Videos :
- Did Joe Biden Just Say That Out Loud (0:23)
- Bill Maher Gets B*tch Slapped By Jimmy Dore (6:00)
- Why the economy really sucks (blame Goldman Sachs) (10:26)
- Niall Ferguson – Woke Totalitarianism (0:19 to 18:14)
- Just in case: Is Government the New God? – The Religion of Totalitarianism (13:27)
Taurine Supplementation Benefits Diabetes Patients
Capital Medical University (China), October 6, 2022
People with diabetes who received taurine supplements experienced improvements in glucose and other factors, according to the results of a review and meta-analysis of clinical trials, published in Food Chemistry: Molecular Sciences.Researchers analyzed five controlled trials including 209 participants, that evaluated the effects of taurine on individuals with type I or type II diabetes. Taurine doses ranged from 500 mg daily to 1,000 mg three times per day.Participants who received taurine had lower fasting blood glucose, hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c, a marker of long-term glucose control), and insulin resistance, compared to those given a placebo.“Taurine emerges as a new option for the management of patients with diabetes,” the scientists asserted.
(next)
Vitamin D Deficiency Linked to Breast Cancer
Ankara Numune Research Oncology Clinic (Turkey), November 1, 2022
Most women with breast cancer were found to be deficient in vitamin D, according to the results of a study published in the journal Progress in Nutrition.Researchers analyzed the vitamin D status of 561 women, average age 55, with non-metastatic breast cancer.In this group, 81% of the women were deficient in vitamin D, and 11% had insufficient levels of the vitamin.Median 25-hydroxyvitamin D blood levels were only 13.91 ng/mL in this group of Turkish women.Optimal ranges by U.S. standards are 30-80 ng/mL. Life Extension’s minimal target for 25-hydroxyvitamin D is around 50 ng/mL.The researchers concluded that vitamin D levels should be measured in breast cancer patients and low levels should be corrected whenever diagnosed.
(next)
Marijuana smokers show higher rates of emphysema, airway diseases than tobacco smokers
University of Ottawa (Ontario), November 15, 2022
Researchers from the University of Ottawa and The Ottawa Hospital have found marijuana smokers have a higher rate of emphysema and airway diseases compared to cigarette smokers.The findings, published in Radiology, examined the chest CT examinations of 56 marijuana smokers, 57 non-smokers and 33 tobacco-only smokers between 2005 and 2020. They determined higher rates of paraseptal emphysema and airway inflammatory changes, such as bronchiectasis, bronchial wall thickening, and mucoid impaction, in the marijuana smokers.”What’s unique about this study is that there hasn’t been anything comparing the imaging findings in tobacco smokers to marijuana smokers before. In fact, there is a lack of imaging research in marijuana, probably because it’s still illegal in many parts of the world, and in many U.S. states, which is why I think we were the first to do a project like this.” Despite the small sample size, Revah’s findings suggest that marijuana smokers saw additional effects on the lungs above tobacco alone, including more instances of large and small airways diseases.
(next)
Morning physical activity is associated with the lowest risk of heart disease and stroke
Leiden University Medical Centre (Netherlands), November 14, 2022
Morning physical activity is associated with the lowest risk of heart disease and stroke, according to a study in more than 85,000 individuals published today in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology. The findings were consistent regardless of the total amount of daily activity.The study included 86,657 adults aged 42 to 78 years who were free of cardiovascular disease at baseline. The average age was 62 years and 58% were women. Participants wore an activity tracker on their wrist for seven consecutive days. During six to eight years of follow up, 2,911 participants developed coronary artery disease and 796 had a stroke. Comparing peak activity times across a 24 hour period, being most active between 8 am and 11 am was linked with the lowest risks of both heart disease and stroke. In a second analysis, the investigators divided participants into four groups based on the peak time of physical activity: 1) midday; 2) early morning (~8 am); 3) late morning (~10 am); and 4) evening (~7 pm). The categories were selected according to peak times of activity in the study population, rather than being pre-determined before the study began.Participants who were most active in the early morning or late morning had 11% and 16% lower risks of incident coronary artery disease, respectively, compared to the reference group. In addition, those who were most active in the late morning had a 17% decreased risk of incident stroke compared with the reference group.When the results were analyzed separately according to sex, the investigators found that the results were particularly prominent in women but no longer significant in men. Women who were most active in the early morning or late morning had 22% and 24% lower risks of incident coronary artery disease, respectively, compared to the reference group. In addition, women who were most active in the late morning had a 35% decreased risk of incident stroke compared with the reference group.
(next)
New study shows astaxanthin is effective against daily mental and physical fatigue
AstaReal Research (Japan), November 7, 2022
Japanese nutraceutical firm AstaReal says its astaxanthin has been found to be simultaneously effective against both mental and physical fatigue in a new published study. The research, published in the Journal of Clinical Therapeutics & Medicines, states that individuals were treated with astaxanthin for eight weeks in a double-blind, placebo-controlled study. The study was designed to induce fatigue and stress, similar to that encountered in daily life. There was a mental challenge, where individuals were subjected to a number of timed calculations (the Uchida-Kraepelin test), and a physical test with a bicycle ergometer. Metrics of fatigue were assessed both before and after the stressor tests. The study states: “Thirty-nine healthy subjects reporting awareness of fatigue were divided onto two groups. The subjects in one group (Astaxanthin group) ingested 12mg of astaxanthin and 20mg of tocotrienols for eight weeks. The other group (control group) ingested 20mg of tocotrienols for eight weeks.” Analysis showed that astaxanthin significantly reduced perceived symptoms of mental and physical fatigue compared to the placebo. These included improvements in clarity of thinking, concentration, motivation, and mood. Irritation and feeling of body heaviness were reduced. In the calculation test, an increase in errors observed in the placebo during the second half of the test was almost eliminated in the astaxanthin group. Supplementation with astaxanthin also significantly reduced salivary cortisol, a biomarker for stress. The study concludes: “The results suggest that astaxanthin supplementation has beneficial effects on fatigue encountered in daily life.”
(next)
High-fat diet can provoke pain sensitivity without obesity or diabetes
University of Texas at Dallas, November 14, 2022
A new study in mice from researchers at The University of Texas at Dallas suggests that a short-term exposure to a high-fat diet may be linked to pain sensations even in the absence of a prior injury or a pre-existing condition like obesity or diabetes. The study, published in the journal Scientific Reports, compared the effects of eight weeks of different diets on two cohorts of mice. One group received normal chow, while the other was fed a high-fat diet in a way that did not precipitate the development of obesity or high blood sugar, both of which are conditions that can result in diabetic neuropathy and other types of pain. The researchers found that the high-fat diet induced hyperalgesic priming—a neurological change that represents the transition from acute to chronic pain—and allodynia, which is pain resulting from stimuli that do not normally provoke pain.