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L-Arginine & Air Pollution
Last year the results of a multinational, prospective cohort study, the Prospective Urban and Rural Epidemiology (PURE) study, were published, detailing the impact of air pollution on cardiovascular disease. Conducted over nearly 20 years and enrolling communities in 21 countries of varying socioeconomic levels, over 150,000 participants were followed for a median of 9.3 years…
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Is it Time to Abandon the Amyloid Hypothesis?
A growing body of scientific evidence, as well as the failure of multiple anti-amyloid drugs to have an appreciable impact on the progression of Alzheimer’s disease, suggests the answer may be “yes.” Let’s take a closer look at the weaknesses of the amyloid-centric approach, because doing so may help shift research efforts to more promising…
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Polyphenol Metabolism & Gut Microbiota
Polyphenols from plant-based foods are thought to mediate many of the beneficial effects we attribute to a more plant-rich diet. For example, high polyphenol olive oil has been shown to reduce both central and peripheral systolic blood pressure compared to low polyphenol olive oil. In a randomized crossover study, the polyphenol content of olive oil…
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Immunoglobulins for Digestive, Immune and Sports Nutrition Support
A healthy digestive system breaks down foods and liquids into carbohydrates, fats, and proteins so the body can absorb them as nutrients for growth and energy. It also contains much of the body’s immune system, protecting against pathogens or other toxic substances consumed in food or water. As with all complicated systems, the human digestive…
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Is Saturated Fat Really Harmful?
A paper published recently in the journal Nutrients fires shots across the bow of the continued debate about the supposed dangers of dietary saturated fat. The title asks a potentially controversial question: Dietary Saturated Fats and Health: Are the U.S. Guidelines Evidence-Based? The question deserves an answer, because despite numerous reviews and meta-analyses that have…
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A1C Shortcomings
The hemoglobin A1c test is typically used to diagnose diabetes and to monitor blood glucose management over time. The test measures the percentage of glycated hemoglobin proteins in the blood and is generally taken to represent blood glucose levels during the preceding 3-4 months. Increases over time indicate higher average blood glucose levels, while decreases…
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Low Carb for Type 1 Diabetes
“The source and amount of carbohydrates consumed affect postprandial hyperglycemia and glycemic variability more than any other dietary factor, providing a conceptual basis for interest in carbohydrate-modified diets for T1DM.” (Lennerz et al., 2018)
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Thyroid Testing is Often Not Enough
“Normal TSH values may not rule out patients that are hypothyroid. It is possible that a large number of hypothyroid individuals are missed using TSH as a screening tool, which is a problem for the patient, who remains hypothyroid, and to the healthcare system as a whole.” (Ling et al., 2018)
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Key Foods for the Immune System
The immune system provides a robust anatomical barrier that serves as a host defense mechanism. One of these anatomical barriers is the gastrointestinal tract, inside which there are many defense mechanisms such as peristalsis, gastric acid, bile acids, digestive enzymes, flushing, thiocyanate, defensins and gut flora. The gut flora (microbiota) is a key focus for…
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Glucose Levels & Infections – A Two-Way Street
One limitation of both clinical trials and epidemiological studies is that they often gather only a fraction of the information potentially available for each study participant, and usually for a short period of time. While gathering important population-level data, they often lack a deeper dive into each individual’s unique physiology, without monitoring how it changes…