Dr. J. David Spence of Ontario's Stroke Prevention and Atherosclerosis Research Center and two of his colleagues have just published a study in the journal Atherosclerosis purportedly showing that eating egg yolks is almost as bad for our arteries as smoking cigarettes.
This paper is more like an aggregation of clinical notes than what we would expect from something we'd call a "study." In 1995, they began measuring total plaque in the carotid arteries of patients who were referred to their vascular prevention clinics. Prior to the year 2000, they gave the patients a particular lifestyle questionnaire that they tell us very little about. In 2000, their clientele changed. After this point, patients came to them on an "urgent" basis because they had just suffered a stroke or a transient ischemic attack. They gave these patients "a more limited set of lifestyle questions," which they also tell us very little about.
Health & Wellness
The video of my 2012 Low-Carb Course Lecture, "Why Animal Fats Are Good for You," is now up on YouTube! And that, of course, is thanks to Terry and Pam Young of "Make it Fun and it Will Get Done." Since a considerable portion of my talk involves the development of a "common sense" approach to animal fat based on the work of Weston Price, I thought this would be a good place to post the link to the videos.
© GreenMedInfo
Researchers in Spain have shown that just because you inherited some "bad genes" from your parents and grandparents, you are not doomed to suffer the diseases to which you are predisposed. A healthy diet, they say, can modulate the effect of these genes.
At the Institut Municipal d'Investigacio Medica in Barcelona, scientists worked with three groups of healthy volunteers. One group followed a traditional Mediterranean diet with virgin olive oil which is rich in polyphenols, while the second group followed the same diet with a lower grade of olive oil low in polyphenols, and the third group followed their regular diet. Phenols are micronutrients in olive oil; the extra virgin oils have particularly high levels of them.
After just three months, the virgin olive oil group showed improvement in genes related to atherosclerosis or hardening of the arteries, as well as coronary heart disease.
Earlier researchers at the University of Cordoba in Spain concluded that eating a diet rich in virgin olive oil like the Mediterranean diet also represses pro-inflammatory genes through the action of olive oil's polyphenols. They suggested that this anti-inflammatory action explains in part the reduced risk of cardiovascular disease seen in people who eat a Mediterranean diet.
Do you sleep with the TV on or your laptop screen lit up? Turn it off, pronto. According to a new study in Molecular Psychology, nighttime brightness could lead to depression.
In the study, researchers separated hamsters into two groups: one group experienced a standard light/dark cycle, while the other group was exposed to a dim light at night--on par with city lights outside your window or the glow of a TV screen. After four weeks, hamsters who slept with some light showed signs of depression. (Depressed hamsters? Yup. Researchers tell by observing the rodents' interest in sugar water.)
In the study, researchers separated hamsters into two groups: one group experienced a standard light/dark cycle, while the other group was exposed to a dim light at night--on par with city lights outside your window or the glow of a TV screen. After four weeks, hamsters who slept with some light showed signs of depression. (Depressed hamsters? Yup. Researchers tell by observing the rodents' interest in sugar water.)
© Younger lab, University of Michigan
A computer model of how bacteria traveling through the bloodstream clump together, which may explain how bloodstream infections resist antibiotics.
A computer model of how bacteria traveling through the bloodstream clump together, which may explain how bloodstream infections resist antibiotics.
In a new paper in the Journal of Infectious Diseases, a team of University of Michigan researchers demonstrate that bacteria can form antibiotic-resistant clumps in a short time, even in a flowing liquid such as the blood.
The researchers made the discovery by building a special device that closely simulates the turbulence and forces of blood flow, and adding a strain of bacteria that's a common cause of bloodstream infections.
Tiny aggregates, or clumps, of 10 to 20 bacteria formed in the flowing liquid in just two hours -- about the same time it takes human patients to develop infections.
The researchers also showed that these clumps only formed when certain sticky carbohydrate molecules were present on the surface of the bacteria. The clumps persisted even when two different types of antibiotics were added -- suggesting that sticking together protects the floating bacteria from the drugs' effects.
When the researchers injected the clumps into mice, they stayed intact even after making many trips through the bloodstream. The clumps -- about the size of a red blood cell -- appeared to survive the filtering that normally takes place in the smallest blood vessels and defends the body against invaders.
A study to be published in the Endocrine Society's Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism (JCEM) suggests that physical activity for premenopausal women is very effective in reducing sclerostin -- a known inhibitor of bone formation. In addition, physical training enhances IGF-1levels, which have a very positive effect on bone formation.
Bone is a tissue that is always changing due to hormonal changes and physical activity, or lack thereof. Sclerostin is a glycoprotein produced almost exclusively by osteocytes, the most abundant cells found in human bone. Upon release, sclerostin travels to the surface of the bone where it inhibits the creation of cells that help bones develop.
"Physical activity is good for bone health and results in lowering sclerostin, a known inhibitor of bone formation and enhancing IGF-1 levels, a positive effector on bone health" said Mohammed-Salleh M. Ardawi, PhD, FRCPath, professor at the Center of Excellence for Osteoporosis Research and Faculty of Medicine at King Abdulaziz University in Saudi Arabia and lead researcher for this study. "We also found physical activity training that enhances mechanical loading in combination with anabolic therapeutic agents will have added positive effect on bone health, particularly bone formation."
Bone is a tissue that is always changing due to hormonal changes and physical activity, or lack thereof. Sclerostin is a glycoprotein produced almost exclusively by osteocytes, the most abundant cells found in human bone. Upon release, sclerostin travels to the surface of the bone where it inhibits the creation of cells that help bones develop.
"Physical activity is good for bone health and results in lowering sclerostin, a known inhibitor of bone formation and enhancing IGF-1 levels, a positive effector on bone health" said Mohammed-Salleh M. Ardawi, PhD, FRCPath, professor at the Center of Excellence for Osteoporosis Research and Faculty of Medicine at King Abdulaziz University in Saudi Arabia and lead researcher for this study. "We also found physical activity training that enhances mechanical loading in combination with anabolic therapeutic agents will have added positive effect on bone health, particularly bone formation."
New research from Western University has identified a potential new target for the treatment of melanoma, the deadliest of all skin cancers.
Silvia Penuela and Dale Laird have discovered a new channel-forming protein called Pannexin (Panx1) that is expressed in normal levels on the surface of healthy skin cells. But they found, in melanoma, Panx1 is over-produced to a pathological level.
The research is published in the August 17th issue of the Journal of Biological Chemistry.
Malignant melanoma only accounts for four per cent of all skin cancers, and yet it's responsible for 79 per cent of skin cancer-related deaths. The World Health Organization says there are 200,000 cases of melanoma diagnosed each year and 65,000 melanoma-related deaths (2000 statistics).
"We think this over-production of Panx1 enables the melanoma to become very aggressive. The cells have these extra Panx1 channels and they can leave the primary tumor and invade other tissues," explained Laird, a Professor in the Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology.
Silvia Penuela and Dale Laird have discovered a new channel-forming protein called Pannexin (Panx1) that is expressed in normal levels on the surface of healthy skin cells. But they found, in melanoma, Panx1 is over-produced to a pathological level.
The research is published in the August 17th issue of the Journal of Biological Chemistry.
Malignant melanoma only accounts for four per cent of all skin cancers, and yet it's responsible for 79 per cent of skin cancer-related deaths. The World Health Organization says there are 200,000 cases of melanoma diagnosed each year and 65,000 melanoma-related deaths (2000 statistics).
"We think this over-production of Panx1 enables the melanoma to become very aggressive. The cells have these extra Panx1 channels and they can leave the primary tumor and invade other tissues," explained Laird, a Professor in the Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology.
A research team from the Peninsula College of Medicine and Dentistry (PCMD), University of Exeter, and University of Cambridge has for the first time established a link between high levels of urinary Bisphenol-A (BPA) and severe coronary artery stenosis (narrowing of the arteries).
The study is published in PLoS ONE on 15th August 2012.
The team analysed data from 591 patients who participated in the Metabonomics and Genomics Coronary Artery Disease (MaGiCAD) study in Cambridgeshire, UK. They compared urinary BPA with grades of severity of coronary artery disease (CAD).
The patients were classified into severe, intermediate or normal CAD categories based on narrowing of their coronary arteries measured using a technique called angiography, which is considered the gold standard method of diagnosis. In all, 385 patients were identified to have severe CAD, 86 intermediate CAD and 120 had normal coronary arteries.
The study shows that urinary BPA concentration was significantly higher in those with severe CAD compared to those with normal coronary arteries.
The study is published in PLoS ONE on 15th August 2012.
The team analysed data from 591 patients who participated in the Metabonomics and Genomics Coronary Artery Disease (MaGiCAD) study in Cambridgeshire, UK. They compared urinary BPA with grades of severity of coronary artery disease (CAD).
The patients were classified into severe, intermediate or normal CAD categories based on narrowing of their coronary arteries measured using a technique called angiography, which is considered the gold standard method of diagnosis. In all, 385 patients were identified to have severe CAD, 86 intermediate CAD and 120 had normal coronary arteries.
The study shows that urinary BPA concentration was significantly higher in those with severe CAD compared to those with normal coronary arteries.
Researchers at the University of Maryland School of Medicine have identified 26 species of bacteria in the human gut microbiota that appear to be linked to obesity and related metabolic complications. These include insulin resistance, high blood sugar levels, increased blood pressure and high cholesterol, known collectively as "the metabolic syndrome," which significantly increases an individual's risk of developing diabetes, cardiovascular disease and stroke.
The results of the study, which analyzed data from the Old Order Amish in Lancaster County, Pa., are being published online on Aug. 15, 2012, in PLOS ONE, which is published by the Public Library of Science (PLOS One). The study was funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
"We identified 26 species of bacteria that were correlated with obesity and metabolic syndrome traits such as body mass index (BMI), triglycerides, cholesterol, glucose levels and C-reactive protein, a marker for inflammation," says the senior author, Claire M. Fraser, Ph.D., professor of medicine and microbiology and immunology and director of the Institute for Genome Sciences (IGS) at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. "We can't infer cause and effect, but it's an important step forward that we're starting to identify bacteria that are correlated with clinical parameters, which suggests that the gut microbiota could one day be targeted with medication, diet or lifestyle changes."
The results of the study, which analyzed data from the Old Order Amish in Lancaster County, Pa., are being published online on Aug. 15, 2012, in PLOS ONE, which is published by the Public Library of Science (PLOS One). The study was funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
"We identified 26 species of bacteria that were correlated with obesity and metabolic syndrome traits such as body mass index (BMI), triglycerides, cholesterol, glucose levels and C-reactive protein, a marker for inflammation," says the senior author, Claire M. Fraser, Ph.D., professor of medicine and microbiology and immunology and director of the Institute for Genome Sciences (IGS) at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. "We can't infer cause and effect, but it's an important step forward that we're starting to identify bacteria that are correlated with clinical parameters, which suggests that the gut microbiota could one day be targeted with medication, diet or lifestyle changes."
New research from Umeå and Uppsala universities has found high rates of sleep apnea in women, despite the condition usually being regarded as a disorder predominantly of males.
The study, published online ahead of print August 16 in the European Respiratory Journal, also suggested that women with hypertension and/or obesity were more likely to experience sleep apnea.
Obstructive sleep apnea is a condition in which there are frequent pauses in breathing during sleep. The incidence of the condition increases with age and it is considered more prevalent in men than in women. In this new study, researchers from Uppsala and Umeå University in Sweden aimed to investigate the frequency and risk factors of sleep apnea in women.
The study analysed 400 women from a random sample of 10,000 women aged 20-70 years. The participants answered a questionnaire and underwent a sleep examination.
The results found that obstructive sleep apnea was present in 50% of women aged 20-70 years. The researchers also found links between age, obesity and hypertension: 80% of women with hypertension and 84% of obese women suffered from sleep apnea.
The study, published online ahead of print August 16 in the European Respiratory Journal, also suggested that women with hypertension and/or obesity were more likely to experience sleep apnea.
Obstructive sleep apnea is a condition in which there are frequent pauses in breathing during sleep. The incidence of the condition increases with age and it is considered more prevalent in men than in women. In this new study, researchers from Uppsala and Umeå University in Sweden aimed to investigate the frequency and risk factors of sleep apnea in women.
The study analysed 400 women from a random sample of 10,000 women aged 20-70 years. The participants answered a questionnaire and underwent a sleep examination.
The results found that obstructive sleep apnea was present in 50% of women aged 20-70 years. The researchers also found links between age, obesity and hypertension: 80% of women with hypertension and 84% of obese women suffered from sleep apnea.
