LPI Newsletter Summer, 2011

Notes from the Linus Pauling Institute Research Newsletter

Exciting research results from the Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon State University. The complete newsletter is linked above.

  1. Not all fats are created equal – SUMMARY: Fish oil and PUFAs are very good for your health and cause your body to lose fat. Saturated fats and sugars are bad for both. – All fats you eat affect gene expression. Saturated fats (butter, red meat) promote fat synthesis in your body making you gain weight, as does sugar, while PUFAs (polyunsaturates-vegetable oils) inhibit fat synthesis and promote fat oxidation doing the opposite. This is especially true in your liver. Fish oil is known to protect your heart and control blood lipids. They also improve cognition, mood, and learning. Omega-3s inihibit triglyceride synthesis.High triglycerides in the blood, muscles, liver and elsewhere cause inflammation, diabetes, heart disease, and other chronic disease. Author Dr. Jump recommends taking fish oil after consulting with your physician. 500 mg EPA+DHA is a minimum, which is 2g / day of common fishoil supplements.
  2. microRNAs are non-coding RNAs that affect gene regulation. This may be how a little alcohol when pregnant can cause fetal alcohol syndrome.
  3. New vitamin D recommendations of the Institute of Medicine disappointed many experts. The new recommendations will confuse physicians, and the LPI continues to recommend 2,000 IU daily, well below the 4,000 IU daily Upper Limit.
  4. Cruciferous vegetables in a pregnant woman’s diet may protect the fetus in utero from chemical carcinogens. There’s a great table of what veggies give the greatest benefit.
  5. Deficiencies in B vitamins, vitamins C, D, and E, and minerals calcium, iodine, iron, selenium, and zinc impair cognitive function, and can contribute to age-related cognitive decline and Alzheimer’s.

*To review the disclaimer. *To ask Nutrition Investigator (Roc) a question.

“Modern science is advancing at an unprecedented rate, and the amount of scientific data is doubling every year.” -Raddick et al, Science 3298:1028 (2010)