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More lycopene linked to longer lives for people with metabolic syndrome
University of Nebraska Medical Center, January 26, 2023
Higher blood levels of lycopene may reduce the risk of mortality in people with metabolic syndrome, says a new study from the University of Nebraska Medical Center. New data published in Nutrition Research suggests that higher serum levels of lycopene were associated with greater survival times for people with metabolic syndrome, compared to low serum levels. Metabolic syndrome is a condition characterized by central obesity, hypertension, and disturbed glucose and insulin metabolism. The syndrome has been linked to increased risks of both type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. “To our knowledge, this is the first study to examine the association between serum lycopene and the risk of mortality in individuals with metabolic syndrome,” wrote the researchers. “As expected, our result showed that there is a significant association between serum lycopene and mortality among individuals with metabolic syndrome.” The Nebraska-based scientists analyzed data from 2,499 people with metabolic syndrome participating in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). The study shows correlation and not causation.Results showed that the mean survival time of people with the highest serum lycopene concentration was about 4 months more than the medium group, and about 13 months more than people with the lowest serum levels. “Although the biological mechanisms by which metabolic syndrome increases the risk of mortality are not entirely clear, increased oxidative stress and inflammation may play an important role in the higher rate of mortality of individuals with metabolic syndrome,” wrote the researchers. “As a natural antioxidant, lycopene was found to alleviate oxidative stress and decrease inflammation. “Also, animal experiments demonstrate that lycopene can significantly decrease the pro-inflammatory cytokines and chemokines expression by inhibiting tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFalpha)-mediated activation of the NF-kappa B signaling pathway in vitro and in vivo. Therefore, lycopene has the potential to reduce the risk of mortality by alleviating oxidative stress and decreasing inflammation.”
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Study findings suggest inflammation resolution may be behind omega-3’s antidepressant effect
Tufts University, January 29 2023.
Results from a study that evaluated the effects of the omega-3 fatty acid eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) among people with depression suggest that the benefit associated with omega-3 may be due to greater reduction of inflammation resulting from increased synthesis of pro-resolving lipid mediators by some individuals. The findings were reported on January 12, 2023, in Neuropsychopharmacology. “To the best of our knowledge, this is the first clinical trial demonstrating a differential response to EPA supplementation in patients with major depressive disorder, with overall greater ability to synthesize EPA- and DHA-derived lipid mediators in responders than non-responders,” authors Stefania Lamon-Fava and colleagues announced. The study included 45 men and women with major depressive disorder, among whom 35 received 1, 2 or 4 grams EPA and 10 received matching placebo capsules. Depression scores and plasma levels of omega-3 fatty acids, pro-resolving mediators (which are formed from omega-3 fatty acids and mediate the resolution phase of inflammation) and markers of inflammation were assessed before and after the 12-week treatment period. The number of participants who had at least a 50% reduction in depression scores at the end of the study was greater among those who received the highest dose EPA compared with the placebo. Responders in the high dose group had greater increases in the pro-resolving mediators 18-HEPE and 13-HDHA than nonresponders. The increase in 18-HEPE was associated with significant reductions in plasma high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (a marker of inflammation) and depression scores. “The inverse association of 18-HEPE with both systemic inflammation and symptoms of depression highlights the activation of the resolution of inflammation as a likely mechanism in the treatment of major depressive disorder with omega-3 fatty acid supplementation,” the authors concluded.
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Poor literacy linked to worse mental health worldwide, study shows
University of East Anglia (UK), January 25, 2023
People with poor literacy battle more mental health problems worldwide, according to new research from the University of East Anglia. A new study published today is the first to look at the global picture of literacy and mental health. Fourteen percent of the world’s population still has little or no literacy—and the study finds that they are more likely to suffer mental health issues such as loneliness, depression, and anxiety. The team, from UEA’s Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychological Therapies (CPPT), say their findings disproportionately affect women, who account for two thirds of the world’s illiterate. “We also know that lower literacy is related to poorer health, chronic diseases and shorter life expectancy.” The team reviewed data from 19 studies that measured both literacy and mental health. These studies took place across nine different countries (U.S., China, Nepal, Thailand, Iran, India, Ghana, Pakistan, and Brazil) and involved almost two million participants. “What we found is a significant association between literacy and mental health outcomes across multiple countries.” “People with lower literacy had greater mental health difficulties such as anxiety and depression.”
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Study finds berry pigments may decrease bad cholesterol in overweight individuals
George Mason University, January 22, 2023
The anthocyanins found in berries help decrease bad cholesterol in overweight individuals, but don’t affect the levels of individuals considered to have a healthy weight. After reviewing 12 articles that explained the results of randomized controlled trials on the use of anthocyanin, research published in the journal Nutrition found that the flavonoids that give berries their color may help decrease the bad cholesterol in those with elevated bio markers, or in more colloquial terms, individuals who are overweight or obese. “This [adds] to existing scientific evidence from observational, animal, and mechanistic studies suggesting that anthocyanins and anthocyanin-rich extracts may have the potential to affect markers of cardiovascular diseases,” the researchers from George Mason University in Virginia. Though there is some research out there that sought to delve into the matter and prove anthocyanins’ cardiovascular benefits, to the researchers’ knowledge, “there is no systematic review that assesses the effect of purified anthocyanins and/or anthocyanin-rich extracts on markers of cardiovascular health among randomized controlled trials.” Because of that, the researchers of George Mason University reviewed a selection of 12 anthocyanin-related studies to “identify research gaps where additional scientific evidence is warranted.” “Anthocyanins are the red-orange to blue-violet pigments present in many fruits, vegetables, flowers, grains, and other plant-derived foods. Interest in the biological effects of anthocyanins has grown because of their noted presence in the human diet, as well as their potential use as a value-added alternative to synthetic colorants in many food products.” After comparing the literature selected, the researchers found “an inverse relationship between anthocyanins and anthocyanin-rich foods and CVD outcomes (e.g., mortality)” in epidemiological studies,” which means the more anthocyanin intake an individual has seems to exhibit lower cardiovascular disease outcomes.
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Study finds new association between social isolation and dementia risk factors
McGill University (Quebec), February 1, 2023
Social lifestyle determinants, including social isolation, are associated with neurodegeneration risk factors, Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (ADRD) according to a new study published this week in the open-access journal PLOS ONE by Kimia Shafighi of McGill University, Canada, and colleagues. In the new work, the researchers studied data on 502,506 UK Biobank participants and 30,097 people enrolled in the Canadian Longitudinal Study of Aging. Both studies had questionnaires that included questions about loneliness, frequency of social interaction and social support. The study found a large array of associations between potentially modifiable ADRD risk factors and both loneliness and lack of social support. For instance, in the CLSA, increased regular participation in physical exercise with other people was associated with a 20.1% decrease in the odds of feeling lonely and 26.9% decrease in having poor social support. Physical and mental health factors previously linked to ADRD, such as cardiovascular disease, vision or hearing impairment, diabetes and neurotic and depressive behaviors, were also associated with both subjective and objective social isolation. In the UKBB, for instance, difficulty to hear with background noise corresponded to a 29.0% increase in the odds of feeling lonely and a 9.86% increase in the odds of lacking social support. The odds of feeling lonely and lacking social support were also 3.7 and 1.4 times greater, respectively, as a function of a participant’s score for neuroticism. The authors add, “Given the uncertain impact of social distancing measures imposed by COVID-19, our findings underscore the importance of investigating the multiscale effect of social isolation to inform public health interventions for ADRD.”
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Honeybee Protein May Help To Keep Stem Cells Youthful
Stanford University School of Medicine, January 20, 2023
According to researchers from the Stanford University School of Medicine an active protein component of royal jelly helps honeybees create new queens, a similar protein has been identified in mammals which keeps cultured embryonic stem cells pluripotent, as published in Nature Communications. The protein causes cells to remain pluripotent meaning they can become any cell within the body under conditions which normally trigger them to develop into specialized cells. This finding will likely fan flames to debated as to regenerative powers of royal jelly, but more importantly reveals new pathways to pluripotency and suggests novel ways to keep stem cells in a state of suspended animation until further needed. Folklore reveres royal jelly as a form of super medicine in Europe and Asia, DNA sequencing of royalactin which is the active component in the jelly is unique to honeybees, a structurally similar mammalian protein has been identified that can maintain stem cell pluripotency. This discovery was found along the way in a process of wondering how a royal jelly diet could trigger extreme differences between queens and worker bees where Kevin Wang, MD, PhD and colleagues focused on royalactin applying it to mouse embryonic stem cells to study cell responses, as for it to affect development it has to work early on progenitor cells, so they decided to see if it had any effect on embryonic stem cells. Embryonic stem cells are potent, but when grown in lab settings the fickle cells often abandon stem cell states and differentiate into specialized cells, researchers have devised methods to keep the cells in line by adding molecules that inhibit differentiation to the environment in which the cells grow. The team found addition of royalactin stopped embryonic stem cells from differentiating even in the absence of such inhibitors; the cultured LIF free cells grew for up to 20 generations with the addition. Additional investigational studies showed the royalactin treated stem cells exhibited gene expression profiles similar to stem cells grown with inhibitors, producing proteins known to be associated with pluripotency while tamping down production of proteins important for differentiation, responses which were confusing as mammals do not make royalactin. To investigate this even further the team turned to databases that infers the three dimensional structure of proteins, as many proteins work by fitting together with other proteins or biological molecules, making the team wonder if there was a protein in mammals that mimics the shape but not sequence of royalactin. NHLRC3 mammalian protein was found and predicted to form a structure similar to royalactin which is produced early in embryonic development in all animals. NHLRC3 was found to be able to maintain pluripotency in mouse embryonic cells, and caused a similar gene expression pattern in them as those exposed to royalactin; NHLRC3 protein was renamed Regina which is Latin for Queen. The team plans to investigate whether Regina has therapeutic value in wound healing or cell regeneration in adult animals, and hope their findings will help researchers discover better ways to keep lab grown embryonic stem cells pluripotent. Wang suggests their studies imply Regina is an important molecule governing pluripotency and production of progenitor cells that give rise to tissues of the embryo.