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Researcher finds olive oil to improve brain health, memory in mild cognitive impairment individuals

Auburn University, March 7, 2023

Extra virgin olive oil may have positive effects on individuals with mild cognitive impairment, according to a recently completed study by Amal Kaddoumi in Auburn University’s Harrison College of Pharmacy. Her findings, recently published in the journal Nutrients, suggest compounds found in olive oil impact brain health and improve the blood-brain barrier.

Kaddoumi, a professor in the college’s Department of Drug Discovery and Development, utilized 25 participants experiencing mild cognitive impairment in her study that included consuming 30 milliliters, or about three tablespoons, of olive oil per day for six months. Thirteen participants consumed extra virgin olive oil, or EVOO, and 12 consumed refined olive oil, or ROO. EVOO is rich in phenols, a class of organic compounds containing a hydroxyl group and a benzene ring, while the ROO has been purified of phenols.

“The participants were subjected to several tests before and after olive oil consumption, including MRI scans, a battery of cognitive tests and blood analysis for biomarkers related to Alzheimer’s disease,” said Kaddoumi. “Our findings showed that EVOO and ROO improved cognitive function as determined by the improved clinical dementia rating and other behavioral scores.

“Interestingly, the MRI scans results were not the same between EVOO and ROO. While EVOO enhanced the blood-brain barrier function and the functional connectivity between different brain areas, ROO increased the functional brain activation to a memory task in brain regions involved in cognition.”

The blood-brain barrier and its permeability are key indicators in her study. A network of blood vessels and tissue made up of closely spaced cells, the blood-brain barrier plays a vital role in maintaining a healthy brain by protecting the brain from exposure to blood-related neurotoxins and in the clearance of brain waste products. A functional blood-brain barrier is vital for a healthy brain.

“Regarding blood biomarkers, our findings showed that EVOO and ROO altered two major biomarkers related to Alzheimer’s disease, namely, beta-amyloid and tau phosphorylation, suggesting EVOO and ROO changed the processing and clearance of beta-amyloid,” said Kaddoumi. “These alterations collectively could have played role in improving the blood-brain barrier and improving function and memory.”

One surprising finding from the study was the results of the control group. The beneficial compounds found in olive oil are more prevalent in the unrefined EVOO, but those in the refined group saw improvement as well.

Eating wild blueberries could help save a stunning 37 percent of the U.S. adult population

University of Maine, February 23, 2023 

Metabolic syndrome, a linked constellation of unhealthy conditions, currently affects a stunning 37 percent of the adult population in America. And, most doctors know that drugs are not the solution to this growing problem. Yet, you will rarely (if ever) hear a conventionally-trained healthcare provider talk about how a good diet – especially the consumption of wild blueberries – offers the power to heal.

This syndrome is defined by the American Heart Association as the presence of three or more factors that include obesity, high blood pressure, high blood sugar, high cholesterol, chronic inflammation, excess fats in the blood, insulin resistance and increased tendency of the blood to clot. 

In a study published in Applied Physiology, Nutrition and Metabolism, researchers found that wild blueberry consumption lowers blood pressure and reduces oxidative stress, thereby improving or preventing conditions associated with metabolic syndrome – including heart disease, diabetes and stroke.

To conduct the study, the team used a group of obese rats and a control group of lean rats – and placed them on either a wild blueberry-enriched diet or a standard diet for 8 weeks. The scientists found that the blueberry diet regulated and improved the balance between relaxation and constriction in the rats’ vascular walls, improving blood flow and blood pressure.

The blueberry diet also helped to suppress production of the inflammatory chemical COX-2.

Study co-author Dorothy Klimis-Zacas, Ph.D., a professor of clinical nutrition at the University of Maine, noted that earlier studies had shown that wild blueberries could reduce chronic inflammation and improve abnormal lipid profiles in rats with high blood pressure.

The significance of the new study, said Prof. Klimis-Zacas, lay in the fact that wild blueberries benefited obese rats as well – adding another layer to the berries’ potential for fighting metabolic syndrome.

Studies have shown that blueberries have extremely high levels of phenolics. These compounds, which include anthocyanins and flavonoids, are produced by plants to protect them against injury, harsh temperatures and disease. 

Blueberries are particularly rich in antioxidants – compounds which scavenge and neutralize the damaging free radicals that cause oxidative stress and degenerative disease. According to a study published in the British Journal of Nutrition, supplementation with wild blueberry powder increased participants’ serum antioxidant status by 8.5 percent – within an hour.

Frequent socializing linked to longer lifespan of older people

Shanxi Medical University (China), March 6, 2023

Frequent socializing may extend the lifespan of older people, suggests a study of more than 28,000 Chinese people, published online in the Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health.

Socializing nearly every day seems to be the most beneficial for a long life, the findings suggest.

Researchers wanted to explore whether the frequency of socializing might be linked to overall survival in a relatively large group of older people living in China.

They drew on participants of the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey (CLHLS), an ongoing, prospective nationally representative study of older people living independently, which began in 1998.

Information on the frequency of socializing only started being collected in 2002, and the current study focuses on 5 separate waves of data collection up to 2018-19, involving a total of 28,563 participants with an average age of 89.

Survival was tracked for an average of 5 years or until death.

Over the first 5 years 25,406 people said they didn’t engage in any social activities; 1,379 reported doing so sometimes; 693 at least once a month; 553 at least once a week; and 532 almost daily.

During the entire monitoring period, 21,161 (74%) participants died, 15,728 of whom died within the first 5 years.

Overall, more frequent social activity was associated with significantly longer survival. The greater the frequency, the greater the likelihood of living longer.

Time to death was delayed by 42% in those who socialized occasionally, by 48% in those who did at least monthly, by 110% in those who did so at least weekly, and by 87% in those who did so nearly every day, compared with those who said they never socialized.

A threshold effect was evident: Only socializing nearly every day was associated with significantly longer survival in this group among whom time to death was delayed by 204%.

Exercise has a direct role in fighting breast cancer

Texas A&M University, March 6, 2023

While it is generally accepted that exercise can benefit a person’s overall health, a recently published paper has found a direct link between muscle contraction and a reduction in breast cancer.

In the paper, published in the journal Frontiers in Physiology, a team of Texas A&M researchers concludes that a currently unspecified factor released during exercise suppresses signaling within breast cancer cells, which reduces tumor growth and can even kill the cancerous cells.

“For this study, we took a deeper look into the relationship between people who exercise more and have less of a risk of cancer; previously, it was believed that there wasn’t anything mechanistically linked. Rather, it was just the general benefits seen in your body because of a healthy lifestyle,” said Amanda Davis, first author on the paper and a clinical assistant professor at the Texas A&M School of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences (VMBS). “These data are exciting because they show that during muscle contraction, the muscle is actually releasing some factors that kill, or at least decrease the growth of, neoplastic (abnormal, often cancerous) cells.”

The researchers also found that the factors inherently reside in muscle and are released into the bloodstream no matter what a person’s usual activity level is or how developed their muscles are.

“Our results suggest that whether you consistently exercise or you just get up and walk when you’re not used to working out, these factors are still being released from the muscle,” Davis said. “Even simple forms of muscle contraction, whether it be going on a walk or getting up to dance to your favorite song, may play a role in fighting breast cancer.

“The big message is to get up and move,” she continued. “You don’t have to be an Olympic-level athlete for these beneficial effects to occur during muscle contraction; being physically fit doesn’t make you more likely to release this substance.”

Based upon the study results, her general advice for promoting the release of the factors is to follow the protocols recommended by the American College of Sports Medicine—namely, 30 minutes a day of moderate intensity exercise for at least five days a week. This could include brisk walking, dancing or biking, according to the American Heart Association.

Regular exercise could not only lead to disrupted communication in the cancerous cells to stop their growth, but the factors released by exercise may also play a role in preventing breast cancer’s development in the first place.

“The decreased risk of breast cancer with exercise comes from the idea that if you have pre-neoplastic cells and you’re exercising a lot and slowing their growth, maybe those precancerous cells can be destroyed by the body before they start taking over,” Davis said.Further studies are being conducted to determine the exact identity of the factors being released by muscle. Davis suggests that they could be peptides called myokines released by muscle fibers, and researchers currently in the Department of Kinesiology at Texas A&M are looking into the possibility of the factors being microRNAs or other novel molecules.

L-citrulline may enhance time trial performance for cyclists: Kyowa study

Kyowa Hakko and Kitasato Universities (Japan), March 4, 2023

Supplementation with the amino acid L-citrulline may reduce time trial completion times by about 10 seconds, says a new study from Kyowa Hakko.

The amino acid L-citrulline is said to play an important role in nitric oxide (NO) metabolism and regulation. L-Citrulline is converted to L-Arginine in the body to support L-Arginine and NO levels. Increased production of NO promotes vascular dilation which improves oxygen and blood circulation throughout the body.

New data published in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition  indicated that daily L-citrulline intake for seven days boosted L-citrulline and L-arginine levels and enhanced performance in a time trial.

Researchers from Kyowa Hakko and Kitasato University also report significant improvements in the feelings of muscle fatigue, and concentration, right after the time trial for people consuming L-citrulline.

Danielle Citrolo, Pharm.D, stated “In this study an increased arginine level from oral supplementation with L-citrulline showed a reduction in completion time by 1.5% a valuable decrease for those trained athletes that are participating in long distance cycling exercise. Not only did it improve performance, but the subjects reported feeling less muscle fatigue and an improved concentration using L-citrulline.”

Results showed that, compared with placebo, men taking the L-citrulline supplements finished the time trial an average of 9 seconds faster.

In addition, power output was found to be 2% greater in the L- citrulline group, but there were no significant differences in VO2 response between the groups.

Finally, subjective feelings of muscle fatigue and concentration were also significantly improved immediately after exercise for men taking the L-citrulline supplements, compared with the placebo group.

Too much salt could potentially contribute to liver damage

American Chemical Society, February 28, 2023

A sprinkle of salt can bring out the flavor of just about any dish. However, it’s well known that too much can lead to high blood pressure, a potentially dangerous condition if left untreated. Now scientists report a new animal study that found a high-salt diet might also contribute to liver damage in adults and developing embryos. It appears in ACS’ Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.

Our bodies need a small amount of salt — the U.S. government recommends one teaspoon per day if you are a healthy adult. Among other functions, the sodium ions from the savory mineral help regulate water movement within the body and conduct nerve impulses. But most Americans eat too much salt. Some research indicates that in addition to high blood pressure, overconsumption of sodium can damage the liver. Xuesong Yang and colleagues wanted to explore the potential effect at a cellular level.

The researchers gave adult mice a high-salt diet and exposed chick embryos to a briny environment. Excessive sodium was associated with a number of changes in the animals’ livers, including oddly shaped cells, an increase in cell death and a decrease in cell proliferation, which can contribute to the development of fibrosis. On a positive note, the researchers did find that treating damaged cells with vitamin C appeared to partially counter the ill effects of excess salt.