Vitamin D deficiency directly linked to dementia

University of South Australia, June 14, 2022

Dementia is one of the major causes of disability and dependency among older people worldwide, affecting thinking and behaviors as you age. But what if you could stop this degenerative disease in its tracks?

A world-first study from the University of South Australia could make this a reality as new genetic research shows a direct link between dementia and a lack of vitamin D.

Investigating the association between vitamin D, neuroimaging features, and the risk of dementia and stroke, the study found:

low levels of vitamin D were associated with lower brain volumes and an increased risk of dementia and stroke
genetic analyses supported a causal effect of vitamin D deficiency and dementia.
in some populations as much as 17% of dementia cases might be prevented by increasing everyone to normal levels of vitamin D (50 nmol/L).

Flaxseed supplements linked to improved blood pressure: Meta-analysis

University of Medicine and Pharmacy (Romania), June 9, 2022

Supplements of flaxseed may effectively management blood pressure, says a new meta-analysis of 15 clinical trials.

Data from 1,302 participants indicated that flaxseed supplements are associated with significant reductions in both systolic and diastolic blood pressure of about 2.85 mmHg and 2.39 mmHg, respectively.

“The results obtained in the present meta-analysis – a decrease of 2.85/2.39 mmHg after flaxseed supplementation – might be valuable for the hypertension management using nutraceuticals, since Heart Outcome Evaluation study demonstrated that a 3.3/1.4 mmHg reduction was associated with a 22% decline of relative risk of cardiovascular mortality,” wrote scientists from Romania, Iran, Australia and Poland in Clinical Nutrition .

The scientists also report that supplementation for longer than 12 weeks resulted in even greater reductions in systolic and diastolic blood pressure of 3.10 mmHg and 2.62 mmHg, respectively, compared to trials of shorter duration.

The potential biological mechanism are not completely understood, said the researchers, but could be linked to the lignan content of flaxseed. Specifically, a lignan named SDG is known to be an angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor. ACE inhibitors work by inhibiting the conversion of angiotensin I to the potent vasoconstrictor, angiotensin II, thereby improving blood flow and blood pressure.

Finally, an arginine-rich protein fraction (KCl-F1) from flaxseed may also impact blood pressure.

Flaxseed powder supplements were found to affect systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP), whereas flaxseed oil preparations only affected DBP. On the other hand, lignan extracts was not associated with any changes in SBP and DBP, they said.

Keep calm and carry on — for the sake of your long-term health

Penn State University, June 9, 2022

Reacting positively to stressful situations may play a key role in long-term health, according to researchers.

In a study measuring adults’ reactions to stress and how it affects their bodies, researchers found that adults who fail to maintain positive moods such as cheerfulness or calm when faced with the minor stressors of everyday life appear to have elevated levels of inflammation. Furthermore, women can be at heightened risk.

Nancy Sin, in the Center for Healthy Aging, Penn State and her colleagues showed that the frequency of daily stressors, in and of itself, was less consequential for inflammation than how an individual reacted to those stressors.

“A person’s frequency of stress may be less related to inflammation than responses to stress,” said Sin. “It is how a person reacts to stress that is important.”

In the short-term, with illness or exercise, the body experiences a high immune response to help repair itself. However, in the long term, heightened inflammatory immune responses may not be healthy. Individuals who have trouble regulating their responses may be at risk for certain age-related conditions, such as cardiovascular disease, frailty and cognitive decline, Sin said.

“To our knowledge, this paper is the first to link biomarkers of inflammation with positive mood responses to stressors in everyday life,” said Jennifer E. Graham-Engeland, associate professor of biobehavioral health, Penn State.

For breast cancer prevention, diet quality matters

Healthy, plant-based diet linked with lower cancer risk for postmenopausal women

Paris-Saclay University (France), June 14, 2022

Research shows that what we eat can influence our cancer risk, but it’s not always clear which foods or dietary patterns are best for cancer prevention. Results from a new study suggest that the quality or overall healthiness of a person’s diet may be key.

The study, based on data from over 65,000 postmenopausal women who were tracked for more than two decades, found that a healthy plant-based diet was linked with a 14% lower risk of breast cancer while an unhealthy plant-based diet was linked with a 20% higher risk of breast cancer. The findings were consistent across all breast cancer subtypes.

“These findings highlight that increasing the consumption of healthy plant foods and decreasing the consumption of less healthy plant foods and animal foods might help prevent all types of breast cancer,” said Sanam Shah, at Paris-Saclay University, Gustave Roussy, France, the study’s lead author.

Previous studies have examined cancer risks associated with various dietary patterns such as the Western diet, the Mediterranean diet and vegetarian diets. Although some studies suggest diets with less or no meat consumption offer health benefits, results have been somewhat mixed. For the new study, researchers focused on differentiating between healthy plant-based foods — such as whole grains, fruit, vegetables, nuts, legumes, vegetable oils and tea or coffee — and plant-based foods the study categorized as less healthy including fruit juices, refined grains, potatoes, sugar-sweetened beverages and desserts.

Regular exercise beneficial in suppressing inflammation in rheumatic disease

Exercise results in physiological changes that decrease inflammation on a local and systemic level

Ohio State University, June 12, 202

Research findings suggest that exercise transiently suppresses local and systemic inflammation, reinforcing the beneficial effects of exercise and the need for this to be regular in order to achieve clinical efficacy in rheumatic disease.

These new research findings focused on the physiological changes created by exercise and their impact on inflammation. The researchers have found that exercise generates a true biological response and induces changes on a molecular level that stimulate anti-inflammatory effects.

This in-vivo study measured the regulation and activation of NF-kB* in mice. NF-kB, a protein complex that controls many genes involved in inflammation, is found to be chronically active in many inflammatory diseases, such as inflammatory bowel disease and arthritis.

The effect of exercise on the inhibition of NF-kB activation was identified as a transient effect, lasting only 24 hours after exercise.The role of exercise in inhibiting NF-kB activation was linked to the suppression of multiple pro-inflammatory cytokines.

Keeping the faith – or your willingness to push yourself – as you grow older

Norwegian University of Science and Technology, June 14, 2022

So you could have become a pro footballer when you were younger, you say? Or really good at chess? Perhaps a world-renowned chef?

Well, maybe not anymore, we think as we get older. And maybe that’s actually okay.

A research group has investigated how important the motivational factors for becoming really proficient at a skill change over the years.

“We wanted to see how the passion, grit and belief that you’ll succeed at getting better – your growth mindset – change with age and in relation to gender,” says Hermundur Sigmundsson, a professor at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology’s (NTNU) Department of Psychology.

“The passion for what you used to burn for declines. And so does the belief that you can succeed at becoming really good at it,” says Professor Sigmundsson.

But this is where it is important to take hold of yourself and not give up. You might not become a world champion in anything, but you could still get really proficient if you go for it. Or at least better.

“That’s when it’s important to maintain a growth mindset. You can’t stop believing in growth even though you’re getting older,” says Sigmundsson.

“Passion and a growth mindset decrease with age, but the willingness to persevere increases if we look at the elderly population as a whole,” says Sigmundsson.

The Gary Null Show – 06.15.22

Vitamin D deficiency directly linked to dementia

For breast cancer prevention, diet quality matters

Keeping the faith – or your willingness to push yourself – as you grow older

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