News Notes. December, 2020
SUBJ: Holiday nutrition notes from Roc
Healthy holidays and long healthy life! See past newsletters here
Mouthwash may raise blood pressure; supplements with hazards: St Johns Wort, Gingko, ephedra, ginseng, black cohosh, garlic, feverfew; Stem cell treatment can help MS patients; The anti-obesity probiotics may be the following; Go barefoot to reduce foot pain; Low vitamin D levels and the presence of arthritis were associated with an increased risk of short sleep duration; Young healthy sleepers were instructed to voluntarily either worsen their sleep succeeded; AGING; the aged or damaged brain has not permanently lost essential cognitive capacities, as was commonly assumed; researchers are discovering how basic cell processes are involved in aging as a first step to help people lead longer, healthier lives; RS1 uses hyperspectral retinal imaging and AI to indicate Alzheimer’s Disease, even before symptoms; watch a new course - Introduction to Longevity Medicine.
See LONG NOTES with links here. https://www.nutritionconsensus.org/201224notes
Happy holidays. The New Year will be so much more joyful! May January 6th, 12th night, the Epiphany, and the Georgia election bring even greater hope for our future.
-Professor Roc
LONG NOTES
Mouthwash may raise blood pressure because it kills microbiome on tongue. Science Friday
From WebMD: supplements with hazards: St Johns Wort: can cause side effects like headache, nausea, dizziness, and dry mouth. And it may make you more likely to get sunburned. It also can cause problems if you take certain drugs; Kava may cause liver damage; Gingko can thin your blood and cause bleeding; ginger may cause problems with blood clotting, heart rhythms, blood pressure, and blood sugar levels; goldenseal can affect your heart’s rhythm, affect blood clotting, and lower your blood pressure; ephedra may boost the chance of heart problems and strokes, and cause a rise in heart rate and blood pressure; ginseng may lead to a drop in blood sugar, so it can cause issues for people with diabetes; black cohosh should be off limits for anyone with liver problems; garlic can thin your blood; licorice root can raise your blood pressure and cause issues with heart rhythms; feverfew may cause a problem with blood clotting.
Stem cell treatment can help MS patients. (TY Nevet) Jerusalem’s Hadassah-University Medical Center and Israel’s NeuroGenesis have developed a stem cell treatment for patients with progressive multiple sclerosis. A Phase II human trial not only halted progression of the disease but led to improvement in neurological ability.
The species helpful for weight loss appeared to be L. gasseri, L. casei, L. delbrueckii, L. reuteri, L. rhamnosus, a combination of L. curvatus and L. plantarum and Bifidobacterium longum. Bacillus subtilis and Akkermansia muciniphila also had a potential as anti-obesity probiotics. https://www.dovepress.com/article_59736.t127673855
Low vitamin D levels and the presence of arthritis were associated with an increased risk of short sleep duration.
https://www.dovepress.com/article_58867.t127682627
Young healthy sleepers were instructed to voluntarily either worsen or improve their sleep. We showed that participants would be capable of worsening, but not improving, their sleep compared to a regular sleep condition.
https://www.dovepress.com/article_59177.t127682627
Israeli-founded Canadian-based RetiSpec has developed the RS1, which uses hyperspectral retinal imaging and AI to examine the back of the eye. It can identify harmful amyloid proteins and other evidence that indicate Alzheimer’s Disease, even before the patient shows symptoms.
Go barefoot to reduce foot pain. Tel Aviv University researchers have discovered a simple cure for people suffering from osteophytes (bone spurs) - lumps that grow on the heels of the feet. A 1-month controlled study of 50 patients found a 10-30 minute daily barefoot walk at home, or on a treadmill, significantly reduced pain.
We launched a new course - Introduction to Longevity Medicine.
Just a few doses of an experimental drug can reverse age-related declines in memory and mental flexibility in mice, according to a new study by UC San Francisco scientists. The drug, called ISRIB, has already been shown in laboratory studies to restore memory function months after traumatic brain injury (TBI), reverse cognitive impairments in Down Syndrome , prevent noise-related hearing loss, fight certain types of prostate cancer , and even enhance cognition in healthy animals. The data suggest that the aged brain has not permanently lost essential cognitive capacities, as was commonly assumed, but rather that these cognitive resources are still there but have been somehow blocked.
Teaching Old Cells New Tricks: Insights Into Molecular-Level Aging-When someone mentions aging, you may think of visible changes, like graying hair. Scientists can see signs of aging in cells, too. Understanding how basic cell processes are involved in aging is a first step to help people lead longer, healthier lives. NIGMS-funded researchers are discovering how aging cells change and applying this knowledge to health care.