July 9, 2022 Nutrition notes
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“Today the Supreme Court of the United States expressly took away a constitutional right from the American people that it had already recognized…This is a sad day for the country in my view.” -Kevin Fickenscher and Joe Biden are right!!! Every national medical/hospital/nurses association agrees. Judges and politicians must not practice medicine!
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Lots of nutrition news this week. May healthy diet and thoughts relieve this stressful week. Welcome to new readers. Please share this with your friends so they can stay healthier.
SHORT NOTES: Roc is considering taking Urolithin A supplements, which improve mitochondrial health, reduces cartilage degeneration, and alleviates pain in osteoarthritis; Roc is considering no longer taking leucine, to lower mTOR activation, and instead eat fish, nuts, beans, cheese; higher blood levels of Omega 3 DHA results in a nearly 50% reduction in the likelihood of developing Alzheimer’s disease; coffee consumption may be protective of kidney function; New skin for old, Scientists reversed the aging of skin cells – even generating new blood vessels and improving age-related biomarkers; Human age reversal: Fact or fiction? the metabolite alpha-ketoglutarate seems very useful; almost all older COVID-19 patients had damage to the brain; social defeat activates brain to promote sleep and reduce anxiety; the Krebs Cycle (citric acid cycle) is the real origin and key of life; The microbiome and gut homeostasis shows how birth and diet rich in vegetarian and fiber-rich foods promote a healthy microbiome, while antibiotics, red meat, fast foods, and saturated fats cause cancer, obesity, and even neurological disorders; Red meat consumption is associated with type 2 diabetes risk; Easy ways to keep your mind sharp; Both Short and Long Sleep Durations are Risk Factors for Sarcopenia; Subcutaneously-Administered Infliximab in the Management of Rheumatoid Arthritis, Crohn’s, and other conditions; Saffron for potential neuroprotective and anti-neuroinflammatory applications in brain disorders; The 10 most searched-for herbs/supplements of 2018 are chaga mushroom, turmeric, ashwagandha, reishi mushroom, graviola, AHCC, boswellia, dandelion, green tea, and Coriolus versicolor; [SLEEP APNEA:Rather than stabilize breathing during sleep, Beta-Oxy increases loop gain, which is likely to be deleterious for most people with Obstructive Sleep Apnea; The high risk of obstructive sleep apnea before pregnancy may increase the risk for gestational diabetes; Vaccination Against COVID-19 in Older Adults is not affected by Obstructive Sleep Apnea]
LONG NOTES:
Roc is considering taking Urolithin A supplements. These findings indicate that Urolithin A promotes joint mitochondrial health, alleviates OA pathology, and supports Urolithin A’s potential to improve mobility with beneficial effects on structural damage in joints. Urolithin A improves mitochondrial health, reduces cartilage degeneration, and alleviates pain in osteoarthritis. Urolithin A (UA) is a gut microbiome-derived natural compound that only 40% of people can naturally convert from dietary precursors at meaningful levels. Positive effects of direct UA administration in health, aging, and age-related conditions have been identified in several recent studies. No statistical differences in adverse events were observed between the 2 groups. Conclusions and Relevance This randomized clinical trial found that urolithin A supplementation was safe and well tolerated in the assessed population.
Roc is considering no longer taking leucine. Someone in GRG thinks one should not supplement leucine or BCAAs. It’s more important to try to minimize the aging of the body and the muscles by maintaining low average mTOR activation for decades than it is to try to build a lot of muscle to prevent sarcopenia at the potential cost of accelerating systemic aging of the body. There will be more powerful options such as gene therapies and more to improve health. However these therapies will be harder to create and more needed for fixing the damages resulting from overactive mTOR than they will be for increasing muscle mass to prevent sarcopenia. Note that sarcopenia is a much easier problem to solve later on in life than reversing the damages resulting from excessive mTOR activation because increasing muscle growth in an old person is far more simple than fixing cellular damages caused by excessive mTOR. Not to mention that the latter harm will be seen in most parts of the body not just in the skeletal muscles. The opposite point of view is promoted by Peter, who does a nice explanation of how leucine is the most important trigger and talks about how it is short lived. High leucine foods include cheese, soybeans, beef, chicken, pork, nuts, seeds, fish, seafood, and beans. Roc’s initial conclusion: eat fish, nuts, beans, cheese.
In a new study reported in Nutrients, higher blood levels of Omega 3 DHA results in a nearly 50% reduction in the likelihood of developing Alzheimer’s disease compared to those who had lower levels.
There is a new report in the journal Kidney International Reports noting that coffee consumption may be protective of kidney function.
COVID & Impact On The Brain – One of the issues us “older folks” are concerned with is the potential impact of COVID-19 on brain function. A new study out of the United Kingdom Biobank databased documents important changes as reported in the April 2022 issues of Nature. They studied individuals who had previously had an MRI (brain scan) as part of general longitudinal study of aging and who had experienced a COVID-19 infection. 401 cases of COVID-19 patients were compared to 384 controls that were matched for socioeconomic status, health status, age, sex, ethnicity and other factors. The COVID-19 patients had important changes in the brain, including: damage to the olfactory (= smell function) cortex, reduction in gray matter in the frontal cortex over the eyes and the areas around the hippocampal gyrus, general reduction in overall brain size, AND – most importantly – greater cognitive decline. So, the conclusion was that a COVID-19 infection definitely caused changes in the brain in areas that have been shown to exhibit clinical signs as well (e.g. loss of smell, confusion, etc.).
Science 1 July – pg 27-social defeat activates brain to promote sleep and reduce anxiety;pg 39-the Krebs Cycle (citric acid cycle) is the real origin and key of life, not genetics. When something dies, the DNA is still there. It is the TCA cycle that stops! A book review of Transformer: The Deep Chemistry of Life and Death! Pg 44-The microbiome and gut homeostasis. Shows how birth and diet rich in vegetarian and fiber-rich foods promote a healthy microbiome, while antibiotics, red meat, fast foods, and saturated fats causecancer, obesity, and even neurological disorders.
Development and validation of a metabolite score for red meat intake: an observational cohort study and randomized controlled dietary intervention. Red meat consumption is associated with type 2 diabetes risk
WebMD: How to keep your mind sharp: stream your favorite playlist, a friendly 10-minute chat, laugh, walk outside, learn something new, don’t multitask, meditate, work up a sweat, rest, eat wisely, fruits, veggies, legumes, fish, and “good” fats are brain food, talk to your doctor about your health and mental function.
Subcutaneously-Administered Infliximab in the Management of Rheumatoid Arthritis, Crohn’s, and other conditions. The first subcutaneous (SC) formulation of infliximab CT-P13 has been authorized for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in Europe in 2019. Later, in 2020, approved indications were extended also to ankylosing spondylitis, psoriatic arthritis, psoriasis, Crohn’s disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC). The patient can self-inject the medicine at home without going to the hospital.
Rather than stabilize breathing during sleep, Beta-Oxy increases loop gain, which is likely to be deleterious for most people with OSA. The Combination of Betahistine and Oxybutynin Increases Respiratory Control Sensitivity (Loop Gain) in People with Obstructive Sleep Apnea: A Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Trial
Both Short and Long Sleep Durations are Risk Factors for Sarcopenia in Suburban-Dwelling Older Chinese Individuals: A 3-Year Longitudinal Study
The high risk of obstructive sleep apnea before pregnancy may increase the risk for gestational diabetes mellitus during pregnancy. Sleep Disturbances Before Pregnancy and Subsequent Risk of GestationaL Diabetes Mellitus
Vaccination Against COVID-19 in Older Adults is not affected by Obstructive Sleep Apnea
New skin for old. Scientists at Haifa’s Rambam Health Care Campus and Israel’s Technion Institute reversed the aging of skin cells by grafting aged human skin in lab tests. The skin rejuvenated – even generating new blood vessels and improving age-related biomarkers. It represents a breakthrough for research into aging.
The Integrative Medicine Service at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center developed and maintains About Herbs (www.aboutherbs.com), which provides summaries of research data including purported uses, adverse effects, and herb-drug interactions for about 284 dietary supplements. The 10 most searched-for herbs/supplements of 2018 are chaga mushroom, turmeric, ashwagandha, reishi mushroom, graviola, AHCC, boswellia, dandelion, green tea, and Coriolus versicolor.
Human age reversal: Fact or fiction? Although rigorous clinical trials are needed to validate these initial findings, existing data suggest that aging clocks are malleable in humans. the metabolite alpha-ketoglutarate seems very useful.
Saffron for potential neuroprotective and anti-neuroinflammatory applications in brain disorders
