HCG Diet Plan

26/06/2023

https://www.healthline.com/health/diabetes/sucralose-and-diabetes

You know where to look for natural sugars in your diet, but what about processed sweeteners? Here's what you need to know about diabetes and sucralose.

15/06/2023

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.

While excess adipose tissue, as in the case of obesity, is associated with metabolic complications, mass itself is not the only culprit in obesity-driven metabolic abnormalities, highlighting the importance of healthy and metabolically adaptable adipose tissue.

Taurine has been found to increase post-exercise lipid oxidation at moderate intensity in fasted healthy males. What’s more, it has been seen that taurine-mediated browning of white adipose tissue may be involved in its anti-obesity effect in mice.

28/05/2023

Sugar Processing in the Brain

Insights at the molecular level suggest that obesity may have neuronal origins in an area of the brain called the nucleus accumbens, giving us a new perspective on the causes of obesity.
Obesity takes a toll on virtually all body systems, and therefore on healthcare systems and medical costs for patients, and is a significant, growing threat to the world’s health in terms of prevalence. The prevalence of obesity among adults aged 18 years or older in the United States in 2017-2018 exceeded 40%.

To understand what drives people to overeat, scientists are looking more closely at a brain structure involved in motivation, reward, pleasure, and reinforcement learning called the nucleus accumbens (NAc). Previous studies on human and rodent models have shown that differences in the function of brain motivation centers, such as the nucleus accumbens (NAc), may contribute to overeating and obesity.

For example, obese-prone rats display increased excitability of NAc GABAergic medium spiny neurons and reduced expression of AMPA-type glutamate receptors. NAc GABAergic medium spiny neurons (MSNs) are a specific type of nerve cell located in the nucleus accumbens region of the brain. They are the most abundant cell type in this region and play a key role in regulating reward-related behaviors. GABAergic means that they release the neurotransmitter GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid), which is the primary inhibitory neurotransmitter in the brain. However, little is known about the regulation of extracellular glutamate and GABA in the NAc of these models.

This recent study highlights significant differences in NAc glucose utilization and astrocytic recycling of glutamate in obesity-prone and obesity-resistant rats, which may contribute to differences in feeding behavior between the two groups. According to the research team, this mechanism could imply a defect in a neurotransmitter recycling process, typically maintained in the nervous system by star-shaped cells called astrocytes.

Normally, astrocytes remove glutamate from the synapse, convert it into glutamine, and transport it back to cells that produce GABA or glutamate. This sequence is critical for turning neurons on and off. The results suggest that there is an excess of glutamate that is not being removed from the synapse, indicating an imbalance between glutamate and GABA that affects brain activity differently in obesity-prone versus obesity-resistant rats.

This distinction between cause and effect in the area of obesity indicates that dynamics occurring at a molecular level could be a leading factor in the development of obesity.

31/03/2023

https://info.bioticsresearch.com/researchforum/watermelon-hepatic-gene-expression

An interesting study has found that the consumption of watermelon may positively impact hepatic gene expression and upregulate lipid metabolism in obese mice. The current Western diet, often characterized by intake of high levels of saturated fats, cholesterol, and refined carbohydrate, has been sho...

16/03/2023

Tea Consumption & Mortality

A recent prospective cohort study of nearly half a million tea drinkers from the UK found that intake of tea at a level of 2 or more cups per day may be associated with lower mortality risk, regardless of genetic variations in caffeine metabolism.

Tea is a very popular beverage worldwide, with black and green tea being the most commonly consumed types. Previous studies, mainly on Asia populations where green tea is more prevalent, have suggested a modest inverse association between tea drinking and mortality.
Studies on tea drinking and mortality in populations preferring black tea are more limited and have revealed inconsistent findings.

Both black and green tea contain high concentrations of flavonoids and other phytonutrients believed to confer health-giving properties. However, both types of tea also contain caffeine, which has garnered interest regarding its impact on health, particularly among persons genetically predisposed to impaired caffeine metabolism. Though generally lower in caffeine than coffee, tea is a significant contributor to dietary caffeine in populations with high tea consumption.

Personal preferences may also impact the health benefits of tea, as differing preparation methods (temperature, steeping time, and additives such as milk and sugar) may impact the extraction and concentration of flavonoids and other bioactive compounds from tea leaves. These differences may impact potential associations between tea consumption and mortality but have not been investigated in previous tea studies.

The objective of this study was to evaluate links between tea consumption and all-cause and cause-specific mortality, also considering any impact due to genetic variations in caffeine metabolism.

13/03/2023

Mark Hyman on Staying Forever Young

To address these impediments and deal with dysfunctional hallmarks of aging, Hyman presented a strategy to enhance longevity, which he succinctly summed up in five key points:

* Dramatically reduce intake of sugar, starch, and processed foods
* Consume at least 30 to 40 grams of protein for breakfast, followed by another 16 grams between lunch and dinner.
* Increase phytonutrient intake
* Incorporate resistance training
* Find a community

In essence, we have to start reimagining aging, Hyman said.

Most of what goes wrong as we age is a consequence of dysfunction, said Mark Hyman, MD, senior advisor for the Cleveland Clinic Center for Functional Medicine and author of the recent book, Young Fore

02/02/2023

Parkinson’s & Metagenomics

Results of a large-scale metagenomic analysis of the intestinal microbiome among people with Parkinson’s disease (PD) were recently published in Nature Communications. Deep shotgun metagenomic sequencing was conducted on samples from 234 neurologically healthy controls and 490 persons with PD.

It’s worth noting that this study was initiated in response to a growing evidence base supporting a gut origin for some cases of PD; specifically, enteric nerves are suspected to be the initial site of PD pathology, which later spreads to the brain. This has been supported by animal evidence, and may be reflected by the early onset of symptoms such as constipation and postprandial fullness which precede motor symptoms by decades.

This recent study, the largest dataset to be published to date, suggests widespread dysbiosis in the PD microbiome, with over 30% of species, genes and pathways tested varying from the microbiome among healthy controls. Some of the highlights include the enrichment of the phylum Firmicutes and depletion of the genus Prevotella, though alterations in the abundance of 84 different bacterial species were found.

This included elevations in Bifidobacterium dentium by 7-fold, Actinomyces oris by 6.5-fold, and Streptococcus mutans by 6-fold among PD participants, and reductions of Roseburia intestinalis by 7.5-fold and Blautia wexlerae by 5-fold. Reductions were also observed for short-chain fatty acid-producing bacteria, including Faecalibacterium prausnitzii.

Additionally, hundreds of metabolic pathways were analyzed, with between 1/3 to 2/3 found to be dysregulated among those with PD. This study is an important stepping stone to potentially manipulating the microbiome, perhaps allowing for early prevention of this progressive disease.

22/01/2023

A recent study found no association between timing from first meal to last meal and weight loss over the course of a six-year trial period.

The study, published in the Journal of the American Heart Association, was by Wendy Bennett, MD, MPH, an associate professor of medicine at John Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore, Maryland. Several studies have explored the impact of time restricted eating, or intermittent fasting, on weight loss, but many have been inconclusive. For this investigation, scientists aimed to better understand the association between time from the first meal to the last meal and weight loss.

To do this, researchers analyzed the health records of nearly 550 adults from three healthcare systems in Maryland and Pennsylvania. In the two years prior to the study’s enrollment, each participant had at least one weight and height measurement registered. Of the participants, 80 percent were white adults, 12 percent were Black adults, and three percent identified as Asian adults. Their average age was 51 years, and their average body mass was 30.8, which is considered obese. The average follow-up time for weight recorded in the electrical health record was 6.8 years.

Researchers measured the time from the first meal to the last meal each day, the time lapse from waking up to first meal, and the interval from the last meal to sleep of each patient using data from a mobile application. In the application, participants cataloged sleeping, eating, and wake up time each day during the first month of the study. For the following six months, participants were asked to use the application one week every month.

Upon analysis, researchers found no association between weight change during the six-year follow-up period in a population with a wide range of body weight. Results showed that the daily number of large meals, an estimated 1,000 calories, and medium meals, estimated at 500 to 1,000 calories, were each associated with increased weight in the six-year follow up. Fewer small meals, however, estimated at less than 500 calories, were associated with decreasing weight.

According to the study’s authors, although the results indicated an association between fewer overall calories and weight loss, a direct link could not be determined. The study’s design, said the authors, had several limitations in that it didn’t evaluate the complex interactions between timing and frequency of eating and was unable to determine the participants’ intentionality of weight loss. Researchers suggested that future studies should focus on the cause and effect of intermittent fasting as well as include a more diverse population.

18/01/2023

A recent study found that people taking vitamin D supplements regularly had a considerably lower risk of developing melanoma than those who did not use the supplement.

The study, published in the journal, Melanoma Research, was conducted by scientists at the University of Eastern Finland in Kuopio, Finland. According to researchers, previous studies have focused on serum levels of calcidiol, a metabolite of vitamin D, and its association to skin cancer risk. However, many of the results came out contradictory or inconclusive, in part because scientists didn’t measure participants’ metabolism of vitamin D in the human skin.

For this investigation, researchers sought to better understand whether vitamin D could help prevent skin cancer in those at high risk for the condition. To do this, researchers recruited 498 adult participants from the dermatological outpatient clinic of Kuopio University Hospital. All patients had an increased risk of skin cancer including basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma, and melanoma.

The participants’ risk was classified as namely low risk, moderate risk, or high risk. The participants were also divided into three groups depending on their vitamin D usage: non-users, occasional users, and regular users. Serum calcidiol levels were analyzed in half of the patients and they were found to correspond with their self-reported levels of vitamin D intake.

Results of the investigation showed that among the vitamin D users, there were significantly fewer cases of melanoma than non-users. In addition, logistical regression analysis found that the risk of melanoma among regular users was more than halved compared to non-users.

Other findings, however, suggested no association between use of vitamin D and the severity of photoaging, facial photoaging, actinic keratosis, nevus count, basal cell carcinoma, or squamous cell carcinoma. In addition, serum levels did not seem to be related to skin changes, and researchers were unable to determine a causal relationship between vitamin D and skin cancer risk.

According to the study’s authors, these results show a clear association between regular vitamin D supplementation and risk of melanoma. However, they said more research is needed to determine the specifics of how to use vitamin D supplementation to lower the risk of melanoma.

"These earlier studies back our new findings from the North Savo region here in Finland," said study author, Ilkka Harvima, MD, PhD, a professor of Dermatology and Allergology at the University of Eastern Finland. “However, the question about the optimal dose of oral vitamin D in order to for it to have beneficial effects remains to be answered. Until we know more, national intake recommendations should be followed."

Avery St. Onge is the Associate Editor of Integrative Practitioner

15/01/2023

Controlling food intake isn’t always a conscious decision, study suggests

A new study found that visual food cues impact both conscious and unconscious behavior, indicating that dietary guidance alone may not be enough for patients with obesity to lose weight.

According to the study, efforts to control obesity usually involve regulating a patient’s eating behaviors with dietary guidance. However, research suggests that about half those who lose weight due to dietary guidance return to their original weight within five years. Published in the journal, PLOS ONE, this investigation sought to explain the limited effectiveness of dietary guidance and better understand the unconscious neural processes that impact eating behaviors.

To do this, a team of scientists led by Takahiro Yoshikawa, MD, a professor at the Graduate School of Medicine at Osaka Metropolitan University in Osaka, Japan, studied neural activity in response to unconscious and conscious visual food stimuli. In addition, participants answered a questionnaire on eating behaviors such as emotional eating and cognitive restraint of food intake.

The study’s results revealed that activity in the inferior frontal gyrus, a region of the brain’s frontal lobe that controls eating behavior, changed when visual food stimuli were presented consciously and unconsciously. In addition, researchers found that these changes correlated to the participants’ questionnaire answers.

According to researchers, these results indicate that both unconscious and conscious neural processes much be considered when studying ways to regulate eating behavior.

"If we can learn more in future research about how eating behavior is controlled by unconscious neural processes, we can combine that understanding with our current knowledge of conscious neural processes to potentially develop more effective methods for regulating eating behavior," said Yoshikawa.

14/01/2023

Red Dye & Gut Health

Eating whole foods is beneficial because whole foods are replete with key nutrients. However, eating whole foods also means avoiding processed foods, which is an important dietary strategy as well. Avoiding processed foods means eliminating additives and preservatives that might seem insignificant, but a recent study has shown that long-term consumption of red food dye, a common food additive, can be a potential trigger of inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs), Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. Diet plays a pivotal role in the development of IBD and IBD incidence has seen a rapid rise in developing countries with western diets that are high in food additives.

Study author Wiliul Khan of McMaster University said the dye is a common ingredient in candies, soft drinks, dairy products and certain cereals. Dyes are generally used to make foods more appealing to children, be it the color or the texture, and the use of synthetic colorants in food products has increased over the past 50 years. These compounds generate free aromatic amines in the gut lumen where they can be considered mutagenic and carcinogenic. The dye directly disrupts gut barrier function, increases the production of serotonin, and alters gut microbiota composition, all of which leads to an increased susceptibility to colitis.

Serotonin or 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) regulates GI physiological function in response to environmental stimuli in the gut. 5-HT content was found to be elevated in IBD patients, and mice with lower 5-HT content in the gut showed reduced colitis severity.

In this study, C57BL/6 mice were either fed a normal chow diet or one exposed to red dye for 12 weeks. Red dye levels were calculated based on the acceptable daily intake (ADI) in humans (7 mg/kg per body weight). Mice exposed to red dye showed reduced body weight, increased disease activity, reduction in colonic lengths and increased colonic weights. In addition, colonic interleukin (IL)--1β, IL-6, and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, were higher in the mice exposed to the red dye, while the genes that regulate intestinal epithelial barrier function (zonula occludin-1 [ZO-1; Tjp1], and occludin [Ocln]), were reduced compared to their counterparts.

"The literature suggests that the consumption of Allura red dye also affects certain allergies, immune disorders and behavioral problems in children, such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder," says Khan. “While the exact causes of IBDs are not fully understood, dysregulated immune responses, genetic factors, gut microbiota imbalances, and environmental factors are triggers.”

08/01/2023

https://www.integrativepractitioner.com/nutrition/news/2022-01-04-common-food-dye-may-trigger-inflammatory-bowel-diseases

A recent study identified Allura Red food dye as a potential trigger for inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) such as Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. The study was published in the journal,