“Poor sleep reduces the body's insulin sensitivity and changes a person's appetite, increasing the preference for high carbohydrate foods like pizza, pasta, and sweets. Lack of sleep also alters the gut microbiota and impairs immunity, putting us at risk for developing acute illnesses like colds and flu.”
“In the setting of COVID-19, vitamin D deficiency drives poor outcomes. Treating patients with calcifediol, a prescription vitamin D analog, might be more effective at increasing vitamin D to therapeutic levels.”
“Having a healthy, robust immune system is crucial for our survival. Critical players in the body's antiviral immune response are interferons. Certain lifestyle behaviors can boost interferon production and immune function, including sleep, vitamin D, and hot hydrotherapy.”
“Scientists have also identified interesting links between depression and obesity – likely mediated by elevated inflammation, since fat cells produce a wide array of inflammatory factors. In this Aliquot segment, psychiatrist Dr. Charles Raison describes the links between inflammation and depression.”
“Zinc is an essential nutrient that participates in many biological processes and plays critical roles in immune function, protein synthesis, wound healing, DNA synthesis, cell division, and brain health.”
“Acute activation of the immune system (from exercise or sauna use for example) can temporarily reduce inflammation and the depression that can come with it. The segments brought to you by this episode of The Aliquot feature professor of psychiatry Dr. Charles Raison.”
“In this Aliquot, we share a variety of segments from different interviews covering some of the unconventional effects of omega-3 fatty acids and how to overcome some of the roadblocks to obtaining these effects.”
“Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune neurodegenerative disorder that destroys myelin, the insulating layer that surrounds neurons. The causes of MS are complex and may arise from both genetic and environmental factors, including nutritional deficiencies.”
“Exercise is a huge driver of how well we age because it induces profound molecular shifts that support immune health and might even protect our telomeres – indicators of aging. Exercise might help forestall certain age-related diseases, such as Parkinson's disease, too.”
“But could aging become reversible in the future? Technologies like interrupted cellular reprogramming, in combination with future advances in the field of epigenetics, offer the promise that scientists may eventually be able to develop the means to reverse aging.”