VIDEOS:
Dem Party Turns On Anti-War Democratic Primary Winner (2:16 to 5:28)
Society is going to COLLAPSE -Neil Oliver ( 5:24)
Fear Psychosis and the Cult of Safety – Why are People so Afraid? – Academy of Ideas (13:25)
The Great Reset and Transhumanism | Beyond the Cover (17:50)
Zinc supplementation associated with higher levels of brain growth factorSoybean foods may protect menopausal women against osteoporosis Study finds diet high in s...
VIDEOS:
- Dem Party Turns On Anti-War Democratic Primary Winner (2:16 to 5:28)
- Society is going to COLLAPSE -Neil Oliver ( 5:24)
- Fear Psychosis and the Cult of Safety – Why are People so Afraid? – Academy of Ideas (13:25)
- The Great Reset and Transhumanism | Beyond the Cover (17:50)
Zinc supplementation associated with higher levels of brain growth factor
Soybean foods may protect menopausal women against osteoporosis Study finds diet high in saturated fat can reprogram immune cells in mice
Coenzyme Q10 consumption reverses cholesterol transport
Study confirms that processed foods key to rising obesity
Violence on TV: Effects from age 3 can stretch into the teen years
Zinc supplementation associated with higher levels of brain growth factor
Iran University of Medical Sciences, November 4 2022.
A review and meta-analysis of randomized, controlled trials affirmed an association between supplementing with zinc and higher circulating levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). Brain-derived neurotrophic factor plays a positive role in the survival of brain cells known as neurons. A reduction in BDNF expression occurs in Alzheimer and Parkinson diseases, multiple sclerosis and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Antidepressants and anthocyanin supplements have been shown to increase BDNF gene expression, and serum or plasma levels have been elevated by exercise and omega-3 fatty acid, resveratrol or zinc supplementation.
For their review and meta-analysis, Fahimeh Agh of Iran University of Medical Sciences and colleagues identified four trials that evaluated the effects of zinc supplements on serum or plasma BDNF levels among 185. Zinc dosages ranged from 25–30 milligrams per day given for 84–90 days.
Pooled results of the trials found significantly higher BDNF levels among participants who received zinc compared with participants in the control groups. The increase in BDNF was significant at 30 milligram doses (which were used in 3 trials) and at all trial durations. Among the 3 trials that analyzed serum zinc levels, participants who were given zinc supplements had significantly increased zinc levels in comparison with the control participants.
“A large body of evidence indicated BDNF as an important predictive factor for following the beginning, progress and cure of brain disorders due to its main role in brain neurogenesis and neuroplasticity,” Agh and her associates wrote.
“Increased circulating levels of BDNF as a result of zinc supplementation suggest that zinc supplementation may be a safe and effective strategy to counteract neurodegenerative diseases that are correlated with low BDNF levels,” they concluded.
Soybean foods may protect menopausal women against osteoporosis
University of Hull (UK), November 1, 2022
Eating a diet rich in both soy protein and isoflavones can protect menopausal women from bone weakening and osteoporosis, according to the results of a preliminary study presented today at the Society for Endocrinology annual conference in Edinburgh.
Soybean foods contain chemicals known as isoflavones that are similar in structure to oestrogen and so could theoretically protect women against osteoporosis by mimicking the action of oestrogen.
In this study, researchers from the University of Hull gave two hundred women in early menopause a daily supplement containing soy protein with 66mg of isoflavones or a supplement with soy protein alone for six months. The researchers investigated changes in the women’s bone activity by measuring certain proteins (βCTX and P1NP) in their blood.
They found that the women on the soy diet with isoflavones had significantly lower levels of βCTX than the women on soy alone, suggesting that their rate of bone loss was slowing down and lowering their risk of developing osteoporosis. Women taking soy protein with isoflavones were also found to have decreased risk of cardiovascular disease than those taking soy alone.
“The 66 mg of isoflavone that we use in this study is equivalent to eating an oriental diet, which is rich in soy foods. In contrast, we only get around 2-16 mg of isoflavone with the average western diet.”
“Supplementing our food with isoflavones could lead to a significant decrease in the number of women being diagnosed with osteoporosis.”
Study finds diet high in saturated fat can reprogram immune cells in mice
Portland State University, November 7, 2022
A new study by Portland State University researchers is the first to show that eating a diet exclusively high in saturated fats can reprogram the mouse immune system, making it better able to fight off infection but more susceptible to systemic inflammatory conditions, including sepsis. Brooke Napier, assistant professor of biology at PSU, led the study, which was published in eLife.
The ketogenic or “keto” diet is a popular high-fat diet used for weight loss or to control epileptic seizures. This study shows that when mice eat a ketogenic diet that is high in saturated fats it can have a significant impact on their immune system.
A previous study by Napier and colleagues found that mice fed a high-fat, high-sugar Western diet were more susceptible to sepsis and had a higher mortality rate than mice fed a standard diet. In the current study, the researchers found similar effects in mice fed a high-fat ketogenic diet, suggesting that dietary fat may play a role in sepsis.
The researchers focused on one particular fat found in the blood of the mice fed a ketogenic diet: palmitic acid, which is commonly found in animal fats and dairy products. Remarkably, mice fed a normal diet who were injected with palmitic acid also became more susceptible to sepsis.
“It was just exposure to this one saturated fat that made them more susceptible to sepsis mortality,” says Napier. “The idea that you could have a specific fat in your diet that would cause such a drastic outcome in disease is kind of incredible.”
Napier and her team next probed just how exactly high levels of palmitic acid could initiate sepsis. Their first clue came when they noticed that mice fed the Western diet, mice fed the ketogenic diet, and mice treated with palmitic acid all had high levels of inflammatory cytokines, immunological hormones that can cause fever and systemic inflammation during sepsis.
The presence of the inflammatory cytokines suggested that palmitic acid could be affecting the immune system by causing inflammation, but Napier soon discovered that the story was more complicated—and more interesting—than that.
Napier and colleagues also found that another type of fat may be able to counteract the harmful effects of palmitic acid. Oleic acid, a polyunsaturated fat found in many plant-based oils including olive oil, can block the synthesis of ceramide, a fatty substance that can initiate a stress response in cells and may play a role in the hyperinflammatory response that causes sepsis. When the researchers fed mice a ketogenic diet for two weeks but also gave them oleic acid for the final three days, they no longer showed an increased susceptibility to sepsis.
Coenzyme Q10 consumption reverses cholesterol transport
Sun Yat Sen University (Taiwan), October 31, 2022
According to news reporting out of Guangdong, People’s Republic of China, research stated, “We have recently shown that coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) enhances macrophage reverse cholesterol transport via activator protein-1/miRNA-378/ABCG1 signal pathway in vivo and in vitro. Whether CoQ10 exerts similar beneficial effects in human is currently unknown.”
Our news journalists obtained a quote from the research from Sun Yat Sen University, “The present study evaluated the effect of CoQ10 on ABCG1-mediated macrophage cholesterol efflux in 20 healthy volunteers. Participants were given 100 mg CoQ10 twice daily or placebo for 1 week with a 1-week washout period. Human monocyte-derived macrophages (MDMs) were differentiated under pooled sera obtained before (preCoQ10) or after CoQ10 (postCoQ10) consumption. The CoQ10-induced inhibition of MDMs foam cell formation was blocked by ABCG1 silencing in postCoQ10 MDMs incubated with postCoQ10 sera compared to preCoQ10 sera. The cholesterol efflux to HDL, and mRNA as well as protein expressions of ATP-binding cassette transporter G1 (ABCG1) were augmented in postCoQ10 MDMs incubated with postCoQ10 sera compared to preCoQ10 sera. The change in the serum CoQ10 concentration positively correlated with cholesterol efflux to HDL and ABCG1 mRNA level in the CoQ10 group. MDMs treated with purified CoQ10 had an enhanced cholesterol efflux to HDL.”
According to the news editors, the research concluded: “CoQ10 consumption may have an atheroprotective property by inducing ABCG1 expression and enhancing HDL-mediated macrophage cholesterol efflux in healthyindividuals.”
Study confirms that processed foods key to rising obesity
University of Sydney (Australia), November 7, 2022
A year-long study of the dietary habits of 9,341 Australians has backed growing evidence that highly processed and refined foods are the leading contributor of rising obesity rates in the Western world.
“As people consume more junk foods or highly processed and refined foods, they dilute their dietary protein and increase their risk of being overweight and obese, which we know increases the risk of chronic disease,” said lead author Dr. Amanda Grech, a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the CPC and the university’s School of Life and Environmental Sciences.
“It’s increasingly clear that our bodies eat to satisfy a protein target,” added Professor David Raubenheimer, the Leonard Ullmann Chair in Nutritional Ecology at the School of Life and Environmental Sciences. “But the problem is that the food in Western diets has increasingly less protein. So, you have to consume more of it to reach your protein target, which effectively elevates your daily energy intake.
The University of Sydney scientists analyzed data from a cross-sectional survey of nutrition and physical activity in 9,341 adults, known as the National Nutrition and Physical Activity Survey with a mean age of 46.3 years. They found the population’s mean energy intake was 8,671 kilojoules (kJ), with the mean percentage of energy from protein being just 18.4 percent, compared with 43.5 percent from carbohydrates and from 30.9 percent from fat, and just 2.2 percent from fiber and 4.3 percent from alcohol.
They also found a statistically significant difference between groups by the third meal of the day: those with a higher proportion of energy from protein at the start of the day had much lower total energy intake for the day. Meanwhile, those who consumed foods low in protein at the start of the day proceeded to increase consumption, indicating they were seeking to compensate with a higher consumption of overall energy. This is despite the fact the first meal was the smallest for both groups, with the least amount of energy and food consumed, whereas the last meal was the largest.
Participants with a lower proportion of protein than recommended at the first meal consumed more discretionary foods—energy-dense foods high in saturated fats, sugars, salt, or alcohol—throughout the day, and less of the recommended five food groups (grains; vegetables/legumes; fruit; dairy and meats). Consequently, they had an overall poorer diet at each mealtime, with their percentage of protein energy decreasing even as their discretionary food intake rose—an effect the scientists call ‘protein dilution’.
While many factors contribute to excess weight gain—including eating patterns, physical activity levels, and sleep routines—the University of Sydney scientists argue the body’s powerful demand for protein, and its lack in highly processed and refined foods, is a key driver of energy overconsumption and obesity in the Western world.
Violence on TV: Effects from age 3 can stretch into the teen years
University of Montreal, November 7, 2022
Watching violent TV during the preschool years can lead to later risks of psychological and academic impairment by the summer before middle school starts, according to a new study led by Linda Pagani, a professor at Université de Montréal’s School of Psycho-Education.
Before now, “it was unclear to what extent exposure to typical violent screen content in early childhood—a particularly critical time in brain development—can predict later psychological distress and academic risks,” said Pagani.
“The detection of early modifiable factors that influence a child’s later well-being is an important target for individual and community health initiatives, and psychological adjustment and academic motivation are essential elements in the successful transition to adolescence,” she added. “So, we wanted to see the long-term effect of typical violent screen exposure in preschoolers on normal development, based on several key indicators of youth adjustment at age 12.”
To do this, Pagani and her team examined the violent screen content that parents reported their children viewing between ages 3 1/2 and 4 1/2, and then conducted a follow-up when the children reached age 12.
“Compared to their same-sex peers who were not exposed to violent screen content, boys and girls who were exposed to typical violent content on television were more likely to experience subsequent increases in emotional distress,” said Pagani.
“They also experienced decreases in classroom engagement, academic achievement and academic motivation by the end of the sixth grade,” she added. “For youth, transition to middle school already represents a crucial stage in their development as adolescents. Feeling sadness and anxiety and being at risk academically tends to complicate their situation.”
In all, the parents of 978 girls and 998 boys participated in the study of violent TV viewing at the preschool age. At age 12 years, the children and their teachers rated the children’s psychosocial and academic achievement, motivation and participation in classroom activities.
“Preschool children tend to identify with characters on TV and treat everything they see as real,” Pagani said. “They are especially vulnerable to humorous depictions of glorified heroes and villains who use violence as a justified means to solve problems.
“Repeated exposure,” she added, “to rapidly paced, adrenaline-inducing action sequences and captivating special effects could reinforce beliefs, attitudes and impressions that habitual violence in social interactions is ‘normal.’ Mislearning essential social skills can make it difficult to fit in at school.”
Added Bernard, “Just like witnessing violence in real life, being repeatedly exposed to a hostile and violent world populated by sometimes grotesque-looking creatures could trigger fear and stress and lead these children to perceive society as dangerous and frightening. And this can lead to habitually overreacting in ambiguous social situations. In the preschool years, the number of hours in a day is limited, and the more children get exposed to aggressive interactions (on screens) the more they might think it normal to behave that way.”
