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HEALTH NEWS
Chili peppers for a healthy gut: Spicy chemical may inhibit gut tumors
| How Tart Cherries Reduce Inflammation and Oxidative Stress |
Uncovering the links between diet, gut health and immunity
Southern-style diet ‘increases death risk’ in kidney disease patients
Could Hibiscus Tea be Better than High Blood Pressure Drugs?
Can breast milk feed a love of vegetables?
Chili peppers for a healthy gut: Spicy chemical may inhibit gut tumors
University of California, San Diego August 1, 2022
Researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine report that dietary capsaicin — the active ingredient in chili peppers — produces chronic activation of a receptor on cells lining the intestines of mice, triggering a reaction that ultimately reduces the risk of colorectal tumors.
The receptor or ion channel, called TRPV1, was originally discovered in sensory neurons, where it acts as a sentinel for heat, acidity and spicy chemicals in the environment. TRPV1 was quickly described as a molecular ‘pain receptor.’
But Raz and colleagues have found that TPRV1 is also expressed by epithelial cells of the intestines, where it is activated by epidermal growth factor receptor or EGFR. EGFR is an important driver of cell proliferation in the intestines, whose epithelial lining is replaced approximately every four to six days.
“These results showed us that epithelial TRPV1 normally works as a tumor suppressor in the intestines,” said de Jong. In addition, molecular studies of human colorectal cancer samples recently uncovered multiple mutations in the TRPV1 gene, though Raz noted that currently there is no direct evidence that TRPV1 deficiency is a risk factor for colorectal cancer in humans.
The current study suggests one potential remedy might be spicy capsaicin, which acts as an irritant in mammals, generating a burning sensation in contact with tissue.
The researchers fed capsaicin to mice genetically prone to developing multiple tumors in the gastrointestinal tract. The treatment resulted in a reduced tumor burden and extended the lifespans of the mice by more than 30 percent. The treatment was even more effective when combined with celecoxib, a COX-2 non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug already approved for treating some forms of arthritis and pain.
“Our data suggest that individuals at high risk of developing recurrent intestinal tumors may benefit from chronic TRPV1 activation,” said Raz. “We have provided proof-of-principle.”
| How Tart Cherries Reduce Inflammation and Oxidative StressNorthumbria University (UK), August 4, 2022Michigan researchers had previously shown that a cherry-enriched diet not only reduced overall body inflammation, but also reduced inflammation at key sites (belly fat, heart) known to affect heart disease risk in the obese.This study offers further promise that foods rich in antioxidants, such as cherries, could potentially reduce inflammation and have the potential to lower disease risk.” Two daily doses of the tart cherry concentrate was associated with significantly lower levels of interleukin-6 (IL-6) and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP), compared to placebo, according to findings published in Nutrients. ”This is the first study to investigate the impact of cherries on systemic inflammatory and oxidative stress induced by a series of metabolically challenging cycling bouts. Despite both groups demonstrating a similar drop off in performance and no differences in time trial performance, the results show that both oxidative stress and inflammatory responses were attenuated with Montmorency cherry concentrate supplementation versus placebo.” ”With millions of Americans looking for ways to naturally manage pain, it’s promising that tart cherries can help, without the possible side effects often associated with arthritis medications,” said Kerry Kuehl, M.D, Dr.PH., M.S., Oregon Health & Science University, principal study investigator. “I’m intrigued by the potential for a real food to offer such a powerful anti-inflammatory benefit — especially for active adults.” Darren E. Huxley, MD says that a natural alternatives to pain medications are proving effective without unwanted side effects. “In this case we have cherries, another potent, natural antioxidant proving to be as, if not more effective than pain medications because of the ability for sustained long-term use without side effects in common anti-inflammatory drugs.Tart cherries have also been shown to contain naturally high levels of melatonin, a key compound in the human sleep-and-wake cycle, and new research in the European Journal of Nutrition confirms that melatonin from tart cherries is absorbed by humans. In 2001, Burkhardt et al. even observed that the Montmorency variety, in particular, contains about six times more melatonin than the Balaton variety. |
Uncovering the links between diet, gut health and immunity
University of Sydney, August 5, 2022
A preclinical study from the University of Sydney has found a high-protein diet can change the microbiota of the gut, triggering an immune response. Researchers say the study takes us a step closer to understanding the way diet impacts gut health and immunity.
“The focus of our work is on how the gut microbiota—the trillions of bacteria that inhabit the gut—affects the immune system,” said Associate Professor Laurence Macia from the University’s Charles Perkins Center and Faculty of Medicine and Health.
Traditionally, however, scientists have focused on the role of dietary fiber in maintaining a healthy gut.
In this first-of-its-kind study, published in Nature Communications, the team from the Charles Perkins Center used sophisticated modeling to explore the impact of 10 diets with a different makeup of macronutrients—protein, fats and carbohydrate in mice.
Mice fed a high protein diet increased their production of bacterial extracellular vesicles, complex cargo containing bacterial information such as DNA and protein. The body subsequently viewed this activity as a threat and triggered a sequence of events where immune cells traveled into the gut wall.
“Here we found protein had a huge impact on the gut microbiota and it was not so much about the type of bacteria that were there, but the type of activity. In essence, we discovered a new way of communication between the gut bacteria and the host which was mediated by protein,” said Associate Professor Macia.
While it is too early to say if this research might translate in humans, the researchers say activation of the immune system can prove either good or bad news.
“By increasing antibodies in the gut you may see strong protection against potential pathogens, for example salmonella, but on the downside, an activated immune system could mean you are at increased risk of colitis, an inflammatory bowel disease, or autoimmune conditions like Crohn’s,” said lead author and post-doctoral researcher Jian Tan.
The results appear consistent with the population impacts of modern-day diets, with the Western world seeing lower rates of gastrointestinal infection but higher rates of chronic disease.
Southern-style diet ‘increases death risk’ in kidney disease patients
University of Alabama 1 August 2022
New research published in the National Kidney Foundation’s American Journal of Kidney Diseases suggests that eating a “Southern-style diet” is linked with higher death rates in kidney disease patients.
Investigating the influence of diet on kidney disease patients, the researchers studied 3,972 participants with stage 3-5 chronic kidney disease who had not started dialysis. Analyzing the dietary habits of the participants, the researchers found that those who regularly consumed foods familiar to Southern diets had a 50% increase in risk of death across the 6.5-year follow-up period.
Foods that the authors identify as being part of a Southern diet include processed and fried foods, organ meats and sweetened beverages.
Could Hibiscus Tea be Better than High Blood Pressure Drugs?
Tufts University, August 4th, 2022
Naturally healing foods, including hibiscus, don’t carry the side effects of pharmaceuticals and can often offer similar (or better) benefits, without padding the pockets of Big Pharma companies. This is one example of a natural solution for high blood pressure.
When it comes to high blood pressure, a completely preventable condition, there are many natural solutions. Things like cayenne pepper, apple cider vinegar, and celery are just a few alternatives, along with broad dietary and lifestyle changes. But many people aren’t aware of the blood pressure lowering benefits of hibiscus.
Dr. Diane McKay presented her own research on hibiscus Dr. McKay, of Tufts University, conducted a study on 65 people between the ages of 30 and 70 who had been diagnosed with prehypertension or mild hypertension.
After receiving hibiscus tea daily for six weeks, participants experienced reduced diastolic, systolic, and mean arterial pressures when compared with those who received a placebo. The effects were most pronounced in those with the highest beginning baseline blood pressures.
In another study, scientists received a surprise when looking at the effects of hibiscus tea on blood sugar. The study compared the effects of hibiscus and black teas and found that both impacted cholesterol levels. While the black tea positively influenced HDL levels, hibiscus tea helped keep LDL, HDL, and overall cholesterol at healthy levels.
Can breast milk feed a love of vegetables?
Monell Chemical Senses Center, August 4, 2022
Want your preschooler to eat veggies without a fuss? Try eating veggies while you’re breast-feeding.
That’s the message from a new study of lactating mothers and their breast-fed babies. The study found that those infants who took in veggie-flavored breast-milk were less likely to turn away from similar-tasting cereal when they graduated to more solid food.
“Every baby’s sensory experience is unique, but the flavor of their first food, beginning in utero, is dependent on what mom is eating,” said Julie Mennella. She is a biopsychologist at the Monell Chemical Senses Center in Philadelphia, and led the study.
“The way I see it is: Mother’s milk is the ultimate in precision medicine,” Mennella said.
When an expectant mother eats vegetables, they flavor her amniotic fluid—and later, her breast-milk—and those flavors get passed along to her baby. As a result, the researchers said, if the baby learns early how veggies taste, he or she will be less apt to squawk when offered that first spoonful.
For her study, Mennella randomly assigned 97 breast-feeding mothers to one of five groups.
For a month, three groups drank a half-cup of carrot, celery, beet or vegetable juice before nursing. One group began when babies were two weeks old, another at 1-1/2 months of age and the third at 2-1/2 months.
A fourth group of moms drank juice for three months, starting when their babies were two weeks old. A fifth group—the “control” group—did not use juice.
The takeaway: Babies who’d been exposed to vegetable flavors in breast-milk preferred carrot-flavored cereal over plain cereal or cereal with the unfamiliar taste of broccoli. Only 8 percent rejected all of the foods, the findings showed.