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Dietary Patterns & Alzheimer’s
While the precise pathogenesis of Alzheimer’s disease remains a mystery, it’s hard to ignore that dietary and lifestyle factors may help to increase or decrease risk. A recent paper in Frontiers in Nutrition provided an overview of select dietary patterns and their potential to reduce risk for or delay the progression of Alzheimer’s.
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Cadmium & Women’s Health
Evidence for an additional disease burden associated with the toxic metal cadmium was recently published in the journal Human Reproduction. This study used cross-sectional data from a nationally representative sample, 4 cycles from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 1999–2006, and included 1,647 women aged 20-54. Endometriosis is thought to affect approximately 10%…
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Mediterranean Diet & Mortality Risk
Just published in the Mayo Clinic Proceedings is an analysis of the link between the “Mediterranean lifestyle” (comprised not only of dietary food and habits but also such things as napping, physical activity, and time socializing with friends) and all-cause mortality, as well as cardiovascular and cancer-specific mortality. This observational study was conducted among over…
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Taking a Look at Huntington’s Disease
Results of a recent study published in Nature Communications provide encouraging results in the study of Huntington’s disease, suggesting a new physiological target in this progressive and currently incurable neurodegenerative disease. Using single-nucleus RNA sequencing (snRNAseq), a method of studying the transcriptome (gene expression) in the nucleus only (versus the entire cell), researchers attempted to…
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Hearing Aids & Cognitive Decline
The Lancet has just published the results of the first randomized and controlled trial evaluating the effect of hearing aids on cognitive decline and dementia when given to older adults with hearing loss. A substantial body of evidence suggests that hearing loss, which is quite common among older adults, is associated with a greater risk…
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Timing of Gluten Introduction & Celiac Disease
A review recently published in Frontiers in Immunology describes what is known about the development of celiac disease, and possible dietary strategies to prevent it. Observational studies have suggested that the incidence of celiac may depend on multiple factors, including genetic predisposition, season of birth, viral infections, etc., but the dose and/or timing of gluten…
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Keto, IVF & PCOS
A paper just published in the August 2023 issue of the journal Reproductive Toxicology adds to the body of literature showing that dietary carbohydrate reduction is beneficial for women with polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), and that a ketogenic diet may help improve the likelihood of a successful pregnancy in women with PCOS undergoing in vitro…
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Calcium & Magnesium in Heart Health
Calcium and magnesium are essential macrominerals, also referred to as electrolytes. Calcium is the most abundant mineral found in the body, with around 99 percent concentrated in the bones and teeth. The other one percent (typically around 10 milligrams/deciliter) is found in the blood. Calcium specifically regulates the body’s acid-alkaline balance, heartbeat, nerve transmission, muscle…
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Time Restricted Eating vs Calorie Restriction
Providing a boost for the concept of time-restricted eating (TRE), results of a 12-month randomized clinical trial comparing TRE to more typical calorie restriction (CR), as well as a control group, were recently published in the Annals of Internal Medicine. In this unblinded study, 90 participants with obesity were recruited, 78 of whom completed the…
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Rhodiola Update
Rhodiola rosea (also known as rosenroot, golden root, rose root, and arctic root) has a long history of use throughout Asia and Europe, primarily as an “adaptogen,” a botanical thought to have broad applicability for improving fatigue, physical endurance, host defenses, and resistance to the effects of stress, typically with polyvalent mechanisms of action. Several…
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Maternal Egg Consumption & Infant Allergies
Recently published in JAMA Network Open were the results of a randomized clinical trial examining the effects of maternal consumption of eggs during the early neonatal period on the subsequent development of egg allergy. As noted in this article, food allergies have been estimated to affect at least 10% of children, with egg allergies present…
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Exercise & Glycemic Control
An excellent review of the importance of exercise for people with type 2 diabetes was recently published in the American Journal of Medicine Open, and highlights not only the benefits of exercise but also points to the optimal type, dosing, and timing for maximum impact. As noted in the article, 10.4% of adults in the…
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Protein & Kidneys
A paper published recently in the European Journal of Nutrition concluded that higher protein diets are not linked to kidney disease or increased risk for kidney stones. The paper was an umbrella review of systematic reviews for the evidence-based guideline of the German Nutrition Society.
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Vitamin A & Endocrine Health
Vitamin A is a fat-soluble micronutrient that influences countless biological processes including vision, immune function, skin health, tissue remodeling, and cellular development. A lesser-known function of vitamin A, however, is its role in hormone health. Adequate vitamin A is crucial for healthy thyroid function, sex hormone balance, as well as the absorption of other essential…
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Sleep, Exercise & Cognitive Function
The results of a 10-year longitudinal study were recently published in The Lancet Healthy Longevity, detailing the associations between the cognitive trajectories of healthy adults and both sleep and physical activity. Nearly 9,000 participants between the ages of 50-95, part of the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA), were followed every 2 years and self-reported…
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L-Glutamine – Old Dog, New Tricks
L-glutamine – not the new shiny supplement to wow the nutrition world, but a tried-and-true amino acid that continues to impress us with its relevance and potency as a healing ingredient.
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Vitamin D & PCOS
A recent study has shown that out of 120 women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), the majority showed low levels of vitamin D, and that supplementation may help reduce the risk of the development of metabolic syndrome and cardiovascular complications, in addition to correcting the imbalance in blood concentrations.
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Pregnenolone & Men’s Health
Pregnenolone is an endogenous steroid hormone produced primarily in the adrenal glands and brain. It is considered the “mother of all hormones” because it is directly derived from cholesterol and is the precursor to all steroid hormones including DHEA, testosterone, and progesterone. Adequate pregnenolone is necessary for a proper hormonal response, stress management, cognitive health,…
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Keto Rash
Ketogenic diets are known for improving a host of health issues, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t occasional hiccups when someone adopts this very low-carb way of eating. A recent blog post covered gastrointestinal issues that can arise on a keto diet, and a new paper details a case report of a young woman who…
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6 Phytoprotective Foods Plus a Recipe
Research underscores the crucial role of dietary habits in our skin’s response to sun exposure. Our outermost layer of skin, the epidermis, works tirelessly to shield our bodies from external influences such as UV radiation and environmental pollutants. Consuming foods rich in skin-protective nutrients, particularly in their raw state, can aid in defending against and…
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Sleep & Adherence to Diet & Exercise Goals
Recent preliminary research has shown that individuals with higher scores for sleep health during a 12-month weight loss program were more likely to stick to the calorific and exercise goals in the program in comparison with those who scored lower for sleep health.
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A Salty Topic: Sodium in Electrolyte Formulas
Electrolytes are minerals that carry an electric charge and are found in our body’s cells and blood. They include sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium, phosphate, chloride, and bicarbonate and play vital roles in maintaining homeostasis. Electrolytes are vital for maintaining cellular hydration, especially during physical activities.
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Low Carb vs DASH Diet
A new study in the Annals of Family Medicine pitted a very-low-carbohydrate diet against the DASH diet (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) for adults with hypertension, type 2 diabetes or pre-diabetes, and overweight or obesity. While both interventions led to improvements in HbA1c, systolic blood pressure, and body weight, improvements among the low-carb group were…
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Ashwagandha Update
Used for centuries in traditional medicine, the multiple mechanisms of action and clinical relevance of Ashwagandha were summarized in a recent review published in Pharmaceutics. Both the in vitro and preclinical trials (which help to elucidate mechanisms), as well as controlled clinical trials, offer support for some of the traditional uses, including its primary role…
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Taurine, Exercise & Adipose Tissue
A 2020, randomized, double-blind trial has shown that taurine supplementation associated with chronic exercise may increase mitochondrial activity and fatty acid oxidation gene expression in the subcutaneous white adipose tissue of obese women.
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Robust Red Peppers
Certain foods, when consumed in season, offer flavor and intensity that are missing when they’re eaten at other times of year. Tomatoes spring immediately to mind – a tomato in July is a completely different food compared to one in January. But another welcome bright red fruit at farmers’ markets and supermarkets in summer is…
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Pets & Food Allergies
Some good news has come out for pet lovers (as if we need more reasons to love our pets!). Recently published in PLoS One, results of the largest to-date birth cohort study in Japan suggest that some pets, especially dogs and cats, are associated with a lower risk for food allergy development in children.
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Tiny Seed, Big Health Benefits
Flaxseed, known as a vegetarian source of omega-3 fatty acids, may also have the added benefit of promoting hormonal health. Although phytoestrogens are similar to estrogen, their role is not completely understood as having a positive or negative influence on women’s hormonal health, particularly those with a history of hormone-linked cancers. However, for women with…
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Relative Risk Reporting & Statins
A recent review paper adds to the growing concern over clinical trial data related to the efficacy of statin drugs being reported in a misleading way. The review focuses on the use of relative risk reduction rather than absolute risk reduction with regard to the efficacy of statins in five landmark randomized controlled trials (RCTs)…
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Radishes – An Often Overlooked Vegetable
Move over, tacos. Radishes can liven up so many other meals while providing very few calories and carbohydrates, yet bringing important micronutrients to the table. Let’s showcase this underrated and often overlooked vegetable.