Antioxidants in gooseberry (amla) help maintain cardiovascular health and boost immunity

Nizam Institute of Medical Sciences (India), March 22, 2020

A recent study published in the journal BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine indicates that supplements made from amla extract (Indian gooseberry) can support cardiovascular health by improving endothelial function, reducing markers of oxidative stress and boosting immune response in people with metabolic syndrome.

The role of endothelial cells in cardiovascular function

Endothelial cells are cells that line the surface of blood vessels, forming a thin layer (endothelium) between the vessel wall and the circulating blood. The endothelium serves as a barrier that helps control the passage of materials and the transit of white blood cells in and out of the bloodstream.

Endothelial dysfunction occurs when the endothelium is hindered from performing its important functions, due to several causes that include diabetes or metabolic syndrome, high blood pressure, smoking and a generally unhealthy, sedentary lifestyle.

Endothelial dysfunction also contributes to the development of atherosclerosis or plaque buildup in the arteries that clog them and block the flow of blood.

Amla extract improves endothelial function, immune response

Researchers from India evaluated the effects of a standardized aqueous extract of amla, or Indian gooseberry (Phyllanthus emblica), on endothelial dysfunction, oxidative stress, systemic inflammation and the lipid profile of participants with metabolic syndrome.

The study involved 59 individuals with an average age of 57, all of whom have metabolic syndrome. These men and women were randomly assigned to one of three groups: One group received 250 mg of amla extract; another group received 500 mg of amla extract; and the last group received a placebo. The participants took their assigned doses twice a day for 12 weeks.

At the end of the supplementation period, the researchers observed that those who took 500 mg showed significant reduction in total cholesterol (11 percent), LDL cholesterol (21 percent) and triglycerides (19 percent), as well as a seven percent increase in HDL cholesterol. Those who took 250 mg also showed significant improvements in endothelial function, as well as a reduction in biomarkers of oxidative stress and systemic inflammation.

The researchers also noted that no participant discontinued the supplementation due to adverse side effects.

The researchers conclude that, while both doses had significantly better effects than the placebo, the 500 mg twice daily dose was “significantly more efficacious than the 250 mg twice daily dose.”

They added that further research involving a larger population is needed to determine if supplementation of amla extract can be a “novel therapeutic alternative in improving the components of metabolic syndrome.” (Related: Reduce cholesterol and improve heart health with Indian gooseberry.)

The nutritional profile of Indian gooseberry

As the recent study indicates, Indian gooseberry can help improve cardiovascular function, as well as immune response, all thanks to its impressive nutritional profile.

Just one cup (150 g) of gooseberries contains:

• Calories: 66
• Carbs: 15 g
• Fat: less than 1 g
• Fiber: 7 g
• Protein: 1 g
• Copper: 12 percent of the Daily Value (DV)
• Manganese: 9 percent of the DV
• Potassium: 6 percent of the DV
• Vitamin B5: 9 percent of the DV
• Vitamin B6: 7 percent of the DV
• Vitamin C: 46 percent of the DV

Gooseberries are a rich source of vitamin C, a potent antioxidant that supports the immune system and nervous system and promotes healthy skin.

They also contain copper, an essential nutrient for the optimal functioning of the heart, blood vessels, immune system and brain. Another mineral present in gooseberries is manganese, which also supports the immune system and is required for metabolism, bone formation and proper reproductive function. Meanwhile, the potassium in gooseberries is vital for normal cell function.

Can Diet Rich in Vegetables, Nuts, and Soy Reduce Stroke Risk?

  University in Hualien (Taiwan), March 20, 2020

• Vegetarians in the Tzu Chi Buddhist communities in Taiwan had a lower risk of stroke compared with non-vegetarian members, according to a study of two prospective cohorts.
• Note that in a subgroup analysis, vitamin B₁₂ intake appeared to modify the association between vegetarian diet and overall stroke.

Of the modifiable risk factors, research about diet and stroke risk has produced mixed results. Among women, a Mediterranean diet has been tied to reduced stroke risk, and a meta-analysis has tied meatless diets to lower blood pressure.

For the current investigation, Chin-Lon Lin, MD, of Tzu Chi University in Hualien, Taiwan, and colleagues hypothesized that a vegetarian diet would protect against stroke through reduction of metabolic risk factors and that this effect would be particularly strong among vegetarians with adequate intake of vitamin B₁₂.

In Neurology, they reported that a vegetarian diet rich in vegetables, soy, and nuts (with less dairy) can lower the risk of stroke.

Their study followed the Tzu Chi Health Study cohort comprised of 5,050 people (cohort 1, recruited in 2007-2009) and the Tzu Chi Vegetarian Study cohort comprised of 8,302 people (cohort 2, recruited in 2005) until the end of 2014.

Most of the participants were Tzu Chi volunteers — Buddhists who commit themselves to a variety of community services, ranging from charity to environmental protection. They also refrain from smoking and drinking.

At baseline, participants were about age 50 and had no prior history of stroke. Vegetarians were more likely to be women, never-smokers, and never-alcohol drinkers. Vegetarians were less likely to have dyslipidemia, regular leisure time physical activities, low education levels, elevated systolic blood pressure (cohort 1), and hypertension (cohort 2).

Almost 30% of volunteers were full-time vegetarians in both cohorts. Of the vegetarians, only 25% were men, whereas non-vegetarians showed a more even gender split.

All participants received a comprehensive health examination, as well as medical and food frequency questionnaires at the start of the study. In addition, a subgroup of 1,528 cohort members (selected at a ratio of 2:1 for non-vegetarians to vegetarians) contributed more blood samples for the analysis of homocysteine, vitamin B₁₂, and folate.

Both vegetarians and non-vegetarians consumed the same amount of eggs and fruit. The researchers defined vegetarians as people who did not eat any meat or fish.

Compared with non-vegetarians, vegetarians consumed more dietary fibers and plant protein, but less protein, fat, and vitamin B₁₂. More vegetarians than non-vegetarians had an inadequate intake of vitamin B₁₂ (64% vs 33%).

Homocysteine increases with either folate or vitamin B₁₂ deficiency, because folate and vitamin B₁₂ are intertwined with the metabolism of methionine and homocysteine. In addition to thinking of this vitamin as necessary to the proper functioning of metabolic pathways, there is also the view that vitamin B₁₂ may be a general nerve-protecting and nerve-regenerating compound.

While folate deficiency was rare in the current study, vegetarians were more likely than non-vegetarians to have higher homocysteine levels (25% of vegetarians vs 8% of non-vegetarians had a homocysteine level ≥14 μmol/L) and vitamin B₁₂ deficiency (26% of vegetarians vs 1% of non-vegetarians had a serum vitamin B₁₂ level <200 pg/mL).

Participants in cohort 1 were followed for 5 to 7 years and participants in cohort 2 were followed for 9 years.

In cohort 1, 54 events occurred over 30,797 person-years of follow-up. There were three strokes among 1,424 vegetarians compared with 28 strokes among 3,626 non-vegetarians.

An analysis that adjusted for age, sex, smoking, and health conditions like high blood pressure and diabetes, showed that risk reduction for ischemic stroke was 74% (hemorrhagic strokes were not analyzed in this cohort because only eight occurred).

Lin and team observed 121 events over 76,797 person-years of follow-up in cohort 2. There were 24 ischemic and hemorrhagic strokes among 2,719 vegetarians compared with 97 strokes among 5,583 non-vegetarians.

Overall, vegetarians in cohort 2 had a 48% lower risk of overall stroke than non-vegetarians, a 60% lower risk of ischemic stroke, and a 65% lower risk of hemorrhagic stroke, following adjustments for other factors.

A subgroup analysis showed that vitamin B₁₂ intake might modify the association between a vegetarian diet and overall stroke (P interaction=0.046).

Since the researchers only assessed diets at baseline, they did not know if participants’ diets had changed over time. Results may not be generalizable to the general population, since participants did not drink or smoke. Other study limitations included the possibility of residual confounding, despite extensive adjustments for potential confounding factors, due to the observational study design.

The findings contrast with the recent EPIC-Oxford study, which found a higher stroke risk for vegetarians, driven largely by a higher rate of hemorrhagic stroke, Lin and co-authors noted. “Nearly 80% of vegetarians in the EPIC-Oxford study drank varying degrees of alcohol, but most participants in our studies avoid alcohol (about 6% of non-vegetarians and fewer than 1% of vegetarians were current drinkers at baseline),” they pointed out. Asian Buddhists also avoid garlic and other allium vegetables, they added.

Spiritual retreats change feel-good chemical systems in the brain

 Marcus Institute of Integrative Health at Thomas Jefferson University, March 23, 2020

 

More Americans than ever are turning to spiritual, meditative and religious retreats as a way to reset their daily life and enhance wellbeing. Now, researchers at The Marcus Institute of Integrative Health at Thomas Jefferson University show there are changes in the dopamine and serotonin systems in the brains of retreat participants. The team published their results in Religion, Brain & Behavior.

“Since serotonin and dopamine are part of the reward and emotional systems of the brain, it helps us understand why these practices result in powerful, positive emotional experiences,” said Andrew Newberg, M.D., Director of Research in the Marcus Institute of Integrative Health. “Our study showed significant changes in dopamine and serotonin transporters after the seven-day retreat, which could help prime participants for the spiritual experiences that they reported.”

The post-retreat scans revealed decreases in dopamine transporter (5-8 percent) and serotonin transporter (6.5 percent) binding, which could make more of the neurotransmitters available to the brain. This is associated with positive emotions and spiritual feelings. In particular, dopamine is responsible for mediating cognition, emotion and movement, while serotonin is involved in emotional regulation and mood.

The study, funded by the Fetzer Institute, included 14 Christian participants ranging in age from 24 to 76. They attended an Ignatian retreat based on the spiritual exercises developed by St. Ignatius Loyola who founded the Jesuits. Following a morning mass, participants spent most of the day in silent contemplation, prayer and reflection and attended a daily meeting with a spiritual director for guidance and insights. After returning, study subjects also completed a number of surveys which showed marked improvements in their perceived physical health, tension and fatigue. They also reported increased feelings of self-transcendence which correlated to the change in dopamine binding.

“In some ways, our study raises more questions than it answers,” said Dr. Newberg. “Our team is curious about which aspects of the retreat caused the changes in the neurotransmitter systems and if different retreats would produce different results. Hopefully, future studies can answer these questions.”

 

 

Music as medicine? 30 minutes a day shows benefits after heart attack

Daily music sessions found to reduce anxiety, pain and subsequent heart problems\

Belgrade School of Medicine, March 20, 2020

 

Listening to music can be enjoyable, but is it also good for your heart? Patients who suffered episodes of chest pain soon after a heart attack, known as early post-infarction angina, had significantly lower levels of anxiety and pain if they listened to music for 30 minutes a day, according to a study presented at the American College of Cardiology’s Annual Scientific Session Together with World Congress of Cardiology (ACC.20/WCC).

Nearly 700,000 people survive a heart attack in the U.S. each year, and it is estimated that roughly 1 in 9 heart attack survivors experience subsequent episodes of chest pain and anxiety within the first 48 hours. The new research suggests music, combined with standard therapies such as medications, could be a simple, accessible measure that patients can do at home to potentially reduce these symptoms and help prevent subsequent cardiac events.

“There have been very few studies analyzing the effects of music on heart conditions,” said Predrag Mitrovic, MD, PhD, professor of cardiology at the University of Belgrade School of Medicine and the study’s lead author. “Based on our findings, we believe music therapy can help all patients after a heart attack, not only patients with early post-infarction angina. It’s also very easy and inexpensive to implement.”

The researchers recruited 350 patients diagnosed with heart attack and early post-infarction angina at a medical center in Serbia. Half were randomly assigned to receive standard treatment while half were assigned to regular music sessions in addition to standard treatment. For most patients, standard treatment included a variety of medications such as nitrates, aspirin, clot-preventing drugs, beta blockers, statins, calcium channel blockers, blood pressure-lowering medications and the angina-reducing drug ranolazine.

Patients receiving music therapy first underwent a test to determine which musical genre their body was likely to respond to positively. Participants listened to nine 30-second samples of music they found soothing, while researchers assessed each participant’s body for automatic, involuntary responses to the music samples based on dilation or narrowing of the pupils. Researchers then fine-tuned the selection by working with the patient to determine the optimal music tempo and tonality.

Participants were asked to listen to their designated musical selection for 30 minutes each day whenever it was convenient for them to sit, ideally while resting with their eyes closed. Patients continued with these daily listening sessions for seven years, documenting their sessions in a log. They returned to the medical center for follow-up assessments every three months for the first year and annually thereafter.

At the end of seven years, music therapy was found to be more effective than standard treatment alone in terms of reducing anxiety, pain sensation and pain distress. The patients with music therapy, on average,

had anxiety scores one-third lower than those on standard treatment and reported lower angina symptoms by about one-quarter. These patients also had significantly lower rates of certain heart conditions, including an 18% reduction in the rate of heart failure; 23% lower rate of subsequent heart attack; 20% lower rate of needing coronary artery bypass graft surgery; and 16% lower rate of cardiac death.

Mitrovic said the music may work by helping to counteract the activity of the sympathetic nervous system, the part of the nervous system that drives the “fight-or-flight” response when a person faces a stressful situation. Because it increases heart rate and blood pressure, a sympathetic response can put added strain on the cardiovascular system.

“Unrelieved anxiety can produce an increase in sympathetic nervous system activity, leading to an increase in cardiac workload,” Mitrovic said. He suggested regular sessions of listening to music could interrupt that cascade of events by reducing the anxiety associated with angina after a heart attack.

The researchers plan to further analyze the data to determine whether music therapy may show benefits for certain subgroups of patients, such as those in a certain age range or those with other health conditions like diabetes.

Eating more protein could help ward off atrial fibrillation in women

A certain amount of protein appears to cut the risk of developing AFib by up to 8%

Stanford University, March 20, 2020

Women who ate slightly more than the recommended daily amount of protein were significantly less likely to develop atrial fibrillation (AFib), a dangerous heart rhythm disorder that can lead to stroke and heart failure, when compared with those who consumed less protein, according to research being presented at the American College of Cardiology’s Annual Scientific Session Together with World Congress of Cardiology (ACC.20/WCC). This is the first study to investigate protein as a possible nutritional driver for AFib, which is more common with age.

Protein is an important part of women’s diets, especially as they age, because it can help prevent frailty and loss of bone mass and lean muscle mass. This is important, as older women can lose a half-pound of lean body mass per year. Current U.S. guidelines recommend consuming 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of bodyweight, which for a 140-pound person is about 51 grams per day. In the U.K., the recommendation is even lower at 0.75 grams of protein per kilogram daily.

“Women with the lowest protein intake–which was roughly equivalent to the current recommended daily amount of protein in the U.S.– had the highest incidence of AFib, and eating a little more was protective, even after taking into account other factors that can predispose someone to develop AFib,” said Daniel Gerber, MD, cardiovascular medicine fellow at Stanford University and the study’s lead author. “This modifiable risk factor for AFib may be a fairly easy way for women to potentially lower their risk.”

The analysis of over 99,000 postmenopausal women (median age of 64 years) from the Women’s Health Initiative Randomized Controlled Trials and Observational Study found that those who ate 58-74 grams of protein a day were 5-8% less likely to develop AFib, but there seemed to be a ceiling effect after eating more than 74 grams, at which point the benefit was no longer statistically significant.

So how much more protein does this translate to? Not much, Gerber said.

“It’s not a huge amount, we’re talking about eating 10-20 more grams of protein per day–that’s only four ounces of healthy protein such as chicken breast or salmon, a cup of Greek yogurt or two eggs,” he said. “Of course, when we talk about increasing protein intake, it needs to be with heart-healthy foods and lean proteins, not with cheeseburgers and other foods that are high in saturated fat, cholesterol and sugar.”

Of the nearly 100,000 women in the study, 21,258 (21.3%) developed new AFib during the average 10-year follow up period. Researchers excluded women with existing heart rhythm issues and had a two-year run-in period to be sure women didn’t have any signs of occasional AFib. Researchers assessed protein intake using a food questionnaire, and these reports were adjusted using validated urine tests to confirm how much protein was consumed. The women were then grouped into four quartiles based on protein intake (<58 g/day, 58-66 g/day, 66-74 g/day and >74 g/day) and then assessed for new cases of AFib.

The average protein intake was 60 grams/day, with women who ate between 58 and 74 grams a day having significantly less risk of AFib. This relationship remained even after adjusting for age, ethnicity, education and other cardiovascular conditions and risk factors such as body mass index, physical activity, tobacco and alcohol use, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, coronary and peripheral artery disease and heart failure. Interestingly, women typically underestimated their daily protein intake by about 10 grams and caloric intake by 600-700 calories, which speaks to the need for more nutritional awareness and education, researchers said.

“Based on our findings, it seems that eating more protein may not only help strengthen women physically, but it may also have cardiovascular benefits in terms of reducing AFib and related death, strokes and heart failure,” Gerber said. “About 1% of the U.S. population has AFib and, with an aging population, it is projected to increase several-fold by 2050, so doing something as little as eating an extra few grams of protein a day could potentially have a huge impact across the population.”

This study builds on earlier research by the same research team, which unexpectedly found that lean body mass was a much stronger driver for new AFib than obesity. Gerber said high protein diets have been closely correlated with lean body mass, so the hope with this study was to explore the effect of protein intake on developing AFib.

This study is limited in that it is retrospective and observational. Future research should address whether modifying protein intake can prospectively reduce AFib incidence and uncover what factors are driving this relationship.

Steroid use linked to increased risk of bacterial and viral infections

University of Leeds (UK), March 21, 2020

In a study published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal (CMAJ), researchers from the University of Leeds in the U.K. found a strong association between glucocorticoids – man-made versions of steroids that occur naturally in the body – and different forms of infection in individuals with two common rheumatic illnesses.

Polymyalgia rheumatica usually manifests as an acute onset of stiffness and pain in the shoulder and pelvic musculature, usually accompanied by fever, malaise and weight loss. If left untreated, polymyalgia rheumatica may result in significant disability.

Giant cell arteritis, on the other hand, may manifest as visual loss or diplopia, as well as abnormalities of the temporal artery such as tenderness or decreased pulsation, jaw claudication, and new-onset headaches.

Both diseases use steroids as treatment.

Steroids increase absolute risk of infections

For their study, the Leeds researchers used the electronic health records of nearly 40,000 people with either polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR) or giant cell arteritis (GCA) in England between 1997 and 2017.

The researchers observed higher absolute risks of infection when patients were taking oral steroids than when they were not taking them: 55.7 percent reported getting at least one infection; 26.7 percent required hospital admission; and 7.3 percent died within seven days of diagnosis.

“In periods with prescribed medication, patients’ risk was 50 percent higher than when it was not prescribed,” said Mar Pujades-Rodriguez of the Leeds Institute for Data Analytics, adding that the increases in risk ranged from 48 percent for fungal infections to 70 percent for bacterial infections.

According to the researchers, the most common infections reported by the respondents are lower respiratory tract infections, which accounted for 27 percent of the infections; conjunctivitis, which was reported by nine percent; and shingles, which was diagnosed in seven percent of the cases.

The steroids looked at in the study included prednisolone, prednisone, hydrocortisone and cortisone.

According to the researchers, the risk of infection was directly proportional to the dosages used, noting that the risk for infection was elevated even with low daily doses of less than 5 mg of prednisolone.

“For every increase of 5 mg in the daily dose of prednisolone, the risk of infection increased by 13%. The risk of infection also increased the longer the steroids were prescribed,” the researchers said. For individuals taking higher doses of up to 25 mg per day or more, the risk of infection nearly tripled after a one-year follow-up.

“Patients and clinicians should be educated about the risk of infection, need for symptom identification, prompt treatment, timely vaccination, and documentation of the history of chronic infection,” the authors said.

In addition, the researchers found a “dose-response risk” between steroids and infection, noting that the higher the prescribed dose, the more likely it is for an infection to occur during its use.

According to the researchers, estimates of dose-response risk can be useful in the assessment of new glucocorticoid-sparing drugs formulated for patients who are afflicted with the mentioned inflammatory diseases.

“Steroids are effective in reducing inflammation and symptoms, but they also reduce the ability of the immune system to fight infections,” Pujades-Rodriguez said, noting that it is not recommended for patients currently taking corticosteroids to stop taking them or to change the dose without first consulting their physician.

In addition, Pujades-Rodriguez said it is dangerous for one to stop taking steroids abruptly, noting that steroids that are taken as treatments can reduce the number of natural steroids produced by the body.

“It is important that the body is given time to adjust and start producing again the natural steroids,” Pujades-Rodriguez stated.

Study links inflammation in the brain to several forms of dementia

Cambridge University, March 20, 2020

In a breakthrough research to find potential new treatments for several types of dementia, scientists have found that inflammation in the brain is more linked to many disorders including depression, psychosis and multiple sclerosis.

Inflammation is usually the body’s response to injury and stress – such as the redness and swelling that accompanies an injury or infection. However, inflammation in the brain – known as neuroinflammation – has been recognised and linked to many disorders including depression, psychosis and multiple sclerosis. It has also recently been linked to the risk of Alzheimer’s disease. The study was published in the journal Brain.

The team of researchers at the University of Cambridge set out to examine whether neuroinflammation also occurs in other forms of dementia, which would imply that it is common to many neurodegenerative diseases.

The team recruited 31 patients with three different types of frontotemporal dementia (FTD). FTD is a family of different conditions resulting from the build-up of several abnormal ‘junk’ proteins in the brain.

Patients underwent brain scans to detect inflammation and junk proteins. Two Positron Emission Tomography (PET) scans each used an injection with a chemical ‘dye’, which lights up special molecules that reveal either the brain’s inflammatory cells or the junk proteins.

In the first scan, the dye lit up the cells causing neuroinflammation. These indicate ongoing damage to the brain cells and their connections. In the second scan, the dye binds to the different types of ‘junk’ proteins found in FTD.

The researchers showed that across the brain, and in all three types of FTD, the more inflammation in each part of the brain, the more harmful build-up of the junk proteins there is. To prove the dyes were picking up the inflammation and harmful proteins, they went on to analyse under the microscope 12 brains donated after death to the Cambridge Brain Bank.

“We predicted the link between inflammation in the brain and the build-up of damaging proteins, but even we were surprised by how tightly these two problems mapped on to each other,” said Dr Thomas Cope from the Department of Clinical Neurosciences at Cambridge.

Dr Richard Bevan Jones added, “There may be a vicious circle where cell damage triggers inflammation, which in turn leads to further cell damage.”

The team stress that further research is needed to translate this knowledge of inflammation in dementia into testable treatments. But, this new study shows that neuroinflammation is a significant factor in more types of dementia than was previously thought.

“It is an important discovery that all three types of frontotemporal dementia have inflammation, linked to the build-up of harmful abnormal proteins in different parts of the brain. The illnesses are in other ways very different from each other, but we have found a role for inflammation in all of them,” says Professor James Rowe from the Cambridge Centre for Frontotemporal Dementia.

“This, together with the fact that it is known to play a role in Alzheimer’s, suggests that inflammation is part of many other neurodegenerative diseases, including Parkinson’s disease and Huntington’s disease. This offers hope that immune-based treatments might help slow or prevent these conditions.” (ANI)

Childhood obesity linked to higher risk of anxiety, depression and premature death

Karolinska Institute (Sweden), March 20, 2020

Two new studies from Karolinska Institutet in Sweden underscore health risks associated with childhood obesity. Children with obesity have a three times higher risk of mortality in early adulthood compared with children in the general population and are more likely to suffer from anxiety and depression. The findings, published in PLOS Medicine and BMC Medicine, highlight the need to identify specific risk factors for children with obesity and find preventative tools, according to the researchers.

The prevalence of children with obesity has increased in recent decades and the World Health Organization currently ranks childhood obesity as one of the most serious public health challenges of the 21st century. Prior studies have linked childhood obesity with an increased risk of premature mortality from middle adulthood.

In the current studies, the researchers wanted to find out if children with obesity also have a higher risk of premature death in early adulthood as well as if children with obesity are more likely to suffer from anxiety and depression than other children.

In the study published today in PLOS Medicine, the researchers showed that people with obesity in childhood have a three times higher risk of dying in early adulthood than a comparison group from the general population. The study included about 7,000 individuals who received obesity treatment at some point between the ages of three and 17. They were matched with some 34,000 people of the same age, gender and area of residence. A total of 39 people (0.55 percent) in the childhood obesity group died during the average follow-up period of 3.6 years compared with 65 (0.19 percent) in the control group. The average age at the time of death was 22 years.

“Our study shows that children with obesity have a significantly higher risk of premature mortality already as young adults,” says Emilia Hagman, researcher at the Department of Clinical Science, Intervention and Technology, Karolinska Institutet, and one of the study’s authors. “Both the risk of death from somatic diseases, of which more than a quarter were directly related to obesity, and the risk of suicide were increased for this group. We did not, however, see an increased risk of mortality from injuries or external causes such as criminal acts.”

Possible explanations for the findings may be that childhood obesity has been linked to somatic diseases such as diabetes, liver disease and high blood pressure. Children and adolescents with obesity are also more exposed to discrimination, which could lead to psychological problems. However, the underlying causality between the associations will need to be evaluated in future studies, according to the researchers.

Another study by the same research group recently published in BMC Medicine found that obesity was linked to an increased risk of anxiety and depression in children and adolescents. Girls with obesity had a 43 percent higher risk of anxiety and depression than girls from the general population while boys with obesity had a 33 percent higher risk than their peers. The study included more than 12,000 children between the ages of 6-17 who were treated for obesity and compared with a matched group of 60,000 children from the general population. The associations remained after the researchers adjusted for other risk factors such as Nordic background, neuropsychiatric disorders, family history of anxiety or depression and socioeconomic status.

“Taken together our studies highlight the vulnerable situation that children with obesity are in,” says Louise Lindberg, researcher at the Department of Clinical Science, Intervention and Technology and another of the study’s authors. “Anxiety and depression cause emotional and physiological stress and suffering and may also hinder obesity treatment. It is important that children with obesity are offered adequate and long-term treatment early in life to reduce these risks. It is deeply unethical that children with obesity do not receive any form of treatment in some regions in Sweden.”

Over 90 percent of salt brands contain MICROPLASTICS, scientists find

Incheon University (South Korea), March 22, 2020

Bad news, salt lovers — a recent study says that over 90 percent of salts sold across the world contain microplastics. The study, published in the journal Environmental Science and Technology, looked at 39 salt brands from 21 countries, including the U.S. and China.

Microplastics refer to plastic debris less than five millimeters in length — around the size of a sesame seed. These can come from many sources, like larger plastic debris that have degraded into smaller pieces. Microplastics also refer to microbeads, tiny pieces of polyethylene plastic which were previously added to health and beauty products. In the U.S., the use of microbeads has been banned since 2015, following the passing of the Microbead-Free Waters Act.

According to researchers, the findings indicate that plastic pollution isn’t just limited to the waterways; rather, it’s becoming a consumer concern.

“Recent studies have found plastics in seafood, wildlife, tap water, and now in salt,” said Mikyoung Kim, a campaigner for Greenpeace East Asia, which supported the study. “It’s clear that there is no escape from this plastics crisis, especially as it continues to leak into our waterways and oceans.”

The amount of microplastic in the salt also varied by brand — the worst offenders had as much as 13,000 pieces of microplastic per kilogram of salt while some only contained 28 pieces of microplastic per kilogram. The team also found that Asian brands had the highest levels of microplastics, with those from Indonesia having the highest concentrations. This meant that an average adult potentially consumes around 2,000 pieces of microplastic every year from salt alone.

“The findings suggest that human ingestion of microplastics via marine products is strongly related to plastic emissions in a given region,” explained Seung-Kyu Kim, a marine scientist from Incheon National University in South Korea and a co-author of the study, in a statement. “In order to limit our exposure to microplastics, preventative measures are required, such as controlling the environmental discharge of mismanaged plastics and more importantly, reducing plastic waste.”

People are eating their meals with a side of microplastics

While the presence of microplastics in salt is already a disconcerting fact, another study points out that people in the U.S. could be eating as many as 50,000 pieces of microplastics every year. In their report, biologists at the University of Victoria in Canada looked at studies on microplastic content in certain foods and compared them with current dietary guidelines to determine a person’s average microplastic consumption.

Using these data points, the researchers determined that just by taking into account average intake amounts for seafood, salt, sugar and beer alone, an American adult male can eat as many as 52,000 microplastic pieces every year. For women, the researchers found the number to be slightly lower at 41,000 pieces per year, since they have a smaller food intake. According to the team, the figures can be even higher, especially when estimates for bottled water consumption are added. If an adult, for instance, mostly drinks bottled water, he can ingest up to 127,000 pieces of microplastic per year.

The researchers noted that while these figures are just estimates, the real figures could be even larger. For instance, the team did not include estimates from more common food sources like meat, dairy, cereals and vegetables since their microplastic content is largely unknown.

Exercising 2.5 hours per week associated with slower declines in Parkinson’s disease patients

Northwestern University, March 23, 2020

 

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a progressive condition that often results in mobility impairments and can lead to decreased health-related quality of life (HRQL) and death. There is evidence that physical activity can delay decline in PD patients. In a study in the Journal of Parkinson’s Disease, researchers determined that that people who exercised regularly had significantly slower declines in HRQL and mobility over a two-year period.

Lead investigator Miriam R. Rafferty, PhD, of Northwestern University and Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago, describes the main findings of the study. “We found that people with Parkinson’s disease who maintained exercise 150 minutes per week had a smaller decline in quality of life and mobility over two years compared to people who did not exercise or exercised less. The smaller decline was significant for people who started the study as regular exercisers, as well as for people who started to exercise 150 minutes per week after their first study-related visit.”

The data came from the National Parkinson Foundation Quality Improvement Initiative (NPF-QII), an international, multicenter, prospective clinical study of care and outcomes that has recorded data from 21 sites in North America, the Netherlands, and Israel identified as Centers of Excellence by the National Parkinson Foundation. Over 3400 participants provided data over two years, with information collected during at least three clinic visits. The NPF-QII study collects demographics, disease duration, Hoehn and Yahr stage (HY), brief cognitive assessments, as well as data on pharmacologic and non-pharmacologic management of PD symptoms. These observational study visits are scheduled on a yearly basis. At each visit, exercise is measured by the self-reported number of hours per week of exercise.

The Parkinson Disease Questionnaire (PDQ-39) is used to measure patient-reported, PD-specific HRQL. Functional mobility was measured by the Timed Up and Go (TUG) test, in which performance is tested by timing participants as they rise from a chair, walk three meters, turn, and return to a sitting position.

Although this study did not determine which type of exercise is best, it suggests that any type of exercise done with a “dose” of at least 150 minutes per week is better than not exercising. “People with PD should feel empowered to find the type of exercise they enjoy, even those with more advanced symptoms,” remarked Dr. Rafferty.

An unanticipated finding from the study was that the HRQL benefit associated with 30-minute increases in exercise per week was greatest in people with advanced PD. These data have significant implications for making exercise and physical activity more accessible to people with more severe disability. People with more advanced PD may have poor access to regular exercise, as their mobility impairments would limit their independent participation in existing community and group exercise programs.

“The most important part of the study,” according to Dr. Rafferty, “is that it suggests that people who are not currently achieving recommended levels of exercise could start to exercise today to lessen the declines in quality of life and mobility that can occur with this progressive disease.”

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