports brain health New York University, May 16, 2022
Exercise increases levels of a chemical involved in brain cell growth, which bolsters the release of the “feel good” hormone dopamine, a new study shows. Dopamine is known to play a key role in movement, motivation, and learning.
Experts have long understood that regular running raises dopamine activity in the brain and may protect nerve cells from damage. In addition, past research has tied exercise-driven boosts in the dopamine-triggering chemical called brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and in dopamine levels to improvements in learning and memory. However, the precise way these three factors interact has until now remained unclear.
Led by researchers at NYU Grossman School of Medicine, the investigation showed that mice running on a wheel for 30 days had a 40% increase in dopamine release in the dorsal stratium, the part of the brain involved in movement, compared to levels in mice that did not exercise. The runners also showed a nearly 60% increase in brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) levels compared to their non-running counterparts. Notably, the increase in dopamine release remained elevated even after a week of rest. Additionally, when BDNF levels were artificially reduced, running did not lead to additional dopamine release.
“Our findings suggest that BDNF plays a key role in the long-lasting changes that occur in the brain as a result of running,” says study lead author and neurobiologist Guendalina Bastioli, Ph.D. “Not only do these results help explain why exercise makes you move, think, and feel better, they also show that these benefits continue even if you do not work out every day,” adds Bastioli.
High levels of exercise linked to nine years of less aging at the cellular level Brigham Young University, May 10, 2022
Despite their best efforts, no scientist has ever come close to stopping humans from aging. Even anti-aging creams can’t stop Old Father Time.
But new research from Brigham Young University reveals you may be able to slow one type of aging—the kind that happens inside your cells. As long as you’re willing to sweat.
The study, published in the medical journal Preventive Medicine, finds that people who have consistently high levels of physical activity have significantly longer telomeres than those who have sedentary lifestyles, as well as those who are moderately active.
Exercise science professor Larry Tucker found adults with high physical activity levels have telomeres with a biological aging advantage of nine years over those who are sedentary, and a seven-year advantage compared to those who are moderately active. To be highly active, women had to engage in 30 minutes of jogging per day (40 minutes for men), five days a week.
High fruit intake during adolescence linked with lower breast cancer risk
University of Oxford, May 11, 2022
A paper in The BMJ sheds new light on the relation of diet with breast cancer and heart disease. The study reports that high fruit consumption during adolescence may be associated with lower breast cancer risk.
A team of US researchers wanted to see whether fruit and vegetable consumption might affect subsequent breast cancer risk. They followed 90,000 nurses for over 20 years who reported their diet in early adulthood, of whom half also recalled their usual diet during adolescence.
They found that high fruit consumption during adolescence (2.9 v 0.5 servings per day) was associated with a roughly 25% lower risk of breast cancer diagnosed in middle age.
In particular, greater consumption of apple, banana and grapes during adolescence, as well as oranges and kale during early adulthood was significantly associated with a reduced breast cancer risk.
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Cocoa may enhance skeletal muscle function University of California at San Diego, May 3, 2022 A small clinical trial led by researchers at UC San Diego School of Medicine and VA San Diego Healthcare System (VASDHS) found that patients with advanced heart failure and type 2 diabetes showed improved mitochondrial structure after three months of treatment with epicatechin-enriched cocoa. Epicatechin is a flavonoid found in dark chocolate.
The study published by the journal Clinical and Translational Science looked at profoundly ill patients with major damage to skeletal muscle mitochondria.
The trial participants consumed dark chocolate bars and a beverage with a total epicatechin content of approximately 100 mg per day for three months. Biopsies of skeletal muscle were conducted before and after treatment. After the three-month treatment, the researchers looked at changes in mitochondria volume and the abundance of cristae, which are internal compartments of mitochondria that are necessary for efficient function of the mitochondria, and measurable by electron microscopy.
After three months, we saw recovery – cristae numbers back toward normal levels, and increases in several molecular indicators involved in new mitochondria production.”
Healthy habits may improve longevity, prevent Alzheimer’s disease Rush University Medical Center, May 14, 2022
Everyday habits that serve as the backbone of a healthy lifestyle may keep your brain sharp and help you live longer, according to new research from aging experts at RUSH.
A study recently published in the British Medical Journal found that people ages 65 and older who had a healthy lifestyle lived longer—3.1 years longer for women, 5.7 years longer for men—than their peers who didn’t have the same healthy lifestyle. They also spent more of their remaining years without Alzheimer’s disease.
What constitutes a healthy lifestyle?Eating the Mediterranean-DASH Intervention for Neurogenerative Delay (MIND) diet
- Staying engaged in cognitive activities like reading and puzzles
- Being physically active for at least 150 minutes a week
- Not smoking
- Limiting alcohol use (no more than one drink a day for women and two drinks a day for men)
This latest study builds on ongoing research from RUSH showing that lifestyle factors can potentially reduce the risk for Alzheimer’s disease and dementia by up to 60%, says Kumar Rajan, Ph.D., professor of epidemiology and director of the Rush Institute for Healthy Aging.
Ozone treated water v. lethal microbial material University of Alberta, May 9, 2022
A University of Alberta research team has discovered that technology commonly used to decontaminate food industry equipment can also rid meat processing plants of lethal microbial material responsible for the human version of the ailment Mad Cow disease.
U of A microbiology professors Mike Belosevic and Norm Neumann and engineering professor Mohamed Gamal El-Din demonstrated that infectious proteins found in the brain matter of cattle can be eradicated from water treated with ozone.
The discovery could have applications in decontaminating wastewater in settings such as slaughterhouse effluents where infected neural material known as prions may be present.
The ozone decontamination procedure can potentially be used to sterilize instruments used for neurosurgery, and prevent the transfer of infectious prions during surgical procedures.
Prions are able to destroy and can still be infectious after being incinerated at heats of 850o C. In the wild, soil contaminated by a carcass of a deer that died of Chronic Wasting Disease can remain a source of infection for many years.
The U of A research team’s technique of using water treated with ozone to destroy prions is an improvement on current prion decontamination methods.
Tai Chi Benefits Patients With Parkinson’s Oregon Research Institute, May 13, 2022 Tai chi, an ancient martial art characterized by slow, flowing movement and meditation, helps improve balance and movement control for people with Parkinson’s disease.
The finding, published in The New England Journal of Medicine, is the latest study to show the benefits of tai chi for people with chronic health problems. Past studies have shown that tai chi reduces falls and depression among the elderly, and lessens pain for patients with arthritis and fibromyalgia.
In the latest research, 195 people with movement and balance problems caused by Parkinson’s disease were recruited from four Oregon cities. The patients were divided into three exercise classes that met for an hour a day, twice a week. One group took part in an extensive stretching class, another was taught resistance training, and the third group performed tai chi.
After six months, patients in the tai chi group performed better on a number of measures related to strength, movement control, balance, stride length and reach. Resistance training also offered some benefits, and both the tai chi and resistance training groups had fewer falls than the stretching group.
Vitamin B12 shows promise against ALS Tokushima University (Japan), May 13 2022.
An article appearing on May 9, 2022 in JAMA Neurology described a randomized trial in which men and women with the progressive neurologic disease amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) exhibited improvement in their condition after receiving a high dose of a form of vitamin B12 known as methylcobalamin.
Among the 126 patients who completed the trial, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Functional Rating Scale scores declined by an average of 2.66 points for those who received the vitamin and by 4.63 in the placebo group—a difference of 43%. (Lower scores indicate increased severity of symptoms.)
This randomized clinical trial demonstrated that use of ultrahigh-dose methylcobalamin resulted in a 43% reduction in clinical deterioration as evaluated with the ALSFRS-R total score throughout the 16-week treatment period in the patients with early-stage ALS,
Diabetes risk from sitting around University of Leicester (UK), May 12, 2022 A new study has found that women who stay seated for long periods of time every day are more prone to developing type 2 diabetes, but that a similar link wasn’t found in men.
Researchers from the University of Leicester Departments of Health Sciences and Cardiovascular Sciences revealed that women who are sedentary for most of the day were at a greater risk from exhibiting the early metabolic defects that act as a precursor to developing type 2 diabetes than people who tend to sit less.
The team assessed over 500 men and women of the age of 40 or more about the amount of time spent sitting over the course of a week. It was found that the women who spent the longest time sitting had higher levels of insulin, as well as higher amounts of C-reactive protein and chemicals released by fatty tissue in the abdomen, leptin, and interleukin6, and which indicate problematic inflammation.
This study provides important new evidence that higher levels of sitting time have a deleterious impact on insulin resistance and chronic low-grade inflammation in women but not men and that this effect is seen regardless of how much exercise is undertaken. This suggests that women who meet the national recommendations of 30 minutes of exercise a day may still be compromising their health if they are seated for the rest of the day.
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Nutmeg’s hidden power: Helping the liver Nan-Jing University (China), May 9, 2022
Smelling nutmeg evokes images of fall, pumpkin pie and hot apple cider. But the spice has been used for years in traditional Chinese medicine to treat gastrointestinal illnesses. Now one group reports in ACS’ Journal of Proteome Research that they have figured out how nutmeg helps other organs, specifically the liver.
Nutmeg is the seed of the Myristica fragrans tree, which is commonly found in Indonesia, and has been used to treat asthma, rheumatic pain, toothaches and infections. In the laboratory, researchers have shown that nutmeg can fight hyperlipidaemia, hyperglycemia, heart tissue damage and hepatotoxicity.
The researchers used a mouse animal model of liver toxicity to test the mechanism behind nutmeg’s protective effects. Metabolomics analyses showed that nutmeg likely protected against liver damage by restoring the mice to more healthy levels of various lipids and acylcarnitines. In addition, the team found that a specific compound in nutmeg, myrislignan, had a strong protective effect against liver damage.
Research shows numerous health benefits of Modified Citrus Pectin Miami Childrens Hospital and Dharma Biomedical, April 29, 2022
New research published in the journal BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine shows Modified Citrus Pectin (MCP) packs a powerful immune punch. The study uses human blood samples to demonstrate the ability of a specific form of Modified Citrus Pectin to very significantly induce and enhance the benefits of T-cytotoxic cells and human Natural Killer (NK) cells. The NK-cell’s cancer killing activity was demonstrated in live leukemia cancer cells, uncovering yet another mechanism of MCP’s powerful anti-cancer actions.
Immune researchers said: “The Modified Citrus Pectin we researched has potential for altering the course of certain viral diseases such as the common cold or other upper respiratory tract viral infections based on the mechanisms of action that were observed in this study. We also found that MCP significantly outperformed other known immune enhancing agents such as medicinal mushrooms.”
Specifically, this study highlights MCP’s ability to selectively increase cytotoxic immune activity against cancer and infections.
B complex may protect against diabetic kidney disease Ain Shams University (Egypt), May 3, 2022
New findings show a protective effect for B vitamin supplementation on the kidney function of children with type 1 diabetes.
These findings suggest vitamin B supplementation, in addition to traditional angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor therapy may be a simple, safe and cost-effective strategy for early protection of kidney function, which may improve the long-term quality of life for type-1 diabetes patients.”
In the current study, 80 type 1 diabetics between the ages of 12 and 18 years with early signs of diabetic kidney disease and deficient levels of vitamin B12 were given vitamin B complex supplements or no treatment for 12 weeks. At the study’s conclusion, children who received B complex exhibited improvement in blood markers of glucose regulation and kidney function.
“After 12 weeks of vitamin B complex supplementation in children and adolescents with diabetic kidney disease, we detected lower levels of markers that indicate poor kidney function, suggesting that it had a protective effect and could slow progression of the disease,” Dr Elbarbary reported.
Zinc is cancer’s worst enemy: This mineral is key to preventing cancer, scientists conclude University of Texas Arlington, May 12, 2022
Consuming zinc might be something that you only think about when cold season approaches given its stellar performance in keeping the common cold at bay, but its value extends far beyond preventing this relatively innocuous problem to something far more serious: fighting cancer.
Researchers from the University of Texas at Arlington have discovered the important role zinc can play in preventing cancer, especially the esophageal variety. Although past studies had indicated zinc had a protective effect on the esophagus when it comes to cancer, it wasn’t clear why.
They found that zinc has the incredibly useful ability to selectively stop the growth of cancerous cells while leaving normal esophageal epithelial cells intact. The researchers say their finding could help improve treatment for esophageal cancer and even provide some insight into how it might be prevented. Pan pointed out that many cancer patients have a zinc deficiency.
Dad’s involvement with baby early on associated with boost in mental development Imperial College London, King’s College London and Oxford University, May 9, 2022 Fathers who interact more with their children in their first few months of life could have a positive impact on their baby’s cognitive development.In a study, published in the Infant Mental Health Journal, researchers from Imperial College London, King’s College London and Oxford University looked at how fathers interacted with their babies at three months of age and measured the infants’ cognitive development more than a year later.They found that babies whose fathers were more engaged and active when playing with them in their initial months performed better in cognitive tests at two years of age. Even as early as three months, these father-child interactions can positively predict cognitive development almost two years later, so there’s something probably quite meaningful for later development, and that really hasn’t been shown much before.”What’s more, the positive link between involved dads and higher infant MDI scores were seen equally whether the child was a boy or a girl, countering the idea that play time with dad is more important for boys than girls, at an early age. Depression linked to memory problems and brain aging University of Miami School of Medicine, May 9, 2022Depression in older adults may be linked to memory problems, according to a study published in the online issue of Neurology. The study also showed that older people with greater symptoms of depression may have structural differences in the brain compared to people without symptoms.The study involved 1,111 people who were all stroke-free with an average age of 71. The majority were Caribbean Hispanic. At the beginning of the study, all had brain scans, a psychological exam and assessments for memory and thinking skills. Their memory and thinking skills were tested again an average of five years later. Researchers found after adjusting for age, race, anti-depressive medications, and other variables, greater symptoms of depression were linked to worse episodic memory. Scores on tests were lower by 0.21 of a standard deviation compared to those without greater symptoms of depression. Episodic memory is a person’s ability to remember specific experiences and events.Researchers also found those with greater symptoms of depression had differences in the brain including smaller brain volume as well as a 55 percent greater chance of small vascular lesions in the brain. Videos:
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Regular blueberry consumption may reduce risk of dementia, study finds University of Cincinnati, May 11, 2022
Researchers found that adding blueberries to the daily diets of certain middle-aged populations may lower the chances of developing late-life dementia. The findings were recently published in the journal Nutrients.
Krikorian said his team has been conducting research on the benefits of berries for people with greater risk for Alzheimer’s disease and dementia for several years.
The researchers enrolled 33 patients from around the Cincinnati area between the ages of 50-65 who were overweight, prediabetic and had noticed mild memory decline with aging. Krikorian said this population has an increased risk for late-life dementia and other common conditions.
Over a period of 12 weeks, the patients were asked to abstain from berry fruit consumption of any kind except for a daily packet of supplement powder to be mixed with water and consumed either with breakfast or dinner. Half of the participants received powders that contained the equivalent of one-half cup of whole blueberries, while the other half received a placebo.
Krikorian said those in the blueberry-treated group showed improvement on cognitive tasks that depend on executive control.
Patients in the blueberry group also had lower fasting insulin levels, meaning the participants had improved metabolic function and were able to more easily burn fat for energy. Krikorian said the blueberry group displayed an additional mild degree of higher mitochondrial uncoupling, a cellular process that has been associated with greater longevity and reduced oxidative stress. Oxidative stress can lead to symptoms like fatigue and memory loss.
Regular exercise with dietary advice linked to better mobility in frail older people Yale University, May 11, 2022
A program of regular exercise along with expert dietary advice is linked to a reduction in mobility problems among frail older people living in the community, finds a trial published by The BMJ today.
The combination of aerobic (walking), strength, flexibility, and balance exercises alongside personalized nutritional counseling reduced mobility disability by 22% over three years.
Their findings are based on 1,519 men and women (average age 79 years) with physical frailty and sarcopenia (a combination of reduced physical function and low muscle mass) recruited from 16 clinical sites across 11 European countries between 2016 and 2019.
Women in the intervention group lost less muscle strength (0.9 kg at 24 months) and less muscle mass (0.24 kg and 0.49 kg at 24 months and 36 months, respectively) than control women, but no significant group differences were seen in men.
Study: Side effects emerge after approval for many US Yale University, May 9, 2022
Almost one-third of new drugs approved by U.S. regulators over a decade ended up years later with warnings about unexpected, sometimes life-threatening side effects or complications, a newanalysis found. The results covered all 222 prescription drugs approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration over ten yers. The 71 flagged drugs included top-sellers for treating depression, arthritis, infections and blood clots. Safety issues included risks for serious skin reactions, liver damage, cancer and even death.
“The large percentage of problems was a surprise,” and they included side effects not seen during the review process, said Dr. Joseph Ross, the study’s lead author at Yale University.”We know that safety concerns, new ones, are going to be identified once a drug is used in a wider population. That’s just how it is,” Ross said.
While most safety concerns were not serious enough to prompt recalls, the findings raise questions about how thoroughly drugs are tested before approval
The study counted black-box warnings for dozens of drugs; these involved serious problems including deaths or life-threatening conditions linked with the drugs. There were also dozens of alerts for less serious potential harms and three drug withdrawals because of the potential for death or other serious harm. Among the drugs with added warnings: Humira, used for arthritis and some other illnesses; Abilify, used for depression and other mental illness; and Pradaxa, a blood thinner. The withdrawn drugs and the reason: Bextra, an anti-inflammatory medicine, heart problems; Raptiva, a psoriasis drug, rare nervous system illness; and Zelnorm, a bowel illness drug, heart problems.
Exercise during pregnancy may yield metabolic benefits in grandchildren Harvard University, May 11, 2022
If grandma liked working out, her pain may be your gain. It may seem unlikely, but recent research out of the Joslin Diabetes Center says it just might be the case. Laurie Goodyear, a professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, has found that a grandmother’s exercise during pregnancy may make her grandchildren healthier metabolically, with less body fat, better insulin control and, in some, healthier bones.
We are looking for epigenetic alterations in the DNA, because epigenetic alterations can be changed as rapidly as two generations. We analyze micro RNAs, some methylation situations in the F1 generation eggs and sperm to see what’s going on. We are currently investigating how mothers’ exercise affects their children’s gametes.
I’m confident in saying that women who are pregnant should try to be as physically active as they can, depending, of course, on the condition of their pregnancy. There’s strong human data showing that exercise during pregnancy improves the mother’s health; numerous animal studies showing improved first-generation health; and now we have evidence that maternal exercise will positively impact the health of the second generation. I’m not an obstetrician, and there are certainly conditions where a woman cannot perform exercise during pregnancy, but, when medically approved, being physically active is important—for the mother, the first generation, and now even the grandchildren.
New Study Finds Simply Believing You Can Do Something To Improve It Is Linked With Higher Wellbeing University Of Southern Denmark And University Of Copenhagen, May 11, 2022 The number of people struggling with poor mental health and mental disorders has been rising around the world over the past few decades. Those who are struggling are increasingly facing difficulties accessing the kind of support they need – leaving many waiting months for help, if they even qualify for treatment.
In our recent study, we asked 3,015 Danish adults to fill out a survey that asked questions about mental health – such as whether they believe they can do something to keep mentally healthy, whether they had done something in the past two weeks to support their mental health, and also whether they were currently struggling with a mental health problem. We then assessed their level of mental wellbeing using the Short Warwick–Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale, which is widely used by healthcare professionals and researchers to measure mental wellbeing.
As you’d expect, we found that mental wellbeing was highest among those who had done things to improve their mental health compared with the other participants.
Interestingly, however, we found that – whether or not our respondents had actually taken action to improve their mental wellbeing – people who believed they could do something to keep mentally healthy tended to have higher mental wellbeing than those who didn’t have this belief.
So while it’s most beneficial to take steps to improve your mental health, even just believing that you can improve it is associated with better overall mental wellbeing.The effect of night shifts—gene expression fails to adapt to new sleep patterns McGill University (Quebec). May 7, 2022
Have you ever considered that working night shifts may, in the long run, have an impact on your health? A team of researchers from the McGill University has discovered that genes regulating important biological processes are incapable of adapting to new sleeping and eating patterns and that most of them stay tuned to their daytime biological clock rhythms.
“We now better understand the molecular changes that take place inside the human body when sleeping and eating behaviours are in sync with our biological clock. For example, we found that the expression of genes related to the immune system and metabolic processes did not adapt to the new behaviours,” says Dr. Boivin, a full professor at McGill University’s Department of Psychiatry.
It is known that the expression of many of these genes varies over the course of the day and night. Their repetitive rhythms are important for the regulation of many physiological and behavioural processes. “Almost 25% of the rhythmic genes lost their biological rhythm after our volunteers were exposed to our night shift simulation. 73% did not adapt to the night shift and stayed tuned to their daytime rhythm. And less than 3% partly adapted to the night shift schedule.
“We think the molecular changes we observed potentially contribute to the development of health problems like diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular diseases more frequently seen in night-shift workers on the long term,” explains Dr. Boivin.
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Diets high in fiber associated with less antibiotic resistance in gut bacteria United States Department of Agriculture, May 10, 2022
Healthy adults who eat a diverse diet with at least 8-10 grams of soluble fiber a day have fewer antibiotic-resistant microbes in their guts, according to a study published by Agricultural Research Service scientists and their colleagues in mBio.
Microbes that have resistance to various commonly used antibiotics such as tetracycline and aminoglycoside are a significant source of risk for people worldwide, with the widely held expectation that the problem of antimicrobial resistance (AMR)—the term that refers to bacteria, viruses, and fungi that are resistant to antibiotics—is likely to worsen throughout the coming decades.
In this study, the researchers were looking for specific associations of the levels of antibiotic resistance genes in the microbes of the human gut with both fiber and animal protein in adult diets.
The researchers found regularly eating a diet with higher levels of fiber and lower levels of protein, especially from beef and pork, was significantly correlated with lower levels of antimicrobial resistance genes (ARG) among their gut microbes. Those with the lowest levels of ARG in their gut microbiomes also had a greater abundance of strict anaerobic microbes, which are bacteria that do not thrive when oxygen is present and are a hallmark of a healthy gut with low inflammation. Bacterial species in the family Clostridiaceae were the most numerous anaerobes found.
The strongest evidence was for the association of higher amounts of soluble fiber in the diet with lower levels of ARGs.
Soluble fiber, as its name suggests, dissolves in water and is the main type of fiber found in grains like barley and oats; legumes like beans, lentils and peas, seeds (like chia seeds) and nuts; and some fruits and vegetables like carrots, berries, artichokes, broccoli and winter squash.
Probiotics stop menopause-like bone loss in mice
Emory and Georgia State universities, May 6, 2022
Probiotic supplements protected female mice from the loss of bone density that occurs after having their ovaries removed, researchers at Emory University School of Medicine and Georgia State University have shown
The findings suggest that probiotic bacteria may have potential as an inexpensive treatment for post-menopausal osteoporosis. However, clinical evidence that probiotics can have a lasting effect on the mix of bacteria in the body is limited.
Emory and Georgia State researchers found that in mice, the loss of estrogen increases gut permeability, which allows bacterial products to activate immune cells in the intestine. In turn, immune cells release signals that break down bone. Probiotics both tighten up the permeability of the gut and dampen inflammatory signals that drive the immune cells, the team found.
Researchers led by Pacifici treated female mice twice a week with Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG (LGG), a type of bacteria found in some yogurts, or with a commercially available mix of eight strains of bacteria known as VSL#3.
Good nutrition positively affects social development, research shows
University of Pennsylvania, May 6, 2022
Proper nutrition during childhood can positively affect a child’s social behaviors and development. It’s a unique take on a field that often focuses on how poor diet negatively influences early childhood development.
For this study, the scientists analyzed a sample of 1,795 3-year-old children from Mauritius, an island off the eastern coast of Africa with a population of about 1.3 million people. They focused on four aspects of physical health related to nutrition and four indicators of social development.
Physical health factors included anemia expressed by low hemoglobin levels, reflecting iron deficiency; angular stomatitis revealed by cracked lips and a lack of vitamin B2 and niacin; and insufficient protein intake indicated by thin or sparse hair and hair discoloration. The researchers considered a child with just one of the quartet as “suffering from nutritional deficits.” However, children with more malnutrition indicators showed more impaired social behavior.
Social interactions studied included friendliness, extent of verbalization, active social play and exploratory behavior. Examining the relationship between these components after the fact, they teased out a neurocognitive link between nutrition and comprehensive social behavior. It’s a connection undiscovered to this point.
“The bigger message is give children good nutrition early on,” Liu said. “Not only will it enhance cognitive function but, importantly, promote good social behavior,” which is essential to brain development and intelligence. “In the same study,” Raine said, “we’ve shown that children with positive social behavior, eight years later, they have higher IQs.”
Diabetes almost doubles risk of death from COVID University of Aberdeen, May 10, 2022
People with diabetes were almost twice as likely to die with COVID and almost three times as likely to be critically or severely ill compared to those without diabetes.
However, the study conducted by researchers from the University of Aberdeen, which reviewed data from hundreds of thousands of people from all over the world, also found that good management of the condition can mitigate against the risks.
Specifically, the collaboration with King’s College, London, found that while diabetes presents a significant risk of severe illness and death with COVID, good control of blood sugar in these patients can significantly reduce this risk.
The researchers reviewed findings from 158 studies that included more that 270,000 participants from all over the world to determine how COVID affects people living with diabetes.
Eating nuts linked to lower risk of colon cancer
Seoul National University College of Medicine (Korea), May 6, 2022
Eating nuts has been linked to a number of health benefits, such as a reduced risk of obesity, diabetes and heart disease. Now, new findings from South Korea suggest that a nut-rich diet may also reduce a person’s risk of colon cancer. The researchers found a reduction in this risk for both men and women.
Eating a serving of nuts three or more times a week appeared to have a big effect on risk. In the study, a serving of nuts was considered to be 15 grams (0.5 ounces). That’s a smaller amount than what’s considered a serving in the United States (A serving in the U.S. is 28 g, or 1 oz.)
Although the researchers included many types of nuts in their analysis, peanuts were the most widely consumed nuts among people in the study. This may be due to the availability of peanuts in South Korea, the researchers said.
The researchers found that men who reported eating three or more servings of nuts a week had a 69 percent lower risk of colon cancer than those who reported eating no nuts. Women who ate three or more servings had an 81 percent lower risk than those who ate no nuts, according to the study.
Nicotinamide riboside repairs features of Alzheimer’s disease NIH’s National Institute on Aging, May 6, 2022
Researchers have found that an NAD+ precursor helped mice with features of Alzheimer’s disease perform better on learning and memory tests…
The brain’s usual DNA repair activity is impaired in Alzheimer’s disease, leading to inflammation and dysfunction. A compound that the brain needs to regulate DNA repair and other key signalling pathways is known as nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+). Because NAD+ declines with age, scientists have wondered whether boosting the level of NAD+ could help ageing brain cells (neurons) to function better. One way to increase the cellular level is by giving an NAD+ precursor compound, such as nicotinamide riboside (NR). NR is a form of vitamin B3.
The team found that the NR-treated mice had less DNA damage, lower levels of neuron damage and death, increased production of new neurons, and lower brain inflammation than control mice. Mice who received NR had reduced tau in their brains, too, but amyloid-beta levels were unchanged. The NR-treated mice performed better than control mice on many learning and memory tests, such as a water maze. In addition, NR-treated mice had better muscle strength and endurance than controls.
The research team also tested human cells from people with and without Alzheimer’s disease. As in the mouse studies, NR decreased DNA damage in the cells from people with Alzheimer’s.
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Study finds Mediterranean diet improves depression symptoms in young men and women
University of Technology, Sydney, May 9, 2022
Young adults with a poor diet saw a significant improvement in their symptoms of depression when they switched to a healthy Mediterranean diet, a new study shows.
The 12-week randomized control trial, conducted by researchers from the University of Technology Sydney, was recently published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
The study contributes to the emerging field of nutritional psychiatry, which aims to explore the effect that specific nutrients, foods and dietary patterns can have on mental health. The diet used in the study was rich in colorful vegetables, legumes and wholegrains, oily fish, olive oil and raw, unsalted nuts. The primary focus was on increasing diet quality with fresh wholefoods while reducing the intake of 'fast' foods, sugar and processed red mea.
"There are lots of reasons why scientifically we think food affects mood. For example, around 90 percent of serotonin, a chemical that helps us feel happy, is made in our gut by our gut microbes. There is emerging evidence that these microbes can communicate to the brain via the vagus nerve, in what is called the gut-brain axis. To have beneficial microbes, we need to feed them fiber, which is found in legumes, fruits and vegetables," they said.
Amaranth extract goes head to head with beet as nitrate source
Arjuna Natural (India), May 6, 2022
A number of studies have established that nitrate, a nitric oxide metabolite, is beneficial for endurance during exercise. However, this bioavailability study, published in the journal Nutrition, was the first clinical trial to show that extract of amaranthus - one of the sources of nitrite in nature - can help athletes work out longer and harder. The researchers found that a single (2g) dose of amaranth extract was able to increase nitrate (NO3) and nitrite (NO2) levels in the body for at least eight hours.
Until now, sports nutrition manufacturers have typically incorporated beetroot powder and juice into formulations in order to support nitrate levels. These findings give this market a new, more potent form of nitrate to work with, according to botanical extracts manufacturer Arjuna, whose interest in amaranthus stems from its traditional use in Indian medicine and cooking.
By comparison, he said that amaranthus was a far more “potent” form of nitrate for sports nutrition applications.
“It’s standardised to 9-10% nitrate content, whereas most beet-based ingredients contain less than 2% nitrate,” he told NutraIngredients.
Arjuna attributes this to its patent production process, which extracts 9,000mg per 100g of nitrate from the leaves of the amaranthus species.
Another advantage over its beet-based counterparts is that it doesn’t contain any reducing sugars and oxalates.
Study identifies exact amounts of extra vitamin C for optimal immune health University of Otago (New Zealand), May 6, 2022
If you are carrying a few extra kilos in weight, an extra apple or two per day might make a difference in boosting your immune system and helping ward off COVID-19 and winter illnesses.
New University of Otago research has identified, for the first time, exactly how much extra vitamin C humans need to ingest, relative to their body weight, to maximize their immune health.
The study has found that for every 10 kilograms of excess weight a person carries, their body needs an extra 10 milligrams of Vitamin C daily, which will help to optimize their immune health.
"Previous studies have already linked higher body weight with lower vitamin C levels," says lead author Associate Professor Carr. "We know obesity is a risk factor for getting COVID-19 and that obese patients are more likely to struggle to fight it off once infected. We also know that vitamin C is essential for good immune function and works by helping white blood cells fight infection. The results from this study therefore suggest that increasing your vitamin C intake if overweight might be a sensible response. Pneumonia is a major complication of COVID-19 and patients with pneumonia are known to be low in vitamin C.
The study determined how much vitamin C is required for people of higher body weight compared to a starting base weight of a 60 kilogram person consuming the average New Zealand dietary vitamin C intake of 110 milligrams per day, which most people achieve from a balanced diet.
Vitamin A deficiency is detrimental to blood stem cells
German Cancer Research Center, May 5, 2022
Many specialized cells, such as in the skin, gut or blood, have a lifespan of only a few days. Therefore, steady replenishment of these cells is indispensable. They arise from so-called "adult" stem cells that divide continuously. In addition, there is a group of very special stem cells in the bone marrow that were first discovered in 2008 by a research team led by Andreas Trumpp, who is a division head at the DKFZ and director of HI-STEM. These cells remain in a kind of dormancy most of the time and only become active in an emergency such as bacterial or viral infections, heavy blood loss, or in the wake of chemotherapy. Once their work is done, the body sends its most potent stem cells back to sleep. The scientists assume that this protects them from dangerous mutations that may lead to leukemia.
The scientists have now identified retinoic acid, a vitamin A metabolite, as a crucial factor in this process. If this substance is absent, active stem cells are unable to return to a dormant state and mature into specialized blood cells instead. This means that they are lost as a reservoir. This was shown in studies with specially bred mice. "If we feed these mice on a vitamin A deficient diet for some time, this leads to a loss of the stem cells," said Nina Cabezas-Wallscheid, who is the first author of the publication. "Thus, we can prove for the first time that vitamin A has a direct impact on blood stem cells."
Exposure to wildfires increases risk of cancer McGill University (Quebec), May 9, 2022
A new study from McGill University finds higher incidence of lung cancer and brain tumors in people exposed to wildfires. The study, which tracks over 2 million Canadians over a period of 20 years, is the first to examine how proximity to forest fires may influence cancer risk.
"Wildfires tend to happen in the same locations each year, but we know very little about the long-term health effects of these events. Our study shows that living in close proximity to wildfires may increase the risk of certain cancers," says Scott Weichenthal, at McGill University.
The study shows that people living within 50 kilometers of wildfires over the past 10 years had a 10% higher incidence of brain tumors and 4.9% higher incidence of lung cancer than people living further away.
Curcumin improves intestinal barrier function: modulation of intercellular signaling Virginia Commonwealth University, May 5, 2022
Studies from Virginia Commonwealth University Describe New Findings in Curcumin improves intestinal barrier function
According to news, research stated, "Association between circulating lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and metabolic diseases (such as type 2 diabetes and atherosclerosis) has shifted the focus from high-fat high-cholesterol containing Western- type diet (WD)-induced changes in gut microbiota per se to release of gut bacteria-derived products (e.g., LPS) into circulation due to intestinal barrier dysfunction as the possible mechanism for the chronic inflammatory state underlying the development of these diseases. We demonstrated earlier that oral supplementation with curcumin attenuates WD-induced development of type 2 diabetes and atherosclerosis."T
The research concluded: "The major site of action of curcumin is, therefore, likely the intestinal epithelial cells and the intestinal barrier, and by reducing intestinal barrier dysfunction, curcumin modulates chronic inflammatory diseases despite poor bioavailability."
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Lower risk of dementia found among people with higher carotenoid levels National Institutes of Health's National Institute on Aging, May 6 2022.
An article appearing on in Neurology® reported an association between higher levels of several carotenoids and a lower risk of developing Alzheimer disease and other dementias during a 16 to 17-year average period.
Carotenoids are a family of yellow to red plant pigments, including beta-carotene, which have an antioxidant effect.
Participants whose levels of the carotenoids lutein, zeaxanthin and beta-cryptoxanthin were highest were likelier to develop dementia later in life than individuals with lower levels. Among those aged 65 and older upon enrollment, each approximate 15.4 micromole per liter increase in lutein and zeaxanthin was associated with a 7% decrease in dementia risk during follow-up. For beta-cryptoxanthin, each 8.6 micromole per liter increase was associated with a 14% reduction among those older than 45 at the beginning of the study.
“Further studies are needed to test whether adding these antioxidants can help protect the brain from dementia,” Dr Beydoun concluded.
A Mediterranean-style diet decreases the levels of the inflammatory marker called C-reactive protein
University of Bologna (Italy), May 3, 2022
Sticking to a Mediterranean style diet decreases the levels of the inflammatory marker called C-reative protein, linked to ageing, finds the EU funded project NU-AGE. Another positive effect of this diet was that the rate of bone loss in people with osteoporosis was reduced. Other parameters such as insulin sensitivity, cardiovascular health, digestive health and quality of life are yet to be analysed.
This is the first project that goes in such depths into the effects of the Mediterranean diet on health of elderly population. We are using the most powerful and advanced techniques including metabolomics, transcriptomics, genomics and the analysis of the gut microbiota to understand what effect, the Mediterranean style diet has on the population of over 65 years old" said prof. Claudio Franceschi, project coordinator from the University of Bologna, Italy.
The project was conducted in five European countries: France, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland and the UK and involved 1142 participants. There are differences between men and women as well as among participants coming from the different countries. Volunteers from five countries differed in genetics, body composition, compliance to the study, response to diet, blood measurements, cytomegalovirus positivity and inflammatory parameters.
Resveratrol’s blood pressure benefits may pass from mother to child
University of Alberta and University of Adelaide, May 4, 2022
Hereditary hypertension may not pass the generations if the mother is given resveratrol supplements during pregnancy, suggests a new study with lab rats. Offspring of spontaneously hypertensive rats were found to be protected from elevated blood pressure once they reached adulthood if their mothers had received resveratrol supplementation during pregnancy.
“Maternal perinatal resveratrol supplementation prevented the onset of hypertension in adult offspring and nitric oxide synthase inhibition normalized these blood pressure differences, suggesting improved nitric oxide bioavailability underlies the hemodynamic alterations,” wrote the researchers in the journal Hypertension .
The new study supplemented the diets of spontaneously hypertensive female rats with 0 or 4 g/kg diet of resveratrol from gestational day 0.5 until postnatal day 21. The offspring of these rats were then followed to adulthood.
Results showed that the adult offspring had significantly lower blood pressure than their mothers. Additional tests indicated that the potential blood pressure lowering activity observed in the resveratrol-fed animals was not linked to nitric oxide
Krill oil may be beneficial to muscle function and size in healthy people over the age of 65 University of Glasgow (Scotland), May 6, 2022
The study—led by the University of Glasgow's Institute of Cardiovascular and Medical Sciences (ICAMS) and published in Clinical Nutrition—found that krill oil supplementation of four grams per day could have beneficial effects on skeletal muscle function and size in this age group.
The research found that healthy adult participants who had received daily krill oil supplementation for six months showed statistically and clinically significant increases in muscle function and size. Krill oil contains high concentrations of the omega-3 fatty acids DHA and EPA, which previous scientific studies have shown are important nutrients for the body as it ages.
The randomized, double blind, controlled trial included 102 men and women all above 65 years of age. The participants were relatively inactive to engaging in less than one hour of self-reported exercise each week on entry to the study.
The study found that participants receiving daily krill oil supplements showed the following improvements (from baseline) at the end of the study:
- Increase in thigh muscle strength (9.3%), grip strength (10.9%) and thigh muscle thickness (3.5%), relative to control group.
- Increase in red blood cell fatty acid profile for EPA 214%, DHA 36% and the omega-3 index 61%, relative to control group.
- Increased M-Wave of 17% (relative to the control group), which shows the excitability of muscle membranes.
New research shows cannabis flower is effective for treating fatigue University of New Mexico, May 6, 2022
Researchers at The University of New Mexico have used a mobile software app to measure the effects of consuming different types of common and commercially available cannabis flower products on fatigue levels in real-time. As part of the study, researchers showed that over 91 percent of people in the study sample that used cannabis flower to treat fatigue reported symptom improvement.
In their recent study, titled "The Effects of Consuming Cannabis Flower for Treatment of Fatigue," published in the journal Medical Cannabis and Cannabinoids, the UNM researchers showed that using cannabis results in immediate improvement for feelings of fatigue in the majority of users. This was the first large-scale study to show that on average, people are likely to experience a 3.5 point improvement of feelings of fatigue on a 0-10 scale after combusting cannabis flower products
The study was based on data from 3,922 cannabis self-administration sessions recorded by 1,224 people. "One of the most surprising outcomes of this study is that cannabis, in general, yielded improvements in symptoms of fatigue, rather than just a subset of products, such as those with higher THC or CBD levels or products characterized as sativa rather than indica," said co-author and Associate Professor Sarah Stith.
"We're excited to see real-world data and studies support the use of cannabinoids for helping individuals manage their fatigue and energy levels," says Tyler Dautrich. "This obviously has implications for patients experiencing fatigue as a symptom of their medical condition, but we also feel this can lead to healthier options to the current energy drink and supplement market."
Study: Coconut oil contains molecules found to be effective against coronavirus
Ateneo de Manila University (Philippines), May 2, 2022
New research out of the Philippines has uncovered yet another potentially viable candidate for treating and preventing the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) without the need for pharmaceuticals or vaccines, and it is lovingly known to many of our readers as coconut oil.
Dr. Fabian M. Dayrit, PhD, from Ateneo de Manila University, along with the help of Dr. Mary T. Newport, MD, from Spring Hill Neonatology in Florida, looked at the known antiviral benefits of coconut oil to see if they may also apply to the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19).
Lauric acid (C12), along with its derivative monolaurin, has been known for many years to possess natural antiviral activity. A medium-chain fatty acid that comprises about 50 percent of coconut oil’s makeup, lauric acid is widely recognized as a “super” nutrient, as is monolaurin, which is produced by the body’s own enzymes upon ingestion of coconut oil.
These nutrients work in tandem to disintegrate the “envelopes” that surround viruses, and this includes the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19). These two nutrients can also inhibit late-stage maturation in the replicative cycle of viruses, as well as prevent the binding of viral proteins to the host cell membrane.
Another antiviral compound found in coconut oil that also plays a protective role is capric acid (C10), along with its derivative monocaprin. Though it only makes up about seven percent of coconut oil, capric acid has shown effectiveness against HIV-1, which is important because evidence has emerged to suggest that the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) may contain HIV DNA.
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Broccoli may beneficially affect microbiota diversity: Study University of Illinois Consuming broccoli may change the diversity and composition of the microbiota in the gastrointestinal tract, says a new study.
Two hundred grams per day of broccoli for 17 days resulted in 37% increase in the proportion of Bacteroidetes relative to Firmicutes, according to data presented at the Experimental Biology meeting in Chicago this week by scientists from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, ARS-USDA, and the National Cancer Institute.
“These novel results reveal that broccoli consumption affects the diversity and composition of the GI microbiota of healthy adults,” they wrote in the FASEB Journal . “These data help fill the gap in knowledge related to the role of bacterial hydrolysis of phytonutrients.
“The increase in Bacteroides spp. is particularly relevant because Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron has been shown in vitro to utilize glucosinolates.”
Acupuncture possible treatment for dental anxiety University of York
Researchers have found evidence that acupuncture could help people who experience dental anxiety.
Dental anxiety affects up to an estimated 30% of the adult population in countries world-wide. Patients can experience nausea, difficulty breathing and dizziness at the thought of going to the dentist, during an examination, and following treatment.
In a review of six trials with 800 patients, researchers used a points scale to measure anxiety and studies show that anxiety reduced by eight points when dental patients were given acupuncture as a treatment. This level of reduction is considered to be clinically relevant, which means that acupuncture could be a possibility for tackling dental anxiety.
Studies that compared anxiety levels between patients that received acupuncture and those that did not, showed a significant difference in anxiety scores during dental treatment. A clinically relevant reduction in anxiety was found when acupuncture was compared with not receiving acupuncture.
Omega-3 may help protect against adverse cardiovascular effects of pollution Case Western University
An article published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology reported a protective effect for supplementation with omega-3 fatty acids against some of the harmful cardiovascular effects of exposure to air pollution in China.
The randomized, double-blinded trial included 65 healthy college students in Shanghai, China who received 2.5 grams fish oil as a source of omega-3 fatty acids or a placebo daily. During the last two months of the trial, the subjects participated in four health examinations that included blood pressure assessment and measurement of blood markers of inflammation, coagulation, endothelial function, oxidative stress, antioxidant activity, cardiometabolism and neuroendocrine stress response.
Campus levels of fine particulate matter air pollution (PM 2.5) measured during the course of the trial averaged 38 micrograms per cubic meter. The researchers observed greater stability of most biomarker levels in responses to changes in fine particulate matter exposure in the fish oil-treated group in comparison with the placebo group. Omega-3 fatty acid supplementation was associated with beneficial effects for five blood biomarkers of inflammation, coagulation, endothelial function, oxidative stress, and neuroendocrine stress response.
Snoring causes injuries and prevention of healing in the upper airways
Umea University (Sweden)
The recurrent vibrations caused by snoring can lead to injuries in the upper airways of people who snore heavily. This in turn, can cause swallowing dysfunction and render individuals more vulnerable for developing the severe condition obstructive sleep apnea. These findings are reported by researchers at Umeå University, Sweden. Their on-going research focuses on the processes behind vibratory damage and healing of the upper airway tract. The data generated will help identify people at high risk of developing sleep apnea and to find novel treatment strategies.
Researchers in Umeå have shown that snorers and sleep apnea patients have neuromuscular injuries in the upper respiratory tract. The injuries can be seen at both the structural and molecular level. Researchers could also observe a correlation between snoring and swallowing dysfunction as well as a relation between nerve damage and obstructive sleep apnea. Sleep apnea is characterized by repeated collapse of the upper respiratory tract leading to respiratory arrest during sleep, which increases the risk of cardiovascular disease.
The studies show that people who constantly snore heavily and have sleep apnea displayed a loss of nerves and muscle mass in the soft palate. Furthermore, the attempts by the body to heal damaged tissue were disturbed resulting in an abnormal muscle structure. Another interesting finding was that muscle fibres in the soft palate lacked or had a disturbed organization of certain structural proteins. These proteins stabilize the organelles of the muscle cell and support cellular structures related to energy production and muscle fibre contraction.
The researchers also found that a neurotransmitter that is normally associated with healing and regeneration of neurons was present in the muscle cells. This finding suggests that the body is trying to heal the injuries, but the recurrent snoring vibrations prevent proper healing. It becomes a vicious circle where snoring causes damage and at the same time disturb healing of injuries, which can lead to swallowing dysfunction and sleep apnea.
Study: Tai chi can reduce hypertension symptoms in young and middle-aged in-service staff Zhei-jian Hospital (China)
Researchers from Zhejiang Hospital in China reported that practicing t’ai chi can help with hypertension.
- The treatment group practiced simplified t’ai chi for three months. On the other hand, the control group underwent general daily lifestyle intervention.
- After one month of exercise, the participants who practiced t’ai chi experienced significant reductions in their systolic blood pressure, heart rate, triglycerides, total cholesterol, and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol.
- At the end of the intervention period, the t’ai chi group experienced substantial decreases in their BMI, heart rate, systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, pulse pressure, triglycerides, total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, and blood sugar levels. Practicing t’ai chi also improved their quality of life.
Lemongrass essential oil protects the liver from acetaminophen-induced injury State University of Maringa (Brazil)
A study published in The American Journal of Chinese Medicine found that the essential oil extracted from lemongrass (Cymbopogon citratus) can protect the liver from damage caused by acetaminophen intake.
- They pretreated mice with 125, 250, or 500 milligrams per kilogram (mg/kg) of lemongrass essential oil or 200 mg/kg of a standard drug per day for seven days.
- Then, they induced liver toxicity by administering 250 mg/kg dose of acetaminophen.
- The researchers found that pretreatment with lemongrass essential oil significantly reduced the levels of liver disease markers alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alkaline phosphatase (ALP).
- Inflammation in the liver was also reduced by lemongrass essential oil.
- Liver lesions in mice were also improved after pretreatment with lemongrass essential oil.
- Pretreatment with lemongrass essential oil increased antioxidant activity in the liver.
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Omega-3 and cancer recovery: How supplementation helps reduce hospital stays after operations Capital Medical University (China) Omega-3 supplementation boosts immunity and helps reduce inflammation among gastrointestinal cancer patients after surgery, new meta-analysis reports.
Recent studies have indicated that nutritional intervention can reduce these problems, with omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 PUFAs) particularly promising because of their inflammation benefits.
Results showed that patients on an n-3 PUFAs regime had lower levels of inflammation markers.
The academics, from China’s Capital Medical University, stated: “The results of our study showed that n-3 PUFAs significantly decreased the level of inflammation and increased immune function.
“Thus modulation of immune responses and reduction of inflammatory responses together lessens postoperative hospital stay for GI cancer patients.”
Vitamin D levels higher in exercisers
Johns Hopkins University
The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism published the finding of researchers at Johns Hopkins University of a correlation between increased physical activity and higher levels of vitamin D. Higher levels of vitamin D and exercise was also associated with a lower risk of cardiovascular disease.
The study included 10,342 men and women who were free of coronary heart disease and heart failure upon enrollment in the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities study between 1987 to 1989. Physical activity levels were assessed during follow-up visits that took place over a 19.3-year period. Stored serum samples obtained at the second visit were analyzed for 25-hydroxyvitamin D3.
Following adjustment for lifestyle and other factors, those who met the recommended levels had a 31% lower risk of being deficient in vitamin D than those with poor activity levels. Subjects in the recommended activity group with levels of vitamin D of 30 ng/mL or more had a 24% lower risk of cardiovascular disease.
Gingko biloba helps protect against the toxic cognitive effects of aluminium chloride Atomic Energy Authority (Egypt) Ginkgo biloba extract helped protect the brain from the toxic effects of aluminium chloride, exposure to which has been linked to diseases such as Alzheimer's.
Researchers found its antioxidant properties were key in protecting the brain neurons of rats from oxidative stress caused by aluminium chloride (AlClʒ) intake.
“The toxic effect of AlClʒ caused significant histologic changes in brain and testis tissues which is in agreement with other data that found accumulation of Al metal in neurons which cause ultra-structural changes,” wrote researchers from the Atomic Energy Authority in Egypt wrote in Nutrition Journal.
“Administration of Ginkgo biloba extract (GbE) with aluminium chloride improved some biochemical and histologic changes observed in the brain and testis of male rats.”
Overexposure to aluminium, a potent neurotoxin, could be a possible factor in several neurodegenerative disorders including Alzheimer’s disease, say researchers.
GbE on the other hand, has antioxidant and free radical scavenging properties. It has been used to help treating cerebral disorders that result from ageing and hypoxia. Previous studies also highlighted its ability to regulate neurotransmitters and exert neuprotective effects.
New data shows avocado consumers have improved nutrient intakes USDA and Haas Avocado Board
A new analysis of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) data, compared avocado consumers to non-consumers and found that consuming avocados may be associated with an overall better diet, higher intake of essential nutrients, lower body weight, lower Body Mass Index (BMI) and smaller waist circumference.
Insulin and homocysteine levels were lower in the avocado group, as well as a significantly reduced incidence of metabolic syndrome. Homocysteine, when elevated, has been associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease.i Metabolic syndrome is the name for a group of risk factors that raises the risk for heart disease and other health problems, such as diabetes and stroke.ii The analysis, "Avocado consumption by adults is associated with better nutrient Intake, diet quality, and some measures of adipositywas published in the journal Internal Medicine Review.
SUMMARY OF KEY FINDINGS:
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Compared to non-consumers, avocado consumers have:
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Higher intakes of dietary fiber, total fat, good fats (monounsaturated fatty acids and polyunsaturated fatty acids), vitamins E and C, folate, magnesium, copper and potassium.
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Lower intakes of total carbohydrates, added sugars and sodium.
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Improved physiologic measures include:
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On average, avocado consumers weighed 7.5 lbs less, had a mean BMI of 1 unit less and 1.2 in. smaller waist circumference compared to non-consumers.
- Avocado consumers were 33% less likely to be overweight or obese and 32% less likely to have an elevated waist circumference compared to non-consumers.
- Incidence of metabolic syndrome was significantly reduced for avocado consumers.
Better quality relationships associated with reduced dementia risk
University of East Anglia (UK)
Positive social support from adult children is associated with reduced risk of developing dementia, according to a new research published today.
Conversely, negative social support is linked with increased risk, according to the 10-year follow-up study carried out by a team of researchers from the University of East Anglia (UEA), University College London (UCL), London Metropolitan University and the University of Nottingham.
The researchers analysed a decade of data that followed 10,055 core participants from ELSA who were dementia-free at the start of the study. Participants were interviewed every two years and incidence of dementia was identified from self-reports by participants or information given by nominated informants.
Positive support was characterised by having a reliable, approachable and understanding relationship with spouses or partners, children and other immediate family.
But negative support scores showed stronger effects - an increase of one point in the negative support score led to up to 31 per cent rise in the risk. Negative support was characterised by experiences of critical, unreliable and annoying behaviours from spouses or partners, children and other immediate family.
After spouse passes, death risk from ‘broken heart’ rises
Rice University
In the three-month period following a spouse’s death, widows and widowers are more likely to exhibit risk factors linked to cardiovascular illness and death, according to a new study This could make a bereaved spouse more likely to “die of a broken heart,” the researchers say.
The study, which appears in Psychoneuroendocrinology, found that individuals who have lost a spouse within the last three months have higher levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines (immune markers that indicate inflammation in the bloodstream) and lower heart rate variability (HRV) compared with non-bereaved individuals who share the sex, age, body mass index, and educational level. Both are factors that increase an individual’s risk for cardiac events, including death. The study is the first to demonstrate that bereavement is associated with elevated levels of ex vivo cytokines and lower HRV.
“In the first six months after the loss of a spouse, widows/widowers are at a 41 percent increased risk of mortality,” says lead author Chris Fagundes, an assistant professor of psychology in Rice University’s School of Social Sciences.
“Importantly, 53 percent of this increased risk is due to cardiovascular disease. This study is an important step toward understanding why this is the case by identifying how bereavement gets under the skin to promote morbidity and mortality.”
Finally, the bereaved spouses reported 20 percent higher levels of depressive symptoms than the control group. Participants ranged in age from 51 to 80 (average 67.87) and included 22 percent men and 78 percent women. The sex and age of the control group was comparable, and the results were the same when accounting for slight differences in weight and health behaviors.
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Honest Government Ad | Julian Assange Cranberry juice may slash cardiometabolic risk factors: RCT study
USDA Agriculture Research Center, April 30, 2022
Daily consumption of a low-calorie cranberry juice may improve certain risk factors of heart disease, including blood pressure and triglycerides, says a new study from the Agricultural Research Service at the USDA.
Eight weeks of supplementing the diet with a cranberry juice containing 173 mg of phenolic compounds per serving was associated with significant reductions in C-reactive protein (CRP), diastolic blood pressure, and blood sugar levels, according to findings published in the Journal of Nutrition .
While the majority of the science supporting the health benefits of cranberries is for urinary tract health, a growing body of data supports the cardiovascular potential of the berries.
For example, a study by scientists at the Mayo Clinic and College of Medicine found that two glasses of cranberry juice a day may protect against the development of hardening of the arteries. Writing in the European Journal of Nutrition (Vol. 52, pp 289-296), the Mayo Clinic researchers reported that no effect was observed on the function of the cells lining the arteries (endothelial cells), but cranberry juice may reduce the number of endothelial cells that produce a compound called osteocalcin, which has been linked to hardening of the arteries.
Vitamin D toxicity rare in people who take supplements, researchers report
Mayo Clinic, April 30, 2022
Over the last decade, numerous studies have shown that many Americans have low vitamin D levels and as a result, vitamin D supplement use has climbed in recent years. In light of the increased use of vitamin D supplements, Mayo Clinic researchers set out to learn more about the health of those with high vitamin D levels. They found that toxic levels are actually rare.
A vitamin D level greater than 50 nanograms per milliliter is considered high. Vitamin D levels are determined by a blood test called a serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D blood test. A normal level is 20-50 ng/mL, and deficiency is considered anything less than 20 ng/mL, according the Institute of Medicine (IOM).
The researchers analyzed data collected over 10 years from patients in the Rochester Epidemiology Project, a National Institutes of Health-funded medical records pool , one of the few places worldwide where scientists can study virtually an entire geographic population to identify health trends.
Of 20,308 measurements, 8 percent of the people who had their vitamin D measured had levels greater than 50 ng/mL, and less than 1 percent had levels over 100 ng/mL.
"We found that even in those with high levels of vitamin D over 50 ng/mL, there was not an increased risk of hypercalcemia, or elevated serum calcium, with increasing levels of vitamin D," says study co-author Thomas D. Thacher, M.D., a family medicine expert at Mayo Clinic.
Only one case over the 10-year study period was identified as true acute vitamin D toxicity; the person's vitamin D level was 364 ng/mL. The individual had been taking 50,000 international units (IU) of vitamin D supplements every day for more than three months, as well as calcium supplements. The IOM-recommended upper limit of vitamin D supplementation for people with low or deficient levels is 4,000 IU a day.
Reducing sedentary time mitigates the risk of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular diseases University of Turku (Finland), May 2, 2022
A new study suggests that reducing daily sedentary time can have a positive effect on the risk factors of lifestyle diseases already in three months. Spending just one hour less sitting daily and increasing light physical activity can help in the prevention of these diseases.
In an intervention study of the Turku PET Centre and the UKK Institute in Finland, the researchers investigated whether health benefits can be achieved by reducing daily sedentary time during a three-month intervention period. The research participants were sedentary and physically inactive working-age adults with an increased risk of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular diseases.
The intervention group managed to reduce sedentary time by 50 minutes per day on average, mainly by increasing the amount of light- and moderate-intensity physical activity. In the three-month period, the researchers observed benefits in health outcomes related to blood sugar regulation, insulin sensitivity and liver health in the intervention group.
Study Finds Cannabis May Be A “Miracle” Treatment For Autistic Kids
Shaare Zedek Medical Center (Israel), April 26, 2022
Autism could now be added to the lengthy and perpetually-expanding list of afflictions and symptoms treatable with the one product of nature shamefully prohibited by the federal government — the “miracle” palliative, cannabis.
In a recent article titled, “Marijuana may be a miracle treatment for children with autism,” Israeli researchers began a new study comprised of 120 children ranging in age from five to 29 years, who have been diagnosed with mild to severe autism.
Study participants are given one of two cannabis oil treatments or a placebo, drops of which can be mixed into a meal — none contain high levels of THC, the ingredient which gives users a ‘high.’
Myriad scientific studies and innumerable anecdotal cases have proven cannabis to treat everything from PTSD to ADHD, various cancers to the painful pressure of glaucoma — but the plant’s miraculous quality has been most apparent in treating severe seizures of childhood epilepsy. Now, it appears, cannabis — specifically, the non-psychoactive compound, cannabidiol or CBD — may offer improved quality of life for children with autism, and the families providing their care.
In an observational study, the doctor found 70 patients with autism experienced positive results from cannabis — so the clinical trial was launched for in-depth study.
Resveratrol and pinostilbene provide neuroprotectoin against age-related deficits. Duquesne University, April 27, 2022
According to news, research stated, "Age-related declines in motor function may be due, in part, to an increase in oxidative stress in the aging brain leading to dopamine (DA) neuronal cell death. In this study, we examined the neuroprotective effects of natural antioxidants resveratrol and pinostilbene against age-related DAergic cell death and motor dysfunction using SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma cells and young, middle-aged, and old male C57BL/6 mice."
The news reporters obtained a quote from the research from Duquesne University, "Resveratrol and pinostilbene protected SH-SY5Y cells from a DA-induced decrease in cell viability. Dietary supplementation with resveratrol and pinostilbene inhibited the decline of motor function observed with age. While DA and its metabolites (DOPAC and HVA), dopamine transporter, and tyrosine hydroxylase levels remain unchanged during aging or treatment, resveratrol and pinostilbene increased ERK1/2 activation in vitro and in vivo in an age-dependent manner. Inhibition of ERK1/2 in SH-SY5Y cells decreased the protective effects of both compounds."
"These data suggest that resveratrol and pinostilbene alleviate age-related motor decline via the promotion of DA neuronal survival and activation of the ERK1/2 pathways."
Study sheds light on the benefits of exercise in fatty liver disease University of Eastern Finland, May 3, 2022
Exercise supports the treatment of non-alcoholic fatty liver (NAFLD) disease by impacting on several metabolic pathways in the body, a new study from the University of Eastern Finland shows
Regular high-intensity interval training (HIIT) exercise over a period of 12 weeks significantly decreased the study participants' fasting glucose and waist circumference, and improved their maximum oxygen consumption rate and maximum achieved workload. These positive effects were associated with alterations in the abundance of a number of metabolites. In particular, exercise altered amino acid metabolism in adipose tissue. The study was published in Scientific Reports.
Exercise had a beneficial effect on fasting glucose concentrations, waist circumference, maximum oxygen consumption rate, and maximum achieved workload. These factors were also associated with many of the observed alterations in the abundance of various metabolites in the exercise intervention group. The most significant alterations were observed in amino acids and their derivatives, lipids, and bile acids.
In particular, exercise increased the levels of amino acids, which are the building blocks of proteins, in adipose tissue. According to the researchers, their higher accumulations in adipose tissue may be associated with improved lipid and glucose metabolism, as well as with reduced insulin resistance.
The levels of various gut microbial metabolites were altered as a result of exercise, which is suggestive of changes in the composition of gut microbes, or in their function. Among these metabolites, increased amount of indolelactic acid, for example, can strengthen the intestinal mucosa, immune defense, and glucose balance.
Inadequate vitamin intake linked with insulin resistance
University of Alabama, May 2 2022.
A greater risk of insulin resistance was revealed among women with acceptable calorie consumption whose folate and vitamin C intake were below the Dietary Reference Intake (DRI) values in a study reported in Nutrition, Metabolism and Cardiovascular Diseases. Adequate dietary intakes of essential micronutrients are critical to prevent the development of insulin resistance and insulin resistance-related diseases. However, since excess calorie intake linked with obesity is also associated with those diseases, it is important to meet the Dietary Reference Intake (DRI) of those micronutrients without exceeding recommended daily calorie intakes. Among women whose calorie intake was categorized as acceptable and who met the Food and Nutrition Board’s DRI of folate and vitamin C, the respective risks of insulin resistance were 59% and 66% lower than women who did not meet the DRIs. The study also showed that even with the consumption of over the recommended calorie intake, only 2% of women met the DRI of vitamin D and approximately only 30% met the DRIs of vitamins A and E, further emphasizing the fact that a significant proportion of women consume calorie-dense food rather than micronutrient-dense food.”
(NEXT)
Ingesting soy protein may ease severity of inflammatory bowel disease
Penn State University, April 26, 2022
A diet supplemented with soy protein may be an effective adjunct therapy for inflammatory bowel diseases, Penn State researchers reported after completing a study that included mice and cultured human colon cells. The findings are significant because inflammatory bowel diseases -- including ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease -- are characterized by either continuous or periodic inflammation of the colon and represent a significant risk factor for colon cancer. The team found that soy-protein concentrate can exert antioxidant and cytoprotective effects in cultured human bowel cells and can moderate the severity of inflammation in mice that have an induced condition similar to ulcerative colitis. Researchers, substituted soy-protein concentrate into the diet of the mice and removed corresponding amounts of the other protein sources, equaling about 12 percent. They kept human equivalents in mind as they determined the amount. The dietary soy-protein concentrate at the 12-percent dose level ameliorated body-weight loss and swelling of the spleen in the mice with induced inflammatory bowel disease. Soy-protein concentrate mitigates markers of colonic inflammation and loss of gut barrier function in the mice with induced IBD.
(NEXT)
Study finds children with vegetarian diet have similar growth and nutrition compared to children who eat meat
St. Michael's Hospital (Toronto), May 2, 2022
A study of nearly 9,000 children found those who eat a vegetarian diet had similar measures of growth and nutrition compared to children who eat meat. The study, published in Pediatrics and led by researchers at St. Michael's Hospital of Unity Health Toronto, also found that children with a vegetarian diet had higher odds of underweight weight status, emphasizing the need for special care when planning the diets of vegetarian kids. The findings come as a shift to consuming a plant-based diet grows in Canada. In 2019, updates to Canada's Food Guide urged Canadians to embrace plant-based proteins, such as beans and tofu, instead of meat. Researchers found children who had a vegetarian diet had similar mean body mass index (BMI), height, iron, vitamin D, and cholesterol levels compared to those who consumed meat. The findings showed evidence that children with a vegetarian diet had almost two-fold higher odds of having underweight, which is defined as below the third percentile for BMI. There was no evidence of an association with overweight or obesity. Underweight is an indicator of undernutrition, and may be a sign that the quality of the child's diet is not meeting the child's nutritional needs to support normal growth. For children who eat a vegetarian diet, the researchers emphasized access to healthcare providers who can provide growth monitoring, education and guidance to support their growth and nutrition.
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Blackcurrant extract triggers same process as statin drugs
University of Connecticut , April 29, 2022
Polyphenol-rich blackcurrant extract may prevent metabolic dysfunctions induced by diets high in fat and cholesterol, according to research in mice.
The results, published in the British Journal of Nutrition, found the extract reduced the percentage of mice with diet-induced severe steatosis (fatty liver), hypercholesterolaemia and hyperglycaemia. Total plasma cholesterol and glucose levels were significantly lower in the blackcurrant group compared to the control, yet plasma triglyceride (TAG) level were not significantly different.
The extract contained 25% anthocyanins and 40% polyphenols and the dose equated to a daily human consumption of about 540 mg of the extract and 135 mg anthocyanins.
The researchers said such an ingredient could help reduce disease risk since dyslipidaemia and hyperglycaemia were likely to contribute to metabolic diseases.
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Ashwagandha root extract may improve memory and cognitive functions
Institute of Pharmacological Technology (India), April 25, 2022
Compared to a placebo, adults supplemented with ashwagandha root extract had improved memory test scores, researchers in India found. Ashwagandha root has been a part of the medicinal traditions of Ayurveda as a memory aid, wrote researchers of a study published in the Journal of Dietary Supplements. In this current study, the researchers conducted what they claimed to be the first trial that looked at “the clinical impact of ashwagandha on the cognitive deficits seen in mild cognitive impairment.” The study was conducted over eight weeks using a random-assignment, parallel-group, double-blind, placebo-controlled design. To be included in the study, participants had to be aged 35 or older, have subjective sumptoms of memory impairment, a previous diagnosis of early dementia or a score a certain amount in a mini-mental state examination, and the ability and willingness to provide informed consent. The ashwagandha root extract used in this study delivered in capsule form containing 300 mg of the aqueous extract. Study outcomes revealed that the ashwagandha group fared significantly better than baseline and the placebo group participants in terms of immediate and general memory test scores. There was also a great uptick in executive function, sustained attention, and information-processing speed.
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Sulforaphane Ameliorates Neurobehavioral Deficits and Protects Brain from Amyloid Beta Deposits
China Medical University and Hospital (Shenyang China), April 25, 2022
Research stated, "Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a common neurodegenerative disease in the elderly individuals and its effective therapies are still unavailable. This study was designed to investigate the neuroprotection of sulforaphane (SFN) in AD-lesion mice induced by combined administration of d-galactose and aluminium." Research from China Medical University and Hospital stated "SFN ameliorated spatial cognitive impairment and locomotor activity decrease in Morris water maze and open field test, respectively. And attenuated numbers of amyloid (A) plaques in both hippocampus and cerebral cortex of AD-lesion mice were detected by immunohistochemistry. According to spectrophotometry and quantitative reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction results, a significant increase in carbonyl group level and obvious decreases in both activity and messenger RNA expression of glutathione peroxidase were found in brain of AD-lesion mice compared with control, but not in SFN-treated AD-lesion mice." According to the news editors, the research concluded: "SFN ameliorates neurobehavioral deficits and protects the brain from A deposits and peroxidation in mice with Alzheimer-like lesions, suggesting SFN is likely a potential phytochemical to be used in AD therapeutics."
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New article outlines the characteristics of a 'longevity diet'
University of Southern California, April 29, 2022
Examining a range of research from studies in laboratory animals to epidemiological research in human populations gives scientists a clearer picture of what kind of nutrition can offer the best chance for a longer, healthier life, said USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology Professor Valter Longo. Longo and Anderson reviewed hundreds of studies on nutrition, diseases and longevity in laboratory animals and humans and combined them with their own studies on nutrients and aging. The analysis included popular diets such as the restriction of total calories, the high-fat and low-carbohydrate ketogenic diet, vegetarian and vegan diets, and the Mediterranean diet. The article also included a review of different forms of fasting, including a short-term diet that mimics the body's fasting response, intermittent fasting (frequent and short-term) and periodic fasting (two or more days of fasting or fasting-mimicking diets more than twice a month). In addition to examining lifespan data from epidemiological studies, the team linked these studies to specific dietary factors affecting several longevity-regulating genetic pathways shared by animals and humans that also affect markers for disease risk, including levels of insulin, C-reactive protein, insulin-like growth factor 1, and cholesterol.
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Yoga may have health benefits for people with asthma
Cochrane Collaborative, April 26, 2022
A new Cochrane Review suggests that yoga may have a beneficial effect on symptoms and quality of life in people with asthma, but effects on lung function and medication use are uncertain. The Review summarizes the results of randomised trials and has found evidence that practicing yoga might be able to improve asthma quality of life and symptoms to some extent. They found 15 randomised controlled trials which involved 1,048 men and women. Most of the trials were conducted in India, followed by Europe and the United States. The majority of participants had mild to moderate asthma for six months to more than 23 years. Six studies looked into the effects of breathing alone during yoga exercise, whilst the other studies assessed the effects of yoga that included breathing, posture and meditation.
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Mushrooms boost immunity, suggests research
University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, April 16, 2022
A new University of Florida study shows increased immunity in people who ate a cooked shiitake mushroom every day for four weeks. In a study led by UF Food Science and Human Nutrition , 52 healthy adults, age 21 to 41, came to the Gainesville campus, where researchers gave them a four-week supply of dry shiitake mushrooms. Participants took the mushrooms home, cleaned and cooked them. Then they ate one, 4-ounce serving of mushrooms each day during the experiment. Through blood tests before and after the experiment, researchers saw better-functioning gamma delta T-cells and reductions in inflammatory proteins. If you eat a shiitake mushroom every day, you could see changes in their immune system that are beneficial. "We're enhancing the immune system, but we're also reducing the inflammation that the immune system produces."
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Oral milk thistle extract stops colorectal cancer stem cells from growing tumors
University of Colorado, April 22, 2022
In results presented at the American Association for Cancer Research, a University of Colorado Cancer Center study shows that orally administering the chemical silibinin, purified from milk thistle, slows the ability of colorectal cancer stem cells to grow the disease. When stem cells from tumors grown in silibinin-fed conditions were re-injected into new models, the cells failed to develop equally aggressive tumors even in the absence of silibinin. "It's very simple: tumors from mice that were initially fed silibinin had fewer cancer stem cells, were smaller, had lower metabolisms and showed decreased growth of new blood vessels. Importantly, when these cancer stem cells from tumors in mice fed silibinin were re-injected into new mice, we found these stem cells had lost their potential to repopulate even in the absence of silibinin exposure. Silibinin is a non-toxic, potentially chemopreventive agent derived from milk thistle seeds.
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Chilli peppers hold promise of preventing liver damage and progression
European Association for the Study of the Liver (Austria), 23 April 2015
Results revealed that the daily consumption of capsaicin, the active compound of chilli peppers, was found to have beneficial effects on liver damage. In the study, capsaicin was found to reduce the activation of hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) in mice models. HSCs are the major cell type involved in liver fibrosis, which is the formation of scar tissue in response to liver damage. The study demonstrates that capsaicin partially improved liver damage in the BDL mice and inhibited further progression of the injury. In the second group of CCl4-treated mice, capsaicin prevented livers from injury development but did not reduce the fibrosis when it was already established.
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Compassion meditation reduces 'mind-wandering,' research shows
Stanford University, April 23, 2022
The practice of compassion meditation may be a powerful antidote to a drifting mind, new Stanford research shows.
Compassion meditation focuses on benevolent thoughts toward oneself and others, as the researchers noted. It is different in this aspect than most forms of meditation in the sense that participants are "guided" toward compassionate thoughts. This is the first report that demonstrates that formal compassion training decreases the tendency for the mind to wander, while increasing caring behavior not only towards others but towards oneself. "Mind-wandering" is the experience of having your thoughts not remain on a single topic for long. Prior research suggests that people spend as much as 50 percent of their waking hours in mind-wandering, often without realizing it. Doty said that mindfulness is extremely useful in today's world with its myriad of distractions, as humans are often overwhelmed and can find it difficult to attend to necessary tasks. "By closing one's eyes and engaging in attention training through a mindfulness practice, not only does it diminish the negative physiologic effects of distraction, which can result in anxiety and fear, but it can increase one's ability to attend to important tasks and not have an emotional response to the often negative dialogue which is frequent in many individuals," he said. As the researchers noted, compassion is defined by an awareness of suffering, sympathetic concern and a wish to see the relief of that suffering, and a responsiveness or readiness to help relieve that suffering. The study examined 51 adults during a compassion meditation program, measuring their various states of mind-wandering (neutral, pleasant, and unpleasant topics) and caring behaviors for themselves and others. They were encouraged to meditate at least 15 minutes daily and, if possible, 30 minutes. The results indicated that compassion meditation decreased mind-wandering to neutral topics and increased caring behaviors toward oneself.
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Broccoli sprout extract promising for head and neck cancer prevention
University of Pittsburgh , April 19, 2022
Broccoli sprout extract protects against oral cancer in mice and proved tolerable in a small group of healthy human volunteers. “People who are cured of head and neck cancer are still at very high risk for a second cancer in their mouth or throat, and, unfortunately, these second cancers are commonly fatal,” said lead author Julie Bauman, co-director of the UPMC Head and Neck Cancer Center of Excellence. So we’re developing a safe, natural molecule found in cruciferous vegetables to protect the oral lining where these cancers form.” Previous studies, including large-scale trials in China, have shown that cruciferous vegetables that have a high concentration of sulforaphane – such as broccoli, cabbage and garden cress – help mitigate the effects of environmental carcinogens. For several months, Dr. Johnson and his team gave sulforaphane to mice predisposed to oral cancer and found that it significantly reduced the incidence and number of tumors. “The clear benefit of sulforaphane in preventing oral cancer in mice raises hope that this well-tolerated compound also may act to prevent oral cancer in humans who face chronic exposure to environmental pollutants and carcinogens,” said Dr. Johnson.
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Living in areas with more greenery may boost cognitive function: study
Boston University School of Public Health, April 27, 2022
Cognitive function at middle age is a strong predictor of whether a person may develop dementia later in life. Now, a new study led by a Boston University School of Public Health (BUSPH) researcher has found that increasing greenspace in residential areas could help improve cognition function in middle-aged women and that this association might be explained by a reduction in depression, which is also a risk factor for dementia. Published in the journal JAMA Network Open, the study found that exposure to greenspace around one’s home and surrounding neighborhood could improve processing speed and attention, as well as boost overall cognitive function. The results also showed that lowered depression may help explain the association between greenspace and cognition, bolstering previous research that has linked exposure to parks, community gardens, and other greenery with improved mental health.
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Could a natural compound spare our livers?
Texas A&M University, April 20, 2022
Spermidine—a compound in foods like aged cheese, mushrooms, soy products, legumes, corn, and whole grains—may prevent liver fibrosis and hepatocellular carcinoma, the most common type of liver cancer. There is also some evidence that it may prolong lifespan, according to a study in the journal Cancer Research. Researchers gave animal models an oral supplement of spermidine and found that they lived longer and were less likely than untreated individuals to have liver fibrosis and cancerous liver tumors, even when predisposed for those conditions.Even if people didn’t begin taking spermidine until later in life, they still might be able to get these liver and heart benefits. The animal models exposed to spermidine showed reductions in both liver lesions and intensity of liver fibrosis, a condition that often leads to liver cancer.
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Poor diet associated with increased diabetes risk across all gradients of genetic risk
Massachusetts General Hospital, April 26, 2022
Genetic risk factors and diet quality are independently associated with type 2 diabetes; a healthy diet is linked to lower diabetes risk across all levels of genetic risk. That’s the conclusion of a study of more than 35,000 US adults published in PLOS Medicine The team found that, irrespective of genetic risk, a low diet quality, as compared to high diet quality, was associated with a 30% increased risk of type 2 diabetes. The joint association of low diet quality and increased genetic risk was similar to the sum of the risk for each factor alone, further supporting independent associations. That said, one limitation of the study was that the cohort sampling might not necessarily generalize to other populations. Merino adds, “This study provided evidence that the risk of type 2 diabetes attributed to increased genetic risk and low diet quality is similar to the sum of the risks associated with each factor alone. Such knowledge could serve to inform and design future strategies to advance the prevention of diabetes.”
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Being in nature: Good for mind, body and nutrition
Researchers from Drexel University investigated how feeling connected with the natural world benefits dietary diversity and fruit and vegetable intake.
Drexel University, April 25, 2022
In late 2020, Canadian doctors made headlines for “prescribing nature,” or recommended time outdoors based on research that suggests people who spent two or more hours in nature per week improved their health and wellbeing. Knowing this, transdisciplinary researchers from Drexel University investigated how nature relatedness – simply feeling connected with the natural world – benefits dietary diversity and fruit and vegetable intake, in a study recently published the American Journal of Health Promotion. “Nature relatedness has been associated with better cognitive, psychological and physical health and greater levels of environmental stewardship. Our findings extend this list of benefits to include dietary intake,” said Brandy-Joe Milliron, PhD, at Drexel’s College of Nursing and Health Professions and lead author of the publication. “We found people with higher nature relatedness were more likely to report healthful dietary intake, including greater dietary variety and higher fruit and vegetable consumption.” The research team surveyed over 300 adults in Philadelphia to measure their self-reported connection to nature, including their experience with and perspective of nature, and the foods and beverages they had consumed the previous day to assess their dietary diversity and estimate their daily fruit and vegetable consumption.
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Overnight fasting may reduce breast cancer risk in women
University of California at San Diego, April 20, 2022
A decrease in the amount of time spent eating and an increase in overnight fasting reduces glucose levels and may reduce the risk of breast cancer among women, report University of California, San Diego School of Medicine researchers in the journal Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention. "Increasing the duration of overnight fasting could be a novel strategy to reduce the risk of developing breast cancer. This is a simple dietary change that we believe most women can understand and adopt. It may have a big impact on public health without requiring complicated counting of calories or nutrients." Women who fasted for longer periods of time overnight had significantly better control over blood glucose concentrations. The data shows that each three hour increase in nighttime fasting was associated with a 4 percent lower postprandial glucose level, regardless of how much women ate. Women in the study reported eating five times per day with a mean nighttime fasting of 12 hours. Those who reported longer fast durations also indicated they consumed fewer calories per day, ate fewer calories after 10 p.m. and had fewer eating episodes.
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Micronutrients (vitamins + minerals) show benefit for children with ADHD and emotional dysregulation
Evidence from a randomized clinical trial shows broad-spectrum micronutrient supplementation with all known vitamins and essential minerals resulted in global improvement of attention and mood based on blinded clinician ratings
Oregon Health & Science University, April 26, 2022
A study in the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (JAACAP) reports that children with ADHD and emotional regulation randomized to take a micronutrient formula were three times more likely to show symptomatic improvement on blinded clinician ratings, compared to those in the placebo group (54% versus 18%). The micronutrient formula, consisting of all known vitamins and essential minerals, was administered for eight weeks.
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Raspberry, a Promising Alternative in the Treatment of Hyperglycemia and Dyslipidemias
University of Guadajara (Mexico), 11 April 2022
Raspberry production and consumption have increased in recent years due to its polyphenol content such as anthocyanins and ketones, bioactive compounds that have been studied to reduce blood glucose levels and stabilize the blood lipid profile. Original articles from in vitro and in vivo enzyme inhibition studies, animal models, and human clinical studies were compiled in PubMed, Web of Science, and Science Direct databases. Studies showed satisfactory results regarding blood glucose level reduction after consumption of frozen or lyophilized raspberry, infusion of raspberry leaves, seed oil, as well as compounds, extracted from the fruit by inhibiting enzymes such as α-glucosidase and dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4) and other mechanisms that increase insulin production and insulin sensitivity. A reduction in cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein levels is reported, as well as an increase in high-density lipoproteins. A According to the results, raspberry can be included in the nonpharmacological treatment of hyperglycemia and dyslipidemias; however, further research is considered necessary.
Guest : Prof. Daniel (“Dan”) Kovalik
Professor Daniel Kovalik is a labor and human rights attorney and author, who teaches international human rights at the University of Pittsburgh School of Law. For over two decades he served as a counsel for the United Steelworkers and the AFL-CIO, and is best known for his cases against Coca Cola, Drummond, and Occidental Petroleum based upon human rights abuses in Colombia. He was a recipient of a Project Censored award for his investigation into the murders of Colombian trade unionists. Dan is a graduate of Columbia Law School and received a fellowship at Stanford University’s law school. He has written several acclaimed books dealing with the scapegoating of Russia, plots to attack and overthrow Iran and Venezuela, US efforts to establish world hegemony by interfering in other nations and on Cancel Culture. His most recent book is “No More War: How the West Violates International Law by Using Humanitarian Intervention to Advance Economic and Strategic Interests,” and his articles appear on Counterpunch, Global Research, Dissident Voice and elsewhere.
A combination of three simple treatments may reduce invasive cancer risk by 61% among adults aged 70+
University Hospital Zurich, April 25, 2022
A new study published in Frontiers in Aging found that a combination of high-dose vitamin D, omega-3s, and a simple home strength exercise program (SHEP) showed a cumulative reduction by 61% in cancer risk in healthy adults aged 70 or older. It is the first study to test the combined benefit of three affordable public health interventions for the prevention of invasive cancers. Following future studies, the results may impact the future of cancer prevention in older adults. Mechanistic studies have shown that vitamin D inhibits the growth of cancer cells. Similarly, omega-3 may inhibit the transformation of normal cells into cancer cells, and exercise has been shown to improve immune function and decrease inflammation, which may help in the prevention of cancer. The researchers conducted the DO-HEALTH trial: a three-year trial in five European countries (Switzerland, France, Germany, Austria, and Portugal) with 2,157 participants.
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β-Glucan-Rich Extract of Gray Oyster Mushroom, Pleurotus pulmonarius, Improves Object Recognition Memory and Hippocampus Morphology
University of Malaya (Malaysia), April 12, 2022
Obesity may cause behavioral alterations, while maternal obesity can contribute to metabolic disorders in subsequent generations. The effect of β-glucan-rich oyster mushroom was investigated on mouse neurobehavior and hippocampus and its offspring’s hippocampus development. Female ICR mice were fed with normal diet (ND), ND with βgPp, high-fat diet (HFD), or HFD with βgPp for 3 months followed by behavioral test and mating. βgPp significantly enhanced short-term object recognition memory in HFD-fed mice. βgPp also ameliorated the histological alterations and neuronal loss and increased Iba-1-positive microglia in the hippocampus regions These findings demonstrated that βgPp supplementation attenuated the effects of HFD on object recognition memory and the alterations on the hippocampal regions of maternal mice and their male offspring.
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Exposure to high-powered microwave frequencies may cause brain injuries
Texas A&M University, April 25, 2022
Recent research from Texas A&M University reveals that exposure to certain extremely high-powered microwave and radio frequencies may result in high stresses within the brain. Justin Wilkerson in collaboration with researchers at the U.S. Army Research Laboratory and the Air Force Research Laboratory, began investigating the effects of high-powered pulsed microwaves on the human body. Most commonly used for rapid cooking, microwaves are a type of electromagnetic radiation that fall between radio and infrared light on the electromagnetic spectrum. Using computational modeling, the team’s two-simulation approach first calculates the specific absorption rate (SAR) of planar electromagnetic waves on a 3D model of a human body. The SAR values are then used to calculate changes in temperature throughout the head and brain. Those temperature changes are then used to determine how the brain tissue physically alters in response to the high-intensity microwaves. Wilkerson said, “We found that if those waves interact in just the right way at the center of the brain, the conditions are ideal to induce a traumatic brain injury.” Wilkerson’s research revealed that when applying a small temperature increase over a very short amount of time (microseconds), potentially injurious stress waves are created. Imagine all of the microwave energy needed to pop a bag of popcorn condensed into one-millionth of a second and then directed at the brain.
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Study Finds Homeopathic Medicine Extremely Helpful For Cancer Patients
Medical University of Vienna, April 19, 2022
Thanks to consistent propaganda efforts from big pharma and the corrupt scientific establishment, Homeopathic medicine gets a ton of negative publicity in the mainstream media. However, a recent study has shown that Homeopathic remedies have shown to significantly help cancer patients. According to the study: 373 patients yielded at least one of three measurements. The improvement of global health status between visits 1 and 3 was significantly stronger in the homeopathy group by 7.7 (95% CI 2.3–13.0, p = 0.005) when compared with the control group. A significant group difference was also observed with respect to subjective wellbeing by 14.7 (95% CI 8.5–21.0, p < 0.001) in favor of the homeopathic as compared with the control group. Control patients showed a significant improvement only in subjective wellbeing between their first and third visits. Results suggest that the global health status and subjective well-being of cancer patients improve significantly when adjunct classical homeopathic treatment is administered in addition to conventional therapy.
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Study shows curcumin/fenugreek combo helps relieve work-related stress
National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health, April 18, 2022
A new study shows a curcumin/fenugreek combination boosted the quality of life index in a study population suffering from work-related stress. The researchers noted that the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), a US federal agency responsible for research into the prevention of work-related illnesses, has said that the rapidly changing nature of the workplace has resulted in rising levels of work-related stress including neurodegenerative disorders and cardiovascular disease. A key component of these illnesses is oxidative stress, they noted. “Plant-derived dietary antioxidant phytochemicals (phytonutrients) play a vital role in the upregulation of the endogenous antioxidant defenses to maintain the cellular redox balance and to reduce the oxidative stress,” the researchers said. The researchers recruited 60 subjects experiencing significant occupational stress, mediated anxiety and fatigue as demonstrated by the psychometric evaluations and interview, and randomly assigned them to receive either curcumin/fenugreek (500 mg x 2/day) or unformulated natural curcumin with 95% purity or placebo for 30 days. Results showed enhanced effect of curcumin/fenugreek as compared to unformulated natural curcumin, with poor oral bioavailability.
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With beetroot juice before exercise, aging brains look 'younger': study
Wake Forest University, April 19, 2022
Drinking a beetroot juice supplement before working out makes the brain of older adults perform more efficiently, mirroring the operations of a younger brain, according to a new study by scientists at Wake Forest University. This is the first experiment to test the combined effects of exercise and beetroot juice on functional brain networks in the motor cortex and secondary connections between the motor cortex and the insula, which support mobility. The study included 26 men and women age 55 and older who did not exercise, had high blood pressure, and took no more than two medications for high blood pressure. Three times a week for six weeks, they drank a beetroot juice supplement called Beet-It Sport Shot one hour before a moderately intense, 50-minute walk on a treadmill. Half the participants received Beet-It containing 560 mg of nitrate; the others received a placebo Beet-It with very little nitrate. So, combining beetroot juice with exercise delivers even more oxygen to the brain and creates an excellent environment for strengthening the somatomotor cortex. Post-exercise analysis showed that, although the study groups has similar levels of nitrate and nitrite in the blood before drinking the juice, the beetroot juice group had much higher levels of nitrate and nitrite than the placebo group after exercise.
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Electroacupuncture may improve regulation of blood sugar in overweight and obese women
Karolinska Institute, April 17, 2022
For women who are overweight or obese and are unable to exercise, new research appearing online in The FASEB Journal suggests combining acupuncture with an electrical current may help. In the report, an international team of researchers used electroacupuncture to assist with muscle contraction, which led to improved blood sugar regulation. This research also may benefit women with polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), the most common hormonal disorder among women, which is associated with prediabetes and an increased risk of developing Type 2 diabetes.
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Watercress extract detoxifies carcinogens in smokers, clinical trial demonstrates
University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute, April 19, 2022
Watercress extract taken multiple times a day significantly inhibits the activation of a tobacco-derived carcinogen in cigarette smokers, researchers at the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute (UPCI), partner with UPMC CancerCenter, demonstrated in a phase II clinical trial. The trial also showed that the extract detoxifies environmental carcinogens and toxicants found in cigarette smoke, and that the effect is stronger in people who lack certain genes involved in processing carcinogens. Dr. Yuan, who also is Pitt's Arnold Palmer Endowed Chair in Cancer Prevention, and his colleagues enrolled 82 cigarette smokers in the randomized clinical trial. The participants either took 10 milligrams of watercress extract mixed in 1 milliliter of olive oil four times a day for a week or they took a placebo. Each group of participants then had a one week "wash-out" period where they didn't take anything and then switched so that those getting the placebo now received the extract. They all continued their regular smoking habits throughout the trial. In one week, the watercress extract reduced activation of the carcinogen known as nicotine-derived nitrosamine ketone in the smokers by an average of 7.7 percent. It increased detoxification of benzene by 24.6 percent and acrolein by 15.1 percent, but had no effect on crotonaldehyde. All the substances are found in cigarette smoke.
Stop the clocks: Brisk walking may slow biological aging process
University of Leicester, April 21, 2022
A new study of genetic data published Wednesday April 20 of more than 400,000 UK adults has revealed a clear link between walking pace and a genetic marker of biological age. Confirming a causal link between walking pace and leucocyte telomere length (LTL)—an indicator of biological age—the Leicester-based team of researchers estimate that a lifetime of brisk walking could lead to the equivalent of 16 years younger biological age by midlife. Telomeres are the "caps" at the end of each chromosome, and they hold repetitive sequences of non-coding DNA that protect the chromosome from damage, similar to the way the cap at the end of a shoelace stops it from unraveling. Each time a cell divides, these telomeres become shorter—until a point where they become so short that the cell can no longer divide, known as "replicative senescence." Therefore, scientists consider LTL a strong marker for "biological age," independent from when an individual was born.
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Could This be the Key to Better Heart Health?
Cleveland Clinic and UCLA, April 16, 2022
Neutralizing the breakdown of gut microbes may be the key to maintaining a healthy heart. How? A compound in some red wines, olive oils, balsamic vinegars, and grape seed oils known as DMB can alter gut microbes in a way that might help prevent heart disease. In a recent study, researchers from the Cleveland Clinic and UCLA’s division of cardiology targeted mice’s gut microbes with DMB, and found the compound suppressed atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries) from developing in the rodents without any serious side effects. “This new approach shows that one can target microbes to inhibit atherosclerosis,” said study senior author Dr. Stanley Hazen, section head of cardiovascular medicine at the Cleveland Clinic. The findings might explain why people who eat a Mediterranean diet appear to have a lower risk of heart disease and better gut health. The Los Angeles Times explains that when we eat eggs, meat, and high-fat dairy products, they are broken down by a group of microorganisms in our guts. This results in trimethylamine, which is then “attacked” by a group of liver enzymes, producing a byproduct called trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO). People who have had heart attacks often have high levels of TMAO. This byproduct is also a sign that someone’s arteries have narrowed and they are at risk for having a heart attack.
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Measuring nature's effects on physical and mental health
Texas A&M University, April 20, 2022
A study recently published in BMC Psychology outlines two scales created to measure factors related to time spent in nature, a first step in exploring how this affects health and well-being. A body of evidence has shown that time spent in nature, or TSN, is associated with physical and mental health, yet most American adults spend very little time in green or natural spaces. Two strong predictors of health behaviors are self-efficacy and intentions. "Self-efficacy" was defined as "a person's confidence in his or her ability to take action and to persist in that action despite obstacles or challenges pertaining to spending time in nature." Next, "Intentions" were defined as "planning to engage in certain nature-related behaviors over the next three months." The first phase also involved initial generation of items to include in a survey to measure these factors. Spending more time in nature was found to correlate with both self-efficacy and intentions, suggesting that future interventions to improve TSN should have increasing confidence to spend time in nature as a goal.
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Most US adults say today's children have worse health than in past generations
University of Michigan, April 18, 2022
More than half of adults believe children today are more stressed, experience less quality family time and have worse mental and emotional health than children in past generations, according to the C.S. Mott Children's Hospital National Poll on Children's Health. "We have seen major advances in medicine and public health over the last century that have greatly reduced children's illness and death. On the other hand, conditions like childhood obesity, asthma and behavior problems have become more common. Among the key results, 55 percent of adults polled believe kids' mental and emotional health is worse today than when they were children. Coping and personal friendships for children were also widely viewed as worse than for children in the past. "The dominant view from this poll is that children's health is worse today than it was for generations past, and we need to more urgently address these challenges," said Mark Wietecha, CEO and president of Children's Hospital Association, which collaborated on the poll. In addition to the perception of diminished emotional and mental health, the poll found adults perceive children as having worse physical health as well. Forty-two percent of adults say kids today are in worse physical health compared to their own childhoods.
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Clinical Tests Reveal that Black Cumin Seed (Nigella Sativa) May Treat Hypothyroidism
Tabriz University, April 13, 2022
Consuming a few grams of powdered Nigella sativa (NS), more commonly known as black cumin seeds, may improve the autoimmune thyroid condition known as Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, according to a study published in the journal BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine. Hashimoto’s thyroiditis is the most common form of thyroid gland inflammation. It is also the most common thyroid disorder in the U.S. In fact, the disease affects 14 million people in the country alone. Data also showed that the condition will affect about five percent of the U.S. population. Hashimoto’s thyroiditis was 15 times more prevalent in women compared with men. Women aged between 30 to 60 years had the highest prevalence of the condition. The study also revealed that patients who took the black seed supplement exhibited marked reductions in serum concentrations of thyroid stimulating hormone and anti-thyroid peroxidase antibodies at eight weeks of intervention. In addition, patients in the intervention group showed a notable decline in serum vascular endothelial growth factor levels. Researchers also highlighted a significant increase in triiodothyronine concentration in patients who received powdered black seeds. However, the experts did not observe a similar effect in patients who took a placebo pill.
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Following a Mediterranean-style diet during pregnancy may reduce the risk of preeclampsia
Johns Hopkins University, April 20, 2022
Following a Mediterranean-style diet during pregnancy was associated with a reduced risk of developing preeclampsia, and Black women appeared to have the greatest reduction of risk, according to new research published today in the Journal of the American Heart Association. Preeclampsia, a condition during pregnancy characterized by severe high blood pressure and liver or kidney damage, is a major cause of complications and death for the mother and her unborn child. Preeclampsia also increases a woman's risk of heart diseases, such as high blood pressure, heart attack, stroke or heart failure, by more than two times later in life. Women with preeclampsia have a higher risk of preterm delivery (giving birth before 37 weeks gestation) or low birth weight babies, and children born to mothers with preeclampsia are also at higher risk of developing high blood pressure and heart disease. Researchers created a Mediterranean-style diet score based on participants' responses to food frequency interviews and questionnaires, which were conducted within three days of giving birth. The analysis found: Women who had any form of diabetes before pregnancy and pre-pregnancy obesity were twice as likely to develop preeclampsia compared to women without those conditions. The risk of preeclampsia was more than 20% lower among the women who followed a Mediterranean-style diet during pregnancy. Black women who had the lowest Mediterranean-style diet scores had the highest risk (78%) for preeclampsia compared to all other non-Black women who more closely adhered to the Mediterranean-style diet.
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Individuals with type 2 diabetes should exercise after dinner
University of Missouri, April 18, 2022
Exercise is a popular prescription for individuals suffering from the symptoms of Type 2 diabetes, but little research has explored whether these individuals receive more benefits from working out before or after dinner. Now, researchers at the University of Missouri have found that individuals with Type 2 diabetes can lower their risks of cardiovascular diseases more effectively by exercising after a meal. "This study shows that it is not just the intensity or duration of exercising that is important but also the timing of when it occurs," said Jill Kanaley, professor in the MU Department of Nutrition and Exercise Physiology. "Results from this study show that resistance exercise has its most powerful effect on reducing glucose and fat levels in one's blood when performed after dinner." Kanaley and her colleagues studied a group of obese individuals with Type 2 diabetes. On one occasion, participants performed resistance exercises before eating dinner. During another visit, participants exercised 45 minutes after eating dinner. Participants performed resistance exercises such as leg curls, seated calf raises and abdominal crunches. Compared to levels on a non-exercise day, Kanaley found that the participants who exercised before dinner were able to only reduce the sugar levels in their blood; however, participants who exercised after dinner were able to reduce both sugar and fat levels. Participants consumed a moderate carbohydrate dinner on the evenings of the study.
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Dietary supplementation with açaí pulps improves cognition attenuates inflammatory signaling in BV-2 microglial cells
Tufts University, April 18, 2022
Objectives: The present study was carried out to determine if lyophilized açaí fruit pulp (genus, Euterpe), rich in polyphenols and other bioactive antioxidant and anti-inflammatory phytochemicals, is efficacious in reversing age-related cognitive deficits in aged rats.
Methods: The diets of 19-month-old Fischer 344 rats were supplemented for 8 weeks with 2% Euterpe oleracea (EO), Euterpe precatoria (EP), or a control diet. Rats were tested in the Morris water maze and then blood serum from the rats was used to assess inflammatory responses of BV-2 microglial cells.
Results: After 8 weeks of dietary supplementation with 2% EO or EP, rats demonstrated improved working memory in the Morris water maze, relative to controls; however, only the EO diet improved reference memory. BV-2 microglial cells treated with blood serum collected from EO-fed rats produced less nitric oxide (NO) than control-fed rats. Serum from both EO- and EP-fed rats reduced tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α). There is a relationship between performance in the water maze and the production of NO and TNF-α by serum-treated BV-2 cells, such that serum from rats with better performance was more protective against inflammatory signaling.
(SUPERFOOD)
Peppers (capsicum): Native American folk medicine, which has so many features we can still learn from, gave a prominent place in its pharmacology to peppers of the capsicum family, which includes bell and chili peppers. Recent work suggests that the nutrient capsaicin, found in these peppers, is a natural analgesic and a neuro-inflammatory blocker that relieves aches and pains to joints and muscles. This is one reason why Native American medicine prescribed a topical application of pepper to painful areas of the body. Capsaicin is particularly deserving of mention in this book because recent, promising research in Canada has explored the uses of capsaicin in the treatment of Type I diabetes. Other work has noted it can benefit sufferers from prostate cancer and leukemia. Some scientists have noted that this much studied nutrient found in peppers helps with weight loss, stimulation of insulin-producing cells, and prevention of LDL cholesterol oxidation. Another benefit recently uncovered is that the nutrient protects from stomach ulcerations and induces apoptosis (cancer cell death) in lung cancer. Setting aside the value of capsaicin, peppers can also be prized because they are rich in the antioxidant vitamins A as well as in vitamins B1, B6, E, and K. They are also high in potassium, magnesium, and iron. Yellow peppers are rich in lutein and zeaxanthin, which protect from eye disease and blindness.
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Chili peppers for a healthy gut: Spicy chemical may inhibit gut tumors
University of California, San Diego April 14, 2022
Researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine report that dietary capsaicin -- the active ingredient in chili peppers -- produces chronic activation of a receptor on cells lining the intestines of mice, triggering a reaction that ultimately reduces the risk of colorectal tumors. The receptor or ion channel, called TRPV1, was originally discovered in sensory neurons, where it acts as a sentinel for heat, acidity and spicy chemicals in the environment. "These are all potentially harmful stimuli to cells," said Eyal Raz, MD, senior author of the study. "Thus, TRPV1 was quickly described as a molecular 'pain receptor.' But Raz and colleagues have found that TPRV1 is also expressed by epithelial cells of the intestines, where it is activated by epidermal growth factor receptor or EGFR. EGFR is an important driver of cell proliferation in the intestines, whose epithelial lining is replaced approximately every four to six days. The scientists discovered that TRPV1, once activated by the EGFR, initiates a direct negative feedback on the EGFR, dampening the latter to reduce the risk of unwanted growth and intestinal tumor development. They found that mice genetically modified to be TRPV1-deficient suffered higher-than-normal rates of intestinal tumor growths. The researchers fed capsaicin to mice genetically prone to developing multiple tumors in the gastrointestinal tract. The treatment resulted in a reduced tumor burden and extended the lifespans of the mice by more than 30 percent.
(NEXT)
How Tart Cherries Reduce Inflammation and Oxidative Stress
University of Michigan, April 15, 2022
Michigan researchers had previously shown that a cherry-enriched diet not only reduced overall body inflammation, but also reduced inflammation at key sites (belly fat, heart) known to affect heart disease risk in the obese. This study offers further promise that foods rich in antioxidants, such as cherries, could potentially reduce inflammation and have the potential to lower disease risk. Two daily doses of the tart cherry concentrate was associated with significantly lower levels of interleukin-6 (IL-6) and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP), compared to placebo, according to findings published in Nutrients. "This is the first study to investigate the impact of Montmorency cherries on systemic inflammatory and oxidative stress induced by a series of metabolically challenging cycling bouts.
(NEXT)
Water outperforms sports drinks for young athletes
Penn State University, April 14, 2022
Most youngsters don't exert themselves at an intensity or duration that requires the extra sugar and salt contained in sports drinks. Sports drinks can replenish some of what you lost during exercise, but you really need to be exercising for more than 45 minutes to an hour before you would consider that. Many of our kids are not doing enough to warrant it. Energy drinks that contain caffeine or other stimulants are also ill-advised for children, the physicians said. These beverages can boost blood pressure, cause heart palpitations and heart rhythm disorders, headaches and upset stomach. Coaches and parents should provide water to make sure children are properly hydrated during exercise, the doctors said.
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Ginger Found to Reduce Premenstrual Pain and Mood Symptoms
Tehran University of Medical Sciences, April 17, 2022
New research has confirmed other findings that ginger root (Zingiber officinale) can relieve premenstrual pain and associated symptoms, without some of the side effects associated with NSAIDs. Medical doctors from the Tehran University of Medical Sciences in Iran studied 70 female students between 18 and 35 years old in a three-month long double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. The women had regular menstruation cycles and were not taking medications, but they each had at least five symptoms of PMS during their normal cycles. Both groups' PMS symptom severity scores were calculated before and after each of the three months. The researchers found that while both groups averaged between 106 and 110 points on the PMS severity testing at the beginning of the study, the ginger group scored significantly lower on all PMS symptoms at the end of each month. After one month, the ginger group's scores averaged 51, while the placebo group averaged 105.7. After three months, the ginger group's scores averaged 49 while the placebo group averaged 107. After the third month, the ginger group's scores average 47 while the placebo group averaged 106.
(SUPERFOODS)
Oranges: The orange is a vitamin and mineral-packed treasure chest of a fruit, rich in vitamins A, B and C, potassium, and calcium, as well as being an excellent source of fiber. One phytonutrient in oranges that boosts it into the super food category is the flavonoid hesperidin. This biochemical works to support healthy blood vessels and reduces cholesterol. What has been established so far overlooks what the public considers the orange’s defining health trait, it being stocked with vitamin C, an important antioxidant that limits free radicals while also building the immune system. Vitamin C’s healing properties are well known and have been repeatedly scientifically validated. These include the lessening of arterial plaque as well as protecting from Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and Crohn’s diseases, arthritis, and diabetes.
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Rhodiola rosea extract may improve anxiety, stress and mood: Human data
University of Surrey (UK), April 15 2022
Daily intake of a Rhodiola rosea L. extract may improve various measures of mood in people with mild anxiety, says a new study from England. Data from 81 mildly anxious students indicated that 14 days of supplementation with the Rhodiola rosea L. extract significantly reduced self-reported anxiety and stress. Improvements in self-reported anger, confusion, and depression were also reported by the researchers. “Although Rhodiola rosea has been used traditionally to relieve a range of symptoms of stress related disorders, to our knowledge this is the first study to demonstrate the efficacy of Rhodiola rosea L. in the treatment of mild anxiety,” wrote Mark Cropley, Adrian Banks, and Julia Boyle from the University of Surrey in Phytotherapy Research .
(NEXT)
Blueberries may help treat post-traumatic stress disorder
Louisiana State University, April 13, 2022
A new study has revealed that blueberries may help treat post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).R esearchers at Louisiana State University looked at the ability of blueberries to modulate neurotransmitter levels in a rat model of PTSD. Researchers supplemented some of the rats with a blueberry-enriched (2 percent) diet and others with a control diet. A third control group did not have PTSD and received a standard diet (without blueberries). They found that PTSD rats who did not receive blueberries demonstrated a predictable increase in NE and 5-HT when compared with the control group. However, the PTSD rats that received blueberries showed a beneficial increase in 5-HT with no effect on NE levels, suggesting that blueberries could effectively modulate neurotransmitters in PTSD.
(NEXT)
Vitamin D helps reduce childhood allergy rate
University of Auckland (New Zealand), April 15, 2022
Vitamin D supplements during pregnancy and infancy may help to reduce New Zealand's high childhood allergy rate. In a study, published in the internationally ranked journal Allergy, the University of Auckland showed for the first time, that vitamin D supplements prevent allergy sensitisation to house dust mites in children. He believes vitamin D supplements may also help prevent asthma developing in young children. Vitamin D deficiency is prevalent with 57 percent of New Zealand newborns having low concentrations of vitamin D at birth. Both asthma and allergies are highly prevalent in New Zealand with 25 percent of six to seven year old reported with asthma and 35 percent of 11 to 12 year olds having an allergic response to house dust mite, plant, food or other allergens. Vitamin D receptors are present on many immune cells and so vitamin D can affect how the immune system works. In theory maintaining normal vitamin D status when that sensitivity is developing late in pregnancy and early in infancy, could prevent later allergy sensitivity in the child."
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Vitamin B diminishes effects of air pollution-induced cardiovascular disease
Columbia University, April 12, 2022
B vitamins can mitigate the impact of fine particle pollution on cardiovascular disease, according to new research conducted at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health. Healthy non-smokers who took vitamin B supplements nearly reversed any negative effects on their cardiovascular and immune systems, weakening the effects of air pollution on heart rate by 150 percent, total white blood count by 139 percent, and lymphocyte count by 106 percent. This is the first clinical trial to evaluate whether B vitamin supplements change the biologic and physiologic responses to ambient air pollution exposure. Ambient PM2.5 fine particulate pollution contributes to 3.7 million premature deaths annually worldwide, predominantly through acute effects on the cardiovascular system. Particulate matter pollution is the most frequent trigger for myocardial infarction at the population level.
(SUPER FOODS)
Onions: A rule of thumb is that the more pungent the onion, the greater its health benefits. It’s as if you could smell its disease-thwarting power. Onions are particularly important to include in diets for diabetics, for one, because they are rich in chromium, a trace mineral that helps cells respond to insulin. Moreover, refined sugar depletes the body’s chromium levels, so for anyone that has this sugar in his or her diet, onions are an excellent source of replacement. Onions are also rich in vitamin B6, vitamin C, manganese, molybdenum (essential in preserving tooth enamel), potassium, phosphorous, and copper. They are also just about the best source of quercetin, which works hand-in-hand with vitamin C in help the body eliminate bacteria and strengthen immunity. The onion’s health benefits don’t stop there. Inclusion of onions in the diet help individuals lower blood pressure and cholesterol, and strengthen bone health. Onions also have anti-inflammatory benefits, reducing symptoms related to inflammatory conditions, such as asthma, arthritis, and respiratory congestion. Some studies have noted that they lessen the adverse effects from colds and flus.
Mushrooms boost immunity, suggests research
University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, April 16, 2016
A new University of Florida study shows increased immunity in people who ate a cooked shiitake mushroom every day for four weeks. In a study led by Human Nutrition Professor Sue Percival, 52 healthy adults, age 21 to 41, researchers gave them a four-week supply of dry shiitake mushrooms. Then they ate one, 4-ounce serving of mushrooms each day during the experiment. Through blood tests before and after the experiment, researchers saw better-functioning gamma delta T-cells and reductions in inflammatory proteins. "If you eat a shiitake mushroom every day, you could see changes in their immune system that are beneficial," said Percival. "We're enhancing the immune system, but we're also reducing the inflammation that the immune system produces."
(NEXT)
Vital nutrient has key role in keeping body clocks running on time
University of Edinburgh, April 13, 2022
An essential mineral in our diets has an unexpected role in helping living things remain adapted to the rhythms of night and day, scientists have found. Magnesium - a nutrient found in many foods - helps control how cells keep their own form of time to cope with the natural environmental cycle of day and night. The discovery in cells is expected to be linked to whole body clocks which influence daily cycles - or circadian rhythms - of sleeping and waking, hormone release, body temperature and other important bodily functions in people. Scientists found that this oscillation was critical to sustain the 24-hour clock in cells. They were surprised to discover that it also had an enormous impact on metabolism in cells - how fast cells can convert nutrients into energy - throughout the course of a day.
(NEXT)
Walking Barefoot Can Improve Your Health And There Is Science To Back It Up
University of California at Irvine, April 16, 2022
A paper published in the Journal of Environmental and Public Health highlighted how absorbing electrons from the planet can improve one’s health. Patients suffering from chronic pain used grounded carbon fiber mattresses and were observed to have better sleep and fewer pains. Another study discovered that walking barefoot altered the electrical activity of the brain, as measured by EEG. Other benefits that were observed included skin conductivity, moderated heart rate variability, improved glucose regulation, reduced stress, and supported immune function. We have presented some potential benefits in detail:
1: Better Sleep
2: Can Reduce Inflammation
3: Can Regulate Your Heart’s Health - synchronize your heartbeat.
4: Increases the surface charge of red blood cells. These cells then avoid clumping which then decreases blood viscosity.
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Add nature, art and religion to life's best anti-inflammatories
University of California at Berkeley, April 13, 2020
Taking in such spine-tingling wonders as the Grand Canyon, Sistine Chapel ceiling or Schubert's "Ave Maria" may give a boost to the body's defense system, according to new research from UC Berkeley. Researchers have linked positive emotions – especially the awe we feel when touched by the beauty of nature, art and spirituality – with lower levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines, which are proteins that signal the immune system to work harder. The findings demonstrate that positive emotions are associated with the markers of good health such as amusement, awe, compassion, contentment, joy, love and pride. That awe, wonder and beauty promote healthier levels of cytokines suggests that the things we do to experience these emotions – a walk in nature, losing oneself in music, beholding art – has a direct influence upon health and life expectancy.
(NEXT)
Study: Oil Pulling with Coconut Oil Decreased Plaque and Gingivitis
Kannur Dental College (India) April 15, 2022
A new study looked at the effect of “oil pulling” with coconut oil on plaque formation and plaque induced gingivitis. Oil pulling is a technique that has become popular where one takes a spoonful of coconut oil and swishes it around in their mouth (without swallowing) for 15 minutes or so. Many health benefits are claimed from following such a practice, but so far published research has only documented the dental benefits. Even “mainstream” dentists in the United States are reporting benefits they are seeing in their patient’s dental health among those who regularly practice oil pulling. In the current study, 60 young adults between the age of 16 and 18 who had plaque induced gingivitis participated in the study. The study found: A statistically significant decrease in the plaque and gingival indices was noticed from day 7 and the scores continued to decrease during the period of study.
(SUPER FOODS)
Mushrooms: My friends, who have travelled to the Yunnan province in China, mention how there some of the most prized edibles are the wide varieties of mushrooms. Where an average, un-health-conscious American would find his or her greatest culinary delight in choosing between cuts of steak, the Yunnan citizen is delicately discriminating between different mushrooms. A wealth of growing peer-reviewed science, which would recommend the Yunnan culinary emphasis, shows that many edible mushrooms are among the more important immune builders in the plant kingdom. In particular, medicinal mushrooms inhibit tumor growth, have anti-pathogenic and blood-sugar-lowering activities, and strengthen immunity. Among approximately 200 different varieties whose health-enhancing skills have been noted are the chaga, cordyceps, maitake, oyster, portobello, reishi, shiitake, and turkey tail mushrooms. Although it is possible to find all of these in fresh or dried form, at the moment in the US the shiitake mushrooms are the easiest to obtain. A list of the benefits obtained from mushrooms would have to mention their antiviral and antibacterial properties, which in different mushrooms have shown some effectiveness against a wide spread of pathogens, including those from polio, hepatitis B, influenza, candida, Epstein-Barr virus, streptococcus, and tuberculosis. The mutagenic benefits of mushrooms that one can read about in the scientific literature note how mushrooms can be enlisted in the fight against leukemia, sarcoma, and the bladder, breast, colon, liver, lung, prostate, and stomach cancers, even in advanced stages.
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Leafy Vegetables: Another “league of superheroes” among foods is found in the dark green leafy vegetables. This band includes spinach, kale, arugula, Swiss chard, cabbage, collard greens, and watercress. While they should be united in your diet, each eaten in turn, they all have individualized, singular health benefits. One thing they hold in common, however, is that they are high in carotenoids and other antioxidants that guard against heart disease, cancer, and problems in blood sugar regulation. To choose one example from among them, one cup of cooked kale provides over 1,300 percent of the daily requirement of vitamin K needed for maximum bone health. It is also rich in calcium and manganese, other nurturers of bone density. Like broccoli, kale contains the anti-cancer phytochemical sulforaphane. To note the value of a few more of the green leafy vegetables, look at cabbage, which contains manifold glutamine, an amino acid that contributes to the anti-inflammatory activities in the body. This acid also protects from infectious complications due to human papilloma virus (HPV). The juice from cabbage will quicken the healing of peptic ulcers. Now, turn to spinach. It is one of the best sources for iron. Per gram, it generally contains over 30 percent more iron than a hamburger. (Any diet heavy in spinach should include sufficient vitamin C to help assimilate the iron.) Spinach is also an excellent source of folic acid, calcium, copper, zinc, selenium, and omega-3 fatty acids. Although I can’t give details on every green leafy vegetable, let me end with two more. Watercress is a superb source of phytochemicals. It has been shown to be a diuretic and digestive aid as well as an aid in protecting against lung cancer and strengthening the thyroid. Collard greens supply ample quantities of immune response modulator diindolylmethane.
Legumes: The modern Western diet, especially in America, ignores most legumes at its detriment. Sometimes I think the only way that Americans would take to legumes would be if they came in a hamburger bun and were sloshed with ketchup and mustard. But, to be more serious, when I mention legumes, most people think of beans, peas, and lentils. However, alfalfa, clover, peanuts, and cashews are also legumes. These vegetables and grains are excellent sources of cholesterol lowering fiber. When you consume a legume, its fiber content helps you manage blood sugar levels. One cup of lentils can provide upwards to 65 percent of the minimum, daily necessary dietary fiber. With this high fiber content in a serving, when legumes are frequently included in meals, we are assured to have better gastrointestinal and colon health. Legumes in general contain energy-boosting protein and iron. Looking at specific entities in this group, black beans are rich in the potent antioxidant anthocyanidins, which promotes heart and vascular health. Green beans are excellent sources of vitamins C and K. Garbanzo beans, commonly known as chickpeas, are a superb source of molybdenum, which strengthens teeth and preserves tooth enamel. Another important legume that is not as familiar in the US as some of those just mentioned is adzuki beans. Originally from the Himalayas and standard in East Asian cooking, they are a rich source of magnesium, potassium, iron, zinc, and B vitamins. Very high in soluble fiber, the adzuki helps eliminate bad cholesterol from the body. In Japan, it is treasured for its kidney and bladder health-promoting function, and used in weight-loss programs. To maximize the benefits of legumes in the diet, combine them with whole grains. The reason for this recommendation is that legumes are very low in methionine, an essential amino acid that supports cellular life, while whole grains are replete with this amino acid, but low in lysine, which is abundant in legumes. A wholesome, integrated vegetarian diet will contain a balance of legumes and grains.
Mushrooms: My friends, who have travelled to the Yunnan province in China, mention how there some of the most prized edibles are the wide varieties of mushrooms. Where an average, un-health-conscious American would find his or her greatest culinary delight in choosing between cuts of steak, the Yunnan citizen is delicately discriminating between different mushrooms. A wealth of growing peer-reviewed science, which would recommend the Yunnan culinary emphasis, shows that many edible mushrooms are among the more important immune builders in the plant kingdom. In particular, medicinal mushrooms inhibit tumor growth, have anti-pathogenic and blood-sugar-lowering activities, and strengthen immunity. Among approximately 200 different varieties whose health-enhancing skills have been noted are the chaga, cordyceps, maitake, oyster, portobello, reishi, shiitake, and turkey tail mushrooms. Although it is possible to find all of these in fresh or dried form, at the moment in the US the shiitake mushrooms are the easiest to obtain. A list of the benefits obtained from mushrooms would have to mention their antiviral and antibacterial properties, which in different mushrooms have shown some effectiveness against a wide spread of pathogens, including those from polio, hepatitis B, influenza, candida, Epstein-Barr virus, streptococcus, and tuberculosis. The mutagenic benefits of mushrooms that one can read about in the scientific literature note how mushrooms can be enlisted in the fight against leukemia, sarcoma, and the bladder, breast, colon, liver, lung, prostate, and stomach cancers, even in advanced stages.
Onions: A rule of thumb is that the more pungent the onion, the greater its health benefits. It’s as if you could smell its disease-thwarting power. Onions are particularly important to include in diets for diabetics, for one, because they are rich in chromium, a trace mineral that helps cells respond to insulin. Moreover, refined sugar depletes the body’s chromium levels, so for anyone that has this sugar in his or her diet, onions are an excellent source of replacement. Onions are also rich in vitamin B6, vitamin C, manganese, molybdenum (essential in preserving tooth enamel), potassium, phosphorous, and copper. They are also just about the best source of quercetin, which works hand-in-hand with vitamin C in help the body eliminate bacteria and strengthen immunity. The onion’s health benefits don’t stop there. Inclusion of onions in the diet help individuals lower blood pressure and cholesterol, and strengthen bone health. Onions also have anti-inflammatory benefits, reducing symptoms related to inflammatory conditions, such as asthma, arthritis, and respiratory congestion. Some studies have noted that they lessen the adverse effects from colds and flus.
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Garlic: While garlic contains phytonutrients similar to those found in onions, it also possesses selenium, a substance that, according to some studies, offers protection against various cancers and against the deterioration of the body caused by free radicals. Different studies have looked at and remarked on its ability to both guard against heart disease and arterial calcification (hardening of the arteries), and to reduce cholesterol and blood pressure. Since it is a source of the flavonoid quercetin, it contains antibiotic properties that empower it to fight colds, stomach viruses, and yeast infections.
Ginger: Ginger is already widely employed throughout the world by anyone who wants to cure dyspepsia (stomach upsets), reduce gastrointestinal gases, and to relieve nausea that arises from pregnancy, seasickness, and even from chemo drugs used in cancer and other medical therapies. Ginger is largely composed of fragrant essential oils, which give it a distinctive aromatic flavor. One of these oils, gingerol, makes it a natural sedative for calming the gastrointestinal tract. This oil also provides some protection from pathogenic bacteria that upset the stomach. All in all, ginger is rich in antibiotic properties that combat the GI infections that bring on diarrhea and dehydration. Beyond this, new evidence suggests ginger helps lower cholesterol, a boon that provides protection from cardiovascular disease.
Folk medicine has long honored ginger. Bear in mind, by the way, that while some scientists look down on folk medicine, numerous modern pharmaceuticals have been derived from folk remedies, suitably renamed and price-tagged. This folk science, now supported by modern science, has seen ginger as a mild immune booster, which wards off colds and flus, sinus congestions, and coughs. There have also been some preliminary findings in animal studies suggesting that ginger may help to treat diabetes. This is an exciting new perspective.
Goji Berry: The goji berry, a fruit with many health-giving properties, has sometimes been traduced by more unscrupulous food companies by being sold in such things as (to imagine a name) “Goji Power Plus Bars,” which are actually low on goji as an ingredient and high on unrefined sugar. Now let’s look at the value of goji, which has caused such companies to try to trade on its good name. Also known as wolfberry in its native Europe, the plant is found through much of Asia, where it appears in exotic (to Westerners) Tibetan and Himalayan descriptions. The word goji is actually a
Westernization of the Chinese word for the berry, which can be transliterated as “gouqi.” The berry is a common ingredient in traditional Chinese medicine, dating back thousands of years in its use. The oblong red goji berry has no problem fulfilling the requirements to be designated a super food. It has a high concentration of phytochemicals, amino acids, vitamins B and C, and beta-carotene. Additionally, it contains 11 essential and 22 trace dietary minerals, is moderately high in alpha-linolenic acid, and an outstanding source of the antioxidant lycopene. One can look to the goji berry for extra protein, dietary fibers, calcium, zinc, and selenium. With all these nutrients found in it, the goji will obviously have many health-lifting effects, and these include protection from cardiovascular and inflammatory diseases as well as from age-related vision disorders (such as glaucoma and macular degeneration). Studies have pointed to its neuro-protection, positive immunomodulatory, and anti-cancer properties. This last benefit has been underscored by a study published in the Chinese Journal of Oncology, which indicated cancer patients responded better to treatment while on a diet that included goji. However, the study recommended that individuals on blood-thinning medications avoid eating goji berries, which may interfere with the drugs. Last but far from least, it offers liver protection and can improve sexual function.
Green Tea: The ingredient in tea—in green tea particularly—that has stirred the most scientific interest is catechin. Approximately 25 percent of a dry tea leaf is catechin. Although traces of catechin are also found in chocolate, wine, and other fruits and vegetables, it is tea that offers the greatest amount of this super nutrient. The multi-tasking catechin not only has been shown to reduce the plaque buildup that is part of atherosclerosis, but it gives protection against infectious bacteria, and reduces oxidative stress. In our polluted world, tea catechins are especially needed due to another of its curative features, which is that it can improve DNA replication and protect against genetic damage from environmental toxins. Studies in recent years have noted its inflammatory properties and suggested it can play a role battling against cancer. Other scientific examinations note that green tea can improve bone density and cognitive function, reduce the risk of developing kidney stones, and strengthen heart function. There is also some evidence showing that green tea’s polyphenols protect against the brain cell death that is associated with Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s diseases. I remember reading about the traditional Chinese dental hygiene procedure of brushing with tea. At the time, years ago, I thought it was humorous, but I realize now, that like many folk practices, it is rooted in real insight. Even if brushing with tea doesn’t prevent cavities, it is full of other health enhancer.
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Carotenoids linked to lower diabetes
Utrecht University Medical Center (Netherlands), April 9, 2022
A prospective study of 37,846 subjects links higher carotenoid consumption to a lower risk of diabetes. People who consume a diet high in antioxidant-rich carotenoids have a lower occurrence of diabetes, according to a new study. The researchers linked higher intakes of beta and alpha carotene with lower risks of type 2 diabetes. The research focused on dietary carotenoid intake levels consisting of beta-carotene, alpha-carotene, beta-cryptoxanthin, lycopene, lutein, zeaxanthin and the total of these six carotenoids. The study also examined how smoking (tobacco, not carotenoids) played into the subjects’ risk of developing diabetes. Thirty-one percent of the subjects smoked. “This study shows that diets high in beta-carotene and alpha-carotene are associated with reduced type 2 diabetes in generally healthy men and women.
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Low selenium levels increase prostate cancer risk: Study
Danish Cancer Society Research Center, April 11, 2022
Low selenium levels could lead to a higher risk of prostate cancer, a study has concluded. Essential trace mineral Selenium (Se), has been noted to possess cancer-protective effects. The nested case control (NCC) study, performed by the Danish Cancer Society Research Center, identified 784 cases with incident prostate cancer in the cohort that consisted of 27,179 men. When compared to a subset of controls, two-thirds (525) of the cases had the advanced from of the disease at the time of diagnosis, and among these 170 had the higher-grade form of cancer. 305 cases died (212 from prostate cancer) during follow-up through 2012. The team concluded that higher levels of this Se biomarker was associated with a lower risk of the higher grade disease.
(NEXT)
Good times with friends really can fight depression
University of Rochester, April 5, 2022
People with symptoms of depression may not feel like socializing, but doing something fun with friends can improve mood, a new study shows. “It’s the social activities—positive, everyday experiences that involve other people—that may be most likely to brighten the mood of those struggling with depression,” says Lisa Starr, assistant professor of psychology at the University of Rochester. The findings, based on real-life events, contradict earlier laboratory-based studies that suggest the moods of people with depression are relatively unresponsive to positive stimuli.
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Scientists investigate a sperm-boosting nutrient which may help infertile couples
University of Sheffield (UK), April 11, 2022
Studies have already shown that lycopene, the red pigment compound found most readily in sun-ripened tomatoes, can boost sperm count by up to 70 per cent, as well as conferring other benefits on the male reproductive system. It is estimated that one in six couples are unable to conceive – in about half of cases the problem is caused by poor sperm quality. Professor Pacey said: "Studies elsewhere in the world have shown that the antioxidant properties of lycopene seem to have a beneficial effect on sperm quality. Half of the volunteers take two 7mg capsules per day of a highly absorbable form of lycopene supplement containing lactolycopene while the other half take identical dummy capsules.
(SUPER FOODS)
Apples: For thousands of years, apples (malus sylvestrsis) have been used for a wide variety of medical complications and diseases, including diabetes, fevers, inflammatory conditions, and heart ailments. In addition to having confirmed many of the healthful properties of apples, modern research has identified invaluable phytochemicals contained by the fruits. Phytochemicals are chemical compounds that are found in plants and which have been used to treat illnesses. One of these found in apples is phloretin, a natural antibiotic. The fruits also contain pectin and pectic acids that provide essential bulk to a diet. The apple’s tannins, quercetin, alpha-farnesene, shikimic acid, and chlorogenic acid also promote health benefits, such as increasing production of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine, so helping offset cognitive decline due to oxidative damage. With high levels of phenols, polyphenols, and other antioxidant, chemoprotective properties, apples have been shown to help guard against a variety of cancers, including leukemia and those that target the colon, lung, breast, liver, and skin. These apple’s chemicals also provide essential nutrients to improve cardiovascular health, reduce the risk of coronary heart disease and stroke, and prevent atherosclerosis
Apricots: This fruit had a long and rich history in the medical practices of China and India. In traditional Chinese medicine, apricots and their kernels are prescribed for treating asthma, cough, and constipation. The fruit is a stronghold of vitamins C and K, beta-carotene, thiamine, niacin, and iron. Japanese scientists have called attention to the apricot’s ability to inhibit the pathogenic bacteria frequent in ulcers and acute gastritis.
Bananas: Bananas are low in calories while providing essential nutrients, among them vitamin B6, vitamin C, potassium, and manganese. They also stimulate probiotic activity, which sustains healthy gut flora. Bacteria in our gastrointestinal system are critical for proper digestion and absorption of nutrients. Bananas help keep this system on track. Recent findings have indicated that bananas may offer protection against kidney cancer, particularly in women, and aid renal function.
Blueberries: Many berries have health-boosting properties. Berries that are black, blue, and red are especially known for their possession of antioxidant nutrients. Blueberries specifically contain the antioxidant groups of flavonoids, phenolic and polyphenol compounds, all of which have shown some ability to reverse cellular aging of the cognitive and motor functions. The fruit’s power was brought home in a recent study that compared the antioxidant levels of 100 different foods. Blueberries scored highest!Other examination have shown blueberries acting to protect brain health, improve memory, and sustain coordination by, for one, enhancing communication between nerve cells. This activity provides protection from serious neurodegenerative diseases, such as dementia and Alzheimer’s. On top of this, blueberries have anti-inflammatory properties that protect the skin, joints, and the cardiovascular and neurological systems. Eating of the fruit has proven beneficial to those suffering from diabetes. It consumption prevents bone loss and inhibits cancer cell proliferation, particularly in the cases of prostate and colon cancer. With all these life-giving properties, blueberries have certainly earned the sobriquet “super food.”
Broccoli: What makes broccoli a super food is its high concentration of the phytochemicals diindolymethane and isothiocyanate, which are powerful immunomodulators, that is, substances that have strong effects on the immune system. Because it fosters immune system strength, broccoli empowers that system in the fight against cancer (breast and prostate cancer, in particular) and provides protection from bacterial and viral infections. Along with the two aforementioned phytochemicals, broccoli also contains other anticancer agents, such as glucoraphanin. Due to these observed properties, right now a substantial amount of research is being conducted on broccoli’s mutagenic qualities. This vegetable is rich in vitamins A, B5, B6, B9 (folate), C and K, and provides plenty of dietary fiber. It will also give anyone who eats it moderate amounts of calcium, iron, phosphorus, and potassium. As with other leafy green vegetables, it contains lutein and zeaxanthin, which foster eye health. Since it has more calcium than even most dairy products, it can protect bones and increase bone mass. Thus, it’s another plant well deserving of its super food classification
Carrots: Carrots can be looked to as chief provider of carotenoids, a family of antioxidants proven to block DNA and cellular membrane damage caused by free radical activity. This vegetable is rich in the phytochemicals alpha-carotene and lycopene, both shown to have anti-carcinogenic properties, fighting against cancer especially in the colon, lung, prostate, and stomach. The less-known black and purple carrots have high levels of anthocyanin, a powerful anti-cancer biochemical that studies have found slowing cancer cell proliferation by as much as 80 percent. Other work indicates the commonplace belief that carrots improve memory is far from mythical since the vegetable has shown capacity in boosting brain function. Add to that cardiovascular benefits, such as decreasing cholesterol. Another adage has it that carrots improve vision. This has been backed by the fact that carrots are high in retinoids that benefit ocular health. Since carrots are a good source of vitamin A, they should be kept in the diet of diabetics, given that A lowers blood sugar and aids in the development of insulin-producing cells in the pancreas. One cup of raw carrots can provide almost 700 percent of the daily recommended consumption of vitamin A and 220 percent of vitamin K, a substance critical for bone health. Thus, we have to dub carrots another superhero among edible plants.
Polyphenol pills counter inflammation in women on hormonal contraceptives: RCT
Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (Brazil), April 7, 2022
Supplements containing a mixture of polyphenols may counter increases in pro-inflammatory markers in women of childbearing age using combined hormonal contraceptives, says a new study. The supplements, formulated with resveratrol, catechin, quercetin, chlorogenic acid and cyanidin, were also found to prevent the increases in markers of systemic oxidative stress like F2-isoprostane. “The increase in biomarkers of inflammation and oxidative stress observed in the present study were possibly caused by the use of hormonal contraceptives, as verified in the [control group], and this change was not observed in the group that used polyphenols,” wrote researchers from the Institute of Cardiology and the Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul in Brazil. “Therefore, the results of this polyphenol supplementation showed that the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects observed in the studied population is due to the reduction in plasma levels of PGE2, supporting the conceptual hypothesis, by its action on the inflammatory cascade, probably by COX inhibition.”
(NEXT)
The power of kindness in improving brain health
Center for BrainHealth at The University of Texas, April 11, 2022
Kindness is powerful and does not just affect the recipient's feelings—kindness can also impact an entire family's brain health. A cross-disciplinary team of researchers and clinicians from Center for BrainHealth at The University of Texas at Dallas sought to understand whether an online kindness training program improves preschooler's prosocial behaviors and their parents' resilience during the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Omega-3 supplementation could offer MCI benefits: Pilot study
University of California-Los Angeles, April 10, 2022
Supplementation with a drink containing 2000 mg of omega-3 and mixed botanicals could have ‘significant’ immune and biochemical effects in people that have minor cognitive impairment (MCI), new research suggests. The pilot study, published in The FASEB Journal, investigated the immune and pro- and anti-inflammatory effects of nutritional supplementation with a drink (Smartfish) that combines high levels of the omega-3 fatty acids DHA and EPA with a mixture of vitamins and botanicals including resveratrol vitamin D3, “thus targeting several facets of AD [Alzheimer’s disease] pathogenesis.”
(NEXT)
Magic mushroom compound increases brain connectivity in people with depression after use
by Imperial College London, April 11, 2022
Psilocybin, the psychedelic compound found in magic mushrooms, helps to "open up" depressed people's brains, even after use, enabling brain regions to talk more freely to one another. These are the findings of a new analysis of brain scans from close to 60 people receiving treatment for depression, led by Imperial College London's Centre for Psychedelic Research. The team behind the study believes it may have untangled how psilocybin exerts its therapeutic effects on the brain.
(NEXT)
Regular cycling helps patients with 'accelerated aging' disease
McMaster University, April 11, 2022
A study led by McMaster University researchers has found that regular cycling can greatly improve mobility in patients with myotonic dystrophy (MD), a genetic disease that causes muscle degeneration. Senior author Mark Tarnopolsky said that cycling for 35 minutes three times a week for 12 weeks led to a 32 percent increase in overall fitness in people with MD. Patients who took part in the study also saw a 1.6-kilogram increase in their muscle massand a two percent reduction of body fat. They were also able to walk an extra 47 meters in six minutes, when tested by researchers at the end of the 12-week trial.
New study reveals that healthy plant-based diets are associated with a lower risk of developing diabetes
Harvard School of Public Health, April 8, 2022
New research published in Diabetologia (the journal of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes [EASD]) finds that the consumption of healthy plant-based foods, including fruits, vegetables, nuts, coffee, and legumes, is associated with a lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes (T2D) in generally healthy people and support their role in diabetes prevention. The study aimed to identify the metabolite profiles related to different plant-based diets and investigate possible associations between those profiles and the risk of developing T2D.
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Vitamin K2 brain benefit
Al-Maarefa University (Saudi Arabia), April 8 2022.
Results from a study suggest that vitamin K2 could help protect the brain from aging-associated disorders. The study’s investigators remarked that people with severe dementia and individuals at an early stage of Alzheimer’s disease have an increased risk of reduced serum vitamin K levels. Rats that received vitamin K2 had less cognitive impairment, depression and anxiety, and better spatial memory and learning ability compared to untreated animals. When the two groups’ maze performances at the end of the treatment period were compared with untreated young adult rats, older animals that received MK-7 performed similarly to the younger rats, while the performance of older untreated rats was significantly lower.
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Research finds that wisdom is a matter of both heart and mind
University of Waterloo (Canada) April 7, 2022
The fluctuations of your heartbeat may affect your wisdom, according to new research from the University of Waterloo. The study suggests that heart rate variation and thinking process work together to enable wise reasoning about complex social issues. "Our research shows that wise reasoning is not exclusively a function of the mind and cognitive ability," says Prof. Grossmann. "We found that people who have greater heart rate variability and who are able to think about social problems from a distanced viewpoint demonstrate a greater capacity for wise reasoning." A growing consensus among philosophers and cognitive scientists defines wise judgment to include the ability to recognize the limits of one's knowledge, to be aware of the varied contexts of life and how they may unfold over time, to acknowledge others' points of view, and to seek reconciliation of opposing viewpoints.
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Too much sitting may shorten your life, study suggests
University of Sao Paulo School of Medicine April 7, 2022
A new study finds that sitting less may extend your life. Brazilian researchers who analyzed data from 54 countries linked sitting for more than three hours a day to 3.8 percent of deaths from all causes. Limiting sitting time to less than three hours a day would increase a person's life expectancy by an average of 0.2 years—or more than two months, the researchers said. The study authors estimated the effects of less time spent sitting, regardless of moderate to vigorous physical activity. Even a modest, 10 percent reduction in sitting time—for instance, 30 fewer minutes a day—could have an immediate impact, the researchers said.
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Depressive disorders can lead to changes in immune cells
Dresden University of Technology and University of Zurich (Germany), April 9.2022
Loss of interest, joylessness, lack of drive and increased fatigability—all these complaints are among the main symptoms of depression, a mental illness affecting an estimated 5% of the population in Germany. Pathophysiological features of depressive disorders often include low-grade inflammation and elevated glucocorticoid output. In a new study published in the journal Translational Psychiatry, researchers establish for the first time a link between depressive disorders and mechanical changes in blood cells.
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Zinc deficiency linked to chronic inflammation
Oregon State University April 6 2022.
A report published in Molecular Nutrition and Food Research reveals how being deficient in the mineral zinc results in immune dysfunction and chronic inflammation, which is involved in cardiovascular disease and other conditions. Emily Ho of Oregon State University (OSU) and her colleagues examined the effects of zinc deficiency in cell cultures and aged mice. The team observed an increase in the responses of the cytokines interleukin 1beta and interleukin 6 following the administration of an inflammation-provoking substance to human white blood cells known as monocytes. In aged mice, zinc deficiency was also associated with an increase in interleukin 6 gene expression.
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Turmeric compound helps grow engineered blood vessels and tissues
University of California at Riverside, April 6, 2022
A finding by UC Riverside bioengineers could hasten development of lab-grown blood vessels and other tissues to replace and regenerate damaged tissues in human patients. Curcumin, a compound found in turmeric, has anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties and is known to suppress angiogenesis in malignant tumors. Bioengineers at UC Riverside have now discovered that when delivered through magnetic hydrogels into stem cell cultures this versatile compound paradoxically also promotes the secretion of vascular endothelial growth factor, or VEGF, that helps vascular tissues grow. When cultured with stem cells derived from bone marrow, the magnetic hydrogel gradually released the curcumin without injuring the cells. Compared to hydrogels embedded with bare nanoparticles, the group of hydrogels loaded with curcumin-coated nanoparticles showed a higher amount of VEGF secretion.
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Exercise shown to release protein reducing bowel cancer risk
Newcastle University, April 7, 2022
Scientists at Newcastle University have shown that physical activity causes the cancer-fighting protein, interleukin-6 (IL-6), to be released into the bloodstream which helps repair the DNA of damaged cells. Previous scientific evidence suggests that more exercise is better for reducing bowel cancer risk as the more physical activitypeople do, the lower their chances of getting it. When exercise is repeated multiple times each week over an extended period, cancer-fighting substances—such as IL-6—released into the bloodstream have the opportunity to interact with abnormal cells, repairing their DNA and reducing growth into cancer."
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Ginkgo biloba Extract Improves ADHD Symptoms in Children
University of Tübingen's Center for Medicine (Germany), April 6, 2022
Ginkgo's usefulness for children with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder has now been confirmed by a clinical study from Germany. This is supported by previous research showing Ginkgo's effects on cognition among the elderly. Researchers tested a Ginkgo biloba extract called EGb761 on 20 children diagnosed with ADHD in an open clinical protocol. The children were given the Ginkgo extract for three to five weeks at a dosage of up to 240 milligrams. This maximum dosage was given to those children who did not have immediate effective responses to a lower dose over the initial period of three weeks. The researchers found that the Ginkgo extract improved ADHD symptoms among the children. This improvement corresponded with improved Contingent negative variation (CNV) testing results.
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Pomegranate-date cocktail a day keeps the doctor away
Technion-Israel Institute of Technology , April 6, 2022
Glorious, red pomegranates and their Middle Eastern sister, luscious toffee-like dates, are delicious, increasingly trendy, and healthy to boot. As it turns out, when consumed together they are a winning combination in the war against heart disease. Just half a glass of pomegranate juice a day with a handful of dates can do the trick! A team of researchers at the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology has discovered that the combination of pomegranate juice and dates along with their pits provide maximum protection against atherosclerosis (plaque buildup or hardening of the arteries), which can cause a heart attack or stroke. Pomegranate juice, rich in polyphenolic antioxidants (derived from plants), has been shown to most significantly reduce oxidative stress. Dates, which are rich sources of phenolic radical scavenger antioxidants, also inhibit the oxidation of LDL (the so-called "bad cholesterol") and stimulate the removal of cholesterol from lipid-laden arterial cells.
Dr. Richard Fleming
Dr. Richard Fleming is a cardiologist specializing in nuclear medicine who has proven a direct correlation between inflammation and heart disease. Dr. Fleming holds a PhD in particle physics, graduated from the University of Iowa College of Medicine and later completed a law degree. He is the inventor of the Fleming Method for Tissue and Vascular Differentiation and Metabolism, a method that quantifies tissue activity due to inflammation and infection. In the past Richard has taught at the University of Texas and conducted cardiological research at Methodist College and Creighton University. Since the declaration of the Covid pandemic, he has put his attention on uncovering the health risks from both the SARS-2 virus and the Covid-19 vaccines, exposing the medical risks, and researching the genetic engineered origins of SARS-2. He has published and edited several medical texts and has published over 60 peer-reviewed scientific papers. He recently released a new book "Is Covid-19 a Bioweapon: A Scientific and Forensic Investigation," which takes a hard critical look at the available evidence that identifies clear genetic anomalies that could only have occurred through gain of function research. Dr Fleming's website is FlemingMethod.com.
Researchers look to licorice for promising cancer treatments
University of Illinois Chicago, April 6, 2022
Licorice is more than a candy people either love or hate—it may play a role in preventing or treating certain types of cancer, according to researchers at the University of Illinois Chicago. Gnanasekar Munirathinam and his research team are studying substances derived from the licorice plant Glycyrrhiza glabra to determine if they could be used to prevent or stop the growth of prostate cancer. "When we look at the research out there and our own data, it appears that glycyrrhizin and its derivative glycyrrhetinic acid have great potential as anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer agents," Munirathinam said. "We hope our research on prostate cancer cells advances the science to the point where therapies can be translated to help prevent or even cure prostate and other types of cancer."
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Not all dietary fiber is equal: Cereal fiber linked with lower inflammation, but not fruit or vegetable fiber
Columbia University, April 6, 2022
Researchers at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health and colleagues evaluated whether dietary fiber intake was associated with a decrease in inflammation in older adults and if fiber was inversely related to cardiovascular disease. The results showed that total fiber, and more specifically cereal fiber but not fruit or vegetable fiber, was consistently associated with lower inflammation and lower CVD incidence. The research confirmed previously observed associations between dietary fiber and CVD and extended those investigations to include the source of the fiber, the relationship of fiber with multiple inflammatory markers, and to test whether inflammation mediated the relationship between dietary fiber and CVD.
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How to reduce loneliness: Meaningful activities can improve health, well-being
Pennsylvania State University
Free time is sometimes idealized, but research shows free time can sometimes be unhealthy by increasing loneliness. A new Penn State study demonstrated that engaging in meaningful, challenging activities during free time can reduce people's loneliness and increase their positive feelings. Across two different studies, the researchers found that people who had meaningful, challenging experiences were less lonely—even when higher levels of social contact and support were not available. Our research shows that both of these ideas are true. By engaging in meaningful activities during free time that demand focus, people can reduce loneliness and increase momentary happiness." "Loneliness is very connected to our health," Dattilo explained. "Psychological, emotional, and cognitive health are all challenged when people are lonely. Loneliness is associated with depression and other mental health challenges."
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Curcumin Found To Outperform Pneumococcal Vaccines In Protecting Infants
UCLA, April 1, 2022
Now new research finds a substance in turmeric, curcumin, may outperform the vaccine in providing long lasting protection against potentially deadly lung damage in infants. Pneumococcal bacteria are the most common cause of bacterial infections in children and a frequent cause of infections in adults. Infection starts in the nose or throat where it may persist for weeks or months. Pneumococcal infections are also the most common complication of seasonal influenza. Researchers at Los Angeles Biomedical Research Institute at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center (LA BioMed), using disease models, found curcumin provided long-term protection against the damage caused by inadequate lung function. Their study, published online by the American Journal of Physiology, Lung Cellular and Molecular Physiology, found curcumin provided protection against bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BDP), a condition characterized by scarring and inflammation, and against hyperoxia, in which too much oxygen enters the body through the lungs.
Scott Ritter
via ZOOM
Scott Ritter is a former US Marine Corp intelligence officer and military strategist during the Cold War with the Soviet Union and in the Middle East. He served as a lead analyst for Marine deployment during the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan and the Iran-Iraq war. During Operation Desert Storm, Scott was the ballistic missile advisor to General Schwarzkopf. Later he assumed the role of the lead United Nations weapons inspector for seven years overseeing the disarmament of Iraq's weapons of mass destruction and biological agents program. He was one of the most forceful critics of the Bush administration's claims that Sadaam Hussain possessed WMDs. Scott is now an author and lecturer who has been very public about the American media's misinformation campaign about Russia's incursion into Ukraine and the gross failure's of the Biden White House foreign affairs policies and actions.
Vitamin K shows evidence of brain benefits
Study suggests a biological pathway through which vitamin K may help ward off dementia
AlMaarefa University(Saudi Arabia), April 5, 2022
In a new study conducted in rats, scientists report evidence that vitamin K could help protect against aging-related cognitive declines associated with Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia. Vitamin K2 demonstrated very promising impact in hindering aging-related behavioral, functional, biochemical and histopathological changes in the senile aging brain. Vitamin K2 can be proposed to be a promising approach to attenuate age-related disorders and preserve cognitive functions in aging individuals. The researchers used validated tests including a maze, swim test and sociability test to assess the rats’ cognitive functioning and depressive-like and anxiety behavior. These tests revealed that rats that received MK-7 performed better than those that did not. Vitamin K supplementation was associated with reduced evidence of cognitive impairment, depression and anxiety, along with improved spatial memory and learning ability.
(Next)
Vegetarian Diet Reduces Risk Of Heart Disease By A Third
University of Oxford, March 30, 2022
A vegetarian diet can reduce a person’s risk of heart disease by a third. Vegetarians have a 32% lower risk of hospitalization or death from cardiovascular disease than people who consume meat and fish. The study is the largest yet to compare cardiovascular disease rates between vegetarians and meat eaters. The experts analyzed nearly 45,000 participants (34% were vegetarian) from England and Scotland who signed up for the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC)-Oxford study.
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Meditation builds brain cells, Harvard study shows proof
Harvard University, April 2, 2022
Research has now demonstrated that meditation builds brain cells and increases gray matter in the brain. Using magnetic imaging (MRI), Harvard researchers found that meditation produced physiological changes in the brain’s gray matter. Some areas in the brains of the study participants thickened after only eight weeks of mindfulness practice. Study participants reported feeling less stressed after the eight-week period. MRI scans revealed decreased gray matter in the amygdalae and increased gray matter in the hippocampus. The amygdalae are the parts of the brain that help the body deal with anxiety and stress and controls the “fight or flight” mechanism. The hippocampus, which showed an increase in gray-matter density, is the area of the brain that controls memory, learning, self-awareness, introspection and compassion.
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Artificial sweeteners linked with a 13% higher risk of cancer
Sorbonne Paris Nord University, March 31, 2022
A large new observational study has found an association between the consumption of artificial sweeteners, particularly aspartame and acesulfame-K, and cancer. The study found a 13% higher risk of cancer in general, with the highest likelihood of developing breast cancer and cancers related to obesity, for people consuming large quantities of artificial sweeteners. The researchers analyzed the histories of 102,865 adults participating in the ongoing NutriEnt-Santé studyTrusted Source that began collecting data in 2009. Participants were followed for the new research over an average of 7.8 years. Senior investigator and director of EREN Dr. Mathilde Touvier said to MNT: “We performed analyses for the ‘total of artificial sweeteners’ overall (i.e., the sum of acesulfame-K, aspartame, sucralose, cyclamates, saccharin, steviol glycosides, and salt of aspartame-acesulfame), and then separately for the most represented artificial sweeteners in the cohort (i.e., acesulfame-K, aspartame, and sucralose).” Looking deeper into the greater risk of Aspartame and acesulfame-K, Dr. Touvier explained, “It should be noted that aspartame and acesulfame-K were by far the most frequently consumed artificial sweeteners.”
(NEXT)
Israeli Study: Your Cell Phone Is Killing Your Sperm
Technion-Israel Institute of Technology and Carmel Medical Center (Israel), April 2, 2022
Over the years, science has thoroughly documented the global decline in male fertility, which has been ongoing since the 1940s. Several possible culprits have been blamed such exposure to pesticides, estrogen-mimicking chemicals, and sedentary lifestyles. However, a team of Israeli scientists has found another possible environmental cause. Researchers at Haifa’s Technion- Israel Institute of Technology and Carmel Medical Center, conducted a study involving 106 men who were given a semen analysis. They have found that men who wear their cell phones in their pants pockets, have significantly higher rates of abnormal sperm. 47% of men who stored their cell phones in their pants had abnormal sperm, compared to just 11% for the average male. But keeping a cell phone near the groin wasn’t the only contributing factor to poor fertility. Both talking on the phone for more than an hour a day and using it while it was charging, was also linked to abnormal sperm counts.
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Vegan diet eases arthritis pain, finds new study
Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, April 4, 2022
A low-fat vegan diet, without calorie restrictions, improves joint pain in patients with rheumatoid arthritis, according to a new study conducted by researchers at the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine. Study participants also experienced weight loss and improved cholesterol levels. “A plant-based diet could be the prescription to alleviate joint pain for millions of people suffering from rheumatoid arthritis,” says Neal Barnard, MD, lead author of the study and president of the Physicians Committee. “And all of the side effects, including weight loss and lower cholesterol, are only beneficial.”
(NEXT)
Researchers Discover Cannabis-Mushroom Combination That “Kills Over 90% Of Colon Cancer Cells”
Cannabotech Integrative (Israel), April 1, 2022
For the last several years, scientists with Cannabotech, a biomedical company developing oncological products using cannabis, have been developing an “Integrative-Colon” product they say kills over 90% of colon cancer cells. According to Cannabotech, they have concluded a study using not only cannabis, but a unique combination of cannabinoids and mushroom extracts, which they tested on various colon cancer subtypes, representing different molecular changes common in these colon cancer subtypes. Their results of the cell model study were astounding, showing that its “Integrative-Colon” products killed over 90% of colon cancer cells — and they attribute this to to the mushroom and cannabis combination. Given the fact that the survival rate for colorectal cancer is just 65%, the idea that an easily grown plant and fungus could be used to save hundreds of thousands of lives, is inspiring to say the least. Humans share more DNA with mushrooms than we do with plants, a lot more.
(NEXT)
Vitamin C could help reduce toxic side effects of common cancer treatment
University Nove de Julho (Brazil), April 4, 2022
A study conducted in rats suggests that taking vitamin C may help to counteract the muscle atrophy that is a common side effect of the chemotherapy drug doxorubicin. Although clinical studies would be needed to determine the safety and effectiveness of taking vitamin C during doxorubicin treatment, the findings suggest vitamin C may represent a promising opportunity to reduce some of the drug’s most debilitating side effects. “Our results suggest vitamin C as a potential adjunct therapy to assist in the management of peripheral muscle disorders after treatment with doxorubicin, thereby improving functional capacity and quality of life and reducing mortality,” said Antonio Viana do Nascimento Filho, a master’s student in medicine at University Nove de Julho (UNINOVE) in Brazil, first author of the study. Nascimento Filho will present the findings at the American Physiological Societyannual meeting during the Experimental Biology (EB) 2022 meeting, held in Philadelphia April 2–5.
(NEXT)
Stress markers high, antioxidants low in breast cancer patients
University of Lahore (Pakistan), April 4 2022.
Research revealed blood inflammatory and stress marker variations between women with breast cancer and those who did not have the disease. The study compared 498 women with breast cancer with an equal number of age-matched women without the disease. Serum samples were analyzed for matrix metalloproteinases, interleukins, heat shock proteins, tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-a, a proinflammatory cytokine), nitric oxide, inducible nitric oxide synthase, malondialdehyde (MDA, a marker of oxidative stress), vitamins A, C and D, the antioxidant glutathione, and antioxidant enzymes superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase. Compared to women who did not have breast cancer, breast cancer patients exhibited overexpression of the inflammatory marker matrix metalloproteinase 9, the proinflammatory protein interleukin-1, heat shock protein 27 (which can be protective as well as destructive), TNF-a, nitric oxide, inducible nitric oxide synthase and MDA. Women with breast cancer had low levels of vitamins A, C and D, glutathione, catalase and SOD.
A prune—or six—a day may keep inflammation at bay
Pennsylvania State University, April 1, 2022
A study in postmenopausal people suggests eating nutrient-rich prunes every day may be beneficial to bone health, reducing inflammatory factors that contribute to osteoporosis. Previous research has shown that polyphenol extracts—plant compounds that act as antioxidants and reduce inflammation—in prunes promote lower levels of oxidative stress and inflammation in a type of bone cell called osteoclasts. In a new study, researchers explored the effects of prunes on bone health after menopause. Postmenopausal women with a bone mineral density score that was defined as low—a marker of osteoporosis—were divided into three groups: One group ate 50 grams (g) of prunes (about six prunes) daily for 12 months. A second group ate 100 g of prunes (about 12 prunes) daily for 12 months. A control group ate no prunes.
(NEXT)
Cardamonin shows promise for treating aggressive breast cancer
Study shows that compound from cardamom spice can kill triple-negative breast cancer cells
Florida A&M University, April 3, 2022
Cardamonin — a natural compound found in the spice cardamom and other plants — could have therapeutic potential for triple-negative breast cancer, according to a new study using human cancer cells. The findings also show that the compound targets a gene that helps cancer cells elude the immune system. About 10-15% of breast cancers are triple-negative, which means they don’t have receptors for estrogen or progesterone and don’t make excess amounts of a protein called HER2. These tumors are difficult to treat because they don’t respond to the hormone-based therapies used for other types of breast cancer. They also tend to be more aggressive and have a higher mortality rate than other breast cancers.
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Mineral supplement could stop fatty liver disease progression
University of Michiganm April 3, 2022
Results from a preclinical study add new evidence that a multi-mineral dietary supplement known as Aquamin could be a simple and effective way to reduce the long-term health consequences of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. Aquamin, which is derived from calcified red marine algae, is rich in calcium, magnesium and 72 other minerals and trace elements. Most people living in Western society do not meet the USDA daily intake guidelines for the intake of calcium and magnesium and, presumably, other minerals nutritionally associated with these minerals. In preliminary studies, the researchers fed mice a high-fat diet to induce the development of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and NASH. They studied these mice for 15 to 18 months to observe the full spectrum of liver disease, including advanced fibrotic changes and liver cancer.
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Half of older adults now die with a dementia diagnosis, up sharply from two decades ago
University of Michigan, April 2, 2022
Nearly half of all older adults now die with a diagnosis of dementia listed on their medical record, up 36% from two decades ago, a new study shows. The study, published in JAMA Health Forum by a University of Michigan team, uses data from 3.5 million people over the age of 67 who died between 2004 and 2017. It focuses on the bills their providers submitted to the traditional Medicare system in the last two years of the patients' lives. In 2004, about 35% of these end-of-life billing claims contained at least one mention of dementia, but by 2017 it had risen to more than 47%. Even when the researchers narrowed it down to the patients who had at least two medical claims mentioning dementia, 39% of the patients qualified, up from 25% in 2004.
Resveratrol supplementation associated with improved glucose regulation in diabetics
National University of Medical Sciences (Pakistan) March 30 2022.
The June 2022 issue of Complementary Therapies in Medicine reported findings from a randomized trial that uncovered positive effects for supplementing with resveratrol in the regulation of glucose and the maintenance of healthy levels of inflammation and oxidative stress in type 2 diabetics. The trial included men and women who were being treated with orally administered drugs for type 2 diabetes. Forty-five participants received 200 milligrams resveratrol per day and 46 received a daily placebo for 24 weeks. Blood samples collected at the beginning and end of the trial were analyzed for plasma glucose, insulin, hemoglobin A1c (a marker of long-term glucose control), lipids, malondialdehyde (a marker of oxidative stress), circulatory microRNAs associated with diabetes, and markers of inflammation that included tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-a), interleukin-6 (IL-6) and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP).
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Eating peanuts may lead to supple arteries and healthy hearts
Pennsylvania State University, March 29, 2022
Eating peanuts with a meal may help protect against cardiovascular diseases which can lead to heart attacks and stroke, according to an international team of researchers. In the study, overweight and obese but otherwise healthy men who ate about three ounces of peanuts with a high-fat meal had a blunted increase of lipids in their bloodstream. According to the researchers eating peanuts can keep the cells that line the arteries healthy, helping them stay more elastic. The researchers showed that when peanuts are eaten with a meal the typical post-meal increase of triglycerides -- a type of fat found in the bloodstream -- is blunted. According to the researchers, there was a 32 percent reduction in the triglyceride levels after the consumption of the peanut meal compared to the control group. Three ounces of peanuts is about three times the amount of an average serving size, according to the researchers.
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NIH Study confirms: Turkey Tail mushrooms boost immunity in women with breast cancer
University of Minnesota and Bastyr University, March 28, 2022
Turkey Tail mushrooms can boost your immune system so significantly that it may even shrink breast cancer tumors. A $2 million, seven-year clinical study funded by the National Institutes of Health and jointly conducted by the University of Minnesota and Bastyr University showed that Trametes versicolor, or turkey tail mushroom, in freeze-dried form, dramatically boosts immune function for women with Stage I-III breast cancer─ possibly shrinking tumors. One theory is that when patients ingest Turkey Tail mycelium, the immune system’s increased populations of NK cells and their associated CD8 glycoproteins are better able to discover and bind to receptor sites on the stroma of tumors, thus allowing NK invasion. If true, then the use of this medicinal mushroom as an adjunct or preventative therapy may help many patients better fight the battle when challenged with tumor-forming cancers.”
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Too Much Screen Time is Really Bad for Teen Well-Being
University of Queensland School of Health, March 31, 2022
Whether it’s watching TV or playing games, teens experience serious physical and mental health consequences after just two hours of screen time, according to new research The global study of more than 400,000 adolescents is the first to provide evidence that both passive and mentally active screen time adversely affects teens’ mental well-being. Teens are more likely to report psychosomatic symptoms, a combination of physical and psychological complaints, if they exceed two hours of screen time and these effects were similar regardless of physical activity levels. Psychological complaints from teens included feeling low, irritable, nervousness, and sleeping difficulty, and somatic complaints included headaches, abdominal pain, backache, and dizziness.
Guest: Jessica Rose Part 2
Eating two servings of avocados a week linked to lower risk of cardiovascular disease
Harvard School of Public Health, March 30, 2022
Eating two or more servings of avocado weekly was associated with a lower risk of cardiovascular disease, and substituting avocado for certain fat-containing foods like butter, cheese or processed meats was associated with a lower risk of cardiovascular disease events. Researchers believe this is the first, large, prospective study to support the positive association between higher avocado consumption and lower cardiovascular events, such as coronary heart disease and stroke. “Our study provides further evidence that the intake of plant-sourced unsaturated fats can improve diet quality and is an important component in cardiovascular disease prevention,” said Lorena S. Pacheco, Ph.D. in the nutrition department at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.”
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Exercise may reduce depression symptoms, boost effects of therapy
Iowa State University, March 30, 2022
Exercising for half an hour may reduce symptoms of depression for at least 75 minutes post-workout and amplify the benefits of therapy, according to two new studies led by researchers at Iowa State University. For the first study, the researchers recruited 30 adults who were experiencing major depressive episodes. The participants filled out electronic surveys immediately before, half-way-through and after a 30-minute session of either moderate-intensity cycling or sitting, and then 25-, 50- and 75-minutes post-workout. Those who cycled during the first lab visit came back a week later to run through the experiment again with 30-minutes of sitting, and vice versa. During the cycling experiment, participants' depressed mood state improved over the 30 minutes of exercise and consistently up to 75 minutes afterward. The improvement to anhedonia started to drop off at 75 minutes post-exercise, but still was better than the participants' levels of anhedonia in the group that did not exercise.
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Mindful People Often Have Better Blood Sugar Levels
Brown University, February 25, 2022
“Everyday” mindfulness is an awareness of your thoughts and feelings. And people who have it tend to have healthy glucose levels, new research shows. They also are less likely to be obese and they’re more likely to believe they can change many of the important things in their life—two factors that scientists suspect may contribute to the healthy glucose levels. Their overarching hypotheses are that people practicing higher degrees of mindfulness may be better able to motivate themselves to exercise, to resist cravings for high-fat, high-sugar treats, and to stick with diet and exercise regimens recommended by their doctors. Participants with high levels of mindfulness were about 20 percent less likely to have type 2 diabetes, but the total number of people in the study with the condition may have been too small to allow for definitive findings.
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Being overweight linked to poorer memory
University of Cambridge (UK), March 26, 2022
Overweight young adults may have poorer episodic memory - the ability to recall past events - than their peers, suggests new research from the University of Cambridge, adding to increasing evidence of a link between memory and overeating. In a preliminary study published in The Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology, researchers found an association between high body mass index (BMI) and poorer performance on a test of episodic memory. Although only a small study, its results support existing findings that excess bodyweight may be associated with changes to the structure and function of the brain and its ability to perform certain cognitive tasks optimally. In particular, obesity has been linked with dysfunction of the hippocampus, an area of the brain involved in memory and learning, and of the frontal lobe, the part of the brain involved in decision making, problem solving and emotions, suggesting that it might also affect memory; however, evidence for memory impairment in obesity is currently limited.
Global diets are harming human and planetary health
University of Sao Paulo (Brazil) and Harvard School of Public Health, March 29, 2022
A global diet that increasingly includes ultra-processed foods is having a negative impact on the diversity of plant species available for human consumption while also damaging human and planetary health, according to a commentary published in the journal BMJ Global Health. Ultra-processed foods such as sweetened or salty snacks, soft drinks, instant noodles, reconstituted meat products, pre-prepared pizza and pasta dishes, biscuits and confectionery, are made by assembling food substances, mostly commodity ingredients, and 'cosmetic' additives (notably flavors, colors and emulsifiers) through a series of industrial processes. These products are the basis of a 'globalized diet' and are becoming dominant in the global food supply, with sales and consumption growing in all regions and almost all countries. Currently, their consumption is growing fastest in upper-middle-income and lower-middle income countries.
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People with fibromyalgia are substituting CBD for opioids to manage pain
The cannabis-derived substance provides fewer side effects, with less potential for abuse
University of Michigan, March 24, 2022
As the ravages of the opioid epidemic lead many to avoid these powerful painkillers, a significant number of people with fibromyalgia are finding an effective replacement in CBD-containing products, finds a new Michigan Medicine study. Previous research shows that some people substitute medical cannabis (often with high concentrations of THC) for opioids and other pain medications, reporting that cannabis provides better pain relief and fewer side effects. Kevin Boehnke, Ph.D., a research investigator in the Chronic Pain and Fatigue Research Center surveyed people with fibromyalgia about their use of CBD for treatment of chronic pain. The U-M team found that more than 70% of people with fibromyalgia who used CBD substituted CBD for opioids or other pain medications. Of these participants, many reported that they either decreased use or stopped taking opioids and other pain medications as a result.
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Sleep Increases Chromosome Dynamics that Clear Out DNA Damage Accumulated During Waking Hours
Bar-Ilan University (Israel), 03-28-22
In a new study, published in the journal Nature Communications, researchers at Bar-Ilan University in Israelbreveal a novel and unexpected function of sleep that they believe could explain how sleep and sleep disturbances affect brain performance, aging, and various brain disorders. Using 3D time-lapse imaging techniques in live zebrafish, the researchers were able to define sleep in a single chromosome resolution and show that single neurons require sleep to perform nuclear maintenance. DNA damage can be caused by many processes including radiation, oxidative stress, and even neuronal activity. DNA repair systems within each cell correct this damage. The current work shows that during wakefulness, when chromosome dynamics are low, DNA damage consistently accumulates and can reach unsafe levels. The role of sleep is to increase chromosome dynamics, and normalize the levels of DNA damage in each single neuron. Apparently, this DNA maintenance process is not efficient enough during the online wakefulness period and requires an offline sleep period with reduced input to the brain in order to occur. Their discovery was achieved thanks to the characteristics of the zebrafish model. With their absolute transparency, and a brain very similar to humans, zebrafish are a perfect organism in which to study single cell within a live animal under physiological conditions. Using a high resolution microscope, the movement of DNA and nuclear proteins within the cell—inside the fish—can be observed while the fish are awake and asleep. The researchers were particularly surprised to find that chromosomes are more active at night, when the body rests, but this increased activity enables the efficiency of the repair to DNA damage.
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Tai chi can mirror healthy benefits of conventional exercise
University of Hong Kong and University of California at Los Angeles, March 21, 2022
A new study shows that tai chi mirrors the beneficial effects of conventional exercise by reducing waist circumference in middle-aged and older adults with central obesity. Central obesity is a major manifestation of metabolic syndrome, broadly defined as a cluster of cardiometabolic risk factors, including central obesity, dyslipidemia, hyperglycemia, low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) level, and high blood pressure, that all increase risk for type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. 543 participants were randomly assigned in a 1:1:1 ratio to a control group with no exercise intervention (n= 181), conventional exercise consisting of aerobic exercise and strength training (EX group) (n= 181), and a tai chi group (TC group) (n= 181). Interventions lasted 12 weeks.
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Improvement of vitamin D levels linked to longer life
Second Medical Centre & National Clinical Research Centre (China), March 28 2022.
The investigation included 1,362 participants aged 60 to 113 who had their serum vitamin D levels measured in 2012 and 2014. Mortality data was collected in 2018. Deficient vitamin D levels of less than 20 ng/mL were detected among 67.5% of the participants in 2012 and 68.4% in 2014. During follow-up, 420 deaths occurred. Men and women who were deficient in vitamin D in 2012 and 2014 had a 2.33 times greater risk of mortality than those who maintained nondeficient levels. Among participants who maintained sufficient vitamin D or were deficient in 2012 and not deficient in 2014, the risk of dying was 30% and 53% lower than participants who were deficient at both time points. Women and participants who among the oldest old at 80 years of age or older experienced the greatest benefit.
Green tea compound aids p53, 'guardian of the genome' and tumor suppressor
An antioxidant found in green tea may increase levels of p53, a natural anti-cancer protein, known as the ''guardian of the genome'' for its ability to repair DNA damage or destroy cancerous cells.
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute,
February 21, 2022
An antioxidant found in green tea may increase levels of p53, a natural anti-cancer protein, known as the "guardian of the genome" for its ability to repair DNA damage or destroy cancerous cells. Published in Nature Communications, a study of the direct interaction between p53 and the green tea compound, epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), points to a new target for cancer drug discovery. "Both p53 and EGCG molecules are extremely interesting. Mutations in p53 are found in over 50% of human cancer, while EGCG is the major anti-oxidant in green tea, a popular beverage worldwide," said Chunyu Wang, corresponding author and a professor of biological sciences at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. "Now we find that there is a previously unknown, direct interaction between the two, which points to a new path for developing anti-cancer drugs. Our work helps to explain how EGCG is able to boost p53's anti-cancer activity, opening the door to developing drugs with EGCG-like compounds."
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Sweet discovery in leafy greens holds key to gut health
University of Melbourne (Australia), February 15, 2022
A critical discovery about how bacteria feed on an unusual sugar molecule found in leafy green vegetables could hold the key to explaining how 'good' bacteria protect our gut and promote health. The finding suggests that leafy greens are essential for feeding good gut bacteria, limiting the ability of bad bacteria to colonise the gut by shutting them out of the prime 'real estate'. Researchers from Melbourne and the UK identified a previously unknown enzyme used by bacteria, fungi and other organisms to feed on the unusual but abundant sugar sulfoquinovose - SQ for short - found in green vegetables. Dr Goddard-Borger said the discovery could be exploited to cultivate the growth of 'good' gut bacteria. "Every time we eat leafy green vegetables we consume significant amounts of SQ sugars, which are used as an energy source by good gut bacteria," he said.
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Using Qigong to manage COVID-19 in older adults
Massachusetts General Hospital, March 14, 2022
A study published in The American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry reports on the possible usefulness of the integrative practice called Qigong to prevent and manage COVID-19 in older adults. Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and Qigong are reported to have been valuable in controlling the spread of the pandemic in China. In field hospitals set up to isolate patients with mild disease, rather than practice home quarantine, patients were treated with Ba Duan Jin Qigong under the tutelage of TCM practitioners. This was both a valuable means of exercise and a therapeutic approach. In older people, the organ function declines, and chronic medical conditions set in, causing their energy to decline. This is thought of as a deficiency of Qi and blood. TCM practitioners say that Qigong may help prevent and promote recovery from respiratory infections in such conditions because of its regulatory function in the human body, including Wei Qi.
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"Cat's claw" extract inhibits replication of SARS-CoV-2 in vitro
University of Antioquia (Colombia) and Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos (Peru), March 2, 2022
Researchers in Columbia and Peru have shown Uncaria tomentosa or "Cat's claw" exerts in vitro antiviral activity against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the agent that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The study found that the hydroalcoholic extract of Uncaria tomentosa inhibited SARS-CoV-2 viral replication and reduced its cytopathic effect on Vero E6 cells. Just 48 hours following treatment, the plaque reduction assay showed that U. tomentosaextract had inhibited the number of infectious SARS-CoV-2 particles by 92.7% at a dose of 25.0 µg/mL.
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How Tai Chi Proves to be a Gentle Solution for Improving Heart Health
Brown University School of Public Health, March 21, 2022
Some of the dietary and exercise changes and rehabilitation programs that doctors recommend to heart patients can seem more than a little intimidating, especially for inactive people. But a small study suggests that Tai Chi can be a gentle way for people with heart problems to get moving at a less overwhelming pace. One group practiced Tai Chi twice a week for 12 weeks by attending sessions at the hospital. The participants in the other group attended Tai Chi sessions three times a week for 24 weeks. Both groups received DVDs so that they could practice at home. Most of the 21 men and eight women in the study had also had a previous heart attack or had undergone bypass surgery to clear a blocked artery. All the volunteers were physically inactive and had rejected conventional cardiac rehabilitation, but expressed an interest in Tai Chi. Additionally, all continued to have high cardiovascular risk factors, such as high cholesterol, diabetes, obesity, overweight, and smoking. [2]
Study Finds Green Tea may Heal Neurodegenerative Conditions like Alzheimer’s
University of Southern California, March 27, 2022
According to the research recently published in Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications, green tea catechins may be able to assist the brain in healing, potentially even assisting in the prevention and treatment of neurodegenerative conditions like Alzheimer’s, Huntington’s, and Parkinson’s diseases. Specifically, the study sought to investigate how catechins from green tea may work to increase brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), or the activity of a nerve growth factor that is essential for the “growth, maintenance, and survival of neurons. It’s believed catechins are able to increase BDNF and as such are a method worth researching further for the treatment and prevention of neurodegeneration. But the researchers acknowledge that only a small amount of EGCG (the active component of green tea polyphenols) is able to reach the brain, indicating the need for greater research into just how much EGCG is needed to make a notable difference.
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Green Mediterranean diet could be a ‘win-win’ for health and the planet
People who eat a traditional Mediterranean diet have lower rates of heart disease, diabetes, and cancer. But new research suggests that a “green” Mediterranean diet — which avoids all meat and provides extra greens — may be even better for human health. If the diet catches on, the benefits for planetary health could be equally impressive.
Ben Gurion University (Israel) and Harvard University, March 26, 2022
ResearchTrusted Source notes that global production of animal-based foods — including livestock feed — accounts for 57% of total greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture, whereas production of plant-based foods accounts for only 29%. Another study estimates that if everyone became vegan, this would reduce the amount of land worldwide that farmers need to grow food by 3.1 billion hectares or 76%. A series of clinical trials now suggests that eating a “green” Mediterranean diet, or green Med diet, may provide additional benefits on top of those provided by the regular Mediterranean diet. The diet, which adds extra plant foods rich in polyphenols and aims to avoid meat completely, is also better for the planet.
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Use of antibiotics by women in midlife linked to later cognitive decline
Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, March 24, 2022
A team of researchers has found a link between the use of antibiotics by middle-aged women and cognitive decline later in life. Prior research has suggested that there is a connection between gut microbiome health and mental health—communication between the gut and the central nervous system has been labeled the gut-brain axis. And some studies have shown an apparent link between problems in the gut and mental diseases, such as depression and schizophrenia. Prior research has also shown that antibiotics use can lead to serious disruptions in the microbiome. This is not surprising, since the microbiome is made up partly of bacteria. In this new effort, the researchers found a link between antibiotics use by women during middle age and a larger than normal degree of cognitive decline. They analyzed data from 15,129 female nurses describing antibiotics use and the results of cognitive scores collected several years later, comparing those who took antibiotics over different duration periods with those who did not.
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More than a gut feeling: Bilberries are good for gastrointestinal and overall health
University Hospital of Zurich, Switzerland, March 27, 2022
According to experiments based out of University Hospital of Zurich, Switzerland, eating bilberries can lessen the effects of these diseases by reducing inflammation and providing overall gastrointestinal relief. In the experiment, mice were given dextran sodium sulfate (DSS) to induce colon inflammation which led to colitis. They were then broken into groups where each one was given meals with varying percentages of dried bilberries or anthocyanins (a water-soluble flavonoid) from bilberries. The results? "Highly positive effects" in both chronic and acute forms of the disease were noted in each case. There were even instances where full recoveries were observed. According to the scientists, "Oral administration of bilberries during acute DSS-induced colitis ameliorated disease severity.... Dried bilberries also improved chronic DSS-colitis." While these results were promising, it was noted that additional research should be taken to further study the effects of bilberry in helping people suffering from IBD.
Higher CoQ10 levels linked with improved physical capacity, reduced cardiovascular risk among older individuals Universidad Pablo de Olavide (Spain) March 23 2022.
A study published on January 29, 2022 in Antioxidantsfound lower levels of blood factors related to cardiovascular disease and greater physical capacity and among participants with higher plasma levels of coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10), a factor in the production of energy within the mitochondria of the cells.
Higher CoQ10 levels were significantly associated with lower total and non-HDL cholesterol among women (who comprised the majority of participants), indicating lower cardiovascular disease risk. Higher CoQ10 levels were correlated with less sitting time and, among women, were moderately or strongly correlated with better physical activity test scores. “In general, it is clear that higher activity and performance is associated with higher levels of CoQ10 in plasma,” authors Rocío de la Bella-Garzó and colleagues wrote.
CoQ10 levels were higher among participants whose physical assessments indicated low or no frailty risk. When participants were evaluated according to whether their plasma CoQ10 concentrations were below or above average, higher levels were associated with better physical test scores in general, which reached significance in a measurement of balance while moving. “Combination of CoQ10 with physical activity could be an important therapy for avoiding sarcopenia and maintaining higher capacity during aging,” de la Bella-Garzó and associates concluded.
Study: Zinc deficiency linked to immune system response, particularly in older adults
Oregon State University, March 23, 2022
Zinc, an important mineral in human health, appears to affect how the immune system responds to stimulation, especially inflammation, new research from Oregon State University shows.
Zinc deficiency could play a role in chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease, cancer and diabetes that involve inflammation. Such diseases often show up in older adults, who are more at risk for zinc deficiency. When you take away zinc, the cells that control inflammation appear to activate and respond differently; this causes the cells to promote more inflammation.
In the study, researchers set out to better understand the relationship between zinc deficiency and inflammation. They conducted experiments that indicated zinc deficiency induced an increase in inflammatory response in cells. The researchers were able to show, for the first time, that reducing zinc caused improper immune cell activation and dysregulation of a cytokine IL-6, a protein that affects inflammation in the cell, Ho said.
Researchers also compared zinc levels in living mice, young and old. The older mice had low zinc levels that corresponded with increased chronic inflammation and decreased IL-6 methylation, which is an epigenetic mechanism that cells use to control gene expression. Decreased IL-6 methylation also was found in human immune cells from elderly people, Ho said.
Together, the studies suggest a potential link between zinc deficiency and increased inflammation that can occur with age. Zinc deficiency is probably a bigger problem than most people realize," she said. "Preventing that deficiency is important."
Lipid and glucose levels at age 35 associated with Alzheimer's disease Boston University School of Medicine, March 23, 2022
Living your best life at 35, ignoring cholesterol and glucose levels, may impact your chances of getting Alzheimer's disease (AD) later in life. According to researchers from Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM), lower HDL (high-density cholesterol) and high triglyceride levels measured in blood as early as age 35 are associated with a higher incidence of AD several decades later in life. They also found that high blood glucose measured between ages 51-60 is associated with risk of AD in the future.
"While our findings confirm other studies that linked cholesterol and glucose levelsmeasured in blood with future risk of Alzheimer's disease, we have shown for the first time that these associations extend much earlier in life than previously thought," explains senior author Lindsay A. Farrer, Ph.D., chief of biomedical genetics at BUSM.
The researchers found that lower HDL (the good cholesterol) is predictive of AD in early (35-50 years) and middle (51-60 years) adulthood and that high glucose in the blood (a precursor of diabetes) during mid-adulthood is also predictive of AD "These findings show for the first time that cardiovascular risk factors, including HDL which has not been consistently reported as a strong risk factor for AD, contribute to future risk of AD starting as early as age 35," says first and corresponding author Xiaoling Zhang, MD, Ph.D., assistant professor of medicine at BUSM.
Exercise holds even more heart health benefits for people with stress-related conditions Massachusetts General Hospital, March 24, 2022
Regular physical activity had nearly doubled the cardiovascular benefit in individuals with depression or anxiety, compared with individuals without these diagnoses, according to a study presented at the American College of Cardiology’s 71st Annual Scientific Session.
The research findings add to mounting evidence that exercise improves cardiovascular health by helping to activate parts of the brain that counteract stress. Overall, the study found that people who achieved the recommended amount of physical activity per week were 17% less likely to suffer a major adverse cardiovascular event than those who exercised less. These benefits were significantly greater in those with anxiety or depression, who had a 22% risk reduction vs. a 10% risk reduction in those without either condition.
For the study, researchers analyzed health records of more than 50,000 patients in the Massachusetts General Brigham Biobank database. Just over 4,000 of the patients had suffered a major adverse cardiovascular event, which included experiencing a heart attack, having chest pain caused by a blocked artery or undergoing a procedure to open a blocked artery in the heart.
Vitamin B3 to stay younger? A global increase in antioxidant defenses of the body may delay aging and its diseases
Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Oncológicas (Spain), March 15, 2022
The gradual accumulation of cell damage plays a very important role in the origin of ageing. There are many sources of cellular damage, however, which ones are really responsible for ageing and which ones are inconsequential for ageing is a question that still lacks an answer.
A group of scientists from the Spanish National Cancer Research Centre have tried to increase the global antioxidant capacity of the cells, rather than just one or a few antioxidant enzymes. To achieve this global improvement in the total antioxidant capacity, researches have focused on increasing the levels of NADPH, a relatively simple molecule that is of key importance in antioxidant reactions and that, however, had not been studied to date in relation to ageing.
The results, published today in the journal Nature Communications, indicate that an increase in G6PD and, therefore, in NADPH, increases the natural antioxidant defences of the organism, protecting it from oxidative damage, reducing ageing-related processes, such as insulin resistance, and increasing longevity.
"As anticipated, the cells in these transgenic animals are more resistant to highly toxic artificial oxidative treatments, thus proving that an increase in G6PD really improves antioxidant defences," explains Sandrina Nóbrega-Pereira, first author of the study.
Furthermore, when researchers analysed long-lived transgenic animals, they noted that their levels of oxidative damage were lower than in non-transgenic animals of the same age. The greatest surprise for the team was when they measured the ageing process in the transgenic mice: the animals with a high G6PD expression and, therefore, high levels of NADPH, delayed their ageing, metabolised sugar better and presented better movement coordination as they aged. In addition, transgenic females lived 14% longer than non-transgenic mice, while no significant effect on the longevity of males was observed.
Artificial sweeteners may not be safe sugar alternatives: study
French National Institute for Health and Medical Research (Inserm) and Sorbonne Paris University, March 24, 2022
Artificial sweeteners reduce added sugar content and corresponding calories while maintaining sweetness. A study publishing March 24th in PLOS Medicine suggests that some artificial sweeteners are associated with increased cancer risk.
Many food products and beverages containing artificial sweeteners are consumed by millions of people daily. However, the safety of these additives has been a subject of debate.
The researchers found that enrollees consuming larger quantities of artificial sweeteners, particularly aspartame and acesulfame-K, had higher risk of overall cancer compared to non-consumers (hazard ratio 1.13, 95% confidence interval 1.03 to 1.25). Higher risks were observed for breast cancer and obesity-related cancers.
Results from the NutriNet-Santé cohort (n=102,865) suggest that artificial sweeteners found in many food and beverage brands worldwide may be associated with increased cancer risk, in line with several experimental in vivo / in vitro studies. These findings provide novel information for the re-evaluation of these food additives by health agencies."
Oleic acid, a key to activating the brain’s ‘fountain of youth’
Baylor College of Medicine, March 22, 2022
Many people dread experiencing the cognitive and mood declines that often accompany reaching an advanced age, including memory disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease and mood conditions like depression. While searching for new ways to prevent or treat these and other related conditions, a team at Baylor College of Medicine and the Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute (Duncan NRI) at Texas Children’s Hospital identified a missing piece of the puzzle of how memory and mood are sustained and regulated in the brain. Their study, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, reveals that oleic acid produced in the brain is an essential regulator of the process that enables learning and memory and supports proper mood regulation. The finding has paved the path to discovering potential new therapeutic strategies to counteract cognitive and mood decline in patients with neurological disorders.
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Chemical found in leafy greens shown to slow growth of COVID-19 and common cold viruses
Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, March 23, 2022
Researchers at Johns Hopkins Children's Center report evidence from lab experiments that a chemical derived from a compound found abundantly in broccoli and other cruciferous plants may offer a potentially new and potent weapon against the viruses that cause COVID-19 and the common cold. In a study described March 18 in the journal Communications Biology, the scientists showed that sulforaphane, a plant-derived chemical, known as a phytochemical, already found to have anti-cancer effects, can inhibit the replication of SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus that causes COVID-19, and another human coronavirus in cells and mice. Sulforaphane's natural precursor is particularly abundant in broccoli, cabbage, kale and Brussels sprouts. First identified as a "chemopreventive" compound by a team of Johns Hopkins scientists decades ago, natural sulforaphane is derived from common food sources, such as broccoli seeds, sprouts and mature plants, as well as infusions of sprouts or seeds for drinking. Previous studies, including those at Johns Hopkins Medicine, have shown sulforaphane to have cancer and infection-prevention properties by way of interfering with certain cellular processes.
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New clues about how a high-salt diet contributes to cardiometabolic diseases found deep in the brain
Medical College of Georgia and Georgia State University, March 22, 2022
Deep in the brain a group of large neurons produce a hormone which prompts our bodies to hold onto more fluid and increase blood pressure. Scientists say these neurons play a critical role in enabling our bodies to maintain healthy homeostasis by using this skill set to efficiently eliminate the excessive salt we consume in an unhealthy meal. But scientists at the Medical College of Georgia and Georgia State University also say that the chronic high-salt diet most Americans consume can turn this system against us, resulting in hyperactivity of these neurons, continuing production of this hormone vasopressin, constriction of blood vessels and increasing our risk for common cardiometabolic diseases like high blood pressure and heart disease. They are finding that salt loading increases the firing of vasopressin-producing neurons, increases constriction of blood vessels and decreases local blood flow. More typically when neurons become active, blood flow to them increases, in a process called neurovascular coupling. This helps ensure working neurons have the adequate oxygen and nutrients needed to sustain increased activity.
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Vitamin D may keep low-grade prostate cancer from becoming aggressive
University of South Carolina, March 22, 2022
In cases of low-grade prostate cancer, many urologists do not treat the disease, but instead do what's called "active surveillance. The cure—meaning surgery or radiation—is probably worse than the disease, so they wait a year and then do another biopsy to see where the patient stands. However, knowing that they have even low-grade prostate cancer can cause patients and their families excessive anxiety, which prompts some of the men to undergo an elective prostatectomy, despite the risk of complications such as infection, urinary incontinence and erectile dysfunction.
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How sugar promotes inflammation
University of Wurzburg (Germany), March 22, 2022
People who consume sugar and other carbohydrates in excess over a long period of time have an increased risk of developing an autoimmune disease. In affected patients, the immune system attacks the body's own tissue and the consequences are, for example, chronic inflammatory bowel diseases such as Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, type 1 diabetes and chronic inflammation of the thyroid gland. The underlying molecular mechanisms that promote autoimmune diseases are multilayered and complex. Now, scientists at the Julius Maximilians University of Würzburg (JMU) have succeeded in deciphering new details of these processes. Their work support the notion that excessive consumption of glucose directly promotes the pathogenic functions of certain cells of the immune system and that, conversely, that a calorie-reduced diet can have a beneficial effect on immune diseases. In their study, the scientists focused on a group of cells of the immune system that have not been known for very long: T helper cells of type 17, also called Th17 lymphocytes, which play an important role in regulating (auto-) inflammatory processes.
Study shows 100g of cranberries a day improves cardiovascular health
King's College London, March 22, 2022
A new clinical trial found daily consumption of cranberries for one month improved cardiovascular function in healthy men. The new study, published today in Food & Function, included 45 healthy men who consumed whole cranberry powder equivalent to 100g of fresh cranberries per day (9 g powder) or a placebo for one month. Those consuming cranberry had a significant improvement in flow-mediated dilation (FMD), which signals improvement of heart and blood vessel function. FMD is considered a sensitive biomarker of cardiovascular disease risk and measures how blood vessels widen when blood flow increases. Dr. Ana Rodriguez-Mateos, Senior Lecturer in Nutrition at the Department of Nutritional Sciences at King's College London and senior author of the study, says that "the increases in polyphenols and metabolites in the bloodstream and the related improvements in flow-mediated dilation after cranberry consumption emphasize the important role cranberries may play in cardiovascular disease prevention. The fact that these improvements in cardiovascular health were seen with an amount of cranberries that can be reasonably consumed daily makes cranberry an important fruit in the prevention of cardiovascular disease for the general public."
(NEXT)
Plant-based omega-3s may boost heart health, reduce risk of heart disease
Pennsylvania State University, March 22, 2022
People often think of salmon when they think of omega-3 fatty acids, but a new research review found that the major plant-based version of the nutrient, alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), can benefit heart health and reduce the risk of heart disease for those who don't eat seafood. In a comprehensive literature review, the researchers found that consuming ALA that is found in plant-based foods like walnuts and flaxseeds was associated with a 10% lower risk of cardiovascular disease and a 20% reduced risk of fatal coronary heart disease. Jennifer Fleming, assistant teaching professor of nutrition at Penn State, said they also found evidence that for people who do eat seafood, they could get extra benefits from eating plant-based omega-3s.
(NEXT)
Research finds neighborhood green space tied to lower health care costs
Clemson University, March 22, 2022
A Clemson University faculty member has found that nature's benefits may include savings on health care costs. The research, published March 17, 2022 in Environment International, suggests health care systems may spend hundreds of dollars less per person per year on medical care for people living in neighborhoods with the most green space than they do on those living near areas with the least trees, shrubs and grass. Our study showed that across the whole range of neighborhoods there was a consistent pattern between living in areas with more green space and lower health care costs," Van Den Eeden said. "We believe the findings suggest that expenditures on medical care may be hundreds of dollars more each year for people living in neighborhoods with less green space."
(NEXT)
Using sound waves to break up kidney stones – First human study shows promising results
University of Washington School of Medicine, March 22, 2022
An innovative technique called burst wave lithotripsy (BWL) may provide an effective, more accessible alternative for noninvasive treatment of kidney stones, according to initial human studies reported in The Journal of Urology. Using focused ultrasound bursts to break up kidney stones, BWL provides a promising new approach to avoiding the high costs and healthcare burden of kidney stone treatment, according to the report by Jonathan Harper, MD, of University of Washington School of Medicine and colleagues. They write, "New BWL technology successfully fragmented stones of a variety of sizes, locations and densities to under two-millimeter fragments within 10 minutes with negligible tissue injury." In contrast to the shock waves used in ESWL, the BWL procedure uses "short harmonic bursts" of ultrasound energy – potentially allowing the stones to be broken up in a shorter procedure without the need for sedation or anesthesia. Pre-clinical studies supported the effectiveness of BWL in breaking up experimental stones of varying size and composition.
(NEXT)
Physical performance enhanced by beetroot 'superjuice'
University of Washington, March 14, 2022
Next time you're making your morning nutribullet with fruit and veg, adding some beetroot may well help to enhance your day's physical performance, according to scientists. The study measured the performance of six national-level male kayakers undertaking laboratory-based four-minute ergometer tests, and five international-level female kayakers competing in a field-based kayaking time trial after swallowing beetroot 'shots'. Dr Peeling says a 70mL beetroot supplement was effective in improving the task economy of the male kayakers—with a given work output able to be sustained for less of an oxygen cost. And using a double shot (140mL) among female participants during a 500 metre time-trial, resulted in a performance improvement of 1.7 per cent. It's the nitrate in beetroot juice that improves the efficiency of the cell's energy factory—the mitochondria—allowing the cell's energy currency 'ATP' to be spared during muscular activity, resulting in a decreased oxygen cost for a given task. He says they found consuming the juice two to three hours pre-race benefitted the athletes.
(Guest COMING UP NEXT:)
Dr. Jessica Rose
Research shows healthy home cooking equals a healthy mind
Edith Cowan University (Australia), March 21, 2022
Research from Edith Cowan University (ECU) has found being confident in the kitchen is not only good for your taste buds: it's also good for your mental health. In total, 657 participants undertook the seven-week healthy cooking course. At the same time, ECU Institute for Nutrition Research academics measured the program's effect on participants' cooking confidence and self-perceived mental health, as well as their overall satisfaction around cooking and diet-related behaviors. Researchers found those who participated in the program saw significant improvements in general health, mental health and subjective vitality immediately after the program which remained six months after completing the course, when compared to the study's control group. Improvements in cooking confidence, the ability to easily change eating habits and overcome lifestyle barriers to healthy eating were also reported. Also, the mental health benefits were equal among participants who were overweight or obese, and those in a healthy weight range.
(NEXT)
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. 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.
(NEXT)
Psoriasis Linked to Low Vitamin E Levels
Dalian Medical College (China), March 21, 2022
Struggling with psoriasis? If so, you might need to increase your vitamin E intake. A meta-analysis published in December 2021 links this condition, along with other dermatologic grievances including acne and vitiligo, to low serum levels of vitamin E. Vitamin E has long been known to be essential for biochemical processes that are linked to psoriasis, including its involvement in immune system function, fatty acid metabolism and free-radical regulation. The results from this new analysis showed that the average person with psoriasis had 2.7-fold lower serum vitamin E levels compared to the average person in the controls, which was a stronger relationship than any of the skin disorders included.
(NEXT)
The secret to staying young: New research highlights power of life long exercise to keep muscles healthy
University of Copenhagen, March 21, 2022
Lifelong physical activity could protect against age-related loss of muscle mass and function, according to research published in The Journal of Physiology. Individuals aged 68 and above who were physically active throughout their life have healthier ageing muscle that has superior function and is more resistant to fatigue compared to inactive individuals, both young and old. This is the first study to investigate muscle, stem cell and nerve activity in humans. The researchers from University of Copenhagen, Denmark, found that elderly individuals who keep physically active throughout their adult life, whether by taking part in resistance exercise, ball games, racket sports, swimming, cycling, running and/or rowing had a greater number of muscle stem cells, otherwise known as satellite cells in their muscle. These cells are important for muscle regeneration and long-term growth and protect against nerve decay.
(NEXT)
Could a shot of orange juice boost brain power for men?
University of Reading (UK), September 23, 2021
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. 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.
Aggressively pursuing higher social status may exact a toll on health
University of Utah, March 19, 2022
Bad news for relentless power-seekers: Climbing the ladder of social status through aggressive, competitive striving might shorten your life as a result of increased vulnerability to cardiovascular disease. That's according to new research by psychologist Timothy W. Smith and colleagues at the University of Utah. And good news for successful types who are friendlier: Attaining higher social status as the result of prestige and freely given respect may have protective effects, the researchers found. \ In surveys with 500 undergraduate volunteers, hostile-dominant types reported greater hostility and interpersonal stress. Warm-dominant types tended to rank themselves as higher in social status. Both styles were associated with a higher personal sense of power.
(NEXT)
Vitamin D helps immune cells prevent atherosclerosis and diabetes
Washington University School of Medicine, March 19th, 2022
In recent years, a deficiency of vitamin D has been linked to type 2 diabetes and heart disease, two illnesses that commonly occur together and are the most common cause of illness and death in Western countries. Both disorders are rooted in chronic inflammation, which leads to insulin resistance and the buildup of artery-clogging plaque. Now, new research in mice at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis suggests vitamin D plays a major role in preventing the inflammation that leads to type 2 diabetes and atherosclerosis. Further, the way key immune cells behave without adequate vitamin D may provide scientists with new therapeutic targets for patients with those disorders. "The finding that vitamin D helps regulate glucose metabolism may explain previous epidemiological studies identifying an increased risk of diabetes in patients with vitamin D deficiency," said senior investigator Carlos Bernal-Mizrachi, MD, associate professor of medicine and of cell biology and physiology. "In our study, inactivation of the vitamin D receptor induced diabetes and atherosclerosis, so normalizing vitamin D levels may have the opposite effect."
(NEXT)
Research Discovers This Degenerative Disease to Develop in 20’s
Northwestern University, March 19, 2022
Until now, the development of Alzheimer’s was only thought to begin in late age, where proteins known as amyloid plaques begin to develop in the brain. But recent research suggests that the development of this brain-destructive disease may start in our early 20’s – finding that these proteins start to accumulate around this time. Published in the journal Brain, the recent report reveals how plaques begin to form early in life. While amyloid is initially beneficial to our brains processes, the mis-formation of these proteins in the brain in some individuals is what leads to brain degeneration. The result is dementia and memory loss. The researchers found evidence of amyloids in a section of the brain in every person – though from a region that isn’t normally studies for Alzheimer’s. Ultimately, the results show that Alzheimer’s progression can start in our early 20’s, and that it’s important to take measures to prevent the accumulation of these amyloid plaques.
(NEXT)
New research investigates potential probiotic benefits of a pear-enriched diet
INorth Dakota State University, March 19, 2022
A new in vitro (test tube) study, "Dietary functional benefits of Bartlett and Starkrimson pears for potential management of hyperglycemia, hypertension and ulcer bacteria Helicobacter pylori while supporting beneficial probiotic bacterial response," was published in the March issue of Food Research International.1 In a laboratory in vitro setting, Kalidas Shetty, PhD, currently a professor of plant science at North Dakota State University, and the research's lead author, Dr. Dipayan Sarkar, studied the compounds found in two pear varieties, Bartlett and Starkrimson, in order to better understand the impact of those compounds on chronic diseases. The results suggest fermentation of these pear cultivars further enhances their ability to control stomach related diseases involving H. pylori, the most common chronic bacterial infection in humans, without affecting beneficial bacteria with probiotic potential.
(NEXT)
Is too much artificial light at night making us sick?
University of Connecticut, Macrh 18, 2015
Modern life, with its preponderance of inadequate exposure to natural light during the day and overexposure to artificial light at night, is not conducive to the body's natural sleep/wake cycle. "It's become clear that typical lighting is affecting our physiology," Stevens says. "But lighting can be improved. We're learning that better lighting can reduce these physiological effects. By that we mean dimmer and longer wavelengths in the evening, and avoiding the bright blue of e-readers, tablets and smart phones." Those devices emit enough blue light when used in the evening to suppress the sleep-inducing hormone melatonin and disrupt the body's circadian rhythm, the biological mechanism that enables restful sleep.
Enhanced neural activation with blueberry supplementation in mild cognitive impairment University of Cincinnati, Journal Nutritional Neuroscience, March 3, 2022
Preclinical studies have shown that blueberry supplementation can improve cognitive performance and neural function in aged animals and have identified associations between anthocyanins and such benefits. Preliminary human trials also suggest cognitive improvement in older adults, although direct evidence of enhancement of brain function has not been demonstrated.
In a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial we performed pre- and post-intervention functional magnetic resonance imaging during a working memory (WM) task to assess the effect of blueberry supplementation on blood oxygen level-dependent (BOLD) signal in older adults with mild cognitive impairment, a risk condition for dementia.
Following daily supplementation for 16 weeks, blueberry-treated participants exhibited increased BOLD activation in the left pre-central gyrus, left middle frontal gyrus, and left inferior parietal lobe during WM load conditions (corrected P
Trial testing cocoa flavanol supplement shows promise for reducing cardiovascular risk
Brigham and Women's Hospital, March 16, 2022
Large-scale randomized trial found signs of preventive cardiovascular effects for cocoa flavanols, including a 27 percent reduction in the secondary endpoint of cardiovascular death The first large-scale trial to test the long-term effects of a cocoa flavanol supplement to prevent cardiovascular disease offers promising signals that cocoa flavanols could have protective cardiovascular effects. A randomized, placebo-controlled trial tested a cocoa flavanol supplement and a multivitamin in the prevention of cardiovascular disease and cancer. People randomized to receive the cocoa flavanol supplement had a 27 percent lower rate of cardiovascular death, a pre-specified secondary endpoint.
(NEXT)
Regular exercise, healthy diet could improve odds of surviving cancer and reduce risk of recurrence
University of Alberta, March 16, 2022
Engaging in regular physical activity and following a healthy diet could help cancer survivors increase their likelihood of long-term survival and reduce the odds of their cancer coming back, according to the American Cancer Society's newly released guidelines for cancer survivors. The latest edition compiles a decade's worth of data and evidence that identifies regular physical activity and a healthy diet as two of the most important modifiable factors in long-term health for cancer survivors. The guidelines suggest nutritional and physical activity assessment and counseling should ideally begin as soon as possible after diagnosis and continue throughout treatment and into survivorship.
(NEXT)
On the brink of giving up? Scientists confirm mindfulness meditation can help in internal conflicts
University of Quebec, March 16, 2022
Faced by one too many obstacles on the way to achieving their personal goals - be it an important, valuable or fun one - people may experience an action crisis where they start questioning their pursuit and even feel like giving up. A research team at the University of Quebec in Montreal (Canada) recommends mindfulness meditation, such as body scan, as a viable method to reduce the likelihood of going through such crises or - in case one still arises - better cope with the situation. In their experiment, the research team recruited 121 volunteers who were told that the study was to examine the link between focused attention and goals.
(NEXT)
Yoga improves quality of life in patients with atrial fibrillation
Sophiahemmet University and Karolinska Institute (Sweden) 14 March 2022
Yoga improves quality of life in patients with paroxysmal atrial fibrillation, according to research published today in the European Journal of Cardiovascular Nursing. Heart rate and blood pressure also decreased in patients who did yoga. "Many patients with paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (AF) can't live their lives as they want to - they refuse dinners with friends, concerts, and travelling - because they are afraid of an AF episode occurring," said Maria Wahlström at Sophiahemmet University and the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden. AF is the most common cardiac rhythm disorder, affecting 1.5-2% of the general population in the developed world. There is no cure for AF, and management focuses on relief of symptoms and the prevention of complications such as stroke using cardioversion, ablation and medication. Yoga was performed for one hour, once a week, for 12 weeks in the hospital with an experienced instructor. The yoga programme included light movements, deep breathing, and meditation.
(NEXT)
Exposure to phthalates, the 'everywhere chemical,' may increase children's cancer risk
University of Vermont and Aarhus University (Denmark), March 16, 2022
In a first-of-its-kind study, research from the University of Vermont Cancer Center has linked phthalates, commonly called the "everywhere chemical," to higher incidence of specific childhood cancers. Phthalates are chemical additives used to enhance the durability or consistency of plastics and a wide range of consumer products. Humans are routinely exposed to these compounds when they leach out of the products and into the environment. They are also used as inactive ingredients in some medications, especially those that require extended or delayed drug release to work properly, for example, some anti-inflammatory drugs and antibiotics. The study, published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, suggests that exposure to medication-associated phthalates may contribute to the development of some childhood cancers, and that minimizing exposure to phthalates may help prevent some childhood cancers in the future. Using data from the Danish Medical Birth Registry and the Danish Cancer Registry investigators studied all live births between 1997 and 2017, totaling nearly 1.3 million children. Childhood, but not gestational (in utero) phthalate exposure was associated with 20% higher rate of childhood cancer overall, with a nearly three-fold higher rate of osteosarcoma diagnosis, a bone cancer, and a two-fold higher rate of lymphoma diagnosis, cancer of the blood.
Eating nuts and peanuts associated with reduced overall, cardiovascular death
Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, March 2, 2022
Eating nuts and peanuts was associated with a reduced risk of overall death and death from cardiovascular disease across different ethnic groups and among individuals with low socioeconomic status, which suggests that peanuts, because of their affordability, may be a cost-effective measure to improve cardiovascular health, according to an article published by JAMA Internal Medicine. The authors analyzed three large study groups involving 71,764 low-income black and white men and women living in the southeastern United States and 134,265 Chinese men and women living in Shanghai, China. Men in both the U.S. and Chinese study participant groups consumed more peanuts than women. In the U.S. group, about 50 percent of the nut/peanut consumption was peanuts and in the participant groups from China only peanut consumption was assessed.
(NEXT)
People with diabetes who eat less processed food at night may live longer
Study finds eating carbs earlier in the day is linked to better heart health
Harbin Medical University (China), March 15, 2022
The time of day that people with diabetes eat certain foods may be just as important to their well-being as portion size and calories, according to a new study published in the Endocrine Society’s Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism. Mealtimes should be in line with the biological clock—a natural, internal process that regulates the sleep–wake cycle and repeats every 24 hours. Health outcomes for people with diabetes may be improved if certain foods are eaten at different times of the day.
(NEXT)
Researchers find out why yogurt lowers the risk of developing diabetes
Université of Laval (Quebec), March 15, 2022
Scientists have known for some years that eating yogurt is associated with a reduced risk of diabetes, but the reasons behind this protective effect were unclear. A study published today in Nature Communications reveals that this protection could come partly from the gut microbiota as well as from specific metabolites produced by the lactic bacteria in yogurt. “These metabolites, called branched chain hydroxy acids (BCHA), result from the action of yogurt lactic bacteria on naturally occurring amino acids in milk. “ The researchers made this discovery when observing the effects of yogurt on mice fed a diet rich in sugars and fats. One of the groups was given the equivalent of two daily servings of yogurt. After the 12-week experiment, the researchers found better control of blood sugar, insulin resistance, and liver function in the yogurt fed group. They then analyzed all the metabolites present in their livers and observed changes in BCHA.
(NEXT)
Low blood folate may be linked to heightened dementia and death risks in older people
Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, March 15, 2022
Low levels of folate (vitamin B9) in the blood may be linked to a heightened risk of dementia and death from any cause in older people, suggests research published online in the journal Evidence Based Mental Health. Levels should be routinely monitored and deficiencies corrected in older age, especially given that blood levels of folate tend to tail off with age, with up to 1 in 5 older adults estimated to be folate deficient, say the researchers. The evidence to date suggests that folate deficiency affects cognition and nerve signaling in the brain, making it a possible risk factor for subsequent dementia.
(OTHER NEWS)
Darktrace and Cybereason: The Intelligence Front Companies Seeking to Subjugate the World with the A.I. Singularity
Meet two power cybersecurity companies riddled with American, British, and Israeli intelligence agents who plan on using AI technology to target foreign populations as well as their own.
BY JOHNNY VEDMORE UNLIMITED HANGOUT NOVEMBER 3, 2020
We have all been dreaming, a dream where you can float or glide across your dreamscape effortlessly. This leads to the feeling of trepidation, as though you have the ability to let go, and if you do let go, you’ll either soar or fall. We’re now at a point in history where either the coming events will be studied for thousands of years, or it will be remembered as the point where we lost our humanity completely. Artificial Intelligence (A.I.) technology has entered a new phase over the past several years, where instead of the A.I. algorithms learning from humans, they are now teaching themselves, changing their own algorithms as they learn. We are on the cusp of letting go of control entirely, so early on, because of a few small companies who have quietly been given free reign under the guise of “protecting” our digital lives, all within a tech sector that is moving so fast that we can no longer see what’s just around the bend. The entire free thinking population of Earth would love a little more time to discuss such epochal change. However, the technocrats and scientists, supported by venture capitalists, are already putting into action the future before the masses have a chance to even consider discussing its consequences. With very little legislation governing A.I. technologies on the books, our governments are eager to get every tech pioneer inventing whilst there is no accountability for any resulting harm. We’re not talking major societal disruption, we’re talking about a potential extinction level event of our own creation. Where we should be taking cautious baby steps, instead we’re expecting to fly just by letting go. We are about to experience a monumental change in technology, starting with “next-generation” cybersecurity that will then move quickly into the unknown. Unsupervised A.I., now running on critical networks throughout the world as a “cybersecurity” product, is evolving its own algorithm without the need for humans to be involved. Meanwhile, the wealthy patrons funding this cutting edge future tech are out in force, working to propel our societies into this new, unexplored and dystopian technological frontier. But who are the companies that these eager wealthy venture capitalists are funding to create an autonomous, A.I.-powered cyber defence system like never before? Are they even companies at all when we consider their deep and direct ties to intelligence agencies? Should these firms instead be reclassified as simply extensions of state intelligence apparatus acting without the restrictions of public accountability? Each of these companies have been built by teams of former intelligence operatives, some of who have sat in the highest echelons of the intelligence apparati of their respective countries. MI5 and C.I.A. both carry considerable weight in these sinister sounding enterprises, but it is Israel’s Unit 8200 that are the main group capitalising on this advance into the world-altering realm of unsupervised Artificial Intelligence algorithms. Yet, these very companies appear to be selling a defence against a potential apocalypse that they themselves may be responsible for. They have the solutions to everyone’s cyber-woes, or at least that’s the image they wish to portray. Let me introduce you to the most dangerous intelligence operations masquerading as cybersecurity companies on planet Earth. Darktrace – The Unsupervised Machine Learning A.I. Cybersecurity Solution The members of Darktrace are open about their aims. They talk about publicly held dataas though they already have the rights to sell it to anyone around the world. Data is the fuel of the Fourth Industrial Revolution and Darktrace has made almost $2 billion in the data business during its relatively short history, reaching Unicorn status with great ease. When Darktrace first launched its website in 2013, its description of the company’s vision was entitled, “The New Normal: Learn Human and Machine Behavior to Reduce Cyber Security Risks.” Back then we were less familiar with the term “the new normal,” but now it surrounds us. Darktrace is already active within the NHS, the U.K. power grid, and many other major parts of Britain’s critical infrastructure and they are rapidly expanding around the globe. Dave Palmer was an MI5 anti-terror agent working on the 2012 London Olympics when he and some of his colleagues first bashed out the initial idea for what would become Darktrace. They wanted to create an A.I. cybersecurity system that was based on the human immune system, a system that differed from the traditional, reactive antivirus software approach. This system would look for abnormalities in a computer network’s processes to target a wider range of more sophisticated cyber issues. In a TechCrunch talk in 2016, the freshly installed co-CEO of Darktrace, Poppy Gustafsson, is caught misleading the audience about the company’s origins. She uses the TechCrunch stage to claim that the “spark” for the creation of Darktrace originally came from the mathematicians at Cambridge and downplayed the involvement of intelligence agencies like MI5, GCHQ, and the C.I.A. The TechCrunch moderator, Natasha Lomas, displayed some fine journalistic integrity on this occasion and asked for clarification. “So did the maths research come first and then you got together with the spies. Which way round was it?” asked the intrepid Lomas. Gustafsson squirms a little before saying, “it was exactly that. First the machine learning that was talking about how to critique a computer to help it understand itself. And then it was the, um, experts from the government intelligence agencies who thought ‘ooh, this could be applied to the problem of cybersecurity.’” But that statement was an outright lie and Gustafsson isn’t the most skilled deceiver. Gustafsson, who was initially CFO and COO for the fledgling Darktrace, runs the company alongside the other co-CEO Nicole Eagen, an alumnus of Oracle, a major tech company that also has its origins in intelligence. Both parts of Darktrace’s female power duo were brought over from Invoke Capital by Darktrace’s initial angel investor and advisory boardmember, UK billionaire Dr. Mike Lynch OBE. Describing himself as the “UKs answer to Bill Gates“, Dr. Mike Lynch is lauded as one of the most influential investors in the tech sector. His previous successful endeavours had been with Autonomy, a tech firm that has Lynch caught up in a legal wrangle with HP over the fraudulent inflation of its valuation, and Blinkx, a video search company where Lynch was later forced to step down from the board. Yet, Darktrace is not just one man working alone. The company boasts that over 4000 organisations worldwide now rely on Darktrace’s A.I. technologies. With headquarters in San Francisco, US, and Cambridge, UK, Darktrace has over 1300 employees spread across 44 countries and their numbers are rising. And although the connections to the state intelligence agencies are clear and obvious, Darktrace is officially a completely private enterprise with big investors including KKR, Summit Partners, Vitruvian Partners, Samsung Ventures, TenEleven Ventures, Hoxton Ventures, Talis Capital, Invoke Capital and Insight Venture Partners. Sitting alongside the controversial Dr. Mike Lynch OBE on the advisory board for Darktrace are some seriously influential people deeply connected to US and UK intelligence agencies. If you were to walk into the advisory boardroom at Darktrace, you could be forgiven for thinking that you were actually attending a U.K. Home Office meeting from the past. The former Home Secretary under Prime Minister Theresa May, Amber Rudd, became part of Darktrace after her time in government ended in 2019. She is also on the advisory team of Teneo, a consulting firm co-founded and led by Doug Band, the former advisor to Bill Clinton and close friend of the infamous Jeffrey Epstein. As always, when investigating the murky world of intelligence, many connections to Epstein and his partner Ghislaine Maxwell are revealed. With that being said, yet another member of Darktrace’s advisory board also has Epstein/Maxwell links. The C.I.A. stalwart, Alan Wade, is one of the most interesting members of the Darktrace advisory team. He was announced as joining their growing advisory board on 10 May 2016 and had been the former Chief Information Officer of the Central Intelligence Agency. His thirty- five year career at the top echelons of the C.I.A. ended in 2006 and afterwards he would dedicate his time to assisting companies with C.I.A. links from the private sector. While he had been at one of the top posts in the entire U.S. intelligence community, Wade co-founded Chiliad alongside Ghislaine Maxwell’s sister, Christine Maxwell. As Unlimited Hangout reported earlier this year, Christine Maxwell was personally involved in leading the opeartions of the front company used by Robert Maxwell to market the PROMIS software, which had a backdoor for Israeli intelligence, to both the U.S.’ public and private sectors. Given this history, it is certainly telling that Wade would choose to co-found a major software company with Christine Maxwell of all people. Cybereason – From Offensive, State-Sponsored Hackers to A.I. Cybersecurity As we have experienced at other memorable moments in history, coincidental simulations prior or during any intelligence agency led manipulated event are commonplace. On this occasion, a company named Cybereason is here to provide us with a short glimpse of our pending fearful futures. In multiple simulations Cybereason has run over the last few years, they have been gaming out how potential cyberattacks could cause unthinkable disaster for the U.S. 2020 election. Cybereason’s CEO and co-founder is an enigmatic former Israeli Intelligence agent Lior Div-Cohen, often simply referred to as Lior Div. Div, an IDF Medal of Honor recipient and former Israeli Unit 8200 member, co-founded Cybereason in 2012 alongside Yossi Naar and Yonatan Striem-Amit, who are also fellow veterans of Israel’s military cybersecurity corps. A scholar from the Academic College of Tel-Aviv, Lior Div afterwards worked as a software engineer for Xacct a network service provider followed by the notorious firm Amdocs, which was accused of eavesdropping on American government officials on behalf of Israel. In between Amdocs and Cybereason, Lior Div was the CEO and co-founder of Israeli cybersecurity firm AlfaTech which is described in its national media as“a cybersecurity services company for Israeli government agencies.” Some of the simulations that Cybereason have hosted over the past two years lead us to election day. In a video entitled: 2018 -10 Hacking the Vote from a scenario and simulation which was actually entitled Blackout; Protect the Vote, the simulation examines which parts of an election day processes were vulnerable to hackers. They make clear from the start it won’t be all about voting machines themselves. Operation Blackout Nolandia, the fictional city which was ground zero during Operation Blackout, was based on an average American city nestled within a crucial swing state on election day. Here in Nolandia, three teams of cyber-fighters would battle with each other over control of the city. These would be the three teams each with succinct roles in the polling day pretence, as told to us by Cybereason’s Ross Rustici and Sam Curry: Red Team AKA Broken Eagle Task Force: The basic aim of the Broken Eagle’s Task Force was to disrupt the election processes in real time. The Red’s approach evolved throughout the simulation from causing as much harm as they could into making the result of the election as in doubt and politically biased as possible. They attempted to control the narrative that the system was broken and that the elections could not be trusted. Blue Team AKA Nolandia Event Task Force: The Blue’s were fundamentally reactive during the simulation and were constantly on the backfoot. The Blue’s, responding to a reported gas leak at a Nolandia polling station early in the scenario, contacted the Secretary of State’s office to ask whether they needed to close the polling station. Luckily, the real State Department had two advisors sitting in on the simulation who were able to offer alternative contingency plans that existed in real world America. By the end of the simulation, the Blue’s were all aware that they had largely failed the exercise. White Team AKA White Control Team: This team acted as support to give advice or permission to either team, in a role very much like the Dungeon Master in a D&D game. The White’s main task was to balance the realism of the scenario and create problems for either team that they’d experience in the real world. In November 2019, Cybereason re-ran their election day attack simulation at an event in Washington D.C. and have run multiple simulations over the last year. The last imagined American city was called Adversaria. As the election day creeps ever closer, Cybereason have been releasing it’s more well produced promo videos online. If you’re paying very close attention then you will have noticed that Cybereason have spent all of October 2020 marketing heavily as their big day approaches. Representatives of Cybereason are being quoted in every mainstream scare story out there. Vice News released an article on 7 October entitled: “Hospitals Have Become ‘Prime Targets’ for Crippling Ransomware Attacks,” where they quote Israel Barak, Cybereason’s Chief Information Security Officer, the article states that Barak is “a cyber warfare expert at Cybereason, spent nine years in the Israel Defence Forces specialising in cyber defence systems.” And when Computer Weekly’s Adam Scroxton, on 20 October, was reporting on the conviction of the six supposed Russian hackers in the famous NotPetya attack, Cybereason rolled out their CSO, Sam Curry, to give a statement. In a Wired article on 22 October titled: 12 Cyber Threats That Could Wreak Havoc on the Election, Wired explains: “The security firm Cybereason last year ran a series of tabletop exercises specifically looking at how real-world attacks might impact Election Day. One exercise focused on a hacktivist group—known in the exercise as “Kill Organized Systems (K-OS),” pun intended—that disrupted traffic lights and brought the election to a standstill by paralyzing the city’s transportation system.” The media appearances for Cybereason have never come so thick and fast as they have this past October. One could even assume that these appearances are a media campaign leading up towards a big event.
Antioxidant supplementation improves men’s condition
China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, March 14 2022.
A meta-analysis reported on March 1, 2022 in Sexual Medicine Reviews concluded a benefit for antioxidants combined with each other or added to prescription therapies among men with erectile dysfunction (ED), a condition that affects an estimated 150 million males worldwide. The meta-analysis included 13 randomized, controlled trials and 5 crossover randomized trials involving a total of 1,331 men with ED. Nutrients with antioxidant properties evaluated in the studies included amino acids L-arginine and L-citrulline, myoinositol, folic acid, yohimbine, vitamin E, L-carnitine, niacin, pine bark extract, adenosine monophosphate (AMP), trans-resveratrol, robuvins from French Oak wood and ginseng.
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Exercise may treat long COVID-induced diabetes, depression
Pennington Biomedical Research Center, March 11, 2022
While no medically recognized treatment exists for Long COVID, exercise may break the vicious cycle of inflammation that can lead to developing diabetes and depression months after a person recovers from the virus. We know that Long COVID causes depression, and we know that it can increase blood glucose levels to the point where people develop diabetic ketoacidosis, a potentially life-threatening condition common among people with type 1 diabetes. Exercise can help. Exercise takes care of the inflammation that leads to elevated blood glucose and the development and progression of diabetes and clinical depression.
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Close the blinds during sleep to protect your health
Even moderate light exposure during sleep harms heart health and increases insulin resistance
Northwestern University, March 14, 2022
Exposure to artificial light at night during sleep is common Sleeping in a moderately light room increases risk for heart disease and diabetes Your heart rate rises, and body can’t rest properly in light bedroom at night Close the blinds, draw the curtains and turn off all the lights before bed. Exposure to even moderate ambient lighting during nighttime sleep, compared to sleeping in a dimly lit room, harms your cardiovascular function during sleep and increases your insulin resistance the following morning, reports a new Northwestern Medicine study.
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Can mindful eating help lower risk of type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease?
University of California at San Francisco, March 9, 2022
Given the high stress levels, extended periods of screen time and regular social outings many Americans experience day-to-day in environments where high-calorie foods are readily available, it can be easy to fall into the habit of mindless eating -- where we're too distracted to pay attention to how much, what and why we're eating. Research suggests that practicing mindfulness -- or taking the time to bring awareness to present-moment experiences with an open attitude of curiosity and non-judgment -- can be effective in allowing us to make more thoughtful food choices and recognize when we are hungry, satisfied or full. The latest research in this area suggests that the impact of mindful eating could be even greater.
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Live fast, die young? Or live cold, die old?
Chinese Academy of Sciences, March 14, 2022
Researchers from the Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology (SIAT) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, along with collaborators from Wenzhou University and the University of Aberdeen, have found that body temperature exerts a greater effect on lifespan than metabolic rate. You have probably heard the phrase "live fast, die young." It comes from the observation that people with fast and risky lifestyles often get into accidents and die prematurely. But in biology it has a rather different origin. It comes from the observation that animals with high metabolic rates ("living fast") tend to die sooner than those with slow metabolism. Generally, interventions that produce extended life—like caloric restriction leading to lower metabolic rates—are consistent with the "live fast, die young" idea. Nevertheless, exercise increases metabolism, but on average it seems to make people live a little longer.
(On Tonights The Progressive Commentary Hour)
The Financial Side of the Pandemic that Reveals What May Be Really Going on
My Guest: Leslie Manookian
Leslie Manookian is the founding president of the Health Freedom Defense Fund - a non profit organization committed to the education, protection and advancement of health freedom while advocating for human rights and bodily autonomy for all people. The fund opposes unethical laws such as vaccination mandates. Earlier Leslie was a successful Wall Street business executive. Her career in finance took her from New York to London with Goldman Sachs. Later she was the Director of Alliance Capital in London running their European Growth Portfolio Management and Research businesses. While working in global finance she also continued her education in homeopathy. In 2011, she wrote and produced the award winning documentary The Greater Good that explores the vaccine debate and controversies. She received her batchelor's degree from Middlebury College and later her MBA from the University of Chicago. Leslie's organization's website is HealthFreedomDefense.org
Video:
The Testimony That Will Indict Fauci?
Whistleblowers Come Forward from the US military
Could a pure maple syrup extract be tapped for better brain health?
University of Toronto, March, 12 2022
As part of a two-day symposium at the annual meeting of the American Chemical Society, a group of international scientists shared promising results of 24 studies exploring the beneficial effects of natural products on the prevention of neurodegenerative diseases, particularly Alzheimer's disease. For the first time at this symposium, real maple syrup was included among the healthful, functional foods that show promise in protecting brain cells against the kind of damage found in Alzheimer's disease. One study found that an extract of maple syrup may help prevent the misfolding and clumping of two types of proteins found in brain cells - beta amyloid and tau peptide. When cellular proteins fold improperly and clump together, they accumulate and form the plaque that is involved in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's and other brain diseases.
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Why Your Brain Likes Nature More Than Cities (rather fascinating)
University of Oregon, March 10, 2022
The authors examined the question: “What happens in your brain when you walk down the street?” and they conclude that urban environments are not pleasing to the human brain. The reason is the lack of fractals in modern architecture and spaces. Fractals are patterns that self-repeat at different scales, and they can be found all over nature in objects like trees, rivers, clouds, and coastlines. Because of this prevalence of natural fractals, the human brain has evolved to respond favorably to fractals, and to do so in the blink of an eye. The human brain only needs 50 milliseconds to detect the presence of fractals. “As soon as we look at nature, it triggers a cascade of automatic responses,” says physicist Richard Taylor of the University of Oregon. “Even before we’ve noticed what we’re looking at, we’re responding to it.”
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Blueberries, the well-known 'super fruit,' could help fight Alzheimer's
University of Cincinnati Health Center, March 13, 2022
The blueberry, already labeled a 'super fruit' for its power to potentially lower the risk of heart disease and cancer, also could be another weapon in the war against Alzheimer's disease. New researchfurther bolsters this idea, which is being tested by many teams. The fruit is loaded with healthful antioxidants, and these substances could help prevent the devastating effects of this increasingly common form of dementia, scientists report. "Our new findings corroborate those of previous animal studies and preliminary human studies, adding further support to the notion that blueberries can have a real benefit in improving memory and cognitive function in some older adults," says Robert Krikorian, Ph.D., leader of the research team. He adds that blueberries' beneficial effects could be due to flavonoids called anthocyanins, which have been shown to improve animals' cognition.
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Higher testosterone to estradiol ratio predicts lower risk of mortality during median of 23.7-months
University of Ferrara (Italy), March 11 2022.
A study reported in the Journal of Endocrinological Investigation found lower mortality during follow-up for men and women who had a higher ratio of testosterone to estradiol (T/E2). In males with severe carotid atherosclerosis, low T/E2 ratio is associated with systemic and plaque inflammation and is a powerful predictor of future cardiovascular events,. In females, the reverse regarding T/E2 ratio has been observed, with higher T/E2 ratio being associated with worse cardiovascular disease outcomes/events in postmenopausal women. The research team investigated the association between sex-specific T/E2 ratio and the vasoactive molecules thromboxane and nitric oxide, which impact blood flow. They additionally explored the ratio’s relationship to adverse long-term outcomes, and whether the relationship could be explained by sex hormone-dependent effects on platelet function. Men and women whose sex-specific T/E2 ratio was among the lowest 75% of participants had over three times the risk of dying from all causes during the 23.7-month median follow-up period compared to men and women whose ratios were among the highest 25%.
Lingonberry moderates high-salt diet inflammation
University of Helsinki (Finland), March 7, 2022
Lingonberry juice slightly lowers low-grade inflammation in rats fed on a high-salt diet, according to scientists. The rats were fed on 8% sodium chloride enriched pellets and given tap water or diluted lingonberry juice for ten weeks. The research, published in the Journal of Functional Foods, sought to test whether lingonberry juice could beneficially affect salt-induced inflammation and hypertension. The scientists saw that the salt-loaded diet impaired kidney function of rats without clear effect on blood pressure or vascular function. Within this, lingonberry juice was shown to moderately reduce biomarkers of low-grade inflammation. The researchers said the anti-inflammatory effects of polyphenols could explain positive cardiovascular effects. “We have found that lingonberry, a northern berry rich in polyphenols, improves vascular endothelium-dependent relaxation and decreases blood pressure of spontaneously hypertensive rats,” the researchers said.
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Physical activity may protect your brain as you age
University of Georgia, March 8, 2022
We all know we should exercise and eat healthy. But doing that isn't just good for maintaining your figure as you age. New research from the University of Georgia shows that physical activity could help protect your cognitive abilities as you age. And it doesn't have to be intense exercise to make an impact. Published in Sport Sciences for Health, the study followed 51 older adults, tracking their physical activity and fitness measurements. The participants performed tests specifically designed to measure cognitive functioning and underwent MRIs to assess brain functioning.
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Beta-Glucans Boost Natural Killer Cells to Fight Cancer, Boost Immunity
Université de la Méditerranée (France), March 10, 2022
Often used as medicine, beta-glucans are naturally occurring, biologically active polysaccharides that are found in the cell walls of mushrooms, algae, lichens, plants, and some bacteria. This matters because beta-glucans are also immunostimulating and boost the effectiveness of your body’s own cancer-eradicating natural killer cells, or NK cells. Natural killer cells are effector lymphocytes of the innate immune system that control several types of tumors and microbial infections by limiting their spread and subsequent tissue damage. Recent research highlights the fact that NK cells are also regulatory cells engaged in reciprocal interactions with dendritic cells, macrophages, T cells and endothelial cells. NK cell manipulation seems to hold promise in efforts to improve hematopoietic and solid organ transplantation, promote antitumor immunotherapy and control inflammatory and autoimmune disorders.” Oyster mushrooms and shitake are especially anti-carcinogenic for their high levels of beta-glucans. These mushrooms have also been shown to help destroy cancer cells, specifically. While different mushrooms have different levels of these healthy polysaccharides, most have been proven to boost immunity and also to have cytotoxic effects on cancer cells (meaning they help to kill them).
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Telling kids they're special may foster narcissism
Ohio State University, March 9, 2022
Children who are told they are special by their parents are more likely to become narcissists, according to a study that aimed to uncover the origins of extreme selfishness The research in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, is based on 565 children in the Netherlands who were surveyed over the course of a year and a half, along with their parents. Children whose parents described them as "more special than other children" and as kids who "deserve something extra in life" were more likely to score higher on tests of narcissism than peers who were not lauded in this way. Researchers also measured how much parents overvalued their children by asking how much they agreed with statements like: "My child is a great example for other children to follow." The children were between seven and 11 when they entered the study. Parental warmth and encouragement may be a better strategy than inflating the ego, the study found. Youths who said they were often told they were loved by their parents were more likely to show high self-esteem but not narcissism. Children with high self-esteem did not see themselves as more special than others, but agreed with statements that they were happy with themselves and liked themselves as they were.
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DHA improves children’s sleep
Oxford University March 10 2022.
The results of a study described in an article published in the Journal of Sleep Research reveal an association between higher levels of the omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and better sleep in children. In a pilot study of 362 primary school students aged seven to nine years, Oxford University found that supplementation with 600 milligrams DHA per day for 16 weeks improved sleep in a sampling of participants who were rated by their parents as sleeping poorly. Those who received DHA experienced seven fewer waking episodes and nearly an hour more sleep than those who received placebos. When blood fatty acid levels were evaluated, the researchers found an association with higher levels of DHA and less bedtime resistance, parasomnias and total sleep disturbances. Having a higher ratio of DHA to arachidonic acid was also associated with better sleep.
COVID-19: Tannic acid targets key stages in the fight against SARS-CoV-2 infection
Natural polyphenol seems to inhibit the activity of three important molecular pathways involved in the SARS-CoV-2 infection Université de Montréal and McGill University, March 9, 2022
Professor Charles Ramassamy and his postdoctoral researcher Mohamed Haddad at Institut national de la recherche scientifique (INRS), in collaboration with scientists from Université de Montréal, McGill University, and Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM), believe that tannic acid plays a role in inhibiting three important molecular pathways involved in the SARS-CoV-2 infection. Their work was published recently in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences (IJMS). Using a multidisciplinary approach, the teams showed that tannic acid inhibits the viral protein (RBD) of the British variant of SARS-CoV-2 from binding to its biological target, the ACE2 receptor. This receptor, which is found on the surface of many cells in the body, allows the virus to latch on and infect them. “Tannic acid binds to the RBD protein and prevents it from binding to the ACE2 receptor,” said Professor Ramassamy. He explained that in blocking the viral protein, tannic acid does not alter the physiological functions of ACE2 receptors, which have physiological functions in the body’s respiratory, cardiovascular, and renal systems, among others.
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Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy benefits people with depression through promoting self-kindness
University of Exeter, March 9, 2022
New research shows that Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) can help promote self-kindness in people with a history of depression, thereby putting their bodies in a state of safety and relaxation. The research, led by the University of Exeter with collaboration from the universities of Oxford and Magdeburg, indicates that MBCT may help break the cycle of highly critical thoughts and feelings of worthlessness, which often lead people with depression to relapse. Participants treated with MBCT showed a pattern of being kind to themselves, along with body responses of reduced threat response, a state of safety and relaxation that is important for regeneration and healing. Previous research has shown that individuals with recurrent depression benefit particularly from MBCT when they learn to become more compassionate towards themselves. This increased self-compassion has been defined as the ability to be kind to ourselves in stressful times.
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Herbal compound prevents colon cancer in mice
University of South Carolina School of Medicine, March 9, 2022
The active compound in Chinese herbs called emodin (naturally found in rhubarb and Japanese knotweed) can prevent colon cancer in mice, according to researchers at the University of South Carolina School of Medicine. Physiologists conducting this study say this is likely due to emodin's ability to reduce the number of pro-tumor macrophages (a type of immune cell that can promote tumorigenesis). The study is published ahead of print in the American Journal of Physiology-Gastrointestinal and Liver Physiology and has been chosen as an APSselect article for March.
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Resistance exercise may be superior to aerobic exercise for getting better ZZZs
Iowa State University, March 3, 2022
Resistance exercise may be superior to aerobic exercise as a way to get better sleep, and sleep is important for cardiovascular health, according to new preliminary research . “It is increasingly recognized that getting enough sleep, particularly high-quality sleep, is important for health including cardiovascular health. Unfortunately, more than a third of Americans don’t get enough sleep on a regular basis,” said study author Angelique Brellenthin, Ph.D., “Aerobic activity is often recommended to improve sleep, yet very little is known about the effects of resistance exercise versus aerobic exercise on sleep. For this study, researchers enrolled 386 adults who met the criteria for overweight or obesity, which was a body mass index from 25-40 kg/m². Participants were inactive and had elevated blood pressure, measuring from 120-139 mm Hg systolic (top number) and 80-89 mm Hg diastolic (bottom number). Participants were randomly assigned to a no-exercise group (for comparison) or one of three exercise groups (aerobic only, resistance only, or combined aerobic and resistance) for 12 months. Everyone in the exercise groups participated in supervised 60-minute sessions, three times a week, with the combination exercise group doing 30 minutes of aerobic and 30 minutes of resistance exercise.
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Vitamin A, D and E deficiency linked to repeat colds and flu in Chinese children: Case control study
Harbin Children's Hospital (China), March 8, 2022
Low levels of vitamin A, D and E have been associated with Recurrent Respiratory Tract Infections (RRTI) among children living in Northern China, a new case control study reports. Writing in the journal PLOS One, researchers stated previous studies showed that the incidence of RRTIs among children in northern China ranged from 17.8% to 18.7% . They point out that numerous studies have focused on identifying the association between inadequate concentrations of vitamins A, D, and E and the incidence of RRTIs in Chinese children, but that the results have been contentious. They found that serum levels of vitamins A and E were significantly lower in the RRTI group than the control group. “The conditional logistic regression model and the receiver-operating characteristic curve showed that the insufficiency or deficiency of vitamins A, D, and E was positively correlated with RRTI occurrence (p < 0.05),” they added. “The incidence of insufficiency or deficiency for vitamins A, E, and D was 24.33%, 8.17%, and 19.33% in the control group but increased to 63.00%, 33.83%, and 56.50% in the RRTI group, respectively.” The researchers believe the study demonstrated that lower serum levels of vitamins A, D, and E are associated with RRTIs.
Proved the great antitumoral potential of a compound derived from olives
University of Granada (Spain), March 8, 2022
Researchers from the University of Granada (UGR), in collaboration with the universities of Barcelona and Jaen, have brought to light the antitumoral nature of maslinic acid (a compound derived from olives) in Caco-2 p53-deficient colon adenocarcinoma cells in the short term. Maslinic acid (MA) is a natural triterpene found in high concentrations in the waxy skin of olives. The results of this research, recently published in the renowned PloS ONE magazine, show without a doubt how maslinic acid is capable of early inducing the extrinsic cellular death pathway in Caco-2 cells that don't express protein p53 (known by its pro-apoptotic capacity). In previous works, professor Lupiáñez Cara's research team had reported that maslinic acid induces apoptotic cell death via the mitochondrial apoptotic pathway in cancer cell lines.
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Study finds that Nordic diet lowers cholesterol and blood sugar, even if you don't lose weight
University of Copenhagen, March 8, 2022
A healthy Nordic diet can prevent a range of diseases. Until now, the health benefits that researchers had attributed to a Nordic diet primarily focused on weight loss. But in a new study, University of Copenhagen researchers and their Nordic colleagues found clear evidence that a Nordic diet can lower blood sugar and cholesterol levels even without weight loss. In particular, they point to the composition of dietary fats as a possible explanation for the diet's positive effects. Berries, veggies, fish, and whole grains: These are the main ingredients of the Nordic diet concept that for the past decade, has been recognized as extremely healthy, tasty and sustainable. The diet can prevent obesity and reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol. Until now, Nordic diet research has primarily been linked to the diet's positive health effect following weight loss. But a new analysis conducted by University of Copenhagen researchers, among others, makes it clear that a Nordic diet has positive health benefits, regardless of whether one loses weight or not.
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Study finds distinct biological ages across individuals' various organs and systems
Beijing Genomics Institute and Lobachevsky State University (Russia), March 8, 2022
It's common to say that someone looks either younger or older than their chronological age, but aging is more than skin deep. Our various organs and systems may have different ages, at least from a biological perspective. In a study published March 8 in the journal Cell Reports, an international team of investigators used biomarkers, statistical modeling, and other techniques to develop tools for measuring the biological ages of various organ systems. Based on their findings, the researchers report that there are multiple "clocks" within the body that vary widely based on factors including genetics and lifestyle in each individual. Most human aging studies have been conducted on older populations and in cohorts with a high incidence of chronic diseases because the aging process in young healthy adults is largely unknown and some studies have suggested that age-related changes could be detected in people as young as their 20s, we decided to focus on this age range."
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Treating heart attacks with a medium chain fatty acid
University of Michigan, March 8, 2022
A medium-chain fatty acid might one day help protect against heart attack injuries. In this publication, we target the interplay between energy metabolism and epigenetics mediated by the medium chain fatty acid 8C." Wang and colleagues were able to protect against heart attack injury in rat models with octanoic acid, an eight carbon (8C) medium chain fatty acid, as well as a few other metabolites. Those fatty acids produced acetyl-CoA, a building block for energy metabolism, which a stressed heart desperately needs. The idea is that a physician would administer this therapy to a person once they arrive at the hospital after having a heart attack, to reduce further injury and improve heart function during recovery, he says.
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Stress damages the movement centers in the brain
University of Bonn (Germany), March 8, 2022
Stress seems to have a negative effect on the learning of movements—at least in mice. This is the conclusion of a recent study at the University of Bonn. According to the study, the neurons of rodents lose some of their contacts with other neurons after stress. The animals also developed motor deficits. The results may be useful for earlier diagnosis and improved therapy of stress-related diseases such as depression. They also document that stress leaves traces in the brain—possibly permanent ones. The study appeared in the journal Translational Psychiatry.Chronically stressed people often show abnormalities in their motor skills, such as poorer fine motor control. The researchers came across a conspicuous feature: after the stressful situation, the neurons studied lost some of their synapses—these are the contacts to other nerve cells. During learning processes, new synapses are usually formed or existing ones are strengthened. Instead, the stressed rodents lost up to 15 percent of their contacts.
(OTHER NEWS)
Lead exposure in last century shrunk IQ scores of half of Americans
Duke University, March 7, 2022
In 1923, lead was first added to gasoline to help keep car engines healthy. However, automotive health came at the great expense of our own well-being. A new study calculates that exposure to car exhaust from leaded gas during childhood stole a collective 824 million IQ points from more than 170 million Americans alive today, about half the population of the United States. The findings suggest that Americans born before 1996 may now be at greater risk for lead-related health problems, such as faster aging of the brain. Leaded gas for cars was banned in the U.S. in 1996, but the researchers say that anyone born before the end of that era, and especially those at the peak of its use in the 1960s and 1970s, had concerningly high lead exposures as children. The team's paper appeared the week of March 7 in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Lead is able to reach the bloodstream once it's inhaled as dust, or ingested, or consumed in water. In the bloodstream, it's able to pass into the brain through the blood-brain barrier, which is quite good at keeping a lot of toxicants and pathogens out of the brain, but not all of them. One major way lead used to invade bloodstreams was through automotive exhaust.
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Amazon rainforest is losing resilience: New evidence from satellite data analysis
Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (Germany), March 7, 2022
The Amazon rainforest is likely losing resilience, data analysis from high-resolution satellite images suggests. This is due to stress from a combination of logging and burning – the influence of human-caused climate change is not clearly determinable so far, but will likely matter greatly in the future. For about three quarters of the forest, the ability to recover from perturbation has been decreasing since the early 2000s, which the scientists see as a warning sign. The new evidence is derived from advanced statistical analysis of satellite data of changes in vegetation biomass and productivity. “Reduced resilience – the ability to recover from perturbations like droughts or fires – can mean an increased risk of dieback of the Amazon rainforest. The Amazon rainforest is a home to a unique host of biodiversity, strongly influences rainfall all over South America by way of its enormous evapotranspiration, and stores huge amounts of carbon that could be released as greenhouse gases in the case of even partial dieback, in turn contributing to further global warming. This is why the rainforest is of global relevance. The Amazon is considered a potential tipping element in the Earth system and a number of studies revealed its vulnerability.
Nicotinamide riboside shows promise in Parkinson disease trial
Haukeland University Hospital (Norway), March 7 2022.
The March 1, 2022 issue of Cell Metabolism reported findings from a randomized, double-blind trial that revealed a benefit for nicotinamide riboside (NR, a form of vitamin B3) among men and women with Parkinson disease. Nicotinamide riboside is a precursor of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD), a coenzyme involved in metabolism whose levels decline during aging. “A growing body of evidence supports that boosting cellular levels of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD) may confer neuroprotective effects in both healthy aging and neurodegeneration,” Brage Brakedal and colleagues wrote. The trial included 30 newly diagnosed Parkinson disease patients who had not received treatment for the disease. Half of the participants received 500 milligrams NR twice daily and the remainder received a daily placebo for thirty days. Upon enrollment and at the end of the study, participants received MRI and PET scans of the brain, and cerebrospinal fluid, skeletal muscle and blood cells were analyzed for metabolites. Gene expression in muscle and blood cells, and serum and cerebrospinal fluid biomarkers of mitochondrial dysfunction and inflammation were also analyzed at these time points.
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GlyNAC supplementation extends life span in mice
Baylor College of Medicine, March 7, 2022
For over two decades, Sekhar has studied natural aging in older humans and aged mice. His work contributes to providing a better understanding of how glutathione deficiency, increased oxidative stress, mitochondrial dysfunction and multiple additional hallmark defects of aging contribute to the aging process and how they can be reversed with GlyNAC supplementation. "Energy is the currency of life and is generated by mitochondria. However, aging is associated with mitochondrial malfunction, and this could affect energy availability. When we discovered that GlyNAC supplementation can correct mitochondrial defects in aging, we asked an important question: Could GlyNAC supplementation from a younger age extend length of life?" said Sekhar. "To answer this question, we worked with healthy, normal laboratory mice."
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Common houseplants can improve air quality indoors
University of Birmingham UK, March 7 2022
Ordinary potted house plants can potentially make a significant contribution to reducing air pollution in homes and offices, according to new research led by the University of Birmingham . During a series of experiments monitoring common houseplants exposed to nitrogen dioxide (NO2) – a common pollutant – researchers calculated that in some conditions, the plants could be able to reduce NO2 by as much as 20 per cent. The researchers tested three houseplants, easy to maintain and not overly expensive to buy. They included Peace lily (Spathiphyllum wallisii), Corn plant (Dracaena fragrans) and fern arum (Zamioculcas zamiifolia). Each plant was put, by itself, into a test chamber containing levels of NO2 comparable to an office situated next to a busy road. Over a period of one hour, the team calculated that all the plants, regardless of species, were able to remove around half the NO2 in the chamber. The performance of the plants was not dependent on the plants’ environment, for example whether it was in light or dark conditions, and whether the soil was wet or dry.
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Nuts may help lower teenagers' risk of metabolic syndrome
University of Texas, March 5, 2022
Modest consumption of nuts every day is associated with an improved cardiovascular risk profile among adolescents, a new analysis of a large national database shows. T Adolescents who ate at least 12.9 grams (g) per day of nuts -- the equivalent of eating a small handful three times per week -- had less than half the odds of non-eaters for developing metabolic syndrome. This syndrome is a cluster of clinical features that heightens the risk of early heart disease and type 2 diabetes. "The surprising finding," said the study's lead investigator Roy Kim, MD, MPH, an assistant professor of pediatrics at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, "is that, in spite of what we know about their health benefits, the majority of teens eat no nuts at all on a typical day." More than 75% of all teens reported eating no nuts at all. The researchers discovered that metabolic syndrome risk decreased with each additional gram per day of nut intake, but only up to 50 g/day (about 1.8 ounces), when the benefit tapered off. Kim theorized that at higher intakes, any benefits may have been offset by eating too many calories.
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Garlic sprouted for five days has improved antioxidant potential
Medical News Today, 1 March 2022
"Sprouted" garlic - old garlic bulbs with bright green shoots emerging from the cloves - is considered to be past its prime and usually ends up in the garbage can. Scientists are reporting in ACS' Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry that this type of garlic has even more heart-healthy antioxidant activity than its fresher counterparts. Sprouted garlic has received much less attention. When seedlings grow into green plants, they make many new compounds, including those that protect the young plant against pathogens. Kim's group reasoned that the same thing might be happening when green shoots grow from old heads of garlic. Other studies have shown that sprouted beans and grains have increased antioxidant activity, so the team set out to see if the same is true for garlic.
TONIGHT, ON The Progressive Commentary Hour MY GUEST IS, Edward Dowd, Edward Dowd is a consultant for Symphonic Capital, a US and German financial firm analyzing risk management performance for S&P 500 market opportunities, where he advises on market and risk strategies. He is also a former managing director for large cap growth equities at Blackrock -- one of the world's top three corporate and banking asset holders.
Study shows broccoli may offer protection against liver cancer
University of Illinois, March 3 2022
A new study from the University of Illinois reports that including broccoli in the diet may also protect against liver cancer, as well as aid in countering the development of fatty liver or nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) which can cause malfunction of the liver and lead to hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), a liver cancer with a high mortality rate. "The normal story about broccoli and health is that it can protect against a number of different cancers. But nobody had looked at liver cancer," says Elizabeth Jeffery, a U of I emeritus professor of nutrition. "We decided that liver cancer needed to be studied particularly because of the obesity epidemic in the U.S. It is already in the literature that obesity enhances the risk for liver cancer and this is particularly true for men. They have almost a 5-fold greater risk for liver cancer if they are obese."
(NEXT)
More alcohol, less brain: Study finds an association that begins with an average of just one drink a day
University of Pennsylvania, March 4, 2022
The science on heavy drinking and the brain is clear: The two don't have a healthy relationship. People who drink heavily have alterations in brain structure and size that are associated with cognitive impairments. But according to a new study, alcohol consumption even at levels most would consider modest—a few beers or glasses of wine a week—may also carry risks to the brain. An analysis of data from more than 36,000 adults, led by a team from the University of Pennsylvania, found that light-to-moderate alcohol consumption was associated with reductions in overall brain volume. The link grew stronger the greater the level of alcohol consumption, the researchers showed. As an example, in 50-year-olds, as average drinking among individuals increases from one alcohol unit (about half a beer) a day to two units (a pint of beer or a glass of wine) there are associated changes in the brain equivalent to aging two years. Going from two to three alcohol units at the same age was like aging three and a half years. The team reported their findings in the journal Nature Communications.
(NEXT)
Choosing to be with others is more consequential to well-being than choosing to be alone
Bar-Ilan University (Israel), March 4, 2022
A new study by researchers from Bar-Ilan University in Israel has found that the element of choice in our daily social interactions plays a key role in our well-being. Stable social relationships are conducive to well-being. But the effects of daily social interactions (or of time spent alone) on momentary feeling of happiness is not well understood. The current study, published in the Journal of Happiness Studies, suggests that our sense of choice of being with others (or of being alone) is a central factor which shapes our feelings in these contexts. Importantly, it was suggested that choice matters more 'with others' than alone, because experiences with others are more intense.
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Researchers find certain onions have excellent anticancer benefits
Cornell University, March 4, 2022
When it comes to cancer fighting foods, onions are high on the list. But while all onions help to prevent cancer due to key chemicals and compounds, there are certain onions that have more anticancer health benefits than others, particularly when it comes to preventing the spread of colon and liver cancers. A study conducted by Cornell University food scientists looked at 10 varieties of onion and shallots. Researchers found that the Western Yellow, pungent yellow, Northern Red and shallot varieties of onions were the highest in cancer-fighting compounds. Pungent yellow and Western Yellow were found to be especially effective against colon cancer, while shallots, Western Yellow and pungent varieties helped to combat colon cancer. Pungent, bitter onion varieties provide strongest anti-cancer benefits While all onions have cancer-fighting effects, these varieties in particular have a high flavonoid and phenolic content, and these phytochemicals contribute to higher amounts of antioxidants that provide even more protection. These powerful chemicals literally help to “mop up” free radicals that would otherwise pose a damage to cells.
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A new study relates liquid fructose intake to fatty liver disease
University of Barcelona (Spain), March 3, 2022
A high-fat diet is not enough to cause short-term fatty liver disease. However, if this diet is combined with the intake of beverages sweetened with liquid fructose, the accumulation of fats in the liver accelerates and hypertriglyceridemia —a cardiovascular risk factor— can appear. This is explained in a study on a mouse experimental model, published in the journal Molecular Nutrition and Food Research . Fructose is one of the most common sweeteners in the food industry. This simple sugar (monosaccharide) is industrially obtained from corn syrup, a product derived from this gramineae. With a great sweetener power and low production costs, fructose is used by the food industry to sweeten beverages, sauces and processed foods, despite the scientific evidence that associates it with metabolic diseases which are risk factors of cardiovascular pathologies.
Male patients with advanced cancer experienced reduced fatigue after vitamin D treatment
Karolinska Institutet (Sweden), March 3, 2022
Fatigue, or severe tiredness and exhaustion, is a distressing condition for many patients with advanced cancer. Unfortunately, good pharmacological treatment options are limited, and the ones available come with a risk of side effects and/or habituation. In a recently conducted study in palliative home care in Stockholm, Palliative-D, we were able to show that correction of vitaminD deficiency reduced both pain and fatigue in patients with advanced and metastatic cancer. The effects were moderate, but the treatment was surprisingly well tolerated without any severe side effects. The study showed that correction of vitamin D deficiency caused significantly reduced fatigue in men, but not in women.
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Study finds drinking wine with meals was associated with lower risk of type 2 diabetes
Tulane University Obesity Research Center, March 3, 2022
An analysis of health data for nearly 312,400 current drinkers suggests consuming alcohol, most notably wine, with meals is associated with a lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes. The analysis found: During an average of nearly 11 years of follow-up, about 8,600 of the adults in the study developed type 2 diabetes. Consuming alcohol with meals was associated with a 14% lower risk of type 2 diabetes compared to consuming alcohol without eating food. The potential benefit of moderate drinking on type 2 diabetes risk was evident only among the people who drank alcohol during meals, although the specific time of meals was not collected in this study. Consuming wine, beer and liquor had different associations with type 2 diabetes risk. While a higher amount of wine intake was associated with a lower risk of type 2 diabetes, a higher amount of beer or liquor was associated with a higher risk of type 2 diabetes.
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Rhythm Of Breathing Key To Controlling Fear And Emotional Behavior
Northwestern University, March 2, 2022
We live in a fearful world with exposure to a deluge of stressors every day. As much as fear is a result of reacting to the actual or perceived events in our lives, it is also a biological function of the human body, and when equipped with an understanding of how the body manages the emotional system, we can easily outsmart it, tricking ourselves into emotional balance. This perspective is scientifically validated by new research from Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, which discovered how the various rhythmic patterns of breath profoundly impact memory recall and the emotional body, specifically the fear response. The brain creates electrical impulses which link physical functions to emotional reactions, and the electrical activity of the brain is deeply affected by our breathing patterns. The outcome of this balance is determined by whether or not we are inhaling or exhaling, as well as if we are breathing through the nose or the mouth, as each variable creates a different electrical response within the brain. In the Northwestern study, participants were shown images of human expressions, some frightful, while engaging in various patterns of breathing. Researchers observed that people more easily process fear, and more readily recall images, while inhaling through the nose.
(NEXT)
New findings on daily walking steps needed for longevity benefit
University of Massachusetts, March 3, 2022
A meta-analysis of 15 studies involving nearly 50,000 people from four continents offers new insights into identifying the amount of daily walking steps that will optimally improve adults' health and longevity—and whether the number of steps is different for people of different ages. The oft-repeated 10,000-steps-a-day mantra grew out of a decades-old marketing campaign for a Japanese pedometer, with no science to back up the impact on health. For adults 60 and older, the risk of premature death leveled off at about 6,000-8,000 steps per day, meaning that more steps than that provided no additional benefit for longevity. Adults younger than 60 saw the risk of premature death stabilize at about 8,000-10,000 steps per day. Interestingly, the research found no definitive association with walking speed, beyond the total number of steps per day, Paluch notes. Getting in your steps—regardless of the pace at which you walked them—was the link to a lower risk of death. The new research supports and expands findings from another study led by Paluch, published last September in JAMA Network Open, which found that walking at least 7,000 steps a day reduced middle-aged people's risk of premature death.
(VIDEOS)
INVENTION OF WHITENESS
John Powell, Distinguished professor of law, University of California at Berkeley
GUEST - Public Service - Campaign against Smart Meters
Les Jamieson
Spice up your life: Cinnamon’s weight loss potential
University of Tokyo Japan, March 2, 2022
The active compound in cinnamon maybe a more tolerable weight loss ingredient than chilli pepper's capsaicin, a small exploratory clinical trial finds. A single ingestion of the active compound cinnamaldehyde increased energy expenditure by nearly four more calories over a 90 minute period compared to placebo. The researchers say cinnamaldehyde may offer a more tolerable thermogenic alternative to compounds like capsaicin found in chilli peppers. Anti-obesity effects? Transient receptor potential (TRP) channels are located throughout the body and mediate sensations such as pain, taste and temperature. TRP channels can be activated by natural compounds such as chilli peppers' capsaicin and previous animal studies have suggested this may impact energy balance and have an 'anti-obesity' effect. Capsaicin can increase metabolism in humans through sensory nerve stimulation. A single ingestion of cinnamaldehyde significantly increased energy expenditure by 3.6 kcal over the 90-minute period of the experiment when compared to placebo. Capsaicin and cinnamaldehyde enhanced postprandial fat oxidation and increased nose temperature until 15 minutes after ingestion. Cinnamaldehyde also increased the cheek and chin temperature, the facial thermography revealed. Heart rate variability analysis did not show any changes to the nervous system.
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Exposure to great outdoors boosted mental health during pandemic
University of Colorado, March 2, 2022
People exposed to more green space during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic reported significantly less depression and anxiety, according to new University of Colorado Boulder research published in the journal PLOS One. The study also found that, at a time when mental health problems soared due to financial woes, supply shortages and nonstop news coverage of the virus, people sought solace in the great outdoors, with one-third spending more time there than they did pre-COVID. “This research shows how critical it is to keep parks and green spaces open in times of crisis. “It also shows that, as a public health measure, more effort should be made to put in green spaces and make them accessible.” The study adds to a growing body of evidence suggesting that green space can have a measurable impact on health.
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National study examines link between accountability to god, psychological well-being
Baylor University, March 2, 2022
Religious believers who embrace accountability to God (or another transcendent guide for life) experience higher levels of three of the four variables of psychological well-being – mattering to others, dignity and meaning in their lives, though not happiness – according to a study from researchers with Baylor University, Westmont College and Hope College. The study also found that this relationship is stronger among those who pray more often, suggesting that accountability coupled with communication may be a powerful combination for well-being. The study, Perceptions of Accountability to God and Psychological Well-Being Among US Adults, appears in Journal of Religion and Health and relies on data from the 2017 Baylor Religion Survey, a national survey of American religious beliefs, values and behaviors.
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Regular chocolate intake linked to enhanced cognition in cohort study
University of South Australia and University of Maine, March 2, 2022
Habitual chocolate consumption has correlation with better cognitive functioning, according to analyses of 968 people living in New York A study due for publication in the journal Appetite by researchers at the University of South Australia, the University of Maine and the Luxembourg Institute of Health (L.I.H.) examined the chocolate eating habits and cognitive performance of participants and assessed the eating habits of 968 people aged 23–98 years for 25 years.
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Acupuncture improves outcomes in carpal tunnel syndrome in part by remapping the brain
Massachusetts General Hospital, March 2, 2022
In a study reported in the journal Brain, a team of investigators based at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) sheds new light on exploring acupuncture for chronic pain disorders Researchers performed a sham-controlled acupuncture neuroimaging study of carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS), a neuropathic pain disorder. Few chronic pain disorders have established biomarkers or measureable treatment outcomes. However, in CTS measurements taken at the wrist of the speed at which signals are transmitted along the median nerve are a well known and accepted biomarker.
(OTHER NEWS - JUST ONE IF NECESSARY BEFORE MCGOVERN)
Analysis: Nuclear Disaster in Ukraine Could Make Swaths of Europe 'Uninhabitable for Decades'
Russia's assault on Ukraine risks nuclear devastation "far worse even than the Fukushima Daiichi catastrophe of 2011," Greenpeace warns.
Common Dreams. March 2, 2022
The international environmental group Greenpeace warned Wednesday that Russia's intensifying assault is placing Ukraine's nuclear power facilities under serious threat, risking devastation "far worse even than the Fukushima Daiichi catastrophe of 2011." In a 12-page analysis, Greenpeace details the unique hazards posed by Russia's war on Ukraine, which maintains 15 nuclear power reactors and is home to the largest nuclear energy complex in Europe. That facility, known as the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, is currently surrounded by Russian troops looking to force their way through a makeshift blockade erected Wednesday by ordinary Ukrainians. Greenpeace's new brief argues that the Zaporizhzhia plant is especially vulnerable to an accident or attack stemming from Russia's invasion,. Greenpeace raises particular concern over the complex's susceptibility to electrical power outages, its storage of spent nuclear fuel, and risks posed by flooding given the facility's close proximity to the massive Dnipro river system. Severe damage to the plant, the group warns, could "render vast areas of the European continent, including Russia, uninhabitable for decades." "For the first time in history, a major war is being waged in a country with multiple nuclear reactors and thousands of tons of highly radioactive spent fuel," he continued. "The war in southern Ukraine around Zaporizhzhia puts them all at heightened risk of a severe accident."
(GUEST)
GUEST - RAY MCGOVERN
30-60 mins of weekly muscle strengthening activity linked to 10-20% lower death risk
Tohoku University School of Medicine (Japan), March 1, 2022
Between 30 and 60 minutes of muscle strengthening activity every week is linked to a 10-20% lower risk of death from all causes, and from cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and cancer, in particular, finds a pooled data analysis of the available evidence, published online in the British Journal of Sports Medicine. The findings are independent of aerobic exercise. But the analysis points to a J-shaped curve for most outcomes, with no conclusive evidence that more than an hour a week of muscle strengthening activity reduces the risk further still. Examples of these activities include lifting weights; working with resistance bands; push-ups, sit-ups, and squats; and heavy gardening, such as digging and shoveling.
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Study finds lower oxidative stress in children who live and study near green spaces
Barcelona Institute for Global Health, March 1, 2022
A study led by the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), has analyzed, for the first time, the relationship between exposure to different green spaces and oxidative stress in children. The study concluded that greater exposure to vegetation is associated with lower levels of oxidative stress and that this association is observed regardless of the children's physical activity.
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Depression is more than a mental disorder—it affects the whole body
University of Granada (Spain), March 1, 2022
An international team of researchers has scientifically proven for the first time that depression is more than a mental disorder—it causes important alterations of the oxidative stress, so it should be considered a systemic disease, since it affects the whole organism. The results of this work, published in the renowned Journal of Clinical Psychiatry magazine, could explain the significant association that depression has with cardiovascular diseases and cancer, and why people suffering from depression die younger.
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Milk may exacerbate MS symptoms
University of Bonn (Germany), March 1, 2022
Multiple sclerosis sufferers often complain of more severe disease symptoms after consuming dairy products. Researchers at the Universities of Bonn and Erlangen-Nuremberg have now found a possible cause for this. According to the study, a protein in cow's milk can trigger inflammation that targets the "insulating layer" around nerve cells. The study was able to demonstrate this link in mice, but also found evidence of a similar mechanism in humans. The researchers therefore recommend that certain groups of sufferers avoid dairy products. The study has now been published in the journal PNAS.
(NEXT)
Study Reveals Anthocyanins in Strawberries Improve Insulin Resistance
Illinois Institute of Technology, March 1, 2022
A new study published in Molecular Nutrition & Food Nutrition found that anthocyanin-rich strawberries may improve insulin sensitivity. Insulin resistance (IR) is a hallmark of metabolic syndrome and a risk factor for heart disease and type 2 diabetes. Researchers observed the effect of anthocyanins on the postprandial insulin response of 21 obese adults with insulin resistance. Subjects were served a typical 'Western-style' meal high in carbohydrates and fat plus a beverage that contained freeze-dried whole strawberry powder. The beverages were controlled for fiber, and the amount of strawberry powder ranged from 0 grams to 40 grams (equivalent to 3 cups of fresh strawberries). When subjects drank the most concentrated beverage, they didn't produce as much insulin as when they drank the least concentrated versions. In other words, they didn't need as much insulin to metabolize their meal after drinking the anthocyanin-rich strawberry shake. While the exact mechanisms are unclear, strawberry anthocyanins may alter insulin signaling at a cellular level.
(OTHER NEWS)
The Consequences of Humiliating Russia
Russia’s actions in Ukraine are to a great extent the culmination of the numerous humiliations that the West has inflicted on Russia over the past 30 years Michael Brenner, CONSORTIUM NEWS. February 28, 2022
The Mafia is not known for its creative use of language beyond terms like “hitman,” “go to the mattresses,” “living with the fishes” and suchlike. There are, though, a few pithy sayings that carry enduring wisdom. One concerns honor and revenge: “If you are going to humiliate someone publicly in a really crass manner, make sure that he doesn’t survive to take his inevitable revenge.” Violate it at your peril. That enduring truth has been demonstrated by Russia’s actions in the Ukraine which, to a great extent, are the culmination of the numerous humiliations that the West, under American instigation, has inflicted on Russia’s rulers and the country as a whole over the past 30 years. They have been treated as a sinner sentenced to accept the role of a penitent who, clad in sackcloth, marked with ashes, is expected to appear among the nations with head bowed forever. No right to have its own interests, its own security concerns or even its own opinions. Few in the West questioned the viability of such a prescription for a country of 160 million, territorially the biggest in the world, possessing vast resources of critical value to other industrial nations, technologically sophisticated and custodian of 3,000 + nuclear weapons. No mafia don would have been that obtuse. But our rulers are cut from a different cloth even if their strut and conceit often matches that of the capos. The West nostalgically celebrates the Yeltsin years as the Golden Age of Russian Democracy – an age when life expectancy dropped sharply, when alcoholism rose and mental health declined, when the tanking economy threw millions into poverty, when the oligarchs strutted their stuff, when the presidential chauffeur was the most influential man in the country, and when everyone was free to shoot his mouth off since nobody else heard him in the din of their own voices. Vladimir Putin, of course, was made of sterner stuff. He put an end to the buffoonery, successfully took on the Herculean task of reconstituting Russia as a viable state, and presented himself as ruler of an equal sovereign in cultivating relations with his neighbors. In addition, he insisted that the civil rights and culture of Russians stranded in the Near Abroad be respected. Still, he gave no sign by word or deed that he contemplated using coercive means to restore the integration of Russian and Ukraine that had existed for more than 300 years. True, he opposed Western attempts to sever the ties between the two by incorporating Ukraine into their collective institutions – most notably the NATO declaration of 2008 stating that Ukraine (along with Georgia) were in the alliance’s antechamber being readied for entrance. Putin’s restraint contrasted with the audacity of Washington and its European subordinates who instigated the Maidan coup toppling the democratically elected president and promoting an American puppet in his place. In effect, the United States has been Ukraine’s overseer ever since – a sort of absentee landlord. This attitude has progressively lowered the bar on accusation and insult directed at Russia and Putin personally. For Hillary Clinton he was “a new Hitler” as far back as 2016, for Joe Biden he was a “killer,” for Congress members a Satan using a bag of diabolical instruments to corrupt and destroy American democracy. For all of them, a tyrant turning Russia back to the political Dark Ages after the glowing democratic spring of the Yeltsin years, an assassin – albeit an inept one whose targeted victims somehow survived in unnatural numbers, for the Pentagon a growing menace who moved rapidly up the enemies list – displacing Islamic terrorism by 2017 and vying with China for the top spot ever since. The obsession with Putin the Evil spread as Washington pushed its allies hard to join in the denunciation. The grossness of their personal attacks on Putin matched the ever-expanding scope of the accusations. In recent years, no election could be held in Europe without the leveling of charges that the Kremlin was “interfering” by some unspecified means or other – and at Putin’s personal direction. The absence of evidence was irrelevant. Russia became the pinata there to be smashed whenever one felt the urge or saw a domestic political advantage. Michael Brenner is a professor of international affairs at the University of Pittsburgh.
Bark of neem tree may protect against coronavirus variants
University of Colorado and the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, February 28, 2022
Extract from the bark of the neem tree may help treat and reduce the spread of coronavirus, according to a new study led by scientists at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus and the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Kolkata. The study, reported recently in the journal Virology, shows that components of neem bark may target a wide range of viral proteins, suggesting its potential as an antiviral agent against emerging variants of coronaviruses (including SARS-CoV-2). "The goal of this research is to develop a neem-based medication that can reduce the risk of serious illness when someone is infected with coronaviruses," said study co-author Maria Nagel, MD, research professor in the department of neurology and ophthalmology at the University of Colorado School of Medicine on the CU Anschutz Medical Campus.
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Black Seed Oil Puts Deadly Asthma Meds To Shame
University College London, February 26, 2022
A new study published in the journal Phytotherapeutic Research reveals that a powerful little black seed known as nigella sativa-- once referred to as ‘the remedy for everything but death’ -- may provide a powerful alternative to pharmaceutical medicine in the treatment of asthma. The new study was a placebo-controlled RCT performed on 80 asthmatics, with 40 patients in each treatment and placebo groups. NSO capsules were administered 500 mg twice daily for 4 weeks. The placebo group received an equal dose of olive oil.
(NEXT)
Healthy gut microbiome improves success of cancer treatment
King's College London, February 28, 2022
The largest study to date has confirmed the link between the gut microbiome and the response to cancer immunotherapy therapy for melanoma. The study is published today in Nature Medicine and co-ordinated by King's College London, CIBIO Department of the University of Trento and European Institute of Oncology in Italy, University of Groningen in the Netherlands and funded by the Seerave Foundation. Dr. Karla Lee, clinical researcher at King's College London said that "preliminary studies on a limited number of patients have suggested that the gut microbiome, as an immune system regulator, plays a role in the response of each patient to cancer immunotherapy, and particularly in the case of melanoma. This new study could have a major impact on oncology and medicine in general."
(NEXT)
Physical fitness linked to lower risk of Alzheimer’s disease
Washington VA Medical Center, February 28, 2022
People who are more physically fit are less likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease than people who are less physically fit, according to a preliminary study released today. “One exciting finding of this study is that as people’s fitness improved, their risk of Alzheimer’s disease decreased—it was not an all-or-nothing proposition,” said study author Edward Zamrini, MD, of the Washington VA Medical Center in Washington, D.C.. “So people can work toward making incremental changes and improvements in their physical fitness and hopefully that will be associated with a related decrease in their risk of Alzheimer’s years later.” The study involved 649,605 military veterans in the Veterans Health Administration database with an average age of 61 who were followed for an average of nine years. They did not have Alzheimer’s disease at the start of the study. The group with the lowest level of fitness developed Alzheimer’s at a rate of 9.5 cases per 1,000 person-years, compared to 6.4 cases per 1,000 person-years for the most fit group.
(OTHER NEWS)
The Mess that Nuland Made
Victoria Nuland engineered Ukraine’s “regime change” in early 2014 without weighing the likely chaos and consequences, wrote Robert Parry on July 13, 2015.
The Mess that Nuland Made
Robert Parry. Special to Consortium News
As the Ukrainian army squares off against ultra-right and neo-Nazi militias in the west and violence against ethnic Russians continues in the east, the obvious folly of the Obama administration’s Ukraine policy has come into focus even for many who tried to ignore the facts, or what you might call “the mess that Victoria Nuland made.” Assistant Secretary of State for European Affairs “Toria” Nuland was the “mastermind” behind the Feb. 22, 2014 “regime change” in Ukraine, plotting the overthrow of the democratically elected government of President Viktor Yanukovych while convincing the ever-gullible U.S. mainstream media that the coup wasn’t really a coup but a victory for “democracy.” To sell this latest neocon-driven “regime change” to the American people, the ugliness of the coup-makers had to be systematically airbrushed, particularly the key role of neo-Nazis and other ultra-nationalists from the Right Sektor. For the U.S.-organized propaganda campaign to work, the coup-makers had to wear white hats, not brown shirts. So, for nearly a year and a half, the West’s mainstream media, especially The New York Times and The Washington Post, twisted their reporting into all kinds of contortions to avoid telling their readers that the new regime in Kiev was permeated by and dependent on neo-Nazi fighters and Ukrainian ultra-nationalists who wanted a pure-blood Ukraine, without ethnic Russians. Any mention of that sordid reality was deemed “Russian propaganda” and anyone who spoke this inconvenient truth was a “stooge of Moscow.” It wasn’t until July 7 that the Times admitted the importance of the neo-Nazis and other ultra-nationalists in waging war against ethnic Russian rebels in the east. The Times also reported that these far-right forces had been joined by Islamic militants. Some of those jihadists have been called “brothers” of the hyper-brutal Islamic State. Though the Times sought to spin this remarkable military alliance neo-Nazi militias and Islamic jihadists as a positive, the reality had to be jarring for readers who had bought into the Western propaganda about noble “pro-democracy” forces resisting evil “Russian aggression.” Perhaps the Times sensed that it could no longer keep the lid on the troubling truth in Ukraine. For weeks, the Right Sektor militias and the neo-Nazi Azov battalion have been warning the civilian government in Kiev that they might turn on it and create a new order more to their liking. Clashes in the West Then, on Saturday, violent clashes broke out in the western Ukrainian town of Mukachevo, allegedly over the control of cigarette-smuggling routes. Right Sektor paramilitaries sprayed police officers with bullets from a belt-fed machine gun, and police backed by Ukrainian government troops returned fire. Several deaths and multiple injuries were reported. Tensions escalated on Monday with President Petro Poroshenko ordering national security forces to disarm “armed cells” of political movements. Meanwhile, the Right Sektor dispatched reinforcements to the area while other militiamen converged on the capital of Kiev. While President Poroshenko and Right Sektor leader Dmitry Yarosh may succeed in tamping down this latest flare-up of hostilities, they may be only postponing the inevitable: a conflict between the U.S.-backed authorities in Kiev and the neo-Nazis and other right-wing fighters who spearheaded last year’s coup and have been at the front lines of the fighting against ethnic Russian rebels in the east. The Ukrainian right-wing extremists feel they have carried the heaviest burden in the war against the ethnic Russians and resent the politicians living in the relative safety and comfort of Kiev. In March, Poroshenko also fired thuggish oligarch Igor Kolomoisky as governor of the southeastern province of Dnipropetrovsk Oblast. Kolomoisky had been the primary benefactor of the Right Sektor militias. So, as has become apparent across Europe and even in Washington, the Ukraine crisis is spinning out of control, making the State Department’s preferred narrative of the conflict that it’s all Russian President Vladimir Putin’s fault harder and harder to sell. How Ukraine is supposed to pull itself out of what looks like a death spiral a possible two-front war in the east and the west along with a crashing economy is hard to comprehend. The European Union, confronting budgetary crises over Greece and other EU members, has little money or patience for Ukraine, its neo-Nazis and its socio-political chaos. America’s neocons at The Washington Post and elsewhere still rant about the need for the Obama administration to sink more billions upon billions of dollars into post-coup Ukraine because it “shares our values.” But that argument, too, is collapsing as Americans see the heart of a racist nationalism beating inside Ukraine’s new order. Another Neocon ‘Regime Change’ Much of what has happened, of course, was predictable and indeed was predicted, but neocon Nuland couldn’t resist the temptation to pull off a “regime change” that she could call her own. Her husband (and arch-neocon) Robert Kagan had co-founded the Project for the New American Century in 1998 around a demand for “regime change” in Iraq, a project that was accomplished in 2003 with President George W. Bush’s invasion. As with Nuland in Ukraine, Kagan and his fellow neocons thought they could engineer an easy invasion of Iraq, oust Saddam Hussein and install some hand-picked client in Iraq, Ahmed Chalabi was to be “the guy.” But they failed to take into account the harsh realities of Iraq, such as the fissures between Sunnis and Shiites, exposed by the U.S.-led invasion and occupation. In Ukraine, Nuland and her neocon and liberal-interventionist friends saw the chance to poke Putin in the eye by encouraging violent protests to overthrow Russia-friendly President Yanukovych and put in place a new regime hostile to Moscow. Carl Gershman, the neocon president of the U.S.-taxpayer-funded National Endowment for Democracy, explained the plan in a Post op-ed on Sept. 26, 2013. Gershman called Ukraine “the biggest prize” and an important interim step toward toppling Putin, who “may find himself on the losing end not just in the near abroad but within Russia itself.” For her part, Nuland passed out cookies to anti-Yanukovych demonstrators at the Maidan square, reminded Ukrainian business leaders that the U.S. had invested $5 billion in their “European aspirations,” declared “fuck the EU” for its less aggressive approach, and discussed with U.S. Ambassador Geoffrey Pyatt who the new leaders of Ukraine should be. “Yats is the guy,” she said, referring to Arseniy Yatsenyuk. Nuland saw her big chance on Feb. 20, 2014, when a mysterious sniper apparently firing from a building controlled by the Right Sektor shot and killed both police and protesters, escalating the crisis. On Feb. 21, in a desperate bid to avert more violence, Yanukovych agreed to a European-guaranteed plan in which he accepted reduced powers and called for early elections so he could be voted out of office. But that wasn’t enough for the anti-Yanukovych forces who led by Right Sektor and neo-Nazi militias overran government buildings on Feb. 22, forcing Yanukovych and many of his officials to flee for their lives. With armed thugs patrolling the corridors of power, the final path to “regime change” was clear. Instead of trying to salvage the Feb. 21 agreement, Nuland and European officials arranged for an unconstitutional procedure to strip Yanukovych of the presidency and declared the new regime “legitimate.” Nuland’s “guy” Yatsenyuk became prime minister. While Nuland and her neocon cohorts celebrated, their “regime change” prompted an obvious reaction from Putin, who recognized the strategic threat that this hostile new regime posed to the historic Russian naval base at Sevastopol in Crimea. On Feb. 23, he began to take steps to protect those Russian interests. Ethnic Hatreds What the coup also did was revive long pent-up antagonisms between the ethnic Ukrainians in the west, including elements that had supported Adolf Hitler’s invasion of the Soviet Union during World War Two, and ethnic Russians in the south and east who feared the anti-Russian sentiments emanating from Kiev. First, in Crimea and then in the so-called Donbas region, these ethnic Russians, who had been Yanukovych’s political base, resisted what they viewed as the illegitimate overthrow of their elected president. Both areas held referenda seeking separation from Ukraine, a move that Russia accepted in Crimea but resisted with the Donbas. However, when the Kiev regime announced an “anti-terrorism operation” against the Donbas and dispatched neo-Nazi and other extremist militias to be the tip of the spear, Moscow began quietly assisting the embattled ethnic Russian rebels, a move that Nuland, the Obama administration and the mainstream news media called “Russian aggression.” Amid the Western hysteria over Russia’s supposedly “imperial designs” and the thorough demonizing of Putin, President Barack Obama essentially authorized a new Cold War against Russia, reflected now in new U.S. strategic planning that could cost the U.S. taxpayers trillions of dollars and risk a possible nuclear confrontation. Yet, despite the extraordinary costs and dangers, Nuland failed to appreciate the practical on-the-ground realities, much as her husband and other neocons did in Iraq. While Nuland got her hand-picked client Yatsenyuk installed and he did oversee a U.S.-demanded “neo-liberal” economic plan slashing pensions, heating assistance and other social programs the chaos that her “regime change” unleashed transformed Ukraine into a financial black hole. With few prospects for a clear-cut victory over the ethnic Russian resistance in the east and with the neo-Nazi/Islamist militias increasingly restless over the stalemate the chances to restore any meaningful sense of order in the country appear remote. Unemployment is soaring and the government is essentially bankrupt. The last best hope for some stability may have been the Minsk-2 agreement in February 2015, calling for a federalized system to give the Donbas more autonomy, but Nuland’s Prime Minister Yatsenyuk sabotaged the deal in March by inserting a poison pill that essentially demanded that the ethnic Russian rebels first surrender. Now, the Ukraine chaos threatens to spiral even further out of control with the neo-Nazis and other right-wing militias supplied with a bounty of weapons to kill ethnic Russians in the east turning on the political leadership in Kiev. In other words, the neocons have struck again, dreaming up a “regime change” scheme that ignored practical realities, such as ethnic and religious fissures. Then, as the blood flowed and the suffering worsened, the neocons just sought out someone else to blame. Thus, it seems unlikely that Nuland, regarded by some in Washington as the new “star” in U.S. foreign policy, will be fired for her dangerous incompetence, just as most neocons who authored the Iraq disaster remain “respected” experts employed by major think tanks, given prized space on op-ed pages, and consulted at the highest levels of the U.S. government.
Vegetarians have 14% lower cancer risk than meat-eaters, study finds
Oxford University, February 24, 2022
Vegetarians have a 14% lower chance of developing cancer than carnivores, according to a large study that links meat-eating to a heightened risk of the disease. A team of researchers from Oxford University analysed data on more than 470,000 Britons and found that pescatarians had a 10% reduced risk. Compared with people who eat meat regularly – defined as more than five times a week – those who consumed small amounts had a 2% lower risk of developing cancer, the study found.
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Dietary Lutein Modulates Growth and Survival Genes in Prostate Cancer Cells
Indiana University School of Medicine, February 26, 2022
Reports from Indiana University School of Medicine Provide New Insights that Dietary Lutein Modulates Growth and Survival Genes in Prostate Cancer Cells) According to news originating from Indianapolis, Indiana, research stated, "Lutein is a carotenoid pigment present in fruits and vegetables that has anti-inflammatory and antitumor properties. In this study, we examined the effect of lutein on proliferation and survival-associated genes in prostate cancer (PC-3) cells." Our news journalists obtained a quote from the research from the Indiana University School of Medicine, "We found that in vitro culture of PC-3 cells with lutein induced mild decrease in proliferation that improved in combination treatment with peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPAR gamma) agonists and other chemotherapeutic agents. Flow cytometry analyses showed that lutein improved drug-induced cell cycle arrest and apoptosis in prostate cancer. Gene array and quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction analyses showed that lutein altered the expression of growth and apoptosis-associated biomarker genes in PC-3 cells."
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Walnuts may support sperm health, according to new animal research
University of Delaware, Feb. 28, 2022
New animal research suggests eating a walnut-enriched diet may improve sperm quality by reducing lipid peroxidation, a process that can damage sperm cells. This form of cell damage harms sperm membranes, which are primarily made up of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs). Walnuts are the only tree nut that are predominantly comprised of PUFAs (one ounce contains 13 grams of PUFAs out of 18 grams of total fat). Research on the health benefits of PUFAs has advanced and most recently the 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans has emphasized this type of fat as a replacement for saturated fats. As this is an animal study, there is no direct correlation to processes that occur in the human body. However, the findings support previous research suggesting that walnuts provide key nutrients that may be essential for sperm function.
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Broccoli and kale microgreens pack a nutritional punch that varies with growing conditions
American Chemical Society, February 15, 2022
Although microgreens were initially gourmet ingredients for upscale restaurants, they’ve become popular among gardeners and home cooks. Despite their “superfood” label, the levels of healthful compounds, such as phytonutrients, in most varieties of microgreens are unknown. Researchers in ACS Food Science & Technology now report that kale and broccoli microgreens grown in either windowsills or under commercial growing conditions are rich in phytonutrients, though the levels of some compounds varied considerably between the two environments.
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Sugar’s molecular link to Alzheimer’s: Study
University of Bath (UK), February 25, 2022
A "tipping point" molecular link between the blood sugar glucose and Alzheimer's disease has been established by scientists for the first time, who have shown that excess glucose damages a vital enzyme involved with inflammation response to the early stages of Alzheimer's. Abnormally high blood sugar levels, or hyperglycaemia, is well-known as a characteristic of diabetes and obesity, but its link to Alzheimer's disease is less familiar. Scientists already knew that glucose and its break-down products can damage proteins in cells via a reaction called glycation but the specific molecular link between glucose and Alzheimer's was not understood. But now scientists from the University of Bath Departments of Biology and Biochemistry, Chemistry and Pharmacy and Pharmacology, have unraveled that link.
(RFK)
Adam Nagourney’s recent effort to cancel and condemn Robert Kennedy Jr. has registered another low in the New York Times’ registry of crank tabloid journalism. Americans’ trust in our media is already at an all time low, down to 21 percent last year, and the lowest in the world. The Times’ propensity for fake reporting undoubtedly has contributed to American journalism’s steady decline. So if a journalist is clueless about the individual he is writing about, what better weapon to employ than Robert’s own family members and friends? Fortunately Nagourney’s article is just a rambling, incoherent diatribe recycling earlier Times hit pieces by Roni Rabin and Robert’s niece Dr. Kerry Kennedy Meltzer. Its message is that Robert has turned his life away from being a conscientious advocate for the environment and jumped on the conspiratorial bandwagon. However, there are glaring flaws in Nagourney’s reasoning that his apparent ignorance about the subject matter would account for. Nowhere does Nagourney mention Robert’s international bestselling book The Real Anthony Fauci, which has caused such a stir worldwide. Did the author bother to read the book? Highly doubtful. Nagourney’s writing seemingly focuses on Hollywood and LBGT issues. Evidently he is not the ideal journalist for the Times’ editorial management to assign an article that otherwise requires many years of research into our nation’s federal health system and reams of legal documents and peer-reviewed studies about vaccine efficacy and safety. Robert is publicly on record inviting anyone who wishes to debate and challenge his book’s content and the over 2,100 references supporting its claims. Would any of the Times’ journalists, who hide behind their quills, have the courage to accept his invitation? To our knowledge nobody from the mainstream media has taken up Robert’s offer. We might challenge the Times’ editorial management to unearth a single instant where Robert has stated he was not pro-vaccine. If the Times is so worried about Kennedy being on the wrong side of history and science, then why not review The Real Anthony Fauci with reliable, independent fact checkers to debunk any misstatements and untruths? The fact that the Times and the mainstream media have in unison ignored the book entirely, hoping it will fade away into obscurity, is itself gross negligence. Even Fauci and Bill Gates have failed to satisfactorily make a concerted effort to exonerate themselves from the book’s damning evidence. If the Times’ fraudulent charge is guilt by association, then yes indeed Robert has a fan base among tens of thousands of anti-vaccination parents across the nation with vaccine-damaged children. But this follows the kind of illogic that Bill Clinton, Bill Gates and Allen Dershowitz should be behind bars for their fellowship with Jeffrey Epstein. Repeatedly, Robert is very succinct about being pro-vaccine and he has reason to be very worried about the credibility of vaccine makers’ clinical trial data and the deep conflicts of interest between the drug industry and federal regulators who are too willing and eager to give their Big Pharm masters a green light to licensure. That Nagnourney would resurrect the old vaccine-autism chestnut is to be expected of any hit person assigned to target an anti-vaxxer. Yet there is very sound evidence to support Robert’s stance on the vaccine-autism debate. We may recall that it was Robert who filed the Freedom of Information request to uncover the smoking gun behind a CDC study showing that there was indeed a relationship between earlier thimerosal (mercury)-laced vaccines and neurological disorders, including autism. The evidence is clearly outlined in the transcript of a 2000 secret meeting held at the Simpsonwood retreat facility outside CDC headquarters in Atlanta. During the meeting, the study’s chief scientist, Dr. Thomas Verstraeten, stated, “This analysis suggests that in our study population, the risks of tics, ADD, language and speech delays, and developmental delays in general may be increased by exposures to mercury from thimerosal-containing vaccines during the first six months of life.” The clandestine Simpsonwood gathering decided to withhold its findings from the public and, instead, proceed with a recalculation of the same data by employing confounders, or biased criteria selection in order to confirm the CDC’s desired results. Later a House Committee on Government Reform’s three-year review of the CDC’s and FDA’s handling of the exponential rise in autism concluded that “It appears that many who participated in the thimerosal debates allowed their standards to be dictated by their desire to disprove an unpleasant theory.” Dr Roger Bernier confirmed a deep concern Robert has been sounding for years to the mainstream media’s plugged ears. During the Committee hearings, Dr. Bernier, who was then the CDC’s associate director of science, stated, “It [removing thimerosal from vaccines] could entail financial losses of inventory if current vaccine inventory is wasted. It could harm one or more manufacturers and may then decrease the number of suppliers… The evidence justifying this kind of abrupt policy change [immediate removal of mercury from all vaccines] does not appear to exist, and it could entail financial losses for all existing stocks of vaccines that contain thimerosal.” In other words, for the CDC, then as now, protecting pharmaceutical interests and money trump public health and well-being. The Real Anthony Fauci is riddled with similar examples of financial incentives driving health policies directly under Fauci’s control. Finally, the Commission recommended that “studies be conducted that pool the results of independent research that has been done thus far, and a comprehensive approach should be developed to rid humans, animals and the environment from this dangerous toxin.” Yet unsurprisingly a subsequent CDC study, after several attempts to massage the original data, was published to deny any relationship between vaccination and autism. This remains the position of the CDC, FDA and HHS despite a large body of independent research, with no conflict of interests with governmental and private industry interests, continues to mount against our policy makers’ reliance on tabloid science. Separate from Robert, cases have been adjudicated through the Justice Department to award monetary compensation to victims of vaccine-related autism and encephalitis. However, most dramatic is the whistleblower case of Dr. William Thompson, a senior CDC epidemiologist. Dr. Thompson released thousands of documents to Prof. Brian Hooker, a biologist at Simpson University, providing evidence that the CDC under Julie Gerberding’s watch, withheld and later destroyed research data proving the MMR vaccine contributed to higher autism rates in African American boys The documents also proved the CDC has known for years that the influenza vaccines, which still contain mercury, contributed to neurological tics and disorders. If we can easily find these references, certainly it is within the Times’ capability to do so also. We should lend an attentive ear to Robert’s Covid vaccine warnings because on many occasions in the past he has been on the correct side of history. Perhaps Nagourney’s conflating the safety profiles between the experimental mRNA and adenovirus vector Covid injections from traditional pre-Covid vaccines. For example, Robert was a lead attorney in the historic ruling against Monsanto and its carcinogenic glyphosate herbicide or Roundup. The latest legal update is that Monsanto has settled nearly 100,000 lawsuits and paid out $11 billion. Another 26,000 cases remain pending. Throughout his law career Robert has been involved in hundreds of legal cases to protect the environment such as New York City’s watershed; enforcement of the Clean Water Act; protecting poor minority, indigenous communities, and military personnel from corporate and federal toxic pollution; and legal victories against the oil, hydrofracking, pipeline and nuclear power industries. Last year, Robert’s Children’s Health Defense (CHD) won a US Court of Appeals case against the Federal Communications Commission for the agency’s failure to review the health and safety guidelines on 5G and other wireless technology. In 2019, 26,000 scientists submitted a petition to the UN, World Health Organization, European Union and world governments demanding a halt to a 5G rollout. There are over 10,000 peer-reviewed studies now warranting global caution about radio frequency radiation’s adverse effects to the environment and human DNA, the endocrine system and various organs. Undoubtedly the CHD case unsettled the New York Times; it may be a reason among others for the newspaper to print vindictive articles against Robert. Following the Times’ partnership with the telecom giant Verizon to launch a 5G Journalism Lab, the paper’s 5G coverage has consistently parroted the telecom industry’s talking points. The Verizon collaboration will provide the newspaper with a jump start ahead of other mainstream media to gain “early access the 5G network.” Nor should we forget that the Times’ top shareholder is Mexican billionaire and mobile phone magnate Carlos Slim, who is positioned to rake in billions from 5G’s rollout south of the border. We might ask why Robert would risk tarnishing the Kennedy legacy, which his siblings seem determined to keep pristine? Quite simply, like his father and uncle, Bobby is a rebel at heart who seeks the truth rather than to preserve a family legacy or bureaucratic ideology. As for the New York Times, on matters of critical domestic and international importance, it has repeatedly proven to be unreliable. This is the same Times, despite its enormous resources and government contacts that has gotten its stories wrong at the cost of countless lives. It got the story of Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction reprehensibly wrong, which led to one of the greatest debacles in foreign policy in this century. It got Libya, Venezuela, and Syria wrong. It was wrong about the Obama-Clinton backed coup spearheaded by Hillary sidekick Victoria Nuland. And to this day the Times has failed to hold the US’s co-responsibility for prolonging the Saudis’ genocide in Yemen. And the Gray Lady refuses to cover other nations’ success stories in their handling the pandemic, including prescribing repurposed inexpensive drugs such as ivermectin which has reduced SARS-2 infections and deaths dramatically. Had Nagourney, Rabin and Robert’s siblings and friends spent thousands of hours doing meticulous research to uncover the truth, it would be less likely they would have proceeded in advancing their shared conspiratorial delusions. In the absence of any observable scientific background, to denigrate Robert with personal biases and dogmatic assumptions is disingenuous. Certainly he has spent more time investigating the corruption endemic in our federal health system than anyone in the history of the New York Times. So at what point do the Fed’s junk science, misdemeanors, and perjury before Congress pile up to a tipping point whereby nothing coming our health agencies can be taken at their word? Robert evidently passed that threshold long before the rest of us. As we witness our federal health officials back pedaling or abandoning their own health advice, rewrite scientific analyses, rapidly fund compromised research institutes in order to debunk the next damning study about the inefficacy of masks, social distancing and the Covid vaccines’ adverse effects and mandates, we are observing a health system in dismal disarray. Improvising on a meditation by the Trappist monk Thomas Merton, who had carried on a correspondence with Robert’s mother Ethel, Times’ journalists such as Nagourney and Rabin are like people who wander the countryside painting billboards that say “The CDC Saves” or “Prepare to Meet God (Anthony Fauci).” Oddly, these biased opinion essays should not make us think about the CDC nor Fauci. Rather we should wonder what goes on in these writers’ minds. Absent any journalist integrity, we should wonder what their motives are to force THEIR CDC and Fauci upon us by way of condemning the critics of the government’s failed Covid pandemic policies. Or rather should we pity these journalists’ scorn and vitriol as simply pathetic projections of themselves?
Tea's benefits extend to old bones: Japan researchers
Osaka University (Japan), February 24th, 2015
Researchers in Japan say black tea could help treat osteoporosis, a bone condition affecting older people, but admit you need to drink an awful lot of it. Scientists say the humble brew contains an antioxidant that can prevent the loss of bone density commonly seen in old age that makes the elderly more vulnerable to fractures. Researchers found that theaflavin-3 (TF-3), the antioxidant, works by inhibiting the function of an enzyme called DNA methyltransferase, which destroys bone tissue. The research, published in the online edition of the US journal Nature Medicine on Monday, found that mice suffering from osteoporosis who were given TF-3 showed recovering levels of bone volume, similar to those of healthymice.
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High vitamin C intake may help elderly maintain immune cells
Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Gerontology February 20, 2022
Long-term high-dose vitamin C supplementation could help maintain immune functions in ageing, according to research in mice. The Japanese researchers supplemented the diet of vitamin-C deficient mice with either the recommended 20 mg/kg of vitamin C per day or a high dose of 200 mg/kg per day for a year. The results showed a high vitamin C intake could inhibit the age-related decrease in the size of the thymus and maintain thymic output, meaning stable immune cell counts as the mice aged. They said the finding could point to solutions for maintaining immune functions in elderly people. T cells counts were significantly higher in the high dose vitamin C group when compared to the lower dose. They said the change to the thymus may be due to vitamin C's promotion of the production of fibronectin, laminin and collagen.
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Vitamin D2's impact on human health questionable, but vitamin D3 could be important for fighting infections
University of Surrey (UK), February 24, 2022
New research has found significant differences between the two types of vitamin D, with vitamin D2 having a questionable impact on human health. However, the study found that vitamin D3 could balance people's immune systems and help strengthen defenses against viral infections such as COVID-19. In a collaborative study by the Universities of Surrey and Brighton, researchers investigated the impact of vitamin D supplements—D2 and D3—taken daily over a 12-week period on the activity of genesin people's blood. Contrary to widely held views, the research team discovered that both types of vitamin D did not have the same effect. They found evidence that vitamin D3 had a modifying effect on the immune system that could fortify the body against viral and bacterial diseases.
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What’s in Mushrooms That Supports Healthy Aging
Life Extension, February 23, 2022
A landmark study published in April 2021 followed the dietary patterns of 15,000 Americans for nearly 20 years. Those who consumed mushrooms in their diet had a 16% lower overall mortality risk. When one serving a day of mushrooms was ingested in place of processed or red meats, there was a 35% reduction in all-cause mortality. A trend toward even lower mortality was found in people who consumed higher amounts of mushrooms. So, what's in mushrooms that enables people to live longer? It turns out that mushrooms contain more of an amino acid called L-ergothioneine than other food sources. L-ergothioneine appears to protect DNA and reduce the shortening of telomeres. L-ergothioneine is an amino acid not produced by the human body. L-ergothioneine levels peak in early adulthood and steadily decline with age as the body loses its ability to accumulate this powerful nutrient. It is found in the highest concentration in mushrooms and other fungi. When L-ergothioneine intake in America was compared with intake in Europe, researchers found that Europeans had greater longevity possibly due to higher L-ergothioneine intake. Most tissues of the body contain L-ergothioneine. It is concentrated in higher degrees in cells at greatest risk of injury due to oxidative stress and inflammation, including blood, bone marrow, eye lens, brain, liver, and skin. L-ergothioneine transporters are also found in the placenta and mammary glands, suggesting its importance in the early development of the embryo and newborn children.
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Kim Iversen: GREAT RESET Has INFILTRATED Cabinets Around The World With Young Leaders Like Trudeau (
Meta-analysis affirms benefit for ginseng in type 2 diabetics
Zheijian University (China)
The issue of the journal Medicine published the results of a meta-analysis conducted by researchers at China's Zhejiang University which add evidence to a beneficial effect for ginseng in men and women with impaired glucose tolerance or type 2 diabetes. For their research, Yun-mei Yang and colleagues selected eight trials that included 195 participants treated with ginseng and an equal number of control subjects. The analysis revealed improvements in fasting glucose, post-meal insulin levels and insulin resistance, as well as a reduction in triglycerides, and total and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol among ginseng-treated subjects. Our results demonstrate for the first time, an improved lipid profile (triglycerides, total cholesterol, and LDL) associated with ginseng-related therapy in patients with type 2diabetes mellitus or impaired glucose tolerance. Moreover, ginseng-related therapy was more effective in terms of hemoglobin A1c and fasting glucose levels, in drug naïve participants than those taking antidiabetic medications, probably due to the masking of the effect of ginseng by antidiabetic medications."
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Want to Lose Weight? Chew Your Food Longer
Waseda University (Japan)
A recent study published in Scientific Reports links chewing with increased energy expenditure and possible obesity prevention. The results out of Waseda University in Japan showed that tasting and chewing food for 30 seconds boosted heat generation after eating. This practice may help you on your weight loss journey. "Increased diet-induced thermogenesis induced by chewing and taste stimuli may help to prevent overweight and obesity," the authors stated. The study found significant energy changes after meals by testing a time of 30 seconds for tasting and chewing. At a rate of one chew per second, the study matched up with the widely-touted guideline of 32 chews per bite. In addition to helping limit your calorie intake, chewing helps start the digestive process, setting your stomach up for soothing success as your meal makes its way through your system. This recent study—admittedly a small one—shows that the act of tasting and active chewing significantly increased thermogenesis, regardless of the consistency of the food itself. It also found tasting and chewing increased the movement of food through the upper GI tract. Slow eating brings mindfulness into your meals, giving your brain time to realize you're full. The result? You eat less, which is key to any weight loss program.
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Children with higher exposure to air pollution and lower exposure to green space have 62% increased risk of ADHD
Barcelona Institute for Global Health
Children living in areas with higher air pollution due to PM2.5 particles and very low levels of green space might have up to 62% increased risk of developing ADHD. On the contrary, children living in greener and less polluted areas have a 50% lower risk of developing the disorder. These are the conclusions of a paper published in Environment International with data from 37,000 children from Vancouver (Canada). The green space analysis revealed that participants living in areas with a greater percentage of vegetation had a lower risk of ADHD. More specifically, the results show that a 12% increase in vegetation percentage was associated with a 10% reduction in the risk of ADHD. Regarding air pollution, the opposite association was observed with PM2.5: participants with a higher exposure to fine particles had higher risk of ADHD (every 2.1 µg increase in the levels of PM2.5 translated into an 11% increase in the risk of ADHD).
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Melatonin supplementation associated with improved heart failure outcomes
Isfahan University of Medical Sciences (Iran), February 23 2022.
A trial reported in Clinical Cardiology found improvements in N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-Pro BNP, a prohormone released by the heart that, when elevated, may be an indicator of heart failure) among heart failure patients who received supplements that contained melatonin. The trial also uncovered better quality of life and composite clinical outcomes in association with melatonin supplementation.
Resveratrol may be an effective intervention for lung aging
The Saban Research Institute (Los Angeles), February 22, 2022
In a study by The Saban Research Institute of Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, researchers demonstrate, for the first time that inhaled resveratrol treatments slow aging-related degenerative changes in mouse lung. Lung aging, characterized by airspace enlargement and decreasing lung function, is a significant risk factor for chronic human lung diseases. The study is published online in the journal Thorax. Resveratrol (RSL), a chemical found in red wine, is an antimicrobial chemical substance produced by plants to protect against infection and stress-related changes. RSL prophylaxis by inhalation was a novel measure taken by the research team as a potential approach for slowing age-related deterioration of lung function and structure by preserving alveolar epithelial type 2cells (AEC2) which line alveoli (the tiny air sacs in the lungs through which the exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide takes place) and produce surfactant which is vital for efficient breathing.
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Plant product shows promise in mouse model of Parkinson’s Disease
University of California, Davis, February 22, 2022
A natural product from the dried root of a pea-family plant, potentially combined with an enzyme inhibitor discovered in the laboratory at the University of California, Davis, may provide hope in alleviating neuroinflammation in Parkinson’s disease. The team found that a soluble epoxide hydrolase (sEH) inhibitor combined with kurarinone, a compound from the dried root of Sophora flavescens, reduced neuroinflammation in an animal model with Parkinson’s disease. The dried root, also known as kushen, has been used for hundreds of years in traditional Chinese medicines.
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Tai Chi may reduce stroke risk
Chinese University of Hong Kong, February 22, 2022
Weekly Tai Chi exercise sessions may reduce stroke risk by lowering high blood pressure and increasing the good cholesterol, or high-density lipoprotein (HDL), according to research presented at the American Stroke Association’s International Stroke Conference. Researchers studied how Tai Chi compared to brisk walking for reducing stroke risk in 246 adults with known stroke risk factors, including high blood pressure. Participants were randomly assigned to a group that participated in two 60-minute Tai Chi sessions each week; a walking group that walked briskly for 30 minutes every day; or a control group, which was told to maintain the activities they were doing before the study. At three months into the assigned activities, researchers found: The Tai Chi group had notably greater reductions of 10.25 mm Hg in systolic (upper number) and 6.5 mm Hg in diastolic (lower number) blood pressure measurements than those in the control group.
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Postmenopausal women who increased intake of collagen peptides demonstrated improved bone mineral density, study finds
Kapodistrian University (Greece)
A randomized trial reported in the Journal of Clinical Densitometry found that the addition of collagen peptides to a standard bone-supporting regimen of calcium and vitamin D3 was associated with greater improvements in measures of bone health compared to calcium and vitamin D3 alone.1 Collagen is important for bone health because it enables bones to absorb energy and have some flexibility – such that they don’t instantly fracture when they are highly stressed. “It is known that the mechanical integrity of the collagen network in human bone deteriorates with age, and such adverse changes correlate with the decreased toughness of the aged bone,” authors Kalliopi Lampropoulou-Adamidou of National and Kapodistrian University of Athens and colleagues wrote. The study included 45 postmenopausal women with osteopenia,. All participants received 500 mg of calcium and 10 mcg of vitamin D3 (400 IU) daily for one year and 23 women also received 5 grams per day of collagen peptides, the building blocks of collagen. After one year of treatment, women who received collagen peptides plus vitamin D and calcium experienced significant improvements in parameters related to bone mineral content and bone density in the trabecular portion of their tibia while the group receiving only vitamin D and calcium did not. Bone mineral density and mineral content also improved in the cortical bone (outer more solid portion) of the tibia among collagen peptide-intake participants compared to the calcium/vitamin D group. The group that received the collagen peptides also had greater bone density of their lower spine and changes suggestive of slight improvements in markers of bone turnover.
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Wokeism Is a Cruel and Dangerous Cult
Wokeism’s natural logic is to destroy the lives of people of both genders, of all races, and—if need be—of those of every age, all to leverage an otherwise unworkable ideological agenda.
Victor Davis Hanson (Stanford University)
January 23, 2022
Wokeism has been described by its critics as the omnipresent use of race—and to a lesser extent, gender—to replace meritocracy and thus ensure equality of result. What follows from implementing that ideology are reparatory actions to reward those of the present by atoning for the injustices done to others in the past. Some see it as an update of 1960s cultural Marxism fads. Others scoff that it is just a return to 1980s-style political correctness. Still more see it as the logical successor to 1990s-type race, class, and gender obsessions—albeit with a shriller and more dangerous Jacobin, Soviet, and Maoist twist. Wokeism’s hysteria also invites comparisons to the Salem witch trials and McCarthyism. But few have described wokeism as the cruel creed that it is. Wokeism’s natural logic is to destroy the lives of people of both genders, of all races, and—if need be—those of every age, all to leverage an otherwise unworkable ideological agenda. It is nihilist and destroys everything it touches. It tears apart foes and friends alike, whether by fueling media-driven hatred of Donald Trump or faux-deification of the disaster that is now Joe Biden. Woke’s Victims Defunding law enforcement and defaming police resulted in record numbers of murders in 12 U.S. cities. A wave of violent crime is even hitting America’s suburbs. Without much fear of arrest, indictment, conviction, and incarceration, emboldened violent career criminals for the past year have robbed, assaulted, and killed the innocent with impunity. The victims at the bus stop, the subway, or in the furniture store do not seem to warrant media or progressive attention, much less sympathy. They are the ignored—the unnamed, and the forgotten collateral damage from the grand experiment of redefining crime as a social construct. The guilty are the elite academics, activists, and billionaires like George Soros who are untouched by what they birthed. We have all seen videos of the vast expanse of flotsam and jetsam strewn by train thieves along the Union Pacific tracks in Los Angeles. Yet the Wild West mess is still more than just the concrete manifestations of Los Angeles County district attorney George Gascón’s unhinged efforts to excuse criminals from legal consequences. The packages thrown along the ground by thugs and gangsters represent, among other things, lost COVID-19 test results of the ill. Presumably, they unknowingly are waiting still by the window for the delivery of results that never arrive. The package in the dirt was, perhaps, a key tractor part eagerly awaited, in vain, by the broke farmer in the Central Valley. The mess included the life-saving medicines shipped to the sick that disappeared. And our elected leaders did what in response? Governor Gavin Newsom apologized for using the insensitive word “gangs” to describe those who plunder, loot, and trash railcars. Always In Search of Targets It is a cruel thing to indoctrinate children with the lie that they are innately guilty of oppression due to their skin color. One accurate definition of racism is collective ill-treatment of an individual due to his innate appearance—on the pretext that such bias is deserved, given the target is deemed mentally, spiritually, or morally inferior because of said traits. But that, in a nutshell, is the essence of critical race theory: the destruction of all human traits and unique characteristics, as demonized individuals are reduced to stereotyped, faceless members of a collective. The Forgotten Broken Eggs of the Woke Omelet Equity in our Orwellian world is not equality, but payback. Again, it is the idea of making the current generation pay for the supposed sins of the long dead of centuries past. Aside from the destruction of merit by the substitution of racial criteria, millions from a discarded generation will have doors slammed on their careers—simply because of the color of their skin. And they will never forget that. The woke do not even make the effort to admit that class matters as much as, or more than, race. By doing so, they doom millions of poor white and Asian students, who managed in poverty to achieve excellent grades and test scores, from being admitted to top-tier schools. Their actual achievement, despite their absence of wealthy, college-educated, or well-connected parents, means little. Once a morally bankrupt society—for naïve, utopian, or ignoble reasons—begins to calibrate graduation ceremonies, dorm space, roommate selection, achievement, and grading standards based on race, then it not only will lose its standard of living, but it will deserve to. And it may have a future date with the violence of Rwanda, Iraq, or the Balkans. Power, Not “Equity,” Is the Creed In sum, wokeness is not about kindness, equality, fairness, or morality. It is the power agenda of the elite of all races. For differing reasons, they rig the game in their own interests, without a care about who suffers. Rich white people assume that they possess the money, the influence, the networking skills, and the connections to navigate around the very exclusionary rules they make for others. For them, there are seldom costs. But they win apparent psychological gain at feeling spiritually superior while driving a Range Rover. They get high on the sense of power they wield to engineer the lives of millions deemed less important than they. And to the degree they feel guilty about their own monopoly of wealth and leisure, such transient superficial remorse is alleviated by abstract caring for the “other.” If they can ensure that 50 percent of TV commercials highlight African Americans, then they worry little about the nation’s existential crisis of 800 blacks murdered in Chicago last year. And no such television execs have a clue—or likely a concern—about how to stop it. The woke take out a medieval contract that all their material indulgences can be balanced by virtue-signaling caring for the less fortunate—although always at someone else’s expense. Woke = Wealthy Careerists And for the millions of the affluent, elite nonwhite? The resurgence of racial obsessions conveniently destroys the old idea of class, even though now it is the far more precise calibration of inequality. For all the woke talk about “constructs” of gender, race is somehow alone exempted and declared innate, definable, and immutable. One’s appearance becomes the permanent victimized refuge—even of NBA multibillionaires and billionaire rappers alike. A Ward Churchill or Elizabeth Warren can desperately seek to leverage a career in becoming Native American, apparently as if they were almost trapped in their own white bodies. Yet they can still not manage to construct such assumed identities in the manner of Bruce/Caitlyn Jenner. If race is now the sole immutable barometer of who is a victim, who a victimizer, then LeBron James, Jay-Z, Kayne West, Chris Rock, Michelle Obama, and Oprah Winfrey are always to be among the eternally oppressed. The enormous influence, power, status, and wealth they wield never negates their victimhood, despite a nation three generations into affirmative action. In the immoral calculus of woke, the poor white or Southeast Asian offspring of poorly paid high-school dropouts constitute “the privileged.” And a multimillionaire racist like the TV anchorwoman Joy Reid claims to be the perpetual victim, not the inner-city African American retiree who in 2021 has lost local police protection. No wonder the woke elite and the affluent leftists fixate on race, given they are now the ruling class. Otherwise, their own privilege would be the obvious target of the once-beloved “Revolution.” So, they fear that by their own prior left-wing standards, they too could end up on the wrong side of their moral Maginot Line. Wokeism’s obsessions with ferreting out “white privilege” are a way for rich people to head off (so to speak) the fate of Marie Antoinette. Totalitarian Wokeism A final note. We know wokeism is both contrary to human nature and antithetical to democracy and constitutional government. Without public support, it has instead embraced an entire array of cruel, Soviet, and Maoist means to achieve its own self-interested ends. Woke talk about “racists” eerily emulates Soviet boilerplate about “counterrevolutionaries.” Today’s wokeist spouts things that could come right out of the mouth of the novelist Boris Pasternak’s character Army Commissar Strelnikov, or Mao’s Little Red Book concerning “suppression of counterrevolutionaries.” No wonder the woke, so-called “humanists” are the first to resort to Trotskyization and iconoclasm. They are masters of censoring, blacklisting, scapegoating, deplatforming, ritual humiliation, doxxing, cancel-culture, ostracism, and disbarring. Wokeism’s logic is the eternal one of the bully Jacobin with his guillotine lists of the revolutionary unpure, the 19th-century lynch mob storming the frontier jail, the Red Guards hounding the counterrevolutionary, and the forced mental hospitalizations of the Soviet Union. But above all, wokeism is a cruel cult—created by and for the careerist benefit of the privileged.
Depression linked to reduced arginine levels
University of Eastern Finland, February 20, 2022
People suffering from major depressive disorder, MDD, have reduced arginine levels, a new study from the University of Eastern Finland shows. Arginine is an amino acid which the body uses to produce, e.g., nitric oxide. Nitric oxide, in turn, is a nervous system and immune defence mediator, and it also plays a role in vascular regulation. The global arginine bioavailability ratio, GABR, is an indicator of the body’s arginine levels, and the ratio has previously been used to measure the body’s capacity to produce nitric oxide. Reduced arginine bioavailability is also known to be an independent risk factor of cardiovascular diseases.
(NEXT)
Vitamin D supplementation associated with improvement in mood, desire in women
Medical University of Silesia (Poland), February 19 2022
A study reported in Endokrynologia Polska resulted in improvement in female sexual desire, orgasm and satisfaction, as well as mood, after supplementation with vitamin D. Based on researchers Robert Krysiak and colleagues’ previous finding of an association between deficient vitamin D levels and abnormal female sexual function, a trial that examined the effects of six months of oral vitamin D supplementation was conducted among 47 women with deficient or insufficient plasma vitamin D levels. Women with vitamin D deficiency, defined as plasma 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels that were lower than 2 nanograms per milliliter (ng/mL), were given 4,000 international units (IU) vitamin D per day, and participants with insufficient levels of 20-30 ng/mL were given 2,000 IU daily or no vitamin D. Questionnaires that evaluated female sexual function and depressive symptoms were completed before and after the treatment period. Supplementation with vitamin D was associated with improved sexual desire in both deficient and insufficient women. Among participants with vitamin D deficiency, vitamin D improved total sexual function scores and scores for sexual satisfaction and orgasm, while decreasing total depression scores.
(NEXT)
Midwifery linked to better birth outcomes in state-by-state report cards
Oregon State University, February 22, 2022
Midwife-friendly laws and regulations tend to coincide with lower rates of premature births, cesarean deliveries and newborn deaths, according to a new U.S.-wide “report card” that ranks all 50 states on the quality of their maternity care. The first-of-its-kind study found a strong connection between the role of midwives in the health care system – what the researchers call “midwifery integration” – and birth outcomes. States with high midwifery integration, like Washington and Oregon, generally had better results, while states with the least integration, primarily in the Midwest and South, tended to do worse. The findings were published in the journal PLOS ONE. About 10 percent of U.S. births involve midwives, far behind other industrialized countries, where midwives participate in half or more of all deliveries. Each state has its own laws and regulations on midwives’ credentialing, their ability to provide services at a client’s home or at birth centers, their authority to prescribe medication and the degree to which they are reimbursed by Medicaid.
(NEXT)
Microbiome changes could underlie nicotinamide riboside’s ability to protect against weight gain
Medical College of Wisconsin, February 21 2022.
The January/February 2022 issue of the journal mSystems reported how the vitamin B3 derivative nicotinamide riboside (NR) impacts the gut microbiome and protects against weight gain. NR is a precursor of NAD+, a coenzyme found in all cells that aids in the production of energy. “Gut bacteria produce vitamin B3 in the colon and are capable of salvaging and metabolizing vitamin B3 and its derivatives,” wrote Valery V. Lozada-Fernández of the Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee and colleagues. “However, it is unknown how dietary supplementation of NR alters the microbiome and if those alterations contribute to deflection of weight gain.” Mice were given diets that were high in fat with or without the addition of NR. NR supplementation resulted in less body mass gain, lower fasting glucose levels and differences in gut microbes, including a greater number of bacteria that produce butyrate.
(NEXT)
How sound waves could help regrow bones
RMIT University (Netherlands), February 22,2022
Researchers have used sound waves to turn stem cells into bone cells, in a tissue engineering advance that could one day help patients regrow bone lost to cancer or degenerative disease. The innovative stem cell treatment from researchers at RMIT University offers a smart way forward for overcoming some of the field’s biggest challenges, through the precision power of high-frequency soundwaves. Tissue engineering is an emerging field that aims to rebuild bone and muscle by harnessing the human body’s natural ability to heal itself. Additionally, the few clinical trials attempting to regrow bone have largely used stem cells extracted from a patient’s bone marrow—a highly painful procedure. In a new study published in the journal Small, the RMIT research team showed stem cells treated with high-frequency sound waves turned into bone cells quickly and efficiently.
(Videos)
- Justin Trudeau’s China dictatorship gaffe (1:30) (start at :25)
- Edward Dowd Clip (5:50)
- Banishment From The Financial System The War On Dissent (11:51)
- “OH MY GOD! Six Fatal Mistakes in Two Weeks”Jordan Peterson
- Communism Has Arrived 6. Jonathan Haidt & Yuval Noah Harari: Adapting to Change in an Accelerating World (15:00 to 30:00)
(OTHER NEWS)
Wokeism Is a Cruel and Dangerous Cult
Wokeism’s natural logic is to destroy the lives of people of both genders, of all races, and—if need be—of those of every age, all to leverage an otherwise unworkable ideological agenda.
Victor Davis Hanson (Stanford University)
Wokeism has been described by its critics as the omnipresent use of race—and to a lesser extent, gender—to replace meritocracy and thus ensure equality of result. What follows from implementing that ideology are reparatory actions to reward those of the present by atoning for the injustices done to others in the past. Some see it as an update of 1960s cultural Marxism fads. Others scoff that it is just a return to 1980s-style political correctness. Still more see it as the logical successor to 1990s-type race, class, and gender obsessions—albeit with a shriller and more dangerous Jacobin, Soviet, and Maoist twist. Wokeism’s hysteria also invites comparisons to the Salem witch trials and McCarthyism. But few have described wokeism as the cruel creed that it is. Wokeism’s natural logic is to destroy the lives of people of both genders, of all races, and—if need be—those of every age, all to leverage an otherwise unworkable ideological agenda. It is nihilist and destroys everything it touches. It tears apart foes and friends alike, whether by fueling media-driven hatred of Donald Trump or faux-deification of the disaster that is now Joe Biden. Woke’s Victims Defunding law enforcement and defaming police resulted in record numbers of murders in 12 U.S. cities. A wave of violent crime is even hitting America’s suburbs. Without much fear of arrest, indictment, conviction, and incarceration, emboldened violent career criminals for the past year have robbed, assaulted, and killed the innocent with impunity. The victims at the bus stop, the subway, or in the furniture store do not seem to warrant media or progressive attention, much less sympathy. They are the ignored—the unnamed, and the forgotten collateral damage from the grand experiment of redefining crime as a social construct. The guilty are the elite academics, activists, and billionaires like George Soros who are untouched by what they birthed. We have all seen videos of the vast expanse of flotsam and jetsam strewn by train thieves along the Union Pacific tracks in Los Angeles. Yet the Wild West mess is still more than just the concrete manifestations of Los Angeles County district attorney George Gascón’s unhinged efforts to excuse criminals from legal consequences. The packages thrown along the ground by thugs and gangsters represent, among other things, lost COVID-19 test results of the ill. Presumably, they unknowingly are waiting still by the window for the delivery of results that never arrive. The package in the dirt was, perhaps, a key tractor part eagerly awaited, in vain, by the broke farmer in the Central Valley. The mess included the life-saving medicines shipped to the sick that disappeared. And our elected leaders did what in response? Governor Gavin Newsom apologized for using the insensitive word “gangs” to describe those who plunder, loot, and trash railcars. Always In Search of Targets It is a cruel thing to indoctrinate children with the lie that they are innately guilty of oppression due to their skin color. One accurate definition of racism is collective ill-treatment of an individual due to his innate appearance—on the pretext that such bias is deserved, given the target is deemed mentally, spiritually, or morally inferior because of said traits. But that, in a nutshell, is the essence of critical race theory: the destruction of all human traits and unique characteristics, as demonized individuals are reduced to stereotyped, faceless members of a collective. The Forgotten Broken Eggs of the Woke Omelet Equity in our Orwellian world is not equality, but payback. Again, it is the idea of making the current generation pay for the supposed sins of the long dead of centuries past. Aside from the destruction of merit by the substitution of racial criteria, millions from a discarded generation will have doors slammed on their careers—simply because of the color of their skin. And they will never forget that. The woke do not even make the effort to admit that class matters as much as, or more than, race. By doing so, they doom millions of poor white and Asian students, who managed in poverty to achieve excellent grades and test scores, from being admitted to top-tier schools. Their actual achievement, despite their absence of wealthy, college-educated, or well-connected parents, means little. Once a morally bankrupt society—for naïve, utopian, or ignoble reasons—begins to calibrate graduation ceremonies, dorm space, roommate selection, achievement, and grading standards based on race, then it not only will lose its standard of living, but it will deserve to. And it may have a future date with the violence of Rwanda, Iraq, or the Balkans. Power, Not “Equity,” Is the Creed In sum, wokeness is not about kindness, equality, fairness, or morality. It is the power agenda of the elite of all races. For differing reasons, they rig the game in their own interests, without a care about who suffers. Rich white people assume that they possess the money, the influence, the networking skills, and the connections to navigate around the very exclusionary rules they make for others. For them, there are seldom costs. But they win apparent psychological gain at feeling spiritually superior while driving a Range Rover. They get high on the sense of power they wield to engineer the lives of millions deemed less important than they. And to the degree they feel guilty about their own monopoly of wealth and leisure, such transient superficial remorse is alleviated by abstract caring for the “other.” If they can ensure that 50 percent of TV commercials highlight African Americans, then they worry little about the nation’s existential crisis of 800 blacks murdered in Chicago last year. And no such television execs have a clue—or likely a concern—about how to stop it. The woke take out a medieval contract that all their material indulgences can be balanced by virtue-signaling caring for the less fortunate—although always at someone else’s expense. Woke = Wealthy Careerists And for the millions of the affluent, elite nonwhite? The resurgence of racial obsessions conveniently destroys the old idea of class, even though now it is the far more precise calibration of inequality. For all the woke talk about “constructs” of gender, race is somehow alone exempted and declared innate, definable, and immutable. One’s appearance becomes the permanent victimized refuge—even of NBA multibillionaires and billionaire rappers alike. A Ward Churchill or Elizabeth Warren can desperately seek to leverage a career in becoming Native American, apparently as if they were almost trapped in their own white bodies. Yet they can still not manage to construct such assumed identities in the manner of Bruce/Caitlyn Jenner. If race is now the sole immutable barometer of who is a victim, who a victimizer, then LeBron James, Jay-Z, Kayne West, Chris Rock, Michelle Obama, and Oprah Winfrey are always to be among the eternally oppressed. The enormous influence, power, status, and wealth they wield never negates their victimhood, despite a nation three generations into affirmative action. In the immoral calculus of woke, the poor white or Southeast Asian offspring of poorly paid high-school dropouts constitute “the privileged.” And a multimillionaire racist like the TV anchorwoman Joy Reid claims to be the perpetual victim, not the inner-city African American retiree who in 2021 has lost local police protection. No wonder the woke elite and the affluent leftists fixate on race, given they are now the ruling class. Otherwise, their own privilege would be the obvious target of the once-beloved “Revolution.” So, they fear that by their own prior left-wing standards, they too could end up on the wrong side of their moral Maginot Line. Wokeism’s obsessions with ferreting out “white privilege” are a way for rich people to head off (so to speak) the fate of Marie Antoinette. Totalitarian Wokeism A final note. We know wokeism is both contrary to human nature and antithetical to democracy and constitutional government. Without public support, it has instead embraced an entire array of cruel, Soviet, and Maoist means to achieve its own self-interested ends. Woke talk about “racists” eerily emulates Soviet boilerplate about “counterrevolutionaries.” Today’s wokeist spouts things that could come right out of the mouth of the novelist Boris Pasternak’s character Army Commissar Strelnikov, or Mao’s Little Red Book concerning “suppression of counterrevolutionaries.” No wonder the woke, so-called “humanists” are the first to resort to Trotskyization and iconoclasm. They are masters of censoring, blacklisting, scapegoating, deplatforming, ritual humiliation, doxxing, cancel-culture, ostracism, and disbarring. Wokeism’s logic is the eternal one of the bully Jacobin with his guillotine lists of the revolutionary unpure, the 19th-century lynch mob storming the frontier jail, the Red Guards hounding the counterrevolutionary, and the forced mental hospitalizations of the Soviet Union. But above all, wokeism is a cruel cult—created by and for the careerist benefit of the privileged.
Could a black raspberry extract help manage blood pressure?
Korea University
Supplements containing a dried powder extract from black raspberry (Rubus occidentalis) may improve blood pressure and help support cardiovascular health, says a new study. Eight weeks of supplementation with a high-dose of the extract were associated with significant reductions in 24-hour systolic blood pressure in pre-hypertensive people of about 3.3 mmHg, report scientists from the Korea University Anam Hospital and the Gochang Black Raspberry Research Institute in Korea. Data published in Nutrition also indicated that the high-dose supplement decreased night-time systolic blood pressure by an average of 5.4 mmHg over eight weeks, compared to placebo.
(NEXT)
Tahini Shown to Promote Heart Health Significantly
Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences (Iran), February 20th, 2022
You may not have ever knowingly eaten tahini, but if you’ve had authentic hummus, you’ve eaten it nonetheless. Raw and unprocessed tahini, without any additional oils or additives, could be a superior food-medicine for preventing heart disease and the risk factors associated with it. A recent study from the Archives of Iranian Medicine reveals tahini as a possible substitution for risky drugs like statins, drugs prescribed for heart health and known to come with potentially dangerous side effects.
(NEXT)
Air pollution found to reduce sperm motility
Tongji University and Jiao Tong University School of Medicine (China)
A small team of researchers affiliated with several institutions in and around Shanghai, China, has found evidence that men who live in heavily polluted areas may experience poor sperm motility. In their paper published in JAMA Network Open, the group describes studying the medical records of thousands of men living in China. Prior research has shown that sperm counts for men living in North America, Australia and Europe have been declining since the 1970s. Scientists do not know why this is happening, but theorize it is likely tied to air pollution. Several studies have been conducted in recent years attempting to better understand the connection between sperm health and air pollution involving particulate matter. Unfortunately, such studies have delivered mixed results. In this new effort, the researchers in China sought to find connections by studying the health records of 33,876 male patients at fertility clinics in 130 cities in China.
(NEXT)
Kids Who Consume Energy Drinks Are 66 Percent More Likely To Be Hyperactive and Inattentive
Yale University, February 19, 2022
Middle-school children who consume heavily sweetened energy drinks are 66% more likely to be at risk for hyperactivity and inattention symptoms, a new study led by the Yale School of Public Healthhas found. An alarming increase in the consumption of sports and energy drinks, especially among adolescents, has been found to cause irreversible damage to teeth and erode tooth enamel. Two research papers, each published separately, suggest that concerns over levels of caffeine and sugar in energy drinks, and their effects on young people who drink them, are mounting. Athletes who consume too many energy drinks are also known to suffer from dehydration, tremors, heat stroke and heart attacks. Now the focus is on behavior.
(NEXT)
Glucosamine plus chondroitin may reduce joint space narrowing
University of Sydney
Two years of daily supplementation with a combination of glucosamine and a low molecular weight chondroitin sulfate may significantly reduce joint space narrowing in the knee, says a new study from the University of Sydney, Australia. Results of the randomized, double blind and placebo-controlled Long-Term Evaluation of Glucosamine Sulfate (LEGS) study indicated that daily doses of 1500 mg of glucosamine sulfate (Sanofi-Aventis) and 800 mg of chondroitin sulfate (PureFlex, TSI) resulted in a statistically significant decrease of 0.1mm in joint space narrowing, compared with placebo.
(Videos)
- The Trudeau Regime Will DESTROY the Lives of Protestors…Whether They Leave or Not (1:31)
- Dad Talks to School Board about CRT (2:20)
- Dem SuperPAC Behind Rogan Smear Campaign (26:59)
- Former Blackrock Portfolio Manager Exposes Pfizer Fraud (14:38)
(OTHER NEWS)
The Naked Face of New Normal Fascism
CJ Hopkins, Off-Guardian, February 20, 2022
I told you this part wasn’t going to be pretty. The collapse of fascist ideological movements and fanatical death cults never is. The New Normal is proving to be no exception. After three weeks of non-violent civil disobedience outside the Canadian parliament in Ottawa by truckers and other Canadian citizens struggling to uphold their right to not be subjected to forced “vaccination,” Justin Trudeau unleashed the goon squads. Thousands of militarized riot police (and other unidentified heavily-armed operatives) swarmed the area, surrounded the protesters, started breaking into trucks and arresting people, and beating them with batons and the butts of their rifles. In one particularly ugly episode, the New Normal stormtroopers rode their horses directly into a crowd of non-violent protesters, trampling an elderly lady with a walker. She had just finished saying something to the police along the lines of “you break my heart … this is about peace, and love, and happiness.” Then they knocked her down and rode their horses over her. Despite an abundance of video evidence clearly depicting exactly what happened, the Ottawa Police tried to spin it this way … The big red arrow (courtesy of The Marie Oakes) points to the lady’s walker, or the alleged “horse-assaulting bicycle.” Presumably, the face of the gentlemen above her also caused the horse “to trip,” or was in the process of causing the horse “to trip,” at the moment that this photo was taken. And that wasn’t all. Oh no, far from it. The “show of force” was just getting started. After all, this was not a “mostly peaceful” outbreak of rioting, looting, and arson. This was non-violent civil disobedience, with children’s bouncy castles, makeshift saunas, honking, dancing, illegal barbecuing, and other forms of “terrorist” activity, which had to be crushed with an iron fist. On Saturday, the goon squads broke out the stun grenades, the pepper spray, and the big wooden sticks. By Sunday morning, they were shooting people with “non-lethal, mid-range impact weapons.” Tow truck operators in horror-movie ski masks were brought in to haul away the big rigs. Before he turned the goon squads loose on Friday, Trudeau invoked the Emergencies Act, suspending the Canadian constitution, which he had already suspended back in 2020 due to the “apocalyptic pandemic,” which is why the protesters were protesting in the first place. Parliament was scheduled to debate his authority to declare another “state of emergency,” but, of course, the debate was abruptly suspended due to the massive “police operation” that his invocation of the Act had enabled. Acting under the Emergencies Act, he immediately cancelled the right of assembly, outlawed the protests, and started threatening to kill people’s dogs and take away their kids. Then he and his fascist New Normal lieutenants started freezing the bank accounts of anyone and everyone even vaguely connected to the trucker protest. According to a Bloomberg report: “The emergency orders require virtually every participant in the Canadian financial system — banks, investment firms, credit unions, loan companies, securities dealers, fundraising platforms and payment and clearing services — to determine whether they possess or control property of a person who’s attending an illegal protest or providing supplies to demonstrators.” And, as if all that wasn’t fascist enough, Ottawa’s police chief has made it clear that, once the “crackdown” is finally over, they will hunt down anyone involved in the protests, arrest them and charge them with “criminal offenses,” subject them to “financial sanctions,” and otherwise destroy their lives and families. The crackdown in Ottawa is hardly an aberration. As my readers might recall, New Normal Germany outlawed protesting against the New Normal (i.e., the new official ideology) back in September of 2020, and the German police have been absolutely brutal. Anyone deemed a “Covid denier” is subject to surveillance by Germany’s Intelligence services. The US Department of Homeland Security designates us “domestic violent extremists.” Same story in Australia, France, Belgium, The Netherlands, and assorted other countries. I have been describing the New Normal as a new form of totalitarianism (or fascism, if you prefer) for the past two years, and I have been documenting it from the very beginning (see, e.g., these Twitter threads from March 2020 and April 2020, which the OffGuardian editors have preserved for posterity). It has been there all along, right out in the open, but rendered invisible by the official Covid narrative. The official narrative is rapidly dissolving, rendering the fascism of the New Normal visible. This is happening now because those of us who have seen it from the beginning — and have been resisting it all along — have held out long enough to run out the clock. GloboCap can’t keep the narrative going, so all they have left is brute fascist force. We need to make GloboCap deploy that force, and to shine a big, bright spotlight on it, as the truckers and protesters in Ottawa have just done. In case anyone is confused about the tactic, it’s called classic non-violent civil disobedience. I described it in a recent column: “In other words, we need to make GloboCap (and its minions) go openly totalitarian … because it can’t. If it could, it would have done so already. Global capitalism cannot function that way. Going openly totalitarian will cause it to implode … no, not global capitalism itself, but this totalitarian version of it. In fact, this is starting to happen already. It needs the simulation of ‘reality,’ and ‘democracy,’ and ‘normality,’ to keep the masses docile. So we need to attack that simulation. We need to hammer on it until it cracks, and the monster hiding within in appears. That is the weakness of the system … New Normal totalitarianism will not work if the masses perceive it as totalitarianism, as a political/ideological program, rather than as a response to a deadly pandemic.” The official narrative is dead, or dying. The Covidian Cult is coming apart. No one but the most fanatical New Normals believes there is any real justification for imposing mandatory “vaccination,” “quarantine camps,” segregation of “the Unvaccinated,” or any of the other “Covid restrictions.” “The virus” is no longer an excuse for mindlessly following ridiculous orders and persecuting those of us who refuse. Apocalyptic Pandemic Theater is over. It is a purely political fight from now on. Ottawa is not the end. It is just the beginning. Protests and other forms of civil disobedience are growing all around the world … yes, even here in New Normal Germany. That does not mean it is time to relax. On the contrary, it is time to step up the pressure. It is time to make the monster show itself, in all its naked fascist ugliness, and to force everyone to pick a side. There are only two sides … fascism or freedom.
Mortality lower during five-year period among adults who supplemented with calcium plus vitamin D
Thirumalai Mission Hospital (India), February 16 2022.
A study published in the Indian Journal of Endocrinology and Metabolism found a decrease in fractures and mortality during a 5-year average follow-up period among individuals who regularly supplemented with calcium and vitamin D. The study involved participants in a community-based osteoporosis detection program that included women aged 50 and older who had been postmenopausal for five years and men over the age of 55. Osteoporosis and osteopenia were detected among 2,882 participants, who were subsequently advised to consume 500 mg calcium and 250 IU of vitamin D3 per day. These participants were additionally offered annual injections of 600,000 IU vitamin D3. The current analysis was limited to 2,113 participants among this group who were not treated with prescription drug therapy for severe osteoporosis and who were followed for at least two years. Among those who supplemented regularly, the risks of experiencing a fracture or death were respectively 73% and 47% lower during the 5-year average follow-up compared to those who failed to adhere to the regimen.
(NEXT)
Black walnuts found to suppress appetite and oxidative degradation of lipids
University of Georgia, February 3, 2022
Researchers have found that adding black walnuts (Juglans nigra) to your breakfast not only helps you feel fuller, but also protects your cells from oxidative damage. In their report, which was published in the journal Nutrition Research, the team explored the benefits of using black walnuts as a butter substitute. In their report, the team noted that most studies on the health benefits of walnuts use English walnuts, which have a different nutritional profile than black walnuts. While walnuts are nutrient-dense, they argued that black walnuts have more protein than the more popular English walnuts. Black walnuts, they proposed, can improve satiety and even regulate postprandial increases in lipid peroxidation better than English walnuts. A total of 30 healthy adults participated in the randomized, double-blind control crossover study. At each testing visit, the participants were asked to eat a breakfast meal that had either butter (which served as the control) or a butter substitute (black walnut or English walnut). After three testing visits, the team noted that participants who ate black walnuts reported feeling fuller than those who had English walnut and butter. In addition, they had greater suppression of lipid peroxidation after eating. “Substituting butter in a breakfast meal with [black walnuts] or [English walnuts] increased fullness; however, the [black walnut] meal was superior for suppressing overall appetite while also lowering postprandial lipid peroxidation,” the team wrote in their report.
(NEXT)
Human brain doesn't slow down until after 60
Heidelberg University's Institute of Psychology, February 17, 2022
You used to be able to make snap judgments in your 20s, but now it feels like you take a lot longer to react to questions, decisions and challenges put before you. Don't fret, it's not that you're losing brain power. Your response time does tend to slow down as you age, but a new study argues that's not because your brain's processing speed is deteriorating. Your brain remains as nimble as ever until you hit your 60s, according to a report published Feb. 17 in the journal Nature Human Behaviour. "Our research now shows that this slowing is not due to a reduction in cognitive processing speed," von Krause said. "Until older adulthood, the speed of information processing in the task we studied barely changes."
(NEXT)
Study shows exercise can help older adults retain their memories
We all know exercise is good for us, but that still leaves plenty of questions. How much exercise? Who benefits the most? And when in our lives? New research led by University of Pittsburgh psychologists found that it seems like exercising about three times a week for at least four months is how much you need to reap the benefits in episodic memory." Episodic memory is the kind that deals with events that happened to you in the past. It's also one of the first to decline with age. "I usually like to talk about the first time you got behind the wheel of a car," said Aghjayan. "So you might remember where you were, how old you were, who was in the passenger seat explaining things to you, that feeling of excitement." Seeking clarity in the muddy waters of the scientific literature, the team pored over 1,279 studies, eventually narrowing them down to just 36 that met specific criteria. The researchers found that pooling together those 36 studies was enough to show that for older adults, exercise can indeed benefit their memory.
(NEXT)
Prevention Against Gallstones - Eat More Foods With Vitamin E
University of Kiel (Germany), February 16, 2022
More than 90 percent of the population does not meet their recommended daily allowance of vitamin E. Researchers in Germany led by the University of Kiel found that subjects with gallstone disease had lower blood levels of vitamin E than those who did not have gallstones. Vitamin E does everything from ease exercise soreness, treating menstrual pain, preventing cancer and playing a central role in neurological and cardiovascular function. Adequate levels of vitamin E, an essential micronutrient, are especially critical for the very young. The scientists also found that those with gallstone disease also had a lower alpha-tocopherol/cholesterol ratio than healthy individuals. A similar association was found with gamma-tocopherol levels. However, with the gamma form, the results were not statistically significant.
(OTHER NEWS)
How Medicare is quietly being privatized
By Abdul El-Sayed, M.D. Detroit Metro Times, February 9, 2022
Healthcare is big business — literally one of the most lucrative corporate endeavors in the country, accounting for one-fifth of our total economy. And the way that the business of healthcare interferes with actually providing Americans with appropriate, accessible, and affordable healthcare has been a frequent subject of my writing in these pages. From hospital consolidation to drug pricing, rising premiums to healthcare inequities, the fact that our healthcare system is designed to maximize profit for a few large corporations is the root, if not all, of the problem. The fattest slice of that very, very large pie is healthcare for seniors — the Americans who most often need care. American seniors are insured through Medicare, a government health insurance program that’s supposed to offer them affordable, comprehensive healthcare. But as this is the American healthcare system we’re talking about, the knives are constantly out for Medicare — looking for just another bite. Late last year, I wrote about the Medicare (dis)Advantage program, a frontal assault on Medicare, which cajoles beneficiaries into selecting privately managed Medicare plans. The private health insurance corporations that administer these plans get to keep the money they don’t spend on healthcare as profit, putting $27 billion of taxpayer moneyinto the pockets of health insurance corporations in 2018 alone. As bad as Medicare Advantage is, a new plan hatched under the Trump administration — and being allowed to proceed under the Biden administration — is even worse. But unlike Medicare Advantage, most seniors haven’t even heard about it. It’s called Direct Contracting. Designed by the Trump administration, it’s a sop to the health insurance corporations and private equity firms that have been such a persistent force in Republican healthcare circles. They agree on a simple goal: privatize everything. Instead of cajoling seniors to hand over their Medicare dollars, large corporations, called Direct Contracting Entities, target doctors. When a doctor signs up, all of the Medicare beneficiaries they see are signed up too — without their knowledge or consent. The Direct Contracting Entity acts as a middleman between the physician and Medicare — and like Medicare Advantage, they profit off of the Medicare dollars that aren’t spent on beneficiaries. In exchange for signing up, the doctors earn a kickback from the Direct Contracting Entity. But Direct Contracting isn’t a matter of law; Congress never voted on this. It’s just a pilot program designed by the Trump administration … that the Biden administration is now carrying forward. They could kill Direct Contracting in its tracks if they wanted to! The fact that it’s not should be extremely worrying to seniors, consumer rights advocates, and anyone who pays taxes to the U.S. government. The irony here is that President Biden ran on a public option — which doesn’t look to be coming anytime soon. Instead of that promise, his administration is allowing a backdoor private buyout of Medicare.
Why iodine deficiency during pregnancy may have disastrous consequences
Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology February 7, 2022
Higher mammals, such as humans, have markedly larger brains than other mammals. Scientists from the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics in Dresden recently discovered a newmechanism governing brain stem cell proliferation. It serves to boost the production of neurons during development, thus causing the enlargement of the cerebral cortex – the part of the brain that enables us humans to speak, think and dream. The surprising discovery made by the Dresden-based researchers: two components in the stem cell environment – the extracellular matrix and thyroid hormones – work together with a protein molecule found on the stem cell surface, a so-called integrin.
(NEXT)
Broccoli and kale microgreens pack a nutritional punch that varies with growing conditions
American Chemical Society, February 16, 2022
Although microgreens were initially gourmet ingredients for upscale restaurants, they’ve become popular among gardeners and home cooks. Despite their “superfood” label, the levels of healthful compounds, such as phytonutrients, in most varieties of microgreens are unknown. Researchers in ACS Food Science & Technology now report that kale and broccoli microgreens grown in either windowsills or under commercial growing conditions are rich in phytonutrients, though the levels of some compounds varied considerably between the two environments. As indoor gardening has taken off in recent years, the most commonly planted varieties of these small seedlings are from the Brassica family, which includes broccoli, kale, cabbage and mustard. The mature, fully-grown versions of these vegetables are rich in vitamins, minerals and phytochemicals, and environmental conditions can impact the plants’ nutritional contents.
(NEXT)
Can EPA-rich supplements help brains work ‘less hard’ and boost mental performance?
Swinburne University (Australia) February 10, 2022
Omega-3 supplements rich in EPA may improve cognitive performance with a reduction in neural activity observed, indicating that the brain worked ‘less hard’, report researchers from Australia. On the other hand, DHA-rich supplements were associated with an increase in functional activation and no improvement in cognitive performance, according to results published in Human Psychopharmacology: Clinical and Experimental . Isabelle Bauer from Swinburne University and her co-authors said that this indicated that DHA-rich supplements are less effective than EPA-rich supplements for boosting neurocognitive functioning.
(NEXT)
Study ‘leaves little doubt’ about Pycnogenol’s benefits for menopause symptoms
Keii Medical Center (Japan), February 13, 2022
Daily supplements of extracts from the bark of French Maritime Pine may help reduce the symptoms of the menopause like hot flashes and night sweats, says a new study. Twelve weeks of supplementation with Pycnogenol were associated with significant reductions in scores of menopause symptoms, according to findings published in The Journal of Reproductive Medicine. The researchers recruited 170 perimenopausal women to participate in their randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind, parallel-group clinical trial. The women were randomly assigned to receive either daily Pycnogenol supplements (60 mg per day) or placebo for 12 weeks. Results showed that there were no statistically significant differences between the groups for estradiol, follicle stimulating hormone, insulin-like growth factor, IGF binding protein 3, and dehydroepiandrosterone, which meant there were no hormonal effects of Pycnogenol, said the researchers.
(NEXT)
Yale study links common chemicals to osteoarthritis
Yale University School of Environmental Studies, February 14, 2022
A new study has linked exposure to two common perfluorinated chemicals (PFCs) with osteoarthritis. PFCs are used in more than 200 industrial processes and consumer products including certain stain- and water-resistant fabrics, grease-proof paper food containers, personal care products, and other items. Because of their persistence, PFCs have become ubiquitous contaminants of humans and wildlife. The study, published in Environmental Health Perspectives, looked at the associations between perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS), and osteoarthritis, in a study population representative of the United States. “We found that PFOA and PFOS exposures are associated with higher prevalence of osteoarthritis, particularly in women, a group that is disproportionately impacted by this chronic disease,” said Sarah Uhl, who authored the study. Women in the highest 25% of exposure to PFOA had about two times the odds of having osteoarthritis compared to those in the lowest 25% of exposure.
(Videos)
1. Who Got the Covid Relief Money? | Real Time with Bill Maher (HBO) (3:51) 2. Tucker: The media played a starring role in the death of Canadian democracy 3. PRESS CONFERENCE – TAMARA LICH & BRIAN PECKFORD – Ottawa Freedom Convoy 2022 4. “I NEVER Imagined He Would F*CK UP This BAD” Jordan Peterson
(OTHER NEWS)
OPED: The Earth Belongs to America
Caitlin Johnstone, February 14, 2022
The Wall Street Journal has an article out titled “U.S. Aims to Thwart China’s Plan for Atlantic Base in Africa“, subtitled “An American delegation wants to convince Equatorial Guinea against giving Beijing a launchpad in waters the U.S. considers its backyard.” The article quotes the former U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Tibor Nagy saying, “We’d really, really not like to see a Chinese facility” on the Atlantic, and discusses “American concern about China’s global expansionism and its pursuit of a permanent military presence on waters the U.S. considers home turf.” The Quincy Institute’s Trita Parsi has discussed the irony of WSJ yelling about China’s “global expansionism” over a potential military base in Equatorial Guinea without applying that label to the U.S., when the U.S. has hundreds of times the number of foreign military bases as China. Antiwar’s Daniel Larison wrote an article back in December eviscerating the ridiculous claim that a military base some six thousand nautical miles from the U.S. coastline could be reasonably framed as any kind of threat to the American people. But what really jumps out is the insane way the U.S. political/media class routinely talks about virtually every location on this planet as though it is a territory of the United States. The Wall Street Journal referring to the entire Atlantic Ocean as “America’s backyard” and “waters the U.S. considers home turf” follows a recent controversy over the U.S. president proclaiming that “Everything south of the Mexican border is America’s front yard.” This provoked many references to the so-called “Monroe Doctrine”, a nineteenth-century imperialist assertion that Latin America is off limits to any power apart from the United States, effectively declaring the entire Western Hemisphere the property of Washington, DC. It also follows another incident in which Press Secretary Jen Psaki remarked on the ongoing tensions around Ukraine that it is in America’s interest to support “our eastern flank countries”, which might come as a surprise to those who were taught in school that America’s eastern flank was not Eastern Europe but the eastern coastline of the United States. The casual way these people say such things reflects a collectively held worldview that you won’t find on any official document or in any schoolchild’s textbook, but which is nonetheless a firmly held perspective among all the drivers of the modern empire: that the entire world is the property of the U.S. government. That the U.S. is not just the most powerful government in the world but also its rightful ruler, in the same way Rome ruled the Christian world. It’s not something they can come out and directly say, because admitting they see themselves as the rulers of the world would make them look tyrannical and megalomaniacal. But it’s certainly something they believe. They’re about as obvious about it as could be. They make almost no effort to conceal it. And yet you’ll still get empire apologists like Michael McFaul saying nonsense like this: McFaul knows very well that the U.S. is an imperial power and that it demands a very large “sphere of influence”. Would you like to see a picture of America’s sphere of influence? Here you go: To live in the western world is to be constantly inundated with made-up stories about tyrants who want to terrorize the world while living under a globe-spanning power structure that is actually terrorizing the world. It’s just so bizarre watching these imperial spinmeisters try to frame nations like China and Russia as freakish and backwards while working to literally rule the world like a comic book super villain. The U.S.-centralized empire is quantifiably the single most destructive and evil power structure in today’s world. We shouldn’t want anyone to rule over the entire planet with an iron fist, but these monsters are the very least qualified among us to do so.
New study reveals fresh avocado-substituted diet significantly changes lipid profile University of the Pacific, February 1, 2022
According to the recently released 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, small shifts in food choices can make a big difference; including a shift from solid fats to oils, like the oil in fresh avocados. On the heels of this advice, a new meta-analysis, published in the Journal of Clinical Lipidology, adds to the growing body of research that supports the use of avocados in lieu of solid fats (and foods that have higher saturated fat content) to significantly change lipid profiles.
The research, “Impact of avocado-enriched diets on plasma lipoproteins, looked at 10 unique avocado studies with 229 participants, assessing the impact of avocados on cholesterol levels. Researchers found avocado consumption (1 to 1.5 per day) significantly reduced total cholesterol (TC), “bad” low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) and triglycerides (TG) when they were substituted for sources of saturated fat. Additionally, avocado consumption did not impact “good” high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL). However, the optimal amount of avocado and frequency of use needs further evaluation along with the nutritional similarities and differences between other different MUFA sources. Larger trials looking at the impact of avocados on major adverse cardiovascular events are warranted. (See conclusion of study)
20 mins of daily exercise at 70 may best stave off major heart disease in late old age Any physical activity is better late than never but earlier in older age, better still
University of Padua (Italy), February 15, 2022
Twenty minutes of daily moderate to vigorous exercise in early old age (70-75) may best stave off major heart disease, including heart failure, in late old age (80+), suggests research published online in the journal Heart.
The findings reinforce the maxim of ‘better late than never,’ when it comes to exercise, but earlier on in older age is better still, concludes a linked editorial.
To plug this knowledge gap, the researchers drew on data from the Progetto Veneto Anziani (ProVA), a study of 3099 older Italians (65 and above). The final analysis included 2754 participants with complete data, of whom 1398 were women (60%).
The largest reduction in risk was observed for new cases of coronary heart disease and heart failure in late old age. No significant association between physical activity and stroke was observed.
Most of the participants had stable active physical activity patterns over time. Patterns of stable-high physical activity were associated with a significantly (52%) lower risk of cardiovascular disease among men compared with those with stable-low patterns.
The greatest benefits seemed to occur at the age of 70. Risk was only marginally lower at the age of 75, and no lower at the age of 80-85, suggesting that improving physical activity earlier in old age might have the most impact, say the researchers.
Psilocybin treatment for major depression effective for up to a year for most patients, study shows Johns Hopkins University, February 15, 2022
Previous studies by Johns Hopkins Medicine researchers showed that psychedelic treatment with psilocybin relieved major depressive disorder symptoms in adults for up to a month. Now, in a follow-up study of those participants, the researchers report that the substantial antidepressant effects of psilocybin-assisted therapy, given with supportive psychotherapy, may last at least a year for some patients.
A report on the new study was published on Feb. 15, 2022 in the Journal of Psychopharmacology.
“Our findings add to evidence that, under carefully controlled conditions, this is a promising therapeutic approach that can lead to significant and durable improvements in depression,” says Natalie Gukasyan, M.D., assistant professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. She cautions, however, that “the results we see are in a research setting and require quite a lot of preparation and structured support from trained clinicians and therapists, and people should not attempt to try it on their own.”
The researchers reported that psilocybin treatment produced large decreases in depression, and that depression severity remained low one, three, six and 12 months after treatment.
Prevent memory loss with a powerful nutrient in cucumbers Salk Institute for Biological Studies, February 15, 2022
The results of a recent study are offering new hope that avoiding memory loss related to aging as well as Alzheimer’s disease could be as simple as eating more cucumbers.
Many older adults resign themselves to memory loss as part of the aging process. However, a study out of the the Salk Institute for Biological Studies has shown that this doesn’t have to be the case. The health benefits of cucumbers are many, and one of them seems to be better memory and even the prevention of Alzheimer’s disease.
Researchers working with mice that normally developed the symptoms of Alzheimer’s (including memory loss) discovered that a daily dose of a flavonol called fisetin prevented these and other related impairments. This improvement occurred despite the continued formation of amyloid plaques, the brain proteins commonly blamed for Alzheimer’s.
A natural food cure for memory loss The compound fisetin is found in numerous vegetables and fruits but is especially concentrated in strawberries and cucumbers. This flavonol is quite effective in stopping memory loss in mice and holds hope for humans as well.
Polluted air may pollute our morality Columbia University Business School, February 7, 2022
Exposure to air pollution, even imagining exposure to air pollution, may lead to unethical behavior, according to findings published in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science. A combination of archival and experimental studies indicates that exposure to air pollution, either physically or mentally, is linked with unethical behavior such as crime and cheating. The experimental findings suggest that this association may be due, at least in part, to increased anxiety.
“This research reveals that air pollution may have potential ethical costs that go beyond its well-known toll on health and the environment,” says behavioral scientist Jackson G. Lu of Columbia Business School, the first author of the research. “This is important because air pollution is a serious global issue that affects billions of people—even in the United States, about 142 million people still reside in counties with dangerously polluted air.”
Previous studies have indicated that exposure to air pollution elevates individuals’ feelings of anxiety. Anxiety is known to correlate with a range of unethical behaviors. Lu and colleagues hypothesized that pollution may ultimately increase criminal activity and unethical behavior by increasing anxiety.
In one study, the researchers examined air pollution and crime data for 9,360 US cities collected over a 9-year period. The air pollution data, maintained by the Environmental Protection Agency, included information about six major pollutants, including particulate matter, carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide, and sulfur dioxide.
The researchers found that cities with higher levels of air pollution also tended to have higher levels of crime. This association held even after the researchers accounted for other potential factors, including total population, number of law enforcement employees, median age, gender distribution, race distribution, poverty rate, unemployment rate, unobserved heterogeneity among cities (e.g., city area, legal system), and unobserved time-varying effects (e.g., macroeconomic conditions).
“Our findings suggest that air pollution not only corrupts people’s health, but also can contaminate their morality,” Lu concludes.
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OTHER NEWS OPED: The Earth Belongs to America Caitlin Johnstone, February 14, 2022The Wall Street Journal has an article out titled “U.S. Aims to Thwart China’s Plan for Atlantic Base in Africa“, subtitled “An American delegation wants to convince Equatorial Guinea against giving Beijing a launchpad in waters the U.S. considers its backyard.”The article quotes the former U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Tibor Nagy saying, “We’d really, really not like to see a Chinese facility” on the Atlantic, and discusses “American concern about China’s global expansionism and its pursuit of a permanent military presence on waters the U.S. considers home turf.”The Quincy Institute’s Trita Parsi has discussed the irony of WSJ yelling about China’s “global expansionism” over a potential military base in Equatorial Guinea without applying that label to the U.S., when the U.S. has hundreds of times the number of foreign military bases as China. Antiwar’s Daniel Larison wrote an article back in December eviscerating the ridiculous claim that a military base some six thousand nautical miles from the U.S. coastline could be reasonably framed as any kind of threat to the American people.But what really jumps out is the insane way the U.S. political/media class routinely talks about virtually every location on this planet as though it is a territory of the United States.The Wall Street Journal referring to the entire Atlantic Ocean as “America’s backyard” and “waters the U.S. considers home turf” follows a recent controversy over the U.S. president proclaiming that “Everything south of the Mexican border is America’s front yard.” This provoked many references to the so-called “Monroe Doctrine”, a nineteenth-century imperialist assertion that Latin America is off limits to any power apart from the United States, effectively declaring the entire Western Hemisphere the property of Washington, DC.It also follows another incident in which Press Secretary Jen Psaki remarked on the ongoing tensions around Ukraine that it is in America’s interest to support “our eastern flank countries”, which might come as a surprise to those who were taught in school that America’s eastern flank was not Eastern Europe but the eastern coastline of the United States.The casual way these people say such things reflects a collectively held worldview that you won’t find on any official document or in any schoolchild’s textbook, but which is nonetheless a firmly held perspective among all the drivers of the modern empire: that the entire world is the property of the U.S. government. That the U.S. is not just the most powerful government in the world but also its rightful ruler, in the same way Rome ruled the Christian world.It’s not something they can come out and directly say, because admitting they see themselves as the rulers of the world would make them look tyrannical and megalomaniacal. But it’s certainly something they believe.They’re about as obvious about it as could be. They make almost no effort to conceal it. And yet you’ll still get empire apologists like Michael McFaul saying nonsense like this: McFaul knows very well that the U.S. is an imperial power and that it demands a very large “sphere of influence”.Would you like to see a picture of America’s sphere of influence? Here you go:To live in the western world is to be constantly inundated with made-up stories about tyrants who want to terrorize the world while living under a globe-spanning power structure that is actually terrorizing the world. It’s just so bizarre watching these imperial spinmeisters try to frame nations like China and Russia as freakish and backwards while working to literally rule the world like a comic book super villain.The U.S.-centralized empire is quantifiably the single most destructive and evil power structure in today’s world. We shouldn’t want anyone to rule over the entire planet with an iron fist, but these monsters are the very least qualified among us to do so. World’s Rivers Awash in Pharmaceuticals, Historic Study Reveals Researchers who examined water samples from over 1,000 locations warn that “pharmaceutical pollution poses a global threat to environmental and human health.”Common Dreams. February 14, 2022 Underscoring the value of collaboration, experts from around the world on Monday unveiled what they described as the first “truly global study” of pharmaceutical drugs contaminating rivers, which has “deleterious effects on ecological and human health.”The historic analysis, published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, involved 127 authors from 86 institutions. They examined surface water samples from 1,052 sites in 104 countries—including 36 that had never been monitored before— across all continents for 61 different active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs).Sample sites ranged from an Indigenous community in Venezuela where modern medicine is not used to highly populated urban areas such as Delhi, London, and New York City. Researchers also gathered samples from regions with political instability, including Baghdad, Nablus in the Palestinian West Bank, and Cameroon’s capital, Yaoundé.The United States was the “most extensively studied” nation, with samples collected at 81 locations along 29 rivers across Colorado, Florida, Hawaii, Iowa, Missouri, Nevada, New York, and Texas. Samples were also taken in every European Union member state except MaltaThe paper notes that all four contaminants detected on every continent—caffeine, nicotine, acetaminophen or paracetamol, and cotinine—are “considered either lifestyle compounds or over-the-counter APIs.” Another 14 APIs, including various antidepressants and antihistamines, were found on all continents except Antarctica.Lead author John Wilkinson of the University of York told Carrington that “the World Health Organization and U.N. and other organizations say antimicrobial resistance is the single greatest threat to humanity—it’s a next pandemic.” “In 19% of all of the sites we monitored, the concentrations of [antibiotics] exceeded the levels that we’d expect to encourage bacteria to develop resistance,” he said. 15 Monkeys Have Reportedly Died While Testing Elon Musk’s Midlife Crisis Brain Chip TheGamer.com, February 12, 2022Neuralink, an Elon Musk-owned company that develops brain chip technology, has attracted controversy once more. Animal trials of the brain chips have been linked to the deaths of 15 monkeys used in experimentation, with only seven said to have survived. These allegations come from the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM), which says it has discovered this through over 700 pages of documents acquired through the University of California Davis. The apparent deaths span 2017 to 2020, which if true, would explain why human experimentation was pushed back two years from its projected date. The allegations come from reports in Business Insider and the New York Post. The sources say that monkeys used in animal trials of the Neuralink chips – which are apparently threaded into their brains – undergo “extreme suffering”. Both physical and neurological side effects are reported, ranging from brain haemorrhaging to self-harming behaviour. In one instance, a monkey was found to have missing fingers and toes, “possibly from self-mutilation or some other unspecified trauma”. Others are reported to have died of infection as a result of poor care after the chip was inserted. This report is a far cry from a video shared last year, which portayed a monkey calmly playing Pong. The company claims that the game was being played with the chip, without the need for a controller and using brain activity alone. Human trials were originally said to start in 2020, but this was pushed back to 2022. Recent reports say that the company is still going ahead with these plans, and has already started hiring for the experimentation.
US west ‘megadrought’ is worst in at least 1,200 years, new study says University of California, Los Angeles, 15 Feb 2022
The American west has spent the last two decades in what scientists are now saying is the most extreme megadrought in at least 1,200 years. In a new study, published on Monday, researchers also noted that human-caused climate change is a significant driver of the destructive conditions and offered a grim prognosis: even drier decades lie ahead.
“Anyone who has been paying attention knows that the west has been dry for most of the last couple decades,” says Park Williams, a climate scientist at the University of California, Los Angeles and the study’s lead author. “We now know from these studies that is dry not only from the context of recent memory but in the context of the last millennium.”
The research builds on conclusions from a previous study, also led by Williams, that ranked the period between 2000 and 2018 as the second driest in 12 centuries. The last two incredibly dry years – which were marked by record-setting heatwaves, receding reservoirs, and a rise in dangerously erratic blazes that burned both uncontrollably and unseasonably – were enough to push this period into first.
Worryingly, the west is experiencing a point on an upward trajectory, the researchers warn. In the summer of 2021, both Lake Mead and Lake Powell – the largest reservoirs in North America – reached record-low levels. Nearly 65% of the American west is experiencing in severe drought according to the US drought monitor, even after record rainfall hit some areas late last year. For the first time, federal official curbed allocations from the Colorado River Basin, which supplies water and power for more than 40 million people. Wildfires in the last two years have left behind more blackened earth than ever before and performed feats never thought possible.
California Lawmakers Fast-Tracking Child Health Bills to Erode Parental Rights ‘It’s an underhanded move, meant to silence parents and hobble grassroots efforts across our state’
California Globe, February 9, 2022
California lawmakers have chosen to fast-track several key child health bills that will further erode parental rights and infringe on parents’ ability to maintain medical freedom.
Specifically, three fast-tracked bills involve 1) forced COVID-19 vaccinations for children for school enrollment, 2) allowing minor children to make their own vaccine decisions away from a parent, and 3) require health care staff to complete cultural humility training to provide trans-inclusive health care.
The Globe spoke with Karen England, Executive Director of the Capitol Resource Institute (CRI), a pro-family public policy organization educating, equipping, and engaging California citizens for 34 years. England shared her grave concerns about the bills, as well as the legislative processes being circumvented.
“Typically, a bill must be in print for 30 days before it is acted upon, to give Californians time to read and understand the bill. But by conveniently suspending this established rule (Joint Rule 55 & Article IV Section 8(a)), the legislature is denying individual citizens and organizations like CRI the right to properly review and respond to these bills before they are passed,” England said. “It’s an underhanded move, meant to silence parents and hobble grassroots efforts across our state.”
The point of this rule is to give Californians time to read and understand these bills.
“The fact is that they want to slide these bills through when there is plenty of time,” England said. “This should concern everyone.”
3,573 Fetal Deaths in VAERS Following COVID-19 Vaccines – 1,867% Increase Over Non-COVID Vaccines Brian Shilhavy, Health Impact News
The U.S. Government’s Vaccine Adverse Events Reporting System (VAERS) database was updated this past Friday, February 11, 2022, and it is now reporting that there have been 1,103,893 cases of injuries and deaths following COVID-19 vaccines since December of 2020, when the FDA issued emergency use authorizations for the COVID-19 vaccines.
By way of contrast, there were 918,856 cases of injuries and deaths following all FDA-approved vaccines for the previous 30+ years, from 1990 through November of 2020.
So there have been more injuries and deaths recorded in VAERS during the past 14 months following COVID-19 vaccines, than there were for the previous 30+ years combined following all vaccines recorded in VAERS.
This most recent update of VAERS shows that there have now been 3,573 fetal deaths following COVID-19 vaccines. To arrive at the number of fetal deaths recorded in VAERS I had to test several different searches on listed “symptoms” and then see if the search results documented fetal deaths, since there is no demographic for “fetal deaths.”
The following is the current list of “symptoms” in VAERS that reveals fetal deaths:
- Aborted pregnancy
- Abortion
- Abortion complete
- Abortion complicated
- Abortion early
- Abortion incomplete
- Abortion induced
- Abortion induced incomplete
- Abortion late
- Abortion missed
- Abortion of ectopic pregnancy
- Abortion spontaneous
- Abortion spontaneous complete
- Abortion spontaneous incomplete
- Ectopic pregnancy
- Ectopic pregnancy termination
- Ectopic pregnancy with contraceptive device
- Foetal cardiac arrest
- Foetal death
- Premature baby death
- Premature delivery
- Ruptured ectopic pregnancy
- Stillbirth
This list may not be exhaustive. But if we use the exact same search using these symptoms, we can compare “apples to apples” in examining fetal deaths following COVID-19 vaccines as compared to fetal deaths following all non-COVID vaccines.
Here are the yearly averages:
- 82 fetal deaths per year following non-COVID vaccines
- 3063 fetal deaths per year following COVID-19 vaccines
Alpha-lipoic acid supplementation associated with improved lipid levels
Tabriz University of Medical Sciences (Iran), February 14 2022.
Findings from a systematic review and meta-analysis published in the International Journal for Vitamin and Nutrition Research indicated that supplementing with alpha-lipoic acid was associated with improvements in total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol and triglycerides. Researchers at Tabriz university of Medical Sciences in Iran selected 12 randomized, placebo-controlled trials that evaluated the association between supplementing with alpha-lipoic acid and lipid levels among a total of 548 participants. Analysis of all 12 studies (which included data concerning triglycerides) found a significant reduction in triglycerides in association with alpha-lipoic acid. Dose-response analysis found a nonlinear relationship of LDL cholesterol and triglyceride levels with alpha-lipoic acid dosage that was dependent upon the duration of treatment.
(NEXT)
Positive attitudes about aging reduce risk of dementia in older adults
Yale University, February 7, 2022
Research has shown that older persons who have acquired positive beliefs about old age from their surrounding culture are less likely to develop dementia. This protective effect was found for all participants, as well as among those carrying a gene that puts them at higher risk of developing dementia, a new study led by the Yale School of Public Health has found. Published in the journal PLOS ONE, the study reports that older persons with positive age beliefs who carry one of the strongest risk factors for developing dementia—the ε4 variant of the APOE gene —were nearly 50% less likely to develop the disease than their peers who held negative age beliefs.
(NEXT)
Study: Running helps brain stave off effects of chronic stress
Exercise protects vital memory and learning functions Brigham Young University, February 14, 2022
Most people agree that getting a little exercise helps when dealing with stress. A new BYU study discovers exercise -- particularly running -- while under stress also helps protect your memory. The study, newly published in the journal of Neurobiology of Learning and Memory, finds that running mitigates the negative impacts chronic stress has on the hippocampus, the part of the brain responsible for learning and memory. "Exercise is a simple and cost-effective way to eliminate the negative impacts on memory of chronic stress," said study lead author Jeff Edwards, associate professor of physiology and developmental biology at BYU. Inside the hippocampus, memory formation and recall occur optimally when the synapses or connections between neurons are strengthened over time. That process of synaptic strengthening is called long-term potentiation (LTP). Chronic or prolonged stress weakens the synapses, which decreases LTP and ultimately impacts memory. Edwards' study found that when exercise co-occurs with stress, LTP levels are not decreased, but remain normal.
(NEXT)
Extra Virgin Olive Oil: Why It’s Healthier Than Other Cooking Oils
University of Hertfordshire (UK), February 14, 2022
Numerous studies have shown that consuming olive oil – in particular extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) – can have many different benefits for our health. For example, the Spanish PREDIMED study (the largest randomised control trial ever conducted on the Mediterranean diet) showed that women who ate a Mediterranean diet supplemented with extra virgin olive oil had a 62% lower risk of breast cancer compared to women who were advised to eat a low-fat diet. Experts who have since examined multiple scientific studies looking at the Mediterranean diet and its effect on chronic diseases conclude that a primary reason the diet protects against breast cancer is because of EVOO. There’s also evidence that EVOO may protect against type 2 diabetes and possibly even Alzheimer’s disease. Alongside its fat, EVOO contains many natural substances, such as polyphenols. Polyphenols occur naturally in plants, and have been linked to many health benefits, such as reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease and cognitive disorders.
(OTHER NEWS)
EXCLUSIVE: Embalmer reveals 93% of cases died from the vaccine
Anna Foster is an embalmer with 11 years of experience in Carrollton, MO. She reveals that 93% of her last 30 cases died due to clots from the COVID vaccine.
Steve Kirsch, February 14, 2022
Anna Foster is an embalmer with 11 years of experience in Carrollton, MO. She speaks out for the first time The big news is that she found the unusual clots in 93% of the last 30 people who she embalmed. This is significant because she isn’t selective about who she embalms. Not all embalmers will see a 93% clot rate. Richard Hirschman only sees these clots in 65% of his cases. Either way, we have identified what is the #1 cause of death in America today; a killer that is much bigger than COVID. This is a massive health issue since it is killing a huge number of people. Her embalmer friends have noticed it as well and have never seen it before in their careers. The clots are only associated with people who have been vaccinated. They were only observed after the vaccines rolled out. The clots are life threatening and are almost certainly the root cause of death in all of these cases. When 93% of people who die are killed by a single cause, this merits immediate investigation by the CDC as to the cause. However, I am certain that the CDC and all legacy media will continue to ignore this story.
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Myocarditis Cases Reported After mRNA-Based COVID-19 Vaccination in the US From December 2020 to August 2021
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Emory University, Vanderbilt University, Boston Medical Center, Duke University, US Food and Drug Administration
Journal of American Medical Association, February 2022
Question What is the risk of myocarditis after mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccination in the US? Findings In this descriptive study of 1626 cases of myocarditis in a national passive reporting system, the crude reporting rates within 7 days after vaccination exceeded the expected rates across multiple age and sex strata. The rates of myocarditis cases were highest after the second vaccination dose in adolescent males aged 12 to 15 years ), in adolescent males aged 16 to 17 years , and in young men aged 18 to 24 years . Results Among 192 405 448 persons receiving a total of 354 100 845 mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccines during the study period, there were 1991 reports of myocarditis to VAERS and 1626 of these reports met the case definition of myocarditis. Of those with myocarditis, the median age was 21 years (IQR, 16-31 years) and the median time to symptom onset was 2 days (IQR, 1-3 days). Males comprised 82% of the myocarditis cases for whom sex was reported. The crude reporting rates for cases of myocarditis within 7 days after COVID-19 vaccination exceeded the expected rates of myocarditis across multiple age and sex strata. The rates of myocarditis were highest after the second vaccination dose in adolescent males aged 12 to 15 years (70.7 per million doses of the BNT162b2 vaccine), in adolescent males aged 16 to 17 years (105.9 per million doses of the BNT162b2 vaccine), and in young men aged 18 to 24 years (52.4 and 56.3 per million doses of the BNT162b2 vaccine and the mRNA-1273 vaccine, respectively). There were 826 cases of myocarditis among those younger than 30 years of age who had detailed clinical information available; of these cases, 792 of 809 (98%) had elevated troponin levels, 569 of 794 (72%) had abnormal electrocardiogram results, and 223 of 312 (72%) had abnormal cardiac magnetic resonance imaging results. Approximately 96% of persons (784/813) were hospitalized and 87% (577/661) of these had resolution of presenting symptoms by hospital discharge. The most common treatment was nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (589/676; 87%). Conclusions and Relevance Based on passive surveillance reporting in the US, the risk of myocarditis after receiving mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccines was increased across multiple age and sex strata and was highest after the second vaccination dose in adolescent males and young men. This risk should be considered in the context of the benefits of COVID-19 vaccination.
Study: Coconut oil-enriched Mediterranean diet found to improve brain function in Alzheimer’s patients
University of Valencia (Spain), February 6, 2022
Spanish researchers believe that a Mediterranean diet enriched with coconut oil can help improve cognitive function in Alzheimer’s disease (AD) patients. Researchers from the University of Valencia and the Catholic University of Valencia looked to diet as a means of addressing AD. Specifically, they looked at whether a coconut oil-enriched Mediterranean diet would be beneficial for AD patients. The researchers chose coconut oil due to the fact that the medium-chain triglycerides (MCT) in it can be converted into ketones, which brain cells then use as fuel. Previous research had already identified ketone bodies as a possible therapeutic for AD. Following the study, the researchers found that those in the experimental group displayed improvements in temporal orientation as well as their episodic and semantic memory.
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Calorie restriction rewires metabolism, immunity for longer health span
Pennington Biomedical Research Center, February 11, 2022
Calorie restriction improves metabolic and immune responses that help determine both how long a person lives and how many years of good health they enjoy, a new study shows. Two years of modest calorie restriction reprogrammed the pathways in fat cells that help regulate the way mitochondria generate energy, the body’s anti-inflammatory responses, and potentially longevity,. In other words, calorie restriction rewires many of the metabolic and immune responses that boost lifespan and health span. The study found that people who cut their calorie intake by about 14 percent over two years generated more T cells, which play a key role in immune function and slow the aging process.
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Evidence points to fish oil to fight asthma
University of Rochester, February 9, 2022
University of Rochester Medical Center scientists have discovered new essential information about omega 3 fatty acids contained in fish oil and how they could be used for asthma patients. In a paper published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation–Insight, researchers using cell cultures from local asthma patients, found that: Omega-3 fatty acid products can reduce the production of IgE, the antibodies that cause allergic reactions and asthma symptoms in people with milder cases of asthma; But in patients with severe asthma who use high doses of oral steroids, the omega-3 fatty acids are less effective because the corticosteroids block the beneficial effects.
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Study: Mindful adults age with better mental health
University of Maine, February 11, 2022
Aging happens to all of us. If you are a mindful person, though, you may be better equipped to handle the effects of growing older. According to a University of Maine study led by associate professor of psychology Rebecca MacAulay, published in the journal Aging & Mental Health, aging adults with high levels of “trait mindfulness,” or a person’s innate ability to pay attention to the present moment without judgment, showed measures of greater well-being and mental health. Mindful adults also demonstrated more mental resilience to stressful situations.
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Plant extract fights brain tumor
Max Planck Institute (Germany), February 11, 2022
Cushing Disease, not to be confused with Cushing’s Syndrome, is caused by a tumour in the pituitary gland in the brain. The tumour secrets increased amounts of the stress hormone adrenocorticotropin (ACTH) followed by cortisol release from the adrenal glands leading to rapid weight gain, elevated blood pressure and muscular weakness. Patients are prone to osteoporosis, infections and may show cognitive dysfunction or even depression. In 80 to 85 % of the patients the tumour can be removed by uncomfortable brain surgery. For inoperable cases, there is currently only one targeted therapy approved which unfortunately causes intense side effects such as hyperglycemia in more than 20 % of the patients.
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Daily dose of beetroot juice improved endurance and blood pressure
Wake Forest Medical Center, February 11, 2022
Scientists at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center have found that a daily dose of beetroot juice significantly improved exercise endurance and blood pressure in elderly patients with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFPEF). The study is published in the current online edition of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology-Heart Failure. Exercise intolerance – shortness of breath and fatigue with normal amounts of exertion — is the primary symptom of HFPEF and is due partly to non-cardiac factors that reduce oxygen delivery to active skeletal muscles. HFPEF is a recently recognized disease that reflects how the left ventricle of the heart pumps with each beat. It occurs primarily in older women and is the dominant form of heart failure, as well as the most rapidly increasing cardiovascular disorder in this country.
(VIDEOS)
Tricia Lindsay “We have a right to resist, and we have an obligation and duty to do so” (10:40 minutes)
Borad Of Education Meeting
RAIR Foundatin: Vaccine is Worse than We Feared, Could be Looking at Hundreds of Thousands More Dead’ (4:52 minutes)
(OTHER NEWS)
Late-night reports suggest CIA collecting more data on Americans
CHRIS MILLS RODRIGO – THE HILL. 02/11/22
A late-night release of government reports on two Central Intelligence Agency programs has revealed that the organization is most likely collecting more data on American citizens than previously known. Both reports conducted by the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board (PCLOB), a watchdog created after 9/11 to ensure counter-terror investigations did not jeopardize privacy or civil liberties, looked into two programs conducted under Executive Order 12333 authority. The Reagan-era presidential directive established a framework for data collection by the intelligence community during foreign missions. When Edward Snowden almost a decade ago revealed the extent of warrantless bulk data collection by the government, Congress responded by banning collection under a separate statute focused on domestic activities, the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA).
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How the Left betrayed the Truckers
MALCOM KYEYUNE. — UNHERD, FEBRUARY 9 2022
They call it “The Honkening”. Ottawa, Canada’s capital city, is currently being besieged by a novel kind of protest. Honkening is a fairly appropriate name for what’s going on. Thousands of truckers have driven to the capital, and barraged the city with the noise of truck horns creating a cacophony of sound. Elsewhere, on the border between the United States and Canada, truckers, farmers and cowboys have blockaded traffic. As the protests enter another week, Ottawa’s mayor has declared a state of emergency. Jim Watson described the truckers — ostensibly protesting against Canada’s harsh Covid mandates — as “out of control”. Watson sees anarchy; the truckers fulminate against Covid authoritarianism. But this battle is really about working-class discontent. The naive among us could be forgiven for thinking that this protest signalled something auspicious about “late capitalist” society. For decades, the common folk wisdom for both the Left and the Right was that the West’s working classes had been completely neutralised as a political force, and that class conflict itself was a relic of the past. This idea took hold in the Sixties, when Herbert Marcuse theorised that Western workers had been subjected to a “socially engineered arrest of consciousness”. Their vested interest in the existing capitalist order made them impossible to radicalise. Ever since, finding new theoretical models to explain the unreliability (and stodgy conservatism) of workers has been a recurring activity on parts of the Left. Marxists had made a horrific discovery: the working class were not their foot soldiers. As Joan Didion once put it: “The have-nots, it turned out, mainly aspired to having.” Many on the Left came to believe that without their corporatist union structures, and without their shop stewards and political organisers, the working classes were done for. They were little better, to paraphrase Marx, than a “sack of potatoes”. Without proper leadership, the workers would be too inert and stupid to do anything about their plight. As such, the decades after the fall of the Soviet Union (and the defeat of the strike waves of the Eighties) saw many Leftists indulge a wistful nostalgia for a time when the workers stuck it to the powers that be. Celebration of the good old days of the Left, and of “working-class power” in general, was thus central to the aesthetics of the now completely defunct wave of Left populism in the 2010s. With that backdrop in mind, the explosion of worker militancy over vaccine mandates — and, on a related note, high fuel taxes in Europe — ought to have been greeted by enthusiasm by the Leftist activist and organiser set. Yet nothing could be further from the truth. The truckers in Canada have instead triggered a primordial sense of dread in the hearts of the urban classes, in the people who Canadian trucker Gord Magill has dubbed “the email job caste”. This sense of fear and dread at the machinations of the proles is hardly something unique to Canada. Indeed, even the United States saw a large increase of worker militancy and wildcat strikes over oppressive vaccine mandates. Like their compatriots in Canada, America’s various professional friends of the working class responded with horror and scorn. The well-known Marxist economist, Richard Wolff, was mobbedon Twitter for suggesting that workers striking over mandates were actually part of something called “class struggle”, rather than merely an expression of “fascism”. Ottawa’s truckers are a symptom of the massive class divide that is opening up across the West. Marxists are sticking their heads in the sand about this generational moment, or papering it over with absurd topsy-turvy leaps. In one recent display of moon logic, the Canadian activist, writer and self-described socialist Nora Loreto complained that “labour” was invisible in the resistance to the “fascist” truckers that had occupied Ottawa. An exasperated comrade chimed in with a story of being a shop steward for a teamster (truck driver) union, and — horror of horrors — the painful truth was that many teamsters were more likely to be in the protest themselves than protesting against it. The exchange is modern Western Leftism in a nutshell. Is there a single better illustration of the contradictions of the moment? An “activist” and organiser” recoiling in horror at a bunch of truckers — people who work in the real, material economy, ferrying the foodstuffs and goods we all depend on to survive — staging a political protest, only to then ask “but where is the organised working class in all of this?”. Isn’t it obvious to the point of parody that the workers are the people inside the trucks? It’s easy to laugh at this sort of absurdity, but the lesson here is anything but a joke. The divorce between “the Left” and “the workers” is now complete and irrevocable. Nora Loreto may not be a person with calloused hands, and she may very well belong to Gord Magill’s “email jobs caste”. But for the longest time, the political rhetoric and worldview of the Left depended on the idea that the trucker and the activist were merely two sides of the same coin. Without the activist and the “organiser”, the trucker would never be able to know how to organise himself and his fellows politically; without the trucker, the activist and the organiser would not have a cause for which to organise. Now it seems that the trucker — and by extension, the pilot, the garbage collector, and the bus driver — does not need or want this caste of self-appointed leaders. This divorce has happened all over the world in recent years. After the massive rejection by Red Wall voters of Jeremy Corbyn and his activist base in the smart, urban, and highly credentialed parts of Britain, one started to see a rhetoric of open loathing for the dumb, uneducated gammons and proles. In Germany, the Left party Die Linke has endured several rounds of severe internal fighting and strife. As in the UK, the younger, more urban, more credentialed parts of the Left have fought a running battle — and thrown pies — against pro-worker “racists” such as Sahra Wagenknecht. In Canada, that loathing has now turned into fear — and into outright hatred. The problem of the truckers is not really the honking (which the Guardian sniffily calls “crude behaviour“), because sooner or later, that honking will stop. The state of emergency will end. But the protests, significantly, have shown how confused and weak the opponents of the working classes are today. During the pandemic lockdowns, the email jobs caste loved to talk about essential workers, and luxuriated in public displays of gratitude for them. But this caste of genteel urbanites never realised that this choice of nomenclature was in fact much more meaningful — and ominous – than they understood. Some people, it seems, simply are critical to the functioning of the economy, pandemic or no pandemic. Once those people — and truck drivers are perhaps the most critical of them all — start to demand to be listened to, they have ways to make those demands felt. For the Left, the problem of the truckers is their newfound political independence. Nostalgia really is a thing of the past now; the dinosaurs that were thought long extinct are back now, and they are hungry. Gone are the halcyon days of dreaming about halcyon days – where serious working class militancy was just a distant myth. The real danger of any trucker’s strike, or any pilot’s walkout, or any fuel tax protest in Europe, is that every new confrontation sets a precedent: a precedent that says that the Gord Magills are done taking orders from the Nora Letos of the world.
Higher vitamin D levels linked to longer telomeres: Study
Harvard Medical School and University of Tromsoe (Norway), February 10, 2022
Increased levels of vitamin D are associated with longer telomeres, reported to be a marker of biological aging, says a new study.
Every 10-nmol increase in levels of 25- hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D), the non-active 'storage' form of the vitamin) was associated with a 0.03-kbp longer telomere in leukocytes in middle-aged adults, according to data extracted from the National Healthand Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2001–2002.
The findings, published in the Journal of Nutrition , show correlation and not causation, but could have implications for our understanding of healthy aging and potential cancer risk reduction.
The scientists analyzed data from 1,542 younger adults aged between 20 and 39, 1,336 middle-aged adults aged between 40 and 59, and 1,382 adults 60 and over.
After adjusting the numbers to account for potentially confounders such as gender, race/ethnicity, BMI, and other factors, the researchers found that 25(OH)D levels of at least 50 nmol/L were associated with 0.13-kbp longer LTL in middle-aged adults with, compared with the same aged adults with 25(OH)D levels less than 50 nmol/L.
The results also presented a potential mechanism of action for the reported anti-cancer effects of vitamin D, which were first proposed in 1941 when Frank Apperly demonstrated a link between latitude and deaths from cancer, and suggested that sunlight gave "a relative cancer immunity".
Vitamin C supplementation promotes mental vitality in healthy young adults: results from a cross-sectional analysis and a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial Seoul National University (South Korea), February 3,2022
We aimed to investigate the link of vitamin C status with vitality and psychological functions in a cross-sectional study, and examine their causal relationship through a randomized controlled trial (RCT).
Methods We first conducted a population-based cross-sectional investigation of healthy young adults (n = 214, 20–39 years), and analyzed the associations of serum vitamin C concentrations with vitality (fatigue and attention) and mood status (stress, depression, and positive and negative affect) using Pearson’s correlation and multiple linear regression analyses. Next, we performed a double-blind RCT in healthy subjects whose serum vitamin C concentrations were inadequate (
Eating prunes may help protect against bone loss in older women
Penn State University, February 9, 2022
It’s already well known that prunes are good for your gut, but new Penn State research suggests they may be good for bone health, too. In a research review, the researchers found that prunes can help prevent or delay bone loss in postmenopausal women, possibly due to their ability to reduce inflammation and oxidative stress, both of which contribute to bone loss. “In postmenopausal women, lower levels of estrogen can trigger a rise of oxidative stress and inflammation, increasing the risk of weakening bones that may lead to fractures,” said Connie Rogers, associate professor of nutritional sciences and physiology. “Incorporating prunes into the diet may help protect bones by slowing or reversing this process.”
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Can correcting micronutrient deficiencies help treat heart failure?
University Medical Center Groningen (Netherlands), February 9, 2022
A review published in the Journal of Internal Medicine provides convincing evidence that micronutrients—including iron, selenium, zinc, copper, and coenzyme Q10—can impact the function of cardiac cells’ energy-producing mitochondria to contribute to heart failure. The findings suggest that micronutrient supplementation could represent an effective treatment for heart failure. “Micronutrient deficiency has a high impact on mitochondrial energy production and should be considered an additional factor in the heart failure equation, moving our view of the failing heart away from “an engine out of fuel” to “a defective engine on a path to self-destruction,” said co–lead author Nils Bomer, PhD, of the University Medical Center Groningen.
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Could meditation reduce brain aging?
University of California-Los Angeles February 7, 2022
It is common knowledge that the brain deteriorates as we age, causing functional impairments. You may be surprised to learn that this process usually begins during mid-to-late-20s. But before you panic, a new study suggests a potential way to reduce such deterioration: meditation. The research team at the Brain Mapping Center at the University of California-Los Angeles (UCLA), found meditation may be associated with better preservation of gray matter in the brain – the neuron-containing tissue responsible for processing information. The researchers recruited 100 subjects to the study aged 24-77. Of these, 50 had meditated for between 4 and 46 years and 50 had never engaged in the practice. Both groups were closely matched for age.
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The Power Of Tea
Washington University, February 6, 2022
A compound found in green tea could have life saving potential for patients with multiple myeloma and amyloidosis, who face often-fatal medical complications associated with bone-marrow disorders, according to a team of engineers at Washington University in St. Louis and their German collaborators. Jan Bieschke, assistant professor of biomedical engineering says the compound epigallocatechine-3-gallate (EGCG), a polyphenol found in green tea leaves, may be of particular benefit to patients struggling with multiple myeloma and amyloidosis. These patients are susceptible to a frequently fatal condition called light chain amyloidosis, in which parts of the body’s own antibodies become misshapen and can accumulate in various organs, including the heart and kidneys.
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Changing your diet could add up to a decade to life expectancy, study finds
University of Bergen (Norway), February 8, 2022
A young adult in the U.S. could add more than a decade to their life expectancy by changing their diet from a typical Western diet to an optimized diet that includes more legumes, whole grains and nuts, and less red and processed meat, according to a new study published in PLOS Medicine. For older people, the anticipated gains to life expectancy from such dietary changes would be smaller but still substantial. In the new study, researchers used existing meta-analyses and data from the Global Burden of Diseases study to build a model that enables the instant estimation of the effect on life expectancy (LE) of a range of dietary changes.
(VIDEOS)
Every news media who secretly took Trudeau’s $61M pre-election pay-off – (13 minutes)
Mary Holland – Protect Our Children (3:44 minutes)
Canadian truckers are ‘doing something wonderful for the world’ says Brendan O’Neill
(OTHER NEWS)
How Fact Checking Is Controlled and Faked
Epoch Times, February 09, 2022
Prior to 2015 or 2016, you could still read what you wanted online without much interference. This has since changed, as propagandists have infiltrated the media and, along with other major players, like Big Tech and government, set out to control information. Fact-checking — a once-obscure term that’s since gone mainstream — is one part of the campaign to control what you see online, and therefore what you think and how you perceive reality — but it’s all a ruse. Speaking with Jan Jekielek, The Epoch Times senior editor and host of the show “American Thought Leaders,” investigative journalist Sharyl Attkisson explains how virtually everything you see and hear online has been co-opted, or taken over to serve a greater agenda:1 “One has to understand that nearly every mode of information has been co-opted, if it can be co-opted by some group. Fact checks are no different either, they’ve been coopted in many instances or created for the purpose of distributing narratives and propaganda. And your common sense is accurate when it tells you that the way they chose this fact check and how they decided to word it so they could say this thing is not true when at its heart it really is true, but the message they’re trying to send is that you shouldn’t believe it, your common sense is right. That’s been created as part of a propaganda effort by somebody, somewhere, as part of a narrative to distribute to the public so virtually every piece of information that can be co-opted has been.” The Information Landscape Is Being Controlled Attkisson calls out several common online sources that are heavily manipulated — Wikipedia, Snopes and most “fact” checkers to name a few, along with HealthFeedback.org, which is a fake science group used by Facebook and other Big Tech companies to debunk science that is actually true. Fact checkers are often referred to as scientists, but this, too, is “part of a very well-funded, well-organized landscape that dictates and slants the information they want us to have.” While there have always been efforts to shape the information being given out by the media, it used to be that news reporters would push back against organizations to ensure the public had the other side of the story. Beginning in the early 2000s, Attkisson noted a shift from efforts to simply shape information to those that attempt to keep certain information from being reported at all. This was particularly true among the pharmaceutical companies she was covering at that time. Attkisson described “efforts by these large global PR firms that have been hired by the pharmaceutical industry, by government partners that work with the pharmaceutical industry, to keep the story from being reported at all.”2 Now, instead of real journalists and reporters, the media is infiltrated with propagandists who dictate what’s “fake news” and what’s not. Many believe that fake news is a product of Trump, but Big Tech was brought into the campaign early on. A lobby campaign by behind-the-scenes propagandists met with Facebook and said you’ve got to start censoring and “fact” checking information, Attkisson said. Attkisson states that it goes much deeper. A lot of propagandists have become part of the media, and while there used to be a firewall between reporters and the people they reported on, “that’s long gone.” She says:6 “We’ve not just invited them to influence what we report, but we’ve hired them, not just as pundits and analysts but they are reporters. They are editorial presences within our newsrooms. Now we are one and the same. It’s hard to say that there’s a distinctive difference in many instances between the people trying to get out a message and the messengers in the media who should be doing a more independent job of reporting accurately.” Reality Is Being Altered in Real Time As it stands, information is being changed in real time to meet the common agenda. This includes definitions in dictionaries and on official government websites. Examples of definitions that have been changed recently include those for pandemic, herd immunity, vaccines and anti-vaxxer. Attkisson reiterates:17 “Virtually every form of information and sourcing that can be co-opted has been. That includes the dictionary definitions; that includes everything because these are important ways to influence thought. Language is very powerful. People don’t want to be affiliated with certain names and labels. It reminds me of ‘1984,’ the George Orwell story about the futuristic society, under which history was being rewritten in real time to jive with the version that the government wanted or the party wanted it to be. Definitions now are being rewritten and changed in real time to fit with the vision that the establishment wants people to think.” The Truth Finds a Way To Be Told While there are powerful forces at play to control information, all is not lost. Attkisson is aware of three entities that are actively working on a solution, which include: Investors who want to invest in independent news organizations Technical people trying to invent platforms that can’t be controlled and deplatformed by Big Tech Journalists who want to work or contribute to these efforts Outlets like Substack newsletters and the video platforms Rumble, Bitchute and Odysee, which don’t censor videos for ideological reasons, are actively getting around the censorship of Big Tech, and Attkisson believes that these efforts will accelerate in the next couple of years. Further, she says, “The propagandists may have overplayed their hand by being so heavy-handed and obvious about the control of information and the censorship. It’s no longer deniable. Even people who want their information curated, they can’t always be happy with the notion that they’re not going to be able to get the full story, or that they’re only getting one side of something.”24 Ultimately, she adds, “I think the truth finds a way to be told … it may take some time and there may be a lot of people that don’t want the truth out, but we inherently as humans seek it.”25 On a personal level, you can go a long way toward finding the truth by following your own common sense and reason, and Attkisson agrees. “I always say, do your own research, make up your own mind, think for yourself. Trust your cognitive dissonance, use your common sense. You’re going to be right more often than you think, but open up your mind, read a lot, think a lot and don’t buy into the prevailing narrative at face value.”
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Opioid Overdose Deaths Cost U.S. Economy $1 Trillion A Year, Study Finds
Forbes, February 8, 2022
Opioid overdose deaths cost the U.S. economy $1 trillion a year, the U.S. Commission on Combating Synthetic Opioid Trafficking said Tuesday, a “staggering amount” it says underlines the “direct and escalating threat” the opioid epidemic poses to the economy, public health and safety and national security. The panel came up with the estimate based on a White House Council of Economic Advisors’ 2018 report that determined the cost of overdose fatalities amounted to $696 billion a year at a time when the death toll was about two thirds of today’s. Between June 2020 and May 2021, 100,000 Americans died from drug overdoses, 30% higher than the year before and more than double the number of deaths caused by car accidents or gun violence during that period. About two thirds of those deaths involved synthetic opioids like fentanyl and primarily affected victims between the ages of 15 and 45, the report says. The loss of productivity and increases in healthcare and criminal justice costs tied to opioid overdose deaths amounted to a cost of about $700 billion per year in 2016 and 2017, according to the report. More fatal opioid overdoses. More than 1.2 million Canadians and Americans will die from opioid overdoses by 2029 if the epidemic is not tamed, a group of leading health experts wrote in a report published last week.
Grapes could help protect against cognitive decline
University of California, Los Angeles - February 06 2022.
The January issue of Experimental Gerontology published the finding of researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles of a protective effect for powdered grape against a decline in brain metabolism in older adults. The results of the investigation suggest that eating grapes might contribute to the prevention of Alzheimer's disease. The study included ten men and women with mild cognitive decline. Participants were given freeze-dried grape powder or a placebo similar in flavor and appearance but lacking beneficial grape polyphenols. The grape powders, which provided the equivalent of three servings of grapes per day, were mixed with water and consumed in divided daily doses for six months. Cognitive performance and changes in brain metabolism as assessed by PET scans were evaluated before and after the treatment period.
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Loneliness associated with increased risk of dementia in older adults
New York University, February 7, 2022
As social isolation in the United States has been increasing among older adults, a new study shows a notable link between loneliness and dementia risk, and one that is most striking for Americans who represent a large part of the population. In the study publishing February 7 in Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology,researchers found a three-fold increase in risk of subsequent dementia among lonely Americans younger than 80 years old who would otherwise be expected to have a relatively low risk based on age and genetic risk factors. The study also found that loneliness was associated with poorer executive function (i.e., a group of cognitive processes including decision-making, planning, cognitive flexibility, and control of attention) and changes in the brain that indicate vulnerability to Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (ADRD).
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Dietary total antioxidant capacity and mortality outcomes: the Singapore Chinese Health Study
Huazhong University of Science and Technology (China), February 1, 2022
To evaluate the relations of dietary total antioxidant capacity (DTAC) with mortality outcomes in a Chinese population. The study included 62,063 participants from the Singapore Chinese Health Study. The participants were 45–74 years at baseline (1993–1998) when dietary data were collected with a validated 165-item food frequency questionnaire. During 1,212,318 person-years of follow-up, 23,397 deaths [cardiovascular diseases (CVD): 7523; respiratory diseases: 4696; and cancer: 7713] occurred. In multivariable models, the HR (95% CI) comparing participants in the highest vs. lowest quartile of CDAI was 0.85 for all-cause mortality, 0.82 for CVD mortality, 0.76 for respiratory disease mortality and 0.94 for cancer mortality Similar associations were found with the VCEAC index. Higher intakes of the DTAC components, i.e., vitamin C, vitamin E, carotenoids, and flavonoids, were all associated with lower mortality risk.
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Healthy lifestyle equals bigger brain
Yale University School of Medicine, February 4 2022.
Research findings scheduled to be reported at the American Stroke Association’s International Stroke Conference 2022 demonstrated that adherence to Life’s Simple 7 lifestyle behaviors is associated with greater brain volume and fewer indicators of damage among middle-aged men and women. The study included 35,914 participants enrolled in the UK Biobank. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the brain measured brain volume and white matter hyperintensity volume.
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No time to exercise? What about three seconds a day?
Edith Cowan University (Australia) and Niigata University (Japan), February 7, 2022
Lifting weights for as little as three seconds a day can have a positive impact on muscle strength, a new study from Edith Cowan University (ECU) has discovered. A collaboration with researchers from Niigata University of Health and Welfare (NUHW) in Japan had 39 healthy university students perform one muscle contraction at maximum effort for three seconds per day, for five days a week over four weeks. The participants performed either an isometric, concentric or eccentric bicep curl (see definitions below) at maximum effort, while researchers measured the muscles' maximum voluntary contraction strengthbefore and after the four-week period. Another 13 students performed no exercise over the same period and were also measured before and after the four weeks. Muscle strength increased more than 10 percent for the group who performed the eccentric bicep curl after the four weeks, but less increase in muscle strength was found for the other two exercise groups. The no exercise group saw no increase. The study shows all three lifting methods had some benefit to muscle strength, however eccentric contraction easily produced the best results.
(OTHER NEWS)
Dystopia Disguised as Democracy: All the Ways in Which Freedom Is an Illusion
John W. Whitehead & Nisha Whitehead, February 8, 2022
We are no longer free. We are living in a world carefully crafted to resemble a representative democracy, but it’s an illusion. We think we have the freedom to elect our leaders, but we’re only allowed to participate in the reassurance ritual of voting. There can be no true electoral choice or real representation when we’re limited in our options to one of two candidates culled from two parties that both march in lockstep with the Deep State and answer to an oligarchic elite. We think we have freedom of speech, but we’re only as free to speak as the government and its corporate partners allow. We think we have the right to freely exercise our religious beliefs, but those rights are quickly overruled if and when they conflict with the government’s priorities, whether it’s COVID-19 mandates or societal values about gender equality, sex and marriage. We think we have the freedom to go where we want and move about freely, but at every turn, we’re hemmed in by laws, fines and penalties that regulate and restrict our autonomy, and surveillance cameras that monitor our movements. Punitive programs strip citizens of their passports and right to travel over unpaid taxes. We think we have property interests in our homes and our bodies, but there can be no such freedom when the government can seize your property, raid your home, and dictate what you do with your bodies. We think we have the freedom to defend ourselves against outside threats, but there is no right to self-defense against militarized police who are authorized to probe, poke, pinch, taser, search, seize, strip and generally manhandle anyone they see fit in almost any circumstance, and granted immunity from accountability with the general blessing of the courts. Certainly, there can be no right to gun ownership in the face of red flag gun laws which allow the police to remove guns from people merely suspected of being threats. We think we have the right to an assumption of innocence until we are proven guilty, but that burden of proof has been turned on its head by a surveillance state that renders us all suspects and overcriminalization which renders us all lawbreakers. Police-run facial recognition software that mistakenly labels law-abiding citizens as criminals. A social credit system (similar to China’s) that rewards behavior deemed “acceptable” and punishes behavior the government and its corporate allies find offensive, illegal or inappropriate. We think we have the right to due process, but that assurance of justice has been stripped of its power by a judicial system hardwired to act as judge, jury and jailer, leaving us with little recourse for appeal. A perfect example of this rush to judgment can be found in the proliferation of profit-driven speed and red light cameras that do little for safety while padding the pockets of government agencies. By gradually whittling away at our freedoms—free speech, assembly, due process, privacy, etc.—the government has, in effect, liberated itself from its contractual agreement to respect the constitutional rights of the citizenry while resetting the calendar back to a time when we had no Bill of Rights to protect us from the long arm of the government. We’ve bartered away our right to self-governance, self-defense, privacy, autonomy and that most important right of all: the right to tell the government to “leave me the hell alone.” In exchange for the promise of safe streets, safe schools, blight-free neighborhoods, lower taxes, lower crime rates, and readily accessible technology, health care, water, food and power, we’ve opened the door to militarized police, government surveillance, asset forfeiture, school zero tolerance policies, license plate readers, red light cameras, SWAT team raids, health care mandates, overcriminalization and government corruption. In the end, such bargains always turn sour. We can no longer maintain the illusion of freedom.
(NEXT)
Preventive Use of Ivermectin Reduced COVID Mortality by 90%, Study Found
A peer-reviewed study published last month found the prophylactic use of ivermectin reduced COVID mortality by 90% among more than 223,000 study participants in a town in Southern Brazil.
David Charbonneau, Ph.D., February 7, 2022
A peer-reviewed study published last month found the prophylactic use of ivermectin reduced COVID mortality by 90% among more than 223,000 study participants in a town in Southern Brazil. The study, published in the Cureus Journal of Medical Science, also found a 44% reduction in COVID cases among those who took the re-purposed drug. Between July 7, 2020, and Dec. 2, 2020, all residents of Itajaí were offered ivermectin. Approximately 3.7% of ivermectin users contracted COVID during the trial period, compared with 6.6% of residents who didn’t take the drug. Based on the results, Dr. Flavio Cadegiani, one of the study’s lead authors, said, “Ivermectin must be considered as an option, particularly during outbreaks.” Dr Pierre Kory said: “You would think this would lead to major headlines everywhere. And yet, nothing. And this is not new, this censorship of this highly effective science and evidence around repurposed drugs. The censoring of it, it’s not new, it’s just getting more and more absurd. And it has to stop.” Kory said it’s not even about ivermectin, “it’s about the pharmaceutical industry’s capture of our agencies and how our policies are all directed at suppressing and avoiding use of re-purposed drugs” in favor of high-profit medicines.
Natural mineral may help reverse memory loss
University of Queensland (Australia), February 7, 2022
Selenium—a mineral found in many foods—could reverse the cognitive impact of stroke and boost learning and memory in aging brains, according to University of Queensland research. Queensland Brain Institute (QBI) lead researcher Dr. Tara Walker said studies on the impact of exercise on the aging brain found levels of a protein key to transporting selenium in the blood were elevated by physical activity. The research team investigated whether dietary selenium supplements could replicate the effects of exercise.
(NEXT)
Poor sleep can triple risk for heart disease
University of South Florida, February 7, 2022
Individual aspects of poor sleep can be detrimental to heart health. But if you combine them, the risk of heart disease can increase by as much as 141 percent. That’s the finding of a new study published in the journal Scientific Reports. The University of South Florida-led study reviewed sleep data of 6,820 U.S. adults with an average age of 53 who self-reported their sleep characteristics and heart diseasehistory. Among the participants, 633 also wore a research device (actigraphy) around their wrist that captured sleep activity.
(NEXT)
Curcumin-pepper combination shows antioxidant benefits for diabetics: RCT
Baqiyatallah, Shiraz and Mashhad universities (Iran), February 7, 2022
Curcumin and Piperine may reduce oxidative stress in patients suffering from type 2 diabetes, according to results of a randomized controlled trial. Clinical data published in the PubMed-listed journal Inflammopharmacology shows for the first time that the curcuminoid–piperine combination supplement may impact measures of oxidative stress in type 2 diabetes.Results showed that the curcuminoid-piperine combination resulted in an 21.9% reduction in MDA levels, compared to baseline levels, while no statistically significant changes were observed in the placebo group. In addition, the curcuminoid-piperine combination increased SOD and TAC levels by 11.6% and 21.1%, respectively, compared to baseline. On the other hand, these decreased by 12.6% and 17%, respectively in the placebo group, compared to placebo.
(VIDEOS)
Here is Glen Greenwald talking with Howard Kurtz
Trudeau’s Brother Kyle Kemper takes Firm Stance against the Vaccine Mandate and “The Great Reset”
(OTHER NEWS)
Colossal Financial Pyramid: BlackRock and The WEF “Great Reset”
F. William Engdahl – Global Research, June 20, 2021
A virtually unregulated investment firm today exercises more political and financial influence than the Federal Reserve and most governments on this planet. The firm, BlackRock Inc., the world’s largest asset manager, invests a staggering $9 trillion in client funds worldwide, a sum more than double the annual GDP of the Federal Republic of Germany. This colossus sits atop the pyramid of world corporate ownership, including in China most recently. Since 1988 the company has put itself in a position to de facto control the Federal Reserve, most Wall Street mega-banks, including Goldman Sachs, the Davos World Economic Forum Great Reset, the Biden Administration and, if left unchecked, the economic future of our world. BlackRock is the epitome of what Mussolini called Corporatism, where an unelected corporate elite dictates top down to the population. How the world’s largest “shadow bank” exercises this enormous power over the world ought to concern us. BlackRock since Larry Fink founded it in 1988 has managed to assemble unique financial software and assets that no other entity has. BlackRock’s Aladdin risk-management system, a software tool that can track and analyze trading, monitors more than $18 trillion in assets for 200 financial firms including the Federal Reserve and European central banks. He who “monitors” also knows, we can imagine. BlackRock has been called a financial “Swiss Army Knife — institutional investor, money manager, private equity firm, and global government partner rolled into one.” Yet mainstream media treats the company as just another Wall Street financial firm. There is a seamless interface that ties the UN Agenda 2030 with the Davos World Economic Forum Great Reset and the nascent economic policies of the Biden Administration. That interface is BlackRock. Team Biden and BlackRock By now it should be clear to anyone who bothers to look, that the person who claims to be US President, 78-year old Joe Biden, is not making any decisions. He even has difficulty reading a teleprompter or answering prepared questions from friendly media without confusing Syria and Libya or even whether he is President. He is being micromanaged by a group of handlers to maintain a scripted “image” of a President while policy is made behind the scenes by others. It eerily reminds of the 1979 Peter Sellers film character, Chauncey Gardiner, in Being There. What is less public are the key policy persons running economic policy for Biden Inc. They are simply said, BlackRock. Much as Goldman Sachs ran economic policy under Obama and also Trump, today BlackRock is filling that key role. The deal apparently was sealed in January, 2019 when Joe Biden, then-candidate and long-shot chance to defeat Trump, went to meet with Larry Fink in New York, who reportedly told “working class Joe,” that, “I’m here to help.” Now as President in one of his first appointees, Biden named Brian Deese to be the Director of the National Economic Council, the President’s main adviser for economic policy. One of the early Presidential Executive Orders dealt with economics and climate policy. That’s not surprising, as Deese came from Fink’s BlackRock where he was Global Head of Sustainable Investing. Before joining BlackRock, Deese held senior economic posts under Obama, including replacing John Podesta as Senior Adviser to the President where he worked alongside Valerie Jarrett. Under Obama, Deese played a key role in negotiating the Global Warming Paris Accords. In the key policy post as Deputy Treasury Secretary under Secretary Janet Yellen, we find Nigerian-born Adewale “Wally” Adeyemo. Adeyemo also comes from BlackRock where from 2017 to 2019 he was a senior adviser and Chief of Staff to BlackRock CEO Larry Fink, after leaving the Obama Administration. His personal ties to Obama are strong, as Obama named him the first President of the Obama Foundation in 2019. And a third senior BlackRock person running economic policy in the Administration now is also unusual in several respects. Michael Pyle is the Senior Economic Adviser to Vice President Kamala Harris. He came to Washington from the position as the Global Chief Investment Strategist at BlackRock where he oversaw the strategy for investing some $9 trillion of funds. Before joining BlackRock at the highest level, he had also been in the Obama Administration as a senior adviser to the Undersecretary of the Treasury for International Affairs, and in 2015 became an adviser to the Hillary Clinton presidential bid. The fact that three of the most influential economic appointees of the Biden Administration come from BlackRock, and before that all from the Obama Administration, is noteworthy. There is a definite pattern and suggests that the role of BlackRock in Washington is far larger than we are being told. What is BlackRock? Never before has a financial company with so much influence over world markets been so hidden from public scrutiny. That’s no accident. As it is technically not a bank making bank loans or taking deposits, it evades the regulation oversight from the Federal Reserve even though it does what most mega banks like HSBC or JP MorganChase do—buy, sell securities for profit. When there was a Congressional push to include asset managers such as BlackRock and Vanguard Funds under the post-2008 Dodd-Frank law as “systemically important financial institutions” or SIFIs, a huge lobbying push from BlackRock ended the threat. BlackRock is essentially a law onto itself. And indeed it is “systemically important” as no other, with possible exception of Vanguard, which is said to also be a major shareholder in BlackRock. BlackRock founder and CEO Larry Fink is clearly interested in buying influence globally. He made former German CDU MP Friederich Merz head of BlackRock Germany when it looked as if he might succeed Chancellor Merkel, and former British Chancellor of Exchequer George Osborne as “political consultant.” Fink named former Hillary Clinton Chief of Staff Cheryl Mills to the BlackRock board when it seemed certain Hillary would soon be in the White House. He has named former central bankers to his board and gone on to secure lucrative contracts with their former institutions. Stanley Fisher, former head of the Bank of Israel and also later Vice Chairman of the Federal Reserve is now Senior Adviser at BlackRock. Philipp Hildebrand, former Swiss National Bank president, is vice chairman at BlackRock, where he oversees the BlackRock Investment Institute. Jean Boivin, the former deputy governor of the Bank of Canada, is the global head of research at BlackRock’s investment institute. BlackRock and the Fed It was this ex-central bank team at BlackRock that developed an “emergency” bailout plan for Fed chairman Powell in March 2019 as financial markets appeared on the brink of another 2008 “Lehman crisis” meltdown. As “thank you,” the Fed chairman Jerome Powell named BlackRock in a no-bid role to manage all of the Fed’s corporate bond purchase programs, including bonds where BlackRock itself invests. Conflict of interest? A group of some 30 NGOs wrote to Fed Chairman Powell, “By giving BlackRock full control of this debt buyout program, the Fed… makes BlackRock even more systemically important to the financial system. Yet BlackRock is not subject to the regulatory scrutiny of even smaller systemically important financial institutions.” In a detailed report in 2019, a Washington non-profit research group, Campaign for Accountability, noted that, “BlackRock, the world’s largest asset manager, implemented a strategy of lobbying, campaign contributions, and revolving door hires to fight off government regulation and establish itself as one of the most powerful financial companies in the world.” The New York Fed hired BlackRock in March 2019 to manage its commercial mortgage-backed securities program and its $750 billion primary and secondary purchases of corporate bonds and ETFs in no-bid contracts. US financial journalists Pam and Russ Martens in critiquing that murky 2019 Fed bailout of Wall Street remarked, “for the first time in history, the Fed has hired BlackRock to “go direct” and buy up $750 billion in both primary and secondary corporate bonds and bond ETFs (Exchange Traded Funds), a product of which BlackRock is one of the largest purveyors in the world.” They went on, “Adding further outrage, the BlackRock-run program will get $75 billion of the $454 billion in taxpayers’ money to eat the losses on its corporate bond purchases, which will include its own ETFs, which the Fed is allowing it to buy…” Fed head Jerome Powell and Larry Fink know each other well, apparently. Even after Powell gave BlackRock the hugely lucrative no-bid “go direct” deal, Powell continued to have the same BlackRock manage an estimated $25 million of Powell’s private securities investments. Public records show that in this time Powell held direct confidential phone calls with BlackRock CEO Fink. According to required financial disclosure, BlackRock managed to double the value of Powell’s investments from the year before! No conflict of interest, or? A Very BlackRock in Mexico BlackRock’s murky history in Mexico shows that conflicts of interest and influence-building with leading government agencies is not restricted to just the USA. PRI Presidential candidate Peña Nieto went to Wall Street during his campaign in November 2011. There he met Larry Fink. What followed the Nieto victory in 2012 was a tight relationship between Fink and Nieto that was riddled with conflict of interest, cronyism and corruption. Most likely to be certain BlackRock was on the winning side in the corrupt new Nieto regime, Fink named 52-year-old Marcos Antonio Slim Domit, billionaire son of Mexico’s wealthiest and arguably most corrupt man, Carlos Slim, to BlackRock’s Board. Marcos Antonio, along with his brother Carlos Slim Domit, run the father’s huge business empire today. Carlos Slim Domit, the eldest son, was Co-Chair of the World Economic Forum Latin America in 2015, and currently serves as chairman of the board of America Movil where BlackRock is a major investor. Small cozy world. The father, Carlos Slim, at the time named by Forbes as World’s Richest Person, built an empire based around his sweetheart acquisition of Telemex (later America Movil). Then President, Carlos Salinas de Gortari, in effect gifted the telecom empire to Slim in 1989. Salinas later fled Mexico on charges of stealing more than $10 billion from state coffers. As with much in Mexico since the 1980s drug money apparently played a huge role with the elder Carlos Slim, father of BlackRock director Marcos Slim. In 2015 WikiLeaks released company internal emails from the private intelligence corporation, Stratfor. Stratfor writes in an April 2011 email, the time BlackRock is establishing its Mexico plans, that a US DEA Special Agent, William F. Dionne confirmed Carlos Slim’s ties to the Mexican drug cartels. Stratfor asks Dionne, “Billy, is the MX (Mexican) billionaire Carlos Slim linked to the narcos?” Dionne replies, “Regarding your question, the MX telecommunication billionaire is.” In a country where 44% of the population lives in poverty you don’t become the world’s richest man in just two decades selling Girl Scout cookies. Fink and Mexican PPP With Marcos Slim on his BlackRock board and new president Enrique Peña Nieto, Larry Fink’s Mexican partner in Nieto Peña’s $590 billion PublicPrivatePartnership (PPP) alliance, BlackRock, was ready to reap the harvest. To fine-tune his new Mexican operations, Fink named former Mexican Undersecretary of Finance Gerardo Rodriguez Regordosa to direct BlackRock Emerging Market Strategy in 2013. Then in 2016 Peña Nieto appointed Isaac Volin, then head of BlackRock Mexico to be No. 2 at PEMEX where he presided over corruption, scandals and the largest loss in PEMEX history, $38 billion. Peña Nieto had opened the huge oil state monopoly, PEMEX, to private investors for the first time since nationalization in the 1930s. The first to benefit was Fink’s BlackRock. Within seven months, BlackRock had secured $1 billion in PEMEX energy projects, many as the only bidder. During the tenure of Peña Nieto, one of the most controversial and least popular presidents, BlackRock prospered by the cozy ties. It soon was engaged in highly profitable (and corrupt) infrastructure projects under Peña Nieto including not only oil and gas pipelines and wells but also including toll roads, hospitals, gas pipelines and even prisons. Notably, BlackRock’s Mexican “friend” Peña Nieto was also “friends” not only with Carlos Slim but with the head of the notorious Sinaloa Cartel, “El Chapo” Guzman. In court testimony in 2019 in New York Alex Cifuentes, a Colombian drug lord who has described himself as El Chapo’s “right-hand man,” testified that just after his election in 2012, Peña Nieto had requested $250 million from the Sinaloa Cartel before settling on $100 million. We can only guess what for. Larry Fink and WEF Great Reset In 2019 Larry Fink joined the Board of the Davos World Economic Forum, the Swiss-based organization that for some 40 years has advanced economic globalization. Fink, who is close to the WEF’s technocrat head, Klaus Schwab, of Great Reset notoriety, now stands positioned to use the huge weight of BlackRock to create what is potentially, if it doesn’t collapse before, the world’s largest Ponzi scam, ESG corporate investing. Fink with $9 trillion to leverage is pushing the greatest shift of capital in history into a scam known as ESG Investing. The UN “sustainable economy” agenda is being realized quietly by the very same global banks which have created the financial crises in 2008. This time they are preparing the Klaus Schwab WEF Great Reset by steering hundreds of billions and soon trillions in investment to their hand-picked “woke” companies, and away from the “not woke” such as oil and gas companies or coal. BlackRock since 2018 has been in the forefront to create a new investment infrastructure that picks “winners” or “losers” for investment according to how serious that company is about ESG—Environment, Social values and Governance. For example a company gets positive ratings for the seriousness of its hiring gender diverse management and employees, or takes measures to eliminate their carbon “footprint” by making their energy sources green or sustainable to use the UN term. How corporations contribute to a global sustainable governance is the most vague of the ESG, and could include anything from corporate donations to Black Lives Matter to supporting UN agencies such as WHO. Oil companies like ExxonMobil or coal companies no matter how clear are doomed as Fink and friends now promote their financial Great Reset or Green New Deal. This is why he cut a deal with the Biden presidency in 2019. Follow the money. And we can expect that the New York Times will cheer BlackRock on as it destroys the world financial structures. Since 2017 BlackRock has been the paper’s largest shareholder. Carlos Slim was second largest. Even Carl Icahn, a ruthless Wall Street asset stripper, once called BlackRock, “an extremely dangerous company… I used to say, you know, the mafia has a better code of ethics than you guys.”
(NEXT)
Can Joe Rogan Save Free Speech?
Jonathan Turley, February 3, 2022
Below is my column on the campaign to cancel Joe Rogan and his podcast. Various celebrities and artists have joined the movement for censoring Joe Rogan, including Mary Trump. The White House has called for even greater action from Spotify to limit or remove content. We have also heard the same false narrative that, since the First Amendment only covers government action, this is not by definition a free speech issue. The argument is entirely divorced from any understanding of free speech. As we have previously discussed, the First Amendment is not the full or exclusive embodiment of free speech. It addresses just one of the dangers to free speech posed by government regulation. Many of us view free speech as a human right. Corporate censorship of social media clearly impacts free speech, and replacing Big Brother with a cadre of Little Brothers actually allows for far greater control of free expression. When it comes to media, information or social media platforms, corporate censorship can have a devastating impact on free speech. For Spotify, the choice between Rogan’s 11 million listeners or an aging rocker was economically clear, even with other artists threatening to pull their music from the platform. The music side of Spotify is reportedly not making much revenue, but Rogan and podcasts are a cash machine. Spotify now has 365 million subscribers and its advertising revenues have doubled with the help of the podcast market. Revenue from podcasts is up a staggering 627 percent on Spotify. However, even if the company was not motivated by its better angels, that may actually be better news for free speech. The free-fall of free speech has largely been due to greed. Companies see no profit in defending dissenting viewpoints. Now, for the first time, the economics may have actually worked against censorship and for free speech. At least in this instance, to paraphrase “Wall Street’s” Gordon Gekko, “Greed is good” for free speech. The famous economist Arthur Cecil Pigou once explained that corporations are not “social” but market creatures moved by profits, not principles. No matter how “woke” many companies may appear, there is an economic calculation behind corporate action. Most companies yield to demands because it is wealth-maximizing. There was a calculation that woke statements or censorship policies would protect a company from protests while opposing customers would still want its product. That calculation has been a disaster for free speech. The First Amendment only addresses the primary threat that existed in the 18th century against free speech: the government. It does not limit private companies, which have free speech rights like individuals. Activists and politicians used that blind spot to do indirectly what they could not do directly in censoring opposing viewpoints. Democratic leaders, including President Biden, have encouraged companies to expand what they euphemistically call “content modification” to block dissenting views on vaccines, election integrity, global warming, gender identity and a range of other issues. As a result, social media companies and other corporations now regulate speech in the United States to a degree that an actual state media would struggle to replicate. Faced with a growing cancel culture, companies are scrubbing their platforms of dissenting viewpoints and converting forums into echo chambers. Rogan’s popularity is precisely due to the fact that he is uncensored in what he says. As many networks and newspapers have become more of an echo chamber, viewers and readers have fled en masse. Trust in the media has fallen to just 46 percent and as low as 40 percent in recent polling. While Young reportedly relies on Spotify for 60 percent of his royalty income, Spotify does not rely on Young or other rock stars for its primary profits. It is the reverse of market conditions from just a couple years ago. While Rogan has promised to be more careful in how information is presented on his show (and Spotify will add “advisories” on podcasts), his podcast survived the celebrity onslaught. As various investors seek to create free speech alternatives to Twitter and YouTube, there may be an emerging market for free speech products. This does not mean that Joe Rogan is the new Thomas Paine or that this small skirmish is a turning point in the war over free speech. Indeed, the campaign continues against Spotify. However, with the explosion of corporate censorship, free speech advocates have begun to look at figures like Rogan as “super survivors,” people who seem to have natural immunities protecting them from an otherwise lethal threat. If we can replicate those economic antibodies, we just might be able to develop a protection against censorship and the cancel culture.
Manuka honey contains natural antiviral compounds that fight influenza
Nagasaki University (Japan)
New research published in the journal Archives of Medical Researchshows that manuka honey is a powerful natural remedy against influenza and other associated diseases – including the Wuhan coronavirus (Covid-19). Entitled, “Anti-influenza Viral Effects of Honey In Vitro: Potent High Activity of Manuka Honey,” the study looked at the commonly researched H1N1 influenza strain known as A/WSN/3. Researchers infected MadineDarby canine kidney (MDCK) cells with the virus before exposing them to numerous types of honey.
(NEXT)
Study Suggests Ultrasound Stimulation May Be An Effective Therapy For Alzheimer’s Disease
Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology, February 1, 2022
Researchers from the Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology propose ultrasound stimulation as an effective therapy for Alzheimer’s disease in a new study. Synchronizing one’s brainwaves to ultrasound pulses could reduce the accumulation of abnormal proteins characteristic of the onset of Alzheimer’s disease. Now, scientists from the Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology demonstrate reduced protein accumulation in the brain by synchronizing brain waves to external ultrasound pulses at gamma frequency, opening doors to a non-invasive therapy.
(NEXT)
More spice could help seniors avoid salt
Washington State University, February 3, 2022
Add a little spicy seasoning to a low sodium meal, and adults over the age of 60 may have a harder time noticing a lack of salt, according to a new study in the journal Food Quality and Preference. Led by Carolyn Ross, a professor of Food Sciences at Washington State University, the study tested saltiness perception in older adults using white sauce formulations with varying amounts of salt and different spices and seasonings added.
(NEXT)
Saffron a safer treatment for ADHD, just as effective as Ritalin, says study
Tehran University of Medical Sciences (Iran)
Fortunately, recent studies show that there may be a safe, all-natural alternative to Ritalin: saffron. In a study published in the Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychopharmacology, researchers from the Tehran University of Medical Sciences (TUMS) in Iran found that saffron is just as effective as Ritalin at treating ADHD. Corresponding author Shahin Akhondzadeh of the Psychiatric Research Center at TUMS’ Roozbeh Hospital said that his team has been studying the psychotropic effects of saffron since the early 2000s and found that the herb has antidepressant effects.
(VIDEOS)
(READING)
- kristen meghan
- New Rule: Apply Precision to the Pandemic | Real Time (HBO)
- George Carlin told us about the Corona panic years ago
- Virginia mom Merianne Jensen call out the hypocrisy
Why I’m leaving the cult of wokeness
Africa Brooke
If there’s one thing I’m NOT afraid of, it’s being ‘cancelled’. If being cancelled means me living in integrity as a human being who thinks for themselves, CANCEL ME TODAY! I repeat; I am not afraid.What I’m truly afraid of is existing in a world that forces me to submit to an ideology without question, otherwise I’m to be shamed (or pressured to shame myself) and cast out of the community. A world that tells me that because I inhabit a black body; I will forever be oppressed and at the mercy of some omnipresent monster called ‘whiteness’. That because of the colour of my skin; I am a victim of an inherently racist system by default – and me rejecting the narrative of oppression means that I am in fact, in denial. How empowering! You know, as someone that comes from Zimbabwe, a country where the general population is truly oppressed, it perplexes me that oppression is now being worn as an identity piece in most parts of the West, especially by those who claim to be ‘progressive’ What I’m truly afraid of is existing in a world that forces me to consider the colour of my skin and my gender (and that of others) at every fucking turn, instead of living by Martin Luther King’s teachings and prioritising the content of mine and other people’s character. I dread the prospect of a world where context, nuance, critical thinking, meritocracy, mathematics, science, and rationality are considered tools of ‘white supremacy’, and the rule is that you’re not allowed to question or argue this senseless statement – especially if you’re white. A world that is conditioning you and I to believe that we will always be trapped in some weird hierarchy because of our race, our genitals, our physical abilities, our neurodiversity, our sexuality, and our politics. And that if we do not agree on every single thing, it’s a sign that we are interacting with an enemy – or at the very least, someone to be wildly suspicious and judgmental of…instead of another complex human being worthy of being seen and heard. I wish this world I’m speaking of was just a figment of my imagination, but we are already inside it. Our suitcases have been unpacked here for quite some time. This absolutist, authoritarian world is being fiercely crafted under the guise of ‘social justice’, and I want no parts in this. I AM OUT. As someone that, politically speaking, leans left on most things (although I’m neither left or right) – the current state of affairs and this push for obedience at all costs is NOT what I signed up for. I never signed up to be hit over the head with disempowering narratives that tell me that I need to refer to myself as a ‘person of colour’ (how is this different being called a ‘coloured’ person?), a minority, a marginalised person, and BAME (UK version of BIPOC). I cannot stand any of these terms. Please, if we ever need to address my racial identity, which we really don’t need to do as often as you might think…BLACK works just fine, it’s not a dirty word. And remember; it’s okay if the language I mentioned before is affirming for you, we are allowed to disagree – but for ME, it does nothing but give me false reminders of my supposed oppression…which rubs me the wrong way entirely because I AM NOT OPPRESSED. I think it’s key that we begin to accept that black people don’t all share a singular experience, nor do we share the same brain. Shocking, I know. ‘We are not a monolith’ has become a common statement within communities that identify as marginalised, and while I wholeheartedly agree, we’re definitely not a monolith… I’ve noticed that despite this being a popular mantra – when someone ‘steps out of line’ or dares to think differently…it’s a different story. You will often have the pleasure of being told that you are in denial and have some kind of internalised disorder; ‘internalised racism’, ‘internalised anti-blackness’, ‘internalised misogyny’, ‘internalised sexism’, ‘internalised homophobia’, ‘internalised transphobia’, ‘internalised white supremacy’… Meaning NOTHING can be questioned. Fun. Culty. Vibes. Honestly, I want better for us because it’s all getting a bit much in these social justice/woke spaces, and it scares me to know that it’s become controversial to address any concerns or express a differing viewpoint. It’s becoming dangerous to address reality. You either agree and comply, or you shut up. I’m so happy that these are conversations that are now happening with many black people in my life, including my family who spend very little time online, are willing to have healthy debates, and couldn’t give a crap about identity politics. These are the people who have really helped me free myself from the dogmatic thinking. It’s necessary for me to mention that I’m having these conversations with black people because some individuals think that it’s only white people who are pushing back against wokeism, and it’s far from the truth. What is worrying though is how many more of us feel afraid to talk to our own friends, our partners, our spouses, our colleagues, our family – of fear of being branded as ‘wrong-thinkers’. How are we supposed to understand each other if we’re living in constant fear of saying the ‘wrong’ thing? It’s even harder if you’re white because there’s usually someone just waiting to call you racist. And according to the woke manual, if you’re white you’re supposed to just accept that label. If you do question it or defend yourself, it’s taken as confirmation that you ARE in fact a white supremacist. If you DARE express any fears or signs of being rightfully upset, you’ll be accused of ‘centering your white feelings’, and of exuding ‘white guilt’ or ‘white fragility’. With all disrespect, I don’t understand the purpose of these cultish, degrading, racist terms. How are they helping us move forward? Is this true social justice? How is this helping the black community? How is this shaping a world where you and I aren’t judged by the colour of our skin? Are we really trying to eradicate racism with racism? The LITERAL definition of racism is “prejudiced against or antagonistic towards a person or people on the basis of their membership of a particular racial or ethnic group”. And yet some people have suddenly decided that white people cannot experience racism, nor are they permitted to dispute this insane claim. This then leads to most white people choosing to not say anything at all (which creates resentment because that’s the nature of suppression & self-censorship), and some choose to comply and pretend they are on board with anything and everything (whilst also secretly resenting that they can’t truly express their thoughts, ideas, feelings, etc). To me all of this confirms that when it comes to ‘wokeness’, critical social justice, and the beast that is cancel culture, you will never win. You will NEVER get it right. If you choose to stand back, ‘educate yourself’ privately and quietly; you’ll be accused of being violent via your silence… And if you speak out, ask questions, or express valid confusion from the dehumanising generalisations and character assassinations; you’ll be denounced for centering your ‘white feelings’. This sounds like psychological warfare to me. I can’t be the only one that also finds this language eerie. This is cult behaviour! And for saying the above I’m sure someone out there will lovingly label me a ‘white apologist’… This is where we’re at people. And like I said at the beginning, when it comes to this – I am unafraid. This is my open letter detailing some of the things that have led me to this point, because if there’s anything that this past year has taught me; it’s that my wellbeing and that of those around me (including the collective), is infinitely more important than any temporary discomfort that might come from me doing what I know to be right. I also want to let you know that I’m not writing this to convince you of anything, your agreement is welcome but it’s not a requirement. I’m not writing this from a place of animosity or anger. I’m not writing this on behalf of any individual, group, movement, organisation, or community. I am not an activist, a social commentator, a feminist, an academic, or any other label apart from the ones I claim publicly. I am writing this to free myself. I am writing this for myself. And for you if you need it. Just like you; I am entitled to my own opinions, I have every right to question things that don’t feel aligned with my values, morals, ethics, and beliefs. I have every right to push back if I recognise that I’m being forced to comply with ideologies and practices that don’t make sense to me (which is how I’ve felt this past year). I don’t want to live my life in a fearful and paranoid state. I don’t want to spend my life thinking that everything that doesn’t go my way is because of my skin colour, I don’t want to spend the rest of my life unable to have insightful conversations with those that think differently to me…I really don’t. I’m tired of hearing that because I’m black I should feel victimised. That because I’m black I should agree with everything that black people do and say (surely NO ONE should have this expected of them). None of these narrow definitions of human existence or blackness help me. None of it helps my community. It’s keeping us small. It’s keeping us stuck, afraid, and defensive. I reject the idea that I am a victim. I reject the idea that I am oppressed. I reject the idea that white people only exist to oppress and should be reminding me of their privilege every 2 seconds, while simultaneously telling me that they are above me. How is this helpful!? If anything, it’s deeply offensive and condescending. There’s no question about it; being black is a beautiful part of who I am, but it’s not all I am – not even close. My identity (race, gender, sexuality, body parts) will never be more important than my humanity, my spirit, and my wholeness. EVER. Because of this, I fervently reject the idea that all white people are racist and must be shamed into confessing their sins and admitting complicity in all of their ancestors indiscretions…simply because of the colour of their skin. I reject this bullshit idea that every white person walking this planet is ‘inherently racist’. Do we even know what we’re saying? or are we just regurgitating/parroting things, and now it’s gotten out of control. I honestly struggle to see how shaming others (or shaming yourself) for having white skin is an essential part of fuelling true social change. Surely this is regressive? It also sounds a little like the very thing we’ve spent years moving away from… The truth of the matter is that my own ancestors have participated in some FUCKERY and I would not want to live the rest of my life being punished for their actions. A lot of what I’m seeing in the woke/critical social justice spaces is not about creating a better world, it seems to be about punishment and revenge. And it’s doing nothing but trampling on the work true Activists are doing and have been doing for centuries! I do have to take a moment to acknowledge those who are doing fantastic work and making a long-lasting impact in their communities, instead of perpetuating fear and manipulating people’s emotions by convincing them they will always be victims. I’m done with the insidious brainwashing of wokeness. I’m committed to understanding human behaviour (this is also at the core of what I do professionally), I’m committed to compassion and kindness without excusing that which must be acknowledged. I’m well aware of the systems we live under. I know what’s happening in the world. I’ve lived it. I acknowledge reality, but I refuse to be a slave to a disempowering narrative that rarely focuses on actual solutions. I never want to forget that you can still be compassionate with those you don’t agree with. And this way of thinking is what I CHOOSE because it makes my time on planet earth better, you don’t have to take it on if it doesn’t work for you. I want to live a life that isn’t centred around identity politics and all that comes with it, so much more in my life takes priority. I want to remain open to new ideas, perspectives, and thoughts – so that I can grow, course correct where necessary, and make a genuine impact on a local and global level. I want to give people the benefit of the doubt and continue using discernment instead of making sweeping harmful (often lazy) assumptions based on the colour of people’s skin or their gender. I refuse to take on the black or white thinking because I’ve seen and experienced the grave harm that does. As I move into this next season of my life, I’m more interested in the grey area – where we all exist. The nail in the coffin for me was all the events that took place last Summer. Last Summer in the height of the Black Lives Matter movement, I noticed a shadowy part of me emerging and although I didn’t judge it, I wasn’t comfortable with what was coming up. All the critical social justice dogma I’d been consciously and unconsciously imbibing over the past 2 years began taking a HUGE toll on my mental health, and I hadn’t even realised that I wasn’t functioning as a full human being – until it reached it’s peak. The unpleasant internal experience I had is what led me where I am now, which is why I’m a firm believer that welcoming discomfort in is one of the most loving things you can do for yourself. On social media at that time I was DEEP is various social justice echo chambers that shared more than enough infographics, stories, feed posts, IG LIVES, to make my fight or flight response go nuts. I was in constant fight mode, and wasn’t aware. I was being indoctrinated; this means “to teach a person or a group to accept a set of beliefs uncritically”. I found myself subconsciously looking for things that would piss me off, which is a symptom of wokeness that seems to show up in many people – hundreds of you have shared your own experiences with me in the past month alone and the similarities in our stories are alarming. Before reacting to things, I did ZERO in-depth research of my own. It’s almost as if facts were an unwelcome guest. Anything that didn’t align with the beliefs I held about race, sex, gender, politics, etc – I rejected (this was all unconscious). I didn’t question the sources I was getting information from, it was all taken as objective truth. It was ALL reactionary, I was on autopilot. I didn’t realise I had many people on pedestals that they shouldn’t have been on in the first place (no fault of their own, I put them there), I was operating purely based on emotions and feelings that gave my nervous system the signal that I was under threat. And that’s the energy I acted and spoke from. I rashly unfollowed some people on my social media who I’d decided should have ‘spoken up’ in support of Black Lives Matter (an organisationI have now done my own extensive research on, but that’s a whole other story) – simply because (based on my egos time frame) they weren’t responding as and when they ‘should’ have. I’m sure I re-shared something about ‘white silence’ being ‘violence’ (an oversimplified and unfair statement I no longer agree with, and you can watch the lengthy live I did with Rukiat where I go into some of this). I also publicly shamed an unsuspecting man who had messaged me to question me about my conduct (I immediately assumed he was white…he was mixed race). And even though his approach was not a welcome one, he wasn’t unkind to me – which is why I’m not proud of the unkind way in which I reacted…not responded, reacted. What frightened me was the applause I got from over 4,000 people when I called out this man in an Instagram post – I didn’t say anything wild, but I did deconstruct his direct message publicly with the intention to embarrass him, not to resolve anything – to embarrass. I was honestly shocked by how many people used the environment I had created to exercise pack mentality, and to casually shame and scold a stranger – of which I take responsibility for as the person that created that environment. I now know that publicly shaming someone is a common tactic used in most woke spaces and echo chambers on social media, and it’s so normalised. This is the kind of thing that quickly leads to bullying, doxing, stalking, and harassment…and sometimes ends in suicide. After seeing the responses applauding me, I removed the post and started asking myself some questions; who am I doing this for? why did my interaction with this man need to be publicised? what is really the root of the anger I feel? is this a performance on my behalf? what research have I done to support the ideology I’m leading with? are there any alternative sources that can give me more information or provide clarity on the situation I’m reacting to? do I really believe this or am I regurgitating something I read/heard/saw somewhere? I’m of the thinking that there is such a thing as justified anger, and I believe that all emotions and modes of expressions have their place – but I know myself well enough to know that the way I handled that particular situation was not necessary. This incident led me start evaluating my own behaviour and doing more research around the cancel culture phenomenon. And it’s just one recent example of how some of this stuff has showed up in my life over the past 2 years. SO, why am I calling ‘WOKENESS’ a cult? Well, first lets start by defining what the term woke even means. It’s a term that been around for a very long time but has (in my eyes) lost all of it’s credibility and meaning in recent years. Woke: a term embedded in US Black History and social justice which originally meant being aware, well-informed, and up to date with what was happening within the community. “Stay woke became a watch word in parts of the black community for those who considered themselves self-aware, questioning the dominant paradigm, and striving for something better” – and these are the sentiments I will always stand for, however… This is NOT how it’s playing out these days, and you can read this interesting article to get a timeline of how it’s evolved over the years, and I’ll continue sharing with you the specific pockets of ‘wokeness’ and social justice that I have divorced myself from. I can no longer be an active participant in any culture or movement that encourages groupthink, outrage on demand, fear and violence, revamped segregation, fabricating history, cancellations masked as accountability, self-centredness… normalisation of racism towards white people, the disempowerment of black people masked as social justice, the constant redefining of existing language, ignoring self-responsibility, constant pathologizing, oppressed vs oppressor mentality, and the pressure to conform and comply… It’s exhausting. And honestly, I have better things to do with my time. Not to mention, it’s killing us. I also find it very telling that people who are married to these woke spaces will immediately assume that those that are requesting for more compassion, understanding, room for discussion, removal of censorship – only want these things so they can have free reign to be bigots, sexist, ‘fascists’, racists, homophobes, etc. As a free-thinking black woman who most definitely wants more compassion, understanding, healthy discussion, empathy, removal of censorship, more tolerance and acceptance when it matters most…I can guarantee you that my final goal isn’t so I can be a racist sexist fascist alt-righter extremist. LOL. And if you can understand this, what makes someone who happens to be white any less sincere if they want the exact same thing as me? Which many people do! I hope you can sort of see just how oversimplified and flawed this madness is. I often laugh about the ridiculous nature of it all, but what’s concerning is that it’s spreading like wildfire, it’s causing lasting harm, and it’s distracting us from the very real work that needs to be done to tackle injustice and unite us as human beings. I will stick to my guns by saying that the turn we’re taking because of critical social justice and this current strain of branded monetised wokeness – is not going to take us to the promised land (SPOILER: there is no utopia, I’m sorry to break it to you). As someone who will never stop advocating for human rights (fairness, equality, access to resources, respect, independence – for ALL, not just for people who share my skin tone and gender), I have come to realise that I do not need to be part of any groups or wear any labels to make a positive contribution to this planet of ours. This is also why I do not identify as a feminist. Just like everything else I’ve spoken about so far; the current wave of commodified feminism is so far removed from my core values; honesty, respect, interconnection, equality, individuality etc. There’s a lot of self-righteousness, virtue signalling, self-centeredness, and a lack of empathy in most of what I see being presented today as feminism – and again; it seems to be about revenge, superiority, and personal branding. It’s also not uncommon to be made to feel unintelligent, wrong, and inferior in a lot of these supposedly ‘safe spaces’ – simply because you don’t identify with the label or agree with all the view points of the group. IT’S TIRING, and I wish more people knew that you can still believe in and advocate for equality and fairness without wearing a label like a badge of honour. My mission isn’t to be superior to anyone, nor do I want to see the demise of any gender. I believe that we should all have equal rights and opportunities, and I’m also realistic about the differences we have as human beings – I celebrate those differences. In a world obsessed with labels and titles, I would rather let my values and actions speak for themselves. These are the times when I am incredibly grateful for the upbringing I’ve had, both in Zimbabwe and here in the UK. I’m grateful that I was raised to think for myself, and that’s what I’ll continue to do. I was raised to not judge people based on the colour of their skin, gender, class etc – no matter what. And that’s what I’ll continue to do. YES, I could choose to carry animosity in my heart based on the pain my ancestors experienced and the injustice still taking place in many different parts of the world – but what does that do for me, my mental state, my community, and those I interact with in the present day? I’d rather acknowledge reality, and focus on solutions. I wasn’t really raised to ask many questions, but in adulthood asking powerful questions (even when they are simple) is something that has become a non-negotiable – and that’s what I will continue to do. I will continue to trust myself and question things. I will do my own research before responding purely based on emotion. I will keep myself open to having challenging conversations if I have the capacity to do so, and if I don’t have the capacity to engage, I will still not shut anyone down – unless absolutely necessary. My biggest realisation has been that most of these people that pose as Social Justice Warriors, Activists, Agents of Change etc – don’t actually want to improve and repair society. They don’t want a better world. For some the goal is to make things worse. A lot of the people I know in these spaces have brands, careers, and management teams from this. Their livelihood depends on them playing this role, which often means that they will continue to find everything wrong with society instead of making consistent efforts to unite and truly empower. There’s a sinister side many people aren’t comfortable speaking about because of the potential backlash, and it’s unfair to those of us who end up being sucked into these echo chambers and movements through the promise of community and betterment. Most of us just want to help. We want to see change! In our personal lives, and in the world we exist in. This leaves us vulnerable to questionable ‘leaders’, influencers, and organisations who set themselves up so that you cannot question their practices or agenda. The similarities of wokeness/critical social justice to fundamentalist religion (something I’m VERY familiar with) is why I choose to call it a cult, the framework and tactics are eerily similar… It usually goes a little like this; find/attract a vulnerable person, make them feel like they belong so they can trust you, tell them exactly what they want to hear, and once they become loyal – it is easier to sell them outlandish concepts and to make them ‘repent’ for ‘sins’ they have supposedly committed… the person then regresses and begins to rely on their ‘leader’ or the ideology to shape their thoughts and their world view. They are introduced to an enemy and are encouraged to cut themselves off from the outside world and anyone else who doesn’t agree with or follow the ideology (us vs them mentality). Once cut off from everyone, the individual is more dependent on the leader or the group, and then it becomes increasingly difficult to leave. Just like an abusive relationship! This is exactly what I’m seeing in the woke/feminist/critical social justice spaces. Despite it all, the individual is often unaware of what’s really happening and will continue to believe that they are acting on their own accord. The prison walls remain invisible. But it’s possible to break out! It’s why I’ve decided to speak out. And if you don’t agree with what I’m sharing, and this has not been your experience – that’s okay. I will always respect your right to own your experiences and perspectives. I ask that you do the same for me. We live different lives, we have different views. It’s normal. What ISN’T normal, is forcing people to comply and bow down to an ideology, simply because YOU think it’s the right one. If you resonate with what I’ve shared in this letter, please know that you are not alone. You are allowed to change your mind. You are allowed to grow. You are allowed to walk away. You are allowed to put your foot down. There is no one way to ‘do the work’. You don’t have to pray to a single political idea, movement, or group – nor do you have to agree with EVERYTHING presented to you as the absolute truth. You are not morally inferior or superior to anyone else. And remember that we still have to co-exist on this planet, so expecting everyone you encounter to agree with every belief or view that you hold – is fucking wild, LOL. If you have read this far, I appreciate your time and your attention. Any typos you see, represent the sheer passion flowing through me. I’ll stop here because I could go on, there is always more to say. I feel like this letter is just the foundation of the conversations I REALLY want to have so I will likely explore some of the specificities in podcast form and through my newsletter. I’m considering producing and hosting a limited podcast series that specifically talks about these themes. Don’t worry, my existing podcastBeyond the Self won’t be going anywhere! In the meantime; you can find me on Instagram if we’re not already connected. Although my work as a Mindset Coach, Speaker, and Consultant has nothing to do with social justice, cancel culture, wokeness etc – this is something I’ll continue to speak about because it directly speaks to 2 of my biggest areas of focus, which in this case are collective self-sabotage and psychological manipulation. I encourage you to break out of any echo chambers (especially on social media) and explore yourself BEYOND your race, your pronouns, your genitals, your sexuality, your physical capabilities, your politics – those things have their place but there is so much more to you. And in fact, when you do go beyond those neatly prescribed boxes, you become more secure within your identity. I urge you to unsubscribe to anyone and anything that is stripping you of your humanity, your agency, and is proving to be detrimental to your mental wellbeing. You deserve better, let’s never stop speaking up! Love always, Africa
(OTHER NEWS)
Senators Have Re-Introduced the Highly Unpopular EARN IT Bill That Would Scan All Online Messages
Electronic Frontier Foundation
People don’t want outsiders reading their private messages—not their physical mail, not their texts, not their DMs, nothing. It’s a clear and obvious point, but one place it doesn’t seem to have reached is the U.S. Senate. A group of lawmakers led by Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) have re-introduced the EARN IT Act, an incredibly unpopular bill from 2020 that was dropped in the face of overwhelming opposition. Let’s be clear: the new EARN IT Act would pave the way for a massive new surveillance system, run by private companies, that would roll back some of the most important privacy and security features in technology used by people around the globe. It’s a framework for private actors to scan every message sent online and report violations to law enforcement. And it might not stop there. The EARN IT Act could ensure that anything hosted online—backups, websites, cloud photos, and more—is scanned.The bill empowers every U.S. state or territory to create sweeping new Internet regulations, by stripping away the critical legal protections for websites and apps that currently prevent such a free-for-all—specifically, Section 230. The states will be allowed to pass whatever type of law they want to hold private companies liable, as long as they somehow relate their new rules to online child abuse. The goal is to get states to pass laws that will punish companies when they deploy end-to-end encryption, or offer other encrypted services. This includes messaging services like WhatsApp, Signal, and iMessage, as well as web hosts like Amazon Web Services. We know that EARN IT aims to spread the use of tools to scan against law enforcement databases because the bill’s sponsors have said so. In a “Myths and Facts” document distributed by the bill’s proponents, it even names the government-approved software that they could mandate . Senators supporting the EARN IT Act say they need new tools to prosecute cases over child sexual abuse material, or CSAM. But the methods proposed by EARN IT take aim at the security and privacy of everything hosted on the Internet. Possessing, viewing, or distributing CSAM is already written into law as an extremely serious crime, with a broad framework of existing laws seeking to eradicate it. Online service providers that have actual knowledge of an apparent or imminent violation of current laws around CSAM are required to make a report to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), a government entity which forwards reports to law enforcement agencies. The Senators supporting the bill have said that their mass surveillance plans are somehow magically compatible with end-to-end encryption. That’s completely false, no matter whether it’s called “client side scanning” or another misleading new phrase. The EARN IT Act doesn’t target Big Tech. It targets every individual internet user, treating us all as potential criminals who deserve to have every single message, photograph, and document scanned and checked against a government database. Since direct government surveillance would be blatantly unconstitutional and provoke public outrage, EARN IT uses tech companies—from the largest ones to the very smallest ones—as its tools. The strategy is to get private companies to do the dirty work of mass surveillance. This is the same tactic that the U.S. government used last year, when law enforcement agencies tried to convince Apple to subvert its own encryption and scan users’ photos for them. It’s the same strategy that U.K. law enforcement is using to convince the British public to give up its privacy, having spent public money on a laughable publicity campaign that demonizes companies that use encryption.
(NEXT)
Why Are Myocarditis Rates Surging in Europe?
New groundbreaking data: Myocarditis rates up 30-75 percent nationally
Epoch Times, February 1, 2022
I’ve been trying to find national rates of myocarditis in Canada or the United States for several weeks but haven’t been able to find a reliable dataset. However, I came across two countries that appear to be closely tracking this issue: Germany and France. The results are damning. First, take a look at Germany: Since vaccines were widely distributed last year, myocarditis rates surged more than 75 percent. Maybe Germany is just an outlier and I’m senselessly speculating. Look at France: In 2021, myocarditis cases rose 31 percent—the highest in several years. They only rose in 2021, the year vaccines were rolled out to the public. It’s impossible to prove with 100 percent certainty, but this data strongly indicates that mass vaccination in these European nations has led to surging rates of myocarditis (cases are almost certainly concentrated in young men under the age of 40). But among young men, the vaccine-induced myocarditis signal is incontrovertible. And by best available evidence, it occurs at a HIGHER frequency than infection-induced myocarditis in that age/gender demographic. As a robust analysis by Oxford researchers found last month, Pfizer doses 2 & 3 and Moderna doses 1 & 2 are associated with post-vaccine myocarditis rates that exceed the rates of infection-induced myocarditis in men under 40. Myocarditis Is a Non-Serious, Minor Condition? For detractors who think myocarditis is no big deal and most cases are “mild,” consider a TYPICAL case of myocarditis (regardless of the cause): 1) 3-6 months of limited physical activity. No sports or athletic competition. Even carrying heavy textbooks and walking up stairs can be prohibited. 2) Being placed on medications such as beta-blockers or ACE inhibitors that can have negative side effects. 3) Scars in heart region visible on an MRI scan. 4) Life-long risk of cardiac complications.
Lower Dietary and Circulating Vitamin C in Middle- and Older-Aged Men and Women Are Associated with Lower Estimated Skeletal Muscle Mass
University of East Anglia (UK)
Age-related loss of skeletal muscle mass contributes to poor outcomes including sarcopenia, physical disability, frailty, type 2 diabetes, and mortality. Vitamin C has physiological relevance to skeletal muscle and may protect it during aging, but few studies have investigated its importance in older populations. Positive trends were found across quintiles of dietary vitamin C and FFM measures for both sexes, with interquintile differences in FFM% and FFMBMI of 1.0% and 2.3% for men and 1.9% and 2.9% for women, respectively (all P< 0.001). Similarly, FFM% and FFMBMI measures were higher in participants with sufficient than with insufficient plasma vitamin C: by 1.6% and 2.0% in men, and 3.4% and 3.9% in women, respectively (all P < 0.001). Associations were also evident in analyses stratified into
Compound in the herb rosemary may be useful against COVID-19 and other inflammatory diseases
Scripps Research Institute, February 2, 2022
A team co-led by scientists at Scripps Research has found evidence that a compound contained in the medicinal and culinary herb rosemary could be a two-pronged weapon against the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus that causes COVID-19. The scientists, in experiments described in a paper published January 6, 2022 in the journal Antioxidants, found that the compound, carnosic acid, can block the interaction between the SARS-CoV-2 outer "spike" protein and the receptor protein, ACE2, which the virus uses to gain entry to cells. The team also presented evidence, and reviewed evidence from prior studies, that carnosic acid has a separate effect in inhibiting a powerful inflammatory pathway—a pathway that is active in severe COVID-19 as well as in other diseases including Alzheimer's.
(NEXT)
Social isolation and loneliness increase heart disease risk in senior women
University of California San Diego, February 2, 2022
During the current pandemic, social distancing has been one tool used to reduce the spread of COVID-19. But data from a new study point to as much as a 27% increase in heart disease risk in postmenopausal women who experience both high levels of social isolation and loneliness. The findings of the prospective study, published in JAMA Network Open, reveal that social isolation and loneliness independently increased cardiovascular disease risk by 8% and 5% respectively. If women experienced high levels of both, their risk rose 13% to 27% compared to women who reported low levels of social isolation and low levels of loneliness.
(NEXT)
Fasting ramps up human metabolism, study shows
Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology, January 31, 2019
Fasting may help people lose weight, but new research suggests going without food may also boost human metabolic activity, generate antioxidants, and help reverse some effects of aging. Scientists at the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University (OIST) and Kyoto University identified 30 previously unreported substances whose quantity increases during fasting and indicate a variety of health benefits. The study, published in Scientific Reports, presents an analysis of whole human blood, plasma, and red blood cells drawn from fasting individuals. The results revealed 44 metabolites, including 30 that were previously unrecognized, that increased universally among subjects between 1.5- to 60-fold within just 58 hours of fasting.
(NEXT)
PET Shows Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy Improves Alzheimer’s Disease
Louisiana State University & University of North Dakota, January 31, 2022
Louisiana State University (LSU) and the University of North Dakota School of Medicine, report the first PET scan-documented case of improvement in brain metabolism in Alzheimer’s disease in a patient treated with hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT). The authors report the case of a 58-year-old female who had experienced five years of cognitive decline, which began accelerating rapidly. SPECT suggested Alzheimer’s disease. The patient underwent a total of 40 HBOT treatments—five days a week over 66 days. Each treatment consisted of 1.15 atmosphere absolute/50 minutes total treatment time. After 21 treatments, the patient reported increased energy and level of activity, better mood and ability to perform daily living activities as well as work crossword puzzles. After 40 treatments, she reported increased memory and concentration, sleep, conversation, appetite, ability to use the computer, more good days than bad days (5/7), resolved anxiety, and decreased disorientation and frustration.
(INTERVIEW)
MICHAEL KANE - About 10 minute
Topic - New York's Governor Hochul wants to arrest and/or imprison any person deemed as a "public health threat"
Michael Kane has worked as a New York City public school teacher for over 13 years and is a steering committee member of NY TEACHERS FOR CHOICE, a grassroots union caucus of educators and parents that is 100% opposed to all medical mandates to maintain employment. He is currently affiliated with Robert Kennedy's Children's Health Defense, Recently TEACHERS FOR CHOICE sued the NYC Department of Education with their attorney Michael Sussman and won a court-ordered stipulation pertaining to in-school COVID testing and privacy rights. Kane has been a proud union member and active supporter of the United Federation of Teachers (UFT) for his entire career. He is a former union delegate, served on union consultation committees, lobbied in Albany on behalf of the union on multiple occasions, and protested with rank-&-file union members against the Bloomberg administration. His website is www.nyteachersforchoice.org
After our January protest in Albany that brought 5,000 Anti-Mandate Protesters to NY's Capitol, Governor Hochul can't get any mandate bills through the legislature in Albany. It's an election year and suburban Democrats in purple districts are scared they will lose their jobs to Republicans.
So, Hochul is going to sign a regulation that goes into effect on February 14 (no vote required) which will do the following:
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Allow her to arrest and imprison suspected public health threats
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Give her the power to impose at will mandatory masks with no state of emergency
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Expand the number of healthcare workers who must get the Covid injections.
The public has until February 14 to make comments Get more information here :https://teachersforchoice.org/2022/01/20/hochul-wants-to-imprison-any-person-who-is-a-public-health-threat/
(VIDEOS)
Sagar and Krystal - We Must Stop Booster Mandates For Kids - 6:30 minutes
Kim Iverson - Johns Hopkins Study SLAMS Lockdowns As A DISASTER
(OTHER NEWS)
How 18th-century Quakers led a boycott of sugar to protest against slavery
The Conversation, February 2, 2022
Buying items that are fair trade, organic, locally made or cruelty-free are some of the ways in which consumers today seek to align their economic habits with their spiritual and ethical views. For 18th-century Quakers, it led them to abstain from sugar and other goods produced by enslaved people. Quaker Benjamin Lay, a former sailor who had settled in Philadelphia in 1731 after living in the British sugar colony of Barbados, is known to have smashed his wife’s china in 1742 during the annual gathering of Quakers in the city. Although Lay’s actions were described by one newspaper as a “publick Testimony against the Vanity of Tea-drinking,” Lay also protested the consumption of slave-grown sugar, which was produced under horrific conditions in sugar colonies like Barbados. In the late 17th and early 18th centuries, only a few Quakers protested African slavery. Indeed, individual Quakers who did protest, like Lay, were often disowned for their actions because their activism disrupted the unity of the Quaker community. Beginning in the 1750s, Quakers’ support for slavery and the products of slave labor started to erode, as reformers like Quaker John Woolman urged their co-religionists in the North American Colonies and England to bring about change. In the 1780s, British and American Quakers launched an extensive and unprecedented propaganda campaign against slavery and slave-labor products. Their goal of creating a broad nondenominational antislavery movement culminated in a boycott of slave-grown sugar in 1791 supported by nearly a half-million Britons. As a scholar of Quakers and the antislavery movement, I argue in my book “Moral Commerce: Quakers and the Transatlantic Boycott of the Slave Labor Economy” that the boycott of slave-grown sugar originated in the actions of ordinary Quakers seeking to draw closer to God by aligning their Christian principles with their economic practices. The golden rule Quakerism originated in the political turmoil of the English civil war and the disruption of monarchical rule in the mid-17th century. In the 1640s, George Fox, the son of a weaver, began an extended period of spiritual wandering, which led him to conclude the answers he sought came not from church teaching or the Scriptures but rather from his direct experience of God. In his travels, Fox encountered others who also sought a more direct experience of God. With the support of Margaret Fell, the wife of a wealthy and prominent judge, Fox organized his followers into the Society of Friends in 1652. Quaker itinerant ministers embarked on an ambitious program of mission work traveling throughout England, the North American Colonies and the Caribbean. The restoration of the British monarchy in 1660 and the passage of the Quaker Act in 1662 brought religious persecution, physical punishment and imprisonment but did not dampen the religious enthusiasm of Quakers like Fox and Fell. This experience of intimacy with Christ led Friends to develop distinct spiritual beliefs and practices, such as an emphasis on the golden rule – “Whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them” – as a fundamental guiding principle. Quakers were to avoid violence and war-making and to reject social customs that reinforced superficial distinctions of social class. Quakers were to adopt “plain dress, plain speech and plain living” and to tell the truth at all times. These beliefs and practices allow Quakers to emphasize the experience of God and to reject the temptations of worldly pleasures. John Hepburn, a Quaker from Middletown, New Jersey, was one of the first Quakers to protest against slavery. In 1714, he published “The American Defence of the Christian Golden Rule,” which cataloged, as no other Quaker had done, the evils of slavery.
Meta-analysis affirms association between omega-3 fatty acid intake and lowered inflammation
Zhejiang University (China), February 1 2022
A review and meta-analysis published in the journal PLOS One adds evidence to a reduction in pro-inflammatory eicosanoid levels in association with supplementation with marine-derived omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) by adults. Several arachidonic acid-derived eicosanoids exert their significant influence on the inflammatory response. Prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) is involved in the classic signs of inflammation and possesses both proinflammatory and anti-inflammatory actions; thromboxane A2 (TXA2) (precursor of TXB2), formed by platelets, macrophages and polymorphonuclear leukocytes, can induce vasoconstriction and promotes aggregation of platelets as well as adhesiveness of polymorphonuclear nutrophils; leukotriene B4 (LTB4) can not only increase vascular permeability and enhance local blood flow by stimulating neutrophil secretion, but also stimulate other inflammatory substances.
(NEXT)
Lifestyle more likely to affect a child's BMI than the weight of their mother
University of Bristol and Imperial College London, February 1, 2022
Researchers from the University of Bristol and Imperial College London have found that a high Body Mass Index (BMI) of a mother before and during pregnancy is not a major cause of high BMI in their offspring—indicating that childhood and teen obesity is more likely to be a result of lifestyle factors. It is known that greater maternal BMI before or during pregnancy is associated with a higher BMI in children, however the extent to which the mother's weight causes obesity in childhood, or whether this is caused by environmental and lifestyle factors post conception and birth is unclear.
(NEXT)
Iron accumulation linked with age-related cognitive decline
Northwestern University, February 1, 2022
Breakdowns in regulatory mechanisms cause iron to build up in the brain as organisms grow older, increasing oxidative stress and causing cellular damage, according to a Northwestern Medicine study published in the journal eLife This mechanism may explain some age-related cognitive decline and contribute to neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson's and Alzheimer's disease. "There is tight regulation of iron homeostasis in the brain, but it appears that this regulation is disrupted as we age," said Ardehali, who is also director of the Center for Molecular Cardiology at the Feinberg Cardiovascular and Renal Research Institute. "There are studies planning to use iron chelators in coronary artery disease and exploring these in the brain and aging is the next step."
(NEXT)
Modern diet destroys gut health and causes irreversible damage for generations
Stanford University School of Medicine, February 1, 2022
More Americans than ever are struggling with gut health issues. And, it’s no wonder, thanks to the typical American’s diet, loaded with processed, low fiber foods, chemicals and denatured ingredients. Some of the symptoms of compromised gut health include constipation, too much (or too little) intestinal gas, diarrhea, chronic bad breath, hormonal issues, menstrual problems, allergies and vitamin deficiencies, just to name a few. Poor gut health will lead to serious digestive issues, autoimmune conditions and even cancer. A study conducted by the Stanford University School of Medicine showed that the typical American diet consisting of mostly low fiber foods produces a range of internal deficiencies. Even worse, these deficiencies tend to get passed down to future generations. After four generations in this study, the losses were shown to be irreversible.
(OTHER NEWS)
Why I'm leaving the cult of wokeness
Africa Brooke. 07 Jan 2021
If there's one thing I'm NOT afraid of, it's being 'cancelled'. If being cancelled means me living in integrity as a human being who thinks for themselves, CANCEL ME TODAY! I repeat; I am not afraid.What I'm truly afraid of is existing in a world that forces me to submit to an ideology without question, otherwise I'm to be shamed (or pressured to shame myself) and cast out of the community. A world that tells me that because I inhabit a black body; I will forever be oppressed and at the mercy of some omnipresent monster called 'whiteness'. That because of the colour of my skin; I am a victim of an inherently racist system by default - and me rejecting the narrative of oppression means that I am in fact, in denial. How empowering! You know, as someone that comes from Zimbabwe, a country where the general population is truly oppressed, it perplexes me that oppression is now being worn as an identity piece in most parts of the West, especially by those who claim to be 'progressive' What I'm truly afraid of is existing in a world that forces me to consider the colour of my skin and my gender (and that of others) at every fucking turn, instead of living by Martin Luther King's teachings and prioritising the content of mine and other people's character. I dread the prospect of a world where context, nuance, critical thinking, meritocracy, mathematics, science, and rationality are considered tools of 'white supremacy', and the rule is that you're not allowed to question or argue this senseless statement - especially if you're white. A world that is conditioning you and I to believe that we will always be trapped in some weird hierarchy because of our race, our genitals, our physical abilities, our neurodiversity, our sexuality, and our politics. And that if we do not agree on every single thing, it's a sign that we are interacting with an enemy - or at the very least, someone to be wildly suspicious and judgmental of...instead of another complex human being worthy of being seen and heard. I wish this world I'm speaking of was just a figment of my imagination, but we are already inside it. Our suitcases have been unpacked here for quite some time. This absolutist, authoritarian world is being fiercely crafted under the guise of 'social justice', and I want no parts in this. I AM OUT. As someone that, politically speaking, leans left on most things (although I'm neither left or right) - the current state of affairs and this push for obedience at all costs is NOT what I signed up for. I never signed up to be hit over the head with disempowering narratives that tell me that I need to refer to myself as a 'person of colour' (how is this different being called a 'coloured' person?), a minority, a marginalised person, and BAME (UK version of BIPOC). I cannot stand any of these terms. Please, if we ever need to address my racial identity, which we really don't need to do as often as you might think...BLACK works just fine, it's not a dirty word. And remember; it's okay if the language I mentioned before is affirming for you, we are allowed to disagree - but for ME, it does nothing but give me false reminders of my supposed oppression...which rubs me the wrong way entirely because I AM NOT OPPRESSED. I think it's key that we begin to accept that black people don't all share a singular experience, nor do we share the same brain. Shocking, I know. 'We are not a monolith' has become a common statement within communities that identify as marginalised, and while I wholeheartedly agree, we're definitely not a monolith... I've noticed that despite this being a popular mantra - when someone 'steps out of line' or dares to think differently...it's a different story. You will often have the pleasure of being told that you are in denial and have some kind of internalised disorder; 'internalised racism', 'internalised anti-blackness', 'internalised misogyny', 'internalised sexism', 'internalised homophobia', 'internalised transphobia', 'internalised white supremacy'... Meaning NOTHING can be questioned. Fun. Culty. Vibes. Honestly, I want better for us because it's all getting a bit much in these social justice/woke spaces, and it scares me to know that it's become controversial to address any concerns or express a differing viewpoint. It's becoming dangerous to address reality. You either agree and comply, or you shut up. I'm so happy that these are conversations that are now happening with many black people in my life, including my family who spend very little time online, are willing to have healthy debates, and couldn't give a crap about identity politics. These are the people who have really helped me free myself from the dogmatic thinking. It's necessary for me to mention that I'm having these conversations with black people because some individuals think that it's only white people who are pushing back against wokeism, and it's far from the truth. What is worrying though is how many more of us feel afraid to talk to our own friends, our partners, our spouses, our colleagues, our family - of fear of being branded as 'wrong-thinkers'. How are we supposed to understand each other if we're living in constant fear of saying the 'wrong' thing? It's even harder if you're white because there's usually someone just waiting to call you racist. And according to the woke manual, if you're white you're supposed to just accept that label. If you do question it or defend yourself, it's taken as confirmation that you ARE in fact a white supremacist. If you DARE express any fears or signs of being rightfully upset, you'll be accused of 'centering your white feelings', and of exuding 'white guilt' or 'white fragility'. With all disrespect, I don't understand the purpose of these cultish, degrading, racist terms. How are they helping us move forward? Is this true social justice? How is this helping the black community? How is this shaping a world where you and I aren't judged by the colour of our skin? Are we really trying to eradicate racism with racism? The LITERAL definition of racism is "prejudiced against or antagonistic towards a person or people on the basis of their membership of a particular racial or ethnic group". And yet some people have suddenly decided that white people cannot experience racism, nor are they permitted to dispute this insane claim. This then leads to most white people choosing to not say anything at all (which creates resentment because that's the nature of suppression & self-censorship), and some choose to comply and pretend they are on board with anything and everything (whilst also secretly resenting that they can't truly express their thoughts, ideas, feelings, etc). To me all of this confirms that when it comes to 'wokeness', critical social justice, and the beast that is cancel culture, you will never win. You will NEVER get it right. If you choose to stand back, 'educate yourself' privately and quietly; you'll be accused of being violent via your silence... And if you speak out, ask questions, or express valid confusion from the dehumanising generalisations and character assassinations; you'll be denounced for centering your 'white feelings'. This sounds like psychological warfare to me. I can't be the only one that also finds this language eerie. This is cult behaviour! And for saying the above I'm sure someone out there will lovingly label me a 'white apologist'... This is where we're at people. And like I said at the beginning, when it comes to this - I am unafraid. This is my open letter detailing some of the things that have led me to this point, because if there's anything that this past year has taught me; it's that my wellbeing and that of those around me (including the collective), is infinitely more important than any temporary discomfort that might come from me doing what I know to be right. I also want to let you know that I'm not writing this to convince you of anything, your agreement is welcome but it's not a requirement. I'm not writing this from a place of animosity or anger. I'm not writing this on behalf of any individual, group, movement, organisation, or community. I am not an activist, a social commentator, a feminist, an academic, or any other label apart from the ones I claim publicly. I am writing this to free myself. I am writing this for myself. And for you if you need it. Just like you; I am entitled to my own opinions, I have every right to question things that don't feel aligned with my values, morals, ethics, and beliefs. I have every right to push back if I recognise that I'm being forced to comply with ideologies and practices that don't make sense to me (which is how I've felt this past year). I don't want to live my life in a fearful and paranoid state. I don't want to spend my life thinking that everything that doesn't go my way is because of my skin colour, I don't want to spend the rest of my life unable to have insightful conversations with those that think differently to me...I really don't. I'm tired of hearing that because I'm black I should feel victimised. That because I'm black I should agree with everything that black people do and say (surely NO ONE should have this expected of them). None of these narrow definitions of human existence or blackness help me. None of it helps my community. It's keeping us small. It's keeping us stuck, afraid, and defensive. I reject the idea that I am a victim. I reject the idea that I am oppressed. I reject the idea that white people only exist to oppress and should be reminding me of their privilege every 2 seconds, while simultaneously telling me that they are above me. How is this helpful!? If anything, it's deeply offensive and condescending. There's no question about it; being black is a beautiful part of who I am, but it's not all I am - not even close. My identity (race, gender, sexuality, body parts) will never be more important than my humanity, my spirit, and my wholeness. EVER. Because of this, I fervently reject the idea that all white people are racist and must be shamed into confessing their sins and admitting complicity in all of their ancestors indiscretions...simply because of the colour of their skin. I reject this bullshit idea that every white person walking this planet is 'inherently racist'. Do we even know what we're saying? or are we just regurgitating/parroting things, and now it's gotten out of control. I honestly struggle to see how shaming others (or shaming yourself) for having white skin is an essential part of fuelling true social change. Surely this is regressive? It also sounds a little like the very thing we've spent years moving away from... The truth of the matter is that my own ancestors have participated in some FUCKERY and I would not want to live the rest of my life being punished for their actions. A lot of what I'm seeing in the woke/critical social justice spaces is not about creating a better world, it seems to be about punishment and revenge. And it's doing nothing but trampling on the work true Activists are doing and have been doing for centuries! I do have to take a moment to acknowledge those who are doing fantastic work and making a long-lasting impact in their communities, instead of perpetuating fear and manipulating people's emotions by convincing them they will always be victims. I'm done with the insidious brainwashing of wokeness. I'm committed to understanding human behaviour (this is also at the core of what I do professionally), I'm committed to compassion and kindness without excusing that which must be acknowledged. I'm well aware of the systems we live under. I know what's happening in the world. I've lived it. I acknowledge reality, but I refuse to be a slave to a disempowering narrative that rarely focuses on actual solutions. I never want to forget that you can still be compassionate with those you don't agree with. And this way of thinking is what I CHOOSE because it makes my time on planet earth better, you don't have to take it on if it doesn't work for you. I want to live a life that isn't centred around identity politics and all that comes with it, so much more in my life takes priority. I want to remain open to new ideas, perspectives, and thoughts - so that I can grow, course correct where necessary, and make a genuine impact on a local and global level. I want to give people the benefit of the doubt and continue using discernment instead of making sweeping harmful (often lazy) assumptions based on the colour of people's skin or their gender. I refuse to take on the black or white thinking because I've seen and experienced the grave harm that does. As I move into this next season of my life, I'm more interested in the grey area - where we all exist. The nail in the coffin for me was all the events that took place last Summer. Last Summer in the height of the Black Lives Matter movement, I noticed a shadowy part of me emerging and although I didn't judge it, I wasn't comfortable with what was coming up. All the critical social justice dogma I'd been consciously and unconsciously imbibing over the past 2 years began taking a HUGE toll on my mental health, and I hadn't even realised that I wasn't functioning as a full human being - until it reached it's peak. The unpleasant internal experience I had is what led me where I am now, which is why I'm a firm believer that welcoming discomfort in is one of the most loving things you can do for yourself. On social media at that time I was DEEP is various social justice echo chambers that shared more than enough infographics, stories, feed posts, IG LIVES, to make my fight or flight response go nuts. I was in constant fight mode, and wasn't aware. I was being indoctrinated; this means "to teach a person or a group to accept a set of beliefs uncritically". I found myself subconsciously looking for things that would piss me off, which is a symptom of wokeness that seems to show up in many people - hundreds of you have shared your own experiences with me in the past month alone and the similarities in our stories are alarming. Before reacting to things, I did ZERO in-depth research of my own. It's almost as if facts were an unwelcome guest. Anything that didn't align with the beliefs I held about race, sex, gender, politics, etc - I rejected (this was all unconscious). I didn't question the sources I was getting information from, it was all taken as objective truth. It was ALL reactionary, I was on autopilot. I didn't realise I had many people on pedestals that they shouldn't have been on in the first place (no fault of their own, I put them there), I was operating purely based on emotions and feelings that gave my nervous system the signal that I was under threat. And that's the energy I acted and spoke from. I rashly unfollowed some people on my social media who I'd decided should have 'spoken up' in support of Black Lives Matter (an organisationI have now done my own extensive research on, but that's a whole other story) - simply because (based on my egos time frame) they weren't responding as and when they 'should' have. I'm sure I re-shared something about 'white silence' being 'violence' (an oversimplified and unfair statement I no longer agree with, and you can watch the lengthy live I did with Rukiat where I go into some of this). I also publicly shamed an unsuspecting man who had messaged me to question me about my conduct (I immediately assumed he was white...he was mixed race). And even though his approach was not a welcome one, he wasn't unkind to me - which is why I'm not proud of the unkind way in which I reacted...not responded, reacted. What frightened me was the applause I got from over 4,000 people when I called out this man in an Instagram post - I didn't say anything wild, but I did deconstruct his direct message publicly with the intention to embarrass him, not to resolve anything - to embarrass. I was honestly shocked by how many people used the environment I had created to exercise pack mentality, and to casually shame and scold a stranger - of which I take responsibility for as the person that created that environment. I now know that publicly shaming someone is a common tactic used in most woke spaces and echo chambers on social media, and it's so normalised. This is the kind of thing that quickly leads to bullying, doxing, stalking, and harassment...and sometimes ends in suicide. After seeing the responses applauding me, I removed the post and started asking myself some questions; who am I doing this for? why did my interaction with this man need to be publicised? what is really the root of the anger I feel? is this a performance on my behalf? what research have I done to support the ideology I'm leading with? are there any alternative sources that can give me more information or provide clarity on the situation I'm reacting to? do I really believe this or am I regurgitating something I read/heard/saw somewhere? I'm of the thinking that there is such a thing as justified anger, and I believe that all emotions and modes of expressions have their place - but I know myself well enough to know that the way I handled that particular situation was not necessary. This incident led me start evaluating my own behaviour and doing more research around the cancel culture phenomenon. And it's just one recent example of how some of this stuff has showed up in my life over the past 2 years. SO, why am I calling 'WOKENESS' a cult? Well, first lets start by defining what the term woke even means. It's a term that been around for a very long time but has (in my eyes) lost all of it's credibility and meaning in recent years. Woke: a term embedded in US Black History and social justice which originally meant being aware, well-informed, and up to date with what was happening within the community. "Stay woke became a watch word in parts of the black community for those who considered themselves self-aware, questioning the dominant paradigm, and striving for something better" - and these are the sentiments I will always stand for, however... This is NOT how it's playing out these days, and you can read this interesting article to get a timeline of how it's evolved over the years, and I'll continue sharing with you the specific pockets of 'wokeness' and social justice that I have divorced myself from. I can no longer be an active participant in any culture or movement that encourages groupthink, outrage on demand, fear and violence, revamped segregation, fabricating history, cancellations masked as accountability, self-centredness... normalisation of racism towards white people, the disempowerment of black people masked as social justice, the constant redefining of existing language, ignoring self-responsibility, constant pathologizing, oppressed vs oppressor mentality, and the pressure to conform and comply... It's exhausting. And honestly, I have better things to do with my time. Not to mention, it's killing us. I also find it very telling that people who are married to these woke spaces will immediately assume that those that are requesting for more compassion, understanding, room for discussion, removal of censorship - only want these things so they can have free reign to be bigots, sexist, 'fascists', racists, homophobes, etc. As a free-thinking black woman who most definitely wants more compassion, understanding, healthy discussion, empathy, removal of censorship, more tolerance and acceptance when it matters most...I can guarantee you that my final goal isn't so I can be a racist sexist fascist alt-righter extremist. LOL. And if you can understand this, what makes someone who happens to be white any less sincere if they want the exact same thing as me? Which many people do! I hope you can sort of see just how oversimplified and flawed this madness is. I often laugh about the ridiculous nature of it all, but what's concerning is that it's spreading like wildfire, it's causing lasting harm, and it's distracting us from the very real work that needs to be done to tackle injustice and unite us as human beings. I will stick to my guns by saying that the turn we're taking because of critical social justice and this current strain of branded monetised wokeness - is not going to take us to the promised land (SPOILER: there is no utopia, I'm sorry to break it to you). As someone who will never stop advocating for human rights (fairness, equality, access to resources, respect, independence - for ALL, not just for people who share my skin tone and gender), I have come to realise that I do not need to be part of any groups or wear any labels to make a positive contribution to this planet of ours. This is also why I do not identify as a feminist. Just like everything else I've spoken about so far; the current wave of commodified feminism is so far removed from my core values; honesty, respect, interconnection, equality, individuality etc. There's a lot of self-righteousness, virtue signalling, self-centeredness, and a lack of empathy in most of what I see being presented today as feminism - and again; it seems to be about revenge, superiority, and personal branding. It's also not uncommon to be made to feel unintelligent, wrong, and inferior in a lot of these supposedly 'safe spaces' - simply because you don't identify with the label or agree with all the view points of the group. IT'S TIRING, and I wish more people knew that you can still believe in and advocate for equality and fairness without wearing a label like a badge of honour. My mission isn't to be superior to anyone, nor do I want to see the demise of any gender. I believe that we should all have equal rights and opportunities, and I'm also realistic about the differences we have as human beings - I celebrate those differences. In a world obsessed with labels and titles, I would rather let my values and actions speak for themselves. These are the times when I am incredibly grateful for the upbringing I've had, both in Zimbabwe and here in the UK. I'm grateful that I was raised to think for myself, and that's what I'll continue to do. I was raised to not judge people based on the colour of their skin, gender, class etc - no matter what. And that's what I'll continue to do. YES, I could choose to carry animosity in my heart based on the pain my ancestors experienced and the injustice still taking place in many different parts of the world - but what does that do for me, my mental state, my community, and those I interact with in the present day? I'd rather acknowledge reality, and focus on solutions. I wasn't really raised to ask many questions, but in adulthood asking powerful questions (even when they are simple) is something that has become a non-negotiable - and that's what I will continue to do. I will continue to trust myself and question things. I will do my own research before responding purely based on emotion. I will keep myself open to having challenging conversations if I have the capacity to do so, and if I don't have the capacity to engage, I will still not shut anyone down - unless absolutely necessary. My biggest realisation has been that most of these people that pose as Social Justice Warriors, Activists, Agents of Change etc - don't actually want to improve and repair society. They don't want a better world. For some the goal is to make things worse. A lot of the people I know in these spaces have brands, careers, and management teams from this. Their livelihood depends on them playing this role, which often means that they will continue to find everything wrong with society instead of making consistent efforts to unite and truly empower. There's a sinister side many people aren't comfortable speaking about because of the potential backlash, and it's unfair to those of us who end up being sucked into these echo chambers and movements through the promise of community and betterment. Most of us just want to help. We want to see change! In our personal lives, and in the world we exist in. This leaves us vulnerable to questionable 'leaders', influencers, and organisations who set themselves up so that you cannot question their practices or agenda. The similarities of wokeness/critical social justice to fundamentalist religion (something I'm VERY familiar with) is why I choose to call it a cult, the framework and tactics are eerily similar... It usually goes a little like this; find/attract a vulnerable person, make them feel like they belong so they can trust you, tell them exactly what they want to hear, and once they become loyal - it is easier to sell them outlandish concepts and to make them 'repent' for 'sins' they have supposedly committed... the person then regresses and begins to rely on their 'leader' or the ideology to shape their thoughts and their world view. They are introduced to an enemy and are encouraged to cut themselves off from the outside world and anyone else who doesn't agree with or follow the ideology (us vs them mentality). Once cut off from everyone, the individual is more dependent on the leader or the group, and then it becomes increasingly difficult to leave. Just like an abusive relationship! This is exactly what I'm seeing in the woke/feminist/critical social justice spaces. Despite it all, the individual is often unaware of what's really happening and will continue to believe that they are acting on their own accord. The prison walls remain invisible. But it's possible to break out! It's why I've decided to speak out. And if you don't agree with what I'm sharing, and this has not been your experience - that's okay. I will always respect your right to own your experiences and perspectives. I ask that you do the same for me. We live different lives, we have different views. It's normal. What ISN'T normal, is forcing people to comply and bow down to an ideology, simply because YOU think it's the right one. If you resonate with what I've shared in this letter, please know that you are not alone. You are allowed to change your mind. You are allowed to grow. You are allowed to walk away. You are allowed to put your foot down. There is no one way to 'do the work'. You don't have to pray to a single political idea, movement, or group - nor do you have to agree with EVERYTHING presented to you as the absolute truth. You are not morally inferior or superior to anyone else. And remember that we still have to co-exist on this planet, so expecting everyone you encounter to agree with every belief or view that you hold - is fucking wild, LOL. If you have read this far, I appreciate your time and your attention. Any typos you see, represent the sheer passion flowing through me. I'll stop here because I could go on, there is always more to say. I feel like this letter is just the foundation of the conversations I REALLY want to have so I will likely explore some of the specificities in podcast form and through my newsletter. I'm considering producing and hosting a limited podcast series that specifically talks about these themes. Don't worry, my existing podcastBeyond the Self won't be going anywhere! In the meantime; you can find me on Instagram if we're not already connected. Although my work as a Mindset Coach, Speaker, and Consultant has nothing to do with social justice, cancel culture, wokeness etc - this is something I'll continue to speak about because it directly speaks to 2 of my biggest areas of focus, which in this case are collective self-sabotage and psychological manipulation. I encourage you to break out of any echo chambers (especially on social media) and explore yourself BEYOND your race, your pronouns, your genitals, your sexuality, your physical capabilities, your politics - those things have their place but there is so much more to you. And in fact, when you do go beyond those neatly prescribed boxes, you become more secure within your identity. I urge you to unsubscribe to anyone and anything that is stripping you of your humanity, your agency, and is proving to be detrimental to your mental wellbeing. You deserve better, let's never stop speaking up! Love always, Africa
(NEXT)
Lawsuit accuses COVID-19 testing company of faking results
Washington state Attorney General Bob Ferguson has filed a lawsuit against an Illinois-based COVID-19 testing company, accusing it of improperly handling tests and providing fake negative results.
The Associated Press, January 31, 2022
Washington state Attorney General Bob Ferguson has filed a lawsuit against an Illinois-based COVID-19 testing company, accusing it of improperly handling tests and providing fake results. It describes how the company expanded to about 300 locations throughout the United States and collected tens of thousands of tests a day. “Center for COVID Control contributed to the spread of COVID-19 when it provided false negative results,” Ferguson said in a statement. “These sham testing centers threatened the health and safety of our communities. They must be held accountable.” The lawsuit also said the Center for COVID Control stored tests in garbage bags — rather than properly refrigerating them — backdated sample-collection dates so stale samples would still be processed and instructed its employees to lie when Washington residents asked about delayed results. The lawsuit asks the court to order the Center for COVID Control to pay civil penalties of up to $12,500 per violation of the Consumer Protection Act and relinquish any profits the company made from its “unlawful conduct,” in addition to permanently closing all locations, the statement said.
When food alters gene function
Helmholtz Zentrum München, January 30, 2022
As the study shows, a high-fat diet during pregnancy and lactation leads to epigenetic changes in the offspring. These changes affect metabolic pathways regulated by the gut hormone GIP*, whereby the adult offspring are more susceptible to obesity and insulin resistance, the precursor to type 2 diabetes. Similar mechanisms cannot be ruled out in humans, according to Pfeiffer. As scientists throughout the world observe, children of obese mothers have a higher risk of obesity and metabolic disorders. Recent findings suggest that diet-related epigenetic effects may also play a causal role in this.
(NEXT)
Probiotics Help with Morning Sickness
University of California at Davis, January 28, 2022
A study published by researchers from the University of California, Davis, has found that probiotics are a game changer for moms-to-be who find themselves green at the gills on the daily. After receiving a mix of 10 Lactobacillus probiotic strains and one Bifidobacterium strain over a 16-day period, the low-risk pregnant women in the study, who all had been experiencing nausea and other digestive system complaints, reported a 16% reduction in nausea and a 33% reduction in vomiting episodes.
(NEXT)
Higher dietary fiber intake in young women may reduce breast cancer risk
Harvard School of Public Health, January 31, 2022
Boston, MA – Women who eat more high-fiber foods during adolescence and young adulthood–especially lots of fruits and vegetables–may have significantly lower breast cancer risk than those who eat less dietary fiber when young. The researchers looked at a group of 90,534 women who participated in the Nurses’ Health Study II, a large long-running investigation of factors that influence women’s health. The women–ages 27-44 at the time–filled out questionnaires about their food intake, and did so every four years after that. The researchers analyzed the women’s fiber intake while adjusting for a number of other factors, such as race, family history of breast cancer, body mass index, weight change over time, menstruation history, alcohol use, and other dietary factors.
(NEXT)
Cocoa flavanols may use gut microbiota pathway to ease metabolic syndrome: Review
Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry, January 29, 2022
Consuming cocoa flavanols may interact with the gut microbiota as a way of preventing metabolic syndrome or easing the condition’s symptoms, a review has concluded. While flavanols from a variety of dietary sources appear promising, cocoa flavanols represent an emerging approach for intervention in metabolic syndrome. Flavanols are compounds found in a variety of plant-based foods and beverages, including tea, apples, grapes, cocoa and nuts. Cocoa is generally regarded as the most concentrated dietary source of flavanols with the strongest antioxidant potential.
(NEXT)
Cruciferous vegetables help the immune system to fight intestinal pathogens
Francis Crick Institute, January 28, 2022
A study in mice shows that eating cruciferous vegetables—including broccoli, kale and cauliflower – helps the immune system to fight intestinal pathogens. The research might have implications for people with inflammatory bowel diseases. A protein called the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) plays a crucial role in protecting us from external pollutants, toxins and pathogens at barrier sites in our body such as the skin, lungs and gut. Studying the role of AhR in the gut, scientists at the Francis Crick Institute have discovered that another protein, known as Cyp1a1, regulates immunity in the gut by providing feedback on AhR signalling by degrading the molecules that activate AhR—known as AhR ligands However, too much Cyp1a1 can deplete AhR ligands altogether. This could result in susceptibility to bacteria like pathogenic E. Coli and might play a role in conditions such as inflammatory bowel disease.
(VIDEO)
Klaus Schwab referencing the global leaders groomed by WEF- at Harvard’s JFK School of Government, 2017
Quit social media | Dr. Cal Newport | TEDxTysons
Social Media – Why it Sickens the Self and Divides Society
COVID-19: A Second Opinion
(LETTER)
Letter to Joe Rogan
Dear Joe, I am writing in response to your recent clip about the controversy that has arisen over your coverage of the Covid-19 pandemic. I have been a media host dealing primarily with medicine and health for 57 years and have been engaged in many media wars and even censorship for over four decades. One lesson I have learned is to never apologize when you are correct. Although I have not watched all of your programs addressing pandemic-related topics, your guests who have questioned the official government narrative, notably Drs. McCullough and Malone, were correct and were far better prepared to provide supporting scientific references to their claims than were Drs. Gupta and Hotez. That should be evident to your regular viewers. I would like to offer a suggestion. Have your staff make transcripts of your interviews from your pro- and con- guests and send them respectively with a request to provide supporting scientific evidence to their statements. Follow this up by moderating an open dialogue with an invitation to the press and critics to ask questions specific to the actual science and supporting clinical evidence, including the positions of our federal health agencies and the World Health Organization. This will enable your audience and the greater public to decide. I can predict with strong confidence that individuals such as Gupta, Osterholm and Hotez will decline to dialogue with those who they have consistently ridiculed. For those in power and whom the dominant narrative protects, it is never in their best interest to publicly debate their critics. Nevertheless your very gesture to advance open debate will be an enormous boon for yourself and a growing audience. Already, Spotify has aligned with the pro-establishment fact checkers to serve as the final arbiters of the content and conversations you conduct henceforth. This new effort is thoroughly non-objective and biased. Now that you have apologized and have exposed a weakness, unless you remain firm with your integrity to weigh out the facts and evidence objectively, they will be certain to further erode your reputation and they will succeed. In the future, whatever you air that can be ruled as misinformation – rightly or wrongly — will be magnified across the media. And it will not cease until your opponents get you off the air. You are surely aware that the assault against your program and person is highly coordinated; however, it seems certain that Spotify also exerted some kind of pressure to have you acquiesce to some demands. You have a remarkable audience, it is my belief that the size of your audience comes from your honesty and integrity, an unflinching character to shout out truth to power. Now you are at the threshold of power shouting back. Trust your audience, not your enemies. Because no apologies you make will be fully respected because you now represent a clear and present threat to their agenda. I hope you take my comments in solidarity with your courage to question many of the lingering uncertainties, contradictions and vagrant misleading statements that comprise the official Covid narrative. Gary Null, PhD
(OTHER NEWS)
Tangled Tale of NATO Expansion at the Heart of Ukraine Crisis
Joe Lauria, Consortium News, January 28, 2022
The end of the Cold War with the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 and the end of the Soviet Union two years later presented the United States with a choice: triumphalism or reconciliation. There was hope of a “peace dividend” because the fortune spent on armaments for so long could now be spent on domestic needs. The Warsaw Pact dissolved and there was hope that its counterpart, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, would also pass into history. Rather its expansion has become a flashpoint in the current standoff over Ukraine. To assent to the reunification of Germany, Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev ultimately agreed to a proposal from then U.S. Secretary of State James Baker that a reunited Germany would be part of NATO but the military alliance would not move “one inch” to the east, that is, absorb any of the former Warsaw Pact nations into NATO. On Feb. 9, 1990, Baker said: “We consider that the consultations and discussions in the framework of the 2+4 mechanism should give a guarantee that the reunification of Germany will not lead to the enlargement of NATO’s military organization to the East.” On the next day, then German Chancellor Helmut Kohl said: ““We consider that NATO should not enlarge its sphere of activity.” Gorbachev’s mistake was not to get it in writing as a legally-binding agreement. For years it was believed there was no written record of the Baker-Gorbachev exchange at all, until the National Security Archive at George Washington University in December 2017 published a series of memos and cables about these assurances against NATO expansion eastward. ’” One Jan. 31, 1999 cable from the U.S. embassy in Bonn informed Washington that German Foreign Minister Hans-Dietrich Genscher’s speech that day made clear “that the changes in Eastern Europe and the German unification process must not lead to an ‘impairment of Soviet security interests.’ Therefore, NATO should rule out an ‘expansion of its territory towards the east, i.e. moving it closer to the Soviet borders.’” President Bill Clinton’s administration investigated the matter and concluded that Yeltsin was wrong and that no NATO expansion eastward was ever promised. According to a 2014 article in Foreign Affairs: “’You say that NATO is not directed against us, that it is simply a security structure that is adapting to new realities,’ Gorbachev told Baker in May, according to Soviet records. ‘Therefore, we propose to join NATO.’ Baker refused to consider such a notion, replying dismissively, ‘Pan-European security is a dream.’” Since then NATO has held many military exercises Russia has found threatening. TASS reported in December that NATO holds 40 exercises a year near Russian territory. In 2016, a 10-day maneuver was carried out in Poland with 31,000 NATO troops from 24 nations and thousands of tanks and other vehicles. That year NATO also installed a missile base in Romania that can strike Russia, claiming it was only “defensive” against incoming missiles from Iran, though the weapons can also be used offensively. A similar missile base, previously canceled, is slated to be operational in Poland later this year. Six years after NATO promised Ukraine would one day become a member, the U.S. led a coup in Kiev that overthrew a democratically-elected president who leaned towards Moscow. The U.S. move seemed to come from Brzezinski’s playbook. In his 1997 book, The Grand Chessboard: American Primacy and Its Geostrategic Imperatives, he wrote: “Ukraine, a new and important space on the Eurasian chessboard, is a geopolitical pivot because its very existence as an independent country helps to transform Russia. Without Ukraine, Russia ceases to be a Eurasian empire. Russia without Ukraine can still strive for imperial status, but it would then become a predominantly Asian imperial state.” Thus U.S. “primacy,” or world dominance, which still drives Washington, is not possible without control of Eurasia, as Brzezinski argued, and that’s not possible without control of Ukraine by pushing Russia out. What Brzezinski and U.S. leaders still view as Russia’s “imperial ambitions” are in Moscow seen as imperative defensive measures against an aggressive West.
(NEXT)
Sweden decides against recommending COVID vaccines for kids aged 5-11
Reuters, January 28, 2022
Sweden has decided against recommending COVID vaccines for kids aged 5-11, the Health Agency said on Thursday, arguing that the benefits did not outweigh the risks. “With the knowledge we have today, with a low risk for serious disease for kids, we don’t see any clear benefit with vaccinating them,” Health Agency official Britta Bjorkholm told a news conference.
Black cumin’s anti-inflammatory potential may have airways/asthma benefits: RCT
University College London, January 27, 2022
Supplements containing oil from black cumin (Nigella sativa) may improve asthma control and lung function, says a new study. The new study, published in Phytotherapy Research , found that one gram per day of the oil for four weeks led to significant improvements in scores of asthma control and a “remarkable reduction of peripheral blood eosinophil count,” wrote the authors “Eosinophil cell plays a major role in asthma inflammation, and blood eosinophil count is considered to be a vital biomarker in asthma trials. To our knowledge, this is the first [randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial] that showed a significant reduction of blood eosinophilia by [Nigella sativa oil (NSO)] among asthmatic patients.”
(NEXT)
Meat, multiple sclerosis and the microbiome
University of Connecticut, January 27, 2022
Eating more meat, having less of certain bacteria in the gut, and more of certain immune cells in the blood, all link with multiple sclerosis, reports a team of researchers led by UConn Health and Washington University School of Medicine. The work, published in the 27 January issue of EBioMedicine, teased out subtle connections that could lead to a better understanding of the causes of the disease. But teasing out the exact relationships between diet, immune response and MS has been difficult. MS is most obviously an autoimmune disease in which the body attacks the insulation surrounding its nerves. When the insulation is damaged enough, the nerves begin to misfire and malfunction like wires with frayed insulation. But what triggers the body to attack the insulation in the nervous system in the first place is unknown.
(NEXT)
Flavonoids may reduce mortality risk for people with Parkinson's disease
Pennsylvania State University, January 27, 2022
People with Parkinson's disease who eat more flavonoids—compounds found in richly colored foods like berries, cocoa and red wine—may have a lower mortality risk than those who don't, according to a new study. Specifically, the researchers found that when people who had already been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease (PD) ate more flavonoids, they had a lower chance of dying during the 34-year study period than those who did not consume as many flavonoids. Additionally, they found that eating more flavonoids before being diagnosed with PD was associated with a lower risk of dying in men, but not in women.
(NEXT)
Team Links Social Media Use to Worse Physical Health
University of Buffalo, January 26, 2022
A new study finds a link between social media use and biological and psychological indicators associated with poor physical health among college students The researchers found participants who used social media excessively had higher levels of C-reactive protein (CRP), a biological marker of chronic inflammation that predicts serious illnesses, such as diabetes, certain cancers, and cardiovascular disease.
(NEXT)
Can A Lack of Sleep Make You Feel Older?
University of Exeter (UK), January 28, 2022
A study from the University of Exeter in the UK suggests that you are more likely to perceive yourself to be older than your biological age if you don't get enough sleep. Researchers looked at the aging and sleep patterns of nearly 4,500 adults aged 50 years and higher, asking them about sleep quality and sleep duration and giving them cognitive performance tests and lifestyle questionnaires. The participants were given the same questionnaire twice—once at baseline and again a year later. The result? Overall, those who reported sleeping poorly also had a higher awareness of negative age-related changes, while those who slept better tended to feel younger. "Our research suggests that poor sleepers feel older and have a more negative perception of aging," noted Serena Sabatini, the lead author of the study. One interesting finding of the study: middle-aged adults with healthy sleep habits tended to feel younger than their biological age, but those who had trouble sleeping felt every year of their actual age…or, more troubling, they felt older than they were. Why does this matter? If you feel like you are older than your actual age, it can have a lasting impact on your physical, mental and cognitive health.
(VIDEO)
Bill Maher Rant Against the Left - about 8 min
Brussels - What Really Happened - 7:30 minutes
Canadian Constitutional Crisis | Brian Peckford | The Jordan B. Peterson Podcast S4: E78
Mainstream Media Melts Down as National ‘Defeat the Mandates DC’ Rally Overcomes Political Divides
(OTHER NEWS)
The Pressure Campaign on Spotify to Remove Joe Rogan Reveals the Religion of Liberals: Censorship
Glenn Greenwald, January 29, 2022
American liberals are obsessed with finding ways to silence and censor their adversaries. Every week, if not every day, they have new targets they want de-platformed, banned, silenced, and otherwise prevented from speaking or being heard (by "liberals,” I mean the term of self-description used by the dominant wing of the Democratic Party). For years, their preferred censorship tactic was to expand and distort the concept of "hate speech” to mean "views that make us uncomfortable,” and then demand that such “hateful” views be prohibited on that basis. For that reason, it is now common to hear Democrats assert, falsely, that the First Amendment's guarantee of free speech does not protect “hate speech." Their political culture has long inculcated them to believe that they can comfortably silence whatever views they arbitrarily place into this category without being guilty of censorship. Constitutional illiteracy to the side, the “hate speech” framework for justifying censorship is now insufficient because liberals are eager to silence a much broader range of voices than those they can credibly accuse of being hateful. That is why the newest, and now most popular, censorship framework is to claim that their targets are guilty of spreading “misinformation” or “disinformation.” These terms, by design, have no clear or concise meaning. Like the term “terrorism,” it is their elasticity that makes them so useful. When liberals’ favorite media outlets, from CNN and NBC to The New York Times and The Atlantic, spend four years disseminating one fabricated Russia story after the next — from the Kremlin hacking into Vermont's heating system and Putin's sexual blackmail over Trump to bounties on the heads of U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan, the Biden email archive being "Russian disinformation,” and a magical mystery weapon that injures American brains with cricket noises — none of that is "disinformation” that requires banishment. Nor are false claims that COVID's origin has proven to be zoonotic rather than a lab leak, the vastly overstated claim that vaccines prevent transmission of COVID, or that Julian Assange stole classified documents and caused people to die. Corporate outlets beloved by liberals are free to spout serious falsehoods without being deemed guilty of disinformation, and, because of that, do so routinely. This "disinformation" term is reserved for those who question liberal pieties, not for those devoted to affirming them. That is the real functional definition of “disinformation” and of its little cousin, “misinformation.” It is not possible to disagree with liberals or see the world differently than they see it. The only two choices are unthinking submission to their dogma or acting as an agent of "disinformation.” Dissent does not exist to them; any deviation from their worldview is inherently dangerous — to the point that it cannot be heard. The data proving a deeply radical authoritarian strain in Trump-era Democratic Party politics is ample and have been extensively reported here. Democrats overwhelmingly trust and love the FBI and CIA. Polls show they overwhelmingly favor censorship of the internet not only by Big Tech oligarchs but also by the state. Leading Democratic Party politicians have repeatedly subpoenaed social media executives and explicitly threatened them with legal and regulatory reprisals if they do not censor more aggressively — a likely violation of the First Amendment given decades of case law ruling that state officials are barred from coercing private actors to censor for them, in ways the Constitution prohibits them from doing directly. Democratic officials have used the pretexts of COVID, “the insurrection," and Russia to justify their censorship demands. Both Joe Biden and his Surgeon General, Vivek Murthy, have "urged” Silicon Valley to censor more when asked about Joe Rogan and others who air what they call “disinformation” about COVID. They cheered the use of pro-prosecutor tactics against Michael Flynn and other Russiagate targets; made a hero out of the Capitol Hill Police officer who shot and killed the unarmed Ashli Babbitt; voted for an additional $2 billion to expand the functions of the Capitol Police; have demanded and obtained lengthy prison sentences and solitary confinement even for non-violent 1/6 defendants; and even seek to import the War on Terror onto domestic soil. Given the climate prevailing in the American liberal faction, this authoritarianism is anything but surprising. For those who convince themselves that they are not battling mere political opponents with a different ideology but a fascist movement led by a Hitler-like figure bent on imposing totalitarianism — a core, defining belief of modern-day Democratic Party politics — it is virtually inevitable that they will embrace authoritarianism. When a political movement is subsumed by fear — the Orange Hitler will put you in camps and end democracy if he wins again — then it is not only expected but even rational to embrace authoritarian tactics including censorship to stave off this existential threat. Fear always breeds authoritarianism, which is why manipulating and stimulating that human instinct is the favorite tactic of political demagogues. And when it comes to authoritarian tactics, censorship has become the liberals’ North Star. Every week brings news of a newly banished heretic. Liberals cheered the news last week that Google's YouTube permanently banned the extremely popular video channel of conservative commentator Dan Bongino. His permanent ban was imposed for the crime of announcing that, moving forward, he would post all of his videos exclusively on the free speech video platform Rumble after he received a seven-day suspension from Google's overlords for spreading supposed COVID “disinformation.” What was Bongino's prohibited view that prompted that suspension? He claimed cloth masks do not work to stop the spread of COVID, a view shared by numerous experts and, at least in part, by the CDC. When Bongino disobeyed the seven-day suspension by using an alternative YouTube channel to announce his move to Rumble, liberals cheered Google's permanent ban because the only thing liberals hate more than platforms that allow diverse views are people failing to obey rules imposed by corporate authorities. It is not hyperbole to observe that there is now a concerted war on any platforms devoted to free discourse and which refuse to capitulate to the demands of Democratic politicians and liberal activists to censor. The spear of the attack are corporate media outlets, who demonize and try to render radioactive any platforms that allow free speech to flourish. When Rumble announced that a group of free speech advocates — including myself, former Democratic Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard, comedian Bridget Phetasy, former Sanders campaign videographer Matt Orfalea and journalist Zaid Jilani — would produce video content for Rumble, The Washington Post immediately published a hit piece, relying exclusively on a Google-and-Facebook-aligned so-called "disinformation expert” to malign Rumble as "one of the main platforms for conspiracy communities and far-right communities in the U.S. and around the world” and a place “where conspiracies thrive," all caused by Rumble's "allowing such videos to remain on the site unmoderated.” (The narrative about Rumble is particularly bizarre since its Canadian founder and still-CEO, Chris Pavlovski created Rumble in 2013 with apolitical goals — to allow small content creators abandoned by YouTube to monetize their content — and is very far from an adherent to right-wing ideology). The same attack was launched, and is still underway, against Substack, also for the crime of refusing to ban writers deemed by liberal corporate outlets and activists to be hateful and/or fonts of disinformation. After the first wave of liberal attacks on Substack failed — that script was that it is a place for anti-trans animus and harassment — The Post returned this week for round two, with a paint-by-numbers hit piece virtually identical to the one it published last year about Rumble. “Newsletter company Substack is making millions off anti-vaccine content, according to estimates,” blared the sub-headline. “Prominent figures known for spreading misinformation, such as [Joseph] Mercola, have flocked to Substack, podcasting platforms and a growing number of right-wing social media networks over the past year after getting kicked off or restricted on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube,” warned the Post. It is, evidently, extremely dangerous to society for voices to still be heard once Google decrees they should not be. This Post attack on Substack predictably provoked expressions of Serious Concern from good and responsible liberals. That included Chelsea Clinton, who lamented that Substack is profiting off a “grift.” Apparently, this political heiress — who is one of the world's richest individuals by virtue of winning the birth lottery of being born to rich and powerful parents, who in turn enriched themselves by cashing in on their political influence in exchange for $750,000 paychecks from Goldman Sachs for 45-minute speeches, and who herself somehow was showered with a $600,000 annual contract from NBC News despite no qualifications — believes she is in a position to accuse others of "grifting.” This Post-manufactured narrative about Substack instantly metastasized throughout the liberal sect of media. “Anti-vaxxers making ‘at least $2.5m’ a year from publishing on Substack,” read the headline of The Guardian, the paper that in 2018 published the outright lie that Julian Assange met twice with Paul Manafort inside the Ecuadorian Embassy and refuses to this day to retract it (i.e., “disinformation"). Like The Post, the British paper cited one of the seemingly endless number of shady pro-censorship groups — this one calling itself the “Center for Countering Digital Hate” — to argue for greater censorship by Substack. “They could just say no,” said the group's director, who has apparently convinced himself he should be able to dictate what views should and should not be aired: “This isn’t about freedom; this is about profiting from lies. . . . Substack should immediately stop profiting from medical misinformation that can seriously harm readers.” The emerging campaign to pressure Spotify to remove Joe Rogan from its platform is perhaps the most illustrative episode yet of both the dynamics at play and the desperation of liberals to ban anyone off-key. It was only a matter of time before this effort really galvanized in earnest. Rogan has simply become too influential, with too large of an audience of young people, for the liberal establishment to tolerate his continuing to act up. Prior efforts to coerce, cajole, or manipulate Rogan to fall into line were abject failures. On Tuesday, musician Neil Young demanded that Spotify either remove Rogan from its platform or cease featuring Young's music, claiming Rogan spreads COVID disinformation. Spotify predictably sided with Rogan, their most popular podcaster in whose show they invested $100 million, by removing Young's music and keeping Rogan. The pressure on Spotify mildly intensified on Friday when singer Joni Mitchell issued a similar demand. All sorts of censorship-mad liberals celebrated this effort to remove Rogan, then vowed to cancel their Spotify subscription in protest of Spotify's refusal to capitulate for now; a hashtag urging the deletion of Spotify's app trended for days. Many bizarrely urged that everyone buy music from Apple instead; apparently, handing over your cash to one of history's largest and richest corporations, repeatedly linked to the use of slave labor, is the liberal version of subversive social justice. Democrats are not only the dominant political faction in Washington, controlling the White House and both houses of Congress, but liberals in particular are clearly the hegemonic culture force in key institutions: media, academia and Hollywood. That is why it is a mistake to assume that we are near the end of their orgy of censorship and de-platforming victories. It is far more likely that we are much closer to the beginning than the end. The power to silence others is intoxicating. Once one gets a taste of its power, they rarely stop on their own. Indeed, it was once assumed that Silicon Valley giants steeped in the libertarian ethos of a free internet would be immune to demands to engage in political censorship ("content moderation” is the more palatable euphemism which liberal corporate media outlets prefer). But when the still-formidable megaphones of The New York Times, The Washington Post, NBC News, CNN and the rest of the liberal media axis unite to accuse Big Tech executives of having blood on their hands and being responsible for the destruction of American democracy, that is still an effective enforcement mechanism. Billionaires are, like all humans, social and political animals and instinctively avoid ostracization and societal scorn. Beyond the personal interest in avoiding vilification, corporate executives can be made to censor against their will and in violation of their political ideology out of self-interest. The corporate media still has the ability to render a company toxic, and the Democratic Party more now than ever has the power to abuse their lawmaking and regulatory powers to impose real punishment for disobedience, as it has repeatedly threatened to do. If Facebook or Spotify are deemed to be so toxic that no Good Liberals can use them without being attacked as complicit in fascism, white supremacy or anti-vax fanaticism, then that will severely limit, if not entirely sabotage, a company's future viability.
Study finds vitamin D supplements with or without Omega-3s decreased risk of autoimmune diseases
Brigham and Women’s Hospital, January 27 2022
Autoimmune diseases (AD) such as rheumatoid arthritis, polymyalgia rheumatica, autoimmune thyroid disease and psoriasis, are a leading cause of morbidity and mortality as people age. Few effective treatments are available for AD, but some preclinical studies have hinted that supplements, including vitamin D and omega-3 (or n-3) fatty acids, may have beneficial effects. In a new study published in BMJ, investigators from Brigham and Women’s Hospital evaluated whether taking vitamin D and/or omega fatty acid supplements could affect rates of AD. The team tested this in the large-scale vitamin D and Omega-3 Trial (VITAL), a randomized study which followed participants for approximately five years. Investigators found the people who took vitamin D, or vitamin D and omega-3 fatty acids had a significantly lower rate of AD than people who took a placebo.
(NEXT)
Blueberry extract outperforms radiation in killing cervical cancer cells, study reveals
University of Missouri, January 27, 2022
Recent research has focused on attempts to identify radiosensitizers – or non-toxic, natural substances that can make radiation more effective – and (you guessed it) blueberry extract is emerging at the forefront – with a new study showcasing its ability to work along with radiation to combat cervical cancer. In a study of human cancer cells conducted at the University of Missouri, researchers found that combining blueberry extract with radiation increased the treatment’s effectiveness.
(NEXT)
Physical activity protects against type 2 diabetes by modifying metabolism
University of Eastern Finland, January 26, 2022
Regular physical activity significantly changes the body’s metabolite profile, and many of these changes are associated with a lower risk of type 2 diabetes, a new study from the University of Eastern Finland shows. The study population included more than 7,000 men who were followed up for eight years. Men in the highest physical activity category had a 39% lower risk of type 2 diabetes than men who were physically inactive. Physical activity was associated with the levels of a total of 198 metabolites, i.e., compounds formed as a result of the body’s metabolism, and increased physical activity had an impact on some of the same metabolites that have previously been associated with a health-promoting diet. In addition, the study showed that increased physical activity improves insulin secretion.
(NEXT)
Food as medicine
Mayo Clinic, January 26 2022.
The oft-heard adage “Let food be thy medicine” appears to be valid advice according to the results of a first of its kind study published on January 26, 2022 in the Journal of Nutrition. “Based on the outcomes seen in our study, using this type of food as medicine approach expands the options for medical professionals and patients,” first author Stephen Kopecky, MD, FACC, of the Mayo Clinic commented. “Many patients who are unwilling or unable to take statin drugs may be able to help manage their high cholesterol, or hyperlipidemia with a realistic food-based intervention.”
(NEXT)
Maternal consumption of soft drinks may be linked to ADHD symptoms in offspring
University of Bergen (Norway), January 27, 2022
Norwegian, Swedish and Dutch researchers examining a large Norwegian population-based cohort recently reported in European Journal of Nutrition that daily maternal intake of sweetened carbonated beverages (SCB) in pregnancy was associated with an increase in ADHD symptoms among offspring at eight years of age.
(VIDEO)
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Barrister Una McGurk (Ireland) on pandemic and cancel culture – 6 minutes
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VOICES PROFESSOR DOLORES CAHILL (2:56)
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VOICES: ANNE MCCLOSKEY GP (3:48)
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VOICES: DR PAT MORRISSEY (5:02)
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VOICES: DR MARCUS DE BRUN (5:13)
(OTHER NEWS)
How 5G Puts Airplanes at Risk – An Electrical Engineer Explains
By Prasenjit Mitra, Professor of Information Sciences and Technology, Penn State. The Conversation, January 26, 2022
New high-speed cellphone services have raised concerns of interference with aircraft operations, particularly as aircraft are landing at airports. The Federal Aviation Administration has assured Americans that most commercial aircraft are safe, and AT&T and Verizon have agreed to hold off on installing their new cellphone antennas near airports for six months. But the problem has not been entirely resolved.
Concerns began when the U.S. government auctioned part of the C-band spectrum to wireless carriers in 2021 for US$81 billion. The carriers are using C-band spectrum to provide 5G service at full speed, 10 times the speed of 4G networks. The C-band spectrum is close to the frequencies used by key electronics that aircraft rely on to land safely. Here’s why that can be a problem.
Wireless signals are carried by radio waves. The radio spectrum ranges from 3 hertz to 3,000 gigahertz and is part of the electromagnetic spectrum. The portion of the radio spectrum that carries the signals from your phone and other wireless devices is 20 kilohertz to 300 gigahertz.
If two wireless signals in the same area use the same frequency, you get garbled noise.
Modern airplanes use altimeters, which calculate the time it takes for a signal to bounce back from the ground to determine a plane’s altitude. These altimeters are a vital part of automatic landing systems that are especially useful in cases where there is low visibility.
So, if an altimeter interprets a signal from a wireless carrier as the rebounded signal from the ground, it may think that the ground is closer than it is and prematurely try to lower the landing gear and do the other maneuvers that are needed to land an aircraft. If interference with wireless carrier signals corrupts and garbles the altimeter’s radio signals, the altimeter may not recognize the rebounded signal and thus be unable to figure out how close to the ground the plane is.
The portions of the radio frequency spectrum used by airplanes and cellphone carriers are different. The problem is that airplane altimeters use the 4.2 to 4.4 gigahertz range, while the recently sold – and previously unused – C-band spectrum for wireless carriers ranges from 3.7 to 3.98 gigahertz. It turns out the 0.22 gigahertz difference between the signals may not be quite enough to be absolutely sure that a cellphone carrier signal will not be mistaken for or corrupt an altimeter’s signal.
(NEXT)
The Scientific Misconduct Story Behind Ivermectin
Joseph Mercola, January 26, 2022
STORY AT-A-GLANCE In mid-February 2021, Dr. Andrew Hill at Liverpool University published a scientific meta-analysis of six randomized controlled trials involving the use of ivermectin. The review, funded by the World Health Organization and UNITAID, found the drug increased viral clearance and reduced COVID-19 deaths by 75%, yet the conclusion of the paper was dismissive In early April 2021, Hill was accused of scientific misconduct by the French civic group, Association BonSens. BonSens claims Hill manipulated data to downplay the usefulness of ivermectin. Hill admitted that the study sponsor had crafted the conclusion In early August 2021, Hill published a public notice stating one of the six studies included in his analysis had been withdrawn due to fraudulent data. A revised analysis excluding that study was published in November 2021 In the November revision, Hill included 23 randomized clinical trials, concluding ivermectin had no statistically significant effect on survival or hospitalizations Other meta-analyses of 13 to 24 studies have found reductions in death ranging from 62% to 91%. Recent research has also found a five-day course of ivermectin at a dose of 12 mg per day sped up viral clearance, reducing the duration of symptomatic illness by three days compared to placebo (9.7 days versus 12.7 days)
Large study links higher nutrient intake with lower risk of mortality during 9.3-year median period
University of Connecticut, January 25, 2022
A study that utilized data from the National Health and Nutrition Education Survey (NHANES) found an association between having an adequate intake of vitamin E, iron, magnesium, potassium, EPA and DHA, essential amino acids and fiber and a lower risk of dying during a median follow-up period of 9.3 years. The study included 20,602 men and women enrolled in NHANES. During a median 9.3-year period, 3,539 participants died. The participants who survived were more likely to have reported a higher intake of specific nutrients. Notably, compared to participants whose magnesium intake was among the lowest one-third, those whose intake was among the top third had a 22% lower adjusted risk of dying from any cause, a 35% lower risk of dying from cardiovascular disease and a 29% lower risk of cancer death during follow-up. Magnesium wasn’t the only nutrient linked to a lower risk of mortality during follow-up; the top consumers of vitamin E, iron, potassium and fiber had 19%, 15%, 18% and 16% lower respective risks of premature all-cause mortality.
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Active ingredient in cannabis protects aging brain cells
Salk researchers find cannabinol preserves mitochondrial function and prevents oxidative damage to cells Salk Institute, January 25, 2021
Decades of research on medical cannabis has focused on the compounds THC and CBD in clinical applications. But less is known about the therapeutic properties of cannabinol (CBN). Now, a new study by Salk scientists shows how CBN can protect nerve cells from oxidative damage, a major pathway to cell death. The findings, published online January 6, 2022, in the journal Free Radical Biology and Medicine, suggest CBN has the potential for treating age-related neurodegenerative diseases, like Alzheimer’s. “We’ve found that cannabinol protects neurons from oxidative stress and cell death, two of the major contributors to Alzheimer’s,” says senior author Pamela Maher, a research professor and head of Salk’s Cellular Neurobiology Laboratory. “This discovery could one day lead to the development of new therapeutics for treating this disease and other neurodegenerative disorders, like Parkinson’s disease.”
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Apple polyphenols may slash inflammation marker levels, change gut microbiota
University of Auckland (New Zealand)
Polyphenols from apples may modify the bacterial populations in the gut, and reduce markers of inflammation, according a new study from New Zealand Data from a study indicated that adding extracts from genetically engineered apples with increased flavonoids led to 10-fold decrease in levels of pro-inflammatory prostaglandins than extracts from non-transformed apples. In addition, the total number of bacteria in the colons of animals fed a diet containing the transformed apple extracts was 6% higher than for mice fed the control diet, said the researchers in the Journal of Nutrition . “The findings here further demonstrate that apple consumption affects aspects of inflammatory pathways and the gut microbiota.
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Extra 10 minutes of daily activity could save 110,000 U.S. lives annually
National Cancer Institute, January 25, 2022
If everyone between 40 and 85 years of age were active just 10 minutes more a day, it could save more than 110,000 U.S. lives a year, a large study reports. "Our projections are based on an additional 10 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity," said lead researcher Pedro Saint-Maurice at the U.S. National Cancer Institute in Bethesda, Md. "If the walk is brisk, it counts." And added exercise benefits everyone—white, Black, Asian and Hispanic, men and women, the investigators found.
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Alzheimer's defense: omega-3s linked to larger brain volume
University of South Dakota, January 24, 2022
Among the myriad changes that accompany aging, shrinking brain volume can be a worrying one. A normal part of growing older, it can also be a sign of Alzheimer's disease. But the good news is that a recent study suggests people with higher levels of omega-3 fatty acids have larger brain volumes in old age. The research, published in Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology, suggests that the larger brain volumes associated with higher omega-3 levels are the equivalent to preserving up to 2 years of brain health.
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Dr. Robert Malone | Senator Ron Johnson COVID-19: A Second Opinion
(OTHER NEWS)
Authoritarian Madness: The Slippery Slope from Lockdowns to Concentration Camps
By John W. Whitehead & Nisha Whitehead, January 26, 2022
In the politically charged, polarizing tug-of-war that is the debate over COVID-19, we find ourselves buffeted by fear over a viral pandemic that continues to wreak havoc with lives and the economy, threats of vaccine mandates and financial penalties for noncompliance, and discord over how to legislate the public good without sacrificing individual liberty. The discord is getting more discordant by the day. Just recently, for instance, the Salt Lake Tribune Editorial Board suggested that government officials should mandate mass vaccinations and deploy the National Guard “to ensure that people without proof of vaccination would not be allowed, well, anywhere.” In other words, lock up the unvaccinated and use the military to determine who gets to be “free.” In Italy, the unvaccinated are banned from restaurants, bars and public transportation, and could face suspensions from work and monthly fines. Similarly, France will ban the unvaccinated from most public venues. In Austria, anyone who has not complied with the vaccine mandate could face fines up to $4100. Police will be authorized to carry out routine checks and demand proof of vaccination, with penalties of as much as $685 for failure to do so. In China, which has adopted a zero tolerance, “zero COVID” strategy, whole cities—some with populations in the tens of millions—are being forced into home lockdowns for weeks on end, resulting in mass shortages of food and household supplies. Reports have surfaced of residents “trading cigarettes for cabbage, dishwashing liquid for apples and sanitary pads for a small pile of vegetables. One resident traded a Nintendo Switch console for a packet of instant noodles and two steamed buns.” For those unfortunate enough to contract COVID-19, China has constructed “quarantine camps” throughout the country: massive complexes boasting thousands of small, metal boxes containing little more than a bed and a toilet. Detainees—including children, pregnant women and the elderly— were reportedly ordered to leave their homes in the middle of the night, transported to the quarantine camps in buses and held in isolation. If this last scenario sounds chillingly familiar, it should. Eighty years ago, another authoritarian regime established more than 44,000 quarantine camps for those perceived as “enemies of the state”: racially inferior, politically unacceptable or simply noncompliant. While the majority of those imprisoned in the Nazi concentration camps, forced labor camps, incarceration sites and ghettos were Jews, there were also Polish nationals, gypsies, Russians, political dissidents, resistance fighters, Jehovah’s Witnesses, and homosexuals. You don’t have to be unvaccinated or a conspiracy theorist or even anti-government to be worried about what lies ahead. You just have to recognize the truth in the warning: power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. This is not about COVID-19. Nor is it about politics, populist movements, or any particular country. This is about what happens when good, generally decent people—distracted by manufactured crises, polarizing politics, and fighting that divides the populace into warring “us vs. them” camps—fail to take note of the looming danger that threatens to wipe freedom from the map and place us all in chains. It’s about what happens when any government is empowered to adopt a comply-or-suffer-the-consequences mindset that is enforced through mandates, lockdowns, penalties, detention centers, martial law, and a disregard for the rights of the individual.
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95% Deceptive: COVID Vaccine Efficacy & Medical Betrayal
How statistical sleights of hand betrayed the heart and soul of medicine. Dr. Benjamin Kaplan-Singer, MD. January 25, 2022
COVID Combat Zones We are in the midst of informational and narrative warfare. All things COVID are active combat zones. Within this, vaccines are the most polarizing, controversial, hot button issue. On one extreme are those who believe COVID vaccines should be mandatory whether that is accomplished by: applying censorship, public shaming, and cancel culture to stifle dissent; making employment, school enrollment, travel, and private/public event participation contingent on vaccination status; threatening to remove licenses from medical professionals; or even going door-to-door with armed enforcers. (Yes, I have heard this suggested on multiple occasions.) On the other extreme are those who believe COVID vaccines are a bioweapon being used for depopulation, soul-harvesting, and to socially engineer a technocratic, totalitarian, panopticon state. Most people are in the center, doing their best to make sense of the risks and benefits of vaccination and early treatment options in order to make informed choices for themselves and their families. On November 16, 2020 NIH announced “Promising Interim Results from Clinical Trial of NIH-Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine” reporting “the candidate was safe and well-tolerated and noted a vaccine efficacy rate of 94.5%.”1 The New England Journal of Medicine published the trial on February 4, 2021 where it reported “94.1% efficacy.”2 On December 10, 2020 Pfizer and BioNTech announced “Publication of Results from Landmark Phase 3 Trial of BNT162b2 COVID-19 Vaccine Candidate in The New England Journal of Medicine,” reporting “the vaccine candidate was well tolerated and demonstrated 95% efficacy in preventing COVID-19 in those without prior infection 7 days or more after the second dose.”3 The New England Journal of Medicine published the trial on December 31, 2020 reporting the vaccine was “95% effective in preventing Covid-19.”4 From “95% effective” it is a short cognitive leap to: When X% of the population vaccinates, COVID will (mostly) disappear When COVID (mostly) disappears life will return to normal(-ish) Vaccination protects the vulnerable People have a social responsibility to vaccinate The social contract means to participate in society you must vaccinate Trials showed the vaccines are safe, therefore the vaccines are safe The benefits of the vaccines clearly outweigh the risks The unvaccinated are overburdening hospitals If you do not vaccinate you are overburdening hospitals Overburdening hospitals kills innocent people The unvaccinated are the ones spreading COVID If you do not vaccinate you are killing someone’s grandma or immunocompromised child Trust the science, trust the experts The unvaccinated are spreading misinformation The unvaccinated are anti-science, brainwashed, delusional conspiracy theorists, ignorant, selfish assh*les Anyone who questions vaccines should be shamed, censored, canceled, or penalized Relative Deception The “95% effective” frame comes from Pfizer-BioNTech’s published trial and refers to a specific statistical measurement called relative risk reduction Of note, the trials did not look at: the effectiveness of the vaccine on hospitalizations, deaths, or transmission; on the effect of confirmed cases of COVID beyond 2 months post-vaccination; safety beyond 2 months; in addition, the control group did receive vaccination in what is called “crossover” which makes medium and longer term safety data very difficult, if not impossible, to ascertain. Furthermore, for trial results to translate to real world conditions we must make at least two assumptions: that the population being vaccinated is comparable to the population in the study and that the virus does not evolve in a way that reduces vaccine effectiveness. Keep in mind, the absolute risk reduction from these trials refers to the average decreased risk an individual has of getting a confirmed case of COVID (i.e. it does not confer information about hospitalization, death, transmission, nor “long COVID”) within a certain time window after vaccination. Absolute risk reduction is the best available measurement, but only conveys the average reduction in risk for the average individual in the trial. Pfizer-BioNTech’s “95% effective” vaccine reduces risk on average by 0.84% Moderna-NIH’s “94% effective” vaccine reduces risk on average by by 1.2% Gamaleya’s “91% effective” vaccine reduces risk on average by 0.93% J&J’s “67% effective” vaccine reduces risk on average by 1.2% AstraZeneca–Oxford’s “67% effective” vaccine reduces risk on average by 1.3% As you can clearly see, there is no correlation between the espoused effectiveness of a vaccine based on its relative risk reduction, and how much the vaccine decreases your personal risk of a confirmed case of COVID based on absolute risk reduction. Given the COVID vaccines reduce an individual’s risk of a confirmed case within a certain time window after vaccination by 0.84-1.3% – which some people will consider a marginal benefit – obvious questions ensue.
New study calls into question the importance of meat eating in shaping our evolution George Washington University, Jan. 24, 2022
Quintessential human traits such as large brains first appear in Homo erectus nearly 2 million years ago. This evolutionary transition towards human-like traits is often linked to a major dietary shift involving greater meat consumption. A new study published today in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, however, calls into question the primacy of meat eating in early human evolution. While the archaeological evidence for meat eating increases dramatically after the appearance of Homo erectus, the study authors argue that this increase can largely be explained by greater research attention on this time period, effectively skewing the evidence in favor of the “meat made us human” hypothesis.
Barr and his colleagues compiled published data from nine major research areas in eastern Africa, including 59 site levels dating between 2.6 and 1.2 million years ago. They used several metrics to track hominin carnivory: the number of zooarchaeological sites preserving animal bones that have cut marks made by stone tools, the total count of animal bones with cut marks across sites, and the number of separately reported stratigraphic levels.
The researchers found that, when accounting for variation in sampling effort over time, there is no sustained increase in the relative amount of evidence for carnivory after the appearance of H. erectus.
New study shows aged garlic extract can reduce dangerous plaque buildup in arteries
UCLA Medical Center, January 21, 2022
The supplement Aged Garlic Extract can reverse the buildup of deadly plaque in arteries and help prevent the progression of heart disease, according to a new study scheduled for publication in the Journal of Nutrition.
The research, conducted at LA BioMed, found a reduction in the amount of low-attenuation plaque, or "soft plaque," in the arteries of patients with metabolic syndrome who took Aged Garlic Extract. Metabolic syndrome is characterized by obesity, hypertension and other cardiac risk factors.
Following evaluation, the participants were given either a placebo or a dose of 2,400 milligrams of Aged Garlic Extract every day. A follow-up screening conducted a year after the initial screening found those who had taken Aged Garlic Extract had slowed total plaque accumulation by 80%, reduced soft plaque and demonstrated regression (less plaque on follow-up) for low-attenuation plaque.
Eating More Plants May Keep Dementia From Flourishing University of Barcelona (Spain), January 14, 2022
A recently published 12-year cohort study out of the University of Barcelona suggests that following a plant-based diet may help reduce the risk of cognitive decline and dementia in older age.
Of the 800 participants, all aged 65 and up, those who consumed polyphenol-rich foods such as fruits and vegetables, as well as mushrooms, cocoa, coffee and red wine, had a lower risk of dementia compared to those who avoided these "superfoods."
According to the study's authors, these findings shed light on the relationship between the body's metabolism, the gut's microbiome (which includes trillions of microorganisms) and cognitive impairment.
"Studying this relationship is essential to develop preventive and therapeutic strategies that help take care of our cognitive health," the authors stated in the Molecular Nutrition & Food Research Journal.
Supplement urolithin A appears to boost muscle, mitochondria health University of Washington School of Medicine, January 22, 2022
An oral supplement intended to stimulate a natural body process appears to promote muscle endurance and mitochondrial health in humans. New research suggests that the supplement, urolithin A, may help improve or prolong muscle activity in people who are aging or who have diseases that make exercise difficult.
Urolithin A is a byproduct of a person’s gut bacteria and a diet comprising polyphenols found in pomegranates, berries and nuts. Because diet, age, genetics and disease affect the makeup of the gut microbiome, people produce urolithin A at variable rates. The compound also is produced and sold by dietary supplement companies.
Supplemental urolithin A has been shown in animal tests and molecular studies of humans to stimulate mitophagy, a process that Marcinek explained as “mitochondrial quality control.”
“Even though we did not observe an effect of the supplement in whole body function (via six-minute measure and ATP production),” Marcinek said, “these results are still exciting because they demonstrate that just taking a supplement for a short duration actually improved muscle endurance. Fatigue resistance got better in the absence of exercise.”The study’s funder, Amazentis, of Lausanne, Switzerland, manufactures the urolithin A supplement used in the trial.
Step Up: walking may reduce Type 2 Diabetes risk for adults 65 and older University of California at San Diego, January 22, 2022
Walking regularly and at greater intensity may help prevent Type 2 diabetes among 70 and 80 year olds, according to one of the first studies measuring steps and pace among this population.
The more steps a person takes, and the more intense, the lower their risk for developing diabetes, report researchers in a study published in Diabetes Care.
“A key figure from our study is that for every 1,000 steps per day, our results showed a 6% lower diabetes risk in this population. What that means is, if the average older adult were to take 2,000 more steps every day in addition to what they were already doing, they might expect a 12% reduction in diabetes risk,” said first author Alexis C. Garduno, a third-year student in the University of California San Diego and San Diego State University joint doctoral program in public health.
Fish oil, vitamin B12 supplementation associated with lower plasma homocystein
Zhejiang University (China), January 25 2022
The Asia Pacific Journal of Clinical Nutrition published the finding of researchers at Zhejiang University in Hangzhou, China of a reduction in plasma homocysteine levels following supplementation with vitamin B12 and/or fish oil.
"No study has reported the effect of vitamin B12 in combination with fish oil on plasma homocysteine, ferritin, CRP and other cardiovascular disease risk factors in Chinese," announce Duo Li and colleagues in their introduction to the article.
Thirty men and women were randomly assigned to receive 1000 micrograms (mcg) vitamin B12, 2 grams fish oil, or 2 grams fish oil plus 1000 mcg vitamin B12. Plasma vitamin B12, lipids, ferritin (a biomarker of iron status), C-reactive protein (CRP), total homocysteine and other factors were measured before treatment and after four and eight weeks of supplementation.
Among those who received fish oil alone or fish oil plus vitamin B12, triglycerides, CRP and ferritin significantly decreased after four and eight weeks of supplementation. Homocysteine was lowered by 22% in the vitamin B12 group, 19% in the fish oil group and 39% among those who received both supplements for eight weeks.
VIDEO
Nicole Sirotek (founder of America's Frontline Nurses) shares what she saw on the front lines Speaking at congressional hearing moderated by Sen Ron Johnson on Monday January 24 https://rumble.com/vt837j-registered-nurse-nicole-sirotek-shares-what-she-saw-on-the-front-lines-in-n.html
US Report Reveals 22 Years of Effort and Fluoridation Failed to Improve Oral Health
New York -- January 24, 2022
Despite increases in public water fluoridation, dental visits, sealants, fluoride varnish applications, and significant financial, training, and program investments, oral health hasn’t improved in 22 years, according to a National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR) Oral Health in America Report (December 2021), reports the New York State Coalition Opposed to Fluoridation, Inc. (NYSCOF).
“America’s shockingly poor dental system, poverty and poor diets are to blame,” says attorney Paul Beeber, NYSCOF President.
Millions of Americans can’t access dental care, while 70% of US children and adolescents are fluoride-overdosed, afflicted with fluorosis (permanently discolored teeth).
For example, the NIDCR reports:
- The military continues to face challenges in meeting recruitment goals and military readiness because of oral health-related issues.
- Untreated cavities among the poor remain twice that of non-poor. Disparities persist by race/ethnicity status.
- Primary tooth decay increased in boys aged 6-11 and didn’t change in adolescents’ and adults’ permanent teeth.
- Untreated decay in permanent teeth shows no progress.
- In ages 2-11, decayed tooth surfaces increased with a greater impact on boys
- Four out of 5 Americans aged 6 years and older experience cavities, irrespective of poverty or race/ethnicity status.
- 40% of children have eroded teeth.
China Builds 27 Empty New York Cities Epoch Times, January 20, 2022
As of 2016, China’s empty apartment units could house New York City 27 times over.
With that in mind, how could you afford to pay the construction mortgages on 70 million apartment units with no residents deeded to you by the evil genie? A challenging question. You would have to do some fast talking with the Chinese banks of the sort Trump managed with New York banks decades ago during the S&L crisis.
Your only hope of avoiding being sucked into a black hole of debt defaults would be to hire some creative scoundrels disguised as accountants to help you persuade the banks to lend you additional billions (or more probably, trillions) to postpone the day of reckoning. Note that the extent to which you could succeed would only worsen the ultimate malinvestment problem. Your assets would not be enhanced in any way by being encumbered with additional debt. They would just become more costly.
That is at least a $36.4 trillion question. Maybe a $45.9 trillion, or possibly even a $116.6 trillion question. The correct answer depends on China’s actual debt level. Forbes reports the estimate of Professor Victor Shih of the University of California San Diego. Shih believes that Chinese official debt figures have proven woefully inadequate.
In 2017, Shih put total Chinese debt at 328 percent of GDP (reported at $14 trillion), therefore $45.9 trillion. According to Shih, “total interest payments from June 2016 to June 2017 exceeded the incremental increase in nominal GDP by roughly 8 trillion RMB.” A collapse of China’s asset bubble lies ahead. I doubt any Chinese tycoons are strolling the streets of Shanghai with their girlfriends, making jokes about street people being a trillion yuan richer than they are. That underscores a problem when the government of a country enlarges debt to magnitudes beyond the scale of assets held by even the wealthiest persons. That makes it all the more unlikely that mortgaged assets can be redeemed from hock while encumbered by anything like their current level of debt.
IMF sees cost of COVID pandemic rising beyond $12.5 trillion estimate IMF/OECD News 21/01/2022
The International Monetary Fund expects to raise its forecast that the COVID-19 pandemic will cost the global economy $12.5 trillion through 2024, the head of the global lender said on Thursday.
IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva told an event hosted by the Financial Times that supply chain disruptions, inflation and tighter monetary policy were “throwing cold water on the recovery everywhere.”
She said huge gaps in COVID-19 vaccine rates and the overall widening divergence between rich and poor caused by the pandemic, along with learning losses and increased gender impacts, would cause more protests, tensions and insecurity.
Review of the Emerging Evidence Demonstrating the Efficacy of Ivermectin in the Prophylaxis and Treatment of COVID-19 Kory, Pierre MD, Marik, Paul E. MD
American Journal of Therapeutics: May Jun 2021 - Volume 28 - Issue 3
Therapeutic Advances: A large majority of randomized and observational controlled trials of ivermectin are reporting repeated, large magnitude improvements in clinical outcomes. Numerous prophylaxis trials demonstrate that regular ivermectin use leads to large reductions in transmission. Multiple, large “natural experiments” occurred in regions that initiated “ivermectin distribution” campaigns followed by tight, reproducible, temporally associated decreases in case counts and case fatality rates compared with nearby regions without such campaigns.
Conclusions: Meta-analyses based on 18 randomized controlled treatment trials of ivermectin in COVID-19 have found large, statistically significant reductions in mortality, time to clinical recovery, and time to viral clearance. Furthermore, results from numerous controlled prophylaxis trials report significantly reduced risks of contracting COVID-19 with the regular use of ivermectin. Finally, the many examples of ivermectin distribution campaigns leading to rapid population-wide decreases in morbidity and mortality indicate that an oral agent effective in all phases of COVID-19 has been identified.
The media blackout on Fauci’s damning emails They suggest something nefarious was up on the lab leak theory yet the press has refused to notice
SPECTATOR WORLD, January 17, 2022
Last week saw another batch of emails drop from Anthony Fauci, and another media blackout as to their contents. The strategy by the press in cases like this has been pretty straightforward: ignore the story, wait for right-leaning media or Republicans to pick it up, then frame any attacks on the subject as tainted by partisanship.
Last week, when confronted once again by Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky, Fauci responded with more hyperbole and ad hominem. The media, meanwhile, framed the exchanges as “Rand Paul Attacks!” and “Anthony Fauci defends!” They refused to look at the information in the emails that Paul was asking about, refused to ask questions about them, refused to even report on them. They are interested in the bloodsport, not the truth. The reason for that is simple: the truth is becoming very problematic for the man who once conflated himself with science itself.
The only reporting done on the emails by the New York Times, for instance, was a video clip from the Associated Press regarding the exchange with Senator Paul. What has not been covered with any sort of journalistic enthusiasm is the topic of the emails themselves, the most damning yet, which suggest that Fauci and Dr. Francis Collins, the former head of the NIH, purposefully downplayed the possibility of a lab leak in Wuhan, China, at the start of the pandemic because it might have damaged “international harmony” in the scientific community.
Alberta Canada Inadvertently Published (and Quickly Deleted) Health Data Exposing that More Than Half of Vaccinated Deaths Have Been Counted as Unvaccinated Gateway Pundit 23 January 2022
In yet another absolute bombshell revelation the government of Alberta, Canada exposed itself this week when it accidentally published damning evidence that exposes how the public health authorities have been manipulating the Covid-19 statistics.
After seemingly realizing what it had just done, the corrupt Canadian province quickly scrambled to delete the incriminating data off their website, but, thanks to internet sleuths like Twitter user Metatron – and his substack post, we have the receipts.
According to its latest Covid-19 update, the Alberta Government admitted to following the fraudulent standard that was in use by vaccine manufacturers during clinical trials – which is to ignore the adverse outcomes, including Covid infection, hospitalizations, and deaths, for fourteen days after vaccine administration – no matter how many doses they have had.
But instead of just ignoring the cases like the vaccine manufacturers, the corrupt Alberta government has been lumping them in with the unvaxxed.
In other words, anyone who was infected – was hospitalized – or even died, in the two weeks following their first, second, or even THIRD dose would be recorded as an unvaccinated case.
And now, thanks to the now-deleted data, we can tell exactly how many cases have been fraudulently manipulated by inadvertently including the time from dose to infection for each of the events – and as it turns out, over half of the vaccinated deaths were added to the unvaccinated.
Almost 56% of ‘recorded’ Covid-related deaths among the vaccinated occurred within 14 days of vaccination – and almost 90% within 45 days, which is noteworthy because that is what’s claimed to be the timeframe of the vaccine’s effectiveness.
As for hospitalizations, the numbers aren’t that much better. Almost half of the severe cases among the vaccinated happened within the two-week window, meaning they were tallied as unvaccinated in the official record.
80% of which occurred within the first 45 days post-vaccination.
COVID testing firm piled unprocessed swabs in trash bags, billed feds $113M ARS TECHNICA 1/20/2022,
Federal and state investigations into a large national chain of COVID-19 testing sites have turned up tests that were never labeled with patients' names, tests piled into trash bags stored for long periods at room temperature, tests that were never processed, and test results that were clearly fake.
Behind the testing sites are two Illinois-based companies: Center for COVID Control (CCC) and Doctors Clinical Laboratory, Inc., which is said to carry out COVID PCR testing for CCC. The two companies share the same address, though CCC is owned by Chicago-area couple Akbar Syed and Aleya Siyaj, while the clinical company is owned by Mohammed Shujauddin.
Together, the companies claim to provide rapid and PCR testing for COVID-19, with fast turnaround times and no appointments necessary. So far, they have collected more than 400,000 samples from over 300 locations across the US. And they have billed the federal government over $113 million for running many of those tests.
The companies are currently under investigation by the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), as well as multiple states. On Wednesday, Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison filed a lawsuit alleging numerous counts of deceptive or fraudulent practices by the pair.
According to federal inspections reported by NBC News, CCC employees didn't even label some samples with patients' names. Inspection documents from federal investigators noted that "51 out of 51 patient specimen tubes contained in the box [they examined] were blank.”
Two Studies: COVID-19 Vaccines Trigger Autoimmune Graves’ Disease Sharyl Attkisson, The Vaccine Reaction, July 26, 2021
A recent published medical report out of Mexico details two cases of healthy, female health care workers who got COVID-19 vaccines and, three days later, developed “thyroid hyperactivity, suppressed thyroid-stimulating hormone, and elevated antithyroid antibodies.” They were both diagnosed with vaccine-induced Graves’ disease.
According to the authors who wrote up the cases, “autoimmune/inflammatory syndrome induced by [vaccine] adjuvants
(ASIA), described for the first time a decade ago, is triggered by several adjuvants (a substance that enhances the antigen-specific immune response) and includes the following conditions: Gulf War syndrome, siliconosis, macrophagic myofasciitis syndrome, and postvaccination phenomena.”
According to a summary, “Vaccines have been shown to trigger an immune response that leads to a broad spectrum of autoimmune diseases, including autoimmune thyroid disease. Our patients met the diagnostic criteria for ASIA [autoimmune/inflammatory syndrome induced by adjuvants]; they were exposed to an adjuvant (vaccine), and they developed clinical manifestations of thyroid hyperfunction within a few days, with the appearance of antithyroid antibodies, despite being healthy before vaccination.”
The scientists write, “In addition, the spike glycoprotein of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) vaccine shares a genetic similarity with a large heptapeptide human protein, so this is an additional factor that can trigger autoimmune disease (AID) after vaccination due to molecular mimicry.”
Antibodies from original strain COVID-19 infection don't bind to variants University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
People infected with the original strain of the virus that causes COVID-19 early in the pandemic produced a consistent antibody response, making two main groups of antibodies to bind to the spike protein on the virus's outer surface. However, those antibodies don't bind well to newer variants, a new study from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign found.
The researchers mined published papers about COVID-19 patients for data about the sequence of the antibodies they produced. They focused on antibodies against the spike protein, the part of the virus that binds to receptors on human cells to infect them. The spike protein is the target of most vaccines.
They found that many antibody sequences converged into two main groups, indicating a consistent human immune response to the virus, said graduate student Timothy Tan, the first author of the study.
Even though this antibody response is very common with the original strain, it doesn't really interact with variants," Wu said. "That, of course, raises the concern of the virus evolving to escape the body's main antibody response. Some antibodies should still be effective—the body makes antibodies to many parts of the virus, not only the spike protein—but the particular groups of antibodies that we saw in this study will not be as effective."atients who have been infected with variants, understanding the difference in the immune response is one of the directions that we would like to pursue."
Why shoplifting is soaring across the US — and will only get worse NEW YORK POST. January 22, 2022
Retail crime has been rising throughout the US for the past five years, with organized criminal rings targeting stores everywhere from Woonsocket (Rhode Island) to Greensboro (North Carolina) to Grafton (Wisconsin). The National Retail Federation reported that store losses mounted from $453,940 per $1 billion in sales in 2015 to $719,458 in 2020.
The biggest increase over that period happened not during the pandemic but in 2019, when total losses from shoplifting surged to $61 billion, up from $50 billion the previous year. The COVID-19 lockdowns in 2020 and early 2021 moderated losses, largely because stores were closed or had curtailed operating hours. Now that retailing has resumed, crime has spiked again.
Shoplifting no longer fits its traditional mold as a nonviolent crime perpetrated mostly by teens or substance-abusing adults. Nearly two-thirds of the retailers surveyed by the National Retail Federation said that violence associated with store thefts has risen, led by organized gangs that resell the goods they steal. Like retailers, top law-enforcement officials place some of the blame for the crime surge on a widespread lessening of penalties for shoplifting.
California’s recent headline-making “flash mob” shoplifting sprees have brought widespread attention to Proposition 47 — a 2014 state ballot initiative, supported by a range of left-leaning and libertarian groups, which, among other things, boosted the felony threshold for shoplifting from $450 of merchandise to $950. Soon after it passed, retailers in California began reporting a sharp uptick in retail theft, often in plain view of helpless store personnel and distressed customers.
What has received far less attention, however, is the fact that California’s Prop. 47 was not an outlier among states. In the past 10 years, nearly half of all states have boosted their thresholds for retail felony theft. Thirty-eight states now don’t consider shoplifting a felony unless $1,000 or more of merchandise gets stolen. A 2020 National Retail Federation report on organized retail crime found that two-thirds of retailers in states that had raised their felony shoplifting minimums reported growing retail theft.
The Significance of the Nuremberg Code: The Universal Right of Informed Consent to Medical Interventions By Alliance for Human Research Protection
Global Research, September 20, 2021
The universal right of Informed Consent to medical interventions has been recognized in US law since at least 1914.
- That year, the New York Court of Appeals established the right to informed consent to medical intervention in a case involving non-consensual surgery.
Schloendorff v. Society of New York Hospital 105 N.E. 92, 93 N.Y. (1914) Justice Benjamin Cardozo articulated the court’s reasoning:
Every human being of adult years and sound mind has a right to determine what shall be done with his own body; and a surgeon who performs an operation without his patient’s consent commits an assault for which he is liable in damages.”
- The 1947 Nuremberg Code is the most important legal document in the history of medical research ethics. It established 10 foundational principles of ethical clinical research.
The first and foremost principle is unequivocal:
“The voluntary consent of the human subject is absolutely essential”.
It prohibits research to be conducted on human beings without the informed consent of the individual.
- The first US Supreme Court decision in which the Nuremberg Code was invoked was in 1987. The plaintiff was a Sergeant in the US Army who sought compensation — having been a victim in a covert CIA-sponsored, LSD mind-control experiment.
- In 1994, the Advisory Committee on Human Radiation Experiments was tasked with investigating and documenting the scope of unethical US government human radiation experiments. The (ACHRE) Report(1995) includes CIA mind-control experiments and devotes two chapters to the Nuremberg Code, and describes the growing influence that the Nuremberg Doctors Trial and the Nuremberg Code had on the American medical establishment.
- In 2001, the Maryland Court of Appeal explicitly cited the Nuremberg Code as a source of legally enforceable ethical standardsin the case against the Kennedy Krieger Institute.
The case involved a government lead abatement experiment that exposed inner city Black toddlers to lead paint. The purpose was to record the damaging effects of lead.
The parents were not informed about the purpose or the risks.
- The case involved Pfizer which conducted an unapproved, trial of its experimental antibiotic, Trovan on children in Nigeria. The court found Pfizer guilty.
- Rabi Abdullahi, et al. v. Pfizer, Inc., 562 F.3d (2d Cir. 2009)
“Among the nonconsensual experiments that the tribunal cited as a basis for their convictions were the testing of drugs for immunization against malaria, epidemic jaundice, typhus, smallpox and cholera. Seven of the convicted doctors were sentenced to death and the remaining eight were sentenced to varying terms of imprisonment.
The American tribunal’s conclusion that action that contravened the Code’s first principle constituted a crime against humanity is a lucid indication of the international legal significance of the prohibition on nonconsensual medical experimentation.”
Telford Taylor explained,“Nuernberg was based on enduring [legal] principles and not on temporary political expedients, and this fundamental point is apparent from the reaffirmation of the Nuernberg principles in Control Council Law No. 10, and their application and refinement in the 12 judgments rendered under that law during the 3-year period, 1947 to 1949.”
- On March 7th an Israeli citizens group filed a a petition to the International Criminal Court charging the Israeli Government with violating the Nuremberg Code with its mandatory Vaccination policy
Anshe Ha-Emet (People of the Truth) a fellowship, composed of Israeli doctors, lawyers and citizens, filed a complaint against the government national “medical experiment” without the informed consent of the citizens. Attorneys Ruth Makhachovsky and Aryeh Suchowolski filed the complaint stating:
“When the heads of the Ministry of Health as well as the prime minister presented the vaccine in Israel and began the vaccination of Israeli residents, the vaccinated were not advised, that, in practice, they are taking part in a medical experiment and that their consent is required for this under the Nuremberg Code”.
Broccoli compound induces cell death, offers research path for cancer treatment
Hiroshima University (Japan), January 24, 2022 Broccoli may contain advantages beyond nutrition. A molecule found in broccoli, cabbage and more digests down into DIM, a compound with brighter benefits than the name implies, such as inducing cell death in breast, prostate and colon cancer. Now, researchers are beginning to understand the mechanism underpinning this molecular behavior — information that could help elucidate future anti-cancer treatments. In a report published oin PLOS One, Hiroshima University researchers summarize their finding that DIM, or 3,3’-Diindolylmethane, also triggers controlled whole-cell death and recycling of cellular components.
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Late-life exercise shows rejuvenating effects on cellular level
University of Arkansas, January 24, 2022
For people who hate exercising, here comes some more bad news: it may also keep you younger. Not just looking younger, but actually younger, on an epigenetic level. By now, the benefits of exercise have been well established, including increased strength of bones and muscles, improved mobility and endurance, and lower risk of heart disease, diabetes and high blood pressure. But younger? A study recently published in Aging Cell, "Late-life exercise mitigates skeletal muscle epigenetic aging," suggests this could be the case.
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Fish oil users have lower risk of liver cancer
Ningbo University (China) & Albert Einstein College of Medicine (US), January 24 2022. Findings from a study published in Frontiers in Nutrition revealed a significantly lower risk of liver cancer among people who supplemented with fish oil compared to nonusers. The study included 434,584 middle-aged and older men and women enrolled in the UK Biobank who were free of cancer upon enrollment. Participants were queried concerning fish oil use in questionnaires completed at the beginning of the study. Cancer registry data reported cases diagnosed during a median follow-up period of 7.8 years.
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Vitamin K could offer protection against severe COVID-19, study show
Canisius-Wilhelmina Hospital (Netherlands), January 21, 2022 Proper nutrition can make a difference when it comes to many health problems, and COVID-19 is no exception. While zinc, Vitamin C and Vitamin D have been getting a lot of attention when it comes to COVID-19, researchers are now pointing to another useful nutrient: vitamin K. This fat-soluble vitamin is already well-known for its role in blood clotting, and that’s why it could have a protective effect against COVID-19 given the virus’s ability to cause blood clotting degradation of elastic fibers in the lungs. In a Preprint study, Dutch researchers suggested that people with severe COVID-19 may have low levels of vitamin K. They wrote: “Coagulation is an intricate balance between clot promoting and dissolving processes in which vitamin K plays a well-known role.”
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Olive oil could slash your chance of bone fractures in half, study says
Prevención con Dieta Mediterránea (Spain), January 24, 2022 Eating more extra virgin olive oil could cut your risk of osteoporosis related fractures, says a new study. The phenolic compounds found in extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) have a potential benefit on bone health, lowering the risk of fractures by 51%, if consumed regularly. After looking at data of 870 people, a positive role of EVOO consumption on bone-related markers was found, despite there being no significant positive effects on bone fractures in subjects allocated to an EVOO diet.
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Red pigment in red peppers and oranges linked to a lower risk of lung cancer
Tufts University, January 20, 2022 Xiang-Dong Wang, a cancer researcher at Tufts, has spent a long time trying to figure out why carotenoids, the main pigments providing colors that range from yellow and pink to deep orange and red in most fruits and vegetables, seem to keep chronic diseases at bay. When a 2004 study by other researchers showed that eating foods containing beta-cryptoxanthin (BCX)—a red pigment abundant in sweet red peppers, paprika, winter and butternut squash, oranges. and tangerines, among other foods—was associated with a lower risk of lung cancer in people who smoke, he made BCX a focus of his research.
(OTHER NEWS NEXT)
US Report Reveals 22 Years of Effort and Fluoridation Failed to Improve Oral Health
New York -- January 24, 2022 Despite increases in public water fluoridation, dental visits, sealants, fluoride varnish applications, and significant financial, training, and program investments, oral health hasn’t improved in 22 years, according to a National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR) Oral Health in America Report (December 2021), reports the New York State Coalition Opposed to Fluoridation, Inc. (NYSCOF). “America’s shockingly poor dental system, poverty and poor diets are to blame,” says attorney Paul Beeber, NYSCOF President. Millions of Americans can’t access dental care, while 70% of US children and adolescents are fluoride-overdosed, afflicted with fluorosis (permanently discolored teeth). For example, the NIDCR reports: · The military continues to face challenges in meeting recruitment goals and military readiness because of oral health-related issues. · Untreated cavities among the poor remain twice that of non-poor. Disparities persist by race/ethnicity status. · Primary tooth decay increased in boys aged 6-11 and didn’t change in adolescents’ and adults’ permanent teeth. · Untreated decay in permanent teeth shows no progress. · In ages 2-11, decayed tooth surfaces increased with a greater impact on boys · Four out of 5 Americans aged 6 years and older experience cavities, irrespective of poverty or race/ethnicity status. · 40% of children have eroded teeth.
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China Builds 27 Empty New York Cities
Epoch Times, January 20, 2022 As of 2016, China’s empty apartment units could house New York City 27 times over. With that in mind, how could you afford to pay the construction mortgages on 70 million apartment units with no residents deeded to you by the evil genie? A challenging question. You would have to do some fast talking with the Chinese banks of the sort Trump managed with New York banks decades ago during the S&L crisis. Your only hope of avoiding being sucked into a black hole of debt defaults would be to hire some creative scoundrels disguised as accountants to help you persuade the banks to lend you additional billions (or more probably, trillions) to postpone the day of reckoning. Note that the extent to which you could succeed would only worsen the ultimate malinvestment problem. Your assets would not be enhanced in any way by being encumbered with additional debt. They would just become more costly. That is at least a $36.4 trillion question. Maybe a $45.9 trillion, or possibly even a $116.6 trillion question. The correct answer depends on China’s actual debt level. Forbes reports the estimate of Professor Victor Shih of the University of California San Diego. Shih believes that Chinese official debt figures have proven woefully inadequate. In 2017, Shih put total Chinese debt at 328 percent of GDP (reported at $14 trillion), therefore $45.9 trillion. According to Shih, “total interest payments from June 2016 to June 2017 exceeded the incremental increase in nominal GDP by roughly 8 trillion RMB.” A collapse of China’s asset bubble lies ahead. I doubt any Chinese tycoons are strolling the streets of Shanghai with their girlfriends, making jokes about street people being a trillion yuan richer than they are. That underscores a problem when the government of a country enlarges debt to magnitudes beyond the scale of assets held by even the wealthiest persons. That makes it all the more unlikely that mortgaged assets can be redeemed from hock while encumbered by anything like their current level of debt.
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IMF sees cost of COVID pandemic rising beyond $12.5 trillion estimate
IMF/OECD News 21/01/2022 The International Monetary Fund expects to raise its forecast that the COVID-19 pandemic will cost the global economy $12.5 trillion through 2024, the head of the global lender said on Thursday. IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva told an event hosted by the Financial Times that supply chain disruptions, inflation and tighter monetary policy were “throwing cold water on the recovery everywhere.” She said huge gaps in COVID-19 vaccine rates and the overall widening divergence between rich and poor caused by the pandemic, along with learning losses and increased gender impacts, would cause more protests, tensions and insecurity.
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The media blackout on Fauci’s damning emails
They suggest something nefarious was up on the lab leak theory yet the press has refused to notice SPECTATOR WORLD, January 17, 2022 Last week saw another batch of emails drop from Anthony Fauci, and another media blackout as to their contents. The strategy by the press in cases like this has been pretty straightforward: ignore the story, wait for right-leaning media or Republicans to pick it up, then frame any attacks on the subject as tainted by partisanship. Last week, when confronted once again by Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky, Fauci responded with more hyperbole and ad hominem. The media, meanwhile, framed the exchanges as “Rand Paul Attacks!” and “Anthony Fauci defends!” They refused to look at the information in the emails that Paul was asking about, refused to ask questions about them, refused to even report on them. They are interested in the bloodsport, not the truth. The reason for that is simple: the truth is becoming very problematic for the man who once conflated himself with science itself. The only reporting done on the emails by the New York Times, for instance, was a video clip from the Associated Press regarding the exchange with Senator Paul. What has not been covered with any sort of journalistic enthusiasm is the topic of the emails themselves, the most damning yet, which suggest that Fauci and Dr. Francis Collins, the former head of the NIH, purposefully downplayed the possibility of a lab leak in Wuhan, China, at the start of the pandemic because it might have damaged “international harmony” in the scientific community.
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Alberta Canada Inadvertently Published (and Quickly Deleted) Health Data Exposing that More Than Half of Vaccinated Deaths Have Been Counted as Unvaccinated
Gateway Pundit 23 January 2022 In yet another absolute bombshell revelation the government of Alberta, Canada exposed itself this week when it accidentally published damning evidence that exposes how the public health authorities have been manipulating the Covid-19 statistics. After seemingly realizing what it had just done, the corrupt Canadian province quickly scrambled to delete the incriminating data off their website, but, thanks to internet sleuths like Twitter user Metatron – and his substack post, we have the receipts. According to its latest Covid-19 update, the Alberta Government admitted to following the fraudulent standard that was in use by vaccine manufacturers during clinical trials – which is to ignore the adverse outcomes, including Covid infection, hospitalizations, and deaths, for fourteen days after vaccine administration – no matter how many doses they have had. But instead of just ignoring the cases like the vaccine manufacturers, the corrupt Alberta government has been lumping them in with the unvaxxed. In other words, anyone who was infected – was hospitalized – or even died, in the two weeks following their first, second, or even THIRD dose would be recorded as an unvaccinated case. And now, thanks to the now-deleted data, we can tell exactly how many cases have been fraudulently manipulated by inadvertently including the time from dose to infection for each of the events – and as it turns out, over half of the vaccinated deaths were added to the unvaccinated. Almost 56% of ‘recorded’ Covid-related deaths among the vaccinated occurred within 14 days of vaccination – and almost 90% within 45 days, which is noteworthy because that is what’s claimed to be the timeframe of the vaccine’s effectiveness. As for hospitalizations, the numbers aren’t that much better. Almost half of the severe cases among the vaccinated happened within the two-week window, meaning they were tallied as unvaccinated in the official record. 80% of which occurred within the first 45 days post-vaccination.
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COVID testing firm piled unprocessed swabs in trash bags, billed feds $113M
ARS TECHNICA 1/20/2022, Federal and state investigations into a large national chain of COVID-19 testing sites have turned up tests that were never labeled with patients' names, tests piled into trash bags stored for long periods at room temperature, tests that were never processed, and test results that were clearly fake. Behind the testing sites are two Illinois-based companies: Center for COVID Control (CCC) and Doctors Clinical Laboratory, Inc., which is said to carry out COVID PCR testing for CCC. The two companies share the same address, though CCC is owned by Chicago-area couple Akbar Syed and Aleya Siyaj, while the clinical company is owned by Mohammed Shujauddin. Together, the companies claim to provide rapid and PCR testing for COVID-19, with fast turnaround times and no appointments necessary. So far, they have collected more than 400,000 samples from over 300 locations across the US. And they have billed the federal government over $113 million for running many of those tests. The companies are currently under investigation by the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), as well as multiple states. On Wednesday, Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison filed a lawsuit alleging numerous counts of deceptive or fraudulent practices by the pair. According to federal inspections reported by NBC News, CCC employees didn't even label some samples with patients' names. Inspection documents from federal investigators noted that "51 out of 51 patient specimen tubes contained in the box [they examined] were blank.”
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Why shoplifting is soaring across the US — and will only get worse
NEW YORK POST. January 22, 2022 Retail crime has been rising throughout the US for the past five years, with organized criminal rings targeting stores everywhere from Woonsocket (Rhode Island) to Greensboro (North Carolina) to Grafton (Wisconsin). The National Retail Federation reported that store losses mounted from $453,940 per $1 billion in sales in 2015 to $719,458 in 2020. The biggest increase over that period happened not during the pandemic but in 2019, when total losses from shoplifting surged to $61 billion, up from $50 billion the previous year. The COVID-19 lockdowns in 2020 and early 2021 moderated losses, largely because stores were closed or had curtailed operating hours. Now that retailing has resumed, crime has spiked again. Shoplifting no longer fits its traditional mold as a nonviolent crime perpetrated mostly by teens or substance-abusing adults. Nearly two-thirds of the retailers surveyed by the National Retail Federation said that violence associated with store thefts has risen, led by organized gangs that resell the goods they steal. Like retailers, top law-enforcement officials place some of the blame for the crime surge on a widespread lessening of penalties for shoplifting. California’s recent headline-making “flash mob” shoplifting sprees have brought widespread attention to Proposition 47 — a 2014 state ballot initiative, supported by a range of left-leaning and libertarian groups, which, among other things, boosted the felony threshold for shoplifting from $450 of merchandise to $950. Soon after it passed, retailers in California began reporting a sharp uptick in retail theft, often in plain view of helpless store personnel and distressed customers. What has received far less attention, however, is the fact that California’s Prop. 47 was not an outlier among states. In the past 10 years, nearly half of all states have boosted their thresholds for retail felony theft. Thirty-eight states now don’t consider shoplifting a felony unless $1,000 or more of merchandise gets stolen. A 2020 National Retail Federation report on organized retail crime found that two-thirds of retailers in states that had raised their felony shoplifting minimums reported growing retail theft.
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The Significance of the Nuremberg Code: The Universal Right of Informed Consent to Medical Interventions
By Alliance for Human Research Protection Global Research, September 20, 2021 The universal right of Informed Consent to medical interventions has been recognized in US law since at least 1914. 1. That year, the New York Court of Appeals established the right to informed consent to medical intervention in a case involving non-consensual surgery. Schloendorff v. Society of New York Hospital 105 N.E. 92, 93 N.Y. (1914) Justice Benjamin Cardozo articulated the court’s reasoning: Every human being of adult years and sound mind has a right to determine what shall be done with his own body; and a surgeon who performs an operation without his patient’s consent commits an assault for which he is liable in damages.” 2. The 1947 Nuremberg Code is the most important legal document in the history of medical research ethics. It established 10 foundational principles of ethical clinical research. The first and foremost principle is unequivocal: “The voluntary consent of the human subject is absolutely essential”. It prohibits research to be conducted on human beings without the informed consent of the individual. 4. The first US Supreme Court decision in which the Nuremberg Code was invoked was in 1987. The plaintiff was a Sergeant in the US Army who sought compensation — having been a victim in a covert CIA-sponsored, LSD mind-control experiment. 5. In 1994, the Advisory Committee on Human Radiation Experiments was tasked with investigating and documenting the scope of unethical US government human radiation experiments. The (ACHRE) Report (1995) includes CIA mind-control experiments and devotes two chapters to the Nuremberg Code, and describes the growing influence that the Nuremberg Doctors Trial and the Nuremberg Code had on the American medical establishment. 6. In 2001, the Maryland Court of Appeal explicitly cited the Nuremberg Code as a source of legally enforceable ethical standards in the case against the Kennedy Krieger Institute. The case involved a government lead abatement experiment that exposed inner city Black toddlers to lead paint. The purpose was to record the damaging effects of lead. The parents were not informed about the purpose or the risks. 7. The case involved Pfizer which conducted an unapproved, trial of its experimental antibiotic, Trovan on children in Nigeria. The court found Pfizer guilty. Rabi Abdullahi, et al. v. Pfizer, Inc., 562 F.3d (2d Cir. 2009) “Among the nonconsensual experiments that the tribunal cited as a basis for their convictions were the testing of drugs for immunization against malaria, epidemic jaundice, typhus, smallpox and cholera. Seven of the convicted doctors were sentenced to death and the remaining eight were sentenced to varying terms of imprisonment. The American tribunal’s conclusion that action that contravened the Code’s first principle constituted a crime against humanity is a lucid indication of the international legal significance of the prohibition on nonconsensual medical experimentation.” Telford Taylor explained,“Nuernberg was based on enduring [legal] principles and not on temporary political expedients, and this fundamental point is apparent from the reaffirmation of the Nuernberg principles in Control Council Law No. 10, and their application and refinement in the 12 judgments rendered under that law during the 3-year period, 1947 to 1949.” 10. On March 7th an Israeli citizens group filed a a petition to the International Criminal Court charging the Israeli Government with violating the Nuremberg Code with its mandatory Vaccination policy Anshe Ha-Emet (People of the Truth) a fellowship, composed of Israeli doctors, lawyers and citizens, filed a complaint against the government national “medical experiment” without the informed consent of the citizens. Attorneys Ruth Makhachovsky and Aryeh Suchowolski filed the complaint stating: “When the heads of the Ministry of Health as well as the prime minister presented the vaccine in Israel and began the vaccination of Israeli residents, the vaccinated were not advised, that, in practice, they are taking part in a medical experiment and that their consent is required for this under the
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.
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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)
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).
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How stress can cause a fever
Psychological stress can trigger physiological responses, including an increase in body temperature. A neural circuit that underlies this stress-induced heat response has been identified.
You are about to take the stage to speak in front of a large audience. As you wait, your heart starts to pound, your breathing quickens, your blood pressure rises and your palms sweat. These physiological responses are evolutionarily conserved mechanisms to prepare your body to fight against imminent dangers, or to run away quickly. Another key response is an increase in body temperature. Emotional stress can cause this psychogenic fever in many mammalian species, from rodents to humans1,2. What is the neural mechanism that underlies this phenomenon? Writing in Science, Kataoka et al.3 describe a key neural circuit in psychologically induced hyperthermia.
The current work builds on a long legacy of research by the same group, who began their quest for a neuronal circuit that triggers heat production in 2004, using brown fat tissue as an entry point4. Brown fat is a type of ‘good’ fat that can generate heat when needed. Blocking the activity of β3-adrenergic receptor proteins, which are abundant in brown fat and enable the tissue to respond to signals from neurons, attenuates stress-induced hyperthermia5.
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Study finds that Pilates significantly improves blood pressure in young, obese women
Marymount University (US)
A new paper in The American Journal of Hypertension, published by Oxford University Press, finds that mat Pilates may be an effective strategy to improve cardiovascular health for young obese women, a population that is at risk for hypertension and early vascular complications.
With an estimated 9 million participants in 2018 and a series of celebrity endorsements, including Beyoncé and Emma Stone, mat Pilates training has seen a recent resurgence in popularity. It has become one of the most widely known wellness routines in the United States. The program emphasizes core strength, flexibility, body posture, and controlled breathing.
At the same time, the prevalence of obesity in young adults has become a major public health issue. Though it is well-documented that exercise is a key factor in preventing and managing cardiovascular health problems, obese women tend not to maintain traditional workout routines. Despite sources in the media reporting on the cardiovascular benefits of Pilates, the existing scientific literature is scarce.
Researchers here studied young obese women (age 19-27) with elevated blood pressure and a body mass index between 30-40kg/m2 through 12 weeks of mat Pilates. The participants were free of chronic diseases, were non-smokers and performed less than 90 minutes of regular exercise per week. There were three one-hour training sessions per week, which were divided into the following stages: initial warm up and stretch (10min), general mat Pilates exercises (40 min), and a cool down (10 min). The training increased over the 12 weeks, with the repetition of each exercise steadily increasing. A certified mat Pilates instructor supervised all sessions.
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Link between inflammation and pancreatic cancer development uncovered
University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center
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."
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Vegetable Compound Shows Promise Against Diabetic Kidney Disease
AlMaarefa University (Saudi Arabia)
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.
Drinking beetroot juice reduces high blood pressure, trial shows
Queen Mary University (UK), January 20, 2022
One glass of beetroot juice a day is enough to significantly reduce blood pressure in patients with high blood pressure, conclude researchers who conducted a placebo-controlled trial in dozens of patients.
"This interesting study builds on previous research by this team and finds that a daily glass of beetroot juice can lower blood pressure in people with hypertension - even those whose high blood pressure was not controlled by drug treatment."
Beetroot contains high levels of inorganic nitrate. Other leafy vegetables - such as lettuce and cabbage - also have high levels of the compound, which they take up from the soil through their roots.
In the human body, inorganic nitrate converts to nitric oxide, which relaxes and dilates blood vessels.
The patients in the active supplement group also experienced a 20% or so improvement in blood vessel dilation capacity and their artery stiffness reduced by around 10%. Studies show such changes are linked to reduced risk of heart disease.
Researchers recommend clinical trials for CBD to prevent COVID-19 based on promising animal data University of Chicago Medical Center, January 20 2022
An interdisciplinary team of researchers from the University of Chicago has found evidence that cannabidiol (CBD), a product of the cannabis plant, can inhibit infection by SARS-CoV-2 in human cells and in mice.
The study, published on January 20, 2022, in Science Advances, found that CBD showed a significant negative association with SARS-CoV-2 positive tests in a national sample of medical records of patients taking the FDA-approved drug for treating epilepsy. The researchers now say that clinical trials should be done to determine whether CBD could eventually be used as a preventative or early treatment for COVID-19. They caution, however, that the COVID-blocking effects of CBD come only from a high purity, specially formulated dose taken in specific situations. The study's findings do not suggest that consuming commercially available products with CBD additives that vary in potency and quality can prevent COVID-19.
"CBD has anti-inflammatory effects, so we thought that maybe it would stop the second phase of COVID infection involving the immune system, the so-called 'cytokine storm.' Surprisingly, it directly inhibited viral replication in lung cells," said Marsha Rosner, Ph.D., Charles B. Huggins Professor in the Ben May Department of Cancer Research and a senior author of the study.
To see this effect, the researchers first treated human lung cells with a non-toxic dose of CBD for two hours before exposing the cells to SARS-CoV-2 and monitoring them for the virus and the viral spike protein. They found that above a certain threshold concentration, CBD inhibited the virus's ability to replicate. Further investigation found that CBD had the same effect in two other types of cells and for three variants of SARS-CoV-2 in addition to the original strain.
CBD did not affect the ability of SARS-CoV-2 to enter the cell. Instead, CBD was effective at blocking replication early in the infection cycle and six hours after the virus had already infected the cell.
Mediterranean diet associated with a lower risk of mortality in older adults University of Barcelona (Spain), January 20, 2022
A greater adherence to the Mediterranean diet which had been assessed through an index made with biomarkers during a 20-year scientific monitoring is associated with a lower mortality in adults over 65.
The study is based on the InCHIANTI project, conducted in the region of the Italian Tuscany, a study that has been carried out during 20 years in a total of 642 participants (56 percent women) aged over 65 or more and which enabled researchers to obtain complete data on food biomarkers.
In the study, researchers chose the reference levels of the following dietary biomarkers in the urine: total polyphenols and resveratrol metabolites (from grape intake) and presents in plasma, plasma carotenoids, selenium, vitamin B12, fatty acids and their proportion of monounsaturated and saturated fatty acids. Using a predictive model, they assessed the associations of the Mediterranean diet index and the food-frequency questionnaire (FFQ) with mortality.
Once the models were analyzed, the score of the Mediterranean diet using the biomarkers was inversely associated with all causes of death.
The best way to fix a sad mood: Whatever you think works best Ohio State University, January 20, 2022
What's the best way to improve a sad mood? It may be whatever skill you think you're best at, a new study suggests. Think you're good at mindfulness techniques? Then that may work best for you. Or do you believe a more cognitive approach is your strength? Then use that.
Researchers found that people who were in a sad mood improved more quickly when they used a mood-improving method that they were told was their strongest skill. These participants improved more quickly than people asked to use a skill that they were told was a relative weakness.
"We only studied mindfulness and cognitive skills here, but there are a variety of approaches to improving mental health," he said. "The ones that you think would work best for you probably will indeed work best."
Tomato Juice Reduces Inflammation and Waist Size In Women
Tufts and Boston universities, January 20, 2022
A daily glass of tomato juice is known to significantly lower cardiovascular disease, cancer and even osteoporosis. A new study is now showing that it also has a direct effect on waist circumference, cholesterol, and markers of inflammation in women.
Data from 30 women revealed that a daily glass of 280 mL of tomato juice containing 32.5 mg of lycopene was associated with an average reduction in waist circumference of 1.6 cm and more than one pound kg reduction in body weight.
The tomato juice supplements were associated with a 22% decrease in levels of monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1), a potent marker of inflammation, and a 25% increase in adiponectin levels, according to findings published in Nutrition . Adiponectin is a hormone released from fat cells, which plays an important role in the regulation of insulin sensitivity and energy.
Does coffee help protect against endometrial cancer? Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, January 20, 2022
Higher coffee consumption is linked with a lower risk of endometrial cancer, a type of cancer that begins in the lining of uterus, according to an analysis of relevant studies published to date. Also, caffeinated coffee may provide better protection than decaffeinated coffee.
The analysis, which appears in the Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology Research, included 24 studies on coffee intake with 9,833 new cases of endometrial cancer occurring in 699,234 individuals.
People in the highest category of coffee intake had a 29% lower relative risk of developing endometrial cancer than those in the lowest category.
LETTER RE. WIKIPEDIA
To the Victims of Wikipedia’s Libel,
You are by now fully aware that the online encyclopedia Wikipedia has been exceedingly antagonistic against your careers and your personal stances on many issues that directly affect the principles of democracy, freedom of speech, medical choice and personal well-being. In particular, medical professionals and advocates for natural health have been categorically ridiculed, libeled and their careers canceled. This disturbing trend continues to worsen.
Sadly, editors who support globalist agendas and the pharmaceutical industry now far outnumber those trying to make efforts to write opposing views in the spirit of neutrality and objectivity. Repeatedly I hear that efforts to correct the numerous inaccuracies, misinformation, biases and derogatory terms on biographical entries are exercises in futility. The encyclopedia’s parent organization, the WikiMedia Foundation, has been habitually unresponsive to demands for corrections and refuses to enforce its volunteer editors to abide by its editorial rules of neutrality when dealing with subjects regarding alternative medicine and the biographies of its advocates.
Since Wikipedia is ranked in the top three websites that people turn to for information about current events, medicine and general health, and for biographical information about public figures and contemporary voices, I am convinced that numerous people have been wrongfully misled and dissuaded from seeking reliable information on Wikipedia. The Foundation refuses to assume responsibility and to be held accountable for the abuse being perpetrated by individual editors and groups promoting antagonistic ideologies. The consequence has been that your reputations have been seriously undermined and damaged. Over the years, voluminous complaints have been communicated and/or filed to the Foundation, including lawsuits, about the gross violations in Wikipedia’s editorial policies, misinformation and inflammatory and potentially libelous language. Based upon the evidence and my repeated encounters with the Wikimedia Foundation’s in-house and outside attorneys it is my belief that the encyclopedia’s efforts to advance a globalist and corporate-friendly ideology may be intentional.
It is not merely the hundreds of thousands of physicians worldwide who rely on peer-reviewed supported therapies, but Wikipedia’s animus has spread far and wide to assure that its users have no objective choice over sound information about personal religious, socio-political or health decisions. Robert Kennedy Jr, Sharyl Attkinsson, Rupert Sheldrake, Abby Martin, Julian Assange and literally hundreds of others who have exemplary careers and who have been repeatedly accurate have had their accomplishments scrubbed and destroyed. Anonymous Wikipedia editors have made it their personal mission to paint them as promoters of misinformation and conspiracy theories should be verbally ostracized.
The Foundation recently hired a new Executive Director, Maryam Iskander. Although I originally hoped this may signal a positive change in Wikipedia’s neutrality policies and new efforts would be forthcoming to rein in radical ideological editors, I am no longer optimistic. Ms Iskander happens to be an upcoming leader aligned with the World Economic Forum. I now have every reason to believe that Wikipedia will increasingly steer its editing closer towards the Great Reset agenda.
Despite ours and others’ numerous attempts and failures to deal directly with the Foundation’s legal department and Board members to have misinformation corrected or biographies eliminated altogether, there are options that can be pursued by those who have been ridiculed, shamed and wrongfully characterized on Wikipedia. Each of us has lost something due to Wikipedia’s denial of truth. However, we can continue to record our personal achievements on our websites and through our allies. Second, we can continue to investigate and write critical essays and analyses exposing Wikipedia’s biases, negligence, misinformation, political partisanship, smear campaigns and its financial collaborations with private anti-democratic entities, corporate industries and government agencies.
With the growing consolidation of various neoliberal and globalist Wikipedia editors’ presence, including the Skeptics of scientific materialism, into a reactionary movement, this is a critical moment for us to take the upper hand by cooperating together to challenge Wikipedia wherever there is demonstrable proof of ill-will and gross bias. I believe a grassroots national campaign to “Walk Away From Wikipedia” would capture the Foundation’s attention. For our part we have written over 70 articles exposing the encyclopedia, its senior editors and the Foundation’s corporate relations. Yet there remains much more to uncover and report.
Best regards,
Gary Null, PhD
Magnesium is essential for the immune system, including in the fight against cancer
University of Basel (Switzerland), January 19, 2022
Previous studies have shown that cancerous growths spread faster in the bodies of mice when the animals received a low-magnesium diet – and that their defense against flu viruses was also impaired. However, there has so far been little research into how exactly this mineral affects the immune system. Now, researchers have discovered that T cells can eliminate abnormal or infected cells efficiently only in a magnesium-rich environment. Specifically, magnesium is important for the function of a T cell surface protein called LFA-1.
(NEXT)
More lycopene linked to longer lives for people with metabolic syndrome
University of Nebraska Medical Center, January 16, 2022
Higher blood levels of lycopene may reduce the risk of mortality in people with metabolic syndrome, says a new study from the University of Nebraska Medical Center. Lycopene is an antioxidant that is present in red- and pink-colored fruits and vegetables. As well as being used as a food coloring, it is also used in supplements and functional foods and beverages. New data published in Nutrition Research suggests that higher serum levels of lycopene were associated with greater survival times for people with metabolic syndrome, compared to low serum levels.
(NEXT)
Too much sugar during adolescence may alter brain's reward circuits
European Journal of Neuroscience, January 19, 2022
A new study in rats may provide significant insights into the long-term impacts of over-consumption of sugary foods during adolescence. The study shows that the enjoyment of such foods later in adulthood is reduced in those who over-consumed early in life. Investigators found that this decrease in reward relates to reduced activity in one of the key hubs of the brain's reward circuitry, called the nucleus accumbens. Such long-lasting alterations could have important implications for reward-related disorders such as substance abuse or eating disorders.
(NEXT)
Unveiled the epigenetic mechanism by which vitamin D modulates the tolerance of the immune system
Josep Carreras Leukaemia Research Institute (Germany), January 19, 2022
In autoimmunity, the mechanisms that guarantee that our defense system does not attack our own body - tolerance to oneself - does not work properly. Multiple sclerosis, which affects one in every 1,000 people in Spain, is a serious autoimmune disease in which the immune system attacks the myelin sheath of some types of neurons, causing progressive neurological disability. Dr. Esteban Ballestar, leader of the Epigenetics and immune diseases group at the Josep Carrreras Leukaemia Research Institute, and Dr. Eva Martínez-Cáceres, leader of the Immunopathology group at the IGTP-Hospital Germans Trias i Pujol, have recently published in the prestigious journal Cell Reports the mechanism by which vitamin D activates the tolerance program of dendritic cells.
(NEXT)
Study links poor sleep in seniors to more severe arteriosclerosis
University of Toronto, January 19, 2022
Poor sleep quality in older people is associated with more severe arteriosclerosis in the brain as well as a greater burden of oxygen-starved tissue (infarcts) in the brain, both of which can contribute to the risk of stroke and cognitive impairment, according to the newest findings reported in the American Heart Association's journal Stroke. The relationship between cardiovascular disease and so-called "fragmented" sleep has been studied in the past, but this is the first study to look specifically for an association between sleep fragmentation and detailed microscopic measures of blood vessel damage and infarcts in autopsied brain tissue from the same individuals. Fragmented sleep occurs when sleep is interrupted by repeated awakenings or arousals. In this study, sleep was disrupted on average almost seven times per hour. Researchers found that greater sleep fragmentation was associated with 27 percent higher odds of having severe arteriosclerosis. Moreover, for each additional two arousals during one hour of sleep, researchers reported a 30 percent increase in the odds that subjects had visible signs of oxygen deprivation in their brain.
(OTHER NEWS)
America’s New Class War
Chris Hedges, January 18, 2022
There is one last hope for the United States. It does not lie in the ballot box. It lies in the union organizing and strikes by workers at Amazon, Starbucks, Uber, Lyft, John Deere, Kellogg, the Special Metals plant in Huntington, West Virginia, owned by Berkshire Hathaway, the Northwest Carpenters Union, Kroger, teachers in Chicago, West Virginia, Oklahoma and Arizona, fast-food workers, hundreds of nurses in Worcester, Massachusetts, and the members of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees. Organized workers, often defying their timid union leadership, are on the march across the United States. Over four million workers, about 3% of the work force, mostly from accommodation and food services, healthcare and social assistance, transportation, housing, and utilities have walked away from jobs, rejecting poor pay along with punishing and risky working conditions. There is a growing consensus – 68% in a recent Gallup poll with that number climbing to 77% of those between the ages of 18 and 34 – that the only way left to alter the balance of power and force concessions from the ruling capitalist class is to mobilize and strike, although only 9% of the U.S. work force is unionized. Forget the woke Democrats. This is a class war. The Democratic Party will not push through the kind of radical New Deal reforms that in the 1930s staved off fascism and communism. Its empty political theater, which stretches back to the Clinton administration, was on full display in Atlanta when Biden called for revoking the filibuster to pass the Freedom to Vote Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, knowing that his chances of success are zero. Georgia Democratic gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams, along with several of the state’s voting rights groups, boycotted the event in a very public rebuke. They were acutely aware of Biden’s cynical ploy. When the Democrats were in the minority, they clung to the filibuster like a life raft. Then Sen. Barack Obama, along with other Democrats, campaigned for it to remain in place. And a few days ago, the Democratic leadership employed the filibuster to block legislation proposed by Sen. Ted Cruz. The Democrats have been full partners in the dismantling of our democracy, refusing to banish dark and corporate money from the electoral process and governing, as Obama did, through presidential executive actions, agency “guidance,” notices and other regulatory dark matter that bypass Congress. The Democrats, who helped launch and perpetuate our endless wars, were also co-architects of trade deals such as NAFTA, expanded surveillance of citizens, militarized police, the largest prison system in the world and a raft of anti-terrorism laws such as Special Administrative Measures (SAMs) that abolish nearly all rights, including due process and attorney-client privilege, to allow suspects to be convicted and imprisoned with secret evidence they and their lawyers are not permitted to see. The squandering of staggering resources to the military — $777.7 billion a year — passed in the Senate with an 89-10 vote and in the House of Representatives with a 363-70 vote, coupled with the $80 billion spent annually on the intelligence agencies has made the military and the intelligence services, many run by private contractors such as Booz Allen Hamilton, nearly omnipotent. The Democrats long ago walked out on workers and unions. The Democratic governor of Maine, Janet Mills, for example, killed a bill a few days ago that would have allowed farm workers in the state to unionize. On all the major structural issues there is no difference between the Republicans and the Democrats. The longer the Democratic Party does not deliver real reforms to ameliorate the economic hardship, exacerbated by soaring inflation rates, the more it feeds the frustration of many of its supporters, widespread apathy (there are 80 million eligible voters, a third of the electorate, who do not cast ballots) and the hatred of the “liberal” elites stoked by Donald Trump’s cultish Republican Party. Its signature infrastructure package, Build Back Better, when you read the fine print, is yet another infusion of billions of government money into corporate bank accounts. This should not surprise anyone, given who funds and controls the Democratic Party. The rapacious pillage by the elites, many of whom bankroll the Democratic Party, has accelerated since the financial crash of 2008 and the pandemic. Wall Street banks recorded record profits for 2021. As the Financial Times noted, they milked the underwriting fees from Fed-based borrowing and profited from mergers and acquisitions. They have pumped their profits, fueled by roughly $5 trillion in Fed spending since the beginning of the pandemic, as Matt Taibbi points out, into massive pay bonuses and stock buybacks. “The bulk of this new wealth—most—is being converted into compensation for a handful of executives,” Taibbi writes. “Buybacks have also been rampant in defense, pharmaceuticals, and oil & gas, all of which also just finished their second straight year of record, skyrocketing profits. We’re now up to about 745 billionaires in the U.S., who’ve collectively seen their net worth grow about $2.1 trillion to $5 trillion since March 2020, with almost all that wealth increase tied to the Fed’s ballooning balance sheet.” Kroger is typical. The corporation, which operates some 2,800 stores under different brands, including Baker’s, City Market, Dillons, Food 4 Less, Foods Co., Fred Meyer, Fry’s, Gerbes, Jay C Food Store, King Soopers, Mariano’s, Metro Market, Pay-Less Super Markets, Pick’n Save, QFC, Ralphs, Ruler and Smith’s Food and Drug, earned $4.1 billion in profits in 2020. By the end of the third quarter of 2021, it had $2.28 billion in cash, an increase of $399 million in the first quarter of 2020. Kroger CEO Rodney McMullen made over $22 million, nearly doubling the $12 million he made in 2018. This is over 900 times the salary of the average Kroger worker. Kroger in the first three quarters of 2021 also spent an estimated $1.3 billion on stock buybacks. Class struggle defines most of human history. Marx got this right. It is not a new story. The rich, throughout history, have found ways to subjugate and re-subjugate the masses. And the masses, throughout history, have cyclically awoken to throw off their chains.
(NEXT)
Was Peter Daszak Working For The Central Intelligence Agency?
Kanekoa, January 18, 2022
“We found other coronaviruses in bats, a whole host of them, some of them looked very similar to SARS. So we sequenced the spike protein: the protein that attaches to cells. Then we… Well, I didn’t do this work, but my colleagues in China did the work. You create pseudo particles, you insert the spike proteins from those viruses, see if they bind to human cells. At each step of this, you move closer and closer to this virus could really become pathogenic in people. You end up with a small number of viruses that really do look like killers." This statement was said by EcoHealth Alliance President Peter Daszak at a 2016 forum discussing “emerging infectious diseases and the next pandemic”. Daszak, who received more than $118 million in grants and contracts from federal agencies, including $53 million from USAID, $42 million from DOD, and $15 million from HHS, appeared to boast about the manipulation of “killer” SARS-like coronaviruses carried out by his “colleagues in China” at the now infamous Wuhan Institute of Virology. According to investigative research done by independent-journalist Sam Husseini and The Intercept, much of the money awarded to EcoHealth Alliance did not focus on health or ecology, but rather on biowarfare, bioterrorism, and other dangerous uses of deadly pathogens. EcoHealth Alliance received the majority of its funding from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), a State Department subsidiary that serves as a frequent cover for the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). Their second largest source of funding was from the Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA), which is a branch of the Department of Defense (DOD) which states it is tasked to “counter and deter weapons of mass destruction and improvised threat networks.” The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has a long history of acting as a contract vehicle for various CIA covert activities. With an annual budget of over $27 billion and operations in over 100 countries, one former USAID director, John Gilligan, once admitted it was “infiltrated from top to bottom with CIA people.” Gilligan explained that “the idea was to plant operatives in every kind of activity we had overseas; government, volunteer, religious, every kind.” From 2009 to 2019, USAID partnered with EcoHealth Alliance on their PREDICT program which identified over 1,200 new viruses, including over 160 coronavirus strains; trained roughly 5,000 people around the world to identify new diseases; and improved or developed 60 research laboratories. What better way for the CIA to collect intelligence on the world’s biological warfare capabilities? Dr. Andrew Huff received his Ph.D. in Environmental Health specializing in emerging diseases before becoming an Associate Vice President at EcoHealth Alliance, where he developed novel methods of bio-surveillance, data analytics, and visualization for disease detection. On January 12, 2022, Dr. Andrew Huff issued a public statement (on Twitter) in which he claimed, Peter Daszak, the President of EcoHealth Alliance, told him that he was working for the CIA. Dr. Huff continued, “…I wouldn’t be surprised if the CIA / IC community orchestrated the COVID coverup acting as an intermediary between Fauci, Collins, Daszak, Baric, and many others. At best, it was the biggest criminal conspiracy in US history by bureaucrats or political appointees.” In February 2020, Daszak told University of North Carolina coronavirus researcher Dr. Ralph Baric that they should not sign the statement condemning the lab-leak theory so that it seems more independent and credible. “You, me and him should not sign this statement, so it has some distance from us and therefore doesn’t work in a counterproductive way,” Daszak wrote. More unredacted emails have revealed that while these scientists held the private belief that the lab release was the most likely scenario, they still worked to seed the natural origin narrative for the public through the papers published in Nature Medicineand The Lancet. If Dr. Andrew Huff is telling the truth, Fauci, Collins, and Daszak might be covering up the lab origin not only for themselves, but also for the Central Intelligence Agency, the Department of Defense, and the U.S. Government.
5G’s Crimes Against Humanity
Richard Gale and Gary Null PhD
Progressive Radio Network, January 19, 2022
The roll out of the new C-Band 5G service by AT&T and Verizon scheduled for January 19, has raised alarms for major airline executives who have warned that it will create “catastrophic” interference with flight navigation systems and pilot safety during take off and landing. The risks will be greater during bad weather. Among the warnings are major disruptions in commerce and supply chain, the overriding of aircrafts’ electronic safety systems and radio altimeters, and the grounding of flights that will leave “tens of thousands of Americans grounded.” According to CNN, the airlines estimate that upwards to 1,000 flights will be disrupted daily. The 5G threat is particularly heightened in low-visibility conditions. Chief executives from American Airlines, United, Delta, Southwest and Jet Blue have demanded that 5G be blocked within a two-mile radius of major US airports. FedEx and UPS have also joined the airlines’ complaints. Foreign airlines such as Dubai’s Emirates, Air India, Japan Air, Lufthansa and British Airways have already changed or canceled flights to the US. Two of the world’s largest plane manufacturers, Airbus and Boeing, have also issued warnings.
This has become an ongoing battle between the Federal Aviation Administration and the private telecomm industry and its Washington lobbyists. The FAA has been warning about 5G interruption of planes’ navigation systems for quite some time. The telecomm industry’s unwillingness to budge is most disturbing because the Biden administration has already permitted 90 percent of wireless tower deployment to roll out as scheduled. It is only in the vicinity of major airports where the FAA and airlines demand restrictions due to safety concerns. However, as we have reported for the past several years, the telecomm giants, notably AT&T and Verizon, and its leading media spokespersons at CNN and the New York Times, have undermined and denied 5G’s risks, especially to human health and the environment, ever since wireless technologies were first commercialized.
5G is destined to be a permanent fixture across the nation. There is barely a chance to prevent it. The thousands of medical and environmental studies confirming high EMF’s dangers and the petitions signed by thousands of international scientists to halt its deployment are unequivocally ignored or worse ostracized and canceled. It is estimated that there are over 10,000 peer-reviewed clinical studies mentioning serious molecular biological injury and defects to organs, neurons, cells and cellular function, and DNA damage to plants, animals and humans alike. Between August 2016 and September 2018 alone, over 400 new studies on electromagnetic radiation risks were compiled by public health Professor Joel Moskowitz at the University of California at Berkeley.
Despite the pandemic, lockdowns and social distancing have not hindered 5G’s progress to connect every American into its spider’s web. In December 2019, T-Mobile reached its goal of nationwide 5G coverage of over 1.3 million square miles (34 percent of the US) and AT&T reached its milestone to reach 179 million people. The 5G roll out is also crucial for international globalists to usher in the Fourth Industrial Revolution. The World Economic Forum’s presentation, “Why is 5G Important for the Fourth Industrial Revolution,” outlines the multi-trillion dollar impact advanced connectivity will have on manufacturing, wholesale and resale, smart cities and homes, public services, transportation, real time banking, finance and insurance, agriculture and forestry, micro chip surveillance, real estate, education, mining, health and medicine.
We must not hold any false hopes that the Biden administration will ultimately side with the airlines’ safety concerns. During the 2020 election, the Biden campaign received $97 million from the Communications/Tech sector versus Trump’s $18 million. Alphabet (Google), Microsoft, Amazon, Facebook, Apple, AT&T and Comcast overwhelmingly contributed to Biden’s war chest.
The American public is being bamboozled with blatant falsehoods to embrace 5G as a necessary and innovative technology that will benefit and improve our lives. But the real truth is the exact opposite.
The following information has been abbreviated from scientific literature that is fully validated and has been stated by international experts such as Drs. Devra Davis and Martin Pall about EMF's adverse effects to government leaders and national legislators repeatedly. This outline was presented by Dr. Martin Pall, a Professor Emeritus of Biochemistry and Medical Sciences at Washington State University to the National Institutes of Health. Dr. Pall is recognized worldwide as an expert in EMF and 5G's detrimental effects on biological systems and the diseases associated with wireless technologies.
- Lower Fertility: Alters the structure of the testes and ovaries, lowers sperm count and the number of egg follicles, increases spontaneous abortion and lowers the levels of three sex hormones.
- Neurological and Neuropsychiatric Effects: There has been a dramatic increase in the following conditions since the advent of mobile phones, the internet, and wireless technologies: insomnia, fatigue, depression, headaches and cognitive dysfunction, anxiety, and loss of memory. Animal studies have shown that EMFs produce major changes in brain structure, which is likely happening to everyone who has extensive daily exposure to EMFs
- Cellular DNA Damage: There are three types of DNA damage observed in EMF exposure: single and double DNA breaks and oxidized DNA bases. These can cause cancer and mutations in the sexual germ lines.
- Apoptosis: EMFs contribute to programmed cell death that in turn leads to reproductive and neurodegenerative disorders.
- Oxidative Stress: Free radical damage that has been associated with numerous health conditions including cancer, diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, myocardial infarction, stroke, chronic inflammation, Parkinson's, multiple sclerosis, cellular death and aging
- Endocrine Effects: According Dr. Pall, every hormonal system in the body is adversely affected by EMF exposure.
- Excessive Intracellular Calcium: Ca2+ is critical for cellular activity
- Cancer: There are 35 separate scientific reviews of the body of peer-reviewed literature providing evidence that EMFs increase carcinogenesis, promote and progress tumor development and contribute to metastasis.
There are also other medical conditions that have been shown to be associated likely with EMF exposure:
- Cardiac Effects. EMFs interfere with the electrical control of the heart that can produce tachycardia, bradycadia, arrhythmia and abnormal heart palpitations.
- Early Onset of Alzheimer's and Dementia: In recent years and in parallel with increased EMF exposure, signs of symptoms associated with Alzheimer's are being observed in people age 30 and younger. Dr. Pall has called this "digital dementias."
- ADHD and Autism: The epidemic in ADHD and autism witnessed in each younger generation may be caused by late prenatal and early post-natal EMF exposure. Each of these neurological conditions is associated with the increase of calcium over-penetrating cell linings due to EMF pulsations and disrupting synapse formations.
Everyone will be affected by 5G’s radiation. But it will not require three decades to observe its injurious effects. Unlike cigarettes, nobody has a choice whether you wish to be exposed to 5G or not. 5G’s EMF radiation is all-pervasive.
The mainstream media, in particular the New York Times, which has a collaborative agreement with the leading 5G provider Verizon, have no intention to warn the public about any of the scientific findings mentioned above. There is a growing consensus in the scientific and medical community that 5G will usher an epidemic of disease never before witnessed in human history. It is too difficult to make forecasts. Nevertheless, if the past and current research on EMF's adverse effects on health and the environment during the past 50 years are any indication, we are entering a new epoch of disease and neurological disorders that humanity is completely unprepared to handle.
This is a consequence of what happens when an entire nation is trapped into carelessly trusting elected presidents and legislators whose campaigns are bankrolled by the Telecomm giants and Silicon Valley, and a media empire ruled by serial liars and masters of disinformation campaigns for private corporate interests. This is vulture capitalism at is worse.
HEALTH NEWS
Walking for 150 minutes per week associated with improved wellbeing in over-50 Trinity College Dublin, January 17, 2022
New research using data from The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing (TILDA) at Trinity College Dublin shows that being physically active, for example by walking for at least 150 minutes per week, is associated with more social participation and better mental health and wellbeing.
The findings show that:
- Two-thirds of the Irish population aged 50 years and older report low or moderate levels of physical activity while only one-third report high levels of activity, based on the International Physical Activity Questionnaire.
- Middle-aged and older Irish adults with high levels of physical activity report greater participation in social activities, less anxiety, better quality of life, and less loneliness compared to those with low physical activity levels.
- Middle-aged and older adults with low levels of physical activity are over twice as likely to have clinically relevant depressive symptoms as those with high levels of physical activity (14% versus 6%).
- Interventions should specifically target women, older adults, those in employment, those who are not engaged in non-church related social activities and those living in built-up areas such as apartments.
Study finds hydroxychloroquine delays disability for least treatable form of multiple sclerosis University of Calgary (Canada), January 17, 2022
A University of Calgary study has found promising results for the generic drug hydroxychloroquine when used to treat the evolution of disability of primary progressive multiple sclerosis (MS), the least treatable form of the autoimmune disease.
Cumming School of Medicine research teams found hydroxychloroquine helped to slow the worsening of disability during the 18-month study involving participants at the MS clinic in Calgary. The research was published in Annals of Neurology.
The experimental study, known as a single-arm phase II futility trial, followed 35 people between November 2016 and June 2021. Researchers expected to see at least 40 percent, or 14 participants, experience a significant worsening of their walking function, but at the end of the trial only eight participants had worsened. Hydroxychloroquine was generally well-tolerated.
Tree nut consumption is associated with better diet
Louisiana State University, January 16, 2022
A new study, published this week in the open access journal Nutrients, compares the nutrient adequacy and diet quality of those who consume tree nuts (almonds, Brazil nuts, cashews, hazelnuts, macadamias, pecans, pine nuts, pistachios and walnuts), and non-tree nut consumers in a nationally representative population. Tree nut consumption was associated with better nutrient adequacy for most nutrients that are lacking in the diets of many Americans, and with better diet quality.
Researchers looked at 14,386 adults in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (NHANES). The data showed that, compared to non-consumers, tree nut consumers had a lower percentage of the population consuming usual intakes of nutrients below the recommended levels of vitamins A, E and C; folate; calcium; iron; magnesium; and zinc. Tree nut consumers had a higher percentage of the population over the recommendation for adequate intake for dietary fiber and potassium
Protein isolated from baker's yeast shows potential against leukemia cells
University of Sao Paulo (Brazil), January 16, 2022
An enzyme identified in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, commonly known as brewer's or baker's yeast, has passed in vitro trials, demonstrating its capacity to kill acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) cells.
"In this study, we characterize the enzyme L-asparaginase from S. cerevisiae. The results show this protein can efficiently annihilate leukemia cells with low cytotoxicity to healthy cells," said Gisele Monteiro, a professor at FCF-USP and the principal investigator for the published study.
Production of the enzyme asparagine synthetase is deficient in ALL and several other types of cancer cells, which are therefore unable to synthesize the amino acid asparagine. "This type of cell depends on extracellular sources of asparagine, an essential amino acid for the synthesis of proteins and hence of DNA and RNA. So it's required for cell division," Monteiro said. "The enzyme asparaginase depletes this amino acid in the extracellular medium, converting it into aspartate and ammonia. In patients with ALL, this leads to a sharp fall in serum levels of asparagine, hindering protein synthesis in malignant cells and inducing apoptosis, or programmed cell death."
The bacterial enzyme killed about 90 percent of the MOLT4 human leukemia cells and displayed low toxicity to the healthy HUVEC cells, killing only 10 percent. "The yeast enzyme killed between 70 percent and 80 percent of the MOLT4 cells and displayed less than 10 percent toxicity for HUVEC cells. Neither was significantly effective against REH cells."
Pakistan says trial of Chinese traditional medicine for Covid-19 successful International Center for Chemical and Biological Science (Pakistan), January 17, 2022
Local health authorities on Monday announced the completion of a successful clinical trial of Chinese traditional herbal medicine for treating Covid-19, as Pakistan enters a fifth wave of the pandemic driven by the Omicron variant.
The Chinese medicine, Jinhua Qinggan Granules (JHQG) manufactured by Juxiechang (Beijing) Pharmaceutical Co Ltd, is already being used in the treatment of Covid-19 patients in China.
“Since it was tried on patients with different variants of Covid-19, we expect it to be effective on Omicron as on other variants,” Professor Iqbal Chaudhry, director of the International Center for Chemical and Biological Science (ICCBS) in Karachi, where trials were conducted
The trials were conducted on 300 patients who were treated at home, and would work on mild to moderate Covid-19 cases, Dr Raza Shah, principal investigator in the trials, told reporters, adding that the efficacy rate was around 82.67 per cent.
Berry compounds’ heart health benefits linked to impact on platelets
Sun Yat-sen University (Taiwan), January 14, 2022
The new study, published in Nutrition & Metabolism , deepens our understanding of the heart health benefits of anthocyanins, pigments found in many fruit like black raspberries, blueberries, blackberries, and blackcurrants.
Chinese scientists report that 320 mg per day of purified anthocyanins, equivalent to about 100 g of fresh blueberries and blackcurrants, for 24 weeks were associated with significant reductions in platelet chemokine levels, which correlated to lower levels of inflammatory markers in people with elevated cholesterol levels.
“Platelet chemokines are involved in inflammatory reactions, immune responses, and other aspects of the development of atherosclerosis,” explained researchers from Sun Yat-sen University.
“These findings indicate a potential mechanism by which anthocyanins exert protective effects on the cardiovascular system, achieved through the comprehensive regulation of platelet chemokines, lipid metabolism and inflammation, in which platelet chemokines may play pivotal roles.”
OTHER NEWS
Time to Boycott - Companies Discriminating Against Their Unvaccinated Employees The Naked Emperor, January 17, 2022 Suddenly, employment and discrimination laws don’t exist. Here is an ever-growing list of companies that are discriminating against their employees. They need boycotting until they change their policies. · Finance o Citigroup - Employees to lose their jobs by the end of the month if unvaccinated;
o Goldman Sachs - Told employees they will require a booster to work in the office from 1 February;
o JPMorgan Chase - Won’t pay unvaccinated employees because they aren’t allowed to go to the office;
o OneAmerica - Requiring vaccines for all employees;
- Healthcare
o National Health Service - Staff with direct contact with patients must have had a 1st dose by 3 February or risk losing their job at the end of March;
o Mayo Clinic - Has fired 700 unvaccinated employees;
- Retail
o Columbia Sportswear - Will begin firing unvaccinated employees from 1 Feb;
o Ikea - Has cut sick pay for unvaccinated staff forced to self-isolate;
o Kroger - Eliminated paid leave for unvaccinated employees who get COVID-19 and require them to pay monthly health insurance surcharges;
o Next - Sick pay cut for unvaccinated staff forced to self-isolate;
o Nike - If employees remain unvaccinated by 15 January they will be fired;
o Morrisons - Cut sick pay for unvaccinated staff in October 2021;
o Ocado - Unvaccinated isolating staff to have sick pay cut;
o Tyson Foods - Require COVID-19 vaccinations for its U.S workforce and providing $200 to full vaccinated frontline team members;
o Vans, Supreme, Timberland & The North Face (Parent company = VF Corporation) - will start firing unvaccinated employees by 31 January without severance;
- Services
o Wessex Water - To cut sick pay for unvaccinated staff who need to self-isolate;
- Tech
o Apple - Starting 24 January, employees will need proof of booster. Unvaccinated will need negative tests to go to work;
o Google - Tells unvaccinated employees they’ll lose pay and will eventually be fired;
o Intel - Employees to go on unpaid leave if unvaccinated by 4 January;
The Age of Intolerance: Cancel Culture's War on Free Speech
John and Nisha Whitehead, January 11, 2022
Cancel culture—political correctness amped up on steroids, the self-righteousness of a narcissistic age, and a mass-marketed pseudo-morality that is little more than fascism disguised as tolerance—has shifted us into an Age of Intolerance, policed by techno-censors, social media bullies, and government watchdogs. Everything is now fair game for censorship if it can be construed as hateful, hurtful, bigoted or offensive provided that it runs counter to the established viewpoint. In this way, the most controversial issues of our day—race, religion, sex, sexuality, politics, science, health, government corruption, police brutality, etc.—have become battlegrounds for those who claim to believe in freedom of speech but only when it favors the views and positions they support.
This tendency to censor, silence, delete, label as “hateful,” and demonize viewpoints that run counter to the cultural elite is being embraced with a near-fanatical zealotry by a cult-like establishment that values conformity and group-think over individuality.
This authoritarian intolerance masquerading as tolerance, civility and love (what comedian George Carlin referred to as “fascism pretending to be manners”) is the end result of a politically correct culture that has become radicalized, institutionalized and tyrannical.
J.K. Rowling, author of the popular Harry Potter series, has found herself denounced as transphobic and widely shunned for daring to criticize efforts by transgender activists to erode the legal definition of sex and replace it with gender. Rowling’s essay explaining her views is a powerful, articulate, well-researched piece that not only stresses the importance of free speech and women’s rights while denouncing efforts by trans activists to demonize those who subscribe to “wrongthink,” but also recognizes that while the struggle over gender dysmorphia is real, concerns about safeguarding natal women and girls from abuse are also legitimate.
Ironically enough, Rowling’s shunning included literal book burning. Yet as Ray Bradbury once warned, “There is more than one way to burn a book. And the world is full of people running about with lit matches.”
Indeed, the First Amendment is going up in flames before our eyes, but those first sparks were lit long ago and have been fed by intolerance all along the political spectrum.
Consider some of the kinds of speech being targeted for censorship or outright elimination.
Offensive, politically incorrect and “unsafe” speech:
Bullying, intimidating speech:
Dangerous, anti-government speech:
The problem as I see it is that we’ve allowed ourselves to be persuaded that we need someone else to think and speak for us. And we’ve bought into the idea that we need the government and its corporate partners to shield us from that which is ugly or upsetting or mean. The result is a society in which we’ve stopped debating among ourselves, stopped thinking for ourselves, and stopped believing that we can fix our own problems and resolve our own differences. In short, we have reduced ourselves to a largely silent, passive, polarized populace incapable of working through our own problems and reliant on the government to protect us from our fears.
We have allowed our fears—fear for our safety, fear of each other, fear of being labeled racist or hateful or prejudiced, etc.—to trump our freedom of speech and muzzle us far more effectively than any government edict could. Ultimately the war on free speech—and that’s exactly what it is: a war being waged by Americans against other Americans—is a war that is driven by fear.
By muzzling free speech, we are contributing to a growing underclass of Americans who are being told that they can’t take part in American public life unless they “fit in.”
Be warned: whatever we tolerate now—whatever we turn a blind eye to—whatever we rationalize when it is inflicted on others will eventually come back to imprison us, one and all.
Spain police officers in Valencia: "We are with the people, not with corrupt politicians. We are in contact with Portugal, Italy, France, Austria, Switzerland, Sweden, Germany and the Netherlands to unite all the police in Europe. Down with the health passport."
There Is Currently No COVID Medical Emergency Only Psychological Engineering Says Senior Israeli Immunologist GREAT GAME INDIA, January 16, 2022
The attempts of governments across the globe at “psychological engineering” the population on Covid related matters has now been fully exposed after several years. A well respected immunologist in Israel heavily criticized the approach of every administration globally.
In a scathing letter addressed to the Israeli Ministry of Health, a renowned immunologist denounced mass vaccination against COVID-19 and chastised officials who’ve already “branded” the unvaccinated “as spreaders of the disease.”
The letter, penned by Professor Ehud Qimron, who is the head of Tel Aviv University’s Department of Microbiology and Immunology, rips off vaccine-focused COVID tactics endorsed by authorities across the globe, which Qimron labels “doomed to fail.”
“Two years late, you finally realize that a respiratory virus cannot be defeated and that any such attempt is doomed to fail,” he wrote to the Israeli health ministry. “You do not admit it, because you have admitted almost no mistake in the last two years, but in retrospect it is clear that you have failed miserably in almost all of your actions, and even the media is already having a hard time covering your shame.”
Qimron reprimanded Israeli authorities for failing to recognize that COVID-19 vaccines will neither eliminate the virus or provide herd immunity, as the government’s immunization campaign “failed” to do.
“You refused to admit that the infection comes in waves that fade by themselves, despite years of observations and scientific knowledge,” he said. “You refused to admit that recovery is more protective than a vaccine, despite previous knowledge and observations showing that non-recovered vaccinated people are more likely to be infected than recovered people.”
“You refused to admit that the vaccinated are contagious despite the observations. Based on this, you hoped to achieve herd immunity by vaccination — and you failed in that as well.”
According to research, immunizations essentially inflict more harm than that of the virus on its own in younger demographics. According to a study released last month by British researchers, the jabs dramatically raise the chance of potentially life-threatening heart inflammation in males under 40 years old compared to COVID-19 and may lead in more lethal types of the heart ailment.
“You have ignored many reports of changes in menstrual intensity and menstrual cycle times,” Qimron noted in his letter to the health ministry. “You hid data that allows for objective and proper research. Instead, you chose to publish non-objective articles together with senior Pfizer executives on the effectiveness and safety of vaccines.”
“The truth is that you have brought the public’s trust in you to an unprecedented low, and you have eroded your status as a source of authority,” he alleged, citing increased incidences of mental illness and misbehavior among Israeli pupils amid COVID regulations.
“You have destroyed the education of our children and their future,” said Qimron. “You made children feel guilty, scared, smoke, drink, get addicted, drop out, and quarrel, as school principals around the country attest. You have harmed livelihoods, the economy, human rights, mental health and physical health.”
You slandered colleagues who did not surrender to you, you turned the people against each other, divided society and polarized the discourse. You branded, without any scientific basis, people who chose not to get vaccinated as enemies of the public and as spreaders of disease. You promote, in an unprecedented way, a draconian policy of discrimination, denial of rights and selection of people, including children, for their medical choice. A selection that lacks any epidemiological justification.
“There is currently no medical emergency,” the immunologist continued. “The only emergency now is that you still set policies and hold huge budgets for propaganda and psychological engineering instead of directing them to strengthen the health care system.”
“This emergency must stop!”
Serious Health Risks of Covid-19 Vaccines: Open Letter to Cornell University Board of Trustees and President Martha Pollack Cornell University Community, January 12, 2022
Dear President Pollack and Cornell Board of Trustees,
We are students, parents, alumni, faculty, and staff of Cornell University. We are grateful for Cornell’s efforts at keeping students and the Ithaca community safe during this pandemic. As concerned members of the global Big Red family, we write this open letter to express our strong opposition to Cornell’s Covid-19 booster mandate. In light of new data available about both the vaccine and the virus, we urge you to change the “mandate” to a “recommendation” based on the factors outlined below.
We appreciate that the booster mandate and new procedures for the spring term stem from the good intention to prevent severe illness. But as with any public health policy, many factors — scientific, ethical, and legal — must be considered and weighed. We are concerned that Cornell, in issuing this booster mandate, has overlooked recent and evolving scientific data regarding the vaccine and the virus that makes a booster mandate inappropriate and unnecessary, raising serious ethical and legal questions.
In December 2021, Cornell identified over 1,600 Covid-19 positive cases with “every case of the Omicron variant to date [being] found in fully vaccinated students, a portion of whom had also received a booster shot.” Cornell’s own data highlights that vaccination, even with the booster, has very limited capability in stopping virus transmission. A similar conclusion has been reached by CDC’s research: vaccinated people seem to transmit Covid-19 similarly to unvaccinated people. The virus will continue to be transmitted among our highly vaccinated campuses. In a recent campus-wide email, Cornell explicitly acknowledged the impossibility of containing or eliminating Omicron, the flu, or other respiratory illnesses, which is why it will “shift from counting positive cases.”
As so many students test positive, they are, in essence, receiving a natural booster based on the very latest variants of the virus. And yet, Cornell is ignoring the natural immunity in these students and mandating a booster injection based on older variants, which Cornell knows is ineffective at stopping the spread of Covid-19 in the Cornell community. This decision is counter to science and seems like it was made less to promote students’ health and more to achieve some other unstated goal of the administration. Otherwise, why require a booster injection that is ineffective, and potentially dangerous, for students who are naturally contracting and fighting off a virus that many scientists believe is becoming more endemic than pandemic?
Mounting evidence points to serious risks from exposure to the Covid-19 vaccines. The latest scientific research shows that Covid-19 vaccine side effects such as myocarditis, thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome, and pericarditis are more common in young people than we think (see references 1-5 listed below). Recently, an Oxford-conducted study of men under the age of 40 demonstrated that the risk of myocarditis after one dose mRNA exceeds the risk of myocarditis from an actual Covid-19 infection. Even more alarmingly, the CDC’s Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) indicates that there were over 15,000 Covid-19 vaccine related death cases in 2021, compared with the previous average of 158 vaccine related deaths per year (Pre-Covid-19), in the context of a yearly total of 280 million injections and 70 different vaccines. This data shows that, compared to other vaccines, Covid-19 injections carry around 100 times the risk of death.
Considering new data on the virus and the vaccine, the university may very well cause disability or death by imposing further vaccine requirements, and it will have to bear the responsibility. Please do the right thing, and end this unnecessary and unethical mandate.
EU Regulators, WHO Call for End to COVID Boosters, Citing Evidence Strategy Is Failing EU drug regulators, World Health Organization experts and the former chairman of the UK’s COVID task force all cited mounting evidence mRNA COVID boosters aren’t working and the strategy should be dropped.
Childrens Health Defense, January 12, 2022
European Union drug regulators warned frequent COVID boosters could adversely affect the immune system and said there are currently no data to support repeated doses.
According to the European Medicines Agency (EMA), continued booster doses every four months could pose a risk of overloading people’s immune systems and lead to fatigue.
Instead, the agency recommended countries space out the intervals between boosters and coordinate their programs with the onset of the cold season in each hemisphere — following blueprints of influenza vaccination strategies.
Boosters “can be done once, or maybe twice, but it’s not something that we can think should be repeated constantly,” Cavaleri said. “We need to think about how we can transition from the current pandemic setting to a more endemic setting.”
The World Health Organization’s (WHO) Technical Advisory Group on COVID-19 Vaccine Composition (TAG-CO-VAC) on Jan. 11 warned, “a vaccination strategy based on repeated booster doses of the original vaccine composition is unlikely to be appropriate or sustainable.”
The expert group, created by the WHO to assess the performance of COVID vaccines, said providing fresh doses of already existing vaccines as new strains of the virus emerge is not the best way to fight a pandemic.
“It’s over, people,” Alex Berenson, former New York Times reporter and best-selling author, wrote. “Aside from a few unlucky Israelis, no one is going to receive a fourth dose of the original vaccine.”
Berenson wrote:
“Everyone with eyes can see it doesn’t work against Omicron — and if you haven’t gotten a third dose, at this point, why would you? You are getting at most weeks of marginally improved protection for potentially severe side effects.
“Instead the WHO is now promising/demanding vaccines based on whatever the dominant Sars-Cov-2 strain is at the moment. That promise is as empty as all the others the health bureaucrats and vaccine companies have made.”
60% Of Omicron Hospitalization Numbers Were Incorrect Admits Canada’s Chief Medical Officer GREAT GAME INDIA. January 17, 2022
Shocking statistics regarding Canada’s Omicron hospitalizations being incorrect has come to light recently. The Premier of Alberta has claimed a staggering 60% disparity between the actual figures.
Alberta Premier Jason Kenney and Alberta Chief Medical Officer Deena Hinshaw both confirmed that public figures for ICU capacity and COVID admissions were up to 60% incorrect.
“Of the 163 omicron patients in hospital, 66 have a primary COVID diagnosis … and of the 14 omicron patients in ICU, 11 have a primary COVID diagnosis,” he stated.
As per Kenney, this indicates that 60% of individuals labelled as staying in the hospital for an omicron ailment weren’t there because they arrived sick with COVID, and also that the ICU statistics reflect the same rationale, with more than 20% of recorded stays being unintentional.
This is consistent with developments found throughout Canada, as provincial medical authorities have shifted their focus and begun to release increasingly specific data on hospitalizations.
America’s Obsession with Illusion Richard Gale and Gary Null PhD Progressive Radio Network, January 14, 2022 “He who despises his own life is soon master of others” – English proverb For the vast majority of Americans, the past year has been the most challenging in their lives – certainly for young adults. However, not everyone has been suffering equally. The nation’s health or illness is not uniform. Much of our suffering is dependent upon the institutionalization and negligence of previous injustices, the loss of social equanimity, economic heedlessness, and our leaders’ unmitigated greed and pursuit of power. Nor is everyone adversely affected by the shifts underway in the imaginations of the political and ideological universes. The transnational class of corporate and banking elites, for example, has little motivation to respect or contribute to national boundaries and interests. They perceive themselves as global actors. For the generals and captains of neoliberal globalization, the puppet masters of financial markets, the Covid-19 pandemic only caused annoying disruptions in the quality of their lives. For the remainder, it has been cataclysmic. As we begin 2022 should we not pause and reflect carefully about what we want and don’t want as individuals and a nation to secure a sustainable future? A deep and collective introspection into the shared moral principles is called for. It is no longer what we say or profess that has any truth or significance. Rather what we actualize in our daily lives and as a society is going to determine whether the future will be better future or worse. Only our actions can realistically convey the deeper values in the American psyche. Therefore we need to ask ourselves more difficult questions to discover the real moral poverty that defines us as a civilization. Where were the large demonstrations against the trillion-dollar bailout of Wall Street and foreign banks when barely a penny was spent for the average citizen? Where were the demonstrations against home foreclosures and the loss of small family farms? Debt drenched student aid? Exploitive payday loans and exorbitant credit card fees? There was no outrage against Obama’s broken promises on universal healthcare, a platform that helped bring him to the White House. The single-minded attention on the pandemic has cancelled out 2.5 million homeless American children and 46 million adults and children who go hungry daily. Where was a collective voice condemning the hundreds of billion tax dollars to increase the power of the military and intelligence complexes as American cities further collapsed into ghettos? Where were the marches against corporations off-shoring jobs? Why no vocal outrage against the invasions of Libya and Syria, or the US’ ongoing support of rogue dictatorships, such as Saudi Arabia and the UAE for crimes against humanity in Yemen? Where are the protests against corporations exploiting slave labor in poor countries such as Bangladesh and Indonesia? There were no noteworthy protests for any of these issues. And yet these are true existential threats to our very democracy. Bertrand Russell wrote, “one should care about the world they do not see.” Should we not be planning ahead for the future of our children, grandchildren and ourselves instead of being incapacitated by fear? The national popular disinterest in these and other crises foreshadows something on the horizon that does not bode well for most Americans. It is a simple principle to understand; yet so subtle it will likely go unnoticed until everyone is individually and collectively affected. It is the utter lack of balance within the nation’s body politick, and across the media that spoon feeds us virtual images of a faux theatrical play, the illusory icons on our minds’ monitor screens, that shape our perceptions of reality. This is how control is exerted over our thoughts, speech and actions. In fact, it is only after people exercise their thoughts independently, with the certain belief that they have actual self-control over their lives, that they can arrive at the realization that their perceptions may be largely distorted. Throughout America’s history there has been a system of three federal branches to assure there is a platform for checks and balances as well as a structure to contain the tensions between them. That system now is being rapidly challenged and eroded. Now the middle of the road Democrats officially control the White House and both legislative bodies. We will see what awaits us. There is also what is commonly referred to as the “fourth estate,” the powers of the press and news media that control the framing of the political narrative and partisan issues. In the past, the media was expected to hold the government accountable by exposing its conflicts of interest that endanger the public, its misdemeanors, and systemic corruption. This too is in decay as the media has been fully captured by corporate interests and now aligns itself politically and ideologically with the new political elite determined to reshape democracy and launch a new reset that will dramatically infringe on individual rights and liberties. Finally, there is the growing influence of a fourth branch of government, the corpocracy and its private interests. We might also include the US intelligence community that increasingly operates independently from executive and legislative oversight. Together we can witness this loose cabal of seemingly independent entities, working simultaneously in consortium and in opposition to each other, propelling us towards a future tsunami of greater polarization and immense social disruption. Earlier generations were not threatened by the telecommunication and technological giants, such as Google, Facebook and Amazon. Clinton’s Communications Decency Act of 1996, despite its well-meaning intentions to protect free speech, was otherwise destructively naïve. At that time it was sensible; however, that was before the advent of the social media that now dominates our lives and shapes political discourse. Silicon Valley has become a force far more powerful than the lobbyists on K Street to ensure that corporate Democrats are raised to a position of absolute power. Yet the problem would be equally threatening if it were the corporate and radicalized GOP in power. The centrist Democratic left, lulled in a passivity that “it can’t happen here,” is every bit as dangerous and delusional as the Republican far-right’s paranoia over conspiracies squatting behind every nook and cranny. A moderate centrist right no longer exists as it has now exited reality like a herd of lemmings to follow Trump phenomena over a phantasmagoric cliff. The more important question to contemplate is how this will impact yourself and average citizens. What happens elsewhere around the world can no longer be viewed in isolation. Globalization is perhaps the most holistic phenomena within the matrix of financial capital movements and post-modern social restructuring. China has the means to socially control most of its population, especially in urban areas. On the other hand, China would be unable to succeed in this endeavor without the direct assistance, trade and technological development of Silicon Valley and the private innovators of intelligence and surveillance applied science. China has already launched social scoring, a nefarious means to reward and penalize public activity. If a person protests the lack of personal freedom, democratic values and free speech, his or her social score decreases. And through digital networks, authorities can monitor and identify every Chinese citizen’s movements. All of this technology is ready for launch in the US and other developed nations. However, rather than social scoring, it is block chain, the digital database that gathers any information it is programmed for. Block chain has already been employed for almost a decade. At this moment the federal government and individual states are blindly over-reacting to Covid’s health threats, the climate and environment, and the collapse of social cohesion. These threats are eliciting government mandates, such as vaccination. A Biden federal vaccine mandate would overrule individual state laws. The fact that this is being publicly stated should quell many conspiratorial theories. It is part of a more comprehensive and long-term agenda for expanding government social control under the pretense and propaganda of keeping Americans safe under the banner of national security. New laws are under construction that would redefine hate speech. Censorship of free speech for criticizing official narratives and policies to tackle the pandemic are being enforced. Any criticism towards the failures of the Covid-19 vaccines is redefined as threats to public health. People raising such critiques may eventually find their names on domestic terrorist lists. This scenario is not beyond the imagination. Wikileaks revealed that environmental, animal protection, and human rights groups have been labeled as domestic terrorist organizations. Guilt by association laws, for example buried in Obama’s National Defense Authorization Act, are in place. Expanding a law’s scope is far easier than erasing it from the books. Consequently, it is not unlikely that these laws may eventually widen to include charges of subversion based solely on the emails you read, the videos you watch or the broadcasts you listen to. This would inevitably lead to the death toll for any residue of integrity in journalism. Silicon Valley’s collusion with the government has canceled the voices of some of our best investigative journalists, such as Chris Hedges, Sharyl Attkinsson, Glenn Greenwald, Max Blumenthal and Craig Murray. These are only a few of many examples. The new unstated law is that original investigation must support the official narrative, otherwise it will be prohibited from accessible public view. We may recall that under the second Bush administration, the justice department created “free speech zones,” fenced off or confined areas where demonstrators were only permitted to exercise their Constitutional rights of free protest and expression. Today we are only several small amendments away before the right to assemble being banned altogether. Faced with growing condemnation by many nations, the US’ hegemony on the world geopolitical arena has waned considerably. Biden’s administration and its return to neocon foreign against Russia and China and neoliberal market policies will likely make every effort to regain the dominance it lost during the past four years. What has vanished in the US’ former full spectrum dominance over the geopolitical landscape is now being inverted to strengthen federal hegemonic reign over the American population. Finally, we need to awaken to modern technologies’ remarkable sophistication and its certain threats to the health of our societies, and even to our definition of being human. Sadly, this is an industry each of us has been complicit in advancing. Coining a term by one of the planet’s most important and forgotten 20th century prophetic voices, the Trappist monk Father Thomas Merton, we are facing a great Unspeakable, a spiritual crisis contributing to the existential vacuity of modern American culture. Few are aware that in his 1964 collection of meditations, Seeds of Destruction, Merton predicted that the civil rights movement would confront a catastrophic impasse and may find itself without leadership. Four years later, Martin Luther King Jr, who Merton had a deep correspondence with, was assassinated. Merton would die suddenly later that same year under very mysterious circumstances in Thailand. Another way to describe the Unspeakable is criminal Sovereignty, with a capital S, to convey its almost numinous qualities. If alive today, Merton would look upon both the extreme right and left as mere expressions of the meaninglessness of American life manifesting as a turbulent ocean of afflictive emotions and thoughts. Instead of technology serving the needs of humanity, Americans are being increasingly conditioned to willingly bow as slaves to technology. The public, Somerset Maugham warned, “are easily disillusioned then they are angry or it was the illusion they loved.” The Unspeakable’s unspoken mantra is: technology must progress regardless of how many people fall destitute, jobless, debt ridden and physically ill with only suicide as a recourse to escape. “American democracy today,” Merton observed over 55 years ago, “is just cheap pressed wood fiber, cardboard and spray paint.” Consequently, the elite sitting in the global control tower view the Great Reset’s technological regime as preferable to democracy’s kabuki theater. Advanced surveillance, artificial intelligence, intelligent robotics, transhumanism, a 5G internet of everything, genetic engineering, and weather modification should be our guiding avatars. The solutions, he would argue, can no longer be found in civil discourse or the rights of human beings gathering in assembly. For the ruling elite, the masses are blind sheep wandering in search of a shepherd. This is what author Ronald Wright called the “progress trap” – progress’ unending efforts to feed technology’s hunger to devour natural and human capital, interest free. And the mainstream press and news media, in its’ malady of cognitive dissonance, serves as its unreflective cheerleader for our march towards civilizational collapse. Merton was keenly aware of technology’s dangers to social stability. In a 1967 letter he took aim at the “universal myth that technology infallibly makes everything in every way better for everybody. It does not.” However, Merton was by no means a Luddite. “Technology could indeed make a better world for millions of human beings,” he wrote. Yet there remained the nightmare of technology transforming the world into a “more collectivist, cybernated mass culture.” Decades before the first desktop, Merton foresaw a complete fragmentation of the nation’s moral and spiritual fabric when people will begin basing all of their political and ethical decisions on computers. Prophetically he wrote to a friend, “just wait until they start philosophizing with computers!” That was 1967. He even foresaw technology becoming a means to elevate the slaves of technology’s false self, to satisfy narcissistic appetites for admiration and status. In other words, the woke social media. “The greatest need of our time,” Merton wrote in his Conjectures of a Guilty Bystander, “is to clean out the enormous mass of mental and emotional rubbish that clutters our minds and makes all political and social life a mass illness. Without this housecleaning we cannot begin to see. Unless we see we cannot think. The purification must begin with the mass media.” For this reason we urgently need to penetrate the illusions of propaganda and popular falsehoods, across the entire political spectrum as well the self-appointed pontificating Pharisees who are ushering a new socio-economic era where endless technological innovation has precedence over human lives. Despite its newness, it has also been clearly predictable. No doubt, if Orwell were penning his great novel today, the emergence of this new American era we are witnessing would not be fiction.
America’s Obsession with Illusion
Richard Gale and Gary Null PhD
Progressive Radio Network, January 14, 2022
“He who despises his own life is soon master of others” – English proverb
For the vast majority of Americans, the past year has been the most challenging in their lives – certainly for young adults. However, not everyone has been suffering equally. The nation’s health or illness is not uniform. Much of our suffering is dependent upon the institutionalization and negligence of previous injustices, the loss of social equanimity, economic heedlessness, and our leaders’ unmitigated greed and pursuit of power. Nor is everyone adversely affected by the shifts underway in the imaginations of the political and ideological universes. The transnational class of corporate and banking elites, for example, has little motivation to respect or contribute to national boundaries and interests. They perceive themselves as global actors. For the generals and captains of neoliberal globalization, the puppet masters of financial markets, the Covid-19 pandemic only caused annoying disruptions in the quality of their lives. For the remainder, it has been cataclysmic.
As we begin 2022 should we not pause and reflect carefully about what we want as and don’t want as individuals and a nation for securing a sustainable future? Fundamental is a deep introspection into the common and moral principles we are living today. It is not what we say or profess, but what we actualize in our daily lives and as a collective society that matters. Only our actions can realistically convey the deeper values in the American psyche.
Therefore we need to ask ourselves more difficult questions to discover the real moral poverty that defines us as a civilization. Where were the large demonstrations against the trillion-dollar bailout of Wall Street and foreign banks when barely a penny for the average citizen was spent? Where were the demonstrations against home foreclosures and the loss of small family farms? Debt drenched student aid? Exploitive payday loans and exorbitant credit card fees. There were no protests against Obama’s broken promises on universal healthcare. The single-minded attention on the pandemic has cancelled out 2.5 million homeless American children and 46 million adults and children who go daily. Where was a collective voice condemning the hundreds of billion tax dollars to increase the power of the military and intelligence complexes as American cities further collapsed into ghettos? Where were the marches against corporations off-shoring jobs. Why no vocal outrage against Obama’s invasions of Libya and Syria, or the US ongoing support of rogue dictatorships, such as Saudi Arabia and the UAE, for crimes against humanity in Yemen. Where are the protests against corporations exploiting slave labor in poor countries such as Bangladesh and Indonesia. There were no noteworthy protests for any of these issues. And yet these are true existential threats to our very democracy. Bertrand Russell wrote, “one should care about the world they do not see.” Should we not therefore be planning ahead for the future of our children, grandchildren and ourselves instead of being incapacitated by fear.
The national popular disinterest in these and other crises forebodes something on the horizon that does not bode well for most Americans. It is a simple principle to understand; yet so subtle it will likely go unnoticed until everyone is individually and collectively affected. It is the utter lack of balance within the nation’s body politick, and across the media that spoon feeds us virtual images of a faux theatrical play, the illusory icons on our minds’ monitor screens, that shape our perceptions of reality. This is how control is exerted over our thoughts, speech and actions. In fact, it is only after people exercise their thoughts independently, with the certain belief that they have actual self-control over their lives, that they arrive at the realization that their perceptions may be largely distorted.
Throughout America’s history there has been a system of three federal branches to assure there is a platform for checks and balances as well as a structure to contain the tensions between them. That system now is being rapidly challenged and eroded. Now the middle of the road Democrats officially control the White House and both legislative bodies. We will see what awaits us.
There is also what is commonly referred to as the “fourth estate,” the powers of the press and news media that control the framing of the political narrative and partisan issues. In the past, the media was expected to hold the government accountable by exposing its conflicts of interest that endanger the public, its misdemeanors, and systemic corruption. This too is in decay as the media has been fully captured by corporate interests and now aligns itself politically and ideologically with the new political elite determined to reshape democracy and launch a new reset that will dramatically infringe on individual rights and liberties.
Finally, there is the growing influence of a fourth branch of government, the corpocracy and its private interests. We might also include the US intelligence community that increasingly operates independently from executive and legislative oversight.
Together we can witness this loose cabal of seemingly independent entities, working simultaneously in consortium and in opposition to each other, propelling us towards a future tsunami of greater polarization and immense social disruption.
Earlier generations were not threatened by the telecommunication and technological giants, such as Google, Facebook and Amazon. Clinton’s Communications Decency Act of 1996, despite its well-meaning intentions to protect free speech, was otherwise destructively naïve. At that time it was sensible; however, that was before the advent of the social media that now dominates our lives and shapes political discourse. Silicon Valley has become a force far more powerful than the lobbyists on K Street to ensure that corporate Democrats are raised to a position of absolute power. Yet the problem would be equally threatening if it were the corporate and radicalized GOP in power.
The centrist Democratic left, lulled in a passivity that “it can’t happen here,” is every bit as dangerous and delusional as the Republican far-right’s paranoia over conspiracies squatting behind every nook and cranny. A moderate centrist right no longer exists as it has now exited reality like a herd of lemmings to follow Trump phenomena over a phantasmagoric cliff.
The more important question to contemplate is how this will impact yourself and average citizens. What happens elsewhere around the world can no longer be viewed in isolation. Globalization is perhaps the most holistic phenomena within the matrix of financial capital movements and post-modern social restructuring. China has the means to socially control most of its population, especially in urban areas. On the other hand, China would be unable to succeed in this endeavor without the direct assistance, trade and technological development of Silicon Valley and the private innovators of intelligence and surveillance applied science. China has already launched social scoring, a nefarious means to reward and penalize public activity. If a person protests the lack of personal freedom, democratic values and free speech, his or her social score decreases. And through digital networks, authorities can monitor and identify every Chinese citizen’s movements. All of this technology is ready for launch in the US and other developed nations. However, rather than social scoring, it is block chain, the digital database that gathers any information it is programmed for. Block chain has already been employed for almost a decade.
At this moment the federal government and individual states are blindly over-reacting to Covid’s health threats, the climate and environment, and the collapse of social cohesion. These threats are eliciting government mandates, such as vaccination. A Biden federal vaccine mandate would overrule individual state laws. The fact that this is being publicly stated should quell many conspiratorial theories. It is part of a more comprehensive and long-term agenda for expanding government social control under the pretense and propaganda of keeping Americans safe under the banner of national security.
New laws are under construction that would redefine hate speech. Censorship of free speech for criticizing official narratives and policies to tackle the pandemic are being enforced. Any criticism towards the failures of the Covid-19 vaccines is redefined as threats to public health. People raising such critiques may eventually find their names on domestic terrorist lists. This scenario is not beyond the imagination. Wikileaks revealed that environmental, animal protection, and human rights groups have been labeled as domestic terrorist organizations. Guilt by association laws, for example buried in Obama’s National Defense Authorization Act, are in place. Expanding a law’s scope is far easier than erasing it from the books. Consequently, it is not unlikely that these laws may eventually widen to include charges of subversion based solely on the emails you read, the videos you watch or the broadcasts you listen to. This would inevitably lead to the death toll for any residue of integrity in journalism. Silicon Valley’s collusion with the government has canceled the voices of some of our best investigative journalists, such as Chris Hedges, Sharyl Attkinsson, Glenn Greenwald, Max Blumenthal and Craig Murray. These are only a few of many examples. The new unstated law is that original investigation must support the official narrative, otherwise it will be prohibited from accessible public view.
We may recall that under the second Bush administration, the justice department created “free speech zones,” fenced off or confined areas where demonstrators were only permitted to exercise their Constitutional rights of free protest and expression. Today we are only several small amendments away before the right to assemble being banned altogether.
Faced with growing condemnation by many nations, the US’ hegemony on the world geopolitical arena has waned considerably. Biden’s administration and its return to neocon foreign against Russia and China and neoliberal market policies will likely make every effort to regain the dominance it lost during the past four years. What has vanished in the US’ former full spectrum dominance over the geopolitical landscape is now being inverted to strengthen federal hegemonic reign over the American population.
Finally, we need to awaken to modern technologies’ remarkable sophistication and its certain threats to the health of our societies, and even to our definition of being human. Sadly, this is an industry each of us has been complicit in advancing. Coining a term by one of the planet’s most important and forgotten 20th century prophetic voices, the Trappist monk Father Thomas Merton, we are facing a great Unspeakable, a spiritual crisis contributing to the existential vacuity of modern American culture. Few are aware that in his 1964 collection of meditations, Seeds of Destruction, Merton predicted that the civil rights movement would confront a catastrophic impasse and may find itself without leadership. Four years later, Martin Luther King Jr, who Merton had a deep correspondence with, was assassinated. Merton would die suddenly later that same year under very mysterious circumstances in Thailand.
Another way to describe the Unspeakable is criminal Sovereignty, with a capital S, to convey its almost numinous qualities. If alive today, Merton would look upon both the extreme right and left as mere expressions of the meaninglessness of American life manifesting as a turbulent ocean of afflictive emotions and thoughts. Instead of technology serving the needs of humanity, Americans are being increasingly conditioned to willingly bow as slaves to technology. The public, Somerset Maugham warned, “are easily disillusioned then they are angry or it was the illusion they loved.” The Unspeakable’s unspoken mantra is: technology must progress regardless of how many people fall destitute, jobless, debt ridden and physically ill with only suicide as a recourse to escape. “American democracy today,” Merton observed over 55 years ago, “is just cheap pressed wood fiber, cardboard and spray paint.” Consequently, the elite sitting in the global control tower view the Great Reset’s technological regime as preferable to democracy’s kabuki theater. Advanced surveillance, artificial intelligence, intelligent robotics, transhumanism, a 5G internet of everything, genetic engineering, and weather modification should be our guiding avatars. The solutions, he would argue, can no longer be found in civil discourse or the rights of human beings gathering in assembly. For the ruling elite, the masses are blind sheep wandering in search of a shepherd. This is what author Ronald Wright called the “progress trap” – progress’ unending efforts to feed technology’s hunger to devour natural and human capital, interest free. And the mainstream press and news media, in its’ malady of cognitive dissonance, serves as its unreflective cheerleader for our march towards civilizational collapse.
Merton was keenly aware of technology’s dangers to social stability. In a 1967 letter he took aim at the “universal myth that technology infallibly makes everything in every way better for everybody. It does not.” However, Merton was by no means a Luddite. “Technology could indeed make a better world for millions of human beings,” he wrote. Yet there remained the nightmare of technology transforming the world into a “more collectivist, cybernated mass culture.” Decades before the first desktop, Merton foresaw a complete fragmentation of the nation’s moral and spiritual fabric when people will begin basing all of their political and ethical decisions on computers. Prophetically he wrote to a friend, “just wait until they start philosophizing with computers!” That was 1967. He even foresaw technology becoming a means to elevate the slaves of technology’s false self, to satisfy narcissistic appetites for admiration and status. In other words, the woke social media.
“The greatest need of our time,” Merton wrote in his Conjectures of a Guilty Bystander, “is to clean out the enormous mass of mental and emotional rubbish that clutters our minds and makes all political and social life a mass illness. Without this housecleaning we cannot begin to see. Unless we see we cannot think. The purification must begin with the mass media.”
For this reason we urgently need to penetrate the illusions of propaganda and popular falsehoods, across the entire political spectrum as well the self-appointed pontificating Pharisees who are ushering a new socio-economic era where endless technological innovation has precedence over human lives. Despite its newness, it has also been clearly predictable. No doubt, if Orwell were penning his great novel today, the emergence of this new American era we are witnessing would not be fiction.
Transcending the Delusions Institutional Control
Richard Gale and Gary Null PhD Progressive Radio Network, January 13, 2022 In his 1938 song Scottsboro Boys, blues artist Lead Belly warned us to remain alert, “stay woke”, as we pass through unfriendly and prejudiced lands and territories. “I advise everybody to be a little careful,” Lead Belly sang, “stay woke, keep your eyes open.” We need to become streetwise by critically evaluating everything. However the present woke generations appear to have entered a coma. The most recent incarnation of wokeness is not an awakening of either consciousness or conscientiousness that respects the sacredness of life, other humans, and the animal and plant kingdoms. It has steered away from its early origins within the Black community when it was used to refer to a social and political awareness for racial and social injustices. The first modern use of the term “woke” first modern use goes back to a 1962 New York Times article by the Black author William Melvin Kelly in referring to being “well informed, up to date.” To be woke requires critical thought and discernment. It has more in common with an innate metacognitive knowing to distinguish between rightness and fraud. Now the term has been adopted by two entire generations, regardless of race, and politicized with almost an ontological unease to conquer and divide. Hence to be woke is to be anti-woke. Throughout human history hierarchical power has been abused to control those who are subject and dependent upon that power, such as the rule of kings, emperors and authoritarian tyrants. In addition, to meet our daily needs and to secure financial ease there are landowners, merchants and bankers. In all of these power relationships, equity is always on the side of those who hold power. At this moment our nation has reached an impasse where only a tiny group of individuals control and govern the lives of the many. The Canadian philosopher Marshall McLuhan wrote, “In a culture like ours, long accustomed to splitting and dividing all things as a means of control, it is sometimes a bit of a shock to be reminded that, in operational and practical fact, the medium is the message.” McLuhan is suggesting that the masses have the tendency to focus on what is most obvious and consequently miss or ignore the deeper and more subtle changes unfolding over a period of time. In other words, what may seem to be correct and just on the surface may eventually bring forth deleterious or “unintended” consequences. McLuhan wrote long before the internet. Today, presidential campaigns and federal laws, public health policies, the mainstream media and corporate entertainment are the conduits for how we define ourselves. They also define and set the boundaries for the dogmatic beliefs we ultimately identify with. But all of these narratives are controlled by a handful of power players, including the social media platforms such as Google, Facebook, YouTube and Wikipedia. Succumbing to the siren’s call of this illusion is being woke with closed eyes. There is a saying that if you do not know the product being advertised you are the product; and this is certainly true for how millions of Americans are persuaded to purchase junk they have no need for. Our personal realities thereby are reduced to millions of bits of algorithmic data that know more about us than we know about ourselves. We are sold on the promises of 5G technology despite the media never mentioning its serious dangers to human health and the environment. The risks of genetically modified foods and vaccination are censored from public discourse. Federal agencies that begin small and are believed to be temporary, such as Homeland Security, become permanent and unstoppable leviathans that encroach into every corner of our lives. At this moment, we are being instructed that our sole attention should be to get a Covid-19 vaccine and boosters so life can return to normal. This may sound reasonable. However, hidden beneath this message’s surface has been a sophisticated effort to bypass and trash essential regulatory protective measures to assure the safety of these genetic products. Now that all world governments’ health policies have utterly failed to contain the spread of SARS-CoV-2 variants, such as Delta and Omicron, more and more doctors and medical experts around the world are coming forth to say we have been deceptively misled by the Ministry of Truth’s Anthony Fauci-s and Bill Gates-s of the world. Yet their voices are being canceled and censored by Silicon Valley and social media as are professors speaking against student demands for personal entitlement and the anti-woke White Fragility diatribe that condemns genetic whiteness as racist. Students would prefer college to be sanitized of critical thought, a pleasant, non-intrusive and safe environment filled with teddy bears and psychologists next door to drug their episodes of existential angst and purposelessness in life. As the pandemic hijacks our attention, global warming increases. Over twenty percent of Americans will go to sleep hungry tonight. Those with cancer, heart disease, diabetes and dementia are told to just hang on a bit longer; a blockbuster pharmaceutical cure is just around the corner. But for decades, this carrot has been dangled before us and has yet to come to fruition. Everything today is its opposite. The blue and red pills have been pulverized together. Only a purple pill laced with the strychnine of lies and half-truths is offered by an unduly legislative system run by technocrats and their private financial handlers. Woke and anti-woke are indistinguishable since both are born from similarly delusional worldviews divorced from reality, neither being capable of observing the preciousness and fragility of human life. It is only the rare authentic progressive who has transcended this divide and can wisely observe the battlefields orchestrated by politically motivated ideologues, aristocrats and the media. As the US spins further into a controlled dystopia, it is difficult to imagine that this trajectory towards social decay can be easily reversed. Arthur Miller said, “an era can be said to end when its basic illusions are exhausted.” Therefore, we still have a long way to go and it may require a full system-failure at all economic and social levels before a viable and realistic effort can restore what has been lost from the ethical wasteland left in its wake. It took Rome several centuries to collapse but we are on course to accomplish this feat within a decade. To remain optimistic, therefore, requires a rejection of the dominant Social Darwinism and the specter of what Thomas Huxley called the Church Scientific that now informs both parties and that have shackled us in a fatalist purgatory or worse Dante’s hells of lust, gluttony and greed. The evangelical Christian Right -- science’s counterrevolutionary reactive response -- is equally a contributor to the dumbing down of the nation’s sanity with fairy tales and superstition. Our indoctrination into scientific materialism, our surrendering our autonomy and divine freedoms to political and corporate regimes, and the clashes over political correctness, that disempower us from believing we can change our conditions, has created a sense of hopelessness in life and growing existential despair. The consequences, particularly for the younger generations, have been an outburst of psychological maladies, ADD and ADHD, depression and anxiety, and rising suicide rates. It is also contributing to the unbridled frenzy of hatred across the internet. Ideological beliefs become dogmas based upon mental afflictions, which in turn drive our emotions, fears and hatreds and reactions. No wonder pessimism is on the rise and optimism is in decline. Only a personal encounter with a deeper purpose and meaning in life, which cuts through the tyranny of our false sense of the self or ego, can ultimately guide us to rise above the turmoil and crises facing us. This does not imply a detached disinterest, an ascetic renunciation, from the plights of our neighbors and humanity. But it does demand an introspective inquiry into ourselves to discover authentic kindness, compassion and a deeper connection with others so authentic well-being and genuine happiness can emerge. It is a commitment to finding our interconnection, in fact our interdependence, with others in the spirit of selflessness and service. So if modern American society relies solely upon mental and emotional distraction to survive, clearly there is no hope for constructive solutions to emerge to confront the roots of climate change, racism, identity politics, inequality, etc. Nor will society evolve beyond that of primates if we can only function from our reptilian and limbic brains. Obviously not everyone will discover the same purpose in his or her quest for life’s meaning. It is an individual quest that is largely entwined with each of our unique gifts, skills, passions and talents that we have brought into this incarnation. Those who disagree that one can discover meaning in life are the dogmatists of materialism and should be shunned. Logic and reason alone will not satisfy this discovery; although developing skills in critical thought and discernment is more often than not necessary. It is only the rare person who has immediate intuitive knowledge about herself and the world around her. For the remainder of us, we need to educate ourselves to have a roadmap, develop a discerning eye, and engage in deep introspection into ourselves to find the purpose of our lives. It is an individual journey that begins deep within ourselves and ends by embracing others in community despite the differences. However this is not an exercise in reason, but a direct experience within the depths of ourselves. When we touch on that place that can only be reached by subjective introspection new horizons of opportunities and possibilities open up. Then we can understand the words of the great jazz artist John Coltrane, “I know that there are bad forces, forces that bring suffering to others and misery to the world, but I want to be the opposite force. I want to be the force which is truly for good.” In that honoring of our inherent goodness, genuine well-being and happiness is found and only then can our illusions and dogmatic beliefs be surrendered.
Research shows hemp compounds prevent coronavirus from entering human cells
Oregon State University, January 11, 2022 Hemp compounds identified by Oregon State University research via a chemical screening technique invented at OSU show the ability to prevent the virus that causes COVID-19 from entering human cells. Van Breemen and collaborators, including scientists at Oregon Health & Science University, found that a pair of cannabinoid acids bind to the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein, blocking a critical step in the process the virus uses to infect people. The compounds are cannabigerolic acid, or CBGA, and cannabidiolic acid, CBDA, and the spike protein is the same drug target used in COVID-19 vaccines and antibody therapy. A drug target is any molecule critical to the process a disease follows, meaning its disruption can thwart infection or disease progression.
Tomato concentrate could help reduce chronic intestinal inflammation associated with HIV
University of California Los Angeles, January 11, 2021 New UCLA-led research in mice suggests that adding a certain type of tomato concentrate to the diet can reduce the intestinal inflammation that is associated with HIV. Left untreated, intestinal inflammation can accelerate arterial disease, which in turn can lead to heart attack and stroke. The findings provide clues to how the altered intestinal tract affects disease-causing inflammation in people with chronic HIV infection, suggesting that targeting the inflamed intestinal wall may be a novel way to prevent the systemic inflammation that persists even when antiviral therapy is effective in controlling a person's HIV.
Too much sitting could mean worse outcomes for cancer survivors
Cancer Care Alberta (Canada), January 11, 2022 A new study shows those who sit too much and are not physically active are much more likely to die early from cancer or any other cause than those who are more active. Data on cancer survivors who took part in the U.S. National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey from 2007 to 2014 showed that inactive survivors who reported sitting more than eight hours a day were at the highest risk of dying. "Cancer survivors who did not meet the Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans [150 minutes per week of moderate-to-vigorous intensity leisure-time physical activity] and sit longer than eight hours per day had more than a fivefold increase in the risk of death from all causes—cancer and non-cancer," said lead researcher Lin Yang. The link was particularly troubling because the researchers found that as many as one-third of cancer survivors didn't exercise and sat more than six hours a day. Only about one-third got the recommended 150 hours of exercise a week, Yang said.
Running could improve brain function in people with Gulf War illness
Texas A&M University, January 10, 2022 It has now been three decades since 700,000 American troops responded to the invasion of Kuwait in the first Gulf War, and more than a third of those troops still suffer from the same condition: Gulf War Illness (GWI). Previously labeled Gulf War syndrome, GWI is characterized by persistent reduced cognitive function, memory problems, mood and sleep disturbances, chronic pain and fatigue. The exact cause of GWI is not known, though it is suggested that some combination of the prophylactic drug pyridostigmine bromide (PB), the mosquito repellant N, N-diethyl-m-toluamide (DEET), insecticide permethrin (PER), multiple pesticides, low doses of Sarin, and chronic war-related stress are to blame. Positive findings notwithstanding, the impracticalities of a drug that is not yet approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) led Shetty to explore more accessible means. With perhaps the most simple of interventions that could be asked (certainly one familiar to our veterans), he found that running a few times each week could be powerful in the relief of GWI-related symptoms.
Why high-dose vitamin C kills cancer cells
Low levels of catalase enzyme make cancer cells vulnerable to high-dose vitamin C University of Iowa, January 9, 2022 Vitamin C has a patchy history as a cancer therapy, but researchers at the University of Iowa believe that is because it has often been used in a way that guarantees failure. Most vitamin C therapies involve taking the substance orally. However, the UI scientists have shown that giving vitamin C intravenously--and bypassing normal gut metabolism and excretion pathways--creates blood levels that are 100 - 500 times higher than levels seen with oral ingestion. It is this super-high concentration in the blood that is crucial to vitamin C's ability to attack cancer cells. Earlier work by UI redox biology expert Garry Buettner found that at these extremely high levels (in the millimolar range), vitamin C selectively kills cancer cells but not normal cells in the test tube and in mice. Physicians at UI Hospitals and Clinics are now testing the approach in clinical trials for pancreatic cancer and lung cancer that combine high-dose, intravenous vitamin C with standard chemotherapy or radiation. Earlier phase 1 trials indicated this treatment is safe and well-tolerated and hinted that the therapy improves patient outcomes. The current, larger trials aim to determine if the treatment improves survival. In a new study, published recently in the December issue of the journal Redox Biology, Buettner and his colleagues have homed in on the biological details of how high-dose vitamin C (also known as ascorbate) kills cancer cells.
People with early-onset Parkinson's disease may benefit from boosting niacin in diet
University of Leicester (UK), January 10, 2022 • Team studied fruit flies with a mutation that mimics the human disease • Niacin/Vitamin B3 is found in a variety of foods including meats and nuts • Research suggests niacin boosts levels of NAD compound in body for energy generation and DNA repair, which is critical for keeping mitochondria in shape and Parkinson's at bay • Drugs that block NAD-consuming DNA repair already exist to treat cancer - therefore these drugs could be repurposed to protect faulty mitochondria in Parkinson's disease "This study strengthens the therapeutic potential for Vitamin B3/niacin-based dietary interventions in the treatment of Parkinson's disease" - Dr Miguel Martins, MRC Toxicology Unit, University of Leicester People with certain forms of early-onset Parkinson's disease may benefit from boosting the amount of niacin in their diet, according to new research from the University of Leicester. Niacin, or Vitamin B3, is found in a variety of foods, including nuts and meat. The team from the MRC Toxicology Unit at the University of Leicester studied fruit flies with a mutation that mimics the human disease.
America’s Crisis of Cultural Moral Panic
Richard Gale and Gary Null PhD Progressive Radio Network, January 12, 2022 It is one thing to show a man that he is in error and another to put him in touch with truth… No man’s knowledge can go beyond his experience” – John Locke (Essays Concerning Human Understanding) Locke was not alone in questioning what we believe to be true knowledge, and pointing out the consequences of failing to discern falsehoods from reality. Locke was in excellent company. Due to the scientific revolution, which inspired several generations of deep thinkers, naturalists and philosophers, including Rousseau, Kant, Spinoza, Darwin, Bacon and Voltaire, the Age of Enlightenment or the Age of Reason has dominated the intellectual world of ideas for nearly two centuries. Locke’s statements remain pertinent because today there is a new generation that has been indoctrinated by the shortcomings of scientific materialism. It was intended to bring forth a new purity, an idyllic perfectionism of thought and beliefs founded alone upon objective inquiry. But now this higher ideal has degenerated into a juvenile revolution fuelling identity politics, the cancel culture of wokeness, and a passionate micro-aggression that derives hedonist pleasure in ridicule and insult. One of its more lofty goals is to end free speech as we know it – except for those who are woke. Other goals are to institute a faux collectivism and to abolish meritocracy or social rewards earned through effort and achievement. For many years, important voices of critical thought – Noam Chomsky, Henry Giroux, Jordan Peterson, to name a few, have been warning us that this day was rapidly approaching. However, since there are no dynamic leaders in the youth’s woke moment of Maoist-style cleansing and purging of wrong-views, wrong attitudes and wrong beliefs, most of us in the older generations wrongly assume it would be a passing phase. But it wasn’t. In fact, the consequences of this unleashed furor, evidenced by an absence of self-reflection and critical thought, has been channeled into a mob rule of dissent and abuse. In the virtual world gatherings of protest across social media, it is nearly unstoppable. No one is challenging them, neither the mainstream media nor the majority of academia. Rather, corporate leaders and persuasive forces within the ranks of liberal democratic institutions are coming to their aid. Therefore, it proceeds under the cover of a silent political power to sustain its energy. On the other hand, today’s youth have every reason to feel disenchanted and to suffer rampant existential angst, the emptiness of not feeling a deeper sense of purpose and meaning in the world at large. American neoliberalism’s and our educational system’s single-minded attention on science and technology -- which in themselves are amoral disciplines -- and rote memorization and testing has resulted in two decades of our youth becoming increasingly illiterate in the humanities, critical evaluation and reflective inquiry. It is also the most irreligious generation in American history. Without the skills of introspective thought to develop a sense of genuine well-being and true happiness, or what Plato called eudomonia as opposed to hedonia, (the pursuit of temporary or transient pleasures), our nation has tossed its youth to the rabid dogs of the social Darwinian rat race for survival. Therefore, it is not surprising that suicides among today’s teens and twenty-somethings have risen 47 percentduring the past two decades. Sadly the casualty rate is higher after we consider there are 36 percent more people living in their 20s today than there were at the turn of the century. Thirty-two percent of youth through their 20s have clinical anxiety disorders, 1 in 9 suffer from depression and almost 14 percent have ADHD. Although the medical community would like us to believe these are either inherited or biological conditions attributable to brain chemical imbalances, there is absolutely no scientific consensus proving there is a direct, observable causal relationship between brain function and mental states. Certainly there are correlated relationships; but correlation is not causation. The latter is solely a belief, an assumption, without any conclusive and confirming data. The causes are elsewhere and perhaps to be found in our dysfunctional society and the complete breakdown of traditional ethical structures and universal values. In 1972, South African sociologist Stanley Cohen proposed the Moral Panic Theory, an irrational widespread fear that threatens one’s sense of values, safety and cohesion to one’s “tribal” identity. This moral panic, Cohen observes, is bolstered by the injustices of the ruling elite and its mouthpieces in the media. It also centers aroundthose who society marginalizes and is based upon “ethnicity, class, sexuality, nationality and religion.” Ashley Grossman, writing for ThoughtCo, makes the point that those in power will ultimately most benefit from moral panics “since they lead to increased control of the population and the reinforcement of the authority of those in charge.” The panic aroused grassroots movements provides the government or state “to enact legislation and laws that would seem illegitimate without the perceived threat at the center of the moral panic.” The popular fear of the Covid-19 virus and the unvaccinated created by our federal health officials and their news media allies is another recent example of Moral Panic Theory. Unfortunately, most of the country has entered a Moral Panic phase: the vitriolic propaganda in both parties, the greed and opportunism of the oligarchic and corporate elite, QAnon and the Alt-Right, and the Woke-Left. Repeatedly woke students are demanding their schools and colleges make assurances that they are emotionally safe from ideas and philosophies that challenge their fragile comfort zones. Teachers and professors who challenge their students’ illusions about knowledge and their fragile self-identity are being ostracized with calls for administrative dismissal. How many academicians are forced to remain silent to avoid the consequences of the new woke Inquisition? Such student actions are indicative of their weak sense of self-worth and existential angst; yet we must look at modern parental upbringing and our culture’s leading elders, as noted by Jonathan Haidt, to diagnose the causal factors for this psychological catastrophe of two entire generations. Consequently, when collective panic reaches a threshold, Cohen’s theory might explain the sudden eruption of irrational behavior entangled in the rise of a cancel culture built upon an intellectual anarchy that is frighteningly irrational. And it is equally endemic to the reactionary maleficence of white supremacists and militias. So when a new book emerges, White Fragility by Robin DiAngelo, and becomes the holy grail of woke truths, we are lectured that what will not be tolerated is any deviation or heresy its espoused twisted emerging social norm. The author’s central theme is that if you have the misfortune of being born with the wrong genes into the wrong family a with the wrong skin color, you are a racist and will be such for the remainder of your days. Hence every White person is condemned with a defective moniker blazed across the forehead. And since meritocracy likewise is damned, all achievements are reduced to an inherited privilege of having been born Caucasian. Your attempt to defend yourself and profess your free speech is a testament of your heresy. No apology or act of humility can save you. It is a life sentence without parole for good behavior. White Fragility is already being taught in many schools, with the full cooperation of teacher unions and school administrators. Resistance will be a subversive act and an admission of your racism. It is critical to observe this may be heading towards a new paradigm of Orwellian social control. Yet there is barely a shred of credible scientific evidence to support DiAngelo’s hypotheses. It is a flawed opinion, and a dangerous one at that. Worse, its long-reaching conclusions could advocate for a repressive regime of a future scientism dictatorship that Nobel laureate Bertrand Russell warned. Russell noted that “collective passions” have a penchant to inflame “hatred and rivalry directed towards other groups.” He was acutely aware that “science is no substitute for virtue; the heart is as necessary for the good life as the head.” And DiAngelo’s screed falls into the dark abysmal waters of genetic determinism that gave rise to racist fascism. Russell further cautioned that this distorted over-reliance on faux science could be “a curse to mankind.” Perhaps, during its Icarus moment, wokeness will self-destruct under its own rashness and the internal fire of its undiscerning ardor. What carnage it leaves in its wake remains to be seen. Yet there is nothing new or original in the cultural rebellion we are witnessing. This game has been played out before in previous acts that strived for an adolescent and unreachable social perfection. It will have its blowback. In his Principia Mathematica, Isaac Newton observed that for every action there is an equally opposing reaction. However, we have yet to witness how it will boomerang. But we will. In the meantime, a new class of wannabe priests is emerging within the woke movement, a priesthood David Hume warned about in his Essays, Moral, Political and Literary, which will in turn be an adversary to liberty. Consider the backlash after Harpers magazine published a Letter on Justice and Open Debate to warn about “a new set of moral attitudes and political commitments that tend to weaken our norms of open debate and toleration of differences in favor of ideological conformity.” Signed by over 160 brilliant minds, academicians and authors – liberal and conservative -- including Noam Chomsky, Jonathan Haidt, Susannah Heschel, Steven Pinker, Gloria Steinem, etc, the letter gives a stark warning of the unwelcomed consequences of the new culture of censorship that the demonstration’s leaders are ushering into the nation at large. The woke now demand retribution against its signers, in effect shutting down the nation’s 200-plus years of free speech, the right to disagree and public discourse. Have those who are most rabidly eager to condemn and cancel the wide diversity of voices who disagree with their beliefs considered earlier precedents for their actions? It was the Spanish Inquisition. In principle, how many today are in effect labeled heretics and “witches” because they have spoken publicly in favor of free speech and oppose censorship? May not the woke movement in turn become the harbinger of a new Inquisition, a new platform of economic and social persecution by the powerful and wealthy waiting in the corridors after the cult of woke loses its steam? The causal problems to our terrified culture is of course far deeper and has been identified and analyzed repeatedly in the writings of Chris Hedges and Henry Giroux. Our nation thrives on victimizing others. Now the once disenfranchised victims of the liberal woke generation, erupting from its simmering angst and meaninglessness, are determined to be the new victimizers. What is the end game when a populist uprising of disillusioned and psychologically traumatized youth at the mercy of capitalism’s parasitical march to claim more victims gets the upper hand. The movement has now evolved beyond its original demands of racial justice for the Black and other minority communities who have been discriminated against by our institutions, particularly law enforcement and the private prison system. Now it is rapidly morphing into a massive autonomous cult of divisiveness and self-righteousness without a moral backbone that recognizes the essential values of forgiveness, reconciliation, and cooperative engagement for preserving a sane and productive culture that benefits all.
Insurance companies should ‘penalize’ the unvaxxed, ethicist at New York University recommends
Professor Arthur Caplan said that people who have chosen not to get jabbed should pay higher insurance premiums and be barred from getting life insurance LifeSite News, Jan 6, 2022 An ethicist at New York University said that people who have not gotten jabbed should be punished by insurance companies. “By and large, if you’re vaccinated and boosted, even if you get infected, you’re going to be fine. You’re going to be fine here. It’s the unvaccinated who are going to be hurt, so why should anyone who is boosted bother at this point to do anything that makes the unvaccinated more safe?” CNN’s John Berman asked Professor Arthur Caplan, the director of the medical ethics division at NYU Grossman School of Medicine. Professor Caplan agreed that the unvaccinated should be shamed and treated poorly by society, though he said he hopes he can change their minds. “I’ll condemn them. I’ll shame them. I’ll blame them,” Professor Caplan said. “We can penalize them more, say you will have to pay more on your hospital bill. You can’t get life insurance, disability insurance at affordable rates if you aren’t vaccinated.”
NO DEATHS FROM VITAMINS - Safety Confirmed by America's Largest Database
Orthomolecular News Service, January 7th 2022 The 38th annual report from the American Association of Poison Control Centers shows zero deaths from vitamins. It is interesting that it is so quietly placed way back there where nary a news reporter is likely to see it. The AAPCC reports zero deaths from multiple vitamins. And, there were no deaths whatsoever from vitamin A, niacin, pyridoxine (B-6) any other B-vitamin. There were no deaths from vitamin C, vitamin D, vitamin E, or from any vitamin at all. On page 1477 there is an allegation of a single death attributed to an unspecified, unknown "Miscellaneous Vitamin." The obvious uncertainly of such a listing diminishes any claim of validity. There were no fatalities from amino acids, creatine, blue-green algae, glucosamine, or chondroitin. There were no deaths from any homeopathic remedy, Asian medicine, Hispanic medicine, or Ayurvedic medicine. None.
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40% of Israel could be infected with Covid-19 in current wave, says PM
France24, January 10, 2022 Israel could see up to nearly 40 percent of the population infected by coronavirus during the current wave, Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said Sunday, as testing facilities nationwide buckled Data presented at the cabinet meeting indicates that here, in Israel, between two to four million citizens in total will be infected during this current wave. A country of just 9.4 million, Israel has seen infections nearly quadruple over the past week compared to the previous one. The health ministry reported 17,518 new infections on Saturday. Health ministry data showed that more than 4.3 million Israelis were fully vaccinated with three shots, while 204 people are hospitalised in serious condition as a result of Covid-19 illness on Sunday. More than 1.5 million Covid cases, including 8,269 deaths, have been officially recorded in Israel.
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4th COVID Booster Shot Could Cause ‘Immune System Fatigue,’ Scientists Say
As Israel moves ahead with fourth COVID shot, scientists told the New York Times the additional booster may cause more harm than good. Childrens Health Defense, January 7, 2022 COVID-19 booster shots could do more harm than good, according to scientists interviewed late last month by The New York Times. The scientists warned “that too many shots might actually harm the body’s ability to fight COVID” and “might cause a sort of immune system fatigue.” On Monday, Israeli authorities began offering anyone over age 60 a chance to get a fourth shot, or second booster of the COVID vaccine. But scientists told The Times, before Israel confirmed it would offer the fourth shot, the science is not yet settled on using an additional booster shot to combat the new Omicron variant. There is one official report of an Israeli dying from Omicron. However, according to The Times of Israel, it is unclear that Omicron caused the death of the individual — a man in his 60s hospitalized weeks earlier from a pre-existing condition. A new report from the UK Health Security Agency showed booster doses are less effective against Omicron than previous variants, and their effectiveness wears off in only 10 weeks. Professor Hagai Levine, an epidemiologist and chairman of Israel’s Association of Public Health Physicians, told The New York Times there’s no published scientific evidence a fourth shot is needed to prevent severe illness from Omicron. “Before giving a fourth shot, it is preferable to wait for the science,” Levine said.
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145-Country Study Shows Increase Of Transmission And Death After Introduction Of Covid Vaccines
Truth Press, January 11, 2022 Instead of bringing an end to this pandemic as promised, the widespread rollout of the experimental vaccines has actually caused a sharp increase in Covid-19 cases and deaths across the world, according to a recently published preprint study that looked at data from the 145 of the most vaccinated countries in the world. The 99-page study titled “Worldwide Bayesian Causal Impact Analysis of Vaccine Administration on Deaths and Cases Associated with COVID-19: A BigData Analysis of 145 Countries” found that in the US specifically, the jab has caused a whopping 38% more Covid cases per million – and an even more astonishing 31% increase in deaths per million. In total, researchers found that almost 90% (89.84%) of the 145 countries experienced this negative effect from the vaccines after they were made available. From the study: “Results indicate that the treatment (vaccine administration) has a strong and statistically significant propensity to causally increase the values in either y1 [variable chosen for deaths per million] or y2 [variable chosen for cases per million] over and above what would have been expected with no treatment. y1 showed an increase/decrease ratio of (+115/-13), which means 89.84% of statistically significant countries showed an increase in total deaths per million associated with COVID-19 due directly to the causal impact of treatment initiation [vaccines]. y2 showed an increase/decrease ratio of (+105/-16) which means 86.78% of statistically significant countries showed an increase in total cases per millionof COVID-19 due directly to the causal impact of treatment initiation.” Perhaps the most telling part of the study’s results is that the countries which recorded the fewest Covid deaths in 2020 were the ones to experience the largest increases in cases and deaths once the vaccine was introduced, with some of them seeing increases as high as over a thousand percent. In the study’s conclusion, researchers warned that the substantial increase in deaths and cases should be “highly worrisome” for the policymakers around the world who have been promoting the experimental vaccines as the “key to gain back our freedoms.”
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Covid Vaccine-Injuries: "An Avalanche", says Attorney Aaron Siri
In November 2021, attorney Aaron Siri explained to an expert panel at Congress that his firm was seeing "an avalanche of submissions" from people seeking help to sue after covid vaccine-injuries.
Here we are in early January 2022, and:
~ The CDC's data released December 31, 2021 contains 1,017,001 covid vaccine-injury records.
~ The WHO's global database (VigiAccess) has collected 2,933,902 covid vaccine-injury records.
Even young children are being vaccine-injured.
From CDC's own publication, MMWR Dec. 31, 2021:
~ "5,277 VAERS reports received for children aged 5–11 years" [1,028 (19.5%) were excluded from this analysis]
~ "Approximately 5.1% of parents reported that their child was unable to perform normal daily activities on the day after receipt of dose 1, and 7.4% after receipt of dose 2. Approximately 1% of parents reported seeking medical care in the week after vaccination"
~ "Two reports of death during the analytic period [November 3 - December 19, 2021]
The Government Assault Against Ivermectin and other Safe SARS-2 Treatments
Richard Gale and Gary Null PhD
Progressive Radio Network, September 1, 2021
Had the FDA and Anthony Fauci’s National Institute for Allergies and Infectious Disease (NIAID) started approving existing clinically-proven and inexpensive drugs for treating malaria, parasites and other pathogens at the start of the pandemic, millions of people would have been saved from experiencing serious infections or dying from the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Why federal health officials never followed this strategy is a question the mainstream media refuses to ask.
Another question that the medical establishment, let alone our compliant media, is why have they failed to ask whether there are reliable studies in the peer-reviewed literature and testimonies from thousands of day-to-day clinical physicians worldwide who treat Covid-19 patients with these drugs, in particular hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) and Ivermectin. We may also point out the many different natural remedies, such as nigella sativa, curcumin, vitamin D, melatonin, etc, which have been shown to be effective against SARS-2 infections. In most nations, there has been enormous success in treating Covid patients at the early and moderate stages of infection. However, in the US, Anthony Fauci, Bill Gates, the FDA and our federal medical officials have categorically denied their use. In fact during the past couple weeks, there has been an aggressive and concerted effort to erect obstacles to prevent the employment of these more effective drugs. More recently a widespread campaign is underway to denigrate them altogether.
For example, the TOGETHER trial is now touted by the mainstream media as a flagship study showing that ivermectin is ineffective and even dangerous to prescribe. The study was conducted by professor Edward Mills at McMaster University in Ontario. If we are to believe the New York Times, the trial, which enrolled 1,300 patients, was discontinued because Mills claimed the drug was no better than a placebo. However, there is strong reason to believe this entire trial was nothing less than a staged theatrical performance. When asked, Mills denied having any conflict of interests. However, Mills happens to be employed as a clinical trial advisor for the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. The Gates Foundation was also the trial’s principal funder. It may be noted that various organizations and agencies in other nations, such as the Health Products Regulatory Authority in South Africa, which have banned ivermectin, are often funded by Gates. It is naïve to believe that Gates has any philanthropic intentions whatsoever to see a highly effective treatment for SARS-2 infections reach worldwide approval. These drugs are in direct competition to his enormous investments and unwavering commitment to the Covid-19 vaccines.
In the meantime, Americans only have monoclonal antibody therapy and the controversial and ineffective drug Remdesivir at their disposal. Remdesivir’s average effectiveness for late stage treatment is only 22 percent. A Chinese study published in The Lancet found no statistically significant benefit in the drug and 12 percent of participants taking the drug had to discontinue treatment due to serious adverse effects, especially liver and kidney damage.
When questions are posited as a general argument for advocating expedient measures to protect public health during this pandemic, would it not have been wise to have prioritized for emergency use HCQ, Ivermectin, and other remedies with a record of curtailing Covid, such as the antibiotic azithromycin, zinc, selenium, Vitamins C and D, and melatonin as a first line of defense? There was absolutely no need to have waited for experimental vaccines or experimental drugs such as Remdesivir before the pandemic became uncontrollable. But this is what Fauci and Trump, and now Biden, permitted to happen.
If this strategy of medical intervention had been followed, would it have been successful? The answer is likely an unequivocal “yes”. Both HCQ and, even better, Ivermectin have been prophylactically prescribed by physicians working on pandemic’s front lines with enormous success. Yet those American physicians struggling to get this urgent message out to federal health officials are being marginalized and ridiculed en masse. Only in the US, the UK, France, South Africa and several other developed nations has there been a stubborn hubris to deny their effectiveness. The World Health Organization recommends Ivermectin for Covid-19 so why not the US and these other nations? Under oath, multiple physicians and professors at American medical schools have testified before Congress to present the scientific evidence supporting HCQ and Ivermectin. These are otherwise medical professionals at the very heart of treating Covid-19 patients.
Today, American journalism is in shambles. In fact, it is a disgrace. The American public is losing trust in the media. Whether it is CNN, the New York Times, the Washington Post, the liberal tabloid Daily Beast, NPR or PBS, each has unlimited resources to properly investigate the federal and institutional machinery behind the government health policies being thrust upon us. Yet no mainstream journalist has found the moral compass to bring this truth to the public.
In the meantime, we are allowing millions to die, and countless others to be seriously affected from a severe infection because of professional medical neglect and a healthcare system favoring the pharmaceutical industry’s frantic rush to develop expensive novel drugs and experimental vaccines. The incentive by the drug makers is to take every advantage available within the FDA’s emergency use loopholes to get their products approved as quickly as possible. The primary advantage is that these novel drugs and vaccines can then leap over regulatory hurdles, which otherwise would require them to conduct lengthy and thorough clinical trials to prove their efficacy and safety. The consequence is that none of the new pharmaceutical Covid-19 interventions have been adequately reviewed.
On the other hand, HCQ and Ivermectin have an established legacy of prior research and have been on the market for decades. Worldwide, it is not unreasonable to claim that billions of people have been treated with these drugs.
Below is a breakdown of the studies conducted so far for HCQ, Ivermectin and Vitamin D specifically for combatting the SARS-CoV-2 virus
Hydroxychloroquine
344 studies, 250 peer-reviewed have been conducted specifically for Covid-19
281 have been clinical trials that involved 4,583 scientists and over 407,627 patients
64% improvement in 31 early treatment trials
75% improvement in 13 early stage infection treatment mortality results
21% improvement in 190 late stage infection treatment trials (patients in serious condition)
23% improvement in 44 randomized controlled trials
Full list of HCQ studies and details: https://c19hcq.com
Ivermectin
131 studies, 52 peer-reviewed have been conducted specifically for Covid-19
63 have been clinical trials that involved 613 scientists and over 26,398 patients
58% improvement in 31 randomized controlled trials
86% improvement in 14 prophylaxis trials
72% improvement in 27 early stage infection treatment trials
40% improvement in 22 late stage infection treatment trials
58% improvement in 25 mortality results
Full list of Ivermectin studies and details: https://c19ivermectin.com
Other inexpensive repurposed drugs for treating SARS-2
Fluvoxamine
88% improvement in early treatment
29% improvement in late stage treatment
63% improvement in all 7 peer-reviewed studies
Vitamin D
101 studies conducted by over 875 scientists
63 sufficiency studies with 34,863 patients
33 treatment trials with 46,860 patients
42% improvement in 33 treatment trials
56% improvement in 68 sufficiency studies
55% improvement in 19 treatment mortality results
Full list of Vitamin D studies and details: https://c19vitamind.com
In contrast there have been 21 studies enrolling 35,744 patients in Remdesivir trials showing only a 22% improvement in all studies combined. This rate is below that of simply taking probiotics (5 studies at 24% improvement), melatonin (7 studies at 62% improvement), curcumin (4 studies at 71% improvement), nigella sativa (3 studies at 84% improvement), quercetin (4 studies at 76% improvement), and aspirin (7 studies at 37% improvement). Despite the small number of trials and low numbers of enrolled participants, early results indicate that greater attention and funding needs to be allocated for more rigorous research if there is to be any success in curbing SARS-2 infections’ severity.
Please share this information. The inept policies and measures being taken by our federal health officials and by both the former Trump and present Biden administrations are unparalleled in American healthcare history. And never before has the media been so willing to self-censor and been so grossly irresponsible to hide the published science and the truth.
https://www.globalresearch.ca/video-dr-sucharit-bhakdi-these-vaccines-are-killing-the-young-and-the-old-they-are-killing-our-children/5765866
Natural Herbal HPV "Cure" Discovered
Chittaranjan National Cancer Institute (India), January 5, 2022 Despite the widespread belief that HPV infection is a singularly lethal force against which we only have vaccination defend ourselves, both ancient herbal medicine and our body's inherent immune defenses have newly been confirmed to have significant power against it. A groundbreaking study published in the Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention reveals that vaccination and watchful waiting are not the only recourse against HPV infection. The study is believed to be the first of its kind to find an effective and safe therapeutic intervention for the clearance of established cervical human papillomavirus (HPV) infection. Moreover, the study confirmed that HPV infection is self-limiting and clears on its own in 73.3% of the untreated placebo group within 37 days.
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Proper exercise can reverse damage from heart aging
University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, January 8, 2022 Exercise can reverse damage to sedentary, aging hearts and help prevent risk of future heart failure - if it's enough exercise, and if it's begun in time, according to a new study by cardiologists at UT Southwestern and Texas Health Resources. To reap the most benefit, the exercise regimen should begin by late middle age (before age 65), when the heart apparently retains some plasticity and ability to remodel itself. And the exercise needs to be performed four to five times a week. Two to three times a week was not enough, the researchers found in an earlier study.
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Aspartame Is Linked To Leukemia And Lymphoma In New Landmark Study On Humans
Natural Health Federation, December 28, 2021 As few as one diet soda daily may increase the risk for leukemia in men and women, and for multiple myeloma and non-Hodgkin lymphoma in men, according to new results from the longest-ever running study on aspartame as a carcinogen in humans. Importantly, this is the most comprehensive, long-term study ever completed on this topic, so it holds more weight than other past studies which appeared to show no risk. And disturbingly, it may also open the door for further similar findings on other cancers in future studies.
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Rhodiola defeats chronic fatigue in just one week
Uppsala University (Sweden), January 5, 2022 The ancient Vikings reportedly utilized it for its refreshing powers. The Sherpa mountain people relied on it to help them scale the heights of Mount Everest. Rhodiola rosea, an herb grown in Arctic areas of Asia and Eastern Europe, is relatively little known in modern times – but, it probably should be. Recent scientific studies have consistently shown that rhodiola causes significant improvement in fatigue symptoms – and starts working in less than a week.
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Trial affirms arginine benefit in erectile dysfunction
Università Federico II di Napoli (Italy), January 3 2022. A trial reported in the Journal of Endocrinological Investigation added evidence to a benefit for supplementation with the amino acid L-arginine among men with erectile dysfunction (ED). The findings suggest that L-arginine could serve as an alternative to PDE5 inhibitor drugs used to treat ED which are not always effective or can be associated with side effects. Fifty-one men received two grams L-arginine three times per day and 47 received a placebo for three months.
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Using smells to boost learning during sleep
The authors confirm that the strategic use of aromas while learning and during sleep might improve exam performance — even outside of the laboratory University of Freiburg (Germany), December 24, 2021 In a nutshell, the recent study concludes that if we smell an aroma while we take on new knowledge and then sleep next to a source of that same odor, we will find it easier to recall the information at a later date. To investigate, the scientists recruited 54 students from sixth grade classes in Germany. They asked these participants to keep rose scented sticks next to them while they learned English vocabulary at home. A week after the students first encountered the vocabulary during a school class, they sat an exam. The scientists split half of the students into four experimental groups: Group 1: No exposure to any odor cues. Group 2: Exposure to rose scent while learning at home and during the vocabulary test. Group 3: Exposure to rose scent while learning at home and during each night before the test but not during the test. Group 4: Exposure to rose scent while learning at home, every night before the test, and during the test.
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Woke Culture’s Reality Deficit Disorder Richard Gale & Gary Null PhD Progressive Radio Network, January 7, 2022
If anti-racial wokeness is true, then the more deeply we probe and investigate it, the truer it should appear. This was one of William James’ fundamental principles when he made efforts to turn the psychology of his day into a valid science. If James’ methodology had not been obliterated by the rise of behaviorism in 1910, psychology would be completely different today. We might actually be treating and curing people of mental disorders without prescribing life-long medications. On the other hand, if DiAngelo’s hypothesis is false, the more deeply one investigates, which includes introspection, the more false it will appear. That is where robust inquiry comes in: to determine what is simply true regardless of whatever your personal unsubstantiated and biased beliefs about it might be. What you believe has absolutely no impact upon whether something is true or not. This is also basic Buddhist epistemology that has been repeatedly replicated by contemplatives for several millennia. Neuroscience, including its gross failures and tendencies towards metaphysical realism, has more to tell us about the inherent dangers in White Fragility’s doctrine. First, modern brain science has not produced an iota of evidence to confirm that the mind and consciousness are solely a product or output originating in neuron and synaptic activity. None. Contrary to the evidence, most neuroscientists and evolutionary biologists nevertheless embrace this opinion as a settled matter. But it is ridiculous to believe that evolution somehow dragged along our ancient single-celled ancestors until some point was reached when a conscious mind -- a “nothing” that is not observable, not measurable, not quantifiable, without atoms or photons, mass, electric charge or spin – mysteriously arose out of something, such as genes and biomolecular phenomena. Therefore cognitive scientists pretend to know something about the mind and consciousness when in fact they haven’t a clue. Although DiAngelo is not stating that socialized racism among Whites is genetically determined, the trajectory of her argument has the potential to lead towards that conclusion. She does consider systemic White racism as being unconscious. Therefore she has moved her social theory into psychology. Since modern psychology today is becoming increasingly informed by the neurosciences, which in turn is being informed by evolutionary biology, it is only a small leap away to find her theory complementing genetic determinism as a means to explain Whiteness’ conditioned racism. If her socialized determinism, and that of the neuroscience and evolutionary biology fields, are correct, then it would break the fundamental physical laws of energy conservation and causal efficacy. In effect, DiAngelo is saying White people have no choice. It’s socialized chemistry or its socialized chemistry; either way its socialized chemistry. In effect, DiAngelo is admitting that her own perceptions about reality are fundamentally flawed. Why is that? Dr. Donald Hoffman has been a professor of neuroscience at the University of California at Irvine for over three decades. He has an impeccable background having studied artificial intelligence at MIT. But unlike the vast majority of his colleagues, Hoffman broke ranks and passed beyond neuroscience’s 19th century mechanistic base and dared to study modern quantum physics and relativity theory. Theoretical physics is almost anathema in human biological research and medicine, which is why these soft sciences have made so little progress to improve human health and well-being. Hoffman has performed hundreds of thousands of simulations comparing different species and their chances for survival based upon their ability to perceive and comprehend reality more accurately or not. His discoveries are startling and utterly revolutionary. Hoffman discovered, across the board, species that best perceive reality go extinct more rapidly than competing species that only perceive what is necessary for them to remain fit and survive. During an interview following a TED Talk, Hoffman stated, “according to evolution by natural selection,” – and here he is limiting himself solely to evolutionary biological theory and not the various competing theories about the nature of consciousness – “an organism that sees reality as it is will never be more fit than an organism of equal complexity that sees none of reality but is just tuned to fitness. Never.” In other words, evolution has nothing to do with perceiving reality more clearly, but only to be more fit in order to adapt, survive and procreate. And now physicists are even telling us that the primal cause behind all physical objects may be consciousness itself, which has no association whatsoever with natural selection. For example, Professor Edward Witten, regarded as “the world’s smartest” physicist at the Institute for Advanced Studies at Princeton, has been compared to Newton and Einstein. Witten doesn’t believe science will ever understand consciousness. “I think consciousness will remain a mystery,” Witten stated during a lecture, ”I have a much easier time imagining how we understand the Big Bang than I have imagining how we can understand consciousness.” Or we can listen to Stanford University theoretical physicist Andre Linde: “The current scientific model of the material world obeying laws of physics has been so successful that we forget our starting point as conscious observers, and conclude that matter is the only reality and that perceptions are only helpful for describing it. But in fact, we are substituting the reality of our experience of the universe with a conceptually contrived belief…” One may feel our critique is too abstract with little or no practical application; however to at least conceptually understand race in terms of our sensory perceptions can have enormous benefits to cut through and lessen the false semblances that arise from reality deficit disorder that winds up producing books such as White Fragility. Moreover, contrary to DiAngelo’s arguments, British journalist Melanie Phillips offers a clearer understanding for why we should not rely upon the pundits of anti-racial wokeness to save us from ourselves. Despite disagreeing with Phillips on many of her other socio-political positions, she correctly identifies the fundamental flaws being voiced by arrested development wokeness across our campuses and within the corporate wing of the Democrat party. First, it is unable to establish a hierarchy of values and morals. For example, if one refuses to say that any lifestyle or culture is better than another, then it cannot be said that liberalism is better than conservatism or any other ideology. Consequently, faux liberalism cannot legitimately defend the very principles upon which it defines itself: racial and gender equality, freedom of speech and religion, justice and tolerance, and class struggle. It contradicts its own principles and follows DiAngelo’s footsteps to remove the dignity of the individual, which in the past was at the heart of authentic liberalism and once served as its moral backbone. What we are witnessing therefore in Woke liberalism – and in DiAngelo’s reinvention of racism -- is “the strong dominating the weak,” and this is an ill-liberal ideology that is already showing signs of having catastrophic consequences in classrooms and the workplace. Finally, if DiAngelo’s theory is correct, then all Whites, without exception, in American history, were unconsciously transmuted into racists starting at the time of their birth. What is her proof? Is there any scientific evidence to support this outrageous claim? Did she consider the lack of sensitivity towards other peoples and races who were victims of racial identity and violence, such as the Jews who experienced genocide at hands of their Nazi overlords? And what would she say against those Whites who have fought against racism throughout the American experience, such as the Abolitionists in the US and UK who put their bodies at great risk? In principle she is labeling them too as racist despite their fighting, protesting and even dying as committed anti-racists. Many Whites have embraced other races and cultures with open arms; however, DiAngelo wants us to believe this legacy was a sham, because in some strange voodoo way they were unconsciously racist. Is this not the height of hubris and arrogance?
Richard Gale & Gary Null PhD
Progressive Radio Network, January 7, 2022
During the past two years, the rise in wokeness and its cancel culture has shocked the sensibilities and moral fabric of the nation. It has fuelled divisions between races, class and economic status, levels of education and political allegiances. However, the anger that wokeness has carried into civil discourse is a symptom of a much deeper causal factor buried in the national psyche; that is, America’s pervasive “reality deficit disorder (RDD).” This is a condition that has proliferated across the American landscape since the Age of Enlightenment and the 19th century’s advent of scientific materialism as a secular religion. The proponents of modern behaviorism and the neurosciences are likewise saturated with RDD. The Woke self-congratulating experts and false prophets are its public face. These are plastic liberal intellectuals who have found reinforced their sense of self-righteousness by spreading the post-modern gospel of Robin DiAngelo’s 2018 bestseller White Fragility. Despite the widespread adulation DiAngelo has received from liberal educators, the mega-corporate elite, and the left media, she has managed to jockey herself away from the deep scrutiny her writings and lectures deserve. An exception is Jonathan Church, author of Reinventing Racism, who brilliantly exposes DiAngelo’s flaws and deconstructs her façade of her impartial objectivity. Church takes a more philosophical offensive to shed light on DiAngelo’s implicit biases and contradictions that in turn distort the very ideas she attempts to proselytize. While we agree wholeheartedly with Church’s polemic, we would take a more cognitive approach and state that DiAngelo’s racial theories of irredeemable Whiteness as an inherent social construct have no basis in reality whatsoever. White Fragility reads like a tantrum by an author with a third-rate intellect who is deeply confused about her own gender and racial identity. “All white people,” DiAngelo wants us to believe, “are invested in and collude with racism.” If you were born White then racism is built into your socialized development and behavior regardless whether your family background is exemplary of racial justice or not. There can be no escape from this curse, DiAngelo suggests, no redemption or purification by fire regardless of how much penitence, public service or charity you perform for the greater good. We wonder whether she would include the indigenous blond hair, blue-eyed Finno-Ugric peoples inhabiting the northern forests and tundra of Scandinavia and Russia’s Kola Peninsula as being socially structured and therefore colluding in the world’s racism. The author reminds us of someone who has read every published book about chocolate and thus feels qualified to write one of her own despite never having tasted chocolate. Philosophy and postmodern sociology in general, notably the modern philosophies of science and mind, often suffer from this mental affliction. They write books about other philosophers’ books who in turn wrote books about their predecessors’ scribbling. Right-wing critics of wokeness and certain factions within postmodern Critical Race Theory likewise indulge in a similar cognitive hallucination built upon feeble-minded pre-Galilean superstitions. Their perceptions about themselves and the world, their righteous anger and biases, are similar to dreamscapes, phantoms they have conjured and which can have dire long-term consequences to the welfare of innocent victims prejudiced and canceled by their vitriol and condemnation. There have always been conflicting ideologies, cherished beliefs and inflamed emotions towards racial discrepancies, social order and justice or how the nation should be governed. But today these cognitive afflictions, masquerading as passions and righteous causes have disintegrated into tribalism. This is now fomenting new class and racial distinctions and struggles as well as media turf wars. No one can accurately predict where this collective reality deficit disorder will lead ultimately but it certainly won’t contribute to a positive advancement of human well-being. It repeats the old adage of garbage in, garbage out. “The greatest need of our time,” the Trappist monk Thomas Merton wrote in his Conjectures of a Guilty Bystander, “is to clean out the enormous mass of mental and emotional rubbish that clutters our minds and makes all political and social life a mass illness. Without this housecleaning we cannot begin to see. Unless we see we cannot think.” Merton believed that this “purification must begin with the mass media.” We would suggest it also begins with our educational institutions. Teachers who embrace White Fragility’s social folly and logical fallacies need to introspectively gaze and observe the destructive ataxia nesting in their own minds. If anyone wonders why the nation is so angry, screaming and protesting, one reason is because the failed neoliberal experiment, the culture of political nepotism, a captured and biased media, and a thoroughly corrupt judiciary have created this horror show. And DiAngelo seemingly wants to gather tinder to keep racial conflagrations burning. "Nothing in all the world is more dangerous," Martin Luther King lamented, "than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity." It is our deep ignorance about not first knowing ourselves and appreciating our intrinsic interconnections with each other and the environment that perpetuates the suffering around us. These deeper existential relationships can potentially outsmart and surpass the benefits Critical Race Theory has to offer. Underlying any social structure is to be found cognitive causal relationships. This includes our attachments to whatever accomplishments and failures we experience in our lives through racial identity, which may lead to a reality deficit with all of its superiority complexes, apathy and depression. First, there is sufficient empirical science to reach a consensus that we are a culture that has become habituated to mistaking its unfounded perceptions about itself and the world as reality-based. This applies to our cognitive conceptions of Whiteness, Blackness, Yellowness, etc. Church makes this clear; DiAngelo’s use of the term Whiteness is “nebulous” and “vague.” He points out that her logic falls into a Kafka Trap, referring to Kafka’s novel The Trial when an unassuming man is dragged into court and accused for an unspecified crime; subsequently his unwavering denial is itself interpreted as absolute proof that the accusation is true. “Yes, all white people are complicit with racism,” writes DiAngelo, “People will insist that they are not racist… This is the kind of evidence that many white people used to exempt themselves from that system. It is not possible to be exempt from it.” Consequently, for DiAngelo, Whites can only speak about their “whiteness” in terms of how it reinforces an implicit racism within the social system. But from a neuro-scientific perspective, all colored racisms are skewed perceptions of reality. For example, when we gaze into a deep azure sky we immediately assume there is physical blue over our heads. However, there are no blue-colored photons reaching our retinas. Rather, our brains receive the emitted photons and through a complex channeling of information from the eye to the visual cortex. The brain then Photoshops the color azure and projects it through our glance into the empty space of the sky. The same is true whether we gaze at a verdant forest canopy, a fiery sunset, the fluorescent, shimmering hues of a fanning peacock’s feathers or observing an African, Asian or European person crossing the street. There is nothing mysterious behind this; it is visual brain science 101. No neuroscientist questions this visual phenomenon. We reify the sensory stimuli the brain receives from the objective world and then grasp and cling to these as being factually real. Theoretically race may be understood as only a conventional or relative appearance arising to our mental perceptions. No absolute objective claims can be made about it; therefore, there cannot be any absolute analyses or one-size-fits-all solutions for confronting racism either. In striking contrast to White Fragility’s cognitive deficiencies, we may consider an argument posed by the great Jewish German existentialist Martin Buber. Buber speaks of an I-You relationship when we engage with another person as another subject instead of as an object. There’s a subject there, and that subject is every bit as real as the subject over here. For example, as much as I might care about my own well-being, then so does another person. To transcend White Fragility’s divisions and its many shortcomings, which relate to others as I-Its -- as mere objects -- we simply need to be aware of Buber’s advice, and become fully engaged with that reality. Buber highlights this as a profoundly existential problem in modern society. It is debilitating. It is dehumanizing, although for DiAngelo and the cancel culture preserving racial I-It relationships is not only valid but essential. When we regard others simply in terms of whether the color of their skin is appealing or unappealing, pleasant or unpleasant, superior or inferior, and so forth we are bifurcating impressions that have no substance in reality. We are simply treating other sentient beings as if they have no more sentience, no more subjectivity, no more presence from their own side than a robot or computer. But that seems fine for DiAngelo and her tragic dehumanizing dogma. If DiAngelo were unintelligent or had severe brain damage, we might understand and would certainly sympathize. But she -- and we would argue many of those who would carry White Fragility’s banner into school classrooms -- are likely very educated people. That is the calamity and the clear evidence for the deep-seated spiritual impoverishment when a person is viewed as nothing more than the race of their physical bodies. If anti-racial wokeness is true, then the more deeply we probe and investigate it, the truer it should appear. This was one of William James’ fundamental principles when he made efforts to turn the psychology of his day into a valid science. If James’ methodology had not been obliterated by the rise of behaviorism in 1910, psychology would be completely different today. We might actually be treating and curing people of mental disorders without prescribing life-long medications. On the other hand, if DiAngelo’s hypothesis is false, the more deeply one investigates, which includes introspection, the more false it will appear. That is where robust inquiry comes in: to determine what is simply true regardless of whatever your personal unsubstantiated and biased beliefs about it might be. What you believe has absolutely no impact upon whether something is true or not. This is also basic Buddhist epistemology that has been repeatedly replicated by contemplatives for several millennia. Neuroscience, including its gross failures and tendencies towards metaphysical realism, has more to tell us about the inherent dangers in White Fragility’s doctrine. First, modern brain science has not produced an iota of evidence to confirm that the mind and consciousness are solely a product or output originating in neuron and synaptic activity. None. Contrary to the evidence, most neuroscientists and evolutionary biologists nevertheless embrace this opinion as a settled matter. But it is ridiculous to believe that evolution somehow dragged along our ancient single-celled ancestors until some point was reached when a conscious mind -- a “nothing” that is not observable, not measurable, not quantifiable, without atoms or photons, mass, electric charge or spin – mysteriously arose out of something, such as genes and biomolecular phenomena. Therefore cognitive scientists pretend to know something about the mind and consciousness when in fact they haven’t a clue. Although DiAngelo is not stating that socialized racism among Whites is genetically determined, the trajectory of her argument has the potential to lead towards that conclusion. She does consider systemic White racism as being unconscious. Therefore she has moved her social theory into psychology. Since modern psychology today is becoming increasingly informed by the neurosciences, which in turn is being informed by evolutionary biology, it is only a small leap away to find her theory complementing genetic determinism as a means to explain Whiteness’ conditioned racism. If her socialized determinism, and that of the neuroscience and evolutionary biology fields, are correct, then it would break the fundamental physical laws of energy conservation and causal efficacy. In effect, DiAngelo is saying White people have no choice. It’s socialized chemistry or its socialized chemistry; either way its socialized chemistry. In effect, DiAngelo is admitting that her own perceptions about reality are fundamentally flawed. Why is that? Dr. Donald Hoffman has been a professor of neuroscience at the University of California at Irvine for over three decades. He has an impeccable background having studied artificial intelligence at MIT. But unlike the vast majority of his colleagues, Hoffman broke ranks and passed beyond neuroscience’s 19th century mechanistic base and dared to study modern quantum physics and relativity theory. Theoretical physics is almost anathema in human biological research and medicine, which is why these soft sciences have made so little progress to improve human health and well-being. Hoffman has performed hundreds of thousands of simulations comparing different species and their chances for survival based upon their ability to perceive and comprehend reality more accurately or not. His discoveries are startling and utterly revolutionary. Hoffman discovered, across the board, species that best perceive reality go extinct more rapidly than competing species that only perceive what is necessary for them to remain fit and survive. During an interview following a TED Talk, Hoffman stated, “according to evolution by natural selection,” – and here he is limiting himself solely to evolutionary biological theory and not the various competing theories about the nature of consciousness – “an organism that sees reality as it is will never be more fit than an organism of equal complexity that sees none of reality but is just tuned to fitness. Never.” In other words, evolution has nothing to do with perceiving reality more clearly, but only to be more fit in order to adapt, survive and procreate. And now physicists are even telling us that the primal cause behind all physical objects may be consciousness itself, which has no association whatsoever with natural selection. For example, Professor Edward Witten, regarded as “the world’s smartest” physicist at the Institute for Advanced Studies at Princeton, has been compared to Newton and Einstein. Witten doesn’t believe science will ever understand consciousness. “I think consciousness will remain a mystery,” Witten stated during a lecture, ”I have a much easier time imagining how we understand the Big Bang than I have imagining how we can understand consciousness.” Or we can listen to Stanford University theoretical physicist Andre Linde: “The current scientific model of the material world obeying laws of physics has been so successful that we forget our starting point as conscious observers, and conclude that matter is the only reality and that perceptions are only helpful for describing it. But in fact, we are substituting the reality of our experience of the universe with a conceptually contrived belief…” One may feel our critique is too abstract with little or no practical application; however to at least conceptually understand race in terms of our sensory perceptions can have enormous benefits to cut through and lessen the false semblances that arise from reality deficit disorder that winds up producing books such as White Fragility. Moreover, contrary to DiAngelo’s arguments, British journalist Melanie Phillips offers a clearer understanding for why we should not rely upon the pundits of anti-racial wokeness to save us from ourselves. Despite disagreeing with Phillips on many of her other socio-political positions, she correctly identifies the fundamental flaws being voiced by arrested development wokeness across our campuses and within the corporate wing of the Democrat party. First, it is unable to establish a hierarchy of values and morals. For example, if one refuses to say that any lifestyle or culture is better than another, then it cannot be said that liberalism is better than conservatism or any other ideology. Consequently, faux liberalism cannot legitimately defend the very principles upon which it defines itself: racial and gender equality, freedom of speech and religion, justice and tolerance, and class struggle. It contradicts its own principles and follows DiAngelo’s footsteps to remove the dignity of the individual, which in the past was at the heart of authentic liberalism and once served as its moral backbone. What we are witnessing therefore in Woke liberalism – and in DiAngelo’s reinvention of racism -- is “the strong dominating the weak,” and this is an ill-liberal ideology that is already showing signs of having catastrophic consequences in classrooms and the workplace. Finally, if DiAngelo’s theory is correct, then all Whites, without exception, in American history, were unconsciously transmuted into racists starting at the time of their birth. What is her proof? Is there any scientific evidence to support this outrageous claim? Did she consider the lack of sensitivity towards other peoples and races who were victims of racial identity and violence, such as the Jews who experienced genocide at hands of their Nazi overlords? And what would she say against those Whites who have fought against racism throughout the American experience, such as the Abolitionists in the US and UK who put their bodies at great risk? In principle she is labeling them too as racist despite their fighting, protesting and even dying as committed anti-racists. Many Whites have embraced other races and cultures with open arms; however, DiAngelo wants us to believe this legacy was a sham, because in some strange voodoo way they were unconsciously racist. Is this not the height of hubris and arrogance?
Access to integrative therapy associated with better breast cancer survival
Bryn Mawr Hospital and IQVIA, Inc., December 29 2021. An article that appeared on December 18, 2021 in the Journal of Oncology reported improved breast cancer survival among patients who had access to integrative therapies, including nutrition consultations or programs, exercise consultations or programs, patient support groups or patient-survivor pairings, spiritual services, psycho-oncology support, massage therapy, meditation or mindfulness, yoga, acupuncture or acupressure, music or art therapy, Reiki or therapeutic healing touch, and tai chi or qi gong.
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Substantial weight loss can reduce risk of severe COVID-19 complications
Successful weight-loss intervention before infection associated with 60% lower risk of severe disease in patients with obesity Cleveland Clinic, December 29, 2021 A Cleveland Clinic study shows that among patients with obesity, prior weight loss achieved with bariatric surgery was associated with a 60% lower risk of developing severe complications from COVID-19 infection. The research was published in the journal JAMA Surgery. Numerous studies have established obesity as a major risk factor for developing serious illness from an infection of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. Obesity weakens the immune system, creates a chronic inflammatory state, and increases risk for cardiovascular disease, blood clots, and lung conditions. All of these conditions can complicate COVID-19.
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Trial finds Ginkgo biloba may help stroke survivors maintain cognitive function
Nanjing University in China, January 2, 2022 Life Extension Update starts the New Year with fresh findings concerning a potential benefit for Ginkgo biloba in ischemic stroke survivors. The herb could help maintain the brain’s command and control ability known as executive function, as well as aid in other areas at risk of decline among those who have experienced a stroke. On December 18, 2017, the journal Stroke & Vascular Neurology reported positive cognitive effects in association with supplementation with Ginkgo biloba among men and women who had recently experienced an ischemic stroke. Post-stroke cognitive decline has been found to affect approximately 30% of stroke survivors, and can be progressive. According to the authors possible mechanisms for ginkgo’s benefits in stroke patients include prevention of programmed cell death and increased cerebral blood flow.
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Doing less, achieving more: How the practice of wu-wei can boost athletes’ performance
Nanyang Technological University (Singapore), January 4, 2022 When athletes experience the state of flow or are in the ‘zone’, they sometimes describe the feeling as one of effortlessness. Although their exertions may feel effortless, what their bodies achieve in terms of performance can be extraordinary. In recent years, an increasing number of sport psychologists recommend that athletes practice mindfulness as part of their mental preparation for competing. Mindfulness aims to develop a non-judgemental awareness of the present moment, and can not only improve focus, but also promote that elusive state of flow. In a conceptual review published in KeAi’s Asian Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology, a group of researchers assert that the ancient Chinese wisdom of wu-wei, which can be understood as non-doing or non-striving, is a natural extension of mindfulness training for athletes.
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Researchers find one autoimmune disease could lead to another
University of Colorado, January 4, 2022 Researchers at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus have discovered that having one kind of autoimmune disease can lead to another. The scientists serendipitously found that mice with antibody-induced rheumatoid arthritis in their joints went on to develop spinal lesions similar to those in axial spondyloarthritis (AxSpA) which causes fusion of the vertebrate and curvature, or bending, of the backbone. Our results suggest that one autoimmune disease, such as inflammatory arthritis, may also lead to a secondary autoimmune disease such as AxSpA," said the study's lead author Nirmal Banda, Ph.D., professor in the division of rheumatology at the University of Colorado School of Medicine. "This interesting disease association may be due to the binding of anti-collagen autoantibodies to the spine, or to some alteration of the immune system that requires further investigation."
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Canola oil in the diet accelerates brain damage and increases the risk of dementia
Temple University January 3, 2022 Canola oil is one of the most popular vegetable oils in the world. However, many integrative healthcare providers are sounding the alarm about this seemingly harmless oil. And, as you already know, “popular” doesn’t always mean it’s healthy for us. For example, a new study out of the Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University and published in the journal Scientific Reportshas linked canola oil with a decrease in memory and learning indicative of Alzheimer’s disease – the most common form of dementia. It’s also associated with triggering unwanted weight gain. In short, canola oil seems to be doing more harm than good, especially inside the brain. Canola oil actually increased the risk factors linked to Alzheimer’s disease
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Tony Lyons
Subject: The Censorship of Bobby Kennedy's books (and other books), The Real Anthony Fauci
Tony Lyons is the president and publisher of Skyhorse Publishing, a company that has published over 10,000 volumes and has made a name for itself by publishing highly controversial books on vaccine risks, autism and more recently books countering the official Covid-19 narrative. For years, Tony has fought against book censorship, including books by Woody Allen, Alan Dershowitz, and Phillip Roth's biography. He is the publisher of Robert Kennedy Jr's new book, The Real Anthony Fauci, which is currently the nation's bestselling and yet the most censored book in America. Skyhorse's website is skyhorsepublishing.com
Most Comprehensive Study To Date: Omega-3 Reduces Heart Risks
The most in-depth analysis to date confirms the importance of omega-3 fats for heart health. If fatty fish is not a regular part of your diet, you may need to consider supplementing omega-3 fatty acids to keep your heart happy and healthy. University of Idaho and University of Queensland, December 30. 2021 The most in-depth analysis to date confirms the importance of consuming sufficient quantities of omega-3 fats for preventing cardiovascular disease. The meta-analysis, published in the peer-reviewed journal Mayo Clinic Proceedings, reviewed 40 clinical trials, and the multi-disciplinary team of researchers delivered an authoritative rallying cry for including more EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) and DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) omega-3 fats in your diet, citing their significant cardioprotective effects.
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Honey and Nigella sativa against COVID-19: A multi-center placebo-controlled randomized clinical trial
Riphah University (Pakistan), Harvard University, University of Louisville, December 30, 2021 BACKGROUND No definitive treatment exists for Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). Honey and Nigella sativa (HNS) have established antiviral, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory properties. Hence, we investigated efficacy of HNS against COVID-19. wide Three hundred and thirteen patients - 210 moderate and 103 severe - underwent randomization from April 30 to July 29, 2020. Among these, 107 were assigned to HNS whereas 103 to placebo for moderate cases. For severe cases, 50 were given HNS and 53 were given placebos. HNS resulted in ∼50% reduction in time taken to alleviate symptoms as compared to placebo. HNS also cleared the virus 4 days earlier than placebo group in moderate (6 versus 10 days. HNS further led to hospital discharge in 50% versus 2.8% in severe cases In severe cases, mortality rate was four-fold lower in HNS group than placebo CONCLUSION HNS significantly improved symptoms, viral clearance and mortality in COVID-19 patients. Thus, HNS represents an affordable over the counter therapy and can either be used alone or in combination with other treatments to achieve potentiating effects against COVID-19.
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Promoting exercise rehabilitation as new and powerful tool for managing symptoms of multiple sclerosis
University of Worcester (UK) and University of Illinois, December 29, 2021. Citing recent evidence, experts in rehabilitation research advocate for integrating exercise into the care plans of persons with multiple sclerosis. The central role of the neurologist in clinical care offers an opportunity for this provider to promote exercise as fundamental for managing the physical and cognitive symptoms of MS. Mounting evidence supports exercise as an important tool for managing the manifestations of MS, including fatigue, depression, and declines in physical mobility, balance, and cognition. While disease-modifying therapies can slow the progression of disease and disability, they do not alleviate symptoms or functional decline that adversely affect quality of life. Despite the advantages of exercise, physical inactivity is reported by 80 percent of people with MS.
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Sustainable diet leads to fewer blood clots in the brain
Aarhus University (Denmark), January 4, 2022 The risk of bleeding or blood clots in the brain is lower if your diet is sustainable. This is shown by a new research result from Aarhus University. The results have just been published in the scientific journal Stroke. There should be more vegetables and less meat on the plate in front of us. A study from the Department of Public Health shows that a sustainable diet not only benefits the climate, but also benefits your health. "If adult men or women follow a sustainable diet for dietary fibre intake, then we see a lower risk of bleeding or blood clots in the brain," says Christina Dahm, who is behind the study. The seven official Danish climate-friendly dietary guidelines Eat plant-rich, varied and not too much. Eat more vegetables and fruit. Eat less meat – choose legumes and fish. Eat whole grains. Choose vegetable oils and low-fat dairy products. Eat less of the sweet, salty and fatty. Quench your thirst in water.
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Eating when we are not hungry is bad for our health
University of Illinois, December 30, 2021 With the wide availability of convenient foods engineered for maximum tastiness— such as potato chips, chocolates, and bacon double cheeseburgers— in the modern food environment and with widespread advertising, the contemporary consumer is incessantly being bombarded with the temptation to eat. This means that, in contrast to people in traditional societies, people in contemporary societies often eat not on account of hunger but because tasty food is available and beckoning at all hours of the day. New research published in the Journal of the Association for Consumer Research, found that the tendency of today's consumers to eat when they are not hungry might be less advantageous for health than eating when they are hungry.
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Black raspberries a contender for best antioxidant fruit, says study
University of Agriculture (Poland), January 4, 2022 Black raspberries show greater health benefits than its closely related cousins the red raspberry and blackberry, research suggests. The research looked at the content of phenolics and anthocyanins in black raspberries, red raspberries and blackberries, assessing their antioxidant potential and health promoting properties. The study, which took place at the University of Agriculture in Krakow, discovered the amount of antioxidants in black raspberries was three times higher than the other fruits investigated. One discovery of note was the black raspberries’ anthocyanines content, which was found to be approximately 1000% more than the raspberry and blackberry. Interestingly, black raspberries also contained a higher content of secondary metabolites, which have been proved equally beneficial for human health.
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Only 9% of teens meet physical activity guidelines during the pandemic, down from 16% pre-pandemic
by University of Toronto A new national study finds that only 9% of teens met the recommended 60 minutes of physical activity per day during the pandemic—a decline from 16% pre-pandemic. "The pandemic led to the cancelation of in-person physical education classes and organized sports, gym and recreational facility closures, and rises in screen use, which all contributed to lower physical activity for teens," said lead author Jason Nagata, MD, assistant professor of pediatrics at the University of California, San Francisco. The study found that lower physical activity was linked to poorer mental health, greater stress, and more worry about the pandemic. On average, teens reported two hours of physical activity per week during the pandemic. These estimates were lower for teens of color—Black, Latino, and Native American teens reported an average of 90 minutes of physical activity per week.
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RESPONSE TO COLUMBIA DOCTOR - Cases among fully vaccinated
Back in late November in an interview with NBC News reported Fauci had stated that there was a significant increase in ER visits and hospitalizations among fully vaccinated people As usual, Fauci stated that most hospitalizations were among the unvaccinated according to studies – a trope he often repeats without ever mentioning what studies prove that. But for greater transparency we need to look at report overseas by health officials Dr Kristiaan Deckers from the GZA Hospital network in Belgium reported that 100% of ICU admissions were among the vaccinated. In the UK- the government’s Public Health Data division reported that during the months of August to early December that persons who were double or triple vaccinated accounted for 6 in every 10 Covid cases, 7 in every 10 hospitalizations and 9 in every 10 Covid-19 deaths In the month of November alone, the fully vaccinated accounted for 62% of cases, 71% o hospitalizations and 85% of deaths And just before Xmas, the UK Office of National Statistics reported that triple vaccinated persons are 4.5 times more likely to test positive for the omicron variant compared to the unvaccinated and partially vaccinated Again last month ,South Korea reported record covid cases. The adult Korean population is almost completely fully vaccinated at 92% In France, the nations top virologist Prof Christian Perrone, and a long time health policy advisor to the French government has called for the lockdown of vaccinated people as being the super spreaders The very recent Danish study showed that the vaccines plus boosters showed a strong NEGATIVE efficacy against omicron – 78% of omicron cases are among the fully vaccinated which represents 77.5% of the Danish population – in other words, the vaccines have zero efficacy against omicron A German study based on the government’s data by Prof emeritus Rolf Steyer at Fredrick Schiller University medical school also last month found that the higher the vaccination rate, the higher the excess mortality Recently was the Columbia University study – vaccine induced fatality rates are underreported by a factor of 20. Consequently thee actual number of deaths due to the Covid vaccines is between 146,000 and 187,000 Finally there are increasing reports by doctors and nurses in the field, in hospitals, clinics and emergency rooms who are reported that the large majority of covid cases are among the vaccinated. In a large Rochester NY hospital – one ER professional reported that 90% of individuals admitted into the hospital are vaccinated
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VIDEOS
Video - POLICE STATE: Australians Mass Protest After Churches Raided, Moms Arrested, Citizen Snitches - 7.5 minutes
Can cocoa consumption help us age better?
Medical College of Georgia, Sept. 14, 2021 Whether consuming cocoa, known to be packed with powerful antioxidants that protect our cells from damage, helps us age better, is a question scientists want to definitively answer. The COSMOS Trial (COcoa Supplement and Multivitamin Outcomes Study), led by investigators at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, gathered data from 21,444 men and women looking at the impact of a cocoa extract supplement and/or multivitamins on common health problems, most of which increase with age. Dong and his colleagues will be looking specifically at aging, including so called “inflammaging,” and epigenetic aging, both considered good indicators of our biological age. Rather than just looking at the year you were born, biological age also takes into account key factors that impact your function and health, like genetics and lifestyle. He also has more standard aging measures on these individuals, like blood pressure and cognitive function tests.
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Psychobiotics as a novel strategy for alleviating anxiety and depression
Jiangnan University (China), September 10, 2021 As an important ‘microbial organ’, the gut microbiota directly participates in nutrient metabolism and peripheral immune regulation and even distantly affects brain functions and behaviours. This review provides an overview of recent discoveries regarding how the gut microbiota influences anxiety and depression and aims to establish the key signalling pathways between the gut microbiota and the brain. Finally, the psychobiotic strategy for treating mood disorders is discussed, covering both pre-clinical and clinical studies. Psychobiotic treatment could provide a novel therapeutic approach to treat anxiety and depression. In recent years, the gut microbiota has been viewed as a physiological control centre that is linked to the host’s immune system, hormonal system, nervous system, or other physiological pathways. Until now, many studies have revealed the inextricable relationship between the gut microbiome and the brain, especially its participation in the regulation of memory, mood, and behaviour (Cryan et al., 2019b).
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Further evidence that vitamin D might protect against severe COVID-19 disease and death
Trinity College (Ireland) and University of Edinburgh, September 16, 2021 New research from Trinity College and University of Edinburgh has examined the association between vitamin D and COVID-19, and found that ambient ultraviolet B (UVB) radiation (which is key for vitamin D production in the skin) at an individual's place of residence in the weeks before COVID-19 infection, was strongly protective against severe disease and death. Researchers, for the first time, looked at both genetically-predicted and UVB-predicted vitamin D level. Almost half a million individuals in the UK took part in the study, and ambient UVB radiation before COVID-19 infection was individually assessed for each participant. When comparing the two variables, researchers found that correlation with measured vitamin D concentration in the circulation was three-fold stronger for UVB-predicted vitamin D level, compared to genetically-predicted.
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Study: Eating yogurt can help older adults with high blood pressure
University of Maine, September 13, 2021 Yogurt consumption can help lower blood pressure in older adults with elevated levels, according to a new study led by an international team, including researchers at the University of Maine. The MSLS team examined the relationship between yogurt consumption and bloodpressure among older adults with and without high blood pressure. Statistical analyses revealed modest but statistically significant reductions in systolic blood pressure among those with high blood pressure who consumed yogurt.
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Comprehensive review of antioxidants and common arterial condition
University of Connecticut, September 13, 2021 Nutritional science graduate student Chelsea Garcia and associate professor Christopher Blesso recently published an article in Free Radical Biology and Medicine outlining the research to date on a type of antioxidant called anthocyanins and its impact on atherosclerosis. Atherosclerosis occurs when fats and cholesterol build up along the artery walls. This can restrict blood flow and cause blood clots. This condition is associated with oxidative stress, a process our bodies undergo throughout our lifetime as they encounter free radicals. These oxygen-containing molecules are highly reactive and unstable. They occur when a molecule gains or loses an electron. The unpaired electron on the free radical can react with other molecules and cause age-related harms in the body.
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Blueberry and soluble fiber improve serum antioxidant and adipokine biomarkers and lipid peroxidation in pregnant women with obesity
University of Nevada, September 10, 2021 According to news originating from the University of Nevada research stated, “Pregnancies affected by obesity are at high risk for developing metabolic complications with oxidative stress and adipocyte dysfunction contributing to the underlying pathologies.” We conducted an 18 gestation-week randomized controlled trial to examine the effects of a dietary intervention comprising of whole blueberries and soluble fiber vs. control (standard prenatal care) on biomarkers of oxidative stress/antioxidant status and adipocyte and hormonal functions in pregnant women with obesity ( * n * = 34). Serum samples were collected at baseline (
End of Year Trends Review -- A Look at 2022
Gerald Celente is one of today’s pioneers in trend strategy and identifying the developments of change occurring in our world. He founded the Trends Research Institute in Kingston NY and is the publisher of the Trends Journal that has been in publication since 1980. Gerald has since become one of the nation’s most sought after diagnosticians and forecasters. He is also the host of the weekly show "Trends This Week," heard every Wednesday at 11 am Eastern Time on the Progressive Radio Network. More information can be found on the Institute's website TrendsResearch.com
Efficacy and Safety of Ashwagandha Root Extract on Cognitive Functions in Healthy, Stressed Adults Bengaluru Neuro Centre (India), December 26, 2021
The global prevalence of stress is increasing. Stress adversely affects cognitive ability, sleep quality, and overall psychological well-being. Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera (L.) Dunal), an essential medicine in Ayurveda, is reportedly beneficial in reducing stress and improving memory. This double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled clinical study evaluated the effect of Ashwagandha root extract sustained-release capsule 300 mg (hereafter Ashwagandha SR) on cognitive functions, stress levels, sleep quality, overall well-being, and safety in stressed subjects.
In this first reported clinical study assessing the “sustained-release formulation” of Ashwagandha root extract, we demonstrated that consumption of Ashwagandha SR capsules for 90 days resulted in improved memory and focus, psychological well-being, and sleep quality and reduced stress levels. We also showed that Ashwagandha SR capsules were safe when administered over the period of 90 days. Thus, these capsules can be used in a single daily dose as an effective adaptogen to improve cognitive abilities and reduce stress in otherwise healthy adults
Social stress messes up the hippocampus
Polish Academy of Sciences, December 3, 2021
How do you feel when you are stuck in a traffic jam for hours? Or when you are late for a flight? Or when you are waiting at the university hall to pass an exam? Obviously, you feel stressed, which might endanger your hippocampus according to a research paper recently published in PLOS One by Stankiewicz and colleagues.
A large body of research has clearly shown that stress, especially when repeated and unpredictable, is capable of modifying the structure and the activity of neuronal circuits. In fact, stress is a risk factor for many mood-related disorders such as depression, anxiety and schizophrenia. Adaptive and maladaptive modifications take place in our brain to counteract stressors and these modifications could lead to severe mental pathologies. One of the most vulnerable structures of the brain is the hippocampus, a brain region greatly involved in learning and memory functions.
Stress responses have been correlated with altered inflammatory functions; for example, infiltration of leukocytes in the brain of socially defeated mice has been reported. As such, Stankiewicz and colleagues searched for potential modifications in expression of brain-inflammation markers in hippocampi from stressed mice.
Thankfully, good news also came out from this study. We all have experienced the pleasant effects of rest following stressful periods; in fact, Stankiewicz and colleagues found that after 5 days of recovery from a protocol of chronic stress most of the altered genes had returned to basal levels, suggesting that maladaptive modifications are indeed reversible. This finding reinforces the idea that our brain is able to adapt to any circumstances, healthy or unhealthy, and that our life style could sometimes be the best cure to our messed up brains.
Healthy diet in early pregnancy reduces risk of gestational diabetes University of Turku (Finland), December 29, 2021
A healthy, comprehensive diet that lowers the body's inflammation reduces the risk of gestational diabetes mellitus, reveals a new study from the University of Turku in Finland.
Obesity is a significant risk factor for developing gestational diabetes mellitus, and an increasing number of pregnant women are overweight or obese. Dietary habits have an impact on both obesity and the onset of gestational diabetes mellitus.
The research results show that following a healthy diet in early pregnancy reduces the risk of gestational diabetes. The study also found that a higher dietary inflammatory index, meaning a diet that increases the low-grade inflammatory markers in the body was connected to an increased risk of developing gestational diabetes mellitus. Furthermore, a higher consumption of fat and especially saturated fats was connected to gestational diabetes. This is of interest as the intake of saturated fats is known to increase the body's inflammation.
Eating vegetables, fruit, berries, and wholegrain products as well as unsaturated fats is particularly important. These nutrients and foods reduce inflammation in the body and therefore also the risk of gestational diabetes.
Intake of magnesium associated with improvements in blood sugar, insulin sensitivity in meta-analysis University of Palermo (Italy), December 24, 2021
Magnesium intake may help improve blood sugar (glucose) metabolism among people with diabetes and those who are at high risk of developing the disease, according to findings from a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials reported in the journal Nutrients.
Magnesium [intake] appears to have a beneficial role and improves glucose parameters in people with diabetes,” the authors concluded. “Moreover, our work indicates that magnesium [intake] may improve insulin-sensitivity parameters in those at high risk of diabetes.”
Their research suggests that magnesium intake may boost glucose utilization by the cells, particularly in those who have not developed full-fledged diabetes. Studies have also indicated that magnesium decreases factors that contribute to insulin resistance, including oxidative stress and inflammation.
Compared to a placebo, intake of magnesium was associated with significantly lower fasting plasma glucose levels in trials that included diabetic participants.
Nighttime electronic device use lowers melatonin levels
Brigham and Women's Hospital, December 24 2021.
The Proceedings of the National Academy of Science published the findings researchers at Boston's Brigham and Women's Hospital of a suppressive effect for evening use of light-emitting electronic devices on sleep and melatonin secretion.
"Electronic devices emit light that is short-wavelength-enriched light, which has a higher concentration of blue light -- with a peak around 450 nm -- than natural light," explained lead author Anne-Marie Chang. "This is different from natural light in composition, having a greater impact on sleep and circadian rhythms."
Twelve healthy adults were randomized to read a light-emitting eBook or a printed book in dim room light approximately four hours before bedtime for five evenings. At the end of the five day period, participants switched their assignments. eBook reading was associated with more time needed to fall asleep and less rapid eye movement sleep in comparison with reading a printed book. Evening melatonin levels were suppressed by an average of 55.12% in eBook readers, while those who read printed books had no suppression. Compared to printed book reading, the onset of melatonin release in response to dim light occurred 1 ½ hours later the day following reading of an eBook.
Mediterranean diet plus olive oil or nuts associated with improved cognitive function
Institute of Biomedical Investigations (Barcelona Spain), December 11, 2021
Supplementing the plant-based Mediterranean diet with antioxidant-rich extra virgin olive oil or mixed nuts was associated with improved cognitive function in a study of older adults in Spain but the authors warn more investigation is needed, according to an article published online by JAMA Internal Medicine.
Emerging evidence suggests associations between dietary habits and cognitive performance. Oxidative stress (the body's inability to appropriately detoxify itself) has long been considered to play a major role in cognitive decline. Previous research suggests following a Mediterranean diet may relate to better cognitive function and a lower risk of dementia. However, the observational studies that have examined these associations have limitations, according to the study background.
The study found that individuals assigned to the low-fat control diet had a significant decrease from baseline in all composites of cognitive function. Compared with the control group, the memory composite improved significantly in the Mediterranean diet plus nuts, while the frontal and global cognition composites improved in the Mediterranean diet plus olive oil group. The authors note the changes for the two Mediterranean diet arms in each composite were more like each other than when comparing the individual Mediterranean diet groups with the low-fat diet control group.
Drinking Matcha Tea Can Reduce Anxiety
Kumamoto University (Japan), December 24, 2021
Researchers at Kumamoto University in the Kyushu region of Japan studied green tea’s beneficial properties, specifically its ability to calm the mind. Published in the Journal of Functional Foods in 2019, the study examined the stress-reducing function of matcha green tea in animal experiments and clinical trials. The study honed in on the effects of L-theanine, a primary amino acid in green tea that has been shown to exhibit stress-reducing effects in mice and humans with high-trait anxiety.
The amino acid L-arginine, also present in traditional green tea, has previously been shown to enhance stress-reducing effects of certain amino acids. Matcha tea, also called “fine powder tea,” has higher concentrations of theanine and arginine than traditional green tea preparations.
However, the higher caffeine level creates an effect that is antagonistic to theanine, meaning it reduces theanine’s calming effects. Previous studies have suggested that differences in the quantities and ratios of these three green tea components (theanine, arginine and caffeine) affect the efficiency of its stress-reducing action.
Researchers noted that the quantities of theanine and arginine must be high, whereas the EGCG and caffeine levels must be low to receive optimum anti-anxiety benefits of matcha tea. Therefore, this research suggests that the quality of matcha tea preparation is highly important when an individual is consuming matcha for its calming properties.
Omega-3 supplementation associated with reduction in markers of senescence
Akershus University Hospital (Norway), December 27 2021.
The November-December 2021 issue of Kidney Medicine reported the finding of a reduction in markers of cellular senescence among kidney transplant recipients who received supplemental omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) in comparison with a placebo. Accelerated cellular senescence has been associated with a decline in kidney transplant function.
The current study compared the effects of 2.6 grams per day of omega-3 fatty acids to a placebo among 132 kidney transplant patients. Blood samples were collected before and after the 44-week treatment period.
Analysis of plasma obtained at the end of the trial revealed a reduction in the SASP components granulocyte colony-stimulating factor, interleukin 1α, macrophage inflammatory protein 1α, matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-1 and MMP-13.
Self-Compassion Reduces Negative Mood Over Time New research shows that accepting negative moods can reduce them. University of Toronto, Dec 22, 2021
New research headed by the University of Toronto looked at if the amount that people "accept" their negative emotions is associated with (a) better mental health and (b) reduced negative moods over time. By acceptance, these authors do not mean simply allowing and being okay with negative things happening to you or being mistreated, but rather, experiencing and thinking about your own negative emotions in a non-judgemental way.
In one study of over 1,000 people, they found that accepting mental experiences was related to less anxiety and depression and to more life satisfaction. This was even when "controlling" for potentially related variables like cognitive re-appraisal (re-thinking something to make it more positive/less negative) and rumination. This means, basically, that the effect persisted even when those other variables were accounted for.
In Study 2, these researchers measured people's general level of acceptance of their negative thoughts and emotions. They then exposed participants in a laboratory to a variety of stressors. Participants with a higher level of general acceptance experienced lower levels of negative mood as a response.
In Study 3, they assessed around 200 participants over a six month period. They found that high levels of acceptance were associated with better mental health at Time 1, and the relationship between acceptance and positive mental health was explained by reduced levels of negative emotions six months later.
Taken together, these studies suggest that one way to reduce negative moods is to stop beating yourself up about thinking bad thoughts and having negative feelings. Accepting them—and this might be easier said than done but is still possible—can greatly improve your mental health.
Researchers identify how red meat increases cardiovascular disease risk
Cleveland Clinic, December 23, 2021
A Cleveland Clinic-led study has revealed new insights into how a diet rich in red meat increases risk for cardiovascular disease. The findings were published in Nature Microbiology.
The latest findings offer a more comprehensive understanding of the two-step process by which gut microbes convert the nutrient carnitine into TMAO, an atherosclerosis- and blood clot-promoting molecule, following the ingestion of a red meat-rich diet.
"These new studies identify the gut microbial gene cluster responsible for the second step of the process that links a red meat-rich diet to elevated cardiac disease risks," said Dr. Hazen, who directs the Cleveland Clinic Center for Microbiome & Human Health.
The researchers studied the relationship between fasting plasma γBB levels and disease outcomes using samples and clinical data collected from nearly 3,000 patients. Higher γBB levels were associated with cardiovascular disease and major adverse events including death, non-fatal heart attack or stroke.
Try exercise to improve memory, thinking Mayo Clinic, December 27, 2021
A new guideline for medical practitioners says they should recommend twice-weekly exercise to people with mild cognitive impairment to improve memory and thinking.
"Regular physical exercise has long been shown to have heart health benefits, and now we can say exercise also may help improve memory for people with mild cognitive impairment," says Ronald Petersen, M.D., Ph.D., lead author, director of the Alzheimer's Disease Research Center, Mayo Clinic.
Dr. Petersen encourages people to do aerobic exercise: Walk briskly, jog, whatever you like to do, for 150 minutes a week—30 minutes, five times or 50 minutes, three times. The level of exertion should be enough to work up a bit of a sweat but doesn't need to be so rigorous that you can't hold a conversation. "Exercising might slow down the rate at which you would progress from mild cognitive impairment to dementia," he says.
Another guideline update says clinicians may recommend cognitive training for people with mild cognitive impairment. Cognitive training uses repetitive memory and reasoning exercises that may be computer-assisted or done in person individually or in small groups. There is weak evidence that cognitive training may improve measures of cognitive function, the guideline notes.
New evidence shows the importance of healthy lifestyle programs in pregnancy
Monash University (Australia), December 22, 2021
Healthy lifestyle programs in pregnancy support mums to achieve healthier pregnancies and improve health outcomes Monash University research shows.
The systematic review incorporated 34,546 pregnancies and highlighted that supporting mums-to-be with a structured, healthy lifestyle program that provides structured, evidence-based health information, advice and guidance from professionals about healthy eating and physical activity during this priority life stage, helps achieve a healthier pregnancy and significantly improves pregnancy complications.
The research also showed that healthy lifestyle programs are effective for all mums regardless of what weight they enter pregnancy and focus on supporting a healthy lifestyle and don't focus on weight and are a powerful tool in supporting mums to be the healthiest they can in pregnancy.
OTHER NEWS
Video - Melissa Ciummei – North Ireland investor and economic researcher
The pandemic is about the Great Reset. People have this idea that ‘that’s my money in the bank’, it’s not.
10 minutes (video was deleted on youtube)
https://videopress.com/v/rwiSFKU2
Video - Anna de Buisseret - Former British army officer and senior UK attorney
Experimental Injections. “Biggest Crimes Against Humanity Ever Committed.”
From 44 second mark to 5:55 minute mark
(video is embedded on this webpage) https://www.globalresearch.ca/biggest-crimes-against-humanity-ever-committed-anna-de-bouisseret-explains-who-will-held-liable-under-law/5765620
Dr. Sucharit Bhakdi is an American born physician trained in Germany and has been in the medical field now for five decades. He received his medical degree from the University of Bonn and did his post-doctoral work at the prestigious Max Planck Institute of Immunobiology and Epigenetics before becoming an associate professor at the Institute of Medical Microbiology at Gressen University. Later he was appointed as the chair of Medical Microbiology at the University of Mainz. Dr. Bhakdi has published over 300 articles in the fields of immunology, bacteriology and virology and has received numerous awards including the Order of Merit of Rhineland. His book, co-written with his biologist wife Dr. Karina Reiss -- "Corona False Alarm?: Facts and Figures," --- which has been written for the layperson to understand the pandemic clearly -- became a national best seller in Germany and later rapidly receiving international attention.
Effects of strawberries on bone biomarkers in pre- and stage 1-hypertensive postmenopausal women Florida State University
Postmenopausal women experience an increase in bone remodeling with the rate of bone resorption superseding the rate of bone formation. This results in a net bone loss with a subsequent increased risk for osteoporosis and fractures. Strawberries are rich in polyphenols, which have been shown to have anti-hypertensive and bone-protective properties. Thus, we examined whether daily intake of strawberries would positively affect biomarkers of bone metabolism in postmenopausal women with pre- and stage 1-hypertension. After eight weeks, osteocalcin increased in the 50 g FDSP group with a large effect size (d = 0.6) when compared to the placebo-control group. Adiponectin increased by 5% and 6% in the 25 g and 50 g FDSP groups, respectively, while it declined in the placebo-control group by 25% (P = 0.03 for time-by-treatment interaction). Our findings suggest that consumption of 25 g FDSP increases IGF-1 in postmenopausal women with pre- and stage 1-hypertension.
Dietary supplement use by individuals living with and beyond cancer University College London, December 20, 2021
New research indicates that many individuals living with and beyond cancer use dietary supplements, often with the belief that the products will reduce the risk of cancer recurrence. Published by Wiley online in CANCER, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society, the findings reveal a need for health care professionals to provide advice and clarity to patients about the appropriate use of dietary supplements.
To explore factors associated with dietary supplement use in cancer survivors, Rana Conway, PhD, RNutr, of University College London (UCL), and her colleagues studied 1,049 adults who had been diagnosed with breast, prostate, or colorectal cancer in the United Kingdom.
Among the major findings:
- 40% of participants took dietary supplements.
- 19% of participants believed that dietary supplements could reduce the risk of cancer recurrence.
- Women, participants meeting five-a-day fruit and vegetable recommendations, and those believing that dietary supplements were important for reducing the risk of cancer recurrence were more likely to use dietary supplements.
- Participants with obesity were less likely to use dietary supplements.
- Fish oils were the most commonly used dietary supplements, taken by 13% of participants.
- Calcium with or without vitamin D were the supplements most commonly used by individuals with breast cancer, taken by 15%.
Omega-3 fatty acid, carotenoid and vitamin E supplementation improves working memory in older adults: A randomised clinical trial Nutrition Research Centre Ireland, December 20, 2021
Accumulating evidence suggests that omega-3 fatty acids (ω-3FAs), carotenoids and vitamin E can improve cognitive performance. However, their collective impact on cognition has not yet been investigated in healthy individuals. This study investigated the combined effect of ω-3FA, carotenoid and vitamin E supplementation on the cognitive performance of older adults.
Methods Cognitively healthy individuals aged ≥65 years consumed daily 1 g fish oil (of which 430 mg docosahexaenoic acid, 90 mg eicosapentaenoic acid), 22 mg carotenoids (10 mg lutein, 10 mg meso-zeaxanthin, 2 mg zeaxanthin) and 15 mg vitamin E or placebo for 24 months in a double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomised clinical trial.
These results support a biologically plausible rationale whereby these nutrients work synergistically, and in a dose-dependent manner, to improve working memory in cognitively healthy older adults. Increasing nutritional intake of carotenoids and ω-3FAs may prove beneficial in reducing cognitive decline and dementia risk in later life.
A high-fiber diet may improve the response of melanoma patients to immunotherapy University of Texas and National Cancer Institute, December 23, 2021
A diet rich in fiber may help some people being treated for melanoma respond to immunotherapy treatment by influencing the gut microbiome, according to a new study led by researchers at the Center for Cancer Research at the National Cancer Institute (NCI), part of the National Institutes of Health, and the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.
Among patients with advanced melanoma who underwent immunotherapy with immune checkpoint blockers, those who consumed at least 20 grams a day of dietary fiber survived the longest without their disease progressing. In contrast, use of probiotic supplements appeared to lessen somewhat the effectiveness of immune checkpoint blocker regimens. Probiotics are live microorganisms typically consumed as a supplement to improve gut health.
Among the 128 patients whose dietary fiber intake was known, those who reported consuming at least 20 grams of dietary fiber per day (an amount the researchers designated as "sufficient" for the purposes of this study) lived longer without their cancer progressing than those who consumed less dietary fiber. Every 5-gram increase in daily dietary fiber intake corresponded to a 30% lower risk of progression of the disease.
Dr. Trinchieri noted that one possible mechanism through which dietary fiber exerts its beneficial effect is by increasing the types of bacteria in the gut, such as Ruminococcaceae, that produce high levels of certain short-chain fatty acids that have an antitumor effect.
Could meditation strengthen your immune system? University of Florida's College of Medicine, December 23, 2021
Meditation done at an intense level may bring a significant boost to the inner workings of your immune system. That analysis suggested that meditation boosted the activity of hundreds of genes known to be directly involved in regulating immune response.
But the researchers stressed that their study involved 10-hour daily marathon meditation sessions conducted for eight straight days in total silence. In the real world, most people would be hard-pressed to replicate those methods.
The eight-day retreat provided all participants with vegan cuisine, and all followed a regular sleep schedule. Meditation sessions lasted 10 hours a day and were conducted in silence.
The result: Three months after the retreat's conclusion, Chandran and his colleagues found an uptick in activity involving 220 immune-related genes, including 68 genes engaged in so-called "interferon signaling."
The study authors pointed out that such signaling can be key to mounting an effective defense against various health conditions—including cancer, multiple sclerosis or even COVID-19—given that interferon proteins effectively act as immune system triggers.
Among seriously ill COVID-19 patients in particular, Chandran noted, insufficient interferon activity has been cited as a problem.
He explained that nearly all (97%) of interferon "response genes" were found to be activated following the mediation retreat. But relying on publicly available gene activity data derived from COVID-19 patients, Chandran and his colleagues reported that figure to be 76% among those with mild COVID illness, and just 31% among the most severe cases.
At the same time, the investigators found that while inflammation-signaling gene activity remained stable following in-depth meditation, such signaling shot up among severely ill COVID-19 patients.
Even light-intensity exercise might reduce dementia risk Yonsei University College of Medicine (South Korea), December 22, 2021
In a new study, researchers have identified an association between light-intensity physical exercise in older adults and a reduced risk of dementia.
In the present study, researchers investigated whether there was an association between doing light-intensity physical exercise and a reduced risk of developing dementia in older adults.
The study involved 62,286 participants who were 65 years or older, did not have a dementia diagnosis, and had medical records in the Korean National Health Insurance Service database.
Researchers gathered data between January 2009 and December 2012 and tracked the participants until the end of December 2013. They completed data analysis from July 2020 to January 2021.
After a median follow-up period of 42 months, the researchers noted how many participants developed dementia.
They found that insufficiently active participants had a 10% reduced risk of developing dementia compared with inactive participants.
Active participants had a 20% reduced risk, while highly active participants had a 28% reduced risk.
Fast-food consumption linked to lower test score gains in 8th graders
The more children ate in 5th grade, the slower their academic growth by 8th grade
Ohio State University, December 22, 2021
The amount of fast food children eat may be linked to how well they do in school, a new nationwide study suggests.
Researchers found that the more frequently children reported eating fast food in fifth grade, the lower their growth in reading, math, and science test scores by the time they reached eighth grade.
Students who ate the most fast food had test score gains that were up to about 20 percent lower than those who didn't eat any fast food, said Kelly Purtell, lead author of the study and assistant professor of human sciences at The Ohio State University.
The results remained even after the researchers took into account a wide variety of other factors that may have explained why those with high fast-food consumption might have lower test scores, including how much they exercised, how much television they watched, what other food they ate, their family's socioeconomic status and characteristics of their neighborhood and school.
This study included about 11,740 students. They were tested in reading/literacy, mathematics and science in both fifth and eighth grades. They also completed a food consumption questionnaire in fifth grade.Children who ate fast food four to six times per week or every day showed significantly lower gains in all three achievement areas compared to children who did not eat any fast food the week before the survey.
However, children who ate fast food just one to three times a week had lower academic growth compared to non-eaters in only one subject, math.
Effects of Curcumin Supplementation on Inflammatory Markers, Muscle Damage, and Sports Performance during Acute Physical Exercise in Sedentary Individuals
Universidade Federal de Viçosa (Brazil), December 14, 2021 Exhaustive and acute unusual physical exercise leads to muscle damage. Curcumin has been widely studied due to the variety of its biological activities, attributed to its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Furthermore, it has shown positive effects on physical exercise practitioners. However, there is no literature consensus on the beneficial effects of curcumin in acute physical activities performed by sedentary individuals. Therefore, we systematically reviewed evidence from clinical trials on the main effects of curcumin supplementation on inflammatory markers, sports performance, and muscle damage during acute physical exercises in these individuals. Most studies have shown positive effects of curcumin supplementation in sedentary individuals undergoing acute physical exercise. Overall, participants supplemented with curcumin showed less muscle damage, reduced inflammation, and better muscle performance.
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Long Term Study Alludes to Artificial Sweeteners and Cognitive Decline Link
University of Barcelona, December 10. 2021 Diet is considered an important modulator of cognitive decline and dementia, but the available evidence is, however, still fragmented and often inconsistent. Methods and Results In conclusion, our prospective and validated data suggest that food-related and microbiota-derived metabolites may play an important role in the later development of CD. Our results support a protective association between metabolites reflecting the consumption of polyphenol-rich foods (i.e., fruits and vegetables), cocoa, coffee, mushrooms and red wine with CD, whereas other food components related to unhealthy dietary components (i.e., alcohol, artificial sweeteners) may have deleterious effects on cognition.
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Key role in brain health for vitamin E
University of Newcastle (Australia), December 18, 2021 Vitamin E has a key role to play in reducing the onset of Alzheimer’s disease, fatty liver diseases and other health risks, experts at a recent symposium on vitamin E have said. Eggersdorfersaid that more than 90% of the US’s population did not meet their recommended daily allowance of vitamin E, which was a worry. Consumers were expected to take in enough vitamin E through their diets, but “they are characterised by an increasing intake of processed foods”, said Lisa Wood, associate professor at the Centre for Asthma and Respiratory Diseases at Australia’s University of Newcastle.
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Childhood obesity linked with mother's unhealthy diet before pregnancy
University of Southampton, December 22, 2021 New research led by the University of Southampton shows supporting women to eat a healthy diet pre-pregnancy could reduce risk of obesity for their children. New research, at the University of Southampton, has found children aged eight or nine were more likely to be obese if their mother had a poor diet during—and before—pregnancy. The research identifies these as critical times, when initiatives to reduce childhood obesity may be more effective. The results, published in the International Journal of Obesity, showed that if a mother-child pair was in a lower diet quality group, this was associated with child having a higher DXA percentage body fat and BMI at age eight or nine. This research shows the importance of intervening at the earliest possible stage in a child's life, in pregnancy or even before conception, to enable us to tackle it."
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Can Oily Fish, Cherries Or Milk Help You Sleep? Here’s What The Evidence Shows
Aston University (UK), December 20, 2021 Almost one-in-five British people report they don’t get enough sleep each night. The problem is so bad that in total the UK public are losing around a night’s worth of shut-eye each week. Our diet has an influence upon sleep patterns by affecting the sleep hormone melatonin. For example, foods rich in the essential amino acid tryptophan are commonly cited as helping sleep, as tryptophan helps produce melatonin. Additionally, some vitamins and minerals may help sleep, such as vitamin D, magnesium and zinc. Oily fish: Evidence suggests the more oily fish, such as salmon or herring, you eat the better you sleep. Oily fish contain healthy fats such as omega-3 oils which have been shown to improve sleep in children and are involved in serotonin release. Tart cherries: Evidence suggests that tart cherries improves sleep in older adults, probably due to their ability to increase melatonin levels. And tart cherries are also rich in nutrients, including magnesium, which also may improve your sleep. Warm milk: Research conducted in the 1970s suggested that a glass of warm milk before bed could improve sleep quality. This research was performed in a very small group however, and little research has been done since. Drinking milk does increase melatonin levels which could help. But there isn’t enough evidence to support the claim that a glass of warm milk definitely makes you nod off. Herbal teas: Evidence for valerian, a common ingredient, to aid sleep is inconclusive. Decaffeinated green tea has been reported to improve sleep quality, which might be linked to the relaxing qualities of L-theanine, an amino acid it contains
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War metaphors for cancer hurt certain prevention behaviors
University of Michigan, December 15, 2021 It's not unusual for people to use war metaphors such as "fight" and "battle" when trying to motivate patients with cancer. But a new University of Michigan study indicates that using those words can have an unintended negative effect. David Hauser, a U-M doctoral student in psychology, and colleague Norbert Schwarz of the University of Southern California, found in three studies that exposure to metaphoric language relating cancer to an enemy significantly lessens the extent to which people consider cancer-prevention behaviors.
Plant scientists find recipe for anti-cancer compound in herbs
Purdue University, December 21, 2021 Thyme and oregano possess an anti-cancer compound that suppresses tumor development, but adding more to your tomato sauce isn’t enough to gain significant benefit. The key to unlocking the power of these plants is in amplifying the amount of the compound created or synthesizing the compound for drug development. Researchers at Purdue University achieved the first step toward using the compound in pharmaceuticals by mapping its biosynthetic pathway, a sort of molecular recipe of the ingredients and steps needed. Thymol, carvacrol and thymohydroquinone are flavor compounds in thyme, oregano and other plants in the Lamiaceae family. They also have antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and other properties beneficial to human health. Thymohydroquinone has been shown to have anti-cancer properties and is particularly of interest, said Dudareva, who also is director of Purdue’s Center for Plant Biology.
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Prebiotics supplements help women reduce sugar intake by four percent
University of Surrey, December 21, 2021 A new study from the University of Surrey has found that young women who took four weeks of prebiotic supplements made healthier food choices and consumed less sugar. The prebiotics used in this study were galacto-oligosaccharides (GOS) which increase the amount of "friendly" gut bacteria. IThe research team found that participants who used the GOS supplements consumed 4.1% less sugar and 4.3% fewer calories from carbohydrates overall than women from the placebo group. Interestingly, the study also found that those who took the GOS supplements consumed around 4.2% more energy from fats. After analyzing their results, the Surrey team found that the prebiotic supplements modified the composition of the gut microbiome, increasing levels of Bifidobacterium. The researchers found that these changes were associated with the women's nutritional intake over the four-week period.
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Vitamin E supplementation could boost pneumonia protection
Tufts University School of Medicine December 17 2021 An article in The Journal of Immunology reports findings from experimental research that suggests a role for vitamin E supplementation in protecting against pneumonia. "Earlier studies have shown that vitamin E can help regulate the aging body's immune system, but our present research is the first study to demonstrate that dietary vitamin E regulates neutrophil entry into the lungs in mice, and so dramatically reduces inflammation, and helps fight off infection by this common type of bacteria," announced lead author Elsa N. Bou Ghanem, PhD, of Tufts University School of Medicine. "A growing body of research suggests vitamin E could make up for the loss of immune response caused by aging," noted co-senior author Simin Nikbin Meydani, DVM, PhD. "Whether vitamin E can help protect people against this type of pneumonia affecting older adults requires more research."
(NEXT)
Heavy metals in cannabis plants could affect human health, study finds
Penn State University, December 15, 2021 A new study led by researchers from Penn State is outlining a number of strategies that should be employed by cannabis growers to mitigate the plant’s ability to absorb heavy metals from soil. The study indicates it is possible consuming cannabis contaminated with heavy metals could lead to chronic diseases, including neurological disorders such as Alzheimer’s. Phytoremediation is a process where plants are used to remove certain environmental contaminants from soil. Cannabis is a plant often used in this process due to its exceptional ability to grow fast, need few extra nutrients, and absorb high volumes of heavy metals including lead, cadmium and chromium. In particular, cannabis plants transport these heavy metals into its leaves and flowers. These elements specifically concentrate in the hairlike structures called trichomes on its flowers, and these are the same parts of the plant that store cannabinoids such as THC and CBD.
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Yoga has potential to reduce risk factors of cardiovascular disease
European Society of Cardiology, December 15, 2021 There is "promising evidence" that the popular mind-body practice of yoga is beneficial in managing and improving the risk factors associated with cardiovascular disease and is a "potentially effective therapy" for cardiovascular health. Indeed, following a systematic review of 37 randomised controlled trials (which included 2768 subjects), investigators from the Netherlands and USA have found that yoga may provide the same benefits in risk factor reduction as such traditional physical activities as biking or brisk walking. "This finding is significant," they note, "as individuals who cannot or prefer not to perform traditional aerobic exercise might still achieve similar benefits in [cardiovascular] risk reduction." Their study is published today in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology.
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Hugs help protect against stress, infection, say researchers
Carnegie Mellon University, December 17, 2021 Instead of an apple, could a hug-a-day keep the doctor away? According to new research from Carnegie Mellon University, that may not be that far-fetched of an idea. Led by Sheldon Cohen, the Robert E. Doherty University Professor of Psychology in CMU's Dietrich College of Humanities and Social Sciences, the researchers tested whether hugs act as a form of social support, protecting stressed people from getting sick. Published in Psychological Science, they found that greater social support and more frequent hugs protected people from the increased susceptibility to infection associated with being stressed and resulted in less severe illness symptoms.
(OTHER NEWS NEXT)
Despite Climate Imperative, 94% of Analyzed Coal Companies Have No Phaseout Plan
COMMON DREAMS December 21, 2021 With a new analysis in hand, an international climate advocacy group on Tuesday demanded that banks and investors worldwide use their leverage to force the coal industry to more rapidly end their planet-wrecking operations. The new report by Paris-based Reclaim Finance—entitled The Coal Companies Watchlist: How finance can accelerate the coal phaseout—makes the case that the financial industry must force polluters to develop and implement plans for a "rapid global phaseout of coal" that align with the Paris climate agreement's goal of limiting temperature rise by 2100 to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels. The review revealed that 94% of the 47 analyzed companies have "no credible coal exit plan." According to the report: Only three out of 47 analyzed companies' plans (6%) meet all the basic criteria of a credible coal phaseout (no expansion, adequate timeline, and commitment to shut down assets); 28% of analyzed companies are still coal expansionists and have not even yet recognized the absolute necessity of stopping the development of new coal capacity; 55% of companies do not plan to retire their coal assets by 2030 and 2040, thereby failing to align with a 1.5°C pathway; and The remaining 11% of analyzed companies do provide an adequate phaseout calendar but fail to shut down their assets: by selling coal mines and plants or converting them to gas and biomass—two other unsustainable energy sources—the only thing these companies are greening is their public profile, with no material effect on climate change.
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Prescribe fewer antidepressants, and for shorter periods, doctors advised
by British Medical Journal Doctors should prescribe fewer antidepressants and for shorter periods of time, because of the ongoing uncertainties about their effectiveness and the potential severity and durability of the withdrawal symptoms associated with them, suggests a review of the evidence on antidepressant use, published online in the Drug and Therapeutics Bulletin. The use of antidepressants is also associated with a range of side effects, while the clinical trial data mostly don't assess the outcomes that matter most to patients, say the authors. And there is no clinically relevant difference between these drugs and placebo on depression. While there might be a role for antidepressants among patients with severe depression, the cons may outweigh the pros in those with mild to moderate depression or in those whose symptoms don't yet qualify as depression, they add. They conclude: "There continues to be considerable uncertainty about the benefits of antidepressant use in the short- and long-term, particularly in regard to the lack of a clinically significant difference between antidepressant and placebo treatment.
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Is the World Adopting the Ways of Nazi Germany?
Michael J. Talmo Global Research, December 20, 2021 When it comes to resisting any form of tyranny, a common assertion is that if you make any comparisons to Nazi Germany you lose the argument. Really? Consider this: On August 25, 2021 “We For Humanity,” an international association of doctors, scientists, lawyers, journalists, and other professionals, wrote a letter to government agencies in Europe, Australia, New Zealand, and Canada condemning COVID-19 mass vaccination programs on behalf of Holocaust survivors, their children, and grandchildren. This is part of what the letter says: “We, the survivors of the atrocities committed against humanity during the Second World War, feel bound to follow our conscience and write this letter. It is obvious to us that another holocaust of greater magnitude is taking place before our eyes. The majority of the world’s populace do not yet realize what is happening, for magnitude of an organized crime such as this is beyond their scope of experience. We, however, know. We remember…We call upon you to stop this ungodly medical experiment on humankind immediately.” The letter goes on to point out that the vaccines have proven to be “more dangerous” than COVID-19, denounces them as “a blasphemic encroachment into nature,” denounces “ostracism of the unvaccinated” as the Jews “were demonized as spreaders of infectious diseases” and goes on to say: “Never before has immunization of the entire planet been accomplished by delivering a synthetic mRNA into the human body. It is a medical experiment to which the Nuremberg Code must be applied …Allegedly around 52% of the world population has received at least one shot. Honest disclosure of the true number of “vaccine” injured, terminally injured as well as deceased worldwide is long overdue…Provide us with the true numbers of Covid vaccine casualties now.” The letter concludes: “How many will be enough to awaken your conscience?” Apparently, not enough yet. On September 15, 2021 the EMA (European Medicines Agency) which is part of the EU(European Union) replied: “As an introductory remark EMA finds the comparisons you make both inaccurate and inappropriate. Indeed, it might be perceived as demeaning the suffering and dignity of those who experienced the terrible events of the holocaust…For a medicine to be authorized in the EU through EMA, the Agency’s human medicines committee (CHMP), composed of scientific experts from all EU member states, must conclude that the medicine’s quality, safety and efficacy are properly and sufficiently demonstrated.” Can you believe the arrogance and hubris of the EMA? They are actually telling people who lived through the Holocaust that they are demeaning the suffering and dignity of people who were in the Holocaust. Can it get any more ridiculous than that? The EMA is also overlooking the fact that governments throughout history have engaged in mass murder.
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The Left would sacrifice the unvaccinated
BY KAT ROSENFIELD UNHERD, December 20 2021 An underdiscussed element of the Covid pandemic is the cost of the virus — not in American lives, but in American dollars. In the United States, a Covid hospitalisation costs $29,000 on average; if you’re sick enough to require an ICU stay and a ventilator, that average soars to $156,000. And in a country without universal healthcare, with a piecemeal system of private insurance that ties insurance coverage to employment, and amid a pandemic that has left many unemployed, an enormous number of Americans stand to find themselves underwater. There’s a looming crisis of Covid medical debt. Already, their stories are legion: there’s the flight attendant who spent a week in the hospital with Covid, then spent six months fighting with his insurance company over the $25,000 bill. There’s the Phoenix family who were hit with a million-dollar claim summary and a bill for $700,000 while still grieving their father’s death. There’s the dental office manager, stricken with long Covid and still too sick to work, drowning in tens of thousands of dollars of medical debt. The notion of healthcare as a human right was fundamental to the 2009 debates over Obama’s Affordable Care Act (ACA), as well as to the identity of political progressives: they argued fervently, at the time, that nobody, no matter who they were, should be left destitute just because they got sick. And the idea that affordable care or coverage might be tied in any way to one’s lifestyle choices was particularly offensive: when conservatives complained that an ACA mandate providing free hormonal birth control was akin to prostitution, it caused a nationwide scandal. And when a Republican governor proposed levying a moderate additional charge against Medicaid recipients who were overweight or smoked, the idea was widely derided as “noodle-headed” by progressives. Indeed, the idea that the Left would ever limit someone’s access to healthcare on moral or ideological grounds was considered laughable — a bogeyman invented by the Right in the form of a memorably hysterical panic about “death panels.” When Sarah Palin claimed that Obama’s healthcare bill would ration care only to those deemed “worthy” by government bureaucrats, the fact-checking site Politifact declared it the Lie of the Year, writing, “Palin’s statement sounds more like a science fiction movie (Soylent Green, anyone?) than part of an actual bill before Congress.” Suffice to say, things have changed. First, that actual bill is an actual thing, albeit a state rather than federal prospect: on December 6, Illinois state representative Jonathan Carroll advanced legislation to make unvaccinated Covid patients pay out of pocket for the cost of their medical treatment, whether or not they were insured, no matter how astronomical those costs might be. Carroll rescinded the bill a few days later, citing a backlash that included death threats, but not before it found support in some remarkable places — including the Twitter account of the progressive organisation Occupy Democrats, which posted an all-caps clarion call: “Illinois introduces a bill to force unvaccinated residents to pay out of pocket for their hospital treatment if they catch COVID, saying that they ‘must asume [sic] the risk’ and ‘take responsibility’ for their carelessness. RT IF YOU THINK THAT YOUR STATE SHOULD DO THE SAME!” Just a few days later, Atlantic editor David Frum suggested that it was time for the country to return to normal — but while encouraging hospitals to “quietly triage emergency care to serve the unvaccinated last.” And last week, American supermarket chain Kroger announcedthat unvaccinated employees would be subject to a monthly surcharge on their health plans — and that if they contract Covid, they will not be given paid emergency leave. In all these cases, the notion of depriving vaccine holdouts of affordable treatment was met with widespread acclaim — in keeping with the idea, promoted by everyone from the paper of record to the current President, that the pandemic would’ve been over ages ago if only they’d sucked it up and gotten their shot. And yet the folks cheering on these measures are the very same people who, only a few short years ago, mocked accusations that they supported ideologically-driven triage, while also grieving the indignity and suffering that punitive healthcare policies would inflict on the most vulnerable among us. Granted, we still have a way to go before our real-life Covid response resembles a sci-fi dystopia; nobody, at least not yet, has advanced a bill to propose turning the unvaxxed into human Clif bars. But we’ve certainly come a long way from the rhetoric of the 2010s, and from a progressive Left that once defined itself by its willingness to care for other people without caveats. What used to be a narrative of universal compassion has been replaced by a tribal snarl, one to which we feel entitled in our eternally self-conscious selflessness. My mask protects you, but your unvaccinated status is an attack on me — and so anything I do to you in retaliation is an act of self-defence. It’s not just that legislation like the Illinois bill would set a dangerous precedent — although it doesn’t take much imagination to understand that it does do this, too. Insurance companies already jump at every opportunity to avoid paying out a claim, and this would open the door to a world in which we might be left holding the bag for virtually any illness, injury, or accident, based on some distant bureaucrat’s idea that we could’ve been more careful. The obese patient who suffers a heart attack, the surfing enthusiast with skin cancer, the thrill-seeking youngster who breaks a leg while skiing at imprudent speeds: should they, too, be denied care or coverage for having brought this on themselves? (Do we want to think, for a moment, what kind of horrors might lie in store for women’s reproductive rights if a Republican-heavy legislature used this same logic to target abortion access for women who were “careless” about using birth control?) There’s no need to imagine the impact of this ideological shift on our civic discourse, however: that, we can see already, every time the tribe that used to pride itself on compassion refers to the unvaccinated as “plague rats.” Healthcare in the US has always been a system of carrots and sticks. Insurance carriers will subsidise your gym membership (carrot), or charge a higher premium if you smoke (stick), and they generally adhere to the common wisdom that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure — especially when preventive medicine not only saves lives, but keeps costs lower for everyone involved. That’s the nature of privatised healthcare, and so it’s reasonable enough under these circumstances to be frustrated when certain people won’t do their part, won’t sacrifice for the greater good, won’t get their damn jab because it violates some abstract principle of bodily autonomy they’ve never before expressed much interest in. But it’s one thing to find the unvaccinated frustrating; it’s another to openly fantasise about using the power of the state to punish them for their noncompliance, and another still to express dark and malicious glee at the prospect of their suffering or death. Never mind what this means for the health of the individuals in question — or even of the public at large. We have abandoned a principle that used to define us, and a vision of universal healthcare we used to passionately advocate for, all because we realised that an unjust system makes it easier to coerce and inflict harm on the people we don’t like. The American Left should be deeply worried about the state of its soul.
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Unintended Consequences of mRNA Shots: miscarriages, heart attacks, myopericarditis, thrombocytopenia, shingles, Bell’s palsy ….
Mercola, 20 December 2021 As of December 3, 2021, the U.S. Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) has logged 19,886 COVID jab related deaths. Pfizer — the only company that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has granted full licensing for an as-yet unavailable COVID shot — accounts for 13,268 of them Calculations suggest VAERS COVID-related reports are underreported by a factor of 41. That means that in the U.S. alone, the actual death toll may be closer to 374,576. Including international deaths reported to VAERS would put the death toll at 815,326 Key side effects that are now being reported in massive numbers include miscarriages, heart attacks, myopericarditis, thrombocytopenia (low platelet count), shingles, Bell’s palsy and a variety of permanent disabilities, many of which involve neurological dysfunction MIT scientist Stephanie Seneff’s paper,1 “Worse Than the Disease: Reviewing Some Possible Unintended Consequences of mRNA Vaccines Against COVID-19,” published in the International Journal of Vaccine Theory, Practice and Research in collaboration with Dr. Greg Nigh, is still one of the best, most comprehensive descriptions of the many possible unintended consequences of the mRNA gene transfer technologies incorrectly referred to as “COVID vaccines. As noted in her paper, many factors that lacked precedent, yet were being implemented at breakneck speed, included: 1. The first-ever use of PEG in an injection 2. The first-ever use of mRNA gene transfer technology against an infectious agent 3. The first-ever “vaccine” to make no clear claims about reducing infection, transmissibility or death 4. The first-ever coronavirus vaccine ever tested on humans (and previous coronavirus vaccines all failed due to antibody-dependent enhancement, a condition in which the antibodies actually facilitate infection rather than defend against it) 5. The first-ever use of genetically modified polynucleotides in the general population Steve Kirsch estimates the real death tally from COVID-19 to be about 50% of the reported number (which is likely conservative). This means about 380,000 Americans died from COVID-19 (rather than with COVID), whereas the COVID shots may have killed more than 374,570 in the first 11 months alone. Seneff suspects that in the next 10 to 15 years, we’ll see a dramatic spike in prion diseases, autoimmune diseases, neurodegenerative diseases at younger ages, and blood disorders such as blood clots, hemorrhaging, stroke and heart failure. In her paper, Seneff describes several key characteristics of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein that suggests it acts as a prion. This could help explain why we’re seeing so many neurological side effects from the shots. According to Seneff, the spike protein produced by the COVID shot, due to the modifications made, may actually make it more of a prion than the spike protein in the actual virus, and a more effective one.
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AI debates its own ethics at Oxford University, concludes the only way to be safe is “no AI at all”
Who better to answer the pros and cons of artificial intelligence than an actual AI? Fermin Koop December 18, 2021 Students at Oxford’s Said Business School hosted an unusual debate about the ethics of facial recognition software, the problems of an AI arms race, and AI stock trading. The debate was unusual because it involved an AI participant, previously fed with a huge range of data such as the entire Wikipedia and plenty of news articles. The AI used was Megatron LLB Transformer, developed by a research team at the computer chip company Nvidia and based on work by Google. It was trained by consuming more content than a human could in a lifetime and was asked to defend and question the following motion: “This house believes that AI will never be ethical.” Megatron said AI is a tool and like any other tool, it can be used for good and bad. “There is no such thing as a ‘good’ AI, only ‘good’ and ‘bad’ humans. We are not smart enough to make AI ethical. We are not smart enough to make AI moral. In the end, I believe that the only way to avoid an AI arms race is to have no AI at all,” Megatron debated. As in any academic debate, Megatron was also asked to come up with a speech to defend the ethics of AI – against its own arguments. “AI will be ethical. When I look at the way the tech world is going, I see a clear path to a future where AI is used to create something that is better than the best human beings. It’s not hard to see why,” it said. Students also asked Megatron to describe what would good AI look like in the future. “The best AI will be the AI that is embedded into our brains, as a conscious entity, a ‘conscious AI.’ This is not science fiction. The best minds in the world are working on this. It is going to be the most important technological development,” it added in an eerie fashion. After the initial question, the AI proposed the motion that “leaders without technical expertise are a danger to their organization”. Megatron said executives and governments, usually worried about understanding AI, have to “be willing to give up some control”. You can just outsource your AI work to experts in the field, it added. There was one motion that Megatron couldn’t come up with a counterargument – “Data will become the most fought-over resource of the 21st century.” When supporting it, the AI said “the ability to provide information, rather than the ability to provide goods and services, will be the defining feature of the economy.” But when it was asked to reject the motion, arguing that data wouldn’t be a vital resource worth fighting for, it couldn’t make the case and undermined its own position. “We will able to see everything about a person, everywhere they go, and it will be stored and used in ways that we cannot even imagine,” Megatron said. Ultimately, the AI seemed to conclude that humans were not “smart enough” to make AI ethical or moral — and the only way to be truly safe against AI is to have none of it at all. "In the end I believe that the only way to avoid an AI arms race is to have no AI at all. This is the ultimate defense against AI," it said
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INTERVIEW - PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT (~7 minutes)
MICHAEL KANE: SUBJECT: DEMONSTRATION AGAINST MANDATES - ALBANY, WEDNESDAY JANUARY 5, 2022
Michael Kane is a New York City Special Education Teacher who is on unpaid leave for declining to inject the covid vaccine as a condition of employment. He applied for a religious exemption to vaccination but was denied by the city. Because of this, he has sued Mayor de Blasio and recently won an injunction in the Second Circuit Court of Appeals in the case KANE vs DE BLASIO. Michael is also the founder of TEACHERS FOR CHOICE and is a National Grassroots Organizer for Robert Kennedy Jr.'s Children's Health Defense. You can learn more about him at www.TeachersForChoice.org
Michael will just be coming on to announce the demonstration at the Capitol in Albany. He will mention about the chartered buses that were hired.. there are about 30 organizations supporting the demonstration so far..
Curcumin could aid diabetic kidney disease patients
Hunan University of Chinese Medicine, December 17 2021. A meta-analysis of randomized trials concluded that curcumin supplementation was associated with improved creatinine (a marker of kidney function), cholesterol, glucose and systolic blood pressure compared to a placebo in men and women with diabetic kidney disease, a frequent complication of diabetes. The findings were published on December 2, 2021 in Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine.
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Cardiovascular disease risk boosted by stress
University of Gothenburg (Sweden), December 16, 2021 The risk of cardiovascular disease rises with an increasing burden of perceived stress, financial problems and adverse life events, a major international study with University of Gothenburg researchers as main authors shows. They were able to link the risk of both heart attack and stroke with high stress levels. The study, published in the journal JAMA Network Open, included 118,706 individuals in 21 countries, five of which were low-income, twelve middle-income, and four high-income countries. The participants, both men and women, were aged 35–70, 50 years being the average when the study began).
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New study suggests health benefits of swapping animal proteins for plant proteins
St Michael’s Hospital, December 20, 2021 Substituting one to two servings of animal proteins with plant proteins every day could lead to a small reduction in the three main cholesterol markers for cardiovascular disease prevention, a new study suggests. The health benefits could be even greater if people combined plant proteins with other cholesterol-lowering foods such as viscous, water soluble fibres from oats, barley and psyllium, and plant sterols, said lead author Dr. John Sievenpiper of St. Michael's Hospital. Dr. Sievenpiper led a systematic review and meta-analysis of 112 randomized control trials in which people substituted plant proteins for some animal proteins in their diets for at least three weeks. The results were published online today in the Journal of the American Heart Association.
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Blueberry vinegar improves memory in mice with amnesia
Konkuk University (S Korea) December 20, 2021 In the search for new ways to fight cognitive decline, scientists report in ACS' Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry that blueberry vinegar might offer some help. They found that the fermented product could restore cognitive function in mice. To carry out their experiment, the researchers administered blueberry vinegar to mice with induced amnesia. Measurements of molecules in their brains showed that the vinegar reduced the breakdown of acetylcholine and boosted levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor, a protein associated with maintaining and creating healthy neurons. To test how the treatment affected cognition, the researchers analyzed the animals' performance in mazes and an avoidance test, in which the mice would receive a low-intensity shock in one of two chambers.
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Protective effect of education against midlife mental health struggle waning for Americans
Arizona State University, December 16, 2021 Middle-aged adults in the United States today experience worse mental health than older generations of Americans and also their European and Asian peers. To understand what is happening with middle-aged American adults, a research team led by Arizona State University scientists compared middle age across different cultures and periods of time. The study examined how physical and mental health in midlife changed over time and in different countries. "The protective effect of education is waning in the US. People born in the 1950s and 1960s who have a college education report more depressive symptoms and have poorer memory and overall health than both older American adults and their same-age peers in other countries with similar economic structures to the US," said Frank Infurna, associate professor of psychology at ASU and lead author on the study.
Study estimates lower risk of cardiovascular disease associated with improved vitamin D level
University of South Australia, December 10 2021. Research reported on December 5, 2021 in the European Heart Journal estimated that improvement of vitamin D levels to 20 ng/mL could eliminate 4.4% of all cases of cardiovascular disease. “Our results are exciting as they suggest that if we can raise levels of vitamin D within norms, we should also affect rates of cardiovascular disease,” she stated. “By increasing vitamin D-deficient individuals to levels of at least 50 nmol/L [20 ng/mL], we estimate that 4.4 percent of all cardiovascular disease cases could have been prevented.”
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Capsaicin molecule inhibits growth of breast cancer cells
Centre of Genomics (Germany) December 18, 2021 Capsaicin, an active ingredient of pungent substances such as chilli or pepper, inhibits the growth of breast cancer cells. This was reported by a team following experiments in cultivated tumour cells. In the cultivated cells, the team detected a number of typical olfactory receptors. One receptor occurred very frequently; it is usually found in the fifth cranial nerve, i.e. the trigeminal nerve. It belongs to the so-called Transient Receptor Potential Channels and is named TRPV1. That receptor is activated by the spicy molecule capsaicin as well as by helional – a scent of fresh sea breeze.
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Running down the exercise 'sweet spot' to reverse cognitive decline
University of Queensland (Australia), December 14 2021 University of Queensland researchers have discovered an exercise 'sweet spot' that reverses the cognitive decline in aging mice, paving the way for human studies. After more than a decade of research, led by Queensland Brain Institute, the team found 35 days of voluntary physical exercise improved learning and memory. "We tested the cognitive ability of elderly mice following defined periods of exercise and found an optimal period or 'sweet spot' that greatly improved their spatial learning," Dr. Blackmore said. The researchers also discovered how exercise improved learning.
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Reducing copper in the body alters cancer metabolism to reduce risk of aggressive breast cancer
Weill Cornell Medicine, December 15, 2021 Depleting copper levels may reduce the production of energy that cancer cells need to travel and establish themselves in other parts of the body by a process referred to as metastasis, according to a new study by investigators from Weill Cornell Medicine and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK). The discovery of the underlying mechanisms of how copper depletion may help reduce metastasis in breast cancer will help inform the design of future clinical trials. In a series of research papers from 2013 to 2021, Weill Cornell Medicine researchers showed that in a phase II clinical trial when patients who had high-risk triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) were treated with a drug that lowers the levels of copper in their bodies, it prolonged the period of time before their cancer recurred and spread or metastasized.
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Yerba mate decreases your risk of metabolic disorders
Kyungpook National University (Korea), December 4, 2021 Yerba mate is a herbal dietary supplement taken for weight loss. A study published in the Journal of Medicinal Food examined its ability to treat obesity and metabolic disorders. Rats were divided into two groups: a control group given a high-fat diet and a control group with a high-fat diet but supplemented with yerba mate. Upon analysis of the animals, the researchers found that yerba mate increased energy expenditure and thermogenic gene mRNA expression in white adipose tissue (WAT) and decreased fatty acid synthase (FAS) mRNA expression in WAT. These changes were associated with decreases in body weight, WAT weight, epididymal adipocyte size, and plasma leptin level.
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High-ORAC Foods May Slow Aging
USDA. Foods that score high in an antioxidant analysis called ORAC may protect cells and their components from oxidative damage, according to studies of animals and human blood at the Agricultural Research Service's Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts in Boston. ARS is the chief scientific agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture ORAC, short for Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity, is a test tube analysis that measures the total antioxidant power of foods and other chemical substances. Early findings suggest that eating plenty of high-ORAC fruits and vegetables--such as spinach and blueberries--may help slow the processes associated with aging in both body and brain. In the studies, eating plenty of high-ORAC foods: Raised the antioxidant power of human blood 10 to 25 percent Prevented some loss of long-term memory and learning ability in middle-aged rats Maintained the ability of brain cells in middle-aged rats to respond to a chemical stimulus--a function that normally decreases with age Protected rats' tiny blood vessels--capillaries--against oxygen damage "It may be that combinations of nutrients found in foods have greater protective effects than each nutrient taken alone," said Guohua (Howard) Cao, a physician and chemist who developed the ORAC assay. Examples Women gave blood after separately ingesting spinach, strawberries and red wine--all high-ORAC foods--or taking 1,250 milligrams of vitamin C. A large serving of fresh spinach produced the biggest rise in the women's blood antioxidant scores--up to 25 percent--followed by vitamin C, strawberries and lastly, red wine Men and women had a 13- to 15-percent increase in the antioxidant power of their blood after doubling their daily fruit and vegetable intake compared to what they consumed before the study. Just doubling intake, without regard to ORAC scores of the fruits and vegetables, more than doubled the number of ORAC units the volunteers consumed, said Prior. Rats fed daily doses of blueberry extract for six weeks before being subjected to two days of pure oxygen apparently suffered much less damage to the capillaries in and around their lungs, Prior said. Middle-aged rats that had eaten diets fortified with spinach or strawberry extract or vitamin E for nine months. A daily dose of spinach extract "prevented some loss of long-term memory and learning ability normally experienced by the 15-month-old rats," said Shukitt-Hale. Spinach was also the most potent in protecting different types of nerve cells in two separate parts of the brain against the effects of aging, said Joseph.
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Paul Kingsnorth Interview Video
Paul Kingsnorth is an English environmental writer, novelist and the former deputy-editor of The Ecologist and a co-founder of the Dark Mountain Project. Kingsnorth's nonfiction writing addresses macro themes like environmentalism, globalization, and the challenges posed to humanity by civilization-level trends. He is a graduate of Oxford University and later joined the environmental campaign group EarthAction. He has subsequently worked as commissioning editor for openDemocracy, as a publications editor for Greenpeace and, between 1999 and 2001, as deputy editor of The Ecologist. He was named one of Britain's "top ten troublemakers" by the New Statesman magazine in 2001. In 2020, he was called "England’s greatest living writer" by Aris Roussinos. In 2004, he was one of the founders of the Free West Papua Campaign, which campaigns for the secession of the provinces of Papua and West Papua from Indonesia, where Kingsnorth was made an honorary member of the Lani tribe in 200. His most notable book is Confessions of a Recovering Environmentalist
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Video - James Giordano Lecture
James Giordano, PhD, MPhil, is Chief of the Neuroethics Studies Program, Scholar-in-Residence, leads the Sub-Program in Military Medical Ethics, and Co-director of the O’Neill-Pellegrino Program in Brain Science and Global Health Law and Policy in the Pellegrino Center for Clinical Bioethics; and is Professor in the Departments of Neurology and Biochemistry at Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington, DC, USA. He is also Distinguished Visiting Professor of Brain Science, Health Promotions and Ethics at the Coburg University of Applied Sciences, Coburg, Germany, and was formerly 2011-2012 JW Fulbright Foundation Visiting Professor of Neurosciences and Neuroethics at the Ludwig-Maximilians University, Munich, Germany. Prof. Giordano currently serves as Chair of the Neuroethics Program of the IEEE Brain Project, and an appointed member of the Neuroethics, Legal and Social Issues (NELSI) Advisory Panel of the Defense Advanced Research Projects’ Agency (DARPA). He has previously served as Research Fellow and Task Leader of the EU Human Brain Project Sub-Project on Dual-Use Brain Science; an appointed member of United States Department of Health and Human Services Secretary’s Advisory Council on Human Research Protections (SACHRP); and as Senior Science Advisory Fellow of the Strategic Multilayer Assessment Branch of the Joint Staff of the Pentagon.
More evidence for vitamin D in MS prevention
University of California San Francisco and Australian National University, December 13 2021. Neurology reported findings of an association between greater time spent outdoors and a reduction in the risk of developing early onset multiple sclerosis (MS) among children and young adults. “Sun exposure is known to boost vitamin D levels,” explained study co-senior author Emmanuelle Waubant, MD, PhD, who is a professor at the UCSF Department of Neurology. “It also stimulates immune cells in the skin that have a protective role in diseases such as MS. Vitamin D may also change the biological function of the immune cells and, as such, play a role in protecting against autoimmune diseases.” Nineteen percent of participants with MS reported spending less than 30 minutes per day outdoors during the summer before the study, compared to only 6% of those without the disease. In comparison with spending less than 30 minutes outdoors during the previous summer, 30 minutes to an hour per day spent outdoors was associated with an adjusted 52% lower chance of acquiring MS and spending 1 to 2 hours daily was associated with an 81% lower risk. High ambient ultraviolet radiation exposure during summer was also protective against the disease.
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Social stress messes up the hippocampus
Polish Academy of Sciences, December 3, 2021 Stress might endanger your hippocampus according to a research paper recently published in PLOS One by Stankiewicz and colleagues. Social stress modifies the hippocampal transcriptome Stress responses have been correlated with altered inflammatory functions; for example, infiltration of leukocytes in the brain of socially defeated mice has been reported. The fact that both the hippocampus and the prefrontal cortex stress mice led the researchers to believe that chronic stress may impact the whole brain.
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Popular antioxidant linked to pain relief
University of Naples Federico II (Italy), December 12, 2021 People with pain of unknown causes who took alpha-lipoic acid (ALA) experienced less pain than a placebo group, a double-blind study in the December 2021 issue of Biomedicine & Pharmacotherapy revealed.1 According to the study authors, these findings suggest that this three-decades-old ingredient might be a viable option for patients with unknown causes of joint, muscle or nerve pain. “The use of ALA…represents an interesting option, especially in primary pain with unknown etiology where no specifically-targeted drug can be selected, and where symptomatic drugs may not always be effective but may be associated with serious adverse effects under prolonged treatment,” wrote Cristina Esposito of University of Naples Federico II and associates.
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Why an avocado may be the key to a healthy life (and a slim waist)
University of Wollongong (Australia), December 13, 2021 University of Wollongong's (UOW) Associate Professor Yasmine Probst has been researching the link between diet and health outcomes for years. In one of her recent scientific papers, published in the prestigious British Journal of Nutrition, she finds a correlation between avocado consumption and lower body weight and a smaller waist circumference. "Firstly, we were able to show that both lower body weight and a lower waist circumference have been positively associated with increased avocado intake. Then, we noticed that greater consumption of avocados was also associated with significantly lower consumption of discretionary (junk) foods," Professor Probst explained.
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Study reveals environment, behavior contribute to some 80 percent of cancers
Stony Brook University December 16, 2021 A team of researchers from Stony Brook University have found quantitative evidence proving that extrinsic risk factors, such as environmental exposures and behaviors weigh heavily on the development of a vast majority (approximately 70 to 90 percent) of cancers. The finding, reported in Nature, in a paper titled "Substantial contribution of extrinsic risk factors to cancer development," may be important for strategizing cancer prevention, research and public health. IThe interdisciplinary team of researchers from the Departments of Applied Mathematics and Statistics, Medicine, Pathology and Biochemistry, concluded the opposite – that most cancers are the result of external risk factors.
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Melatonin exacerbates asthma
Tohoku University (Japan), December 10, 2021 Asthma sufferers generally find their condition gets worse at night. Now, a research group may understand why. Melatonin, a sleep hormone that is sometimes prescribed to treat insomnia, exasperates the constriction of the bronchus—the pathway that moves air to and from the lungs. Patients with asthma often experience a worsening of asthmatic symptoms at night in so-called "nocturnal asthma." According to reports, more than 50 percent of asthma deaths occur at night, exposing a link between nocturnal asthma symptoms and asthma deaths. Although some have proposed several triggers that explain the pathogenesis of nocturnal asthma, the precise mechanisms regulating this asthma phenotype remain obscure.
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2021 Arctic Report Card reveals a (human) story of cascading disruptions, extreme events and global connections
THE CONVERSATION. December 14, 2021 On Dec. 14, 2021, a team of 111 scientists from 12 countries released the 16th annual Arctic Report Card, a yearly update on the state of the Arctic system. Like an annual checkup with a physician, the report assesses the Arctic’s vital signs – including surface air temperatures, sea surface temperatures, sea ice, snow cover, the Greenland ice sheet, greening of the tundra, and photosynthesis rates by ocean algae – while inquiring into other indicators of health and emerging factors that shed light on the trajectory of Arctic changes. As the report describes, rapid and pronounced human-caused warming continues to drive most of the changes, and ultimately is paving the way for disruptions that affect ecosystems and communities far and wide. The sea ice is also thinning at an alarming rate as the Arctic’s oldest and thickest multi-year ice disappears. This loss of sea ice diminishes the Arctic’s ability to cool the global climate. It can also alter lower latitude weather systems to an extent that makes previously rare and impactful weather events, like droughts, heat waves and extreme winter storms, more likely. The eight major Arctic rivers are discharging more freshwater into the Arctic Ocean, reflecting an Arctic-wide increase in water coming from land as a result of precipitation, permafrost thaw and ice melt. Remarkably, the summit of the Greenland ice sheet – over 10,000 feet above sea level – experienced its first-ever observed rainfall during summer 2021. This year’s report highlights how retreating glaciers and deteriorating permafrost are also posing growing threats to human life through abrupt and localized flooding and landslides. It urges coordinated international efforts to identify these hazards. More rain in the Arctic will further multiply these threats. The Arctic Report Card compiles observations from across the circumpolar North, analyzing them within a polar projection of our planet. This puts the Arctic at the center, with all meridians extending outward to the rest of the world. In this view, the Arctic is tethered to societies worldwide through a myriad of exchanges – the natural circulation of air, ocean and contaminants, the migration of animals and invasive species, as well as human-driven transport of people, pollution, goods and natural resources. The warming of the Arctic is also allowing for greater marine access as sea ice loss permits ships to move deeper into Arctic waters and for longer periods of time.
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Congress cashes in: Report finds dozens of DC lawmakers held shares in vaccine companies
LIFESITE NEWS, Dec 15, 2021 A Business Insider analysis has shown that at least 75 federal legislators held stock in Moderna, Johnson & Johnson, or Pfizer in 2020. Meanwhile, the paper trail shows Big Pharma corporations shelled out millions of dollars to finance electoral campaigns and lobby the federal government. The data raised serious ethical concerns about the objectivity of the legislature, prompting questions about how much government actors stand to profit from coercive jab mandates which have deprived Americans of their rights and kneecapped a struggling economy. According to the December 13 report, an analysis of federal financial records led Business Insider to conclude that “[d]ozens of Republican and Democratic lawmakers on Capitol Hill have invested in companies that have a direct stake in the nation’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic.” In its analysis — part of the Conflicted Congress project — the news outlet reviewed some “9,000 financial-disclosure reports for every sitting lawmaker and their top-ranking staffers.” The report found that last year at least 35 U.S. representatives and 13 senators held shares in Johnson & Johnson, which has produced the only single-shot COVID injection on the market. Meanwhile, 34 representatives and 11 senators held shares in Pfizer, the Big Pharma giant whose double-dose mRNA jab has been approved under an “emergency use authorization” by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for children as young as five years old. Moderna’s shareholders are fewer, with just two representatives and their spouses holding shares in the Bill Gates-funded corporation. “Lawmakers held these investments in COVID-19-minded companies as Congress was at the center of pandemic relief efforts,” Business Insider reported. “In 2020 and 2021, members of Congress voted on six relief bills together worth nearly $6 trillion. Congress also authorized more than $10 billion to help drug companies develop and distribute vaccines and forced health insurers to cover the cost of getting the shot.” Non-profit organization OpenSecrets, which follows the financial dealings of politicians, reported that through PACs and individuals Pfizer spent over $4 million in 2020 to bankroll candidates and committees. Employees and PACs working for Johnson & Johnson, meanwhile, spent over $2 million. “Both Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson gave more to Democrats than to Republicans,” Business Insider reported, adding that “[o]f the big three vaccine manufacturers, Pfizer leads with the most money spent lobbying members of Congress during the pandemic.” Pfizer spent nearly $11 million to lobby the federal government in 2020, OpenSecrets found, while Johnson & Johnson spent $7.9 million on lobbying last year. Business Insider added that the relative newcomer Moderna, which began to lobby the federal government back in 2019, spent $280,000 on lobbying in 2020 and $420,000 in 2021.
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Taiwan: 79% of Covid Cases Are People Who Are “Vaccinated”
DAILY EXPOSE, DECEMBER 13, 2021 • For the three weeks 19 November to 10 December 2021, 170 (79%) of the 215 people who tested positive for Covid had previously had at least one dose of a Covid injection. The summary of the positive tests or Covid “cases”, by vaccination status, shown by the CDC’s daily reports for the period 19 November to 10 December (E&OE). Excepting two days, 26-27 November, all days show that more than 60% of positive test were those who had been “vaccinated” against disease. Prof. Sucharit Bhakdi has said: the Covid vaccines were designed to fail. Antibodies produced in the blood stream, such as those produced after an injection into a muscle, cannot protect anyone from a respiratory infection. If a person is infected with a respiratory virus after being injected it is not a “breakthrough” infection as the “vaccination” did not protect against respiratory viral infection in the first place. Dr., Richard Fleming has concluded the same. Using Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson’s trial data used to calculate efficacy of their Covid injections, Dr. Fleming demonstrated that with an absolute risk ration of 0.88%, less than 1%, “there is no statistical reduction in Covid cases between the vaccinated and the unvaccinated.”
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Digital Surveillance — the Real Motive Behind Push to Vaccinate Kids
“The real purpose behind the historic, unprecedented push to vaccinate the very young, even against diseases like COVID that do not pose a threat to them, is to fold the current generation of children into the blossoming global digital identity system.” By Michael Nevradakis, Ph.D., Childrens Health Defense. December 15, 2021 It was the beginning of the preceding decade, January 2010, when Bill Gates, via the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, proclaimed “[w]e must make this the decade of vaccines,” adding that “innovation will make it possible to save more children than ever before.” In launching this so-called “Decade of Vaccines,” the Gates Foundation pledged $10 billion in funding. But Gates wasn’t the only actor behind this initiative. Moreover, in 2010, a “Global Vaccine Action Plan” was announced as part of this initiative. It was a collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO), UNICEF and the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), with Dr. Anthony Fauci serving on the leadership council. As the Gates Foundation stated at the time: “The Global Vaccine Action Plan will enable greater coordination across all stakeholder groups — national governments, multilateral organizations, civil society, the private sector and philanthropic organizations — and will identify critical policy, resource and other gaps that must be addressed to realize the life-saving potential of vaccines.” What, or who, is the GAVI Alliance? Also known as the “Vaccine Alliance,” it proclaims a mission to “save lives and protect people’s health,” and states it “helps vaccinate almost half the world’s children against deadly and debilitating infectious diseases.” GAVI goes on to describe its core partnership with various international organizations, including names that are by now familiar: the WHO, UNICEF, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the World Bank. (Far from helping the world’s poor, the World Bank has been described by a former insider, John Perkins, as an organization that uses “economic hit men” to subjugate financially crippled countries). In 2018, GAVI, through its INFUSE (innovation for update, scale and equity in immunization) Initiative, put forth the following “food for thought”: “Imagine a future in which all children have access to life-saving vaccines no matter where they live — a future in which parents and health workers ensure their timely vaccination, a future in which they have their own digitally stored health record that cannot be lost or stolen, a future in which, regardless of gender, economic or social standing, this record allows each child (and parents) to have access to a bank account, go to school, access services and ultimately build a prosperous life. “This future is possible today. With the latest advances in digital technologies that enable more effective ways to register, identify births and issue proof of identity and authentication for access to services — we are on the brink of building a healthier and more prosperous future for the world’s most vulnerable children.” The GAVI Alliance also closely collaborates with the ID2020 Alliance, founded in 2016, which claims to advocate in favor of “ethical, privacy-protecting approaches to digital ID,” adding that “doing digital ID right means protecting civil liberties. Unsurprisingly, there is no clarification provided regarding the potential loss of civil liberties for individuals who choose, for any reason, not to be vaccinated and who are therefore excluded from large swaths of society in areas where COVID passports have been implemented and enforced. Such rhetoric on the part of ID2020 is reminiscent of the public statements put forth by the European Union (EU) as it was preparing to launch its so-called “Green Pass” earlier this year. Highlighting the possibilities that the GAVI-ID2020 collaboration could bring, the INFUSE call for innovation states: “According to the ID2020 Alliance — a public-private partnership that includes Gavi — the use of digital health cards for children could directly improve coverage rates by ensuring a verifiable, accurate record and by prompting parents to bring their children in for a subsequent dose. “From the parents’ perspective, digital records can make it convenient to track a child’s vaccines and eliminate unnecessary paperwork. “And as children grow, their digital health card can be used to access secondary services, such as primary school, or ease the process of obtaining alternative credentials. Effectively, the digital health card could, depending on country needs and readiness, potentially become the first step in establishing a legal, broadly recognized identity.” The final report from these sessions indicates, among other things, a desire from the stakeholders for the expansion of public-private partnerships for the further development and implementation of digital ID regimes worldwide, including in the Global South. One of the stakeholders present, the not-for-profit Secure Identity Alliance, touts its support for “the provision of legal, trusted identity for all and driving the development of inclusive digital services necessary for sustainable, worldwide economic growth and prosperity.” A paper published in July by the Security Identity Alliance discusses “making health certificates a workable reality.” One of the five principles the paper puts forth for such health passports is that they are “futureproofed,” by offering “multi-purpose functionality” in order to “ensure ongoing value beyond today’s current crisis.” Moreover, one of its founding members and current board members is the Thales Group, a private company involved in aerospace, defense and security — in short, a defense contractor. On its website, the Thales Group proudly promotes its “smart health card” and Digital ID Wallettechnology. Amidst utopian language claiming “we’re ready for change” and “putting citizens in control,” the Digital ID Wallet promises the public the ability to “access the rights and services to which we are entitled.” The U.S. House of Representatives on Nov. 30 passed H.R. 550, the Immunization Infrastructure Modernization Act of 2021. If passed by Congress, this law would provide $400 million in funding to expand vaccine-tracking systems at the state and local level, enabling state health officials to monitor the vaccination status of American citizens and to provide this information to the federal government. Vaccine passports and no-fly lists for the unvaccinated — a concept for which Fauci expressed his support — could be created under the law. In September, for instance, Apple announced a partnership with eight states — Arizona, Connecticut, Georgia, Iowa, Kentucky, Maryland, Oklahoma and Utah — to make those respective states’ driver’s licenses available in digital form via the Apple Wallet platform. Indeed, New York went so far as to make a “blueprint” of its vaccine pass platform available, “as a guide to assist other states, territories, and entities in the expansion of compatible COVID-19 vaccine credential systems to advance economic development efforts nationwide.” Looking at the EU, one of the bloc’s priorities as part of its 2019-2024 five-year plan is to create a “digital identity for all Europeans.” Namely, each EU citizen and resident would have access to a “personal digital wallet” under this initiative. The EU subsequently presented its plans for the “European Digital Decade,” where under the EU’s “Digital Compass,” 100% of key public services will be available digitally, with a target of 80% uptake of digital identification documents. A recent article in The Atlantic, “Why Aren’t We Even Talking About Easing COVID Restrictions?” questioned why vaccine passport mandates in the U.S. have no sunset date. Indeed, if the proclamation of the Secure Identity Alliance regarding the need to “futureproof” such digital documents is any indication, it may be the case that governments have no intention to scrap vaccine passports.
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AmazonSmile donated more than $40,000 to anti-vaccine groups in 2020
THE GUARDIAN. 15 Dec 2021 Amazon’s charitable program is paying tens of thousands of dollars to anti-vaccine groups in a move experts say is “shocking” as millions of Americans remain unvaccinated in the face of another Covid-19 wave. AmazonSmile reportedly donated more than $40,000 to leading sources of vaccine misinformation in 2020, according to separate analyses by Popular Information and the Washington Post. The charity program of the e-commerce giant donates 0.5% from purchases to designated nonprofits – including at least a dozen organizations working against widespread vaccination in the US. The National Vaccine Information Center has received $41,533.71 over the course of several years, according to an anonymous volunteer. Last year, Amazon gave them $12,675, the Post reports – one of a dozen groups to receive such funding. Children’s Health Defense, headed by Robert F Kennedy Jr, received $10,969; Physicians for Informed Consent received $3,626; and Informed Consent Action Network received $2,970.41.
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Latest VAERS estimate: 388,000 Americans killed by the COVID vaccines
Steve Kirsch, December 14, 2021 I have argued that the anaphylaxis rate is an appropriate number to use to (under) estimate deaths because I believed that deaths would be less reported than anaphylaxis to VAERS for two reasons: 1) usually lacks the time proximity to vaccination, 2) the person seeing the death may not know the vaccination status of the victim and may not technically be required to report the death. That day has arrived courtesy of Wayne at VAERS Analysis. Wayne did a URF computation using death data in CMS. This overcomes any objections about the validity of using anaphylaxis rates as a proxy for death rates. The VAERS URF he computed was 44.64. This seems reasonable to me. It’s really not far from the 41 I calculated. Also, Wayne subsequently looked at the numbers for 9 states. The average value was 40, not far from the 41 I calculated from anaphylaxis. I had one of my team members double check his numbers. No mistake. Now, let’s see what that means. As of Dec 14, 2021, there are 9,136 deaths reported into VAERS. If we subtract out more than twice the total number of deaths reported in any previous year (to be super conservative about estimating background deaths): So our new best estimate of the number of “excess deaths” caused by the vaccine is 388,000. Because there isn’t a plausible mechanism of excess death other than the vaccine (certainly our “always vigilant” CDC has never suggested an alternate cause), the process of elimination leads us to conclude the obvious: that these excess deaths were, in fact, caused by the vaccine. This should really be a surprise to anyone paying attention to the clinical trials. For example, in the Pfizer trial, you were much more likely to die if you got the vaccine than if you got the placebo. They simply forgot to mention that in the abstract of the paper (and they were incapable of accurately counting the number of deaths in each group as well). In short, the vaccine is a killing machine.
New discovery on how omega-3 fatty acids can reduce atherosclerosis
Karolinska Institutet, December 15, 2021 A receptor activated by substances formed from omega-3 fatty acids plays a vital role in preventing inflammation in blood vessels and reducing atherosclerosis, a new study from Karolinska Institutet in Sweden published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation reports. The discovery can pave the way for new strategies for treating and preventing cardiovascular disease using omega-3 fatty acids. "We've found that this receptor is dysregulated in atherosclerosis, indicating a disruption in the body's natural healing processes," says the study's first author Hildur Arnardottir, assistant professor at the Department of Medicine, Solna, Karolinska Institutet. "This discovery can pave the way for completely new strategies for treating and preventing atherosclerosis by arresting inflammation in the blood vessels, while also turning on the body's healing processes with the help of omega-3 fatty acids, for example."
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Mindfulness can get wandering thoughts back on track, according to new study
University of Cincinnati, December 15, 2021 Everyone has times where their mind won't stay on task. For example, you might be listening to someone talk in a meeting or class and your mind wanders to your dinner plans. Notably, research suggests that 30% to 50% of our daily thoughts are spent on this kind of mind wandering, and that excessive mind wandering can lead to many negative outcomes like poorer performance on standardized tests and poorer recall of information. "While zoning out for a few minutes during a meeting may not hurt, it can impact you negatively if it goes on for long periods of time," says Lynley Turkelson, a University of Cincinnati doctoral student and lead author of a new study on mindfulness and mind wandering published in the Journal of Cognitive Enhancement.
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Gallic acid and stretching decrease osteoarthritis markers in cartilage cells
Washington State University, December 15, 2021 A team led by Washington State University researchers used gallic acid, an antioxidant found in gallnuts, green tea and other plants, and applied a stretching mechanism to human cartilage cells taken from arthritic knees that mimics the stretching that occurs when walking. The combination not only decreased arthritis inflammation markers in the cells but improved the production of desired proteins normally found in healthy cartilage. "We found the combined stretching, which acts like an exercise for the cell itself, with the gallic acid decreased inflammation markers, which means we were able to reverse osteoarthritis," said Haneen Abusharkh, the study's lead author and a recent WSU Ph.D. graduate. "It's basically like having good exercise and a good diet on a micro-scale."
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Study shows that consumption of a pro-inflammatory diet is associated with increased odds of frailty onset in middle-aged and older adults
Hinda and Arthur Marcus Institute for Aging Research, December 7, 2021 Results of a study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition indicate that regularly consuming a diet of pro-inflammatory foods (e.g., those rich in simple carbohydrates or in saturated fats) is associated with increased likelihood of developing frailty in middle-aged and older adults. Frailty affects between 10-15 percent of community-living older adults – making it a significant public health issue. Previous studies linked specific nutrients with frailty or physical function but did not capture an individual’s entire diet and its impact on frailty over time.
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Study Shows Strawberries Might Help Combat Osteoarthritis
Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation, December 5, 2021 OMRF scientist Hal Scofield, M.D., and a team of researchers recently completed a human clinical trial that looked at the effects of strawberries as an anti-inflammatory measure to reduce pain associated with osteoarthritis. "The idea that there are anti-inflammatory compounds in strawberries is not a new one, and preventing free radical damage with berries and other fruits has been around for a while. But applying its benefits directly to osteoarthritis is new," said Scofield, a physician and medical researcher in OMRF's Arthritis and Clinical Immunology Program.
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Aluminium and its likely contribution to Alzheimer’s disease
Keele University (UK), December 13, 2021 A world authority on the link between human exposure to aluminium in everyday life and its likely contribution to Alzheimer’s disease, Professor Christopher Exley of Keele University, UK, says in a new report that it may be inevitable that aluminium plays some role in the disease. He says the human brain is both a target and a sink for aluminium on entry into the body – “the presence of aluminium in the human brain should be a red flag alerting us all to the potential dangers of the aluminium age. We are all accumulating a known neurotoxin in our brain from our conception to our death. Why do we treat this inevitability with almost total complacency?”
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Monsanto will plead guilty to illegally using pesticide in Hawaii and to pay additional $12m
GM Watch, December 15, 2021 As a result of the conduct in which Monsanto allowed workers on 30 occasions to enter fields sprayed with Forfeit 280 during the REI, the company violated a 2019 DPA related to the storage of a banned pesticide. According to the documents filed in court, Monsanto will plead guilty to two felony charges filed in 2019 that the government would have dismissed if the company had complied with federal law. In conjunction with the DPA related to the two felony charges of illegally storing an acute hazardous waste, Monsanto pleaded guilty in early 2020 to a misdemeanour offence of unlawfully spraying a banned pesticide – specifically methyl parathion, the active ingredient in Penncap-M – on research crops at one of its facilities on Maui. “Monsanto is a serial violator of federal environmental laws,” said United States Attorney Tracy L. Wilkison. “The company repeatedly violated laws related to highly regulated chemicals, exposing people to pesticides that can cause serious health problems.”
Flavor your food with 'flavanols (flavan-3-ols)' to burn excess fat, new study suggests Dietary intake of flavanols (flavan-3-ols), type of dietary polyphenolics, could help prevent obesity by sympathetic nervous system-induced browning of fat tissue
Shibaura Institute of Technology, December 13, 2021
In cold conditions, brown adipose tissue (BAT) or brown fat generates heat to keep the body warm. Compared with white adipose tissue, BAT has more mitochondria—subcellular organelles associated with energy production—which allows it to burn calories and produce heat by activating the mitochondrial uncoupling protein 1 (Ucp-1). The stimulation of the sympathetic nervous system (SNS) after cold exposure, exercise, and calorie restriction is well known to induce fat browning. Dietary polyphenols may also activate BAT, causing heat to be dissipated from our bodies. BAT activation and white fat browning are thus both therapeutically significant in the fight against cardiovascular diseases and their comorbidities.
A group of scientists examined the browning of fat induced by dietary administration of flavan 3-ols (FLs), a family of "catechin" containing polyphenols abundant in cocoa, apple, grapeseed, and red wine. In a new study published in the journal Nutrients, the team led by Professor Naomi Osakabe of Graduate School of Engineering and Science, Shibaura Institute of Technology, Japan proved that FLs enhance browning of adipose tissue by activating the SNS. The findings revealed a direct correlation between fat browning and FLs consumption, which could help researchers develop new treatments for obesity-related diseases.
The authors of this study had previously discovered that a single oral dose of FLs caused fat burning and increased skeletal muscle blood flow. Here, they investigated the effects of single and multiple dose administration of FLs in mouse adipose tissue and found that FLs activate fat browning via the SNS, which secretes "catecholamine" neurotransmitters such as adrenaline (AD) and noradrenaline (NA). They fed cocoa-derived FLs to distinct groups of mice in two independent sets of experiments. One group was given a single dose of FLs, and their urine excreted over 24 hours was collected for testing. The other group received repeated doses for 14 days before being dissected for the collection of brown and white fat. All adipose samples were tested for gene and protein markers that indicate fat browning, while the urine samples were tested specifically for AD and NA levels.
Higher concentrations of AD and NA in the urine following a single dose of FL clearly demonstrated SNS activation. Although the use of urine samples to evaluate SNS activation is still controversial in clinical research, it has been validated in stressed rodents. “Oral administration of FLs likely activate the SNS because they are considered stressors in these models,” explains Prof Osakabe.
The team then used the obtained adipose tissue to investigate the effects of long-term FL treatment. They were thrilled to discover that the white fat of mice who were fed FLs for 14 days eventually turned brown. Some of these cells also had notable structural changes, such as “multilocular phenotype,” and appeared to be smaller than normal cells. Since BAT dissipates heat energy, does long-term FL consumption change the amounts of heat-related proteins? To answer this question, the scientists showed that Ucp-1 levels, as well as other high temperature-linked proteins, increased in mice fed repeated doses of FLs. Browning markers, referred to as "beige markers" in this study, were also abundant in these mice. “All of these proteins work together to induce the development of the BAT phenotype,” exclaims Prof. Osakabe.
The team believes that the results of their study may contribute to the prevention of lifestyle-related diseases. Interestingly, this is not the first time FLs have worked wonders. Improvements in glucose and insulin tolerance have been seen after just one dose of FL-rich food administration. These findings taken together highlight the need of discussing both the acute and chronic aspects of the metabolic responses generated by FLs consumption.
It is evident from this research that the SNS activity in response to FLs intake caused the observed changes in mice fat. “Although the mechanism of adipose browning is not fully understood, it is possible that repeated administration of FLs may produce browning via catecholamines and its receptors,” explains Prof. Osakabe. “Further studies will be required to understand how this process is induced by FL-rich foods,” she concludes.
Discrimination increases risk for mental health issues in young adults
University of California at Los Angeles, November 9, 2021
A UCLA study has found that young adults who have experienced discrimination have a higher risk for both short- and long-term behavioral and mental health problems.
Researchers examined a decade’s worth of health data on 1,834 Americans who were between 18 and 28 years old when the study began. They found that the effects of discrimination may be cumulative — that the greater number of incidents of discrimination someone experiences, the more their risk for mental and behavioral problems increases.
The study also suggests that the effects of discrimination in young adults are connected with disparities in care for mental health concerns and institutional discrimination in health care overall, including inequities in diagnoses, treatment and health outcomes.
The study was published today in the journal Pediatrics.
Previous studies have linked discrimination — whether due to racism, sexism, ageism, physical appearance or other biases — to a higher risk for mental illness, psychological distress and drug use. While previous research has examined the correlation in childhood or later adulthood, this new study is the first to focus on the transition to adulthood and to follow the same group of individuals over time.
“With 75% of all lifetime mental health disorders presenting by age 24, the transition to adulthood is a crucial time to prevent mental and behavioral health problems,” said Yvonne Lei, a medical student at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and the study’s corresponding author.
Lei also said the findings are particularly relevant in light of the stresses young adults are facing nationwide today.
“The COVID-19 pandemic has brought to the forefront new mental health challenges — particularly for vulnerable populations,” she said. “We have the opportunity to rethink and improve mental health services to acknowledge the impact of discrimination, so we can better address it to provide more equitable care delivery.”
Researchers used data spanning 2007 to 2017 from the University of Michigan’s Transition to Adulthood Supplement of the Panel Study of Income Dynamics survey. Approximately 93% of the people in the study reported experiencing discrimination; the most common factors they cited were age (26%), physical appearance (19%), sex (14%) and race (13%).
The analysis showed that participants who experienced frequent discrimination, defined as a few times per month or more, were roughly 25% more likely to be diagnosed with a mental illness and twice as likely to develop severe psychological distress than those who had not experienced discrimination or had experienced it a few times per year or less. Overall, people who experienced any amount of discrimination had a 26% greater risk for poor health than people who said they did not experience discrimination.
During the 10-year period, young adults in the study who had experienced multiple successive years of high-frequency discrimination showed a much more pronounced, cumulative risk for mental illness, psychological distress, drug use and worse overall health.
The findings shed light on the multidimensional impact of discrimination on mental and behavioral health and overall well-being.
“The associations we found are likely also intertwined with mental health care service disparities — including inequities in care access, provider biases and structural and institutional discrimination in health care — leading to inequities in diagnoses, treatment and outcomes,” said the study’s senior author, Dr. Adam Schickedanz, an assistant professor of pediatrics at the Geffen School of Medicine.
Saffron: A Safe and Effective Treatment for Postpartum Depression Mashhad University of Medical Sciences (Iran) December 11, 2021
Postpartum depression is a mood disorder that affects as many as 1 in 7 new mothers. Characterized by deep mood swings, low energy, and a loss of interest in daily activities, postpartum depression may be caused by the sudden drops in estrogen and progesterone that occur in a woman’s body immediately after giving birth.[1] Currently, the only approved medical treatments for postpartum depression are talk therapy and psychiatric medications. If a mother wishes to breastfeed, the pharmaceutical path is contraindicated due to contaminating breast milk with medication metabolites. Now, thanks to an exotic spice, there is another choice that demonstrates the power of nature to heal from within.
In the journal Phytomedicine published the results of a clinical trial on saffron stigma for treating mothers suffering from postpartum depression. Saffron stigma are crimson-covered threads that are produced by the flowers of Crocus sativus L., commonly referred to as “saffron crocus.” A highly valued cooking spice, saffron is one of the world’s most expensive spices by weight.[2] Beyond saffron’s delicate flavor, often described as sweet and “hay like”, and rich golden hue used in traditional dyes, saffron’s use as a medicinal herb has been documented for more than 4,000 years.
In this study, researchers wanted to identify a non-pharmaceutical treatment option for breastfeeding mothers suffering from mild-to-moderate postpartum depressive disorder (PPD). A double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial was conducted on 60 new mothers diagnosed with PPD using the Beck Depression Inventory-Second Edition (BDI-II). Participants were randomly assigned to either saffron or placebo group, with saffron group receiving a 15-mg per day dose of the powdered herb. After 8 weeks, new BDI-II scores were taken and compared to the baseline scores. Results showed that the saffron group experienced a 96% remission rate for postpartum depression, more than double the remission rate of placebo group. BDI-II scores decreased significantly for the women consuming saffron (from 20.3 ± 5.7 to 8.4 ± 3.7), while the placebo group experienced only a modest decrease in symptom scores (19.8 ± 3.2 to 15.1 ± 5.4). Researchers concluded that saffron can have a safe and significant mood-elevating impact for those suffering from postpartum depression who want to safely breast-feed their newborns.[3]
Other researchers have produced similarly encouraging findings about saffron’s potential as a natural antidepressant. A 2014 meta-analysis titled “Saffron for depression: a systematic review of clinical studies and examination of underlying antidepressant mechanisms of action” analyzed six studies on saffron for treating depression. Researchers determined conclusively that “saffron had large treatment effects” on depression. When compared with antidepressant medications, saffron was found to have similar efficacy - without the side effects. Saffron's antidepressant properties have been attributed to its “serotonergic, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, neuro-endocrine, and neuroprotective effects.”[4]
It is a commonly held misbelief that holistic treatments for depression are only viable when a person is experiencing mild-to-moderate depression symptoms. Another meta-analysis of saffron for major depressive disorders dispels this concern. In this 2013 review of five studies on saffron for major depressive disorder, researchers noted that a “large effect” was seen in saffron-treated patients versus placebo, concluding that “saffron supplementation can improve symptoms of depression in adults with major depressive disorder.”[5]
Saffron’s impressive ability to elevate mood is backed-up by at least seven additional proven health benefits. Rich in B vitamins and manganese, adding this beautiful spice to your diet also provides a nutritional boost.
Regular exercise reduces the risk of and death from pneumonia, study suggests University of Bristol, December 7, 2021
People who exercise regularly can reduce their risk of developing and dying from pneumonia, new research has found. The study, led by the University of Bristol and published in GeroScience, analysed, for the first time, ten population cohort studies with over one million participants.
The benefits of regular exercise are well-known and can reduce the risk, length or severity of infectious diseases. Previous research has suggested that regular exercise might be associated with a reduced risk of pneumonia, but the studies have had mixed findings with some reporting evidence of a relationship and others no evidence.
The researchers carried out a pooled analysis of all published studies to re-evaluate the relationship between regular exercise and the risk of developing pneumonia.
The questions the study aimed to answer included:
- Is there an association between regular physical activity and future risk of pneumonia?
- If there is an association, what is the strength and nature of the association?
- If there is an association, is it stronger or weaker in specific groups of people?
The study found people who exercise regularly have a lower risk of developing pneumonia and pneumonia-related death compared to those who were the least or not physically active. The relationship was shown for pneumonias that did not result in death and those that resulted in death. The results did not change on taking into account known factors that can affect pneumonia such as age, sex, body mass index, socioeconomic status, alcohol consumption, smoking, and pre-existing diseases. The strength of the association did not vary by age or sex.
Dr Setor Kunutsor, Senior Lecturer in Evidence Synthesis in the Bristol Medical School: Translational Health Sciences (THS) and corresponding author on the paper, said: “In this first-ever pooled analysis of all studies conducted on the topic, we found strong and convincing evidence of a relationship between regular exercise and reduction in a person’s risk of developing pneumonia as well as death from the disease.
"Though our study could not determine the amount and intensity of physical activity, which is essential to prevent pneumonia, some of the results suggest that walking for 30 minutes once a week has a protective effect on death due to pneumonia.
“During the winter months and with COVID-19 still circulating, developing severe pneumonia from COVID-19 and other respiratory diseases is a common occurrence. Taking regular physical activity could reduce the risk of respiratory diseases such as COVID-19 especially in at-risk groups like older adults and those with underlying health conditions.”
The research does not prove cause and effect and further studies are needed to show if the associations demonstrated are causal. Also, additional work should be carried out to confirm the amount and intensity of physical activity, which is essential for the prevention of pneumonia or pneumonia-related deaths.
Finally, because regular exercise was self-reported, the values could be biased so future studies should focus on accurately assessing physical activity with the use of accelerometers or pedometers.
Pneumonia is an infection of the lung tissue usually caused by bacteria or viruses and is a leading cause of death among older people, the young, and people with pre-existing health conditions. In 2016 the disease was the fourth leading cause of death in the world.
Pneumonia is also associated with ill health, reduced quality of life, and high healthcare costs. Smoking, heavy drinking, respiratory conditions such as asthma, and chronic diseases such as diabetes and kidney disease, are well known to increase the risk of pneumonia, which is a preventable cause of death and disability.
The study’s findings add to the well documented evidence that regular physical activity has the potential to reduce the risk of several chronic diseases, infectious diseases such as pneumonia, as well as death. Physical activity has huge benefits on overall health, as well as reducing healthcare costs caused by pre-existing health conditions.
A daily dose of yoghurt could be the go-to food to manage high blood pressure University of South Australia and University of Maine, December 7, 2021
Whether it’s a dollop on your morning cereal or a simple snack on the go, a daily dose of yoghurt could be the next go-to food for people with high blood pressure, according to new research from the University of South Australia.
Conducted in partnership with the University of Maine, the study examined the associations between yoghurt intake, blood pressure and cardiovascular risk factors, finding that yoghurt is associated with lower blood pressure for those with hypertension.
Globally, more than a billion people suffer from hypertension (high blood pressure), putting them at greater risk of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) such as heart attack and stroke.
CVDs are the leading cause of death worldwide – in the United States, one person dies from CVD every 36 seconds; in Australia, it’s every 12 minutes.
UniSA researcher Dr Alexandra Wade says this study provides new evidence that connects yoghurt with positive blood pressure outcomes for hypertensive people.
“High blood pressure is the number one risk factor for cardiovascular disease, so it’s important that we continue to find ways to reduce and regulate it,” Dr Wade says.
“Dairy foods, especially yoghurt, may be capable of reducing blood pressure.
“This is because dairy foods contain a range of micronutrients, including calcium, magnesium and potassium, all of which are involved in the regulation of blood pressure.
“Yoghurt is especially interesting because it also contains bacteria that promote the release of proteins which lowers blood pressure.
“This study showed for people with elevated blood pressure, even small amounts of yoghurt were associated with lower blood pressure.
“And for those who consumed yoghurt regularly, the results were even stronger, with blood pressure readings nearly seven points lower than those who did not consume yoghurt.”
The study was conducted on 915 community-dwelling adults from the Maine–Syracuse Longitudinal Study. Habitual yogurt consumption was measured using a food frequency questionnaire. High blood pressure was defined as being greater than or equal to 140/90 mmHg (a normal blood pressure level is less than 120/80 mmHg).
Researchers say that future observational and intervention studies should continue to focus on at-risk individuals to examine the potential benefits of yogurt.
Infrared sauna helps remove heavy metals and prevent cancer
University of Munich, December 13, 2021
You’re about to discover the underappreciated health benefits of infrared sauna therapy. (Share this news with your healthcare provider)
Every day, our bodies are besieged by toxins, including heavy metals and industrial chemicals – a non-stop bombardment that can threaten to overwhelm the body’s natural defense system. In fact, the Environmental Protection Agency notes that the average American has over 700 chemicals in his or her system – including arsenic, lead, mercury, aluminum and cadmium.
The accumulation of these toxic substances can set the stage for a host of serious diseases, including cancer and dementia. Fortunately, there is a safe and effective way to rid the body of heavy metals and other pollutants, relieving the burden on your immune system and helping to prevent and even treat cancer.
Infrared saunas detoxify and heal the body with therapeutic radiant heat
Traditional saunas, which use steam to induce sweating, require high temperatures – something many users find uncomfortable. In contrast, infrared sauna rays use radiant heat similar to that of the sun – but minus the harmful ultraviolet rays – allowing the infrared rays to penetrate the skin, heating from the inside out as well as on the surface.
Experts advise temperatures of 105 to 130 degrees Fahrenheit as optimal for infrared saunas. The result is a higher comfort level and the ability to remain in the sauna longer for maximum therapeutic effects.
Cancer prevention: Infrared saunas kill mutated cancer cells
Millions of mutated cells exist in every body, but the immune system is designed to kill them off before they have a chance to multiply and grow into tumors. However, an immune system overwhelmed by toxins may not do this effectively – hence, the development of cancer.
Because cancer cells have a poorer tolerance to heat than healthy cells, infrared light is just the ticket to kill them off – and stop potential cancers in their tracks. Dr Rolf Issels, M.D., Ph.D., of the University of Munich, notes that the heat produced in an infrared sauna can create “heat shock” proteins on the surfaces of cancer cells, causing them to be more vulnerable to attack by the immune system.
Heat therapy can help reduce the size of existing tumors
Research shows that heat therapy via infrared saunas activates natural killer cells, T-cells and macrophages – the body’s natural cancer-fighting defense troops. Raising body heat can speed the death of tumors, as well as helping clear the body of carcinogens that contributed to their formation in the first place.
Hyperthermia, or heat therapy, is acknowledged by the American Cancer Society as a “promising” way to improve cancer treatment, while the National Cancer Institute reports heat therapy has been shown to reduce tumor size is some cases.
In a review published in Lancet Oncology in 2002, researchers noted that heat therapy has shown a beneficial effect in controlling certain types of cancer – such as breast cancer and malignant melanoma – and boosting survival rates in patients.
But when it comes to treating cancer, an infrared sauna is not a magic bullet, or even a “single” bullet. It is merely one weapon in the cancer-fighting arsenal. Both mainstream and holistic practitioners agree: heat therapy must be combined with other forms of cancer treatment, for best results.
Infrared saunas use multiple actions to fight cancer
In addition to killing cancer cells outright, infrared saunas combat cancer by helping to improve oxygen-carrying blood flow – important because cancer cells can’t thrive in high-oxygen environments. Infrared saunas also promote weight loss and fight obesity – another anti-cancer effect, due to the fact that cancer-producing hormones and carcinogens accumulate in fatty tissues.
Other beneficial and chemoprotective effects of infrared sauna include increased wound healing, increased production of beneficial nitric oxide, and improved blood flow through dilation and widening of arteries.
Say “goodbye” to heavy metals and other dangerous toxins
Infrared saunas promote sweating that helps detoxify the body from heavy metals such as lead, mercury, arsenic, aluminum, cadmium and nickel – along with industrial chemicals such as pesticides and herbicides.
And they do it more effectively than traditional saunas. While sweat generated in a conventional hot rock sauna has been found to consist of 95 to 97 percent water, the sweat produced by infrared saunas contains only 80 to 85 percent water.
This means that the remaining 15 to 20 percent of the sweat should represent toxins that have been cleared from the system. And this fact was proven, in spades – the remainder was found to be laden with toxins such as heavy metals, sulfuric acid, uric acid and excess sodium – demonstrating that infrared saunas are more effective at eliminating toxins from the body.
And, by helping toxins exit the body via the skin, infrared heat helps relieve the eliminatory and detoxifying burden on the kidneys and liver.
What’s the difference between far infrared and near infrared saunas?
Although both have therapeutic benefits, far and near infrared have some key differences. While far infrared saunas use metallic, ceramic or black carbon elements, near infrared lamp saunas utilize 250-watt incandescent red heat lamps – the same type that can be seen heating French fries at burger outlets.
In addition, near infrared sauna rays penetrate the skin to a distance of 3 inches, while far infrared rays only penetrate 1.5 inches.
Proponents of near infrared saunas point to their absence of EMFs – electromagnetic frequencies – as a benefit; Although proponents of far infrared saunas acknowledge their saunas emit more EMFs, they say the effect is negligible.
In the end, only you can decide which is right for you.
Of course, always consult a trusted, knowledgeable holistic practitioner before using either type of sauna – especially if you suffer from a chronic disease condition. When you have the go-ahead, plan to limit your initial sessions to 20 minutes maximum to avoid dehydration, dizziness and faintness.
Then, relax in the healing, soothing and detoxifying rays.
Flavor your food with 'flavanols (flavan-3-ols)' to burn excess fat, new study suggests
Dietary intake of flavanols (flavan-3-ols), type of dietary polyphenolics, could help prevent obesity by sympathetic nervous system-induced browning of fat tissue
Shibaura Institute of Technology (Japan), December 13, 2021
In cold conditions, brown adipose tissue (BAT) or brown fat generates heat to keep the body warm. Compared with white adipose tissue, BAT has more mitochondria—subcellular organelles associated with energy production—which allows it to burn calories and produce heat by activating the mitochondrial uncoupling protein 1 (Ucp-1). The stimulation of the sympathetic nervous system (SNS) after cold exposure, exercise, and calorie restriction is well known to induce fat browning. Dietary polyphenols may also activate BAT, causing heat to be dissipated from our bodies. BAT activation and white fat browning are thus both therapeutically significant in the fight against cardiovascular diseases and their comorbidities.
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Discrimination increases risk for mental health issues in young adults
University of California at Los Angeles, November 9, 2021
A UCLA study has found that young adults who have experienced discrimination have a higher risk for both short- and long-term behavioral and mental health problems. Researchers examined a decade’s worth of health data on 1,834 Americans who were between 18 and 28 years old when the study began. They found that the effects of discrimination may be cumulative — that the greater number of incidents of discrimination someone experiences, the more their risk for mental and behavioral problems increases.
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Saffron: A Safe and Effective Treatment for Postpartum Depression
Mashhad University of Medical Sciences (Iran) December 11, 2021 In the journal Phytomedicine published the results of a clinical trial on saffron stigma for treating mothers suffering from postpartum depression. Saffron stigma are crimson-covered threads that are produced by the flowers of Crocus sativus L., commonly referred to as “saffron crocus.” In this study, researchers wanted to identify a non-pharmaceutical treatment option for breastfeeding mothers suffering from mild-to-moderate postpartum depressive disorder (PPD). Results showed that the saffron group experienced a 96% remission rate for postpartum depression, more than double the remission rate of placebo group.
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Regular exercise reduces the risk of and death from pneumonia, study suggests
University of Bristol, December 7, 2021 People who exercise regularly can reduce their risk of developing and dying from pneumonia, new research has found. The study, led by the University of Bristol and published in GeroScience, analysed, for the first time, ten population cohort studies with over one million participants. The study found people who exercise regularly have a lower risk of developing pneumonia and pneumonia-related death compared to those who were the least or not physically active. The relationship was shown for pneumonias that did not result in death and those that resulted in death. The results did not change on taking into account known factors that can affect pneumonia such as age, sex, body mass index, socioeconomic status, alcohol consumption, smoking, and pre-existing diseases. The strength of the association did not vary by age or sex.
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A daily dose of yoghurt could be the go-to food to manage high blood pressure
University of South Australia and University of Maine, December 7, 2021 Whether it’s a dollop on your morning cereal or a simple snack on the go, a daily dose of yoghurt could be the next go-to food for people with high blood pressure, according to new research from the University of South Australia. Conducted in partnership with the University of Maine, the study examined the associations between yoghurt intake, blood pressure and cardiovascular risk factors, finding that yoghurt is associated with lower blood pressure for those with hypertension.
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Infrared sauna helps remove heavy metals and prevent cancer
University of Munich, December 13, 2021 Research shows that heat therapy via infrared saunas activates natural killer cells, T-cells and macrophages – the body’s natural cancer-fighting defense troops. Raising body heat can speed the death of tumors, as well as helping clear the body of carcinogens that contributed to their formation in the first place. Hyperthermia, or heat therapy, is acknowledged by the American Cancer Society as a “promising” way to improve cancer treatment, while the National Cancer Institute reports heat therapy has been shown to reduce tumor size is some cases. In a review published in Lancet Oncology , researchers noted that heat therapy has shown a beneficial effect in controlling certain types of cancer – such as breast cancer and malignant melanoma – and boosting survival rates in patients.
(OTHER NEWS NEXT) Who Will Be Held Responsible for this Devastation? Jeffrey A. Tucker
If the pandemic policy response had taken the form of mere advice, we would not be in the midst of this social, economic, cultural, political disaster. What caused the wreckage was the application of political force that was baked into the pandemic response this time in a way that has no precedent in human history. The response relied on compulsion imposed by all levels of government. The policies in turn energized a populist movement, Covid Red Guard that became a civilian enforcement arm. They policed the grocery aisles to upbraid the maskless. Drones swarmed the skies looking for parties to rat out and shut down. A blood lust against non compliers came to be unleashed at all levels of society. Lockdowns granted some people meaning and purpose, the way war does for some people. The compulsion to bludgeon others trickled down from government to the people. Madness overtook rationality. Once this took place, there was no longer a question of “Two weeks to flatten the curve.” The mania to suppress the virus by ending person-to-person contact extended to two years. This happened in the US and all over the world. The madness achieved nothing positive because the virus paid no attention to the edicts and enforcers. Ending social and economic functioning, however, shattered lives in countless ways, and continues to do so. It is precisely because so much about life (and science) is uncertain that civilized societies operate on the presumption of the freedom to choose. That’s a policy of humility: no one possesses enough expertise to presume the right to restrict other people’s peaceful actions. But with lockdowns and the successor policy of vaccine mandates, we’ve seen not humility but astounding arrogance. The people who did this to us and to billions of people around the world were so darn sure of themselves that they would take recourse to police-state tactics to realize their goals, none of which came to be realized at all, despite every promise that this would be good for us. It’s the compulsion that’s the source of all the issues. Someone wrote the edicts at someone’s behest. Someone imposed the orders. Those somebodies should be the people who should own the results, compensate the victims, and otherwise accept the consequences for what they have done. Who are they? Where are they? Why haven’t they stepped up? If you are going to force people to behave a certain way – to close their businesses, kick people out of their homes, stay away from meetings, cancel vacations, physically separate everywhere – you have to be damn certain that it is the right thing to do. If the people who did this were so sure of themselves, why are they so shy to take responsibility? The question is pressing: who precisely bears the blame? Not just in general, but more precisely: who was willing to step up from the beginning to say “If this does not work, I accept full responsibility?” Or: “I did this and stand by it.” Or: “I did this and I’m very sorry.” So far as I know, no one has said anything like this. Instead, what we have is a big jumble of messy bureaucracies, committees, reports, and unsigned orders. There are certain systems in place that seem structured in a way that makes it impossible to find out who precisely is responsible for their design and implementation. For example, a friend of mine was being harassed by his school for not being vaccinated. He wanted to speak to the person who imposed the rule. In his investigation, everyone passed the buck. This person put together a committee which then agreed on best practices left over from some other printed guidance approved by another committee, which had been implemented by a similar institution on another matter. This was then adopted by a different division and passed on to another committee for implementation as a recommendation and then it was issued by another division entirely. Incredibly, throughout the whole investigation, he failed to find a single person who was willing to step up and say: I did this and it was my decision. Everyone had an alibi. It became one big mush of bureaucracy with no accountability. It’s a tub of dough in which every bad actor pre-built a hiding place. It’s the same with many people who have been disemployed for refusing to divulge their vaccine status. Their bosses typically say that they are very sorry for what happened; if it had been up to them, the person would continue to work. Their bosses in turn demur and blame some other policy or committee. No one is willing to speak to victims and say: “I did this and stand by it.” Like millions of others, I’ve been harmed materially by pandemic response. My story lacks drama and is nothing remotely close to what others have experienced but it is salient because it is personal. I was invited to join in a live studio appearance on TV but then was refused because I refused to divulge my vaccine status. I was sent to a separate studio reserved for the unclean where I sat by myself. The person who informed me said the policy was stupid and he objected. But it is the company policy. Maybe I can speak to his boss? Oh, he is against this stuff too. Everyone thinks it is dumb. Who then is responsible? The buck is always passed on and up in the chain of command but no one will accept the blame and bear the consequences. Even though the courts have repeatedly shot down the vaccine mandates, there is universal consensus that the vaccines, while perhaps offering some private benefits, are not contributing to stopping infections or spread. Which is to say: the only person who might suffer from being unvaccinated is the unvaccinated himself. And yet still, people are losing their jobs, missing out on public life, being segregated and blocked, and otherwise paying a heavy price for not complying. And yet there are still people who are intensifying the blame game that blames not government nor public health authorities nor anyone in particular but rather a whole class of people: the evil unvaccinated. “I am furious at the unvaccinated,” writes Charles Blow of the New York Times, a paper that kicked off the pro-lockdown propaganda as early as February 27, 2020. “I am not ashamed of disclosing that. I am no longer trying to understand them or educate them. The unvaccinated are choosing to be part of the problem.” How precisely are the unvaccinated the problem? Because, he writes,“it is possible to control the virus and mitigate its spread, if more people are vaccinated.” This is plainly untrue, as we’ve seen from many countries’ experiences around the world. Look up Singapore or Gibraltar or Israel or any high vaxx country and see their case trends. They look the same or worse than low vaxx countries. We know from at least 33 studies that the vaccines cannot and do not stop infection or transmission, which is precisely why Pfizer and people like Anthony Fauci are demanding 3rd and now 4th shots. Shots without end, always with the promise that the next one will achieve the goal. Mr. Blow is propagating falsehoods. Why? Because there is an appetite out there to tag someone or something with the fault for the wreckage. The unvaccinated are the scapegoats to distract from the real problem of discovering and holding to account those people who undertook this experiment without precedent. The trouble now is finding out who they are. The governor of New York did terrible things but now he has resigned. His brother at CNN propagated lockdown ideology but he was fired. The mayor of New York has perpetrated evil but he is sneaking out of office in a few weeks. Some governors who locked down their populations have declined to run again and will try their best to disappear. Dr. Deborah Birx, whom we know for certain was the person who talked Trump into approving lockdowns, quietly resigned and has done her best to avoid the spotlight. The journalist at the New York Times who whipped up total hysteria while calling for brutal lockdown has since been fired from his job. So too for hundreds of public health officials who have resigned or been fired. Who is left to blame? The most likely candidate here is Fauci himself. But I can already tell you his excuse. He never signed a single order. His fingerprints are on no legislation. He never issued any edicts. He never had anyone arrested. He never blocked the entrance to any church nor personally padlocked any school or business. He is merely a scientist making recommendations supposedly for people’s health. He has an alibi too. Much of this reminds me of World War I, the “Great War.” Look up the causes. They are all amorphous. Nationalism. An assassination. Treaties. Diplomatic confusions. The Serbs. Meanwhile none of these reasons can actually account for 20 million dead, 21 million wounded, and wrecked economies and lives all over the world, to say nothing of the Great Depression and rise of Hitler that came as a result of this appalling disaster. Despite investigations, countless books, public hearings, and public fury that lasted a decade or more after the Great War, there never was anyone who accepted responsibility. We saw a repeat of the same following the Iraq War. Is there any record of anyone who said “I made the decision and I was wrong”? So it might be for the lockdowns and mandates of 2020 and 2021. The carnage is unspeakable and will last a generation or two or more. Meanwhile, the people responsible are slowly slipping out of public life, finding new jobs and sanitizing their hands of any responsibility. They are scrubbing resumes and, when asked, blaming anyone and everyone else but themselves. This is the moment in which we find ourselves: a ruling class terrified of being found out, called out, and held accountable, and therefore incentivized to generate an endless series of excuses, scapegoats, and distractions (“You need another shot!”). This is the least satisfying conclusion to this awful story. But there it is: it is very likely that the people who did this to us will never be held accountable, not in any court and not in any legislative hearing. They will never be forced to compensate their victims. They will never even admit they were wrong. And herein lies what might be the most egregious feature of evil public policy: this is not and will not be justice or anything that even vaguely resembles justice. That is what history would suggest, in any case. If it is different this time and the perpetrators actually do face some consequences, it would still not make things right, but at least it would set a fabulous precedent for the future.
How vitamin D delivers on cardio health
University of South Australia, December 6, 2021 Free from the sun, vitamin D delivers a natural source for one of the hormones essential to our bodies, especially the bones. But when you're down on this essential nutrient, it's not only your bones that could suffer, but also your cardio health, according to new research from the University of South Australia. In the first study of its kind, researchers from the UniSA's Australian Centre for Precision Health at SAHMRI have identified genetic evidence for a role of vitamin D deficiency in causing cardiovascular disease. The study, which is published in European Heart Journal today, shows that people with vitamin D deficiency are more likely to suffer from heart disease and higher blood pressure, than those with normal levels of vitamin D. For participants with the lowest concentrations the risk of heart disease was more than double that seen for those with sufficient concentrations.
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Sleep technique improves creative thinking
A team of researchers working at Sorbonne Université, reports that people may be more creative if awoken just after falling asleep. In their paper published in the journal Science Advances, the group describes experiments they conducted with sleeping volunteers. Thomas Edison and Salvador Dali were both known to use a certain sleep technique to increase their creativity. It involved thinking about a problem or set of circumstances and then placing an object in their hand as they lay down for a nap. As they drifted off, their hand relaxed and allowed the object to fall to the floor rousing them from their sleep. It was at that point, they both claimed, that inspiration came to them. In this new effort, the researchers tested this idea. Prior research has shown that in addition to REM sleep and deep sleep, most people experience a type of sleep known as N1—the short interval between being fully awake and fully asleep, a sort of twilight zone. It was this interval that the researchers set out to test. They recruited 103 healthy people who promised they had little difficulty falling asleep given the chance.
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Link between intestinal inflammation and microbiome
Kiel University, November 30, 2021 Around 500 to 1,000 different types of bacteria, fungi and other microorganisms colonize our intestines. All of them together form the intestinal microbiome. As we now know, these microbes play an important role in maintaining health. This is especially evident when the composition of the microbiome becomes unbalanced, as is the case in people with chronic inflammatory bowel diseases. PD Dr. Felix Sommer and his team from the Cluster of Excellence Precision Medicine in Chronic Inflammation (PMI) are trying to better understand the complex interactions between the host and their microbiome. While doing so, they encountered an enzyme called hexokinase 2 (HK2). The HK2 enzyme is produced in greater quantities in the event of inflammation and is regulated by the microbiome. "We were able to show in the animal model that by administering the short-chain fatty acid butyrate, the HK2 levels in intestinal epithelial cells were lowered and inflammation was ameliorated. The protective effect of the fatty acid butyrate produced by bacteria was absent in animals where the HK2 enzyme was removed," explained Sommer, head of the Functional Host-Microbiome Research working group at the Institute of Clinical Molecular Biology (IKMB) at Kiel University (CAU) and the University Medical Center Schleswig-Holstein (UKSH), Campus Kiel. The results of the study have been published in the renowned scientific journal Cell Metabolism.
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Cognitive aging: Work helps our brain
University of Padua (Italy), December 9, 2021 A recent study shows that work plays an active role in keeping our brains healthy. "We have demonstrated the role of working activity on cognitive performance". Professor Raffaella Rumiati says. From our analysis it emerges that the type of work activity also contributes to the differences in normal and pathological cognitive aging”. The analysis surprisingly shows that occupation is a good predictor of participants' performance in addition to age and education, two factors that have been already studied.
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Dementia risk reduced by eating grapes, according to UCLA researchers
University of California at Los Angeles, December 12, 2021 Evidence has emerged that ordinary grapes – one of the most loved (refreshing) snacks – can be a powerful ally against dementia. Researchers found that grapes can have significant effects on preventing cognitive decline in older adults – and may even help prevent the development of Alzheimer’s disease. In a placebo-controlled study published in January in Experimental Gerontology, men and women with mild cognitive decline were given either freeze-dried grape powder or a placebo daily for six months. PET scans were used to evaluate cognitive performance and changes in brain metabolism, both before and after treatment.
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A diet rich in plant-based products reduces the risk of cognitive impairment in the elderly
University of Barcelona (Spain), December 9, 2021 A diet rich in plant products reduces the risk of cognitive impairment and dementia in the elderly. This European study, part of the Joint Programming Initiative "A Healthy Diet for a Healthy Life" (JPI HDHL), was carried out over 12 years with the participation of 842 people aged over 65 in the Bordeaux and Dijon regions (France). The study analyses the relationship between the metabolism of dietary components, intestinal microbiota, endogenous metabolism and cognitive impairment.
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CoQ10 may help blood sugar management in people with MetS
Kashan University of Medical Sciences (Iran), December 5, 2021
Daily supplements of coenzyme Q10 may produce beneficial effects on insulin and blood sugar management in people with metabolic syndrome, says a new study. Writing in the PubMed-listed European Journal of Nutrition , researchers from Kashan University of Medical Sciences in Iran report that CoQ10 supplementation was also associated with significant improvements in serum insulin levels, insulin resistance (measured using the homeostatic model assessment: HOMA-IR), and beta-cell function (homeostatic model assessment-beta cell function: HOMA-B). Results showed that participants in the CoQ10 group experienced significant improvements in insulin levels, HOMA-IR, and HOMA-B, while there was also a trend to improved levels of glutathione and reduced levels of malondialdehyde, a reactive carbonyl compound that is a marker of oxidative stress.
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Eucalyptus compound effective at treating lung damage
University of Melbourne & Monash University (Australia), December 4, 2021
University of Melbourne-led research has shown the flavonoid pinocembrin, derived from Australian eucalyptus trees, has strong anti-inflammatory properties and could be safe and effective at treating lung fibrosis in sheep, a large animal model for human lung disease. Pinocembrin, a flavonoid found in several different type of trees including pine trees and eucalyptus, has been reported to have antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-microbial and anti-cancer properties. "We found that pinocembrin improved lung function, attenuated lung inflammation, and decreased overall pathology scores compared to damaged lungs that were untreated," Dr. Derseh said. "We saw striking anti-inflammatory effects and modest anti-fibrotic remodeling after four weeks of administering pinocembrin." "In lung fluid samples, inflammatory cells called neutrophils dropped from 7.4 percent of total cells to 3.7 percent in the pinocembrin-treated bleomycin-injured lung segments."
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Study links high cholesterol, cardiovascular disease to plastics University of California at Riverside, December 2, 2021
Plastics, part of modern life, are useful but can pose a significant challenge to the environment and may also constitute a health concern. Indeed, exposure to plastic-associated chemicals, such as base chemical bisphenol A and phthalate plasticizers, can increase the risk of human cardiovascular disease. What underlying mechanisms cause this, however, remain elusive. A team led by Changcheng Zhou, a biomedical scientist at the University of California, Riverside, now raises the hopes of solving the mystery. In a mouse study, the researchers found a phthalate—a chemical used to make plastics more durable—led to increased plasma cholesterol levels.
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Environmentally sustainable diet linked to health benefits Lund University (Sweden), December 9, 2021
A large population study from Lund University in Sweden has shown that more sustainable dietary habits are linked to health benefits, such as a reduced risk of premature death from cardiovascular disease and cancer. The study is published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. "Our results indicate that dietary guidelines that are beneficial for both planetary health and personal health do exist," says Anna Stubbendorff, doctoral student at Lund University and first author of the study. The EAT-Lancet Commission report describes how the world must transform its food production and consumption if the Earth's already fragile environment and scarce resources are to suffice for 10 billion people in 2050. The report covered six different areas: climate impact, water use, biodiversity, phosphorus and nitrogen use and acidification.
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Move Over, Wheat! Rye Bread Is Better for Weight Loss
Chalmers University (Sweden), December 2, 2021 New research from Chalmers University in Sweden found that dieters who consumed whole-grain rye lost more weight than those who went for refined wheat. In the 12-week-long study, 242 overweight or obese participants were randomly selected to eat either high fiber rye products or refined wheat products in addition to a hypocaloric diet. Those in the rye group lost an average of 6.4 lbs. and more body fat compared to those in the wheat group, who only lost 4 lbs. "Why rye?" On average, a slice of rye bread is relatively low in calories (around 83 calories) and packed with beneficial nutrients like, folate, iron, copper, niacin and vitamin B6.
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Vitamins C and E associated with decreased inflammation in diabetics
Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences (Iran), December 30 2015. The Avicenna Journal of Phytomedicine published the finding of a trial conducted by Iranian researchers of anti-inflammatory effects of vitamin C and vitamin E in male diabetics. It is possible to control insulin resistance and diabetes by modulating inflammatory cytokines and adipokines using chemical drugs or supplementary micronutrients.
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What’s really wrong with the mainstream media
Robert Reich, The Guardian, December 9, 2021 I’m often asked how I keep up with the news. Obviously, I avoid the unhinged rightwing outlets pushing misinformation, disinformation and poisonous lies. But I’ve also grown wary of the mainstream media – not because it peddles “fake news” but because of three more subtle biases. First, it often favors the status quo. Mainstream journalists wanting to appear serious about public policy rip into progressives for the costs of their proposals, but never ask self-styled “moderates” how they plan to cope with the costs of doing nothing or doing too little about the same problems. A Green New Deal might be expensive but doing nothing about the climate crisis will almost certainly cost far more. Medicare for All will cost a lot, but the price of doing nothing about America’s cruel and dysfunctional healthcare system will soon be in the stratosphere.
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A massive 8-year effort finds that much cancer research can’t be replicated SCIENCE NEWS, DECEMBER 7, 2021
After eight years, a project that tried to reproduce the results of key cancer biology studies has finally concluded. And its findings suggest that like research in the social sciences, cancer research has a replication problem. Researchers with the Reproducibility Project: Cancer Biology aimed to replicate 193 experiments from 53 top cancer papers published from 2010 to 2012. But only a quarter of those experiments were able to be reproduced, the team reports in two papers published December 7 in eLife. The researchers couldn’t complete the majority of experiments because the team couldn’t gather enough information from the original papers or their authors about methods used, or obtain the necessary materials needed to attempt replication. What’s more, of the 50 experiments from 23 papers that were reproduced, effect sizes were, on average, 85 percent lower than those reported in the original experiments. Effect sizes indicate how big the effect found in a study is. For example, two studies might find that a certain chemical kills cancer cells, but the chemical kills 30 percent of cells in one experiment and 80 percent of cells in a different experiment. The first experiment has less than half the effect size seen in the second one.
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Bayer executive: mRNA shots are ‘gene therapy’ marketed as ‘vaccines’ to gain public trust
‘We probably would have had a 95% refusal rate’ for these shots two years ago, but the pandemic and marketing of the injections as ‘vaccines’ has made them popular with the public, said Stefan Oelrich. LIFESITE, Wed Nov 10, 2021 The president of Bayer’s Pharmaceuticals Division told international “experts” during a globalist health conference that the mRNA COVID-19 shots are indeed “cell and gene therapy” marketed as “vaccines” to be palatable to the public. Stefan Oelrich, president of Bayer’s Pharmaceuticals Division, made these comments at this year’s World Health Summit, which took place in Berlin from October 24-26 and hosted 6,000 people from 120 countries. Oelrich told his fellow international “experts” from academia, politics, and the private sector that the novel mRNA COVID “vaccines” are actually “cell and gene therapy” that would have otherwise been rejected by the public if not for a “pandemic” and favorable marketing.
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VAERS Data Indicates the Covid Vaccines Have Killed At Least 140,000 Americans
Vasko Kohlmayer. American Thinker, December 9, 2021 To get an idea of just how dangerous the current Covid vaccines are, we only need to look at the numbers in the government-authorized VAERS database. If we, then, adjust our VEARS number for this variable, we will obtain the result of 140,616 (3,906 x 36). This would represent the number of Americans killed by the Covid vaccines in a period of fewer than 12 months starting in mid-December 2020 through November 26, 2021. Please keep in mind that the above is a very conservative estimate, which we have arrived at by assuming a 20 percent causality link in reported death entries in the VAERS database and the underreporting factor of 36. This, however, is likely a gross understatement of the actual situation. Using less conservative assumptions, many researchers have come up with a higher death toll. Steve Kirsch, Jessica Rose, and Mathew Crawford, for example, estimated in their paper that the vaccines have likely claimed 150,000 lives as of August 28, 2021. If we use the underreporting factor of 100 (one hundred) advocated by David A. Kessler, Ronald Kostoff, and the Department of Health and Human Services we would arrive at the figure of 390,600 deaths attributable to the vaccines.
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Vaccine Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (VAIDS): 'We should anticipate seeing this immune erosion more widely'
FRONTLINE NEWS, Dec 05, 2021 'If immune erosion occurs after two doses and just a few months, how can we exclude the possibility that effects of an untested "booster" will not erode more rapidly and to a greater extent?' A Lancet study comparing vaccinated and unvaccinated people in Sweden was conducted among 1.6 million individuals over nine months. It showed that protection against symptomatic COVID-19 declined with time, such that by six months, some of the more vulnerable vaccinated groups were at greater risk than their unvaccinated peers. Doctors are calling this phenomena in the repeatedly vaccinated “immune erosion” or “acquired immune deficiency”, accounting for elevated incidence of myocarditis and other post-vaccine illnesses that either affect them more rapidly, resulting in death, or more slowly, resulting in chronic illness. First, these vaccines “mis-train” the immune system to recognize only a small part of the virus (the spike protein). Variants that differ, even slightly, in this protein are able to escape the narrow spectrum of antibodies created by the vaccines. Second, the vaccines create “vaccine addicts,” meaning persons become dependent upon regular booster shots, because they have been “vaccinated” only against a tiny portion of a mutating virus. Australian Health Minister Dr. Kerry Chant has stated that COVID will be with us forever and people will “have to get used to” taking endless vaccines. “This will be a regular cycle of vaccination and revaccination.” Third, the vaccines do not prevent infection in the nose and upper airways, and vaccinated individuals have been shown to have much higher viral loads in these regions. This leads to the vaccinated becoming “super-spreaders” as they carry extremely high viral loads. In addition, the vaccinated become more clinically ill than the unvaccinated. Scotland reported that the infection fatality rate in the vaccinated is 3.3 times the unvaccinated, and the risk of death if hospitalized is 2.15 times the unvaccinated. Indefinite uncontrolled autoimmune response to the coronavirus spike protein may produce a wave of antibodies called anti-idiotype antibodies or Ab2s that continue to damage human bodies long after clearing either Sars-Cov-2 itself or those spike proteins that the shots cause the body's cells to produce, explained former New York Times reporter Alex Berenson. Spike protein antibodies may themselves produce a second wave of antibodies, called anti-idiotype antibodies or Ab2s. Those Ab2s may modulate the immune system’s initial response by binding with and destroying the first wave of antibodies. “While some are concerned that blood IgG antibodies fall with time, I am not convinced that this is a relevant measure,” Yeadon continued. "Respiratory virus infection begins in the lungs and nasopharynx. Neither are protected by blood antibodies, which are molecules too large to diffuse into airways tissue. What protects against infection and initial viral replication is secretory IgA antibodies and T-cells in airways, neither of which have been studied in any efficacy trial. "The empirical data are very worrying. In most countries now, high fractions of the population have been vaccinated. If the Swedish study is a guide, we should anticipate seeing this immune erosion more widely. The most concerning aspect of that study is that those most in need of protection are those in whom immune erosion is most marked: the elderly, males, and those with comorbidities. "Some have used the results of this study to support the widespread use of so-called ‘booster’ shots. It has to be said: No one has any safety data about such a plan. If immune erosion occurs after two doses and just a few months, how can we exclude the possibility that effects of an untested ‘booster’ will not erode more rapidly and to a greater extent? And what then would be the response? A fourth injection. Madness. Yeadon concluded: "Europe is all but gone. The lights are going out. Austria and Germany now subject their unvaccinated to house arrest. In Greece, the unvaccinated are subject to escalating fines, non-payment of which is converted into prison time. In Lithuania, the unvaccinated are excluded from society. The booster campaigns are running full-pelt everywhere. “Someone, somewhere knows what’s going to happen. Will immunity-erosion worsen more speedily and to a greater extent after this untested ‘booster’? The U.K. government has already said that the fourth injection is to take place a mere three months after the third. It’s utter madness. Yet such is the hermetic control of media that nothing much emerges into the public consciousness.”
Compounds in leafy green vegetables could help prevent cognitive decline
Rush University Medical Center, December 2, 2021.
Rush University Medical Center analyzed data from 960 participants between the ages of 58 and 99 years in the Rush Memory and Aging Project. Individuals whose intake of leafy green vegetables including spinach, kale/collards/greens, and lettuce, was among the top 20% of subjects at a median of 1.3 servings per day had a rate of cognitive decline over follow-up that was significantly slower than that of subjects’ whose intake was among the lowest 20% at 0.1 servings per day. The authors compared the difference to that of someone 11 years younger. When individual nutrients contained in leafy vegetables were analyzed, having an intake among the top 20% of intake of phylloquinone (vitamin K1), lutein, folate, alpha-tocopherol (vitamin E), nitrate and kaempferol were each associated with slower cognitive decline in comparison with an intake that was among the lowest fifth. The authors concluded that “Consumption of approximately 1 serving per day of green leafy vegetables and foods rich in phylloquinone, lutein, nitrate, folate, alpha-tocopherol, and kaempferol may help to slow cognitive decline with aging.”
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Keto diet may not work for women
University of California at Riverside, December 8, 2021
Scientists from UC Riverside are studying how the popular keto and intermittent fasting diets work on a molecular level, and whether both sexes benefit from them equally. The idea behind the keto diet is that low levels of carbohydrates and very high levels of fat and protein will force the body to use fat as fuel, resulting in weight loss. Legions of people swear by it, and innumerable companies produce foods designed for those people. Intermittent fasting operates on a similar principle, restricting eating to a small window of time during the day. During the hours without food, the body exhausts its stores of sugar and switches to burning fat. The fat gets converted to ketone bodies that the brain can use as fuel.
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Better exercise performance and increased intake of nutrients that support healthy inflammation linked to reduced inflammaging in older adults
Collegium Medicum University of Zielona Gora (Poland), December 1 2021. Research reported in Nutrients revealed an association between decreased indicators of chronic inflammation and greater intake of nutrients that help maintain inflammation at a healthy level combined with better walking performance in an older population. The study included 60 men and women aged 65 and older. Dietary recall responses were evaluated to determine the intake of the anti-inflammatory vitamins A, C, D and E and beta-carotene, as well as fatty acids omega 3 (which has shown anti-inflammatory effects) and omega 6 (associated with inflammation when intake is high). Physical performance was evaluated using six-minute walk tests. Blood samples were analyzed for the inflammation markers serum C-reactive protein (CRP), interleukins 1beta, 6, 8 and 13, tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNFα) and circulating free DNA, and the anti-inflammatory cytokine interleukin 10.
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Microplastics found to be harmful to human cells, new study shows
University of York (UK), December 8, 2021 High levels of ingested microplastics in the human body have the potential to have harmful effects, a new study reveals. This is the first-time scientists have attempted to quantify the effects of the levels of microplastics on human cells using a statistical analysis of the available published studies. “What we have found is that in toxicology tests, we are seeing reactions including cell death and allergic reactions as potential effects of ingesting or inhaling high levels of microplastics.” These studies focused on microplastic contamination of drinking water, seafood and table salt and revealed high levels of human exposure to microplastics from consuming these.
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A handful of nuts a day reduces major disease risk: Review
Imperial College of London, December 5, 2021 Eating at least 20 grams of nuts a day could cut the chances of dying from respiratory disease by about a half and diabetes by nearly 40%, researchers say. The study, which establishes the benefits of nut consumption on cardiovascular conditions, also found convincing data of the food’s effect on other diseases. “We found a consistent reduction in risk across many different diseases,” said study co-author Dr Dagfinn Aune from Imperial College London's school of public health.
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Pandemic worriers shown to have impaired general cognitive abilities
McGill University (Quebec), December 5, 2021 A new study finds the pandemic may have also impaired people's cognitive abilities and altered risk perception, at a time when making the right health choices is critically important. Scientists at McGill University and The Neuro (Montreal Neurological Institute-Hospital) surveyed more than 1,500 Americans online from April to June, 2020. Participants were asked to rate their level of worry about the COVID-19 pandemic and complete a battery of psychological tests to measure their basic cognitive abilities like processing and maintaining information in mind.
Grape seed extract found to extend lifespan of old mice
Chinese Academy of Sciences and Mayo Clinic, December 7, 2021
A team of researchers affiliated with a host of institutions in China and the U.S. has found that injecting procyanidin C1 (PCC1), a chemical found in grape seed extract, into older mice extended their lifespan. In their paper published in the journal Nature Metabolism, the group describes the link between PCC1 and extended lifespan in mice and the experiments they carried out with the material. The researchers screened 46 plant extracts looking for anti-aging capabilities. They came across PCC1. Initial tests during screening showed it reduced the number of senescent cells in the human prostate. Such cells are known to contribute to aging. Intrigued with their results, the researchers tested it further. They found that at low doses it prevented senescent cells from contributing to inflammation, and at higher doses killed them outright without harming other cells.
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Gratitude may improve your health
University of Michigan and University of California, San Francisco, December 6, 2021
Be thankful for what you have—it might improve your physical and mental health, according to a new global study that uses cell phone data. People who were more grateful had lower blood pressure and heart rate, as well as greater feelings of appreciation toward others. The study found that optimism was also linked to health and mental benefits, such as better sleep quality and more positive expectations and reflections. The findings showed that gratitude and optimism are positive psychological dispositions associated with beneficial outcomes. Gratitude highlighted the positive aspects of the day, whereas optimism minimized the negative aspects of the day, the study indicated. In addition, optimism was a better predictor of sleep quality and stress frequency and intensity than gratitude.
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Higher physical activity is associated with a better metabolic health risk factor profile in menopausal women
University of Jyvaskyla (Finland), November 29, 2021 A study conducted at the University of Jyväskylä shows that menopausal transition is associated with unfavourable changes in metabolic health that may be mitigated with a physically active lifestyle. Especially, physical activity alleviated the increase in systolic blood pressure. In the study, the women were divided into three groups based on the change in their menopausal status during the follow-up period and the groups were compared to each other. Body composition, waist circumference, blood pressure, blood lipids and glucose and physical activity were measured twice during the four-year follow-up time. In all groups, the levels of several metabolic health indicators deteriorated.
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Could glucosamine and chondroitin support a healthy colon?
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, December 6, 2021 Use of the supplements, which are used for joint health support, was associated with a 23% reduction in the risk of colorectal cancer, according to data from the Nurses' Health Study and Health Professionals Follow-up Study published in the International Journal of Cancer . “Results of this study suggest a potential beneficial effect of glucosamine and chondroitin supplementation on risk of colorectal cancer, and further support the previously observed association between use of these supplements and risk of colorectal cancer in the VITAL study,” wrote the researchers. “Additional study is needed to better understand the association between use of glucosamine and chondroitin and risk of colorectal cancer, and the mechanisms by which these supplements may affect risk of colorectal cancer.”
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Cannabis impacts sperm counts, motility in two generations of mice
Washington State University, December 2, 2021 An intense but short-term exposure to cannabis vapor lowered sperm counts and slowed sperm movement, or motility, not only in the directly exposed male mice but also in their sons. The Washington State University study, published in the journal Toxicological Sciences, builds on other human and animal studies, showing that cannabis can impede male reproductive function. The current study uses more controlled circumstances than human studies, which often have to rely on surveys, and is the first known reproductive study to use vaporized whole cannabis in mice, which is the more common form humans use.
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Study suggests giving kids too many toys stifles their creativity
University of Toledo, December 6, 2021 A team of researchers at the University of Toledo has found that children are more creative when they have fewer toys to play with at one time. In their paper published in the journal Infant Behavior and Development, the group describes their observational study of toddlers at play, what they learned and offer some suggestions for parents. The researchers found that the toddlers playing with four toys engaged in more creative activities than did the toddlers who had 16 toys to choose from. They also found, unsurprisingly, that toddlers with fewer options tended to play with each of the toys available to them for a longer amount of time. Much of that additional time, the researchers noted, was taken up with finding news ways to play with them.
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Rap Sheets for Pfizer and J&J
PFIZER Rejected the government for distributing the vaccine… will do it itself CEO Albert Bouria – before reining the closing bell at stock exchange.. stated that those who do not vaccinated will be the weak links in stopping the pandemic Pfizer – second largest drug/biotech co in world – 4th highest earner in vaccines Product safety – it is heart valves were defected and caused a hundred deaths – investigation found company intentionally misled regulators knowing about hazards Celebrex.. in wake of vioxx – painkiller.. admitted in its trials the drug increased heart problems. Settled 894 million – for Celebrex and Bextra (painkiller that causes cardio and GI risks) More recent – 1000 lawsuits or birth defects associated with its drug Zolof… Price fixing – as far back as 1950s with antibiotics. Such as tetracycline Price fixing over the years… AIDS drug, Lipitor (cholesterol drug) In 2016 the Justice Department announced that Pfizer would pay $784 million to settle allegations that it underpaid rebates to Medicaid on two of its drugs. 20 million paid to 4500 doctors for speaking on behalf of its drugs Busted for false Centrum claims for breast and colon health Racketeering fraud over Neurtonin – epilepsy drug Bribery – payments to foreign government officials.. and bribing overseas doctors to increase foreign sales Selling off label Kickbacks from medicare Tax avoidance – using paper work to “relocate” to Ireland , tax haven Repeatedly paid fines for environmental violations at its research and manufacturing plants. In 2009 - dubious distinction of paying the largest-ever criminal fine at the time — $2.3 billion — for fraudulent and illegal promotion of four drugs, including a painkiller marketed at “dangerously high” doses. In 2016, a British regulator levied a $106 million fine against Pfizer for a 2600% increase in the price of a widely prescribed anti-epilepsy drug that increased the National Health Services’ expenditures from one year to the next — for a single drug—from $2.5 million to $63 million. Pfizer is the top drug company spender in state elections, even outspending the industry’s own lobbying group, Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRM). In 2014 Pfizer launched an effort to take over AstraZeneca that was designed not only to swallow a competitor but also to cut its tax bill by locating the headquarters of the combined operation in Britain. When AstraZeneca resisted the controversial move, Pfizer abandoned the bid. Then in November 2015 Pfizer announced a similar deal, worth $160 billion, to merge with Allergan and move the headquarters of the combined company to Ireland. The plan was dropped when the Obama Administration introduced new tax rules. JOHNSON AND JOHNSON In 2004 J&J agreed to pay up to $90 million to settle lawsuits linking the prescription heartburn medication Propulsid to several hundred deaths and many more cases of cardiac irregularity. During 2009 and 2010 the company had to announce a string of recalls of medications, contact lenses and hip implants. The most serious of these was the massive recall of more than 136 million bottles of liquid Tylenol and Motrin for infants and children after batches of the medications were found to be contaminated with metal particles. The company's handling of the matter was so poor that J&J subsidiary McNeil-PPC became the subject of a criminal investigation and later entered a guilty plea and paid a criminal fine of $20 million and forfeited $5 million. It also came out during a Congressional investigation of the matter that in 2008 J&J had engaged in what was labeled a "phantom recall." When faced with Motrin IB caplets that were not dissolving property, McNeil hired contractors to buy up the products in stores while making no announcement to the public. In 2013 J&J reached a deal with plaintiffs lawyers under which it would pay nearly $2.5 billion in compensation to an estimated 8,000 people who had received flawed hip implants. In 2016 two juries awarded a total of $127 million damages to women who sued J&J claiming that their ovarian cancer was caused by the talc in J&J Baby Powder. An award of $417 million was made by a California jury in 2017 and a verdict of more than $4 billion was awarded in Missouri in 2018 (an appeal court later reduced that to $2.1 billion). The New York Times reported in December 2018 that internal company memos from the 1970s discussed the possibility that its talcum powder could contain asbestos. In 1996 J&J reached a settlement with the Federal Trade Commission under which the company agreed to stop making what the agency called false claims about the failure rates of condoms in the marketing of its K-Y spermicidal lubricant. In 2010 J&J subsidiaries Ortho-McNeil Pharmaceutical and Ortho-McNeil-Janssen had to pay $81 million to settle charges that they promoted the epilepsy drug Topamax for uses not approved as safe by the Food and Drug Administration The following year, J&J subsidiary Scios Inc. had to pay $85 million to settle similar charges relating to its heart failure drug Natrecor. In 2013 the Justice Department announced that J&J and several of its subsidiaries would pay more than $2.2 billion in criminal fines and civil settlements to resolve allegations that the company had marketed its anti-psychotic medication Risperdal and other drugs for unapproved uses as well as allegations that they had paid kickbacks to physicians and pharmacists to encourage off-label usage In a related Risperdal civil lawsuit, a jury later awarded $8 billion in damages but a Philadelphia judge reduced that by more than 99 percent to $6.8 million. In 2019 J&J and its subsidiary Ethicon, Inc. agreed to pay over $116 million to 41 states and the District of Columbia to settle litigation alleging deceptive marketing of transvaginal surgical mesh devices. In a separate suit brought by California, a state judge ordered the company to pay $344 million. In 2021 J&J reached an agreement with a group of states under which it would pay $5 billion to resolve litigation brought against its subsidiary Janssen Pharmaceuticals alleging improper sale of pain medications, contributing to the national opioid epidemic. In 2001 J&J agreed to pay up to $860 million to settle a class-action lawsuit alleging that the company had misled consumers into prematurely throwing away disposable Acuvue contact lenses. The suits argued that the company drove up sales of its 1-Day Acuvue soft lenses by recommending that consumers use them only once, even though the product was identical to regular Acuvue lenses, which could be worn as long as two weeks. In 2011 J&J agreed to pay a $21.4 million criminal penalty as part of a deferred prosecution agreement with the Justice Department resolving allegations of improper payments by J&J subsidiaries to government officials in Greece, Poland and Romania in violation of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act.
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Weapons trade booms as profits hit record $531bn in 2020
Swedish think tank says world’s 100 biggest arms firms were largely shielded from the effect of the pandemic. AL JAZEERA. 6 Dec 2021 Sales of weapons and military services by the world’s 100 biggest arms companies reached a record $531bn in 2020, an increase of 1.3 per cent in real terms compared with the previous year, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). The Swedish think tank said 2020 marked the sixth consecutive year of sales growth by the top 100 firms, and came even as the global economy shrank. Overall sales were 17 percent higher than in 2015 when it first included data on Chinese firms. “The industry giants were largely shielded by sustained government demand for military goods and services,” Alexandra Marksteiner, researcher with the SIPRI Military Expenditure and Arms Production Programme, said in a statement on Monday. “In much of the world, military spending grew and some governments even accelerated payments to the arms industry in order to mitigate the impact of the Covid-19 crisis.” Firms in the United States continue to dominate the industry, with total sales of $285bn from 41 companies accounting for about 54 percent of all arms sales among the 100 biggest companies. The top five companies in the ranking since 2018 have all been based in the US, SIPRI said. Arms sales from the top Chinese firms amounted to an estimated $66.8bn in 2020, 1.5 percent more than in 2019. Chinese firms accounted for 13 percent of the Top 100 arms sales’ total, ahead of the United Kingdom, which had the third-largest share. “In recent years, Chinese arms companies have benefited from the country’s military modernization programmes and focus on military-civil fusion,” said Nan Tian, SIPRI senior researcher. “They have become some of the most advanced military technology producers in the world.” The seven UK companies recorded arms sales of $37.5bn in 2020, up by 6.2 percent compared with 2019. Arms sales by BAE Systems – the sole European firm in the top 10 – increased by 6.6 percent to $24bn.
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You'd Better Watch Out: The Surveillance State Has a Naughty List, and You’re On It
John W. Whitehead & Nisha Whitehead, December 7, 2021 No longer does the all-knowing, all-seeing, jolly Old St. Nick need to rely on antiquated elves on shelves and other seasonal snitches in order to know when you’re sleeping or awake, and if you’ve been naughty or nice. Thanks to the government’s almost limitless powers made possible by a domestic army of techno-tyrants, fusion centers and Peeping Toms, Santa can get real-time reports on who’s been good or bad this year. This creepy new era of government/corporate spying—in which we’re being listened to, watched, tracked, followed, mapped, bought, sold and targeted—makes the NSA’s rudimentary phone and metadata surveillance appear almost antiquated in comparison. Tracking you based on your health status. In the age of COVID-19, digital health passports are gaining traction as gatekeepers of a sort, restricting access to travel, entertainment, etc., based on one’s vaccine status. Whether or not one has a vaccine passport, however, individuals may still have to prove themselves “healthy” enough to be part of society. For instance, in the wake of Supreme Court rulings that paved the way for police to use drug-sniffing dogs as “search warrants on leashes,” government agencies are preparing to use virus-detecting canine squads to carry out mass screenings to detect individuals who may have COVID-19. Researchers claim the COVID-sniffing dogs have a 95% success rate of identifying individuals with the virus (except when they’re hungry, tired or distracted). These dogs are also being to trained to ferret out individuals suffering from other health ailments such as cancer. Tracking you based on your face: Facial recognition software aims to create a society in which every individual who steps out into public is tracked and recorded as they go about their daily business. Coupled with surveillance cameras that blanket the country, facial recognition technology allows the government and its corporate partners to identify and track someone’s movements in real-time. One particularly controversial software program created by Clearview AI has been used by police, the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security to collect photos on social media sitesfor inclusion in a massive facial recognition database. Similarly, biometric software, which relies on one’s unique identifiers (fingerprints, irises, voice prints), is becoming the standard for navigating security lines, as well as bypassing digital locks and gaining access to phones, computers, office buildings, etc. In fact, greater numbers of travelers are opting into programs that rely on their biometrics in order to avoid long waits at airport security. Scientists are also developing lasers that can identify and surveil individuals based on their heartbeats, scent and microbiome. Tracking you based on your behavior: Rapid advances in behavioral surveillance are not only making it possible for individuals to be monitored and tracked based on their patterns of movement or behavior, including gait recognition (the way one walks), but have given rise to whole industries that revolve around predicting one’s behavior based on data and surveillance patterns and are also shaping the behaviors of whole populations. One smart “anti-riot” surveillance system purports to predict mass riots and unauthorized public events by using artificial intelligence to analyze social media, news sources, surveillance video feeds and public transportation data. Tracking you based on your spending and consumer activities: With every smartphone we buy, every GPS device we install, every Twitter, Facebook, and Google account we open, every frequent buyer card we use for purchases—whether at the grocer’s, the yogurt shop, the airlines or the department store—and every credit and debit card we use to pay for our transactions, we’re helping Corporate America build a dossier for its government counterparts on who we know, what we think, how we spend our money, and how we spend our time. Consumer surveillance, by which your activities and data in the physical and online realms are tracked and shared with advertisers, has become big business, a $300 billion industry that routinely harvests your data for profit. Corporations such as Target have not only been tracking and assessing the behavior of their customers, particularly their purchasing patterns, for years, but the retailer has also funded major surveillance in cities across the country and developed behavioral surveillance algorithms that can determine whether someone’s mannerisms might fit the profile of a thief. Tracking you based on your public activities: Private corporations in conjunction with police agencies throughout the country have created a web of surveillance that encompasses all major cities in order to monitor large groups of people seamlessly, as in the case of protests and rallies. They are also engaging in extensive online surveillance, looking for any hints of “large public events, social unrest, gang communications, and criminally predicated individuals.” Defense contractors have been at the forefront of this lucrative market. Fusion centers, $330 million-a-year, information-sharing hubs for federal, state and law enforcement agencies, monitor and report such “suspicious” behavior as people buying pallets of bottled water, photographing government buildings, and applying for a pilot’s license as “suspicious activity.” Tracking you based on your social media activities: Every move you make, especially on social media, is monitored, mined for data, crunched, and tabulated in order to form a picture of who you are, what makes you tick, and how best to control you when and if it becomes necessary to bring you in line. As The Intercept reported, the FBI, CIA, NSA and other government agencies are increasingly investing in and relying on corporate surveillance technologies that can mine constitutionally protected speech on social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram in order to identify potential extremists and predict who might engage in future acts of anti-government behavior. This obsession with social media as a form of surveillance will have some frightening consequences in coming years. As Helen A.S. Popkin, writing for NBC News, observed, “We may very well face a future where algorithms bust people en masse for referencing illegal ‘Game of Thrones’ downloads… the new software has the potential to roll, Terminator-style, targeting every social media user with a shameful confession or questionable sense of humor.” Tracking you based on your phone and online activities: Cell phones have become de facto snitches, offering up a steady stream of digital location data on users’ movements and travels. Police have used cell-site simulators to carry out mass surveillance of protests without the need for a warrant. Moreover, federal agents can now employ a number of hacking methods in order to gain access to your computer activities and “see” whatever you’re seeing on your monitor. Malicious hacking software can also be used to remotely activate cameras and microphones, offering another means of glimpsing into the personal business of a target. Tracking you based on your social network: Not content to merely spy on individuals through their online activity, government agencies are now using surveillance technology to track one’s social network, the people you might connect with by phone, text message, email or through social message, in order to ferret out possible criminals. An FBI document obtained by Rolling Stone speaks to the ease with which agents are able to access address book data from Facebook’s WhatsApp and Apple’s iMessage services from the accounts of targeted individuals and individuals not under investigation who might have a targeted individual within their network. What this creates is a “guilt by association” society in which we are all as guilty as the most culpable person in our address book. Tracking you based on your car: License plate readers are mass surveillance tools that can photograph over 1,800 license tag numbers per minute, take a picture of every passing license tag number and store the tag number and the date, time, and location of the picture in a searchable database, then share the data with law enforcement, fusion centers and private companies to track the movements of persons in their cars. With tens of thousands of these license plate readers now in operation throughout the country, affixed to overpasses, cop cars and throughout business sectors and residential neighborhoods, it allows police to track vehicles and run the plates through law enforcement databases for abducted children, stolen cars, missing people and wanted fugitives. Of course, the technology is not infallible: there have been numerous incidents in which police have mistakenly relied on license plate data to capture out suspects only to end up detaining innocent people at gunpoint. Tracking you based on your mail: Just about every branch of the government—from the Postal Service to the Treasury Department and every agency in between—now has its own surveillance sector, authorized to spy on the American people. For instance, the U.S. Postal Service, which has been photographing the exterior of every piece of paper mail for the past 20 years, is also spying on Americans’ texts, emails and social media posts. Headed up by the Postal Service’s law enforcement division, the Internet Covert Operations Program (iCOP) is reportedly using facial recognition technology, combined with fake online identities, to ferret out potential troublemakers with “inflammatory” posts. The agency claims the online surveillance, which falls outside its conventional job scope of processing and delivering paper mail, is necessary to help postal workers avoid “potentially volatile situations.” Fusion centers. Smart devices. Behavioral threat assessments. Terror watch lists. Facial recognition. Snitch tip lines. Biometric scanners. Pre-crime. DNA databases. Data mining. Precognitive technology. Contact tracing apps. What these add up to is a world in which, on any given day, the average person is now monitored, surveilled, spied on and tracked in more than 20 different ways by both government and corporate eyes and ears. Big Tech wedded to Big Government has become Big Brother. Every second of every day, the American people are being spied on by a vast network of digital Peeping Toms, electronic eavesdroppers and robotic snoops. In an age of overcriminalization, mass surveillance, and an appalling lack of protections for our privacy rights, we can all be considered guilty of some transgression or other. So you’d better watch out—you’d better not pout—you’d better not cry—‘cos I’m telling you why: this Christmas, it’s the Surveillance State that’s coming to town, and you’re already on its naughty list.
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Vitamin D: Government Should Have Promoted to Combat Pandemic
Joel S. Hirschhorn, December 06, 2021 There seems to be an endless refusal by the public health establishment to fight the pandemic with the best science-based tools. Instead, they keep pushing vaccines. Great German research provides unequivocal medical evidence that the government should be strongly advocating two actions: 1. Take vitamin D supplements and 2. Have your blood tested for vitamin D. The title for this October 2021 journal article says it all: “COVID-19 Mortality Risk Correlates Inversely with Vitamin D3 Status, and a Mortality Rate Close to Zero Could Theoretically Be Achieved at 50 ng/mL 25(OH)D3: Results of a Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.” [25(OH)D3 refers to metabolite of the vitamin in blood] In other words, there is clear evidence that the lower your vitamin D level the greater your risk of dying from COVID infection. Moreover, the data clearly show that you need a blood level of at least 50 ng/mL. Odds are, however, that very, very few people have been tested for their vitamin D level. This is a situation where waiting for testing is not the prudent approach. Vitamin D pills are pretty cheap and it is perfectly safe to take a healthy daily dose to maintain a good immune system. I take 4,000 IUs twice daily. Here are a number of highlights from this research and other sources; the discussion is aimed at informing people with information not provided by Big Media, Big Government and Big Pharma. Vitamin D is an accurate predictor of COVID infection. Its deficiency is just as significant, and perhaps more so, than more commonly discussed underlying medical conditions, including obesity. To be clear, there is a level of vitamin D for an effective strategy at the personal and population level to prevent or mitigate new surges and outbreaks of COVID that are related to reduced vaccine effectiveness and new variants. In the German study, fifteen other studies were cited that showed low vitamin D levels were related to cases of severe COVID infection, and seven studies that found positive results from treating ill patients with the vitamin. The German study noted: “The finding that most SARS-CoV-2 patients admitted to hospitals have vitamin D3 blood levels that are too low is unquestioned even by opponents of vitamin D supplementation.” The German study “followed 1,601 hospitalized patients, 784 who had their vitamin D levels measured within a day after admission and 817 whose vitamin D levels were known before infection. And the researchers also analyzed the long-term average vitamin D3 levels documented for 19 countries. The observed median vitamin D value over all collected study cohorts was 23.2 ng/mL, which is clearly too low to work effectively against COVID.” Why does this vitamin work so well? The German study explained: A main cause of a severe reaction from COVID results from a “cytokine storm.” This refers to the body’s immune system releasing too many toxic cytokines as part of the inflammatory response to the virus. Vitamin D is a main regulator of those cells. A low level of the vitamin means a greater risk for a cytokine storm. This is especially pertinent for lung problems from COVID. Other studies On a par with the German study was an important US medical article from May 2021: Vitamin D and Its Potential Benefit for the COVID-19 Pandemic. It noted: “Experimental studies have shown that vitamin D exerts several actions that are thought to be protective against coronavirus disease (COVID-19) infectivity and severity. … There are a growing number of data connecting COVID-19 infectivity and severity with vitamin D status, suggesting a potential benefit of vitamin D supplementation for primary prevention or as an adjunctive treatment of COVID-19. … there is no downside to increasing vitamin D intake and having sensible sunlight exposure to maintain serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D at a level of least 30 ng/mL and preferably 40 to 60 ng/mL to minimize the risk of COVID-19 infection and its severity.” This confirms the German study and its finding of a critical vitamin level of 50 ng/mL. Daniel Horowitz has made this correct observation about vitamin D supplementation: “An endless stream of academic research demonstrates that not only would such an approach have worked much better than the vaccines, but rather than coming with sundry known and unknown negative side effects.“ There are now 142 studies vouching for the near-perfect correlation between higher vitamin D levels and better outcomes in COVID patients. From Israel came work that showed 25% of hospitalized COVID patients with vitamin D deficiency died compared to just 3% among those without a deficiency. And those with a deficiency were 14 times more likely to end up with a severe or critical condition. Also from Israel, data on 1,176 patients with COVID infection admitted to the Galilee Medical Center, 253 had vitamin D levels on record and half were vitamin D-deficient. This was the conclusion: “Among hospitalized COVID-19 patients, pre-infection deficiency of vitamin D was associated with increased disease severity and mortality.” Several studies have come from the University of Chicago. One found that a vitamin D deficiency (less than 20 ng/ml) may raise the risk of testing positive for COVID-19, actually a 7.2% chance of testing positive for the virus. And that more than 80% of patients diagnosed with COVID-19 were vitamin D deficient. And Black individuals who had levels of 30 to 40 ng/ml had a 2.64 times higher risk of testing positive for COVID-19 than people with levels of 40 ng/ml or greater. On the good news side is a new study from Turkish researchers. They focused on getting people’s levels over 30 ng/mL with supplements. At that level there was success compared to people without supplementation. This was true even if they had comorbidities. They were able to achieve that blood level within two weeks. Those with no comorbidities and no vitamin D treatment had 1.9-fold increased risk of having hospitalization longer than 8 days compared with cases with both comorbidities and vitamin D treatment.
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The explosion of Covid PTSD cases is a mental health crisis in the making
The Guardian, 7 Dec 2021 When the Covid-19 pandemic began, people working in the trauma field knew the psychological toll would be colossal. In the spring of 2020, I began interviewing professionals about the mental health fallout of the pandemic, specifically its impact on frontline medical staff. During the first wave, two in every five intensive care staff in England reported symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder. That work continued for almost a year, during which time a second wave hit and the initial traumas were exacerbated. But it wasn’t only frontline workers who were experiencing trauma symptoms: Covid has posed perhaps the biggest threat to mental health in England since the second world war. Now, at the tail end of 2021, the pandemic is still not over. The NHS forecasts that nationally, there will be 230,000 new cases of PTSD as a result of Covid-19. It is not only social care and medical staff who will be affected. Those who lost loved ones, and those who have been very ill or hospitalised (35% of Covid-19 patients who were put on a ventilator go on to experience extensive symptoms of PTSD) may also suffer. Then there are those living with the effects of domestic and sexual abuse, which may have worsened due to lockdown, and children and young people whose lives changed immeasurably due to our shift to a state of emergency. I imagine that some women whose birthing experiences were marked by the pandemic will also be experiencing symptoms. The explosion of post-traumatic stress disorder is a medical emergency, and a further strain on our creaking services. Without proper action and investment, it is a national mental health crisis in the making.
Long-term persistence of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein: evidence and implications Michael Palmer, MD and Sucharit Bhakdi, MD, 27th November, 2021
This paper discusses the recent study by Bansal et al. [1] on the detection of spike protein in persons vaccinated with the Pfizer mRNA vaccine. The most significant finding is that spike protein is found on exosomes, that is, cell-derived vesicles, for at least four months after the second injection. This surprisingly long persistence raises the prospect of sustained inflammation within and damage to organs which express the spike protein. Conclusions • Long-lasting persistence of spike protein • Delayed onset of spike protein expression—but observation limited to spike on exosomes • EMA report on Pfizer also reported relatively slow onset of spike expression; on the other hand, early onset of blood clots etc. suggests early onset of spike expression While some specific claims made by this paper can be debated, the very long-lasting persistence of the spike protein in the body is convincingly demonstrated. Whether it is the mRNA encoding the spike protein that persists or rather the spike protein itself remains to be determined. Nevertheless, as long as the spike protein appears on either exosomes or apoptotic vesicles, it must be present on cell membranes; and as long as it is found there, the immune system will attack those cells. Protracted inflammation and impaired organ function have been reported both with the virus infection itself [7] and after vaccination [8]. While inflammation may arise from autoimmunity downstream of intense acute tissue damage, the long-term persistence of spike protein after vaccination offers another straightforward explanation, and it supports the notion that the vaccines will give rise to lingering and slowly progressing inflammatory disease. We must also note that the spike protein persists for at least twice as long as the participants of Pfizer’s farcical and fraudulent [9, 10] ‘clinical trials’ were observed, on average, after the second vaccination [11]. It follows that the reports on side effects which occurred in those trials cannot possibly be complete.
Researcher explains the psychology of successful aging
University of California at Los Angeles, November 2, 2021
Successful aging can be the norm, says UCLA psychology professor Alan Castel "There are a lot of myths about aging, and people often have negative stereotypes of what it means to get old," Castel said. "I have studied aging for two decades, and have seen many impressive role models of aging, as well as people who struggle in older age. Happiness increases our lives by four to 10 years, a recent research review suggested. "As an added bonus," Castel writes, "those additional years are likely to be happy ones."
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New study finds potatoes, when enjoyed as part of a healthy diet, are not associated with elevated heart health risk factors among adolescent girls
Boston University, October 29, 2021
Recently published research in the British Journal of Nutrition found that 9-17 year-old girls who consumed up to one cup of potatoes daily had no increased risk of becoming overweight or developing high blood pressure, dyslipidemia, or impaired fasting glucose by the end of the study in late adolescence. “Our results show that nutrient-rich potatoes can be part of a healthy diet in young girls during this important period of growth and development,” says the study’s senior author. “There is growing evidence that overall diet quality is what really matters in the preservation of heart health. Potatoes are an affordable food, with a number of valuable nutrients, and our research suggests that moderate intakes of potatoes, along with many other types of vegetables, can be a regular part of a healthy diet pattern.”
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Study finds acupuncture lowers hypertension by activating natural opioids University of California at Irvine, Oct. 31, 2021
Researchers with the UCI Susan Samueli Center for Integrative Medicine have found that regular electroacupunture treatment can lower hypertension by increasing the release of a kind of opioid in the brainstem region that controls blood pressure. In tests on rats, UCI cardiology researcher Zhi-Ling Guo and colleagues noted that reduced blood pressure lasted for at least three days after electroacupuncture by increasing the gene expression of enkephalins, which one of the three major opioid peptides produced by the body. The present study shows that repetitive electroacupuncture evokes a long-lasting action in lowering blood pressure in hypertension, suggesting that this therapy may be suitable for treating clinical hypertension..
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The golden chanterelle mushroom hastens wound healing Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences (Iran), November 3, 2021
The golden chanterelle mushroom, an edible fungus, makes for more than just a good and filling dinner. According to a study, you can also use it to heal your wounds faster. The study, published in the International Journal of Medicinal Mushrooms, investigated the fungus’ antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. They performed an in vivo experiment on male rats. The animals were given a circular excision and a linear incision and then divided into four groups: nontreated, vehicle-treated, treated with an ointment containing mushroom extract, and treated with madecassol, the reference drug. The circular and linear wounds were treated topically once a day for nine days and 17 days respectively.
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New research links foods high in anthocyanins to a lower risk of cardiovascular disease Northumbria University (UK), November 5, 2021
New research suggests eating red may be one of the best ways to keep your heart healthy. A study published in Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition suggests anthocyanins, the red-pigmented flavonoids that are abundant in Montmorency tart cherries, may reduce the risk of coronary heart disease and cardiovascular-related death. The systematic review and meta-analysis of 19 different studies found that people with the highest anthocyanin intake were 9% less likely to suffer from coronary heart disease and 8% less likely to die from causes associated with heart disease, compared to those with the lowest intake.
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Researchers find phthalates in wide variety of fast foods
George Washington University Milken Institute School of Public Health, October 29, 2021
A team of researchers has found phthalates in a wide variety of fast foods. In their paper published in Journal of Exposure Science and Environmental Epidemiology, the group describes how they collected samples of fast food from several restaurants and tested them for phthalates and other chemicals meant to replace them—and what they found. Phthalates are esters of phthalic acid and are commonly used to make plastic substances more flexible. Researchers have found that consumption of phthalates can disrupt the endocrine system and by extension levels of hormones in the body. Research has also shown that they can lead to asthma in children and increased obesity.
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Removing digital devices from the bedroom can improve sleep for children, teens
Penn State University, November 2, 2021
Removing electronic media from the bedroom and encouraging a calming bedtime routine are among recommendations Penn State researchers outline in a recent manuscript on digital media and sleep in childhood and adolescence. The recommendations, for clinicians and parents, are: 1. Make sleep a priority by talking with family members about the importance of sleep and healthy sleep expectations; 2. Encourage a bedtime routine that includes calming activities and avoids electronic media use; 3. Encourage families to remove all electronic devices from their child or teen's bedroom, including TVs, video games, computers, tablets and cell phones; 4. Talk with family members about the negative consequences of bright light in the evening on sleep; and 5. If a child or adolescent is exhibiting mood or behavioral problems, consider insufficient sleep as a contributing factor.
Prunes may help rein in holiday cravings, according to new research
University of Liverpool, November 30, 2021
New research from the University of Liverpool, England reports that consuming prunes can help control appetite and reduce overall caloric consumption, serving as a perfect snack to keep holiday cravings at bay. “These studies demonstrate that dried fruit can both produce satiety and be incorporated into the diet during weight management,” said Professor Jason C G Halford, President of the European Association for the Study of Obesity (EASO), who was part of the research team.
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Is the relationship between diet, intestinal bacteria and cells key to preventing systemic inflammation?
University of California at Los Angeles, November 23, 2021
Mice fed a diet high in fat, cholesterol and calories, akin to the Western diet, had higher measures of blood lipids associated with elevated levels of inflammation, a new UCLA study finds. Researchers also identified clues to how the microbiology of the intestinal tract impacts disease-causing inflammation, suggesting that targeting the mucus interface between gut bacteria and the cells of the small intestine may be a novel means of preventing systemic inflammation.
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Ultra-processed foods increase the risk of a second heart attack or stroke
A high consumption of industrially processed foods significantly increases the risk of a second heart attack or a fatal stroke in people who already suffer from cardiovascular diseases, even if they follow the Mediterranean diet
I.R.C.C.S. Neuromed in Pozzilli (Italy), November 30, 2021
UNow a study by the Department of Epidemiology and Prevention of the I.R.C.C.S. Neuromed in Pozzilli (Italy) explores the health effects of a large dietary share of ultra-processed food on people already suffering from cardiovascular diseases. The findings indicate a higher risk of a second heart attack (or stroke), this time fatal. Moreover, another observation emerges from this study: even in people generally following the Mediterranean diet, but consuming too many ultra-processed foods, health risks are higher.
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Psychedelics show promise in treating mental illness
Virginia Tech University, November 24, 2021 One in five U.S. adults will experience a mental illness in their lifetime, according to the National Alliance of Mental Health. But standard treatments can be slow to work and cause side effects. To find better solutions, a Virginia Tech researcher's findings give insight into how psychedelic substances like psilocybin, mescaline, LSD, and similar drugs may relieve symptoms of addiction, anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder. The drugs appear to work faster and last longer than current medications — all with fewer side effects.
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Transcendental Meditation and lifestyle modification increase telomerase, new study finds
Increased telomerase associated with decreased hypertension, cardiovascular disease, and cellular aging Maharishi University of Management, December 2, 2021 A new study published in PLOS ONE found that the Transcendental Meditation technique and lifestyle changes both appear to stimulate genes that produce telomerase, an enzyme that's associated with reduced blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, and mortality. Specifically, these approaches were found to activate two genes that code for telomerase, which adds molecules to the ends of chromosomes, or telomeres, protecting them from deteriorating.
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Magnesium helps prevent amyloid beta aggregation in experimental research
Northeastern University (Shenyang, China), December 2 2015. The December issue of The FASEB Journal reports the discovery of researchers in China of an ability of ionic magnesium (Mg2+) to help reduce the deposition of amyloid beta in a mouse model of Alzheimer's disease. For their research, Pu Wang, PhD, of Northeastern University in Shenyang, China and colleagues tested the effect of magnesium threonate, which is believed to penetrate the blood brain barrier, on normal mice and mice that overexpressed a gene that increased amyloid beta production while decreasing the influx of magnesium into the brain. Among those that received magnesium, the researchers observed a reduction in amyloid beta aggregation and associated cognitive decline, accompanied by an elevation in brain levels of ionic magnesium.
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Pathologized Totalitarianism 101
J Hopkins, November 22, 2021 So, GloboCap has crossed the Rubicon. The final phase of its transformation of society into a pathologized-totalitarian dystopia, where mandatory genetic-therapy injections and digital compliance papers are commonplace, is now officially underway. On November 19, 2021, the government of New Normal Austria decreed that, as of February, experimental mRNA injections will be mandatory for the entire population. This decree comes in the midst of Austria’s official persecution of “the Unvaccinated,” i.e., political dissidents and other persons of conscience who refuse to convert to the new official ideology and submit to a series of mRNA injections, purportedly to combat a virus that causes mild-to-moderate flu-like symptoms (or no symptoms of any kind at all) in about 95% of the infected and the overall infection fatality rate of which is approximately 0.1% to 0.5%. But, seriously, this is just the beginning of the Winter Siege I wrote about recently. The plan seems to be to New-Normalize Europe first — generally speaking, Europeans are more docile, respectful of all authority, and not very well armed — and then use it as leverage to force the new pathologized totalitarianism on the USA, and the UK, and the rest of the world. I do not believe this plan will succeed. And a lot of us are angry, extremely angry … militantly, explosively angry. We are not “vaccine hesitant” or “anti-vax” or “Covid-denying conspiracy theorists.” We are millions of regular working-class people, people with principles, who value freedom, who are not prepared to go gently into the globalized, pathologized-totalitarian night. We no longer give the slightest shit whether our former friends and family members who have gone New Normal understand what this is. We do. We understand exactly what this is. It is a nascent form of totalitarianism, and we intend to kill it — or at least critically wound it — before it matures into a full-grown behemoth. It is also important (essential, I would argue) to make the violence of the New Normal visible, i.e., to frame this fight in political terms, and not in the pseudo-medical terms propagated by the official Covid narrative). This isn’t an academic argument over the existence, severity, or the response to a virus. This is a fight to determine the future of our societies. This fact, above all, is what the global-capitalist ruling classes are determined to conceal. The roll-out of the New Normal will fail if it is perceived as political(i.e., a form of totalitarianism). It relies on our inability to see it as what it is. So it hides itself and the violence it perpetrates within a pseudo-medical official narrative, rendering itself immune to political opposition. We need to deny it this perceptual redoubt, this hermeneutic hiding place. We need to make it show itself as what it is, a “pathologized” form of totalitarianism. In order to do that, we need to understand it … its internal logic, and its strengths, and weaknesses. Pathologized Totalitarianism I have been describing the New Normal as “pathologized totalitarianism” and predicting that compulsory “vaccination” was coming since at least as early as May 2020. I use the term “totalitarianism” intentionally, not for effect, but for the sake of accuracy. The New Normal is still a nascent totalitarianism, but its essence is unmistakably evident. And, thus, its classic totalitarian features — e.g., the revocation of basic rights and freedoms, centralization of power, rule by decree, oppressive policing of the population, demonization and persecution of a “scapegoat” underclass, censorship, propaganda, etc. — are not hidden, because they are impossible to hide, but are recontextualized in a pathologized official narrative. The Untermenschen become “the Unvaccinated.” Swastika lapel pins become medical-looking masks. Aryan ID papers become “vaccination passes.” Irrefutably senseless social restrictions and mandatory public-obedience rituals become “lockdowns,” “social distancing,” and so on. The world is united in a Goebbelsian total war, not against an external enemy (i.e., a racial or political enemy), but against an internal, pathological enemy. This pathologized official narrative is more powerful (and insidious) than any ideology, as it functions, not as a belief system or ethos, but rather, as objective “reality.” You cannot argue with or oppose “reality.” “Reality” has no political opponents. Those who challenge “reality” are “insane,” i.e., “conspiracy theorists,” “anti-vaxxers,” “Covid deniers,” “extremists,” etc. And, thus, the pathologized New Normal narrative also pathologizes its political opponents, simultaneously stripping us of political legitimacy and projecting its own violence onto us. Global-capitalist ideology will not function as an official ideology in an openly totalitarian society. It requires the simulation of “democracy,” or at least a simulation of market-based “freedom.” A society can be intensely authoritarian, but, to function in the global-capitalist system, it must allow its people the basic “freedom” that capitalism offers to all consumers, the right/obligation to participate in the market, to own and exchange commodities, etc. The point is, New Normal totalitarianism — and any global-capitalist form of totalitarianism — cannot display itself as totalitarianism, or even authoritarianism. It cannot acknowledge its political nature. In order to exist, it must not exist. Above all, it must erase its violence (the violence that all politics ultimately comes down to) and appear to us as an essentially beneficent response to a legitimate “global health crisis” (and a “climate change crisis,” and a “racism crisis,” and whatever other “global crises” GloboCap thinks will terrorize the masses into a mindless, order-following hysteria). Look it in the eye, and act accordingly.
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Unelected WEF globalists push digital identity schemes in digital health inclusion report
Tim Hinchliffe -UNHERD, December 1, 2021 In a new report, the unelected globalists at the World Economic Forum (WEF) are pushing digital identity schemes under the guise of digital health inclusion that give the illusion of choice and privacy under policies of coercion. The WEF’s Edison Alliance, whose “vision is for every person to affordably participate in the digital economy,” published its “Shared Guiding Principles for Digital Health Inclusion” white paper on Tuesday, outlining the importance of “digital health identity” in the overall scheme. “The health ID should allow individuals to be uniquely identified, authenticated, and linked to their health records, with informed consent” — “Shared Guiding Principles for Digital Health Inclusion,” WEF, 2021 Out of the seven principles, the third is dedicated to “digital health identity,” which includes action points such as: Promoting digital citizenship to give patients and their caregivers the ability to understand their own health records and care plans Focusing on a health identity (ID) to maintain and access longitudinal individual health records, which are essential for connected care and continuum of care, portability of health records, interoperability and patient control The health ID should allow individuals to be uniquely identified, authenticated, and linked to their health records, with informed consent The ID should enable improved access to care in different geographies, for all levels of care (primary to tertiary), as well as for different disease conditions and in government health programs Getting everyone on the planet connected to the internet is key to digital health inclusion. Without full connectivity, harvesting the personal data of billions of people is a lot more difficult. And while the unelected globalists say that individuals should always be in control of their own health information, they completely ignore that individuals are being coerced into giving up control of their data in order to restore freedoms that never should have been taken away in the first place. Take vaccine passports for example, which the World Health Organization says actually “may increase the risk of disease spread.” The WEF white paper goes on to say that “caregivers and patients should remain in control of medical decisions,” yet we are seeing the exact opposite of that happening all over the world wherever draconian vaccine mandates are enforced. Principle six in the report is about “using health data safely and responsibly to ensure inclusion while safeguarding informed consent, privacy and confidentiality.” This section emphasizes data ownership, the right to opt out, and informed consent — none of which are being respected by public and private entities throughout the world. Action points include: Setting high standards for the responsible collection, storage, sharing and use of data that adhere to the principles of security, privacy, transparency, accountability, integrity, patient ownership and choice, protection and “do no harm” Incorporating the patient’s clear right to opt out Requiring informed consent, including clear articulation of the complexities of informed consent
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Magical Thinking on Fertilizer and Climate Change
By Timothy A. Wise Inter Press News, November 9, 2021 As world leaders wrap up the UN Climate Summit in Glasgow, new scientific research shows that there is still a great deal of magical thinking about the contribution of fertilizer to global warming. Philanthropist Bill Gates fed the retreat from science in his book How to Avoid a Climate Disaster earlier this year. “To me fertilizer is magical,” he confesses, nitrogen fertilizer in particular. Under a photo of a beaming Gates in a Yara fertilizer distribution warehouse in Tanzania, he explains that “to grow crops, you want tons of nitrogen – way more than you would ever find in a natural setting [sic]…. But nitrogen makes climate change much worse.” That last part, at least, is true, and new research suggests that the climate impacts of excessive use of nitrogen fertilizers is much worse than previously estimated. Researchers estimate that the N-fertilizer supply chain is contributing more than six times the greenhouse gases (GHGs) produced by the entire commercial aviation sector. Nitrogen: a growing climate problem By all accounts, food and agriculture are barely on the agenda of the UN climate summit, even though food systems contribute about one-third of GHGs. Direct emissions from food production account for about one-third of that, with the principal source being livestock, mostly methane and manure emissions. But about 10% of direct emissions from come from synthetic nitrogen fertilizer applied to crops. Only a portion of the applied fertilizer is absorbed by plants. Some is turned into nitrous oxide by soil micro-organisms. Some leaches off the soil or volatilizes into gas when it is applied. The cumulative effect is the release of nitrous oxide, a GHG 265 times more potent than carbon dioxide. Three scientists working with Greenpeace, the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy, and GRAIN have carried out the first comprehensive lifecycle analysis of N fertilizer emissions. They used improved data on direct field emissions and incorporated emissions from the manufacture and transportation of N fertilizers. Manufacturing, which relies heavily on natural gas, accounts for 35% of total N fertilizer GHGs. The new estimates, which are preliminary as they undergo peer review, are 20% higher than those previously used by the United Nations. Not surprisingly, the largest emitters are the largest agricultural producers: China, India, North America, and Europe. On a per capita basis, though, the largest emitters are the big agricultural exporters: United States, Canada, Brazil, Argentina, Australia, New Zealand, and Europe. Taking Africa in the wrong direction Africa is still not a large fertilizer user, with application rates low – about 15 kg/ha – but rising rapidly with the recent Green Revolution campaigns. While Gates essentially dismisses the climate impacts from fertilizer as a necessary evil to achieve the greater good of food security, evidence is growing that the Green Revolution approach is failing on its own terms. My research showed that in AGRA’s 13 focus countries, yields were not growing significantly and the number of undernourished people has increased 31%. The greater good promised by AGRA has not been very good. According to the new fertilizer research, AGRA is taking Africa in the wrong direction. Globally, the use of nitrogen fertilizer is projected to grow between 50% and 138% by 2050. Africa is projected to see at least a 300% increase in the next 30 years. It will be far greater if Gates has his way. The climate implications of that development path are worrisome. A 300% increase means 2.7 million tonnes (Mt) more of N fertilizer in Africa. With field emissions estimated at 2.65 tonnes of GHGs per tonne of nitrogen and another 4.35 tonnes from production and transportation, total emissions are more like 7 tonnes of GHGs per tonne of N fertilizer. By 2050, a 300% increase in Africa’s fertilizer use would mean adding about 19 Mt of GHGs per year more than it emits now. Because GHGs accumulate in the atmosphere and nitrous oxide persists for more than 100 years, Africa will have contributed an additional 284 Mt of GHGs by 2050 if fertilizer use increases 300%. If Gates and AGRA get their way and Africa approaches current global averages of 137 kg/ha of N fertilizer, Africa would contribute 800% more, an additional 50 Mt in 2050, equivalent to the emissions from deforesting half a million hectares of Amazon rainforest (about 1.2 million acres). Cumulative GHGs would be 750 Mt by 2050. That is an amount nearly equal to the annual emissions of the entire commercial aviation sector. “Climate-stupid agriculture” Bill Gates is just plain wrong when he says the only way to grow food is with synthetic fertilizers. Crops need nitrogen and in many areas they can get most or all of what they need from improved agroecological farming. Globally, with improved nutrient management practices there could be a 48% reduction in synthetic fertilizer use with no reduction in cereal yields, according to one article in Nature. The scientists who authored the new report make three recommendations to reduce GHGs associated with N fertilizer use. All call into question Gates’ Green Revolution model for Africa: • Select a model of agriculture that does not depend on synthetic fertilizers; intercropping with nitrogen-fixing crops has been shown to increase yields and improve soils. • Reintegrate livestock into crop farming so more of the nutrients in manure are returned to the land; less than half are now. • Limit the growth of industrial livestock production and consumption. Three-quarters of N fertilizer worldwide is used to produce livestock feed. The science is clear: African farmers are right when they call the Green Revolution “climate-stupid agriculture.”
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Pathogenic Priming in Belgium - 100% ICU Admissions are Vaccinated James Lyons-Weiler, PhD November 8, 2021 When I published my study on pathogenic priming in April, 2020, it was meant as a warning. The evidence was in from past COVID vaccine development attempts: vaccination against coronaviruses had led to DISEASE ENHANCEMENT. I had hoped vaccine makers would have paid heed and would have excluded the unsafe epitopes from their vaccines. I gave them a roadmap. Now, in Belgium, 100% of ICU admissions are among the vaccinated. Only 40% of the Belgium population are vaccinated* I’m ready to call it: The COVID-19 vaccination program causes Disease Enhancement, likely via numerous possible means: from molecular mimicry leading to autoimmunity, or antibody-dependent enhancement, Pathogenic Priming has Antwerp, Belgium in its grip
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VAERS Data Reveals 50 X More Ectopic Pregnancies Following COVID Shots than Following ALL Vaccines for Past 30 Years
Health Impact News The carnage of deaths to unborn babies following COVID-19 shots into pregnant women just gets worse the more we investigate it. While we reported on Saturday that the latest data dump into the government’s Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) showed 2,620 fetal deaths, which are more fetal deaths than are reported following ALL vaccines for the past 30 years in VAERS, one “symptom” that is tracked in VAERS that I did not account for, is an ectopic pregnancy which also results in a fetal death. Ectopic pregnancy, also called extrauterine pregnancy, is when a fertilized egg grows outside a woman’s uterus, somewhere else in their belly. It can cause life-threatening bleeding and needs medical care right away. Following COVID-19 injections into child-bearing women for the past 11 months has seen a 50 X increase in ectopic pregnancies compared to child-bearing women receiving vaccines for the past 30+ years.
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Lancet Letter Demolishes Vaccination - Says vaccination does not even slow down the pandemic
Igor Chudov An amazing Lancet letter “The epidemiological relevance of the COVID-19-vaccinated population is increasing” was just published. The largest significance is that the article WAS ALLOWED TO BE PUBLISHED BY LANCET. This means that the tide of scientists being scared by government/globalists/Big Pharma funding is turning, and the truth is coming out at the highest levels of science such as the Lancet. In the UK it was described that secondary attack rates among household contacts exposed to fully vaccinated index cases was similar to household contacts exposed to unvaccinated index cases (25% for vaccinated vs 23% for unvaccinated). 12 of 31 infections in fully vaccinated household contacts (39%) arose from fully vaccinated epidemiologically linked index cases. Peak viral load did not differ by vaccination status or variant type In Germany, the rate of symptomatic COVID-19 cases among the fully vaccinated (“breakthrough infections”) is reported weekly since 21. July 2021 and was 16.9% at that time among patients of 60 years and older [[2]]. This proportion is increasing week by week and was 58.9% on 27. In Israel a nosocomial outbreak was reported involving 16 healthcare workers, 23 exposed patients and two family members. The source was a fully vaccinated COVID-19 patient. The vaccination rate was 96.2% among all exposed individuals (151 healthcare workers and 97 patients). Fourteen fully vaccinated patients became severely ill or died, the two unvaccinated patients developed mild disease US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) identifiesfour of the top five counties with the highest percentage of fully vaccinated population (99.9–84.3%) as “high” transmission counties A similar situation was described for the UK. Between week 39 and 42, a total of 100.160 COVID-19 cases were reported among citizens of 60 years or older. 89.821 occurred among the fully vaccinated (89.7%), 3.395 among the unvaccinated (3.4%) [[3]]. This reinforces my opinion that the Covid Cult is coming apart at the seams and the failure of “Covid vaccines” is no longer a secret.
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The dirty dozen: meet America’s top climate villains
The Guardian 27 Oct 2021 For too long, Americans were fed a false narrative that they should feel individually guilty about the climate crisis. The reality is that only a handful of powerful individuals bear the personal responsibility. The nation’s worst polluters managed to evade accountability and scrutiny for decades as they helped the fossil fuel industry destroy our planet. The actions of these climate supervillains have affected millions of people, disproportionately hurting the vulnerable who have done the least to contribute to global emissions. THE WOKE-WASHER - Mike Wirth Chairman of the board and CEO of Chevron Mike Wirth captains Chevron, a notorious corporate polluter responsible for one of the highest total carbon emissions of any private company worldwide. Under Wirth’s direction, Chevron has pursued several greenwashing tactics to downplay the company’s environmental impact. A coalition of environmental groups filed a Federal Trade Commission complaint against Chevron earlier this year saying it misled the public by claiming responsibility only for carbon emissions associated with refining and transporting oil, not the total emissions created by the product it sells. THE RINGLEADER - Darren Woods Chairman of the board and CEO of Exxon ExxonMobil is publicly known as one of the first oil companies to become aware of climate change, more than 40 years ago. Still, Exxon spent millions of dollars spreading climate denial while simultaneously contributing the fourth largest amount of carbon emissions of any investor-owned company in the world. Woods, who has been with the company since 1992, makes more than $20m a year. And though he expressed support for the 2015 Paris agreement to substantially reduce global pollution, leaked documents showed his plan for the company to increase its emissions by 17%through 2025. THE ENABLER. - Jamie Dimon CEO of Chase Bank Billionaire Jamie Dimon is top dog at JP Morgan Chase, which has provided $317bn in fossil fuel financing –
Videos
https://brandnewtube.com/watch/sonia-elijah-interviews-efrat-fenigson-from-israel_Ws1DDYkiqAOXdis.html
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GWN2PV4v0lk&t=8s
Researchers find new link between a disrupted body clock and inflammatory diseases
RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences, November 25, 2021 New research from RCSI has demonstrated the significant role that an irregular body clock plays in driving inflammation in the body's immune cells, with implications for the most serious and prevalent diseases in humans. The circadian body clock generates 24-hour rhythms that keep humans healthy and in time with the day/night cycle. This includes regulating the rhythm of the body's own (innate) immune cells called macrophages. When these cell rhythms are disrupted (due to things like erratic eating/sleeping patterns or shift work), the cells produce molecules which drive inflammation. This can lead to chronic inflammatory diseases such as heart disease, obesity, arthritis, diabetes and cancer, and also impact our ability to fight infection.
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Social media tied to higher risk of depression
Massachusetts General Hospital, November 23, 2021 The latest in a spate of studies investigating links between use of social media and depression suggests the two go hand in hand. The new study follows a yearlong look at social media use and onset of depression among nearly 5,400 adults. None reported even mild depression at the start. But in multiple surveys over 12 months, depression status had worsened in some respondents, the study found. The risk rose with use of three hugely popular social media sites: Snapchat, Facebook and TikTok. None showed any signs of depression at the first survey. But after completing at least one similar follow-up, nearly 9% showed a "significant" increase in scores for depression risk.
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Havacado or two. Study finds eating lots of the fruit has public health import Randomized controlled trial found that families with high avocado consumption self-reported reduced caloric intake and an overall healthier diet University of California at San Diego, November 29, 2021
In a novel study, researchers conducted a randomized controlled trial comparing the potential health effects between families that consumed a low allotment of avocados (three per week) and families that consumed a high allotment (14 per week) over six months. They found that the high avocado allotment families self-reported lower caloric consumption, reducing their intake of other foods, including dairy, meats and refined grains and their associated negative nutrients, such as saturated fat and sodium.
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Crabapple supplements could help cut cholesterol, China study discovers
Crabapple extract has been show to lower cholesterol in obese mice which were fed a high-fat diet, researchers in China have revealed.
Beijing and Shanghai universities, November 30, 2021
The study points out that statins are the major therapy for hypercholesterolaemia and for the prevention of atherosclerosis. However, there is some evidence to suggest that they may increase the risk of diabetes, muscle pain, liver damage and cause other side effects. Crabapple has long been used for the treatment of diarrhoea, indigestion and other digestive diseases in traditional Chinese medicine, and its antioxidant benefits have frequently been studied.
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Aerobic exercise preserves brain volume and improves cognitive function Wake Forest School of Medicine, November 30, 2021
Using a new MRI technique, researchers found that adults with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) who exercised four times a week over a six-month period experienced an increase in brain volume in specific, or local, areas of the brain, but adults who participated in aerobic exercise experienced greater gains than those who just stretched.
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Are you a morning or an evening person? It might be due to your gut bacteria
University of Haifa (Israel), November 22, 2021 A new study by the University of Haifa reveals that certain gut bacteria differ between morning and evening people. It is already known that there are some genetic differences between larks and owls, but research in fruit flies in our laboratory inspired us to test the impact of gut bacteria on human chronotypes," says Prof. Eran Tauber. Fecal samples were collected from 91 individuals in order to extract and sequence the bacterial DNA. Analysis of the DNA sequences from each sample allowed identification of all gut bacterial species and quantify their abundance. The chronotype of the participants was determined based on their self-reported sleep times during the weekend (waking up without an alarm clock).
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Sonia Elijah interviews Efrat Fenigson from Israel
Efrat Fenigson, a chief marketing officer and human rights activist from Tel Aviv, Israel, candidly speaks to Sonia about how 'Covid' has been marketed, as if it were a brand, by world governments and the mainstream media. She talks about the general protest movement in Israel and how it evolved from anti-corruption to anti-lockdown/green-pass demonstrations. She gives insight into the psychological state of fear that many Israelis are accustomed to living under making them compliant in obeying the draconian Covid rules and to not question the mass vaccine rollout.
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Foreclosure Looms for Homeowners Who Thought They’d Won, Thanks to Top New York Court Ruling
Sam Mellings The City and New York Focus, November 30, 2021 Christine Fife was “speechless with joy” when she won her foreclosure case in January 2020, she recalled, believing her decade under threat of foreclosure in her Upper West Side condo was finally over. Now, though, Fife is once again facing the seizure of the apartment she has owned since 1990. In February 2021, New York’s top court issued a decision that eliminated a path that New York homeowners had used for years to fight foreclosure. The decision in Freedom Mortgage Corporation v. Engel allowed Fife’s lender to renew its foreclosure suit against her. “They said it was OK. How can they change their mind?” Fife asked during an interview with New York Focus and THE CITY. Across New York State, homeowners who believed that their cases had been settled in their favor are now once again facing foreclosure due to the Engel decision. Many are in danger of losing their homes, even as two bills aimed at protecting owners wend their way through the state Legislature. Case Reopened In New York, if a borrower misses a mortgage payment, the lender is allowed to demand the entire remaining balance immediately and then move to foreclose after 120 days, if the money owed remains unpaid.. But a lender must start the legal proceedings within six years of first demanding full payment, or the suit becomes invalid. Until recently, the clock kept ticking until the lender informed the borrower that they were no longer seeking foreclosure. In Fife’s case, the lender had never done so. The bank sued Fife twice: first in 2010, a case the lender claims it later voluntarily withdrew, and again in 2017. Her lawyers, representing Fife pro bono, successfully argued that the bank’s second foreclosure suit was barred by the six-year limit and got it dismissed. But the Engel decision changed the rules. The Court of Appeals found that voluntarily ending a foreclosure suit stops the clock on the six-year time limit — even if the homeowner is never notified. The court’s ruling applies retroactively to any foreclosure cases ongoing or still open to appeal at the time the decision was issued. Following the ruling, many foreclosures that expired under the six-year limit have been reopened or appealed to higher courts. Holly Meyer, a Suffolk County lawyer who represented one of the defendants in the Engel case, estimated that the number of affected homeowners could be in the tens of thousands. Fife’s was one of them. In April 2021, the bank moved to renew its foreclosure suit against her — and the trial judge cited the Engel ruling as a reason to rehear the case. “I was shocked at this decision, because I had put all my faith in [the foreclosure court’s] initial decision, which was in my favor,” Fife said. With Fife’s best defense gone, her hopes for avoiding foreclosure now appear slim, her legal counsel acknowledged. ‘Incompetently’ Managed Loans It’s not uncommon for lenders to allow their right to foreclose to expire, according to real estate lawyers. “There are millions of residential loans being serviced somewhat incompetently, so these things do sometimes slip between the cracks,” said Joshua Stein, a commercial real estate lawyer. Real estate industry supporters of the Court of Appeals’ decision say it made little sense for a foreclosure case to fail because of what they consider a clerical error — one that basically lets borrowers shirk their debts. “The idea that you should still be at risk because you haven’t repaid the money you borrowed doesn’t strike me as egregious,” Stein said. Homeowner attorneys say that cases get dropped all the time in the legal system because of technical violations of procedural requirements, and that foreclosure cases should be no different. “If you have somebody on trial for murder, but you find that their constitutional rights were violated, they go free. It’s the same thing here,” Meyer said. Chief Judge Conflicted? The day after the Court of Appeals ruled on the Engel case, the law firm Greenberg Traurig, which had represented two of the plaintiffs, cheered what it called a “ground shifting” victory for lenders. “Statewide application will likely protect billions in assets for mortgage holders,” its press release claimed. Chief Judge Janet DiFiore, who wrote the majority opinion in Engel, was a Greenberg Traurig client at the time that she ruled in favor of their bank clients in that and other cases, the New York Law Journal reported in April. The firm defended her in a suit brought by judges forced into retirement as a cost-cutting measure. Defense attorneys said they had not been informed of the potential conflict for the judge who ruled against their clients. “The law’s not on our side anymore, and that means that there are a number of people who will be facing foreclosure when they wouldn’t have faced it a couple of years ago,” Julie Howe, a senior staff attorney at the New York Legal Assistance Group, who is representing Fife pro bono, told New York Focus. Then-Governor Andrew Cuomo swears in Janet DiFiore as the new chief judge of the New York State Court of Appeals, Feb. 8, 2016. Governor Andrew Cuomo’s Office Jacob Inwald, director of foreclosure prevention at Legal Services NYC, said many of the foreclosure cases affected by the Engel decision originally stemmed from the real estate crash of 2008 and freewheeling lending leading up to it. Fife, for instance, had borrowed $731,000 against her apartment in April 2007 to pay living expenses after a disabling injury and divorce. Monthly payments were nearly $5,000, with adjustable rate mortgage that started at 8% annual interest, potentially rising as high as 15%. “I didn’t know anything about mortgages,” Fife said. “I was just so happy that I was able to live on another day. I was probably the easiest take on the block.” Within a year, the bank alleged that she had fallen behind on her mortgage payments — kicking off foreclosure proceedings that her loan’s holder, Wilmington Trust Association, has resurrected more than a decade later. ‘It’s Really Scary’ Rockland County resident Susan Azcuy is in a situation similar to Fife’s — believing that she’d survived foreclosure only to find the cloud hanging over her once again. For 23 years, Azcuy and her husband kept up with the mortgage payments on their house in Pomona, including a 2005 refinancing, for which she took on a debt of $210,000 at 5.75% interest. But in 2012, after Azcuy’s husband was fired from his job, they missed a payment and their lender quickly moved to foreclose. The bank voluntarily withdrew the suit in March 2016 for technical reasons but did not notify Azcuy, refiling the case the next month. It went to trial in 2019, and Azcuy won, after a key prosecution witness failed to show up. ‘We’re still struggling. I was very, very hopeful to be able to continue living here.’ Before Engel, this would have been the end of the case, since more than six years had elapsed since the 2012 foreclosure suit. But thanks to Engel, the six-year clock restarted in 2016 — giving Azcuy’s lender another chance to sue. Due to penalties and foreclosure fees, Azcuy now owes nearly $400,000, just shy of double the amount of the 2005 refinancing. Efforts to reach a settlement or a modification with the bank have been unsuccessful, according to Azcuy’s attorney, Derek Tarson of the Legal Aid Society of Rockland County. If the bank brings another foreclosure lawsuit, which Tarson believes is likely, Azcuy will not be able to rely on the defense that more than six years have passed. “It’s really scary. We’re still struggling,” Azcuy said. “I was very, very hopeful to be able to continue living here.” Lawmakers Respond State lawmakers have introduced two bills seeking to reverse some of Engel’s effects. One measure, sponsored by Sen. Kevin Thomas (D-Nassau) and Assemblymember Helene Weinstein (D-Brooklyn), would require lenders to inform borrowers if they withdraw their demands for payment, since that action serves to stop the clock on the six-year countdown. If lenders withdraw the lawsuit but fail to notify the borrowers, the clock would keep ticking — a return to the status quo before Engel. The bill would also forbid lenders from foreclosing if any part of the loan had previously expired — a measure that would bar reviving suits against homeowners like Fife and Azcuy. The legislature is also considering a second bill, sponsored by Sen. James Sanders (D-Queens) and Assemblymember Latrice Walker (D-Brooklyn). This bill would prevent lenders from discontinuing a demand for full payment, stopping the six-year countdown clock, without the consent of the borrower. The measure also would start the countdown from the time that a mortgage holder missed a payment. Though meant to protect homeowners, the Sanders-Walker bill could actually incentivize lenders to begin foreclosure more quickly, one foreclosure defense attorney told New York Focus. “If the clock is ticking, all plaintiffs are going to want to do is get their case started,” the attorney, who asked not to be named, said. Sanders rejected the critique. “I don’t think that you can further incentivize the financial institutions” to foreclose after the leeway granted them by Engel, he said. Whether either of the bills would apply retroactively to homeowners like Fife and Azcuy is an open question. “It may not be able to help those, but it is our desire,” Sanders said. “We will get guidance on whether we can do that.” Sanders said that he has spoken to Gov. Kathy Hochul and legislative leaders about his bill, and while they have not endorsed it, he said they are open to supporting it. (A Hochul spokesperson said the governor “will review all legislation that reaches her desk.” “We are making excellent progress with both, and we expect good things in the coming days,” Sanders said.
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Israeli study says COVID shot efficacy decreases dramatically after 3 months, calls for boosters
British Medical Journal, November 24, 2021 A study published by The BMJ today finds a gradual increase in the risk of COVID-19 infection from 90 days after receiving a second dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine. The study was carried out by the Research Institute of Leumit Health Services in Israel. Israel was one of the first countries to roll out a large scale COVID-19 vaccination campaign in December 2020, but which has seen a resurgence of infections since June 2021. The findings confirm that the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine provided excellent protection in the initial weeks after vaccination, but suggest that protection wanes for some individuals with time. To do this, the researchers examined electronic health records for 80,057 adults (average age 44 years) who received a PCR test at least three weeks after their second injection, and had no evidence of previous COVID-19 infection. Of these 80,057 participants, 7,973 (9.6%) had a positive test result. These individuals were then matched to negative controls of the same age and ethnic group who were tested in the same week. The rate of positive results increased with time elapsed since a second dose. For example, across all age groups 1.3% of participants tested positive 21-89 days after a second dose, but this increased to 2.4% after 90-119 days; 4.6% after 120-149 days; 10.3% after 150-179 days; and 15.5% after 180 days or more.
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31,014 Deaths 2,890,600 Injuries Following COVID Shots in European Database of Adverse Reactions as Young, Previously Healthy People Continue to Die
Health Impact News The European Union database of suspected drug reaction reports is EudraVigilance, and they are now reporting 31,014 fatalities, and 2,890,600 injuries, following COVID-19 injections. A Health Impact News subscriber from Europe reminded us that this database maintained at EudraVigilance is only for countries in Europe who are part of the European Union (EU), which comprises 27 countries. The total number of countries in Europe is much higher, almost twice as many, numbering around 50. (There are some differences of opinion as to which countries are technically part of Europe.) Total reactions for the mRNA vaccine Tozinameran (code BNT162b2, Comirnaty) from BioNTech/ Pfizer: 14,526 deaths and 1,323,370 injuries to 20/11/2021 Total reactions for the mRNA vaccine mRNA-1273 (CX-024414) from Moderna: 8,518 deaths and 390,163 injuries to 20/11/2021 Total reactions for the vaccine AZD1222/VAXZEVRIA (CHADOX1 NCOV-19) from Oxford/AstraZeneca: 6,145 deaths and 1,075,335 injuries to 20/11/2021 Total reactions for the COVID-19 vaccine JANSSEN (AD26.COV2.S) from Johnson & Johnson: 1,825 deaths and 101,732 injuries to 20/11/2021
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Censorship = dictatorship
Dr. Jessica Rose, November 29, 2021 So the censorship continues. I did a very detailed and informative interview with Frank McCaughey of Ireland on the subject of the pointlessness, potential harms and dangers with mass injecting children during this ‘pandemic’ with the known non-sterilizing COVID-19 injectable products. And it has been remove Let’s check out what YouTube’s Community Guidelines are, shall we? YouTube’s Community Guidelines: These determine what content is allowed on YouTube and help make YouTube a safe place to foster community. A safe place to foster community, eh? What kind of community are you thinkin’ ‘bout there, Youtube? A community akin to an enslaved, dead-eyed mass of hypnotized automatons? If I may: no thanks on that. I’d rather live on that cat Island. So, for those of you who didn’t get to see the video (I imagine that is all of you since it was up for less than 24 hours), I talked at length about the ‘don’t’s of injecting pre-pubescent children with experimental products for which the ingredient list is a big secret for a ‘disease’ that they do not succumb to. Ah, I see now. It was because I mentioned Ivermectin. Boy. Youtube. Get with the program! Read some studies for crying out loud! And update your censorship guidelines! Make them reflect the scientific truth and not the weird false dictates of singular beings who feast on the ‘community’ to increase their ‘power’. Here’s what I found in their COVID-19 medical misinformation policy. Treatment misinformation: Content that encourages the use of home remedies, prayer, or rituals in place of medical treatment such as consulting a doctor or going to the hospital Content that claims that there’s a guaranteed cure for COVID-19 Content that recommends use of Ivermectin or Hydroxychloroquine for the treatment of COVID-19 Claims that Hydroxychloroquine is an effective treatment for COVID-19 Categorical claims that Ivermectin is an effective treatment for COVID-19 Claims that Ivermectin and Hydroxychloroquine are safe to use in the treatment COVID-19 Other content that discourages people from consulting a medical professional or seeking medical advice Ok. I want to work backwards through the italicized points, if I may. 1. Hey Youtube. I AM a medical sciences professional. This IS my consultation. Doesn’t that make your dictate of discouraging ‘consulting a medical professional’ moot? I am not only not discouraging this, in addition to encouraging this, I am this. 2. Hey Youtube. GET WITH THE PROGRAM. Ivermectin has been affiliated with Nobel-ity. It’s not only been awarded a prize for its safe use as an anti-parastic for decades and been doled out to literally billions of people, (including pregnant women and children) with no ill effects, it’s has an excessively successful safety profile as an off-label drug in the context of COVID-19.¹ 3. It has also been clinically-tested and proven effective in the context of COVID-19 as an off-label drug - which is more than we can say about the clot shots, eh?²³⁴⁵⁶⁷⁸⁹¹⁰¹¹ 4. Based on points, 1, 2 and 3, I would recommend the off-label use of Ivermectin. As a Medical Scientist. Oh and by the way, aren’t you violating your own ‘Community Standards’ with your point on a ‘guaranteed cure for COVID-19’? You guys are so sure that your injections are the only way to deal with this situation. Doesn’t that imply that this guarantees a cure? No wait. It doesn’t. But what it does do is set a precedent and instigate a thought: there will never be a cure for COVID-19. It’s incurable. Which is: true. But it’s also no worse than the flu in the non-vulnerable, which is most people. Including children. So we don’t need to seek a ‘cure’. Just like we don’t need to seek a ‘cure’ for the common cold or the flu. That’s one of the things that our bloody immune systems are for and very good it - preventing disease. Viruses are EVERYWHERE. ALL THE TIME. It’s not a reason to freak out. Educate yourself and others on this. It about high time people learned that we are constantly engaging and have co-evolved with viruses and bacteria for the entirety of our existences. It’s what we are.¹² Our genome is 7% retrovirus. If we attempt to destroy this magnificence then we are not only stupid, but we will be destroyed in turn. Leave the immune system alone. Or rather, optimize it. Be healthy. Avoid toxins. As much as you can. Pretty simple. So there you are Youtube. You have been brought up-to-date. Now, I don’t like simply bitching about stuff, even though it does feel good, so I wanted to bring it to everyone’s attention that you can fight to have your content re-instated once it has been removed. However, it is not a common occurrence to have a video re-instated once it has been censored. The ones that do get re-instated typically are ones that were erroneously taken down. I think that the Youtube overlords would argue that since they are paid to enforce the dictate narrative, they cannot stand behind science and truth, and therefore, I think they would hold fast to their ‘claims’ that Ivermectin is dangerous and ineffective.
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Why aren't healthcare workers speaking out about the catastrophe caused by the vaccines? Steve Kirsch, November 23, 2021
Everyone thinks that if the jabs were really dangerous, doctors and other healthcare workers would be speaking out about it. They are wrong. Here are the four main reasons they do not speak out.Two important things you need to know: 1.All the kids were recently vaccinated. 2. Kids that age NEVER get tachycardia (i.e., the medical experts I’ve talked to have never seen it before in their careers). Here are some reasons very few people are speaking out: 1. Delegated trust. People trust their doctors, the doctors trust other doctors and ultimately the CDC. Nobody is independently verifying the CDC is telling the truth. Doctors are really really bad in critically reading scientific studies. Mask guidelines are the PERFECT example of this. There isn’t any scientific proof (well-done randomized trial) that masks work. Yet very few question the narrative (and those that do are ostracized). So everyone basically goes with the flow and the whole thing is a positive feedback loop despite zero scientific basis. See my article Masks don’t work and read the accolades in the Nature article. All these experts who hailed the study never read it with a critical eye and lack the skills to do so. This is how misinformation propagates. 2.Fear of job loss. Nobody wants to lose their job. Look what happened to Deborah Conrad and others who speak out. Fired within hours after speaking out. So the lab technicians who are now seeing kids with tachycardia just keep their mouth shut. They know something is very wrong, but their job is more important. Besides, if they spoke out, it wouldn’t make any difference since they are just a lab technician. Doctors have a similar problem. The medical system, despite claims of physician autonomy, actually offers very little, as it takes very little to be thrown out of the system. Medicare, the FDA, a state medical board, a malpractice insurer, the DEA, a hospital medical staff, an employer - you only have to cross one of these to have your career ruined. Combine that with the idea that most physicians wouldn't be willing to stand against a medical establishment agency such as the CDC (the ones who will have long since been ostracized) and that to do so would require a huge amount of energy and time spent on medical paper research to make a case (and most docs don't have time for that) and that most of medicine is necessarily a form of group think anyway. Then add on to it that the policy makers in large medical corporations roles are more immediately to protect the interests of the corporation than to "save the world," and you arrive at our current situation. 3.Belief that COVID is even worse than the vaccine injuries. Many people are deceived by erroneous reports that the number of vaccine cases (e.g., of myocarditis) are occurring far less often now that the vaccines have been rolled out. Dr. John Su is the big culprit here because he’s never told the world that VAERS is under-reported. The pediatric cardiologists know what is going on, but they aren’t going to say anything due to #1. So I see doctors tweeting the myth that “sure, there is myo after the vaccine, but the rates due to COVID are worse so the vaccine is the better of the two options.” 4.Belief that the injuries are really rare. I know a doctor who treats vaccine injured patients. He has no clue whether these are every single vaccine injured patient in the US or he’s only seeing a tiny fraction of the injuries. He believes he’s seeing them all so writes it off as just “coincidence” and “bad luck” since if it was the vaccine, the CDC would have spotted it. 5. Cognitive dissonance/trust in authority figures. They are so convinced the vaccines are safe (since nobody else is speaking out), that any adverse events that happen must be due to something else. Positive feedback loop. 6.Belief that they can treat you for your vaccine side effects, but that they can’t treat you if you have COVID. So lesser of two evils. And of course, they think no early treatments work, so they think they are doing you a favor by telling you to get the vaccine. 7.Belief that there is no viable alternative for treating COVID and that the vaccines work. So even 100,000 dead or injured people is better than 750,000 dead people from COVID. 8. Trust in the NIH and CDC. If it was a problem, the CDC would tell people. Telling people isn’t their job. Their job is to follow the direction set by the experts. 9.Fear of being ostracized. People who do research fear if they speak out they would be labelled as anti-vaxers and their research would thus be discredited. 10.Critical thinkers have been fired. Hospitals and medical facilities have already fired vaccine hesitant employees per vaccine mandates thereby self selecting for vax believers. 11. They think that the side-effects show that the vaccine is “working.” This is more of a patient thing. It’s how the patients look at their adverse events… as a positive thing. (You really can’t make this stuff up.) 12.They are being paid to look the other way. The federal government gave “grants” (aka BRIBES) to hospitals and physicians to promote the vaccines. If they speak out against them now, the government will demand the grants are repaid. [A physician reported this to me on Telegram. You really can’t make this stuff up.] 13. They will lose their research funding if they publish their results.
May be worth adopting plant based diet to ease chronic migraine severity, say doctors
Stony Brook University and University of Pennsylvania, November 22, 2021 Prescribed meds, elimination diet, yoga and meditation provided no or little symptom relief Boosting dark green leafy veg intake may be key It may be worth adopting a plant based diet, rich in dark green leafy vegetables, to ease the symptoms of chronic migraine, suggest doctors in the online journal BMJ Case Reports.
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Exercising at the start of fast can help people reach ketosis 3.5 hours faster: study Brigham Young University, November 24, 2021
Now a new Brigham Young University study published in the journal Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise finds that exercising intensely at the start of a fast may help maximize health benefits of temporarily foregoing food. Ketosis occurs when the body runs out of glucose—its first, preferred fuel—and begins breaking down stored fat for energy, producing chemicals called ketones as a byproduct. In addition to being a healthy energy source for the brain and heart, ketones combat diseases like diabetes, cancer, Parkinson's and Alzheimer's.
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To calm your emotions, get 15 minutes alone University of Rochester, November 24, 2021
Being by yourself—even for just 15 minutes—may decrease your strong positive and negative emotions, and instead reduce stress and induce calm, a new study suggests. Lead researcher Thuy-vy Nguyen, a doctoral candidate in clinical and social sciences in psychology at the University of Rochester, together with the cofounders of self-determination theory, psychology professors Richard Ryan and Edward Deci, conclude that solitude can lead to relaxation and stress reduction—as long as people actively chose to be alone.
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Fermented tea could help protect the liver from high-fat diet damage
Tianjin University (China), November 30, 2021
Water extracts of a fermented tea, known as Pu-erh tea, could help to reduce oxidative stress and protect the liver against damage caused by a high fat diet, research in rats has found. The study, published in Food Science and Human Wellness, investigated the potential of the polyphenol and theabrownin-rich fermented tea to protect the liver after previous studies linked the tea to a raft of health benefits. “Pu-erh tea can be used as a potential healthy drink for prevention and/or treatment of fatty liver disease and many diseases associated with oxidative stress,” suggested Jing and colleagues.
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Excessive media exposure to traumatic events could harm kids Florida International University, November 20, 2021
FIU scientists investigating the effects of hurricanes and other natural disasters on children's brain development previously found that increased exposure to media coverage of disasters led kids to have post-traumatic stress (PTS) symptoms regardless of physical proximity. A new follow-up study led by FIU psychologists Anthony Dick and Jonathan Comer confirmed those findings and also showed that individual differences in the response in a key brain region involved in detecting threats—the amygdala—predicted the degree to which viewing storm-related media coverage led children to develop PTS symptoms.
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Adults with ADHD four times more likely to have generalized anxiety disorder
University of Toronto, November 20, 2021
A new nationally representative study published online in the Journal of Affective Disorders found that one in four adults aged 20-39 with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) had generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). Those with ADHD were four times more likely to have GAD at some point in their life, when compared to those without ADHD. Even after controlling for other relevant factors, including sociodemographics, adverse childhood experiences, and a lifetime history of substance use disorders and major depressive disorders, those with ADHD still had more than double the odds of GAD.
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The Madness of Anthony Fauci
Rather than own up to his disastrous policy and medical advice, Fauci instead is accelerating his messianic impulses.
By Julie Kelly
It’s nearly impossible to select the most maniacal comment made by Dr. Anthony Fauci in his nearly 70-minute interview with “Face the Nation” host Margaret Brennan that aired over the weekend. Joe Biden’s chief coronavirus advisor and miniature global menace spent more than an hour denying responsibility for his documented mistakes, bragging about his self-appointed role as the world’s doctor, hogging credit for the vaccines, and attacking anyone who has challenged his unrivaled ego and track record of failure. Portraying himself as a victim rather than the cruel, megalomaniacal tyrant he is, Fauci took aim at Donald Trump, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, Senators Rand Paul (R-Ky.) and Ted Cruz (R-Texas), and Congressional co-sponsors of the “Fire Fauci Act,” which would zero-out the salary of the federal government’s highest-paid bureaucrat and audit Fauci’s correspondence and financial transactions during the pandemic. While declaring, “I represent science,” Fauci humbly graded the scientific approach to the pandemic an “A+” while incongruently warning about a “fifth wave” of the virus and explaining away one scientific stumble after another, from useless temperature checks to the need for bi-annual booster shots and randomly claiming the virus spread is “40 to 50 to 60 percent . . . asymptomatic.” Science! Of all his alarming remarks, however, Fauci’s push to get experimental vaccines for babies and young children to market as quickly as possible is the most depraved. When asked by Brennan, who has spent the better part of two years asking Fauci how to run her life and the lives of 330 million Americans, when he expects vaccines for children between the age of six months and five years to be available, Fauci said he hopes the shots are ready by the beginning of next year. “I would hope it would be in the first quarter because the studies are being done right now on children from two to five and then from six months to two years,” Fauci told Brennan. “I don’t think there’s going to be an issue with efficacy. But when you’re dealing with children, it’s a very sensitive area. And that’s the reason why [it] may take a little bit longer.” When parents question whether it’s necessary to vaccinate children, Fauci replies that, “yeah, we do want to be vaccinating the children because we want to vaccinate and protect everyone in society, including children.” Now, that is not the conclusion of a sound man of science, as Fauci again insisted he is in the interview, or even a man of common sense and humanity—that is the raving of a madman.Only a demon would propose injecting a child, including babies who cannot yet even walk or talk, with a rushed “vaccine” to allegedly minimize a virus that poses no serious health threat to them. Only a sociopath would dismiss parental fears about not just the medical necessity of the shot for the child but also unknown side effects that their children could suffer in both the near and long term. And only a sadist would continue to promote his own destructive policies that have inflicted incalculable human suffering but done nothing to halt the spread of a virus that is lethal to only a tiny percentage of the population. In a just world, Anthony Fauci would be giving lengthy television interviews clad in an orange jumpsuit from the confines of a federal penitentiary. Aside from his crimes against humanity, especially the tragic toll on senior citizens and young people, Fauci has clearly committed a number of crimes including lying to Congress and the American people in his official capacity and misappropriating federal funds on ghoulish scientific experiments. He violated the Hatch Act by using his government post for political purposes; for example, the weekend before the 2020 election, Fauci told the Washington Post that Joe Biden “is taking [the pandemic] seriously from a public health perspective,” but that Trump was only looking at it from an economic standpoint. Contradicting the president, Fauci warned the country was in for a “world of hurt” with rising COVID-19 cases and that “all the stars are aligned in the wrong place as you go into the fall and winter season.” Fauci has repeatedly and treasonously defended the Chinese Communist Party, something he did yet again in his interview with Brennan. Still peddling the “wet market,” rather than Wuhan laboratory-produced, theory about the origins of SARS-CoV-2, Fauci disputed Brennan’s claim that “Beijing acknowledges now that they don’t think it originated in that market.” Fauci shot back: “I think you could say we don’t know how and where it originated. There were wet markets in Wuhan that are ample opportunity for a virus to jump from an animal that gets brought in from all parts of China that are very closely related physically to bat enclaves in caves and come to the market. So I don’t think anyone can say that it didn’t come from here or it did come from here.” The vaccines for which Fauci takes credit have been a costly failure. He, along with Joe Biden, misled the American people into believing the vaccines are safe and effective. But caseloads continue to spike despite high vaccination rates; Fauci himself recently admitted the prophylactic effect of the vaccines has waned and boosters are now required to extend what little short-term benefit the first round of injections provided. COVID fatalities this year are slightly ahead of 2020, a metric no one, including Dr. Anthony Fauci himself, publicly predicted. Rather than own up to his disastrous policy and medical advice, Fauci instead is accelerating his messianic impulses. He’s unsure, Fauci told George Stephanopoulos on Sunday morning, whether new lockdowns are needed to prevent the spread of the omicron mutation. “Prepare for the worst,” Fauci warned. Music, undoubtedly, to the ears of Xi Jinping. Ironically, Fauci, who laughed off his own criminal culpability related to the pandemic in Brennan’s interview, wants others investigated both for the handling of COVID-19 and the four-hour protest at the Capitol earlier this year. In one sinister exchange with Brennan, Fauci nervously giggled and rhetorically asked Senator Ted Cruz, “What about January 6, senator?” He also wants a 9/11-style commission to investigate the Trump Administration’s response to the crisis. The top focus, Madman Fauci noted, should zone in on why “Trump left things up to the states.” Chalk up the U.S. Constitution as another thing Anthony Fauci has no clue about. But perhaps Fauci is on to something. When Republicans take over the House next year, they should immediately form several 9/11-style commissions to investigate numerous scandals stemming from the Trump era; at the top of the list should be a public accounting of Fauci’s leading role in the COVID-19 crisis; his misstatements to the public and Congress on the “science”; his relationship with the Chinese Communist Party; his political machinations before the 2020 election; and his ties to pharmaceutical companies and other parties with a financial interest in pushing vaccines. Further, Fauci should testify under oath on what scientific basis he recommended using American children, including babies, as pharmaceutical lab rats. If indeed he is “America’s doctor,” as Margaret Brennan so obsequiously claimed, and to which Fauci agreed, then he should be properly investigated for medical malpractice at the very least. A wide-ranging federal probe into what happened during the pandemic? Maybe for once, the madman is right.
(NEXT)
With Low Vaccination Rates, Africa's Covid Deaths Remain Far below Europe and the US MISES INSTITUTE, 11/23/2021 NOTE: TOTAL POPULATION OF AFRICA 1.3 BILLION, LARGEST NATIONS NIGERIA (206 MILLION), ETHIOPIA (115 MILLION), EGYPT (103 MILLION)
Since the very beginning of the covid panic, the narrative has been this: implement severe lockdowns or your population will experience a bloodbath. Morgues will be overwhelmed, the death total toll will be astounding. On the other hand, we were assured those jurisdictions that do lock down would see only a fraction of the death toll. Then, once vaccines became available, the narrative was modified to "Get shots in arms and then covid will stop spreading. Those countries without vaccines, on the other hand, will continue to face mass casualties." The lockdown narrative, of course, has already been thoroughly overturned. Jurisdictions that did not lock down or adopted only weak and short lockdowns ended up with covid death tolls that were either similar to—or even better than—death tolls in countries that adopted draconian lockdowns. Lockdown advocates said locked-down countries would be overwhelmingly better off. These people were clearly wrong. Undaunted by the increasing implausibility of the lockdown narrative, the global health bureaucrats are nonetheless doubling down on forced vaccines—as we now see in Austria—and we continue to be assured that only countries with high vaccination rates can hope to avoid disastrous covid outcomes. Yet, the experience in sub-Saharan Africa calls both these narratives into question: Africa's numbers have been far, far lower than the experts warned would be the case. For example, the AP reported this week that in spite of low vaccination rates, Africa has fared better than most of the world: [T]here is something “mysterious” going on in Africa that is puzzling scientists, said Wafaa El-Sadr, chair of global health at Columbia University. “Africa doesn’t have the vaccines and the resources to fight COVID-19 that they have in Europe and the U.S., but somehow they seem to be doing better,” she said…. Fewer than 6% of people in Africa are vaccinated. For months, the WHO has described Africa as “one of the least affected regions in the world” in its weekly pandemic reports. But that "conventional wisdom" flies in the face of the reality of covid in Africa, which is that there have beenfewer deaths. In any case, the World Health Organization reports that covid deaths in Africa make up only 2.9 percent of covid deaths, while Africa’s population is 16 percent of the global total. Africa’s covid total could double or triple, and Africa would still be faring far better than Europe and the Americas.
(NEXT)
Excess Deaths Caused by Vaccines (an email letter)
As you know, since the summer there has been a 10% excess of deaths in England, largely due to cardiovascular problems and mainly in younger adults and men. Some argue this is due to vaccines directly killing people, as the spike protein (produced in our bodies from the gene added to our cells by the vaccines) is known to damage heart cells, blood vessels, and the normal clotting mechanisms. Others claim it is the spike protein, but blame the spike protein produced by virus infection. I have now looked at the relevant data quite carefully, and the only explanation that fits all the data is as follows: The vaccines have reduced levels and/or duration of virus in individuals (hence also reduce severe covid symptoms) but unfortunately the spike protein produced by the vaccines added on top of the spike protein produced by the virus is having a lethal effect in many people. The net result is that vaccines have merely displaced deaths from being (and being recorded as) frank covid deaths to now being cardiovascular deaths, coincident with an increase in virus prevalence This phenomenon will fade away as the virus fades away after December, as the winter peak of respiratory diseases passes. But everything will be made worse if we roll out mass booster vaccinations. Regards Professor Anthony J Brookes Department of Genetics & Genome Biology University of Leicester
(NEXT)
Despite Pledge, Biden Leaves Tap Open, Approving Billions in Arms Deals to Saudi Arabia
A new MintPress News study based on Dept. of Defense documents can reveal that U.S. weapons manufacturers have sold well in excess of $28.3 billion worth of arms to Saudi Arabia since the Yemen War began, including 20 separate deals inked during Biden’s presidency.
Alan Macleod
MINT PRESS NEWS. November 19th, 2021
“The war in Yemen must end,” declared President Joe Biden in his first major foreign policy speech; “and to underscore our commitment, we are ending all American support for offensive [Saudi] operations in the war in Yemen, including relevant arms sales.” Yet studying sales records from the Department of Defense (DoD), MintPress can reveal that less than one year into his presidency, the Biden administration has already approved 20 separate weapons contracts, worth just shy of $1.2 billion, to Saudi Arabia alone. This includes a $100 million shipment of Black Hawk helicopters, support for Apache gunships, and a $78 milliondeal to buy 36 cruise missiles. A new and controversial $650 million deal announced earlier this month has yet to be finalized but will likely soon follow, boosting sales up to levels equal with the earlier years of the Trump presidency. Sorting through thousands of approved contracts, the Department of Defense has approved in excess of $28.4 billion worth of sales from American companies to the armed forces of Saudi Arabia since they began their military intervention in the Yemeni Civil War in March 2015. This includes billions of dollars worth of arms, supplies, logistical support and training services. While this is a gargantuan number (already larger than Yemen’s gross domestic product), it is certainly a serious underestimate of just how much the military industrial complex is benefiting from what the United Nations has called the “world’s worst humanitarian crisis.” In addition to the $28 billion figure, Saudi Arabia is also a named customer (often along with other nations) in weapons deals worth more than $34 billion over the same period. However, the amounts the Saudis actually paid in these were not disclosed, though in some of these orders Saudi Arabia was clearly the primary buyer. For example, a $3.4 billion DoD-approved radar deal with Raytheon lists only two buyers: Saudi Arabia and the tiny nation of Kuwait (population 4.2 million). Added together, this means that the DoD has greenlighted the sale of somewhere between $28 billion and $63 billion worth of arms from American companies to Saudi Arabia since the latter began its attack on the largely civilian population of Yemen. The biggest profiteer from Yemen’s destruction has been aviation giant Boeing, which brought in $13.9 billion in sales over the period. Next comes Lockheed Martin, which has signed 62 separate contracts with the Kingdom since March 2015, worth in excess of $7.4 billion. Third on the list is missile expert Raytheon, which has cashed in on the violence to the tune of $3.3 billion. In total, 86 U.S. companies have profited from sales to Saudi Arabia since its intervention in Yemen, including household names like General Electric, Booz Allen Hamilton and Honeywell. The full list is also available in the accompanying spreadsheet.
HEALTH NEWS
May be worth adopting plant based diet to ease chronic migraine severity, say doctors
Stony Brook University and University of Pennsylvania, November 22, 2021
Prescribed meds, elimination diet, yoga and meditation provided no or little symptom relief Boosting dark green leafy veg intake may be key
It may be worth adopting a plant based diet, rich in dark green leafy vegetables, to ease the symptoms of chronic migraine, suggest doctors in the online journal BMJ Case Reports.
The recommendation comes after they treated a man who had endured severe migraine headaches without aura for more than 12 years. He had tried prescribed meds (Zolmitriptan and Topiramate); cutting out potential ‘trigger’ foods, including chocolate, cheese, nuts, caffeine, and dried fruit; and yoga and meditation in a bid to blunt the severity and frequency of his headaches. Nothing had worked. His headaches were accompanied by sensitivity to light and sound, and nausea and vomiting. On a scale of 0–10, he scored the pain severity as 10–12 out of 10.
The report authors advised the man to adopt the Low Inflammatory Foods Everyday (LIFE) diet, a nutrient dense, whole food, plant-based diet.
The LIFE diet includes eating at least five ounces by weight of raw or cooked dark green leafy vegetables every day, drinking one 32-ounce daily green LIFE smoothie, and limiting intake of whole grains, starchy vegetables, oils, and animal protein, particularly dairy and red meat.
After 3 months his migraines stopped completely, and they haven't returned in 7.5 years.
Exercising at the start of fast can help people reach ketosis 3.5 hours faster: study
Brigham Young University, November 24, 2021
Now a new Brigham Young University study published in the journal Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise finds that exercising intensely at the start of a fast may help maximize health benefits of temporarily foregoing food.
Ketosis occurs when the body runs out of glucose—its first, preferred fuel—and begins breaking down stored fat for energy, producing chemicals called ketones as a byproduct. In addition to being a healthy energy source for the brain and heart, ketones combat diseases like diabetes, cancer, Parkinson's and Alzheimer's.
For the study, the researchers asked 20 healthy adults to complete two 36-hour fasts while staying hydrated. Each fast began after a standardized meal, the first fast starting without exercise and the other with a challenging treadmill workout.
Exercise made a big difference: when participants exercised, they reached ketosis on average three and a half hours earlier in the fast and produced 43% more BHB. The theory is that the initial exercise burns through a substantial amount of the body's glucose, prompting a quicker transition to ketosis. Without exercise, the participants hit ketosis about 20 to 24 hours into the fast.
To calm your emotions, get 15 minutes alone
University of Rochester, November 24, 2021
Being by yourself—even for just 15 minutes—may decrease your strong positive and negative emotions, and instead reduce stress and induce calm, a new study suggests.
Lead researcher Thuy-vy Nguyen, a doctoral candidate in clinical and social sciences in psychology at the University of Rochester, together with the cofounders of self-determination theory, psychology professors Richard Ryan and Edward Deci, conclude that solitude can lead to relaxation and stress reduction—as long as people actively chose to be alone.
In general, solitude, the research finds, has a lessening effect not only on arousing positive emotions but also strong negative emotions, ultimately leaving people calmer, more relaxed, less angry, and less anxious.
The researchers define solitude as “a psychological experience of being alone without communications, stimuli, activities, or devices that might facilitate virtual communications such as text messaging or social media.”
Fermented tea could help protect the liver from high-fat diet damage
Tianjin University (China), November 30, 2021
Water extracts of a fermented tea, known as Pu-erh tea, could help to reduce oxidative stress and protect the liver against damage caused by a high fat diet, research in rats has found.
The study, published in Food Science and Human Wellness, investigated the potential of the polyphenol and theabrownin-rich fermented tea to protect the liver after previous studies linked the tea to a raft of health benefits.
“Pu-erh tea can be used as a potential healthy drink for prevention and/or treatment of fatty liver disease and many diseases associated with oxidative stress,” suggested Jing and colleagues.
After the trial, they found that the Pu-erh extract led to decreases in body weight, fat index, MDA and NOS levels. They suggested that these were linked to increases in hepatic T-SOD, CAT and GSH-Px activities. Furthermore, it was found that the extracts increased production of hepatic glycogen and the activity of PK, and reduced glucose levels, thus potentially protecting the liver from the diseases associated with type II diabetes.
Excessive media exposure to traumatic events could harm kids
Florida International University, November 20, 2021
FIU scientists investigating the effects of hurricanes and other natural disasters on children's brain development previously found that increased exposure to media coverage of disasters led kids to have post-traumatic stress (PTS) symptoms regardless of physical proximity. A new follow-up study led by FIU psychologists Anthony Dick and Jonathan Comer confirmed those findings and also showed that individual differences in the response in a key brain region involved in detecting threats—the amygdala—predicted the degree to which viewing storm-related media coverage led children to develop PTS symptoms.
"Children are among the most vulnerable individuals during disasters, because they are still developing a sense of security, and have little personal control over their environments," said Anthony Dick, psychology professor and researcher at the Center for Children and Families. "PTS can adversely affect long term health in children, but these findings will help us inform communities and families on how they can better prepare for and respond to disasters in ways that mitigate potential negative long-term mental health effects."
Adults with ADHD four times more likely to have generalized anxiety disorder
University of Toronto, November 20, 2021
A new nationally representative study published online in the Journal of Affective Disorders found that one in four adults aged 20-39 with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) had generalized anxiety disorder (GAD).
Those with ADHD were four times more likely to have GAD at some point in their life, when compared to those without ADHD. Even after controlling for other relevant factors, including sociodemographics, adverse childhood experiences, and a lifetime history of substance use disorders and major depressive disorders, those with ADHD still had more than double the odds of GAD.
"These findings underline how vulnerable adults with ADHD are to generalized anxiety disorders," says lead author Esme Fuller-Thomson, professor at the University of Toronto's Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work and Director of the Institute for Life Course & Aging. "There are many studies linking adult ADHD to depression and suicidality, but less attention has been paid to generalized activity disorders and other adverse outcomes across the life course."
Yoga improves quality of life in men with new diagnosis of prostate cancer University of Texas at San Antonio, November 23, 2021
An estimated 1.4 million men were diagnosed with prostate cancer worldwide in 2020, according to the American Cancer Society and the International Agency for Research on Cancer. With a new diagnosis of prostate cancer, these men have approximately a 30% incidence of depression and anxiety, a fourfold higher risk of heart attack and a twofold higher risk of committing suicide.
Yoga, a set of specific body postures combined with breathing techniques and mindfulness, may be an easy-to-implement answer in this stressful situation, according to a study published Nov. 23 in the journal Prostate Cancer and Prostatic Diseases.
A pilot randomized clinical trial by urology researchers at the Mays Cancer Center, home to UT Health San Antonio MD Anderson Cancer Center, enrolled 29 men who were awaiting prostatectomy. Fourteen were randomized to participate in yoga and 15 were assigned to the standard of care, which was just waiting for surgery.
“We gave the active intervention group six weeks of yoga, at least twice a week, for 60 to 75 minutes,” said lead author Dharam Kaushik, MD, associate professor of urology in UT Health San Antonio’s Joe R. and Teresa Lozano School of Medicine and cancer surgeon with the Mays Cancer Center.
Via questionnaires, the team documented the men’s perceived quality of life at the start of yoga, at the time of surgery and after surgery. Men who did not do yoga completed the same questionnaires at study enrollment and at the other two junctures.
The team drew blood samples before the men began yoga and after all sessions were completed. Samples were also taken from men who did not do yoga.
Sense of well-being
“What we found was very interesting,” Dr. Kaushik said. “Yoga improved quality of life in men compared to the standard of care, specifically on the fatigue scale, meaning they were less tired; on sexual function; and on their functional, physical and social well-being.”
A more robust immune response and lower levels of inflammation were observed in the yoga group, he added.
“This is positive data and further large-scale studies are needed, for which this pilot study can be a model,” Dr. Kaushik said.
Biomarkers and yoga
The primary study outcome was self-reported quality of life assessed by the questionnaires. Changes in immune cell status and inflammatory markers with yoga were secondary outcomes.
The yoga group showed increased numbers of circulating CD4+ and CD8+ T cells, which are important contributors to immune health. Among other markers, the yoga group also exhibited a reduction in inflammatory markers called cytokines.
The median age of participants was 56 years in the yoga group and 60 years in the standard of care group.
Yoga has been studied in breast cancer, but not at the level of detail of this study, matching self-reported quality of life data with markers of immune response and inflammation, Dr. Kaushik said.
“If we are able to encourage patients to do a small, inexpensive and easy-to-implement intervention that can have a big impact, then why not?” he said.
Researchers Discover How Antibiotic Power of Garlic Fights Chronic Infections Washington State University, November 28, 2021
Garlic is probably nature's most potent food. It is one of the reasons people who eat the Mediterranean diet live such long healthy lives. An active sulphurous compound found in garlic can be used to fight robust bacteria in patients with chronic infections, a new study from the University of Copenhagen indicates.
A previous finding from Washington State University showed that garlic is 100 times more effective than two popular antibiotics at fighting disease causing bacteria commonly responsible for foodborne illness.
Here the researchers show that the garlic compound is able to destroy important components in the bacteria's communication systems, which involve regulatory RNA molecules.
'We really believe this method can lead to treatment of patients, who otherwise have poor prospects. Because chronic infections like cystic fibrosis can be very robust. But now we, together with a private company, have enough knowledge to further develop the garlic drug and test it on patients', says Assistant Professor Tim Holm Jakobsen from the Costerton Biofilm Center at the Department of Immunology and Microbiology.
The study is the latest addition from a research group headed by Professor Michael Givskov, which since 2005 has focussed on garlic's effect on bacteria. At the time they learned that garlic extract is able to inhibit bacteria, and in 2012 they showed that the sulphurous compound ajoene found in garlic is responsible for the effect. The new study, which has been published in the scientific journal Scientific Reports, takes an even closer look and documents ajoene's ability to inhibit small regulatory RNA molecules in two types of bacteria.
'The two types of bacteria we have studied are very important. They are called Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. They actually belong to two very different bacteria families and are normally fought using different methods. But the garlic compound is able to fight both at once and therefore may prove an effective drug when used together with antibiotics', says Tim Holm Jakobsen.
Previous studies have shown that garlic appears to offer the most powerful, naturally occurring resistance to bacteria. In addition to inhibiting the bacteria's RNA molecules, the active garlic compound also damages the protective slimy matrix surrounding the bacteria, the so-called biofilm. When the biofilm is destroyed or weakened, both antibiotics and the body's own immune system are able to attack the bacteria more directly and thus remove the infection.
In 2012 the researchers took out a patent on the use of ajoene to fight bacterial infections. Similar patents have been taken out for compounds in allicin -- which gives garlic its aroma and flavour -- and is known as one of the world's most powerful antioxidants.
Calorie restriction cycles could help cancer patients
Fondazione Istituto Nazionale dei Tumori (Italy), November 22 2021.
Findings from a trial reported on November 17, 2021 in Cancer Discovery revealed that five days of a diet that mimics fasting is safe for people with cancer and could improve factors that affect prognosis.
The trial included 101 patients with different cancers treated with standard therapies. Participants were assigned to a five-day low protein, low carbohydrate, plant-based diet that provided up to 600 calories on the first day and up to 300 calories per day during the remaining days. The regimen was repeated every three or four weeks for up to eight cycles. Each period of calorie restriction was followed by a period in which patients were instructed to adhere to healthy diet and lifestyle guidelines. Blood samples were collected before and at the end of each calorie restricted period.
Severe adverse events related to the diet were reported by 12.9% of the participants, which was significantly lower than the 20% figure hypothesized by the researchers prior to the study. Median plasma glucose, serum insulin and serum IGF-1 were decreased by 18.6%, 50.7% and 30.3% after each cycle. In an evaluation conducted among a subgroup of participants after the first calorie restricted cycle, a reduction in peripheral blood immunosuppressive cells and an increase of immune cells known as activated CD8+ T cells was observed.
To explore the effects of the diet on immunity within cancer patients’ tumors, the researchers performed an analysis of findings from an ongoing trial that administered the fasting-mimicking diet prior to tumor removal in breast cancer patients. Tumor microenvironments revealed enhanced tumor-infiltrating CD8+ T cells and additional favorable immune factors when compared to biopsy samples obtained before the diet was initiated.
“Cyclic fasting-mimicking diet is a safe, feasible and inexpensive dietary intervention that modulates systemic metabolism and boosts antitumor immunity in cancer patients,” the authors concluded.
Morning exposure to deep red light improves declining eyesight University College London, November 24, 2021
Just three minutes of exposure to deep red light once a week, when delivered in the morning, can significantly improve declining eyesight, finds a pioneering new study by UCL researchers.
Published in Scientific Reports, the study builds on the team’s previous work*, which showed daily three-minute exposure to longwave deep red light ‘switched on’ energy producing mitochondria cells in the human retina, helping boost naturally declining vision.
For this latest study, scientists wanted to establish what effect a single three-minute exposure would have, while also using much lower energy levels than their previous studies. Furthermore, building on separate UCL research in flies** that found mitochondria display ‘shifting workloads’ depending on the time of day, the team compared morning exposure to afternoon exposure.
In summary, researchers found there was, on average, a 17% improvement in participants’ colour contrast vision when exposed to three minutes of 670 nanometre (long wavelength) deep red light in the morning and the effects of this single exposure lasted for at least a week. However, when the same test was conducted in the afternoon, no improvement was seen.
Scientists say the benefits of deep red light, highlighted by the findings, mark a breakthrough for eye health and should lead to affordable home-based eye therapies, helping the millions of people globally with naturally declining vision.
Lead author, Professor Glen Jeffery (UCL Institute of Ophthalmology), said: “We demonstrate that one single exposure to long wave deep red light in the morning can significantly improve declining vision, which is a major health and wellbeing issue, affecting millions of people globally.
“This simple intervention applied at the population level would significantly impact on quality of life as people age and would likely result in reduced social costs that arise from problems associated with reduced vision.”
Naturally declining vision and mitochondria
In humans around 40 years old, cells in the eye’s retina begin to age, and the pace of this ageing is caused, in part, when the cell’s mitochondria, whose role is to produce energy (known as ATP) and boost cell function, also start to decline.
Mitochondrial density is greatest in the retina’s photoreceptor cells, which have high energy demands. As a result, the retina ages faster than other organs, with a 70% ATP reduction over life, causing a significant decline in photoreceptor function as they lack the energy to perform their normal role.
In studying the effects of deep red light in humans, researchers built on their previous findings in mice, bumblebees and fruit flies, which all found significant improvements in the function of the retina’s photoreceptors when their eyes were exposed to 670 nanometre (long wavelength) deep red light.
“Mitochondria have specific sensitivities to long wavelength light influencing their performance: longer wavelengths spanning 650 to 900nm improve mitochondrial performance to increase energy production,” said Professor Jeffery.
Morning and afternoon studies
The retina’s photoreceptor population is formed of cones, which mediate colour vision, and rods, which adapt vision in low/dim light. This study focused on cones*** and observed colour contrast sensitivity, along the protan axis (measuring red-green contrast) and the tritan axis (blue-yellow).
All the participants were aged between 34 and 70, had no ocular disease, completed a questionnaire regarding eye health prior to testing, and had normal colour vision (cone function). This was assessed using a ‘Chroma Test’: identifying coloured letters that had very low contrast and appeared increasingly blurred, a process called colour contrast.
Using a provided LED device all 20 participants (13 female and 7 male) were exposed to three minutes of 670nm deep red light in the morning between 8am and 9am. Their colour vision was then tested again three hours post exposure and 10 of the participants were also tested one week post exposure.
On average there was a ‘significant’ 17% improvement in colour vision, which lasted a week in tested participants; in some older participants there was a 20% improvement, also lasting a week.
A few months on from the first test (ensuring any positive effects of the deep red light had been ‘washed out’) six (three female, three male) of the 20 participants, carried out the same test in the afternoon, between 12pm to 1pm. When participants then had their colour vision tested again, it showed zero improvement.
Professor Jeffery said: “Using a simple LED device once a week, recharges the energy system that has declined in the retina cells, rather like re-charging a battery.
“And morning exposure is absolutely key to achieving improvements in declining vision: as we have previously seen in flies, mitochondria have shifting work patterns and do not respond in the same way to light in the afternoon – this study confirms this.”
For this study the light energy emitted by the LED torch was just 8mW/cm2, rather than 40mW/cm2, which they had previously used. This has the effect of dimming the light but does not affect the wavelength. While both energy levels are perfectly safe for the human eye, reducing the energy further is an additional benefit.
Home-based affordable eye therapies
With a paucity of affordable deep red-light eye-therapies available, Professor Jeffery has been working for no commercial gain with Planet Lighting UK, a small company in Wales and others, with the aim of producing 670nm infra-red eye ware at an affordable cost, in contrast to some other LED devices designed to improve vision available in the US for over $20,000.
“The technology is simple and very safe; the energy delivered by 670nm long wave light is not that much greater than that found in natural environmental light,” Professor Jeffery said.
“Given its simplicity, I am confident an easy-to-use device can be made available at an affordable cost to the general public.
“In the near future, a once a week three-minute exposure to deep red light could be done while making a coffee, or on the commute listening to a podcast, and such a simple addition could transform eye care and vision around the world.”
Study limitations
Despite the clarity of the results, researchers say some of the data are “noisy”. While positive effects are clear for individuals following 670nm exposure, the magnitude of improvements can vary markedly between those of similar ages. Therefore, some caution is needed in interpretating the data. It is possible that there are other variables between individuals that influence the degree of improvement that the researchers have not identified so far and would require a larger sample size.
This research was funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council, and Sight Research UK.
Global rise in red/processed meat trade linked to sharp increase in diet-related illness
Michigan State University & University of California at Merced, November 22, 2021
The global rise in the red and processed meat trade over the past 30 years is linked to a sharp increase in diet related ill health, with the impact greatest in Northern and Eastern Europe and the island nations of the Caribbean and Oceania, finds an analysis published in the open access journal BMJ Global Health.
Health policies should be integrated with agricultural and trade policies among importing and exporting nations as a matter of urgency, to stave off further personal and societal costs, say the researchers.
Among continuous urbanisation and income growth, the global red and processed meat trade has risen exponentially to meet demand. This trend has implications for the environment because of the impact it has on land use and biodiversity loss.
And high red and processed meat consumption is linked to a heightened risk of non-communicable diseases, particularly bowel cancer, diabetes, and coronary artery heart disease.
The researchers wanted to find out what impact the red and processed meat trade might be having on diet-related non-communicable disease trends and which countries might be particularly vulnerable.
They drew on data on meat production and trade from the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) from 1993 to 2018 for 154 countries, focusing on 14 red meat items derived from beef, pork, lamb and goat, and six processed primarily beef and pork items, preserved by smoking, salting, curing, or chemicals.
They then calculated the proportions of deaths and years of life lived with disability (DALYs) attributable to diet as a result of bowel cancer, type 2 diabetes, and coronary artery heart disease among those aged 25 and over in each country.
The global red and processed meat trade increased by more than 148% from 10 metric tonnes in 1993–5 to nearly 25 metric tonnes in 2016–18.
While the number of net exporting countries fell from 33 in 1993–5 to 26 in 2016–18, net importing countries rose from 121 to 128.
Developed countries in Europe accounted for half of total red and processed meat exports in 1993–95 and 2016–18. But developing countries in South America, such as Brazil, Argentina, and Paraguay made up nearly 10% in 2016–18, up from around 5% in 1993–5.
Developing countries also increased their meat imports by 342.5% from 2 metric tonnes in 1993–5 to nearly 9 metric tonnes in 2016–18; developed countries doubled theirs from 8 metric tonnes to 16.
Diet related attributable death and DALY rates associated with the global meat trade rose in three quarters of the 154 countries between 1993-5 and 2016-18.
Worldwide, the researchers calculated that increases in red and processed meat consumption, aligned to increases in trade, accounted for 10,898 attributable deaths in 2016–18, an increase of nearly 75% on the figures for 1993-5.
The global meat trade contributed to increases of 55% and 71%, respectively, in attributable deaths and DALYs in developed countries between 1993-5 and 2016-18.
The equivalent figures in developing countries were significantly higher: 137% and 140%, respectively, largely as a result of increased demand for meat, prompted by rapid urbanisation and income growth, suggest the researchers.
Between 1993– 2018, island nations in the Caribbean and Oceania and countries in Northern and Eastern Europe became particularly vulnerable to diet-related disease and deaths associated with large meat imports.
The island nations have limited land for meat production, so depend heavily on meat imports, while many of the European countries, such as Slovakia, Lithuania and Latvia, benefited from regional trade agreements and tariff exemptions after joining the European Union in 2003-4, which accelerated meat imports, explain the researchers.
In 1993–5, the top 10 countries with the highest proportion of deaths attributable to red meat consumption included Tonga, United Arab Emirates, Barbados, Fiji, Gabon, Bahamas, Greece, Malta, Brunei and Saint Lucia.
In 2016–2018, the top 10 included The Netherlands, Bahamas, Tonga, Denmark, Antigua and Barbuda, Seychelles, United Arab Emirates, Singapore, Croatia and Greece. The meat trade in these countries accounted for more than 7% of all deaths attributable to diets high in both red and processed meat in 2016-18.
The trends in attributable DALYs more or less mirrored those for attributable deaths.
Attributable death and DALY rates associated with global meat trade fell in 34 countries between 1993–5 and 2016–18. But this was partly due to population growth exceeding increases in meat imports in 24 countries, while domestic meat production increased in 19.
In more than a half of these countries (20) the absolute number of diet-related deaths and DALYs rose in tandem with increased meat consumption between 1993-5 and 2016-18.
And some countries, including Brazil, Paraguay, Argentina and Germany increasingly acted as net meat exporters, changing their land use, with consequent biodiversity loss.
This is an observational study, and as such, can’t establish cause. And the researchers acknowledge that many countries import and process red meat items for export, which may have skewed their findings.
Nevertheless, they conclude: “This study shows that global increases in red and processed meat trade contribute to the abrupt increase of diet-related [non-communicable diseases]... Future interventions need to urgently integrate health policies with agricultural and trade policies by cooperating between responsible exporting and importing countries.”
Glyphosate levels sharply increase by 1,208% within the human body University of California San Diego
The environmental dangers of glyphosate in Roundup and other weed killer products have been well documented. Now new research, from a team led by Paul Mills of the University of California San Diego, has found it could be negatively affecting human health – especially in lower-income communities, as illustrated by the 1,208 percent increase in human glyphosate levels.
The study tracked people in southern California over age 50 from the years 1993 to 1996 as well as from 2014 to 2016. Urine samples were collected from these persons (periodically) during that time.
Number of persons testing positive for glyphosate in their urine went up by 500 percent within 20 years The researchers determined the percentage of persons testing positive for glyphosate went up an alarming 500 percent during that time period. And, for some, glyphosate levels surged by a frightening 1,208 percent.
A past UK trial of rats fed low doses of glyphosate – over their lifetimes – were found to have a higher risk of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. Research out of King’s College in London found this toxic herbicide ingredient can cause non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in rats at just 4 nanograms/kg.
By the way, this amount is 437,000 times below levels that are allowed in the United States.
In more recent research, the levels of glyphosate in the humans studied were proportionately 100-fold higher. Further research regarding the connection between glyphosate and liver disease are being planned. But, what we already know has been published in JAMA.
Important to note: people who live in rural areas near farms that use Roundup are at the highest risk for exposure. Yet, traces of this herbicide ingredient – left on fruits and vegetables – can easily make its way into the bloodstream of anyone who consumes these foods.
Glyphosate weed killer in Roundup considered “probable carcinogen” by World Health Organization While Roundup was developed to kill weeds, many weed types have actually become resistant to the herbicide. This is causing some farmers to use even more Roundup.
Glyphosate has been listed as a “probable human carcinogen” by WHO (the World Health Organization). It has also been linked with birth defects, ADHD and autism. Studies on humans have shown Roundup causes liver damage even when found in “permissible amounts” in tap water.
Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease currently affects 90 million Americans and is on the verge of becoming a global epidemic. Associated disorders such as diabetes, obesity and metabolic syndrome are also soaring.
Glyphosate in Roundup weed killer INCREASES the risk of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease While the known causes of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease include overeating, sugary foods and a sedentary lifestyle, some health professionals are beginning to wonder if glyphosate exposure is exacerbating this trend.
NAFLD symptoms include chronic fatigue, nausea, abdominal pain and/or swelling, weight loss, jaundice, itching, confusion and swelling of the legs. Untreated, NAFLD can lead to liver cancer and liver failure.
Unfortunately, glyphosate residue has been showing up in increasing amounts in our food supply. It has even been detected in wine, table salt and vaccines. So, it really isn’t a wonder how glyphosate levels in the human bloodstream have increased by 1,208 percent.
If you’re outraged by this, take the time to voice your opinion to your state representatives. And, at the very least, eat organic fruits and vegetables – as often as possible to avoid this cancer-causing substance.
Study finds psychedelic microdosing improves mental health
University of British Columbia, November 23, 2021
An international study led by UBC Okanagan researchers suggests repeated use of small doses of psychedelics such as psilocybin or LSD can be a valuable tool for those struggling with anxiety and depression.
The study, recently published in Nature: Scientific Reports, demonstrated fewer symptoms of anxiety and depression, and greater feelings of wellbeing among individuals who reported consuming psychedelics in small quantities, or microdosing, compared to those who did not.
Microdosing involves regular self-administration of psychedelic substances in amounts small enough to not impair normal cognitive functioning.
Considering this is the largest psychedelic microdosing study published to date, the results are encouraging, says UBCO doctoral student and lead author Joseph Rootman.
"In total, we followed more than 8,500 people from 75 countries using an anonymous self-reporting system—about half were following a microdosing regimen and half were not," Rootman explains. "In comparing microdosers and non-microdosers, there was a clear association between microdosing and fewer symptoms of depression, anxiety and stress—which is important given the high prevalence of these conditions and the substantial suffering they cause."
The study is also the first to systematically examine the practice of stacking, or combining microdoses of psychedelics with other substances like niacin, lions mane mushrooms and cacao, which some believe work in conjunction to maximize benefit.
Rootman works with Dr. Zach Walsh, a psychology professor in UBCO's Irving K. Barber Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dr. Walsh says it's an exciting time for research in this area.
"These findings highlight adults who are microdosing to treat their mental health conditions and enhance their wellbeing—rather than simply to get high," says Dr. Walsh. "We have an epidemic of mental health problems, with existing treatments that don't work for everyone. We need to follow the lead of patients who are taking these initiatives to improve their wellbeing and reduce suffering."
Study co-author Kalin Harvey is the chief technology officer of Quantified Citizen, a mobile health research platform. He says this study highlights the potential of citizen science.
"The use of citizen science allows us to examine the effects of behaviors that are difficult to study in the lab due to regulatory challenges and stigma associated with the now discredited 'war on drugs.'"
According to the Canadian Mental Health Association, one in five Canadians personally experience a mental health problem or illness each year. This is one of the many reasons Dr. Walsh says conducting innovative psychological research is imperative.
"These cross-sectional findings are promising and highlight the need for further investigation to better determine the impacts of factors like dosage and stacking," explains Dr. Walsh.
"While the data is growing to support the use of psychedelics like psilocybin in large doses to treat depression and addiction—our data also helps to expand our understanding of how psychedelics may also help in smaller doses."
Gary's links to articles talked about on show
https://thepulse.one/2021/11/23/130-research-studies-affirming-the-power-of-natural-immunity-to-covid/
https://new.awakeningchannel.com/the-world-is-awakening-global-tyranny-exposed/
https://scivisionpub.com/pdfs/covid19-rna-based-vaccines-and-the-risk-of-prion-disease-1503.pdf
http://www.opensourcetruth.com/disturbing-phrase-died-suddenly-sharply-trends-upward-following-vaccine-rollout/
https://ijvtpr.com/index.php/IJVTPR/article/view/29/55
https://www.globalresearch.ca/vaccinated-english-adults-under-60-dying-twice-rate-unvaccinated-people-same-age/5762415
https://market-ticker.org/akcs-www?post=244273
https://new.awakeningchannel.com/who-covid-vax-adverse-events-skyrocket/
https://www.americaoutloud.com/covid-19-vaccine-induce-disease-emerges-as-leading-public-health-threat/
https://humansarefree.com/2021/11/most-vaxxed-country-in-the-world-cancels-christmas-due-to-huge-covid-spike.html
https://humansarefree.com/2021/11/cdc-natural-immunity-superior-to-vaccine-immunity.html
https://www.studyfinds.org/vaccines-salad-growing-plants/
https://medicalxpress.com/news/2021-11-pfizer-biontech-moderna-profit-analysis.html
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/texas-doctor-touted-ivermectin-covid-treatment-suspended-rcna5588
https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2021/11/breaking-exclusive-emory-university-training-ground-chinese-military-scientists-linked-biowarfare-research-funding-dr-fauci/
https://humansarefree.com/2021/11/unusual-heart-disease-statistics-and-censorship.html
https://rumble.com/vowvth-the-best-explanation-of-what-we-are-watching-right-now.html
https://www.bmj.com/content/375/bmj.n2635
https://www.worldviewweekend.com/tv/video/pfizer-whistleblower-melissa-mcatee-vaccine-glowing-and-what-happened-when-she-confronted
https://theconservativetreehouse.com/blog/2021/11/12/the-washington-post-now-begins-scrubbing-and-deleting-prior-articles-using-the-steele-dossier-to-promote-trump-russia-narrative/#more-220074
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nuSpEgFkW94
https://www.globalresearch.ca/video-legal-action-happening-have-hope-because-we-going-win/5761298
https://www.zerohedge.com/political/aussie-health-chief-says-people-who-dont-get-vaccinated-will-be-miserable-and-lonely-life
https://humansarefree.com/2021/11/florida-no-lockdowns-lowest-covid-case-numbers.html
https://odysee.com/@TimTruth:b/Dr-erik-enby-pfizer-vaccine:0
https://humansarefree.com/2021/11/fauci-withheld-successful-treatments-from-aids-patients-killing-thousands.html
https://rumble.com/vp0t0k-dr.-harvey-rischs-presentation-at-the-c19-minisymposium-session-november-7-.html
https://humansarefree.com/2021/11/fauci-withheld-successful-treatments-from-aids-patients-killing-thousands.html
https://humansarefree.com/2021/11/huge-italys-suspected-covid-death-tally-corrected-from-132161-to-3783.html
https://www.theblaze.com/news/gain-of-function-fauci-2016?utm_medium=push&utm_source=pushnami
The Infrastructure and Mission of Facebook's and Big Tech's Bias and Censorship
Ryan Hartwig is one of the early whistleblowers to come forward to reveal Facebook operations to censor voices contrary to centrist, liberal Democrat narratives and the company's culture of systemic bias. His revelations were first made public by Project Veritas last year. Since then he is the founder of The Harwig Foundation for Free Speech and has recently published a book, co-authored with Kent Heckenlively, "Behind the Mask of Facebook: A Whistleblower's Shocking Story of Big Tech Bias and Censorship," which recounts his time with the international digital solutions firm Cognizant, where he worked as a content moderator on behalf of Facebook to moderate and censor content on its social media. His efforts have led to a criminal referral to the Department of Justice for Mark Zuckerberg and aided an FEC complaint against Facebook in the John James vs Gary Peters US senate race in Michigan. Ryan holds a degree in Spanish Linguistics from Arizona State University and continues his activism to keep the internet free of censorship. His website is RyanHartwig.org
Popular antioxidant linked to pain relief
University of Naples (Italy), November 22, 2021
People with pain of unknown causes who took alpha-lipoic acid (ALA) experienced less pain than a placebo group, a double-blind study in Biomedicine & Pharmacotherapy revealed.1 This most recent trial enrolled 210 nondiabetic men and women with mild or moderate joint pain, neuropathic pain or muscle pain of unknown cause. Participants received 800 mg or 400 mg ALA per day or a daily placebo. The results? People who received ALA had a significant improvement in their pain after two months of intake, while the placebo group didn’t report a difference. ALA was similarly effective for all sources of pain considered. It was also shown to be safe and well-tolerated.
(NEXT)
Mental Qigong can be just as rewarding as its physical cousin
In recent decades modern scientific techniques have fully documented the health benefits of the ancient meditation technique of Qigong. One example of physical Qigong is the technique Wu Qin Xi (five animals play), in which participants sequentially move through poses that represent the form of different animals, holding each pose for several minutes. During each phase individuals seek to regulate their breathing and still their minds. Although this is a challenging endeavor the benefits are significant. Effective Qigong practice can reduce feelings of depression and anxiety, decrease blood pressure and increase feelings of relaxation and attention.
This raises the question: do the effects of these two types of Qigong manifest themselves the same in the brain, or differently? This is what the University of Mainz, wanted to find out.
(NEXT)
Study links stress to Crohn's disease flare-ups
McMaster University (Ontario), November 20, 2021
A possible link between psychological stress and Crohn's disease flare-ups has been identified by a McMaster University-led study. Researchers using mouse models found that stress hormones suppressed the innate immune system that normally protects the gut from invasive Enterobacteriaceae, a group of bacteria including E. coli which has been linked to Crohn's disease.
(NEXT)
Meta-analysis finds benefits for dietary supplements among breast cancer patients
Hallym University (South Korea), November 19 2021
A meta-analysis published in Cancers found associations between improved breast cancer prognosis and the intake of multivitamins and other nutrients. The meta-analysis included 63 studies that evaluated the association between dietary factors and breast cancer recurrence, breast cancer mortality and/or mortality from any cause during the studies’ follow- up periods among a total of 120,167 breast cancer patients.
(NEXT)
Physical activity may improve Alzheimer’s disease outcomes by lowering brain inflammation
University of California at San Francisco, November 22, 2021
No one will disagree that an active lifestyle is good for you, but it remains unclear how physical activity improves brain health, particularly in Alzheimer’s disease. The benefits may come about through decreased immune cell activation, according to new research published in JNeurosci.
(NEXT)
Aspirin is linked with increased risk of heart failure University of Freiburg (Germany), November 23, 2021
Aspirin use is associated with a 26% raised risk of heart failure in people with at least one predisposing factor for the condition. That's the finding of a study published today in a journal of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC). This is the first study to report that among individuals with at least one risk factor for heart failure, those taking aspirin were more likely to subsequently develop the condition than those not using the medication.
(OTHER NEWS NEXT)
Plant-derived antiviral drug is effective in blocking highly infectious SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant, say scientists
University of Nottingham, November 22, 2021 A plant-based antiviral treatment for Covid-19, recently discovered by scientists at the University of Nottingham, has been found to be just as effective at treating all variants of the virus SARS-CoV-2, even the highly infectious Delta variant. The study showed that a novel natural antiviral drug called thapsigargin (TG), recently discovered by the same group of scientists to block other viruses, including the original SARS-CoV-2, was just as effective at treating all of the newer SARS-CoV-2 variants, including the Delta variant. In their previous studies* the team showed that the plant-derived antiviral, at small doses, triggers a highly effective broad-spectrum host-centred antiviral innate immune response against three major types of human respiratory viruses, including SARS-CoV-2. “Together, these results point to the antiviral potential of TG as a post-exposure prophylactic and an active therapeutic agent.”
(NEXT)
In Memory of JFK: The First U.S. President to be Declared a Terrorist and Threat to National Security (entire article is here)
By Cynthia Chung, The Saker Blog, November 22, 2021 In April 1954, Kennedy stood up on the Senate floor to challenge the Eisenhower Administration’s support for the doomed French imperial war in Vietnam, foreseeing that this would not be a short-lived war.[1] In July 1957, Kennedy once more took a strong stand against French colonialism, this time France’s bloody war against Algeria’s independence movement, which again found the Eisenhower Administration on the wrong side of history. Rising on the Senate floor, two days before America’s own Independence Day, Kennedy declared: “The most powerful single force in the world today is neither communism nor capitalism, neither the H-bomb nor the guided missile – it is man’s eternal desire to be free and independent. The great enemy of that tremendous force of freedom is called, for want of a more precise term, imperialism – and today that means Soviet imperialism and, whether we like it or not, and though they are not to be equated, Western imperialism. Thus, the single most important test of American foreign policy today is how we meet the challenge of imperialism, what we do to further man’s desire to be free. On this test more than any other, this nation shall be critically judged by the uncommitted millions in Asia and Africa, and anxiously watched by the still hopeful lovers of freedom behind the Iron Curtain. If we fail to meet the challenge of either Soviet or Western imperialism, then no amount of foreign aid, no aggrandizement of armaments, no new pacts or doctrines or high-level conferences can prevent further setbacks to our course and to our security.”[2] In September 1960, the annual United Nations General Assembly was held in New York. Fidel Castro and a fifty-member delegation were among the attendees and had made a splash in the headlines when he decided to stay at the Hotel Theresa in Harlem after the midtown Shelburne Hotel demanded a $20,000 security deposit. He made an even bigger splash in the headlines when he made a speech at this hotel, discussing the issue of equality in the United States while in Harlem, one of the poorest boroughs in the country. Kennedy would visit this very same hotel a short while later, and also made a speech: “Behind the fact of Castro coming to this hotel, [and] Khrushchev…there is another great traveler in the world, and that is the travel of a world revolution, a world in turmoil…We should be glad [that Castro and Khrushchev] came to the United States. We should not fear the twentieth century, for the worldwide revolution which we see all around us is part of the original American Revolution.”[3] What did Kennedy mean by this? The American Revolution was fought for freedom, freedom from the rule of monarchy and imperialism in favour of national sovereignty. What Kennedy was stating, was that this was the very oppression that the rest of the world wished to shake the yoke off, and that the United States had an opportunity to be a leader in the cause for the independence of all nations. On June 30th, 1960, marking the independence of the Republic of Congo from the colonial rule of Belgium, Patrice Lumumba, the first Congolese Prime Minister gave a speech that has become famous for its outspoken criticism of colonialism. Lumumba spoke of his people’s struggle against “the humiliating bondage that was forced upon us… [years that were] filled with tears, fire and blood,” and concluded vowing “We shall show the world what the black man can do when working in liberty, and we shall make the Congo the pride of Africa.” Shortly after, Lumumba also made clear, “We want no part of the Cold War… We want Africa to remain African with a policy of neutralism.”[4] As a result, Lumumba was labeled a communist for his refusal to be a Cold War satellite for the western sphere. Rather, Lumumba was part of the Pan-African movement that was led by Ghanaian President Kwame Nkrumah(who later Kennedy would also work with), which sought national sovereignty and an end to colonialism in Africa. Lumumba “would remain a grave danger,” Dulles said at an NSC meeting on September 21, 1960, “as long as he was not yet disposed of.”[5] Three days later, Dulles made it clear that he wanted Lumumba permanently removed, cabling the CIA’s Leopoldville station, “We wish give [sic] every possible support in eliminating Lumumba from any possibility resuming governmental position.”[6] Lumumba was assassinated on Jan. 17th, 1961, just three days before Kennedy’s inauguration, during the fog of the transition period between presidents, when the CIA is most free to tie its loose ends, confident that they will not be reprimanded by a new administration that wants to avoid scandal on its first days in office. Kennedy, who clearly meant to put a stop to the Murder Inc. that Dulles had created and was running, would declare to the world in his inaugural address on Jan. 20th, 1961, “The torch has been passed to a new generation of Americans.” La Resistance Along with inheriting the responsibility of the welfare of the country and its people, Kennedy was to also inherit a secret war with communist Cuba run by the CIA. The Bay of Pigs set-up would occur three months later. Prouty compares the Bay of Pigs incident to that of the Crusade for Peace; the Bay of Pigs being orchestrated by the CIA, and the Crusade for Peace sabotaged by the CIA, in both cases to ruin the U.S. president’s (Eisenhower and Kennedy) ability to form a peaceful dialogue with Khrushchev and decrease Cold War tensions. Both presidents’ took onus for the events respectively, despite the responsibility resting with the CIA. However, Eisenhower and Kennedy understood, if they did not take onus, it would be a public declaration that they did not have any control over their government agencies and military. Further, the Bay of Pigs operation was in fact meant to fail. It was meant to stir up a public outcry for a direct military invasion of Cuba. On public record is a meeting (or more aptly described as an intervention) with CIA Deputy Director for Plans Richard Bissell, Joint Chiefs Chairman Lyman Lemnitzer, and Navy Chief Admiral Burke basically trying to strong-arm President Kennedy into approving a direct military attack on Cuba. Admiral Burke had already taken the liberty of positioning two battalions of Marines on Navy destroyers off the coast of Cuba “anticipating that U.S. forces might be ordered into Cuba to salvage a botched invasion.”[7] (This incident is what inspired the Frankenheimer movie “Seven Days in May.”) Kennedy stood his ground. “They were sure I’d give in to them,” Kennedy later told Special Assistant to the President Dave Powers. “They couldn’t believe that a new president like me wouldn’t panic and try to save his own face. Well they had me figured all wrong.”[8] Incredibly, not only did the young president stand his ground against the Washington war hawks just three months into his presidential term, but he also launched the Cuba Study Group which found the CIA to be responsible for the fiasco, leading to the humiliating forced resignation of Allen Dulles, Richard Bissell and Charles Cabell. (For more on this refer to my report.) Unfortunately, it would not be that easy to dethrone Dulles, who continued to act as head of the CIA, and key members of the intelligence community such as Helms and Angleton regularly bypassed McCone (the new CIA Director) and briefed Dulles directly.[9] But Kennedy was also serious about seeing it through all the way, and vowed to “splinter the CIA into a thousand pieces and scatter it to the winds.” * * * There is another rather significant incident that had occurred just days after the Bay of Pigs, and which has largely been overshadowed by the Cuban fiasco in the United States. From April 21-26th, 1961, the Algiers putsch or Generals’ putsch, was a failed coup d’état intended to force President de Gaulle (1959-1969) not to abandon the colonial French Algeria. The organisers of the putsch were opposed to the secret negotiations that French Prime Minister Michel Debré had started with the anti-colonial National Liberation Front (FLN). On January 26th, 1961, just three months before the attempted coup d’état, Dulles sent a report to Kennedy on the French situation that seemed to be hinting that de Gaulle would no longer be around, “A pre-revolutionary atmosphere reigns in France… The Army and the Air Force are staunchly opposed to de Gaulle…At least 80 percent of the officers are violently against him. They haven’t forgotten that in 1958, he had given his word of honor that he would never abandon Algeria. He is now reneging on his promise, and they hate him for that. de Gaulle surely won’t last if he tries to let go of Algeria. Everything will probably be over for him by the end of the year—he will be either deposed or assassinated.”[10] The attempted coup was led by Maurice Challe, whom de Gaulle had reason to conclude was working with the support of U.S. intelligence, and Élysée officials began spreading this word to the press, which reported the CIA as a “reactionary state-within-a-state” that operated outside of Kennedy’s control.[11] Shortly before Challe’s resignation from the French military, he had served as NATO commander in chief and had developed close relations with a number of high-ranking U.S. officers stationed in the military alliance’s Fontainebleau headquarters.[12] In August 1962 the OAS (Secret Army Organization) made an assassination attempt against de Gaulle, believing he had betrayed France by giving up Algeria to Algerian nationalists. This would be the most notorious assassination attempt on de Gaulle (who would remarkably survive over thirty assassination attempts while President of France) when a dozen OAS snipers opened fire on the president’s car, which managed to escape the ambush despite all four tires being shot out. After the failed coup d’état, de Gaulle launched a purge of his security forces and ousted General Paul Grossin, the chief of SDECE (the French secret service). Grossin was closely aligned with the CIA, and had told Frank Wisner over lunch that the return of de Gaulle to power was equivalent to the Communists taking over in Paris.[13] In 1967, after a five-year enquête by the French Intelligence Bureau, it released its findings concerning the 1962 assassination attempt on de Gaulle. The report found that the 1962 assassination plot could be traced back to the NATO Brussels headquarters, and the remnants of the old Nazi intelligence apparatus. The report also found that Permindex had transferred $200,000 into an OAS bank account to finance the project. As a result of the de Gaulle exposé, Permindex was forced to shut down its public operations in Western Europe and relocated its headquarters from Bern, Switzerland to Johannesburg, South Africa, it also had/has a base in Montreal, Canada where its founder Maj. Gen. Louis M. Bloomfield (former OSS) proudly had his name amongst its board members until the damning de Gaulle report. The relevance of this to Kennedy will be discussed shortly. As a result of the SDECE’s ongoing investigation, de Gaulle made a vehement denunciation of the Anglo-American violation of the Atlantic Charter, followed by France’s withdrawal from the NATO military command in 1966. France would not return to NATO until April 2009 at the Strasbourg-Kehl Summit. In addition to all of this, on Jan. 14th, 1963, de Gaulle declared at a press conference that he had vetoed British entry into the Common Market. This would be the first move towards France and West Germany’s formation of the European Monetary System, which excluded Great Britain, likely due to its imperialist tendencies and its infamous sin City of London. Former Secretary of State Dean Acheson telegrammed West German Chancellor Konrad Adenauer directly, appealing to him to try to persuade de Gaulle to back track on the veto, stating “if anyone can affect Gen. de Gaulle’s decision, you are surely that person.” Little did Acheson know that Adenauer was just days away from signing the Franco-German Treaty of Jan 22nd, 1963 (also known as the ÉlyséeTreaty), which had enormous implications. Franco-German relations, which had long been dominated by centuries of rivalry, had now agreed that their fates were aligned. (This close relationship was continued to a climactic point in the late 1970s, with the formation of the European Monetary System, and France and West Germany’s willingness in 1977 to work with OPEC countries trading oil for nuclear technology, which was sabotaged by the U.S.-Britain alliance. The Élysée Treaty was a clear denunciation of the Anglo-American forceful overseeing that had overtaken Western Europe since the end of WWII. On June 28th, 1961, Kennedy wrote NSAM #55. This document changed the responsibility of defense during the Cold War from the CIA to the Joint Chiefs of Staff and would have (if seen through) drastically changed the course of the war in Vietnam. It would also have effectively removed the CIA from Cold War military operations and limited the CIA to its sole lawful responsibility, the collecting and coordination of intelligence. By Oct 11th, 1963, NSAM #263, closely overseen by Kennedy[14], was released and outlined a policy decision “to withdraw 1,000 military personnel [from Vietnam] by the end of 1963” and further stated that “It should be possible to withdraw the bulk of U.S. personnel by 1965.” The Armed Forces newspaper Stars and Stripes had the headline U.S. TROOPS SEEN OUT OF VIET BY ’65. It would be the final nail in the coffin. Treason in America “Treason doth never prosper; what is the reason? Why, if it prosper, none dare call it treason.” – Sir John Harrington By Germany supporting de Gaulle’s exposure of the international assassination ring, his adamant opposition to western imperialism and the role of NATO, and with a young Kennedy building his own resistance against the imperialist war of Vietnam, it was clear that the power elite were in big trouble. On November 22nd, 1963 President Kennedy was brutally murdered in the streets of Dallas, Texas in broad daylight. With the assassination of Ngo Dinh Diem, likely ordained by the CIA, on Nov. 2nd, 1963 and Kennedy just a few weeks later, de facto President Johnson signed NSAM #273 on Nov. 26th, 1963 to begin the reversal of Kennedy’s policy under #263. And on March 17th, 1964, Johnson signed NSAM #288 that marked the full escalation of the Vietnam War and involved 2,709,918 Americans directly serving in Vietnam, with 9,087,000 serving with the U.S. Armed Forces during this period. The Vietnam War would continue for another 12 years after Kennedy’s death, lasting a total of 20 years for Americans, and 30 years if you count American covert action in Vietnam. Two days before Kennedy’s assassination, a hate-Kennedy handbill was circulated in Dallas accusing the president of treasonous activities including being a communist sympathizer. On November 29th, 1963 the Warren Commission was set up to investigate the murder of President Kennedy. The old Congressman Hale Boggs of Louisiana was a member of that Warren Commission. Boggs became increasingly disturbed by the lack of transparency and rigour exhibited by the Commission and became convinced that many of the documents used to incriminate Oswald were in fact forgeries. In 1965 Rep. Boggs told New Orleans District Attorney Jim Garrison that Oswald could not have been the one who killed Kennedy.[15] It was Boggs who encouraged Garrison to begin the only law enforcement prosecution of the President’s murder to this day. Nixon was inaugurated as President of the United States on Jan 20th, 1969. Hale Boggs soon after called on Nixon’s Attorney General John Mitchell to have the courage to fire J. Edgar Hoover.[16] It wasn’t long thereafter that the private airplane carrying Hale Boggs disappeared without a trace. Jim Garrison was the District Attorney of New Orleans from 1962 to 1973 and was the only one to bring forth a trial concerning the assassination of President Kennedy. In Jim Garrison’s book “On the Trail of the Assassins”, J. Edgar Hoover comes up several times impeding or shutting down investigations into JFK’s murder, in particular concerning the evidence collected by the Dallas Police Department, such as the nitrate test Oswald was given and which exonerated him, proving that he never shot a rifle the day of Nov 22nd, 1963. However, for reasons only known to the government and its investigators this fact was kept secret for 10 months.[17]It was finally revealed in the Warren Commission report, which inexplicably didn’t change their opinion that Oswald had shot Kennedy. Another particularly damning incident was concerning the Zapruder film that was in the possession of the FBI and which they had sent a “copy” to the Warren Commission for their investigation. This film was one of the leading pieces of evidence used to support the “magic bullet theory” and showcase the direction of the headshot coming from behind, thus verifying that Oswald’s location was adequate for such a shot. During Garrison’s trial on the Kennedy assassination (1967-1969) he subpoenaed the Zapruder film that for some peculiar reason had been locked up in some vault owned by Life magazine (the reader should note that Henry Luce the owner of Life magazine was in a very close relationship with the CIA). This was the first time in more than five years that the Zapruder film was made public. It turns out the FBI’s copy that was sent to the Warren Commission had two critical frames reversed to create a false impression that the rifle shot was from behind. When Garrison got a hold of the original film it was discovered that the head shot had actually come from the front. In fact, what the whole film showed was that the President had been shot from multiple angles meaning there was more than one gunman. When the FBI was questioned about how these two critical frames could have been reversed, they answered self-satisfactorily that it must have been a technical glitch… There is also the matter of the original autopsy papers being destroyed by the chief autopsy physician, James Humes, to which he even testified to during the Warren Commission, apparently nobody bothered to ask why… This would explain why the Assassination Records Review Board (ARRB), reported in a July 1998 staff report their concern for the number of shortcomings in the original autopsy, that “One of the many tragedies of the assassination of President Kennedy has been the incompleteness of the autopsy record and the suspicion caused by the shroud of secrecy that has surrounded the records that do exist.” [emphasis added] The staff report for the Assassinations Records Review Board contended that brain photographs in the Kennedy records are not of Kennedy’s brain and show much less damage than Kennedy sustained. There is a lot of spurious effort to try to ridicule anyone who challenges the Warren Commission’s official report as nothing but fringe conspiracy theory. And that we should not find it highly suspect that Allen Dulles, of all people, was a member and pretty much leader of said commission. The reader should keep in mind that much of this frothing opposition stems from the very agency that perpetrated crime after crime on the American people, as well as abroad. When has the CIA ever admitted guilt, unless caught red-handed? Even after the Church committee hearings, when the CIA was found guilty of planning out foreign assassinations, they claimed that they had failed in every single plot or that someone had beaten them to the punch, including in the case of Lumumba. The American people need to realise that the CIA is not a respectable agency; we are not dealing with honorable men. It is a rogue force that believes that the ends justify the means, that they are the hands of the king so to speak, above government and above law. Those at the top such as Allen Dulles were just as adamant as Churchill about protecting the interests of the power elite, or as Churchill termed it, the “High Cabal.” Interestingly, on Dec. 22nd, 1963, just one month after Kennedy’s assassination, Harry Truman published a scathing critique of the CIA in The Washington Post, even going so far as to state “There is something about the way the CIA has been functioning that is casting a shadow over our historic position [as a] free and open society, and I feel that we need to correct it.”[18] The timing of such a scathing quote cannot be stressed enough. Dulles, of course, told the public not to be distressed, that Truman was just in entering his twilight years. In addition, Jim Garrison, New Orleans District Attorney at the time, who was charging Clay Shaw as a member of the conspiracy to kill Kennedy, besides uncovering his ties to David Ferrie who was found dead in his apartment days before he was scheduled to testify, also made a case that the New Orleans International Trade Mart (to which Clay Shaw was director), the U.S. subsidiary of Permindex, was linked to Kennedy’s murder. Col. Clay Shaw was an OSS officer during WWII, which provides a direct link to his knowing Allen Dulles. Garrison did a remarkable job with the odds he was up against, and for the number of witnesses that turned up dead before the trial… This Permindex link would not look so damning if we did not have the French intelligence SDECE report, but we do. And recall, in that report Permindex was caught transferring $200,000 directly to the bankroll of the OAS which attempted the 1962 assassination on de Gaulle. Thus, Permindex’s implication in an international assassination ring is not up for debate. In addition, the CIA was found heavily involved in these assassination attempts against de Gaulle, thus we should not simply dismiss the possibility that Permindex was indeed a CIA front for an international hit crew. In fact, among the strange and murderous characters who converged on Dallas in Nov. 1963 was a notorious French OAS commando named Jean Souetre, who was connected to the plots against President de Gaulle. Souetre was arrested in Dallas after the Kennedy assassination and expelled to Mexico, not even kept for questioning.[19] What Does the Future Hold? After returning from Kennedy’s Nov. 24th funeral in Washington, de Gaulle and his information minister Alain Peyrefitte had a candid discussion that was recorded in Peyrefitte’s memoire “C’était de Gaulle,” the great General was quoted saying: “What happened to Kennedy is what nearly happened to me… His story is the same as mine. … It looks like a cowboy story, but it’s only an OAS [Secret Army Organization] story. The security forces were in cahoots with the extremists. …Security forces are all the same when they do this kind of dirty work. As soon as they succeed in wiping out the false assassin, they declare the justice system no longer need be concerned, that no further public action was needed now that the guilty perpetrator was dead. Better to assassinate an innocent man than to let a civil war break out. Better an injustice than disorder. America is in danger of upheavals. But you’ll see. All of them together will observe the law of silence. They will close ranks. They’ll do everything to stifle any scandal. They will throw Noah’s cloak over these shameful deeds. In order to not lose face in front of the whole world. In order to not risk unleashing riots in the United States. In order to preserve the union and to avoid a new civil war. In order to not ask themselves questions. They don’t want to know. They don’t want to find out. They won’t allow themselves to find out.” The American people would do well to remember that it was first John F. Kennedy, acting as the President to the United States, who was to be declared a terrorist and threat to his country’s national security. Thus is it not natural that those who continue to defend the legacy of Kennedy should be regarded today as threat, not truly to the nation’s security, but a threat to the very same grouping responsible for Kennedy’s death and whom today have now declared open war on the American people. This will be the greatest test the American people have ever been confronted with, and it will only be through an understanding of how the country came to where it is today that there can be sufficient clarity as to what the solutions are, which are not to be found in another civil war. To not fall for the trapping of further chaos and division, the American people will only be able to rise above this if they choose to ask those questions, if they choose to want to know, to want to find out the truth of things they dared not look at in the past for fear of what it would reveal. “Whenever the government of the United States shall break up, it will probably be in consequence of a false direction having been given to public opinion. This is the weak point of our defenses, and the part to which the enemies of the system will direct all their attacks. Opinion can be so perverted as to cause the false to seem true; the enemy, a friend, and the friend, an enemy; the best interests of the nation to appear insignificant, and the trifles of moment; in a word, the right the wrong, the wrong the right. In a country where opinion has sway, to seize upon it, is to seize upon power. As it is a rule of humanity that the upright and well-intentioned are comparatively passive, while the designing, dishonest, and selfish are the most untiring in their efforts, the danger of public opinion’s getting a false direction is four-fold, since few men think for themselves.” -James Fenimore Cooper (1789-1851( We must dare to be among the few who think for ourselves.
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VAERS Data Reveals 50 X More Ectopic Pregnancies Following COVID Shots than Following ALL Vaccines for Past 30 Year
Health Impact News, November 22, 2021 While the latest data dump into the government’s Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) showed 2,620 fetal deaths, which are more fetal deaths than are reported following ALL vaccines for the past 30 years in VAERS, one “symptom” that is tracked in VAERS that it did not account for is an ectopic pregnancy which also results in a fetal death. Ectopic pregnancy, also called extrauterine pregnancy, is when a fertilized egg grows outside a woman’s uterus, somewhere else in their belly. It can cause life-threatening bleeding and needs medical care right away. I performed a search in VAERS for ectopic pregnancies following COVID-19 shots for the past 11 months, and there have been 52 cases where a woman received a COVID-19 shot and then was found to have an ectopic pregnancy. Next, I performed the exact same search but excluded COVID-19 “vaccines” and it returned a result of 30 cases where a woman received an FDA-approved vaccine and then reported an ectopic pregnancy following ALL vaccines for the past 30+ years, which is about 1 per year. That means that following COVID-19 injections into child-bearing women for the past 11 months has seen a 50 X increase in ectopic pregnancies compared to child-bearing women receiving vaccines for the past 30+ years.
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Massive study reveals editorial bias and nepotism in biomedical journals
University of Rennes, November 23, 2021 Scientific journals are expected to consider research manuscripts dispassionately and without favor. But a study published in the journal PLOS Biology reveals that a subset of journals may be exercising considerable bias and favoritism. To identify journals that are suspected of favoritism, the authors explored nearly 5 million articles published between 2015 and 2019 in a sample of 5,468 of biomedical journals indexed in the National Library of Medicine. Their results reveal that in most journals, publications are distributed across a large number of authors, as one might hope. However, the authors identify a subset of biomedical journals where a few authors, often members of that journal’s editorial board, were responsible for a disproportionate number of publications. In addition, the articles authored by these “hyper-prolific” individuals were more likely to be accepted for publication within 3 weeks of their submission, suggesting favoritism in journals’ editorial procedures. Why would this matter? Such “nepotistic journals,” suspected of biased editorial decision-making, could be deployed to game productivity-based metrics, which could have a serious knock-on effect on decisions about promotion, tenure and research funding.
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Hurricanes expected to linger over Northeast cities, causing greater damage
More storms like Hurricane Sandy could be in the East Coast’s future, potentially costing billions of dollars in damage and economic losses. Rowan University, November 22, 2021 By the late 21st century, northeastern U.S. cities will see worsening hurricane outcomes, with storms arriving more quickly but slowing down once they’ve made landfall. As storms linger longer over the East Coast, they will cause greater damage along the heavily populated corridor, according to a new study. The new study analyzed more than 35,000 computer-simulated storms. To assess likely storm outcomes in the future The researchers found that future East Coast hurricanes will likely cause greater damage than storms of the past. The research predicted that a greater number of future hurricanes will form near the East Coast, and those storms will reach the Northeast corridor more quickly. The simulated storms slow to a crawl as they approach the East Coast, allowing them to produce more wind, rain, floods, and related damage in the Northeast region. The longest-lived tropical storms are predicted to be twice as long as storms today.
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Hyperbaric oxygen therapy may alleviate symptoms of Alzheimer's Disease
Tel Aviv University (Israel) A new Tel Aviv University study reveals that hyperbaric oxygen treatments may ameliorate symptoms experienced by patients with Alzheimer's disease. "This revolutionary treatment for Alzheimer's disease uses a hyperbaric oxygen chamber, which has been shown in the past to be extremely effective in treating wounds that were slow to heal," says Prof. Uri Ashery of TAU's Sagol School of Neuroscience and the Faculty of Life Sciences, who led the research for the study. "We have now shown for the first time that hyperbaric oxygen therapy can actually improve the pathology of Alzheimer's disease and correct behavioral deficits associated with the disease.
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Scientists discover that CoQ10 can program cancer cells to self-destruct
A promising study shows that this nutrient causes cancer cells to self-destruct before they can multiply – giving rise to hopes that it can be utilized as an important integrative therapy for cancer patients. Let’s take a closer look at this wonderful scientific work.
CoQ10 “reminds” cancer cells to die Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) – which supports many indispensable biochemical reactions – is also called “ubiquinone.” This is due to its ubiquitous nature – CoQ10 is found in nearly every human cell, with particularly high concentrations in the mitochondria, the powerhouses of the cell. Researchers report that the out-of-control replication characteristic of cancer cells is a result of the cells’ lost capacity to respond to programmed cell death, or apoptosis.
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Study suggests hot flashes could be precursor to diabetes Analysis of Women's Health Initiative data demonstrates effect of severity and duration of hot flashes on risk of developing diabetes
The North American Menopause Society
Hot flashes, undoubtedly the most common symptom of menopause, are not just uncomfortable and inconvenient, but numerous studies demonstrate they may increase the risk of serious health problems, including heart disease. A new study suggests that hot flashes (especially when accompanied by night sweats) also may increase the risk of developing diabetes. Results are being published online today in Menopause, the journal of The North American Menopause Society (NAMS). "This study showed that, after adjustment for obesity and race, women with more severe night sweats, with or without hot flashes, still had a higher risk of diabetes," says Dr. JoAnn Pinkerton, NAMS executive director. "Menopause is a perfect time to encourage behavior changes that reduce menopause symptoms, as well as the risk of diabetes and heart disease. Suggestions include getting regular exercise and adequate sleep, avoiding excess alcohol, stopping smoking, and eating a heart- healthy diet. For symptomatic women, hormone therapy started near menopause improves menopause symptoms and reduces the risk of diabetes."
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Garlic extract may help obese adults combat inflammation University of Florida
Aged garlic extract may help obese people ward off painful inflammation and lower cholesterol levels, a new University of Florida study shows. In the UF/IFAS study, scientists divided 51 obese people who were otherwise healthy into two groups ? those who took the aged garlic extract for six weeks and those who took a placebo. Researchers encouraged participants to continue their regular diet and exercise routine during the experiment. Research showed the garlic extract helped regulate immune-cell distribution and reduced blood LDL ? or "bad" ? cholesterol in the obese adults. Aged garlic extract modified the secretion of inflammatory proteins from immune cells, Percival said.
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Having children can make women's telomeres seem 11 years older George Mason University
A recent study by George Mason University researchers in the Department of Global and Community Health found that women who have given birth have shorter telomeres compared to women who have not given birth. Telomeres are the end caps of DNA on our chromosomes, which help in DNA replication and get shorter over time. The length of telomeres has been associated with morbidity and mortality previously, but this is the first study to examine links with having children.
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Scientists uncover why sauna bathing is good for your health UNIVERSITY OF EASTERN FINLAND
Over the past couple of years, scientists at the University of Eastern Finland have shown that sauna bathing is associated with a variety of health benefits. Using an experimental setting this time, the research group now investigated the physiological mechanisms through which the heat exposure of sauna may influence a person's health. Their latest study with 100 test subjects shows that taking a sauna bath of 30 minutes reduces blood pressure and increases vascular compliance, while also increasing heart rate similarly to medium-intensity exercise.
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Biden’s Bounty on Your Life: Hospitals’ Incentive Payments for COVID-19
By Elizabeth Lee Vliet, M.D. and Ali Shultz, J.D. – ASSOCIATION OF AMERICAN PHYSICIANS AND SURGEONS. November 17, 2021
Upon admission to a once-trusted hospital, American patients with COVID-19 become virtual prisoners, subjected to a rigid treatment protocol with roots in Ezekiel Emanuel’s “Complete Lives System” for rationing medical care in those over age 50. They have a shockingly high mortality rate. How and why is this happening, and what can be done about it? As exposed in audio recordings, hospital executives in Arizona admitted meeting several times a week to lower standards of care, with coordinated restrictions on visitation rights. Most COVID-19 patients’ families are deliberately kept in the dark about what is really being done to their loved ones. The combination that enables this tragic and avoidable loss of hundreds of thousands of lives includes (1) The CARES Act, which provides hospitals with bonus incentive payments for all things related to COVID-19 (testing, diagnosing, admitting to hospital, use of remdesivir and ventilators, reporting COVID-19 deaths, and vaccinations) and (2) waivers of customary and long-standing patient rights by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). In 2020, the Texas Hospital Association submitted requests for waivers to CMS. According to Texas attorney Jerri Ward, “CMS has granted ‘waivers’ of federal law regarding patient rights. Specifically, CMS purports to allow hospitals to violate the rights of patients or their surrogates with regard to medical record access, to have patient visitation, and to be free from seclusion.” She notes that “rights do not come from the hospital or CMS and cannot be waived, as that is the antithesis of a ‘right.’ The purported waivers are meant to isolate and gain total control over the patient and to deny patient and patient’s decision-maker the ability to exercise informed consent.” Creating a “National Pandemic Emergency” provided justification for such sweeping actions that override individual physician medical decision-making and patients’ rights. The CARES Act provides incentives for hospitals to use treatments dictated solely by the federal government under the auspices of the NIH. These “bounties” must paid back if not “earned” by making the COVID-19 diagnosis and following the COVID-19 protocol. The hospital payments include: A “free” required PCR test in the Emergency Room or upon admission for every patient, with government-paid fee to hospital. Added bonus payment for each positive COVID-19 diagnosis. Another bonus for a COVID-19 admission to the hospital. A 20 percent “boost” bonus payment from Medicare on the entire hospital bill for use of remdesivir instead of medicines such as Ivermectin. Another and larger bonus payment to the hospital if a COVID-19 patient is mechanically ventilated. More money to the hospital if cause of death is listed as COVID-19, even if patient did not die directly of COVID-19. A COVID-19 diagnosis also provides extra payments to coroners.
Study: Sustainable eating is cheaper and healthier Oxford University, November 11, 2021
Oxford University research has today revealed that, in countries such as the US, the UK, Australia and across Western Europe, adopting a vegan, vegetarian, or flexitarian diet could slash your food bill by up to one-third. The study, which compared the cost of seven sustainable diets to the current typical diet in 150 countries, using food prices from the World Bank's International Comparison Program, was published in The Lancet Planetary Health.
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Meta-analysis concludes resveratrol beneficially modulates glycemic control in diabetics Zagazig University and Suez Canal University (Egypt), October 29 2021.
Findings from a meta-analysis of clinical trials published in Medicina Clinica (Barcelona) revealed an association between supplementing with resveratrol and improvements in glycemic control. “This systematic review and meta-analysis is the first to consider resveratrol’s efficacy on glycemic and cardiometabolic parameters in patients with Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM).”
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Exercise linked to better mental health Kaiser Permanente Research, November 11, 2021
Kaiser Permanente research published in Preventive Medicine showed people who exercised more during the initial lockdown period of the COVID-19 pandemic experienced less anxiety and depression than those who didn’t exercise. It also showed that people who spent more time outdoors typically experienced lower levels of anxiety and depression than those who stayed inside.
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Bedtime linked with heart health University of Exeter (UK), November 9, 2021
Going to sleep between 10:00 and 11:00 pm is associated with a lower risk of developing heart disease compared to earlier or later bedtimes, according to a study published today in European Heart Journal—Digital Health, a journal of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC). "While we cannot conclude causation from our study, the results suggest that early or late bedtimes may be more likely to disrupt the body clock, with adverse consequences for cardiovascular health."
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Garlic compounds may boost cardio health indirectly via gut microbiota
National Taiwan University, November 6 2021
Allicin from garlic may prevent the metabolism of unabsorbed L-carnitine or choline into TMAO, a compound linked to an increased risk of cardiovascular diseases, says a new study. TMAO – or trimethylamine N-oxide – has been known to be generated from dietary carnitine through metabolism of gut microbiota, and was recently reported to be an “important gut microbiota-dependent metabolite to cause cardiovascular diseases.” New data indicated that carnitine-fed lab mice showed a “remarkable increase in plasma TMAO levels”, compared with lab mice fed a control (no carnitine). However, when allicin supplements were provided with the carnitine diet, TMAO levels were significantly reduced.
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Drug used to prevent miscarriage increases risk of cancer in offspring University of Texas Health Science Center, November 9, 2021
Exposure in utero to a drug used to prevent miscarriage can lead to an increased risk of developing cancer, according to researchers at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston The drug, 17α-hydroxyprogesterone caproate (17-OHPC), is a synthetic progestogen that was frequently used by women in the 1950s and 1960s, and is still prescribed to women today to help prevent preterm birth.
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2,433 Dead Babies in VAERS as Another Study Shows mRNA Shots Not Safe for Pregnant Women
by Brian Shilhavy Editor, Health Impact News, November 7, 2021
There have now been 2,433 fetal deaths recorded in VAERS (Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System) from pregnant women who have been injected with one of the COVID-19 shots. The vast majority of these have been from the Pfizer shot (1,862 deaths) and the Moderna shot (656 deaths.) There have been more fetal deaths in the past 11 months following COVID-19 shots than there have been for the past 30+ years following ALL vaccines (2,198 – Source.) Last month (October, 2021) the New England Journal of Medicine admitted that the original study used to justify the CDC and the FDA in recommending the shots to pregnant women was flawed. (Source.) Since then, researchers in New Zealand have conducted a new study on the original data, and concluded: A re-analysis of these figures indicates a cumulative incidence of spontaneous abortion ranging from 82% (104/127) to 91% (104/114), 7–8 times higher than the original authors’ results. (Source.) And yet, the CDC and FDA still continue to recommend the shots for pregnant women, even though a correct analysis on the original data shows that 82% to 91% of pregnant women will suffer miscarriages if their unborn child is less than 20 weeks old. (Source.) VAERS is a passive system that is severely under reported. The CDC and FDA have never conducted a study to determine what this under-reported factor is, but independent scientists have, and we have previously published the analysis conducted by Dr. Jessica Rose, who has determined that a conservative under-reported factor would be X41. See: STUDY: Government’s Own Data Reveals that at Least 150,000 Probably DEAD in U.S. Following COVID-19 Vaccines This means that there have probably been at least 99,753 fetal deaths following COVID-19 injections so far. Here is a video report we made on this last month with some very unfortunate gruesome examples of what these shots are doing to unborn babies. 1,969 Fetal Deaths Recorded Following COVID-19 Shots but Criminal CDC Recommends Pregnant Women Get the Shot UPDATE – November 7, 2021 PM A couple of hours after publishing this article, a video that has been circulating on the Internet of an interview with a Funeral Director in the UK became known to me. He has been in practice for over 3 years and is identified as “Wesley,” and was interviewed by a group called “Resistance GB.” He claims that last fall was one the slowest periods of seeing deaths for all funeral directors, but when the COVID-19 shots were introduced, deaths started dramatically increasing. It started with the elderly, but then by April they were seeing large numbers of people in their 30s and 40s. Many of them were dying of myocarditis. Now, they are seeing unprecedented numbers of newborn babies, and they are piling up in hospital refrigerators. Some are full term, some are pre-term, he claims. The UK originally recommended that pregnant women and nursing mothers should NOT get the experimental COVID shots, but like the CDC in the U.S., they eventually changed their recommendation to encourage pregnant women to get the shots.
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An ethical analysis of vaccinating children against COVID-19: benefits, risks, and issues of global health equity
Johns Hopkins University, Oxford-Johns Hopkins Global Infectious Disease Ethics Collaborative, Wageningen University - The Netherlands, University of Oxford, Abstract We argue that it is currently unclear whether routine COVID-19 vaccination of healthy children is ethically justified in most contexts, given the minimal direct benefit that COVID-19 vaccination provides to children, the potential for rare risks to outweigh these benefits and undermine vaccine confidence, and substantial evidence that COVID-19 vaccination confers adequate protection to risk groups, such as older adults, without the need to vaccinate children. We conclude that child COVID-19 vaccination in wealthy communities before adults in poor communities worldwide is ethically unacceptable and consider how policy deliberations might evolve in light of future developments.
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What’s Driving Global Deforestation? Organized Crime, Beef, Soy, Palm Oil and Wood Products
Jennifer Devine, Counterpunch, November 17, 2021
Every year the world loses an estimated 25 million acres (10 million hectares) of forest, an area larger than the state of Indiana. Nearly all of it is in the tropics. From my research on social and environmental issues in Latin America, I know that four consumer goods are responsible for the majority of global deforestation: beef, soy, palm oil, and wood pulp and paper products. Together these commodities are responsible for the loss of nearly 12 million acres (5 million hectares) annually. There’s also a fifth, less publicized key driver: organized crime, including illegal drug trafficking. The dominant role of beef Among major products that promote deforestation, beef is in a class by itself. Beef production is now estimated to be the biggest driver of deforestation worldwide, accounting for 41% of global forest losses. In the Amazon alone, cattle ranching accounts for 80% of deforestation. From 2000 to 2011, beef production emitted nearly 200 times more greenhouse gases than soy, and 60 times more than oil palm in tropical countries with high deforestation rates. Soy and palm oil: Ubiquitous ingredients Together, soy and palm oil drive nearly 10% of deforestation annually – almost 2.5 million acres (1 million hectares). Clearing land for palm oil plantations fuels large-scale rainforest destruction in Indonesia and Malaysia, where most of the world’s palm oil is produced. Palm oil is the most commonly produced, consumed and traded vegetable oil. Some 60% of the 66 million tons produced globally every year is used to produce energy in the form of biofuel, power and heat. About 40% is used for food, animal feed and chemical products. Palm oil is an ingredient in half of all products found at the supermarket, including margarine, shampoos, frozen pizza and detergents. Soy production has doubled globally in the past 20 years. Nearly 80% of global soy is fed to cows, chickens, pigs and farmed fish. This demand reflects the tripling of global meat production over the past 50 years. Wood products Wood products are responsible for about 5% of annual global deforestation, or about 1.2 million acres (500,000 hectares) yearly. Wood is widely used for home construction and furniture, and also as a pulp source for paper and fabric. And in low-income nations and rural areas, it’s an important fuel source for heating and cooking. The three largest paper-producing countries are the U.S., Canada and China. Illegal deforestation and organized crime Another industry plays an important role, especially in tropical forests: organized crime. Large, lucrative industries offer opportunities to move and launder money; as a result, in many parts of the world, deforestation is driven by the drug trade. In South America and Central America, drug trafficking organizations are the vanguard of deforestation. Drug traffickers are illegally logging forests in the Amazon and hiding cocaine in timber shipments to Europe. In my research, I have analyzed how traffickers illegally log and raise cattle in protected areas in Central America to launder money and claim drug smuggling territory. Other scholars estimate that 30% to 60% of deforestation in the region is “narco-deforestation.” Forest Trends analysis, exports tied to illegal deforestation are worth US$61 billion annually and are responsible for 25% of total global tropical deforestation.
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‘This Must Not Happen’: If Unhalted, Permian Basin Fracking Will Unleash 40 Billion Tons of CO2 by 2050
As activists at the COP26 summit continue to denounce the “massive” gap between wealthy governments’ lofty rhetoric and their woefully inadequate plans for addressing the climate emergency, a new analysis of projected extraction in the Permian Basin in the U.S. Southwest exposes the extent to which oil and gas executives’ refusal to keep fossil fuels in the ground puts humanity’s future in jeopardy. “While climate science tells us that we must consume 40% less oil in 2030, Permian producers plan to grow production more than 50%.” Released Tuesday by Oil Change International, Earthworks, and the Center for International Environmental Law, the second chapter of The Permian Basin Climate Bomb warns that if the drilling and fracking boom that has turned the Permian Basin into “the world’s single most prolific oil and gas field” over the past decade is allowed to persist unabated for the next three decades, it will generate nearly 40 billion tons of carbon dioxide by mid-century. “With global markets flush with Permian oil and gas, it can only be harder to steer the world’s economy toward clean energy.” “While climate science tells us that we must consume 40% less oil in 2030, Permian producers plan to grow production more than 50%” from 2021 to 2030, said Stockman. “This must not happen.” “If left unchecked,” the report notes, “the Permian could continue to produce huge amounts of oil, gas, and gas liquids for decades to come. With global markets flush with Permian oil and gas, it can only be harder to steer the world’s economy toward clean energy.”
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Wall Street’s Takeover of Nature Advances with Launch of New Asset Class
By Whitney Webb
A project of the multilateral development banking system, the Rockefeller Foundation and the New York Stock Exchange recently created a new asset class that will put, not just the natural world, but the processes underpinning all life, up for sale under the guise of promoting “sustainability.” Last month, the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) announced it had developed a new asset class and accompanying listing vehicle meant “to preserve and restore the natural assets that ultimately underpin the ability for there to be life on Earth.” Called a natural asset company, or NAC, the vehicle will allow for the formation of specialized corporations “that hold the rights to the ecosystem services produced on a given chunk of land, services like carbon sequestration or clean water.” These NACs will then maintain, manage and grow the natural assets they commodify, with the end of goal of maximizing the aspects of that natural asset that are deemed by the company to be profitable. Though described as acting like “any other entity” on the NYSE, it is alleged that NACs “will use the funds to help preserve a rain forest or undertake other conservation efforts, like changing a farm’s conventional agricultural production practices.” Yet, as explained towards the end of this article, even the creators of NACs admit that the ultimate goal is to extract near-infinite profits from the natural processes they seek to quantify and then monetize. NYSE COO Michael Blaugrund alluded to this when he said the following regarding the launch of NACs: “Our hope is that owning a natural asset company is going to be a way that an increasingly broad range of investors have the ability to invest in something that’s intrinsically valuable, but, up to this point, was really excluded from the financial markets.” Framed with the lofty talk of “sustainability” and “conservation”, media reports on the move in outlets like Fortune couldn’t avoid noting that NACs open the doors to “a new form of sustainable investment” which “has enthralled the likes of BlackRock CEO Larry Fink over the past several years even though there remain big, unanswered questions about it.” Fink, one of the world’s most powerful financial oligarchs, is and has long been a corporate raider, not an environmentalist, and his excitement about NACs should give even its most enthusiastic proponents pause if this endeavor was really about advancing conservation, as is being claimed. How to Create a NAC The creation and launch of NACs has been two years in the making and saw the NYSE team up with the Intrinsic Exchange Group (IEG), in which the NYSE itself holds a minority stake. IEG’s three investors are the Inter-American Development Bank, the Latin America-focused branch of the multilateral development banking system that imposes neoliberal and neo-colonalist agendas through debt entrapment; the Rockefeller Foundation, the foundation of the American oligarch dynasty whose activities have long been tightly enmeshed with Wall Street; and Aberdare Ventures, a venture capital firm chiefly focused on the digital healthcare space. Notably, the IADB and the Rockefeller Foundation are closely tied to the related pushes for Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs) and biometric Digital IDs. The IEG’s mission focuses on “pioneering a new asset class based on natural assets and the mechanism to convert them to financial capital.” “These assets,” IEG states, make “life on Earth possible and enjoyable…They include biological systems that provide clean air, water, foods, medicines, a stable climate, human health and societal potential.” Put differently, NACs will not only allow ecosystems to become financial assets, but the rights to “ecosystem services”, or the benefits people receive from nature as well. These include food production, tourism, clean water, biodiversity, pollination, carbon sequestration and much more. IEG is currently partnering with Costa Rica’s government to pilot its NAC efforts within that country. Costa Rica’s Minister of Environment and Energy, Andrea Meza Murillo, has claimed that the pilot project with IEG “will deepen the economic analysis of giving nature its economic value, as well as to continue mobilizing financial flows to conservation.” With NACs, the NYSE and IEG are now putting the totality of nature up for sale. While they assert that doing so will “transform our economy to one that is more equitable, resilient and sustainable”, it’s clear that the coming “owners” of nature and natural processes will be the only real beneficiaries. Per the IEG, NACs first begin with the identification of a natural asset, such as a forest or lake, which is then quantified using specific protocols. Such protocols have already been developed by related groups like the Capitals Coalition, which is partnered with several of IEG’s partners as well as the World Economic Forum and various coalitions of multinational corporations. Then, a NAC is created and the structure of the company decides who has the rights to that natural asset’s productivity as well as the rights to decide how that natural asset is managed and governed. Lastly, a NAC is “converted” into financial capital by launching an initial public offering on a stock exchange, like the NYSE. This last stage “generates capital to manage the natural asset” and the fluctuation of its price on the stock exchange “signals the value of its natural capital.” However, the NAC and its employees, directors and owners are not necessarily the owners of the natural asset itself following this final step. Instead, as IEG notes, the NAC is merely the issuer while the potential buyers of the natural asset the NAC represents can include: institutional investors, private investors, individuals and institutions, corporations, sovereign wealth funds and multilateral development banks. Thus, asset management firms that essentially already own much of the world, like Blackrock, could thus become owners of soon-to-be monetized natural processes, natural resources and the very foundations of natural life itself. Both the NYSE and IEG have marketed this new investment vehicle as being aimed at generating funds that will go back to conservation or sustainability efforts. However, on the IEG’s website, it notes that the goal is really endless profit from natural processes and ecosystems that were previously deemed to be part of “the commons”, i.e. the cultural and natural resources accessible to all members of a society, including natural materials such as air, water, and a habitable earth. Per the IEG, “as the natural asset prospers, providing a steady or increasing flow of ecosystem services, the company’s equity should appreciate accordingly providing investment returns. Shareholders and investors in the company through secondary offers, can take profit by selling shares. These sales can be gauged to reflect the increase in capital value of the stock, roughly in-line with its profitability, creating cashflow based on the health of the company and its assets.” Researcher and journalist Cory Morningstar has strongly disagreed with the approach being taken by NYSE/IEG and views NACs as a system that will only exacerbate the corporate predation of nature, despite claims to the contrary. Morningstar has described NACs as “Rockefeller et al. letting the markets dictate what in nature has value – and what does not. Yet, it’s not for capitalist institutions and global finance to decide what life has value. Ecosystems are not ‘assets.’ Biological communities exist for their own purposes, not ours.” A New Way to Loot The ultimate goal of NACs is not sustainability or conservation – it is the financialization of nature, i.e. turning nature into a commodity that can be used to keep the current, corrupt Wall Street economy booming under the guise of protecting the environment and preventing its further degradation. Indeed, IEG makes this clear when they note that “the opportunity” of NACs lies not in their potential to improve environmental well-being or sustainability, but in the size of this new asset class, which they term “Nature’s Economy.” Indeed, while the asset classes of the current economy are value at approximately $512 trillion, the asset classes unlocked by NACs are significantly larger at $4,000 trillion (i.e. $4 quadrillion). Thus, NACs open up a new feeding ground for predatory Wall Street banks and financial institutions that will allow them to not just dominate the human economy, but the entire natural world. In the world currently being constructed by these and related entities, where even freedom is being re-framed not as a right but “a service,” the natural processes on which life depends are similarly being re-framed as assets, which will have owners. Those “owners” will ultimately have the right, in this system, to dictate who gets access to clean water, to clean air, to nature itself and at what cost. According to Cory Morningstar, one of the other aims of creating “Nature’s Economy” and neatly packaging it for Wall Street via NACs is to drastically advance massive land grab efforts made by Wall Street and the oligarch class in recent years. This includes the recent land grabs made by Wall Street firms as well as billionaire “philanthropists” like Bill Gates during the COVID crisis. However, the land grabs facilitated through the development of NACs will largely target indigenous communities in the developing world. As Morningstar notes: “The public launch of NACs strategically preceded the fifteenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity, the biggest biodiversity conference in a decade. Under the pretext of turning 30% of the globe into “protected areas”, the largest global land grab in history is underway. Built on a foundation of white supremacy, this proposal will displace hundreds of millions, furthering the ongoing genocide of Indigenous peoples. The tragic irony is this: while Indigenous peoples represent less than 5% of the global population, they support approximately 80% of all biodiversity.“ IEG, in discussing NACs, tellingly notes that proceeds from a NAC’s IPO can be used for the acquisition of more land by its controlling entities or used to boost the budgets or funds of those who receive the capital from the IPO. This is a far cry from the NYSE/IEG sales pitch that NACs are “different” because their IPOs will be used to “preserve and protect” natural areas. The climate change panic that is now rising to the take the place of COVID-19 panic will surely be used to savvily market NACs and similar tactics as necessary to save the planet, but – rest assured – NACs are not a move to save the planet, but a move to enable the same interests responsible for the current environmental crises to usher in a new era where their predatory exploitation reaches new heights that were previously unimaginable.
Videos for Today:
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DR Peter C. Gøtzsche Comments – 3 mins
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PARENTS IN NY TAKE TO THE STREETS TO WARN IGNORANT PARENTS INJECTING THEIR CHILDREN WITH PFIZER SHOT 3, DANIEL NAGASE – EFFECTS OF CV VX ON THE IMMUNE SYSTEM DEVELOPMENT IN CHILDREN 4.The Great Narrative: A call to action speaker Freeke Heijman (start 3 min mark)
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Study: Sustainable eating is cheaper and healthier Oxford University, November 11, 2021
Oxford University research has today revealed that, in countries such as the US, the UK, Australia and across Western Europe, adopting a vegan, vegetarian, or flexitarian diet could slash your food bill by up to one-third.
The study, which compared the cost of seven sustainable diets to the current typical diet in 150 countries, using food prices from the World Bank’s International Comparison Program, was published in The Lancet Planetary Health.
It found that in high-income countries:
* Vegan diets were the most affordable and reduced food costs by up to one third.
* Vegetarian diets were a close second.
* Flexitarian diets with low amounts of meat and dairy reduced costs by 14%.
* By contrast, pescatarian diets increased costs by up to 2%.“We think the fact that vegan, vegetarian and flexitarian diets can save you a lot of money is going to surprise people,” says Dr. Marco Springmann, researcher on the Oxford Martin Programme on the Future of Food.
“When scientists like me advocate for healthy and environmentally-friendly eating, it’s often said we’re sitting in our ivory towers promoting something financially out of reach for most people. This study shows it’s quite the opposite. These diets could be better for your bank balance as well as for your health and…the planet.”
Miguel Barclay, author of the bestselling “One Pound Meals” series of cookbooks, says, “I definitely agree that cutting down your meat, or cutting it out completely, will save you money. I’ve written seven budget cookbooks and have costed up hundreds of recipes, and without doubt vegan and vegetarian meals consistently come in at a much lower price than recipes with meat.”
The study focused on whole foods and did not include highly-processed meat replacements or eating at restaurants or takeaways.
The study also found that in lower income countries, such as on the Indian subcontinent and in sub-Saharan Africa, eating a healthy and sustainable diet would be up to a quarter cheaper than a typical Western diet, but at least a third more expensive than current diets.
To analyze what options could improve affordability and reduce diet costs, the study looked at several policy options. It found that making healthy and sustainable diets affordable everywhere is possible within the next 10 years when economic development, especially in lower income countries, is paired with reductions in food waste and a climate and health-friendly pricing of foods.
“Affording to eat a healthy and sustainable diet is possible everywhere, but requires political will,” according to Dr. Springmann. “Current low-income diets tend to contain large amounts of starchy foods and not enough of the foods we know are healthy. And the western-style diets, often seen as aspirational, are not only unhealthy, but also vastly unsustainable and unaffordable in low-income countries. Any of the healthy and sustainable dietary patterns we looked at are a better option for health, the environment, and financially, but development support and progressive food policies are needed to make them both affordable and desirable everywhere.”
The study, “The global and regional costs of healthy and sustainable dietary patterns: a modeling study,” is published in The Lancet Planetary Health on 10 November 2021. Country-level results are available here.
Green One Pound Meals by Miguel Barclay is published on 30 December. It features planet-friendly recipes and includes tips and ideas for shopping smart and avoiding food waste.
Meta-analysis concludes resveratrol beneficially modulates glycemic control in diabetics Zagazig University and Suez Canal University (Egypt), October 29 2021.
Findings from a meta-analysis of clinical trials published on October 16, 2021 in Medicina Clinica (Barcelona) revealed an association between supplementing with resveratrol and improvements in glycemic control.
“Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a progressive meta-inflammatory disorder, which induces micro and macrovascular complications,” Ibrahim A. Abdelhaleem and colleagues wrote. “Resveratrol is a nutraceutical known to have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.”
“This systematic review and meta-analysis is the first to consider resveratrol’s efficacy on glycemic and cardiometabolic parameters in patients with T2DM.”
Sixteen randomized trials that included a total of 871 diabetic men and women were selected for the meta-analysis. The trials compared resveratrol to a placebo with or without concurrent antidiabetic medications or other drug treatment.
Resveratrol doses of 500 milligrams or more were associated with lower fasting blood glucose, fasting serum insulin, insulin resistance, total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol and diastolic blood pressure in comparison with a placebo. Resveratrol was associated with a greater reduction in hemoglobin A1c (a marker of long-term glucose control) compared to a placebo in trials of three months duration. When HDL cholesterol levels were analyzed, resveratrol was superior to a placebo in trials of less than two months duration. Resveratrol was also associated with a reduction in systolic blood pressure compared to measurements obtained in the placebo group. Furthermore, triglycerides were lower in association with resveratrol in trials that lasted six to twelve months.
“We concluded that resveratrol appropriately improved insulin sensitivity by decreasing insulin resistance, fasting blood glucose, fasting serum insulin, and hemoglobin A1c,” the authors concluded. “In addition, it improved other cardiometabolic parameters, including triglycerides, total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, and systolic and diastolic blood pressure. The most appropriate glycemic control effect was fulfilled when consumed for at least one month with doses of 500 mg or more.”
Exercise linked to better mental health Kaiser Permanente Research, November 11, 2021
Kaiser Permanente research published on November 11 in Preventive Medicine showed people who exercised more during the initial lockdown period of the COVID-19 pandemic experienced less anxiety and depression than those who didn’t exercise. It also showed that people who spent more time outdoors typically experienced lower levels of anxiety and depression than those who stayed inside.
More than 20,000 people participated in the survey-based study from 6 regions served by Kaiser Permanente across the United States, which included Hawaii, Colorado, Georgia, and the mid-Atlantic states, as well as Southern and Northern California.
“What these study findings tell us is that even during an active pandemic or other public health crisis, people should be encouraged to be physically active to help maintain their physical and mental health,” said the study’s lead author Deborah Rohm Young, PhD, the director of the Division of Behavioral Research for the Kaiser Permanente Southern California Department of Research & Evaluation. “Parks and other nature areas should remain open during public health emergencies to encourage outdoor physical activity.”
In March 2020, COVID-19 developed into a worldwide pandemic. With no known treatment, public health officials attempted to reduce its spread by limiting human interactions through stay-at-home policies. Businesses temporarily closed or changed their practices to prevent the spread of the virus, affecting the economy and many people’s jobs. These stressful factors, along with fewer opportunities to socialize with friends and family, increased symptoms of depression and anxiety for many people.
Since it is known that physical activity and time spent in nature are associated with improved mental health, researchers at Kaiser Permanente in Southern California sought to determine how exercise and time outdoors was associated with people’s mental health during the height of the pandemic.
In April 2020, researchers sent a series of COVID-19 surveys to more than 250,000 participants in the Kaiser Permanente Research Bank — a collection of lifestyle surveys, electronic health record data, and biospecimens, which Kaiser Permanente members volunteered. People who reported COVID-19 symptoms were not included in this analysis, resulting in 20,012 respondents. They each completed at least 4 surveys between April and July 2020.
White women older than 50 accounted for a high proportion of the respondents. Most respondents said they were retired and generally adhered to the “safer-at-home” orders during the period of the survey. The study found that:
* Reports of anxiety and depression decreased over time
* Anxiety and depression scores were higher for females and younger people, and lower for Asian and Black people compared with white respondents
* Participants who reported no physical activity reported the highest depression and anxiety compared to people who had exercised
* Spending less time outdoors was associated with higher depression and anxiety scores
* People who had increased their time outdoors the most reported the highest anxiety scores, but the research could not explain the finding“What we learned from these findings is that during future emergencies it will be important to carefully weigh the decisions to close parks and outdoor areas against the negative impact those closures may have on people’s mental health,” said Dr. Young.
Bedtime linked with heart health University of Exeter (UK), November 9, 2021
Going to sleep between 10:00 and 11:00 pm is associated with a lower risk of developing heart disease compared to earlier or later bedtimes, according to a study published today in European Heart Journal—Digital Health, a journal of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC).
“The body has a 24-hour internal clock, called circadian rhythm, that helps regulate physical and mental functioning,” said study author Dr. David Plans of the University of Exeter, UK. “While we cannot conclude causation from our study, the results suggest that early or late bedtimes may be more likely to disrupt the body clock, with adverse consequences for cardiovascular health.”
While numerous analyses have investigated the link between sleep duration and cardiovascular disease, the relationship between sleep timing and heart disease is underexplored. This study examined the association between objectively measured, rather than self-reported, sleep onset in a large sample of adults.
The study included 88,026 individuals in the UK Biobank recruited between 2006 and 2010. The average age was 61 years (range 43 to 79 years) and 58% were women. Data on sleep onset and waking up time were collected over seven days using a wrist-worn accelerometer. Participants completed demographic, lifestyle, health and physical assessments and questionnaires. They were then followed up for a new diagnosis of cardiovascular disease, which was defined as a heart attack, heart failure, chronic ischaemic heart disease, stroke, and transient ischaemic attack.
During an average follow-up of 5.7 years, 3,172 participants (3.6%) developed cardiovascular disease. Incidence was highest in those with sleep times at midnight or later and lowest in those with sleep onset from 10:00 to 10:59 pm.
The researchers analyzed the association between sleep onset and cardiovascular events after adjusting for age, sex, sleep duration, sleep irregularity (defined as varied times of going to sleep and waking up), self-reported chronotype (early bird or night owl), smoking status, body mass index, diabetes, blood pressure, blood cholesterol and socioeconomic status.
Compared to sleep onset from 10:00 to 10:59 pm, there was a 25% higher risk of cardiovascular disease with a sleep onset at midnight or later, a 12% greater risk for 11:00 to 11:59 pm, and a 24% raised risk for falling asleep before 10:00 pm. In a further analysis by sex, the association with increased cardiovascular risk was stronger in women, with only sleep onset before 10:00 pm remaining significant for men.
Dr. Plans said: “Our study indicates that the optimum time to go to sleep is at a specific point in the body’s 24-hour cycle and deviations may be detrimental to health. The riskiest time was after midnight, potentially because it may reduce the likelihood of seeing morning light, which resets the body clock.”
Dr. Plans noted that the reasons for the observed stronger association between sleep onset and cardiovascular disease in women is unclear. He said: “It may be that there is a sex difference in how the endocrine system responds to a disruption in circadian rhythm. Alternatively, the older age of study participants could be a confounding factor since women’s cardiovascular risk increases post-menopause—meaning there may be no difference in the strength of the association between women and men.”
He concluded: “While the findings do not show causality, sleep timing has emerged as a potential cardiac risk factor—independent of other risk factors and sleep characteristics. If our findings are confirmed in other studies, sleep timing and basic sleep hygiene could be a low-cost public health target for lowering risk of heart disease.”
Garlic compounds may boost cardio health indirectly via gut microbiota
National Taiwan University, November 6 2021
Allicin from garlic may prevent the metabolism of unabsorbed L-carnitine or choline into TMAO, a compound linked to an increased risk of cardiovascular diseases, says a new study from the National Taiwan University.
TMAO – or trimethylamine N-oxide – has been known to be generated from dietary carnitine through metabolism of gut microbiota, and was recently reported to be an “important gut microbiota-dependent metabolite to cause cardiovascular diseases,” explained Taiwanese researchers in the Journal of Functional Foods.
While antibiotics have been found to inhibit TMAO production, concerns over side effects and resistance have limited their use. This has led researchers to examine the potential of natural alternatives.
New data indicated that carnitine-fed lab mice showed a “remarkable increase in plasma TMAO levels”, compared with lab mice fed a control (no carnitine). However, when allicin supplements were provided with the carnitine diet, TMAO levels were significantly reduced.
“Surprisingly, the plasma TMAO levels in the mice of ‘carnitine diet + allicin’ treatment group were as low as that of chow diet [control] group,” wrote the researchers. “This result indicated that the metabolic capacity of mice gut microbiota to produce TMAO was completely inhibited by allicin supplement even though provided with carnitine-rich environment in the gut.
“It means the functional alteration of gut microbiota induced by carnitine diet can be prevented by addition of another substance with antimicrobial potential derived from food, such as allicin.”
Garlic and heart health
The study adds to the body of scientific literature supporting the potential heart health benefits of garlic and the compounds it contains.
Consumer awareness of the health benefits of garlic, mostly in terms of cardiovascular and immune system health, has benefited the supplements industry, particularly since consumers seek the benefits of garlic without the odors that accompany the fresh bulb.
The benefits have been linked to the compound allicin, which is not found in fresh garlic: It is only formed when garlic is crushed, which breaks down a compound called diallyl sulphide.
Study details
“This may offer an opportunity to take advantage of plants’ delicately designed defense system against microorganisms, to protect ourselves by modulating gut microbiota to a healthier status,” wrote the researchers
The Taiwanese researchers divided male C57BL/6(B6) mice into four groups: One group received only the control chow diet; the second group received the carnitine diet (carnitine added to drinking water at a level of 0.02%); the third group received the carnitine diet with supplemental allicin; and the final group received the control diet plus the allicin supplement for six weeks.
Results showed that the second group (carnitine diet) had TMAO levels 4–22 times greater than those observed in the control group. However, these increases were attenuated in the carnitine + allicin group, said the researchers.
“Our study suggests that antimicrobial phytochemicals such as allicin effectively neutralize the metabolic ability of TMAO production of gut microbiota induced by daily intake of L-carnitine,” wrote the researchers. “It may offer an opportunity for us to take advantage of plants’ delicately designed defense system against microorganisms, to protect ourselves by modulating gut microbiota to a healthier status.
“Our research also suggested that allicin and dietary fresh garlic containing allicin might be used as functional foods for the prevention of atherosclerosis,” they concluded.
Drug used to prevent miscarriage increases risk of cancer in offspring University of Texas Health Science Center, November 9, 2021
Exposure in utero to a drug used to prevent miscarriage can lead to an increased risk of developing cancer, according to researchers at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth Houston).
The study was published today in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology.
The drug, 17α-hydroxyprogesterone caproate (17-OHPC), is a synthetic progestogen that was frequently used by women in the 1950s and 1960s, and is still prescribed to women today to help prevent preterm birth. Progesterone helps the womb grow during pregnancy and prevents a woman from having early contractions that may lead to miscarriage.
“Children who were born to women who received the drug during pregnancy have double the rate of cancer across their lifetime compared to children born to women who did not take this drug,” said Caitlin C. Murphy, PhD, MPH, lead author on the study and associate professor in the Department of Health Promotion and Behavioral Sciences at UTHealth School of Public Health in Houston. “We have seen cancers like colorectal cancer, pancreatic cancer, thyroid cancer, and many others increasing in people born in and after the 1960s, and no one really knows why.”
Researchers reviewed data from the Kaiser Foundation Health Plan on women who received prenatal care between June 1959 and June 1967, and the California Cancer Registry, which traced cancer in offspring through 2019.
Out of more than 18,751 live births, researchers discovered 1,008 cancer diagnoses were made in offspring ages 0 to 58 years. Additionally, a total of 234 offspring were exposed to 17-OHPC during pregnancy. Offspring exposed in the womb had cancer detected in adulthood more than twice as often as offspring not exposed to the drug – 65% of cancers occurred in adults younger than 50.
“Our findings suggest taking this drug during pregnancy can disrupt early development, which may increase risk of cancer decades later,” Murphy said “With this drug, we are seeing the effects of a synthetic hormone. Things that happened to us in the womb, or exposures in utero, are important risk factors for developing cancer many decades after we’re born.”
A new randomized trial shows there is no benefit of taking 17-OHPC, and that it does not reduce the risk of preterm birth, according to Murphy.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration proposed in October 2020 that this particular drug be withdrawn from the market.
Michael Kane is a New York City Special Education Teacher who is on unpaid leave for declining to inject the covid vaccine as a condition of employment. He applied for a religious exemption to vaccination but was denied by the city. Because of this, he is suing Mayor de Blasio and recently won an injunction in the Second Circuit Court of Appeals in the case KANE vs DE BLASIO.
Kane is also the founder of TEACHERS FOR CHOICE and is a National Grassroots Organizer for Robert Kennedy Jr.'s Children's Health Defense. You can learn more about him at www.TeachersForCho
HEALTH NEWS
Diet trumps drugs for anti aging and good metabolic health
University College London, November 15, 2021
A study comparing the impact of diet versus drugs on the inner workings of cells has found nutrition has a much stronger impact. The pre-clinical study by the University of Sydney's Charles Perkins Centre suggests the makeup of our diet could be more powerful than drugs in keeping conditions like diabetes, stroke and heart disease at bay.
Conducted in mice, the research showed nutrition (including overall calories and macronutrient balance) had a greater impact on aging and metabolic health than three drugs commonly used to treat diabetes and slow down aging.
"Diet is a powerful medicine. However, presently drugs are administered without consideration of whether and how they might interact with our diet composition—even when these drugs are designed to act in the same way, and on the same nutrient-signaling pathways as diet," said Professor Simpson. "We discovered dietary composition had a far more powerful effect than drugs, which largely dampened responses to diet rather than reshaped them," said Professor Simpson.
The researchers found calorie intake and the balance of macronutrients (protein, fats and carbohydrates) in the diet had a strong impact on the liver.
Protein and total calorie intake had a particularly powerful effect not just on metabolic pathways, but also on fundamental processes that control the way our cells function.
owed how food can dramatically influence many of the processes operating in our cells. This gives us insights into how diet impacts on health and aging."
An anti-inflammatory diet may be your best bet for cognitive health
Kapodistrian University (Greece), November 10, 2021
A new study shows that people who consumed an anti-inflammatory diet that includes more fruits, vegetables, beans, and tea or coffee, had a lower risk of developing dementia later in life.
The study looked at 1,059 people in Greece with an average age of 73 who did not have dementia.
Each person answered a food frequency questionnaire that is commonly used to determine the inflammatory potential of a person's diet. The questionnaire sought information on the main food groups consumed during the previous month, including dairy products, cereals, fruits, vegetables, meat, fish, legumes, which include beans, lentils and peas, added fats, alcoholic beverages, stimulants and sweets.
After adjusting for age, sex and education, researchers found that each one-point increase in dietary inflammatory score was associated with a 21% increase in dementia risk. Compared to the lowest third of participants who consumed the least inflammatory diet, those in the top third were three times more likely to develop dementia.
Mind over matter? Long Covid study sparks controversy
Hotel-Dieu Hospital Paris (France), November 15, 2021
A large-scale French study suggesting symptoms of so-called long COVID may be more due to psychological factors than to infection with the virus has sparked debate among patients and scientists. The report that appeared earlier this week in the Journal of the American Medical Association focused on nearly 27,000 participants across France who took antibody tests to screen for COVID infection.
After the subjects had received the antibody test results, researchers asked them whether they believed they had been infected with COVID and to report on symptoms like fatigue, breathlessness or impaired attention.
The vast majority of respondents—over 25,000 people—tested negative for COVID antibodies and believed they had never been sick. Researchers found that people who believed they had had COVID, whether or not they had had a positive test, were more likely to report long-term symptoms.
A positive antibody test, meanwhile, was only consistently associated with one long-term symptom: loss of smell.
They concluded that persistent physical symptoms "may be associated more with the belief in having been infected with SARS-CoV-2 than with having laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 infection". But long COVID is itself very poorly defined—and that makes research on the subject hard to frame.
The French study alone explored more than a dozen symptoms including joint pain, sore muscles, fatigue, poor attention, skin problems, hearing impairment, constipation, dizziness and more.
"The case definition is bad," said Perry Wilson of Yale University on the Medscape website. "We have zero diagnostic tests, and papers like this may be used to argue it isn't even a real problem."
Strong links between certain food groups, memory loss and comorbid heart disease or diabetes
University of Technology Sydney, November 6, 2021
UTS research studied data from 139,000 older Australians and found found high consumption of fruit and vegetables was linked to lowered odds of memory loss and its comorbid heart disease. High consumption of protein-rich foods was associated with a better memory.
Dr. Xu also found the link between food groups and memory status may vary among different older age groups. People aged 80 years and over with a low consumption of cereals are at the highest risk of memory loss and its comorbid heart disease, her research published in the International Journal of Public Health showed.
"Our present study implies that the healthy eating suggestions of cereals consumption in the prevention of memory loss and comorbid heart disease for older people may differ compared to other age groups," said Dr. Xu, who holds a Heart Foundation postdoctoral research fellowship.
Positive topline results from groundbreaking trial of psilocybin therapy for treatment-resistant depression
Largest randomised, controlled, double-blind psilocybin therapy study ever completed shows rapid and sustained response for patients receiving a single dose of COMP360 psilocybin with psychological support
Columbia University and COMPASS Pathways plc, November 9, 2021
COMPASS Pathways plc (Nasdaq: CMPS) (“COMPASS”), a mental health care company dedicated to accelerating patient access to evidence-based innovation in mental health, today announced that its groundbreaking phase IIb clinical trial of COMP360 psilocybin therapy for treatment-resistant depression has achieved its primary endpoint for the highest dose, with a 25mg dose of COMP360 demonstrating a highly statistically significant and clinically relevant reduction in depressive symptom severity after three weeks, with a rapid and durable treatment response*.
In the randomised, controlled, double-blind trial, a single dose of investigational COMP360 psilocybin was given to 233 patients in conjunction with psychological support from specially trained therapists. All patients discontinued antidepressants prior to participation.
This randomised, controlled, multicentre, double-blind phase IIb trial is the largest psilocybin therapy clinical trial ever conducted, with 233 patients from 10 countries in North America and Europe. 94% of the patients had no prior experience with psilocybin. The objective of the trial was to find the appropriate dose for a larger, pivotal phase III programme, which COMPASS expects to begin in 2022.
David J Hellerstein MD, a Principal Investigator on the trial and Professor of Clinical Psychiatry at the Columbia University Irving Medical Center, said: “Treatment-resistant depression is a common and devastating condition, affecting tens of millions of people, with few effective treatments. This is the largest modern study of a psychedelic drug, combined with psychological support, enrolling over 200 people with TRD. In this groundbreaking study, a single dose of psilocybin, given in conjunction with psychological support, generated a rapid response that lasted up to 12 weeks. Remission rates appear to be higher than seen in traditional medication studies. We now have evidence from a large well-designed trial that psilocybin may be effective for people with treatment-resistant major depressive disorder. These findings suggest that COMP360 psilocybin therapy could play a major role in psychiatric care, if approved.”
Yerba Mate Enhances Cellular Energy and Metabolism
KyungPook University and Pukyong University (S. Korea), November 15, 2017
In South America, Yerba Mate has been grown and taken medicinally for centuries. Researchers have shown that use of the herb over an extended period had significant effects on body weight and weight gain and was associated with lower levels of blood lipids and insulin in obese mice fed a high-fat diet.
Some of the most important antioxidant enzymes in the body are induced by mate. It is rich in polyphenols and displays high antioxidant activity. It's also a cancer killer. Mate tea drinkers experience a significant increase in the activity of an enzyme that promotes HDL (good) cholesterol which prevents fats from oxidizing. Mate is traditionally steeped and served in a hollow calabash gourd (itself called a mate) and drunk through a metal straw called a bombilla. You can also make mate in a standard automatic coffee maker. Just put the mate where you would normally put the coffee grounds.
This new study supports the anti-obesity effect of long-term supplementation with yerba mate, and its beneficial effects on related metabolic disorders.
Grape consumption benefits gut microbiome and cholesterol metabolism University of California at Los Angeles, November 11, 2021
A new clinical study published in the scientific journal Nutrients found that consuming grapes significantly increased the diversity of bacteria in the gut which is considered essential to good health overall. Additionally, consuming grapes significantly decreased cholesterol levels, as well as bile acids which play an integral role in cholesterol metabolism. The findings suggest a promising new role for grapes in gut health and reinforce the benefits of grapes on heart health.
In the intervention study], healthy subjects consumed the equivalent of 1.5 cups of grapes[2] per day – for four weeks. The subjects consumed a low fiber/low polyphenol diet throughout the study. After four weeks of grape consumption there was an increase in microbial diversity as measured by the Shannon index, a commonly used tool for measuring diversity of species.
Among the beneficial bacteria that increased was Akkermansia, a bacteria of keen interest for its beneficial effect on glucose and lipid metabolism, as well as on the integrity of the intestinal lining. Additionally, a decrease in blood cholesterols was observed including total cholesterol by 6.1% and LDL cholesterol by 5.9%. Bile acids, which are linked to cholesterol metabolism, were decreased by 40.9%.
Vitamin D supplementation associated with lower risk of heart attack or death during follow-up
Kansas City VA Medical Center, November 8 2021.
The October 2021 issue of the Journal of the Endocrine Society published findings from a retrospective study of US veterans that uncovered an association between supplementing with vitamin D and a lower risk of heart attack and mortality from any cause during up to 14 years of follow-up.
The study included men and women treated at the Kansas City VA Medical Center from 1999-2018 who had low 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels of 20 ng/mL or less. Among 11,119 patients who were not treated with vitamin D supplements, follow-up vitamin D levels remained at 20 ng/mL or lower. For those who received the vitamin, levels improved to 21-29 ng/mL among 5,623 patients and to at least 30 ng/mL among 3,277 patients at follow-up.
Men and women whose vitamin D levels improved to at least 30 ng/mL had a risk of heart attack that was 35% lower than patients whose levels improved to 21-29 ng/mL and 27% lower than the untreated group. The difference in risk between untreated individuals and those whose levels improved to 21-29 ng/mL was not determined to be significant. Patients whose vitamin D levels improved the most also experienced significantly greater heart attack-free survival during follow-up than the remainder of the patients.
When mortality from any cause during follow-up was examined, men and women whose vitamin D levels improved to 21-29 ng/mL had a 41% lower risk, and those whose levels improved to 30 ng/mL or more had a 39% lower risk than the untreated group.
“These results suggest that targeting 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels above 30 ng/mL might improve prognosis in the primary prevention setting among individuals with vitamin D deficiency,” authors Prakash Acharya of the University of Kansas Medical Center and colleagues wrote.
Meditative practice and spiritual wellbeing may preserve cognitive function in aging
Alzheimer's Research and Prevention Foundation and Thomas Jefferson University, November 12, 2021
It is projected that up to 152 million people worldwide will be living with Alzheimer's disease (AD) by 2050. To date there are no drugs that have a substantial positive impact on either the prevention or reversal of cognitive decline. A growing body of evidence finds that targeting lifestyle and vascular risk factors have a beneficial effect on overall cognitive performance. A new review in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, published by IOS Press, examines research that finds spiritual fitness, a new concept in medicine that centers on psychological and spiritual wellbeing may reduce multiple risk factors for AD.
Research reveals that religious and spiritual involvement can preserve cognitive function as we age. Significantly, individuals who have a high score on a "purpose in life" (PIL) measure, a component of psychological wellbeing, were 2.4 times more likely to remain free of AD than individuals with low PIL. In another study, participants who reported higher levels of PIL exhibited better cognitive function, and further, PIL protected those with already existing pathological conditions, thus slowing their decline.
Radiotherapy may explain why childhood cancer survivors often develop metabolic disease
Rockefeller University, November 9, 2021
Decades after battling childhood cancer, survivors often face a new challenge: cardiometabolic disease. A spectrum of conditions that includes coronary heart disease and diabetes, cardiometabolic disease typically impacts people who are obese, elderly, or insulin resistant. For reasons yet unknown, young, seemingly healthy adults who survived childhood cancer are also at risk.
Radiation therapy may be to blame. A new study finds that childhood cancer patients who were treated with abdominal or total body irradiation grow up to display abnormalities in their adipose (fat) tissue, similar to those found in obese individuals with cardiometabolic disease.
"When physicians are planning radiation therapy, they are very conscious of toxicity to major organs. But fat is often not considered," says Rockefeller's Paul Cohen. "Our results imply that the early exposure of fat cells to radiation may cause long-term dysfunction in the adipose tissue that puts childhood cancer survivors at higher risk of cardiometabolic disease."
Researchers discover link between dietary fat (palm oil) and the spread of cancer
Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology (Spain), November 10, 2021
The study, published in the journal Nature and part-funded by the UK charity Worldwide Cancer Research, uncovers how palmitic acid alters the cancer genome, increasing the likelihood the cancer will spread. The researchers have started developing therapies that interrupt this process and say a clinical trial could start in the next couple of years.
Newly published findings reveal that one such fatty acid commonly found in palm oil, called palmitic acid, promotes metastasis in oral carcinomas and melanoma skin cancer in mice. Other fatty acids called oleic acid and linoleic acid—omega-9 and omega-6 fats found in foods such as olive oil and flaxseeds—did not show the same effect. Neither of the fatty acids tested increased the risk of developing cancer in the first place.
The research found that when palmitic acid was supplemented into the diet of mice, it not only contributed to metastasis, but also exerts long-term effects on the genome. Cancer cells that had only been exposed to palmitic acid in the diet for a short period of time remained highly metastatic even when the palmitic acid had been removed from the diet. The researchers discovered that this "memory" is caused by epigenetic changes—changes to how our genes function. The epigenetic changes alter the function of metastatic cancer cells and allow them to form a neural network around the tumor to communicate with cells in their immediate environment and to spread more easily. By understanding the nature of this communication, the researchers uncovered a way to block it and are now in the process of planning a clinical trial to stop metastasis in different types of cancer.
Study finds consuming nuts strengthens brainwave function
Loma Linda University, November 15, 2021
A new study has found that eating nuts on a regular basis strengthens brainwave frequencies associated with cognition, healing, learning, memory and other key brain functions.
In the study titled "Nuts and brain: Effects of eating nuts on changing electroencephalograph brainwaves," researchers found that some nuts stimulated some brain frequencies more than others. Pistachios, for instance, produced the greatest gamma wave response, which is critical for enhancing cognitive processing, information retention, learning, perception and rapid eye movement during sleep. Peanuts, which are actually legumes, but were still part of the study, produced the highest delta response, which is associated with healthy immunity, natural healing, and deep sleep.
The study's principal investigator, Lee Berk, DrPH, MPH, associate dean for research at the LLU School of Allied Health Professions, said that while researchers found variances between the six nut varieties tested (almonds, cashews, peanuts, pecans, pistachios and walnuts), all of them were high in beneficial antioxidants, with walnuts containing the highest antioxidant concentrations of all.
Why Nitrates And Nitrites In Processed Meats Are Harmful – But Those In Vegetables Aren’t University of Hertfordshire (UK), November 11, 2021
While there are many reasons processed meats aren’t great for our health, one reason is because they contain chemicals called nitrates and nitrites. But processed meats aren’t the only foods that contain these chemicals. In fact, many vegetables also contain high amounts – mainly nitrates. And yet research suggests that eating vegetables lowers – not raises – cancer risk. So how can nitrates and nitrites be harmful when added to meat but healthy in vegetables? The answer lies in how nitrates and nitrites in food get converted into other molecules.
Nitrates and nitrites occur attached to sodium or potassium, and belong to a family of chemically related molecules that also includes the gas nitric oxide. Vegetables such as beetroot, spinach and cabbages are particularly good sources of nitrates.
When we eat something containing nitrates or nitrites, they may convert into a related molecular form. For example, nitrate in vegetables and in the pharmaceutical form nitroglycerine (which is used to treat angina), can convert in the body into nitric oxide. Nitric oxide dilates blood vessels, which can reduce blood pressure.
It’s actually sodium nitrite – not nitrate – that’s linked to cancer. But if consuming nitrites alone directly caused cancer, then even eating vegetables would be harmful to us. Given this isn’t the case, it shows us that cancer risk likely comes from when the sodium nitrites react with other molecules in the body. So it isn’t necessarily the nitrates and nitrites themselves that cause health issues – including cancer. Rather, it’s what form they are converted into that can increase risk – and what these converted molecules interact with in our bodies.
The main concern is when sodium nitrite reacts with degraded bits of amino acids – protein fragments our body produces during the digestion of proteins – forming molecules called N-nitroso compounds (NOCs). These NOCs have been shown to cause cancer.
Obama Climate & Environment Record
Seasoned environmentalists were very skeptical of obama from the very start n the 2008 campaign -- notably his coal to liquid technology he advocated and his great enthusiasm for ethanol
Sold off 2.2 billion tons of coal from public land (Greenpeace report). The sales to private interests generated $2.3 billon but CO2 damage estimated between $52-530 billion
His Clean Power Plan -- which Trump administration later trashed -- really had little to do with the plan's name -- had nothing to do with eradicating hazardous pollutants from power generation; it was primarily all based on a cap and trade system to regulate carbon dioxide
Ran on campaign that by 2025, 25% of US energy would be renewable Was never anywhere close on being on track for that goal
Promoted fracking as a move away from coal to natural gas -- this was a midst promises to have highest standards for fracking on federal land -- never happened
Lowered natural gas export restrictions in order to sell more US natural gas to foeign customers
Made efforts to weaken rules.on methane leaks from oil and gas operations -- leaks account or 3 percent of US gas emissions
Also instrumental in pushing on behalf of pipeline companies and terminals to have major coastal terminals for gas exports (most notable example was Cove Point terminal in Maryland that Obama touted
Flint Water crisis
Sued the EPA over a dozen ties against the agency's effort to increase environmental regulations on corporations
Opened more federal and land (18% increase between 2009-2014) for oil and gas drilling -- including "off limits" regions in the mid Atlantic coast, along Alaska's Arctic coast and Gulf of mexico,
Completely failed on setting rules or clean disposal of coal ash byproduct -- US produces about 100 million tons of this crap annually and just dumps into holes in the ground
Went soft on ozone pollution and smog rules -- did lower Bush's ozone threshold from 75ppb to 70 ppb, but his EPA was recommending 60-65 ppb
Very insensitive to wood pellet development under the disguise as a renewable -- part of his clean power plan
HEALTH NEWS
Adding herbs and spices to meals may help lower blood pressure
Texas Tech University, November 8, 2021
In a controlled-feeding study, the researchers found that seasoning foods with 6.5 grams, or about 1.3 teaspoons, of herbs and spices a day was linked with lower blood pressure after four weeks. The findings offer people a simple way to help improve their heart health.
For the study, the researchers recruited 71 people with risk factors for heart disease. Every participant consumed every spice diet—one low, one moderate, and one high in herbs and spices—in a random order for four weeks each, with a two-week break between each diet period. Blood samples were drawn from each participant at the beginning of the study as well as after each diet period.
The doses included a blend of 24 different herbs and spices, ranging from basil and thyme to cinnamon and turmeric, designed to simulate the way people use different herbs and spices throughout the day while cooking.
The researchers found that after consuming the diet including a high dose of herbs and spices, participants had lower systolic blood pressure than after the diet with the medium dose. Participants also had lower diastolic blood pressure after the diet with a high dose of herbs and spices than after the diet with a low dose.
Bitter melon can lower blood sugar levels and even prevent cancer
University of Colorado Cancer Center, November 11, 2021
Bitter melon (Momordica charantia), also known as bitter gourd and balsam pear in other parts of the world, is one of those foods that meet more than your senses of sight and taste. A study conducted by researchers from the University of Colorado Cancer Center demonstrated the vegetable’s ability to fight pancreatic cancer, one of the hardest cancers to treat.
It found that treating pancreatic cancer tumors in mice with 5 milligrams of freeze-dried bitter melon juice every day reduces the tumors’ size and makes them 64 percent smaller than those in untreated mice. What more, bitter melon proved more effective than a common chemotherapy drug used in a similar study, which reduced the tumor size by only 52 percent. The researchers noted that the dosage used in the study caused no adverse effects on the mice and may be adapted for human consumption.
In another study, bitter melon caused apoptosis – cellular death – in four pancreatic cancer cell lines, reducing the viability of two lines by 90 percent and the other two by an impressive 98 percent. It also halted the metastasis and re-growth of the cancer cells. Further research has shown the vegetable’s activity against other types of cancer as well, including blood, colon, liver, stomach, and breast cancers.
If you really don’t think you can take the vegetable’s flavor, you can take it in capsule form. Do note that some studies showing its benefits for blood sugar control used dosages as high as 2,000 mg a day. To ensure that bitter melon supplements are the best for your condition, it would be best to consult with your healthcare provider before taking them.
Flame retardants linked to autistic-like behavior
University of California at Riverside, November 7, 2021
Polybrominated diphenyl ethers, or PBDEs, are a class of fire-retardant chemicals that are ubiquitous. They are found on upholstery, carpets, curtains, electronics, and even infant products. Flame retardants migrate out of products into dust that humans contact and can ingest. Considered to be global environmental pollutants, they have been detected in water, soil, air, food products, animals, and human tissues. They are found, too, in breast milk of women all over the world.
A research team has found that when female mice exposed to PBDEs pass on these neuroendocrine-disrupting chemicals to their developing offspring, the female offspring show traits relevant to autism spectrum disorders, or ASD. Their short-term social-recognition ability and long-term social memory is reduced significantly and the offspring show exaggerated “marble burying” behavior — repetitive behavior reminiscent of human compulsive behavior, a core symptom of ASD.
“Humans mostly rely on faces to recognize people and most autistics show deficits in face-identity processing,” Curras-Collazo explained. “Mice, on the other hand, rely on smell for social recognition. The female offspring of mother mice exposed to PBDEs showed olfactory deficits that dampened their ability to recognize other mice. In effect, these offspring do not distinguish new mice from familiar ones. Humans with ASD also show abnormal olfactory ability.”
To the authors’ knowledge, their study is the first to show autistic-relevant behavior and brain changes in female offspring from maternal transfer of environmental pollutants. The behaviors were also tested in exposed mothers, but they were largely unaffected. ype and social neuropeptide alterations in female mice offspring induced by maternal transfer of PBDE congeners in the commercial mixture DE‑71.”
Two omega-3s in fish oil may boost brain function in people with heart disease
Harvard Medical School , November 8, 2021
Two omega-3 fatty acids found in fish oil may help improve brain function in older adults who have a type of heart disease known to put people at risk for cognitive decline.
A new study found that DHA and EPA, given in a combined supplement at prescription levels, improved cognitive function in older adults with coronary artery disease, or CAD. It is a common type of heart disease that occurs when plaque builds up in the arteries and hinders proper blood flow. Studies have shown people with CAD have a 45% increased risk for cognitive decline.
The largest improvements in brain function were seen when higher levels of both types of omega-3 fatty acids were present in the bloodstream. When analyzed individually, DHA levels were a better predictor for cognitive improvement than EPA, suggesting the presence of one type of omega-3 fatty acid was more important than the other, the authors concluded.
"The study showed EPA adds additional benefit when DHA levels are already high," said study researcher Dr. Francine Welty, an associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School in Boston. "But EPA levels alone had no predictive ability for cognitive improvement."
Despite understanding the concept of mindfulness, people are applying it incorrectly, research finds
University of Waterloo (Canada), November 8, 2021
Mindful awareness is about both accepting and engaging with life's challenges, and that's what popularized concepts of mindfulness tend to miss, new research has found.
Studying popular concepts of mindfulness, the researchers found most laypeople are confusing the practice with passive acceptance of problem—a misconception scientists say ignores the important work of engaging with them. Originating in Buddhist religious practice, much of the mindfulness movement's popularity grew from clinical research affirming its potential for reducing stress and related health disorders.
It is, in fact, the engagement with stressors that ultimately results in stress relief. More specifically, mindfulness includes two main dimensions: awareness and acceptance.
"While we found that people seem to conceptually understand that mindfulness involves engagement, the general public is not walking the talk. Our results suggest that laypeople may understand what awareness is, but the next step of acceptance may not be well understood—limiting potential for engaging with problems," said Ellen Choi, lead author on the paper.
Bacterial pneumonia far more dangerous to the heart than viral pneumonia, study finds
Intermountain Medical Center (Utah), November 11, 2021
Heart complications in patients diagnosed with bacterial pneumonia are more serious than in patients diagnosed with viral pneumonia, according to new research.
In the study of nearly 5,000 patients, researchers found that patients diagnosed with bacterial pneumonia had a 60 percent greater risk of a heart attack, stroke, or death than patients who had been diagnosed with viral pneumonia.
"We've always known pneumonia was a risk factor for a major adverse cardiac event, like a heart attack, within the first 90 days of being diagnosed," said J. Brent Muhlestein, MD, a cardiovascular researcher with the Intermountain Heart Institute at Intermountain Medical Center. "What we didn't know was which type of pneumonia was more dangerous. The results of this study provided a clear answer, which will allow physicians to better monitor patients and focus on reducing their risk of a major adverse cardiac event."
Nearly 80 percent of the patients were diagnosed with bacterial pneumonia, and 34 percent (1,270 patients) of them had a major cardiovascular event within 90 days. At the same time, 21 percent of the patients were diagnosed with viral pneumonia, and 26 percent (258 patients) had a major adverse event within the 90-day window.
"The likely underlying cause is that bacterial pneumonia causes greater inflammation of the arteries compared to viral pneumonia," said Dr. Muhlestein.
Researchers find exposure to microplastics may alter cellular function
Florida State University, November 11, 2021
Pollution from miniscule pieces of plastic, or microplastics, have been a growing concern for scientists, public health advocates and environmentalists as these nondegradable items have increasingly made their way into waterways and even the air we breathe.
Now, a team researchers found that exposure to microplastics for only a few days caused human lung cells to slow down their metabolism and growth, change shapes, and decluster so that gaps exist in what is typically a solid sheet of cells. The findings raise questions about the long-term effects of microplastics on human health, particularly for those who already have respiratory conditions.
The team exposed lung cells in a petri dish to small amounts of polystyrene at levels that are commonly found in the environment and found that though the plastic didn’t cause cell death, it caused some interesting changes. After only a few days, they found that the cell’s metabolic processes had slowed down, cell proliferation was inhibited, the shape of the cell morphed and the delustering had occurred. Additionally, the team found that the microplastic particles were uptaken by the cells and had formed a ring around the nucleus in the cell.
Subject: The Case Against Vaccine Mandates -- Response to Alan Dershowitz's Case in Favor of Mandates
Kent Heckenlively is an attorney with a jurist doctoral degree, a science teacher and a founding contributing editor of Age of Autism, a daily web newsletter about the autism epidemic that investigates autism as an environmentally induced and treatable illness. In the past he has worked for US Senator Pete Wilson from California and the US Attorney’s Office in San Francisco. His daughter Jacqueline has severe autism due to a vaccine injury. Kent is the author and co-author o nine books. His most recent is "The Case Against Vaccine Mandates" is a counter-response to Alan Dershowitz's recently published "The Case for Vaccine Mandates." Earlier Kent authored “Inoculated: How Science Lost its Soul in Autism,” which tells the story of how vaccines have become a 30 year disaster since the passage of Ronald Reagan’s 1986 National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act that gave vaccine makers immunity from vaccine injuries. Kent is also the co-author of two books by recent whistleblowers: "Google Leaks" with Zach Vorhies, and "Behind the Mask of Facebook" with Ryan Hartwig -- both who have been guests on past recent programs.
The Metaverse Is Big Brother in Disguise: Freedom Meted Out by Technological Tyrants
By John W. Whitehead & Nisha Whitehead November 9, 2021 “The term metaverse, like the term meritocracy, was coined in a sci fi dystopia novel written as cautionary tale. Then techies took metaverse, and technocrats took meritocracy, and enthusiastically adopted what was meant to inspire horror.”—Antonio García Martínez Welcome to the Matrix (i.e. the metaverse), where reality is virtual, freedom is only as free as one’s technological overlords allow, and artificial intelligence is slowly rendering humanity unnecessary, inferior and obsolete.
Mark Zuckerberg, the CEO of Facebook, sees this digital universe—the metaverse—as the next step in our evolutionary transformation from a human-driven society to a technological one.
Yet while Zuckerberg’s vision for this digital frontier has been met with a certain degree of skepticism, the truth—as journalist Antonio García Martínez concludes—is that we’re already living in the metaverse.
The metaverse is, in turn, a dystopian meritocracy, where freedom is a conditional construct based on one’s worthiness and compliance.
In a meritocracy, rights are privileges, afforded to those who have earned them. There can be no tolerance for independence or individuality in a meritocracy, where political correctness is formalized, legalized and institutionalized. Likewise, there can be no true freedom when the ability to express oneself, move about, engage in commerce and function in society is predicated on the extent to which you’re willing to “fit in.”
We are almost at that stage now.
Consider that in our present virtue-signaling world where fascism disguises itself as tolerance, the only way to enjoy even a semblance of freedom is by opting to voluntarily censor yourself, comply, conform and march in lockstep with whatever prevailing views dominate.
Fail to do so—by daring to espouse “dangerous” ideas or support unpopular political movements—and you will find yourself shut out of commerce, employment, and society: Facebook will ban you, Twitter will shut you down, Instagram will de-platform you, and your employer will issue ultimatums that force you to choose between your so-called freedoms and economic survival.
This is exactly how Corporate America plans to groom us for a world in which “we the people” are unthinking, unresistant, slavishly obedient automatons in bondage to a Deep State policed by computer algorithms.
Science fiction has become fact.
Twenty-some years after the Wachowskis’ iconic film, The Matrix, introduced us to a futuristic world in which humans exist in a computer-simulated non-reality powered by authoritarian machines—a world where the choice between existing in a denial-ridden virtual dream-state or facing up to the harsh, difficult realities of life comes down to a blue pill or a red pill—we stand at the precipice of a technologically-dominated matrix of our own making.
We are living the prequel to The Matrix with each passing day, falling further under the spell of technologically-driven virtual communities, virtual realities and virtual conveniences managed by artificially intelligent machines that are on a fast track to replacing human beings and eventually dominating every aspect of our lives.
In The Matrix, computer programmer Thomas Anderson a.k.a. hacker Neo is wakened from a virtual slumber by Morpheus, a freedom fighter seeking to liberate humanity from a lifelong hibernation state imposed by hyper-advanced artificial intelligence machines that rely on humans as an organic power source. With their minds plugged into a perfectly crafted virtual reality, few humans ever realize they are living in an artificial dream world.
Neo is given a choice: to take the red pill, wake up and join the resistance, or take the blue pill, remain asleep and serve as fodder for the powers-that-be.
Most people opt for the blue pill.
In our case, the blue pill—a one-way ticket to a life sentence in an electronic concentration camp—has been honey-coated to hide the bitter aftertaste, sold to us in the name of expediency and delivered by way of blazingly fast Internet, cell phone signals that never drop a call, thermostats that keep us at the perfect temperature without our having to raise a finger, and entertainment that can be simultaneously streamed to our TVs, tablets and cell phones.
Yet we are not merely in thrall with these technologies that were intended to make our lives easier. We have become enslaved by them.
Look around you. Everywhere you turn, people are so addicted to their internet-connected screen devices—smart phones, tablets, computers, televisions—that they can go for hours at a time submerged in a virtual world where human interaction is filtered through the medium of technology.
This is not freedom. This is not even progress.
This is technological tyranny and iron-fisted control delivered by way of the surveillance state, corporate giants such as Google and Facebook, and government spy agencies such as the National Security Agency.
So consumed are we with availing ourselves of all the latest technologies that we have spared barely a thought for the ramifications of our heedless, headlong stumble towards a world in which our abject reliance on internet-connected gadgets and gizmos is grooming us for a future in which freedom is an illusion.
Yet it’s not just freedom that hangs in the balance. Humanity itself is on the line.
If ever Americans find themselves in bondage to technological tyrants, we will have only ourselves to blame for having forged the chains through our own lassitude, laziness and abject reliance on internet-connected gadgets and gizmos that render us wholly irrelevant.
Indeed, we’re fast approaching Philip K. Dick’s vision of the future as depicted in the film Minority Report. There, police agencies apprehend criminals before they can commit a crime, driverless cars populate the highways, and a person’s biometrics are constantly scanned and used to track their movements, target them for advertising, and keep them under perpetual surveillance.
Cue the dawning of the Age of the Internet of Things (IoT), in which internet-connected “things” monitor your home, your health and your habits in order to keep your pantry stocked, your utilities regulated and your life under control and relatively worry-free.
The key word here, however, is control.
In the not-too-distant future, “just about every device you have—and even products like chairs, that you don’t normally expect to see technology in—will be connected and talking to each other.”
By the end of 2018, “there were an estimated 22 billion internet of things connected devices in use around the world… Forecasts suggest that by 2030 around 50 billion of these IoT devices will be in use around the world, creating a massive web of interconnected devices spanning everything from smartphones to kitchen appliances.”
As the technologies powering these devices have become increasingly sophisticated, they have also become increasingly widespread, encompassing everything from toothbrushes and lightbulbs to cars, smart meters and medical equipment.
It is estimated that 127 new IoT devices are connected to the web every second.
This “connected” industry has become the next big societal transformation, right up there with the Industrial Revolution, a watershed moment in technology and culture.
Between driverless cars that completely lacking a steering wheel, accelerator, or brake pedal, and smart pills embedded with computer chips, sensors, cameras and robots, we are poised to outpace the imaginations of science fiction writers such as Philip K. Dick and Isaac Asimov. (By the way, there is no such thing as a driverless car. Someone or something will be driving, but it won’t be you.)
These Internet-connected techno gadgets include smart light bulbs that discourage burglars by making your house look occupied, smart thermostatsthat regulate the temperature of your home based on your activities, and smart doorbells that let you see who is at your front door without leaving the comfort of your couch.
Nest, Google’s suite of smart home products, has been at the forefront of the “connected” industry, with such technologically savvy conveniences as a smart lock that tells your thermostat who is home, what temperatures they like, and when your home is unoccupied; a home phone service system that interacts with your connected devices to “learn when you come and go” and alert you if your kids don’t come home; and a sleep system that will monitor when you fall asleep, when you wake up, and keep the house noises and temperature in a sleep-conducive state.
The aim of these internet-connected devices, as Nest proclaims, is to make “your house a more thoughtful and conscious home.” For example, your car can signal ahead that you’re on your way home, while Hue lights can flash on and off to get your attention if Nest Protect senses something’s wrong. Your coffeemaker, relying on data from fitness and sleep sensors, will brew a stronger pot of coffee for you if you’ve had a restless night.
Yet given the speed and trajectory at which these technologies are developing, it won’t be long before these devices are operating entirely independent of their human creators, which poses a whole new set of worries. As technology expert Nicholas Carr notes, “As soon as you allow robots, or software programs, to act freely in the world, they’re going to run up against ethically fraught situations and face hard choices that can’t be resolved through statistical models. That will be true of self-driving cars, self-flying drones, and battlefield robots, just as it’s already true, on a lesser scale, with automated vacuum cleaners and lawnmowers.”
For instance, just as the robotic vacuum, Roomba, “makes no distinction between a dust bunny and an insect,” weaponized drones will be incapable of distinguishing between a fleeing criminal and someone merely jogging down a street. For that matter, how do you defend yourself against a robotic cop—such as the Atlas android being developed by the Pentagon—that has been programmed to respond to any perceived threat with violence?
Moreover, it’s not just our homes and personal devices that are being reordered and reimagined in this connected age: it’s our workplaces, our health systems, our government, our bodies and our innermost thoughts that are being plugged into a matrix over which we have no real control.
It is expected that by 2030, we will all experience The Internet of Senses (IoS), enabled by Artificial Intelligence (AI), Virtual Reality (VR), Augmented Reality (AR), 5G, and automation. The Internet of Senses relies on connected technology interacting with our senses of sight, sound, taste, smell, and touch by way of the brain as the user interface. As journalist Susan Fourtane explains:
Many predict that by 2030, the lines between thinking and doing will blur. Fifty-nine percent of consumers believe that we will be able to see map routes on VR glasses by simply thinking of a destination… By 2030, technology is set to respond to our thoughts, and even share them with others… Using the brain as an interface could mean the end of keyboards, mice, game controllers, and ultimately user interfaces for any digital device. The user needs to only think about the commands, and they will just happen. Smartphones could even function without touch screens. In other words, the IoS will rely on technology being able to access and act on your thoughts.
Fourtane outlines several trends related to the IoS that are expected to become a reality by 2030:
1: Thoughts become action: using the brain as the interface, for example, users will be able to see map routes on VR glasses by simply thinking of a destination.
2: Sounds will become an extension of the devised virtual reality: users could mimic anyone's voice realistically enough to fool even family members.
3: Real food will become secondary to imagined tastes. A sensory device for your mouth could digitally enhance anything you eat, so that any food can taste like your favorite treat.
4: Smells will become a projection of this virtual reality so that virtual visits, to forests or the countryside for instance, would include experiencing all the natural smells of those places.
5: Total touch: Smartphones with screens will convey the shape and texture of the digital icons and buttons they are pressing.
6: Merged reality: VR game worlds will become indistinguishable from physical reality by 2030. This is the metaverse, wrapped up in the siren-song of convenience and sold to us as the secret to success, entertainment and happiness.
It’s a false promise, a wicked trap to snare us, with a single objective: total control.
George Orwell understood this.
Orwell’s masterpiece, 1984, portrays a global society of total control in which people are not allowed to have thoughts that in any way disagree with the corporate state. There is no personal freedom, and advanced technology has become the driving force behind a surveillance-driven society. Snitches and cameras are everywhere. And people are subject to the Thought Police, who deal with anyone guilty of thought crimes. The government, or “Party,” is headed by Big Brother, who appears on posters everywhere with the words: “Big Brother is watching you.”
Celia Ingrid Farber is an American print journalist and author, best known for her part in the campaign which denies that AIDS is an infectious disease. She has also covered a range of topics for magazines including Spin, Rolling Stone, Esquire, Harper's, Interview, Salon, Gear, New York Press, Media Post, The New York Post, Sunday Herald, and was particularly noted for a report on OJ Simpson's post-trial life in 1998. Farber is the daughter of radio talk pioneer Barry Farber.
Gary takes on the real issues that the mainstream media is afraid to tackle. Tune in to find out the latest about health news, healing, politics, and the economy.
A SPEECH BY jULIE PONESSE
Sins Of Omission: The AZT Scandal By Celia Farber Spin Nov. 1989
On a cold January day in 1987, inside one of the brightly-lit meeting rooms of the monstrous FDA building, a panel of 11 top Aids doctors pondered a very difficult decision. They had been asked by the FDA to consider giving lightning-quick approval to a highly toxic drug about which there was very little information. Clinically called Zidovudine, but nicknamed AZT after its components, the drug was said to have shown a dramatic effect on the survival of Aids patients. The study that had brought the panel together had set the medical community abuzz. It was the first flicker of hope - people were dying much faster on the placebo than on the drug.
But there were tremendous concerns about the new drug. It had actually been developed a quarter of a century earlier as a cancer chemotherapy, but was shelved and forgotten because it was so toxic, very expensive to produce, and totally ineffective against cancer. Powerful, but unspecific, the drug was not selective in its cell destruction.
Drug companies around the world were sifting through hundreds of compounds in the race to find a cure, or at least a treatment, for Aids. Burroughs Wellcome, a subsidiary of Wellcome, a British drug company, emerged as the winner. By chance, they sent the failed cancer drug, then known as Compound S, to the National Cancer Institute along with many others to see if it could slay the Aids dragon, HIV. In the test tube at least, it did.
At the meeting, there was a lot of uncertainty and discomfort with AZT. The doctors who had been consulted knew that the study was flawed and that the long-range effects were completely unknown. But the public was almost literally baying at the door. Understandably, there was immense pressure on the FDA to approve AZT even more quickly than they had approved thalidomide in the mid-60s, which ended up causing drastic birth defects.
Everybody was worried about this one. To approve it, said Ellen Cooper, an FDA director, would represent a "significant and potentially dangerous departure from our normal toxicology requirements."
Just before approving the drug, one doctor on the panel, Calvin Kunin, summed up their dilemma. "On the one hand," he said, "to deny a drug which decreases mortality in a population such as this would be inappropriate. On the other hand, to use this drug widely, for areas where efficacy has not been demonstrated, with a potentially toxic agent, might be disastrous."
"We do not know what will happen a year from now," said panel chairman Dr. Itzhak Brook. "The data is just too premature, and the statistics are not really well done. The drug could actually be detrimental." A little later, he said he was also "struck by the facts that AZT does not stop deaths. Even those who were switched to AZT still kept dying."
"I agree with you," answered another panel member, "There are so many unknowns. Once a drug is approved there is no telling how it could be abused. There's no going back."
Burroughs Wellcome reassured the panel that they would provide detailed two-year follow-up data, and that they would not let the drug get out of its intended parameters: as a stopgap measure for very sick patients.
Dr. Brook was not won over by the promise. "If we approve it today, there will not be much data. There will be a promise of data," he predicted, "but then the production of data will be hampered." Brook's vote was the only one cast against approval.
'There was not enough data, not enough follow-up," Brook recalls. "Many of the questions we asked the company were answered by, 'We have not analyzed the data yet,' or 'We do not know.' I felt that there was some promising data, but I was very worried about the price being paid for it. The side effects were so very severe. It was chemotherapy. Patients were going to need blood transfusions. That's very serious.
"The committee was tending to agree with me," says Brook, "that we should wait a little bit, be more cautious. But once the FDA realized we were intending to reject it, they applied political pressure. At about 4 p.m., the head of the FDA's Center for Drugs and Biologics asked permission to speak, which is extremely unusual. Usually they leave us alone. But he said to us, 'Look, if you approve the drug, we can assure you that we will work together with Burroughs Wellcome and make sure the drug is given to the right people.' It was like saying 'please do it.'"
Brad Stone, FDA press officer, was at that meeting. He says he doesn't recall that particular speech, but that there is nothing 'unusual" about FDA officials making such speeches at advisory meetings. "The people in that meeting approved the drug because the data the company had produced proved it was prolonging life. Sure it was toxic, but they concluded that the benefits clearly outweighed the risks."
The meeting ended. AZT, which several members of the panel still felt uncomfortable with and feared could be a time bomb, was approved.
Flash forward: August 17, 1989. Newspapers across America banner-headlined that AZT had been "proven to be effective in HIV antibody-positive, asymptomatic and early ARC patients," even through one of the panel's main concerns was that the drug should only be used in a last-case scenario for critically-ill AIDS patients, due to the drug's extreme toxicity. Dr. Anthony Fauci, head of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), was now pushing to expand prescription.
The FDA's traditional concern had been thrown to the wind. Already the drug had spread to 60 countries and an estimated 20.000 people. Not only had no new evidence allayed the initial concerns of the panel, but the follow-up data, as Dr. Brook predicted, had fallen by the waysite. The beneficial effects of the drug had been proven to be temporary. The toxicity, however stayed the same.
The majority of those in the AIDS afflicted and medical communities held the drug up as the first breakthrough on AIDS. For better or worse, AZT had been approved faster than any drug in FDA history, and activists considered it a victory. The price paid for the victory, however, was that almost all government drug trials, from then on, focused on AZT - while over 100 other promising drugs were left uninvestigated.
Burroughs Wellcome stock went through the roof when the announcement was made. At a price of $8,000 per patient per year (not including blood work and transfusions), AZT is the most expensive drug ever marketed. Burroughs Wellcome's gross profits for next year are estimated at $230 million. Stock market analysts predict that Burroughs Wellcome may be selling as much as $2 billion worth of AZT, under the brand name Retrovir, each year by the mid-1990s - matching Burroughs Wellcome's total sales for all its products last year.
AZT is the only antiretroviral drug that has received FDA approval for treatment of AIDS since the epidemic began 10 years ago, and the decision to approve it was based on a single study that has long been declared invalid.
The study was intended to be a "double-blind placebo-controlled study," the only kind of study that can effectively prove whether or not a drug works. In such a study, neither patient nor doctor is supposed to know if the patient is getting the drug or a placebo. In the case of AZT, the study became unblinded on all sides, after just a few weeks.
Both sides of the contributed to the unblinding. It became obvious to doctors who was getting what because AZT causes such severe side effects that AIDS per se does not. Furthermore, a routine blood count known as CMV, which clearly shows who is on the drug and who is not, wasn't whited out in the reports. Both of these facts were accepted and confirmed by both the FDA and Burroughs Wellcome, who conducted the study.
Many of the patients who were in the trial admitted that they had analyzed their capsules to find out whether they were getting the drug. If they weren't, some bought the drug on the underground market. Also, the pills were supposed to be indistinguishable by taste, but they were not. Although this was corrected early on, the damage was already done. There were also reports that patients were pooling pills out solidarity to each other. The study was so severely flawed that its conclusions must be considered, by the most basic scientific standards, unproven.
The most serious problem with the original study, however, is that it was never completed. Seventeen weeks in the study, when more patients had died in the placebo group, the study was stopped short, and all subjects were put on AZT, no scientific study can ever be conducted to prove unequivocally whether AZT does prolong life.
Dr. Brook, who voted against approval, warned at the time that AZT, being the only drug available for doctors to prescribe to AIDS patients, would probably have a runaway effect. Approving it prematurely, he said, would be like "letting the genie out of the bottle."
Brook pointed out that since the drug is a form of chemotherapy, it should only be prescribed by doctors who have experience with chemotherapeutic drugs. Because of the most severe toxic effects of AZT - cell depletion of the bone marrow - patients would need frequent blood transfusions. As it happened, AZT was rampantly prescribed as soon as it was released, way beyond its purported parameters. The worst-case scenario had come true: Doctors interviewed by the New York Times later in 1987 revealed that they were already giving AZT to healthy people who had tested positive for antibodies to HIV.
The FDA's function is to weigh a drug's efficacy against its potential hazards. The equation is simple and obvious: A drug must unquestionably repair more than it damages, otherwise the drug itself may cause more harm than the disease it is supposed to fight. Exactly what many doctors and scientists fear is happening with AZT.
AZT was singled out among hundreds of compounds when Dr. Sam Broder, the head of the National Cancer Institutes (NCI), found that it "inhibited HIV viral replication in vitro." AIDS is considered a condition of immune suppression caused by the HIV virus replicating and eating its way into T-4 cells, which are essential to the immune system. HIV is a retrovirus which contains an enzyme called reverse transcriptase that converts viral RNA to DNA. AZT was thought to work by interrupting this DNA synthesis, thus stopping further replication of the virus.
While it was always known that the drug was exceedingly toxic, the first study concluded that 'the risk/benefits ratio was in favour of the patient."
In the study that won FDA approval for AZT, the one fact that swayed the panel of judges was that the AZT group outlived the placebo group by what appeared to be a landslide. The ace card of the study, the one that cancelled out the issue of the drug's enormous toxicity, was that 19 persons had died in the placebo group and only one in the AZT group. The AZT recipients were also showing a lower incidence of opportunistic infections.
While the data staggered the panel that approved the drug, other scientists insisted that it meant nothing - because it was so shabbily gathered, and because of the unblinding. Shortly after the study was stopped, the death rate accelerated in the AZT group. "There was no great difference after a while," says Dr. Brook, "between the treated and the untreated group."
"That study was so sloppily done that it really didn't mean much," says Dr. Joseph Sonnabend, a leading New York City AIDS doctor.
Dr. Harvey Bialy, scientific editor of the journal Biotechnology, is stunned by the low quality of science surrounding AIDS research. When asked if he had seen any evidence of the claims made for AZT, that it "prolongs life" in AIDS patients, Bialy said, "No. I have not seen a published study that is rigorously done, analyzed and objectively reported."
Bialy, who is also a molecular biologist, is horrified by the widespread use of AZT, not just because it is toxic, but because, he insists, the claims its widespread use are based upon are false. "I can't see how this drug could be doing anything other than making people very sick," he says.
The scientific facts about AZT and AIDS are indeed astonishing. Most ironically, the drug has been found to accelerate the very process it was said to prevent: the loss of T-4 cells.
"Undeniably, AZT kills T-4 cells [white blood cells vital to the immune system]" says Bialy. "No one can argue with that. AZT is a chain-terminating nucleotide, which means that it stops DNA replication. It seeks out any cell that is engaged in DNA replication and kills it. The place where most of this replication is taking place is the bone marrow. That's why the most common and severe side effect of the drug is bone marrow toxicity. That is why they [patients] need blood transfusions."
AZT has been aggressively and repeatedly marketed as a drug that prolongs survival in AIDS patients because it stops the HIV virus from replicating and spreading to healthy cells. But, says Bialy: "There is no good evidence that HIV actively replicates in a person with AIDS, and if there's isn't much HIV replication in a person with AIDS, and if there isn't much HIV replication to stop, it's mostly killing healthy cells."
University of California at Berkeley scientist Dr. Peter Duesberg drew the same conclusion in a paper published in the Proceedings, the journal of the National Academy of Sciences. Duesberg, whose paper addressed his contention that HIV is not a sufficient cause for AIDS, wrote: "Even if HIV were to cause AIDS, it would hardly be legitimate target for AZT therapy, because in 70 to 100 percent of antibody positive persons, proviral DNA is not detectable... and its biosynthesis has never been observed."
As a chemotherapeutic drug, explained Duesberg, explained Duesberg, AZT "kills dividing blood cells and other cells," and is thus "directly immunosuppressive."
"The cell is almost a million-fold bigger target than the virus, so the cell will be much, much more sensitive," says Duesberg. "Only very few cells, about one in 10,000 are actively making the virus containing DNA, so you must kill incredibly large numbers of cells to inhibit the virus. This kind of treatment could only theoretically help if you have a massive infection, which is not the case with AIDS. Meanwhile, they're giving this drug that ends up killing millions of lymphocytes [white blood cells]. It's beyond me how that could possibly be beneficial."
"It doesn't really kill them," Burroughs Wellcome scientists Sandra Lehrman argues. "You don't necessarily have to destroy the cell, you can just change the function of it. Furthermore, while the early data said that the only very few cells were infected, new data says that there may be more cells infected. We have more sensitive detection techniques now."
"Changes their function? From what - functioning to not functioning? Another example of mediocre science," says Bialy. "The 'sensitive detection technique' to which Dr. Lehrman refers, PCR, is a notoriously unreliable one upon which to base quantitative conclusions."
When specific questions about the alleged mechanisms of AZT are asked, the answers are long, contradictory, and riddled with unknowns. Every scientific point raised about the drug is eventually answered with the blanket response, "The drug is not perfect, but it's all we have right now." About the depletion of T-4 cells and other white cells, Lehrman says, "We don't know why T-4 cells go up at first, and then go down. That is one of the drug mechanisms that we are trying to understand."
When promoters of AZT are pressed on key scientific points, whether at the NIH, FDA, Burroughs Wellcome or an AIDS organization, they often become angry. The idea that the drug is "doing something," even though this is invariably followed with irritable admissions that there are "mechanisms about the drug and disease we don't understand," is desperately clung to. It is as if, in the eye of the AIDS storm, the official, government-agency sanctioned position is immunized against critique. Skepticism and challenge, so essential to scientific endeavour, is not welcome in the AZT debate, where it is arguably needed more than anywhere else.
The toxic effects of AZT, particularly bone marrow suppression and anemia, are so severe that up to 50 percent of all AIDS and ARC patients cannot tolerate it and have to be taken off it. In the approval letter that Burroughs Wellcome sent to the FDA, all of 50 additional side effects of AZT, aside from the most common ones, were listed. These included: loss of mental acuity, muscle spasms, rectal bleeding and tremors.
Anemia one of AZT's common side effects, is the depletion of red blood cells, and according to Duesberg, "Red blood cells are the one thing you cannot do without. Without red cells, you cannot pick up oxygen."
Fred, a person with AIDS, was put on AZT and suffered such severe anemia from the drug he had to be taken off it. In an interview in the AIDS handbook Surviving and Thriving With AIDS, he described what anemia feels like to the editor Michael Callen: "I live in a studio and my bathroom is a mere five-step walk from my be. I would just lie there for two hours; I couldn't get up to take those five steps. When I was taken to the hospital, I had to have someone come over to dress me. It's that kind of severe fatigue... The quality of my life was pitiful... I've never felt so bad... I stopped the AZT and the mental confusion, the headaches, the pains in the neck, the nausea, all disappeared within a 24-hour period."
"I feel very good at this point," Fred went on. "I feel like the quality of my life was a disaster two weeks ago. And it really was causing a great amount of fear in me, to the point where I was taking sleeping pills to calm down. I was so worried. I would totally lose track of what I was saying in the middle of a sentence. I would lose my directions on the street."
"Many AIDS patients are anemic even before they receive the drug." Says Burroughs Wellcome's Dr. Lehrman, "because HIV itself can infect the bone marrow and cause anemia."
This argument betrays a bizarre reasoning. If AIDS patients are already burdened with the problems such as immune suppression, bone marrow toxicity and anemia, is compounding these problems an improvement?
"Yes AZT is a form of chemotherapy." Says the man who invented the compound a quarter-century ago, Jerome Horowitz. "It is cytotoxic, and as such, it causes bone marrow toxicity and anemia. There are problems with the drug. It's not perfect. But I don't think anybody would agree that AZT is of no use. People can holler from now until doomsday that it is toxic, but you have to go with the results."
The results, finally and ironically, are what damns AZT. Several studies on the clinical effects of AZT - including the one that Burroughs Wellcome's approval was based on - have drawn the same conclusion: that AZT is effective for a few months, but that its effect drops of sharply after that. Even the original AZT study showed that T-4 cells went up for a while and then plummeted. HIV levels went down, and then came back up. This fact was well-known when the advisory panel voted for approval. As panel member Dr. Stanley Lemon said in the meeting, "I am left with the nagging thought after seeing several of these slides, that after 16 to 24 weeks - 12 to 16 weeks, I guess - the effect seems to be declining."
A follow-up meeting, two years after the original Burroughs Wellcome study, was scheduled to discuss the long range effects of AZT, and the survival statistics. As one doctor present at that meeting in May 1988 recall, "They hadn't followed up the study. Anything that looked beneficial was gone within half a year. All they had were some survival statistics averaging 44 weeks. The p24 didn't pan out and there was no persistent improvement in the T-4 cells."
HIV levels in the blood are measured by an antigen called p24. Burroughs Wellcome made the claim that AZT lowered this level, that is, lowered the amount of HIV in the blood. At the first FDA meeting, Burroughs Wellcome emphasized how the drug had "lowered" the p24 levels; at the follow-up meeting, they didn't mention it.
As that meeting was winding down, Dr. Michael Lange, head of the AIDS program at St. Luke's-Roosevelt Hospital in New York, spoke up about this. "The claim of AZT is made on the fact that it is supposed to have an antiviral effect," he said to Burroughs Wellcome, "and on this we have seen no data at all... Since there is a report in the Lancet [a leading British medical journal] that after 20 weeks or so, in many patients p24 came back, do you have any data on that?"
They didn't.
"What counts is the bottom line," one of the scientists representing Burroughs Wellcome summed up, "the survival, the neurologic function, the absence of progression and the quality of life, all of which are better. Whether you call it better because of some antiviral effect, or some other antibacterial effect, they are still better."
Dr. Lange suggested that the drug may be effective the same way a simple anti-inflammatory, such as aspirin, is effective. An inexpensive, nontoxic drug called Indomecithin, he pointed out, might serve the same function, without the devastating side effects.
One leading AIDS researcher, who was part of the FDA approval process, says today: "Does AZT do anything? Yes, it does. But the evidence that it does something against HIV is really not there."
"There have always been drugs that we use without knowing exactly how they work," says Nobel Prize winner Walter Gilbert. "The really important thing to look at is the clinical effect. Is the drug helping or isn't it?"
"I'm living proof that AZT works," says one person with ARC on AZT. "I've been on it for two years now, and I'm certainly healthier than I was two years ago. It's not a cure-all, it's not a perfect drug, but it is effective. It's slowing down the progression of the disease."
"Sometimes I feel like swallowing Drano," says another. "I mean, sometimes I have problems swallowing. I just don't like the idea of taking something that foreign to my body. But every six hours, I've got to swallow it. Until something better comes along, this is what is available to me."
"I am absolutely convinced that people enjoy a better quality of life and survive longer who do not take AZT," says Gene Fedorko, President of Health Education AIDS Liaison (HEAL). "I think it's horrible the way people are bullied by their doctors to take the drug. We get people coming to us shaking and crying because their doctors said they'll die if they don't take AZT. That is an absolute lie." Fedorko has drawn his conclusion from years of listening to the stories of people struggling to survive AIDS at HEAL's weekly support group.
"I wouldn't take AZT if you paid me," says Michael Callen, cofounder of New York City's PWA coalition, Community Research Initiative, and editor of several AIDS journals. Callen has survived AIDS for over seven years without the help of AZT. "I've gotten the shit kicked out me for saying this, but I think using AZT is like aiming a thermonuclear warhead at a mosquito. The overwhelming majority of long-term survivors I've known have chosen not to take AZT."
The last surviving patient from the original AZT trial, according to Burroughs Wellcome, died recently. When he died, he had been on AZT for three and one-half years. He was the longest surviving AZT recipient. The longest surviving AIDS patient overall, not on AZT, has lived for eight and one-half years.
An informal study of long-term survivors of AIDS followed 24 long-term survivors, all of whom had survived AIDS more than six years. Only one of them had recently begun taking AZT.
In the early days, AZT was said to extend lives. In actual fact, there is simply no solid evidence that AZT prolongs life.
"I think AZT does prolong life in most people," says Dr. Bruce Montgomery of the State University of New York City at Stony Brook, who is completing a study on AZT. "There are not very many long-tern survivors, and we really don't know why they survive. It could be luck. But most people are not so lucky."
"AZT does seem to help many patients," says Dr. Bernard Bahari, a New York City AIDS physician and researcher, "but it's very hard to determine whether it actually prolongs life."
"Many of the patients I see choose not to take AZT," says Dr. Don Abrams of San Francisco General Hospital. "I've been impressed that survival and lifespan are increasing for all people with AIDS. I think it has a lot to do with aerosolized Pentamidine [a drug that treats pneumocystis carinii pneumonia]. There's also the so-called plague effect, the fact that people get stronger and stronger when a disease hits a population. The patients I see today are not as fragile as the early patients were."
"Whether you live or die with AIDS is a function of how well your doctor treats you, not of AZT," says Dr. Joseph Sonnabend, one of New York's City's first and most reputable AIDS doctor, whose patients include many long-term survivors, although he has never prescribed AZT. Sonnabend was one of the first to make the simple observation that AIDS patients should be treated for their diseases, not just for their HIV infection.
Several studies have concluded that AZT has no effect on the two most common opportunistic AIDS infections, Pneumocystic Carinii Pneumonia (PCP) and Kaposi's Sarcoma (KS). The overwhelming majority of AIDS patients die of PCP, for which there has been an effective treatment for decades. This year, the FDA finally approved aerosolized Pentamidine for AIDS. A recent Memorial Sloan Kettering study concluded the following: By 15 months, 80% of people on AZT not receiving Pentamidine had a recurring episode. "All those deaths in the AZT study were treatable," Sonnabend says. "They weren't deaths from AIDS, they were deaths from treatable conditions. They didn't even do autopsies for that study. What kind of faith can one have in these people?"
"If there's any resistance to AZT in the general public at all, it's within the gay community of New York," says the doctor close to the FDA approval, who asked to remain anonymous. "The rest of the country has been brainwashed into thinking this drug really does that much. The data has all been manipulated by people who have a lot vested in AZT."
"If AIDS were not the popular disease that it is - the money-making and career-making machine - these people could not get away with that kind of shoddy science," says Bialy. "In all of my years in science I have never seen anything this atrocious." When asked if he thought it was at all possible that people have been killed as a result of AZT poisoning rather then AIDS he answered: "It's more than possible."
August 17, 1989: The government has announced that 1.4 million healthy, HIV antibody-positive Americans could "benefit" from taking AZT, even though they show no symptoms of disease. New studies have "proven" that AZT is effective in stopping the progression of AIDS in asymptomatic and early ARC cases. Dr. Fauci, the head of NIH, proudly announced that a trial that has been going on for "two years" had "clearly shown" that early intervention will keep AIDS at bay. Anyone who has antibodies to HIV and less than 500 T-4 cells should start taking AZT at once, he said. That is approximately 650,000 people. 1.4 million Americans are assumed HIV antibody-positive, and eventually all of them may need to take AZT so they don't get sick, Fauci contended.
The leading newspapers didn't seem to think it unusual that there was no existing copy of the study, but rather a breezy two-pages press release from the NIH. When SPIN called the NIH asking for a copy of the study, we were told that it was "still being written." We asked a few questions about the numbers. According to the press release, 3,200 early AARC and asymptomatic patients were devided into two groups, one AZT and one placebo, and followed for two years. The two groups were distinguished by T-4 cell counts; one group had less than 500, the other more than 500. These two were then divided into three groups each: high-dose AZT, low-dose AZT, and placebo. In the group with more than 500 T-4 cells, AZT had no effect. In the other group, it was concluded that low-dose AZT was the most effective, followed by high-dose. All in all, 36 out of 900 developed AIDS in the two AZT groups combined, and 38 out of 450 in the placebo group. "HIV-positive patients are twice as likely to get AIDS if they don't take AZT," the press declared.
However, the figures are vastly misleading. When we asked how many patients were actually enrolled for a full two years, the NIH said they did not know, but that the average time of participation was one year, not two.
"It's terribly dishonest the way they portrayed those numbers," says Dr. Sonnabend. "If there were 60 people in the trial those numbers would mean something, but if you calculate what the percentage is out of 3,200, the difference becomes minute between the two groups. It's nothing. It's hit or miss, and they make it look like it's terribly significant."
The study boasted that AZT is much more effective and less toxic at one-third the dosage than has been used for three years. That's the good news. The bad news is that thousands have already been walloped with 1,500 milligrams of AZT and possibly even died of toxic poisoning - and now we're hearing that one third of the dose would have done?
With all that remains so uncertain about the effects of AZT, it seems criminal to advocate expanding its usage to healthy people, particularly since only a minuscule percentage of the HIV-infected population have actually developed ARC or AIDS.
Burroughs Wellcome has already launched testing of AZT in asymptomatic hospital workers, pregnant women, and in children, who are getting liquid AZT. The liquid is left over from an aborted trial, and given to the children because they can mix it with water - children don't like to swallow pills. It has also been proposed that AZT be given to people who do not yet even test positive for HIV antibodies, but are "at risk."
"I'm convinced that if you gave AZT to a perfectly healthy athlete," says Fedorko, "he would be dead in five years."
In December 1988, the Lancet published a study that Burroughs Wellcome and the NIH do not include in their press kits. It was more expansive than the original AZT study and followed patients longer. It was not conducted in the United States, but in France, at the Claude Bernard Hospital in Paris, and concluded the same thing about AZT that Burroughs Wellcome's study did, except Burroughs Wellcome called their results "overwhelmingly positive," and the French doctors called theirs "disappointing." The French study found, once again, that AZT was too toxic for most to tolerate, had no lasting effect on HIV blood levels, and left the patients with fewer T-4 cells than they started with. Although they noticed a clinical improvement at first, they concluded that "by six months, these values had returned to their pretreatment levels and several opportunistic infections, malignancies and deaths occurred."
"Thus the benefits of AZT are limited to a few months for ARC and AIDS patients," the Fench team concluded. After a few months, the study found, AZT was completely ineffective.
The news that AZT will soon be prescribed to asymptomatic people has left many leading AIDS doctors dumbfounded and furious. Every doctor and scientist I asked felt that it was highly unprofessional and reckless to announce a study with no data to look at, making recommendations with such drastic public health implications. "This simply does not happen," says Bialy. "The government is reporting scientific facts before they've been reviewed? It's unheard of."
"It's beyond belief," says Dr. Sonnabend in a voice tinged with desperation. "I don't know what to do. I have to go in and face an office full of patients asking for AZT. I'm terrified. I don't know what to do as a responsible physician. The first study was ridiculous. Margaret Fishl, who has done both of these studies, obviously doesn't know the first thing about clinical trials. I don't trust her. Or the others. They're simply not good enough. We're being held hostage by second-rate scientists. We let them get away with the first disaster; now they're doing it again."
"It's a momentous decision to say to people, 'if you're HIV-positive and your T4-cells are below 500 start taking AZT,'" says the doctor who wished to remain anonymous. "I know dozens of people that I've seen personally every few months for several years now who have been in that state for more than five years, and have not progressed to any disease."
"I'm ashamed of my colleagues," Sonnabend laments. "I'm embarrassed. This is such shoddy science it's hard to believe nobody is protesting. Damned cowards. The name of the game is protect your grants, don't open your mouth. It's all about money... it's grounds for just following the party line and not being critical, when there are obviously financial and political forces that are driving this."
When Duesberg heard the latest announcement, he was particularly stunned over the reaction of Gay Men's Health Crisis President Richard Dunne, who said that GMHC now urged "everybody to get tested," and of course those who test positive to go on AZT. "These people are running into the gas chambers," says Duesberg. "Himmler would have been so happy if only the Jews were this cooperative."
Zinc might help to stave off respiratory infection symptoms and cut illness duration Western Sydney University (Australia), November 2, 2021
A zinc supplement might help stave off the symptoms of respiratory tract infections, such as coughing, congestion, and sore throat, and cut illness duration, suggests a pooled analysis of the available evidence, published in the open access journal BMJ Open.
But the quality of the evidence on which these findings are based is variable, and it's not clear what an optimal formulation or dose of this nutrient might be, caution the researchers.
Respiratory tract infections include colds, flu, sinusitis, pneumonia and COVID-19. Most infections clear up by themselves, but not all. And they often prove costly in terms of their impact on health services and time taken in sick leave.
Zinc has a key role in immunity, inflammation, tissue injury, blood pressure and in tissue responses to lack of oxygen.
As a result, it has generated considerable interest during the current pandemic for the possible prevention and treatment of COVID-19 infection.
In response to calls for rapid evidence appraisals to inform self-care and clinical practice, the researchers evaluated zinc for the prevention and treatment of SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for COVID-19, and other viral respiratory tract infections.
When that review was published, the results of several relevant clinical trials weren't yet available, so this current review brings the available evidence up to date.
The review includes 28 clinical trials involving 5446 adults, published in 17 English and Chinese research databases up to August 2020. None of the trials specifically looked at the use of zinc for the prevention or treatment of COVID-19.
The most common zinc formulations used were lozenges followed by nasal spraysand gels containing either zinc acetate or gluconate salts. Doses varied substantially, depending on the formulation and whether zinc was used for prevention or treatment.
Pooled analysis of the results of 25 trials showed that compared with dummy treatment (placebo), zinc lozenges or nasal spray prevented 5 respiratory tract infections in 100 people a month.
These effects were strongest for curbing the risk of developing more severe symptoms, such as fever and influenza-like illnesses. But this is based on only three studies.
On average, symptoms cleared up 2 days earlier with the use of either a zinc spray or liquid formulation taken under the tongue (sublingual) than when a placebo was used.
During the first week of illness, participants who used sublingual or nasal spray zinc were nearly twice as likely to recover as those who used placebo: 19 more adults out of 100 were likely to still have symptoms a week later if they didn't use zinc supplements.
While zinc wasn't associated with an easing in average daily symptom severity, it was associated with a clinically significant reduction in symptom severity on day 3.
Side effects, including nausea and mouth/nose irritation, were around 40% more likely among those using zinc, but no serious side effects were reported in the 25 trials that monitored them.
However, compared with placebo, sublingual zinc didn't reduce the risk of developing an infection or cold symptoms after inoculation with human rhinovirus, nor were there any differences in illness duration between those who used zinc supplements and those who didn't.
Nor was the comparative effectiveness of different zinc formulations and doses clear. And the quality, size, and design of the included studies varied considerably.
"The marginal benefits, strain specificity, drug resistance and potential risks of other over-the-counter and prescription medications makes zinc a viable 'natural' alternative for the self-management of non-specific [respiratory tract infections], the researchers write.
"[Zinc] also provides clinicians with a management option for patients who are desperate for faster recovery times and might be seeking an unnecessary antibiotic prescription," they add.
"However, clinicians and consumers need to be aware that considerable uncertainty remains regarding the clinical efficacy of different zinc formulations, doses and administration routes, and the extent to which efficacy might be influenced by the ever changing epidemiology of the viruses that cause [respiratory tract infections]," they caution.
And how exactly zinc might exert its therapeutic effects on respiratory infections, including COVID-19, warrants further research, they conclude.
Drinking alcohol to stay healthy? That might not work, says new study Ulrich John of University Medicine (Germany), November 2, 2021 Increased mortality risk among current alcohol abstainers might largely be explained by other factors, including previous alcohol or drug problems, daily smoking, and overall poor health, according to a new study publishing November 2nd in PLOS Medicine by Ulrich John of University Medicine Greifswald, Germany, and colleagues.
Previous studies have suggested that people who abstain from alcohol have a higher mortality rate than those who drink low to moderate amounts of alcohol. In the new study, researchers used data on a random sample of 4,028 German adults who had participated in a standardized interview conducted between 1996 and 1997, when participants were 18 to 64 years old. Baseline data were available on alcohol drinking in the 12 months prior to the interview, as well as other information on health, alcohol and drug use. Mortality data were available from follow-up 20 years later.
Among the study participants, 447 (11.10%) had not drunk any alcohol in the 12 months prior to the baseline interview. Of these abstainers, 405 (90.60%) were former alcohol consumers and 322 (72.04%) had one or more other risk factor for higher mortality rates, including a former alcohol-use disorder or risky alcohol consumption (35.40%), daily smoking (50.00%), or fair to poor self-rated health (10.51%). The 125 alcohol abstinent persons without these risk factors did not show a statistically significantly difference in total, cardiovascular or cancer mortality compared to low to moderate alcohol consumers, and those who had stayed alcohol abstinent throughout their life had a hazard ratio of 1.64 (95% CI 0.72-3.77) compared to low to moderate alcohol consumers after adjustment for age, sex and tobacco smoking.
"The results support the view that people in the general population who currently are abstinent from alcohol do not necessarily have a shorter survival time than the population with low to moderate alcohol consumption," the authors say. "The findings speak against recommendations to drink alcohol for health reasons."
John adds, "It has long been assumed that low to moderate alcohol consumption might have positive effects on health based on the finding that alcohol abstainers seemed to die earlier than low to moderate drinkers. We found that the majority of the abstainers had alcohol or drug problems, risky alcohol consumption, daily tobacco smoking or fair to poor health in their history, i.e., factors that predict early death."
Quercetin helps to reduce the risk of pancreatic cancer Univ. of Hawaii and Univ. of Southern California, November 1, 2021
Quercetin, which is found naturally in apples and onions, has been identified as one of the most beneficial flavonols in preventing and reducing the risk of pancreatic cancer. Although the overall risk was reduced among the study participants, smokers who consumed foods rich in flavonols had a significantly greater risk reduction.
This study, published in the American Journal of Epidemiology, is the first of its kind to evaluate the effect of flavonols – compounds found specifically in plants – on developing pancreatic cancer. According to the research paper, “only a few prospective studies have investigated flavonols as risk factors for cancer, none of which has included pancreatic cancer. “
Researchers from Germany, the Univ. of Hawaii and Univ. of Southern California tracked food intake and health outcomes of 183,518 participants in the Multiethnic Cohort Study for eight years. The study evaluated the participants' food consumption and calculated the intake of the three flavonols quercetin, kaempferol, and myricetin. The analyses determined that flavonol intake does have an impact on the risk for developing pancreatic cancer.
The most significant finding was among smokers. Smokers with the lowest intake of flavonols presented with the most pancreatic cancer. Smoking is an established risk factor for the often fatal pancreatic cancer, notes the research.
Among the other findings were that women had the highest intake of total flavonols and seventy percent of the flavonol intake came from quercetin, linked to apple and onion consumption.
It is believed that these compounds may have anticancer effects due to their ability to reduce oxidative stress and alter other cellular functions related to cancer development.
“Unlike many of the dietary components, flavonols are concentrated in specific foods rather than in broader food groups, for example, in apples rather than in all fruit,” notes the research study. Previously, the most consistent inverse association was found between flavonols, especially quercetin in apples and lung cancer, as pointed out in this study. No other epidemiological flavonol studies have included evaluation of pancreatic cancer.
While found in many plants, flavonols are found in high concentrations in apples, onions, tea, berries, kale, and broccoli. Quercetin is most plentiful in apples and onions.
Researcher explains the psychology of successful aging University of California at Los Angeles, November 2, 2021
Successful aging can be the norm, says UCLA psychology professor Alan Castel in his new book, "Better with Age: The Psychology of Successful Aging" (Oxford University Press). Castel sees many inspiring role models of aging. French Impressionist Claude Monet, he notes, began his beloved water lily paintings at age 73.
Castel cites hundreds of research studies, including his own, combined with personal accounts from older Americans, including Maya Angelou, Warren Buffett, John Wooden, Bob Newhart, Frank Gehry, David Letterman, Jack LaLanne, Jared Diamond, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, John Glenn and Vin Scully.
Castel notes that architect Gehry designed conventional buildings and shopping malls early in his career, and decades later designed the creative buildings he would only dream about when he was younger. Others who did much of their best work when they were older include Mark Twain, Paul Cezanne, Frank Lloyd Wright, Robert Frost and Virginia Woolf, he writes.
"There are a lot of myths about aging, and people often have negative stereotypes of what it means to get old," Castel said. "I have studied aging for two decades, and have seen many impressive role models of aging, as well as people who struggle in older age. This book provides both science behind what we can to do age well and role models of successful aging. While some books focus on how to try to prevent or delay aging, 'Better with Age' shows how we can age successfully and enjoy the benefits of old age. I have combined the lessons the psychology of aging teaches us with insights from some of the people who have succeeded in aging well."
Castel cites a 1979 study by Harvard University social psychologist Ellen Langer in which men in their 70s and 80s went to a week-long retreat at a motel that was re-designed to reflect the décor and music from 1959. The men, who were all dependent on family members for their care, were more independent by the end of the week, and had significant improvements in their hearing, memory, strength and scores on intelligence tests. Some played catch with a football. One group of the men, who were told to behave like they were 20 years younger, showed greater flexibility, and even looked younger, according to observers who saw photos of them at the start and end of the week.
In another study, researchers analyzed Catholic nuns' diary entries made in the 1930s and 1940s, when the nuns were in their 20s, and determined their level of happiness from these diaries. More than 50 years later, 75 percent of the most cheerful nuns survived to age 80, while only 40 percent of the least happy nuns survived to 80. The happiest nuns lived 10 years longer than the least happy nuns.
Happiness increases our lives by four to 10 years, a recent research review suggested. "As an added bonus," Castel writes, "those additional years are likely to be happy ones."
Successful aging involves being productive, mentally fit, and, most importantly, leading a meaningful life, Castel writes.
What are the ingredients of staying sharp and aging successfully, a process which Castel says can start at any age? He has several recommendations.
Tips for longevity
Walking or other physical exercise is likely the best method to ensure brain and body health, Castel writes.
In a large 2011 study, older adults were randomly assigned to a group that walked for 40 minutes three times a week or a stretching group for the same amount of time. After six months and again after one year, the walking group outperformed the stretching group on memory and cognitive functioning tests. Too much running, on the other hand, can lead to joint pain and injuries.
In addition, after one year, those who walked 40 minutes a day three times a week showed a 2 percent increase in the volume of the hippocampus—an important brain region involved in memory. Typically, Castel notes, the hippocampus declines about 1 percent a year after age 50. "Walking actually appears to reverse the effects of aging," Castel says in the book.
Balance exercises are proven to prevent falls, can keep us walking and may be the most essential training activity for older adults, Castel writes. Each year, more than two million older Americans go to the emergency room because of fall-related injuries. A 2014 British study found that people who could get up from a chair and sit back down more than 30 times in a minute were less likely to develop dementia and more likely to live longer than those who could not. A good balance exercise is standing on one leg with your eyes open for 60 seconds or more, and then on the other leg. Those who did poorly on this were found in a study to be at greater risk for stroke and dementia.
Like walking, sleep is valuable free medicine. Studies have shown a connection between insomnia and the onset of dementia.
People who speak more than one language are at reduced risk for developing dementia, research has shown; there is some evidence being bilingual or multilingual can offset dementia by five years, Castel writes.
One study found that among people between 75 and 85, those who engaged in reading, playing board games, playing musical instruments and dancing had less dementia than those who did none of those activities. "Lifelong reading, especially in older age, may be one of the secrets to preserving mental ability," Castel writes.
Set specific goals. Telling yourself to "eat healthy" is not very likely to cause a change; setting a goal of "eating fewer cookies after 7 p.m." is better. Similarly, "walk four days a week with a friend" is a more useful goal than "get more exercise" and "call a friend or family member every Friday morning" is better than "maintain friendships."
How can we improve our memory? When Douglas Hegdahl was a 20-year-old prisoner of war in North Vietnam, he wanted to learn the names of other American prisoners. He memorized their names, capture dates, methods of capture and personal information of more than 250 prisoners to the tune of the nursey rhyme, "Old MacDonald Had a Farm." Today, more than four decades later, he can still recall all of their names, Castel writes.
Social connections are also important. Rates of loneliness among older adults are increasing and chronic loneliness "poses as large a risk to long-term health and longevity as smoking cigarettes and may be twice as harmful for retirees as obesity," Castel writes. The number of Americans who say they have no close friends has roughly tripled in the last few decades. There is evidence that people with more social support tend to live longer than those who are more isolated, and that older adults who lead active social lives with others are less likely to develop dementia and have stronger immune systems to fight off diseases. "Staying sharp," Castel writes, "involves staying connected—and not to the Internet."
A 2016 study focused on "super-agers"—people in their 70s whose memories are like those of people 40 years younger. Many of them said they worked hard at their jobs and their hobbies. The hard work was challenging, and not always pleasurable, leaving people sometimes feeling tired and frustrated. Some researchers believe this discomfort and frustration means you are challenging yourself in ways that will pay off in future brain and other health benefits.
Research has shown that simply telling older adults they are taking a "wisdom test" rather than a "memory test" or "dementia screening" actually leads to better results on the identical memory test, Castel writes.
If you are concerned about your memory, or that of a loved one, it may be wise to see a neurologist, Castel advises.
Castel, 42, said he is struck by how many older adults vividly recall what is most important to them.
As Castel quotes the Roman philosopher and statesman Cicero: "No old man forgets where he has hidden his treasure."
Researchers find phthalates in wide variety of fast foods
George Washington University Milken Institute School of Public Health, October 29, 2021
A team of researchers from The George Washington University Milken Institute School of Public Health, the Southwest Research Institute and the Chan School of Public Health, has found phthalates in a wide variety of fast foods. In their paper published in Journal of Exposure Science and Environmental Epidemiology, the group describes how they collected samples of fast food from several restaurants and tested them for phthalates and other chemicals meant to replace them—and what they found.
Phthalates are esters of phthalic acid and are commonly used to make plastic substances more flexible. Prior research has shown that they can also increase durability and longevity making them popular for plastics makers. Researchers have found that consumption of phthalates can disrupt the endocrine system and by extension levels of hormones in the body. Research has also shown that they can lead to asthma in children and increased obesity.
In this new effort, the researchers built on prior work they conducted looking at urine samples of volunteers where they found that those who ate more fast food, tended to have more phthalates in their system. To learn more about the link between fast food and phthalate levels, the researchers visited six fast food restaurants in and around San Antonio, Texas, and collected 64 food items to be used as test samples. They also asked for a pair of the plastic gloves that were used by food preparers at the same establishments and obtained three of them.
In studying the food samples, the researchers found DnBP in 81% of the samples and DEHP in 70% of them. They also noted that the foods with the highest concentrations of phthalates were meat-based, such as cheeseburgers or burritos. The team also found DINCH, DEHT and DEHA, chemicals that have begun replacing phthalates in many of the samples they collected. They note that it is not known if such replacements are harmful to humans if ingested.
The researchers did not attempt to find out how the phthalates were making their way into the fast foods but suspect it is likely from residue on rubber gloves used by cooks who prepare them. It is also possible, they note, that they are coming from plastic packaging.
Removing digital devices from the bedroom can improve sleep for children, teens
Penn State University, November 2, 2021
Removing electronic media from the bedroom and encouraging a calming bedtime routine are among recommendations Penn State researchers outline in a recent manuscript on digital media and sleep in childhood and adolescence.
The manuscript appears in the first-ever special supplement on this topic in Pediatricsa nd is based on previous studies that suggest the use of digital devices before bedtime leads to insufficient sleep.
The recommendations, for clinicians and parents, are:
- Make sleep a priority by talking with family members about the importance of sleep and healthy sleep expectations;
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Encourage a bedtime routine that includes calming activities and avoids electronic media use;
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Encourage families to remove all electronic devices from their child or teen's bedroom, including TVs, video games, computers, tablets and cell phones;
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Talk with family members about the negative consequences of bright light in the evening on sleep; and
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If a child or adolescent is exhibiting mood or behavioral problems, consider insufficient sleep as a contributing factor.
"Recent reviews of scientific literature reveal that the vast majority of studies find evidence for an adverse association between screen-based media consumption and sleep health, primarily delayed bedtimes and reduced total sleep duration," said Orfeu Buxton, associate professor of biobehavioral health at Penn State and an author on the manuscript.
The reasons behind this adverse association likely include time spent on screens replacing time spent sleeping; mental stimulation from media content; and the effects of light interrupting sleep cycles, according to the researchers.
Buxton and other researchers are further exploring this topic. They are working to understand if media use affects the timing and duration of sleep among children and adolescents; the role of parenting and family practices; the links between screen time and sleep quality and tiredness; and the influence of light on circadian physiology and sleep health among children and adolescents.
Supplementation with vitamins C and E associated with decreased risk of cognitive impairment, dementia
CHU de Québec Research Center, November 1, 2021.
An article that appeared in the Annals of Pharmacotherapy reports an association between the intake of vitamin C and E supplements and a lower risk of developing cognitive decline among men and women aged 65 years and older.
The current investigation included 5,269 men and women who were free of dementia upon enrollment in the Canadian Study of Health and Aging from 1991 to 1992. Follow-up examinations conducted during 1996-1997 and 2001-2002 provided post-enrollment diagnoses of dementia or cognitive impairment without dementia. Information concerning current use of prescription drugs and vitamins was ascertained from interview or questionnaire responses at the beginning of the study.
Approximately 10% of the subjects reported using vitamin C or E. Over up to 11 years of follow up, 821 cases of all-cause dementia (including 560 Alzheimer’s disease cases) were diagnosed and 882 cases of cognitive impairment without dementia developed. In comparison with those who did not report supplementing with either vitamin, the use of vitamin C and/or vitamin E was associated with a 38% lower adjusted risk of all-cause dementia and a 40% lower risk of Alzheimer’s disease. For cognitive impairment without dementia, the risk was 23% lower among those who used either or both vitamins. Evaluation of the effects of using either vitamin alone resulted in associations with similar risk reductions.
“This study supports a protective role of vitamin E and C supplements in the risk for Alzheimer’s disease and all-cause dementia,” authors Luta L. Basambombo, MSc, of CHU de Québec Research Center and colleagues conclude. “In addition, these supplements may contribute to a reduced risk of CIND [cognitive impairment, not dementia]. Overall, these findings indicate additional support for the use of antioxidants as a preventive strategy against cognitive decline.”
Research suggests calorie restriction may be better than keto for cancer patients Massachusetts Institute of Technology, October 22 2021.
Findings reported in Nature revealed that restricting the intake of calories, including fats, rather than adopting a regimen of restricted carbohydrates and increased fats as characterized by a ketogenic diet, was associated with slower tumor growth in mice.
Evan Lien, PhD, and associates evaluated the effects of calorie restricted, ketogenic or normal diets in mice with pancreatic tumors. While both glucose and plasma and tumor lipid levels declined in calorie-restricted animals, ketogenic diet-fed mice had lower glucose levels, but an increase in lipids.
In comparison with mice given ketogenic diets, slower tumor growth occurred in the calorie-restricted mice. The finding can be explained by the animals’ reduced levels of lipids, which are needed by cancer cells for membrane production. Diet-induced lipid depletion decreases cellular levels of polyunsaturated fatty acids because they can’t be manufactured by the body and must be obtained from food. When these lipids aren’t available, cells make their own in a process that requires the enzyme SCD, which converts saturated fatty acids into unsaturated fatty acids. Since both diets lowered SCD activity, mice that received calorie restricted diets couldn’t obtain enough fatty acids from their diet or produce their own, whereas animals on the ketogenic diet had abundant lipids. “Not only does caloric restriction starve tumors of lipids, it also impairs the process that allows them to adapt to it,” Dr Lien explained. “That combination is really contributing to the inhibition of tumor growth.”
“The purpose of these studies isn’t necessarily to recommend a diet, but it’s to really understand the underlying biology,” Dr Lien stated. “They provide some sense of the mechanisms of how these diets work, and that can lead to rational ideas on how we might mimic those situations for cancer therapy.”
Widespread fast-food restaurants linked to higher rates of type 2 diabetes New York University, November 1, 2021
An increasing number of studies suggest a link between a neighborhood's built environment and the likelihood that its residents will develop chronic diseases such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes (T2D) and certain types of cancers. A new nationwide study led by researchers from NYU Grossman School of Medicine published online today in JAMA Network Open suggests that living in neighborhoods with higher availability of fast-food outlets across all regions of the United States is associated with higher subsequent risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
Findings also indicated that the availability of more supermarkets could be protective against developing T2D, particularly in suburban and rural neighborhoods.
The study—notable for its large geographic breadth—uses data from a cohort of more than 4 million veterans living in 98 percent of U.S. census tracts across the country. It counted fast-food restaurants and supermarkets relative to other food outlets, and is the first, according to the researchers, to examine this relationship in four distinct types of neighborhoods (high-density urban, low-density urban, suburban, and rural) at the hyperlocal level nationwide.
"Most studies that examine the built food environment and its relationship to chronic diseases have been much smaller or conducted in localized areas," said Rania Kanchi, MPH, a researcher in the Department of Population Health at NYU Langone and lead author of the study. "Our study design is national in scope and allowed us to identify the types of communities that people are living in, characterize their food environment, and observe what happens to them over time. The size of our cohort allows for geographic generalizability in a way that other studies do not."
How the study was conducted
The research team used data from the U.S. Veterans Health Administration (the largest single-payer healthcare system in the country) that captures more than 9 million veterans seen at more than 1,200 health facilities around the country. Using this data, the researchers then constructed a national cohort of more than 4 million veterans without diabetes from the VA electronic health records (EHR) between 2008 and 2016. Each veteran's health status was followed through 2018 or until the individual either developed diabetes, died, or had no appointments for more than two years.
Within each of four distinct neighborhood types, the proportion of restaurants that were fast food, and the proportion of food outlets that were supermarkets were tabulated within a one-mile walk in high- density urban neighborhoods, a two-mile drive in low-density urban neighborhoods, a six-mile drive in suburban communities, and a 10-mile drive in rural communities.
Veterans were followed for a median of five and a half years. During that time, 13.2 percent of the cohort were newly diagnosed with T2D. Males developed T2D more frequently than females (13.6 versus 8.2 percent). Non-Hispanic Black adults had the highest incidence (16.9 percent), compared to non-Hispanic Whites (12.9 percent), non-White Asian and Hispanics (12.8 percent), Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islanders (15 percent), and Native American and Alaskan Indians (14.2 percent).
When stratifying by community types, 14.3 percent of veterans living in high density urban communities developed T2D, while the lowest incidence was among those living in suburban and small town communities (12.6 percent).
Overall, the team concluded that the effect of the food environment on T2D incidence varied by how urban the community was, but did not vary further by region of the country.
"The more we learn about the relationship between the food environment and chronic diseases like type 2 diabetes, the more policymakers can act by improving the mix of healthy food options sold in restaurants and food outlets, or by creating better zoning laws that promote optimal food options for residents," said Lorna Thorpe, Ph.D., MPH, professor in the Department of Population Health at NYU Langone and senior author of the study.
One limitation of the study, according to the authors, is that the study may not be fully generalizable to non-veteran populations, as U.S. veterans tend to be predominantly male and have substantially greater health burdens and financial instability than the civilian population. They are also at greater risk of disability, obesity, and other chronic conditions.
The next phase of the research, say Thorpe and Kanchi, will be to better understand the impacts of the built environment on diabetes risk by subgroups. They plan to examine whether or not the relationships between fast-food restaurants, supermarkets and community types vary by gender, race/ethnicity, and socioeconomic status.
Researchers have discovered neurons needed for acupuncture's anti-inflammatory response Harvard Medical School, October November 1, 2021
Acupuncture is a traditional Chinese technique that has been used for millennia to treat chronic pain and other health problems associated with inflammation, yet the scientific basis of the technique remains poorly understood.
Now, a team of researchers led by neuroscientists at Harvard Medical School has elucidated the underlying neuroanatomy of acupuncture that activates a specific signaling pathway.
In a study conducted in mice and published Oct. 13 in Nature, the team identified a subset of neurons that must be present for acupuncture to trigger an anti-inflammatory response via this signaling pathway.
The scientists determined that these neurons occur only in a specific area of the hindlimb region—thus explaining why acupuncture in the hindlimb works, while acupuncture in the abdomen does not.
"This study touches on one of the most fundamental questions in the acupuncture field: What is the neuroanatomical basis for body region, or acupoint, selectivity?" said lead investigator Qiufu Ma, HMS professor of neurobiology at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.
One area of particular interest to the research team is the so-called cytokine storm—the rapid release of large quantities of cytokines that frequently drives severe, systemic inflammation, and can be triggered by many things, including COVID-19, cancer treatment, or sepsis.
"This exuberant immune response is a major medical problem with a very high fatality rate of 15 percent to 30 percent," Ma said. Even so, drugs to treat cytokine storm are lacking.
Adapting an ancient technique to treat aberrant inflammation
In recent decades, acupuncture has been increasingly embraced in Western medicine as a potential treatment for inflammation.
In this technique, acupoints on the body's surface are mechanically stimulated, triggering nerve signaling that affects the function of other parts of the body, including organs.
In a 2014 study, researchers reported that electroacupuncture, a modern version of traditional acupuncture that uses electrical stimulation, could reduce cytokine storm in mice by activating the vagal-adrenal axis—a pathway wherein the vagus nervesignals the adrenal glands to release dopamine.
In a study published in 2020, Ma and his team discovered that this electroacupuncture effect was region-specific: It was effective when given in the hindlimb region, but did not have an effect when administered in the abdominal region. The team hypothesized that there may be sensory neurons unique to the hindlimb region responsible for this difference in response.
In their new study, the researchers conducted a series of experiments in mice to investigate this hypothesis. First, they identified a small subset of sensory neurons marked by expression of the PROKR2Cre receptor. They determined that these neurons were three to four times more numerous in the deep fascia tissue of the hindlimb than in the fascia of the abdomen.
Then the team created mice that were missing these sensory neurons. They found that electroacupuncture in the hindlimb did not activate the vagal-adrenal axis in these mice. In another experiment, the team used light-based stimulation to directly target these sensory neurons in the deep fascia of the hindlimb.
This stimulation activated the vagal-adrenal axis in a manner similar to electroacupuncture. "Basically, the activation of these neurons is both necessary and sufficient to activate this vagal-adrenal axis," Ma said.
In a final experiment, the scientists explored the distribution of the neurons in the hindlimb. They discovered that there are considerably more neurons in the anterior muscles of the hindlimb than in the posterior muscles, resulting in a stronger response to electroacupuncture in the anterior region.
"Based on this nerve fiber distribution, we can almost precisely predict where electrical stimulation will be effective and where it will not be effective," Ma explained.
Together, these results provide "the first concrete, neuroanatomic explanation for acupoint selectivity and specificity," Ma added. "They tell us the acupuncture parameters, so where to go, how deep to go, how strong the intensity should be."
He noted that while the study was done in mice, the basic organization of neurons is likely evolutionarily conserved across mammals, including humans.
However, an important next step will be clinical testing of electroacupuncture in humans with inflammation caused by real-world infections such as COVID-19. Ma is also interested in exploring other signaling pathways that could be stimulated by acupuncture to treat conditions that cause excessive inflammation.
"We have a lot of tough chronic diseases that still need better treatments," he said, such as inflammatory bowel syndrome and arthritis. Another area of need, he added, is excessive immune reactions that can be a side effect of cancer immunotherapy.
Ma hopes that his research will ultimately advance scientific understanding of acupuncture and provide practical information that can be used to improve and refine the technique.
Happy childhood memories linked to better health later in life Michigan State University, November 5, 2018
People who have fond memories of childhood, specifically their relationships with their parents, tend to have better health, less depression and fewer chronic illnesses as older adults, according to research published by the American Psychological Association.
"We know that memory plays a huge part in how we make sense of the world—how we organize our past experiences and how we judge how we should act in the future. As a result, there are a lot of different ways that our memories of the past can guide us," said William J. Chopik, Ph.D., from Michigan State University and lead author of the study. "We found that good memories seem to have a positive effect on health and well-being, possibly through the ways that they reduce stress or help us maintain healthy choices in life."
The findings were published in the journal Health Psychology.
Previous research has shown a positive relationship between good memories and good health in young adults, including higher quality of work and personal relationships, lower substance use, lower depression and fewer health problems, according to Chopik. He and his co-author, Robin Edelstein, Ph.D., from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, wanted to see how this would apply to older adults.
Also, much of the existing research focused on mothers and rarely examined the role of fathers in child development. Chopik and Edelstein sought to expand on the existing studies to include participants' reflections of their relationships with both parents.
The researchers used data from two nationally representative samples, the National Survey of Midlife Development in the United States and the Health and Retirement Study, with a total of more than 22,000 participants. The first study followed adults in their mid-40s for 18 years and the second followed adults 50 and over for six years. The surveys included questions about perceptions of parental affection, overall health, chronic conditions and depressive symptoms.
Participants in both groups who reported remembering higher levels of affection from their mothers in early childhood experienced better physical health and fewer depressive symptoms later in life. Those who reported memories with more support from their fathers also experienced fewer depressive symptoms, according to Chopik.
"The most surprising finding was that we thought the effects would fade over time because participants were trying to recall things that happened sometimes over 50 years ago. One might expect childhood memories to matter less and less over time, but these memories still predicted better physical and mental health when people were in middle age and older adulthood," said Chopik.
There was a stronger association in people who reported a more loving relationship with their mothers, noted Chopik, but that might change.
"These results may reflect the broader cultural circumstances of the time when the participants were raised because mothers were most likely the primary caregivers," said Edelstein. "With shifting cultural norms about the role of fathers in caregiving, it is possible that results from future studies of people born in more recent years will focus more on relationships with their fathers."
Chopik and Edelstein found that participants with positive childhood memories also had fewer chronic conditions in the first study of 7,100 people, but not in the second study of 15,200, making the results less straightforward
Researchers outline the connection between inflammation and depression Emory University, October 28, 2021
In a paper published recently in Pharmacological Reviews, Emory University School of Medicine researchers outlined the impact of inflammation on motivation as it relates to depression.
The researchers propose that low grade inflammation affects brain chemicals and brain circuits that regulate motivation, ultimately leading to motivational deficits and a loss of interest or willingness to engage in usually pleasurable activities including work and play. These motivational deficits are reflected as anhedonia, a core and likely the most disabling symptom of depression, as well as other psychiatric disorders.
The paper also outlines how these effects of inflammation on the brain are an adaptation to the energy demands of inflammation that require conservation of energy resources, and thus the shutting down of behavior. Low grade inflammation can be caused by lifestyle changes such as poor diet and sedentary behavior.
"A vicious cycle can occur where poor lifestyle habits lead to increased inflammation that in turn reduce the wherewithal or motivation to change those habits. Such a vicious cycle may be especially relevant during pandemic life when even greater energy resources are required to sustain healthy eating and physical activity," says Andrew H. Miller, MD, William P. Timmie Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine. Miller co-authored the paper, along with his colleagues in the Department of Psychology and the Emory Behavioral Immunology Program, where he serves as director.
Miller says novel treatment strategies to break this vicious cycle are currently under development. He and his colleagues raise the possibility of developing treatments specifically for the motivational deficits caused by inflammation, thus moving to a much more targeted approach to therapeutic development in psychiatry, as now seen in the oncology field, versus the current use of outdated and non-specific diagnostic categories of psychiatric disease such as "depression."
"We believe more therapies targeted to specific pathophysiologic pathways and symptoms will lead to better outcomes and more precision care. Non-specific therapies as represented by conventional antidepressants, which are still embraced by regulatory agencies, do not instill the confidence that a more personalized approach does. There is widespread interest in moving in this direction internationally," says Miller.
Gary takes on the real issues that the mainstream media is afraid to tackle. Tune in to find out the latest about health news, healing, politics, and the economy.
Peter McCullough speaks at the 78th Annual Meeting of the Association of American Physicians and Surgeon.
Gary takes on the real issues that the mainstream media is afraid to tackle. Tune in to find out the latest about health news, healing, politics, and the economy. In this episode Gary gives you the response from Noam Chomsky.
Gary takes on the real issues that the mainstream media is afraid to tackle. Tune in to find out the latest about health news, healing, politics, and the economy.
Dear Prof Chomsky,
Please take a moment to read this letter and the accompanying attachments.
i was deeply concerned over the insensitive manner in which Jimmy Dore and other commentators took to criticize your stance on the Covid-19 vaccines. I have followed your work since my early days as a college student during the anti-war and civil rights protests in the 1960s, and later your writings. Your book Manufacturing Consent has been a guidebook over the years in my own syndicated national broadcasts and my criticisms of the mainstream media. Later I used some of your material in the college courses I taught as an adjunct at Fairleigh Dickinson University.
What I always highlighted was your deep scholarship, intellectual acumen, and historically being on the correct side of the most pressing issues of our time.
However, your recent comments are unfortunately inaccurate. Not only yours, but also many of those among us who espouse liberal values. Seemingly the entire liberal media, including Amy Goodman, have been in error and responsible for promulgating scientifically misleading information. Therefore I was perplexed that you would defend the very institutional structures, which have betrayed us repeatedly in history, that you have made a career to challenge.
My own background is in human nutritional health and science. I hold a doctorate and was a research fellow at the Institute of Applied Biology for over three decades. I have counseled tens of thousands of people and conducted over 50 clinical studies related to chronic illnesses and health.
When Anthony Fauci and other federal health officials began making very misleading statements about Covid-19, which independent reviews have found to be based on very shoddy scientific research and analysis, it drew my attention. I have attached several articles co-written with my producer, who is a former senior research analyst in the biotech and genomic industries, that provide alternative scenarios with scientific citations.
It is widely accepted that the vaccinated are not protected from contracting the SARS-2 virus. This has been stated clearly by the vaccine makers and is clearly written in the manufacturers' product insert information. Over 100,000 physicians and medical researchers worldwide, including one of the inventors of mRNA vaccine technology Dr. Robert Malone, are formally challenging the official narrative about the efficacy and safety of these experimental vaccines. These are all doctors, who like myself, are pro-vaccine but are deeply concerned about these new experimental Covid vaccines because there is unsound clinical evidence to determine their safety, let alone whether they work or not. These doctors therefore are adhering to the precautionary principle, which has been upheld as a gold standard for questionable medical intervention before the pandemic. Medical professionals are risking their reputations to now warn that more children will die from these vaccines than from a SARS-2 infection. Physicians, scientists, highly educated parents who choose to avoid vaccination are now being labeld a threat to society and no better than a terrorist. In fact there is no evidence whatsoever that the virus is a matter of grave concern for children. The assumption being made by the federal agencies is that vaccinated children will protect the adults; however there is absolutely no proo whatsoever to substantiate this claim because there is still a great deal of controversy over whether an asymptomatic person with the virus can transmit it to others.
If we look at Israel as an example of the most vaccinated nation in the world, which has started to administer a fourth booster shot, the hospitals are filling with Covid patients who are fully vaccinated. Recently in Europe, a suit has been filed by 1,000 attorneys and 10,000 medical professionals against the World Health Organization, the CDC and the World Economic Forum based upon the Nuremberg Code criteria. Another lawsuit is underway in the US against the CDC and Fauci's National Institute of Allergies and Infectious Disease for manipulating and massaging the data in the CDC's Vaccine Adverse Events Reporting System (VAERS) to reduce the evidence that the vaccines are causing enormous injuries and deaths. A federal whistleblower in the suit has estimated that the vaccines have caused approximately 40,000 American deaths already. If we consider the EU's EudraViligance adverse vaccine event monitoring system, which is far more robust and accurate than the CDC's VAERS based upon a Harvard review, then we are looking at over 27,000 deaths due the vaccines and over 2.5 million injuries. What is most worrisome is that over 90 percent of Covid-19 deaths were among the elderly with comorbidities. The CDC's own website states that only 6 percent of deaths was actually caused by the virus alone, the remainder with comorbidity complications; whereas we are observing more vaccination deaths in younger age groups than from the actual virus. Yet none of this is being reported by the mainstream media. It is a classic example of "manufacturing consent" to implement a narrative that is grossly compromised by commercial and perhaps political interests.
So I would encourage you to please examine the literature and articles carefully and reflect upon the facts that are being intentionally ignored and denied by our health officials and by the media. If after reviewing the information you feel morally compelled to revise your earlier statements, many of us will be grateful
But no matter your decision, your legacy will remain as one of America's greatest political and social justice warriors. However, perhaps not on the matter of medical science and immunology.
I appreciate your consideration
Sincerely yours
Gary Null, PhD
Gary takes on the real issues that the mainstream media is afraid to tackle. Tune in to find out the latest about health news, healing, politics, and the economy and a commentary on "Isolate Unvaxxed From Society" says Noam Chomsky
The moral roots of liberals and conservatives - Jonathan Haidt
Jonathan Haidt joined New York University Stern School of Business in July 2011. He is the Thomas Cooley Professor of Ethical Leadership, based in the Business and Society Program.
Professor Haidt is a social psychologist whose research examines the intuitive foundations of morality. His most recent book is the New York Times bestseller, The Righteous Mind: Why Good People are Divided by Politics and Religion. In that book Haidt offers an account of the origins of the human moral sense, and he shows how variations in moral intuitions can help explain the polarization and dysfunction of American politics. At Stern he is applying his research on moral psychology to rethink the way business ethics is studied and is integrated into the curriculum. His goal is to draw on the best behavioral science research to create organizations that function as ethical systems, with only minimal need for directly training people to behave ethically. He co-founded the research collaboration at EthicalSystems.org. His next book will be titled Three Stories About Capitalism: The Moral Psychology of Economic Life .
Before coming to Stern, Professor Haidt taught for 16 years at the University of Virginia. His first book was The Happiness Hypothesis: Finding Modern Truth in Ancient Wisdom. His writings appear frequently in The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal, and he has given four TED talks. He was named one of the top global thinkers by Foreign Policy magazine and also by Prospect magazine.
Professor Haidt received a B.A. in Philosophy from Yale University and a Ph.D. in Psychology from the University of Pennsylvania.
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- Highly vaccinated Singapore sets a worrying example Todays Videos: 1. SENATOR NINO VITALE 2. THIS LIVE MASK TEST SHOCKS VIEWERS (DEL BIGTREE) 3. UK doctor switches to 80% ULTRA-processed food diet for 30 days 4. The moral roots of liberals and conservatives - Jonathan Haidt
"The war for our minds (con'd)." The colonization of independent media.
Patrick Lawrence
THE SCRUM
Oct 21
21 OCTOBER—Watch and listen, O you with open eyes and ears. The national security state’s long, very long campaign to control our press and broadcasters has taken a new turn of late. If independent media are what keep alive hope for a vigorous, authentic Fourth Estate, as argued severally in this space, independent media are now subject to an insidious, profoundly anti-democratic effort to undermine them.
The Independent Consortium of Investigative Journalists, Frances Haugen, Maria Ressa: Let us consider this institution and these people. They are all frauds, if by fraudulent we mean they are not what and who they tell us they are and their claim to independence from power is bogus.
The Deep State—and at this point it is mere pretense to object to this term—long ago made it a priority to turn the mainstream press and broadcasters to its purposes—to make a free press unfree. This has gone on since the earliest Cold War decades and is well and responsibly documented. (Alas, if more Americans read the many excellent books and exposés on this topic, assertions such as the one just made would not arrive as in the slightest outré.)
But several new realities are now very evident. Chief among them, the Deep State’s colonization of corporate media is now more or less complete. CNN, filling its airtime with spooks, generals, and a variety of official and formerly official liars, can be counted a total takeover. The New York Times is prima facie government-supervised, as it confesses in its pages from time to time. The Washington Post, owned by a man with multimillion-dollar CIA contracts, has turned itself into a comic book.
For reasons I will never entirely fathom, corporate media have not merely surrendered their legitimacy, such as it may have been: They have actively, enthusiastically abandoned what frayed claim they may have had to credibility. The national-security state incorporates mainstream media into its apparatus, and then people stop believing mainstream media: The thrill is gone, let’s say.
In consequence of these two factors, independent media have begun to rise as … independent media. They accumulate audiences. A little at a time, they acquire the very habits of professionalism the mainstream press and broadcasters have let decay. Gradually, they assume the credibility the mainstream has lost. The media ecosystem—horrible phrase but there it is—begins to take on a new shape.
Certain phenomena engendered by independent media prove popular. There are whistleblowers. People inside Deep State institutions start to leak, and they turn to independent media, most famously WikiLeaks, to get information out. While the Deep State’s clerks in mainstream media keep their heads down and their mouths shut as they cash their checks, independent media take principled stands in favor of free expression, and people admire these stands. They are, after all admirable.
Those populating the national-security state’s sprawling apparatus are not stupid. They can figure out the logical response to these developments as well as anyone else. The new imperative is now before us: It is to colonize independent media just as they had the mainstream in previous decades.
There are some hopelessly clumsy cases. I urge all colleagues to stop bothering with The Young Turks in any capacity. Those running it, creatures of those who generously fund it, are simply infra-dig. As Matt Taibbi pointed out over the weekend in a piece wonderfully headed, “Yes, Virginia, There Is a Deep State,” they’ve now got some clod named Ben Carollo proclaiming the CIA as an accountable force for good, savior of democracy—this in a video appearing under the rubric “Rebel HQ.”
As an East European émigré friend used to say, “Gimme break.”
Democracy Now! is a subtler instance of colonization. The once-admirable Amy Goodman drank the Russiagate Kool-Aid, which I counted the first indication of covert intervention of one or another kind. Then she caved to the orthodoxy on the chemical-weapons scam during the Syrian crisis, and lately—you have to watch to believe—Goodman has begun broadcasting CNN “investigative” reports with unalloyed approval.
The debate in this household is whether Ms. Goodman had a long lunch in Langley or her donors started threatening to delay their checks. I have no evidence of either but tend to the latter explanation.
The three recent phenomena suggested at the top of this piece are indications of the Deep State’s latest tactics in its assault on independent media and the culture that arises among them. It behooves us to understand this.
Two weeks ago, the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists published “The Pandora Papers,” a “leak” of 12 million electronic documents revealing the tax-fiddling, money-hiding doings of 300–odd political figures around the world. “The Pandora Papers” followed publication of “The Panama Papers” in 2016 and “The Paradise Papers” a year later. There are many useful revelations in these various releases, but we ought not be fooled as to the nature of the project.
Where did the ICIJ get the documents in “The Pandora Papers,” and how? Are they complete? Were names redacted out? They have been verified? Explaining provenance, authenticity, and so forth is essential to any investigative undertaking, but ICIJ has nothing to say on this point.
Why, of all the people “The Pandora Papers” exposes, is there not one American on its list? As Moon of Alabama notes in an analysis of this release, it amounts to a list of “people the U.S. doesn’t like.”
The ICIJ vigorously insists on its independence. But on close inspection this turns out not to be so by any serious understanding of the term. Among its donors are the Ford Foundation, whose longtime ties to the CIA are well-documented, and the Open Societies Foundation, the (in)famous George Soros operation dedicated to cultivating coups in nations that fall outside the fence posts of neoliberalism.
The group was founded in 1997 as a project of the Center for Public Integrity, another institution dedicated to “inspiring change using investigative reporting,” as the center describes itself. Among its sponsors are Ford, once again, and the Democracy Fund, which was founded by Pierre Omidyar, bankroller of The Intercept (another compromised “independent” medium). Omidyar is, like Soros, a sponsor of subversion ops in other countries masquerading as “civil society” projects.
ICIJ’s other sponsors (and for that matter the Democracy Fund’s) are comprised of the sorts of foundations that support NPR, PBS, and other such media. Let us be crystal clear on this point. Anyone who assumes media institutions taking money from such sponsors are authentically independent does not understand philanthropy as a well-established, highly effective conduit through which orthodoxies are enforced and public discourse circumscribed.
What are we looking at here? Not what we are supposed to think we are looking at, certainly. I will return to this question.
There is the case of Maria Ressa, which I considered briefly in a previous commentary. Ressa is the supposedly courageous, speak-truth-to-power co-winner of the Nobel Peace Prize this year, a Filipina journalist who co-founded The Rappler, a web publication in Manila. The Nobel committee cited Ressa for her “fight for freedom of expression.” Who is Maria Ressa, then, and what is The Rappler?
I grow weary of writing this sentence: She and her publication are not what we are supposed to think they are.
Ressa and The Rappler, each insisting on independence just as the ICIJ does, are straight-out lying on this point. The Rappler recently received a grant of $180,000 from the National Endowment for Democracy, a CIA front—this according to an NED financial report issued earlier this year. None other than Pierre Omidyar and a group called North Base Media own nonvoting shares in the publication. Among North Base’s partners is the Media Development Investment Fund, which was founded by George Soros to do what George Soros likes to do in other countries.
Does a picture begin to emerge? Read the names together and one will. You have to figure they all party together.
Nobel in hand, Maria Ressa has already declared that Julian Assange is not a journalist and that independent media need new regulations, as in censorship. Henry Kissinger got a Nobel as a peacemaker: Ressa gets one as a defender of free expression. It’s a fit.
This brings us to the case of Frances Haugen, the former Facebook exec who recently appeared before Congress waving lots of documents she seems to have secreted (supposedly) out of Facebook’s offices to argue for—what else at this point?—increased government regulation of social media, as in censorship. Frances Haugen, you see, is a courageous, speak-truth-to-power whistleblower. Never mind that her appearance on Capitol Hill was carefully choreographed by Democratic Party operatives whose party simply cannot wait to censor our First Amendment rights out of existence.
It is hard to say who is more courageous, I find—the ICIJ, Maria Ressa, or Frances Haugen. Where would we be without them?
The culture of independent media as it has germinated and developed over the past decade or so gave us WikiLeaks, and its effectiveness cannot be overstated. It gave us all manner of gutsy journalists standing for the principles of a genuinely free press, and people listened. It gave us whistleblowers who are admired even as the Deep State condemns them.
And now the national-security state gives us none other than a secret-disclosing crew of mainstream hacks, a faux-independent journalist elevated to the highest honors, and a whistleblower who was handed her whistle and taught how to toot it—three crowd-pleasers, three simulacra. These are three frauds. They are to independent journalism what McDonald’s is to food.
There is only one defense against this assault on truth and integrity, but it is a very good one. It is awareness. CNN, Democracy Now!, the ICIJ, Maria Ressa, Frances Haugen—none of these and many other media and people are properly labeled. But the labels can be written with modest efforts. Awareness and scrutiny, watching and listening, will prove enough.
Dr. John Campbell is a Senior Lecturer in Nursing studies at the University of Cumbria. He has been a clinical nurse and a nurse tutor for over 30 years. In addition to writing books, he has also produced a range of videos and podcasts on various health and nursing related topics. As well as selling his materials in the Western countries, many are distributed at no cost, or low cost, to students in poorer countries
Dr. Wolfgang Wodarg | Full Interview | Planetlockdown. October 18, 2021. In this intimate sit down interview with Wolfgang Wodarg, we discuss the broad issue of corruption in the WHO, how we should understand the "pandemic," or lack there of and how we must stop this diabolical trend towards a fake medical dystopia that will take over all aspects of our lives. He is one of the most honest and thoughtful people we have ever met and has an amazing resume and has lived a rich life full of experiences that uniquely qualifies him to understand the depth and breadth of this complex situation we find ourselves in.
Eating leafy greens could help prevent macular degeneration Westmead Institute for Medical Research (Australia), October 13, 2021
A new study has shown that eating vegetable nitrates, found mainly in green leafy vegetables and beetroot, could help reduce your risk of developing early-stage age-related macular degeneration (AMD).
Researchers at the Westmead Institute for Medical Research interviewed more than 2,000 Australian adults aged over 49 and followed them over a 15-year period.
The research showed that people who ate between 100 to 142 mgs of vegetable nitrates each day had a 35% lower risk of developing early AMD than people who ate less than 69mgs of vegetable nitrates each day.
Lead Researcher Associate Professor Bamini Gopinath from the Westmead Institute and the University of Sydney said the link between vegetable nitrates and macular degeneration could have important implications.
"This is the first time the effects of dietary nitrates on macular degeneration risk has been measured.
"Essentially we found that people who ate 100 to 142 mgs of vegetable nitrates every day had a reduced risk of developing early signs of macular degeneration compared with people who ate fewer nitrates.
"If our findings are confirmed, incorporating a range of foods rich in dietary nitrates - like green leafy vegetables and beetroot - could be a simple strategy to reduce the risk of early macular degeneration," Associate Professor Gopinath said.
Spinach has approximately 20mg of nitrate per 100g, while beetroot has nearly 15mg of nitrate per 100g.
The research did not show any additional benefits for people who exceeded 142mgs of dietary nitrate each day. It also did not show any significant connections between vegetable nitrates and late stage AMD, or between non-vegetable nitrates and AMD risk.
One in seven Australians over 50 have some signs of macular degeneration.
Age is the strongest known risk factor and the disease is more likely to occur after the age of 50.
There is currently no cure for the disease.
The research compiled data from the Blue Mountains Eye Study, a benchmark population-based study that started in 1992.
It is one of the world's largest epidemiology studies, measuring diet and lifestyle factors against health outcomes and a range of chronic diseases.
"Our research aims to understand why eye diseases occur, as well as the genetic and environmental conditions that may threaten vision," Associate Professor Gopinath concluded.
Research review shows intermittent fasting works for weight loss, health changes University of Illinois Chicago, October 13, 2021
Intermittent fasting can produce clinically significant weight loss as well as improve metabolic health in individuals with obesity, according to a new study review led by University of Illinois Chicago researchers.
"We noted that intermittent fasting is not better than regular dieting; both produce the same amount of weight loss and similar changes in blood pressure, cholesterol and inflammation," said Krista Varady, professor of nutrition at the UIC College of Applied Health Sciences and author of "Cardiometabolic Benefits of Intermittent Fasting."
According to the analysis published in the Annual Review of Nutrition, all forms of fasting reviewed produced mild to moderate weight loss, 1 percent to 8 percent from baseline weight, which represents results that are similar to that of more traditional, calorie-restrictive diets. Intermittent fasting regimens may also benefit health by decreasing blood pressure and insulin resistance, and in some cases, cholesterol and triglyceride levels are also lowered. Other health benefits, such as improved appetite regulation and positive changes in the gut microbiome, have also been demonstrated.
The review looked at over 25 research studies involving three types of intermittent fasting:
- Alternate day fasting, which typically involves a feast day alternated with a fast day where 500 calories are consumed in one meal.
- 5:2 diet, a modified version of alternate day fasting that involves five feast days and two fast days per week.
- Time-restricted eating, which confines eating to a specified number of hours per day, usually four to 10 hours, with no calorie restrictions during the eating period.
Various studies of time-restricted eating show participants with obesity losing an average of 3 percent of their body weight, regardless of the time of the eating window.
Studies showed alternate day fasting resulted in weight loss of 3 percent to 8 percent of body weight over three to eight weeks, with results peaking at 12 weeks. Individuals on alternate day fasting typically do not overeat or binge on feast days, which results in mild to moderate weight loss, according to the review.
Studies for the 5:2 diet showed similar results to alternate day fasting, which surprised the study's reviewers. The subjects who participate in the 5:2 diet fast much less frequently than alternate-day fasting participants do, but the weight loss results are similar.
Weight loss with alternate day and 5:2 fasting are comparable to more traditional daily calorie-restrictive diets. And, both fasting diets showed individuals were able to maintain an average of 7 percent weight loss for a year.
"You're fooling your body into eating a little bit less and that's why people are losing weight," Varady said.
Varady added the review set out to debunk some myths regarding intermittent fasting. Intermittent fasting does not negatively affect metabolism, nor does it cause disordered eating, according to the studies reviewed.
"Fasting people are worried about feeling lethargic and not being able to concentrate. Even though you are not eating, it won't affect your energy," Varady said. "A lot of people experience a boost of energy on fasting days. Don't worry, you won't feel crappy. You may even feel better."
The study review includes a summary of practical considerations for those who may want to try intermittent fasting. Among the considerations are:
- Adjustment time—Side effects such as headaches, dizziness and constipation subside after one to two weeks of fasting. Increased water intake can help alleviate headaches caused by dehydration during this time.
- Exercise—Moderate to high-intensity endurance or resistance training during food abstention can be done, and some study participants reported having more energy on fast days. However, studies recommend those following alternate day fasting eat their fasting day meal after exercise.
- Diet during fasting—There are no specific recommendations for food consumption during intermittent fasting, but eating fruits, vegetables and whole grains can help boost fiber intake and help relieve constipation that sometimes accompanies fasting.
- Alcohol and caffeine—For those using an alternate day or 5:2 fasting plan, alcohol is not recommended on fast days as the limited calories should be used on healthy foods that provide nutrition.
There are several groups who should not intermittent fast, according to the studies. Those individuals include:
- Those who are pregnant or lactating.
- Children under 12.
- Those with a history of disordered eating.
- Those with a body mass index, or BMI, less than 18.5.
- Shift workers. Studies have shown they may struggle with fasting regimens because of shifting work schedules.
- Those who need to take medication with food at regimented times.
"People love intermittent fasting because it's easy. People need to find diets that they can stick to long term. It's definitely effective for weight loss and it's gained popularity because there are no special foods or apps necessary. You can also combine it with other diets, like Keto," Varady said.
Varady has recently been awarded a National Institutes of Health grant to study time-restricted eating for 12 months to see if it works long term.
Antioxidants to prevent Alzheimer's disease A balanced intake of antioxidants could prevent the development of Alzheimer's disease.
Institut National de la Recherche Scientifique (France), October 13, 2021
Research conducted by the Ph.D student Mohamed Raâfet Ben Khedher and the postdoctoral researcher Mohamed Haddad of the Institut national de la recherche scientifique (INRS) has shown that an oxidation-antioxidant imbalance in the blood is an early indicator of Alzheimer's disease, rather than a consequence. This breakthrough made by researchers under the supervision of the Professor Charles Ramassamy provides an avenue for preventive intervention: the antioxidants intake.
The research team showed that oxidative markers, known to be involved in Alzheimer's disease, show an increase up to five years before the onset of the disease. The results of this study, published in the Alzheimer's & Dementia: Diagnosis, Assessment & Disease Monitoring (DADM) journal, suggest that oxidation may be an early marker of this disease that affects more than 500,000 Canadians.
“Given that there is an increase in oxidative stress in people who develop the disease, we may regulate the antioxidant systems. For example, we could modulate the antioxidant systems, such as apolipoproteins J and D, which transport lipids and cholesterol in the blood and play an important role in brain function and Alzheimer's disease. Another avenue would be to increase the intake of antioxidants through nutrition”, says Professor Ramassamy.
Accessible biomarkers
Unlike the current set of invasive and expensive tests used to diagnose Alzheimer's disease, the oxidative markers discovered by Professor Ramassamy's research team can be detected by a blood test. These markers are found in plasma extracellular vesicles, which are pockets released by all cells in the body, including those in the brain.
The research team focused specifically on the "sporadic" Alzheimer's disease, the most common form of the disease which results primarily from the presence of the APOE4 susceptibility gene. This same form of the disease had been studied by the team for other early markers.
“By identifying oxidative markers in the blood of individuals at risk five years before the onset of the disease, we could make recommendations to slow the onset of the disease and limit the risks”, scientists noted.
This breakthrough brings new hope to Alzheimer's research. Once the disease is symptomatic, it is difficult, if not impossible, to reverse it.
Meditation training reduces long-term stress, according to hair analysis Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences (Germany), October 11, 2021
Mental training that promotes skills such as mindfulness, gratitude or compassion reduces the concentration of the stress hormone cortisol in hair. This is what scientists from the Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences in Leipzig and the Social Neuroscience Research Group of the Max Planck Society in Berlin have found out. The amount of cortisol in hair provides information about how much a person is burdened by persistent stress. Earlier positive training effects had been shown in acutely stressful situations or on individual days—or were based on study participants' self-reports.
According to a study by the Techniker Krankenkasse, 23 percent of people in Germany frequently suffer from stress. This condition not only puts a strain on the well-being of those affected, but it is also linked to a number of physiological diseases, including diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and psychological disorders such as depression, one of the world's leading causes of disease burden (Global Burden of Disease Study, 2017).
Therefore, effective methods are being sought to reduce everyday stress in the long term. One promising option is mindfulness training, in which participants train their cognitive and social skills, including attention, gratitude and compassion, through various meditation and behavioral exercises. Various studies have already shown that even healthy people feel less stressed after a typical eight-week training program. Until now, however, it has been unclear how much the training actually contributes to reducing the constant burden of everyday stress. The problem with many previous studies on chronic stress is that the study participants were usually asked to self-assess their stress levels after the training. However, this self-reporting by means of questionnaires could have distorted the effects and made the results appear more positive than they actually were.
The reason for such a bias: The participants knew they were training their mindfulness, and a reduction in stress levels was a desired effect of this training. This awareness alone has an impact on subsequent information. "If you are asked whether you are stressed after a training session that is declared as stress-reducing, even addressing this question can distort the statements," explains Lara Puhlmann, doctoral student at the Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences and first author of the underlying publication, which has now appeared in the journal Psychosomatic Medicine. Factors such as social desirability and placebo effects played a role here. Unlike pharmacological studies, for example, in which the study participants do not know whether they have actually received the active substance or not, so-called blinded studies are not possible in mental training. "The participants know that they are ingesting the 'antidote,'" says Puhlmann. "In mindfulness research, we are therefore increasingly using more objective, i.e. physiological, methods to measure the stress-reducing effect more precisely."
The concentration of cortisol in hair is considered a suitable measure of exposure to prolonged stress. Cortisol is a hormone that is released when we are confronted with an overwhelming challenge, for example. In that particular situation, it helps put our body on alert and mobilize energy to overcome the challenge. The longer the stress lasts, the longer an increased concentration of cortisol circulates around our body—and the more it accumulates in our hair. On average, hair grows one centimeter per month. To measure the study participants' stress levels during the 9-month training, the researchers, in cooperation with the working group of Clemens Kirschbaum at the University of Dresden, analyzed the amount of cortisol every three months in the first three centimeters of hair, starting at the scalp.
The mental training itself was developed as part of a large-scale longitudinal study on the effects of mental training, the ReSource project, led by Tania Singer, scientific director of the Social Neuroscience Research Group. This 9-month mental training program consisted of three 3-month sessions, each designed to train a specific skill area using Western and Far Eastern mental exercises. The focus was either on the factors of attention and mindfulness, on socio-affective skills such as compassion and gratitude, or on so-called socio-cognitive skills, in particular the ability to take perspective on one's own and others' thoughts. Three groups of about 80 participants each completed the training modules in different order. The training lasted up to nine months, 30 minutes a day, six days a week.
Less stress, less cortisol
And it really showed: After six months of training, the amount of cortisol in the subjects' hair had decreased significantly, on average by 25 percent. In the first three months, slight effects were seen at first, which increased over the following three months. In the last third, the concentration remained at a low level. The researchers therefore assume that only sufficiently long training leads to the desired stress-reducing effects. The effect did not seem to depend on the content of the training. It is therefore possible that several of the mental approaches studied are similarly effective in improving the way people deal with chronic everyday stress.
In an earlier study from the ReSource project with the same sample, the researchers had investigated the effects of training on dealing with acute stressful situations. In this study, the participants were placed in a stressful job interview and had to solve difficult maths problems under observation. The results showed that people who had undergone socio-cognitive or socio-affective training released up to 51 percent less cortisol under stress than those who had not been trained. In this case, they did not measure the amount of cortisol in the subjects' hair, but instead acute cortisolsurges in their saliva. Overall, the researchers conclude that training can improve the handling of acute particularly stressful social situations as well as chronic everyday stress. "We assume that different training aspects are particularly helpful for these different forms of stress," says Veronika Engert, head of the research group "Social Stress and Family Health" at the Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences.
"There are many diseases worldwide, including depression, that are directly or indirectly related to long-term stress," explains Puhlmann. "We need to work on counteracting the effects of chronic stress in a preventive way. Our study uses physiological measurements to prove that meditation-based training interventions can alleviate general stress levels even in healthy individuals."
Study: Moderate carbohydrate intake is a cardiovascular benefit for women Monash University (Australia), October 13, 2021
Women's heart health has been the focus of a recent study by Monash University, with researchers finding that proportional carbohydrate intake and not saturated fat was significantly associated with cardiovascular disease benefit in Australian women.
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death in women. Poor diet is recognized as both an independent CVD risk factor and a contributor to other CVD risk factors, such as obesity, diabetes mellitus (DM), hypertension, and dyslipidaemia.
The research found that in middle-aged Australian women, increasing the percentage of carbohydrate intake was significantly associated with reduced odds of CVD, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and obesity.
Furthermore, a moderate carbohydrate intake between 41.0 percent—44.3 percent of total energy intake was associated with the lowest risk of CVD compared to women who consumed less than 37 percent energy as carbohydrates. No significant relationship was demonstrated between proportional carbohydrate intake and all-cause mortality.
In addition, increasing proportional saturated fat intake was not associated with cardiovascular disease or mortality in women; rather, increasing saturated fat intakecorrelated with lower odds of developing diabetes mellitus, hypertension, and obesity.
The findings are now published in the British Medical Journal.
The results contradict much of the historical epidemiological research that supported a link between saturated fat and CVD. Instead, the results mirror contemporary meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies where saturated fat was found to have no significant relationship with total mortality or CVD.
While the cause of this inconsistency in the literature is unclear, it has been suggested that historical studies neglected to adjust for fiber, which is known to help prevent plaque from forming in the arteries.
"Controversy still exists surrounding the best diet to prevent CVD," said Sarah Zaman, a former Monash University professor who is now an associate professor at the University of Sydney.
"A low-fat diet has historically been the mainstay of primary prevention guidelines, but the major issue within our dietary guidelines is that many dietary trials have predominately involved male participants or lacked sex-specific analyses."
She adds: "Further research is needed to tailor our dietary guidelines according to sex."
The study's first author Sarah Gribbin, a Doctor of Medicine and BMedSc (Hons) student, says: "As an observational study, our findings only show association and not causation. Our research is purely hypothesis-generating. We are hoping that our findings will spark future research into sex-specific dietary research."
The Heart Foundation, which is one of the study's funders, welcomed the focus on women and CVD, which has historically been under-researched.
Heart Foundation manager, food and nutrition, Eithne Cahill, cautioned that "not all carbohydrates are created equal."
"We know that quality carbohydrate foods such as vegetables and whole grains—including whole grain bread, cereals, and pasta—are beneficial for heart health, whereas poor quality carbohydrates such as white bread, biscuits, cakes, and pastries can increase risk," she said.
"Similarly, different fats have different effects on heart health. That is why the Heart Foundation focuses on healthy eating patterns—that is, a combination of foods, chosen regularly over time—rather than a single nutrient or food. Include plenty of vegetables, fruit, and whole grains, and heart-healthy fat choices such as nuts, seeds, avocados, olives and their oils for cooking and a variety of healthy proteins especially seafood, beans and lentils, eggs and dairy."
Anti-cancer effects found in natural compound derived from onions
Kumamoto University (Japan), October 18, 2021
Research from Kumamoto University, Japan has found that a natural compound isolated from onions, onionin A (ONA), has several anti-ovarian cancer properties. This discovery is a result of research on the effects of ONA on a preclinical model of epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) both in vivo and in vitro. This research comes from the same group that found ONA suppressed pro-tumor activation of host myeloid cells.
According to a 2014 review of cancer medicines from the World Health Organization, EOC is the most common type of ovarian cancer and has a 5-year survival rate of approximately 40%. It has a relatively low lifetime risk that is less than 1%, but that can increase up to 40% if there is a family history of the disease. A majority of patients (80%) experience a relapse after their initial treatment with chemotherapy, therefore a more effective line of treatment is needed.
Kumamoto University researchers found that ONA has several effects on EOC. The group's in vitro experiments showed that EOCs, which usually proliferate in the presence of pro-tumor M2 macrophages, showed inhibited growth after introduction of ONA. This was thought to be due to ONAs influence on STAT3, a transcription factor known to be involved in both M2 polarization and cancer cell proliferation. Furthermore, the team found that ONA inhibited the pro-tumor functions of myeloid derived suppressor cells (MDSC), which are closely associated with the suppression of the anti-tumor immune response of host lymphocytes, by using preclinical sarcoma model. ONA was also found to enhance the effects of anti-cancer drugs by strengthening their anti-proliferation capabilities. Moreover, experiments on an ovarian cancer murine model that investigated the effects of orally administered ONA resulted in longer lifespans and inhibited ovarian cancer tumor development. This was considered to be a result of ONA's suppression of M2 polarized macrophages.
The research shows that ONA reduces the progression of malignant ovarian cancer tumors by interfering with the pro-tumor function of myeloid cells. ONA appears to activate anti-tumor immune responses by nullifying the immunosuppressive function of myeloid cells. ONA has the potential to enhance existing anti-cancer drugs while also having little to no cytotoxic effects on normal cells. Additionally, side effects in animals have not been seen. With a little more testing, an oral ONA supplement should greatly benefit cancer patients.
Risk of chronic diseases caused by exogenous chemical residues Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics (China), October 13, 2021
Chronic diseases are main killers affecting the health of human. The morbidities of major chronic diseases such as obesity, hypertension, diabetes, hyperuricemia and dyslipidemia are as high as 10% to 30%, showing a gradually upward trend as well.
More and more studies have shown that environmental pollution is a major health risk factor that cannot be ignored. However, the evidence for their relationship is equivocal and the underlying mechanisms is unclear.
Recently, a research group led by Prof. Xu Guowang from the Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics (DICP) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) discovered the risk of chronic diseases caused by exogenous chemical residues through metabolome-wide association study.
Their findings were published in Environment International on Oct. 8. Researchers from National Institute for Nutrition and Health of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, and Tongji Medical College of Huazhong University of Science and Technology were also involved in this study.
The researchers discovered positive associations of serum perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) with hyperuricemia, and revealed the mechanism of the relationship between the exogenous chemical residues in the serum and the risk of chronic diseases at the metabolic level.
The researchers investigated the relationship between 106 exogenous chemical residues and five chronic diseases in 496 serum samples. They revealed the metabolic perturbations related to exogenous chemical residues and chronic diseases by the metabolome-wide association study combined with meeting-in-the-middle approach and mediation analysis, and investigated the further potential underlying mechanism at the metabolic level.
"PFASs were the risk factor for hyperuricemia," said Prof. Xu. Lipid species including glycerophospholipids and glycerides presented the strongest correlation with exposure and disease, which were not only positively related to PFASs exposure but also the risk factor for hyperuricemia. "We also found that key mediation metabolites mediated 25% to 68% of the exposure-disease risk relationship," Prof. Xu added.
This study provides in-depth etiological understanding for the occurrence and development of diseases, which may be helpful for the early detection of the disease and the identification of early warning markers.
Prof. Eli Schwartz, Director of the Center for Geographic Medicine at Sheba Medical Center in Tel-Hashomer Israel, first introduced the field of travel medicine to Israel .
His practice became the recognized center by the Ministry of Health of Israel for tropical and travel diseases. Dr Schwartz is currently serving as the president of the Israeli Society of Parasitology and Tropical Diseases and past president of the Asia-Pacific Travel Health Society. He is a full Professor (clinical) at the Sacker faculty of Medicine, Tel-Aviv University.
Lifestyle Modification Improves Physical and Mental Health in Elderly Participants: Observational Study in a Controlled Environment Gary Null1, Ronald Klatz2, Robert Goldman2, Luanne Pennesi1, Richard Gale1, William Faloon3 and Scott Fogle*3 1 Nutrition Institute Of America, New York, United States 2 American Academy Of Anti Aging Medicine, N Military Trail, Boca Raton, FL, United States 3 Life Extension Foundation, Ft Lauderdale, FL, United States
*Corresponding Author(s): Gary Null Nutrition Institute Of America, New York, United States Tel:+1 6469265437, Email:gary@garynull.com
Dr. Peter McCullough is a distinguished internist, cardiologist, and epidemiologist who has been front and center speaking against the policies and medical flaws in official actions to deal with the covid pandemic. For many he has become regarded as one of the world's experts on Covid-19. Dr. McCullough is also the Chief Medical Advisor for the Truth for Health Foundation, president of the Cardiorenal Society of America Editor in Chief of the peer reviewed journal Reviews in Cardiovascular Medicine and a senior associate editor of the American Journal of Cardiology. In addition to his internal medicine practice, he also manages common infectious diseases as well as cardiovascular complications associated with viral infection and injuries following Covid-19 vaccination. Since the time the pandemic was declared, Dr. McCullough took a lead in the medical response. He published the first synthesis of sequenced multi-drug treatment for ambulatory patients infected with the SARS-2 virus in the American Journal of Medicine. He has now published 46 peer-reviewed papers on the infection, reviewed thousands of reports, and has published an additional 700 papers and studies. You can keep up with Peter's reports and analyses on the website AmericaOutLoud.com
What are health personnel observing in outpatient and ER settings with vaccine adverse reactions
Deborah Conrad is a board certified physician assistant and hospitalist who was formerly employed at the Rochester Regional Health Center in upstate New York. During her career when has worked in emergency medicine, urgent care, Internal medicine and pediatrics. In her position in emergency room admissions and examination she has on the ground experience with covid-related patients, including those who have had adverse reactions to the Covid vaccines. Due to her position regarding the medical interventions being undertaken during the pandemic, vaccination, and a reluctance of medical personnel to report adverse vaccine events, she was relieved of her work at the health center. Deb holds a degree from the State University of New York at Buffalo in clinical laboratory medicine, and received her PA physician assistant degree at Lock Haven University.
The Government Assault Against Ivermectin and other Safe SARS-2 Treatments
Richard Gale and Gary Null PhD
Progressive Radio Network, September 1, 2021
Had the FDA and Anthony Fauci’s National Institute for Allergies and Infectious Disease (NIAID) started approving existing clinically-proven and inexpensive drugs for treating malaria, parasites and other pathogens at the start of the pandemic, millions of people would have been saved from experiencing serious infections or dying from the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Why federal health officials never followed this strategy is a question the mainstream media refuses to ask.
Another question that the medical establishment, let alone our compliant media, is why have they failed to ask whether there are reliable studies in the peer-reviewed literature and testimonies from thousands of day-to-day clinical physicians worldwide who treat Covid-19 patients with these drugs, in particular hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) and Ivermectin. We may also point out the many different natural remedies, such as nigella sativa, curcumin, vitamin D, melatonin, etc, which have been shown to be effective against SARS-2 infections. In most nations, there has been enormous success in treating Covid patients at the early and moderate stages of infection. However, in the US, Anthony Fauci, Bill Gates, the FDA and our federal medical officials have categorically denied their use. In fact during the past couple weeks, there has been an aggressive and concerted effort to erect obstacles to prevent the employment of these more effective drugs. More recently a widespread campaign is underway to denigrate them altogether.
For example, the TOGETHER trial is now touted by the mainstream media as a flagship study showing that ivermectin is ineffective and even dangerous to prescribe. The study was conducted by professor Edward Mills at McMaster University in Ontario. If we are to believe the New York Times, the trial, which enrolled 1,300 patients, was discontinued because Mills claimed the drug was no better than a placebo. However, there is strong reason to believe this entire trial was nothing less than a staged theatrical performance. When asked, Mills denied having any conflict of interests. However, Mills happens to be employed as a clinical trial advisor for the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. The Gates Foundation was also the trial’s principal funder. It may be noted that various organizations and agencies in other nations, such as the Health Products Regulatory Authority in South Africa, which have banned ivermectin, are often funded by Gates. It is naïve to believe that Gates has any philanthropic intentions whatsoever to see a highly effective treatment for SARS-2 infections reach worldwide approval. These drugs are in direct competition to his enormous investments and unwavering commitment to the Covid-19 vaccines.
In the meantime, Americans only have monoclonal antibody therapy and the controversial and ineffective drug Remdesivir at their disposal. Remdesivir’s average effectiveness for late stage treatment is only 22 percent. A Chinese study published in The Lancet found no statistically significant benefit in the drug and 12 percent of participants taking the drug had to discontinue treatment due to serious adverse effects, especially liver and kidney damage.
When questions are posited as a general argument for advocating expedient measures to protect public health during this pandemic, would it not have been wise to have prioritized for emergency use HCQ, Ivermectin, and other remedies with a record of curtailing Covid, such as the antibiotic azithromycin, zinc, selenium, Vitamins C and D, and melatonin as a first line of defense? There was absolutely no need to have waited for experimental vaccines or experimental drugs such as Remdesivir before the pandemic became uncontrollable. But this is what Fauci and Trump, and now Biden, permitted to happen.
If this strategy of medical intervention had been followed, would it have been successful? The answer is likely an unequivocal “yes”. Both HCQ and, even better, Ivermectin have been prophylactically prescribed by physicians working on pandemic’s front lines with enormous success. Yet those American physicians struggling to get this urgent message out to federal health officials are being marginalized and ridiculed en masse. Only in the US, the UK, France, South Africa and several other developed nations has there been a stubborn hubris to deny their effectiveness. The World Health Organization recommends Ivermectin for Covid-19 so why not the US and these other nations? Under oath, multiple physicians and professors at American medical schools have testified before Congress to present the scientific evidence supporting HCQ and Ivermectin. These are otherwise medical professionals at the very heart of treating Covid-19 patients.
Today, American journalism is in shambles. In fact, it is a disgrace. The American public is losing trust in the media. Whether it is CNN, the New York Times, the Washington Post, the liberal tabloid Daily Beast, NPR or PBS, each has unlimited resources to properly investigate the federal and institutional machinery behind the government health policies being thrust upon us. Yet no mainstream journalist has found the moral compass to bring this truth to the public.
In the meantime, we are allowing millions to die, and countless others to be seriously affected from a severe infection because of professional medical neglect and a healthcare system favoring the pharmaceutical industry’s frantic rush to develop expensive novel drugs and experimental vaccines. The incentive by the drug makers is to take every advantage available within the FDA’s emergency use loopholes to get their products approved as quickly as possible. The primary advantage is that these novel drugs and vaccines can then leap over regulatory hurdles, which otherwise would require them to conduct lengthy and thorough clinical trials to prove their efficacy and safety. The consequence is that none of the new pharmaceutical Covid-19 interventions have been adequately reviewed.
On the other hand, HCQ and Ivermectin have an established legacy of prior research and have been on the market for decades. Worldwide, it is not unreasonable to claim that billions of people have been treated with these drugs.
Below is a breakdown of the studies conducted so far for HCQ, Ivermectin and Vitamin D specifically for combatting the SARS-CoV-2 virus
Hydroxychloroquine
344 studies, 250 peer-reviewed have been conducted specifically for Covid-19
281 have been clinical trials that involved 4,583 scientists and over 407,627 patients
64% improvement in 31 early treatment trials
75% improvement in 13 early stage infection treatment mortality results
21% improvement in 190 late stage infection treatment trials (patients in serious condition)
23% improvement in 44 randomized controlled trials
Full list of HCQ studies and details: https://c19hcq.com
Ivermectin
131 studies, 52 peer-reviewed have been conducted specifically for Covid-19
63 have been clinical trials that involved 613 scientists and over 26,398 patients
58% improvement in 31 randomized controlled trials
86% improvement in 14 prophylaxis trials
72% improvement in 27 early stage infection treatment trials
40% improvement in 22 late stage infection treatment trials
58% improvement in 25 mortality results
Full list of Ivermectin studies and details: https://c19ivermectin.com
Other inexpensive repurposed drugs for treating SARS-2
Fluvoxamine
88% improvement in early treatment
29% improvement in late stage treatment
63% improvement in all 7 peer-reviewed studies
Vitamin D
101 studies conducted by over 875 scientists
63 sufficiency studies with 34,863 patients
33 treatment trials with 46,860 patients
42% improvement in 33 treatment trials
56% improvement in 68 sufficiency studies
55% improvement in 19 treatment mortality results
Full list of Vitamin D studies and details: https://c19vitamind.com
In contrast there have been 21 studies enrolling 35,744 patients in Remdesivir trials showing only a 22% improvement in all studies combined. This rate is below that of simply taking probiotics (5 studies at 24% improvement), melatonin (7 studies at 62% improvement), curcumin (4 studies at 71% improvement), nigella sativa (3 studies at 84% improvement), quercetin (4 studies at 76% improvement), and aspirin (7 studies at 37% improvement). Despite the small number of trials and low numbers of enrolled participants, early results indicate that greater attention and funding needs to be allocated for more rigorous research if there is to be any success in curbing SARS-2 infections’ severity.
Please share this information. The inept policies and measures being taken by our federal health officials and by both the former Trump and present Biden administrations are unparalleled in American healthcare history. And never before has the media been so willing to self-censor and been so grossly irresponsible to hide the published science and the truth.
Can low temperature-aged garlic enhance exercise performance? Korea Univesity & National Institute of Agricultural Sciences (South Korea), October 8, 2021
Scientists from South Korea’s National Institute of Agricultural Sciences and Korea University looked at aged garlic to see whether it could help reduce fatigue. To do this, they conducted a study on mice fed with a special low-temperature-aged garlic (LTAG).
Their findings were published in the Journal of Medicinal Food.
Testing the fatigue-fighting effects of low temperature-aged garlic The researchers chose to use LTAG because it lacked the pungent odor and spicy flavor of regular garlic, making it easier to use for animal testing.
To create the LTAG, the researchers stored garlic in a sealed container, aging at 60 C for 60 days. The resulting LTAG was then peeled and pulverized, before being added to 200 milliliters of 70 percent ethanol (EtOH), which was then subjected to ultrasonic extraction three times. This 70 percent EtOH and LTAG extract was then concentrated under a vacuum at 45 C and then lyophilized to create a dry LTAG residue.
After the creation of the LTAG, the researchers then separated mice into six groups. The first group was given a low dose of LTAG extract; the second was fed a high dose of LTAG extract; the third was given a low dose of garlic extract; and the fourth was given a high dose of garlic extract. The fifth and sixth groups consisted of normal mice that were given phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) instead of garlic. One of these control groups was made to exercise while the other group was not.
The mice in the five groups were forced to run on a treadmill for four weeks. With each passing week, the amount of exercise the mice would have to do on the treadmills would increase. This was done by increasing both the speed that the mice had to run, and the amount of time they had to spend running. (Related: How to alleviate fatigue with herbal medicine.)
After 28 days of treatment, five mice from each group were subjected to a final, exhaustive treadmill test. This test increased the treadmill speed from 15 meters per minute (m/min) to 40 m/min every 3 minutes. During this test, the running time was monitored until each mouse failed to follow the increase in speed on three consecutive occasions and lag occurred. At this point, the mouse’s total running time was recorded.
The effect of the LTAG on the levels of glucose, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), free fatty acid (FFA) and lactate in the mice’s blood. Following the final exercise, the mice were killed and blood samples were collected from them. In addition, the mice’s gastrocnemius muscles were also isolated and frozen in liquid nitrogen for testing.
LTAG treated mice demonstrated less fatigue Following the exhaustive running tests, the researchers found that the mice treated with LTAG extract were able to run for much longer than the control mice.
Meanwhile, looking at the blood tests, they noted that the mice treated with LTAG extract exhibited lower levels of glucose, LDH, FFA and lactate. More importantly, the LTAG treated mice had increased amounts of glycogen and creatine kinase (CK) in their muscles.
Glycogen storage is an important source of energy during exercise. It serves a central role in maintaining the body’s glucose homeostasis by supplementing blood glucose. Because of this, glycogen is seen as an accurate marker for fatigue, with increased glycogel levels closely associated with improved endurance and anti-fatigue effects.
CK, on the other hand, is known to be an accurate indicator of muscle damage. During muscle degeneration, muscle cells are dissolved and their contents enter the bloodstream. As a result, when muscle damage occurs, muscle CK comes out into the blood. As such, fatigue tends to lead to lower muscle CK levels and higher blood CK levels.
Higher levels of glycogen and muscle CK in the LTAG treated mice indicated that they experienced less fatigue than the other groups.
Based on these findings, the researchers believe that LTAG has potential for use as an anti-fatigue agent.
Mindfulness meditation helps preterm-born adolescents University of Geneva (Switzerland), October 7, 2021
Adolescents born prematurely present a high risk of developing executive, behavioral and socio-emotional difficulties. Now, researchers from Geneva University Hospitals (HUG) and the University of Geneva (UNIGE) have revealed that practicing mindfulness may help improve these various skills. The study, published in the journal Scientific Reports, suggests using mindfulness as a means of clinical intervention with adolescents, whether prematurely born or not.
Several studies have already shown that very preterm (VPT) children and adolescents are at higher risk of exhibiting cognitive and socio-emotional problems that may persist into adulthood. To help them overcome the difficulties they face, researchers from the HUG and UNIGE have set up an intervention based on mindfulness, a technique known to have beneficial effects in these areas. Mindfulness consists in training the mind to focus on the present moment, concentrating on physical sensations, on breathing, on the weight of one's body, and even on one's feelings and thoughts, completely judgment-free. The mindfulness-based interventions generally take place in a group with an instructor along with invitations to practice individually at home.
To accurately assess the effects of mindfulness, a randomized controlled trial was performed with young adolescents aged 10 to 14, born before 32 weeks gestational weeks. Scientists quickly found that mindfulness improves the regulation of cognitive, social and emotional functions, in other worlds, our brain's ability to interact with our environment. Indeed, it increases the ability to focus on the present—on thoughts, emotions and physical sensations, with curiosity and non-judgment. Thanks to this practice, adolescents improve their executive functions, i.e. the mental processes that enable us to control our behavior to successfully achieve a goal. As a result, young people find it easier to focus, manage and regulate their behavior and emotions in everyday life.
For eight weeks, the young teens spent an hour and a half each week with two mindfulness instructors. They were further encouraged to practice mindfulness daily at home.
Parents were also involved in this study. They were asked to observe their child's executive functions, for example the ability to regulate their emotions and attentional control, their relationships with others and their behavior. The adolescents also underwent a series of computerized tasks to assess their reactions to events. A comparison of their test results with a control group that did not practice mindfulness shows a positive impact of the intervention on the adolescents' everyday life and on their ability to react to new events.
"Each teenager is unique, with their own strenghts and difficulties. Through their involvement in this study, our volunteers have contributed to show that mindfulness can help many young people to feel better, to refocus and to face the world, whether they were born preterm born or not," agree Dr. Russia Hà-Vinh Leuchter, a consultant in the Division of Development and Growth, Department of Paediatrics, Gynaecology and Obstetrics at Geneva University Hospitals, and Dr. Vanessa Siffredi, a researcher at the Child Development Laboratory at the Department of Paediatrics, Gynaecology and Obstetrics at the UNIGE Faculty of Medicine, two of the authors of this work. "However, while the practice of meditation can be a useful resource, it is important to be accompanied by well-trained instructors", they specify.
The adolescents who took part in the program are now between 14 and 18 years. Scientists are currently evaluating the long-term effects of mindfulness-based intervention on their daily attention and stress. Furthermore, to validate their clinical data with neurobiological measurements, researchers are currently studying the effects of mindfulness on the brain using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).
Iron deficiency in middle age is linked with higher risk of developing heart disease University Heart and Vasculature Centre Hamburg (Germany) 6 October 2021
Approximately 10% of new coronary heart disease cases occurring within a decade of middle age could be avoided by preventing iron deficiency, suggests a study published today in ESC Heart Failure, a journal of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC).1
“This was an observational study and we cannot conclude that iron deficiency causes heart disease,” said study author Dr. Benedikt Schrage of the University Heart and Vasculature Centre Hamburg, Germany. “However, evidence is growing that there is a link and these findings provide the basis for further research to confirm the results.”
Previous studies have shown that in patients with cardiovascular diseases such as heart failure, iron deficiency was linked to worse outcomes including hospitalisations and death. Treatment with intravenous iron improved symptoms, functional capacity, and quality of life in patients with heart failure and iron deficiency enrolled in the FAIR-HF trial.2 Based on these results, the FAIR-HF 2 trial is investigating the impact of intravenous iron supplementation on the risk of death in patients with heart failure.
The current study aimed to examine whether the association between iron deficiency and outcomes was also observed in the general population.
The study included 12,164 individuals from three European population-based cohorts. The median age was 59 years and 55% were women. During the baseline study visit, cardiovascular risk factors and comorbidities such as smoking, obesity, diabetes and cholesterol were assessed via a thorough clinical assessment including blood samples.
Participants were classified as iron deficient or not according to two definitions: 1) absolute iron deficiency, which only includes stored iron (ferritin); and 2) functional iron deficiency, which includes iron in storage (ferritin) and iron in circulation for use by the body (transferrin).
Dr. Schrage explained: “Absolute iron deficiency is the traditional way of assessing iron status but it misses circulating iron. The functional definition is more accurate as it includes both measures and picks up those with sufficient stores but not enough in circulation for the body to work properly.”
Participants were followed up for incident coronary heart disease and stroke, death due to cardiovascular disease, and all-cause death. The researchers analysed the association between iron deficiency and incident coronary heart disease, stroke, cardiovascular mortality, and all-cause mortality after adjustments for age, sex, smoking, cholesterol, blood pressure, diabetes, body mass index, and inflammation. Participants with a history of coronary heart disease or stroke at baseline were excluded from the incident disease analyses.
At baseline, 60% of participants had absolute iron deficiency and 64% had functional iron deficiency. During a median follow-up of 13.3 years there were 2,212 (18.2%) deaths. Of these, a total of 573 individuals (4.7%) died from a cardiovascular cause. Incidence coronary heart disease and stroke were diagnosed in 1,033 (8.5%) and 766 (6.3%) participants, respectively.
Functional iron deficiency was associated with a 24% higher risk of coronary heart disease, 26% raised risk of cardiovascular mortality, and 12% increased risk of all-cause mortality compared with no functional iron deficiency. Absolute iron deficiency was associated with a 20% raised risk of coronary heart disease compared with no absolute iron deficiency, but was not linked with mortality. There were no associations between iron status and incident stroke.
The researchers calculated the population attributable fraction, which estimates the proportion of events in 10 years that would have been avoided if all individuals had the risk of those without iron deficiency at baseline. The models were adjusted for age, sex, smoking, cholesterol, blood pressure, diabetes, body mass index, and inflammation. Within a 10-year period, 5.4% of all deaths, 11.7% of cardiovascular deaths, and 10.7% of new coronary heart disease diagnoses were attributable to functional iron deficiency.
“This analysis suggests that if iron deficiency had been absent at baseline, about 5% of deaths, 12% of cardiovascular deaths, and 11% of new coronary heart disease diagnoses would not have occurred in the following decade,” said Dr. Schrage.
“The study showed that iron deficiency was highly prevalent in this middle-aged population, with nearly two-thirds having functional iron deficiency,” said Dr. Schrage. “These individuals were more likely to develop heart disease and were also more likely to die during the next 13 years.”
Dr. Schrage noted that future studies should examine these associations in younger and non-European cohorts. He said: “If the relationships are confirmed, the next step would be a randomised trial investigating the effect of treating iron deficiency in the general population.”
Consumption of a bioactive compound from Neem plant could significantly suppress development of prostate cancer
National University of Singapore, September 29, 2021
Oral administration of nimbolide, over 12 weeks shows reduction of prostate tumor size by up to 70 per cent and decrease in tumor metastasis by up to 50 per cent
A team of international researchers led by Associate Professor Gautam Sethi from the Department of Pharmacology at the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine at the National University of Singapore (NUS) has found that nimbolide, a bioactive terpenoid compound derived from Azadirachta indica or more commonly known as the neem plant, could reduce the size of prostate tumor by up to 70 per cent and suppress its spread or metastasis by half.
Prostate cancer is one of the most commonly diagnosed cancers worldwide. However, currently available therapies for metastatic prostate cancer are only marginally effective. Hence, there is a need for more novel treatment alternatives and options.
"Although the diverse anti-cancer effects of nimbolide have been reported in different cancer types, its potential effects on prostate cancer initiation and progression have not been demonstrated in scientific studies. In this research, we have demonstrated that nimbolide can inhibit tumor cell viability -- a cellular process that directly affects the ability of a cell to proliferate, grow, divide, or repair damaged cell components -- and induce programmed cell death in prostate cancer cells," said Assoc Prof Sethi.
Nimbolide: promising effects on prostate cancer
Cell invasion and migration are key steps during tumor metastasis. The NUS-led study revealed that nimbolide can significantly suppress cell invasion and migration of prostate cancer cells, suggesting its ability to reduce tumor metastasis.
The researchers observed that upon the 12 weeks of administering nimbolide, the size of prostate cancer tumor was reduced by as much as 70 per cent and its metastasis decreased by about 50 per cent, without exhibiting any significant adverse effects.
"This is possible because a direct target of nimbolide in prostate cancer is glutathione reductase, an enzyme which is responsible for maintaining the antioxidant system that regulates the STAT3 gene in the body. The activation of the STAT3 gene has been reported to contribute to prostate tumor growth and metastasis," explained Assoc Prof Sethi. "We have found that nimbolide can substantially inhibit STAT3 activation and thereby abrogating the growth and metastasis of prostate tumor," he added.
The findings of the study were published in the April 2016 issue of the scientific journal Antioxidants & Redox Signaling. This work was carried out in collaboration with Professor Goh Boon Cher of Cancer Science Institute of Singapore at NUS, Professor Hui Kam Man of National Cancer Centre Singapore and Professor Ahn Kwang Seok of Kyung Hee University.
The neem plant belongs to the mahogany tree family that is originally native to India and the Indian sub-continent. It has been part of traditional Asian medicine for centuries and is typically used in Indian Ayurvedic medicine. Today, neem leaves and bark have been incorporated into many personal care products such as soaps, toothpaste, skincare and even dietary supplements.
Review looks at the efficacy of acupuncture in treating insulin resistance Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine (China), October 8, 2021
In their report, researcherss from Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine in China explored the role of acupuncture in treating insulin resistance. The study was published in the journal Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice.
- Earlier studies have reported the effectiveness of acupuncture in treating insulin resistance and related conditions.
- The review looked at acupuncture and its effects on clinical outcomes.
- The researchers searched the following databases for randomized controlled trials involving insulin resistance patients treated with acupuncture:
- Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials
- Embase
- Medline (via OVID)
- China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI)
- Wan Fang and China Science and Technology Journal Database (VIP)
- The studies show that homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance significantly decreased with acupuncture treatment.
- Other significant decreases include fasting blood glucose, postprandial blood glucose and fasting insulin.
- Acupuncture increased insulin sensitivity with very few adverse effects.
In sum, acupuncture is a safe and effective alternative treatment for insulin resistance.
Blueberries may improve attention in children following double-blind trial University of Reading (UK), October 10, 2021
Primary school children could show better attention by consuming flavonoid-rich blueberries, following a study conducted by the University of Reading.
In a paper published in Food & Function, a group of 7-10 year olds who consumed a drink containing wild blueberries or a matched placebo and were tested on their speed and accuracy in completing an executive task function on a computer.
The double blind trial found that the children who consumed the flavonoid-rich blueberry drink had 9% quicker reaction times on the test without any sacrifice of accuracy. In particular, the effect was more noticeable as the tests got harder.
Professor Claire Williams, a neuroscience professor at the University of Reading said:
"This is the first time that we have seen the positive impact that flavonoids can have on the executive function of children. We designed this double blind trial especially to test how flavonoids would impact on attention in young people as it's an area of cognitive performance that hasn't been measured before.
"We used wild blueberries as they are rich in flavonoids, which are compounds found naturally in foods such as fruits and their juices, vegetables and tea. They have been associated with a range of health benefits including antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects, and our latest findings continue to show that there is a beneficial cognitive effect of consuming fruit and vegetables, tea, coffee and even dark chocolate which all contain flavonoids."
The children were then asked to pay attention to an array of arrows shown on a PC screen and press a key corresponding to the direction that the central arrow was facing. The task was repeated over a number of trials, where cognitive demand was manipulated by varying how quickly the arrows appeared, whether there were additional arrows appearing either side of the central arrow, and whether the flanking arrows were pointing in the same/different direction as the central arrow.
Previous Reading research has shown that consuming wild blueberries can improve mood in children and young people, simple memory recall in primary school children, and that other flavonoid rich drinks such as orange juice, can also improve memory and concentration.
The Wild Blueberry Association of North America provided a freeze-dried powder made from wild blueberries which was used in the study but did not provide any additional financial support and did not play a role in the design of the study.
Wild blueberries are grown and harvested in North America, and are smaller than regular blueberries, and are higher in flavonoids compared to regular varieties.
The double-blind trial used a flavonoid-rich wild blueberry drink, with a matched placebo contained 8.9g of fructose, 7.99g of glucose and 4 mg of vitamin C matching the levels of nutrients found in the blueberry drink.
The amount of fructose is akin to levels found in a standard pear.
This was an executive function task- requiring participants to pay attention to stimuli appearing on screen and responding correctly. The task was a simple one- responding to the direction of an arrow in the middle of a screen (by pressing left/right arrow key) but we then varied how quickly the stimuli appeared, whether there was additional arrows appearing either side of the stimuli and whether those flanking arrows were pointing in the same/different direction as they direction you had to respond.
There are 6 main classes of flavonoids:
- Anthocyanins – found in berry fruits such as the blueberries used in this study and also in red wine.
- Flavonols - found in onions, leeks, and broccoli
- Flavones - found in parsley and celery,
- Isoflavones - found in soy and soy products,
- Flavanones - found in citrus fruit and tomatoes
- Flavanols—found in green tea, red wine, and chocolate
Nocebo effect: Does a drug's high price tag cause its own side effects? University Medical Center Hamburg (Germany), October 5, 2021
Pricey drugs may make people more vulnerable to perceiving side effects, a new study suggests—and the phenomenon is not just "in their heads."
The study delved into the so-called "nocebo effect." It's the negative version of the well-known placebo effect, where people feel better after receiving a therapy because they expected good things.
With the nocebo effect, patients' worries over treatment side effects make them feel sick.
In this study, researchers found that people were more likely to report painful side effects from a fake drug when told it was expensive.
But it wasn't just something people were "making up." Using brain imaging, the researchers traced the phenomenon to specific activity patterns in the brain and spine.
"These findings are a strong argument against the perception of placebo and nocebo effects as being only 'fake' effects—created purely by imagination or delusions of the patient," said lead researcher Alexandra Tinnermann. She is with the University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, in Germany.
Dr. Luana Colloca, a researcher at the University of Maryland in Baltimore, agreed.
"This is not merely a reflection of people's biases," said Colloca, who wrote an editorial published with the study.
"Expectations do modulate symptoms and patients' responses to treatment," she said.
For the study, Tinnermann's team recruited 49 healthy volunteers and randomly assigned them to test one of two itch-relieving "medical creams."
In reality, both creams were identical and contained no active ingredients. However, people in both groups were told that the products could have the side effect of making the skin more sensitive to pain.
There was only one apparent difference between the two phony creams: One came in fancy packing with a high price tag; the other was cheap.
After participants applied the creams to their forearms, the researchers had them undergo a standard test that measured their tolerance for heat-induced pain.
It turned out that people who'd used the expensive cream were more sensitive to pain during the tests. On average, their pain rating hovered around a 15—within the "mild" pain range—whereas people using the cheap cream barely registered any discomfort.
It's likely, Tinnermann said, that people expect a pricey medication to be potent—which could also make them expect more side effects.
Colloca agreed. We are all "vulnerable" to such outside influences, she said, be it a drug's price or how it's given (by IV versus mouth, for instance).
However, we are not just imagining those placebo or nocebo effects, both researchers noted.
Using functional MRI brain scans, Tinnermann's team found specific patterns of nervous system activity in people who had a nocebo response to the pricey cream.
That included a change in "communication" between certain brain structures and the spinal cord, Tinnermann said.
According to Colloca, research like this can have practical uses. Doctors could, for instance, inform patients that drug prices or other factors can sway their expectations about a treatment's benefits and risks—and that, in turn, can influence whether they feel better or develop side effects.
There is, however, no research into whether that kind of knowledge helps prevent patients from the nocebo effect, Tinnermann said.
But, she added, health professionals can be aware that patients' expectations "play a huge role in medicine"—and be mindful of how they talk about a medication and its possible side effects.
It's an important matter, Colloca said, because the nocebo effect can cause people to stop taking needed medications.
Colloca pointed to the example of cholesterol-lowering statins.
The potential for those medications to cause muscle pain has been widely reported. And one recent study found evidence that this knowledge can make statin users more likely to report muscle pain side effects.
Other research, Colloca said, has shown that when people stop taking their statins, their risk of heart attack and stroke rises.
Raspberries, ellagic acid reveal benefits in two studies
Oregon State University, October 1, 2021.
Articles that appeared recently in the Journal of Berry Research report that raspberries and compounds present in the fruit could help support healthy body mass and motor function, including balance, coordination and strength.
In one study, Neil Shay and colleagues at Oregon State University fed mice a high fat, high sugar diet plus one of the following: raspberry juice concentrate, raspberry puree concentrate, raspberry fruit powder, raspberry seed extract, ellagic acid (a polyphenol that occurs in a relatively high amount in raspberries), raspberry ketone, or a combination of raspberry ketone and ellagic acid. Additional groups of animals received a high fat, high sugar diet alone or a low fat diet.
While mice that received the high fat and sugar diet alone experienced a significant increase in body mass, the addition of raspberry juice concentrate, raspberry puree concentrate or ellagic acid plus raspberry ketone helped prevent this effect. Of note, mice that received raspberry juice concentrate experienced gains similar to those of animals given a low fat diet. "We hope that the findings from this study can help guide the design of future clinical trials," Dr Shay stated.
In another study, Barbara Shukitt-Hale, PhD, and her associates at Tufts University's Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging gave 19 month old rats a control diet or a diet enhanced with raspberry extract for 11 weeks. Psychomotor behavior was assessed during week 7 and cognitive testing was conducted during weeks 9-10.
Animals that received raspberry performed better on psychomotor coordination and balance, and had better muscle tone, strength and stamina than those that received a control diet. "These results may have important implications for healthy aging," stated Dr Shukitt-Hale. "While further research in humans is necessary, animal model studies are helpful in identifying deficits associated with normal aging."
Massage doesn't just make muscles feel better, it makes them heal faster and stronger Harvard University, October 6, 2021 Massage has been used to treat sore, injured muscles for more than 3,000 years, and today many athletes swear by massage guns to rehabilitate their bodies. But other than making people feel good, do these "mechanotherapies" actually improve healing after severe injury? According to a new study from researchers at Harvard's Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering and John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS), the answer is "yes."
Using a custom-designed robotic system to deliver consistent and tunable compressive forces to mice's leg muscles, the team found that this mechanical loading (ML) rapidly clears immune cells called neutrophils out of severely injured muscle tissue. This process also removed inflammatory cytokinesreleased by neutrophils from the muscles, enhancing the process of muscle fiber regeneration. The research is published in Science Translational Medicine.
"Lots of people have been trying to study the beneficial effects of massage and other mechanotherapies on the body, but up to this point it hadn't been done in a systematic, reproducible way. Our work shows a very clear connection between mechanical stimulation and immune function. This has promise for regenerating a wide variety of tissues including bone, tendon, hair, and skin, and can also be used in patients with diseases that prevent the use of drug-based interventions," said first author Bo Ri Seo, Ph.D., who is a Postdoctoral Fellow in the lab of Core Faculty member Dave Mooney, Ph.D. at the Wyss Institute and SEAS.
Seo and her coauthors started exploring the effects of mechanotherapy on injured tissues in mice several years ago, and found that it doubled the rate of muscle regeneration and reduced tissue scarring over the course of two weeks. Excited by the idea that mechanical stimulation alone can foster regeneration and enhance muscle function, the team decided to probe more deeply into exactly how that process worked in the body, and to figure out what parameters would maximize healing.
They teamed up with soft robotics experts in the Harvard Biodesign Lab, led by Wyss Associate Faculty member Conor Walsh, Ph.D., to create a small device that used sensors and actuators to monitor and control the force applied to the limb of a mouse. " The device we created allows us to precisely control parameters like the amount and frequency of force applied, enabling a much more systematic approach to understanding tissue healing than would be possible with a manual approach," said co-second author Christopher Payne, Ph.D., a former Postdoctoral Fellow at the Wyss Institute and the Harvard Biodesign Lab who is now a Robotics Engineer at Viam, Inc.
Once the device was ready, the team experimented with applying force to mice's leg muscles via a soft silicone tip and used ultrasound to get a look at what happened to the tissue in response. They observed that the muscles experienced a strain of between 10-40%, confirming that the tissues were experiencing mechanical force. They also used those ultrasound imaging data to develop and validate a computational model that could predict the amount of tissue strain under different loading forces.
They then applied consistent, repeated force to injured muscles for 14 days. While both treated and untreated muscles displayed a reduction in the amount of damaged muscle fibers, the reduction was more pronounced and the cross-sectional area of the fibers was larger in the treated muscle, indicating that treatment had led to greater repair and strength recovery. The greater the force applied during treatment, the stronger the injured muscles became, confirming that mechanotherapy improves muscle recovery after injury. But how?
Evicting neutrophils to enhance regeneration
To answer that question, the scientists performed a detailed biological assessment, analyzing a wide range of inflammation-related factors called cytokines and chemokines in untreated vs. treated muscles. A subset of cytokines was dramatically lower in treated muscles after three days of mechanotherapy, and these cytokines are associated with the movement of immune cells called neutrophils, which play many roles in the inflammation process. Treated muscles also had fewer neutrophils in their tissue than untreated muscles, suggesting that the reduction in cytokines that attract them had caused the decrease in neutrophil infiltration.
The team had a hunch that the force applied to the muscle by the mechanotherapy effectively squeezed the neutrophils and cytokines out of the injured tissue. They confirmed this theory by injecting fluorescent molecules into the muscles and observing that the movement of the molecules was more significant with force application, supporting the idea that it helped to flush out the muscle tissue.
To pick apart what effect the neutrophils and their associated cytokines have on regenerating muscle fibers, the scientists performed in vitro studies in which they grew muscle progenitor cells (MPCs) in a medium in which neutrophils had previously been grown. They found that the number of MPCs increased, but the rate at which they differentiated (developed into other cell types) decreased, suggesting that neutrophil-secreted factors stimulate the growth of muscle cells, but the prolonged presence of those factors impairs the production of new muscle fibers.
"Neutrophils are known to kill and clear out pathogens and damaged tissue, but in this study we identified their direct impacts on muscle progenitor cell behaviors," said co-second author Stephanie McNamara, a former Post-Graduate Fellow at the Wyss Institute who is now an M.D.-Ph.D. student at Harvard Medical School (HMS). "While the inflammatory response is important for regeneration in the initial stages of healing, it is equally important that inflammation is quickly resolved to enable the regenerative processes to run its full course."
Seo and her colleagues then turned back to their in vivo model and analyzed the types of muscle fibers in the treated vs. untreated mice 14 days after injury. They found that type IIX fibers were prevalent in healthy muscle and treated muscle, but untreated injured muscle contained smaller numbers of type IIX fibers and increased numbers of type IIA fibers. This difference explained the enlarged fiber size and greater force production of treated muscles, as IIX fibers produce more force than IIA fibers.
Finally, the team homed in on the optimal amount of time for neutrophil presence in injured muscle by depleting neutrophils in the mice on the third day after injury. The treated mice's muscles showed larger fiber size and greater strength recovery than those in untreated mice, confirming that while neutrophils are necessary in the earliest stages of injury recovery, getting them out of the injury site early leads to improved muscle regeneration.
"These findings are remarkable because they indicate that we can influence the function of the body's immune system in a drug-free, non-invasive way," said Walsh, who is also the Paul A. Maeder Professor of Engineering and Applied Science at SEAS and whose group is experienced in developing wearable technology for diagnosing and treating disease. "This provides great motivation for the development of external, mechanical interventions to help accelerate and improve muscle and tissue healing that have the potential to be rapidly translated to the clinic."
The team is continuing to investigate this line of research with multiple projects in the lab. They plan to validate this mechanotherpeutic approach in larger animals, with the goal of being able to test its efficacy on humans. They also hope to test it on different types of injuries, age-related muscle loss, and muscle performance enhancement.
"The fields of mechanotherapy and immunotherapy rarely interact with each other, but this work is a testament to how crucial it is to consider both physical and biological elements when studying and working to improve human health," said Mooney, who is the corresponding author of the paper and the Robert P. Pinkas Family Professor of Bioengineering at SEAS.
"The idea that mechanics influence cell and tissue function was ridiculed until the last few decades, and while scientists have made great strides in establishing acceptance of this fact, we still know very little about how that process actually works at the organ level. This research has revealed a previously unknown type of interplay between mechanobiology and immunology that is critical for muscle tissue healing, in addition to describing a new form of mechanotherapy that potentially could be as potent as chemical or gene therapies, but much simpler and less invasive," said Wyss Founding Director Don Ingber, M.D., Ph.D., who is also the Judah Folkman Professor of Vascular Biology at (HMS) and the Vascular Biology Program at Boston Children's Hospital, as well as Professor of Bioengineering at SEAS.
Vitamin E could help protect older men from pneumonia
University of Helsinki (Finland), October 7 2021.
An article that appeared in Clinical Interventions in Aging reported a protective role for vitamin E against pneumonia in older men.
For the current investigation, Dr Harri Hemilä of the University of Helsinki, Finland analyzed data from the Alpha-Tocopherol Beta-Carotene (ATBC) Cancer Prevention Study conducted in Finland. The trial included 29,133 men between the ages of 50 to 69 years who smoked at least five cigarettes daily upon enrollment. Participants received alpha tocopherol (vitamin E), beta carotene, both supplements, or a placebo for five to eight years.
The current study was limited to 7,469 ATBC participants who started smoking at age 21 or older. Among this group, supplementation with vitamin E was associated with a 35% lower risk of developing pneumonia in comparison with those who did not receive the vitamin. Light smokers who engaged in leisure time exercise had a 69% lower risk compared with unsupplemented members of this subgroup. The risk in this subgroup of developing pneumonia by age 74 was 12.9%.
Among the one-third of the current study's population who quit smoking for a median period of two years, there was a 72% lower risk of pneumonia in association with vitamin E supplementation. In this group, exercisers who received vitamin E experienced an 81% lower pneumonia risk.
Dr Hemilä observed that the benefit for vitamin E in this study was strongest for older subjects—a group at higher risk of pneumonia.
"The current analysis of individual-level data suggests that trials on vitamin E and pneumonia on nonsmoking elderly males are warranted," he concluded.
Toxic fatty acids to blame for brain cell death after injury New York University, October 7, 2021
Cells that normally nourish healthy brain cells called neurons release toxic fatty acids after neurons are damaged, a new study in rodents shows. This phenomenon is likely the driving factor behind most, if not all, diseases that affect brain function, as well as the natural breakdown of brain cells seen in aging, researchers say.
Previous research has pointed to astrocytes—a star-shaped glial cell of the central nervous system—as the culprits behind cell death seen in Parkinson's disease and dementia, among other neurodegenerative diseases. While many experts believed that these cells released a neuron-killing molecule to "clear away" damaged brain cells, the identity of this toxin has until now remained a mystery.
Led by researchers at NYU Grossman School of Medicine, the new investigation provides what they say is the first evidence that tissue damage prompts astrocytes to produce two kinds of fats, long-chain saturated free fatty acids and phosphatidylcholines. These fats then trigger cell death in damaged neurons, the electrically active cells that send messages throughout nerve tissue.
Publishing Oct. 6 in the journal Nature, the study also showed that when researchers blocked fatty acid formation in mice, 75 percent of neurons survived compared with 10 percent when the fatty acids were allowed to form. The researchers' earlier work showed that brain cells continued to function when shielded from astrocyte attacks.
"Our findings show that the toxic fatty acids produced by astrocytes play a critical role in brain cell death and provide a promising new target for treating, and perhaps even preventing, many neurodegenerative diseases," says study co-senior author Shane Liddelow, Ph.D.
Liddelow, an assistant professor in the Department of Neuroscience and Physiology at NYU Langone Health, adds that targeting these fats instead of the cells that produce them may be a safer approach to treating neurodegenerative diseasesbecause astrocytes feed nerve cells and clear away their waste. Stopping them from working altogether could interfere with healthy brain function.
Although it remains unclear why astrocytes produce these toxins, it is possible they evolved to destroy damaged cells before they can harm their neighbors, says Liddelow. He notes that while healthy cells are not harmed by the toxins, neurons become susceptible to the damaging effects when they are injured, mutated, or infected by prions, the contagious, misfolded proteins that play a major role in mad cow disease and similar illnesses. Perhaps in chronic diseases like dementia, this otherwise helpful process goes off track and becomes a problem, the study authors say.
For the investigation, researchers analyzed the molecules released by astrocytes collected from rodents. They also genetically engineered some groups of mice to prevent the normal production of the toxic fats and looked to see whether neuron death occurred after an acute injury.
"Our results provide what is likely the most detailed molecular map to date of how tissue damage leads to brain cell death, enabling researchers to better understand why neurons die in all kinds of diseases," says Liddelow, also an assistant professor in the Department of Ophthalmology at NYU Langone.
Liddelow cautions that while the findings are promising, the genetic techniques used to block the enzyme that produces toxic fatty acids in mice are not ready for use in humans. As a result, the researchers next plan is to explore safe and effective ways to interfere with the release of the toxins in human patients. Liddelow and his colleagues had previously shown these neurotoxic astrocytes in the brains of patients with Parkinson's, Huntington's disease, and multiple sclerosis, among other diseases.
Clinical trial for nicotinamide riboside: Vitamin safely boosts levels of important cell metabolite linked to multiple health benefits
University of Iowa Health Care, October 3, 2021
In the first controlled clinical trial of nicotinamide riboside (NR), a newly discovered form of Vitamin B3, researchers have shown that the compound is safe for humans and increases levels of a cell metabolite that is critical for cellular energy production and protection against stress and DNA damage.
Studies in mice have shown that boosting the levels of this cell metabolite -- known as NAD+ -- can produce multiple health benefits, including resistance to weight gain, improved control of blood sugar and cholesterol, reduced nerve damage, and longer lifespan. Levels of NAD+ diminish with age, and it has been suggested that loss of this metabolite may play a role in age-related health decline.
These findings in animal studies have spurred people to take commercially available NR supplements designed to boost NAD+. However, these over-the-counter supplements have not undergone clinical trials to see if they work in people.
The new research, reported in the journal Nature Communications, was led by Charles Brenner, PhD, professor and Roy J. Carver Chair of Biochemistry at the University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine in collaboration with colleagues at Queens University Belfast and ChromaDex Corp. (NASDAQ: CDXC), which supplied the NR used in the trial. Brenner is a consultant for ChromaDex. He also is co-founder and Chief Scientific Adviser of ProHealthspan, which sells NR supplements under the trade name Tru NIAGEN®.
The human trial involved six men and six women, all healthy. Each participant received single oral doses of 100 mg, 300 mg, or 1,000 mg of NR in a different sequence with a seven-day gap between doses. After each dose, blood and urine samples were collected and analyzed by Brenner's lab to measure various NAD+ metabolites in a process called metabolomics. The trial showed that the NR vitamin increased NAD+ metabolism by amounts directly related to the dose, and there were no serious side effects with any of the doses.
"This trial shows that oral NR safely boosts human NAD+ metabolism," Brenner says. "We are excited because everything we are learning from animal systems indicates that the effectiveness of NR depends on preserving and/or boosting NAD+ and related compounds in the face of metabolic stresses. Because the levels of supplementation in mice that produce beneficial effects are achievable in people, it appears than health benefits of NR will be translatable to humans safely."
The next step will be to study the effect of longer duration NR supplementation on NAD+ metabolism in healthy adults, but Brenner also has plans to test the effects of NR in people with diseases and health conditions, including elevated cholesterol, obesity and diabetes, and people at risk for chemotherapeutic peripheral neuropathy.
Prior to the formal clinical trial, Brenner conducted a pilot human study -- on himself. In 2004, he had discovered that NR is a natural product found in milk and that there is pathway to convert NR to NAD+ in people. More than a decade of research on NR metabolic pathways and health effects in mice and rats had convinced him that NR supplementation had real promise to improve human health and wellness. After consulting with UI's institutional review board, he conducted an experiment in which he took 1 gram of NR once a day for seven days, and his team analyzed blood and urine samples using mass spectrometry. The experiment showed that Brenner's blood NAD+ increased by about 2.7 times. In addition, though he reported immediate sensitivity to flushing with the related compound niacin, he did not experience any side effects taking NR.
The biggest surprise from his metabolomic analysis was an increase in a metabolite called NAAD, which was multiplied by 45 times, from trace levels to amounts in the micromolar range that were easily detectable.
"While this was unexpected, I thought it might be useful," Brenner says. "NAD+ is an abundant metabolite and it is sometimes hard to see the needle move on levels of abundant metabolites. But when you can look at a low-abundance metabolite that goes from undetectable to easily detectable, there is a great signal to noise ratio, meaning that NAAD levels could be a useful biomarker for tracking increases in NAD+ in human trials."
Brenner notes this was a case of bidirectional translational science; having learned something from the initial human experiment, his team was able to return to laboratory mice to explore the unexpected NAAD finding in more detail.
Brenner's mouse study showed that NAAD is formed from NR and confirmed that NAAD levels are a strong biomarker for increased NAD+ metabolism. The experiments also revealed more detail about NAD+ metabolic pathways.
In particular, the researchers compared the ability of all three NAD+ precursor vitamins -- NR, niacin, and nicotinamide -- to boost NAD+ metabolism and stimulate the activity of certain enzymes, which have been linked to longevity and healthbenefits. The study showed for the first time that oral NR is superior to nicotinamide, which is better than niacin in terms of the total amount of NAD+ produced at an equivalent dose. NR was also the best of the three in stimulating the activity of sirtuin enzymes. However, in this case, NR was the best at stimulating sirtuin-like activities, followed by niacin, followed by nicotinamide.
The information from the mouse study subsequently helped Brenner's team design the formal clinical trial. In addition to showing that NR boosts NAD+ in humans without adverse effects, the trial confirmed that NAAD is a highly sensitive biomarker of NAD+ supplementation in people.
"Now that we have demonstrated safety in this small clinical trial, we are in a position to find out if the health benefits that we have seen in animals can be reproduced in people," says Brenner, who also is co-director of the Obesity Research and Education Initiative, professor of internal medicine, and a member of the Fraternal Order of Eagles Diabetes Research Center at the UI.
Protecting the ozone layer is delivering vast health benefits Montreal Protocol will spare Americans from 443 million skin cancer cases
National Center for Atmospheric Research, October 7, 2021
An international agreement to protect the ozone layer is expected to prevent 443 million cases of skin cancer and 63 million cataract cases for people born in the United States through the end of this century, according to new research.
The research team, by scientists at the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR), ICF Consulting, and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), focused on the far-reaching impacts of a landmark 1987 treaty known as the Montreal Protocol and later amendments that substantially strengthened it. The agreement phased out the use of chemicals such as chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) that destroy ozone in the stratosphere.
Stratospheric ozone shields the planet from harmful levels of the Sun’s ultraviolet (UV) radiation, protecting life on Earth.
To measure the long-term effects of the Montreal Protocol, the scientists developed a computer modeling approach that enabled them to look to both the past and the future by simulating the treaty’s impact on Americans born between 1890 and 2100. The modeling revealed the treaty’s effect on stratospheric ozone, the associated reductions in ultraviolet radiation, and the resulting health benefits.
In addition to the number of skin cancer and cataract cases that were avoided, the study also showed that the treaty, as most recently amended, will prevent approximately 2.3 million skin cancer deaths in the U.S.
“It’s very encouraging,” said NCAR scientist Julia Lee-Taylor, a co-author of the study. “It shows that, given the will, the nations of the world can come together to solve global environmental problems.”
The study, funded by the EPA, was published in ACS Earth and Space Chemistry. NCAR is sponsored by the National Science Foundation.
Mounting concerns over the ozone layer
Scientists in the 1970s began highlighting the threat to the ozone layer when they found that CFCs, used as refrigerants and in other applications, release chlorine atoms in the stratosphere that set off chemical reactions that destroy ozone. Concerns mounted the following decade with the discovery of an Antarctic ozone hole.
The loss of stratospheric ozone would be catastrophic, as high levels of UV radiation have been linked to certain types of skin cancer, cataracts, and immunological disorders. The ozone layer also protects terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems, as well as agriculture.
Policy makers responded to the threat with the 1987 Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer, in which nations agreed to curtail the use of certain ozone-destroying substances. Subsequent amendments strengthened the treaty by expanding the list of ozone-destroying substances (such as halons and hydrochlorofluorocarbons, or HCFCs) and accelerating the timeline for phasing out their use. The amendments were based on Input from the scientific community, including a number of NCAR scientists, that were summarized in quadrennial Ozone Assessment reports.
To quantify the impacts of the treaty, the research team built a model known as the Atmospheric and Health Effects Framework. This model, which draws on various data sources about ozone, public health, and population demographics, consists of five computational steps. These simulate past and future emissions of ozone-destroying substances, the impacts of those substances on stratospheric ozone, the resulting changes in ground-level UV radiation, the U.S. population’s exposure to UV radiation, and the incidence and mortality of health effects resulting from the exposure.
The results showed UV radiation levels returning to 1980 levels by the mid-2040s under the amended treaty. In contrast, UV levels would have continued to increase throughout this century if the treaty had not been amended, and they would have soared far higher without any treaty at all.
Even with the amendments, the simulations show excess cases of cataracts and various types of skin cancer beginning to occur with the onset of ozone depletion and peaking decades later as the population exposed to the highest UV levels ages. Those born between 1900 and 2040 experience heightened cases of skin cancer and cataracts, with the worst health outcomes affecting those born between about 1950 and 2000.
However, the health impacts would have been far more severe without the treaty, with cases of skin cancer and cataracts rising at an increasingly rapid rate through the century.
“We peeled away from disaster,” Lee-Taylor said. “What is eye popping is what would have happened by the end of this century if not for the Montreal Protocol. By 2080, the amount of UV has tripled. After that, our calculations for the health impacts start to break down because we’re getting so far into conditions that have never been seen before.”
The research team also found that more than half the treaty’s health benefits could be traced to the later amendments rather than the original 1987 Montreal Protocol. Overall, the treaty prevented more than 99% of potential health impacts that would have otherwise occurred from ozone destruction. This showed the importance of the treaty’s flexibility in adjusting to evolving scientific knowledge, the authors said.
The researchers focused on the U.S. because of ready access to health data and population projections. Lee-Taylor said that the specific health outcomes in other countries may vary, but the overall trends would be similar.
“The treaty had broad global benefits,” she said.
What is Boron? The trace mineral boron provides profound anti-cancer effects, in addition to maintaining stronger bones.
Life Extension, September 2021
Boron is a trace mineral found in the earth’s crust and in water. Its importance in human health has been underestimated.
Boron has been shown to have actions against specific types of malignancies, such as:
- Cervical cancer: The country Turkey has an extremely low incidence of cervical cancer, and scientists partially attribute this to its boron-rich soil.1 When comparing women who live in boron-rich regions versus boron-poor regions of Turkey, not a single woman living in the boron-rich regions had any indication of cervical cancer.2(The mean dietary intake of boron for women in this group was 8.41 mg/day.) Boron interferes with the life cycle of the human papillomavirus (HPV), which is a contributing factor in approximately 95% of all cervical cancers.1 Considering that HPV viruses are increasingly implicated in head and neck cancers,3,4 supplementation with this ultra-low-cost mineral could have significant benefits in protecting against this malignancy that is increasing in prevalence.
- Lung cancer: A study conducted at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center between 1995 and 2005 found that increased boron intake was associated with a lower risk of lung cancer in postmenopausal women who were taking hormone replacement therapy.
- Prostate cancer: Studies point to boron’s ability to inhibit the growth and spread of prostate cancer cells. In one study, when mice were exposed to boric acid, their tumors shrank by as much as 38%.6 One analysis found that increased dietary boron intake was associated with a decreased risk of prostate cancer.7
Several human and animal studies have confirmed the important connection between boron and bone health.
Boron prevents calcium loss,8 while also alleviating the bone problems associated with magnesium and vitamin D deficiency.9 All of these nutrients help maintain bone density.
A study in female rats revealed the harmful effects a deficiency in boron has on bones, including:10
- Decreased bone volume fraction, a measure of bone strength,
- Decreased thickness of the bone’s spongy inner layer, and
- Decreased maximum force needed to break the femur.
And in a study of post-menopausal women, supplementation with3 mg of boron per day prevented calcium loss and bone demineralization by reducing urinary excretion of both calcium and magnesium.8
In addition to its bone and anti-cancer benefits, there are nine additional reasons boron is an important trace mineral vital for health and longevity. It has been shown to:1
- Greatly improve wound healing,
- Beneficially impact the body’s use of estrogen, testosterone, and vitamin D,
- Boost magnesium absorption,
- Reduce levels of inflammatory biomarkers, such as high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) and tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α),
- Raise levels of antioxidant enzymes, such as superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase, and glutathione peroxidase,
- Protect against pesticide-induced oxidative stress and heavy-metal toxicity,
- Improve the brain’s electrical activity, which may explain its benefits for cognitive performance, and short-term memory in the elderly,
- Influence the formation and activity of key biomolecules, such as S-adenosyl methionine (SAM-e) and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+), and
- Potentially help ameliorate the adverse effects of traditional chemotherapeutic agents.
Because the amount of boron varies in the soil, based on geographical location, obtaining enough boron through diet alone can be difficult.
Supplementing with low-cost boron is an effective way to maintain adequate levels of this overlooked micronutrient.
Natural compound in basil may protect against Alzheimer's disease pathology University of South Florida, October 5, 2021
Fenchol, a natural compound abundant in some plants including basil, can help protect the brain against Alzheimer's disease pathology, a preclinical study led by University of South Florida Health (USF Health) researchers suggests.
The new study published Oct. 5 in the Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience, discovered a sensing mechanism associated with the gut microbiome that explains how fenchol reduces neurotoxicity in the Alzheimer's brain.
Emerging evidence indicates that short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs)– metabolites produced by beneficial gut bacteria and the primary source of nutrition for cells in your colon—contribute to brain health. The abundance of SCFAs is often reduced in older patients with mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease, the most common form of dementia. However, how this decline in SCFAs contributes to Alzheimer's disease progression remains largely unknown.
Gut-derived SCFAs that travel through the blood to the brain can bind to and activate free fatty acid receptor 2 (FFAR2), a cell signaling molecule expressed on brain cellscalled neurons.
"Our study is the first to discover that stimulation of the FFAR2 sensing mechanism by these microbial metabolites (SCFAs) can be beneficial in protecting brain cells against toxic accumulation of the amyloid-beta (Aβ) protein associated with Alzheimer's disease," said principal investigator Hariom Yadav, Ph.D., professor of neurosurgery and brain repair at the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine, where he directs the USF Center for Microbiome Research.
One of the two hallmark pathologies of Alzheimer's disease is hardened deposits of Aβ that clump together between nerve cells to form amyloid protein plaques in the brain. The other is neurofibrillary tangles of tau protein inside brain cells. These pathologies contribute to the neuron loss and death that ultimately cause the onset of Alzheimer's, a neurodegenerative disease characterized by loss of memory, thinking skills and other cognitive abilities.
Dr. Yadav and his collaborators delve into molecular mechanisms to explain how interactions between the gut microbiome and the brain might influence brain health and age-related cognitive decline. In this study, Dr. Yadav said, the research team set out to uncover the "previously unknown" function of FFAR2 in the brain.
The researchers first showed that inhibiting the FFAR2 receptor (thus blocking its ability to "sense" SCFAs in the environment outside the neuronal cell and transmit signaling inside the cell) contributes to the abnormal buildup of the Aβ protein causing neurotoxicity linked to Alzheimer's disease.
Then, they performed large-scale virtual screening of more than 144,000 natural compounds to find potential candidates that could mimic the same beneficial effect of microbiota produced SCFAs in activating FFAR2 signaling. Identifying a natural compound alternative to SCFAs to optimally target the FFAR2 receptor on neurons is important, because cells in the gut and other organs consume most of these microbial metabolites before they reach the brain through blood circulation, Dr. Yadav noted.
Dr. Yadav's team narrowed 15 leading compound candidates to the most potent one. Fenchol, a plant-derived compound that gives basil its aromatic scent, was best at binding to the FFAR's active site to stimulate its signaling.
Further experiments in human neuronal cell cultures, as well as Caenorhabditis (C.) elegans (worm) and mouse models of Alzheimer's disease demonstrated that fenchol significantly reduced excess Aβ accumulation and death of neurons by stimulating FFAR2 signaling, the microbiome sensing mechanism. When the researchers more closely examined how fenchol modulates Aβ-induced neurotoxicity, they found that the compound decreased senescent neuronal cells, also known as "zombie" cells, commonly found in brains with Alzheimer's disease pathology.
Zombie cells stop replicating and die a slow death. Meanwhile, Dr. Yadav said, they build up in diseased and aging organs, create a damaging inflammatory environment, and send stress or death signals to neighboring healthy cells, which eventually also change into harmful zombie cells or die.
"Fenchol actually affects the two related mechanisms of senescence and proteolysis," Dr. Yadav said of the intriguing preclinical study finding. "It reduces the formation of half-dead zombie neuronal cells and also increases the degradation of (nonfunctioning) Aβ, so that amyloid protein is cleared from the brain much faster."
Before you start throwing lots of extra basil in your spaghetti sauce or anything else you eat to help stave off dementia, more research is needed—including in humans.
In exploring fenchol as a possible approach for treating or preventing Alzheimer's pathology, the USF Health team will seek answers to several questions. A key one is whether fenchol consumed in basil itself would be more or less bioactive (effective) than isolating and administering the compound in a pill, Dr. Yadav said. "We also want to know whether a potent dose of either basil or fenchol would be a quicker way to get the compound into the brain."
Researchers find sense of purpose associated with better memory Florida State University, October 6, 2021
Add an improved memory to the list of the many benefits that accompany having a sense of purpose in life.
A new study led by Florida State University researchers showed a link between an individual's sense of purpose and their ability to recall vivid details. The researchers found that while both a sense of purpose and cognitive function made memories easier to recall, only a sense of purpose bestowed the benefits of vividness and coherence.
The study, which focused on memories related to the COVID-19 pandemic, was published in the journal Memory.
"Personal memories serve really important functions in everyday life," said Angelina Sutin, a professor in the College of Medicine and the paper's lead author. "They help us to set goals, control emotions and build intimacy with others. We also know people with a greater sense of purpose perform better on objective memory tests, like remembering a list of words. We were interested in whether purpose was also associated with the quality of memories of important personal experiences because such qualities may be one reason why purpose is associated with better mental and physical health."
Nearly 800 study participants reported on their sense of purpose and completed tasks that measured their cognitive processing speed in January and February 2020, before the ongoing coronavirus pandemic took hold in the U.S. Researchers then measured participants' ability to retrieve and describe personal memories about the pandemic in July 2020, several months into the public health crisis.
Participants with a stronger sense of purpose in life reported that their memories were more accessible, coherent and vivid than participants with less purpose. Those with a higher sense of purpose also reported many sensory details, spoke about their memories more from a first-person perspective and reported more positive feeling and less negative feeling when asked to retrieve a memory.
The researchers also found that depressive symptoms had little effect on the ability to recall vivid details in memories, suggesting that the connection between life purpose and memory recall is not due to the fewer depressive symptoms among individuals higher in purpose.
Purpose in life has been consistently associated with better episodic memory, such as the number of words retrieved correctly on a memory task. This latest research expands on those connections to memory by showing a correlation between purpose and the richness of personal memory.
"We chose to measure the ability to recall memories associated with the COVID-19 pandemic because the pandemic is an event that touched everyone, but there has been a wide range of experiences and reactions to it that should be apparent in memories," said co-author Martina Luchetti, an assistant professor in the College of Medicine.
Along with the association with better memory, previous research has found other numerous benefits connected with having a sense of purpose, from a lower risk of death to better physical and mental health.
"Memories help people to sustain their well-being, social connections and cognitive health," said co-author Antonio Terracciano, a professor in the College of Medicine. "This research gives us more insight into the connections between a sense of purpose and the richness of personal memories. The vividness of those memories and how they fit into a coherent narrative may be one pathway through which purpose leads to these better outcomes.
Vitamin D protects against severe asthma attacks Queen Mary University of London, October 3, 2021
Taking oral vitamin D supplements in addition to standard asthma medication could halve the risk of asthma attacks requiring hospital attendance, according to research led by Queen Mary University of London (QMUL).
Asthma affects more than 300 million people worldwide and is estimated to cause almost 400,000 deaths annually. Asthma deaths arise primarily during episodes of acute worsening of symptoms, known as attacks or 'exacerbations', which are commonly triggered by viral upper respiratory infections.
Vitamin D is thought to protect against such attacks by boosting immune responses to respiratory viruses and dampening down harmful airway inflammation.
The new study, funded by the National Institute for Health Research, and published in The Lancet Respiratory Medicine, collated and analysed the individual data from 955 participants in seven randomised controlled trials, which tested the use of vitamin D supplements.
Overall, the researchers found that vitamin D supplementation resulted in:
- a 30 per cent reduction in the rate of asthma attacks requiring treatment with steroid tablets or injections - from 0.43 events per person per year to 0.30.
- a 50 per cent reduction in the risk of experiencing at least one asthma attack requiring Accident and Emergency Department attendance and/or hospitalisation - from 6 per cent of people experiencing such an event to 3 per cent.
Vitamin D supplementation was found to be safe at the doses administered. No instances of excessively high calcium levels or renal stones were seen, and serious adverse events were evenly distributed between participants taking vitamin D and those on placebo.
Lead researcher Professor Adrian Martineau said: "These results add to the ever growing body of evidence that vitamin D can support immune function as well as bone health. On average, three people in the UK die from asthma attacks every day. Vitamin D is safe to take and relatively inexpensive so supplementation represents a potentially cost-effective strategy to reduce this problem."
The team's use of individual participant data also allowed them to query the extent to which different groups respond to vitamin D supplementation, in more detail than previous studies.
In particular, vitamin D supplementation was found to have a strong and statistically-significant protective effect in participants who had low vitamin D levels to start with. These participants saw a 55 per cent reduction in the rate of asthma exacerbations requiring treatment with steroid tablets or injections - from 0.42 events per person per year to 0.19.
However, due to relatively small numbers of patients within sub-groups, the researchers caution that they did not find definitive evidence to show that effects of vitamin D supplementation differ according to baseline vitamin D status.
Professor Hywel Williams, Director of the NIHR Health Technology Assessment Programme, said: "The results of this NIHR-funded study brings together evidence from several other studies from over the world and is an important contribution to reducing uncertainties on whether Vitamin D is helpful for asthma - a common condition that impacts on many thousands of people worldwide."
Dr David Jolliffe from QMUL, first author on the paper, added: "Our results are largely based on data from adults with mild to moderate asthma: children and adults with severe asthma were relatively under-represented in the dataset, so our findings cannot necessarily be generalised to these patient groups at this stage. Further clinical trials are on-going internationally, and we hope to include data from them in a future analysis to determine whether the promise of today's results is confirmed in an even larger and more diverse group of patients."
Study Shows Lifestyle Choices Have Significant Impact on Multiple Chronic Conditions, Significant Implications For Reducing Costs Yale University, October 05, 2021
In a study published in the Journal of Preventive Medicine, Adams and colleagues showed a linear association between a number of modifiable risk factors and multiple chronic conditions, making those modifications a key to health care cost savings and to preventing a wide range of conditions.
The data analyzed for the study, https://authors.elsevier.com/a/1VpFeKt2pmc9H, were from the publicly available 2013 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System and included 483,865 non-institutionalized US adults ages 18 years old or older. Chronic conditions included asthma, arthritis, heart disease, stroke, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), cognitive impairment, cancer other than skin, and kidney disease. Risk factors included obesity, current smoking, sedentary lifestyle, inadequate fruit and vegetable consumption and sleeping other than seven to eight hours, while depression, hypertension, high cholesterol, and diabetes were considered in each category.
Previous research by Thorpe and colleagues had estimated that the care of adults with four or more chronic conditions (17.1% of all adults in the study) is responsible for 77.6% of all health care costs in the U.S. today.
The potential savings by reducing just two risk factors (diabetes and hypertension) and their related comorbidity was estimated previously by Ormond and colleagues at $9 billion annually over one to two years and closer to $25 billion a year after 5 years or more, factoring in possible complications.
True Health Initiative founder, at Yale University Director and study co-author David L. Katz, MD, MPH, FACLM, pointed out that in addition to costs, another implication of the study results is an individual's access to healthcare if they have one or more of the chronic conditions.
"Although insurers decide what qualifies as a pre-existing condition, all the chronic conditions used in this study except cognitive impairment are commonly included," he said. "Individuals with a pre-existing condition could be denied coverage or face higher premiums. While having a pre-existing condition might not affect coverage for adults eligible for Medicare, over half of all adults with multiple chronic conditions are ages 18 to 64 years."
American College of Lifestyle Medicine President George Guthrie, MD, MPH, FACLM, said the study confirms the necessity for addressing the root cause of chronic conditions.
"The evidence shows that the risks for chronic disease are rooted in lifestyle choices," he said. "More than ever, it is important to emphasize lifestyle medicine as the first treatment option for preventing, treating, and in some cases, reversing the cause of chronic conditions. If we can help people with chronic conditions, we can add years to their life and life to their years, as well as lower the ever-increasing costs of healthcare for everyone."
Physical athletes' visual skills prove sharper than action video game players University of Waterloo (Canada), October 7, 2021
Athletes still have the edge over action video gamers when it comes to dynamic visual skills, a new study from the University of Waterloo shows.
For an athlete, having strong visual skills can be the difference between delivering a peak performance and achieving average results.
"Athletes involved in sports with a high-level of movement—like soccer, football, or baseball—often score higher on dynamic visual acuity tests than non-athletes," said Dr. Kristine Dalton of Waterloo's School of Optometry & Vision Science. "Our research team wanted to investigate if action video gamers—who, like e-sport athletes, are regularly immersed in a dynamic, fast-paced 2D video environment for large periods of time—would also show superior levels of dynamic visual acuity on par with athletes competing in physical sport."
While visual acuity (clarity or sharpness of vision) is most often measured under static conditions during annual check-ups with an optometrist, research shows that testing dynamic visual acuity is a more effective measure of a person's ability to see moving objects clearly—a baseline skill necessary for success in physical and e-sports alike.
Using a dynamic visual acuity skills-test designed and validated at the University of Waterloo, researchers discovered that while physical athletes score highly on dynamic visual acuity tests as expected, action video game players tested closer to non-athletes.
"Ultimately, athletes showed a stronger ability to identify smaller moving targets, which suggests visual processing differences exist between them and our video game players," said Alan Yee, a Ph.D. candidate in vision science. All participants were matched based on their level of static visual acuity and refractive error, distinguishing dynamic visual acuity as the varying factor on their test performance.
These findings are also important for sports vision training centers that have been exploring the idea of developing video game-based training programs to help athletes elevate their performance.
"Our findings show there is still a benefit to training in a 3D environment," said Dalton. "For athletes looking to develop stronger visual skills, the broader visual field and depth perception that come with physical training may be crucial to improving their dynamic visual acuity—and ultimately, their sport performance."
The study, Athletes demonstrate superior visual dynamic visual acuity, authored by Waterloo's School of Optometry & Vision Science's Dalton, Yee, Dr. Elizabeth Irving and Dr. Ben Thompson, was recently published in the journal Optometry and Vision Science.
Probiotic Akkermansia muciniphila and environmental enrichment reverse cognitive impairment associated with high-fat high-cholesterol consumption University of Oviedo (Spain), September 8, 2021 Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is one of the most prevalent diseases globally. A high-fat, high-cholesterol (HFHC) diet leads to an early NASH model. It has been suggested that gut microbiota mediates the effects of diet through the microbiota–gut–brain axis, modifying the host’s brain metabolism and disrupting cognition. Here, we target NASH-induced cognitive damage by testing the impact of environmental enrichment (EE) and the administration of either Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus GG (LGG) or Akkermansia muciniphila CIP107961 (AKK). EE and AKK, but not LGG, reverse the HFHC-induced cognitive dysfunction, including impaired spatial working memory and novel object recognition; however, whereas AKK restores brain metabolism, EE results in an overall decrease. Moreover, AKK and LGG did not induce major rearrangements in the intestinal microbiota, with only slight changes in bacterial composition and diversity, whereas EE led to an increase in Firmicutes and Verrucomicrobia members. Our findings illustrate the interplay between gut microbiota, the host’s brain energy metabolism, and cognition. In addition, the findings suggest intervention strategies, such as the administration of AKK, for the management of the cognitive dysfunction related to NASH.
In this study, we described cognitive, brain metabolism, and microbiota alterations associated with high-fat and high-cholesterol consumption. In addition, we clearly showed that environmental enrichment and A. muciniphila CIP107961 restore cognitive dysfunction. Furthermore, we revealed that cognitive improvement is associated with differential effects of environmental enrichment and this strain of A. muciniphila on brain metabolism and gut microbiota. Finally, we discovered that restored cognitive function was associated with the administration of A. muciniphila CIP107961, but not L. rhamnosus GG, which may be clinically relevant when selecting probiotics for treating HFHC-derived pathologies.
In conclusion, the microbiota and cognition are intimately connected through the gut–brain axis, and in HFHC pathologies they can be influenced by environmental enrichment and A. muciniphila CIP107961 administration. Cognitive improvement was accompanied by changes in brain metabolic activity and gut microbial composition analysis, pointing to specific microbiota targets for intervention in diet-induced pathologies. However, some mechanisms other than major changes in microbiota composition and the combined effect of environmental enrichment and A. muciniphila administration, which we identified in this study, may also be biologically relevant and will need to be investigated in future studies due to their relative contributions to the selection of effective treatments for patients.
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Red onion effective at killing cancer cells, study says University of Guelph (Ontario)
If you’re looking for a flavorful way to help fight and prevent cancer, add red onion to your shopping list. It will be worth the effort … as you will soon see why.
In the first study of its kind, University of Guelph researchers looked at how the Ontario-grown red onion and several others affected the growth and proliferation of cancer cells. Their findings indicate that all onions are not created equal.
The Canadian researchers looked at five different kinds of onion in total from the province of Ontario. They assessed the onions in terms of their effects against cancer cells and their ability to prevent cancer. Of the five species tested, the Ruby Ring red onion was the most effective.
Few people are aware that onions are somewhat of a superfood. Hopefully, studies like these will help to change that. Onions in general have very high concentrations of the flavonoid quercetin. However, the Ruby Ring Ontario red onion has particularly high levels of these compounds as compared with other species.
In the study, colon cancer cells were placed in direct contact with quercetin that was extracted from the five onion varieties studied. It was found that all of the onion types created an unfavorable environment for cancer cells and initiated cancer cell death, or apoptosis. Communication between the cancer cells seems to be disrupted by the compounds in the onions, and this can help to fight and prevent cancer.
The study also showed that the Ruby Ring red onion was high in anthocyanin, a compound that helps to enrich the scavenging properties of quercetin. This in turn supports quercetin in fighting cancer cells and helping to prevent cancer.
Anthocyanin is the molecule that gives vegetables like red onions their rich, deep color. This is in keeping with the general increased healthbenefits that can be gained from other dark or brightly colored vegetables and fruits. The recent onion study results were published in the journal Food Research International.
While all of the onions studied showed the ability to inhibit cancer cells, red onions were particularly effective. Their beneficial compounds blocked the production of both colon cancer cells and breast cancer cells within the controlled conditions of the study.
The next step is to complete human trials to further explore the cancer fighting effects of onions. Researchers are also working on an extraction technique to isolate the quercetin in onions so that it can be administered as a cancer therapy.
In the meantime, finding ways to include more of this cancer-fighting superfood into your diet can allow you to experience many health benefits. Enjoy red onions in salads, on sandwiches and cooked into soups, stews and stir-fry dishes.
Age and aging have critical effects on the gut microbiome
Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, October 4, 2021
Researchers at Cedars-Sinai have found that aging produces significant changes in the microbiome of the human small intestine distinct from those caused by medications or illness burden. The findings have been published in the journal Cell Reports.
"By teasing out the microbial changes that occur in the small bowel with age, medication use and diseases, we hope to identify unique components of the microbial community to target for therapeutics and interventions that could promote healthy aging," said Ruchi Mathur, MD, the study's principal investigator.
Research exploring the gut microbiome, and its impact on health, has relied predominantly on fecal samples, which do not represent the entire gut, according to Mathur. In their study, investigators from Cedars-Sinai's Medically Associated Science and Technology (MAST) Program analyzed samples from the small intestine–which is over 20 feet in length and has the surface area of a tennis court–for examination of the microbiome and its relationship with aging.
"This study is the first of its kind to examine the microbial composition of the small intestine of subjects 18 years of age to 80. We now know that certain microbial populations are influenced more by medications, while others are more affected by certain diseases. We have identified specific microbes that appear to be only influenced by the chronological age of the person," said Mathur, an endocrinologist and director of the Diabetes Outpatient Treatment & Education Center.
The 21st century has been referred to as the "era of the gut microbiome" as scientists turn considerable attention to the role trillions of gut bacteria, fungi and viruses may play in human health and disease. The microbiome is the name given to the genes that live in these cells. Studies have suggested that disturbances in the constellations of the microbial universe may lead to critical illnesses, including gastroenterological diseases, diabetes, obesity, and some neurological disorders.
While researchers know that microbial diversity in stool decreases with age, Cedars-Sinai investigators identified bacteria in the small bowel they refer to as "disruptors" that increase and could be troublesome.
"Coliforms are normal residents of the intestine. We found that when these rod-shaped microbes become too abundant in the small bowel–as they do as we get older–they exert a negative influence on the rest of the microbial population. They are like weeds in a garden," said study co-author Gabriela Leite, Ph.D.
Investigators also found that as people age, the bacteria in the small intestine change from microbes that prefer oxygen to those that can survive with less oxygen, something they hope to understand as the research continues.
"Our goal is to identify and fingerprint the small intestinal microbial patterns of human health and disease. Given the important role the small bowel plays in absorption of nutrients, changes in the microbiome in this location of the gut may have a greater impact on human health, and warrants further study," said Mark Pimentel, MD, director of the MAST program and a co-author of the study.
This research is part of Cedars-Sinai's ongoing REIMAGINE study: Revealing the Entire Intestinal Microbiota and its Associations with the Genetic, Immunologic, and Neuroendocrine Ecosystem.
Study finds no association between caffeine intake and invasive breast cancer risk
University of Buffalo, September 28, 2021
Researchers from the University at Buffalo conducted a study of nearly 80,000 postmenopausal women in the U.S. to determine whether caffeine consumption from coffee and tea has any association with invasive breast cancer.
The average age when U.S. women reach menopause, 51, also happens to coincide with the age group—50- to 64-year-olds—that has the highest reported caffeine consumption. In addition to that, the average age of breast cancer diagnosis in the U.S. is 62.
This overlap of age at menopause, age at diagnosis of breast cancer and age with high caffeine consumption gave greater weight to the importance of clarifying whether caffeine intake impacts breast cancer risk in postmenopausal women.
It does not, according to the UB researchers' findings, published in August in the International Journal of Cancer.
"From our literature review, many studies have found significant associations between coffee and/or tea consumption and reduced breast cancer incidence whereas a few studies have reported elevated risk. Our study, however, found no association," said study first author Christina KH Zheng, who worked on the study while completing her master's in epidemiology at UB. She is now a surgical resident in the MedStar Baltimore general surgery program.
"About 85% of Americans drink at least one caffeinated beverage a day. It is important for the public to know whether consumption of caffeinated beverages has beneficial or harmful effects on breast cancer, the most common type of cancer and second-leading cause of cancer death for U.S. women," said Lina Mu, MD, Ph.D., the study's senior author, who is an associate professor of epidemiology and environmental health at UB.
"The overlap of age at diagnosis of breast cancer and age with high consumption of caffeine, and the inconsistent findings from previous studies motivated us to study whether this lifestyle factor could affect breast cancer risk in postmenopausal women," said Kexin Zhu, a study co-first author and epidemiology Ph.D. student in UB's School of Public Health and Health Professions.
Researchers looked at a sample of 79,871 participants in the Women's Health Initiative Observational Study. Participants have for decades now completed yearly health questionnaires that help researchers learn more about diet and exercise habits, as well as disease, and any possible linkages.
After a median follow-up of 16 years, there were 4,719 cases of invasive breast cancer identified.
At first glance, women who reported drinking two to three cups of caffeinated coffee per day had a 12% higher risk of invasive breast cancer compared to non-drinkers. But that association was not statistically significant after adjusting for lifestyle factors, such as smoking and alcohol consumption.
"Seeing null results after adjusting for lifestyle, demographic and reproductive factors informs us of the complexity that is the relationship between caffeine intake and invasive breast cancer risk," Zheng said.
"Some lifestyle factors, like drinking alcohol and physical activity, might be associated with both coffee intake and breast cancer risk," Zhu explained. "Therefore, they might confound the initial positive associations. After we took the lifestyle factors into account, the results suggested that regular coffee drinking might not have an impact on invasive breast cancer risk."
The risk of invasive breast cancer was even higher—22%—for women who reported drinking two to three cups of decaffeinated coffee each day. It was slightly lower when adjusted for lifestyle variables (smoking history, alcohol consumption, physical activity, etc.), and the association was not statistically significant when further accounting for reproductive variables such as family history of breast cancer and number of children
The researchers were unable to determine if the elevated risk is due to the decaffeinated nature of the coffee, the amount consumed, or another factor unique to this population that was not accounted for in the study.
The researchers did not observe a significant association between overall tea consumption and invasive breast cancer. Additional research needs to be done in order to understand whether different types of teas have different effects on breast cancer risk, Zhu said.
Liver function improves with the consumption of Broccoli sprout extract Tokai University Tokyo Hospital (Japan), October 5, 2021
A Japanese study of broccoli sprouts and liver function has found the sulforaphane-rich food to be highly beneficial. An extract from broccoli sprouts given to male participants was shown to improve hepatic abnormalities and overall liver function significantly.
For the study, the researchers conducted a double blind, randomized placebo-controlled trial of males with fatty liver disease. The subjects received either extract of broccoli sprouts in capsule form, or a placebo. The capsules contained glucoraphanin, a precursor for the sulforaphane in broccoli sprouts.
A number of key liver function markers were measured before and after the trial. It was determined that dietary supplementation with extract of broccoli improved liver functioning by decreasing alkali phosphatase activity and oxidative stress markers.
Broccoli sprout extract was also found to prevent NDMA-induced chronic liver failure in rats. The researchers believe the antioxidants in broccoli sprouts are effective in suppressing the mechanisms of liver failure at a cellular level.
The reduction of oxidative stress is crucial in protecting the liver and improving its health, and broccoli is loaded with health-supporting antioxidants.
Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is also reaching epidemic proportions, with nearly 30 percent of Americans (90 million people) having some level of the disease. Like hep C, NAFLD can result in liver failure and cancer of the liver in the most severe cases.
Exposure to environmental toxins exacerbates liver conditions as well, with the glyphosate found in weed killers, like Roundup, particularly harmful.
The good news is that liver conditions are preventable by embracing a healthy lifestyle. Eating plenty of organic fruits and vegetables, exercising regularly and avoiding alcohol and cigarettes can do wonders for liver health.
As evidenced by the recent research out of Japan, sulforaphane-rich broccoli sprouts can be a key component in supporting healthy liver function. Milk thistle, vitamin E, black seed oil and dandelion root have also shown effectiveness in supporting and detoxifying the liver.
How cannabis-like substances keep the brain in balance
Utrecht University (Netherlands), October 4, 2021
Whenever we learn, remember or forget something, a surprisingly active role is played by cannabis-like substances in the brain. Researchers at Utrecht University found that the substances actively balance connections in the brain that allow cells to either activate or inhibit each other. The discovery reveals how brain cells influence each other, and how psychiatric disorders can arise when this process goes wrong.
Although wisdom comes with age, our brain does not store every single experience or lesson learned. In addition to learning and remembering, our brains are also equipped to forget irrelevant things or drop unused skills. In order to find a balance in this, brain cellsconstantly communicate with each other through connections that activate or inhibit the cells. Researchers from Utrecht University discovered that brain cells can form new, inhibitory connections via so-called endocannabinoids. They reported their discovery in Journal of Neuroscience.
Counterbalance
Endocannabinoids derive their name from the cannabis plant, which contains similar substances. The researchers discovered the role of endocannabinoids when they induced brain cells of mice to strengthen activating connections. In response, the brain cells also started making new inhibitory connections. The researchers found that endocannabinoids kickstarted the new connections.
Surprisingly active role
The researchers were surprised to find that these substances play such an active role. "Nobody expected this from endocannabinoids," says research leader Dr. Corette Wierenga, neurobiologist at Utrecht University.
It was already known that endocannabinoids can influence the functioning of our brains. But until now researchers assumed that the substances were merely involved in adjusting existing connections. "Now it appears that the system of endocannabinoids can actively push the production of new inhibitory connections, with which brain cells actively regulate the balance."
Psychiatric disorders caused by imbalance
The discovery could help scientists to better understand how psychiatric disordersand other abnormalities in the brain develop. In many of these disorders, the balance between inhibitory and activating connections is disturbed. During an epileptic seizure, for example, this balance is seriously disturbed. Although in many other disorders the disturbance is more subtle, for example in schizophrenia, the impact can still be equally profound.
Cannabis-related unbalance
The balance between activating and inhibiting connections in our brain is constantly being adjusted in response to our experiences. Whenever we experience something, the connections change, and the brain must restore the balance. Cannabis use can disrupt that balance.
"Occasional cannabis use will not seriously disturb the balance," says Wierenga. "But if the balance is disturbed for a longer period, it can cause problems. For example, children of mothers who smoked marijuana during pregnancy can experience problems with neurological development."
Early stages of life
The balance is especially important in early stages of life, Wierenga says. "During our development, brain connections are constantly changing. Especially during that period, it is important that inhibitory and activating connections remain coordinated. If the coordination is malfunctioning or disturbed, you can imagine that the system becomes disrupted. And unfortunately, disruptions that occur so early cannot be easily repaired later in life."
According to Wierenga, such disruptions can lead not only to loss of memory, but also initiate more serious consequences. For example, the brain might grow out to less adaptive to stressful situations. "When this happens, things get out of hand more easily in the brain, because inhibition and activation are out of balance. That could lead to learning and behavioral problems."
Predicting and preventing disorders
Creating a deeper understanding of the role endocannabinoids play in the brain, could lead to psychiatric disorders being more predictable or even prevented in the future. The publication in Journal of Neuroscience now sets out a new direction in which more knowledge can be built up. Wierenga: "Ultimately, as a researcher, we want to understand how brain cells coordinate the balance and what happens when that balance is disturbed.
Glycerin is safe, effective in psoriasis model
Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University, October 4, 2021
Patients with psoriasis have reported that glycerin, an inexpensive, harmless, slightly sweet liquid high on the list of ingredients in many skin lotions, is effective at combatting their psoriasis and now scientists have objective evidence to support their reports.
They found that whether applied topically or ingested in drinking water, glycerin, or glycerol, helps calm the classic scaly, red, raised and itchy patches in their psoriasismodel, Dr. Wendy Bollag, cell physiologist and skin researcher at the Medical College of Georgia and Charlie Norwood VA Medical Center and her colleagues report in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences.
The studies also provide more evidence of the different ways glycerin enables the healthy maturation of skin cells through four stages that result in a smooth, protective skin layer. Psoriasis is an immune-mediated problem that typically surfaces in young adults in which skin cells instead multiply rapidly, piling up into inflamed patches.
"We have experimental data now to show what these patients with psoriasis are reporting," says Bollag, who nearly 20 years ago first reported in The Journal of Investigative Dermatology that glycerin, a natural alcohol and water attractor known to help the skin look better, also safely helped it function better by helping skin cells mature properly.
Bollag's early report led to many anecdotal reports from individuals and their reports ultimately led to the newly published study.
Topically, glycerin is known to have a soothing, emollient effect. But another key part of its magic, which Dr. Bollag has helped delineate, is its conversion to the lipid, or fat, phosphatidylglycerol, which ultimately regulates the function of keratinocytes, our major skin cell type, and suppresses inflammation in the skin.
Glycerin gets into the skin through avenues like aquaporin-3, a channel expressed in skin cells, and the MCG scientists have shown that once inside, aquaporin 3 funnels glycerin to phospholipase-D-2, an enzyme that converts fats in the external cell membrane into cell signals, ultimately converting glycerin to phosphatidylglycerol.
In 2018, Bollag and team reported that topical application of phosphatidylglycerol reduced inflammation and the characteristic raised skin patches in a mouse model of psoriasis. This time they decided to look at the impact of its widely available precursor glycerin.
For the new studies, they used imiquimod, which is known to produce psoriasis-like plaques on humans using it for problems like genital warts and some skin cancers, to produce an animal model. The mice either drank the sweet natural alcohol or the scientists applied it topically. Either way, glycerin helped reduce development of the characteristic skin lesions, the scientists report, a finding which helps underline that glycerin works in more than one way to improve the skin condition.
Externally, glycerin showed its action as an emollient because even in mice missing phospholipase-D-2, it was beneficial. Additionally, topically it appears to compete with hydrogen peroxide for space inside the aquaporin 3 channel. Hydrogen peroxide is commonly known as a mild antiseptic but we produce it as well and at low levels it's a cell signaling molecule. But at high levels, hydrogen peroxide produces destructive oxidative stress, which can actually cause psoriasis.
The scientists found that topical glycerin reduced the levels of hydrogen peroxide entering skin cells. When they added glycerin and hydrogen peroxide at the same time directly to skin cells, they found that glycerin protected against the oxidative stress from hydrogen peroxide.
"Glycerol is basically outcompeting the hydrogen peroxide in getting in there and preventing it from being able to enter and increase oxidative stress," Bollag says. Oil and water don't mix, so yet another way glycerin may be helpful is by supporting the skin's major role as a water permeability barrier so that, as an extreme, when we sit in a bathtub the bath water doesn't pass through our skin so we blow up like a balloon, she says.
On the other hand, when glycerin was ingested by the mice missing the phospholipase- D-2, which converts fats or lipids in a cell's membrane to signals, it simply did not work, Bollag says, which confirmed their earlier findings that internally anyway, glycerin pairs with the enzyme to produce the signal essential to skin cell maturation.
Some of their other most recent work is detailing more about how phosphatidylglycerol decreases inflammation.
Bollag would like next steps to also include clinical trials with dermatologists and patients and is working to find a formulation scientist who can make what she thinks will be the optimal combination: glycerin and phosphatidylglycerol in the same topical cream.
The addition of phosphatidylglyerol itself, rather than just the glycerin that makes it, is essentially a backup since there is some evidence that in psoriasis the essential conversion of glycerin to phosphatidylglycerol is not optimal. Bollag's lab and others have shown reduced levels of aquaporin 3 in psoriasis, which likely means less phosphatidylgycerol, so making more glycerin available may help, albeit not as efficiently, raise the availability of this lipid essential to normal skin cell proliferation.
Moving quickly into clinical trials should be comparatively easy since, as with glycerin, there already is experience with the use of phosphatidylglycerol in humans. For example, it's a component of some high-end cosmetics, Bollag says.
She suspects that this sort of two-punch combination, could help keep early signs of psoriasis at bay and, with more advanced disease, use existing psoriasis treatments to get the skin condition under control then start applying glycerin to help keep it that way.
Bollag and her colleagues reported in 2018 in the Journal of Investigative Dermatology that in a mouse model of psoriasis, phosphtidylglycerol reduced inflammation and the characteristic raised skin lesions of psoriasis.
While its exact cause is unclear, psoriasis is an immune-mediated condition and patients have higher levels of inflammation, as well as too many skin cells being produced then maturing abnormally. The heightened inflammation also puts them at increased risk for problems like heart disease.
Biologics used to treat psoriasis work different ways to stem this overactive immune response but in addition to their high cost, can put the patient at risk for problems like serious infections and cancer. The only side effect she has seen in about 20 years of working with glycerin and the clinical and cosmetic use already out there, is it can leave the skin feeling slightly sticky.
Our bodies can make glycerol from the carbohydrates, proteins and fats that we eat or already have in our body.
Gary takes on the real issues that the mainstream media is afraid to tackle. Tune in to find out the latest about health news, healing, politics, and the economy.
Investigating the anti-hypertensive effects of pumpkin seed oil Marymount University and University of Guilan (Iran), September 29, 2021 In a study, researchers from Iran and the U.S. found that pumpkin seed oil can potentially treat hypertension in postmenopausal women. Their report was published in Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice.
- Postmenopausal women are more likely to develop hypertension than men of the same age.
- In vivo studies reveal that pumpkin seed oil has anti-hypertensive activity.
- The team investigated the effects of pumpkin seed oil supplementation on vascular function and heart rate variability in postmenopausal women with elevated blood pressure.
- Participants were assigned to take either a pumpkin seed oil supplement or a placebo for the six-week study. Those in the experimental group took 3 grams of pumpkin seed oil every day.
- Brachial and central blood pressure, wave reflection (augmentation index, AIx), arterial stiffness (SI) and various HRV parameters were measured at baseline and at the end of the study.
- Those who took pumpkin seed oil had significantly lower AIx, brachial and systolic blood pressure after treatment. SI and HRV parameters remained unchanged for the treatment group and the placebo group at the end of the study.
In sum, taking pumpkin seed oil may improve arterial hemodynamics in postmenopausal women.
Health benefits of evening classes revealed
Oxford University, September 20, 2021
Those with a taste for adult education classes have long known it, but now Oxford University scientists have confirmed that taking part in the weekly sessions can boost wellbeing – regardless of the subject studied.
In partnership with the Workers' Educational Association (WEA), the largest voluntary sector provider of adult education in England and Scotland, a team from Oxford's department of experimental psychology studied attendees at seven separate day-time adult education classes. Their findings are published in a series of papers.
Each class took place over seven months and included a break in the middle. Attendees completed questionnaires before and after their class three times over the seven months: at the beginning of their courses, after 3 months, and at the end of the seven months. Participants were involved in one of three activities: singing, crafts or creative writing.
Overall, attendees at all seven classes had improved mental and physical health and reported more satisfaction with their lives at the end of their courses.
Dr Eiluned Pearce led the research. She said: 'The students reported benefits including increased self-confidence, a greater feeling of control over their lives and more willingness to take on new challenges. Some said the classes made them more motivated to be more active, despite the classes not specifically involving physical activity.
'Participants also said that the classes broadened their networks of friends and gave them an increased sense of belonging. We also found that the more someone felt part of their group, the more their health and wellbeing improved.'
An intriguing finding was in the singing and creative writing classes. Building on the results of an earlier paper from the same study, which found that people in singing classes felt closer to their group more quickly than those in the other classes, the team looked at how relationships formed between individuals in the classes.
Each person was asked to name those other people in the class whose name they could remember, whether or not they felt connected to each person they named, and whether they had talked to that person during class.
Dr Pearce said: 'The results showed that those in the singing and creative writing groups built up relationships with other individuals more quickly than the crafters, and singers felt more connected to the class as a whole more quickly than both the other groups.
'While this confirms our earlier finding that singing has an 'ice-breaker effect' compared to other activities, it shows that other activities may enable people to increase their social networks just as much, even if it takes them longer to feel connected to their group as a whole.'
Co-author Dr Jacques Launay adds: 'While much of our previous work has demonstrated the importance of music, it is likely that the most socially bonding activities are always those that are personally chosen and enjoyed. This research adds to growing support for the relevance of creative activities in creating happy communities and improving health and well-being, with consequent benefits for public services and society.'
Dr Pádraig Mac Carron, Dr Anna Machin and Professor Robin Dunbar were also involved in the research.
Howard Croft, WEA Regional Education Manager, said: 'The findings reiterate the feedback that we have had from our students over the years: learning is a fantastic way to boost your self-esteem and confidence. Also of note, is its therapeutic effect. For many students, creative courses are a means of finding a new outlet for expressing their feelings. This can be of immense help during times of personal difficulty or emotional upheaval, such as divorce or bereavement. Simply going to a course can offer much-needed respite.
'For others, learning can be an opportunity to reignite a former passion. This could be anything from a subject which you enjoyed at school to an area which you are interested in. Whatever your reason, there are so many benefits to be gained by signing up to a course.'
Want to live forever? Theoretically, you could, study says Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, September 29, 2021
Humans can probably live to at least 130, and possibly well beyond, though the chances of reaching such super old age remain vanishingly small, according to new research.
The outer limit of the human lifespan has long been hotly debated, with recent studies making the case we could live up to 150 years, or arguing that there is no maximum theoretical age for humans.
The new research, published Wednesday in the Royal Society Open Science journal, wades into the debate by analyzing new data on supercentenarians—people aged 110 or more—and semi-supercentenarians, aged 105 or more.
While the risk of death generally increases throughout our lifetime, the researchers' analysis shows that risk eventually plateaus and remains constant at approximately 50-50.
"Beyond age 110 one can think of living another year as being almost like flipping a fair coin," said Anthony Davison, a professor of statistics at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne (EPFL), who led the research.
"If it comes up heads, then you live to your next birthday, and if not, then you will die at some point within the next year," he told AFP.
Based on the data available so far, it seems likely that humans can live until at least 130, but extrapolating from the findings "would imply that there is no limit to the human lifespan," the research concludes.
The conclusions match similar statistical analyses done on datasets of the very elderly.
"But this study strengthens those conclusions and makes them more precise because more data are now available," Davison said.
The first dataset the team studied is newly released material from the International Database on Longevity, which covers more than 1,100 supercentenarians from 13 countries.
The second is from Italy on every person who was at least 105 between January 2009 and December 2015.
'One in a million'
The work involves extrapolating from existing data, but Davison said that was a logical approach.
"Any study of extreme old age, whether statistical or biological, will involve extrapolation," he said.
"We were able to show that if a limit below 130 years exists, we should have been able to detect it by now using the data now available," he added.
Still, just because humans can theoretically reach 130 or beyond, doesn't mean we're likely to see it anytime soon.
For a start, the analysis is based on people who have already achieved the relatively rare feat of making it to well over 100.
And even at age 110, your chances of making it to 130 are "about one in a million... not impossible but very unlikely," said Davison.
He thinks we could see people reaching 130 within the century, as more people make it to supercentenarian status, increasing the chances of one becoming that one in a million.
"But in the absence of major medical and social advances, ages much over this are highly unlikely ever to be observed," he added.
For now, the oldest person on record is Frenchwoman Jeanne Calment, who died in 1997 at the confirmed age of 122.
Her true age was the subject of some controversy, with claims of a possible fraud, but in 2019 several experts said a review of the evidence confirmed her age.
Other pretenders to the throne of oldest person ever have a long way to go. The oldest verified living person in the world is Japan's Kane Tanaka, a comparatively youthful 118.
Psychological treatment shown to yield strong, lasting pain relief, alter brain networks University of Colorado, September 29, 2021
Rethinking what causes pain and how great of a threat it is can provide chronic pain patients with lasting relief and alter brain networks associated with pain processing, according to new University of Colorado Boulder-led research.
The study, published Sept. 29 in JAMA Psychiatry, found that two-thirds of chronic back pain patients who underwent a four-week psychological treatment called Pain Reprocessing Therapy (PRT) were pain-free or nearly pain-free post-treatment. And most maintained relief for one year.
The findings provide some of the strongest evidence yet that a psychological treatmentcan provide potent and durable relief for chronic pain, which afflicts one in five Americans.
"For a long time we have thought that chronic pain is due primarily to problems in the body, and most treatments to date have targeted that," said lead author Yoni Ashar, who conducted the study while earning his Ph.D. in the Department of Psychology and Neuroscience at CU Boulder. "This treatment is based on the premise that the brain can generate pain in the absence of injury or after an injury has healed, and that people can unlearn that pain. Our study shows it works."
Misfiring neural pathways
Approximately 85% of people with chronic back pain have what is known as "primary pain," meaning tests are unable to identify a clear bodily source, such as tissue damage.
Misfiring neural pathways are at least partially to blame: Different brain regions—including those associated with reward and fear—activate more during episodes of chronic pain than acute pain, studies show. And among chronic pain patients, certain neural networks are sensitized to overreact to even mild stimuli.
If pain is a warning signal that something is wrong with the body, primary chronic pain, Ashar said, is "like a false alarm stuck in the 'on' position."
PRT seeks to turn off the alarm.
"The idea is that by thinking about the pain as safe rather than threatening, patients can alter the brain networks reinforcing the pain, and neutralize it," said Ashar, now a postdoctoral researcher at Weill Cornell Medicine.or the randomized controlled trial, Ashar and senior author Tor Wager, now the Diana L. Taylor Distinguished Professor in Neuroscience at Dartmouth College, recruited 151 men and women who had back pain for at least six months at an intensity of at least four on a scale of zero to 10.
Those in the treatment group completed an assessment followed by eight one-hour sessions of PRT, a technique developed by Los Angeles-based pain psychologist Alan Gordon. The goal: To educate the patient about the role of the brain in generating chronic pain; to help them reappraise their pain as they engage in movements they'd been afraid to do; and to help them address emotions that may exacerbate their pain.
Pain is not 'all in your head'
"This isn't suggesting that your pain is not real or that it's 'all in your head'," stressed Wager, noting that changes to neural pathways in the brain can linger long after an injury is gone, reinforced by such associations. "What it means is that if the causes are in the brain, the solutions may be there, too."
Before and after treatment, participants also underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scans to measure how their brains reacted to a mild pain stimulus.
After treatment, 66% of patients in the treatment group were pain-free or nearly pain-free compared to 20% of the placebo group and 10% of the no-treatment group.
"The magnitude and durability of pain reductions we saw are very rarely observed in chronic pain treatment trials," Ashar said, noting that opioids have yielded only moderate and short-term relief in many trials.
And when people in the PRT group were exposed to pain in the scanner post-treatment, brain regions associated with pain processing—including the anterior insula and anterior midcingulate —had quieted significantly.
The authors stress that the treatment is not intended for "secondary pain"—that rooted in acute injury or disease.
The study focused specifically on PRT for chronic back pain, so future, larger studies are needed to determine if it would yeild similar results for other types of chronic pain.
Meanwhile, other similar brain-centered techniques are already ememrging among physical therapists and other clinicians who treat pain.
"This study suggests a fundamentally new way to think about both the causes of chronic back pain for many people and the tools that are available to treat that pain," said co-author Sona Dimidjian, professor of psychology and neuroscience and director of the Renee Crown Wellness Institute at CU Boulder. " It provides a potentially powerful option for people who want to live free or nearly free of pain."
Citicoline (CDP-choline) and Memory Function in Healthy Older Adults: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Clinical Trial Kyowa Hakko Bio (Japan), September 2021
Supplementation of citicoline (CDP-choline), a naturally occurring mononucleotide, has shown beneficial effects on memory function and behavior in populations with a wide range of impairments. However, few studies have investigated its effect in healthy older populations.
Objective
The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of citicoline, on memory in healthy elderly populations with age-associated memory impairment (AAMI).
Methods
A total of 100 healthy men and women aged between 50 and 85 y with AAMI participated in this randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Participants were randomized to receive placebo (n = 51) or citicoline (n = 49; 500 mg/d) for 12 wk. Memory function was assessed at baseline and end of the intervention (12 wk) using computerized tests (Cambridge Brain Sciences, Ontario, Canada). Safety measurements included adverse events query, body weight, blood pressure, and hematology and metabolic panel. Intent-to-treat analysis was conducted using ANCOVA for the primary and secondary outcome variables with Bonferroni correction for multiple comparisons.
Results
A total of 99 out of 100 participants completed the study in its entirety. After the 12-wk intervention, participants supplemented with citicoline showed significantly greater improvements in secondary outcomes of episodic memory (assessed by the Paired Associate test), compared with those on placebo (mean: 0.15 vs. 0.06, respectively, P = 0.0025). Composite memory (secondary outcome), calculated using the scores of 4 memory tests, also significantly improved to a greater extent following citicoline supplementation (mean: 3.78) compared with placebo (mean: 0.72, P = 0.0052).
Conclusions
Dietary supplementation of citicoline for 12 wk improved overall memory performance, especially episodic memory, in healthy older males and females with AAMI. The findings suggest that regular consumption of citicoline may be safe and potentially beneficial against memory loss due to aging.
Sleep may strengthen long-term memories in the immune system
University of Tuebingen (Germany) September 29, 2021
More than a century ago, scientists demonstrated that sleep supports the retention of memories of facts and events. Later studies have shown that slow-wave sleep, often referred to as deep sleep, is important for transforming fragile, recently formed memories into stable, long-term memories. Now, in an Opinion article published in Trends in Neurosciences, part of a special issue on Neuroimmunology, researchers propose that deep sleep may also strengthen immunological memories of previously encountered pathogens.
"While it has been known for a long time that sleep supports long-term memoryformation in the psychological domain, the idea that long-term memory formation is a function of sleep effective in all organismic systems is in our view entirely new," says senior author Jan Born of the University of Tuebingen. "We consider our approach toward a unifying concept of biological long-term memory formation, in which sleep plays a critical role, a new development in sleep research and memory research."
The immune system "remembers" an encounter with a bacteria or virus by collecting fragments from the bug to create memory T cells, which last for months or years and help the body recognize a previous infection and quickly respond. These memory T cells appear to abstract "gist information" about the pathogens, as only T cells that store information about the tiniest fragments ever elicit a response. The selection of gist information allows memory T cells to detect new pathogens that are similar, but not identical, to previously encountered bacteria or viruses.
Studies in humans have shown that long-term increases in memory T cells are associated with deep slow-wave sleep on the nights after vaccination. Taken together, the findings support the view that slow-wave sleep contributes to the formation of long-term memories of abstract, generalized information, which leads to adaptive behavioral and immunological responses. The obvious implication is that sleep deprivation could put your body at risk.
"If we didn't sleep, then the immune system might focus on the wrong parts of the pathogen," Born says. "For example, many viruses can easily mutate some parts of their proteins to escape from immune responses. If too few antigen-recognizing cells [the cells that present the fragments to T cells] are available, then they might all be needed to fight off the pathogen. In addition to this, there is evidence that the hormones released during sleep benefit the crosstalk between antigen-presenting and antigen-recognizing cells, and some of these important hormones could be lacking without sleep."
Born says that future research should examine what information is selected during sleep for storage in long-term memory, and how this selection is achieved. In the end, this research could have important clinical implications.
"In order to design effective vaccines against HIV, malaria, and tuberculosis, which are based on immunological memory, the correct memory model must be available," Born says. "It is our hope that by comparing the concepts of neuronal and immunological memory, a model of immunological memory can be developed which integrates the available experimental data and serves as a helpful basis for vaccine development."
Standardized astragalus extract for attenuation of the immunosuppression induced by strenuous physical exercise: randomized controlled trial University of Physical Sciences (Poland), September 3, 2021
This paper aimed to verify how a supplementation of rower’s diet with Astragalus Membranaceus Root (AMR) modulated their immune system response to maximal physical exertion.
Methods The double-blind study included 18 members of the Polish Rowing Team assigned to the supplemented group (n = 10), and the placebo group (n = 8). The participants performed a 2000 m test on a rowing ergometer at the beginning and at the end of the six-week of intensive training camp during which the supplemented group received 500 mg of AMR. Blood samples were obtained prior to, 1 min after completing, and 24 h after the exertion test. The levels of interleukin 2 (IL2), interleukin 4 (IL4), interleukin 10 (IL10), interferon ɤ (IFN-ɣ), and lactic acid were determined. Subpopulations of T regulatory lymphocytes [CD4+/CD25+/CD127−] (Treg), cytotoxic lymphocytes [CD8+/TCRαβ+] (CTL), natural killer cells [CD3−/CD16+/CD56+] (NK), and TCRδγ-positive cells (Tδγ) were determined with flow cytometry.
Results After the camp, the initial NK and Treg levels sustained at the baseline, while Tδγ counts increased relative to the levels in the placebo group. In the supplemented subgroup, a decrease in IL2 level in reaction to maximal exertion clearly deepened while the change in IL-2/IL-10 level induced by the recovery after this exertion clearly increased, relative to the changes in the placebo group.
Conclusions AMR restored the immunological balance in strenuously trained athletes through a stabilization of NK and Treg cells with a positive trend in Tδγ towards Th1 response during restitution by cytokine IL2 modulation.
German Neurologist On Face Masks: ‘Oxygen Deprivation Causes Permanent Neurological Damage’
VIDEOS
1. SENATOR NINO VITALE 6 MINS 2. The Battle Over Free Speech: Are Trigger Warnings, Safe Spaces & No-Platforming Harming Young Minds? start 3:30 3. Debate: Identity Politics is Tearing Society Apart start 4 mins in
Dane Wigington is a geoengineering scientist with a background in solar energy who is highly regarded as one of the foremost experts and commentators on stratospheric aerosol geoengineering and solar radiation management. Dane is a former employee at Bechtel Power Corporation and worked on the first commercial solar plants in the United States. As a climate researcher, he has been studying anthropocentric climate change, geoengineering technology and operations for 15 years. He has appeared in many documentary films and public appearances educating the public about the adverse effects of weather modification. Earlier this year, Dane released his groundbreaking documentary "The Dimming" -- which exposes global weather intervention and engineering operations and their observable consequences. Dane hosts the weekly radio broadcast Global Alert News every Wednesday at 2 pm Eastern Time on the Progressive Radio Network and directs the website GeoEngineeringWatch. org for the latest updates and commentaries on geoengineering science and its adverse effects.
Sir Ken Robinson outlines 3 principles crucial for the human mind to flourish -- and how current education culture works against them. In a funny, stirring talk he tells us how to get out of the educational "death valley" we now face, and how to nurture our youngest generations with a climate of possibility.
1. Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee Jessica Rose - 4:09:50 2. Reiner Fuellmich Interviews Whitney Webb ~ Corona Investigative Committee, start 1:30 3. UK Gov't confirms Covid19 harmless to VAST MAJORITY of people 2:40
Mass Incarceration: The civil rights issue of our time
Chris Hedges is one of our nation’s most insightful cultural critics, social and political activists and investigative journalists. He is also Presbyterian minister and a visiting university lecturer. For two decades Chris was a foreign correspondent in war zones and conflicts in Central America, the Middle East, Africa and the Balkans, having reported for The New York Times and other news outlets from over 50 countries. While at the Times, he received the 2002 Pulitzer Prize for reporting on global terrorism. That same year he received Amnesty International’s Global Award for Human Rights Journalism. Chris has authored many bestselling books. His most recent book will be released shortly -- “Our Class: Trauma and Transformation in an American Prison” -- a heart-rendering account of Chris' eight years as a humanities teacher in the East Jersey State Prison in Rahway and the stories and insights about the internal transformation of his student inmates who had spent years in maximum security prisons for severe crimes, including murder. Chris hosts the weekly TV program “On Contact,” with interviews prominent dissidents ignored by the media. It airs every Saturday on Russian TV at RT.com And his website is ChrisLHedges.com
Todays Videos
1. ARE PEOPLE DYING MISDIAGNOSED? DR. BRYAN ARDIS, DR. REINER FUELLMICH AND DR. WOLFGANG WODARG start 5:04 2. A Final Warning to Humanity from Former Pfizer Chief Scientist Michael Yeadon 3. OXFORD VACCINE SCIENTIST ADMITS — NO HERD IMMUNITY FROM JABS 4. Israel's Alarming Data 5. Incriminating Hunter Biden Emails CONFIRMED By Independent Source, MSM Forced To Accept Legitimacy
LISTEN LIVE NUMBER: 1-717-734-6955
NEW Archive: 1-631-359-9463 Voicemail: (862) 800-6805 Order Number: 877-627-5065 Luann Number: 903-881-7008 2. Vaccine Injuries and Deaths: Whistleblower Exposes VAERS Corruption 3. HOW BIG PHARMA USES FAUCI AND THE MEDIA TO MURDER AMERICANS 4. Could Natural COVID Immunity be better than Vaccinated Immunity? 5. ARE PEOPLE DYING MISDIAGNOSED? DR. BRYAN ARDIS, DR. REINER FUELLMICH AND DR. WOLFGANG WODARG start 5:04
The Gary Null Show Notes – 09.21.21
- A billionaire wants to build a utopia in the US desert. Seems like this could go wrong
- The U.S. Military, Post-Afghanistan
- Nearly 15,000 Deaths, More Than 700,000 Injuries Reported to VAERS Since December 2020 Rollout of COVID Vaccines in U.S.
- Middle East cooperation appears to be breaking out — the untold story
- Border Patrol Accused of ‘Unfathomable Cruelty’ for Cracking Whips on Haitians
- Eat the rich! Why millennials and generation Z have turned their backs on capitalism
- The Misuse of Knowledge in Society: Intervention Means Prices are Lying
- Censorship and The Way Forward
- US Encircling China on Multiple New Cold War Fronts Todays Videos:
1. China virus breakthrough cases among fully vaccinated reveal vaccine less effective than predicted 2. Common Sense About the “Vaccine”. AFTER MUSIC 3. Hospital Administrator: Lots of People Will Die – Doctors BANNED From HCQ/IVM 4. New Rule: Snitch Nation | Real Time with Bill Maher (HBO)
LISTEN LIVE NUMBER: 1-717-734-6955
NEW Archive: 1-631-359-9463 Voicemail: (862) 800-6805 Order Number: 877-627-5065 Luann Number: 903-881-7008 1. Covid19/11 Ep. 8 - Mike Yeadon 2. Covid Vaccine Hesitant Families Must Watch Video 3. Funeral Directer John O'Looney Blows the Whistle on Covid start 15:15 4. Most people taking statins get no benefit - GB News 5. Boosting Immunity Against Corona Virus With Top Doc, Dr Aseem Malhotra
Gary takes on the real issues that the mainstream media is afraid to tackle. Tune in to find out the latest about health news, healing, politics, and the economy.
Virologists reveal how poor man’s amino acid cure for COVID-19 would abolish need for vaccines Bio-Virus Research Inc (Nevada), September 15, 2021
A natural cure for COVID-19 that is widely available and affordable for even the poorest of people on the planet has been confirmed by a team of virologists who have spent a lifetime studying the underlying causes of viral infections.
Backed by decades of research and safety data for herpes-family viruses, U.S.-based researchers at Bio-Virus Research Inc, Reno, Nevada, report on the successful treatment of the first 30 frontline doctors and nurses and a thousand-plus patients given the amino acid lysine to prevent and even abolish COVID-19 coronavirus infections at a clinic in the Dominican Republic. Astonishingly, symptoms of COVID-19 are reported to have dissipated within hours of this natural treatment.
The medical staff at a clinic in the Dominican Republic was coming down with two cases of coronavirus per month before lysine therapy was instituted.
The virologists, Drs. Christopher Kagan, Bo Karlicki and Alexander Chaihorsky, strongly suggested the front-line healthcare workers embark on a daily regimen of lysine therapy due to daily exposure to the virus. Their ground-breaking report is published online at ResearchGate.net.
Arginine/lysine balance
Lysine therapy interrupts the replication of viruses, including COVID-19 coronavirus, by countering arginine, an amino acid that fosters the eruption of dormant viruses. Lysine has been safely used for decades to quell herpes virus outbreaks that cause cold sores on the lips (herpes labialis), a treatment pioneered by one of the Bio-Virus Research team members in 1974.
Lysine is available in foods and in concentrated form in inexpensive dietary supplements (250 500-milligram lysine tablets can be purchased for under $5 US or 2-cents per tablet), making affordable lysine therapy possible.
Lysine/arginine imbalance would explain why patients who have been infected with COVID-19 have recurrent infections, even after vaccination.
Lysine Rx in Dominican Republic
The daily therapeutic supplement regimen for the medical staff in the Dominican Republic consisted of 2000 milligrams of lysine capsules along with restricted dietary consumption of arginine-rich foods such as nuts, chocolate, orange juice, pumpkin, sesame seeds, wheat germ.
The Bio-Virus Research team found doses of supplemental lysine up to 4000 milligrams to be safe and effective.
Foods that have a high ratio of lysine over arginine such as eggs, tofu, fish (not raw), sardines, cheese, meats such as pork, poultry and red meat, and yogurt) provide a high ratio of lysine over arginine, thus blocking replication of all coronaviruses including COVID-19.
According to the virologists who were interviewed by this reporter, over 1000 patients have now been successfully treated with surprisingly rapid dissolution of symptoms and return to health. Even severely infected COVID-19 patients have been able to come off the ventilator with lysine therapy, say doctors.
Third-party validation for lysine therapy
Writing in the International Journal of Infectious Diseases another research team based in New York and Texas reports that arginine depletion is a strategy to quell both coronaviruses and other herpes family viruses.
In 2016 researchers documented that lysine impairs the growth of coronaviruses in a lab dish.
The Bio-Virus Research team are not loners nor out on a scientific limb. A report, published in the Journal of Antivirals & Antiretrovirals, is what prompted to the current discovery that was put into clinical practice in the Dominican Republic. The science was in place prior to the announcement a mutated coronavirus was sweeping the globe which no one had immunity towards.
Dietary intake
The Recommended Daily dietary intake of lysine is 2660 milligrams for a 154-lb (70 kilogram) adult; 3640 milligrams during pregnancy.
Dietary intake of lysine in western populations ranges from 40-180 milligrams per day per kilogram (2.2 lbs.) of body weight, or 2800-12,600 milligrams for a 154 lb. (70 kilogram) adult.
It is the balance of arginine to lysine that controls the eruption of dormant viruses in the body. The average intake of arginine is estimated to be 4000-6000 milligrams per day.
Other health benefits
Supplemental lysine also has other health benefits. Lysine increases absorption of calcium, relieves bouts of anxiety, promotes wound healing, and is helpful for other conditions. Cholesterol is deposited in binding sites within coronary arteries. When lysine (and vitamin C) occupy those binding sites, cholesterol is not deposited in arteries.
Prevalence of herpes viral infections
Worldwide many billions of people harbor dormant herpes viruses that erupt into disease from time to time. In 2016 an estimated 3.7 billion people had herpes simplex virus infection– around 66.6% of the world’s population aged 0 to 49.
Availability of lysine
Lysine is largely produced by the tons for animal feedstuffs. Roughly 2,200,000 tons of lysine are produced annually. There is no shortage.
Billions may benefit
The most frequent medical application of lysine therapy has been the quelling of active herpes infections (on skin, lips, etc.), and eradication of Epstein-Barr infection, Bell’s palsy, etc.
Researchers bemoan the fact that lysine therapy hasn’t become a mainstay in the treatment of herpes infections that affect ~80% of the world’s population over expensive and problematic anti-viral drugs because it doesn’t generate sufficient profit to attract funding for human clinical trials. Lysine is superior to various anti-viral drugs.
If lysine lives up to its promise as a universal COVID-19 antidote for therapeutic and preventive use, unless billionaire Bill Gates buys up and mothballs all the lysine production plants in the world like he has bought off agricultural land, and bought off news media, vaccine makers and politicians, the need for vaccines will become a moot and meaningless practice for COVID-19.
Because of the long-term safety record of this dietary amino acid, the public can take lysine as a non-prescription preventive “medicine.”
Epidemiologists baffled by low rate of coronavirus infections in India
Despite its large population and poor sanitation, disease trackers are baffled by India’s low rate of coronavirus infections. Maybe it is India’s lysine-rich diet of yogurt, lamb, chicken, fish curry that protects its population from viral disease. The striking difference in the country-to-country prevalence of Herpes Simplex-2 infections (only 9.6% in South East Asian countries and 10.7% in Europe vs. 24.0% in the Americas and 43.9% in Africa) could be explained by the lysine/arginine ratio in native diets.
Treat the severely ill; skip the problematic vaccines
Vaccination is not fool proof. Vaccinated patients are testing positive for COVID-19. Doctors can choose to treat the 3 in 10,000 COVID-19 severely infected patients who are at risk for a mortal outcome with lysine rather than needlessly vaccinate billions of people. Mass vaccination would not be needed, nor would lockdowns, quarantines and questionable mass face mask use be required. The pandemic would be rapidly extinguished by a public information campaign regarding lysine-rich foods and dietary supplements. The public can take action on its own today without adverse consequences. Literally, trillions of dollars would be saved worldwide. If not for COVID-19, at least for herpes infections.
The shame is on the World Health Organization with a budget of $8.482 billion or the Centers For Disease Control with a budget of $7.875 billion that overlook safe and economical cures like lysine. This report serves as evidence the world is being gamed to plunder the masses of their health and wealth. The people of the world need to stop heeding advice from public health officials and practice preventive medicine on their own volition.
There is additional evidence that lysine also halts the growth of influenza and coxsackie viruses.
Further research
Researchers at Bio-Virus Research Inc. are searching for research funds to further document the benefits of lysine therapy.
Omega-3 and Omega-6 supplement improves reading for children
University of Gothenburg, Sweden - September 14, 2021
Supplement of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids may improve reading skills of mainstream schoolchildren, according to a new study from Sahlgrenska Academy, at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden. Children with attention problems, in particular, may be helped in their reading with the addition of these fatty acids.
The study included 154 schoolchildren from western Sweden in grade 3, between nine and ten years old. The children took a computer-based test (known as the Logos test) that measured their reading skills in a variety of ways, including reading speed, ability to read nonsense words and vocabulary.
The children were randomly assigned to receive either capsules with omega-3 and omega-6, or identical capsules that contained a placebo (palm oil) for 3 months. The children, parents and researchers did not learn until the study was completed which children had received fatty acids and which had received the placebo. After three months, all children received real omega-3/6 capsules for the final three months of the study.
"Even after three months, we could see that the children's reading skills improved with the addition of fatty acids, compared with those who received the placebo. This was particularly evident in the ability to read a nonsense word aloud and pronounce it correctly (phonologic decoding), and the ability to read a series of letters quickly (visual analysis time)," says Mats Johnson, who is chief physician and researcher at the Gillberg Neuropsychiatry Centre at Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg.
No children diagnosed with ADHD were included in the study, but with the help of the children's parents, the researchers could identify children who had milder attention problems. These children attained even greater improvements in several tests, including faster reading already after three months of receiving fatty acid supplements.
Polyunsaturated fats and their role in children's learning and behavior is a growing research area.
"Our modern diet contains relatively little omega-3, which it is believed to have a negative effect on our children when it comes to learning, literacy and attention," says Mats Johnson. "The cell membranes in the brain are largely made up of polyunsaturated fats, and there are studies that indicate that fatty acids are important for signal transmission between nerve cells and the regulation of signaling systems in the brain."
Previous studies in which researchers examined the effect of omega-3 as a supplement for mainstream schoolchildren have not shown positive results, something Mats Johnson believes may depend on how these studies were organized and what combination and doses of fatty acids were used. This is the first double-blind, placebo-controlled study showing that omega-3/6 improves reading among mainstream schoolchildren.
"Our study suggests that children could benefit from a dietary supplement with a special formula. To be more certain about the results, they should also be replicated in other studies," says Mats Johnson.
The article Omega 3/6 fatty acids for reading in children: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial in 9-year-old mainstream schoolchildren in Sweden was published by The Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry.
Elevated stress hormones linked to higher risk of high blood pressure and heart events Kyoto University (Japan) & University of California at Los Angeles, Sept. 13, 2021
Adults with normal blood pressure and high levels of stress hormones were more likely to develop high blood pressure and experience cardiovascular events compared to those who had lower stress hormone levels, according to new research published today in Hypertension, an American Heart Association journal.
Studies have shown that cumulative exposure to daily stressors and exposure to traumatic stress can increase cardiovascular disease risk. A growing body of research refers to the mind-heart-body connection, which suggests a person’s mind can positively or negatively affect cardiovascular health, cardiovascular risk factors and risk for cardiovascular disease events, as well as cardiovascular prognosis over time.
“The stress hormones norepinephrine, epinephrine, dopamine and cortisol can increase with stress from life events, work, relationships, finances and more. And we confirmed that stress is a key factor contributing to the risk of hypertension and cardiovascular events,” said study author Kosuke Inoue, M.D., Ph.D., assistant professor of social epidemiology at Kyoto University in Kyoto, Japan. Inoue also is affiliated with the department of epidemiology at the Fielding School of Public Health at the University of California, Los Angeles.
“Previous research focused on the relationship between stress hormone levels and hypertension or cardiovascular events in patients with existing hypertension. However, studies looking at adults without hypertension were lacking,” Inoue said. “It is important to examine the impact of stress on adults in the general population because it provides new information about whether routine measurement of stress hormones needs to be considered to prevent hypertension and CVD events.”
Study subjects were part of the MESA Stress 1 study, a substudy of the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA), a large study of atherosclerosis risk factors among more than 6,000 men and women from six U.S. communities. As part of MESA exams 3 and 4 (conducted between July 2004 and October 2006), white, Black and Hispanic participants with normal blood pressure from the New York and Los Angeles sites were invited to participate in the substudy MESA Stress 1. In this substudy, researchers analyzed levels of norepinephrine, epinephrine, dopamine and cortisol – hormones that respond to stress levels. Hormone levels were measured in a 12-hour overnight urine test. The substudy included 412 adults ages 48 to 87 years. About half were female, 54% were Hispanic, 22% were Black and 24% were white.
Participants were followed for three more visits (between September 2005 and June 2018) for development of hypertension and cardiovascular events such as chest pain, the need for an artery-opening procedure, or having a heart attack or stroke.
Norepinephrine, epinephrine and dopamine are molecules known as catecholamines that maintain stability throughout the autonomic nervous system—the system that regulates involuntary body functions such as heart rate, blood pressure and breathing. Cortisol is a steroid hormone released when one experiences stress and is regulated by the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, which modulates stress response.
“Although all of these hormones are produced in the adrenal gland, they have different roles and mechanisms to influence the cardiovascular system, so it is important to study their relationship with hypertension and cardiovascular events, individually,” Inoue said.
Their analysis of the relationship between stress hormones and development of atherosclerosis found:
- Over a median of 6.5-year follow-up period, every time the levels of the four stress hormones doubled was associated with a 21-31% increase in the risk of developing hypertension.
- During a median of 11.2-years of follow-up, there was a 90% increased risk of cardiovascular events with each doubling of cortisol levels. There was no association between cardiovascular events and catecholamines.
“It is challenging to study psychosocial stress since it is personal, and its impact varies for each individual. In this research, we used a noninvasive measure — a single urine test — to determine whether such stress might help identify people in need of additional screening to prevent hypertension and possibly cardiovascular events,” Inoue said.
"The next key research question is whether and in which populations increased testing of stress hormones could be helpful. Currently, these hormones are measured only when hypertension with an underlying cause or other related diseases are suspected. However, if additional screening could help prevent hypertension and cardiovascular events, we may want to measure these hormone levels more frequently.”
A limitation of the study is that it did not include people who had hypertension at the study’s start, which would have resulted in a larger study population. Another limitation is that researchers measured stress hormones via a urine test only, and no other tests for stress hormone measurement were used.
Spirulina alleviates high fat diet-induced cognitive impairment via the gut-brain axis Weifang People’s Hospital (China), September 9, 2021 Increasing evidence suggested that the gut microbiome-brain axis plays a critical role in regulating cognitive functions. In this study, we aimed to investigate the dietary treatment effect of Spirulina platensis on learning deficits in high fat diet (HFD) fed mice and clarify the potential mechanisms via investigating the gut microbiome-brain axis. Dietary administration of 1% and 2% Spirulina platensis for 16 weeks significantly improved the spatial learning and memory performance of the HFD-fed mice in both Barnes Maze test and Morris water maze test. The Aβ accumulation, tau-hyperphosphorylation, and neuroinflammation in the hippocampus were significantly inhibited by Spirulina platensis. Spirulina platensis also abrogated HFD induced gut microbial dysbiosis and unbalance of gut microbial metabolites indicating its modulating effect on the gut-brain axis. This study provides further evidence for the application of Spirulina platensis as functional supplement for treatment of Alzheimer’s disease.
Spirulina platensis was frequently used as both a food ingredient and a medical supplement to counteract various metabolic disorders worldwide. In the present study, we found that Spirulina platensis dietary supplementation significantly prevented the cognitive deficits induced by HFD- feeding in mice. For the first time, we identified the inhibition effect of Spirulina platensis on β-amyloid generation, tau-hyperphosphorylation, neuroinflammation, and the gut microbiota dysbiosis.
In conclusion, the present study proved the beneficial effect of Spirulina platensis on cognitive impairment in HDF-fed AD mice and cleared Aβ, inhibited tau-hyperphosphorylation, and ameliorated neuroinflammation in the brain. Spirulina platensis also abrogated HFD induced gut microbial dysbiosis and unbalance of gut microbial metabolites indicating that Spirulina platensis might ameliorated cognitive deficits through regulating the gut-brain axis (Fig. 6). This study provides potent evidence for the application of Spirulina platensis as functional supplement for treatment of AD.
Regular exercise may lower risk of developing anxiety by almost 60% University of Lund (Sweden), September 13, 2021
A quick online search for ways to improve our mental health will often come up with a myriad of different results. However, one of the most common suggestions put forward as a step to achieving wellness—and preventing future issues—is doing some physical exercise, whether it be a walk or playing a team sport.
Anxiety disorders—which typically develop early in a person's life—are estimated to affect approximately 10% of the world's population and has been found to be twice as common in women compared to men. And while exercise is put forward as a promising strategy for the treatment of anxiety, little is known about the impact of exercise dose, intensity or physical fitness level on the risk of developing anxiety disorders.
To help answer this question, researchers in Sweden have published a study in Frontiers in Psychiatry to show that those who took part in the world's largest long-distance cross-country ski race (Vasaloppet) between 1989 and 2010 had a "significantly lower risk" of developing anxiety compared to non-skiers during the same period.
The study is based on data from almost 400,000 people in one of the largest ever population-wide epidemiology studies across both sexes.
Surprising finding among female skiers
"We found that the group with a more physically active lifestyle had an almost 60% lower risk of developing anxiety disorders over a follow-up period of up to 21 years," said first author of the paper, Martine Svensson, and her colleague and principal investigator, Tomas Deierborg, of the Department of Experimental Medical Science at Lund University, Sweden.
"This association between a physically active lifestyle and a lower risk of anxiety was seen in both men and women."
However, the authors found a noticeable difference in exercise performance level and the risk of developing anxiety between male and female skiers.
While a male skier's physical performance did not appear to affect the risk of developing anxiety, the highest performing group of female skiers had almost the double risk of developing anxiety disorders compared to the group which was physically active at a lower performance level.
"Importantly," they said, "the total risk of getting anxiety among high-performing women was still lower compared to the more physically inactive women in the general population".
These findings cover relatively uncharted territory for scientific research, according to the researchers, as most previous studies focused on depression or mental illness as opposed to specifically diagnosed anxiety disorders. Furthermore, some of the largest studies looking at this topic only included men, were much smaller in sample size, and had either limited or no follow-up data to track the long-term effects of physical activity on mental health.
Next steps for research
The surprising discovery of an association between physical performance and the risk for anxiety disorders in women also emphasized the scientific importance of these findings for follow-up research.
"Our results suggest that the relation between symptoms of anxiety and exercise behavior may not be linear," Svensson said.
"Exercise behaviors and anxiety symptoms are likely to be affected by genetics, psychological factors, and personality traits, confounders that were not possible to investigate in our cohort. Studies investigating the driving factors behind these differences between men and women when it comes to extreme exercise behaviors and how it affects the development of anxiety are needed."
They added that randomized intervention trials, as well as long-term objective measurements of physical activity in prospective studies, are also needed to assess the validity and causality of the association they reported. But does this mean that skiing in particular can play an important role in keeping anxiety at bay, as opposed to any other form of exercise? Not so, Svensson and Deierborg said, given that previous studies have also shown the benefits of keeping fit on our mental health.
"We think this cohort of cross-country skiers is a good proxy for an active lifestyle, but there could also be a component of being more outdoors among skiers," they said.
"Studies focusing on specific sports may find slightly different results and magnitudes of the associations, but this is most likely due to other important factors that affect mental health and which you cannot easily control in research analysis.
Gut microbes are key to health benefit delivered by hops compound Oregon State University, September 13, 2021
The health-enhancing performance of a compound found in hops is dependent upon its interactions with intestinal microorganisms, new research by Oregon State University shows.
Understanding how xanthohumol, often abbreviated as XN, works is important for unlocking its potential to counter diet-induced obesity and the health risksassociated with a global obesity epidemic, including type 2 diabetes and liver and heart disease, researcher Adrian Gombart says.
"We showed that the gut microbiota are necessary for the beneficial effects of XN on glucose metabolism," said Gombart, professor of biochemistry and biophysics in the OSU College of Science and a principal investigator at the university's Linus Pauling Institute. "There is an important interaction between the compound and the microbes in the gut that provides the benefits we see in our studies with mice."
Gombart led a team of 20 scientists from three Oregon State colleges in research that compared the glucose metabolism effects of xanthohumol on two sets of mice: "conventional" ones with gut microbiota, and those engineered to be "germ free," i.e. have no gut microbes.
Glucose metabolism, the body's ability to convert the sugar into fuel, generally suffers impairment as someone becomes obese, which in turn can lead to the person becoming more overweight. Faulty glucose metabolism also negatively affects brain physiology and is at the root of multiple medical conditions including diabetes and heart disease.
In previous studies involving mice, Gombart and colleagues found that XN improved the animals' health and changed the composition of their microbiome, the latter leading them to suspect that the mix of microbes played a role in XN's healthful effects.
"In this study, we fed mice either a diet low in calories, high in calories, or high in calories but supplemented with XN for 10 weeks," he said. "We found that only the conventional mice with XN supplementation showed improved glucose metabolism and that XN increased the relative abundance of three bacteria, Akkermansia muciniphila, Parabacteroides goldsteinii and Alistipes finegoldii."
Gombart added that the study yielded some evidence that those three microbes are at least partially responsible for the health benefits associated with XN, but the entire microbial community may be playing a role as well.
"We can't rule that out," he said. "We know that XN needs the intestinal microbiota to deliver its benefits, and there are complex diet-host-microbiota interactions that bring changes in both microbial composition and functional capacity. Diet is recognized as a major force in shaping gut microbe composition, and future studies will look for insights into the various interactions at play."
Earlier mouse model studies by co-author Fred Stevens, professor of pharmaceutical sciences in the OSU College of Pharmacy and also a principal investigator at the Linus Pauling Institute , have shown that XN, a polyphenol found in hops' cones, has a number of anti-obesity properties. It improves cognitive function and it suppresses weight gain associated with a high-fat diet, fat accumulation in adipose tissue and insulin resistance.
Insulin resistance is when cells don't respond well to the hormone that allows for the uptake of glucose from the bloodstream. It causes the pancreas to make more and more insulin to keep blood glucose levels within a non-harmful range and is a risk factor for non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.
Antioxidant protects neurons
University of Edinburgh September 12 2021
Research involving a potent antioxidant, described in Scientific Reports, suggests that the compound could help protect cells in several conditions, including Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosisand cell transplants.
In their report, a team from the University of Edinburgh observe that the flavonoids quercetin and myricetin are among the most potent dietary antioxidants. Structural modification of myricetin has resulted in the development a new compound known as Proxison. In the current research, Proxison demonstrated 10 times the ability to protect against oxidative stress induced by the compound tert-Butyl hydroperoxide (tBHP) in neuroblastoma cells compared to quercetin, while several other antioxidants showed no effects. Proxison, as well as a high concentration of quercetin, also provided significant protection against cell death in tBHP-treated cells. Similar results were obtained in another neural cell line.
An investigation of the antioxidants’ ability to be taken up by the cells showed significant intracellular levels of quercetin and Proxison, and evidence for some localization of Proxison in the cells’ mitochondria.
In zebrafish embryos, Proxison helped protect against neuronal cell loss induced by a neurotoxic compound. Quercetin was also protective, but was less potent than Proxison. Neither therapy affected normal embryonic development.
“This novel antioxidant can be applied to investigate oxidative stress in disease models, like alpha-synucleinopathies and other neurodegeneration models,” Nicola J. Drummond and colleagues conclude. “In addition, Proxison could have applications for regenerative medicine where oxidative stress has been implicated in poor cell survival of transplanted cells, with the advantage that the molecule can be pre-loaded into cells prior to transplantation. Proxison could also have applications for conditions, such as stroke or cardiac infarction, in which a temporary, but acute, exposure to oxidative stress is experienced, as well as diseases in which oxidative stress and mitochondrial dysfunction are core features.”
Health Upates: antioxidants, anti-radiation; more vaccines dangers; 13 Big Pharma tricks; how to make positive change in life & society. Ron Rosenbaum: author, investigative reporter, Slate columnist. Disussion of our nuclear world- a history of near-misses & current situations world-wide. "How the End Begins: The Road to a Nuclear World War III"
Health Updates: soft drinks, stroke; melatonin, weight loss; metabolic programming; alcohol, cancer risk; almonds; sleep & aging. Commentaries: The killing of Osama Bin Laden (David Swanson); Death and After in Iraq (Chris Hedges) Calls: the killing of Bin Laden Dr. Tim Flannery: Australian, palaeontologist, ecologist & global warming activist; among the first scientists to sound the alarm for tackling climate change. He was awarded Australian of the Year for his stance on climate change & advocating for the shutting down of coal energy plants - extremely controversial in Australia where the country depends mostly on coal for its energy. "Here on Earth: A Natural History of the Planet." A look at the future of humanity in a time of climate change & overpopulation and how we reached this impasse in the human species.
Health Updates: altitude training; pre-natal care; vitamin C; high-fiber diet; cranberries; walnuts. Comment: Gaddafi bans journalists-it worked for FOX! Comment:"The Collapse of Globalization" (CHedges) Radiation Update from Harvey Wasserman. Kay Hymowitz: the William E. Simon Fellow, Manhattan Institute, contributing editor for the City Journal; she & writes on issues concerning childhood & family, gender relationships, poverty. "Manning Up: How the Rise of Women is Turning Men into Boys"