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Meta-analysis of clinical trials adds evidence to benefit for curcumin in PCOS

Tzu Chi University (Taiwan), March 17 2021. 

Findings from a systematic review and meta-analysis reported on February 21, 2021 in the journal Nutrients suggests a metabolic benefit for curcumin in women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), an endocrine disorder characterized by higher than average levels of male hormones, ovulatory dysfunction and polycystic ovaries. Women with PCOS have an increased risk of metabolic syndrome, insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes and other disorders.

Researchers in Taiwan analyzed three randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled trials that compared the effects of curcumin supplementation to a placebo among a total of 168 women with PCOS. Curcumin doses ranged from 500 milligrams consumed one to three times per day. Trial durations ranged from six to twelve weeks. Fasting glucose, fasting insulin, and insulin resistance and sensitivity assessments were reported in all studies.

Significantly greater improvements in fasting glucose, fasting insulin, insulin resistance and insulin sensitivity were observed in curcumin-supplemented women compared to those who received a placebo. Women who received curcumin also experienced greater improvements in high-density lipoprotein (HDL) and total cholesterol in comparison with the placebo groups when the two studies that reported these factors were analyzed.

Among several potential mechanisms in support of the findings, authors Yung-Jiun Chien and colleagues note that curcumin stimulates insulin-mediated glucose uptake by the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)/Akt pathway, which upregulates the translocation of glucose transporter 4 (GLUT4) to the membrane of fat cells and skeletal muscles. In addition, curcumin activates AMPK, which suppresses the production of glucose in liver cells and also enhances GLUT4 translocation.

“Curcumin may improve glycemic control and lipid metabolism in patients with PCOS and metabolic abnormality without significant adverse effects,” the authors concluded. “Further studies are advocated to investigate the potential effects of curcumin on hyperandrogenism.”

Add ginseng and rhodiola to your diet to boost muscle health

University of Marilia (Brazil), March 17, 2021

In a recent study, researchers at the University of Marilia in Brazil reported benefits of rhodiola and Asian ginseng. Using rats with physically induced stress, they evaluated the effects of rhodiola and Asian ginseng on biomarkers of muscle damage.

The researchers reported their findings in an article published in the Journal of Medicinal Food.

Rhodiola and Asian ginseng can enhance physical performance

Adaptogens are plants or herbs that help the body adapt to or counteract stress caused by physical, chemical and biological stressors. The use of these natural medicines dates back thousands of years and can be linked to traditional systems of medicines, such as TCM and Ayurveda.

Besides traditional medicine, adaptogen-based formulations have also been used in clinical practice to increase the resistance of individuals. Thanks to modern research, scientists have identified several herbs with adaptogenic properties. Asian ginseng and rhodiola are two of the most popular adaptogens used today. According to studies, these two are capable of restoring homeostasis and strengthening systems impaired by stress.

To further explore these beneficial effects, the researchers first made rats swim to induce stress. They then divided the rats into six groups: G1, or the control group; G2, or the untreated swimming group; G3, or the ginseng-treated group; G4, or the ginseng-treated swimming group; P5, or the rhodiola-treated group; and P6, or the rhodiola-treated swimming group.

At the end of the experiment, the researchers reported that G2, G4, and G6 practiced swimming five times longer than they did 30 days prior to treatment. Treatment with either rhodiola or Asian ginseng did not cause significant changes in anthropometric (height and weight) and biochemical parameters. On the other hand, Asian ginseng– and rhodiola-treated rats experienced reductions in creatine phosphokinase (CPK) and lactic dehydrogenase (LDH) levels — two biomarkers of muscle damage.

CPK is an enzyme found only in the muscles. The presence of high levels of CPK in the blood is indicative of muscle degeneration, since during this process, muscle cells break open, causing their content to leak into the bloodstream. Injured muscles also release more LDH into the blood.

Based on these findings, the researchers concluded that rhodiola and Asian ginseng can minimize stress caused by exercise and improve physical performance.

Consumption of added sugar doubles fat production

University of Zurich (Switzerland), March 16, 2021

Sugar is added to many common foodstuffs, and people in Switzerland consume more than 100 grams of it every day. The high calorie content of sugar causes excessive weight and obesity, and the associated diseases. But does too much sugar have any other harmful effects if consumed regularly? And if so, which sugars in particular?

Even moderate amounts of sugar increase fat synthesis

Researchers at the University of Zurich (UZH) and the University Hospital Zurich (USZ) have been investigating these questions. Compared to previous studies, which mainly examined the consumption of very high amounts of sugar, their results show that even moderate amounts lead to a change in the metabolism of test participants. “Eighty grams of sugar daily, which is equivalent to about 0,8 liters of a normal soft drink, boosts fat production in the liver. And the overactive fat production continues for a longer period of time, even if no more sugar is consumed,” says study leader Philipp Gerber of the Department of Endocrinology, Diabetology and Clinical Nutrition.

Ninety-four healthy young men took part in the study. Every day for a period of seven weeks, they consumed a drink sweetened with different types of sugar, while the control group did not. The drinks contained either fructose, glucose or sucrose (table sugar which is a combination of fructose and glucose). The researchers then used tracers (labeled substances that can be traced as they move through the body) to analyze the effect of the sugary drinks on the lipid metabolism.

Fructose and sucrose double fat production beyond food intake

Overall, the participants did not consume more calories than before the study, as the sugary drink increased satiety and they therefore reduced their calorie intake from other sources. Nevertheless, the researchers observed that fructose has a negative effect: “The body’s own fat production in the liver was twice as high in the fructose group as in the glucose group or the control group – and this was still the case more than twelve hours after the last meal or sugar consumption,” says Gerber. Particularly surprising was that the sugar we most commonly consume, sucrose, boosted fat synthesis slightly more than the same amount of fructose. Until now, it was thought that fructose was most likely to cause such changes.

Development of fatty liver or diabetes more likely

Increased fat production in the liver is a significant first step in the development of common diseases such as fatty liver and type-2 diabetes. From a health perspective, the World Health Organization recommends limiting daily sugar consumption to around 50 grams or, even better, 25 grams. “But we are far off that mark in Switzerland,” says Philipp Gerber. “Our results are a critical step in researching the harmful effects of added sugars and will be very significant for future dietary recommendations.”

Cannabis Inhibits SARS-CoV-2 Replication in Human Lungs, Study Suggests

University of Illinois, March 16, 2021

A new study, published on preprint server bioRxiv last week, suggests that a cannabis plant compound inhibited infection with SARS-CoV-2 in human lung cells.

According to the researchers at the University of Chicago in Illinois, cannabidiol (CBD), a chemical in the Cannabis sativa plant, also known as marijuana, and its metabolite 7-OH-CBD, blocked SARS-CoV-22 replication in lung epithelial cells. Epithelial cells are cells that come from body surfaces, such as the skin, blood vessels, urinary tract or organs.

The researchers also found that CBD appeared to inhibit viral gene expression and reverse many of the effects SARS-CoV-2 has on host gene transcription.

CBD also appeared to bring about the expression of interferons, proteins released by cells, in response to the entry of viruses, that are supposed to inhibit virus replication.

In addition, for those patients who had been taking CBD, the incidence of SARS-CoV-2 infection was up to an order of a magnitude lower than in patients who had not been taking CBD.

“This study highlights CBD, and its active metabolite, 7-OH-CBD, as potential preventative agents and therapeutic treatments for SARS-CoV-2 at early stages of infection,” lead author Marsha Rosner and her colleagues told News Medical.

This is not the first time that scientists have suggested that CBD may help prevent COVID-19.

According to Dr. Frank Lucido, a family practice physician who works with medical cannabis patients, CBD can potentially reduce cytokines, which are substances secreted by cells of the immune system as part of the body’s natural immune response.

“CBD looks promising in reducing the cytokine storm, which seems to be the most damaging aspect of COVID-19 infection,” Lucido told the San Francisco Chronicle in September 2020.

Beyond genes and environment, random variations play important role in longevity

University of Southern California, March 12, 2021

A new model of aging takes into account not only genetics and environmental exposures but also the tiny changes that randomly arise at the cellular level.

University Professor Caleb Finch introduced the “Tripartite Phenotype of Aging” as a new conceptual model that addresses why lifespan varies so much, even among human identical twins who share the same genes. Only about 10 to 35 percent of longevity can be traced to genes inherited from our parents, Finch mentioned.

Finch authored the paper introducing the model with one of his former graduate students, Amin Haghani, who received his Ph.D. in the Biology of Aging from the USC Leonard Davis School in 2020 and is now a postdoctoral researcher at UCLA. In the article, they propose that the limited heritability of aging patterns and longevity in humans is an outcome of gene-environment interactions, together with stochastic, or chance, variations in the body’s cells. These random changes can include cellular changes that happen during development, molecular damage that occurs later in life, and more.

“We wanted to introduce a conceptual map and some new terminology that will motivate a more comprehensive understanding of what the limitations of genetic determinants in aging are, how important it is to consider the genetic variance in relationship to the environment, and include this new domain of stochastic variations, which is very well recognized by different fields,” said Finch, who holds the ARCO/William F. Kieschnick Chair in the Neurobiology of Aging at the USC Leonard Davis School. “It hasn’t really been put in a formal context in which the complete package can be discussed, and that’s what I hope our article achieves.”

Expanding on the exposome

The new model is a natural extension of the idea of the exposome, which was first proposed by cancer epidemiologist Christopher Paul Wild in 2005 to draw attention to the need for more data on lifetime exposure to environmental carcinogens. The exposome concept illustrates how external factors, ranging from air pollution and socioeconomic status to individual diet and exercise patterns, interact with endogenous, or internal, factors such as the body’s microbiome and fat deposits.

The exposome is now a mainstream model, eclipsing previous characterizations of environmental factors as affecting risk “one by one.” Finch has previously expanded on the exposome concept with the introduction of the Alzheimer’s disease exposome. The gero-exposome now considers how genes and the environment interact over the lifespan to shape how we age.

The new model illustrates that cell-by-cell variations in gene expression, variations arising during development, random mutations, and epigenetic changes—turning genes “off” or “on”—should be explicitly considered apart from traditional genetic or environmental research regarding aging, Finch said. More detailed study into these chance processes has been enabled by cutting-edge research techniques, including the study of gene transcription within single cells as well as ChIP-sequencing, which can illustrate how individual proteins interact with DNA.

Effects of happenstance on health

In the paper, Finch and Haghani discussed several examples of how risks of age-related disease are poorly predicted by DNA alone but are heavily influenced by environmental exposures as well as the time and duration of the exposure, including during development or over the course of decades.

One well-known example of a gene that is associated with increased Alzheimer’s risk is ApoE-4; however, having the ApoE-4 gene doesn’t definitively mean someone will get Alzheimer’s. Studies in both mice and humans revealed that ApoE-4 and clusters of related genes interact with exposures such as air pollution or cigarette smoke to influence risk, and Alzheimer’s patients also show differences in their epigenetics as compared to individuals without the disease.

He added that the idea of environmental exposure can stretch farther than many people expect. Disease exposure earlier in life can affect health risks later in life—and across generations.

“The environment that we’re exposed to goes back to our grandmothers because the egg we came from was in our mother’s ovaries at the time of her birth,” he explained. “So that means, in my case, because my grandmother was born in 1878, I might very well carry some traces of the 19th century environment, which included much greater exposure to infectious disease because there were no antibiotics.”

Finch said that he hopes the more comprehensive model on how genes, environment, and random variations over time interact to influence aging prompt a new discussion of what the rapidly developing field of precision medicine needs to take into account to promote healthy aging.

“I think that there will be a much greater recognition in understanding individual patterns of aging,” he said. “We can only define it up to a certain point by knowing the genetic risks; we must have a more comprehensive understanding of the lifetime exposures, environments and lifestyles of an individual to have a better understanding of genetic risk for particular diseases.”

Bacillus subtilis CU1 shows immune support for the elderly

University of Bordeaux (France), March 17, 2021

Supplements containing Bacillus subtilis CU1 probiotic strain may reduce the frequency of upper respiratory infections in the elderly, says a new study.

Compared with placebo, daily consumption of the probiotic supplement was associated with a 45% decrease in URTI, report researchers from the University of Bordeaux, Biofortis-Mérieux NutriSciences, Paris 7 University and Lesaffre Human Care.

Levels of secretory IgA (sIgA) were also significantly increased following 10 days of Bacillus subtilis CU1 consumption at a dose of two billion spores per day.

“Production of secretory IgA (SIgA) at the mucosal surfaces decreases with age and can lead to an increased risk of infection,” explained the researchers in Immunity & Ageing . “SIgA, the predominant immunoglobulin class in human external secretions, is a key element in the maintenance of gut microbiota homeostasis and in the protection of gastrointestinal and respiratory tracts against pathogens.”

Commenting on the study’s findings, Elodie Ruffin, Probiotics Marketing Manager at Lesaffre Human Care, said: “These results provide evidence that consumption of B. subtilis CU1 may be a safe and effective prevention strategy to stimulate immune responses and provide long-term support to people at risk of sIgA deficiency such as the elderly, people suffering from chronic stress/sleep deprivation, professional athletes, etc.”

Bacillus subtilis CU1 is a spore forming bacteria positioned for support immune health, particularly in people with weakened natural defenses like the elderly. The organism is registered with the French National Collection of Microorganism Cultures as CNCM I-2745.

Led by Lesaffre’s Marie Lefevre, the researchers recruited 100 healthy volunteers between 60 and 74 years old and with a history of winter infections to participate in their randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study.

Performed during the winter months, the trial involved consuming B. subtilis CU1 or placebo for 10 days, and then the participants were followed for a further 18 days without intervention.

Results showed that there were no significant differences between the groups with respect to the mean number of days of reported common infectious disease symptoms. However, in a random sub-group of 44 participants, B. subtilis CU1 decreased the frequency of URTIs by 45% compared with placebo, while a significant increase in sIgA concentrations were also recorded.

“Increased SIgA levels of 87 % and 45 % in feces and saliva respectively are most probably of physiological significance in ameliorating the health status of seniors receiving B. subtilis CU1,” the researchers wrote.

The researchers also noted that there were no side effects reported during the study.

“Our study provides evidence that B. subtilis CU1 supplementation during the winter period may be a safe effective way to stimulate immune responses in elderly subjects,” they concluded.

Circulating fatty acids and endocannabinoidome-related mediator profiles associated with human longevity

University of Cagliari (Italy), March 16, 2021

According to news reporting originating in Monserrato, Italy, research stated, “To evaluate whether a peculiar plasma profile of fatty acids and endocannabinoidome (eCBome)-related mediators may be associated to longevity, we assessed them in octogenarians (Old; n=42) living in the east-central mountain area of Sardinia, a High-Longevity Zone (HLZ), compared to sexagenarian (Young; n=21) subjects from the same area, and to Olds (n=22) from the Northern Sardinia indicated as Lower-Longevity Zone (LLZ). We found significant increases in conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) and heptadecanoic acid (17:0) levels in Old-HLZ with respect to younger subjects and Old-LLZ subjects.”

The news reporters obtained a quote from the research from the University of Cagliari, “Young-HLZ subjects exhibited higher circulating levels of pentadecanoic acid (15:0) and retinol. Palmitoleic acid (POA) was elevated in both Young and Old subjects from the HLZ. eCBome profile showed a significantly increased plasma level of the two endocannabinoids, N-arachidonoyl-ethanolamine (AEA) and 2-arachidonoyl-glycerol (2-AG) in Old-HLZ subjects compared to Young-HLZ and Old-LLZ respectively. In addition, we found increased N-oleoyl-ethanolamine (OEA), 2-linoleoyl-glycerol (2-LG) and 2-oleoyl-glycerol (2-OG) levels in Old-HLZ group with respect to Young-HLZ (as for OEA an d 2-LG) and both the Old-LLZ and Young-HLZ for 2-OG. The endogenous metabolite of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), N-docosahexaenoyl-ethanolamine (DHEA) was significantly increased in Old-HLZ subjects.”

According to the news reporters, the research concluded: “Our results suggest that in the HLZ area, Young and Old subjects exhibited a favourable, albeit distinctive, fatty acids and eCBome profile that may be indicative of a metabolic pattern potentially protective from adverse chronic conditions. These factors could point to a suitable physiological metabolic pattern that may counteract the adverse stimuli leading to age-related disorders such as neurodegenerative and metabolic diseases.”

This research has been peer-reviewed.