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Onion extracts lower blood pressure for hypertensives: study
University of Bonn (Germany), September 7, 2022
Taking onion skin-derived food supplements of the flavonol quercetin can lower blood pressure for people with hypertension, according to a new study published in the British Journal of Nutrition.
Researchers from the University of Bonn in Germany conducted a double-blind study on 68 overweight or obese volunteers with pre-hypertension or stage 1 hypertension, giving them either a quercetin-rich onion skin extract supplement or a placebo for six weeks.
While the subjects who were not classed as having high blood pressure did not show significant changes, those with high blood pressure saw positive results.
“Supplementation with 162 mg/d quercetin from onion skin extract lowers [ambulatory blood pressure] in patients with hypertension, suggesting a cardioprotective effect of quercetin. The mechanisms responsible for the [blood pressure]-lowering effect remain unclear,” wrote the study’s authors.
Quercetin is an antioxidant commonly found in plants, including onions, kale, apple skins, berries, citrus fruits and tea.
Participants with hypertension saw their systolic blood pressure fall an average of 3.6 mmHg, which the authors suggested “would be clinically meaningful when considered at the population level, particularly in view of the large population of people with pre-hypertension and stage I hypertension”.
The dose of 162 mg per day of quercetin-rich onion skin extract, in the form of three 54 mg capsules, was identified as being approximately 10 to 15 times the normal daily quercetin intake for people in the European Union. The study excluded people who consumed high levels of quercetin in their normal diets.
Older adults with regular activity routines are happier and do better on cognitive tests, study finds
University of Pittsburgh, September 12, 2022
Older adults who consistently get up early and remain active throughout the day are happier and perform better on cognitive tests than those with irregular activity patterns, according to a new study led by University of Pittsburgh researchers.
The findings, published online in JAMA Psychiatry, suggest that patterns of activity—not just activity intensity—are important for healthy aging and mental health.
“There’s something about getting going early, staying active all day and following the same routine each day that seems to be protecting older adults,” said lead author Stephen Smagula, Ph.D., assistant professor of psychiatry and epidemiology at Pitt. “What’s exciting about these findings is that activity patterns are under voluntary control, which means that making intentional changes to one’s daily routine could improve health and wellness.”
To learn more about daily activity patterns in U.S.-based older adults and identify links with mental health and cognition, Smagula and his team recruited 1,800 senior citizens aged over 65. Participants wore accelerometers—movement-detecting devices often found in smartphones and exercise trackers—on their wrists for seven days to measure activity, and they completed questionnaires to assess depression symptoms and cognitive function.
The analysis showed that 37.6% of participants rose early in the morning, stayed active throughout the day and had consistent daily routines.
Another group comprising 32.6% of participants similarly had consistent daily patterns but the participants were active for an average of just 13.4 hours each day because they rose later in the morning or settled down earlier in the evening. This group had more depression symptoms and poorer cognition than the early risers.
The remaining 29.8% of participants had disrupted activity patterns in which periods of activity were erratic throughout the day and inconsistent across days. These adults had the highest rates of depression and performed worst on cognitive tests.
Smagula said that the first step to developing a consistent routine and getting better sleep is waking up at the same time each day—no matter how tired you are.
“The other thing is having a realistic plan to keep active through the whole day. This can be really hard—especially if you’re in a slump or recovering from an injury—so it’s important to be reasonable with yourself,” he added. “A plan could include making a list of activities you enjoy and scheduling time to meet a friend or neighbor.”
Weight loss water: Drinking before each meal aids weight reduction
University of Birmingham (UK), September 9, 2022
Drinking 500 ml of water around 30 minutes before main meals could help obese and overweight people to lose more weight, according to new research.
The study, published in Obesity, tested the simple intervention of ‘preloading’ with water over a 12 week period – finding that people who drank 500ml of water at half an hour before eating main meals lost, on average, 1.3kg (2.87lbs) more than those in the control group who did not preload.
“The beauty of these findings is in the simplicity,” commented study lead author Dr Helen Parretti, who is from the University of Birmingham, UK. “Just drinking a pint of water, three times a day, before your main meals may help reduce your weight.”
Indeed, the UK-based team reported that preloading before all three main meals in the day resulted in an average loss of 4.3kg (9.48lbs) over the 12 weeks, whereas those who only preloaded once, or not at all, lost an average of 0.8kg (1.76lbs).
“Losing a few extra pounds over the course of a year can be significant to an individual, and this could be an easy way to help with that weight loss,” Parretti added. “It’s a simple message that has the potential to make a real contribution to public health.”
After twelve weeks, Parretti and her team measured weight loss between the two groups – finding that participants who were instructed to consume 500 ml of water 30 min before main meals lost 1.3 kg more than the comparator group.
According to the findings, 27% of those in the preloading intervention group lost more than 5% of their body weight during the 12 week trial, while only 5% in the comparator group lost the same amount.
Exercise hormone halts Parkinson’s disease symptoms in mouse study
Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, September 12, 2022
Researchers from Johns Hopkins Medicine and the Dana Farber Cancer Institute in Boston have shown that a hormone secreted into the blood during endurance, or aerobic, exercise reduces levels of a protein linked to Parkinson’s disease and halts movement problems in mice.
If confirmed in additional laboratory research and clinical trials, the researchers’ study in mice engineered to have Parkinson’s disease symptoms could pave the way for a Parkinson’s disease therapy based on the hormone irisin.
In the past decade, other laboratories have found that exercise elevates levels of irisin, and there is interest in looking into the connection between irisin and Alzheimer’s disease as well as Parkinson’s disease.
In the laboratory model, the researchers found that irisin prevented the accumulation of alpha synuclein clumps and its associated brain cell death.
Additional studies of brain cells among the mice given irisin showed that the exercise hormone lowered levels of Parkinson’s disease-related alpha synuclein between 50% and 80%. The research team demonstrated that irisin also speeds up the transport and degradation of alpha synuclein via fluid-filled sacs called lysosomes in brain cells.
Common antidepressant may change brain
Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center, September 4, 2022
A commonly prescribed antidepressant may alter brain structures in depressed and non-depressed individuals in very different ways, according to new research at Wake Forest Baptist MedicalCenter.
The study – conducted in nonhuman primates with brain structures and functions similar to those of humans – found that the antidepressant sertraline, a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) marketed as Zoloft, significantly increased the volume of one brain region in depressed subjects but decreased the volume of two brain areas in non-depressed subjects.
In the study, 41 middle-aged female monkeys were fed a diet formulated to replicate that consumed by many Americans for 18 months, during which time depressive behavior in the animals was recorded. Female monkeys were chosen for this study because depression is nearly twice as common in women as men and the use of antidepressants is most common in women ages 40 to 59.
After the 18-month pre-study phase, the monkeys were divided into two groups balanced for body weight, body mass index and depressive behavior. For the next 18 months, 21 monkeys received sertraline in daily doses comparable to those taken by humans while a group of 20 received a placebo. This treatment regimen is analogous to a human taking an antidepressant for approximately five years.
MRI images taken at the end of the treatment phase revealed that in depressed subjects the drug significantly increased the volume of one region of the brain, the anterior cingulate cortex, while decreasing the volume of this same region and the hippocampus in non-depressed subjects. Both of these areas are highly interconnected with other areas of the brain; are critical in a wide array of functions including memory, learning, spatial navigation, will, motivation and emotion; and are implicated in major depressive disorder.
Daytime eating may benefit mental health
Brigham and Women’s Hospital, September 12, 2022
Beating the blues with food? A new study adds evidence that meal timing may affect mental health, including levels of depression- and anxiety-related mood. Investigators from Brigham and Women’s Hospital, a founding member of the Mass General Brigham health care system, designed a study that simulated night work and then tested the effects of daytime and nighttime eating versus daytime eating only. The team found that, among participants in the daytime and nighttime eating group, depression-like mood levels increased by 26% and anxiety-like mood levels by 16%. Participants in the daytime-only eating group did not experience this increase, suggesting that meal timing may influence mood vulnerability. Results are published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
“Our findings provide evidence for the timing of food intake as a novel strategy to potentially minimize mood vulnerability in individuals experiencing circadian misalignment, such as people engaged in shift work, experiencing jet lag, or suffering from circadian rhythm disorders,” said co-corresponding author Frank A. J. L. Scheer, Ph.D., Director of the Medical Chronobiology Program in the Brigham’s Division of Sleep and Circadian Disorders.
The team found that meal timing significantly affected the participants’ mood levels. During the simulated night shift (day 4), those in the Daytime and Nighttime Meal Control Group had increased depression-like mood levels and anxiety-like mood levels, compared to baseline (day 1). In contrast, there were no changes in mood in the Daytime Meal Intervention Group during the simulated night shift. Participants with a greater degree of circadian misalignment experienced more depression- and anxiety-like mood.
“Meal timing is emerging as an important aspect of nutrition that may influence physical health,” said Chellappa. “But the causal role of the timing of food intake on mental health remains to be tested. Future studies are required to establish if changes in meal timing can help individuals experiencing depressive and anxiety/anxiety-related disorders.”
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