The Gary Null Show

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. 

The Gary Null Show - 08.05.22

HEALTH NEWS
 
Hyaluranic acid, a naturally occurring compound, awakens stem cells to repair damaged muscle
'A banana a day': Starch supplement may reduce the risk of some hereditary cancers
Running reduces risk of death regardless of duration, speed
Eating processed foods is hurting your brain, study says: Even '2 cookies' can affect health
Sharing memories with toddlers helps their well-being into adulthood
What the Amish can teach us about health and happiness
 
Hyaluranic acid, a naturally occurring compound, awakens stem cells to repair damaged muscle
University of Ottawa (Ontario), August 4 2022
A new study published in the journal Science reveals a unique form of cell communication that controls muscle repair. In damaged muscle, stem cells must work together with immune cells to complete the repair process, yet how these cells coordinate to ensure the efficient removal of dead tissue before making new muscle fibers has remained unknown. The scientists have now shown that a natural substance called hyaluronic acid, which is used in cosmetics and injections for osteoarthritis, is the key molecule that manages this fundamental interaction.
"When muscles get damaged, it is important for immune cells to quickly enter the tissue and remove the damage before stem cellsbegin repair," said Dr. Jeffrey Dilworth, senior scientist at the University of Ottawa and senior author on the study. "Our study shows that muscle stem cells are primed to start repair right away, but the immune cells maintain the stem cells in a resting state while they finish the cleanup job. After about 40 hours, once the cleanup job is finished, an internal alarm goes off in the muscle stem cells that allows them to wake up and start repair."
Dr. Dilworth and his team identified hyaluronic acid as the key ingredient in this internal alarm clock that tells muscle stem cells when to wake up. When muscle damage occurs, stem cells start producing and coating themselves with hyaluronic acid. Once the coating gets thick enough, it blocks the sleep signal from the immune cells and causes the muscle stem cells to wake up.
"Interestingly, aging is associated with chronic inflammation, muscle weakness and a reduced ability of muscle stem cells to wake up and repair damage,. "If we could find a way to enhance hyaluronic acid production in the muscle stem cells of older people it might help with muscle repair."
'A banana a day': Starch supplement may reduce the risk of some hereditary cancers
Universities of Newcastle and Leeds (UK), August 4, 2022
Resistant starches (RS) are carbohydrates that pass undigested through the small intestine and are digested, or fermented, in the large intestine. They are present in plant-based foods including beans, oats, breakfast cereals, rice, cooked and cooled pasta, peas, and slightly unripe bananas. RS forms part of dietary fiber, which is known to reduce the risk of colorectal cancer and many other non-communicable diseases.
Researchers at Newcastle University and the University of Leeds in the United Kingdom found that a RS powder supplement may help prevent cancer in people with Lynch syndrome.
Lynch syndrome, an inherited condition, predisposes people to colon cancer, gastric cancer, and several other cancers.
The experts ran a multinational trial involving almost 1,000 people with Lynch syndrome. They gave the participants a 30g dose of RS for an average of two years.
The supplementation did not affect colorectal cancers as expected. However, unexpectedly, its protective potential was most apparent in the upper digestive tract, where cancers are aggressive and not usually caught early.The  trial analyzed the long-term effects of aspirin and RS on cancer onset in patients with Lynch syndrome.
The dose used was equivalent to eating one slightly unripe banana daily. Bananas at this stage resist breakdown in the small intestine, reaching the large intestine and feeding the microbiome there.
They found no difference in the number of colorectal cancer cases. However, fewer participants receiving the supplement developed non-colorectal LS cancers compared to those taking the placebo.
 
Running reduces risk of death regardless of duration, speed
Iowa State University,  July 29, 2022
 
Running 5 minutes daily can reduce risk of cardiovascular disease-related death
 
Running for only a few minutes a day or at slow speeds may significantly reduce a person's risk of death from cardiovascular disease compared to someone who does not run, according to a study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. 
 
Researchers studied 55,137 adults between the ages of 18 and 100 over a 15-year period to determine whether there is a relationship between running and longevity. In the study period, 3,413 participants died, including 1,217 whose deaths were related to cardiovascular disease. In this population, 24 percent of the participants reported running as part of their leisure-time exercise. 
 
Compared with non-runners, the runners had a 30 percent lower risk of death from all causes and a 45 percent lower risk of death from heart disease or stroke. Runners on average lived three years longer compared to non-runners. Also, to reduce mortality risk at a population level from a public health perspective, the authors concluded that promoting running is as important as preventing smoking, obesity or hypertension. The benefits were the same no matter how long, far, frequently or fast participants reported running. Benefits were also the same regardless of sex, age, body mass index, health conditions, smoking status or alcohol use.
 
The study showed that participants who ran less than 51 minutes, fewer than 6 miles, slower than 6 miles per hour, or only one to two times per week had a lower risk of dying compared to those who did not run. Runners who ran less than an hour per week have the same mortality benefits compared to runners who ran more than three hours per week. Thus, it is possible that the more may not be the better in relation to running and longevity. 
 
 
Eating processed foods is hurting your brain, study says: Even '2 cookies' can affect health
Yale University, August 3, 2022
Although it's obvious that a diet of hot dogs and ice cream won't lead to a healthy physical life, new research illuminates how ultra-processed foods can also cause a significant decrease in brain function.
Research presented at the Alzheimer's Association International Conference in San Diego outlined how foods such as instant noodles, sugary drinks and frozen meals all play a factor in a faster rate of cognitive decline.
"Just 100 calories of processed foods can affect your physical health. So, that's two cookies."
Research has linked ultra-processed food consumption to health problems like obesity, cardiovascular disease, diabetes and cancers.  That's because they cause inflammation, which can affect neurotransmitters in the brain. Processed foods also operate on a micro level with billions and billions of bacteria cells that (impair) functioning."
The findings found that participants who were getting 20% or more of their daily calories from ultra-processed foods saw a far faster decline in cognitive performance over the span of six to 10 years versus people with diets containing few processed foods.
 
Sharing memories with toddlers helps their well-being into adulthood
University of Otago (New Zealand), August 3 2022
How mothers share memories with their children during toddlerhood impacts mental health and well-being in early adulthood, a University of Otago study has shown.
Researchers found 21-year-olds told more coherent stories about turning points in their lives if their mothers were taught new conversational techniques two decades earlier.
These adults also reported fewer symptoms of depression and greater self-esteem compared to adults in the study whose mothers interacted with them as usual.
The study, published in Journal of Research in Personality, is a long-term follow-up of a reminiscing intervention in which 115 mothers of toddlers were assigned to either a control group or taught to use elaborative reminiscing for a year.
Elaborative reminiscing involves open, enriched, and responsive conversations with children about shared experiences of everyday events. This is the first study to show long-term benefits of mother-child reminiscing for emerging adult development.
 
What the Amish can teach us about health and happiness
University of Tennessee, July 29, 2022
 Often viewed as outcasts by mainstream society, the Amish may seem downright bizarre to the average American. Foregoing technological advancements that many of us would be lost without, the Amish have created a way of life that fosters a connection with the land and environment, while also cultivating an impressive sense of community. And they are healthy -- exceedingly so. The Amish rarely experience disorders like cancer or cardiovascular disease, seemingly able to bypass illness altogether. What's their secret?
 
One of the most striking aspects of the Amish is how they lead their lives, free from modern inventions like electricity, telephones, cars and the myriad of gadgets most of us consider so essential for our productivity and happiness.
This high level of daily physical activity helps to keep their obesity rates low and cardiovascular health in top form. 
 
"The Amish were able to show us just how far we've fallen in the last 150 years or so in terms of the amount of physical activity we typically perform. Their lifestyle indicates that physical activity played a critical role in keeping our ancestors fit and healthy." 
\One of the main contributors to stress is the speed at which we move, think and process. We are bombarded with sensory information at every turn. 
 
Not so with the Amish. Their communities are based on patience and a slower way of being. Competition is frowned upon, while cooperation and harmony are respected. Social support is strong. Through traditional gender roles, each person has a valued part to play within the community.
 
The study published in Scientific Research discovered that mental health is enhanced by the structure of Amish society. Martial stability, mutual support, a secure parental base and care for the elderly were found to be contributing factors in cultivating happiness and contentment.
 
Moreover, the Amish tend to have low vaccination rates. Instead, they rely on clean living and a healthy diet of homegrown, organic produce, raw dairy and nourishing fats to keep immunity strong.

The Gary Null Show - 08.04.22

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Cardamonin shows promise for treating aggressive breast cancer
Florida A&M University, August 3, 2022
Cardamonin—a natural compound found in the spice cardamom and other plants—could have therapeutic potential for triple-negative breast cancer, according to a new study using human cancer cells. The findings also show that the compound targets a gene that helps cancer cells elude the immune system
About 10-15% of breast cancers are triple-negative, which means they don’t have receptors for estrogen or progesterone and don’t make excess amounts of a protein called HER2. These tumors are difficult to treat because they don’t respond to the hormone-based therapies used for other types of breast cancer. They also tend to be more aggressive and have a higher mortality rate than other breast cancers.
“The fact that cardamonin has been used for centuries as a spice and, more recently, as a supplement shows that its intake is safe and may bring health benefits,” said Mendonca. “Our research shows that cardamonin holds potential for improving cancer therapy without as many side effects as other chemotherapeutic agents.”
For the new study, the researchers investigated how cardamonin affected the expression of the programmed cell death ligand 1 (PD-L1) gene, which is found in tumor cells. PD-L1 is overexpressed during breast cancer progression and plays a critical role in helping breast cancer cells evade the body’s immune system.
They found that cardamonin treatment caused a dose-dependent decrease in cell viability in both cell lines. It also reduced PD-L1 expression in the Caucasian cell line but not the African American cell line, indicating that cells from different races may respond differently to cardamonin because of genetic variations among races. 
Persistent Low Wages Linked to Faster Memory Decline in Later Life
Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health, August 2 2022Sustained low wages are associated with significantly faster memory decline, according to a new study by Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health. While low-wage jobs have been associated with health outcomes such as depressive symptoms, obesity, and hypertension, which are risk factors for cognitive aging, until now no prior studies had examined the specific relationship between low wages during working years and later-life cognitive functioning. The findings are published in the American Journal of Epidemiology.”Our research provides new evidence that sustained exposure to low wages during peak earning years is associated with accelerated memory decline later in life,” said Katrina Kezios, Ph.D., postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Epidemiology at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health and first author. “This association was observed in our primary sample as well as in a validation cohort.”The researchers found that, compared with workers never earning low wages, sustained low-wage earners experienced significantly faster memory decline in older age. They experienced approximately one excess year of cognitive aging per a 10-year period; in other words, the level of cognitive aging experienced over a 10-year period by sustained low-wage earners would be what those who never earned low wages experienced in 11 years.”Our findings suggest that social policies that enhance the financial well-being of low-wage workers may be especially beneficial for cognitive health,” said senior author Adina Zeki Al Hazzouri, Ph.D., assistant professor of epidemiology at Columbia Mailman School and the Columbia Butler Aging Center. “Future work should rigorously examine the number of dementia cases and excess years of cognitive aging that could be prevented under different hypothetical scenarios that would increase the minimum hourly wage.”Research links red meat intake, gut microbiome, and cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) in older adultsTufts University, August 3, 2022Over the years, scientists have investigated the relationship between heart disease and saturated fat, dietary cholesterol, sodium, nitrites, and even high-temperature cooking, but evidence supporting many of these mechanisms has not been robust. Recent evidence suggests that the underlying culprits may include specialized metabolites created by our gut bacteria when we eat meat. A new study led by researchers at the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University and Cleveland Clinic Lerner Research Institute quantifies the risk of ASCVD associated with meat intake and identifies underlying biologic pathways that may help explain this risk. The study of almost 4,000 U.S. men and women over age 65 shows that higher meat consumption is linked to higher risk of ASCVD—22 percent higher risk for about every 1.1 serving per day—and that about 10 percent of this elevated risk is explained by increased levels of three metabolites produced by gut bacteria from nutrients abundant in meat. Higher risk and interlinkages with gut bacterial metabolites were found for red meat but not poultry, eggs, or fish. The study, published in the journal Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology (ATVB) on August 1, is the first to investigate the interrelationships between animal source foods and risk of ASCVD events, and the mediation of this risk by gut microbiota-generated compounds as well as by traditional ASCVD risk pathways such as blood cholesterol, blood pressure, and blood sugar. Highlights In this community-based cohort of older U.S. men and women, higher intakes of unprocessed red meat, total meat (unprocessed red meat plus processed meat), and total animal source foods were prospectively associated with a higher incidence of ASCVD during a median follow-up of 12.5 years. The positive associations with ASCVD were partly mediated (8-11 percent of excess risk) by plasma levels of TMAO, gamma-butyrobetaine, and crotonobetaine. The higher risk of ASCVD associated with meat intake was also partly mediated by levels of blood glucose and insulin and, for processed meats, by systematic inflammation but not by blood pressure or blood cholesterol levels. Intakes of fish, poultry, and eggs were not significantly associated with ASCVD. The 3,931 study subjects were followed for a median of 12.5 years, and their average age at baseline was 73. The study adjusted for established risk factors such as age, sex, race/ethnicity, education, smoking, physical activity, other dietary habits, and many additional risk factors. Diets higher in calcium and potassium may help prevent recurrent symptomatic kidney stones, study findsMayo Clinic, August 2, 2022Kidney stones can cause not only excruciating pain but also are associated with chronic kidney disease, osteoporosis and cardiovascular disease. If you’ve experienced a kidney stone once, you have a 30% chance of having another kidney stone within five years.Changes in diet are often prescribed to prevent recurrent symptomatic kidney stones. However, little research is available regarding dietary changes for those who have one incident of kidney stone formation versus those who have recurrent incidents.Mayo Clinic findings show that enriching diets with foods high in calcium and potassium may prevent recurrent symptomatic kidney stones.The findings, which were published in Mayo Clinic Proceedings, show that lower dietary calcium and potassium, as well as lower intake of fluids, caffeine and phytate, are associated with higher odds of experiencing a first-time symptomatic kidney stone.Of the patients who had first-time stone formation, 73 experienced recurrent stones within a median of 4.1 years of follow-up. Further analysis found that lower levels of dietary calcium and potassium predicted recurrence.Fluid intake of less than 3,400 milliliters per day, or about nine 12-ounce glasses, is associated with first-time stone formation, along with caffeine intake and phytate, the study finds. Daily fluid intake includes intake from foods such as fruits and vegetables.Low fluid and caffeine intake can result in low urine volume and increased urine concentration, contributing to stone formation. Phytate is an antioxidant compound found in whole grains, nuts and other foods that can lead to increased calcium absorption and urinary calcium excretion.Low dietary calcium and potassium was a more important predictor than fluid intake of recurrent kidney stone formation, says Api Chewcharat, M.D., the article’s first author. The study concludes that diets with daily intake of 1,200 milligrams of calcium may help prevent first-time and recurrent kidney stones.Dr. Chewcharat says the takeaway is that patients should add more fruits and vegetables that are high in calcium and potassium to their diets. Fruits that are high in potassium include bananas, oranges, grapefruits, cantaloupes, honeydew melons and apricots. Vegetables include potatoes, mushrooms, peas, cucumbers and zucchini.Could acupuncture help ward off diabetes?Edith Cowan University, August 2, 2022A new study from Edith Cowan University has found acupuncture therapy may be a useful tool in avoiding type 2 diabetes.The research team investigated dozens of studies covering the effects of acupuncture on more than 3600 people with prediabetes, a condition which sees higher-than-normal blood glucose levels without being high enough to be diagnosed as diabetes.The findings showed acupuncture therapy significantly improved key markers, such as fasting plasma glucose, two-hour plasma glucose, and glycated haemoglobin, plus a greater decline in the incidence of prediabetes.There were also no reports of adverse reactions among patients.Green tea helps support healthy glucose in metabolic syndrome patients Ohio State University, August 1 2022. Findings from a trial reported in the supplement of Current Developments in Nutrition revealed that consuming green tea extract improved glucose levels in adults with metabolic syndrome: a cluster of factors that increase the risk of diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Supplementation with green tea extract was also associated with improvement in intestinal health, including a reduction in leaky gut.  The trial was a follow-up to a study published in 2019 that found protective effects for green tea against inflammation induced by nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) in mice. In the current crossover trial, 21 individuals with metabolic syndrome and 19 healthy participants received 1 gram of green tea extract or a placebo for 28 days. This period was followed by another treatment period in which participants who previously received the extract were given a placebo and those who received a placebo received the extract. Fasting blood glucose, insulin and lipid levels were measured at the beginning of each treatment period and at days 14 and 28.  Supplementation with green tea extract was associated with lower fasting glucose and markers of intestinal inflammation in comparison with the placebo. In separately published findings, green tea extract was associated with decreases in small intestinal permeability (leaky gut).  

The Gary Null Show - 08.03.22

Videos:
How the US Stole Central America (With Bananas) – Johnny Harris
 
HEALTH NEWS
Black cardamom bioactives effective against lung cancer cellsSoybean oil causes more obesity than coconut oil and fructoseWhy breast-fed premature infants have healthier guts than formula-fed onesEven simple exercise may help aging brain, study hintsSmall daily portion of Jarlsberg cheese may help to stave off bone thinningBody fat can send signals to brain, affecting stress response
Black cardamom bioactives effective against lung cancer cells
National University of Singapore, August 1, 2022
The main challenges associated with existing lung cancer drugs are severe side effects and drug resistance. There is hence a constant need to explore new molecules for improving the survival rate and quality of life of lung cancer patients.
In Indian Ayurvedic medicine, black cardamom has been used in formulations to treat cancer and lung conditions. A team of researchers from the NUS Faculty of Science studied the scientific basis behind this traditional medicinal practice and provided evidence of the cytotoxic effect of black cardamom on lung cancer cells. The research highlighted the spice as a source of potent bioactives, such as cardamonin and alpinetin, which could be used in the treatment or prevention of lung cancer. The study is the first to report the association of black cardamom extract with oxidative stress induction in lung cancer cells, and compare the spice’s effects on lung, breast and liver cancer cells.
The findings could potentially lead to the discovery of safe and effective new bioactives which can prevent or cure cancer formation. The research was first published in the Journal of Ethnopharmacology.
Black cardamom is typically used in Asian households in rice preparations, curries and stews either as a whole spice or in powdered form. The spice is also prescribed in Indian Ayurvedic medicine in powder form where it is used for conditions such as cough, lung congestion, pulmonary tuberculosis, and throat diseases. 
In the NUS study, black cardamom fruits were powdered and sequentially extracted with five types of solvents, including organic solvents and water. This allowed the researchers to evaluate the best solvents to extract the most potent actives in the fruit. The various types of black cardamom extracts were then tested for their cytotoxicity against several types of cancer cells. These included cancer cells from the lung, liver and breast. Among the three types of cells, lung cancer cells were least likely to survive when tested with the black cardamom extracts.
Soybean oil causes more obesity than coconut oil and fructose
University of California at Riverside, July 22, 2022
A diet high in soybean oil causes more obesity and diabetes than a diet high in fructose, a sugar commonly found in soda and processed foods, according to a published paper by scientists at the University of California, Riverside.
The scientists fed male mice a series of four diets that contained 40 percent fat, similar to what Americans currently consume. In one diet the researchers used coconut oil, which consists primarily of saturated fat. In the second diet about half of the coconut oil was replaced with soybean oil, which contains primarily polyunsaturated fats and is a main ingredient in vegetable oil. That diet corresponded with roughly the amount of soybean oil Americans currently consume.
The other two diets had added fructose, comparable to the amount consumed by many Americans. All four diets contained the same number of calories and there was no significant difference in the amount of food eaten by the mice on the diets. Thus, the researchers were able to study the effects of the different oils and fructose in the context of a constant caloric intake.
Compared to mice on the high coconut oil diet, mice on the high soybean oil diet showed increased weight gain, larger fat deposits, a fatty liver with signs of injury, diabetes and insulin resistance, all of which are part of the Metabolic Syndrome. Fructose in the diet had less severe metabolic effects than soybean oil although it did cause more negative effects in the kidney and a marked increase in prolapsed rectums, a symptom of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), which like obesity is on the rise.
The mice on the soybean oil-enriched diet gained almost 25 percent more weight than the mice on the coconut oil diet and 9 percent more weight than those on the fructose-enriched diet. And the mice on the fructose-enriched diet gained 12 percent more weight than those on a coconut oil rich diet.
Soybean oil now accounts for 60 percent of edible oil consumed in the United States. That increase in soybean oil consumption mirrors the rise in obesity rates in the United States in recent decades.
During the same time, fructose consumption in the United States significantly increased, from about 37 grams per day in 1977 to about 49 grams per day in 2004.
The UC Riverside researchers also did a study with corn oil, which induced more obesity than coconut oil but not quite as much as soybean oil. They are currently doing tests with lard and olive oil. They have not tested canola oil or palm oil.
Why breast-fed premature infants have healthier guts than formula-fed ones
University of Maryland School of Medicine, August 2, 2022
Human breastmilk has long been considered “liquid gold” among clinicians treating premature infants in a newborn intensive care unit (NICU). Breastmilk-fed “preemies” are healthier, on average, than those fed formula. Why is that true, however, has remained a mystery.
New research from the University of Maryland School of Medicine’s (UMSOM) Institute for Genome Sciences (IGS), found it is not just the content of breastmilkthat makes the difference. It is also the way the babies digest it.
The research, led by Bing Ma, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Microbiology and Immunology at UMSOM and a researcher at IGS, discovered a strain of the Bifidobacterium breve bacteria or B. breve in the guts of breastfed babies who received higher volumes of breastmilk than their counterparts. Those preemies had better nutrient absorptionbecause they developed an intact intestinal wall one week after birth. B. breve was much less prevalent in both formula-fed babies and breastfed babies with “leaky gut.” Babies with leaky gut do not develop a barrier to protect against bacteria and digested food from getting into the bloodstream. For the first time, the team also found that the way B. breve metabolizes breastmilk keeps breastfed babies healthier and allows them to gain weight by strengthening their underdeveloped intestinal barrier.
An immature or “leaky” gut can lead to necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC), which is the third leading cause of newborn death in United States and worldwide. In fact, NEC impacts up to 10 percent of premature babies with a devastating mortality rate as high as 50 percent.
At the most basic level, the gut microbiome in these breastfed preemies with more B. breve metabolizes carbohydrates differently than it does formula. The researchers say they hypothesize that this process of metabolism then strengthens and matures the intestinal barrier faster, protecting fragile newborns from disease.
Even simple exercise may help aging brain, study hints
Wake Forest School of Medicine, August 1, 2022
New research hints that even a simple exercise routine just might help older Americans with mild memory problems.
Researchers recruited about 300 sedentary older adults with hard-to-spot memory changes called mild cognitive impairment or MCI—a condition that’s sometimes, but not always, a precursor to Alzheimer’s. Half were assigned aerobic exercises and the rest stretching-and-balance moves that only modestly raised their heart rate.
After a year, cognitive testing showed overall neither group had worsened, said lead researcher Laura Baker, a neuroscientist at Wake Forest School of Medicine. Nor did brain scans show the shrinkage that accompanies worsening memory problems, she said.
By comparison, similar MCI patients in another long-term study of brain health—but without exercise—experienced significant cognitive decline over a year.
But the results suggest “this is doable for everybody”—not just seniors healthy enough to work up a hard sweat, said Baker, who presented the data Tuesday at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference. “Exercise needs to be part of the prevention strategies” for at-risk seniors.
Small daily portion of Jarlsberg cheese may help to stave off bone thinning
Norwegian Research Council, August 2, 2022
A small (57 g) daily portion of Jarlsberg cheese may help to stave off bone thinning (osteopenia/osteoporosis) without boosting harmful low density cholesterol, suggest the results of a small comparative clinical trial, published in the open access journal BMJ Nutrition Prevention & Health.
The effects seem to be specific to this type of cheese, the findings indicate.
Jarlsberg is a mild and semi-soft, nutty-flavored cheese made from cow’s milk, with regular holes. It originates from Jarlsberg in eastern Norway.
Previous research indicates that it may help boost levels of osteocalcin, a hormone that is associated with strong bones and teeth, but it’s not clear if this effect is specific to Jarlsberg or any type of cheese.
In a bid to find out, the researchers studied 66 healthy women (average age 33; average BMI of 24) who were randomly allocated to adding either a daily 57 g portion of Jarlsberg (41) or 50 g of Camembert cheese (25) to their diet for 6 weeks. 
At the end of this period, the group eating Camembert was switched to Jarlsberg for another six weeks. 
Jarlsberg and Camembert have similar fat and protein contents, but unlike Camembert, Jarlsberg is rich in vitamin K2, also known as menaquinone (MK), of which there are several varieties.
Every six weeks blood samples were taken from all the participants to check for key proteins, osteocalcin, and a peptide (PINP) involved in bone turnover. Vitamin K2 and blood fat levels were also measured.
Blood sample analysis showed that the key biochemical markers of bone turnover, including osteocalcin, and vitamin K2 increased significantly after 6 weeks in the Jarlsberg group. 
Glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c)—-the amount of glucose stuck in red blood cells—fell significantly (by 3%) in the Jarlsberg group, while it rose sharply (by 2%) in those eating Camembert. But after switching to Jarlsberg HbA1c fell significantly in this group too.
Calcium and magnesium fell significantly in the Jarlsberg group but remained unchanged in the Camembert group. After switching cheese, calcium levels dropped in this group too, possibly reflecting increased uptake of these key minerals in bone formation, say the researchers. 
“Daily Jarlsberg cheese consumption has a positive effect on osteocalcin, other [markers of bone turnover], glycated hemoglobin and lipids,” write the researchers, concluding that the effects are specific to this cheese.
Body fat can send signals to brain, affecting stress response
University of Florida, July 23, 2022
The brain’s effect on other parts of the body has been well established. Now, a group that includes two University of Florida researchers has found that it’s a two-way street: Body fat can send a signal that affects the way the brain deals with stress and metabolism.
While the exact nature of those signals remains a mystery, researchers say simply knowing such a pathway exists and learning more about it could help break a vicious cycle: Stress causes a desire to eat more, which can lead to obesity. And too much extra fat can impair the body’s ability to send a signal to the brain to shut off the stress response.
The findings are important and unique because they show that it’s not simply the brain that drives the way the body responds to stress, said James Herman, Ph.D., a co-author of the paper and a professor in the department of psychiatry and behavioral neuroscience at the University of Cincinnati,.
“It moved our understanding of stress control to include other parts of the body. Before this, everyone thought that the regulation of stress was mainly due to the brain. It’s not just in the brain. This study suggests that stress regulation occurs on a much larger scale, including body systems controlling metabolism, such as fat,” Herman said.
Researchers found that a glucocorticoid receptor in fat tissue can affect the way the brain controls stress and metabolism. Initially, such signals from the receptor can be lifesavers, directing the brain to regulate its energy balance and influencing stress responses in a beneficial way.

The Gary Null Show - 08.02.22

Videos: All Found on Youtube
TikTok Is Worse Than You Thought
Joe Reviews TikTok’s Crazy Terms of Service
 
HEALTH NEWS 
Lutein may counter cognitive aging, study findsA stable gut helps elite athletes perform betterCould Spirulina modify the microbiome to protect against age-related damage?It doesn’t matter much which fiber you choose—just get more fiberPlant-based meat ‘healthier and more sustainable than animal products,’ according to new studyPine Bark Extract Treats Meniere’s Disease
Lutein may counter cognitive aging, study finds
University of Illinois, July 25, 2022
Spinach and kale are favorites of those looking to stay physically fit, but they also could keep consumers cognitively fit, according to a new study from University of Illinois researchers.
The study, which included 60 adults aged 25 to 45, found that middle-aged participants with higher levels of lutein – a nutrient found in green leafy vegetables such as spinach and kale, as well as avocados and eggs — had neural responses that were more on par with younger individuals than with their peers. The findings were published in the journal Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience.
“Now there’s an additional reason to eat nutrient-rich foods such as green leafy vegetables, eggs and avocados,” said Naiman Khan, a professor of kinesiology and community health at Illinois. “We know these foods are related to other healthbenefits, but these data indicate that there may be cognitive benefits as well.”
Lutein is a nutrient that the body can’t make on its own, so it must be acquired through diet. Lutein accumulates in brain tissues, but also accumulates in the eye, which allows researchers to measure levels without relying on invasive techniques.
The Illinois researchers measured lutein in the study participants’ eyes by having participants look into a scope and respond to a flickering light. Then, using electrodes on the scalp, the researchers measured neural activity in the brain while the participants performed a task that tested attention.
“The neuro-electrical signature of older participants with higher levels of lutein looked much more like their younger counterparts than their peers with less lutein,” Walk said. “Lutein appears to have some protective role, since the data suggest that those with more lutein were able to engage more cognitive resources to complete the task.”
Next, Khan’s group is running intervention trials, aiming to understand how increased dietary consumption of lutein may increase lutein in the eye, and how closely the levels relate to changes in cognitive performance.
A stable gut helps elite athletes perform better
Anglia Ruskin University, July 29, 2022
New research has found that microbial instability in the gut could hinder the performance of elite endurance athletes, and that short-term, high-protein diets are associated with this type of imbalance.
Researchers from across the UK analyzed the performance and gut health of a group of well-matched, highly trained endurance runners, to explore the impact of both high-protein and high-carbohydrate diets.
The study found that in those following a high-protein regime, this resulted in a disturbance in the stability of the gut microbiome. This was also accompanied by a 23.3% reduction in time trial performance.
Analysis found a significantly reduced diversity and altered composition of the gut phageome, as well as higher levels of certain types of virals and bacterial compartments. Those participants whose gut microbiome was more stable performed better during time trials.
Those following a high-carbohydrate diet resulted in an improved time trial performance of 6.5%.
Could Spirulina modify the microbiome to protect against age-related damage?
Louvain Drug Research Institute (Belgium), July 28, 2022
Spirulina might help protect against age-related liver inflammation by modifying pathways in the microbiome, say researchers.
Consumption of spirulina could help protect against hepatic inflammation in the elderly, according to the new animal research published in Nutrients.
Belgian researchers carried out tests on mice, which suggest that the algae Spirulina has an impact on the gut microbiota, which in turn activates the immune system in the gut and improves inflammation in the liver that is associated with ageing.
Led by senior author Professor Nathalie Delzenne from the Louvain Drug Research Institute in Belgium, the team said oral feeding of Spirulina was found to modulates several immunological functions involving, among others, the TLR4 pathway in old mice.
“The fact that its oral consumption can influence both gut immunity and systemic sites, such as the liver, suggests that its immune action is not confined to the gut immune system,” wrote the team – who said the findings open the way to new therapeutic tools “in the management of immune alterations in aging, based on gut microbe-host interactions.”
Furthermore, they suggested that improvement of the homeostasis in the gut ecosystem ‘could be essential’ during the aging process, “and, in this perspective, dietary manipulation of the gut microbiota of the elderly with Spirulina, may represent a tool for preserving a healthy gastrointestinal microbial community in addition to its beneficial effects on immune function.”
It doesn’t matter much which fiber you choose—just get more fiber
Duke University, July 30, 2022
That huge array of dietary fiber supplements in the drugstore or grocery aisle can be overwhelming to a consumer. They make all sorts of health claims too, not being subject to FDA review and approval. So how do you know which supplement works and would be best for you?
A rigorous examination of the gut microbes of study participants who were fed three different kinds of supplements in different sequences concludes that people who had been eating the least amount of fiber before the study showed the greatest benefit from supplements, regardless of which ones they consumed.
“The people who responded the best had been eating the least fiber to start with,” said study leader Lawrence David, an associate professor of molecular genetics and microbiology at Duke University.
When your gut bugs are happily munching on a high-fiber diet, they produce more of the short-chain fatty acids that protect you from diseases of the gut, colorectal cancers and even obesity. And in particular, they produce more of a fatty acid called butyrate, which is fuel for your intestinal cells themselves. Butyrate has been shown to improve the gut’s resistance to pathogens, lower inflammation and create happier, healthier cells lining the host’s intestines.
“We didn’t see a lot of difference between the fiber supplements we tested. Rather, they looked interchangeable,” David said during a tour of his sparkling new lab in the MSRB III building
Plant-based meat ‘healthier and more sustainable than animal products,’ according to new study
University of Bath (UK), July 30, 2022
Plant-based dietary alternatives to animal products are better for the environment and for human health when compared with the animal products they are designed to replace, say the authors of a new study.
A new paper published in Future Foods argues that because these foods are “specifically formulated to replicate the taste, texture, and overall eating experience of animal products,” they are a much more effective way of reducing demand for meat and dairy than simply encouraging people to cook vegetarian whole foods.
The study, conducted by psychologists at the University of Bath, concludes that plant-based meat and dairy alternatives “offer a healthier and more environmentally sustainable solution which takes into account consumer preferences and behavior.”
The review examined 43 studies into the health and environmental impacts of plant-based foods, as well as consumer attitudes. One study found that almost 90% of consumers who ate plant-based meat and dairy were in fact meat-eaters or flexitarians; another found that plant-based products with a similar taste, texture, and price to processed meat had the best chance of replacing meat.
The paper also found that these plant-based products caused lower levels of greenhouse gas emissions than the animal products they were replacing. One paper found replacing 5% of German beef consumption with pea protein could reduce CO2emissions by up to eight million tons a year. Another found that compared to beef burgers, plant-based burgers were associated with up to 98% less greenhouse gas emissions.
Studies focusing on the healthiness of plant-based products also found they tend to have better nutritional profiles compared to animal products, with one paper finding that 40% of conventional meat products were classified as ‘less healthy’ compared to just 14% of plant-based alternatives based on the UK’s Nutrient Profiling Model.
Others found plant-based meat and dairy were good for weight loss and building muscle mass, and could be used to help people with specific health conditions. Food producers may be able to add ingredients such as edible fungi, microalgae or spirulina to plant-based foods, boosting properties such as amino acids, vitamins B and E and antioxidants. Future innovations in processing and ingredients are likely to lead to further nutritional improvements.
Pine Bark Extract Treats Meniere’s Disease
University of Chieti-Pescara (Italy), July 17, 2022 
Research from Italy’s University of Chieti-Pescara has found that a patented pine bark extract significantly treats Meniere’s disease.
Ménière’s disease is a type of vertigo caused by a condition of the inner ear, discovered by the French doctor, Prosper Ménière in the mid-nineteenth century.
Dr. Ménière found the vertigo disorder, which produces a low-pitched tinnitus of varying intensity depending upon the person and the degree of the condition; can eventually result in a complete loss of hearing. Symptoms include periodic headaches, dizziness, nausea and vomiting along with vertigo attacks that can last hours to weeks.
The researchers studied 107 patients with Ménière’s disease – each with varying intensity of symptoms.
The researchers split the 120 patients into two groups and for six months, and both groups were given conventional treatment.
In addition, one group was given 150 milligrams per day of Pycnogenol – a patented pine bark extract from the French Maritime pine tree.
They found that after three months of treatment, the pine bark extract group showed significantly better improvement than the control group. A full 45 percent of the pine bark extract group had a complete recovery after three months compared to 23 percent of the placebo group.
After six months, a full 87 percent of the pine bark extract group experienced recovery – became asymptomatic. Meanwhile, 34 percent of the control group (conventional treatment) recovered after six months.
The patients were given 200 milligrams per day of Pycnogenol for 8 weeks and crossed over with a placebo.

The Gary Null Show - 08.01.22

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Canadian Study Gives More Evidence Cancer Is A Lifestyle Disease Largely Caused By Food
Cancer Control Alberta, Alberta Health Services and University of Calgary, July 22, 2022
Shockingly, worldwide cancer rates are predicted to rise to 1-in-2 women and 1-in-3 men will be diagnosed with some form of cancer. It is so common already, in fact, that it getting cancer is more common than getting married or having a first baby.
In reality, one can significantly reduce the likelihood of getting cancer by making lifestyle changes. According to a recently published study out of Canada, the total proportion of cancer rates which can be attributed to lifestyle and environmental factors is quite high, nearing 41%.
Regarding the methods used in the study:
We estimated summary population attributable risk estimates for 24 risk factors (smoking [both passive and active], overweight and obesity, inadequate physical activity, diet [inadequate fruit and vegetable consumption, inadequate fibre intake, excess red and processed meat consumption, salt consumption, inadequate calcium and vitamin D intake], alcohol, hormones [oral contraceptives and hormone therapy], infections [Epstein-Barr virus, hepatitis B and C viruses, human papillomavirus, Helicobacter pylori], air pollution, natural and artificial ultraviolet radiation, radon and water disinfection by-products) by combining population attributable risk estimates for each of the 24 factors that had been previously estimated. 
The list above essentially outlines the wide range of personal choices we know can increase the risk of cancer, mainly pointing out that food causes cancer. Along with exercise, and common avoidable environmental factors, cancer is somewhat preventable.
Overall, we estimated that 40.8% of incident cancer cases were attributable to exposure to the 24 factors included in the analysis (Table 2). Tobacco smoking was responsible for the greatest cancer burden, accounting for an estimated 15.7% of all incident cancer cases (2485 cases), followed by physical inactivity and excess body weight, which were responsible for an estimated 7.2% and 4.3% of incident cancer cases, respectively. All other exposures of interest were estimated to be responsible for less than 4.0% of incident cancer cases each.
Brain imaging reveals how mindfulness program boosts pain regulation
University of Wisconsin-Madison, July 28, 2022
Research at the University of Wisconsin–Madison’s Center for Healthy Minds has isolated the changes in pain-related brain activity that follow mindfulness training—pointing a way toward more targeted and precise pain treatment.
The study, published in The American Journal of Psychiatry, identified pathways in the brain specific to pain regulation on which activity is altered by the center’s eight-week Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction course.
These changes were not seen in participants who took a similar course without the mindfulness instruction—important new evidence that the brain changes are due to the mindfulness training itself, according to Joseph Wielgosz. The study is the first to demonstrate pain-related brain changes from a standardized mindfulness course that is widely offered in clinical settings.
Around one-third of Americans experience pain-related problems, but common treatments—like medications and invasive procedures—don’t work for everyone and, according to Wielgosz, have contributed to an epidemic of addiction to prescription and illicit drugs.
Popular with patients and promising in its clinical outcomes, mindfulness training courses like MBSR have taken a central place in the drive for a more effective approach to pain management.
By practicing nonjudgmental, “present-centered” awareness of mind and body, participants can learn to respond to pain with less distress and more psychological flexibility—which can ultimately lead to reductions in pain itself.
The study also looked at longer-term mindfulness training. Intriguingly, practice on intensive meditation retreats was associated with changes in the neural signature for influences that shape pain indirectly—for example, differences in attention, beliefs and expectations, factors that often increase the perceived levels of distress in non-meditators.
These findings help show the potential for mindfulness practice as a lifestyle behavior.
Optimistic Women More Likely to Live Past 90
Harvard University, July 23, 2022
Turns out that focusing on the good things really is the recipe for a longer life. A new study from Harvard University, published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, found that higher levels of optimism were positively associated with longer lifespan, with the most optimistic women even living past 90 years old across a variety of racial and ethnic groups.
This study included over 150,000 postmenopausal women across a variety of diverse socio-economic and ethnic groups in the United States. These women, aged 50-79, enrolled in the study and were followed for a period of up to 26 years. The results of this study found that the 25% of subjects who were the most optimistic were more likely to have a 5.4% longer lifespan, and a 10% greater likelihood of living beyond 90 years of age compared to the 25% who were the least optimistic.
The authors noted that while social structure factors can affect optimism, there is still reason to look on the bright side of life, regardless of these factors, finding that being optimistic is scientifically significant for longer lifespan and overall longevity. According to Hayami Koga, a PhD candidate in the Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, this new research concluded that “There’s value to focusing on positive psychological factors, like optimism, as possible new ways of promoting longevity and healthy aging across diverse groups.”
The research from Harvard noted that women who were the most optimistic were 10% more likely to celebrate their 90th birthday than the least optimistic. Based on total demographics, however, the highest vs. lowest optimism quartile in the Women’s Health Initiative study is broken down as follows:
Overall – Associated with 5.4% longer lifespan
White women – 5.1% longer lifespan
Black women – 7.6% longer lifespan
Hispanic/Latina women – 5.4% longer lifespan
Asian women – 1.5% longer lifespan
This data shows that Black women have the highest longevity rates (at 7.6%) compared to other demographics specifically when optimism is brought into play.
Maintaining a positive outlook and optimism are undeniably large parts of the equation when it comes to living a long life, but there are other factors and lifestyle choices that come into play to ensure not only healthy lifespan, but healthy quality of life. These factors include:
A healthy diet —It has always been important to maintain a healthy diet to benefit overall health. While the Mediterranean diet, which emphasizes fruits and vegetables along with healthy fats and whole grains, is known for its health benefits, the Japanese diet is also a great option, with adherence to this diet being associated with a longer lifespan. 
Maintaining a healthy weight—Keeping the number on the scale in a healthy range with a combo of diet and exercise is a large aspect of staying healthy.
Nutrients—Targeted nutrients can also help support your longevity efforts. These nutrients include:
Nicotinamide riboside: A precursor of NAD+, and a form of vitamin B3 that can fight general fatigue, support cellular energy production, and even contribute to anti-aging.
Resveratrol: Skip the wine! Resveratrol has potent anti-aging properties, including fighting free radicals and mimicking calorie restricting diets that are key to longevity.
Curcumin: The golden spice is knowing for its anti-inflammatory benefits, and with that, its ability to benefit whole-body health. Working to keep your joints and your brain healthy, it’s a no brainer that this extract will keep you as young as you feel.
Managing stress—Keeping stress at bay is crucial to living a long and healthy life. There’s even evidence that managing stress can “un-gray” your hair! And who wouldn’t feel optimistic about that?
Is Vitamin E Good for PCOS?
Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, July 25, 2022
Can women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) get pregnant? The answer is: yes…but it can be more challenging than for women without this hormone imbalance condition. For reproductive-age women, the hallmark of PCOS is high androgen levels (the “male” hormone), which can lead to irregular periods and difficulty getting pregnant. But, as daycares full of babies conceived with a little “help” can attest, there are options.
A new study published in BMC Women’s Health suggests that vitamin E may be helpful for women with PCOS undergoing ovulation induction.
According to the study, women with polycystic ovary syndrome undergoing ovulation induction who received vitamin E had lower levels of oxidative stress and required lower doses of human menopausal gonadotropin.
In addition to potentially supporting fertility, vitamin E has many other health benefits for women with PCOS: it also helps maintain healthy levels of insulin, triglycerides and LDL.
In addition to the BMC Women’s Health publication, placebo-controlled studies have shown the benefits of vitamin E for women with PCOS, especially regarding their reproduction and fertility.
In the retrospective study from BMC Women’s Health, 321 women with PCOS underwent ovulation induction.
105 received 100 mg/d of vitamin E during the follicular phase
106 received 100 mg/d of vitamin E during the luteal phase
110 did not receive vitamin E
The results? Those who took vitamin E showed improved resistance to oxidative damage, healthy endometrium thickness, and decreased hMG dosage for healthy ovulation.
Total darkness at night is key to success of breast cancer therapy — Tulane study
Tulane University, July 25, 2022
Exposure to light at night, which shuts off nighttime production of the hormone melatonin, renders breast cancer completely resistant to tamoxifen, a widely used breast cancer drug, says a new study by Tulane University School of Medicine cancer researchers. The study, “Circadian and Melatonin Disruption by Exposure to Light at Night Drives Intrinsic Resistance to Tamoxifen Therapy in Breast Cancer,” published in the journal Cancer Research, is the first to show that melatonin is vital to the success of tamoxifen in treating breast cancer.
“In the first phase of the study, we kept animals in a daily light/dark cycle of 12 hours of light followed by 12 hours of total darkness (melatonin is elevated during the dark phase) for several weeks,” says Hill. “In the second study, we exposed them to the same daily light/dark cycle; however, during the 12 hour dark phase, animals were exposed to extremely dim light at night (melatonin levels are suppressed), roughly equivalent to faint light coming under a door.”
Melatonin by itself delayed the formation of tumors and significantly slowed their growth but tamoxifen caused a dramatic regression of tumors in animals with either high nighttime levels of melatonin during complete darkness or those receiving melatonin supplementation during dim light at night exposure.
These findings have potentially enormous implications for women being treated with tamoxifen and also regularly exposed to light at night due to sleep problems, working night shifts or exposed to light from computer and TV screens.
“High melatonin levels at night put breast cancer cells to ‘sleep’ by turning off key growth mechanisms. These cells are vulnerable to tamoxifen. But when the lights are on and melatonin is suppressed, breast cancer cells ‘wake up’ and ignore tamoxifen,” Blask says.
A Cup of Cranberries a Day Keeps Dementia Away
University of East Anglia (UK), July 26, 2022
While aging is inevitable, cognitive decline doesn’t have to be. A recent study from the University of East Anglia found some “berry” good news about a way to help support and maintain brain function: cranberry intervention.
According to the study, having the equivalent of one cup of fresh cranberries a day can improve memory, neuronal functioning, and vascular health, enhancing blood flow to the brain. And as a sweet bonus, researchers found the red fruit also helps lower LDL (low-density lipoprotein) cholesterol levels, which can build up in the arteries and result in a higher risk for cardiovascular disease and Alzheimer’s.
“Cranberries are rich in these micronutrients [flavonoids, anthocyanins and proanthocyanidins] and have been recognized for their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties,” the authors said.
The researchers from the University of East Anglia performed a placebo-controlled study of parallel groups of healthy 50 to 80-year-olds adults to assess the effects of freeze-dried cranberry powder on cognition, brain function and biomarkers for brain cell signaling.
The results revealed that taking cranberry extract for 12 weeks improved memory of everyday events (visual episodic memory) and enhanced blood circulation to certain parts of the brain (regional brain perfusion) compared to the placebo group. Better blood flow means essential nutrients such as oxygen and glucose reach areas of the brain associated with memory consolidation and retrieval.

The Gary Null Show - 07.29.22

Strawberries may fend off Alzheimer's
Rush University Medical Center, July 28, 2022
 
Could strawberries as a snack or in your cereal, salads or smoothie help protect your brain from Alzheimer's? Maybe so, according to a new study from researchers at RUSH.
RUSH researchers found that a bioactive compound found in strawberries called pelargonidin may be associated with fewer neurofibrillary tau tangles in the brain. Tau tangles are one of the hallmarks of Alzheimer's disease, which is caused by abnormal changes with tau proteins that accumulate in the brain. The study was published in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease.
"We suspect the anti-inflammatory properties of pelargonidin may decrease overall neuroinflammation, which may reduce cytokine production," said Dr. Julie Schneider, author of the study. Schneider is associate professor and neuropathologist in the Rush Alzheimer's Disease Center at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago.
Among berries, strawberries are the most abundant source of pelargonidin.
 
 
Florida Seaweed may Hold Promise as Protector Against Cancer
 University of Florida College of Pharmacy, July 24, 2022
 
Among all cancers, new cases of prostate cancer are the most prevalent in the United States. While there are numerous tips for preventing and even reversing prostate cancer, one new study suggests a seaweed found off the coast of Florida could hold the key to preventing this and other forms of cancer.
The news potentially brings the U.S. closer to Asian countries in prostate cancer prevalence—countries that incidentally have high rates of seaweed consumption. Researchers with the University of Florida screened several different seaweeds, searching for one with the most cancer-protective promise. They found it in a common green algae known as sea lettuce.
“We now have scientific evidence that this seaweed raises the body’s antioxidant defense system and therefore might potentially prevent a number of diseases, including cancer,” said Hendrik Luesch, Ph.D., lead research and associate professor of medicinal chemistry in the UF College of Pharmacy. “This mechanism appears to be most relevant to prostate cancer.”
“Antioxidant-rich fruits and vegetables protect the body against these free radicals, mostly through a scavenging process of elimination. Rather than simply removing the damaging free radicals through this direct reaction, compounds in sea lettuce worked through an indirect mechanism, Luesch found. This process increases the levels of a suite of antioxidant enzymes and boosts antioxidants in cells, producing longer-lasting protection. Regulated by stretches of DNA called antioxidant response elements, the enzymes prevent oxidative damage and inflammation.”
Luesch compares the possibilities of sea lettuce compounds to the proven benefits of sulforaphane in broccoli, an enzyme that works through similar methods to prevent damage from oxidative stress and cancer.
 
Fast food diet before pregnancy can impact breast milk and baby's health, say scientists
University of Cambridge, July 27, 2022
A diet high in sugar and fat such as burgers, fries and fizzy drinks can negatively affect a new mother's breast milk and baby's health even before the child is conceived.
The new study using lab mice has found that even relatively short-term consumption of a fast food diet impacts women's health, reducing their ability to produce nutritional breast milk after giving birth. This can affect the newborn's well-being, as well as increasing the risk of both mother and child developing potentially fatal conditions such as heart disease, stroke and diabetes in later life.
Even mothers who appear to be a healthy weight can be suffering from hidden issues such as a fatty liver—which may be seen in people who are overweight or obese—from eating a diet heavy in processed foods, which tend to be high in fat and sugar. This can lead to advanced scarring (cirrhosis) and liver failure.
In this new study, a group of mice was fed a diet of processed high fat pellet with sweetened condensed milk for just three weeks before pregnancy, during the three-week pregnancy itself, and following birth. This diet was designed to mimic the nutritional content of a fast food burger, fries and sugary soft drink. The aim was to determine the impacts on fertility, fetus growth and neonatal outcomes. 
The researchers discovered that even a short-term high fat, high sugar diet impacted on the survival of the mice pups in the early period after birth, with an increased loss during the time the mother was feeding her offspring. Milk proteins are hugely important for newborn development but the quality was found to be poor in mouse mothers eating the high fat, high sugar diet.
"They ended up with fatty livers, which is really dangerous for the mum, and there was altered formation of the placenta. The weight of the fetus itself wasn't affected. They seemed lighter, but it wasn't significant. But what was also apparent was that the nutrition to the fetus was changed in pregnancy. Then when we looked at how the mum may be supporting the baby after pregnancy, we found that her mammary gland development and her milk protein composition was altered, and that may have been the explanation for the greater health problems of the newborn pups."
 
Meditation And Yoga Change Your DNA To Reverse Effects Of Stress, Study Shows
Coventry University (UK), July 25, 2022
Many people participate in practices such as meditation and yoga because they help us relax. At least those are the immediate effects we feel. But much more is happening on a molecular level, reveal researchers out of Coventry University in England.
Published in the journal Frontiers in Immunology, this new research examined 18 studies on mind-body interventions (MBIs). These include practices such as mindfulness meditation and yoga. Comprehensively, these studies encompassed 846 participants over 11 years. The new analysis reveals that MBIs result in molecular changes in the human body. Furthermore, researchers claim that these changes are beneficial to our mental and physical health.
To elaborate, consider the effect that stress has on the body. When we are under stress, the body increases the production of proteins that cause cell inflammation. This is the natural effect of the body’s fight-or-flight response.
It is widely believed that inflammation in the body leads to numerous illnesses, including cancer. Moreover, scientists also deduct that a persistent inflammation is more likely to cause psychiatric problems. Unfortunately, many people suffer from persistent stress, therefore they suffer from pro-inflammatory gene expression.
According to this new analysis out of Coventry, people that practice MBIs such as meditation and yoga can reverse pro-inflammatory gene expression. This results in a reduced risk of inflammation-related diseases and mental conditions.
 
EGCG in Green Tea inhibits the growth of breast cancer cells
Chonbuk National University School of Medicine (S Korea), July 21, 2022
According to news reporting originating in Chonbuk, South Korea, research stated, "Epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), a major constituent of green tea, has potential as a treatment for a variety of diseases, including cancer. EGCG induces apoptosis and inhibits tumorigenesis through multiple signaling pathways in breast cancer cells. b-catenin signaling modulators could be useful in the prevention and therapy of breast cancer."
Research from the Chonbuk National University School of Medicine states, "However, the precise anticancer effect of EGCG through the b-catenin signaling pathway in breast cancer is unclear. The present study investigated the association between b-catenin expression and clinicopathological factors of breast cancer patients, and the effect of EGCG on b-catenin expression in breast cancer cells. b-catenin expression was analyzed according to the clinicopathological factors of 74 patients with breast cancer. Western blot analysis revealed that b-catenin was expressed at higher levels in breast cancer tissue than in normal tissue. b-catenin expression was associated with lymph node metastasis, tumor-node-metastasis stage and estrogen receptor status. EGCG dsignificantly downregulated the expression of b-catenin, phosphorylated Akt and cyclin D1. 
The present results suggest that EGCG inhibits the growth of MDA-MB-231 cells through the inactivation of the b-catenin signaling pathway."
 
According to the news reporters, the research concluded: "Based on these promising results, EGCG may be a potential treatment for triple negative breast cancer patients."
 
 
Turmeric eye drops could treat glaucoma
University College London, July 264, 2022
A derivative of turmeric could be used in eye drops to treat the early stages of glaucoma, finds a new study led by UCL and Imperial College London researchers.
In the new Scientific Reports paper, the researchers report a new method to deliver curcumin, extracted from the yellow spice turmeric, directly to the back of the eye using eye drops, overcoming the challenge of curcumin's poor solubility.
The research team found the eye drops can reduce the loss of retinal cells in rats, which is known to be an early sign of glaucoma.
"Curcumin is an exciting compound that has shown promise at detecting and treating the neurodegeneration implicated in numerous eye and brain conditions from glaucoma to Alzheimer's disease, so being able to administer it easily in eye drops may end up helping millions of people," said the study's lead author, Professor Francesca Cordeiro.
Curcumin has previously been shown to protect retinal ganglion cells when administered orally. For the current study, the researchers were seeking to find a more reliable method to deliver curcumin. Oral administration is difficult because curcumin has poor solubility, so it does not easily dissolve and get absorbed into the bloodstream, and would require people to take large amounts of tablets (up to 24 a day) that may cause gastrointestinal side effects.
The team developed a novel nanocarrier, wherein the curcumin is contained within a surfactant combined with a stabiliser, both of which are known to be safe for human use and are already in existing eye products. The nanocarrier can be used in eye drops to deliver much higher loads of curcumin than other products in development, increasing the drug's solubility by a factor of almost 400,000, and localises the curcumin in the eyes instead of throughout the body.
After twice-daily use of eye drops in the rats for three weeks, retinal ganglion cell loss was significantly reduced compared to matched controls, and the treatment was found to be well-tolerated with no signs of eye irritation or inflammation.

The Gary Null Show - 07.28.22

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Diets high in N-3 polyunsaturated fats may help decrease risk of breast cancer
A new study evaluates associations between breast cancer risk and intake of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, based on menopause status
North American Menopause Society, July 27, 2022
Diet has long been reported to potentially affect breast cancer risk. Growing evidence suggests that n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) may play a role in the pathogenesis of breast cancer. A new study documents an inverse association between breast cancer risk and n-3 PUFA consumption, especially in premenopausal women who are obese. 
Previous studies have been conducted to investigate the association of n-3 PUFAs with breast cancer risk but have shown mixed results. Many of these studies were performed only in postmenopausal women because the peak age for breast cancer is 60 to 70 years in western countries, whereas it is age 40 to 50 years in Asian countries.
In this latest hospital-based, case-control study including nearly 1,600 cases, researchers not only examined the association between the intake of n-3 PUFAs in general with breast cancer, but they also looked at the effect of individual n-3 PUFAs. Good sources of n-3 PUFAs include fish, vegetable oil, nuts (especially walnuts), flax seeds and flaxseed oil, and leafy vegetables. Because the human body does not produce n-3 fatty acids naturally, these food sources are essential.
The study concluded that a higher intake of marine n-3 PUFAs and total n-3 PUFAs was associated with a lower risk of breast cancer. Dietary a-linolenic acid, eicosapentaenoic acid, docosapentaenoic acid, and docosahexaenoic acid also were inversely associated with breast cancer risk. Such inverse associations were more evident in premenopausal women and women with certain types of breast tumors. In addition, a decreased risk of breast cancer was significantly associated with increasing n-3 PUFA intake in women who were overweight or obese but not in women of normal weight. There was a significant interaction between linoleic acid and marine n-3 PUFAs.
Zinc can halt the growth of cancer cells, study reveals
University of Texas Arlington,  July 22, 2022 
Research out of the University of Texas at Arlington has found that zinc is integral in cancer prevention, particularly cancer of the esophagus. By the way, previous research had determined the importance of zinc and its protective effect for the esophagus; however, scientists were never sure exactly why this was so.
Researchers out of the UTA College of Nursing and Health Innovation partnered with an experienced esophageal cancer researcher. Their efforts determined that zinc actually targets esophageal cancer cells while leaving normal cells alone.
It seems that it works by impeding overactive calcium signaling in the cancer cells, which isn’t a problem in normal cells. In this way, zinc inhibits cancer selectively, only in the cells that are exhibiting this behavior.
Supplementation of just 15 mg of zinc daily has been found to improve T-cell functioning and increase the body’s ability to fight infection, according University of Florida researchers. 
Harm from blue light exposure increases with age, research suggests
Oregon State University, July 27, 2022
The damaging effects of daily, lifelong exposure to the blue light emanating from phones, computers and household fixtures worsen as a person ages, new research by Oregon State University suggests.
The study, published today in Aging, involved Drosophila melanogaster, the common fruit fly, an important model organism because of the cellular and developmental mechanisms it shares with other animals and humans.
Jaga Giebultowicz, a researcher in the OSU College of Science who studies biological clocks, led a collaboration that examined the survival rate of flies kept in darkness and then moved at progressively older ages to an environment of constant blue light from light-emitting diodes, or LEDs.
The darkness-to-light transitions occurred at the ages of two, 20, 40 and 60 days, and the study involved blue light’s effect on the mitochondria of the flies’ cells.
“The novel aspect of this new study is showing that chronic exposure to blue light can impair energy-producing pathways even in cells that are not specialized in sensing light,” Giebultowicz said. “We determined that specific reactions in mitochondria were dramatically reduced by blue light, while other reactions were decreased by age independent of blue light. You can think of it as blue light exposure adding insult to injury in aging flies.”
The scientists note that natural light is crucial for a person’s circadian rhythm—the 24-hour cycle of physiological processes such as brain wave activity, hormone production and cell regeneration that are important factors in eating and sleeping patterns. But there is evidence suggesting that increased exposure to artificial light is a risk factor for sleep and circadian disorders, Giebultowicz said. And with the prevalent use of LED lighting and device displays, humans are subjected to increasing amounts of light in the blue spectrum since commonly used LEDs emit a high fraction of blue light.
In the earlier research, flies subjected to daily cycles of 12 hours in light and 12 hours in darkness had shorter lives compared to flies kept in total darkness or those kept in light with the blue wavelengths filtered out. The flies exposed to blue light showed damage to their retinal cells and brain neurons and had impaired locomotion—the flies’ ability to climb the walls of their enclosures, a common behavior, was diminished.
Amla Extract May Boost Endotheial Function, Immune Response and More
Nizam Institute of Medical Sciences (India), July 18, 2022
Endothelial dysfunction (ED) has been observed in individuals with metabolic syndrome (MetS) and contributes to the initiation and progression of atherosclerosis. The primary management of MetS involves lifestyle modifications and treatment of its individual components with drugs all of which have side effects. Thus, it would be of advantageous if natural products would be used as adjuncts or substitutes for conventional drugs. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effect of standardized aqueous extract of fruits of amla (P. emblica) 250 mg and 500 mg twice daily on ED, oxidative stress, systemic inflammation and lipid profile in subjects with MetS.
Out of 65 screened subjects all 59 enrolled completed the study. Amla aqueous extract (PEE), 250 mg and 500 mg twice daily dosing, showed significant reduction in mean RI, measure of endothelial function, at 8 and 12 weeks compared to baseline and placebo. PEE 500 mg twice daily was significantly more efficacious than the 250 mg twice daily and placebo. No participant discontinued the study because of adverse events.
Amla aqueous extract significantly improved endothelial function, oxidative stress, systemic inflammation and lipid profile at both dosages tested, but especially at 500 mg twice daily. Thus, this product may be used as an adjunct to conventional therapy (lifestyle modification and pharmacological intervention) in the management of metabolic syndrome.
Histamine-producing gut bacteria can trigger chronic abdominal pain
McMaster University and Queen’s University (Ontario), July 27 ,2022
Researchers from McMaster University and Queen’s University have discovered a gut bacterial “super-producer” of histamine that can cause pain flare-ups in some patients with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).
The culprit is what has now been named Klebsiella aerogenes, identified in up to 25 percent of gut microbiota samples from patients with IBS. Researchers examined stool microbiota samples from both Canadian and American patient cohorts.
“We followed up these patients for several months and found high levels of stool histamine at the time when the patients reported severe pain, and low stool histamine when they were pain-free,” said senior author Premysl Bercik, professor of medicine of McMaster’s School of Medicine.
The McMaster-Queen’s research team pinpointed the bacterium Klebsiella aerogenes as the key histamine producer by studying germ-free mice colonized with gut microbiota from patients with IBS. They also colonized some mice with gut microbiota from healthy volunteers as a control group.
The study found that the bacterium Klebsiella aerogenes converts dietary histidine, an essential amino acid present in animal and plant protein, into histamine, a known mediator of pain. The bacterial histamine then activates the gut immune system through histamine-4 receptor, which draws immune mast cells into the intestines. These activated mast cells produce even more histamine and other pain-signaling mediators, triggering inflammation and pain.
The study found that when the mice colonized with histamine producing bacteria were fed a diet low in fermentable carbohydrates, bacterial histamine production dramatically decreased. This was due to change in bacterial fermentation and acidity within the gut, which inhibited the bacterial enzyme responsible for histamine production.
Bercik said that these results explain the beneficial effects of a low fermentable diet observed in patients with IBS.
Eating more ultra-processed foods associated with increased risk of dementia
Tianjin Medical University (China), July 27, 2022
People who eat the highest amounts of ultra-processed foods like soft drinks, chips and cookies may have a higher risk of developing dementia than those who eat the lowest amounts, according to a new study published in the online issue of Neurology. Researchers also found that replacing ultra-processed foods in a person’s diet with unprocessed or minimally processed foods was associated with a lower risk. The study does not prove that ultra-processed foods cause dementia. It only shows an association.
Ultra-processed foods are high in added sugar, fat and salt, and low in protein and fiber. They include soft drinks, salty and sugary snacks, ice cream, sausage, deep-fried chicken, yogurt, canned baked beans and tomatoes, ketchup, mayonnaise, packaged guacamole and hummus, packaged breads and flavored cereals.
For the study, researchers identified 72,083 people from the UK Biobank, a large database containing the health information of half a million people living in the United Kingdom. Participants were age 55 and older and did not have dementia at the start of the study. They were followed for an average of 10 years. By the end of the study, 518 people were diagnosed with dementia.
Researchers determined how much ultra-processed food people ate by calculating the grams per day and comparing it to the grams per day of other foods to create a percentage of their daily diet. They then divided participants into four equal groups from lowest percentage consumption of ultra-processed foods to highest.
After adjusting for age, gender, family history of dementia and heart disease and other factors that could affect risk of dementia, researchers found that for every 10% increase in daily intake of ultra-processed foods, people had a 25% higher risk of dementia.
Researchers also used study data to estimate what would happen if a person substituted 10% of ultra-processed foods with unprocessed or minimally processed foods, like fresh fruit, vegetables, legumes, milk and meat. They found that such a substitution was associated with a 19% lower risk of dementia.
“Our results also show increasing unprocessed or minimally processed foods by only 50 grams a day, which is equivalent to half an apple, a serving of corn, or a bowl of bran cereal, and simultaneously decreasing ultra-processed foods by 50 grams a day, equivalent to a chocolate bar or a serving of fish sticks, is associated with 3% decreased risk of dementia,” said Li. “It’s encouraging to know that small and manageable changes in diet may make a difference in a person’s risk of dementia.”

The Gary Null Show - 07.27.22

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HEALTH NEWS:
Green tea extract promotes gut health, lowers blood sugar
Ohio State University, July 26, 2022New research in people with a cluster of heart disease risk factors has shown that consuming green tea extract for four weeks can reduce blood sugar levels and improve gut health by lowering inflammation and decreasing “leaky gut.”Researchers said this is the first study assessing whether the health risks linked to the condition known as metabolic syndrome, which affects about one-third of Americans, may be diminished by green tea’s anti-inflammatory benefits in the gut.”There is much evidence that greater consumption of green tea is associated with good levels of cholesterol, glucose and triglycerides, but no studies have linked its benefits at the gut to those health factors,” said Richard Bruno, senior study author and professor of human nutrition at The Ohio State University.In the new study, green tea extract also lowered blood sugar, or glucose, and decreased gut inflammation and permeability in healthy people—an unexpected finding.
“What this tells us is that within one month we’re able to lower blood glucose in both people with metabolic syndrome and healthy people, and the lowering of bloodglucose appears to be related to decreasing leaky gut and decreasing gut inflammation—regardless of health status,” Bruno said.”We did not attempt to cure metabolic syndrome with a one-month study,” he said. “But based on what we know about the causal factors behind metabolic syndrome, there is potential for green tea to be acting at least in part at the gut level to alleviate the risk for either developing it or reversing it if you already have metabolic syndrome.”
Blood vessels can actually get better with age 
Study finds that arteries adapt to oxidative stress caused by agingUniversity of Missouri, July 21, 2022Although the causes of many age-related diseases remain unknown, oxidative stress is thought to be the main culprit. Oxidative stress has been linked to cardiovascular and neurodegenerative diseases including diabetes, hypertension and age-related cancers. However, researchers at the University of Missouri found that aging actually offered significant protection against oxidative stress. These findings suggest that aging may trigger an adaptive response to counteract the effects of oxidative stress on blood vessels.”Molecules known as reactive oxygen species, or ROS, play an important role in regulating cellular function,” said Steven Segal, a professor of medical pharmacology and physiology at the MU School of Medicine and senior author of the study. “However, the overproduction of ROS can help create a condition referred to as oxidative stress, which can alter the function of cells and interfere with their growth and reproduction.””We studied the endothelium from resistance arteries of male mice at 4 months and 24 months of age, which correspond to humans in their early 20s and mid-60s,” Segal said. “We first studied the endothelium under resting conditions and in the absence of oxidative stress. We then simulated oxidative stress by adding hydrogen peroxide. When oxidative stress was induced for 20 minutes, the endothelial cells of the younger mice had abnormal increases in calcium when compared to the endothelial cells of the older mice. This finding is important because when calcium gets too high, cells can be severely damaged.” 
When oxidative stress was extended to 60 minutes, Segal’s team found that the death of endothelial cells in the younger mice was seven times greater than those from the older mice. These findings indicated that with advancing age, the endothelium had adapted to preserve cellular integrity when confronted with oxidative stress.Our study suggests that blood vessels adapt during the aging process to regulate ROS and minimize cell death when subjected to an abrupt increase in oxidative stress. This adaptation helps to ensure that the arteries of older individuals can still do their jobs.” 
Elevated tween screen time linked to disruptive behavior disorders
University of California, San Francisco, July 26, 2022Tweens who spend more time on screens have a higher likelihood of developing disruptive behavior disorders, with social media having an especially strong influence, a new UC San Francisco-led study published in the Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry found.Social media use was most likely to be linked to conduct disorder, while other forms of screen use—such as watching videos and television, playing video games, and texting—were more likely to be associated with oppositional defiant disorder (ODD).Conduct disorder is characterized by violating others’ basic rights or societal rules with actions such as bullying, vandalism and stealing, while ODD is marked by a pattern of angry or irritable mood, argumentative or defiant behavior, and vindictiveness.Researchers collected data on screen use, then evaluated for behavior disorders one year later. Each hour of social media was linked with a 62% higher prevalence of conduct disorder, while television, video games, video chat, and texting were linked with a 14% to 21% higher prevalence of ODD.In another recent study, Nagata and colleagues found that adolescents are so attached to their phones—the main vehicle for screen time—that they report losing track of time when using their phone (47.5%) and will interrupt whatever they are doing when contacted by phone (31%).The average amount of screen time was four hours per day, with the most time spent watching/streaming TV shows/movies (1.3 hours on average), playing videogames (1.1 hours), and watching/streaming videos (1 hour).  In fact, four hours a day was a threshold, with time above four hours associated with a 69% higher prevalence of conduct disorder and a 46% higher prevalence of ODD.
Cocoa shown to reduce blood pressure and arterial stiffness in study
University of Surrey (UK), July 26, 2022
Cocoa flavanols have previously been found to lower blood pressure and arterial stiffnessas much as some blood pressure medication. However, how effective flavanols are in everyday life in reducing blood pressure has remained unknown, as previous studies in this area have been performed in tightly controlled experimental settings.
Surrey’s new research reduces concerns that cocoa as a treatment for raised blood pressure could pose health risks by decreasing blood pressure when it is not raised, paving the way for it to be potentially used in clinical practice.
In the first study of its kind study, researchers set out to investigate the use of flavanols, a compound found in cocoa, in lowering blood pressure and arterial stiffness in individuals outside of clinical settings.
For several days, eleven healthy participants consumed, on alternating days, either six cocoa flavanol capsules or six placebo capsules containing brown sugar. Participants were provided with an upper arm blood pressure monitor and a finger clip measuring pulse wave velocity (PWV) which gauges levels of arterial stiffness.
Measurements of blood pressure and PWV were taken prior to consumption of the capsules and every 30 minutes after ingestion for the first three hours, and then hourly for the remaining nine hours. Researchers found that blood pressure and arterial stiffness were only lowered in participants if it was high, and there was no effect when the blood pressure was low in the morning.
Professor Heiss added, “The positive impact cocoa flavanols have on our cardiovascular system, in particular, blood vessel function and blood pressure, is undeniable. Doctors often fear that some blood pressure tablets can decrease the blood pressure too much on some days.
Greater potassium intake linked to lower blood pressure in women
Amsterdam University Medical Center, July 25 2022. 
A study  in European Heart Journal found an association between consuming a higher amount of potassium and lower blood pressure among women with a high intake of sodium. “It is well known that high salt consumption is associated with elevated blood pressure and a raised risk of heart attacks and strokes,” noted study author Liffert Vogt, MD, PhD, of Amsterdam University Medical Center. “Health advice has focused on limiting salt intake but this is difficult to achieve when our diets include processed foods. Potassium helps the body excrete more sodium in the urine.”
The study included 11,267 men and 13,696 women who enrolled in England’s EPIC-Norfolk study between 1993 and 1997. Some participants were being treated for hypertension. Sodium and potassium intake were estimated from urinary levels of these minerals and categorized as low, medium or high. 
Increased potassium intake was associated with declining blood pressure among women with high sodium intake. In this group, each 1 gram increase in potassium consumption was associated with a 2.4 mmHg decrease in systolic blood pressure. 
During a median follow-up of 19.5 years, 54.5% of the men and women experienced cardiovascular disease events. Men whose potassium intake was among the top one-third of participants had a 7% lower risk of hospitalization or death caused by cardiovascular disease compared to men whose intake was among the lowest third. Among women whose potassium intake was highest, the risk was 11% lower. 
Elderberry benefits air travelers 
Griffith University, July 21, 2022
The negative health effects of international air travel are well documented but now it seems that the common elderberry can provide some relief.
Associate Professor Evelin Tiralongo and Dr Shirley Wee from Griffith’s Menzies Health Institute Queensland (MHIQ) have completed a clinical trial showing that an elderberry supplement can provide some protection from cold and flu-like symptoms following long-haul flights.
Intercontinental air travel can be stressful and affect a passenger’s physical and psychological wellbeing. Whilst jet lag and fatigue remain the best known problems, holidaymakers also often experience upper respiratory symptoms.
The randomised, double-blind placebo controlled clinical trial was conducted with 312 economy class passengers travelling from Australia to an overseas destination. Cold episodes, cold duration and symptoms were recorded in a daily diary and participants also completed surveys before, during and after travel.
“We found that most cold episodes occurred in the placebo group. However, the placebo group had a significantly higher number of cold episode days, and the symptom score in the placebo group over these days was also significantly higher,” says Associate Professor Tiralongo.
The trial used capsules containing 300mg of a standardised, proprietary membrane-filtered elderberry extract which has shown to be effective in working against respiratory bacteria and influenza viruses.