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Could green vegetables boost efficacy of omega-3 supplements?
University of California at Davis, December 3, 2022
Pairing omega-3 supplements with a diet rich in dark green vegetables may boost omega-3 levels in red blood cells, suggests new data that raises ‘an intriguing and unexpected hypothesis’. Scientists from the University of California, Davis and the USDA’s Agricultural Research Service report that consuming at least 0.3 cups per day of dark-green vegetable in combination with omega-3 supplements could help African Americans obtain an Omega-3 Index of about 8%, said to be the ideal for optimal health. “Therefore, to assess the broader implications of these findings, it will be critical to determine how robust low dark-green vegetable intake is in predicting a low omega-3 FA supplementation response phenotype and to further determine if a person’s response phenotype can be altered by a change in dietary patterns,” they wrote. “If supported, one could envisage a situation in which particular doses of omega-3 FAs could be recommended along with complementary guidelines (e.g., portions and types of vegetables to be consumed) on the basis of an individual’s basal red blood cell EPA concentrations and an assessment of habitual dietary patterns. The California-based scientists analysed data from a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial involving 83 people of African ancestry who were randomly assigned to receive either omega-3 supplements (2 g EPA + 1 g DHA) or corn/soybean oil (placebo) for six weeks. The high responders were found to have greater reductions in triglycerides and VLDL particle sizes. A separate association between dark-green vegetables consumption the efficacy of omega-3 supplements was observed. The researchers also indicated a role for the gut microflora, noting that food rich in plant fiber and polyphenolics are known to influence the composition of the microbes in the gut, and some bacterial strains can influence how we metabolize lipids. “Taken together, these findings suggest that diets rich in dark-green vegetable may modulate gut microbiota and in turn influence fatty acid availability and cellular composition in humans. Additional studies will be needed to determine whether an integrative network linking habitual dietary patterns, gut microbiota, and [omega-3] metabolism is a plausible biologic mechanism.”
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One-minute bursts of activity during daily tasks could prolong your life, says study
University of Sydney, December 8, 2022
In good news for those who don’t like playing sport or going to the gym, new research finds just three to four one-minute bursts of huffing and puffing during daily tasks is associated with large reductions in the risk of premature death, particularly from cardiovascular disease.
Published in Nature Medicine, the study is led by the University of Sydney’s Charles Perkins Center in Australia. It is the first to accurately measure the health benefits of what researchers have termed “vigorous intermittent lifestyle physical activity” or VILPA.
VILPA is the very short bouts of vigorous activity (up to one to two minutes) we do with gusto each day, like running for the bus, bursts of power walking while doing errands or playing high-energy games with the kids.
The researchers found that just three to four one-minute bouts of VILPA every day is associated with up to 40 percent reduction in all-cause and cancer-related mortality, and up to a 49 percent reduction in death related to cardiovascular disease. “Upping the intensity of daily activities requires no time commitment, no preparation, no club memberships, no special skills. It simply involves stepping up the pace while walking or doing the housework with a bit more energy,” he said. What did they discover about exercise as part of daily life? About 89 percent of all participants did some VILPA.
Among those who did VILPA:
93 percent of all VILPA bouts last up to 1 minute.
On average each day participants did eight VILPA bouts of up to 1 minute each, totalling 6 minutes a day.
On average each VILPA bout lasted around 45 seconds.
The steepest gains were seen when comparing those with around four to five bouts per day to those with no VILPA.
However, larger benefits were found with larger VILPA amounts, suggesting the more the better.
The maximum of 11 bouts per day was associated with a 65 percent reduction in cardiovascular death risk and 49 percent reduction in cancer-related death risk, compared to no VILPA.
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Scientists discover that CoQ10 can program cancer cells to self-destruct
University of Miami, December 6, 2022
It has been 60 years since the discovery of CoQ10, a vitamin-like substance first identified by Nobel Prize-winning scientist Frederick Crane. Currently used to help treat heart disease, CoQ10 may have even more therapeutic benefits to offer – especially for cancer patients. A promising study shows that this nutrient causes cancer cells to self-destruct before they can multiply – giving rise to hopes that it can be utilized as an important integrative therapy for cancer patients. Researchers have found that CoQ10 is vital in producing adenosine triphosphate, the “energy molecule” (ATP). In addition, it is a potent antioxidant that boosts immune health and energy. But CoQ10 may have an even more important function to perform. Researchers report that the out-of-control replication characteristic of cancer cells is a result of the cells’ lost capacity to respond to programmed cell death, or apoptosis. To conduct the study, researchers at the University of Miami added CoQ10 to prostate cancer cells – and found a 70 percent inhibition in growth over 48 hours, along with a reversal in the anti-apoptotic protein bcl-2. Adding CoQ10 to breast cancer cells also inhibited proliferation, without harming healthy cells. The team noted that treating a culture of melanoma cells with CoQ10 resulted in the death of all cancer cells within hours – and that applying CoQ10 topically to mice with melanoma tumors caused a 55 percent reduction in tumor mass. There was also a “profound disruption” of tumor vasculature – the structure of veins needed by tumors for oxygen and nutrition. Researchers have also examined CoQ10’s ability to help prevent damaging side effects from chemotherapy drugs such as tamoxifen, used to treat breast cancer. Researchers agree that decreased CoQ10 levels are associated with poor health, with low levels seen in cancer patients and those with other chronic illnesses. Moreover, many scientists believe that having low levels of CoQ10 can damage cell DNA. Foods rich in CoQ10 include cold-water, oily fish such as sardines and mackerel. Liver, peanuts and whole grains are also good sources. But, because dietary intake isn’t always sufficient, supplementation may be advisable – especially for aging adults, breast cancer patients, and people taking statin drugs.
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New research links common sweetener with anxiety
Florida State University, December 8, 2022
Florida State University College of Medicine researchers have linked aspartame, an artificial sweetener found in nearly 5,000 diet foods and drinks, to anxiety-like behavior in mice. Along with producing anxiety in the mice who consumed aspartame, the effects extended up to two generations from the males exposed to the sweetener. The study is published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. “What this study is showing is we need to look back at the environmental factors, because what we see today is not only what’s happening today, but what happened two generations ago and maybe even longer,” said co-author Pradeep Bhide, the Jim and Betty Ann Rodgers Eminent Scholar Chair of Developmental Neuroscience in the Department of Biomedical Sciences. The study came about, in part, because of previous research from the Bhide Lab on the transgenerational effects of nicotine on mice. The research showed temporary—or epigenetic—changes in mice sperm cells. Unlike genetic changes (mutations), epigenetic changes are reversible and don’t change the DNA sequence; however, they can change how the body reads a DNA sequence. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved aspartame as a sweetener in 1981. Today, nearly 5,000 metric tons are produced each year. When consumed, aspartame becomes aspartic acid, phenylalanine and methanol, all of which can have potent effects on the central nervous system.
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Adding yoga to regular exercise found to improve cardiovascular health and well-being
Laval University (Queebc), December 8, 2022
A three-month pilot study of patients with hypertension appearing in the Canadian Journal of Cardiology demonstrates that adding yoga to a regular exercise training regimen supports cardiovascular health and well-being and is more effective than stretching exercises. Incorporation of yoga reduced systolic blood pressure and resting heart rate and improved 10-year cardiovascular risk. “The aim of this pilot study was to determine whether the addition of yoga to a regular exercise training regimen reduces cardiovascular risk,” explained lead investigator Paul Poirier, MD, Ph.D., Quebec Heart and Lung Institute—Laval University, and Faculty of Pharmacy, Laval University, Quebec, Canada. Investigators recruited 60 individuals with previously diagnosed high blood pressure and metabolic syndrome for an exercise training program. Over the 3-month intervention regimen, participants were divided into 2 groups, which performed 15 minutes of either structured yoga or stretching in addition to 30 minutes of aerobic exercise training 5 times weekly. Blood pressure, anthropometry, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), glucose and lipids levels as well as the Framingham and Reynolds Risk Scores were measured. At baseline, there was no difference between groups in age, sex, smoking rates, body mass index (BMI), resting systolic and diastolic blood pressure, resting heart rate and pulse pressure. After 3 months, there was a decrease in resting systolic and diastolic blood pressure, mean arterial blood pressure and heart rate in both groups. However, systolic blood pressure was reduced by 10 mmHg with yoga vs 4 mmHg with stretching. The yoga approach also reduced resting heart rate and 10-year cardiovascular risk assessed using Reynold’s Risk score. “This study provides evidence for an additional non-pharmacologic therapy option for cardiovascular risk reduction and blood pressure control in patients with high blood pressure, in the setting of a primary prevention exercise program,” noted Dr. Poirier.
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Meta-analysis affirms association of calcium supplementation with improved serum lipids
Xuzhou Medical Univ (China) December 2 2022.
A meta-analysis published in the Journal of Cardiovascular Nursing concluded that supplementing with calcium with or without the addition of vitamin D was associated with a reduction in low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol and increased high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol. “Most (80%) lipid disorders can be treated with diet modification and exercise, and lifestyle interventions have been recommended as a primary intervention strategy among individuals with dyslipidemia,” write Chunlan Chen of Xuzhou Medical University and colleagues in their introduction to the article. “The potential role that dietary intake by nutritional supplements may have on lipid disorders, however, has not been well studied.” For their analysis, the researchers selected 22 randomized controlled trials that included a total of 4,071 participants who received a placebo or calcium with or without vitamin D. Studies were limited to those that provided information concerning changes in lipids following treatment. On average, calcium supplementation lowered LDL cholesterol by 4.64 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL) and raised HDL by 1.93 mg/dL. The results were found to be consistent across calcium supplementation duration and vitamin D supplementation status. In their discussion of the findings, the authors note that low calcium diets can elevate circulating calcitrophic hormones that promote the influx of calcium ions into fat cells and increase lipid storage. Increasing calcium intake suppresses these hormones, resulting in a reduction in stored lipids.