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Anti-inflammatory diet plus supplements associated with improved survival among women with cancer
MD Anderson Cancer Center, December 30 2022.
Findings reported in the British Journal of Cancer revealed a lower risk of mortality during a median 13-year follow-up among women with cancer who used nutritional supplements and consumed a diet that had a greater anti-inflammatory potential compared to supplement users whose diets were more pro-inflammatory.
The study included 3,434 participants in the Women’s Health Initiative. Dietary inflammatory index scores were calculated from food and supplement intake information provided by the women following primary invasive cancer diagnoses. During a median 13 years of follow-up from the date of diagnosis, 1,156 deaths occurred. Women with the most anti-inflammatory dietary intake scores calculated from food and supplements had a 53% lower risk of dying from cardiovascular disease, a 42% lower risk of death from cancer, a 32% lower risk of death from other causes and a 42% lower risk of all-cause mortality compared to supplement users whose scores were the most proinflammatory. Women with localized stage, regional stage or distant stage cancer had respective 30%, 37% and 64% reductions in the risks of mortality from all causes during follow-up if they consumed an anti-inflammatory diet plus supplements. “Later-stage or moderately/poorly differentiated cancers usually have a more inflammatory physiological state than early-stage cancers as a result of more disrupted metabolism, more weakened immune system and the biological changes related to metastasis,” Jiali Zheng and colleagues observed. “Under this condition, where several antioxidants or bioactive compounds with functions to support important signaling pathways were likely in shortage, an anti-inflammatory diet providing these nutrients could exert a more protective effect on mortality, compared to the effect among early-stage cancer survivors.” The concluded that “A more anti-inflammatory diet plus supplements after a cancer diagnosis may improve survival for postmenopausal cancer survivors.”
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Dark chocolate may boost time trial performance for cyclists
Kingston University (UK), December 23, 2022
Flavanol-rich dark chocolate may boost endurance and exercise performance in moderately-trained male cyclists, says a new study.
Daily consumption of 40 grams of dark chocolate was associated with significant improvements in gas exchange threshold (GET), a measure of cardiorespiratory fitness and endurance capacity, and time trial performance, compared to both baseline values and white chocolate.
The study is said to be the first study to investigate the effects of dark chocolate on these measures, wrote scientists from Kingston University in England in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition . “The primary outcome observed was dark chocolate consumption increased the work rate achieved at GET by 11% compared to white chocolate and 21% compared to baseline. Time trial distances following dark chocolate consumption were higher compared to baseline and white chocolate,” they wrote. “Consequently, it can be concluded that ingestion of dark chocolate for 14 days reduced the oxygen cost of moderate intensity exercise and may be an effective ergogenic aid for short-duration moderate intensity exercise.” Led by Rishikesh Patel, the researchers recruited nine moderately-trained men to participate in their study. The men underwent a series of fitness tests at the start of the study and were then randomly assigned to receive 40 grams per day of dark or white chocolate for two weeks. At the end of this time they underwent the same tests as at the start. The men were also crossed over to the other intervention for a further two weeks. Results showed that GET increased by 11% compared to white chocolate and 21% compared to baseline. In addition, results from the time trial indicated that the dark chocolate intervention was associated with a 17% increase in total distance covered compared to baseline values, and a 13% increase compared to white chocolate. While VO2max increased by 6% following the dark chocolate intervention compared to baseline, no statistically significant difference was observed compared to white chocolate.
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Physical Activity Interventions to Alleviate Depressive Symptoms in Children and Adolescents
University of Hong Kong, December 30, 2022
Depression is the second most prevalent mental disorder among children and adolescents, yet only a small proportion seek or receive disorder-specific treatment. Physical activity interventions hold promise as an alternative or adjunctive approach to clinical treatment for depression. Can physical activity interventions alleviate depressive symptoms in children and adolescents? This systematic review and meta-analysis included 21 studies involving 2441 participants. The results indicate that physical activity interventions were associated with significant reductions in depressive symptoms compared with the control condition. Twenty-one studies involving 2441 participants (1148 [47.0%] boys; 1293 [53.0%] girls; mean [SD] age, 14 [3] years) were included. Meta-analysis of the postintervention differences revealed that physical activity interventions were associated with a reduction in depressive symptoms compared with the control condition (g = −0.29; 95% CI, −0.47 to −0.10; P = .004). Analysis of the follow-up outcomes in 4 studies revealed no differences between the physical activity and control groups (g = −0.39; 95% CI, −1.01 to 0.24; P = .14). Conclusions and Relevance Physical activity interventions may be used to reduce depressive symptoms in children and adolescents. Greater reductions in depressive symptoms were derived from participants older than 13 years and with a mental illness and/or depression diagnosis. The association with physical activity parameters such as frequency, duration, and supervision of the sessions remains unclear and needs further investigation.
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Children who frequently check social media face significant brain changes
University of North Carolina, January 3 ,2022
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — Here’s one more reason to limit the amount of time your child is spending in front of a screen. Social media could be reprogramming children’s brains and making them hooked on “likes,” a new study out of the University of North Carolina reveals. Apps such as Instagram or Snapchat could be making teenagers almost constantly checking their phones to see if they have positive or negative reactions to their online posts, experts say. The more young people check social media, the more sensitive they become to “social feedback” in the form of likes and comments, psychologists said Social feedback includes social rewards and punishments such as thumbs up and down, tagging, reporting content or star ratings. This increasing anticipation and sensitivity to receiving these kind of responses makes it hard for adolescents to fight the urge to check their accounts, according to researchers. During adolescence the brain experiences “significant structural and functional reorganization changes,” making it a crucial period of development. “Neural regions involved in motivational relevance and affective become hyperactive, orienting teens to rewarding stimuli in their environment, particularly from peers,” the authors say. The researchers studied 169 students from three public middle schools in North Carolina over three years. “The findings suggest that children who grow up checking social media more often are becoming hypersensitive to feedback from their peers,” says Eva Telzer, a professor in UNC-Chapel Hill’s psychology and neuroscience department and a corresponding author, in a statement. ” “Social media platforms provide adolescents with unprecedented opportunities for social interactions during a critical developmental period when the brain is especially sensitive to social feedback,” the study concludes. This longitudinal cohort study suggests that social media behaviours in early adolescence may be associated with changes in adolescents’ neural development, specifically neural sensitivity to potential social feedback.
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Nutritional Supplement May Benefit Parkinson’s Patients
Early study found rise in antioxidant levels after taking inosine
Cushing Neuroscience Institute, December 23, 2022
A common nutritional supplement called inosine safely boosts levels of an antioxidant thought to help people with Parkinson’s disease, a small new study says. Inosine is a forerunner of the antioxidant known as urate. Inosine is naturally converted by the body into urate, but urate taken by mouth breaks down in the digestive system. “Higher urate levels are associated with a lower risk of developing Parkinson’s disease, and in Parkinson’s patients, may confer a slower rate of disease worsening,” explained Dr. Andrew Feigin, a neurologist at the Cushing Neuroscience Institute’s Movement Disorders Center in Manhasset, N.Y. The study included 75 people who were newly diagnosed with Parkinson’s and had low levels of urate. Those who received doses of inosine meant to boost urate levels showed a rise in levels of the antioxidant without suffering serious side effects, according to the study published Dec. 23 in the journal JAMA Neurology. “This study provided clear evidence that, in people with early Parkinson disease, inosine treatment can safely elevate urate levels in the blood and cerebrospinal fluid for months or years,” study principal investigator Dr. Michael Schwarzschild, a neurologist at Massachusetts General Hospital, said in a hospital news release. “We know that urate has neuroprotective properties in animal models,” Schwarzchild added. Several human trials had also hinted that it might help Parkinson’s patients, he said, “so the positive results of this trial are very encouraging.” The findings support further research into urate’s ability to slow the progression of Parkinson’s, and Schwarzschild and his team are designing a larger phase 3 clinical trial.
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Refrigerated Fruit Loses Over 80 Percent of Its Antioxidants
Sheffield Hallam University (UK), December 12, 2022
Freeze-drying strawberries keeps all their Vitamin C and polyphenols and 92% of their antioxidants, saving more nutrients than by chilling which can lose over 80% of antioxidant concentrations. It is well known that heat destroys most of the antioxidant potential of berries, making canned and juicing that involve friction and heat a poor choice to maximize their antioxidant potential.The same is true for refrigeration. It appears that whenever fruit experiences temperature variants from its original state, antioxidant potential is affected, that is unless it is freeze dried.Researchers at Sheffield Hallam University, UK measured Vitamin C, total antioxidant capacity (TAC), and total phenolic content (TPC) in fresh, chilled and freeze-dried strawberries. Freeze-drying had no significant impact on nutrient content, but refrigerated fruit experienced large losses.Earliier researchers at the Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center examined the effect of freeze-dried black raspberries on genes altered by a chemical carcinogen in an animal model of esophageal cancer. The carcinogen affected the activity of some 2,200 genes in the animals’ esophagus in only one week, but 460 of those genes were restored to normal activity in animals that consumed freeze-dried black raspberry powder as part of their diet during the exposure. “Freeze drying the berries concentrates these elements about ten times, giving us a power pack of chemoprevention agents that can influence the different signaling pathways that are deregulated in cancer,” said principal investigator Gary D. Stoner, a professor of pathology, human nutrition and medicine who studies dietary agents for the prevention of esophageal cancer. In the fruit chilled for seven days, TPC was reduced by 82% from fresh, Vitamin C was down by 19%, and 23% of TAC was lost. These are similar losses experienced through friction and heating mechanisms while juicing. TPC is a measure of polyphenols, chemicals with antioxidant health benefits found in fruits, vegetables, tea and wine. The largest group of polyphenols is flavonoids, which can contribute to food’s color and mouthfeel. The study also freeze-dried lime, orange, blackcurrant, broccoli and red bell pepper, and found freeze-drying had little or no negative effect on TAC, TPC or Vitamin C content. HOW TO FREEZE DRY FOOD
- Choose the types of food you want to freeze dry. Foods that contain high amounts of water work best for freeze drying. Their structure remains intact after the process. These foods hold up particularly well:Fruits like apples, bananas, berries, persimmons and pears. Vegetables like potatoes, peppers, carrots, sweet potatoes and parsnips.
- Choose the freshest food possible. Freeze drying food at the peak of its ripeness or freshness helps make sure it will taste good when it’s reconstituted. Fruits and vegetables should be freeze dried when they are in season and fully ripe. Avoid freeze drying foods that won’t taste good reconstituted. Berries and apples don’t need to be reconstituted – the freeze-dried version of these fruits tastes good as it is. Freeze dried meat or spaghetti, on the other hand, will need to be reconstituted with moisture in order to be edible. Don’t freeze dry foods for which this won’t be possible.
- Process the food for freeze drying.Get the food ready to be preserved by doing the following: If applicable, wash and dry the food thoroughly.Slice the food into small pieces. Cut apples, peppers, potatoes and other fruit and vegetables into small chunks, so that the moisture is easily removed.
- Place the food on a plate or tray. Spread it out so that the pieces of food are not clumped together.
- Place the tray in the freezer. If possible, make sure the freezer is empty of other items.
Don’t open the freezer much while the food is freezing. This will slow the freezing process, and cause ice crystals to develop on the food.If you have a deep freezer, use it. The food should be frozen at the lowest temperature possible. - Keep the food in the freezer until it has freeze dried. Over the course of about a week, the process of sublimation will take place, and all of the moisture will be removed from the food.
Test to make sure the food is completely freeze dried by removing a piece and allowing it to thaw. If it turns black, the food is not freeze dried yet. - Store the food. Once the food has completely freeze dried, place it in freezer storage bags. Push out the air, seal the bags, and store them either in the freezer, in your pantry, or in your emergency preparedness kit. Other methods of freeze drying involve using dry ice and vaccum chambers.