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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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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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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…
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Iron Supplementation During Pregnancy
Results of a randomized and triple-blinded clinical trial were recently published in Nutrients, reporting the effects of varying doses of iron on fetal growth and development when given to pregnant women, stratified by their hemoglobin levels. Nearly 800 pregnant women living in Spain (the ECLIPSES study) were included. Beginning in the 12th week of pregnancy,…
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The Connection Between Libido, Sleep & the Microbiome
Mounting research suggests a bidirectional relationship among sexual desire, sufficient sleep and the composition of the gut microbiome. Results from a 2022 review study demonstrate that abnormal sleep patterns affect composition, diversity, and function of the gut microbiome via the brain-gut-microbiota axis (BGMA). The researchers highlight that the quality of the microbiome is also significant…
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Air Pollution & Aging
A recently proposed stricter regulation of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) by EPA is a step toward significant reductions in morbidity and mortality, supported by many recently published articles that point to a broad range of adverse health consequences linked to air pollution. An analysis previously published in JAMA Network Open indicates that PM2.5 levels are…
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Apolipoproteins & CVD
Data supporting the use of apolipoproteins (APOs) in the assessment of chronic disease continues to mount, with a recent analysis published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition suggesting that ApoA1 has a protective effect that extends to dying from all causes, including cardiovascular disease and lung cancer, and that ApoB increases the risk for…
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Niacin, NAFLD & Mortality
Results of a cohort study using NHANES (National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2003-2018) data were recently published in JAMA Network Open, examining the relationship between dietary intake of niacin and both overall and cardiovascular mortality among people with NAFLD (nonalcoholic fatty liver disease). This was a large-scale prospective cohort, including over 4,300 individuals with…
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Do You Have Leaky Brain?
The NIH estimates that 20% of Americans have a diagnosable mental disorder, at a cost of $201 billion per year. The most common maladies are depression and phobias. In 2019, suicide was the 10th leading cause of death in the US, accounting for over 47,000 deaths overall. We are beginning to look at systemic inflammation and its…