The Gary Null Show

The Gary Null Show - 08.19.22

VIDEOS:
Dr. Ryan Cole: Covid Vaccine Side Effects Are Like A Nuclear Bomb (10:00)
We don’t need the CIA – The Chris Hedges Report (10:00)
 
GlyNAC supplementation reverses aging hallmarks in aging humansBaylor College of Medicine, August 19, 2022
A randomized, double blind human clinical trial conducted by researchers at Baylor College of Medicine reveals that supplementation with GlyNAC—a combination of glycine and N-acetylcysteine—improves many age-associated defects in older humans and powerfully promotes healthy aging. This is relevant because until now, there have been no solutions toward improving many of these age-related declines in people.
Published in The Journals of Gerontology: Series A, the study shows that older humans taking GlyNAC for 16-weeks improved many characteristic defects of aging. This includes oxidative stress, glutathione deficiency and multiple aging hallmarks affecting mitochondrial dysfunction, mitophagy, inflammation, insulin resistance, endothelial dysfunction, genomic damage, stem cell fatigue and cellular senescence. These were associated with improvements in muscle strength, gait speed, exercise capacity, waist circumference and blood pressure.
The improvements in oxidative stress, glutathione levels and mitochondrial function in the muscle tissue of older humans taking GlyNAC were similar to the improvements in organs such as the heart, liver and kidneys of aged mice supplemented with GlyNAC as reported in the researchers’ recent publication. Taken together, the results of these studies show that GlyNAC supplementation can improve these defects in many different organs of the body. “GlyNAC supplementation in aging mice increased their length of life mice by 24%,” said Sekhar. “Gait speed is reported to be associated with survival in older humans. Our randomized clinical trial found a significant improvement in gait speed in older humans supplemented with GlyNAC. This raises the interesting question of whether GlyNAC supplementation could have implications for survival in people.”
Mitochondria generate energy needed for supporting cellular functions. However, the ability of mitochondria to work well declines as we age. How to improve the ability of these failing mitochondria to work is not well understood, and therefore no solutions have been available. Sekhar’s group discovered earlier that supplementing GlyNAC in aged mice corrected malfunctioning mitochondria. However, to definitively determine whether GlyNAC supplementation benefited people, a placebo-controlled randomized clinical trial was required.
After 16-weeks of GlyNAC supplementation, mitochondrial function of older people improve toward levels found in young people. This was accompanied by improvements in multiple additional outcomes as reported in the publication. Analysis of the molecular data from the trial suggests that the GlyNAC supplementation is able to fill cells with younger and more efficient mitochondria. “Collectively these exciting new discoveries hold great promise for improving our mitochondrial and general health as we age,” Sekhar said.
A second vital benefit offered by supplementing GlyNAC is that it also helps protect the body from an important problem called oxidative stress. GlyNAC supplementation corrects glutathione deficiency and lowers oxidative stress in older humans back to youthful levels, thereby solving both problems.
“One of the intriguing questions from this trial is why so many improvements occur toward promoting health. We believe that this is due to the combined effort of three separate components—glycine, cysteine (from NAC) and glutathione, and not just due to glutathione itself. Glycine and cysteine are both very important for cellular health on their own, and GlyNAC provides both. Glycine and cysteine are building blocks to form glutathione, which also has health benefits. We believe that the improvements in this trial and in our previous studies are the result of the combined effects of glycine and NAC and glutathione, and we refer to this combination as the ‘Power of 3,'” said Sekhar.
GlyNAC supplementation improved muscle strength in the upper and lower extremity and a trend toward increased exercise capacity. “These findings could have additional implications for improving the health of older humans, especially in terms of being able to be more physically active,” said Sekhar.
High-fructose corn syrup consumption in adolescence impairs learning and memory
University of Southern California, August 12, 2022
Because most corn in America is genetically modified to kill corn “pests,” no human on Earth should be eating it, especially every day. This is now being proven by scientists who run tests on animals in laboratories and have concluded that high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) and sucrose can impair an adolescent animal’s ability to learn, and it can impair its ability to remember information. And that brings us to the rat genome.
Research reveals a difference between adult animals that consume HFCS-sweetened beverages and adolescent animals that consume the same. The amounts of HFCS used in the research were very similar to the amounts of GMO sugar found in common soft drinks. The study was conducted over one month. The lead author of the study said it’s no secret that soft drinks can lead to not only metabolic disturbances but interference with the brain’s ability to function normally and remember “critical information” about one’s environment.
Dr. Scott Kanoski from the University of Southern California explained, “The hippocampus is such a critical brain region for memory function. In many ways this region is a canary in the coal mine, as it is particularly sensitive to insult by various environmental factors, including eating foods that are high in saturated fat and processed sugar.”
Music More Effective Than Drugs At Releasing Brain’s PainkillersMcGill University (Montreal), August 11, 2022
400 published scientific papers have proven the old adage that “music is medicine.” Neurochemical benefits of music can improve the body’s immune system, reduce anxiety levels and help regulate mood in ways that drugs have difficulty competing.
“We’ve found compelling evidence that musical interventions can play a health care role in settings ranging from operating rooms to family clinics,” says Prof. Levitin of McGill University’s Psychology Department. “But even more importantly, we were able to document the neurochemical mechanisms by which music has an effect in four domains: management of mood, stress, immunity and as an aid to social bonding.”
Like other pleasurable experiences, there are two components to enjoying music: anticipation of hearing your favourite song, and then actually hearing it. The brain signalling chemical dopamine, which is linked to reward, is involved in both phases. But neuroscientists have wondered for decades whether there was more to it — what gives music its power to induce euphoria?
The brain’s natural opioids could be key. Professor Levitin’s team showed that blocking opioid signals in the brain by giving people a drug called naltrexone reduces the amount of pleasure they report getting from their favourite song. They still enjoy the anticipation of hearing the song just as much, suggesting that, although dopamine is involved, it’s when the opioids kick in that music really starts to affect our minds.
A flood of opioids would also explain music’s effect on our body. Listening to music is known to raise people’s pain thresholds, so much so that in some cases, it can be used to reduce the need for morphine-like painkillers. In their analysis, Levitin’s team surveyed over 400 papers, looking for patterns in the scientific evidence supporting the claim that music can affect brain chemistry in a positive way. They succeeded in isolating four areas where music can help:
Reward, motivation, and pleasure (to help with eating disorders, as an example)Stress and arousal (to help reduce anxiety)Immunity (to strengthen the body’s immune system and slow-down age related decline)Social affiliation (to assist in trust building and social bonding)The researchers connected these areas with four primary neuro-chemical systems:
Dopamine and opioidsCortisol (and related hormones)Serotonin (and related hormones)Oxytocin
“We know music facilitates active neurochemical processes in a symphony of opioids which pharmaceutical intervention has been unable to match,” said Dr. Francis Chandra commenting on the study.
Calcium & magnesium reduce risk of metabolic syndrome: 9000-strong study
Case Western Reserve University, August 14, 2022
Calcium and magnesium may reduce the risk of metabolic syndrome – but men need above and beyond recommended levels for this effect, say researchers.
The researchers from the Case Western Reserve University in the US used 9,148 adults to test the theory that higher dietary intakes of calcium and magnesium decreased the risk of metabolic syndrome.
Using 24-hour recalls as part of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Study, they found women who met the US recommended dietary allowance (RDA) for both magnesium (310–320 mg per day) and calcium (1000–1200 mg per day) saw the greatest decrease in risk of metabolic syndrome. The European RDA for magnesium is 375 mg and 800 mg for calcium.
Meanwhile, they did not see the same association for men meeting the RDA for magnesium (400–420 mg per day) and calcium (1000–1200 mg per day), individually or in combination. However, when these intakes were increased to over 386 mg for magnesium and over 1224 mg per day for calcium, the odds of metabolic syndrome for the men was lowered.
“The underlying mechanisms driving the differences we and others have observed by sex are not well understood and warrant additional mechanistic studies,” the researchers wrote.
The study measured serum triglyceride, high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol and glucose levels as markers of the condition
Treadmill exercise shown to improve Parkinson’s symptoms in miceRush University Medical Center, August 18, 2022
Regular treadmill exercise helped improve Parkinson’s disease symptoms in mice in a recent study by researchers at RUSH University Medical Center. The results of the study were recently published in the Cell Reports.
“We’re very excited about the results,” said Kalipada Pahan, Ph.D., Floyd A. Davis, MD, Endowed Chair in Neurology and professor of neurological sciences, biochemistry, pharmacology at the RUSH University Medical Center. “Our hope is that we can use this as a jumping off point for furthering our ability to help Parkinson’s patients manage their symptoms.”
In the study, scientists found positive results in using regular treadmill exercise to stop the spread of the α-synuclein protein and reverse biochemical, cellular, and anatomical changes that occur in the brains of mice with Parkinson’s disease in the absence of any drugs. The mice in the trial ran on a treadmill consistently in 30-minute intervals for six days a week, over the course of two months.
The findings are key in the ongoing research of Parkinson’s, but Pahan and his team were quick to note that while treadmill exercise is something that can be easily available and accessible, some patients with Parkinson’s might not be able to run on a treadmill daily.
“Once patients are diagnosed with these neurodegenerative disorders, there are no drugs available for halting the disease progression,” Pahan said. “Understanding how the treadmill helps the brain is important to developing treadmill-associated drugs that can inhibit α-synuclein pathology, protect the brain, and stop the progression of Lewy body diseases.”
30 Minutes of Reading a Day Could Add Years to Your Life
University of Sussex (UK) and Yale University, August 7, 2022
Past studies have shown that reading books can benefit people in a multitude of ways, physically, mentally, and intellectually. Now in a new study, people who read a book for about 30 minutes a day were found to live approximately 2 years longer than those who didn’t read at all.
In previous research, curling up with a good book has been shown to improve people’s social skills by improving their ability to read the thoughts and feelings of others.
Researchers at the University of Sussex in England found that reading was “the most effective way to overcome stress” – even better than listening to music, having a cup of tea, or going for a walk.
Reading has also been proven to be a great way to keep the mind sharp, and may reduce mental decline by 32%, helping to prevent Alzheimer’s disease.
For the new study, researchers from Yale University analyzed data on 3,635 people age 50 and older. The participants were divided into 3 groups – those who didn’t read at all, those who read up to 30 minutes a day, and those who read for longer than 3.5 hours per week.
Those who read the most tended to be women with college educations and high incomes.
The researchers said that book readers appear to have a “significant survival advantage” over people who don’t read books. The study didn’t address whether reading on a Kindle or other tablet device counted, but it did find that book readers in general lived an average of 2 years longer than non-readers.
Specifically, the researchers found that people who read up to 3.5 hours a week were 17% less likely to die over the study’s 12-year follow-up period than participants who read no books. This was after accounting for the participants’ age, race, self-reported health, depression, employment, and marital status.
Compared with those who didn’t read books, those who read for more than 3.5 hours a week were 23% less likely to die overall.

The Gary Null Show - 08.18.22

Videos:
Dr. Ryan Cole: Covid Vaccine Side Effects Are Like A Nuclear Bomb
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Consuming green vegetables, supplements suppresses inflammatory bowel disease
Sichuan University in China and from Cedars Sinai Medical Center, August 17, 2022
The dietary supplement chlorophyllin alleviates inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), including Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, according to researchers from the Center for Diabetes and Metabolism Research at Sichuan University in China and from Cedars Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. In addition, chlorophyllin significantly reduces mortality related to IBD, weight loss, diarrhea and hidden blood in the stool, intestinal epithelial damage and infiltration of inflammatory cells. The findings are published ahead of print in the American Journal of Physiology-Gastrointestinal and Liver Physiology, and the study has been chosen as an APS select article for August. Current therapeutics for IBD include medications that suppress the immune system (immunosuppressants) and surgery. However, long-term use of immunosuppressive treatments could result in severe adverse effects, including opportunistic infections and even organ failure. In this study, researchers found taking an oral chlorophyllin supplement—a compound derived from the green pigment found in plants—reduced colitis and abnormalities in the intestinal epithelia of mice. Also, consumption of green vegetables and chlorophyllin may be helpful for IBD recovery, in part through alleviation of inflammation and autolysosomal flux (a process that uses lysosome to degrade and remove toxic molecules and organelles). Green pigment found in these foods and supplements can initiate a feeding signaling to modulate autophagy in the cells, which suppresses IBD symptoms.
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Coriander is a potent weapon against antibiotic resistant bacteria
University of Beira Interior (Portugal) August 10, 2022
The problem of antibiotic resistant bacteria has been deemed a public health crisis, with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reporting that invasive MRSA – or methicillin-resistant S. aureus – infections affect 80,000 people globally a year, and claim over 11,000 lives. But, what the CDC will never tell you is how coriander can potentially save lives. Researchers in Portugal now say that that the oil from coriander – a common kitchen spice – is quite toxic to a wide range of harmful bacteria, leading to hopes that it may be enlisted in the fight against MRSA and other pathogens. The scientific research about coriander is promisingResearchers at University of Beira Interior used flow cytometry to study the effects of coriander oil on 12 different disease-causing types of bacteria, including E. coli, Salmonella, B. cereus and MRSA. In the study, published in Journal of Medical Microbiology, the oil significantly inhibited bacterial growth – especially that of MRSA and E. coli.
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Tumour blood supply stopped in its tracks by modified natural compound
University of New South Wales (Australia), August 10, 2022
Researchers have discovered how the modified natural compound dextran-catechin disrupts formation of blood vessels that fuel growth in the childhood cancer neuroblastoma. Researchers have discovered how a modified natural compound disrupts angiogenesis, the formation of blood vessel networks, in neuroblastoma tumours, stopping them laying down the vital supply lines that fuel cancer growth and spread. Dextran catechin is a sugar based conjugated form of catechin commonly found in green tea, red wine, dark chocolate and apple peels. Lead author Dr Orazio Vittorio of Children’s Cancer Institute found that the natural polyphenol catechin slows tumour growth in the laboratory but breaks down too quickly in the body to be effective.
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Researchers discover how DDT exposure contributes to Alzheimer’s disease risk
Florida International University and Rutgers University, August 17, 2022
A new study led by researchers from Florida International University and Rutgers reveals a mechanism linking the pesticide DDT to Alzheimer’s disease. Published in Environmental Health Perspectives, the study shows how the persistent environmental pollutant DDT causes increased amounts of toxic amyloid beta, which form the characteristic amyloid plaques found in the brains of those with Alzheimer’s disease. According to Jason Richardson, professor at FIU’s Robert Stempel College of Public Health & Social Work and corresponding author, the study further demonstrates that DDT is an environmental risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease.”The vast majority of research on the disease has been on genetics—and genetics are very important—but the genes that actually cause the disease are very rare,” Richardson says. “Environmental risk factors like exposure to DDT are modifiable. So, if we understand how DDT affects the brain, then perhaps we could target those mechanisms and help the people who have been highly exposed.” The study focused on sodium channels, which the nervous system uses to communicate between brain cells (neurons), as the potential mechanism. DDT causes these channels to remain open, leading to increased firing of neurons and increased release of amyloid-beta peptides. In the study, researchers demonstrate that if neurons are treated with tetrodotoxin, a compound that blocks sodium channels in the brain, the increased production of the amyloid precursor protein and toxic amyloid-beta species is prevented. “This finding could potentially provide a roadmap to future therapies for people highly exposed to DDT,” Richardson says.
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Study shows how food preservatives may disrupt human hormones and promote obesity
Cedars-Sinai Medicine Institute, August 9, 2022
Can chemicals that are added to breakfast cereals and other everyday products make you obese? Growing evidence from animal experiments suggests the answer may be “yes.” But confirming these findings in humans has faced formidable obstacles – until now. A new study published in Nature Communications details how Cedars-Sinai investigators developed a novel platform and protocol for testing the effects of chemicals known as endocrine disruptors on humans. The three chemicals tested in this study are abundant in modern life. Butylhydroxytoluene (BHT) is an antioxidant commonly added to breakfast cereals and other foods to protect nutrients and keep fats from turning rancid; perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) is a polymer found in some cookware, carpeting and other products; and tributyltin (TBT) is a compound in paints that can make its way into water and accumulate in seafood. The investigators used hormone-producing tissues grown from human stem cells to demonstrate how chronic exposure to these chemicals can interfere with signals sent from the digestive system to the brain that let people know when they are “full” during meals. When this signaling system breaks down, people often may continue eating, causing them to gain weight.
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Standing desks can improve well-being, reduce stress among office workers
University of Leicester (UK), August 17 2022
Standing desks can improve workers’ performance as well as cut their time sitting by an hour each day, according to new research. Study authors add that getting up from an office chair also boosts well-being and energy levels, while reducing stress. “High levels of sitting time are associated with several health related outcomes and premature mortality, with high levels of workplace sitting associated with low vigor and job performance and high levels of presenteeism.” Presenteeism is the practice of being present at one’s place of work for more hours than is required, especially as a manifestation of insecurity about one’s job. Sedentary lifestyles increase the risk of chronic conditions including cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, depression, anxiety, and cancer.

The Gary Null Show - 08.17.22

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Study: Regular consumption of citrus fruits can reduce dementia risk by 15%
Tohoku University (Japan), August 4, 2022
Dementia continues to affect more people worldwide, and countries with aging populations like Japan are especially vulnerable. To address this matter, researchers from Tohoku University studied the health benefits of eating citrus fruits. According to the study findings, regular consumption of citrus fruits like oranges, grapefruits, lemons or limes could help reduce the risk of dementia among older adults by almost 15 percent. The research team hopes that the dietary approach could be both a simple and effective solution for dementia prevention. Findings from some cell and animal experiments have shown that citrus flavonoids can cross the blood-brain barrier and play a part in antioxidant and anti-inflammatory actions. Earlier studies suggest that this could help reverse and repair some forms of cellular damage.
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Olive oil consumption found to reduce risk of death due to cancer, heart disease and Alzheimer’s
Harvard School of Public Health, August 14, 2022
According to a study, replacing butter or full-dairy fat with half a tablespoon or more of olive oil can help increase your chances of living longer. The study was conducted by experts from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and published in the American Journal of Cardiology. The study revealed that people who used seven grams or more (at least half a tablespoon) of olive oil as a dressing or with bread had a reduced risk of dying from Alzheimer’s disease, cancer, heart disease or respiratory disease compared to those who rarely or never consumed olive oil. Findings also showed that replacing 10 grams a day (about 3/4 tablespoons ) of butter, margarine, mayo or dairy fat with the same amount of olive oil was linked to an impressive eight to 34 percent lower risk of disease-related death. For the study, the researchers analyzed data from 60,582 healthy adult women and 31,801 healthy adult men from the Nurses’ Health Study and the Health Professionals Follow-up Study. During the 28-year follow-up, the volunteers had a diet assessment every four years that asked them how often they consumed certain foods, fats and oils on average. The assessment also checked which brand or type of oils they used for cooking or at the table.
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Cutting 1 gram from daily salt intake could ward off nearly 9 million cases of stroke/heart disease
British Medical Journal, August 16, 2022
A modest cut of just 1 gram in daily salt intake could ward off nearly 9 million cases of heart disease and strokes and save 4 million lives by 2030, suggest the estimates of a modeling study published in the open access journal BMJ Nutrition Prevention & Health. Salt intake in China is one of the highest in the world, averaging 11 g/day—over twice the amount recommended by the Chinese government. High salt intake drives up blood pressure and therefore the risk of cardiovascular disease, which accounts for 40% of all deaths in China every year. The researchers set out to estimate the health gains that could be achieved by reducing salt intake across the nation, with the aim of helping to inform the development of a doable salt reduction program.
Given that, on average, adults in China consume 11 g/day of salt, reducing this by 1 g/day should lower average systolic blood pressure by about 1.2 mmHg. And if this reduction were achieved in a year and sustained, some 9 million cases of heart disease and stroke could be prevented by 2030—4 million of them fatal.
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Getting Adequate Amount Of Vitamin D Prevents Harmful Inflammation
University of South Australia, August 7, 2022
A little bit of inflammation is integral to the human body’s natural healing process. Chronic inflammation, however, can actually have the opposite effect. Constantly high levels increase one’s risk of various serious diseases including but not limited to Type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and various autoimmune conditions. Now, a study by scientists at the University of South Australia reports a direct link between low levels of vitamin D and high levels of inflammation. This is the world’s first ever genetic research project to focus on this topic. Study authors believe their work establishes an invaluable biomarker for identifying individuals at a higher risk of developing chronic illnesses with an inflammatory component. The research team used Mendelian randomization on the genetic data of 294 ,970 participants enrolled in the UK Biobank project. That analysis revealed a clear association between vitamin D and C-reactive protein levels, considered an indicator of inflammation.
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Four Natural Options for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
GreenMedInfo, August 16th 2022
Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) is a complex long-term disorder affecting over 2 million Americans that is characterized by extreme fatigue and malaise that doesn’t improve with rest.[i] A whopping 90% of chronic fatigue sufferers are undiagnosed[ii] and may find it difficult to carry on with normal activities such as work, school and household chores. At least 1 in 4 CFS patients are house-bound or bed-bound for long periods of time due to the disorder. While some studies demonstrate correlation between CFS and autoimmune system dysregulation,[v],[vi] the cause of CFS, also referred to as myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), is still unknown. There is no known cure for CFS, with treatment generally focusing on symptom relief.We’ve identified four of the best natural options for chronic fatigue syndrome to provide safe, effective support to revitalize your body and spirit.
Nicotinamide Adenine Dinucleotide (NADH)
An essential element in the production of energy, nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH) is a coenzyme found in every cell in the human body. NADH is a critical factor in hundreds of metabolic processes, including healthy cell turnover (antiaging), converting food into energy and maintaining the integrity of DNA,[ix] an important factor in disease prevention.
NADH has been studied extensively as a therapeutic for CFS, including a study comparing oral NADH with conventional therapy consisting of nutritional supplements and psychological therapy for a period of 24 months. To rule out specific comorbidities, immunological parameters and viral antibody titers were also evaluated at baseline and each trimester of therapy. Patients who received NADH had a dramatic and statistically significant reduction in symptoms during the first trimester.[x]
Another trial on the stabilized oral form of NADH examined 26 qualified patients over a 12-week double-blind, placebo-controlled study. Subjects were randomized to receive either 10 milligrams (mg) of NADH or placebo for a four-week period, followed by a four-week “washout” period, after which subjects were switched to the alternate treatment for a final four-week period.
Within this cohort of 26 subjects, eight patients, or 31%, responded favorably to NADH compared to just 8% (two patients) of the placebo group, with no severe adverse reactions related to treatment.[xi]
Astragalus
Astragalus is a traditional herbal remedy known for its adaptogenic qualities, meaning it can help protect the body from damage due to oxidative stress. A powerful antioxidant, astragalus is used to protect and support immunity, as a preventative against colds and upper respiratory tract infections, and to regulate healthy blood pressure, among other uses.[xii] Astragalus can even be applied topically for wound care thanks to antiviral properties.
A 2009 study focused on the herbal formula Myelophil, a combination of two traditional medicinal plants, Astragalus membranaceus and Salvia miltiorrhiza, a member of the sage family. The Myelophil extract was given to the treatment cohort in either low- or high-dose groups of 3 or 6 grams of Myelophil daily. A control group was provided with a placebo and all groups were monitored for four weeks.
Patients were surveyed for symptom severity and blood antibody arrays were taken to measure inflammatory cytokines, an important marker of disease symptoms. Results showed that even at low dosage (3 grams), Myelophil significantly decreased fatigue severity compared with placebo, though no changes in cytokine expression were noted.[xiii]
Probiotics
Probiotics have garnered the health spotlight in recent years, owing to their ability to support and protect the digestive tract. But probiotics can do more than improve gut health — they may also boost your brain and improve your mood.
Brain fog is a key side effect of CFS and a potentially devastating one when it comes to impact on daily functioning. The same can be said for depression, another common hallmark of CFS. Studies reflecting the mood-boosting, clarity-producing effects of probiotics are cause for optimism for sufferers of chronic fatigue.
A 2018 study in the journal Beneficial Microbes points to the role gut microbiota may play in CFS and fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS), which shares many features of CFS. A systematic review of studies was performed in this meta-analysis, encompassing randomized controlled trials and pilot studies of CFS or FMS conducted between 2006 and 2016. The administration of Lactobacillus casei for eight weeks was found to reduce anxiety scores, while treatment with Bifidobacterium infantis for the same period reduced inflammatory biomarkers.[xiv]
Unhealthful intestinal ecology may play a role in CFS, as it plays a part in the health of the immune system. A 2009 study on probiotics’ effects on energy level and symptomology for CFS patients found that, after four weeks of probiotic supplementation with strains of lactobacillus, acidophilus and Bifidobacterium, patients reported improved neurocognitive functions, though fatigue and physical activity scores were not significantly affected.[xv]
Antioxidant Formulas
Supplementing with antioxidants is another way to boost your body’s defenses against the damaging effects of free radicals. By increasing the amount of antioxidant enzymes available to your cells, you may be able to prevent or even reverse the effects of oxidative stress that can cause systemic inflammation and fatigue.
Oxidative stress as a factor in CFS was studied by researchers using a mouse model that stressed mice via chronic swimming. Mice treated with melatonin — a hormone with antioxidant effects — carvedilol — a medication that is 10 times more potent than vitamin E[xvi] — were observed to have significantly reduced immobilityperiods each day.[xvii]
Similar results were observed when mice were administered an oral herbal compound (Withania somnifera (100 mg/kg), quercetin (50 mg/kg) and St. John’s wort (10 mg/kg).)[xviii] These treatments further caused a significant reduction in lipid peroxidation, a sign of oxidative stress, and restored the GSH (glutathione) levels decreased by chronic swimming.[xix]

The Gary Null Show - 08.16.22

VIDEOS:
The fight for water | DW Documentary
 
New study shows Rhodiola rosea root might be beneficial for managing type 2 diabetes
University of California at Irvine, August 15, 2022
A team of researchers led by the University of California, Irvine has discovered that treatment with an extract from the roots of the Rhodiola rosea plant might be effective for helping manage type 2 diabetes, showing promise as a safe and effective non-pharmaceutical alternative. The study, recently published online in Scientific Reports, found that in a mouse model of human type 2 diabetes, Rhodiola rosea lowered fasting blood sugar levels, improved response to insulin injections, modulated the composition of bacteria in the gastrointestinal tract and decreased several biomarkers of inflammation. The team utilized a genetically engineered mouse model that develops obesity, insulin resistance and high blood sugar, similar to advanced human type 2 diabetes, to test whether Rhodiola rosea could improve glucose homeostasis. In the study, cohorts of age-matched male and female mice were randomly assigned to one of two groups: control, which received water, or experimental, which received Rhodiola rosea extract.
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Meta-analysis concludes benefits for selenium supplementation in cognitively impaired individuals
Instituto de Pesquisa Pelé Pequeno Príncipe (Brazil), August 15 2022. 
A systematic review and meta-analysis published  in Nutrients found that supplementing with selenium was associated with improved levels of the mineral and the antioxidant enzyme glutathione peroxidase, as well as better cognitive function among patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or Alzheimer disease (AD). “For the first time, our study demonstrated, through a systematic review and meta-analysis, the possible benefits of selenium supplementation on selenium levels in patients with MCI or AD, as well as on markers of oxidative stress and on cognitive test performance,” Meire Ellen Pereira and colleagues wrote. Among studies that evaluated the effects of selenium without other nutrients, selenium measured in plasma, serum, red blood cells or cerebrospinal fluid increased among participants who received the mineral while remaining essentially the same or lower in the control groups. The meta-analysis determined that supplementing with selenium increased selenium levels by an average of 4 times in plasma, 1.88 times in serum, 3.73 times in red blood cells and 2.18 times in cerebrospinal fluid. 
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Skip the elevator: A 15-minute walk can help your brain fight off Alzheimer’s
German Center for Neurodegenerative Disease, August 15 2022
Older people can stave off Alzheimer’s disease with a daily 15-minute walk or other physical activities, according to new research. Researchers in Germany say moderate physical activity boosts all areas of the brain, especially those involved in memory. Staying active also benefits people over 70 the most. They see the biggest increase in grey matter, compared to their “couch potato” peers. “Our study results indicate that even small behavioral changes, such as walking 15 minutes a day or taking the stairs instead of the elevator, may have a substantial positive effect on the brain and potentially counteract age-related loss of brain matter and the development of neurodegenerative diseases. In particular, older adults can already profit from modest increases of low intensity physical activity.”
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Antioxidants in fruit boosts immunity and protects thymus gland Scripps Research Institute, August 8, 2022
Eating fruit and vegetables or taking antioxidant supplements may combat one of the most harmful aspects of aging by protecting a vital immune system organ, research suggests. Scientists demonstrated how ageing sabotaged the thymus gland, weakening the immune system and putting the elderly at greater risk of infection. But the irreversible damage could be reduced by the action of antioxidants such as vitamin C. Experiments showed that antioxidants – which are abundant in many fruits and vegetables – cut down the destruction wrought by a highly reactive by-product of normal metabolism. In studies on mice, animals given vitamin C and another antioxidant used in human medicine experienced significantly less age-related deterioration of the thymus. US lead scientist Dr Howard Petrie, from the Scripps Research Institute in San Diego, California, said: “The thymus ages more rapidly than any other tissue in the body, diminishing the ability of older individuals to respond to new immunologic challenges, including evolving pathogens and vaccines. Its function is to manufacture T-cells, essential immune system cells in the front-line of the body’s defences against harmful foreign invaders and cancer.
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Modern Processed Diets Are Coding DNA and Gut Bacteria To Pass On Poor Immune Functions To Our Children
Yale University and Erlangen-Nuremberg University, August 6, 2022
A team of scientists from Yale University in the U.S and the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, in Germany, has said that junk food diets could be partly to blame for the sharp increase in autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis, including alopecia, asthma and eczema. The new stark warnings come in a review published in Nutrition Journal, which analysed the impact that the modern Western diet has on immune function and risk of ill-health related to poor immunity and inflammation."While today's modern diet may provide beneficial protection from micro- and macronutrient deficiencies, our over abundance of calories and the macronutrients that compose our diet may all lead to increased inflammation, reduced control of infection, increased rates of cancer, and increased risk for allergic and auto-inflammatory disease," warned Myles in his review. Each person harbors a unique and varied collection of bacteria that's the result of life history as well as their interactions with the environment, diet and medication use. Western diet and lifestyles consisting of fast and processed foods are leading to a lower diversity of bacteria in the gut, say researchers. Of potentially greatest concern, our poor dietary behaviours are encoded into both our DNA scaffolding and gut microbiome, and thus these harmful immune modifications are passed to our offspring during their most critical developmental window.
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The aging heart accumulates mutations—while losing the ability to repair them
Children's Hospital Boston, August 12, 2022
Why does the risk of heart disease go up as we age? Known risk factors such as hypertension or high cholesterol don't explain all cases. A first-of-its-kind study from Boston Children's Hospital now shows that the cells that make up our heart muscle accumulate new genetic mutations over time—while losing the ability to repair them.
The findings were published in the journal Nature Aging.
The research team, led by Sangita Choudhury, Ph.D., and August Yue Huang, Ph.D., in the Division of Genetics and Genomics at Boston Children's, sequenced the entire genomes of 56 individual heart muscle cells, known as cardiomyocytes, from 12 people across the age spectrum—from infancy to 82 years—who had died from causes unrelated to heart disease.
 

The Gary Null Show - 08.15.22

Videos :
Neil Oliver: 'It's hard to tell yourself you've been taken for a fool but open your eyes'
We don’t need the CIA - The Chris Hedges Report
 
Researchers propose new treatment to prevent kidney stones – HCA in Garcinia Cambogia
University of Houston, August 8, 2022 
 Researchers have found evidence that a natural fruit extract is capable of dissolving calcium oxalate crystals, the most common component of human kidney stones. This finding could lead to the first advance in the treatment of calcium oxalate stones in 30 years.Jeffrey Rimer, associate professor of chemical engineering at the University of Houston, was lead author of the study, published in the online edition of Nature. The work offers the first evidence that the compound hydroxycitrate (HCA) is an effective inhibitor of calcium oxalate crystal growth that, under certain conditions, is actually able to dissolve these crystals. Researchers also explain how it works. Doctors tell patients who are at risk of developing stones to drink lots of water and avoid foods rich in oxalate, such as rhubarb, okra, spinach and almonds. They often recommend taking citrate (CA), in the form of potassium citrate, a supplement that can slow crystal growth, but some people are unable to tolerate the side effects.
(next)
Pomegranate improves synaptic function in experimental model of Alzheimer's disease
University of New South Wales August 11, 2022. 
An article published in the journal Oncotarget reports improvement in the loss of synaptic proteins that occurs with aging in association with pomegranate intake in a mouse model of Alzheimer's disease. Synapses are the connections that enable the transmission of messages between neurons. Impairment of synaptic plasticity—the ability of synapses to strengthen or weaken over time in response to variation in their activity—is one of several neurologic changes observed in Alzheimer's disease that contributes to cognitive impairment.
(next)
Yoga May Boost Aging Brains
Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein (Brazil), August 9, 2022 
Older women who practice yoga may have greater "thickness" in areas of the brain involved in memory and attention, a small study suggests. Researchers found that even compared with other healthy, active women their age, yoga practitioners typically had greater cortical thickness in the brain's left prefrontal cortex.The findings are based on one-time brain scans of fewer than 50 women—and they do not prove that yoga, itself, altered anyone's brain structure, according to senior researcher Elisa Kozasa.
The study does add to a bigger body of evidence on yoga and brain function, said Dr. Helen Lavretsky, a researcher who was not involved in the work. "This contributes to the evidence that yoga practice has neuroplastic effects on the brain that may translate into other health benefits—like better mood and cognition," said Lavretsky, a professor-in-residence of psychiatry at the UCLA Geffen School of Medicine.
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Resveratrol: The key to reducing elderly frailty?
Universidad Pablo de Olavide (Spain) , August 11, 2022
The so-called red wine nutrient resveratrol may help maintain muscle performance and reduce frailty in the elderly, research in mice has suggested.Using 48 young, mature and old mice models, the study found resveratrol improved muscle performance in the mature and old animals but not in the young. They found resveratrol – found in grapes, red wine, walnuts, peanuts and berries – “primed” the effect of exercise by increasing endurance, coordination and strength in the old animals as well as providing higher protection against oxidative damage and an increase in the mitochondrial mass responsible for the energy-generating process essential for cell metabolism.
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Ginkgo may enhance performance, boost brain health for active men
Poznan University (Poland), August 10, 2022
Extracts of Ginkgo biloba leaves may offer body and mind benefits for young, active men, according to a small supplementation trial from Poland. A daily 160 mg dose of a standardized extract of Ginkgo biloba for six weeks was associated with improvements of VO2max (maximal oxygen uptake) and blood antioxidant capacity, report scientists from the Jerzy Kukuczka Academy of Physical Education and the Poznan University of Physical Education. Writing in Nutrients , the scientists also note that Ginkgo supplementation resulted in increased production of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) during exercise. “BDNF is a molecular mediator of synaptic plasticity, hence, the BDNF signaling pathway is reduced in many neurodegenerative and psychiatric diseases,” they explained. Increasing BDNF levels, therefore, is considered beneficial. The results showed that VO2max increased in both groups, but the greatest increases were measured in the Ginkgo group. However, no statistical significance was found between the groups, which may be due to the dose – previous studies have shown benefits from higher doses.
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Is corn silk beneficial for diabetes?Jilin 
University in China study and University of Buffalo, August 2, 2022
Corn silk refers to the threads that grow on corn cobs. People have used corn silk as an herbal remedy for centuries in traditional Chinese and Native American medicine. Proponents suggest that it may have several medicinal applications, which may include reducing inflammation, blood pressure, and blood sugar.Corn silk, also known as Stigma Maydis, refers to a traditional Chinese medicine. 
Corn silk describes the thread-like strands that grow underneath the husk of a fresh ear of corn. These thin fibers contain plant compounds that may be responsible for various health benefits. Some evidence suggests that corn silk may possess antidiabetic properties.
A Jilin University in China study and University of Buffalo review suggest that corn silk, and its flavonoids, may possess antidiabetic benefits. The mouse study suggests that the antidiabetic properties of corn silk could make it a good candidate for a functional food or treatment for diabetes. Corn silk may help by slowing the absorption of starchy foods from the intestine. By slowing this process, blood glucose levels rise more steadily after meals, which avoids sudden blood sugar spikes. Corn silk has antioxidant and antiglycation properties that can provide protective effects for insulin-secreting cells.
A review of corn silk's medicinal benefits at Damietta University in Egypt suggests:
Antioxidant and anti-inflammatory: suggests that the compounds present in corn silk are rich in antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. This could provide a protective effect against different conditions. For example, a 2019 paper suggests it could protect against skin damage.
Antihyperlipidemia: Corn silk possesses anti-hyperlipidemic activity. It can help improve cholesterol levels and decrease the risk of cardiovascular conditions.
Lowering blood pressure: Corn silk can help lower blood pressure. Corn silk tea could help improve the effect of antihypertensive drugs and could offer a natural alternative treatment option.
Treating kidney stones: Researchers at Dalien Polytechnic University in China found that sugars present in corn silk can help reduce kidney damage and promote uric acid excretion. As such, corn silk could act as a dietary supplement to help reduce kidney stone formation.
Reduction of nephrotoxicity: Corn silk can help reduce kidney damage that may occur as a side effect of a certain anticancer drug. 

The Gary Null Show - 08.12.22

Moderna Clinical Trials Terribly Flawed — and FDA Knew It, Former Pharma Executive Tells RFK, Jr.
South African FM: ‘Patronizing bullying’ not acceptable
Prescription Playground: Why so many children are now taking ADHD drugs | 60 Minutes Australia
 
HEALTH NEWS
Chili peppers for a healthy gut: Spicy chemical may inhibit gut tumors
How Tart Cherries Reduce Inflammation and Oxidative Stress
Uncovering the links between diet, gut health and immunity
Southern-style diet ‘increases death risk’ in kidney disease patients
Could Hibiscus Tea be Better than High Blood Pressure Drugs?
Can breast milk feed a love of vegetables?
Chili peppers for a healthy gut: Spicy chemical may inhibit gut tumors
University of California, San Diego   August 1, 2022
Researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine report that dietary capsaicin — the active ingredient in chili peppers — produces chronic activation of a receptor on cells lining the intestines of mice, triggering a reaction that ultimately reduces the risk of colorectal tumors.
The receptor or ion channel, called TRPV1, was originally discovered in sensory neurons, where it acts as a sentinel for heat, acidity and spicy chemicals in the environment. TRPV1 was quickly described as a molecular ‘pain receptor.’ 
But Raz and colleagues have found that TPRV1 is also expressed by epithelial cells of the intestines, where it is activated by epidermal growth factor receptor or EGFR. EGFR is an important driver of cell proliferation in the intestines, whose epithelial lining is replaced approximately every four to six days.
“These results showed us that epithelial TRPV1 normally works as a tumor suppressor in the intestines,” said de Jong. In addition, molecular studies of human colorectal cancer samples recently uncovered multiple mutations in the TRPV1 gene, though Raz noted that currently there is no direct evidence that TRPV1 deficiency is a risk factor for colorectal cancer in humans.
The current study suggests one potential remedy might be spicy capsaicin, which acts as an irritant in mammals, generating a burning sensation in contact with tissue. 
The researchers fed capsaicin to mice genetically prone to developing multiple tumors in the gastrointestinal tract. The treatment resulted in a reduced tumor burden and extended the lifespans of the mice by more than 30 percent. The treatment was even more effective when combined with celecoxib, a COX-2 non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug already approved for treating some forms of arthritis and pain.
“Our data suggest that individuals at high risk of developing recurrent intestinal tumors may benefit from chronic TRPV1 activation,” said Raz. “We have provided proof-of-principle.”
How Tart Cherries Reduce Inflammation and Oxidative StressNorthumbria University (UK),  August 4, 2022Michigan researchers had previously shown that a cherry-enriched diet not only reduced overall body inflammation, but also reduced inflammation at key sites (belly fat, heart) known to affect heart disease risk in the obese.This study offers further promise that foods rich in antioxidants, such as cherries, could potentially reduce inflammation and have the potential to lower disease risk.”

Two daily doses of the tart cherry concentrate was associated with significantly lower levels of interleukin-6 (IL-6) and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP), compared to placebo, according to findings published in Nutrients.

”This is the first study to investigate the impact of cherries on systemic inflammatory and oxidative stress induced by a series of metabolically challenging cycling bouts. Despite both groups demonstrating a similar drop off in performance and no differences in time trial performance, the results show that both oxidative stress and inflammatory responses were attenuated with Montmorency cherry concentrate supplementation versus placebo.” 

”With millions of Americans looking for ways to naturally manage pain, it’s promising that tart cherries can help, without the possible side effects often associated with arthritis medications,” said Kerry Kuehl, M.D, Dr.PH., M.S., Oregon Health & Science University, principal study investigator. “I’m intrigued by the potential for a real food to offer such a powerful anti-inflammatory benefit — especially for active adults.”

Darren E. Huxley, MD says that a natural alternatives to pain medications are proving effective without unwanted side effects. “In this case we have cherries, another potent, natural antioxidant proving to be as, if not more effective than pain medications because of the ability for sustained long-term use without side effects in common anti-inflammatory drugs.Tart cherries have also been shown to contain naturally high levels of melatonin, a key compound in the human sleep-and-wake cycle, and new research in the European Journal of Nutrition confirms that melatonin from tart cherries is absorbed by humans.

In 2001, Burkhardt et al. even observed that the Montmorency variety, in particular, contains about six times more melatonin than the Balaton variety. 
Uncovering the links between diet, gut health and immunity
University of Sydney, August 5, 2022
A preclinical study from the University of Sydney has found a high-protein diet can change the microbiota of the gut, triggering an immune response. Researchers say the study takes us a step closer to understanding the way diet impacts gut health and immunity.
“The focus of our work is on how the gut microbiota—the trillions of bacteria that inhabit the gut—affects the immune system,” said Associate Professor Laurence Macia from the University’s Charles Perkins Center and Faculty of Medicine and Health.
Traditionally, however, scientists have focused on the role of dietary fiber in maintaining a healthy gut.
In this first-of-its-kind study, published in Nature Communications, the team from the Charles Perkins Center used sophisticated modeling to explore the impact of 10 diets with a different makeup of macronutrients—protein, fats and carbohydrate in mice.
Mice fed a high protein diet increased their production of bacterial extracellular vesicles, complex cargo containing bacterial information such as DNA and protein. The body subsequently viewed this activity as a threat and triggered a sequence of events where immune cells traveled into the gut wall.
“Here we found protein had a huge impact on the gut microbiota and it was not so much about the type of bacteria that were there, but the type of activity. In essence, we discovered a new way of communication between the gut bacteria and the host which was mediated by protein,” said Associate Professor Macia.
While it is too early to say if this research might translate in humans, the researchers say activation of the immune system can prove either good or bad news.
“By increasing antibodies in the gut you may see strong protection against potential pathogens, for example salmonella, but on the downside, an activated immune system could mean you are at increased risk of colitis, an inflammatory bowel disease, or autoimmune conditions like Crohn’s,” said lead author and post-doctoral researcher Jian Tan.
The results appear consistent with the population impacts of modern-day diets, with the Western world seeing lower rates of gastrointestinal infection but higher rates of chronic disease. 
Southern-style diet ‘increases death risk’ in kidney disease patients
University of Alabama  1 August 2022
New research published in the National Kidney Foundation’s American Journal of Kidney Diseases suggests that eating a “Southern-style diet” is linked with higher death rates in kidney disease patients.
Investigating the influence of diet on kidney disease patients, the researchers studied  3,972 participants with stage 3-5 chronic kidney disease who had not started dialysis. Analyzing the dietary habits of the participants, the researchers found that those who regularly consumed foods familiar to Southern diets had a 50% increase in risk of death across the 6.5-year follow-up period.
Foods that the authors identify as being part of a Southern diet include processed and fried foods, organ meats and sweetened beverages.
Could Hibiscus Tea be Better than High Blood Pressure Drugs?
Tufts University,  August 4th, 2022
Naturally healing foods, including hibiscus, don’t carry the side effects of pharmaceuticals and can often offer similar (or better) benefits, without padding the pockets of Big Pharma companies. This is one example of a natural solution for high blood pressure.
When it comes to high blood pressure, a completely preventable condition, there are many natural solutions. Things like cayenne pepper, apple cider vinegar, and celery are just a few alternatives, along with broad dietary and lifestyle changes. But many people aren’t aware of the blood pressure lowering benefits of hibiscus.
Dr. Diane McKay presented her own research on hibiscus Dr. McKay, of Tufts University, conducted a study on 65 people between the ages of 30 and 70 who had been diagnosed with prehypertension or mild hypertension.
After receiving hibiscus tea daily for six weeks, participants experienced reduced diastolic, systolic, and mean arterial pressures when compared with those who received a placebo. The effects were most pronounced in those with the highest beginning baseline blood pressures.
In another study, scientists received a surprise when looking at the effects of hibiscus tea on blood sugar. The study compared the effects of hibiscus and black teas and found that both impacted cholesterol levels. While the black tea positively influenced HDL levels, hibiscus tea helped keep LDL, HDL, and overall cholesterol at healthy levels.
Can breast milk feed a love of vegetables?
 Monell Chemical Senses Center, August 4, 2022 
Want your preschooler to eat veggies without a fuss? Try eating veggies while you’re breast-feeding.
That’s the message from a new study of lactating mothers and their breast-fed babies. The study found that those infants who took in veggie-flavored breast-milk were less likely to turn away from similar-tasting cereal when they graduated to more solid food.
“Every baby’s sensory experience is unique, but the flavor of their first food, beginning in utero, is dependent on what mom is eating,” said Julie Mennella. She is a biopsychologist at the Monell Chemical Senses Center in Philadelphia, and led the study.
“The way I see it is: Mother’s milk is the ultimate in precision medicine,” Mennella said.
When an expectant mother eats vegetables, they flavor her amniotic fluid—and later, her breast-milk—and those flavors get passed along to her baby. As a result, the researchers said, if the baby learns early how veggies taste, he or she will be less apt to squawk when offered that first spoonful.
For her study, Mennella randomly assigned 97 breast-feeding mothers to one of five groups.
For a month, three groups drank a half-cup of carrot, celery, beet or vegetable juice before nursing. One group began when babies were two weeks old, another at 1-1/2 months of age and the third at 2-1/2 months.
A fourth group of moms drank juice for three months, starting when their babies were two weeks old. A fifth group—the “control” group—did not use juice.
The takeaway: Babies who’d been exposed to vegetable flavors in breast-milk preferred carrot-flavored cereal over plain cereal or cereal with the unfamiliar taste of broccoli. Only 8 percent rejected all of the foods, the findings showed.

The Gary Null Show - 08.11.22

VIDEOS:
Bernie Turns Pro-War & Votes To Expand NATO – Jimmy Dore
Ukrainian Terrorism: Firing Munitions Containing Petal Mines On Donbass Orphanage, Another War Crime
 The moral roots of liberals and conservatives – Jonathan Haidt
 
HEALTH NEWS
Vitamin K protects cells3 grams of fresh salmon does wonders for high blood pressure, study revealsPhysical activity stimulates the generation of new heart muscle cells in aged miceThe Human Mind Is Not Meant to Be Awake After Midnight, Scientists WarnSocial Isolation, Loneliness Raise Risk Of Death From Heart Attack Or Stroke By Nearly A ThirdMushrooms of the Far East hold promise for the anti-cancer therapy
Vitamin K protects cells
Helmholtz Zentrum München (Germany), August 5 2022
An article appearing  in Nature reported that the reduced form of vitamin K has an antioxidant effect that inhibits cell death caused by ferroptosis: an iron-dependent type of programmed cell death characterized by the oxidative destruction of cell membranes. “We identified that vitamin K, including phylloquinone (vitamin K1) and menaquinone-4 (vitamin K2), is able to efficiently rescue cells and tissues from undergoing ferroptosis,” first author Eikan Mishima announced.
Ferroptosis has been implicated in Alzheimer disease and other disorders. “Ferroptosis, a non-apoptotic form of cell death marked by iron-dependent lipid peroxidation, has a key role in organ injury, degenerative disease and vulnerability of therapy-resistant cancers,” the authors explained. “Here we show that the fully reduced forms of vitamin K—a group of naphthoquinones that includes menaquinone and phylloquinone—confer a strong anti-ferroptotic function, in addition to the conventional function linked to blood clotting.”
In the current investigation, they determined that the fully reduced form of vitamin K (vitamin K hydroquinone) is a strong antioxidant and prevents ferroptosis. “The reduced forms of Vitamin K and coenzyme Q10 are not very stable, so our finding that FSP1 can maintain them in their active (reduced) state is key to understanding how they are able to function to maintain cell viability,” coauthor Derek A. Pratt stated. 
The team found that vitamin E and three forms of vitamin K— phylloquinone, menaquinone-4 (MK4) and menadione (vitamin K3)—rescued cells that were genetically modified to undergo ferroptosis. 
3 grams of fresh salmon does wonders for high blood pressure, study reveals
Macau University of Science and Technology (China), August 9, 2022
Omega-3 carries many health benefits, and a new review suggests eating three grams of it per day is enough to lower your blood pressure. The findings include omega-3 fatty acids obtained from food or dietary supplements.
“According to our research, the average adult may have a modest blood pressure reduction from consuming about 3 grams a day of these fatty acids,” says Xinzhi Li, MD, PhD, assistant professor and program director of the School of Pharmacy at Macau University of Science and Technology in China.
The average fish oil supplement carries an average of 300 mg of omega-3 per pill. A four to five-ounce Atlantic salmon carries about three grams of omega-3 fatty acids.
“Most of the studies reported on fish oil supplements rather than on EPA and DHA omega-3s consumed in food, which suggests supplements may be an alternative for those who cannot eat fatty fish such as salmon regularly,” explains Dr. Li. “Algae supplements with EPA and DHA fatty acids are also an option for people who do not consume fish or other animal products.”
The National Institutes of Health recommends 1.1 to 1.6 grams of omega-3 fatty acids daily. The American Heart Association advises getting some of your omega-3 intake through two servings of three to four ounces of cooked fish per week.
The review combed through the data from 71 clinical trials studying the relationship between blood pressure and the omega-3 fatty acids DHA and EPA in adults with or without high blood pressure or cholesterol disorders. 
High blood pressure was lower in people who ate between two and three grams of combined DHA and EPA omega-3 fatty acids daily than adults who did not. Eating more than three grams of omega-3s made a tremendous difference in adults with high blood pressure or high blood lipids.
With three grams of daily omega-3s, the average blood pressure in people with hypertension decreased about 4.5 mm/Hg. Those without high blood pressure saw their blood pressure drop by 2.0 mm/Hg.
Eating five grams of omega-3s lowered the blood pressure by nearly 4.0 mm/Hg for people with hypertension. Those without high blood pressure who ate five daily grams of omega-3s saw an average decrease of less than 1.0 mm/Hg.
Physical activity stimulates the generation of new heart muscle cells in aged mice
Heidelberg University (Germany), August 8, 2022
Can physical activity support the generation of heart muscle cells (cardiomyocytes) even in aged animals? Researchers at Heidelberg University Hospital (UKHD) together with a team of international collaborators demonstrated positive effects on the formation of new heart muscle cells (cardiomyogenesis) in aged mice and investigated the underlying cellular and molecular mechanisms. The current research results have been published in the journal Circulation.
The heart of adult mammals has a very limited ability to generate new cardiomyocytes. With aging, this capacity continues to decrease, while at the same time the risk of cardiovascular disease increases. Dr. Carolin Lerchenmüller, head of the Cardiac Remodeling and Regeneration research group in the Department of Cardiology, Angiology and Pneumology at the UKHD, and her team have found evidence that physical activity stimulates the new formation of heart muscle cells in aging mice.
The researchers found that the calculated annual rate of newly generated heart muscle cells in the “exercising” group of older mice was 2.3 percent. In contrast, there were no new heart muscle cells in the “sedentary” control group. A previous study with young animals had already shown that mice had a calculated annual rate of 7.5 percent new heart muscle cells through exercise, compared to 1.63 percent in the corresponding “sedentary” control group.
The Human Mind Is Not Meant to Be Awake After Midnight, Scientists Warn 
Harvard University, August 4, 2022
In the middle of the night, the world can sometimes feel like a dark place. Under the cover of darkness, negative thoughts have a way of drifting through your mind, and as you lie awake, staring at the ceiling, you might start craving guilty pleasures, like a cigarette or a carb-heavy meal.
Plenty of evidence suggests the human mind functions differently if it is awake at nighttime. Past midnight, negative emotions tend to draw our attention more than positive ones, dangerous ideas grow in appeal and inhibitions fall away. A new paper summarizes the evidence of how brain systems function differently after dark.
Their hypothesis, called ‘Mind After Midnight’, suggests the human body and the human mind follow a natural 24-hour cycle of activity that influences our emotions and behavior.
In short, at certain hours, our species is inclined to feel and act in certain ways. In the daytime, for instance, molecular levels and brain activity are tuned to wakefulness. But at night, our usual behavior is to sleep.
According to the researchers, to cope with this increased risk, our attention to negative stimuli is unusually heightened at night. Where it might once have helped us jump at invisible threats, this hyper-focus on the negative can then feed into an altered reward/motivation system, making a person particularly prone to risky behaviors.
Add sleep loss to the equation, and this state of consciousness only becomes more problematic.
The authors of the new hypothesis use two examples to illustrate their point. The first example is of a heroin user who successfully manages their cravings in the day but succumbs to their desires at night.
The second is of a college student struggling with insomnia, who begins to feel a sense of hopelessness, loneliness and despair as the sleepless nights stack up.
Both scenarios can ultimately prove fatal. Suicide and self-harm are very common at nighttime. In fact, some research reports a three-fold higher risk of suicide between midnight and 6:00 am compared to any other time of day.
A study in 2020 concluded that nocturnal wakefulness is a suicide risk factor, “possibly through misalignment of circadian rhythms.”
Social Isolation, Loneliness Raise Risk Of Death From Heart Attack Or Stroke By Nearly A Third
University of California, San Diego, August 9, 2022
Loneliness increases the risk of cardiovascular disease by almost a third, according to new research. Socially isolated individuals are about 30 percent more likely to suffer a stroke or heart attack — death from either.
Scientists at the University of California, San Diego also identified a lack of information on interventions that may boost the health of vulnerable individuals. The findings are based on data pooled from studies across the world over the past 40 years.
“Over four decades of research has clearly demonstrated social isolation and loneliness are both associated with adverse health outcomes,” says lead author Dr. Crystal Wiley Cené, a professor of clinical medicine and chief administrative officer for health equity, diversity and inclusion at the school, in a statement. “Given the prevalence of social disconnectedness across the U.S., the public health impact is quite significant.”
Risk increases with age due to life factors, such as widowhood and retirement. But the problem is increasingly affecting young people. The study finds social isolation and and loneliness increase the risk of death from heart disease or stroke by 29 and 32 percent, respectively.
People with heart disease who were socially isolated had a two to threefold increase in death during a six-year follow-up study. Socially isolated adults with three or fewer social contacts a month were up to 40 percent more likely to suffer recurrent strokes or heart attacks. In addition, five year heart failure survival rates were 60 and 62 percent lower for those who were socially isolated or both socially isolated and clinically depressed, respectively.
Isolation and loneliness are associated with elevated inflammatory markers, increasing symptoms of chronic stress. It becomes a vicious circle. Depression may lead to social isolation, and social isolation may increase the likelihood of experiencing depression. Social isolation during childhood can even lead to cardiovascular disease in adulthood, increasing the risk of obesity, high blood pressure and raised blood glucose levels.
Mushrooms of the Far East hold promise for the anti-cancer therapy
Far Eastern Federal University (Russia) & University of Lausanne (France), August 3, 2022
Mushrooms from the Far East area contain the natural chemical compounds, which could be used for the design of the novel drugs with highly specific anti-tumor activities and low-toxicity. These compounds may offer new avenues for oncology, providing us with either stand-alone alternatives to chemotherapy, chemopreventive medicines, or drugs to be used in combination with other therapies.
The international team of scientists from the Far Eastern Federal University (FEFU), University of Lausanne, and Federal Scientific Center of the East Asia Terrestrial Biodiversity FEB RAS describes the available body of research on four fungi species with high anti-cancer potential. The article is published in Oncotarget and contains the list of tumors, which were reported to be promising targets of the fungal compounds. Among them sarcoma, leukemia, rectum and colon cancer, stomach cancer, liver cancer, colon carcinoma and others.
For the purpose of the current study scientists chose mushrooms widely used in Asian and Far Eastern folk medicine: Fomitopsis pinicola (conk), Hericium erinaceus (Lion’s mane), Inonotus obliquus (Chaga), and Trametes versicolor (polypore). Each is also indigenous to North America. These species of fungi were shown to selectively target certain malignant tumors. The desired effect is achieved thanks to the various bioactive compounds contained in the mushrooms: polyphenols, polysaccharides, glucans, terpenoids, steroids, cerebrosides, and proteins. These substances are not only capable to hit different critical targets within cancer cells levels but also in certain cases to synergistically boost the chemo. Scientists emphasize that four species of fungi were chosen due to the fact that their medicinal properties are relatively well described. Some of them are already actively used for the anti-cancer drugs manufacturing in certain countires. Undoubtedly, there are many other species of fungi that contain chemical compounds to defeat cancer cells.
The scientists hope that the high potential of the fungi for the anti-cancer therapy showcased in their article will encourage the further research at the junction of oncology and mycology. Currently in the laboratories of the School of Biomedicine (FEFU) led by Vladimir Katanaev and Alexander Kagansky,the new experiments are conducted to reveal the anti-cancer activities of the mushrooms extracts. This work is aimed at creating the new generation of highly specific low-toxic drugs, which could be specifically targeted on different tumor types.

The Gary Null Show - 08.10.22

VIDEOS:
1. The Anti-Smartphone Revolution – (13:23) ColdFusion
2. Gravitas Plus: Explained: The China-Taiwan conflict (9:11)
 
HEALTH NEWS
Astonishing effects of grapes, remarkable potential for health benefitsFrequent nut consumption associated with less inflammationBody posture affects how oral drugs absorbed by stomach [why not supplements too?] Lifting Weights Beats Out Cycling, Swimming For Vegans Wanting Stronger BonesPerfectionism Linked To Burnout At Work, School And Sports, Research Finds Mindfulness Therapy Better Than Antidepressants
Astonishing effects of grapes, remarkable potential for health benefits
Western New England University, August 8, 2022
Recent studies released by Dr. John Pezzuto and his team from Western New England University show “astonishing” effects of grape consumption and “remarkable” impacts on health and on lifespans.
Published in the journal Foods, one study showed that adding grapes in an amount equal to just under two cups of grapes per day to a high-fat diet, typically consumed in western countries, yielded reductions in fatty liver and extended lifespans.  Noting that these studies add an entirely new dimension to the old saying ‘you are what you eat,’ Pezzuto, who has authored over 600 scientific studies, said that the work with grapes showed actual changes in genetic expression. “That is truly remarkable.”
Adding grapes to a high-fat diet also increased levels of antioxidant genes and delayed natural death.  Acknowledging that it is not an exact science to translate years of lifespan from a mouse to a human, Pezzuto said that his best estimate is the change observed in the study would correspond to an additional 4-5 years in the life of a human.
Another study by Dr. Pezzuto and his team published in the journal Antioxidants, reported that grape consumption altered gene expression in the brain and had positive effects on behavior and cognition that were impaired by a high-fat diet. 
Frequent nut consumption associated with less inflammation
Brigham and Women’s Hospital, August 1, 2022
In a study of more than 5,000 people, investigators from Brigham and Women’s Hospital have found that greater intake of nuts was associated with lower levels of biomarkers of inflammation, a finding that may help explain the health benefits of nuts. The results of the study appear in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
“Population studies have consistently supported a protective role of nuts against cardiometabolic disorders such as cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes, and we know that inflammation is a key process in the development of these diseases,” said corresponding author Ying Bao, MD, ScD, an epidemiologist in BWH’s Channing Division of Network Medicine. “Our new work suggests that nuts may exert their beneficial effects in part by reducing systemic inflammation.”
In the current study, the research team performed a cross-sectional analysis of data from the Nurses’ Health Study, which includes more than 120,000 female registered nurses, and from the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study, which includes more than 50,000 male health professionals. The team assessed diet using questionnaires and looked at the levels of certain telltale proteins known as biomarkers in blood samples collected from the study participants. They measured three well-established biomarkers of inflammation: C-reactive protein (CRP), interleukin 6 (IL6) and tumor necrosis factor receptor 2 (TNFR2).
After adjusting for age, medical history, lifestyle and other variables, they found that participants who had consumed five or more servings of nuts per week had lower levels of CRP and IL6 than those who never or almost never ate nuts. In addition, people who substituted three servings per week of nuts in place of red meat, processed meat, eggs or refined grains had significantly lower levels of CRP and IL6.
Peanuts and tree nuts contain a number of healthful components including magnesium, fiber, L-arginine, antioxidants and unsaturated fatty acids such as α-linolenic acid. 
Body posture affects how oral drugs absorbed by stomach [why not supplements too?] 
Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, August 8, 2022
A common, economic, and easy method of administering drugs is orally, by swallowing a pill or capsule. But oral administration is the most complex way for the human body to absorb an active pharmaceutical ingredient, because the bioavailability of the drug in the gastrointestinal tract depends on the medication’s ingredients and the stomach’s dynamic physiological environment.
In Physics of Fluids, researchers from Johns Hopkins School of Medicine employ a biomimetic in-silico simulator based on the realistic anatomy and morphology of the stomach—a “StomachSim”—to investigate and quantify the effect of body posture and stomach motility on drug bioavailability.
“”When the pill reaches the stomach, the motion of the stomach walls and the flow of contents inside determine the rate at which it dissolves. The properties of the pill and the stomach contents also play a major role.
Stomach contents, motility, and gastric fluid dynamics all play a role in a drug’s bioavailability, and stomach contractions can induce pressure and generate complex pill trajectories. This results in varying rates of pill dissolution and nonuniform emptying of the drug into the duodenum and, sometimes, gastric dumping in the case of modified-release dosage.
The modeling appears to be the first of its kind to couple gastric biomechanics of posture with pill movement and drug dissolution to quantify an active pharmaceutical ingredientpassing through the pylorus into the duodenum. The model enabled the researchers to calculate and compare the emptying rate and the release of a dissolved active pharmaceutical ingredient into the duodenum for a variety of physiological situations.
Lifting Weights Beats Out Cycling, Swimming For Vegans Wanting Stronger Bones
Medical University of Vienna (Austria), August 2, 2022
When it comes to bone health, a new study finds people on a plant-based diet should grab the dumbbells. Researchers in Austria have found that lifting weights is the best form of exercise for vegans – trumping cycling and swimming.
The team found that vegans who do resistance training once a week – such as machine-work, free weights, or bodyweight resistance – have stronger bones than plant-based eaters who do other forms of exercise.
The new study, published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, found vegans who did resistance training had similar bone structure to omnivores — people who eat both meat and vegetables.
For at least five years, authors followed 43 men and women on a plant-based diet and 45 men and women who eat meat as well.
“Our study showed resistance training offsets diminished bone structure in vegan people when compared to omnivores.”
Perfectionism linked to burnout at work, school and sports, research finds 
York St. John University (UK), July 31, 2022
Concerns about perfectionism can sabotage success at work, school or on the playing field, leading to stress, burnout and potential health problems, according to new research published by the Society for Personality and Social Psychology. 
In the first meta-analysis of the relationship between perfectionism and burnout, researchers analyzed the findings from 43 previous studies conducted over the past 20 years. It turns out perfectionism isn’t all bad. One aspect of perfectionism called “perfectionistic strivings” involves the setting of high personal standards and working toward those goals in a pro-active manner. These efforts may help maintain a sense of accomplishment and delay the debilitating effects of burnout, the study found. 
The dark side of perfectionism, called “perfectionistic concerns,” can be more detrimental when people constantly worry about making mistakes, letting others down, or not measuring up to their own impossibly high standards, said lead researcher Andrew Hill, an associate professor of sport psychology at York St. John University in England. Previous research has shown that perfectionistic concerns and the stress they generate can contribute to serious healthproblems, including depression, anxiety, eating disorders, fatigue and even early mortality. The study was published online in the Personality and Social Psychology Review.
The study found that perfectionistic concerns had the strongest negative effects in contributing to burnout in the workplace, possibly because people have more social support and clearly defined objectives in education and sports. A student can be rewarded for hard work with a high grade, or a tennis player can win the big match, but a stellar performance in the workplace may not be recognized or rewarded, which may contribute to cynicism and burnout. 
“People need to learn to challenge the irrational beliefs that underlie perfectionistic concerns by setting realistic goals, accepting failure as a learning opportunity, and forgiving themselves when they fail,” Hill said. “Creating environments where creativity, effort and perseverance are valued also would help.” 
Mindfulness Therapy Better Than Antidepressants
University of Exeter (UK), July 31, 2022 
Antidepressants are big business.  But for the same money, and without the side effects, a little mindfulness can do the same job. 
A new study from the University of Exeter in the UK suggests that mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) is just as good as drugs – and maybe even better
 
MBCT is a structured training program for the mind and body.  It was developed to help people deal with repeated bouts of depression.  It teaches them skills to recognize and respond constructively to the thoughts and feelings associated with relapse.  In other words, it helps patients re-focus their thoughts as a way to avoid falling back into depression.
Prior studies have shown that MBCT reduces the risk of relapse or recurrence of depression by about 34% compared to usual care or placebo.  B
The research published in The Lancet  followed a group of 424 depressed patients for two years. The patients had all suffered three or more previous major depressive episodes.  And they were all taking a maintenance course of antidepressants.
The MBCT group attended eight group therapy sessions in which they learned mindfulness practices and cognitive-behavioral skills, and participated in group discussions.  
After two years, relapse rates were worse in the drug group.  The drug group relapsed at the rate of 47% compared to only 44% for the mindfulness group. 
The researchers concluded that MBCT may be an effective alternative to antidepressants for prevention of depressive relapse with no significant difference in cost. And it may be a good alternative for people who choose not to use drugs.  But they also suggested MBCT was more beneficial than drugs in preventing relapses in patients who were at highest risk of relapse especially those who reported severe childhood abuse.

The Gary Null Show - 08.09.22

Videos:
The healthcare system is a giant SCAM (that you pay for) – Sorelle Amore Finance
Failure after failure: Private hospitals’ appalling treatment of pregnant mum | 60 Minutes Australia
 
HEALTH NEWS
B vitamins can potentially be used to treat advanced non-alcoholic fatty liver disease
Decreased acetyl-L-carnitine levels associated with depression
Skip the texts: Face-to-face meetings make college students happier
Eating more plant protein associated with lower risk of death
Heat therapy boosts mitochondrial function in muscles
Your soap and toothpaste could be messing with your microbiome
 
B vitamins can potentially be used to treat advanced non-alcoholic fatty liver disease
Duke University Medical School, August 6, 2022
Scientists at Duke-NUS Medical School have uncovered a mechanism that leads to an advanced form of fatty liver disease—and it turns out that vitamin B12 and folic acid supplements could reverse this process.
These findings could help people with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, an umbrella term for a range of liver conditions affecting people who drink little to no alcohol, which affects 25% of all adults globally, and four in 10 adults in Singapore. 
Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease involves fat build-up in the liver and is a leading cause of liver transplants worldwide. When the condition progresses to inflammation and scar tissue formation, it is known as non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). 
Dr. Tripathi, study co-author Dr. Brijesh Singh and their colleagues in Singapore, India, China and the US confirmed the association of homocysteine with NASH progression in preclinical models and humans. They also found that  when homocysteine attached to a protein called syntaxin 17, it blocked the protein from performing its role of transporting and digesting fat (known as autophagy, an essential cellular process by which cells remove malformed proteins or damaged organelles) in fatty acid metabolism, mitochondrial turnover, and inflammation prevention. This induced the development and progression of fatty liver disease to NASH. 
Importantly, the researchers found that supplementing the diet in the preclinical models with vitamin B12 and folic acid increased the levels of syntaxin 17 in the liver and restored its role in autophagy. It also slowed NASH progression and reversed liver inflammation and fibrosis. 
 
Decreased acetyl-L-carnitine levels associated with depression
Stanford University, July 30 2022.
 An article that in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences reported a link between low levels of acetyl-L-carnitine and a greater risk of depression.
Acting on the findings of animal research conducted by lead author Carla Nasca, PhD, the researchers recruited men and women between the ages of 20 and 70 years who had been admitted to Weill Cornell Medicine or Mount Sinai School of Medicine for treatment of acute depression. Clinical assessments were conducted upon enrollment and blood samples were analyzed for levels of acetyl-L-carnitine.
In comparison with levels measured in blood samples provided by 45 demographically matched healthy men and women, acetyl-L-carnitine blood levels in depressed subjects were substantially lower. Acetyl-L-carnitine levels were lowest among depressed patients who had severe symptoms, a history of treatment resistance, or early onset disease. Having a history of childhood abuse was also associated with low acetyl-L-carnitine levels.
“We’ve identified an important new biomarker of major depression disorder,” Dr Rasgon stated. What’s the appropriate dose, frequency, duration? We need to answer many questions before proceeding with recommendations, yet. 
 
Skip the texts: Face-to-face meetings make college students happier
University of Hamburg (Germany), August 5, 2022
In a world where everyone spends more and more time with eyes fixed on their phones, new research suggests young people feel happier after socializing with friends in person rather than virtually
The conclusion is an outgrowth of nearly four years spent analyzing how social habits of more than 3,000 college students affected their state of mind.
“The findings of this study suggest that talking to people face to face makes us feel better than texting back and forth, for example,” said James Maddux, senior scholar at the Center for the Advancement of Well-Being in Fairfax, Va., who reviewed the results.
Led by Lara Kroencke, of the University of Hamburg in Germany, the researchers noted that other studies have consistently shown that people tend to feel better after socializing with others.To better explore that question, Kroencke’s team conducted three studies between 2017 and 2020 with students from the University of Texas at Austin.
Researchers chose that age group because of the “intense” socializing that tends to take place during that phase of life. Participants between 18 and 24 years old; 37% were white, 23% were Asian, 23% were Hispanic, nearly 5% were Black, and the rest identified as multiracial.
The result: Students tended to feel best after interacting with others in person or through a mix of in person and virtual, versus entirely by computer or phone. Interacting only virtually was, however, better for well-being than no interaction at all, the team stressed.
They also found that socializing with close friends brought about a greater overall sense of well-being than engaging with either family or someone a person didn’t know so well. And those who tended towards high levels of neuroticism were likely to benefit the most from in-person interactions.
 
Eating more plant protein associated with lower risk of death
 Massachusetts General Hospital & Harvard Medical School, July 31, 2022
 Eating more protein from plant sources was associated with a lower risk of death and eating more protein from animals was associated with a higher risk of death, especially among adults with at least one unhealthy behavior such as smoking, drinking and being overweight or sedentary, according to an article published online by JAMA Internal Medicine.
Mingyang Song, M.D., Sc.D., of Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, and coauthors used data from two large U.S. studies that had repeated measures of diet through food questionnaires and up to 32 years of follow-up.  Among 131,342 study participants, 85,013 (64.7 percent) were women and the average age of participants was 49. Median protein intake, measured as a percentage of calories, was 14 percent for animal protein and 4 percent for plant protein.
The authors report:
After adjusting for major lifestyle and dietary risk factors, every 10 percent increment of animal protein from total calories was associated with a 2 percent higher risk of death from all causes and an 8 percent increased risk of death from cardiovascular disease death.
In contrast, eating more plant protein was associated with a 10 percent lower risk of death from all causes for every 3 percent increment of total calories and a 12 percent lower risk of cardiovascular death.
Increased mortality associated with eating more animal protein was more pronounced among study participants who were obese and those who drank alcohol heavily.
The association between eating more plant protein and lower mortality was stronger among study participants who smoked, drank at least 14 grams of alcohol a day, were overweight or obese, were physically inactive or were younger than 65 or older than 80.
Substituting 3 percent of calories from animal protein with plant protein was associated with a lower risk of death from all causes: 34 percent for replacing processed red meat, 12 percent for replacing unprocessed red meat and 19 percent for replacing eggs.
 
Heat therapy boosts mitochondrial function in muscles
Brigham Young University, August 2, 2022
A new study finds that long-term heat therapy may increase mitochondrial function in the muscles. The discovery could lead to new treatments for people with chronic illness or disease. The study–the first of its kind in humans–is published in the Journal of Applied Physiology.
Mitochondria, the “energy centers” of the cells, are essential for maintaining good health.  Exercise has been shown to create new mitochondria and improve function of existing mitochondria. However, some people with chronic illnesses are not able to exercise long enough–previous research suggests close to two hours daily–to reap the benefits. Rodent studies have suggested that heat exposure may also induce the production of more mitochondria.
Researchers from Brigham Young University in Utah studied 20 adult volunteers who had not participated in regular exercise in the three months prior to the study. The research team applied two hours of shortwave diathermy–a type of heat therapy generated by electrical pulses–to the thigh muscles of one leg of each person every day. The researchers based the six-day trial of heat on the minimum amount of exercise needed to measure changes in muscle, or about two hours each day. They designed the treatment to mimic the effects of muscle heating that occurs during exercise. The therapy sessions increased the temperature of the heated leg by approximately 7 degrees F. Each participant’s other leg served as a control, receiving no heat therapy or temperature change. The researchers looked at mitochondria content in the muscles on the first day of therapy and 24 hours after the last treatment.
Mitochondrial function increased by an average of 28 percent in the heated legs after the heat treatment. The concentration of several mitochondrial proteins also increased in the heated legs, which suggests that “in addition to improving function, [repeated exposure to heat] increased mitochondrial content in human skeletal muscle,” the research team wrote.
 
 
Your soap and toothpaste could be messing with your microbiome
University of Chicago, August 2, 2022
Antimicrobial chemicals found in common household products could be wreaking havoc with people’s guts, according to a research paper out this week in the journal Science.
Triclosan is an antibacterial compound used in soaps, detergent and toothpaste, as well as toys and plastics. It was originally only used in hospitals, but it found its way into homes as Americans became more germ-phobic. (However, recent studies have found it no more effective at killing bacteria than plain soap. )
Now, there are growing concerns about the possible negative effects of the chemical on human health and the environment. According to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), animal studies have shown that the chemical can act as a hormone disruptor. A study found traces of triclosan in the urine of 75% of the participants – some as young as six. The chemical has also been found in more than half of freshwater streams in the US.
The latest research paper, written by academics from the University of Chicago, focused on the lesser-known effects of triclosan exposure on the bacteria in people’s guts.
Disturbing the human microbiome has been “linked to a wide array of diseases and metabolic disorders, including obesity, inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and behavioral and metabolic disorders,” wrote the paper’s authors, Alyson L Yee and Jack A Gilbert.
To test the chemical’s effect in humans, researchers from Stanford and Cornell universities gave seven volunteers triclosan-containing products, such as toothpaste and liquid soap, to use for four months. After that period, the same volunteers were switched to products without triclosan. The volunteers were compared with a second group who first used the non-triclosan products, then changed to those containing triclosan.
The results showed that more triclosan was found in the urine of all the participants during the periods when they were using triclosan-containing products.
Yee and Gilbert also suggested that exposure to triclosan could be even more detrimental to the health of developing fetuses and newborns than to adults. A 2014 New York University study found that gut disruptions in early infancy could have lasting negative effects on immune and brain development.

The Gary Null Show - 08.08.22

HEALTH NEWS
 
Cocoa flavanols may be able to reduce blood pressure
Cool room temperature inhibited cancer growth in mice
Smells experienced in nature evoke positive wellbeing
Healthy lifestyle may buffer against stress-related cell aging, study says
Zinc plus antioxidants: A cost-effective solution to macular degeneration?
Passive exercise offers same brain health benefits as active movements, study finds
Cocoa flavanols may be able to reduce blood pressure
University of Surrey (UK), July 23, 2022
A recent study found that cocoa flavanols can effectively lower blood pressure in people with ideal blood pressure, but not when it was already low, as well as reduce arterial stiffness. 
Researchers of the current study note that previous controlled clinical intervention studies have demonstrated the blood pressure-decreasing and arterial stiffness-reducing effects of cocoa flavanols (CF) in healthy humans.
However, as these studies were in tightly controlled settings, the researchers wanted to see how well this intervention played out in real-life scenarios. The researchers used an n-of-1 study design, where a small number of participants were exposed to the same intervention or the placebo multiple times. They then compared the results for each individual as well as between individuals. 
The study included eleven healthy adults who received alternating doses of cocoa flavanol capsules and placebo capsules for eight days. 
The results showed that cocoa flavanols were effective in lowering blood pressure and reducing arterial stiffness. 
One concern about using cocoa flavanols to lower blood pressure is the risk of the blood pressure dropping too low. However, in this study, researchers found that the cocoa had less impact when blood pressure was lower, indicating it was a potentially safe intervention. 
Prof. Christian Heiss, study author and professor of cardiovascular medicine, explained to MNT:  “The study confirms that cocoa flavanols can lower blood pressure and improve arterial stiffness. The new thing is that it does so in the normal life of healthy people and only lowers it if it is ‘high’ even in the ‘normal range.”
Cool room temperature inhibited cancer growth in mice
Karolinska Institutet, August 5, 2022
Turning down the thermostat seems to make it harder for cancer cells to grow, according to a study in mice by researchers at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden. The study, published in the journal Nature, found that chilly temperatures activate heat-producing brown fat that consumes the sugars the tumors need to thrive. Similar metabolic mechanisms were found in a cancer patient exposed to a lowered room temperature.
"We found that cold-activated brown adipose tissue competes against tumors for glucose and can help inhibit tumor growth in mice," says Professor Yihai Cao at the Department of Microbiology, Tumor and Cell Biology, Karolinska Institutet, and corresponding author. "Our findings suggest that cold exposure could be a promising novel approach to cancer therapy, although this needs to be validated in larger clinical studies."
The study compared tumor growth and survival rates in mice with various types of cancer, including colorectal, breast and pancreatic cancers, when exposed to cold versus warm living conditions. Mice acclimatized to temperatures of 4 degrees Celsius had significantly slower tumor growth and lived nearly twice as long compared with mice in rooms of 30 degrees Celsius.
They found that cold temperatures triggered significant glucose uptake in brown adipose tissue, also known as brown fat, a type of fat that is responsible for keep the body warm during cold conditions. At the same time, the glucose signals were barely detectable in the tumor cells.
When the researchers removed either the brown fat or a protein crucial for its metabolism called UCP1, the beneficial effect of the cold exposure was essentially wiped out and the tumors grew at a pace on par with those that were exposed to higher temperatures. Similarly, feeding tumor-bearing mice with a high sugar drink also obliterated the effect of cold temperatures and restored tumor growth.
"Interestingly, high sugar drinks seem to cancel out the effect of cold temperatureson cancer cells, suggesting that limiting glucose supply is probably one of the most important methods for tumor suppression," Yihai Cao says.
 
Smells experienced in nature evoke positive wellbeing
University of Kent (UK), August 5, 2022
Smells experienced in nature can make us feel relaxed, joyful, and healthy, according to new research led by the University of Kent's Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology (DICE).
Smells were found to play an important role in delivering well-being benefits from interacting with nature, often with a strong link to people's personal memories, and specific ecological characteristics and processes (e.g. fallen leaves rotting in the winter).
Researchers found that smells affected multiple types of human well-being, with physical well-being noted most frequently, particularly in relation to relaxation, comfort and rejuvenation. Absence of smell was also perceived to improve physical well-being, providing a cleansing environment due to the removal of pollution and unwanted smells associated with urban areas, and therefore enabling relaxation. Relaxation reduces stress and lowers cortisol levels, which is often linked to a multitude of diseases, and so these findings could be particularly significant to public health professionals.
The research, carried out in woodland settings across four seasons, also found that smells evoked memories related to childhood activities. Many participants created meaningful connections with particular smells, rather than the woodland itself, and associated this with a memorable event. This, in turn, appeared to influence well-being by provoking emotional reactions to the memory.
 
Healthy lifestyle may buffer against stress-related cell aging, study says
University of California at San Francisco  July 29, 2022
 
A new study from UC San Francisco is the first to show that while the impact of life's stressors accumulate overtime and accelerate cellular aging, these negative effects may be reduced by maintaining a healthy diet, exercising and sleeping well. 
 
"The study participants who exercised, slept well and ate well had less telomere shortening than the ones who didn't maintain healthy lifestyles, even when they had similar levels of stress," said lead author Eli Puterman, PhD, assistant professor in the department of psychiatry at UCSF. "It's very important that we promote healthy living, especially under circumstances of typical experiences of life stressors like death, caregiving and job loss."
 
In the study, researchers examined three healthy behaviors –physical activity, dietary intake and sleep quality – over the course of one year in 239 post-menopausal, non-smoking women. In women who engaged in lower levels of healthy behaviors, there was a significantly greater decline in telomere length in their immune cells for every major life stressor that occurred during the year. Yet women who maintained active lifestyles, healthy diets, and good quality sleep appeared protected when exposed to stress – accumulated life stressors did not appear to lead to greater shortening. 
 
"This is the first study that supports the idea, at least observationally, that stressful events can accelerate immune cell aging in adults, even in the short period of one year. Exciting, though, is that these results further suggest that keeping active, and eating and sleeping well during periods of high stress are particularly important to attenuate the accelerated aging of our immune cells," said Puterman. 
Zinc plus antioxidants: A cost-effective solution to macular degeneration?
University of Washington and University College London, July 30, 2022
A formula supplement containing anti-oxidants plus zinc appears to be cost-effective in slowing the progression of the ‘wet’ form of the most common degenerative eye disease, finds a new study in British Journal of Ophthalmology.
The cost savings and effectiveness of the supplement in advanced (category 4) cases of neovascular (wet-form) Age Related Macular Degeneration (nAMD) are such that their use should be considered in public health policy, recommend the multi-centre study team on behalf of the UK Electronic Medical Record (EMR) AMD Research Team.  Category 4 individuals who already had nAMD in one eye, showed a cost saving of nearly €3250 (£3000) per patient over the lifetime of treatment, compared to those not given supplements. The Age Related Eye Disease Study (AREDS) formula supplements also increased quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) by 0.16.
“AREDS supplements are a dominant cost-effective intervention for category 4 AREDS patients, as they are both less expensive than standard care and more effective, and therefore should be considered for public funding,” wrote lead researcher Dr. Adnan Tufail.
The study examined the use of AREDS formulation 1 and formulation 2 supplements.  AREDS 1 contained 80milligrams (mg) zinc, 2 mg copper, 500 mg vitamin C, 15 mg beta-carotene, 400 IU vitamin E.
AREDS 2 reduced the amount of zinc to 25 mg, excluded beta-carotene (due to potential higher cancer risk in smokers), and added 10 mg lutein, 2 mg zeaxanthin, 1000 mg omega-3 fatty acids (650 mg docosahexaenoic acid and 350 mg eicosapentaenoic acid).
These findings are consistent with previous research demonstrating the effectiveness of AREDS supplementss. Consequently, the researchers advocate the use of supplements to reduce the necessity for ranibizumab injections, which is the standard NHS treatment for AMD.
 
Passive exercise offers same brain health benefits as active movements, study finds
University of Western Ontario, August 4, 2022
A new study by kinesiology graduate students from Western has found passive exercise leads to increased cerebral blood flow and improved executive function, providing the same cognitive benefits as active exercise.
Published in Psychophysiology, the study is the first to look at whether there would be benefits to brain health during passive exercise where a person's limbs are moved via an external force—in this case, cycle pedals pushed by a mechanically driven flywheel. 
During a 20-minute session with healthy young adults, the team found an improvement in executive function of the same magnitude for both the passive and the active exercise conditions, without an increase in heart rate or diastolic blood pressure. 
Executive function is a higher-order cognitive ability that allows people to make plans and supports the activities of daily living. People who have mild cognitive impairments, such as people experiencing symptoms of early-stage Alzheimer's, can find their executive function negatively affected. 
Previous research has documented that active exercise, where a person activates their muscles of their own volition, can increase blood flow to the brain and improve executive function. Passive exercise also increases blood flow to the brain, but this is significantly less documented.  
During passive exercise, a person's limbs move and their muscle receptors are being stretched. That information is sent to the brain, indicating that more blood is needed in the moving areas of the body and in connected regions of the brain. This increase in cerebral blood flow, while significantly less than with active exercise, produced executive function improvements of a similar magnitude—an exciting result for the researchers. 
"The potential impact for people with limited or no mobility could be profound. If done regularly, the increase in blood flow to the brain and resultant improvement in executive function will, optimistically, become a compounding effect that has a significant impact on cognitive health and executive function," Heath explained.