Gary Null Show Notes

Therapeutic potential of ginger family of plants against Alzheimer disease

University of Paranaense (Brazil), January 4, 2021

According to news reporting originating from Umuarama, Brazil, research stated, “Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia and is highly prevalent in old age. Unlike current drugs, medicinal plants can have preventive and protective effects with less side effects.”

Our news editors obtained a quote from the research from the University of Paranaense, “Given the great number of bioactive substances, plants from the Zingiberaceae Family have medicinal potential and currently are widely studied regarding its anti-Alzheimer’s disease effects. The objective of this study was to provide an overview of advances in phytochemical composition studies, in vitro and in vivo pharmacological studies, and toxicological effects of the Zingiberaceae Family on Alzheimer’s disease. Information was obtained from relevant papers in electronic databases. Most of the studies of Zingiberaceae effects on Alzheimer’s disease pathogenesis theory are related to cholinergic, beta amyloid cascade, tau, inflammation, and oxidative stress hypothesis.”

According to the news editors, the research concluded: “Also, in vitro and in vivo preclinical studies on the effect of Alpinia, Curcuma, and Zingiber genera have been reported as harmless and safe, with potential for anti-Alzheimer treatment.”

This research has been peer-reviewed.

Omega 3 fatty acid DHA improves stroke therapy

Louisiana State University, January 4 2021.

An article published on December 29, 2020 in Brain Circulationprovides evidence for adding the omega 3 fatty acid DHA or its derivatives to a treatment for ischemic stroke.

Researchers at Louisiana State University hypothesized that the addition of DHA and docosanoids derived from DHA to a drug known as LAU-0901 that blocks the pro-inflammatory platelet-activating receptor could better protect brain cells and improve post-stroke recovery than the administration of a single compound. Using a rat model of stroke, Nicolas G. Bazan, MD, PhD, and colleagues administered one of two doses of LAU-0901 with or without DHA or the DHA derivatives neuroprotectin D1 (NPD1, whose production is stimulated by DHA and which protects brain cells and supports their survival), or aspirin-triggered NPD1 (AT-NPD1), during a period of three hours after stroke onset. Behavior was analyzed the day the treatments were administered and on various days after each combination. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the brain was conducted following the experiments that involved NPD1 and AT-NPD1.

Receiving LAU-0901 combined with DHA or its derivatives resulted in improved post-stroke behavior in comparison to DHA, NPD1 or AT-NPD1 alone. Rats that received NPD1 had brain lesion volumes that were smaller by 62% and those that received AT-NPD1 experienced reductions of 90% in comparison with animals that received a control substance. “The biological activity of LAU-0901 and AT-NPD1 is due to specific activation or modulation of signaling pathways associated with the immune system, inflammation, cell survival, and cell-cell interactions,” Dr Bazan explained. “These findings provide a major conceptual advance of broad therapeutic relevance for cell survival, brain function and, particularly, stroke and neurodegenerative diseases.”

“We discovered that these novel molecules promote neuronal cell survival with important anti-inflammatory activity,” added first author Ludmilla Belayev. “This combinatorial therapy may hold promise for future therapeutic development against ischemic stroke.”

Moderate levels of physical fitness associated with telomere length maintenance in men

University Sao Judas Tadeu (Brazil), December 30, 2020

According to news reporting out of Sao Paulo, Brazil, research stated, “Immunosenescence is an age-associated change characterized by a decreased immune response. Although physical activity has been described as fundamental for maintaining the quality of life, few studies have evaluated the effects of different levels of exercise on telomere length in aged populations.”

Our news journalists obtained a quote from the research from University Sao Judas Tadeu, “The present study aimed to analyze the effects of different levels of physical activity, classified by the Maximal oxygen consumption (VO2 max) values, on the telomere length of memory Cluster of differentiation (CD) CD4(+) (CD45RO(neg) and CD45RO(+) ), effector CD8(+)CD28(neg), and CD8(+) CD28(+) T cells in aged individuals. Fifty-three healthy elderly men (aged 65-85 years) were included in this study. Their fitness level was classified according to the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) for VO2 max (mL/kg/min). Blood samples were obtained from all participants to analyze the percentage of CD3, CD4, CD8, CD28(+), naive, and subpopulations of memory T cells by using flow cytometry. Furthermore, using the Flow-FISH methodology, the CD4(+) CD45RO(+), CD4(+) CD45RO(neg), CD8(+) CD28(+), and CD8(+) CD28(neg)T cell telomere lengths were measured. There was a greater proportion of effector memory T CD4(+) cells and longer telomeres in CD8(+) CD28(+) T cells in the moderate physical fitness group than in the other groups. There was a higher proportion of terminally differentiated memory effector T cells in the low physical fitness group. A moderate physical activity may positively influence the telomere shortening of CD28(+) CD8(+)1 cells.”

According to the news editors, the research concluded: “However, additional studies are necessary to evaluate the importance of this finding with regard to immune function responses in older men.”

Diet and lifestyle guidelines can greatly reduce gastroesophageal reflux disease symptoms

A large-scale, longstanding study of diet, lifestyle and health has found that by adhering to specific guidelines, women can reduce more than one-third of incidence of symptoms

Massachusetts General Hospital, January 5, 2021

Findings from the Nurses’ Health Study, one of the longest running studies of women’s health, show that five diet and lifestyle factors, including regular exercise, can make a significant impact on gastroesophageal reflux (GERD) or heartburn symptoms. GERD is a common condition, affecting about a third of the U.S. population; the main symptom is heartburn and it is often managed with medications. This new study suggests, however, that following diet and lifestyle guidelines may reduce symptoms substantially and could make medication unnecessary for some patients. It was published as a letter in JAMA Internal Medicine.

The five factors include normal weight, never smoking, moderate-to-vigorous physical activity for at least 30 minutes daily, restricting coffee, tea and sodas to two cups daily, and a “prudent” diet.

“This study provides evidence that common and debilitating gastrointestinal symptoms could be well controlled in many cases with diet and lifestyle modifications alone,” says Andrew T. Chan, MD, MPH, the study’s senior author. “Given that there are long-term health effects of GERD and lingering concerns about the side effects of medications used to treat it, lifestyle should be considered the best option for controlling symptoms.” Chan is a gastroenterologist, chief of the Clinical and Translational Epidemiology Unit at MGH, and professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School. The lead author of the research letter is Raaj S. Mehta, MD, gastroenterology fellow at MGH and Harvard Medical School.

The Nurses’ Health Study II is a nationwide study established in 1989 whose participants return a detailed health questionnaire twice a year. It began with 116,671 participants and has had follow-up that exceeds 90%. This study included data from almost 43,000 women aged 42 to 62 who were questioned about GERD or heartburn symptoms from 2005 to 2017 — which represents approximately 390,000 person-years.

The researchers created a statistical model that allowed them to calculate the “population-attributable risk” for GERD symptoms associated with each of the five anti-reflux lifestyle factors — in other words, they estimated how likely it was that each lifestyle factor lowered risk of experiencing symptoms. They found that following all these guidelines could reduce GERD symptoms overall by 37%. The more of the specific guidelines a woman followed, the lower her risk of symptoms. Among women using common heartburn treatments (proton pump inhibitors and H2 receptor antagonists), adhering to the guidelines also reduced symptoms.

“We were particularly interested in the effectiveness of physical activity,” says Chan. “This is one of the first studies that has demonstrated its effectiveness in controlling GERD.” This effect, he suggests, could be due in part to exercise’s effect on the motility of the digestive tract. “Being physically active may help with the clearance of stomach acid which causes heartburn symptoms,” he says.

Study of 50,000 people finds brown fat may protect against numerous chronic diseases

Rockefeller University, January 4, 2021

Brown fat is that magical tissue that you would want more of. Unlike white fat, which stores calories, brown fat burns energy and scientists hope it may hold the key to new obesity treatments. But it has long been unclear whether people with ample brown fat truly enjoy better health. For one thing, it has been hard to even identify such individuals since brown fat is hidden deep inside the body.

Now, a new study in Nature Medicine offers strong evidence: among over 52,000 participants, those who had detectable brown fat were less likely than their peers to suffer cardiac and metabolic conditions ranging from type 2 diabetes to coronary artery disease, which is the leading cause of death in the United States.

The study, by far the largest of its kind in humans, confirms and expands the health benefits of brown fat suggested by previous studies. “For the first time, it reveals a link to lower risk of certain conditions,” says Paul Cohen, the Albert Resnick, M.D., Assistant Professor and senior attending physician at The Rockefeller University Hospital. “These findings make us more confident about the potential of targeting brown fat for therapeutic benefit.”

A valuable resource

Although brown fat has been studied for decades in newborns and animals, it was only in 2009 that scientists appreciated it can also be also found in some adults, typically around the neck and shoulders. From then on, researchers have scrambled to study the elusive fat cells, which possess the power to burn calories to produce heat in cold conditions.

Large-scale studies of brown fat, however, have been practically impossible because this tissue shows up only on PET scans, a special type of medical imaging. “These scans are expensive, but more importantly, they use radiation,” says Tobias Becher, the study’s first author and formerly a Clinical Scholar in Cohen’s lab. “We don’t want to subject many healthy people to that.”

A physician-scientist, Becher came up with an alternative. Right across the street from his lab, many thousands of people visit Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center each year to undergo PET scans for cancer evaluation. Becher knew that when radiologists detect brown fat on these scans, they routinely make note of it to make sure it is not mistaken for a tumor. “We realized this could be a valuable resource to get us started with looking at brown fat at a population scale,” Becher says.

Protective fat

In collaboration with Heiko Schoder and Andreas Wibmer at Memorial Sloan Kettering, the researchers reviewed 130,000 PET scans from more than 52,000 patients, and found the presence of brown fat in nearly 10 percent of individuals. (Cohen notes that this figure is likely an underestimate because the patients had been instructed to avoid cold exposure, exercise, and caffeine, all of which are thought to increase brown fat activity).

Several common and chronic diseases were less prevalent among people with detectable brown fat. For example, only 4.6 percent had type 2 diabetes, compared with 9.5 percent of people who did not have detectable brown fat. Similarly, 18.9 percent had abnormal cholesterol, compared to 22.2 percent in those without brown fat.

Moreover, the study revealed three more conditions for which people with brown fat have lower risk: hypertension, congestive heart failure, and coronary artery disease–links that had not been observed in previous studies.

Another surprising finding was that brown fat may mitigate the negative health effects of obesity. In general, obese people have increased risk of heart and metabolic conditions; but the researchers found that among obese people who have brown fat, the prevalence of these conditions was similar to that of non-obese people. “It almost seems like they are protected from the harmful effects of white fat,” Cohen says.

More than an energy burning powerhouse

The actual mechanisms by which brown fat may contribute to better health are still unclear, but there are some clues. For example, brown-fat cells consume glucose in order to burn calories, and it’s possible that this lowers blood glucose levels, a major risk factor for developing diabetes.

The role of brown fat is more mysterious in other conditions like hypertension, which is tightly connected to the hormonal system. “We are considering the possibility that brown fat tissue does more than consume glucose and burn calories, and perhaps actually participates in hormonal signaling to other organs,” Cohen says.

The team plans to further study the biology of brown fat, including by looking for genetic variants that may explain why some people have more of it than others–potential first steps toward developing pharmacological ways to stimulate brown fat activity to treat obesity and related conditions.

“The natural question that everybody has is, ‘What can I do to get more brown fat?'” Cohen says. “We don’t have a good answer to that yet, but it will be an exciting space for scientists to explore in the upcoming years.”

Link between increased dietary fiber intake and lower risk of depression partially explained by gut-brain interactions

North American Menopause Society, January 6, 2021

CLEVELAND, Ohio, Jan. 6 (TNSJou) — The North American Menopause Society, a 501(c)3 non-profit that promotes the health and quality of life of all women during midlife and beyond through an understanding of menopause and healthy aging, issued the following news release:

Fiber is a commonly recommended part of a healthy diet. That’s because it’s good for your health in so many ways–from weight management to reducing the risk of diabetes, heart disease, and some types of cancer. A new study also finds that it might be linked with a reduced risk of depression, especially in premenopausal women. Study results are published online in Menopause, the journal of The North American Menopause Society (NAMS).

Depression is a common and serious mental health condition that not only affects a person’s ability to perform daily activities but can also lead to suicide. It’s estimated that more than 264 million people worldwide have depression, with numbers increasing over time. This debilitating condition is much more common in women, and there are a number of theories as to why this is the case. Changes in hormone levels in perimenopausal women have been linked to depression.

Because of the serious consequences and prevalence of depression, numerous studies have been undertaken to evaluate treatment options beyond the use of antidepressants. Lifestyle interventions, including diet, exercise, and mindfulness, may help to reduce the risk for depression. In this new study involving more than 5,800 women of various ages, researchers specifically sought to investigate the relationship between dietary fiber intake and depression in women by menopause status. Dietary fiber is found mainly in fruit, vegetables, whole grains, and legumes.

Previous studies have already suggested the benefits of fiber for mental health, but this is the first known study to categorize the association in premenopausal and postmenopausal women. It also included a broader range of ages in participants and involved women who underwent natural, as well as surgical, menopause.

The study confirmed an inverse association between dietary-fiber intake and depression in premenopausal women after adjusting for other variables, but no significant difference was documented in postmenopausal women. Research has suggested that estrogen depletion may play a role in explaining why postmenopausal women don’t benefit as much from increased dietary fiber, because estrogen affects the balance of gut microorganisms found in premenopausal and postmenopausal women. The link between dietary fiber and depression may be partially explained by gut-brain interactions, because it is theorized that changes in gut-microbiota composition may affect neurotransmission. Fiber improves the richness and diversity of gut microbiota.

Results are published in the article “Inverse association between dietary fiber intake and depression in premenopausal women: a nationwide population-based survey.”

“This study highlights an important link between dietary fiber intake and depression, but the direction of the association is unclear in this observational study, such that women with better mental health may have had a healthier diet and consumed more fiber, or a higher dietary fiber intake may have contributed to improved brain health by modulating the gut microbiome or some combination. Nonetheless, it has never been more true that ‘you are what you eat,’ given that what we eat has a profound effect on the gut microbiome which appears to play a key role in health and disease,” says Dr. Stephanie Faubion, NAMS medical director.

An epidemic of overdiagnosis: Melanoma diagnoses sky rocket

Melanoma of the skin is now the third most commonly diagnosed cancer in the US

Brigham and Women’s Hospital, January 6, 2021

Melanoma of the skin is now the third most commonly diagnosed cancer in the U.S. Diagnoses of melanoma are six times as high today as they were 40 years ago. While incidence of melanoma has been rising steeply, melanoma mortality has been generally stable. In a Sounding Board article, Welch and colleagues present evidence for why they believe that increased diagnostic scrutiny is the primary driver of the rapid rise in melanoma diagnoses.

“Melanoma is now the posterchild for overdiagnosis,” said Welch. “Although the conventional response has been to recommend regular skin checks, it is far more likely that more skin checks are the cause of the epidemic — not its solution.”

Among many examples, Welch and co-authors describe a study in which nine dermatopathologists reviewed skin-biopsy specimens used for diagnosis 20 years earlier. Many of the specimens previously diagnosed as benign were now diagnosed as melanoma. Welch and co-authors also share data showing that among the Medicare population, the proportion of beneficiaries biopsied increased every year from 2004 to 2017, nearly doubling over that time. Over the same period, the incidence of melanoma in adults 65 and older also doubled.

The authors point out that there are many potential harms in over-diagnosing melanoma, from the immediate — scarring, wound infection, out-of-pocket costs — to longer term effects such as impeding access to care for people with symptomatic skin diseases.

“Despite the best of intentions by all parties, increased diagnostic scrutiny can produce a cycle of increasing overdiagnosis and intervention in any disease with a reservoir of subclinical forms. Melanoma is no exception,” the authors write. “The economic disruption caused by Covid-19 obliges clinicians to protect people from the financial stress of needlessly being turned into a patient.”

New epigenetics research reveals how to control cancer risk

Cambridge University, January 2, 2020

In order to see real change in our health, we need to break away from unhealthy lifestyle habits – which include poor nutrition and destructive thinking patterns – that have led 117 million Americans down the road toward chronic disease. But in order to do that, we need the right information – especially when it comes to understanding epigenetics.

Keep in mind, in this day and age, it is not enough to just tell yourself to “eat your vegetables” or “calm down.” In truth, most of us will need to dig a little deeper; form at least a basic understanding of how our bodies work; and appreciate the concept of epigenetics, in order to live life disease-free.

Substances called “proto-oncogenes” actually help healthy cells to grow. But when proto-oncogenes mutate, they can become permanently activated, activated when they are not supposed to or self-replicate in excess. When this happens, proto-oncogenes become oncogenes, the “bad” genes that can lead to cancer.

Tumor-suppressing genes, on the other hand, slow down cell division. They also repair mistakes in DNA and activate apoptosis, or programmed cell death. When tumor suppressor genes are not working properly, this causes cells to grow out of control – which can also lead to cancer.

Lifesaving lessons learned from ‘driving a car’

Oncogenes are like a gas pedal that is stuck all the way down. The car accelerates with no stop in site, the same way oncogenes will continue to replicate endlessly to eventually form a tumor. Tumor suppressor genes are like the brake pedal of that same car. When the brake is not working, the car will continue accelerate. Oncogenes cause cancer when they are “turned on.” Tumor suppressor genes contribute to cancer when they are “turned off.”

Genes of all types express themselves through proteins. Proteins are the “worker bees” of cells and are used for a wide range of functions in the body. Some proteins are used to form hair or muscles, for example. Others help carry oxygen or work with the immune system to fight infections.

If the production of proteins from genetic material is altered in any way, it will affect how the body functions, which can lead to disease. Certain cancers have been linked to abnormalities in the way tumor-suppressing genes in particular are converted to proteins. For example, breast, prostate, kidney, uterine, colon, brain, skin and thyroid cancer have all been found in various studies to be linked to abnormal functioning of the PTEN tumor suppressing gene and PTEN proteins.

Abnormalities for the TP53 gene (which “codes” for the p53 protein) has been found in more than half of all human cancers.

There is no doubt that your DNA plays a central role in the development of cancer, as well as other diseases. But exactly how do genetic mutations occur and, more importantly, how can they be reversed?

When the field of epigenetics emerged on the scientific scene – over twenty years ago – it fundamentally changed the way we thought of how genes express themselves. While gene codes themselves may not change throughout a person’s life (so the popular thinking goes), the way those genes are expressed can change dramatically. With the exception of some rare genetic diseases and conditions, gene expression of all kinds are greatly tied to input from the external environment.

The epigenetics of cancer in particular has become accepted even within the halls of conventional medicine. According to Cancer.gov:

“Inherited abnormalities of tumor suppressor genes have been found in some family cancer syndromes. They cause certain types of cancer to run in families. But most tumor suppressor gene mutations are acquired, not inherited.”

Stunning new research shines a bright light on epigenetics and cancer risk External factors that can directly affect gene expression can be anything from the foods we eat to exposure to environmental pollutants to the thoughts we think – which can trigger stress responses (or healing responses) in the body.

A recent study conducted by Cambridge University found that gene-protein influence is a two-way street. The study investigated influences on metabolism by studying yeast. They found that while genes can affect the way the body metabolizes nutrients, nutrients can also affect the way genes behave. According to the research, what we eat altars how proteins are produced in “almost every gene in our body.”

“…in many cases the effects were so strong, that changing a cell’s metabolic profile could make some of its genes behave in a completely different manner,” said Dr. Markus Ralser, a biochemist at Cambridge who led the research.

These findings, which were published in February 2016 edition of the journal Nature Microbiology, are significant because they broaden the extent to which everything we put in our mouth (and on our skin) affects us on the most fundamental level.

The “nature vs. nurture” debate still continues today, even though science has already discovered dozens of natural substances that have the ability to turn on tumor suppressive genes in particular. The most well-known is sulforaphane found in broccoli sprouts.

However, in my opinion it is inevitable that eventually the epigenetic model for disease creation will be “a given.” Until that day arrives, YOU can become empowered by learning how you can eat and live to literally affect your DNA for a more vibrant, health body and life.

Ginseng’s Ginsenoside Rh2 represses autophagy to promote cervical cancer cell apoptosis during starvation

Changchun University of Chinese Medicine

Background

Cancer cells through autophagy-mediated recycling to meet the metabolic demands of growth and proliferation. The steroidal saponin 20(S)-ginsenoside Rh2 effectively inhibits the growth and survival of a variety of tumor cell lines and animal models, but the effects of Rh2 on autophagy remain elusive.

Methods

Cell viability was measured by CCK-8 (cell counting kit-8) assays. Apoptosis, ROS generation and mitochondrial membrane potential were analyzed by flow cytometry. Western blot analyses were used to determine changes in protein levels. Morphology of apoptotic cells and autophagosome accumulation were analyzed by DAPI staining and transmission electron microscopy. Autophagy induction was monitored by acidic vesicular organelle staining, EGFP-LC3 and mRFP-GFP-LC3 transfection. Atg7 siRNA and autophagy regulator was used to assess the effect of autophagy on apoptosis induced by G-Rh2.

Results

In this study, we found that low concentration G-Rh2 attenuated cancer cell growth and induced apoptosis upon serum-free starvation. Caspase 3 inhibitors failed to block apoptosis in G-Rh2-treated cells, indicating a caspase-independent mechanism. G-Rh2-treated cells in serum-deprived conditions showed impaired mitochondrial function, increased release and nuclear translocation of apoptosis-inducing factor, but little changes in the mitochondrial and cytoplasmic distributions of cytochrome C. Annexin A2 overexpression in 293T cells inhibited G-Rh2-induced apoptosis under serum-starved conditions. Meanwhile, G-Rh2 reduced lysosomal activity and inhibited the fusion of autophagosome and lysosome, leading to a block of autophagic flux. Knockdown Atg7 significantly inhibited autophagy and triggered AIF-induced apoptosis in serm free condition. The autophagy inducer significantly decreased the apoptosis levels of G-Rh2-treated cells in serum-free conditions.

Conclusions

Under nutrient deficient conditions, G-Rh2 represses autophagy in cervical cancer cells and enhanced apoptosis through an apoptosis-inducing factor mediated pathway.

Study finds supplementation with antioxidant vitamins improved older individuals’ immune function

Complutense University (Spain) December 19, 2020

The December 2020 issue of Experimental Gerontology published the finding of a recent study that found immune benefits for supplementation with vitamins C and E in older individuals.

“It has been shown that the competence of the immune system is an excellent marker of health and several age-related changes in immune functions have been linked to longevity,” Monica De La Fuente of Complutense University of Madrid and colleagues wrote in their introduction to the article. They suggested that values for specific immune functions could be used as individualized markers of biological age.

The study included 22 older men and women who received 500 milligrams (mg) per day of vitamin C and 22 participants in the same age group who received 500 mg of vitamin C plus 200 mg of vitamin E for three months. Thirty unsupplemented men and women whose age averaged 35 years served as controls. Functional aspects of two types of white blood cells known as neutrophils and lymphocytes were assessed at the beginning of the supplementation period, at three months, and six months following the end of supplementation.

At three months, neutrophil values known as adherence indexes, chemotaxis indexes and phagocytosis indexes improved in supplemented individuals and more closely resembled those of the younger control group. Superoxide anion (a free radical) levels in neutrophils decreased in both supplemented groups and, in some cases, became even lower than those of the control subjects. Supplementing with both vitamins was associated with lower superoxide levels than with vitamin C alone. Superoxide levels measured six months after the end of the treatment period were still lower than those measured before supplementation in both supplemented groups.

When lymphocyte functions were evaluated, adherence index and chemotaxis values were improved in association with vitamin supplementation compared to pretreatment levels. Lymphoproliferative capacity, interleukin-2 release and natural killer cell activity, which were lower in the older subjects than in the control group, increased after supplementation to levels similar to those of the control group.

Dr. De La Fuente and her associates suggest that the benefits observed in this study in association with vitamin C and E supplementation may be due to their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory roles, although other factors may be involved. “An important number of studies show that the ingestion of diets with adequate levels of antioxidants such as vitamins E and C, beta-carotene, polyphenols and others, are able to retard or prevent the oxidative damage and therefore the general physiological impairment associated with aging, and in particular immunosenescence,” they wrote.

“It is possible to suggest that the supplementation used in the present study could improve the quality of life and extend a healthy longevity in elderly men and women,” they concluded.

Carnitine supplementation associated with improvement of metabolic syndrome

Sungshin Women’s University (South Korea), December 17, 2020

A review and meta-analysis of randomized, placebo-controlled trials published in the journal Nutrients found improvement in factors that characterize metabolic syndrome (MetSyn) among men and women given L-carnitine supplements.

Metabolic syndrome is determined by the presence of three or more factors that include high blood pressure, elevated fasting triglycerides, low levels of high density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, increased abdominal circumference and high fasting blood glucose. The presence of metabolic syndrome is associated with an increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

“This study is the first to investigate the effect of L-carnitine supplementation on the biomarkers of MetSyn,” authors Munji Choi of Sungshin Women’s University and colleagues announced.

Dr Choi and associates selected nine articles that reported the findings of trials that evaluated the effects of L-carnitine supplementation among 508 participants and reported data concerning fasting blood glucose, triglycerides, waist circumference, blood pressure or HDL cholesterol. L-carnitine doses ranged from 0.75 milligrams (mg) to 3 grams per day.

Supplementing with L-carnitine was associated with significant reductions in waist circumference and systolic blood pressure in comparison with the placebo groups. When studies that tested doses of 1 to 3 grams were analyzed, L-carnitine was additionally associated with a significant decrease in fasting blood glucose and triglycerides and an increase in beneficial HDL cholesterol. “Ultimately, 2–3 g/day of supplemented L-carnitine is recommended,” the authors remarked.

“L-carnitine supplementation is correlated with a significant reduction in waist circumference and blood pressure,” they concluded. “Additionally, L-carnitine supplementation at a dose of 1–3 gram/day could improve MetSyn by reducing fasting blood sugar and triglycerides and increasing HDL cholesterol.”

Research shows a few beneficial organisms could play key role in treating type 2 diabetes

Oregon State University, December 31, 2020

Researchers at Oregon State University have found that a few organisms in the gut microbiome play a key role in type 2 diabetes, opening the door to possible probiotic treatments for a serious metabolic disease affecting roughly one in 10 Americans.

“Type 2 diabetes is in fact a global pandemic and the number of diagnoses is expected to keep rising over the next decade,” said study co-leader Andrey Morgun, associate professor of pharmaceutical sciences in the OSU College of Pharmacy. “The so-called ‘western diet’ – high in saturated fats and refined sugars—is one of the primary factors. But gut bacteria have an important role to play in modulating the effects of diet.”

Formerly known as adult-onset diabetes, type 2 diabetes is a chronic condition affecting the way the body metabolizes glucose, a sugar that’s a key source of energy. For some patients, that means their body resists the effects of insulin—the hormone produced by the pancreas that opens the door for sugar to enter cells. Other patients don’t produce enough insulin to maintain normal glucose levels.

In either case, sugar builds up in the bloodstream and if left untreated the effect is impairment to many major organs, sometimes to disabling or life-threatening degrees. A key risk factor for type 2 diabetes is being overweight, often a result of a western diet in combination with low physical activity.

The human gut microbiome features more than 10 trillion microbial cells from about 1,000 different bacterial species. Dysbiosis, or imbalance, in the microbiome is commonly associated with detrimental effects on a person’s health.

“Some studies suggest dysbiosis is caused by complex changes resulting from interactions of hundreds of different microbes,” said Natalia Shulzhenko, an associate professor of biomedical sciences in OSU’s Carlson College of Veterinary Medicine and the study’s other co-leader. “However, our study and other studies suggest that individual members of the microbial community, altered by diet, might have a significant impact on the host.”

Shulzhenko and Morgun used a new, data-driven, systems-biology approach called transkingdom network analysis to study host-microbe interactions under a western diet. That allowed them to investigate whether individual members of the microbiota played a part in metabolic changes the diet induces in a host.

“The analysis pointed to specific microbes that potentially would affect the way a person metabolizes glucose and lipids,” Morgun said. “Even more importantly, it allowed us to make inferences about whether those effects are harmful or beneficial to the host. And we found links between those microbes and obesity.”

The scientists identified four operational taxonomic units, or OTUs, that seemed to affect glucose metabolism; OTUs are a means of categorizing bacteria based on gene sequence similarity.

The identified OTUs corresponded to four bacterial species: Lactobacillus johnsonii, Lactobacillus gasseri, Romboutsia ilealis and Ruminococcus gnavus.

“The first two microbes are considered potential ‘improvers’ to glucose metabolism, the other two potential ‘worseners,'” Shulzhenko said. “The overall indication is that individual types of microbes and/or their interactions, and not community-level dysbiosis, are key players in type 2 diabetes.”

The researchers fed mice the equivalent of a western diet and then supplemented the rodents’ intake with the improver and worsener microbes. The Lactobacilli boosted mitochondrial health in the liver, meaning improvements in how the host metabolizes glucose and lipids, and the mice receiving those Lactobacilli also had a lower fat mass index than those fed only a western diet.

Checking the mouse results against data from an earlier human study, the scientists found correlations between human body mass index and abundance of the four bacteria—more of the improvers meant a better body mass index, more of the worseners was connected to a less healthy BMI.

“We found R. ilealis to be present in more than 80% of obese patients, suggesting the microbe could be a prevalent pathobiont in overweight people,” Shulzhenko said.

A pathobiont is an organism that normally has a symbiotic relationship with its host but can become disease-causing under certain circumstances.

“Altogether, our observations support what we saw in the western diet-fed mice,” she said. “And in looking at all of the metabolites, we found a few that explain a big part of probiotic effects caused by Lactobacilli treatments.”

Lactobacillus is a microbial genus that contains hundreds of different bacterial strains. Its representatives are common among probiotics and frequently found in many types of fermented foods and Lactobacillus-fortified dairy products, such as yogurt.

“Our study reveals potential probiotic strains for treatment of type 2 diabetes and obesity as well as insights into the mechanisms of their action,” Morgun said. “That means an opportunity to develop targeted therapies rather than attempting to restore ‘healthy’ microbiota in general.”

Grape seed extract supplementation associated with reduction in systolic blood pressure and mean arterial pressure

California Baptist University, January 2, 2020

According to news reporting from Riverside, California, research stated, “Recently, it has been reported that dietary supplementation with grape seed extract (GSE) ameliorates endothelial function and increase nitric oxide (NO) bioavailability. Thus, we investigated if elevated blood pressure and aortic stiffness (AoS) characterized in obese individuals are attenuated following acute GSE supplementation.”

The news correspondents obtained a quote from the research from California Baptist University, “Twenty men (obese =10; normal body weight (NBW)=10) participated in this study. Systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), mean arterial pressure (MAP), heart rate (HR), stroke volume (SV), cardiac output (CO), total peripheral resistance (TPR), and AoS were compared 2 h after ingestion of GSE or placebo (PL) on different days, 1 wk apart. Compared with the PL, GSE supplementation significantly decreased SBP (NBW: 103 +/- 4 vs. 99 +/- 3 mmHg; obese: 118 +/- 3 vs. 112 +/- 5 mmHg) and MAP (NBW: 75 +/- 2 vs. 72 +/- 2 mmHg; obese: 86-+/-3 vs. 84 +/- 3 mmHg) in both groups, while there were no differences in HR, SV, DBP, TPR, and AoS. GSE supplementation significantly decreased CO in only obese group. In NBW group, TPR tended to be decreased, but there was no significant difference.”

According to the news reporters, the research concluded: “Our study suggests that acute supplementation with GSE reduced both SBP and MAP via a reduction in CO in obese individuals and decreased peripheral vasoconstriction in NBW group.”

This research has been peer-reviewed.

Coconut Oil Proven Beneficial for Healing Rheumatoid Arthritis and Other Autoimmune Diseases

St Thomas College of Medicine (India), January 2, 2020

There are many chronic debilitating conditions that modern prescribed pharmaceuticals do not handle well, if at all. Most are autoimmune diseases. One of the 90 or so autoimmune diseases is rheumatoid arthritis, which affects at least 2 million Americans, mostly women.

Under the pharmaceutical industry’s rule, mainstream medical doctors do not consider dietary solutions useful. Regardless, some have cured themselves of autoimmune diseases using nutritional supplements and dietary changes. Coconut oil should be considered a major part of both approaches.

Autoimmune diseases are caused when a misguided immune system attacks healthy cells and organs instead of pathogens, creating chronic inflammation, leading to debilitating diseases not caused by pathogens.

Rheumatoid arthritis is a difficult chronic autoimmune disease that can be troublesome, often painful, even crippling. It usually affects the joints, most commonly the hands and fingers, sometimes rendering them unusable for functioning with even minimal manual dexterity.

Whatever symptom relief is offered by pharmaceutical autoimmune disease drugs comes with the price of negative side effects, which are sometimes as bad or worse than the autoimmune disease, especially with long term use. Natural solutions can be more effective without side effects, and much less expensive too.

Study: Natural Compound with Coconut Oil Shows Promise for Rheumatoid Arthritis Sufferers

A recent study on a new anti-inflammatory antioxidant natural remedy, with the main ingredient being coconut oil, shows positive signs of being the go-to remedy for those who want relief from rheumatoid arthritis without the side effects of pharmaceuticals that are not so effective.

The 2016 study, “Anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effect of Kerabala: a value added ayurvedic formulation from virgin coconut oil inhibits pathogenesis in adjuvant-induced arthritis” is the title of a study performed in India with adult male wistar lab rats for 30 days. They were injected with carageenan to induce edema in one paw and simulate joint inflammation.

The natural compound Kerabala’s symptom results were compared with the results from indomethacine, a pharmaceutical NSAID (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug), by thoroughly examining and measuring many markers from skin, serum, and synovial joint ^[2]fluids.

The researchers mixed and remixed Kerabala’s (CB) components according to Ayurvedic procedures over a period of 101 days.

Here are the CB ingredients: 3 percent Sida cordifolia Bark, a weed plant flower that’s common in India; 43.5 percent S. cordifolia root decoction (an extract concentrated by boiling off half the water) of cordifolia roots; 10 percent sesame oil; and 43.5 percent coconut milk.

The researchers’ customarily conservative conclusion:

During anti-inflammatory studies, low dose of CB inhibits the acute phase responses and also capable of reducing chronic inflammation of synovial joints ^[2], thus preventing progressive erosive destruction of articular cartilage. Therefore, Kerabala has the potential to be used as an anti-inflammatory or an anti-arthritic agent.

Unfortunately, an online product search for Kerabala came up empty for this reporter. And creating the compound according to its recipe is too difficult for most. The study describes it as a “novel” compound, meaning it’s new and different from traditional Ayurveda remedies.

However, its main constituent is coconut oil. And there is strong evidence of coconut oil’s efficacy for similar autoimmune maladies.

Related Application and Study of Coconut Oil for the Root Cause of Autoimmune Disease

Almost half of the above tested Kerabala formula is coconut oil. A specialist in autoimmune disease functional medical treatments, Dr. Amy Myers, M.D., cites different examples from medical literature ^[3] associating microbial infections with arousing some autoimmune reactions.

Functional or integrative medicine M.D. Dr. Myers works with the body’s immune system and getting more to the source of an autoimmune malady instead of throwing pharmaceuticals at it. She is keen on virgin coconut oil’s ability to contain pathogenic microbes that could be involved with some autoimmune diseases.

Dr. Myers mentions monolaurin as a powerful natural treatment against various viruses and fungi associated with some autoimmune diseases. Lauric acid converts to monolaurin in the body, and virgin coconut oil is 50 percent lauric acid, thus coconut oil can help ^[4] turn the tide on certain autoimmune diseases.

It’s estimated over 40 million Americans suffer from Candida yeast overgrowth, usually simply called candida. Leaky gut, stress, heavily processed foods of the SAD (standard American diet) and pharmaceutical antibiotics all cause this fungal microbial imbalance. Anti-fungal pharmaceutical drugs cause their share of harmful side effects. They offer little in the way of solutions.

When candida yeast colony overgrowth overwhelms the good gut bacteria, the ensuing imbalance opens the door to many autoimmune inflammatory conditions.

Candida yeast overgrowth “give off many toxins, like zymosan,” which causes inflammation that “may trigger autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, thyroiditis or celiac disease,” according to a report on Dr. Ronald Hoffman’s site Intelligent Medicine by functional medicine nutritionist Leyla Muiden.

A University of Tufts animal study, “Manipulation of Host Diet to Reduce Gastrointestinal Colonization by the Opportunistic Pathogen Candida albicans” was published in the November 2015 issue of the journal mSphere.

Coconut oil fed to mice with Candida albicans occupying their guts reduced the infectious level 90 percent, greatly exceeding the results from beef tallow and soybean oil.

Study author Kearney Gunsalus, Ph.D. asserted the results as being more clinical than preventative. In other words, it should be used to help curb candida symptoms.

The potential use of coconut oil in the short term to control the rate of fungal overgrowth should not be considered a prophylactic [preventative] approach to preventing fungal infections. We want to give clinicians a treatment option that might limit the need for anti-fungal drugs. If we can use coconut oil as a safe, dietary alternative, we could decrease the amount of anti-fungal drugs used, reserving anti-fungal drugs for critical situations.

An even earlier study of polyphenolics (complex plant nutrients) isolated from coconut oil alone on arthritic rats showed strong evidence of reducing arthritic inflammation of rats.

Other earlier studies indicate 3.5 tablespoons daily may do the trick of killing fungal colonies while leaving the beneficial microbiome balance of beneficial bacteria to pathogenic microbes at 85% to 15% (approximately) and restricting candida yeast to its necessary minimum.

Of course, restricting refined sugar and carbs, antibiotics, and consuming probiotic fermented foods and liquids should be part of dietary changes also. There is more on earlier studies and anecdotal reports on success with coconut oil for candida yeast overgrowth

Researchers uncover mechanism for cancer-killing properties of pepper plant

University of Texas Medical Center – January 4, 2020

UT Southwestern Medical Center scientists have uncovered the chemical process behind anti-cancer properties of a spicy Indian pepper plant called the long pepper, whose suspected medicinal properties date back thousands of years.

The secret lies in a chemical called Piperlongumine (PL), which has shown activity against many cancers including prostate, breast, lung, colon, lymphoma, leukemia, primary brain tumors, and gastric cancer.

Using x-ray crystallography, researchers were able to create molecular structures that show how the chemical is transformed after being ingested. PL converts to hPL, an active drug that silences a gene called GSTP1. The GSTP1 gene produces a detoxification enzyme that is often overly abundant in tumors.

“We are hopeful that our structure will enable additional drug development efforts to improve the potency of PL for use in a wide range of cancer therapies,” said Dr. Kenneth Westover, Assistant Professor of Biochemistry and Radiation Oncology. “This research is a spectacular demonstration of the power of x-ray crystallography.”

The long pepper, a plant native to India, is found in southern India and southeast Asia. Although rare in European fare, it is commonly found in Indian stores and used as a spice or seasoning in stews and other dishes. It dates back thousands of years in the Indian subcontinent tied to Ayurveda, one of the world’s oldest medical systems, and was referred to by Hippocrates, the ancient Greek physician known as the father of medicine.

“This study illustrates the importance of examining and re-examining our theories. In this case we learned something fundamentally new about a 3,000-year-old medical claim using modern science,” said Dr. Westover.”

Dr. Westover, a member of the Harold C. Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center, used cutting edge technologies in UT Southwestern’s Structural Biology Core (SBC) – the University’s world-renowned facility for X-ray crystallography, to better understand the anticancer properties of PL. X-ray crystallography allows scientists to determine molecular structures that reveal how molecules interact with targets – in this case how PL interacts with GSTP1. Viewing the structures helps in developing drugs for those targets.

The study is published in the Journal of Biological Chemistry.

Studies uncover more positive effects associated with EPA, DHA

Friedrich-Alexander University(Germany), December 29, 2020

Recent studies add to the list of health benefits associated with eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), which are omega-3 long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids occurring in fish and the algae they consume. Optimal omega-3 fatty acid intake has been associated with cardiovascular, brain and other benefits, and continues to be the subject of nutritional research.

On October 10, 2020, the journal Atherosclerosis reported the findings of a secondary analysis of a trial that involved 64 men and women with symptoms of cardiovascular disease who underwent coronary CT angiography (CTA). Blood samples were analyzed for red blood cell membrane fatty acid composition as a biomarker of tissue fatty acid composition. CTA images were analyzed for pericoronary adipose tissue attenuation (PCAT), which is associated with increased inflammation.

“PCAT attenuation in computed tomography has previously been proposed as a novel marker of coronary inflammation,” authors Daniel O. Bittner, DO, of Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nürnberg and colleagues wrote. “The mechanism of action is explained by the development of atherosclerosis itself, in which vascular inflammation promotes atherosclerotic plaque formation. As there is communication of inflammatory mediators between vasculature and perivascular adipose tissue, perivascular fat composition may be altered due to adjacent vascular inflammation. This change in perivascular fat composition can subsequently be detected by a change in local attenuation.”

Subjects in the current analysis were divided into high or low PCAT attenuation values. The group that had low PCAT attenuation had higher median levels of EPA, suggesting a different composition of pericoronary fat tissue and less coronary inflammation.

The analysis was the first to use noninvasive imaging to provide evidence for an association between EPA and PCAT composition. Dr Bittner and colleagues concluded that the data supports the beneficial effects of EPA and helps explain the survival advantage associated with the fatty acid in larger studies.

Another recently published report, which appeared on November 12, 2020 in Prostaglandins, Leukotrienes and Essential Fatty Acids, described a trial which found that men who received DHA-enriched fish oil experienced increases in testosterone compared to men who received a placebo.

The trial included 61 overweight and obese men and women who received capsules that contained a corn oil placebo or fish oil that provided 120 mg EPA plus 860 mg DHA per day for 12 weeks. Fasting blood samples collected before and after the treatment period were analyzed for red blood cell membrane fatty acid composition, testosterone, lipids and other factors.

At the end of the trial, participants who received fish oil had significantly higher red blood cell membrane EPA and DHA levels compared to the control group. Men experienced an average increase of 1.95 nanomoles per liter testosterone compared to the placebo group, which was associated with red blood cell membrane increases in DHA levels. While the authors of the report recommend further research, they remark that “Dietary DHA may potentially be a beneficial treatment or adjunct treatment for men with mild hypogonadism for whom testosterone is not clinically indicated.”

These studies suggest potential new indications for omega-3 fatty acids in human nutrition. Other studies continue to add evidence to previously established benefits and support regular dietary intake of EPA and DHA.

Neuroprotective effects of skullcap compounds against amyloid beta-induced toxicity

Dong-A University (South Korea), December 29, 2020

According to news reporting originating from Busan, South Korea, research stated, “Amyloid beta (A beta) peptide, one of the most important pathogenic traits of Alzheimer’s disease (AD), invokes a cascade of oxidative damage and eventually leads to neuronal death. In the present study, baicalein, wogonin, and oroxylin A, main active flavones in Scutellaria baicalensis, were evaluated for their neuroprotective effects against A beta(25-35)-stimulated damage.”

Our news editors obtained a quote from the research from Dong-A University, “All tested compounds decreased A beta(25-35)-induced ROS generation and cell cycle arrest. In particular, baicalein exhibited the strongest antioxidant activity. In addition, these compounds suppressed apoptosis by attenuating mitochondrial dysfunction such as loss of membrane potential, Ca2+ accumulation and Bax/Bcl-2 ratio. Furthermore, all tested flavones inhibited the expression of iNOS and COX-2, which resulted in suppressing inflammatory cytokines including TNF-alpha, NO, and PGE(2). Noticeably, all compounds exhibited the anti-inflammatory effects through downregulating NF-kappa B/MAPK pathway. Especially, oroxylin A was effective against both p65 and I kappa B alpha, while wogonin and baicalein were suppressed phospho-p65 and phospho-I kappa B alpha, respectively.”

According to the news editors, the research concluded: “Taken together, baicalein, wogonin, and oroxylin A can effectively relieve A beta(25-35)-stimulated neuronal apoptosis and inflammation in PC12 cells via downregulating NF-kappa B/MAPK signaling pathway.”

The microbiome and Alzheimer disease: potential of prebiotic, probiotic and synbiotic preparations

McGill University (Quebec), December 24, 2020

According to news reporting originating from Montreal, Canada, research stated, “The Microbiome has generated significant attention for its impacts not only on gastrointestinal health, but also on signaling pathways of the enteric and central nervous system via the microbiome gut-brain axis.”

Our news correspondents obtained a quote from the research from McGill University: “In light of this, microbiome modulation may be an effective therapeutic strategy for treating or mitigating many somatic and neural pathologies, including neurodegenerative disorders. Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a chronic neurodegenerative disease that interferes with cerebral function by progressively impairing memory, thinking and learning through the continuous depletion of neurons. Although its etiopathogenesis remains uncertain, recent literature endorses the hypothesis that probiotic, prebiotic and synbiotic supplementation alters AD-like symptoms and improves many of its associated disease biomarkers. Alternatively, a dysfunctional microbiota impairs the gut epithelial barrier by inducing chronic gastric inflammation, culminating in neuroinflammation and accelerating AD progression.”

According to the news reporters, the research concluded: “The findings in this review suggest that probiotics, prebiotics or synbiotics have potential as novel biological prophylactics in treatment of AD, due to their anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, their ability to improve cognition and metabolic activity, as well as their capacity of producing essential metabolites for gut and brain barrier permeability.”

Melatonin inhibits glucose-induced programmed cell death in osteoblastic cells

First Hospital of China Medical University, December 31, 2020

According to news reporting out of Shenyang, People’s Republic of China, research stated, “Osteoporosis is a common disease resulting in deteriorated microarchitecture and decreased bone mass. In type 2 diabetes patients, the incidence of osteoporosis is significantly higher accompanied by increased apoptosis of osteoblasts.”

The news editors obtained a quote from the research from First Hospital of China Medical University: “In this study, using the osteoblastic cell line MC3T3-E1, we show that high glucose reduces cell viability and induces apoptosis. Also, high glucose leads to endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress (ERS) via an increase in calcium flux and upregulation of the ER chaperone binding immunoglobulin protein (BiP). Moreover, it induces post-translational activation of eukaryotic initiation factor 2 alpha (eIF2a) which functions downstream of PKR-like ER kinase (PERK). This subsequently leads to post-translational activation of the transcription factor 4 (ATF4) and upregulation of C/EBP-homologous protein (CHOP) which is an ER stress-induced regulator of apoptosis, as well as downstream effectors DNAJC3, HYOU1, and CALR. Interestingly, melatonin treatment significantly alleviates the high-glucose induced changes in cell growth, apoptosis, and calcium influx by inhibiting the PERK-eIF2a-ATF4-CHOP signaling pathway. Additionally, the MC3T3-E1 cells engineered to express a phosphodead eIF2a mutant did not show high glucose induced ER stress, confirming that melatonin protects osteoblasts against high-glucose induced changes by decreasing ER-stress induced apoptosis by impacting the PERK-eIF2a-ATF4-CHOP signaling pathway.”

According to the news editors, the research concluded: “The protective of melatonin against high glucose-induced ER stress and apoptosis was attenuated when the cells were pre-treated with a melatonin receptor antagonist, indicating that the effect of melatonin was mediated via the melatonin receptors in this context. These findings lay the provide mechanistic insights of melatonin’s protective action on osteoblasts and will be potentially be useful in ongoing pre-clinical and clinical studies to evaluate melatonin as a therapeutic option for diabetic osteoporosis.”

A fat molecule unique to avocados can help lower diabetes risk by addressing insulin resistance

University of Guelph (Canada), December 31, 2020

Back in 2015, researchers discovered a compound unique to avocado that may be behind its anti-cancer properties. Called avocatin B (AvoB), the compound consists of a mixture of avocadene and avocadyne – two polyhydroxylated fatty alcohols present in the seed and pulp of avocados.

Many scientists have since carried out studies to investigate AvoB’s health benefits. Recently, researchers from the University of Guelph in Canada examined the effect of AvoB on glucose and fat metabolism using mice. They found that the compound can reduce insulin resistance and lower the risk of Type 2 diabetes.

Avocado compound reduces insulin resistance, promotes weight loss

The researchers fed a group of mice a high-calorie diet for two months to induce obesity and insulin resistance. They then administered AvoB to half of the mice for five weeks without changing their diet. The researchers found that the AvoB-treated mice had greater insulin sensitivity and weighed less than the untreated mice. They attributed these improvements to AvoB’s ability to promote fatty acid oxidation (the breakdown of fat) in the mitochondria.

Fatty acid oxidation is an important process that allows the body to burn fats. However, this process is impaired in obese and diabetic individuals. Incomplete fatty acid oxidation is often observed in obese individuals and leads to the accumulation of free fatty acids outside of adipose tissues, which, in turn, damages the cells that produce insulin.

The researchers also tested the effects of AvoB in humans to see whether it is safe for use. They gave participants who were on a Western diet AvoB supplements and found that the compound had no adverse effects on the kidneys, liver or muscles. The participants who took AvoB supplements also lost weight, although this effect was not statistically significant. (Related: Avocado seeds contain compounds that reduce inflammation.)

“AvoB is a bioactive ingredient in avocados, which can be an important dietary choice for diabetics and prediabetics,” said co-author Paul Spagnuolo, a food science professor at the University of Waterloo in Canada who was part of the team that discovered AvoB.

“When we talk about bioactives, think of it like the nutrients we get from other foods: We get omega-3 fatty acids from eating fish and vitamin C from oranges,” added Spagnuolo.

However, he noted that people are unlikely to achieve the benefits observed in their study by eating avocados alone because the amount of natural AvoB varies widely. In addition, it’s still unclear how well the body digests and absorbs the compound straight from the fruit.

To that end, Spagnuolo and his colleagues developed AvoB supplements in powder and capsule forms. The supplements have hit the shelves this year.

“We advocate healthy eating and exercise as solutions to the problem, but that’s difficult for some people,” said lead author Nawaz Ahmed. “We’ve known this for decades, and obesity and diabetes are still a significant health problem.”

The researchers plan to conduct more clinical trials to better understand the effect of AvoB on people with metabolic disorders such as Type 2 diabetes and obesity.

Witnessing fear in others can physically change brain, scientists say

Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute, January 4, 2021

Scientists at the Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute have discovered that observing fear in others may change how information flows in the brain.

The results of their study were scheduled for advance online publication in Neuropsychopharmacology, the official publication of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology.

“Negative emotional experience leaves a trace in the brain, which makes us more vulnerable,” said Alexei Morozov, an assistant professor at the Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute and lead author of the study. “Traumatic experiences, even those without physical pain, are a risk factor for mental disorders.”

Post-traumatic stress disorder, also called PTSD, is an anxiety disorder that can develop in some people after they experience a shocking, scary, or dangerous event, according to the National Institute of Mental Health.

Most people who live through dangerous events do not develop the disorder, but about 7 or 8 out of every 100 people will experience post-traumatic stress disorder at some point in their lives, according to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs’ National Center for PTSD.

“PTSD doesn’t stop at direct victims of illness, injury, or a terrorist attack; it can also affect their loved ones, caregivers, even bystanders – the people who witness or learn about others’ suffering,” said Morozov, who is also a faculty member in the Department of Biomedical Engineering and Mechanics in Virginia Tech’s College of Engineering.

He also noted that while a traumatic event may not immediately lead to the disorder, it increases odds of developing the disorder.

“There’s evidence that children who watched media coverage of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks are more likely to develop PTSD later in life when subjected to another adverse event,” Morozov said.

According to a RAND Corp. assessment of multiple studies of post-traumatic stress and depression in previously deployed service members, people who heard about a serious incident—such as a gunfire exchange— were just as likely to develop post-traumatic stress disorder as the people who actually lived through the incident.

In previous studies, Morozov with Wataru Ito, a research assistant professor at the Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute, found that rodents who witnessed stress in their counterparts but did not experience it firsthand formed stronger than normal memories of their own fear experiences—a behavioral trait relevant to some humans who experience traumatic stress.

Based on these findings, the researchers investigated whether the part of the brain responsible for empathizing and understanding the mental state of others, called the prefrontal cortex, physically changes after witnessing fear in another.

Lei Liu, a postdoctoral researcher in the lab, measured transmission through inhibitory synapses that regulate strength of the signals arriving in the prefrontal cortex from other parts of the brain in mice who had witnessed a stressful event in another mouse.

“Liu’s measures suggest that observational fear physically redistributes the flow of information,” Morozov said. “And this redistribution is achieved by stress, not just observed, but communicated through social cues, such as body language, sound, and smell.”

According to Morozov, this shift may potentially enable more communications via the synapses in the deep cellular layers of the cerebral cortex, but less so in the superficial ones. It’s not yet clear exactly how the circuits have altered, only that they have indeed changed.

“That’s the next step,” Morozov said. “Once we understand the mechanism of this change in the brain in the person who has these experiences, we could potentially know how something like post-traumatic stress disorder is caused.”

Fish oil lowered oxidative stress markers and improved membrane fluidity in plasma of patients with probable Alzheimer disease

University of Guadalajara (Mexico), December 28, 2020

According to news originating from Jalisco, Mexico, research stated, “High intake of omega-3 fatty acids has been associated with synaptic plasticity, neurogenesis and memory in several experimental models. To assess the efficacy of fish oil supplementation on oxidative stress markers in patients diagnosed with probable Alzheimer’s disease (AD) we conducted a double blind, randomized, placebo controlled clinical trial.”

Our news journalists obtained a quote from the research from the University of Guadalajara, “AD patients who met the inclusive criteria were given fish oil (containing 0.45 g eicosapentaenoic acid and 1 g docosahexaenoic acid) or placebo daily for 12 months. Oxidative stress markers [lipoperoxides, nitric oxide catabolites levels, oxidized/reduced glutathione ratio, and membrane fluidity] and fatty acid profile in erythrocytes were assessed at enrollment, and 6 and 12 months after the start of the testing period. At the end of the trial, in patients who received fish oil, we detected a decrease in the omega 6/omega 3 ratio in erythrocyte membrane phospholipids. This change was parallel with decreases in plasma levels of lipoperoxides and nitric oxide catabolites. Conversely, the ratio of reduced to oxidized glutathione was significantly increased. In addition, membrane fluidity was increased significantly in plasma membrane samples.”

According to the news editors, the research concluded: “In conclusion fish oil administration has a beneficial effect in decreasing the levels of oxidative stress markers and improving the membrane fluidity in plasma.”

This research has been peer-reviewed.

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Gary Null Show Notes

Therapeutic potential of ginger family of plants against Alzheimer disease

Omega 3 fatty acid DHA improves stroke therapy

Moderate levels of physical fitness associated with telomere length maintenance in men

University Sao Judas Tadeu (Brazil), December 30, 2020

Diet and lifestyle guidelines can greatly reduce gastroesophageal reflux disease symptoms

Study of 50,000 people finds brown fat may protect against numerous chronic diseases

Link between increased dietary fiber intake and lower risk of depression partially explained by gut-brain interactions

An epidemic of overdiagnosis: Melanoma diagnoses sky rocket

Ginseng’s Ginsenoside Rh2 represses autophagy to promote cervical cancer cell apoptosis during starvation

Background

Methods

Results

Conclusions

Study finds supplementation with antioxidant vitamins improved older individuals’ immune function

Carnitine supplementation associated with improvement of metabolic syndrome

Research shows a few beneficial organisms could play key role in treating type 2 diabetes

Grape seed extract supplementation associated with reduction in systolic blood pressure and mean arterial pressure

Studies uncover more positive effects associated with EPA, DHA

Neuroprotective effects of skullcap compounds against amyloid beta-induced toxicity

The microbiome and Alzheimer disease: potential of prebiotic, probiotic and synbiotic preparations

Melatonin inhibits glucose-induced programmed cell death in osteoblastic cells

First Hospital of China Medical University, December 31, 2020

A fat molecule unique to avocados can help lower diabetes risk by addressing insulin resistance

Avocado compound reduces insulin resistance, promotes weight loss

Fish oil lowered oxidative stress markers and improved membrane fluidity in plasma of patients with probable Alzheimer disease

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