I grew up drinking Mate. My cousin Mac hated it. In those days, he was the only obese kid I knew. I regret to admit I called him Tubby. He also had red hair. Anyway, I just ran into another article saying that Mate, an herb drink, helps improve our metabolism.[1] It probably works through our gut bacteria, like just about everything does. Take a look at the first four articles below.
Hugo Rodier, MD
Gut immune cells have a role in food metabolism J. Nature Feb 2019 vol 566
“The gut is an active site of immune defense against disease-causing microbes. A study in mice shows that a type of immune cell in the gut’s wall also helps to regulate sugar and fat metabolism.”
Gut commensal Parabacteroides goldsteinii plays a predominant role in the anti-obesity effects of polysaccharides isolated from Hirsutella sinensis
J. Gut 2019;68:248-262
“The mushroom Hirsutella has polysaccharides that feed the gut bacterium P. goldsteinii . Together, they represent novel prebiotics and probiotics that may be used to treat obesity and type 2 diabetes.”
Gut microbiota metabolites, amino acid metabolites and improvements in insulin sensitivity and glucose metabolism: the POUNDS Lost trial
J. Gut 2019;68:263-270
“Alterations in gut microbiota have been linked to host insulin resistance, diabetes and impaired amino acid metabolism. Changes in gut microbiota-dependent metabolite of trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO) and its nutrient precursors (choline and L-carnitine) were associated with improvements in glucose metabolism and diabetes-related amino acids in a weight-loss diet intervention.”
Profound Perturbation of the Metabolome in Obesity Is Associated with Health Risk J. Cell Met Feb 2019
“Obesity is a heterogeneous and complex disease that is imprecisely measured by BMI. [But] the metabolome captures clinically relevant phenotypes of obesity and is a better health predictor than genetic risk.”
Obesity linked to higher cancer rates
“The New York Times (2/4, Bakalar) reports on a study published in Lancet Public Health finding that “the risk of developing obesity-related cancer is increasing in successive generations, along with increasing rates of obesity.” Investigators “studied the incidence of 30 of the most common cancers, including 12 that are obesity related, from 1995 to 2014 in people ages 25 to 84 — more than 14.6 million cases.” The investigators “found that for six of the 12 obesity-related cancers (multiple myeloma, colorectal, uterine, gallbladder, kidney and pancreatic) the risk for disease increased in adults 25 to 49, with the magnitude of the increases steeper with younger age.”
Comment: we have known about this and the associated ingestion of refined sugars since Dr. Warburg won the Nobel Prize in 1931. Maybe it is time to do something about it, like heavily tax refined sugars.
Prevalent weed killer increases risk of cancer
“CNN (2/14, Dixon) reports that “glyphosate, an herbicide that remains the world’s most ubiquitous weed killer, raises the cancer risk of those exposed to it by 41%, a new analysis says.” The analysis, conducted by University of Washington researchers, “evaluated existing studies into the chemical – found in weed killers including Monsanto’s popular Roundup – and concluded that it significantly increases the risk of non-Hodgkin lymphoma.” The findings were published in Mutation Research.”
Comment: Monsanto got bought out by Bayer. They are on the run as more and more people escape their Stockholm syndrome-like trance. Roundup has also been associated with Microbiome, hormones and brain problems.
Links between gut microbes and depression strengthened J. Nature Feb 2019 vol 566
“The once-wild idea that intestinal bacteria influence mental health has transformed into a major research pursuit.”
Comment: it was a wild idea to those who do not read medical journals on a regular basis. We have known about this for decades. Look up Sapolsky.
Gut Microbiota in Coronary Artery Disease Patients
J. Atherosclerosis & Thrombosis 2019;23:908-921
“Recent studies have suggested that metabolic disorders such as obesity and type 2 diabetes are associated with gut microbiota. The association between atherosclerosis and gut microbiota has also been attracting increased attention.”
Comment: “the way to a man’s heart…” See below.
Loss of Gut Microbiota Alters Immune System Composition and Cripples Postinfarction Cardiac Repair
J. Circulation 2019;139 #5
“Gut microbiota–derived Short Chain Fatty Acids, SCFA play an important role in maintaining host immune composition and repair capacity after MI. This suggests that manipulation of these elements may provide opportunities to modulate pathological outcome after MI and indeed human health and disease as a whole.”
Comment: some people do not have the bacteria Bacteroidetes to cleave Long Chain Fatty Acids from their diet to make SCFA. If you have cardiac problems you may wish to have your Microbiome’s DNA tested. If you are lacking in this species, you need to be taking Butyrate, a SCFA.
Effect of Resistant Starch on the Gut Microbiota and Its Metabolites in Patients with Coronary Artery Disease
J. Atherosclerosis & Thrombosis Feb 2019
“Bacteroides vulgatus and B. dorei have a protective effect against atherosclerosis, suggesting that expansion of these species in the gut microbiota could help patients with coronary artery disease.”
Comment: yet more healthy bacteria a heart patient may be lacking. How does this happen? Not eating enough vegetable fiber.
Prenatal nicotine exposure linked to ADHD
“Reuters (2/25, Carroll) reports on a study in Pediatrics which found that pregnant women with nicotine in their systems “are more likely to have children who develop attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).” Researchers used national databases in Finland comparing “blood samples from mothers-to-be” and “children who developed the attention disorder,” finding that mothers of ADHD diagnosed children had high levels of cotinine, the substance created from nicotine breaking down in the body.”
Comment: blaming one substance for ADD is not prudent. Best to think of a cumulative effect of toxic substances affecting the brain. The real problem is poor detoxification because of poor diets affecting out Microbiome and liver. A genetic tendency leading to less optimal detoxification in those organs also plays a role.
Many adults with sleep problems try mind-body exercises
“Reuters (2/25, Rapaport) reports that approximately “half of U.S. adults suffer from sleep problems, and research suggests that many of them are practicing mind-body exercises like yoga and meditation that might help make it easier to get a good nights’ rest.” Researchers found that among study participants “with sleep problems, 30 percent of people said they practice some form of mind-body exercises,” while just “18 percent of the individuals without sleep problems” did so. The findings were published in Sleep Medicine.”
Comment: sleep problems fall into two big categories—stress and toxicity issues in the gut and liver. The former is driven by our materialistic society causing a lot of anxiety. Anything that helps us live a more spiritual, heart-driven life will help mitigate the effects of a rushed society hell-bent in consuming.
PTSD in parents of gravely ill or injured children
“The Wall Street Journal (2/19, Marcus, Subscription Publication) reports that physicians, researchers, and support groups are working to raise awareness of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among parents of children with life-threatening conditions or even a single event of grave illness or injury. Parents’ symptoms can run the gamut – including anxiety or detachment, hyper-awareness, difficulty concentrating, and flashbacks – and are receiving more attention in part because the parents are more willing to discuss their experiences.”
Comment: nobody takes care of the care takers. We need legislation and/or insurance breaks for them.
Chronic inflammation & cognitive problems
“The New York Times (2/13, Bakalar) reports that “chronic inflammation in middle age may lead to memory and thinking problems later in life.” The researchers tested participants, assigned them an “inflammation composite score,” and “found that the greater the number of inflammatory factors, the steeper the cognitive decline over 20 years of follow-up. HealthDay (2/13, Thompson) reports the researchers also found that “an unhealthy lifestyle can trigger inflammation throughout your body, which can then accelerate wear-and-tear on your brain.” The findings were published online in Neurology.”
Comment: the main cause of inflammation is a poor diet high in sugar. When the brain is so affected, we now call it Diabetes Type III.
Living alone may increase a man’s risk of dying prematurely
“The New York Times (2/7, Bakalar) reports that research published in European Heart Journal Quality of Care & Clinical Outcomes suggests “living alone may be bad for your health.” The study of more than 3,300 men found that “men who lived alone had a 23 percent increased risk for dying prematurely from any cause and a 36 percent increased risk for cardiovascular death.”
Comment: We don’t see the same problem as much in women. They tend to have better social connections.
- “Effect of yerba mate and green tea on paraoxonase and leptin levels in patients affected by overweight or obesity and dyslipidemia: a randomized clinical trial,” J. Nutrition 2019;18:5↑
