The Gary Null Show - 02.11.22

Higher vitamin D levels linked to longer telomeres: Study

Harvard Medical School and University of Tromsoe (Norway), February 10, 2022

 

Increased levels of vitamin D are associated with longer telomeres, reported to be a marker of biological aging, says a new study.

 

Every 10-nmol increase in levels of 25- hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D), the non-active 'storage' form of the vitamin) was associated with a 0.03-kbp longer telomere in leukocytes in middle-aged adults, according to data extracted from the National Healthand Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2001–2002.

 

The findings, published in the Journal of Nutrition , show correlation and not causation, but could have implications for our understanding of healthy aging and potential cancer risk reduction.

 

The scientists analyzed data from 1,542 younger adults aged between 20 and 39, 1,336 middle-aged adults aged between 40 and 59, and 1,382 adults 60 and over.

 

After adjusting the numbers to account for potentially confounders such as gender, race/ethnicity, BMI, and other factors, the researchers found that 25(OH)D levels of at least 50 nmol/L were associated with 0.13-kbp longer LTL in middle-aged adults with, compared with the same aged adults with 25(OH)D levels less than 50 nmol/L.

 

The results also presented a potential mechanism of action for the reported anti-cancer effects of vitamin D, which were first proposed in 1941 when Frank Apperly demonstrated a link between latitude and deaths from cancer, and suggested that sunlight gave "a relative cancer immunity".

 

 

Vitamin C supplementation promotes mental vitality in healthy young adults: results from a cross-sectional analysis and a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial

Seoul National University (South Korea), February 3,2022

We aimed to investigate the link of vitamin C status with vitality and psychological functions in a cross-sectional study, and examine their causal relationship through a randomized controlled trial (RCT).

Methods

We first conducted a population-based cross-sectional investigation of healthy young adults (n = 214, 20–39 years), and analyzed the associations of serum vitamin C concentrations with vitality (fatigue and attention) and mood status (stress, depression, and positive and negative affect) using Pearson’s correlation and multiple linear regression analyses. Next, we performed a double-blind RCT in healthy subjects whose serum vitamin C concentrations were inadequate (< 50 μmol/L). Subjects were randomly allocated to receive 500 mg of vitamin C twice a day for 4 weeks (n = 24) or a placebo (n = 22). We assessed vitality, which included fatigue, attention, work engagement, and self-control resources, and measured mood status, including stress, depression, positive and negative affect, and anxiety. ELISA determined serum brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), and a Stroop color–word test evaluated attention capacity and processing speed.

Results

In the cross-sectional data, the serum vitamin C concentration was positively associated with the level of attention ), while no significant associations with the levels of fatigue and mood variables being found. In the RCT, compared to the placebo, the vitamin C supplementation significantly increased attention  and work absorption  with distinct tendency of improvement on fatigue and comprehensive work engagement . The vitamin C supplementation did not affect mood and serum concentrations of BDNF. However, in the Stroop color–word test, the subjects supplemented with vitamin C showed better performance than those in the placebo group.

Conclusion

Inadequate vitamin C status is related to a low level of mental vitality. Vitamin C supplementation effectively increased work motivation and attentional focus and contributed to better performance on cognitive tasks requiring sustained attention.

It’s never too late to eat healthy

University of Barcelona, February 7 2022.

In a study reported  in the European Journal of Nutrition, men and women over 70 years of age who strengthened their adherence to a Mediterranean diet during a three-year period had improvements in cardiovascular risk factors that were similar to those of a younger group that also improved their adherence. 

The investigation included 2,278 participants in a randomized trial that evaluated the effects of a Mediterranean diet combined with olive oil or nuts on cardiovascular risk factor control among individuals who were at high cardiovascular risk without having cardiovascular disease. 

Participants in the current study included a group that was 62 years of age and younger and a second group aged 71 years and older. At the three-year follow-up, both groups assigned to a Mediterranean diet had similar improvements in Mediterranean diet adherence scores compared to the beginning of the study and compared to the low-fat diet group. 

Among both age groups, systolic blood pressure, LDL cholesterol and weight decreased after three years. While diastolic blood pressure increased in the younger group, it decreased among the 71 and older group.

The take-home message is that we should not miss the opportunity to apply such non-pharmacological measures as the MedDiet, which has high efficacy without adverse effects, to improve the overall health of aged people. It is never too late to change dietary habits to achieve healthy aging.”

 

  

 

Açai pulp may improve antioxidant defenses, protect arteries

Universities of Ouro Preto and São Paulo (Brazil), February 9, 2022

 

Supplementing the diet of healthy women with açai pulp (Euterpe oleracea Martius) may improve antioxidant defenses, decrease markers of oxidative stress, and help protect against the formation of plaques in arteries, Brazilian researchers report.

 

Data published in Clinical Nutrition  indicated that the addition of 200 grams per day of açai pulp to the habitual diet decreased levels of malondialdehyde (MDA, a marker of oxidative stress) by 68%, while levels of oxidized low-density lipoprotein (ox-LDL, an independent risk factor of cardiovascular disease) by 61%.

 

In addition, the total antioxidant capacity measured in the 40 female participants of the four week study increased by 18%.

 

“Therefore, açai could be a functional food that may protect the human body against atherogenesis and other degenerative diseases related to oxidative stress and dysfunctional lipid metabolism,” wrote scientists from the University of Ouro Preto and the University of São Paulo.

 

The Brazilian researchers added 200 grams of açai pulp to the diets of 40 healthy women for 4 weeks.

 

Results showed that, while no significant changes occurred in the classical plasma lipid profiles, including triglycerides, LDL and HDL-cholesterol, significant improvements were observed in levels of apolipoprotein A1 (apo A-I ), the main apolipoprotein of HDL cholesterol.

 

 

Study: Taekwondo improves primary school children's self-regulation

University of Surrey (UK), January 10, 2022

The report, published in the journal Developmental Psychology, details how researchers from the University of Surrey studied 240 primary school students aged 7–11 years across a period of 11 weeks.

Self-regulation describes an individuals' ability to manage and alter their emotions, behavior and cognition. Good self-regulation is associated with positive mental health benefits and higher academic achievement in children.

The trial studied children across four year groups (school years 3 to 6), with two classes per year group (eight classes in total). Half of the children within each class were randomly allocated to the Taekwondo experimental trial group and the other half to the control group. The experimental group received two 45-minute Taekwondo classes per week, and the control group received two 45-minute PE classes per week during the same trial period.

The results indicate that short standard Taekwondo courses were well-received by pupils and led to higher levels of value placed on self-control. The study also found that the classes improved the children's self-regulation and reduced symptoms of conduct disorders.

 

VIDEO - Luc Montagnier in House of Numbers

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1-xSUZKCFY4

 

 

Luc Montagnier: “They Are Not Vaccines, They Are Poisons” – Speech To The Luxembourg Parliament

 

Nobel laureate in medicine for discovering AIDS, Iologist Professor Luc Montagnier, was invited to the Luxembourg Parliament to accompany petitioners speaking out against compulsory vaccination on Wednesday 12th of January. He spoke on the Covid vaccines and Geneticist Alexandra Henrion Caude was also there.

Luc Montagnier said in his speech:

“These Vaccines Are Poisons. They Are Not Real Vaccines. The MRNA Allows Its Message To Be Transcribed Throughout The Body, Uncontrollably. No One Can Say For Each Of Us Where These Messages Will Go. This Is Therefore A Terrible Unknown. And In Fact We Are Now Learning That This Is A Work Published Over A Year Ago That These MRNAs Contain An Area That We Can Call Prion, Which Is An Area Capable Of Introducing Protein Modifications In An Unpredictable Way. As A Doctor I Knew 21 People Who Received 2 Doses Of Pfizer Vaccine, There Is Another Person Who Received Moderna. The 21 Died Of Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease Caused By Prions. The 3 Vaccines Pfizer, AstraZeneca, Moderna Contain A Sequence Identified By Information Technology As Transformation Into A Prion. There Is Therefore A Known Risk To Human Health.”