The Gary Null Show - 12.23.22

VIDEO:

1. Tulsi Gabbard: Zelenskyy shut down the biggest Ukrainian church in the country (3:18)
2. Tulsi Gabbard destroys Trudeau #trudeaumustgo #canada #chrystiafreeland #tulsigabbard
3. New leak claims FBI grilled Twitter on ‘state propaganda’ (4:41)
4. From the frontlines, the USEU/UK war on school playgrounds in Donbass. Eva Bartlett (6:58)

Mediterranean diet linked to lower preeclampsia risk

Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, December 22, 2022

In a new study evaluating the Mediterranean diet and adverse pregnancy outcomes, investigators from the Smidt Heart Institute at Cedars-Sinai found that women who conceived while adhering to the anti-inflammatory diet had a significantly lower risk of developing preeclampsia during pregnancy. The study, published in the peer-reviewed journal JAMA Network Open, also evaluated the association between the Mediterranean diet and other adverse pregnancy outcomes, including gestational diabetes and hypertension, preterm birth, delivery of a small-for-gestational-age infant, and stillbirth. “This multicenter, population-based study validates that a healthier eating pattern is associated with a lower risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes, the most exciting being a 28% lower risk for preeclampsia,” said Natalie Bello, MD, MPH, senior and corresponding author of the study and director of Hypertension Research in the Smidt Heart Institute. “Importantly, this connection between the Mediterranean diet and lower risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes was seen in a geographically, racially and ethnically diverse population.” Bello also notes that researchers found the association was stronger in women who are traditionally considered to be of advanced maternal age, those 35 or older. Preeclampsia is a serious blood pressure condition that develops during pregnancy and puts stress on the mother’s heart. Left untreated, the condition can cause serious complications like weakened kidney and liver function and decreased blood supply to the fetus. In addition to preeclampsia, the risk of gestational diabetes also decreased in women who more closely followed the heart-healthy diet. The study was part of the Nulliparous Pregnancy Outcomes Study: Monitoring Mothers-to-be, which enrolled 10,038 women . Of the women enrolled, 7,798 were included in the JAMA Network Open study. Women who were pregnant with their first child were asked to complete a semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire during their first study visit, which occurred in the first trimester. The questionnaire focused on the women’s eating habits during the three months prior to their visit and asked the participants to report their intake of common foods and beverages. Individuals’ responses were then categorized into the nine components of a Mediterranean diet—vegetables, fruits, nuts, whole grains, legumes, fish, monounsaturated-to-saturated fat ratio, red and processed meats, and alcohol—to calculate a Mediterranean diet score. The data was compiled, analyzed and studied by researchers and showed: A high Mediterranean diet score was related to 21% lower odds of having any adverse pregnancy outcome, as well as a 28% and 37% lower risk of having preeclampsia/eclampsia and gestational diabetes.

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Almond findings continue to demonstrate prebiotic promise

University of Florida, December 17, 2022

Eating almonds is beneficial to maintaining a healthy gut microbiota composition and improving the diet quality of parents and children suggests a new study. The research is the first to monitor the effects of dietary change on digestive health and immune function in a parent and child and whether this positively affects immunity, inflammation and general health. Writing in Nutrition Research, researchers began by enrolling 29 healthy parent and child pairs in to a 14-week, randomised, controlled, crossover study. Parents and children consumed 1.5 and 0.5 ounces of almonds and/or almond butter, respectively, on a daily basis for three weeks, as part of their usual diet, followed by a 6-week washout period and another 3-week period of following the usual diet with no almonds. Using the Healthy Eating Index (HEI) score—a measure of adherence to recommended dietary guidance—parents and children increased their scores to 61.4, (above national averages of 57.4 for adults 31-50 years and 54.9 for children 4-8 years). HEI scores also increased for fatty acids, total protein, seafood and plant protein and decreased for fruit and empty calories. When eating almonds, participants also consumed more vitamin E and magnesium, two nutrients lacking in the majority of adult’s and children’s diets. Almond consumption also seemed to change gut bacteria levels in subjects. Although the children consumed one-third of the amount of almonds compared to adults, microbiota was affected to a greater extent in their bodies. No specific changes in immune markers were noted. Last year, NutraIngredients reported on a study in which fibre-rich almonds and their skin may selectively boost the populations of Bifidobacterium spp. and Lactobacillus spp in the gut. The study suggested that populations of these bacteria were enhanced after six weeks of consuming almonds or almond skins.

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Probiotic bacteria found in fermented foods might help dispel bad breath
Sichuan University (China), December 21, 2022

Probiotic bacteria usually found in fermented foods, such as yoghurt, sourdough bread, and miso soup, might help dispel the embarrassment of persistent bad breath (halitosis), finds a pooled data analysis of the available evidence, published in the open access journal BMJ Open. Lactobacillus salivarius, Lactobacillus reuteri, Streptococcus salivarius, Weissella cibaria, taken in the form of supplements in this study, may help freshen the breath, but more good quality research is needed, say the researchers. Volatile sulphuric compounds are the main cause of persistent bad breath. These compounds are produced by mouth bacteria as a result of bacterial mixing and food debris associated with poor gum and dental hygiene. Options used to tackle the problem include mouthwashes, chewing gums, teeth scaling and tongue scraping. Emerging evidence suggests that probiotic bacteria might offer a simpler alternative. To explore this further, and find out how long any such effects might last, the researchers trawled research databases for relevant randomised clinical trials published up to February 2021. Probiotics may inhibit the decomposition of amino acids and proteins by anaerobic bacteria in the mouth, so curbing the production of smelly by-products, the researchers explain.

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War metaphors for cancer hurt certain prevention behaviors

University of Michigan, December 15, 2022

It’s not unusual for people to use war metaphors such as “fight” and “battle” when trying to motivate patients with cancer.
But a University of Michigan study indicates that using those words can have an unintended negative effect. David Hauser, a U-M doctoral student in psychology, and colleague Norbert Schwarz, found in three studies that exposure to metaphoric language relating cancer to an enemy significantly lessens the extent to which people consider cancer-prevention behaviors. “Hearing metaphoric utterances is enough to change the way we think about a concept,” said Hauser, the study’s lead investigator. “When we hear the phrase ‘win the battle against cancer,’ it forces us to think of cancer as if it’s an enemy that we are at war with.”These metaphors emphasize power and taking aggressive actions toward an enemy. However, the bulk of cancer prevention behaviors–such as curbing alcohol intake, salty foods and smoking–involve limitation and restraint. None of them fit with an enemy metaphor that promotes power and aggression, the researchers said. “Hence, enemy metaphors de-emphasize this subset of beneficial prevention behaviors and hurts people’s willingness to engage in them,” he said. In one study, the authors asked participants to list cancer-prevention behaviors they would be willing to undertake. For one group of participants, the request contained metaphors relating cancer to an enemy (“What things would you do to fight against developing cancer?”). For a second group, the request contained no metaphors. The group exposed to the enemy metaphor listed significantly less limitation-related prevention behaviors. “This suggests that simply seeing war metaphors for cancer diminishes the extent to which these behaviors come to mind,” Hauser said. In another study, 313 participants read one of two health information passages about colorectal cancer. One passage contained metaphors relating cancer to an enemy (“This disease involves an enemy uprising of abnormal cellular growth in the large intestine.”), whereas the second passage contained no enemy metaphors. Participants then rated the extent to which they intended to engage in various prevention, screening and treatment behaviors. Those who read the enemy metaphor passage had less intention to engage in limitation-related prevention behaviors (such as limiting red meat intake or excessive alcohol consumption) than the participants who read the second passage. “Enemy metaphoric language for cancer diminishes people’s intentions for these types of prevention behaviors,” Schwarz said. “Importantly, these negative effects of enemy metaphors on prevention behaviors are not accompanied by a positive effect on intentions to undertake screening or treatment behaviors.” War and enemy metaphors are the most common metaphors found in science journalism about cancer, and they pervade public discourse about the disease.”Fight and battle are actually among the top 10 verbs used to describe cancer,” Hauser said. “Constant exposure to even minor metaphorical utterances may be enough to make enemy metaphors for cancer a powerful influence on public health–with unfortunate side-effects.”

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More proof that cannabis is an anti-aging powerhouse to rapidly restore memory performance of older mice

Hebrew University Jerusalem & University of Bonn (Germany), December 14, 2022

Scientists from The Hebrew University of Jerusalem and the University of Bonn teamed up to examine the potential brain benefits of cannabis in mice. This amazing study is years in the making, with the researchers having built a strong body of evidence on the brain benefits of THC. To conduct their study, researchers administered a small amount of THC, derived from cannabis, to mice aged two, twelve and 18 months old for the course of one month. Some mice were given a placebo. As sources explain, mice have very short life spans and show substantial cognitive deficiencies at just 12 months of age. Afterwards, the mice were subjected to a battery of tests to gauge their learning capacity and memory. Incredibly, the team found that older mice treated with cannabis displayed cognitive function that was as good as the youngest control subjects.

As reported by The Hebrew University of Jerusalem:

Mice that were only given a placebo displayed natural age-dependent learning and memory losses. In contrast, the cognitive functions of the animals treated with cannabis were just as good as the two-month-old control animals. “The treatment completely reversed the loss of performance in the old animals,” reported Prof. Andreas Zimmer from the Institute of Molecular Psychiatry at the University of Bonn and member of the Cluster of Excellence ImmunoSensation. In past studies, the team found that brain aging is accelerated when THC receptors are absent, prompting them to investigate further. In the brain, THC acts very similarly to the cannabinoids naturally produced by the body. “With increasing age, the quantity of the cannabinoids naturally formed in the brain reduces. When the activity of the cannabinoid system declines, we find rapid aging in the brain,” Prof. Zimmer commented. Treating the mice with THC yielded incredibly impressive epigenetic changes in their brains, and the number of links between neurons dramatically increased, as well. “It looked as though the THC treatment turned back the molecular clock,” Zimmer commented.

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Brussels Sprouts Have As Much Vitamin C As Oranges – And Plenty Of Other Health Benefits

Quadram Institute, December 22, 2022

For many people, Christmas dinner is not complete without a side helping of Brussels sprouts. Indeed, they are Britain’s favourite Christmas dinner vegetable. But if you’re not a convert, perhaps these health benefits will convince you to give them a second chance. Sprouts belong to the wholesome family of cruciferous or brassica vegetables, including cabbage, kale and broccoli. As with all brassica, Brussels sprouts are packed with fibre, which is good for keeping the beneficial bacteria in your gut happy. They also provide essential minerals, such as potassium and calcium, to keep your muscle and bones healthy. They are rich in vitamins K and C, supporting a healthy immune system and bones. Pound for pound, you’ll get more vitamin C from them when eaten raw than from oranges. Cooked Brussels sprouts still contain vitamin C, though – about the same pound for pound as you’d get from orange juice and raw oranges.Most importantly, Brussels sprouts are rich in a wide range of natural chemicals, such as carotenoids and polyphenols, that have been linked to good health. They are particularly abundant in sulphur-containing compounds called glucosinolates. Several scientific studies have shown that these sulphurous compounds are potent antioxidants that can promote health by preventing cell damage. Several studies have also shown that consuming more of these glucosinolates from cruciferous vegetables, including Brussels sprouts, broccoli, kale and cabbage, are associated with a reduced risk of developing a wide range of cancers. Research continues collecting more evidence of their benefits, but the best advice to keep in mind is to try to consume roughly five portions of brassica vegetables weekly and to vary the options.