Researchers look to licorice for promising cancer treatments

University of Illinois Chicago, April 6, 2022

Licorice is more than a candy people either love or hate—it may play a role in preventing or treating certain types of cancer, according to researchers at the University of Illinois Chicago. Gnanasekar Munirathinam and his research team are studying substances derived from the licorice plant Glycyrrhiza glabra to determine if they could be used to prevent or stop the growth of prostate cancer. “When we look at the research out there and our own data, it appears that glycyrrhizin and its derivative glycyrrhetinic acid have great potential as anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer agents,” Munirathinam said. “We hope our research on prostate cancer cells advances the science to the point where therapies can be translated to help prevent or even cure prostate and other types of cancer.”

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Not all dietary fiber is equal: Cereal fiber linked with lower inflammation, but not fruit or vegetable fiber

Columbia University, April 6, 2022

Researchers at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health and colleagues evaluated whether dietary fiber intake was associated with a decrease in inflammation in older adults and if fiber was inversely related to cardiovascular disease. The results showed that total fiber, and more specifically cereal fiber but not fruit or vegetable fiber, was consistently associated with lower inflammation and lower CVD incidence. The research confirmed previously observed associations between dietary fiber and CVD and extended those investigations to include the source of the fiber, the relationship of fiber with multiple inflammatory markers, and to test whether inflammation mediated the relationship between dietary fiber and CVD.

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How to reduce loneliness: Meaningful activities can improve health, well-being

Pennsylvania State University

Free time is sometimes idealized, but research shows free time can sometimes be unhealthy by increasing loneliness. A new Penn State study demonstrated that engaging in meaningful, challenging activities during free time can reduce people’s loneliness and increase their positive feelings. Across two different studies, the researchers found that people who had meaningful, challenging experiences were less lonely—even when higher levels of social contact and support were not available. Our research shows that both of these ideas are true. By engaging in meaningful activities during free time that demand focus, people can reduce loneliness and increase momentary happiness.”  “Loneliness is very connected to our health,” Dattilo explained. “Psychological, emotional, and cognitive health are all challenged when people are lonely. Loneliness is associated with depression and other mental health challenges.”

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Curcumin Found To Outperform Pneumococcal Vaccines In Protecting Infants

UCLA, April 1, 2022

Now new research finds a substance in turmeric, curcumin, may outperform the vaccine in providing long lasting protection against potentially deadly lung damage in infants. Pneumococcal bacteria are the most common cause of bacterial infections in children and a frequent cause of infections in adults. Infection starts in the nose or throat where it may persist for weeks or months. Pneumococcal infections are also the most common complication of seasonal influenza. Researchers at Los Angeles Biomedical Research Institute at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center (LA BioMed), using disease models, found curcumin provided long-term protection against the damage caused by inadequate lung function. Their study, published online by the American Journal of Physiology, Lung Cellular and Molecular Physiology, found curcumin provided protection against bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BDP), a condition characterized by scarring and inflammation, and against hyperoxia, in which too much oxygen enters the body through the lungs.

Guest: Scott Ritter

Scott Ritter is a former US Marine Corp intelligence officer and military strategist during the Cold War with the Soviet Union and in the Middle East. He served as a lead analyst for Marine deployment during the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan and the Iran-Iraq war. During Operation Desert Storm, Scott was the ballistic missile advisor to General Schwarzkopf. Later he assumed the role of the lead United Nations weapons inspector for seven years overseeing the disarmament of Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction and biological agents program. He was one of the most forceful critics of the Bush administration’s claims that Sadaam Hussain possessed WMDs. Scott is now an author and lecturer who has been very public about the American media’s misinformation campaign about Russia’s incursion into Ukraine and the gross failure’s of the Biden White House foreign affairs policies and actions.