2. Kim Iversen: FIRE FAUCI ALREADY! History Of Flip Flops And Lies Should FORCE Retirement

A diet of essential amino acids could keep dementia at bay

National Institutes for Quantum Sciences and Technology (Japan), October 25, 2021

Dementia—a condition involving the extreme loss of cognitive function—is caused by a variety of disorders, including Alzheimer’s disease. According to World Health Organization estimates, approximately 10 million individuals worldwide develop dementia every year, indicating the high psychological and social impact of this condition. Dementia mainly affects older people, and so far, simple and effective strategies for preventing this condition have remained elusive.

In a recent study published in Science Advances, Japanese researchers showed that a low protein diet can accelerate braindegeneration in mouse models of Alzheimer’s disease. More importantly, they found that Amino LP7—a supplement containing seven specific amino acids—can slow down brain degeneration and dementia development in these animals. Their work expands on previous studies, which have demonstrated the effectiveness of Amino LP7 in improving cognitive function.

Dr. Makoto Higuchi from the National Institutes for Quantum Sciences and Technology, one of the lead scientists on the study, explains, “In older individuals, low protein diets are linked to poor maintenance of brain function. Amino acids are the building blocks of proteins. So, we wanted to understand whether supplementation with essential amino acids can protect the brains of older peoplefrom dementia, and if yes, what mechanisms would contribute to this protective effect.”

First, the researchers studied how a low protein diet affects the brain in mouse models of Alzheimer’s disease, which generally demonstrate neurodegeneration and abnormal protein aggregates called “Tau” aggregates in the brain. They found that mice consuming a low protein diet not only showed accelerated brain degeneration but also had signs of poor neuronal connectivity. Interestingly, these effects were reversed after supplementation with Amino LP7, indicating that the combination of seven specific amino acids could inhibit brain damage.

Next, the research team examined how Amino LP7 affects different signs of brain degeneration in the Alzheimer’s model. Untreated mice showed high levels of progressive brain degeneration, but Amino LP7 treatment suppressed neuronal death and thereby reduced brain degeneration, even though the Tau aggregates remained. According to Dr. Akihiko Kitamura, who also led this study, “Tau plaques in the brain are characteristic of Alzheimer’s and most treatments target them. However, we have shown that it is possible to overcome this Tau deposition and prevent brain atrophy via supplementation with Amino LP7.”

Next, to understand how Amino LP7 protects the brain, the researchers comprehensively analyzed the gene-level changes induced by Amino LP7. Their findings were quite encouraging. They observed that Amino LP7 reduces brain inflammation and also prevents kynurenine, an inflammation inducer, from entering the brain, thereby preventing inflammatory immune cells from attacking neurons. They also found that Amino LP7 reduces neuronal death and improves neuronal connectivity, improving brain function.

“These results suggest that essential amino acids can help maintain balance in the brain and prevent brain deterioration. Our study is the first to report that specific amino acids can hinder the development of dementia,” say Dr. Hideaki Sato and Dr. Yuhei Takado, both of whom majorly contributed to the study. “Although our study was performed in mice, it brings hope that amino acid intake could also modify the development of dementias in humans, including Alzheimer’s disease,” they add.

The study by this research group throws open several avenues for better understanding how dementias occur and how they can be prevented. Given that Amino LP7 improves brain function in older people without cognitive impairment, their findings suggest that it could also be effective in people with cognitive dysfunction.

Indeed, this patent-pending supplement could one day help millions worldwide live an improved, dementia-free life.

Additional benefit of omega-3 fatty acids for the clearance of metabolites from the brain

 

American Societies for Experimental Biology, October 26, 2021

 

New research published in The FASEB Journal suggests that omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, which are found in fish oil, could improve the function of the glymphatic system, which facilitates the clearance of waste from the brain, and promote the clearance of metabolites including amyloid-β peptides, a primary culprit in Alzheimer’s disease.

To make this discovery, scientists first used transgenic fat-1 mice, which express high endogenous omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) in the brain, to investigate the effect of omega-3 PUFAs on the clearance function of the glymphatic system. Compared to the wild-type mice, the fat-1 mice with enriched endogenous omega-3 PUFAs significantly promote the clearance function of the lymphatic system, including the Aβ clearance from the brain. Wild-type mice were supplemented with fish oil, which contains high concentrations of omega-3 PUFAs, and found that fish oil-supplemented mice also improved the clearance function of the glymphatic system compared to the control mice without fish oil supplementation. Omega-3 PUFAs help maintain the brain homeostasis, which may provide benefits in a number of neurological diseases, such as Alzheimer’s disease, traumatic brain injury, and sleep impairment, among others.

“These now-famous fatty acids have been the subject of major studies both in academia and industry. Just when we thought we had heard everything, here is something new, and it is provocative indeed,” said Thoru Pederson, Ph.D., Editor-in-Chief of The FASEB Journal. “This study should not turn attention away from the roles of these substances in maintaining vascular health, but neither should they restrict our view. The brain is an extremely vascularized organ, while we might also bear in mind that omega-3 fatty acids may impact neurons, glia, and astrocytes themselves.”

Scientists look beyond the individual brain to study the collective mind

University of Illinois, October 24, 2021

In a new paper, scientists suggest that efforts to understand human cognition should expand beyond the study of individual brains. They call on neuroscientists to incorporate evidence from social science disciplines to better understand how people think.

“Accumulating evidence indicates that memory, reasoning, decision-making and other higher-level functions take place across people,” the researchers wrote in a review in the journal Frontiers in Systems Neuroscience. “Cognition extends into the physical world and the brains of others.”

The co-authors—neuroscientist Aron Barbey, a professor of psychology at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign; Richard Patterson, a professor emeritus of philosophy at Emory University; and Steven Sloman, a professor of cognitive, linguistic and psychological sciences at Brown University—wanted to address the limitations of studying brains in isolation, out of the context in which they operate and stripped of the resources they rely on for optimal function.

“In cognitive neuroscience, the standard approach is essentially to assume that knowledge is represented in the individual brain and transferred between individuals,” Barbey said. “But there are, we think, important cases where those assumptions begin to break down.”

Take, for instance, the fact that people often “outsource” the task of understanding or coming to conclusions about complex subject matter, using other people’s expertise to guide their own decision-making.

“Most people will agree that smoking contributes to the incidence of lung cancer—without necessarily understanding precisely how that occurs,” Barbey said. “And when doctors diagnose and treat disease, they don’t transfer all of their knowledge to their patients. Instead, patients rely on doctors to help them decide the best course of action.

“Without relying on experts in our community, our beliefs would become untethered from the social conventions and scientific evidence that are necessary to support them,” he said. “It would become unclear, for example, whether ‘smoking causes lung cancer,’ bringing into question the truth of our beliefs, the motivation for our actions.”

To understand the role that knowledge serves in human intelligence, the researchers wrote that it is necessary to look beyond the individual and to study the community.

“Cognition is, to a large extent, a group activity, not an individual one,” Sloman said. “People depend on others for their reasoning, judgment and decision-making. Cognitive neuroscience is not able to shed light on this aspect of cognitive processing.”

The limitations of individual knowledge and human dependence on others for understanding are the themes of “The Knowledge Illusion: Why We Never Think Alone,” a book Sloman wrote with Phil Fernbach, a cognitive scientist and professor of marketing at the University of Colorado.

“The challenge for cognitive neuroscience becomes how to capture knowledge that does not reside in the individual brain but is outsourced to the community,” Barbey said.

Neuroscientific methods such as functional MRI were designed to track activity in one brain at a time and have limited capacity for capturing the dynamics that occur when individuals interact in large communities, he said.

Some neuroscientists are trying to overcome this limitation. In a recent study, researchers placed two people face-to-face in a scanner and tracked their brain activity and eye movements while they interacted. Other teams use a technique called “hyperscanning,” which allows the simultaneous recording of brain activity in people who are physically distant from each another but interacting online.

Such efforts have found evidence suggesting that the same brain regions are activated in people who are effectively communicating with one another or cooperating on a task, Barbey said. These studies are also showing how brains operate differently from one another, depending on the type of interaction and the context.

Several fields of research are ahead of neuroscience in understanding and embracing the collective, collaborative nature of knowledge, Patterson said. For example, “social epistemology” recognizes that knowledge is a social phenomenonthat depends on community norms, a shared language and a reliable method for testing the trustworthiness of potential sources.

“Philosophers studying natural language also illustrate how knowledge relies on the community,” Patterson said. “For example, according to ‘externalism,’ the meaning of words depends on how they are used and represented within a social context. Thus, the meaning of the word and its correct use depends on collected knowledge that extends beyond the individual.”

To address these shortfalls, neuroscientists can look to other social science fields, Barbey said.

“We need to incorporate not only neuroscience evidence, but also evidence from social psychology, social anthropology and other disciplines that are better positioned to study the community of knowledge,” he said.

Amyloid beta and serotonin may be keys to predicting who develops late-life depression

Johns Hopkins Medicine, October 11, 2021

Looking for ways to image the human brain for the earliest signs of aging and cognitive decline, Johns Hopkins Medicine researchers recently identified a pattern that links the accumulation of amyloid beta (Aβ) proteins (associated with cognitive decline later in life) with a reduction of serotonin, the brain chemical that improves mood. The pattern—seen with a mathematical algorithm using data collected from positron emission tomography (PET) scans in older adults—may help predict if a person is likely to develop depression later in life.

The researchers say their findings, published online Sept. 13. 2021, in the journal Translational Psychiatry, suggest that the more a person expresses this pattern, the more severe the depression might be.

“What’s unique about PET scans is that they enable us to look at chemicals localized in the living brain in relation to Aβ proteins associated with memory loss,” says Gwenn Smith, Ph.D., Richman Professor of Alzheimer’s and Related Dementias in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. “This was fundamental for our work because we were able to test hypotheses from past research on mice with dementia for our imaging study in the human brain.”

Late-life depression, one of the most common psychiatric disorders among older people, refers to a major depressive episode—in some cases for the first time. According to the American Geriatrics Society’s Health in Aging Foundation, between 1% and 2% of American adults over age 65 have major depression—with more women than men reporting they are depressed. However, the society suggests that the numbers may actually be higher because older adults are less likely than younger people to admit, or even realize, they are depressed. Late-life depression is associated with greater risk for cognitive decline.

For their study, the researchers analyzed data collected from 40 participants over age 60 who were evenly split between men and women. Of the participants, 20 were unmedicated and were experiencing late-life depression without bipolar or psychotic symptoms. Their data were compared with those from a control group of 20 healthy, nondepressed older adults.

All participants had a series of screenings, including physical and neurological examinations, laboratory and toxicology testing, and psychiatric and neuropsychological evaluations. They also were given a standard Mini-Mental State Exam—a test used to identify cognitive impairment—as well as a psychiatric interview.

In a series of tests using radiotracers—short-acting radioactive molecules that “light up” in a PET scan—the researchers looked at both sets of participants for the amounts of Aβ and serotonin transporter (5-HTT), a protein that regulates the amount of serotonin in nerve cells.

The data collected from the PET scans were then analyzed using a mathematical formula that identified a pattern showing how Aβ accumulation relates to 5-HTT.

The pattern, Smith says, was significantly higher in the late-life depression group, indicating that a decrease in 5-HTT is linked to higher levels of Aβ in different areas of the brain—and in turn, to depression.

The researchers also examined the relationship between the mathematically derived pattern and the severity of depression. For all study participants, the more that the decreased serotonin/increased Aβ pattern was seen, the greater were the depressive symptoms.

Lower serotonin levels, say the researchers, were previously linked to depression. Therefore, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors—antidepressants that increase the amount of the brain chemical to a more normal level—have been prescribed for treatment of major depressive disorders, anxiety disorders and other psychological conditions.

“Our work reinforces the role of serotonin in late-life depression and the proteins associated with memory loss,” says Smith.

Smith says further research is needed to understand how these findings can best be applied to help people with depression. “Our aim is to use this as a diagnostic tool to predict who will respond best to antidepressants and who may be at risk for memory decline,” she says.

Lactoferrin supplements could aid in the recovery of COVID19 & other Respiratory Tract Infections

University of Huddersfield, October 22, 2021

THE antiviral properties of lactoferrin makes it a great natural supplement that could also be used as an adjunct for COVID-19 and for various other Respiratory Tract Infections (RTIs) according to a team of researchers led by the University of Huddersfield.

Lactoferrin is a protein naturally found in breastmilk, for example in cow milk and human milk, and is also found in fluids in the eye, nose, respiratory tract, intestine, and elsewhere.  The benefits are well documented however, it wasn’t known if taking the molecule as a supplement would have the same beneficial value, until now.

The findings of the study, headed by the University’s Dr Hamid Merchant from the University’s Department of Pharmacy is one of the first meta-analyses carried out on multiple independent lactoferrin clinical trials that is now published in an official publication of the European Society for Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism (ESPEN). The study has made evident that the administration of Lactoferrin shows promising efficacy in reducing the risk of RTIs, which is proven to be a key ingredient for our natural defence systems against invading viruses.

“This is a very promising molecule which can be adopted as an adjunct therapy for COVID-19 and could be part of a daily routine for people to take, along with vitamin C, D and Zinc supplements to keep our immune system healthy. Particularly now winter is almost upon us we need this extra protection a lot more now than during the summer.”

Dr Hamid Merchant, University of Huddersfield

Lactoferrin – a great supplement

It is this antiviral property of lactoferrin that makes it a great supplement for use as an adjunct for COVID-19 and other respiratory infections, but Dr Merchant believes these are still preliminary findings and warrants further evidence from a large, well-designed randomised controlled trial.

“Given the high clinical importance of respiratory tract infections amid the COVID-19 pandemic, we aimed to systematically examine the interventional Randomised Clinical Trials on the efficacy of bovine lactoferrin in preventing the occurrence of RTIs,” said Dr Syed Hasan, another of the University’s researchers involved in the study.

“The administration of Lactoferrin showed promising efficacy in reducing the risk of RTIs and may also have a beneficial role in managing symptoms and recovery of patients suffering from RTIs,” he said.

“Current evidence also favours lactoferrin fortification of infant formula – it won’t be long until parents should be able to find lactoferrin fortified infant formulas readily available on the shelves,” Dr Merchant added.

Supplements dissolved slowly in the mouth tend to be superior

Lactoferrin is prepared by specialised dairy companies who make milk, infant formulas or milk-based products who isolate this biomolecule from the milk and various other companies then procure it to sell as a supplement.

However, Dr Merchant argues that lots of low cost lactoferrin supplements being sold online are not of desired quality because with it being a biomolecule that is classed as a nutritional supplement, the production of lactoferrin isn’t legally enforced to follow the same strict regulatory process as for medicines.

The natural form of lactoferrin isolated from the milk by a specialised filtration process have superior biological properties than the most lactoferrin products that are chemically processed and treated. Moreover, supplements available in the form of orodispersible tablets (dissolved slowly in the mouth) are superior to commonly available lactoferrin products that are meant to be swallowed with water. The buccal tablets not only increase the mucosal concentration of Lactoferrin but also helps with its absorption and avoids its deterioration by the stomach acid.

“This is a very promising molecule which can be adopted as an adjunct therapy for COVID-19 and could be part of a daily routine for people to take, along with vitamin C, D and Zinc supplements to keep our immune system healthy. Particularly now winter is almost upon us we need this extra protection a lot more now than during the summer,” concluded Dr Merchant.

Members of the team who also helped with the study included international researchers Akbar Shoukat Ali from The Aga Khan University Karachi and Chia Siang Kow from The Monash University Malaysia.

Can eating nuts have health-protective effects for breast cancer survivors?

Shanghai University (China), October 21, 201

In a study published in the International Journal of Cancer of breast cancer survivors, nut consumption was linked with lower risks of breast cancer recurrence or death.

Among 3,449 breast cancer survivors from the Shanghai Breast Cancer Survival Study who completed a dietary assessment 5 years after diagnosis, there were 374 deaths during a median follow-up of 8.27 years after the dietary assessment. Among 3,274 survivors without a previous recurrence at the time of their dietary assessment, 209 developed breast cancer–specific events, including recurrence, metastasis, or breast cancer mortality.

There was a dose-response pattern in the relationship between nut consumption and risk of breast cancer recurrence or death, with those consuming the highest amounts having the lowest risks. Also, the association was stronger for survivors who had earlier stages of breast cancer than for those who had later stages.

Chaga: The Birch Tree Fungus That Boosts Your Immune System

GreenMedInfo Research Group, October 19, 2021

These bitter mushrooms act as parasites on birch trees, but they’re revered for their medicinal properties, including immunomodulatory, antiviral and antidiabetes effects

Chaga mushrooms aren’t the most attractive fungi on the block, and they’re not the tastiest either, but when it comes to medicinal value, chaga mushrooms are king. Typically consumed in tea form due to their bitter flavor, chaga (Inonotus obliquus) is a tree parasite that slowly decomposes tree trunks.

Most often found on birch trees, the black-brown fungus typically infects 30- to 50-year-old trees and may grow on their trunks for another 80 years,[i] producing a conk — a growth that resembles rust-colored charcoal. Chaga mushrooms have been valued since ancient times, when Hippocrates used chaga infusions to wash wounds.

During the 12th century, chaga was valued for its anti-inflammatory, antiparasitic and gastrointestinal properties, and was recommended for heart and liver diseases.[ii] Later, chaga became revered for its anticancer and antitumor effects, which are still being explored today, along with potent antibacterial, antioxidant, immune stimulant and antiviral functions.[iii]

Top Four Health Benefits of Chaga Mushrooms

Even if you’re not a fan of mushrooms, you can reap the benefits of this medicinal wonder by adding chaga powder to your tea or coffee, or mixing it into a smoothie. Chaga is also available in extract and supplement form, providing an impressive array of health benefits. At GreenMedInfo.com, we’ve compiled 71 diseases that chaga may influence along with 63 of this mushroom’s pharmacological actions.

1. Boost Your Immune System

Polysaccharides in chaga mushrooms have broad biological activity, including anticancer, anti-inflammatory, antiviral and antioxidant effects, as well as being immunomodulatory.[iv] Chaga mushroom may modulate immune response by helping to regulate the secretion of Th1 and Th2 cytokines in immune cells as well as antibody production.[v]

Chaga’s water-soluble polysaccharide ISP2a, in particular, has been found to enhance the immune response of mice with tumors, while also enhancing white blood cell proliferation and increasing production of tumor necrosis factor,[vi] a powerful anti-inflammatory agent. It’s believed that ISP2a may act as a natural antitumor substance with immunomodulatory activity.[vii]

2. Ward Off Viral Infections

Chaga has powerful antiviral activity and was found to suppress the infectivity of pandemic influenza virus in mice as well as the antiviral drug Tamiflu.[viii] It’s also effective against multiple feline viruses and the human viruses herpes simplex virus 1,[ix] HIV type 1 and hepatitis C.

In one study, at the highest concentration, chaga extract completely stopped, or significantly inhibited, the reproduction of hepatitis C virus, with researchers noting, “The presented studies confirm the antiviral effect of I. obliquus and indicate its potential use in the treatment of diseases associated with viral infections.”[x]

3. Anticancer Effects

It’s due to chaga’s potent immunomodulatory effects that it shows promise as a cancer fighter. Due to its antitumor and immunologic effects, many people with cancer use chaga mushrooms as a complementary therapy, and its extract is known to induce autophagy,[xi] which is your body’s way of clearing out damaged cells and making room for new ones.[xii]

Chaga extracts have been found to inhibit proliferation of, or are cytotoxic to, human gastrointestinal tumor cell lines as well as human breast, lung, colon, myeloid leukemia and cervical cancer cell lines.[xiii]

While decreasing tumor cell proliferation and motility, chaga produces no or low toxicity to normal cells,[xiv] and in a study on mice, continuous intake of chaga extract suppressed cancer progression, reducing tumors by 60% and, in metastatic mice, reducing nodules by 25% compared to the control group.[xv]

In another study, which found extracts of chaga mushroom and bamboo leaf had strong antitumor activity, it was suggested that its anticancer effects may be the result of activation of innate immunity.[xvi]

4. Help for Diabetes

Chaga polysaccharides have notable antidiabetic effects, with animal studies finding they can reduce fasting blood glucose levels, improve glucose tolerance and ameliorate insulin resistance.[xvii] In one study, chaga extract at a dose of 250 milligrams (mg) per kilogram (kg) of body weight in mice had “obvious antidiabetes effects,” while a dose of 500 mg/kg “was the same as that of [diabetes drug] metformin.”[xviii]

Is Chaga Suitable as a Daily Tonic?

There’s some debate over whether chaga mushroom should be used as a daily tonic or reserved for specific health conditions. Anecdotal reports of improved digestion and mental calm have been reported from using chaga and other mushrooms daily,[xix] while some herbalists suggest it’s best used as an adjunct therapy when required.[xx]

There’s also concern that this medicinal treasure could be overharvested, as it only reproduces after the death of the host tree. Harvesting chaga conks prior to this time may threaten its ability to reproduce. In Alaska, a lax limit of 10,000 pounds of chaga and other conks per person per year exists, but it’s reportedly being exploited.[xxi]

At this time, however, The Global Fungal Red List classifies chaga as a fungus of “least concern,” meaning it’s still abundant in many areas with no evidence of decline.