The Gary Null Show - 09.16.21

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.”

The Gary Null Show - 09.15.21

Dietary propolis supplementation reduced proinflammatory cytokines associated with air pollution exposure, without impacting on immune cell infiltration or lung function
New Zealand Institute for Plant and Food Research, September 10, 2021
Air pollution is estimated to cause 7 million annual deaths globally. Our aim was to determine if dietary propolis consumption could prevent the immune and functional damage in a mouse model of acute urban dust exposure. Female C57BL/6J mice were challenged three times with intranasal urban dust over seven days which significantly increased proinflammatory cytokines and immune cells in the lung 24 h post final challenge. Dietary New Zealand propolis (2%) with gamma cyclodextrin supplementation reduced urban dust-induced lung TNFα, IL-4, and IL-6 cytokine production; but did not alter immune cell infiltration into the lung, or lung function outcomes. This suggests that daily consumption of 8% propolis with gamma cyclodextrin supplemented food was sufficient to reduce urban dust pollution-induced proinflammatory cytokine production but was not sufficient to prevent immune cell recruitment into the lung or lung function decline in a murine model of lung inflammation.
In this study we found that daily consumption of a New Zealand propolis reduced proinflammatory cytokines within the lung in response to acute urban dust exposure but this inhibition was not sufficient to reduce immune cell infiltration or prevent increased airways tissue constriction. These results suggest that dietary supplementation of 8% propolis with gamma cyclodextrin (equivalent to 2% propolis resin) does not result in sufficient bioavailable concentrations of the bioactive polyphenolics to fully overcome urban dust pollution-induced acute immune cell infiltration into the lung. Other studies have shown that acute gavage consumption or intraperitoneal injection of specific propolis bioactive components can protect against a number of different immune challenges within the lung. These effects appear to be both concentration and administration route dependent, and may not be achievable using unenriched propolis as a dietary intervention.
 
20-Week Study of Clinical Outcomes of Over-the-Counter COVID-19 Prophylaxis and Treatment
Comprehensive Pain Management Institute (Ohio), August 6, 2021
New research published in the Journal of Evidence-Based Integrative Medicine shows that early intervention against a Wuhan coronavirus (Covid-19) infection using natural, over-the-counter remedies is a safe and effective way to avoid complications.
Researchers from Ohio looked at modalities that are readily available for the Chinese Virus, including zinc, zinc ionophores, vitamins C, D3, and E, and l-lysine. These items were categorized in the study as “preventive measures” and “early-stage treatments” that can help to avoid the need for more “advanced” anti-covid measures such as pharmaceutical drugs and vaccines.
Each of these tested remedies is natural, by the way, and the results of what they can do are impressive. Once again, nature wins out as our most abundant medicine cabinet, far exceeding anything cooked up in a lab.
The clinical study found that this “multi-component OTC (over-the-counter) ‘core formulation’ regimen” successfully protected test subjects against getting sick from the Chinese Virus, even as others got sick.
“While both groups were moderate in size, the difference between them in outcomes over the 20-week study period was large and stark: Just under 4% of the compliant test group presented flu-like symptoms, but none of the test group was COVID-positive,” the paper reveals.
“[W]hereas 20% of the non-compliant control group presented flu-like symptoms, three-quarters of whom (15% overall of the control group) were COVID-positive.”
For 20 weeks, test subjects took these natural supplements. Adjustments were made for those with pre-existing health conditions and other health factors that may have influenced the outcome.
Since all of the remedies utilized fall into the “low cost” category, anyone can access them. They are all dubbed as “anti-viral” as well, meaning they are safe and effective for use against viruses.
By taking advantage of these remedies early, the paper explains, people can help to protect themselves against the types of adverse events that are causing some people to have to be hospitalized and put on a ventilator.
“From early March through the end of July 2020, one of us (LM) monitored approximately 600 patients in Columbus and Cleveland, Ohio cities heavily affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, and did consultations with several colleagues (including JL) in the New York City metropolitan area, also heavily hit,” the paper explains.
“Over that 5-month period, we dealt with dozens of clinical and/or test-confirmed cases of COVID-19. Much of the monitoring was performed via telemedicine; approximately 20% was performed in-office. It is from in-office monitored patients and staff that the study groups emerged.”
We have been covering some of these same remedies along with others that have been scientifically shown to help protect against spike protein-induced illness.
Hydroxychloroquine (HCQ), as one example, is a zinc ionophore that helps to deliver more zinc into cells for improved immune function. Epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), a polyphenol component of green tea, is a natural zinc ionophore that improves zinc absorption.
For this latest study, the research team used quina (cinchona) plant bark extract and quercetin as zinc ionophores, as these, too, help to deliver more healing nutrients like zinc to the cells.
“The core supplementation formulation components have been demonstrated … to have beneficial effects both outside of and within clinical settings in the prevention of viral infections and also in the treatment of early stages of such diseases,” the study reveals.
“Zinc ionophores can … be utilized to gain the anti-viral benefit of enhanced intracellular Zn+2 concentrations while limiting tolerance / side-effect / toxicity issues associated with elevated serum levels of zinc supplementation.”
You can review the full paper at this link.
 
 
Neuroprotective effect of L-carnitine against glyceraldehyde-induced metabolic impairment
University Politecnica delle Marche (Italy), September 7, 2021
According to news reporting originating from Ancona, Italy, research stated, “Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disorder characterized by progressive cognitive regression and memory loss. Dysfunctions of both glucose metabolism and mitochondrial dynamics have been recognized as the main upstream events of the degenerative processes leading to AD.”
Our news editors obtained a quote from the research from the School of Medicine, “It has been recently found that correcting cell metabolism by providing alternative substrates can prevent neuronal injury by retaining mitochondrial function and reducing AD marker levels. Here, we induced an AD-like phenotype by using the glycolysis inhibitor glyceraldehyde (GA) and explored whether L-carnitine (4-N-trimethylamino-3-hydroxybutyric acid, LC) could mitigate neuronal damage, both in SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma cells and in rat primary cortical neurons. We have already reported that GA significantly modified AD marker levels; here we demonstrated that GA dramatically compromised cellular bioenergetic status, as revealed by glycolysis and oxygen consumption rate (OCR) evaluation. We found that LC ameliorated cell survival, improved OCR and ATP synthesis, prevented the loss of the mitochondrial membrane potential (Dps) and reduced the formation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Of note, the beneficial effect of LC did not rely on the glycolytic pathway rescue. Finally, we noticed that LC significantly reduced the increase in pTau levels induced by GA. Overall, these findings suggest that the use of LC can promote cell survival in the setting of the metabolic impairments commonly observed in AD.”
According to the news editors, the research concluded: “Our data suggest that LC may act by maintaining mitochondrial function and by reducing the pTau level.”
 
 
Hyperbaric oxygen study shows reversal of biologic hallmarks responsible for development of Alzheimer disease
Tel Aviv University  & Shamir Medical Center (Israel), September 10, 2021
A new study, published today in peer-review medical journal Aging, marks the first time non-pharmaceutical clinical exploration proves efficacy in reversing the main activators of Alzheimer's disease.   
Using a specific protocol of hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT), cerebral blood flow (CBF) improved/increased in elderly patients by 16-23%, alleviating vascular dysfunction and amyloid burden. The study, part of a comprehensive research program directed toward aging and accompanying ailments as a reversible disease, holds promise for a new strategic approach to the prevention of Alzheimer's by addressing not only the symptoms or targeting biomarkers, but rather the core pathology and biology responsible for the advancement of the disease. 
Vascular dysfunction is a crucial element in the development of Alzheimer's and cognitive decline:
Amyloid beta deposits in the brain blood vessel walls are the most common vascular pathology in Alzheimer's. 
Reduced blood flow to the brain and its related decrease in oxygen supply (hypoxia) can precede the clinical onset of dementia and correlates with the degree of cognitive impairment in Alzheimer's.
The comprehensive research, conducted at the Sagol School of Neuroscience at Tel Aviv University and the Sagol Center for Hyperbaric Medicine and Research at Shamir Medical Center, was led by study co-authors, Professor Shai Efrati, M.D.; Professor Uri Ashery, Ph.D.; Ronit Shapira, Ph.D.; Pablo Blinder, Ph.D.; Amir Hadanny, M.D. Using combined data from an animal model of Alzheimer's, where effects were evaluated directly on brain tissue (Sagol School of Neuroscience at Tel Aviv University); humans, assessed with the use of high-resolution MRI and computerized cognitive test (Sagol Center for Hyperbaric Medicine and Research at Shamir Medical Center); correlating results displayed beneficial effects of HBOT on patients suffering from mild cognitive impairment (MCI), the stage before dementia. Each patient received 60 HBOT sessions over a 90-day period, showcasing substantial improvement in cognitive functions – with memory, attention and information processing speed exhibiting the strongest results. 
"After dedicating our HBOT research to exploring its impact on the areas of brain functionality and age-related cognitive decline, we have discovered for the first time HBOT induces degradation and clearance of pre-existing amyloid plaques – treatment, and the appearance of newly formed plaques- prevention," explains Professor Uri Ashery. "Elderly patients suffering from significant memory loss at baseline revealed an increase in brain blood flow and improvement in cognitive performance, demonstrating HBOT potency to reverse core elements responsible for the development of Alzheimer's disease."
"By treating vascular dysfunction, we're mapping out the path toward Alzheimer's prevention. More research is underway to further demonstrate how HBOT can improve cognitive function and become an influential tool in the imperative fight against the disease," affirms Professor Efrati, research group leader and medical advisor to Aviv Scientific. 
Aviv has developed a unique medical treatment protocol that includes HBOT, cognitive and physical training, and nutritional coaching, to enhance brain and body performance of aging adults at Aviv Clinics, currently available in Central Florida and Dubai. 
HBOT is already used in patients with other pathologies and is known to be a relatively safe treatment modality, illustrating its potential to be easily implanted in clinical practice. In recent years, there is growing scientific evidence that certain protocols of HBOT can improve brain oxygen supply, induce proliferation of neuronal stem cells and induce generation of new blood vessels and neurons in the brain.
 
 
 
Increased flatulence from eating plant-based diet found to indicate healthier gut microbiome
Center for Biomedical Research Network for Liver and Digestive Diseases (Spain), September 10, 2021
A team of researchers affiliated with a host of institutions across Spain has found that the increase in flatulence experienced by people switching to a plant-based diet is an indication of a healthier gut microbiome. In their paper published in the journal Nutrients, the group describes experiments they conducted with healthy, male volunteers regarding diet, fecal sample size and flatulence.
It is widely known that switching from a fat or carbohydrate-based diet to one that features more vegetables results in more flatulence—particularly if the switch is to cruciferous vegetables. But as the researchers with this new effort have noted, little research has been done to learn more about the association between diet and flatulence.
To learn more about the impact of switching to a plant-based diet on digestion and the gut biome, the researchers enlisted the assistance of 18 healthy, adult male volunteers. Each was asked to eat a western-style diet and then to switch to the plant-based Mediterranean diet for two weeks.
Over the study period, the volunteers were asked to count the number of times they defecated each day and to capture and weigh each stool sample. Each of the volunteers was also asked to count the number of times they passed gas. The volunteers were also asked to submit to randomized testing that involved measuring the amount of gas that was emitted during episodes of flatulence, using balloons.
The researchers found that the change in diet did not change the number of times the volunteers defecated each day—but it did change the amount of material discharged. The researchers found the plant-based diet doubled the stool size on average. The researchers note this was due to a huge increase in the mass of bacterial growth and excretion. The data also showed that the number of flatulence episodes increased by seven times per day on the plant-based diet—and each discharge had approximately 50% more gas. The researchers note this was due to fermenting of plant material in the gut.
The researchers suggest their experiments show that a plant-based diet promotes more healthy types of gut bacteria which leads to better overall gut health.
 
Physical exercise can relieve tumor-associated anemia
University of Basel (Switzerland), September 10, 2021
Many cancer patients suffer from anemia leaving them fatigued, weak, and an impaired ability to perform physical activity. Drugs only rarely alleviate this type of anemia. Researchers at the University of Basel have now been able to show what causes the anemia, and that physical exercise can improve this condition.
The two major symptoms of cancer are loss of muscle mass and a reduced hemoglobin level, leading to weight loss, fatigue, lethargy and reduced physical performance. Moreover, both symptoms—atrophy and anemia—prompt many patients to schedule a doctor's appointment, then resulting in the diagnosis of a tumor. Why cancer causes muscle atrophy and anemia is not yet understood, and treatment is currently difficult.
The fact that anemia leads to a decline of the overall state of health and can negatively affect the course of cancer therapy highlights the urgency to obtain insights into causes and potential remedies. In collaboration with the Department of Biomedicine at the University of Basel, the research group of Professor Christoph Handschin at the Biozentrum has now been able to show in a mouse model that cancer not only triggers a systemic inflammatory reaction, but also massively changes the handling of lipids and other metabolites in the body.
The body's fight is unsuccessful
These changes result in a tumor-related enhanced destruction of red blood cells. The study published in Science Advances shows that exercise normalizes these metabolic abnormalities and thereby reduces the anemia caused by cancer.
The body tries to counteract the degradation by increasing red blood cell productionin the bone marrow and the spleen—without success. However, the increased production of blood cells is insufficient to prevent tumor-associated anemia. "We have now been able to clarify how cancer causes the degradation of red blood cells," says Christoph Handschin. "Cancer massively alters the metabolism of lipids and other compounds. This alters not only the red blood cells but also the macrophages, causing a sharp increase in red blood cells destruction by the macrophages." Macrophages are a type of white blood cells and part of the immune system.
Exercise normalizes metabolism and alleviates anemia
The research group attempted to normalize the metabolism by pharmacological means. However, none of the drugs could significantly improve the anemia. In contrast, however, the metabolism was regulated to such an extent by exercise that the anemia also decreased. Even the abnormal increase in red blood cell production could be reduced to a lower level. "Training was able to restore tumor-induced metabolic remodeling and inflammation sufficiently to blunt the excessive blood cell formation and destruction," explained Handschin.
This study provides novel insights into the development of tumor-associated anemia. The findings suggest that exercise is a useful therapy for cancer patients, in order to counteract anemia and associated fatigue and lethargy and in turn to improve their general well-being and quality of life. This also leads to improved tolerance of radio- and chemotherapy, as has previously been established.
 
Mango could help maintain gut bacteria at risk from high-fat diets
Oklahoma State University, September 13, 2021
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.
Fibre benefits
In previous studies, Bifidobacteria, for example, has been found to be lower in both obese individuals and those with type-2 diabetes. Similar results have been observed withAkkermansia in animal studies. High-fat diets, meanwhile, have been linked to gut dysbiosis, or bacterial imbalances within the intestinal tract.
"Fibre and other bioactive compounds in plant-based foods are suggested to prevent gut dysbiosis caused by a high-fat diet," said Edralin A. Lucas, professor of nutritional sciences at Oklahoma State University and lead researcher of the study.
"Mango is a good source of fibre and has been reported in previous studies to have anti-obesogenic, hypoglycemic and immunomodulatory properties. The results of this animal study showed that adding mango to the diet may help maintain and regulate gut health and levels of beneficial bacteria levels.”
India, China, Indonesia and Thailand are the top four Mango growing countries, accounting for well over half the total global production.
Although more research is needed on the effects of mango on human health, this study suggests that mango consumption may be important in improving gut health particularly for those consuming a high-fat diet, the researchers concluded.

The Gary Null Show - 09.14.21

Kim Iversen analyzes Dr. Fauci's past support of AZT to treat HIV/AIDS and his current support of mRNA vaccines for COVID-19.

The Gary Null Show - 09.13.21

1. Dr. David Martin On Canada's Role in Producing the Weaponized "Covid" Injections Which Have Seriously Harmed and Killed Many start 4 mins in 
 
2. Cellular & Molecular Biologist Explains Why The Un-jabbed Are NOT Selfish

The Gary Null Show - 09.10.21

The Gray Null Show Notes -09.10.21
What to Expect from Taliban 2.0
With 38 Million Facing Food Insecurity, Hunger in US Soared by Nearly 9% in 2020
The Highly Effective Monoclonal Antibody Treatment Against COVID-19 That Dr Fauci Won’t Tell You About
Why are Americans paying $32m every hour for wars since 9/11?
New Heights of Medical Censorship
The Moral Idiocy and Suicidal Tendency of Endless War
Todays Videos:
1. When Your Partner Tries to Stop you Growing
2. Candace Owens debates Russell Brand
3. Dr. Julie Ponesse, Professor of Ethics at the University of Western Ontario, Provides a Lesson in Courage and Integrity
4. Governor of WV 
5 Fauci was untruthful to Congress
6. I’m willing to take my NATURAL COVID IMMUNITY case to the US Supreme Court

The Gary Null Show - 09.09.21

Eating a plant rich diet reduces risk of developing COVID-19
King's College London, September 8, 2021
A recent study, published in Gut, by researchers from King's and Harvard Medical School, examines data from nearly 600,000 ZOE COVID Study app contributors. Participants completed a survey about the food they ate during Feb 2020 (pre-pandemic), making it the largest study in this space. 19% of these contributors contracted COVID-19.
People with the highest quality diet were around 10% less likely to develop COVID-19 than those with the lowest quality diet, and 40% less likely to fall severely ill.
This is the first longitudinal study of diet and COVID-19 and the first to show that a healthy diet cuts the chances of developing the disease in the first place.
Rather than looking at specific foods or nutrients, the survey was designed to look at broader dietary patterns which are reflective of how people actually eat. The survey produced a 'diet quality score' that reflected the overall merit of each person's diet. Diets with high quality scores were found to contain plant-based foods such as fruits, vegetables and whole grains, as well as oily fish, less processed foods and refined carbohydrates. A low diet quality score is associated with diets high in ultra processed foods and low amounts of plant based foods.
The researchers found that people who ate the highest quality diet were around 10% less likely to develop COVID-19 than those with the least nutritious diet and 40% less likely to become severely ill if they developed COVID-19.
The relationship between diet quality and COVID-19 risk still remained after accounting for all potential confounding factors. Factors included age, body mass index (BMI), ethnicity, smoking, physical activity and underlying health conditions. Mask-wearing habits and population density were also considered.
The impact of diet was amplified by individual life situations, with people living in low-income neighborhoods and having the lowest quality diet being around 25% more at risk from COVID-19 than people in more affluent communities who were eating in the same way.
Based on these results, the researchers estimate that nearly a quarter of COVID-19 cases could have been prevented if these differences in diet quality and socioeconomic status had not existed.
This further highlights that improved access to nutritious, healthier food could be substantive for bettering public health, especially among the underprivileged members of the community.
Professor Tim Spector, professor of genetic epidemiology at the School of Life Course Sciences, says that "these findings chime with recent results from our landmark PREDICT study, showing that people who eat higher quality diets (with low levels of ultra-processed foods) have a healthier collection of microbes in their guts, which is linked to better health. You don't have to go vegan, but getting more diverse plants on your plate is a great way to boost the health of your gut microbiome, improve your immunity and overall health, and potentially reduce your risk from COVID-19."
 
Targeting the gut to relieve rheumatoid arthritis
University College London, September 6, 2021
UCL researchers have shown that damage to the lining of the gut plays an important role in the development of rheumatoid arthritis, paving the way for a new approach to treating the disease.
In the pre-clinical study, which used mouse models and patient samples, the research team propose that restoration of the gut-barrier could offer a new therapeutic approach to reducing the severity of Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) symptoms.
Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic disease that causes joint pain, swelling, and inflammation. Despite understanding of some of the genetic and environmental factors that might be involved in the development of arthritis, scientists still do not completely understand what initiates disease and how it accelerates. Recent research in this area is exploring how the bacteria in the gut might be involved in the development of arthritis, with researchers suggesting that growth of 'bad' bacteria in the gut might play a part in initiating the disease.
Co-lead author, Professor Claudia Mauri (UCL Division of Infection & Immunity), said: "We wanted to know what was happening in the gut and whether changes to the intestinal lining—which usually acts as a barrier to protect the body from bacteria—are a feature of the disease and contribute to its development."
Using pre-clinical mouse models and patient samples, the team found that blood markers of gut damage were raised compared to healthy people even at the earliest stages of arthritis, and that these markers of damage got higher the more the disease progressed; and, unexpectedly, there were distinct signs of inflammation, as might be seen in inflammatory bowel disease. The team also showed that the lining of the gut became 'leaky,' potentially allowing the passage of bacteria to cross the gut lining into the body, enhancing inflammation both in the gut and potentially in the joints.
"Our findings suggest that the intestinal lining is a therapeutic target. Importantly, we found that using existing drugs that restore the gut-barrier integrity i.e., prevent the gut from becoming leaky or inhibit inflammatory cells from moving to and from to the gut, could reduce the severity of arthritis in pre-clinical models," says Professor Mauri.
"Current treatments for rheumatoid arthritis don't appear to correct the problems in the gut and so may leave the patient susceptible to reactivation of disease from the continuing inflammation in that area. Going forward, we need to evaluate the therapeutic impact of treating the intestinal lining of rheumatoid arthritis patients in addition to their joints. Maintaining gut health both through diet and pharmacological intervention may be a valuable new strategy."
 
Body fat mass percentage reduced among trial participants who received melatonin supplements
Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences (Iran), September 3, 2021
According to news reporting originating from the Department of Clinical Nutrition and Dieteticsby research stated, “Obesity, as the most common metabolic disorder in the world, is characterized by excess body fat. This study is aimed at determining the effects of melatonin supplementation on body weight, nody mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), and body fat mass percentage (BFMP) in people with overweight or obesity.”
The news correspondents obtained a quote from the research from Department of Clinical Nutrition and Dietetics: “Thirty eight overweight or class-I obese adult individuals were recruited in the study (8 men and 30 women). Participants prescribed a weight-loss diet and then randomly were allocated to melatonin or placebo groups. Participants received either a 3-milligram melatonin or placebo tablet per day for 12 weeks. In order to assess differences at the significance level of 0.05, repeated measure ANOVA and paired t-test were used. According to the results, a significant reduction was found in participants’ body weight, WC, and BMI in both groups (p=0.001). However, for the last six weeks, significant reductions of these parameters were observed only in the melatonin group (p=0.01).”
According to the news reporters, the research concluded: “The BFMP of participants in the melatonin group showed a significant reduction at the end of the study compared to the initial measurements (p=0.008). Nevertheless, the results of the present study alone are not sufficient to conclude on the effects of melatonin consumption on anthropometric indices, and it seems that further studies are required in this regard.”
 
Boom in social stress may contribute to population decline
UMass Amherst scientist has new hypothesis for changes in reproductive behavior and physiology
University of Massachusetts, September 7, 2021
A University of Massachusetts Amherst environmental health scientist has developed an “overlooked hypothesis” to help explain the projected global population decline beginning in 2064: social stress.
Stress from social media and other largely empty or overwhelming social interactions may be leading or contributing to changes in reproductive behavior and reproductive physiology, suggests Alexander Suvorov, associate professor in the UMass Amherst School of Public Health and Health Sciences. 
In a review article, published in the journal Endocrinology, he examines various theories surrounding previous human population decline as models predict a “remarkable” decrease from 9.7 billion people in 2064 to 8.8 billion by 2100. Some countries’ populations already have peaked and are projected to decline by 50% by the end of the century.
“A unique feature of the upcoming population drop is that it is almost exclusively caused by decreased reproduction, rather than factors that increase rates of mortality (wars, epidemics, starvation, severe weather conditions, predators, and catastrophic events),” he writes.
Suvorov outlines a hypothesis that connects reproductive trends with population densities, proposing that density reflects the quality and frequency of social interactions. 
“Rising population numbers contribute to less meaningful social interactions, social withdrawal and chronic stress, which subsequently suppresses reproduction,” the manuscript states.
Over the past 50 years, a 50% decrease in sperm counts has occurred. Stress is known to suppress sperm count, ovulation and sexual activity, Suvorov notes. While changes in reproductive physiology are usually attributed to the effects of endocrine-disrupting pollutants, Suvorov believes it is not the only factor.
“Numerous wildlife and laboratory studies demonstrated that population peaks are always followed by increased stress and suppressed reproduction,” Suvorov says. “When a high population density is reached, something is happening in the neuroendocrine system that is suppressing reproduction. The same mechanisms happening in wildlife species may be at work in humans as well.”
Suvorov points to several changes in reproductive behavior that contribute to the population drop, including people having fewer children and waiting longer to start families or choosing to be child-free. But he says biological changes are likely happening as well. More research is needed, he says, such as studies to determine cortisol levels in human blood, an important measure of stress. 
“A better understanding of the causal chain involved in reproduction suppression by population density-related factors may help develop interventions to treat infertility and other reproductive conditions,” Suvorov writes. 
He hopes his hypothesis offers up an enticing area of research that scientists from different fields will be interested in exploring.
“The goal of this paper is to attract attention to a completely overlooked hypothesis – and this hypothesis is raising more questions than it is giving answers,” Suvorov says. “I hope it will trigger interest of people from very different domains and that after additional studies we will have a much better picture of to what extent population density is connected with social stress and how social stress is connected to reproduction, and what we can do about it.”
A common-sense place to start, he suggests: “Back off social media.”
 
 
Vitamin D cuts asthma exacerbation by 74% in children: Review
Anhui Medical University (China), August 30 2021
Vitamin D supplementation may cut the risk of asthma exacerbation in children but it does not impact respiratory infections in healthy children, a review has found.
The review of seven randomised controlled clinical trials weighed up "inconsistent" findings on the effect of vitamin D supplementation on the prevention of childhood acute respiratory infections (ARI). 
Published in the British Journal of Nutrition, it found overall there was not a statistically significant reduction in the risk of ARI, all-cause mortality or the rate of hospital admission due to respiratory infection in healthy children.
However, in children previously diagnosed with asthma, vitamin D supplementation resulted in a 74% reduction in the risk of asthma exacerbation.
"Our findings indicate a lack of evidence supporting the routine use of vitamin D supplementation for the prevention of ARI in healthy children; however, they suggest that such supplementation may benefit children previously diagnosed with asthma."
Potential impact 
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO) about 235 million people suffer from asthma, which is particularly common in children. It cited asthma as one of the major non-communicable diseases facing the world today.
The condition means air passages of the lungs become inflamed and narrowed.  
The causes of asthma are not completely understood but it is thought to be a combination of genetic predisposition and environmental exposure to irritants like allergens, tobacco smoke and air pollution.
ARI refers to the infection of the sinuses, throat, airways or lungs usually caused by viruses or bacteria. They can be particularly dangerous for people with asthma. According to a 2013 paper , an estimated 11.9 million episodes of severe ARI and three million episodes of very severe ARI in young children resulted in hospital admissions in 2010 globally.
Meanwhile a separate paper from the Child Health Epidemiology Reference Group of WHO and UNICEF  found almost two-thirds of the 7.6 million children worldwide who died within the first five years of life died of infectious diseases. Within these two-thirds, pneumonia was the leading cause for a total of 1.396 million deaths. 
WHO has said in the past that further research on vitamin D supplementation and the possible decrease in frequency and severity of respiratory infections in children was needed before specific recommendations could be made.
The Chinese researchers wrote in their review: "Although vitamin D is widely recognised for its importance in calcium metabolism and bone health, researchers have spent several years focusing on its growing number of possible non-calcaemic health effects.
"One of the more promising areas of study is the relationship between vitamin D status and respiratory infection. Recent research has indicated that vitamin D may play a role in protecting against ARI by increasing the body’s production of naturally acting antibiotics."
The review was conducted by researchers at the Anhui Medical University, Shaoxing Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Huzhou Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Anhui Institute of Schistosomiasis Control and the Anhui Provincial Family Planning Institute of Science and Technology in China.
It included trials in Japan, Afghanistan, India, Poland and Mongolia that compared vitamin D supplementation with either placebo or no intervention in children younger than 18 years of age. 
Source: British Journal of Nutrition
 
 
CoQ10 may improve facial wrinkles: RCT
Institute of Cosmetics ( Slovenia), September 9, 2021
High dose co-enzyme Q10 supplementation may improve wrinkles around the eyes and other parts of the face, says a new study.
Scientists from the Institute of Cosmetics in Ljubljana, Slovenia report that 150 mg per day of CoQ10 (Q10Vital) for 12 weeks were associated with reduced wrinkles around the eyes, and around the mouth and lips, compared with placebo.
On the other hand, no photoprotection or effects on skin hydration or thickness were observed, according to findings published in Biofactors .
“In the present study, the administration of a dietary supplement containing CoQ10 over a 12-week period showed several anti-ageing effects as it reduced wrinkles, improved skin smoothness and microrelief as well as skin firmness. It also helped the skin combat seasonal changes since it prevented negative viscoelasticity seasonal changes during winter,” they wrote.
CoQ10, a substance similar to a vitamin, is found in every cell in the body and is a key part of cells’ energy production machinery.  Levels of CoQ10 have been shown to decline with age and in particular with statin use, which can account for some of the muscular pain and weakness that some users experience as a side effect of the drugs.  CoQ10 also functions as an antioxidant, and while it is used in many dietary supplement, functional food ans cosmetic products, evidence to support its benefits for the skin is “scarce”, said the Slovenian researchers.
To test this, they recruited 32 healthy people with an average age of 53 to participate in their randomized, placebo-controlled intervention study. The participants were randomly assigned to one of three groups: Placebo, low dose CoQ10 (50 mg per day), or high dose CoQ10 (150 mg per day), for 12 weeks.
Results showed that, while the anti-wrinkle benefits around the eyes were observed for both CoQ10 groups, the high dose produced additional reductions in wrinkles around the mouth, nose and lips (nasolabial folds, corner of the mouth lines and upper radial lip lines).
“It should be noted that some baseline skin parameters are quite variable and it would therefore be beneficial to perform a study on a higher number of subjects to allow clearer conclusions regarding some parameters,” wrote the researchers. “For example, the study was under-powered for dermis parameters (intensity, thickness). Supplementation over a longer period and several seasons would also be worth testing as this study was conducted during winter, and also, 12 weeks is quite a short time to detect nutritional effects on skin, considering the length of the skin regeneration cycle.
“Considering this, a longer study period would also provide valuable insights into dose-response relationships. While we were unable to show such a relationship in our study, such an effect might (or might not) be observed if supplementation were to be done over more skin cycles.”

The Gary Null Show - 09.08.21

VIDEOS 
1. When Your Partner Tries to Stop you Growing
 
2. TONY FAUCI APOLOGIZES FOR MISSPEAKING
 
3. SCIENTIST SHOWS VACCINE EFFECTS IN AUTOPSIES. DON'T BELIEVE IT? SEE FOR YOURSELF.
 
4. Candace Owens debates Russell Brand
 
5. WOW! Former Pfizer Employee: "Checkmate. Game Over. We WIN" - Karen Kingston is a former Pfizer employee, a pharmaceutical marketing expert and biotech analyst.
 
20 Years of Government-Sponsored Tyranny: The Rise of the Security-Industrial Complex from 9/11 to COVID-19
 
By John W. Whitehead & Nisha WhiteheadSeptember 7, 2021
“I tell you, freedom and human rights in America are doomed. The U.S. government will lead the American people in — and the West in general — into an unbearable hell and a choking life.”—Osama bin Laden (October 2001), as reported by CNN
What a strange and harrowing road we’ve walked since September 11, 2001, littered with the debris of our once-vaunted liberties. We have gone from a nation that took great pride in being a model of a representative democracy to being a model of how to persuade a freedom-loving people to march in lockstep with a police state. Our losses are mounting with every passing day. What began with the post-9/11 passage of the USA Patriot Act  has snowballed into the eradication of every vital safeguard against government overreach, corruption and abuse. The citizenry’s unquestioning acquiescence to anything the government wants to do in exchange for the phantom promise of safety and security has resulted in a society where the nation has been locked down into a militarized, mechanized, hypersensitive, legalistic, self-righteous, goose-stepping antithesis of every principle upon which this nation was founded. Set against a backdrop of government surveillance, militarized police, SWAT team raids, asset forfeiture, eminent domain, overcriminalization, armed surveillance drones, whole body scanners, stop and frisk searches, police violence and the like—all of which have been sanctioned by Congress, the White House and the courts—our constitutional freedoms have been steadily chipped away at, undermined, eroded, whittled down, and generally discarded. The rights embodied in the Constitution, if not already eviscerated, are on life support. Free speech, the right to protest, the right to challenge government wrongdoing, due process, a presumption of innocence, the right to self-defense, accountability and transparency in government, privacy, press, sovereignty, assembly, bodily integrity, representative government: all of these and more have become casualties in the government’s war on the American people, a war that has grown more pronounced since 9/11. Indeed, since the towers fell on 9/11, the U.S. government has posed a greater threat to our freedoms than any terrorist, extremist or foreign entity ever could.
 
 
While nearly 3,000 people died in the 9/11 attacks, the U.S. government and its agents have easily killed at least ten times that number of civilians in the U.S. and abroad since 9/11 through its police shootings, SWAT team raids, drone strikes and profit-driven efforts to police the globe, sell weapons to foreign nations (which too often fall into the hands of terrorists), and foment civil unrest in order to keep the security industrial complex gainfully employed. The American people have been treated like enemy combatants, to be spied on, tracked, scanned, frisked, searched, subjected to all manner of intrusions, intimidated, invaded, raided, manhandled, censored, silenced, shot at, locked up, denied due process, and killed. In allowing ourselves to be distracted by terror drills, foreign wars, color-coded warnings, pandemic lockdowns and other carefully constructed exercises in propaganda, sleight of hand, and obfuscation, we failed to recognize that the U.S. government—the government that was supposed to be a “government of the people, by the people, for the people”—has become the enemy of the people. Consider that the government’s answer to every problem has been moregovernment—at taxpayer expense—and less individual liberty. Every crisis—manufactured or otherwise—since the nation’s early beginnings has become a make-work opportunity for the government to expand its reach and its power at taxpayer expense while limiting our freedoms at every turn: The Great Depression. The World Wars. The 9/11 terror attacks. The COVID-19 pandemic. Viewed in this light, the history of the United States is a testament to the old adage that liberty decreases as government (and government bureaucracy) grows. Or, to put it another way, as government expands, liberty contracts. This is how the emergency state operates, after all, and we should know: after all, we have spent the past 20 years in a state of emergency. From 9/11 to COVID-19, “we the people” have acted the part of the helpless, gullible victims desperately in need of the government to save us from whatever danger threatens. In turn, the government has been all too accommodating and eager while also expanding its power and authority in the so-called name of national security. This is a government that has grown so corrupt, greedy, power-hungry and tyrannical over the course of the past 240-plus years that our constitutional republic has since given way to idiocracy, and representative government has given way to a kleptocracy (a government ruled by thieves) and a kakistocracy (a government run by unprincipled career politicians, corporations and thieves that panders to the worst vices in our nature and has little regard for the rights of American citizens). What this really amounts to is a war on the American people, fought on American soil, funded with taxpayer dollars, and waged with a single-minded determination to use national crises, manufactured or otherwise, in order to transform the American homeland into a battlefield. Indeed, the government’s (mis)management of various states of emergency in the past 20 years has spawned a massive security-industrial complex the likes of which have never been seen before. According to the National Priorities Project at the progressive Institute for Policy Studies, since 9/11, the United States has spent $21 trillion on “militarization, surveillance, and repression.” Clearly, this is not a government that is a friend to freedom. Rather, this is a government that, in conjunction with its corporate partners, views the citizenry as consumers and bits of data to be bought, sold and traded. This is a government that spies on and treats its people as if they have no right to privacy, especially in their own homes while the freedom to be human is being erased. This is a government that is laying the groundwork to weaponize the public’s biomedical data as a convenient means by which to penalize certain “unacceptable” social behaviors. Incredibly, a new government agency HARPA (a healthcare counterpart to the Pentagon’s research and development arm DARPA) will take the lead in identifying and targeting “signs” of mental illness or violent inclinations among the populace by using artificial intelligence to collect data from Apple Watches, Fitbits, Amazon Echo and Google Home. This is a government that routinely engages in taxation without representation, whose elected officials lobby for our votes only to ignore us once elected. This is a government comprised of petty bureaucrats, vigilantes masquerading as cops, and faceless technicians. This is a government that railroads taxpayers into financing government programs whose only purpose is to increase the power and wealth of the corporate elite. This is a government—a warring empire—that forces its taxpayers to pay for wars abroad that serve no other purpose except to expand the reach of the military industrial complex. This is a government that subjects its people to scans, searches, pat downs and other indignities by the TSA and VIPR raids on so-called “soft” targets like shopping malls and bus depots by black-clad, Darth Vader look-alikes. This is a government that uses fusion centers, which represent the combined surveillance efforts of federal, state and local law enforcement, to track the citizenry’s movements, record their conversations, and catalogue their transactions. This is a government whose wall-to-wall surveillance has given rise to a suspect society in which the burden of proof has been reversed such that Americans are now assumed guilty until or unless they can prove their innocence. This is a government that treats its people like second-class citizens who have no rights, and is working overtime to stigmatize and dehumanize any and all who do not fit with the government’s plans for this country. This is a government that uses free speech zones, roving bubble zones and trespass laws to silence, censor and marginalize Americans and restrict their First Amendment right to speak truth to power. This is a government that persists in renewing the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which allows the president and the military to arrest and detain American citizens indefinitely based on the say-so of the government. This is a government that saddled us with the Patriot Act, which opened the door to all manner of government abuses and intrusions on our privacy. This is a government that, in direct opposition to the dire warnings of those who founded our country, has allowed the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to establish a standing army by way of programs that transfer surplus military hardware to local and state police. This is a government that has militarized American’s domestic police, equipping them with military weapons such as “tens of thousands of machine guns; nearly 200,000 ammunition magazines; a million hollow-point bullets; thousands of pieces of camouflage and night-vision equipment; and hundreds of silencers, armored cars and aircraft,” in addition to armored vehicles, sound cannons and the like. This is a government that has provided cover to police when they shoot and kill unarmed individuals just for standing a certain way, or moving a certain way, or holding something—anything—that police could misinterpret to be a gun, or igniting some trigger-centric fear in a police officer’s mind that has nothing to do with an actual threat to their safety. This is a government that has created a Constitution-free zone within 100 miles inland of the border around the United States, paving the way for Border Patrol agents to search people’s homes, intimately probe their bodies, and rifle through their belongings, all without a warrant. Nearly 66% of Americans (2/3 of the U.S. population, 197.4 million people) now live within that 100-mile-deep, Constitution-free zone. This is a government that treats public school students as if they were prison inmates, enforcing zero tolerance policies that criminalize childish behavior, and indoctrinating them with teaching that emphasizes rote memorization and test-taking over learning, synthesizing and critical thinking. This is a government that is operating in the negative on every front: it’s spending far more than what it makes (and takes from the American taxpayers) and it is borrowing heavily (from foreign governments and Social Security) to keep the government operating and keep funding its endless wars abroad. Meanwhile, the nation’s sorely neglected infrastructure—railroads, water pipelines, ports, dams, bridges, airports and roads—is rapidly deteriorating. This is a government that has empowered police departments to make a profit at the expense of those they have sworn to protect through the use of asset forfeiture laws, speed traps, and red light cameras. This is a government whose gun violence—inflicted on unarmed individuals by battlefield-trained SWAT teams, militarized police, and bureaucratic government agents trained to shoot first and ask questions later—poses a greater threat to the safety and security of the nation than any mass shooter. There are now reportedly more bureaucratic (non-military) government agents armed with high-tech, deadly weapons than U.S. Marines. This is a government that has allowed the presidency to become a dictatorship operating above and beyond the law, regardless of which party is in power.
 
This is a government that treats dissidents, whistleblowers and freedom fighters as enemies of the state. This is a government that has in recent decades unleashed untold horrors upon the world—including its own citizenry—in the name of global conquest, the acquisition of greater wealth, scientific experimentation, and technological advances, all packaged in the guise of the greater good. This is a government that allows its agents to break laws with immunity while average Americans get the book thrown at them. This is a government that speaks in a language of force. What is this language of force? Militarized police. Riot squads. Camouflage gear. Black uniforms. Armored vehicles. Mass arrests. Pepper spray. Tear gas. Batons. Strip searches. Surveillance cameras. Kevlar vests. Drones. Lethal weapons. Less-than-lethal weapons unleashed with deadly force. Rubber bullets. Water cannons. Stun grenades. Arrests of journalists. Crowd control tactics. Intimidation tactics. Brutality. Contempt of cop charges. This is a government that justifies all manner of government tyranny and power grabs in the so-called name of national security, national crises and national emergencies. This is a government that exports violence worldwide, with one of this country’s most profitable exports being weapons. Indeed, the United States, the world’s largest exporter of arms, has been selling violence to the world in order to prop up the military industrial complex and maintain its endless wars abroad. This is a government that is consumed with squeezing every last penny out of the population and seemingly unconcerned if essential freedoms are trampled in the process. This is a government that routinely undermines the Constitution and rides roughshod over the rights of the citizenry, eviscerating individual freedoms so that its own powers can be expanded. This is a government that believes it has the authority to search, seize, strip, scan, spy on, probe, pat down, taser, and arrest any individual at any time and for the slightest provocation, the Constitution be damned.

The Gary Null Show - 09.07.21

Pomegranate peel has protective effects against enteropathogenic bacteria
US Department of Agriculture, August 31, 2021
A recent study by the U.S. Department of Agriculture revealed that pomegranate peel extract contains bioactive compounds that have potential antibacterial activity. The study’s findings were published in the journal Nutrition Research.
Pomegranate fruit peel is considered an agricultural waste product. However, it is a rich source of polyphenols like punicalins, punicalagins and ellagic acids.
Earlier studies have shown that products derived from pomegranates have health benefits, including antibacterial activity, in vitro.
There is limited evidence, however, of their antibacterial activity in vivo.
For this study, researchers sought to determine the antibacterial properties of pomegranate peel extract in vivo. In particular, they focused on the punicalin, punicalagin and ellagic acid present in the peel extract.
The researchers infected C3H/He mice with the bacterial pathogen Citrobacter rodentium, a bacterium that mimics the enteropathogenic bacterium, Escherichia coli. Prior to infection, the mice were orally treated with water or pomegranate peel extract.
Twelve days after infection, the researchers examined C. rodentium colonization of the colon and spleen, as well as changes in tissue and gene expression. Fecal excretions were also analyzed for C. rodentium.
The results revealed that the pomegranate peel extract reduced weight loss and mortality induced by C. rodentium infection.
The extract also reduced C. rodentium colonization of the spleen.
Additionally, pomegranate peel extract decreased the extent of damage in the colon caused by C. rodentium infection.
In sum, pomegranate fruit peel extract contains bioactive compounds that can help reduce the severity of C. rodentium infection in vivo.
 
Vitamin D may protect against young-onset colorectal cancer
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Harvard  School of Public Health, September 1, 2021
Consuming higher amounts of Vitamin D - mainly from dietary sources - may help protect against developing young-onset colorectal cancer or precancerous colon polyps, according to the first study to show such an association.
The study, recently published online in the journal Gastroenterology, by scientists from Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, and other institutions, could potentially lead to recommendations for higher vitamin D intake as an inexpensive complement to screening tests as a colorectal cancer prevention strategy for adults younger than age 50.
While the overall incidence of colorectal cancer has been declining, cases have been increasing in younger adults - a worrisome trend that has yet to be explained. The authors of the study, including senior co-authors Kimmie Ng, MD, MPH, of Dana-Farber, and Edward Giovannucci, MD, DSc., of the T.H. Chan School, noted that vitamin D intake from food sources such as fish, mushrooms, eggs, and milk has decreased in the past several decades. There is growing evidence of an association between vitamin D and risk of colorectal cancer mortality. However, prior to the current study, no research has examined whether total vitamin D intake is associated with the risk of young-onset colorectal cancer.
“Vitamin D has known activity against colorectal cancer in laboratory studies. Because vitamin D deficiency has been steadily increasing over the past few years, we wondered whether this could be contributing to the rising rates of colorectal cancer in young individuals,” said Ng, director of the Young-Onset Colorectal Cancer Center at Dana-Farber. “We found that total vitamin D intake of 300 IU per day or more - roughly equivalent to three 8-oz. glasses of milk - was associated with an approximately 50% lower risk of developing young-onset colorectal cancer.”
The results of the study were obtained by calculating the total vitamin D intake - both from dietary sources and supplements - of 94,205 women participating in the Nurses’ Health Study II (NHS II). This study is a prospective cohort study of nurses aged 25 to 42 years that began in 1989. The women are followed every two years by questionnaires on demographics, diet and lifestyle factors, and medical and other health-related information. The researchers focused on a primary endpoint - young-onset colorectal cancer, diagnosed before 50 years of age. They also asked on a follow-up questionnaire whether they had had a colonoscopy or sigmoidoscopy where colorectal polyps (which may be precursors to colorectal cancer) were found.
During the period from 1991 to 2015 the researchers documented 111 cases of young-onset colorectal cancer and 3,317 colorectal polyps. Analysis showed that higher total vitamin D intake was associated with a significantly reduced risk of early-onset colorectal cancer. The same link was found between higher vitamin D intake and risk of colon polyps detected before age 50.
The association was stronger for dietary vitamin D - principally from dairy products - than from vitamin D supplements. The study authors said that finding could be due to chance or to unknown factors that are not yet understood.
Interestingly, the researchers didn’t find a significant association between total vitamin D intake and risk of colorectal cancer diagnosed after age 50. The findings were not able to explain this inconsistency, and the scientists said further research in a larger sample is necessary to determine if the protective effect of vitamin D is actually stronger in young-onset colorectal cancer.
In any case, the investigators concluded that higher total vitamin D intake is associated with decreased risks of young-onset colorectal cancer and precursors (polyps). “Our results further support that vitamin D may be important in younger adults for health and possibly colorectal cancer prevention,” said Ng. “It is critical to understand the risk factors that are associated with young-onset colorectal cancer so that we can make informed recommendations about diet and lifestyle, as well as identify high risk individuals to target for earlier screening.”
 
 
Choosing personal exercise goals, then tackling them immediately is key to sustaining change
University of Pennsylvania, September 1, 2021
When people set their own exercise goals – and then pursue them immediately – it’s more likely to result in lasting positive changes, according to a new study at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. The results of this research are especially important because they were found among an underserved population that is at particularly high risk of having or developing heart conditions. The study was published in JAMA Cardiology.
“Most behavior change programs involve goal-setting, but the best way to design that process is unknown,” said lead author Mitesh Patel, MD, MBA, an associate professor of Medicine at Penn and vice president for Clinical Transformation at Ascension. “Our clinical trial demonstrated that physical activity increased the most when patients chose their goals rather than being assigned them, and when the goals started immediately rather than starting lower and gradually increasing over time. These findings are particularly important because the patients were from lower-income neighborhoods and may face a number of challenges in achieving health goals.”
This study consisted of 500 patients from low-income neighborhoods, mainly in West Philadelphia but also elsewhere in and outside of the city. Participants either had a cardiovascular disease or were assessed to have a near-10 percent risk of developing one within a decade. These high-risk patients stood to greatly gain from increased physical activity.
Patel’s previous work at the Penn Medicine Nudge Unit often focused on the use of gamification, a concept used to create behavioral change by turning it into a game. The work usually tested whether playing a game attached to physical activity goals could make significant increases against not playing a game, or between different versions of a game.
As with past studies, every participant was given a wearable step tracker that recorded their daily step counts through Penn’s Way to Health platform. But what set this study apart from many of its predecessors was that the main outcomes of the research were less about participation in the games themselves and more about how goals were established, as well as when participants were encouraged to pursue them.
Once every participant got their wearable step counter, they were given a week or two to get used to it. This time period also functioned as a baseline-setting period for everyone’s pre-intervention daily step count. After that, participants were randomly assigned to the control group, which didn’t have step goals or games attached, or one of the gaming groups with goals.
Those in the gamified group also went through two other sets of random assignments. One determined whether they’d have input on their step goal, or whether they’d just be assigned a standard one. The second decided whether each participant would immediately start working toward their goals (for the entire 16-week intervention), or whether they’d ramp up to it, with minor increases in goals, until the full goals kicked in at week nine.
After analyzing the results, the researchers saw that the only group of participants who achieved significant increases in activity were those who chose their own goals and started immediately. They had the highest average increase in their steps compared to the group with no goals, roughly 1,384 steps per day. And, in addition to raw step counts, the study also measured periods of sustained, high activity, amounting to an average increase of 4.1 minutes daily.
Comparatively, those who were assigned their goals or had full goals delayed for half the intervention only increased their daily steps above the control group’s average by between 500 and 600 steps.
“Individuals who select their own goals are more likely to be intrinsically motivated to follow through on them,” said Kevin Volpp, MD, PhD, director of the Center for Health Incentives and Behavioral Economics. “They feel like the goal is theirs and this likely enables greater engagement.”
The study didn’t end when the researchers turned the games off. Participants kept their activity trackers, and in the eight weeks following the intervention, the group that chose their goals and started immediately kept up their progress. In fact, they achieved almost the exact same average in steps – just three less than during the active games.
“It is exciting to see that the group that increased their activity levels by the most steps maintained those levels during follow-up,” Patel said. “This indicates that gamification with self-chosen and immediate goals helped these patients form a new habit.”
Many programs, whether offered through work or by health insurance companies, offer incentives for boosts in physical activity. But these goals are often fairly static and assigned based on round numbers. Patel, Volpp, and colleagues believe this research suggests that adjusting goal setting in these programs can have a significant impact. And if these adjustments lead to gains among people with lower incomes, whom cardiovascular disease kill at 76 percent higher rates, that could be particularly important.          
“Goal-setting is a fundamental element of almost every physical activity program, whether through a smartphone app or in a workplace wellness program,” Volpp said. “Our findings reveal a simple approach that could be used to improve the impact of these programs and the health of their patients.”
 
Comparing seniors who relocate long-distance shows that where you live affects your longevity
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, September 1, 2021
Would you like to live longer? It turns out that where you live, not just how you live, can make a big difference.
That's the finding of an innovative study co-authored by an MIT economist, which examines senior citizens across the U.S. and concludes that some locations enhance longevity more than others, potentially for multiple reasons.
The results show that when a 65-year-old moves from a metro area in the 10th percentile, in terms of how much those areas enhance longevity, to a metro area the 90th percentile, it increases that person's life expectancy by 1.1 years. That is a notable boost, given that mean life expectancy for 65-year-olds in the U.S. is 83.3 years.
"There's a substantively important causal effect of where you live as an elderly adult on mortality and life expectancy across the United States," says Amy Finkelstein, a professor in MIT's Department of Economics and co-author of a newly published paper detailing the findings.
Researchers have long observed significant regional variation in life expectancy in the U.S., and often attributed it to "health capital"—tendencies toward obesity, smoking, and related behavioral factors in the regional populations. But by analyzing the impact of moving, the current study can isolate and quantify the effect that the location itself has on residents.
As such, the research delivers important new information about large-scale drivers of U.S. health outcomes—and raises the question of what it is about different places that affects the elderly's life expectancy. One clear possibility is the nature of available medical care. Other possible drivers of longevity include climate, pollution, crime, traffic safety, and more.
"We wanted to separate out the role of people's prior experiences and behaviors—or health capital—from the role of place or environment," Finkelstein says.
The paper, "Place-Based Drivers of Mortality: Evidence of Migration," is published in the August issue of the American Economic Review. The co-authors are Finkelstein, the John and Jennie S. MacDonald Professor of Economics at MIT, and Matthew Gentzkow and Heidi Williams, who are both professors of economics at Stanford University.
To conduct the study, Finkelstein, Gentzkow, and Williams analyzed Medicare records from 1999 to 2014, focusing on U.S. residents between the ages of 65 and 99. Ultimately the research team studied 6.3 million Medicare beneficiaries. About 2 million of those moved from one U.S. "commuting zone" to another, and the rest were a random 10 percent sample of people who had not moved over the 15-year study period. (The U.S. Census Bureau defines about 700 commuting zones nationally.)
A central element of the study involves seeing how different people who were originally from the same locations fared when moving to different destinations. In effect, says Finkelstein, "The idea is to take two elderly people from a given origin, say, Boston. One moves to low-mortality Minneapolis, one moves to high-mortality Houston. We then compare thow long each lives after they move."
Different people have different health profiles before they move, of course. But Medicare records include detailed claims data, so the researchers applied records of 27 different illnesses and conditions—ranging from lung cancer and diabetes to depression—to a standard mortality risk model, to categorize the overall health of seniors when they move. Using these "very, very rich pre-move measures of their health," Finkelstein notes, the researchers tried to account for pre-existing health levels of seniors from the same location who moved to different places.
Still, even assessing people by 27 measures does not completely describe their health, so Finkelstein, Gentzkow, and Williams also estimated what fraction of people's health conditions they had not observed—essentially by calibrating the observed health of seniors against health capital levels in places they were moving from. They then consider how observed health varies across individuals from the same location moving to different destinations and, assuming that differences in unobserved health—such as physical mobility—vary in the same way as observed differences in health, they adjust their estimates accordingly.
All told, the study found that many urban areas on the East and West Coasts—including New York City, San Francisco, and Miami—have positive effects on longevity for seniors moving there. Some Midwestern metro areas, including Chicago, also score well.
By contrast, a large swath of the deep South has negative effects on longevity for seniors moving there, including much of Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, and northern Florida. Much of the Southwest, including parts of Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, and Arizona, fares similarly poorly.
The scholars also estimate that health capital accounts for about 70 percent of the difference in longevity across areas of the U.S., and that location effects account for about 15 percent of the variation.
"Yes, health capital is important, but yes, place effects also matter," Finkelstein says.
Other leading experts in health economics say they are impressed by the study. Jonathan Skinner, the James O. Freeman Presidential Professor of Economics, Emeritus, at Dartmouth College, says the scholars "have provided a critical insight" into the question of place effects "by considering older people who move from one place to another, thus allowing the researchers to cleanly identify the pure effect of the new location on individual health—an effect that is often different from the health of long-term residents. This is an important study that will surely be cited and will influence health policy in coming years."
The Charlotte Effect: What makes a difference?
Indeed, the significance of place effects on life expectancy is also evident in another pattern the study found. Some locations—such as Charlotte, North Carolina—have a positive effect on longevity but still have low overall life expectancy, while other places—such as Santa Fe New Mexico—have high overall life expectancy, but a below-average effect on the longevity of seniors who move there.
Again, the life expectancy of an area's population is not the same thing as that location's effect on longevity. In places where, say, smoking is highly prevalent, population-wide longevity might be subpar, but other factors might make it a place where people of average health will live longer. The question is why.
"Our [hard] evidence is about the role of place," Finkelstein says, while noting that the next logical step in this vein of research is to look for the specific factors at work. "We know something about Charlotte, North Carolina, makes a difference, but we don't yet know what."
With that in mind, Finkelstein, Gentzkow, and Williams, along with other colleagues, are working on a pair of new studies about health care practices to see what impact place-based differences may have; one study focuses on doctors, and the other looks at the prescription opioid epidemic.
In the background of this research is a high-profile academic and policy discussion about the impact of health care utilization. One perspective, associated with the Dartmouth Atlas of Health Care project, suggests that the large regional differences in health care use it has documented have little impact on mortality. But the current study, by quantifying the variable impact of place, suggest there may be, in turn, a bigger differential impact in health care utilization yet to be identified.
For her part, Finkelstein says she would welcome further studies digging into health care use or any other factor that might explain why different places have different effects on life expectancy; the key is uncovering more hard evidence, wherever it leads.
"Differences in health care across places are large and potentially important," Finkelstein says. "But there are also differences in pollution, weather, [and] other aspects. … What we need to do now is get inside the black box of 'the place' and figure out what it is about them that matters for longevity."
 
Gut bacteria influence brain development
Researchers discover biomarkers that indicate early brain injury in extreme premature infants
University of Vienna (Austria), September 3, 2021
The early development of the gut, the brain and the immune system are closely interrelated. Researchers refer to this as the gut-immune-brain axis. Bacteria in the gut cooperate with the immune system, which in turn monitors gut microbes and develops appropriate responses to them. In addition, the gut is in contact with the brain via the vagus nerve as well as via the immune system. "We investigated the role this axis plays in the brain development of extreme preterm infants," says the first author of the study, David Seki. "The microorganisms of the gut microbiome - which is a vital collection of hundreds of species of bacteria, fungi, viruses and other microbes - are in equilibrium in healthy people. However, especially in premature babies, whose immune system and microbiome have not been able to develop fully, shifts are quite likely to occur. These shifts may result in negative effects on the brain," explains the microbiologist and immunologist.
Patterns in the microbiome provide clues to brain damage"In fact, we have been able to identify certain patterns in the microbiome and immune response that are clearly linked to the progression and severity of brain injury," adds David Berry, microbiologist and head of the research group at the Centre for Microbiology and Environmental Systems Science (CMESS) at the University of Vienna as well as Operational Director of the Joint Microbiome Facility of the Medical University of Vienna and University of Vienna. "Crucially, such patterns often show up prior to changes in the brain. This suggests a critical time window during which brain damage of extremely premature infants may be prevented from worsening or even avoided."Comprehensive study of the development of extremely premature infantsStarting points for the development of appropriate therapies are provided by the biomarkers that the interdisciplinary team was able to identify. "Our data show that excessive growth of the bacterium Klebsiella and the associated elevated γδ-T-cell levels can apparently exacerbate brain damage," explains Lukas Wisgrill, Neonatologist from the Division of Neonatology, Pediatric Intensive Care Medicine and Neuropediatrics at the Department of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine at the Medical University of Vienna. "We were able to track down these patterns because, for a very specific group of newborns, for the first time we explored in detail how the gut microbiome, the immune system and the brain develop and how they interact in this process," he adds. The study monitored a total of 60 premature infants, born before 28 weeks gestation and weighing less than 1 kilogram, for several weeks or even months. Using state-of-the-art methods - the team examined the microbiome using 16S rRNA gene sequencing, among other methods - the researchers analysed blood and stool samples, brain wave recordings (e.g. aEEG) and MRI images of the infants' brains.Research continues with two studiesThe study, which is an inter-university clusterproject under the joint leadership by Angelika Berger (Medical University of Vienna) and David Berry (University of Vienna), is the starting point for a research project that will investigate the microbiome and its significance for the neurological development of prematurely born children even more thoroughly. In addition, the researchers will continue to follow the children of the initial study. "How the children's motoric and cognitive skills develop only becomes apparent over several years," explains Angelika Berger. "We aim to understand how this very early development of the gut-immune-brain axis plays out in the long term. " The most important cooperation partners for the project are already on board: "The children's parents have supported us in the study with great interest and openness," says David Seki. "Ultimately, this is the only reason we were able to gain these important insights. We are very grateful for that."
 
 
Amino acid supplements may boost vascular endothelial function in older adults: Study
University of Alabama, August 28, 2021
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.
“Further investigation is warranted to elucidate mechanisms and confirm benefits of foods rich in these amino acids on cardiovascular outcomes.”
The study supported financially by the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine.
Study details
Dr Ellis and her co-workers recrtuited 31 community-dwelling men and women aged between 65 and 87 to participate in their randomized, placebo-controlled trial. The participants were randomly assigned to one of two groups: The first group received the active supplements providing 3 g HMB, 14 g glutamine and 14 g arginine per day; while the second group received a placebo.
After six months of intervention, the researchers found that FMD increased in the HMB + glutamine + arginine group, but no such increases were observed in the placebo group.
While no changes in CRP or TNF-alpha levels were observed in the active supplement group, a trend towards an increase in CRP levels was observed in the placebo group, but this did not reach statistical significance, they noted.
“Although no previous studies have examined this combination of amino acids on vascular function, we hypothesized that the active ingredients of the supplement would act synergistically to improve endothelial function by reducing oxidative stress and inflammation,” wrote the researchers. “However, although we observed a trend for increasing hsCRP among the placebo group (P=0.059), no significant changes in hsCRP or TNF-alpha were observed for either group.
“Possibly, the effects of the supplement on reducing oxidative stress and inflammation were subclinical, or the high variability in these biomarkers, particularly hsCRP, among our small sample could have precluded visible differences.”
The researchers also noted that an alternate mechanism may also be responsible, adding that arginine is a precursor of the potent vasodilator nitric oxide
“Although investigation of this mechanism was beyond the scope of this study, it is feasible that the arginine in the supplement improved endothelial-dependent vasodilation by providing additional substrate for nitric oxide synthesis,” they added.
 
 
Moderate coffee drinking associated with lower risk of mortality during 11-year median follow-up
Semmelweis University (Bulgaria), September 1 2021. 
Research presented at ESC (European Society of Cardiology) Congress 2021 revealed a lower risk of dying from any cause during an 11-year median period among light to moderate coffee drinkers in comparison with men and women who had no intake.
The study included 468,629 UK Biobank participants of an average age of 56.2 years who had no indications of heart disease upon enrollment. Coffee intake was classified as none, light to moderate at 0.5 to 3 cups per day or high at over 3 cups per day. A subgroup of participants underwent magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the heart to assess cardiac structure and function. 
Light to moderate coffee intake during the follow-up period was associated with a 12% decrease in the risk of dying from any cause, a 17% lower risk of cardiovascular mortality and a 21% reduction in the incidence of stroke in comparison with the risks associated with not drinking coffee. 
“The imaging analysis indicated that, compared with participants who did not drink coffee regularly, daily consumers had healthier sized and better functioning hearts,” reported study author Judit Simon, of Semmelweis University in Budapest. “This was consistent with reversing the detrimental effects of aging on the heart.”
“To our knowledge, this is the largest study to systematically assess the cardiovascular effects of regular coffee consumption in a population without diagnosed heart disease,” she announced. “Our results suggest that regular coffee consumption is safe, as even high daily intake was not associated with adverse cardiovascular outcomes and all-cause mortality after a follow-up of 10 to 15 years. Moreover, 0.5 to 3 cups of coffee per day was independently associated with lower risks of stroke, death from cardiovascular disease, and death from any cause.”

The Gary Null Show - 09.06.21

The Covid Vaccines and Pathological Evidence of Harm
 
Dr Ryan Cole is a trained medical physician who has worked as a board certified dermatopatholoist since 2004. He is the founding CEO and Medical director of Cole Diagnostics in Garden City, Idaho -- the state's largest independent medical laboratory using cutting edge technology to specialize in pathology and clinical services. He has become one of the more outspoken opponents to the current national pandemic policies within the medical community, and has testified before a New Hampshire legislative session. Earlier Dr. Cole gained expertise in immunology while working as a chief fellow of pathology at the Mayo CLinic, a chief fellow of surgical pathology at the Medical College of Virginia and received his medical degree from Virginia Commonwealth University.  Ryan's website is ColeDiagnostics.com

The Gary Null Show - 09.03.21

Both sucrose and high fructose corn syrup linked to increased health risks
University of California at Davis, August 31, 2021
Consuming sucrose, the more "natural form of sugar," may be as bad for your health as consuming high fructose corn syrup, according to a University of California, Davis, study published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism.
"This is the first dietary intervention study to show that consumption of both sucrose- and high fructose corn-sweetened beverages increase liver fat and decrease insulin sensitivity," said Kimber Stanhope, a research nutrition biologist with the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine. "People often have a skewed perspective of aspartame and give sucrose a pass, but this study suggests that consumers should be equally concerned about both major added sugars in our food supply."
Participants (18 to 40 years old) were assigned to beverage groups matched for sex, body mass index, fasting triglyceride, lipoprotein and insulin concentrations. They drank three servings a day of either a sucrose-sweetened beverage, a high fructose corn-sweetened beverage, or an aspartame-sweetened beverage for 16 days.
The double-blind study was unique in that the 187 subjects lived in a clinical unit for 3.5 days before beverage consumption and during the final days of beverage consumption. Thus, their diet and activity levels were controlled prior to the assessments of risk factors that occurred before and after beverage consumption. This control helped the researchers document how quickly the study subjects, even those who were very lean or normal weight, showed changes in liver fat, insulin sensitivity, and circulating lipids, lipoproteins and uric acid when they drank the added sugars. There were no significant differences between the effects of sucrose and those of high fructose corn syrup, and both the sugar-sweetened beverages increased risk factors compared with aspartame-sweetened beverages.
"Within the span of two weeks, we observed a significant change in liver fat and insulin sensitivity in the two groups consuming sucrose- or high fructose corn syrup-sweetened beverages," Stanhope said. "That's concerning because the prevalence of fatty liver [nonalcoholic fatty liver disease] and Type 2 diabetes continues to increase globally."
Decreased insulin sensitivity is an important risk factor for Type 2 diabetes, and seeing a clinically significant change within two weeks highlights the need for consumers to read labels carefully and be aware of the source of added sugars, she said. Sucrose may be labeled as sugar, cane sugar or evaporated cane juice among other names, but they're all sugar.
Consumer misconception
Stanhope said the study is important because many consumers consider high fructose corn syrup to be more detrimental to health than sucrose. Many consumers also believe consuming sucrose is safer than consuming aspartame.
Previous human and animal studies have shown that sugar-sweetened beverages are associated with increased fat in the liver. This study further substantiates that those beverages can promote fat accumulation in the liver and lead to metabolic syndrome.
"It's all physiologically connected, although we're not sure [in what] direction it goes," Stanhope said. "It's very likely that the mechanism by which we develop metabolic syndrome goes through liver fat and insulin resistance. An increase in liver fat can be benign for a certain amount of time and for certain people. But it can also progress to associated inflammation in liver cells that causes fibrosis and negatively impacts liver function, which can make an individual more prone to liver cancer."
 
Consuming a Mediterranean diet associated with lower risk of sudden cardiac death during 9.8-year period
University of Alabama, August 31, 2021
The July issue of the Journal of the American Heart Association reported the finding of a trend toward a lower risk of sudden cardiac death in association with greater adherence to a Mediterranean diet during an average of 9.8 years of follow-up.* The study also uncovered a trend toward a higher risk of sudden cardiac death associated with greater intake of a Southern dietary pattern.
Sudden cardiac death, as defined by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute-sponsored expert panel is “an unexpected death without obvious extracardiac cause, occurring with a rapid witnessed collapse, or if unwitnessed, occurring within one hour after the onset of symptoms.”
The current investigation included 21,069 participants in the Reasons for Geographic and Racial Differences in Stroke (REGARDS) study, which included men and women aged 45 years and older, among whom 42% were black. A high proportion of study participants resided in a region of the U.S. often referred to as the “stroke belt”. In previous research, five dietary patterns were derived from responses to dietary questionnaires administered upon enrollment in REGARDS. These included a pattern observed in the Southeastern United States that is characterized by added fats, fried food, eggs, organ meat, processed meat and sugar‐sweetened beverages. All subjects’ diets were subsequently scored for adherence to a Mediterranean diet, which included a high intake of vegetables, fruit, legumes, cereals and fish; a lower intake of meat and dairy products; a high ratio of monounsaturated fat to saturated fat consumption, and moderate alcohol intake. In-home examinations obtained physical measurements, information concerning medication use, a physical health summary, electrocardiographic evaluation, and blood and urine sample collection. Cardiovascular events and deaths were tracked via twice-yearly calls to participants or next of kin, and other methods. 
During follow-up, 401 sudden cardiac deaths occurred. After adjustment for a number of factors, subjects whose Mediterranean diet scores placed them among the top one-third of participants had a risk of sudden cardiac death that was 26% lower than subjects whose scores were among the lowest third. The protective effect of the diet was limited to participants with no history of coronary heart disease at the beginning of the study.
Among men and women whose adherence to the Southern dietary pattern was among the top quarter of participants, the risk of sudden cardiac death was 46% higher than those among the lowest quarter.
“We know of no published studies investigating the possible associations of dietary patterns with risk of sudden cardiac death,” wrote authors James M. Shikany, DrPH, of the University of Alabama at Birmingham, and colleagues. However, they remarked that protective effects against the condition have been revealed in association with nuts and fish, which are Mediterranean diet components. They added that the omega 3 fatty acids in fatty fish have been proposed as responsible for the benefit observed in association with greater fish intake and may help protect against sudden cardiac death via their effects on resting heart rate, blood pressure, vascular endothelial function, triglyceride concentrations, inflammatory pathways and other factors. Furthermore, laboratory studies have revealed antiarrhythmic effects for omega 3s. 
“Although observational in nature, these data suggest that diet may be a modifiable risk factor for sudden cardiac death and should be discussed with patients,” they wrote.  
 
 
 
Aging-US: Dietary supplementation with green tea catechins and cocoa flavanols
Cocoa, but not GTE, reduced aging-associated microgliosis and increased the proportion of neuroprotective microglial phenotypes
Universitat de Lleida and Institut de Recerca Biomèdica de Lleida (Spain), September 1, 2021
Aging-US published "Beneficial effects of dietary supplementation with green tea catechins and cocoa flavanols on aging-related regressive changes in the mouse neuromuscular system" which reported that green tea extract (GTE) and cocoa-supplemented diets significantly improved survival rate of mice. GTE increased density of VAChT and VGluT2 afferent synapses on neuromuscular junctions.
Cocoa, but not GTE, reduced aging-associated microgliosis and increased the proportion of neuroprotective microglial phenotypes.
Dr. Jordi Calderó from IRBLleida said, "Sarcopenia, the progressive loss of skeletal muscle mass and function with age, is considered the main causative factor of the physical performance decline in the elderly."
Sarcopenia, the progressive loss of skeletal muscle mass and function with age, is considered the main causative factor of the physical performance decline in the elderly. The compromised muscular function associated to sarcopenia has a negative impact on the life quality of older adults and increases the risk for disability, fall-associated injuries, morbidity, and mortality. The authors have recently reported a marked increase in the microglial and astroglial pro-inflammatory phenotypes (M1 and A1, respectively) in the spinal cord of aged mice. This may be due to the presence of anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective (M2 and A2) glial subpopulations. Caloric restriction, based on a diet low in calories, has been shown to attenuate aging sarcopenia in various species by acting at different levels of the skeletal muscle.
Caloric restriction has also been reported to ameliorate age-related changes in rodent NMJs and to prevent MN and motor axon degeneration found to occur with aging [11, 21]. In a similar way, some dietary supplements have been shown to counteract age related changes that contribute to neuromuscular dysfunction (reviewed by [12) Plant flavonoids have gained particular attention as dietary compounds for keeping good health and preventing a number of diseases, particularly cardiac disorders and cancer.
The Calderó Research Team concluded in their Aging-US Research Output that, green tea and cocoa flavonoids from GTE and cocoa significantly increased survival rate of aged mice. Both diets preserved NMJ innervation and maturity, delayed the senescence process of the skeletal muscle, and enhanced its regenerative capacity. Future research is needed to investigate whether higher doses of flavonoid are needed and/or longer-term interventions can help restore proper motor function.
 
How the mind sharpens the senses
Ruhr University Bochum (Germany), August 27, 2021
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.
Participants of the study use a special meditation technique
The participants were all Zen-scholars with many years of meditation practice. They were scientifically escorted during a four-day Zen-retreat in the spiritual center "Benediktushof", Germany. 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.
Data show significant improvement of the sense of touch
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.
Meditation induces plasticity and learning processes as active training or physical stimulation
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.
  
 
Antibiotics increase the risk of colon cancer
Umea University (Sweden), September 1, 2021
There is a clear link between taking antibiotics and an increased risk of developing colon cancer within the next five to ten years. This has been confirmed by researchers at Umeå University, Sweden, after a study of 40,000 cancer cases. The impact of antibiotics on the intestinal microbiome is thought to lie behind the increased risk of cancer.
“The results underline the fact that there are many reasons to be restrictive with antibiotics. While in many cases antibiotic therapy is necessary and saves lives, in the event of less serious ailments that can be expected to heal anyway, caution should be exercised. Above all to prevent bacteria from developing resistance but, as this study shows, also because antibiotics may increase the risk of future colon cancer,” explains Sophia Harlid, cancer researcher at Umeå University.
Researchers found that both women and men who took antibiotics for over six months ran a 17 per cent greater risk of developing cancer in the ascending colon, the first part of the colon to be reached by food after the small intestine, than those who were not prescribed any antibiotics. However, no increased risk was found for cancer in the descending colon. Nor was there an increased risk of rectal cancer in men taking antibiotics, while women taking antibiotics had a slightly reduced incidence of rectal cancer.
The increased risk of colon cancer was visible already five to ten years after taking antibiotics. Although the increase in risk was greatest for those taking most antibiotics, it was also possible to observe an admittedly small, but statistically significant, increase in the risk of cancer after a single course of antibiotics.
The present study uses data on 40,000 patients from the Swedish Colorectal Cancer Registry from the period 2010–2016. These have been compared to a matched control group of 200,000 cancer-free individuals drawn from the Swedish population at large. Data on the individuals’ antibiotic use was collected from the Swedish Prescribed Drug Register for the period 2005–2016. The Swedish study broadly confirms the results of an earlier, somewhat smaller British study.
In order to understand how antibiotics increase the risk, the researchers also studied a non-antibiotic bactericidal drug used against urinary infections that does not affect the microbiome. There was no difference in the frequency of colon cancer in those who used this drug, suggesting that it is the impact of antibiotics on the microbiome that increases the risk of cancer. While the study only covers orally administered antibiotics, even intravenous antibiotics may affect the gut microbiota in the intestinal system.
“There is absolutely no cause for alarm simply because you have taken antibiotics. The increase in risk is moderate and the affect on the absolute risk to the individual is fairly small. Sweden is also in the process of introducing routine screening for colorectal cancer. Like any other screening programme, it is important to take part so that any cancer can be detected early or even prevented, as cancer precursors can sometimes be removed,” says Sophia Harlid. 
 
 
High dose vitamin C may stop the progression of leukemia, study reveals
Perlmutter Cancer Center at New York University August 28, 2021
Exciting new research shows that a six-month regimen of high-dose intravenous vitamin C slowed the progression of leukemia by stopping leukemic cells from multiplying.
The study builds upon other research that demonstrates vitamin C’s potential to inhibit and even kill cancer cells – without harming healthy tissue. Let’s take a closer look at how vitamin C is demonstrating its amazing potential to fight cancer.
Vitamin C stimulates a vital cancer-fighting enzyme
In leukemia, white blood cells fail to mature, so they regenerate themselves and multiply uncontrollably – a process that stops the body from producing the mature white blood cells needed by the immune system to fight infections. Researchers have discovered that a gene mutation plays a major role in the development of many cases of leukemia.
50 percent of patients with chronic myelomonocytic leukemia, 30 percent of patients with pre-leukemia and 10 percent of acute myeloid leukemia patients have a genetic disorder that decreases amounts of TET2 – a vital enzyme that helps undifferentiated cells mature into normal blood cells. This TET2 gene mutation accounts for 42,500 cancers yearly in the United States.
The new study, conducted at Perlmutter Cancer Center at New York University Langone Health and published in the peer-reviewed scientific journal Cell, examined vitamin C’s potential to stimulate TET2 – and the results were encouraging.
Genetically restoring TET2 blocks replication of cancer cells and safely kills them
The researchers found that intravenous high-dose vitamin C helps restore TET2 function, causing “faulty” stem cells in bone marrow to die off.
Vitamin C produced results when it was used on human leukemia cells carrying the TET2 mutation – and it also stopped the growth of transplanted leukemia cancer stem cells in mice that had been genetically engineered to lack TET2.
The vitamin achieved this effect by promoting DNA demethylation in the cancerous cells. Researchers also found that combining vitamin C with PARP inhibitors – drugs which cause cancer cell death – improved its effectiveness even more. In fact, vitamin C seemed to have a potentiating effect, making the leukemic cells more vulnerable to the PARP inhibitors.
Study author Benjamin Neel, Ph.D., noted that the team was 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.” Neel called for preclinical and clinical trials to test high-dose intravenous vitamin C in human patients – and for further research to identify other substances that might help to potentiate the vitamin C treatment.
Researchers are particularly hopeful that using vitamin C with cancer drugs could provide an alternative to toxic chemotherapy – which can be dangerous and even fatal to patients with acute myeloid leukemia.
Note: The researchers used extremely high dosages of intravenous vitamin C in the study – amounts that would be impossible to obtain by oral ingestion alone.
Amazing NEWS: Vitamin C has outperformed approved clinical and experimental drugs
Other recent, peer-reviewed research is blazing exciting new inroads into the area of potential uses of this powerful vitamin to stop cancer.
In a study newly published in Oncotarget, researcher found that high-dose vitamin C stopped tumors cold by impairing cancer stem cell metabolism and interfering with their ability to grow and spread.
Researchers noted that the nutrient worked as a pro-oxidant in cancer cells – stripping them of the antioxidant glutathione and producing oxidative stress and apoptosis, or cell death. In addition, vitamin C interfered with glycolysis, the process that creates energy in cell mitochondria.
And, while lethal to cancer cells, it left healthy cells unaffected.
The researchers concluded that vitamin C was a “promising new agent,” and called for more study to explore its use in preventing and slowing tumors.
The team also reported that vitamin C outperformed seven different substances, including stiripinol – an FDA-approved clinical drug – and various experimental medications. Researchers noted that vitamin C was 1,000 times – that’s right, 1,000 times – more effective in combating cancer stem cells than 2-DG, an experimental pharmaceutical drug.
(It is hard to understand why these eye-opening results have received so little attention from mainstream medicine. Especially in light of the fact that – unlike toxic chemotherapy drugs – this essential vitamin has caused few side effects in clinical studies.)
But, I think we can quickly see how this news might be threatening to the profits of the pharmaceutical industry.
The fact is: conventional medicine has long downplayed or ignored promising vitamin C research. But, as forward-thinking, innovative researchers continue to examine vitamin C’s many benefits, its potential to combat cancer may yet be recognized.