Early-life nutrition influences lifelong health, and excessive calorie intake in infancy can set the stage for obesity, insulin resistance, and chronic inflammation. However, okra, a vegetable rich in anti-inflammatory and antioxidant compounds, may help counteract these harmful effects. A recent study found that rats overfed during infancy became obese and glucose intolerant, but those fed an okra-enriched diet avoided these issues entirely. Researchers raised a group of rat pups in small litters, where each pup had greater access to milk, and another group in normal-sized litters. After wean... diet inflammation insulin resistance nutrition obesity
Read moreIn people with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), traumatic experiences can resurface as vivid flashbacks and intense avoidance, often lasting months or even years. While therapy and medications can help, many people don't respond fully. A recent study in mice found that exercise enhances the brain's natural ability to forget, reducing trauma-related behaviors. Researchers used a mouse model of PTSD to test whether increasing neurogenesis—the process of forming new neurons—could weaken fear-based memories. They focused on the hippocampus, a brain region that links memories to specific plac... anxiety exercise
Read moreMost older adults experience some degree of hearing loss, yet few recognize that it may increase their risk of cognitive decline. A recent study found that nearly one-third of dementia cases over an eight-year period might be linked to hearing loss measured with a hearing test. Researchers monitored nearly 3,000 older adults, aged 66 to 90, for up to eight years. All participants had normal cognition at the beginning and underwent a hearing test and a self-assessment of their hearing. The researchers compared the number of new dementia cases over time with each participant's hearing status at ... dementia hearing
Read moreMany factors influence the extent to which exercise promotes weight loss, including exercise intensity, dietary habits, and overall lifestyle. Evidence suggests genetic differences play a role, too. A recent study found that mice with certain variants of PGC1-alpha—a key regulator of metabolism—consume less oxygen and burn less fat during workouts and are more likely to gain weight despite increased activity. Researchers analyzed gene expression in mice to determine the distribution of the three variants of PGC1-alpha: A, B, and C. Then, they assessed the animals' muscle growth, fat burning, ... exercise obesity metabolism diabetes genetics
Read moreCircadian rhythms – the body’s daily cycles of biological, hormonal, and behavioral patterns – play critical roles in human health. Disturbances in these rhythms may increase susceptibility to metabolic disorders, such as diabetes and obesity. Findings from a new study indicate that diurnal circadian variations in brown adipose tissue activity may contribute to metabolic disorders. Brown adipose tissue is a type of fat involved in thermogenesis – the production of body heat. There are two types of thermogenesis: diet-induced and cold-induced. Diet-induced thermogenesis involves an increase in... cold stress brown fat
Read moreGlobal vaccination programs have administered more than 218 million COVID-19 vaccine doses across 99 countries, at roughly 6.15 million doses per day (https://www.bloomberg.com/graphics/covid-vaccine-tracker-global-distribution/). A recent study shows that a single dose of two currently available vaccines reduces COVID-19-related hospitalizations. The authors of the prospective cohort study drew on data from the Early Pandemic Evaluation and Enhanced Surveillance of COVID-19 database, a compendium of information that links vaccination, primary care, testing, hospitalization, and death records... covid-19
Read moreMore than half of all colorectal cancers are sporadic, or nonhereditary. A key driver in the development of sporadic colorectal cancer is dysbiosis – an imbalance in the type and number of microbes that typically reside in the human gut. A recent study found that colorectal dysbiosis induced epigenetic changes and promoted the development of precancerous lesions in the guts of fecal transplant recipient mice. The authors of the study transplanted fecal samples from healthy individuals or from individuals with sporadic colorectal cancer into the guts of 136 germ-free mice. Seven and 14 weeks a... cancer microbiome
Read moreDr. Guido Kroemer discusses immunology, cancer biology, calorie-restriction mimetics, aging, and autophagy. ... aging nutrition cancer podcast fasting multiple sclerosis autophagy video triglycerides fatty liver time-restricted eating protein
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