The Gary Null Show Notes – 03.28.23

Videos:

1.Christopher Black: The Criminalisation of International JusticeĀ (19:00)

Taking B vitamins may reduce epigenetic effects of air pollution

Columbia University, March 13, 2023

A study by researchers at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health showed that B vitamins may play a critical role in reducing the impact of air pollution on the epigenome, further demonstrating the epigenetic effects of air pollution on health. This is the first study to detail a course of research for developing interventions that prevent or minimize the adverse effects of air pollution on potential automatic markers. The results are published online in the journal PNAS. The study, conducted with colleagues at Harvard’s T. H. Chan School of Public Health, in Sweden, China, Singapore, Mexico and Canada, reveals how individual-level prevention may be used to control the potential pathways underlying adverse effects of the particles PM2.5, particles with an aerodynamic diameter of <2.5 Ī¼m. These findings could have a significant public health benefit in regions of the world with frequent PM2.5 peaks. The WHO estimates that 92 percent of the world’s population currently lives in places where air quality levels exceed the WHO limits of 10 Ī¼g/m3. Ambient PM2.5 pollution is one of the most prominent air pollutants because they deposit in the respiratory tract resulting in both lung and systemic inflammation and stress. While there has been substantial lowering of ambient PM2.5 achieved through large-scale emissions control policies over the past few decades, exposure peaks with adverse health consequences are still frequently recorded. The researchers administered one placebo or B-vitamin supplement (2.5 mg of folic acid, 50 mg of vitamin B6, and 1 mg of vitamin B12) daily to each adult recruited for the trial. To take part in the intervention, volunteers were required to be healthy non-smokers, 18 to 60 years old, who were not taking any medicines or vitamin supplements. Plasma B vitamin measurements taken before and after placebo and supplementation showed that B-vitamin supplements significantly increased the median plasma concentrations of folic acid (P = 0.02), vitamin B6 (P = 0.004), and vitamin B12 (P = 0.01). For those who took placebos for 4 weeks, their median plasma concentrations were similar: folic acid (P = 0.82), vitamin B6 (P = 0.75), and vitamin B12 (P = 0.42). “While emission control and regulation is the backbone of prevention, high exposures are, unfortunately, the rule still in many megacities throughout the world. As individuals, we have limited options to protect ourselves against air pollution. Future studies, especially in heavily polluted areas, are urgently needed to validate our findings and ultimately develop preventive interventions using B vitamins to contain the health effects of air pollution,” said Dr. Baccarelli.

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Several supplements help to chelate metal toxicities

Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario Research Institute, March 22, 2023

Several supplements have supporting evidence agaiinst metal toxicities.
(i) Taurine and methionine are sulphur-containing amino acids. They are rich in membranes particularly of excitable tissues, and they decrease oxidative stress markers resulting from heavy metal exposure. Practitioners also report using taurine for 6 weeks or so prior to hair analyses, to boost levels and improve detection. (ii) Alpha lipoic acid is a powerful antioxidant that regenerates other antioxidants (e.g., vitamins E and C, and reduced glutathione) and has metal-chelating activity. Both fat and water soluble, it is readily absorbed from the gut and crosses cellular and blood-brain membrane barriers. (iii) N-acetyl-cysteine (NAC), an orally available precursor of cysteine, is a chelator of toxic elements and may stimulate glutathione synthesis, particularly in the presence of vitamins C and E. (iv) Glutathione is not recommended to be administered orally as it undergoes digestion; however novel modes of delivery such as liposomal and prodrug preparations are emerging]. It may be administered intravenously, in creams and via nebulizer. Glutathione is an important physiological chelator, and the reduced form of glutathione protects cells from reactive oxygen species associated with heavy metals. (v) Selenium is an important essential element, that is present at a broad range of levels across populations. The selenide ion forms an extremely stable, insoluble compound with mercury, and provides relief of mercurialism symptoms. Selenium may be incorporated in organic molecules, and organic selenium/mercury complexes may be transported through membranes. Selenium depletion in the face of mercury exposures also depletes seleno-enzymes. In humans, organic selenium supplementation was beneficial in a controlled trial among 103 mercury-exposed villagers. A selenium yeast product increased mercury excretion and decreased oxidative stress-related biomarkers urinary malondialdehyde and 8-hydroxy-2-deoxyguanosine. Nutritional status affects uptake, as toxic cations are transported by proteins for essential nutrients such as magnesium, zinc, and iron, putting those who are malnourished at greater risks for toxicity. This suggests potential for dietary preventive public health interventions. For example, in animals calcium deprivation enhanced absorption of lead and cadmium, while magnesium and zinc supplementation blunted absorption of cadmium. Calcium supplementation reduced lead mobilization from maternal bones during pregnancy and lactation, protecting the newborn and infant . In children, iron supplementation blunted lead accumulation.

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Positive experiences in close relationships are associated with better physical health, new research suggests

University of Auckland (New Zealand), March 27, 2023

Social relationships influence physical health, but questions remain about the nature of this connection. New research in Social Psychological and Personality Science suggests that the way you feel about your close relationships may be affecting the way your body functions. The new research examines the effects of positive and negative relationship experiences on the body, as well as how these experiences and health outcomes change from day to day. “Both positive and negative experiences in our relationships contribute to our daily stress, coping, and physiology, like blood pressure and heart rate reactivity,” says lead author Brian Don of the University of Auckland. “Additionally, it’s not just how we feel about our relationships overall that matters; the up’s and downs are important too.” Over the course of three weeks, 4,005 participants completed daily check-ins via their smartphone or smartwatch, providing assessments of their blood pressure, heart rate, stress, coping. Every three days, participants also shared reflections on their closest relationship, detailing their positive and negative experiences. Researchers found that, on average, people with more positive experiences and fewer negative experiences reported lower stress, better coping, and lower systolic blood pressure reactivity leading to better physiological functioning in daily life. By contrast, variabilityā€”or daily ups and downsā€”in negative relationship experiences like conflict were especially predictive of outcomes like stress, coping, and overall systolic blood pressure. Researchers cautioned against interpreting the study as proof that relationship experiences have physiological effects. Instead, the findings contain associations from daily life that illustrate how relationships and physical health are often intertwined. Causal conclusions, Dr. Don says, must be reserved for experimental studies.

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Eating peanuts could have a beneficial impact on vascular health in young and healthy people

University of Barcelona (Spain), March 27, 2023

Eating peanuts and peanut butter could have a beneficial impact on vascular health in young and healthy people, according to a study published in the journal Antioxidants. The paper is led by Rosa M. Lamuela, professor at the Faculty of Pharmacy and Food Sciences of the University of Barcelona. Peanuts, which are obtained from the leguminous plant Arachis hypogaea, are considered nuts in terms of nutritional composition and are the most widely consumed nuts worldwide. High in fatty acids, protein, fibre and polyphenols, they represent a convenient, accessible and nutrient-rich snack that contributes to a healthy lifestyle. This study included the participation of 63 healthy young people ā€”aged between 18 and 33ā€” who included a daily portion of peanut products in their regular diet for a period of six months. ā€œIn this study group, it is more difficult to see any effect of dietary changes on healthā€, says Professor Rosa M. Lamuel. This study is the first nutritional intervention to confirm an improvement in vascular markers related to the antithrombotic and vasodilator effects in healthy young people after eating peanuts. “The results reveal a significant increase in urinary levels of phenolic metabolites in those young people who had eaten a daily dose of peanuts and peanut butter compared to the control group, which had eaten a cream without fibre or polyphenols”, says Rosa M. Lamuela. “Similarly, participants who ate peanuts or peanut butter also showed improved levels of prostacyclin I2 and the ratio between thromboxane A2 and prostacyclin I2, lipid molecules (eicosanoids) which are considered markers of vascular healthā€, the researcher notes. “Interestingly, some phenolic metabolites that increased significantly after the consumption of peanut products ā€”especially hydroxycinnamic acidsā€” also correlated with the improvement in both markers”, says researcher Isabella Parilli-Moser (INSA-UB-CIBERobn), first author of the article. The new study reinforces the hypothesis defended in the scientific literature and in previous studies by this research group on the protective effect of polyphenols ā€”the main antioxidants and anti-inflammatory compounds in the dietā€” on cardiovascular diseases in adults, as well as their antithrombotic and vasodilator effects. Also, the consumption of nuts and peanuts has been linked to a lower risk of developing cardiovascular diseases and diabetes, especially due to the protective effect of the polyphenols found in these foods.

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When performers are in the zone, it’s spiritual, researcher finds

University of Queensland (Australia),March 14, 2023

Prima ballerinas Anna Pavlova and Margot Fonteyn reported entering altered states of consciousness and having “spiritual” experiences during performance, a University of Queensland researcher says. Lynda Flower said her research aimed to gain an in-depth understanding of “peak performance lived experiences” and the meaning people made of them. “Greater understanding is increasingly important with the current trend of applying knowledge gained about peak performance ā€“ particularly in sport ā€“ to other high-performance areas such as the legal profession, business, education, medicine and the military,” Ms Flower said. “Although there is a considerable amount of research into ‘peak performance lived experiences’, there is a distinct lack of clarity surrounding frequently used terms and the spiritual aspect. “Terms such as mystical, spiritual and peak experiences, ‘in the zone’ and ‘states of flow’ are used interchangeably in literature, but participants have rarely been asked about their spiritual understanding of these experiences.” Ms Flower interviewed seven former professional ballet dancers for her research. “What I wanted to find out is whether they had spiritual experiences during moments of peak performance and if so, what they made of them and how they interpreted them. “I was fascinated to find in my preliminary research that many renowned ballet dancers ā€“ including Vaslav Nijinsky, Anna Pavlova and Margot Fonteyn ā€“ all reported experiencing spiritual states of consciousness during performance. “Margot Fonteyn said that when she danced to the best of her ability, her soul was released and her spirit could shine forth.” Ms Flower said the study confirmed previous research and all the ballerinas she interviewed said the experience was extraordinary, “that is, it was different from the ordinary and the everyday”. “They all said that when they reach such a high state, it continued in a post-performance high,” Ms Flower said. “They felt it for hours afterwards, some even felt it for days. Being so uplifted during performance ā€“ it lasted for quite some time afterwards. “They also all described the experience as spiritual. For some it was a religious spiritual experience, for others it was a more general spiritual experience ā€“ but certainly spiritual was the word they used and what they confirmed.”

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Bacteria from meat likely to cause more than a half-million urinary tract infections in the US every year
Northern Arizona University & George Washington University, March 24, 2023

A new study suggests that E. coli from meat products may be responsible for hundreds of thousands of urinary tract infections in the U.S. each year. A team of scientists, led by Lance Price and Cindy Liu from the George Washington University Milken Institute School of Public Health, developed a new genomic approach for tracking the origins of E. coli infections. Using this method, the team estimated that between 480,000 and 640,000 urinary tract infections in the United States each year may be caused by foodborne E. coli strains. “We’re used to the idea that foodborne E. coli can cause outbreaks of diarrhea, but the concept of foodborne E. coli causing urinary tract infections seems strangeā€”that is, until you recognize that raw meat is often riddled with the E. coli strains that cause these infections,” said Price, a professor of environmental and occupational health and director of the GW Antibiotic Resistance Action Center . “Our study provides compelling evidence that dangerous E. coli strains are making their way from food animals to people through the food supply and making people sickā€”sometimes really sick.” E. coli is far and away the most common cause of urinary tract infections, causing upward of 85% of cases each year. Women are at greater risk of developing UTIs, which can range from simple bladder infections to life-threatening bloodstream infections. E. coli can live in and infect people and animals, including animals raised for meat in the U.S. When food animals are slaughtered, the bacteria that inhabit their gutsā€”including E. coliā€”can contaminate the meat products and put people at risk for exposure. Data from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) suggests that a majority of raw meat products are contaminated with E. coli. Currently, only specific types of diarrhea-causing E. coli, such as E. coli O157:H7, are monitored with any seriousness in the U.S., but this new research suggests that other strains may also pose serious health risks. In this study, the researchers collected raw chicken, turkey and pork purchased from major grocery store chains in Flagstaff and isolated E. coli from these meat samples. By analyzing the genomes of E. coli from meat and those from people, the research team identified segments of E. coli DNA unique to strains that colonize food animals versus humans, then developed a new predictive model to differentiate E. coli from the two sources. The foodborne E. coli strains identified in the current study were not only associated with urinary tract infections but were also capable of causing serious kidney and bloodstream infections. Left unchecked, E. coli bloodstream infections can be deadly. It is estimated that between 36,000 and 40,000 people die from E. coli bloodstream infections in the U.S. each year, but it is currently not known what portion of these originate from foodborne exposures. The study suggests producers and the FDA could do a better job of monitoring potentially dangerous pathogens in food, most notably raw meat sold in grocery stores throughout the country. At the same time, consumers can take steps to limit their exposure to contaminated food. For example, home cooks should wash their hands carefully when preparing or handling raw meat and use separate surfaces to prepare raw and cooked foods, the authors say.