Are you worried about developing Alzheimer’s Disease as you age? Were you sad when the new, super-expensive drug to fight AD was exposed for the fraud that it was? If so, read the article below. It is about a very simple way to decrease the odds of losing your mind. Hugo Rodier, MD.
Total sugar intake may affect cognitive function over time, with higher amounts potentially increasing risk for Alzheimer’s disease
“Healio (7/29, Gramigna) reports, “Total sugar intake may affect cognitive function over time, with higher amounts potentially increasing risk for Alzheimer’s disease,” researchers concluded after analyzing “data of 837 participants of the Rush Memory and Aging Project to assess the association between sugar intake and cognition.” The study revealed “an inverse relationship between continuous quintile of sugar intake and global cognition, episodic memory, semantic memory, working memory and perceptual speed in adjusted linear random effect models.” The findings were presented at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference.”
Comment: the problem is that we can get addicted to sugar. Our microbiome, used to refined sugars, sends signals to the brain demanding it when we don’t eat it often enough.
Shift work outside of normal daytime hours increases risk for metabolic syndrome.
Healio Minute, July 19, 2021
“Adults employed in shift work outside of a normal daytime schedule have a greater risk for metabolic syndrome, according to findings published in Nutrition, Metabolism and Cardiovascular Diseases. “This meta-analysis is the largest and most comprehensive assessment of the association between shift work and risk of metabolic syndrome,” Dongsheng Hu, MD, PhD, and Liang Sun, MD, PhD, of the department of epidemiology and health statistics in the College of Public Health at Zhengzhou University in China, and colleagues wrote. “We revealed that shift work was associated with a 30% increased risk of metabolic syndrome when compared with non-shift work. Risk of metabolic syndrome increased 19% and 17% with two-, and three-shift work compared with non-shift work.”
Comment: At least be aware of the negative consequences. Demand a higher pay and rotational shifts so that you don’t have to do it all the time. Good luck!
Eating more whole grains may help patients maintain waist size, BP, blood sugar
Healio Minute, July 20, 2021
“Patients who ate at least three servings of whole grains per day had smaller increases in waist circumference, BP and fasting glucose concentration than patients who ate less than half a serving per day, data show. The association appeared to be stronger in women, Caleigh M. Sawicki, PhD, MPH, an epidemiologist with the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University, and colleagues reported in The Journal of Nutrition.”
Comment: the key is WHOLE grains AND filling up with veggies, not grains.
Habitual coffee tied to lower risk of developing an arrhythmia
“CNN (7/19, LaMotte) reports research indicates that “a habitual coffee habit was associated with a lower risk of developing an arrhythmia, such as atrial fibrillation.” Investigators arrived at this conclusion after analyzing “coffee consumption by more than 386,000 people over a three-year period,” then comparing “that with rates of cardiac arrhythmia, which might include atrial fibrillation.” After adjustment for confounding factors, researchers found that “each additional cup of habitual coffee consumed was associated with a 3% lower risk of incident arrhythmia.” The findings were published online in JAMA Internal Medicine.”
Comment: the problem is coffee may upset cardiovascular system and GI tract.
Gut microbiota–derived metabolites and risk of coronary artery disease.
The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Volume 114, Issue 1, July 2021, Pages 238–247,
“A profile characterized by high enterolactone and low TMAO concentrations in plasma is linked to a healthful dietary pattern and significantly associated with a lower risk of CAD. Overall, these data suggest that, compared with individual markers, multiple microbiota-derived metabolites may facilitate better differentiation of CAD risk and characterization of the relations between diet, microbiota, and CAD risk.”
Comment: the way to a man’s heart is through the stomach.
Most Americans do not adhere to diets that could prevent cancer
“HealthDay (7/1, Preidt) reports, “The eating habits of most American adults aren’t in line with dietary guidelines that can reduce the risk of cancer, a new study finds.” Investigators looked at data on approximately 31,000 adults who participated in the annual National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. An “analysis of what the participants ate in the 24 hours before completing the survey showed that about 63% to 73% didn’t get the recommended daily fruits and vegetables and whole grains, and about 90% didn’t achieve the recommended 30 grams of fiber per day.” The data also indicated that participants with obesity “were significantly less likely than other adults to get recommended intakes of fiber, fruit, non-starchy vegetables and whole grains.” The findings were published in the J. of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.”
Comment: you can prevent 2/3 of cancers by eating a healthy diet (J. Carcinogenesis
2007;28:233)
Southern-style diet may be associated with higher odds for sudden cardiac death
“HealthDay (6/30, Reinberg) reports that the “traditional Southern-style” diet, which is “heavy in fried foods, fats and sugary drinks, may” be associated with higher “odds for sudden cardiac death, a new study warns.” However, one may “be able to lower that risk by sticking to the Mediterranean diet.” The research was published online in the Journal of the American Heart Association. Healio (6/30, Buzby) reports researchers found that “higher Mediterranean diet score trended toward association with lower 10-year risk for sudden cardiac death, whereas higher Southern diet score trended toward association with higher 10-year sudden cardiac death risk.”
Comment: y’all oughta quit that kinda grub, y’hear?
A link between gut and diet may mean a cure for MS
Elana Spivack; INVERSE, July 10, 2021
“Your gut is a thriving Universe unto itself. This tiny cosmos is inhabited by thousands on thousands of microorganisms, which together make up your gut microbiome. Among other things, this internal ecosystem contains bacteria that we rely on to help us break down and process the foods that we’re not readily equipped to digest. But a slew of recent scientific studies shows that our gut also connects more broadly to our holistic health, even to things that are seemingly unrelated, like our brains. The science is preliminary, but there is compelling evidence that what you eat — and in turn, that changes the gut microbiome — has an outsized influence on your health. But not in the way you’d think.
WHAT’S NEW — A new study published on Friday in the journal Science Advances looks at how diet could alter multiple sclerosis (MS) symptoms via the gut microbiome. By feeding mice with an MS-like condition a specific diet, scientists were able to reprogram their gut bacteria — and reduce their symptoms. The study started with the observation that the gut microbiomes of people with MS lack a kind of bacteria that, in most folks’ gut, breakdowns a nutrient called isoflavones. This nutrient is commonly found in everyday staple foods, like soy and beans. So, the team hypothesized that MS might be related to the absence of these bacteria — and in turn, eating more foods with isoflavones in them could alleviate the symptoms. From there, they were able to demonstrate the critical difference that the bacteria’s presence or absence can make in this disease.
WHY IT MATTERS — This study is so intriguing because it identifies a clear relationship between the gut, the food we eat, and our brain and body health. In the new study, the researchers go further than past work by not only establishing a clear link between gut bacteria and diet, but also the mechanisms driving the relationship — and how to potentially game it to our advantage. “The hypothesis has always been that bacterial composition is tightly linked to diet,” says Sergio Baranzini, a neurology professor at the University of California, San Francisco who was not involved in the research. While other studies have investigated this relationship, “what those studies fell short of is showing what could be the potential mechanism.”
MS is rare, but it also occupies a place in the public consciousness, in part because of its insidious effects on the body. TV personality Jack Osbourne and actress Selma Blair have both been diagnosed with the disease. MS essentially wreaks its havoc by putting the central nervous system out of business. Over time, people with MS will slowly lose their sensory, motor, and cognitive abilities. There is no cure — but this study hints at the promise of dietary interventions to quell some of its effects. Baranzini was impressed with the revelation. “I was surprised to see that everything was working,” he says. “It felt like, ‘Can this be too good to be true?’ ”
DIGGING INTO THE DETAILS — First, it’s key to learn about isoflavones, a nutrient present in many common foods, and what it does in the body. Foods rich in isoflavones include: Soybeans, Lentils, Pistachios, Chickpeas, Peanuts.”
Comment: Don’t be afraid of soy.
