What do you call someone who speaks two+ languages? Bilingual, multilingual.
What do you call someone who speaks only one language? American.
The article below may motivate you to learn a new language as you age.
Hugo Rodier, MD
Bilingualism may be associated with improved memory in later life
“According to the New York Times (4/28, A20, Padmanabhan), “bilingualism may” be associated with “improved memory in later life,” according to research published in the journal Neurobiology of Aging. After “studying hundreds of older patients, researchers in Germany found that those who reported using two languages daily from a young age scored higher on tests of learning, memory, language and self-control than patients who spoke only one language.”
Unawareness of memory decline is associated with future Alzheimer’s progression
“HCP Live (4/27/23, Smith) reports, “Unawareness of memory decline—as opposed to greater awareness—is associated strongly with future clinical progression of Alzheimer’s disease in older adults, according to new findings.” The research was published in JAMA Network Open.”
Comment: if you think you are crazy you are probably not.
Panelists say Americans’ lack of trust in health care biggest issue plaguing leaders
“Fortune (4/26) reported, “Americans’ lack of trust in health care was perhaps the biggest issue plaguing leaders and health care professionals at Fortune’s Brainstorm Health conference this week.” Participating in the panel hosted by CVS Health, AMA President Jack Resneck, Jr., MD, “said the American Medical Association has seen a staggering increase in health issues being politicized over the past five years, thanks to the popularity of social media,” although “the medical industry must be accountable for mistakes that contributed, he said, adding that more people are willing to believe misinformation because of factors like sky-high medical bills, health care inequality, and the shock and trauma of COVID-19.” Meanwhile, Resneck said, “Open communication makes a big difference…constantly measuring patient satisfaction, how you engage patients in the development of your products.”
Comment: they left out what most of my patients tell me: they don’t trust the system because it is in the pockets of Big Pharma.
WHO recommends against use of sugar substitutes for people trying to lose weight
“According to CNN (5/15/23, Hunt, LaMotte), the World Health Organization (WHO) has issued guidance suggesting that people not use “sugar substitutes if…trying to lose weight.” Available evidence suggests the use of non-sugar sweeteners, or NSS, ‘does not confer any long-term benefit in reducing body fat in adults or children.’” Additionally, “the review…indicated that there might be ‘potential undesirable effects’ from the long-term use of sugar substitutes such as an increased risk of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular diseases.”
Comment: sugar substitutes, for the most part, came from pesticides. They cause significant damage to our cells, beginning with rendering their membranes insulin resistant. Have you ever seen a thin person drinking diet pop?
Almonds as a snack improve diet quality without weight gain
“For people who enjoy snacking, almonds could improve diet quality without weight gain. The findings are important since fear of weight gain is a common reason for not eating nuts. Almonds could be incorporated into the diets of habitual snackers to improve diet quality without concerns about weight gain, according to the results of a year-long randomized controlled trial published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.”
Comment: Eating 40+ almonds also suppress appetite.
Exposure to EDCs may negatively affect thyroid function
Healio Minute, May 16, 202
“Repeated exposure to endocrine-disrupting chemicals may negatively affect thyroid function, especially for pregnant women and infants, but more research is needed on the synergistic effects, according to a speaker. During a plenary talk at the AACE Annual Scientific and Clinical Conference, Elizabeth N. Pearce, MD, MSc, professor of medicine in the section of endocrinology, diabetes and nutrition at Boston University School of Medicine and an Endocrine Today Editorial Board Member, gave an overview of how chemicals such as perchlorate and per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) can cause thyroid disruption in humans.”
Comment: there are over 800 chemicals in the environment dubbed Endocrine Disruptors or Xenoestrogens. They don’t stop at the thyroid. Now you know why 50% of men get prostate cancer and why and 18% of women get ovarian/breast and uterine cancers. And that is not counting dropping sperm counts, poor libido and menstrual irregularities.
Disrupted Gut Microbiome a Key Driver of Major Depression
Medscape Medical News, April 25th 2023
“Major depressive disorder (MDD) is linked to disruptions in energy and lipid metabolism, possibly caused by the interplay of the gut microbiome and blood metabolome, new research suggests.
Investigators found that MDD had specific metabolic “signatures” consisting of 124 metabolites that spanned energy and lipid pathways, with some involving the tricarboxylic acid cycle in particular. These changes in metabolites were consistent with differences in composition of several gut microbiota.
The researchers found that fatty acids and intermediate and very large lipoproteins changed in association with the depressive disease process. However, high-density lipoproteins and metabolites in the tricarboxylic acid cycle did not. As we wait to establish causal influences through clinical trials, clinicians should advise patients suffering from mood disorders to modify their diet by increasing the intake of fresh fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, as these provide the required fuel/fiber to the gut microbiota for their enrichment, and more short-chain fatty acids are produced for the optimal functioning of the body,” study investigator Najaf Amin, PhD, DSc, senior researcher, Nuffield Department of Population Health, Oxford University, United Kingdom, told Medscape Medical News.
At the same time, patients should be advised to minimize the intake of sugars and processed foods, which are known to have an inverse impact on the gut microbiome and are associated with higher inflammation,” she said. The study was published online April 19 in JAMA Psychiatry. Although most antidepressants target the monoamine pathway, “evidence is increasing for a more complex interplay of multiple pathways involving a wide range of metabolic alterations spanning energy and lipid metabolism,” the authors write.
Previous research using the Nightingale proton nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) metabolomics platform showed a “shift” toward decreased levels of high-density lipoproteins (HDLs) and increased levels of very low-density lipoproteins (VLDLs) and triglycerides among patients with depression.
The gut microbiome, which is primarily modulated by diet, “has been shown to be a major determinant of circulating lipids, specifically triglycerides and HDLs, and to regulate mitochondrial function,” the investigators note. Patients with MDD are known to have disruptions in the gut microbiome.”
Comment: we have always known that “mens sana in corpore sano.” We may now change this old dictum to “mens sana in microbiota sana.” The best thing to do to start healing: get off processed sugars and eat a lot of veggies.
