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High Intensity Interval Training in Older Adults
Results of a randomized and controlled trial were recently published in the Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports, reporting on the effects of high-intensity interval training (HIIT) on cardiorespiratory fitness in older adults. It’s worth noting that cardiorespiratory fitness, often assessed as VO2max (oxygen consumption at a maximum workload), has previously been shown…
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The Significance of Silicon
Naturally present in the human body, silicon is integral for optimal collagen production, supporting the health of our skin and other vital tissues: including bones, joints, hair and nails. The second most plentiful element on earth and the third most abundant trace element in the body, silicon has been referred to as “collagen glue,” as…
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Silymarin & RA
Results of a randomized and controlled clinical trial were recently published in Medicina (Kaunas), evaluating the use of silymarin in combination with conventional disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) among people with active rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Over an 8-week trial period, 122 participants (85% women) diagnosed with RA and who were receiving conventional treatment (e.g., methotrexate, leflunomide,…
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Sleep Apnea & Memory
Results of a study published May 2024 in Alzheimer’s Research & Therapy indicate an association between sleep apnea severity, particularly during REM sleep, and poorer performance on specific memory indices among participants at greater risk for Alzheimer’s disease (AD). While associations between impaired sleep and neurodegenerative conditions have previously been established, this study sheds light…
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Gut Microbiota & Immune Alterations in Obesity
Mounting research findings demonstrate the pivotal role the gut microbiota and immune system play in the development and progression of obesity. A 2024 meta-analysis published in Gut Microbes revealed that individuals with obesity have distinct differences in the composition of their microbiome in comparison to controls. Analysis of16S rNA gene and metagenome sequencing data from…
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Celebrate with Nutrient-Rich Summer Foods
As we celebrate the 4th of July, it’s the perfect time to enjoy the bounty of nutritious summer foods. A plethora of research highlights the importance of these seasonal foods in maintaining optimal health. For example, a timeless study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition has shown that consuming a diet rich in…
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Xylitol & Cardiovascular Risk
Concerning findings about the sugar alcohol xylitol were recently published in the European Heart Journal. There were several components in this publication; an untargeted metabolomic study was conducted initially in a cohort of nearly 1,200 stable participants (the discovery cohort) undergoing elective diagnostic cardiac evaluations, and then in a validation cohort of over 2,000 participants.…
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SBI & the Microbiome
Serum-derived bovine immunoglobulin/protein isolate (SBI) may have a prebiotic mechanism of action, resulting in an increase in short-chain fatty acid production (SCFA), as published in Microorganisms. SBI is a concentrated form of immunoglobulins that has several clinical trials demonstrating benefits for IBS, IBD, and enteropathy, but its mechanisms of action may only be partially understood,…
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Urolithin A & Neurodegeneration
The journal Alzheimer’s & Dementia recently published results suggesting that urolithin A may have potential benefit for reducing degeneration as a consequence of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) through multiple mechanisms, at least in an animal model. This adds to a growing body of evidence that urolithin A has a critically important role in supporting mitochondrial function,…
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Troubleshooting the Keto Diet
Social media is replete with astounding before and after pictures of lives transformed by weight loss on ketogenic diets. Word is also getting out about the use of ketogenic diets for mental health and putting type 2 diabetes into remission. So when a patient adopts a keto diet and doesn’t get the results they want,…
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Early Life Pollution & Mental Health
JAMA Network Open recently published an analysis of early life exposure to both air and noise pollution and any association with mental health in adolescence and young adulthood. Amid growing evidence that early exposure to air pollution is linked to a greater risk for the development of several mood and mental health disorders, this study…
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Acid Suppression & CVD
Results of a prospective cohort study published in the International Journal of Cardiology add to the evidence suggesting that acid suppression via proton pump inhibition is associated with an increase in the risk for cardiovascular disease. This was a well-known cohort, part of the UK Biobank Study, and included nearly 460,000 participants without cardiovascular disease…
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Oral Immunotherapy & the Microbiome
Results of a prospective and longitudinal study conducted among schoolchildren were recently published in Allergology International, describing the association between the gut microbiome and the effectiveness of oral immunotherapy (OIT) for dairy cow’s milk allergy (CMA). Thirty-two children with IgE-mediated CMA received OIT for a period of 13 months, followed by a 2-week period of…
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Methylation & Cellular Health
Methylation is an integral, enzymatic process that occurs billions of times per second in every cell of the body, governing a vast array of physiological functions. A plethora of research demonstrates the significance of efficient methylation to the health and functioning of our cells, and moreover mood.
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PFAS & Liver Health
Several studies have been published recently reporting a link between exposure to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and metabolic-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD, a proposed alternative to non-alcoholic fatty liver disease). Notably, MAFLD is growing rapidly, with an estimated prevalence of 100 million people affected in the U.S. alone by 2030, about 1/3 of the…
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Oregano Oil: Updates on Molecular Mechanisms
Oregano oil (Origanum vulgare) has been used traditionally for a variety of health-promoting reasons, ranging from gastrointestinal to respiratory support. It has well-established antioxidant, antimicrobial, anti-fungal effects, as well as offering support for a healthy inflammatory response. In recent years, anti-neuroinflammatory and neuroprotective effects of carvacrol (the primary constituent of oregano oil) were observed, with…
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Cranberry Extract & the Microbiota
Results of a small human clinical trial recently published in NPJ Biofilms and Microbiomes indicate that short-term use of cranberry extract has a bifidogenic effect and increases the abundance of butyrate-producing bacteria, the first study to report on cranberry-induced microbiome changes. This study was done both to characterize the specific polyphenols and oligosaccharides found within…
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CoQ10 & Cardiac Function
BMC Cardiovascular Disorders recently published the results of a small clinical trial evaluating CoQ10’s effect on cardiac function following a myocardial infarction (MI). One hundred forty-seven study participants had successful percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) following MI, received standard acute coronary syndrome medications (e.g., aspirin, ticagrelor, clopidogrel, statins, etc.), and were then randomized to either 30mg…
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Acid Suppression & Severe Headache
Results of a cross-sectional analysis were recently published in Neurology, Clinical Practice, which suggest an association between the use of acid-suppressing medications and migraine headaches. Self-reported data from the 1999-2004 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), which included nearly 12,000 adults, found that any type of acid-suppression therapy was associated with a higher risk…
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Egg Consumption & CVD Risk
Over the years, many articles have been published regarding the potential benefits and harms of egg consumption, primarily on cardiovascular disease (CVD) and diabetes risk. There are multiple challenges with interpreting this type of data, including a lack of randomized controlled trials (the majority of the research is observational), significant conflicts of interest, etc., making…
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Keto Diet & Schizophrenia
An interesting pilot study of ketogenic diets for mental illness was published recently in Psychiatry Research. The study was a single-arm trial with 23 subjects with schizophrenia or bipolar disorder plus metabolic abnormalities. Inclusion criteria were diagnosis of one of those conditions and currently taking psychotropic medications, plus being overweight or having obesity (based on…
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The Role of Digestion in Skin Health
Is compromised digestion playing a role in the health and vitality of your skin? A growing body of research would suggest yes. Our skin is the largest organ and therefore indicative of our internal state. Digestion is significant for absorption of vital nutrients and detoxification of harmful toxins that can otherwise impede cellular and skin…
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Physical Activity & CVD Risk
A new study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology provides some mechanistic insight into the benefits of physical activity for cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk reduction, helping to explain why some individuals may have larger benefits than others. This study examined records from over 50,000 individuals who completed a survey regarding their…
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Beetroot Juice & Exercise
Three recently published controlled clinical trials all indicate favorable effects of beetroot juice (BRJ) on exercise-related outcomes. The first of these, found in the European Respiratory Journal, evaluated the use of BRJ by people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) who also had hypertension. This randomized and placebo-controlled double-blinded trial enrolled 81 participants, 70 of…
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Mediterranean Diet & IBS
The effect of a Mediterranean diet on both gastrointestinal (GI) and psychological symptoms among people with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) was recently published in Alimentary Pharmacology & Therapeutics. Designed as a pilot study to evaluate the feasibility of the Mediterranean diet (MD) for people with IBS, this was a 6 week unblinded study in which…
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Telomere Length & Diabetes
Results of a recently released randomized and controlled dietary intervention trial lend support for the use of telomere length as a biomarker for diabetes risk, as well as the effectiveness of dietary interventions to mitigate this risk. Published in Cardiovascular Diabetology, this 5-year study in Spain included 462 participants in the CORonary Diet Intervention with…
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Circadian Rhythm, Mood & Metabolic Health
A growing body of research suggests a bidirectional effect of circadian rhythm on metabolic and mental health. A cross-sectional 2023 analysis published in Nature of over 80,000 adults in the UK Biobank, revealed that increased exposure to artificial light at night— known to disrupt circadian rhythm– was associated with increased rates of MDD, bipolar disorder,…
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Diabetes Remission & Weight Loss
Results of a large population-based observational cohort study examining the association between weight loss and diabetes remission were recently published in PLOS Medicine. This Hong Kong-based study included more than 37,000 people recently diagnosed with type 2 diabetes who were followed for a median of 8 years, with a focus on their 1-year weight change…
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Omega-3s & Pregnancy
A report on the intake of fish and omega-3 fatty acids among pregnant women in the U.S. was recently published in Public Health Nutrition. This analysis included 23 cohorts that provided data on fish consumption and 35 cohorts with data on supplement use, together comprising the Environmental Influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) consortium.
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Fasting-Mimicking Diet
Nature Communications has published results of a secondary analysis of a previously published clinical trial, examining the effects of a fasting-mimicking diet (FMD) on a number of cardiometabolic risk factors as well as a calculation of “biological age” among study participants. The FMD used in this clinical trial was characterized as plant-based and hypocaloric (with…