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The internet is rife with advice for keeping the brain sharp as we age, and much of it is focused on the foods we eat. Headlines promise that oatmeal will fight off dementia. Blueberries improve memory. Coffee can slash your risk of Alzheimers disease. Take fish oil. Eat more fiber. Drink red wine. Forgo alcohol. Snack on nuts. Dont skip breakfast. But definitely dont eat bacon.

One recent diet study got media attention, with one headline claiming, Many people may be eating their way to dementia. The study, published last December in Neurology, found that people who ate a diet rich in anti-inflammatory foods like fruits, vegetables, beans and tea or coffee had a lower risk of dementia than those who ate foods that boost inflammation, such as sugar, processed foods, unhealthy fats and red meat.

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But the study, like most research on diet and dementia, couldnt prove a causal link. And thats not good enough to make recommendations that people should follow. Why has it proved such a challenge to pin down whether the foods we eat can help stave off dementia?

First, dementia, like most chronic diseases, is the result of a complex interplay of genes, lifestyle and environment that researchers dont fully understand. Diet is just one factor. Second, nutrition research is messy. People struggle to recall the foods theyve eaten, their diets change over time, and modifying what people eat even as part of a research study is exceptionally difficult.

For decades, researchers devoted little effort to trying to prevent or delay Alzheimers disease and other types of dementia because they thought there was no way to change the trajectory of these diseases. Dementia seemed to be the result of aging and an unlucky roll of the genetic dice.

While scientists have identified genetic variants that boost risk for dementia, researchers now know that people can cut their risk by adopting a healthier lifestyle: avoiding smoking, keeping weight and blood sugar in check, exercising, managing blood pressure and avoiding too much alcohol the same healthy behaviors that lower the risk of many chronic diseases.

Diet is wrapped up in several of those healthy behaviors, and many studies suggest that diet may also directly play a role. But what makes for a brain-healthy diet? Thats where the research gets muddled.

Despite loads of studies aimed at dissecting the influence of nutrition on dementia, researchers cant say much with certainty. I dont think theres any question that diet influences dementia risk or a variety of other age-related diseases, says Matt Kaeberlein, who studies aging at the University of Washington in Seattle. But are there specific components of diet or specific nutritional strategies that are causal in that connection? He doubts it will be that simple.

In the United States, an estimated 6.5 million people, the vast majority of whom are over age 65, are living with Alzheimers disease and related dementias. Experts expect that by 2060, as the senior population grows, nearly 14 million residents over age 65 will have Alzheimers disease. Despite decades of research and more than 100 drug trials, scientists have yet to find a treatment for dementia that does more than curb symptoms temporarily (SN: 7/3/21 & 7/17/21, p. 8). Really what we need to do is try and prevent it, says Maria Fiatarone Singh, a geriatrician at the University of Sydney.

Forty percent of dementia cases could be prevented or delayed by modifying a dozen risk factors, according to a 2020 report commissioned by the Lancet. The report doesnt explicitly call out diet, but some researchers think it plays an important role. After years of fixating on specific foods and dietary components things like fish oil and vitamin E supplements many researchers in the field have started looking at dietary patterns.

That shift makes sense. We do not have vitamin E for breakfast, vitamin C for lunch. We eat foods in combination, says Nikolaos Scarmeas, a neurologist at National and Kapodistrian University of Athens and Columbia University. He led the study on dementia and anti-inflammatory diets published in Neurology. But a shift from supplements to a whole diet of myriad foods complicates the research. A once-daily pill is easier to swallow than a new, healthier way of eating.

Suspecting that inflammation plays a role in dementia, many researchers posit that an anti-inflammatory diet might benefit the brain. In Scarmeas study, more than 1,000 older adults in Greece completed a food frequency questionnaire and earned a score based on how inflammatory their diet was. The lower the score, the better. For example, fatty fish, which is rich in omega-3 fatty acids, was considered an anti-inflammatory food and earned negative points. Cheese and many other dairy products, high in saturated fat, earned positive points.

During the next three years, 62 people, or 6 percent of the study participants, developed dementia. People with the highest dietary inflammation scores were three times as likely to develop dementia as those with the lowest. Scores ranged from 5.83 to 6.01. Each point increase was linked to a 21 percent rise in dementia risk.

Such epidemiological studies make connections, but they cant prove cause and effect. Perhaps people who eat the most anti-inflammatory diets also are those least likely to develop dementia for some other reason. Maybe they have more social interactions. Or it could be, Scarmeas says, that people who eat more inflammatory diets do so because theyre already experiencing changes in their brain that lead them to consume these foods and what we really see is the reverse causality.

To sort all this out, researchers rely on randomized controlled trials, the gold standard for providing proof of a causal effect. But in the arena of diet and dementia, these studies have challenges.

Dementia is a disease of aging that takes decades to play out, Kaeberlein says. To show that a particular diet could reduce the risk of dementia, it would take two-, three-, four-decade studies, which just arent feasible. Many clinical trials last less than two years.

As a work-around, researchers often rely on some intermediate outcome, like changes in cognition. But even that can be hard to observe. If youre already relatively healthy and dont have many risks, you might not show much difference, especially if the duration of the study is relatively short, says Sue Radd-Vagenas, a nutrition scientist at the University of Sydney. The thinking is if youre older and you have more risk factors, its more likely we might see something in a short period of time. Yet older adults might already have some cognitive decline, so it might be more difficult to see an effect.

Many researchers now suspect that intervening earlier will have a bigger impact. We now know that the brain is stressed from midlife and theres a tipping point at 65 when things go sour, says Hussein Yassine, an Alzheimers researcher at the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. But intervene too early, and a trial might not show any effect. Offering a healthier diet to a 50- or 60-year-old might pay off in the long run but fail to make a difference in cognition that can be measured during the relatively short length of a study.

And its not only the timing of the intervention that matters, but also the duration. Do you have to eat a particular diet for two decades for it to have an impact? Weve got a problem of timescale, says Kaarin Anstey, a dementia researcher at the University of New South Wales in Sydney.

And then there are all the complexities that come with studying diet. You cant isolate it in the way you can isolate some of the other factors, Anstey says. Its something that youre exposed to all the time and over decades.

In a clinical trial, researchers often test the effectiveness of a drug by offering half the study participants the medication and half a placebo pill. But when the treatment being tested is food, studies become much more difficult to control. First, food doesnt come in a pill, so its tricky to hide whether participants are in the intervention group or the control group.

Imagine a trial designed to test whether the Mediterranean diet can help slow cognitive decline. The participants arent told which group theyre in, but the control group sees that they arent getting nuts or fish or olive oil. What ends up happening is a lot of participants will start actively increasing the consumption of the Mediterranean diet despite being on the control arm, because thats why they signed up, Yassine says. So at the end of the trial, the two groups are not very dissimilar.

Second, we all need food to live, so a true placebo is out of the question. But what diet should the control group consume? Do you compare the diet intervention to peoples typical diets (which may differ from person to person and country to country)? Do you ask the comparison group to eat a healthy diet but avoid the food expected to provide brain benefits? (Offering them an unhealthy diet would be unethical.)

And tracking what people eat during a clinical trial can be a challenge. Many of these studies rely on food frequency questionnaires to tally up all the foods in an individuals diet. An ongoing study is assessing the impact of the MIND diet (which combines part of the Mediterranean diet with elements of the low-salt DASH diet) on cognitive decline. Researchers track adherence to the diet by asking participants to fill out a food frequency questionnaire every six to 12 months. But many of us struggle to remember what we ate a day or two ago. So some researchers also rely on more objective measures to assess compliance. For the MIND diet assessment, researchers are also tracking biomarkers in the blood and urine vitamins such as folate, B12 and vitamin E, plus levels of certain antioxidants.

Another difficulty is that these surveys often dont account for variables that could be really important, like how the food was prepared and where it came from. Was the fish grilled? Fried? Slathered in butter? Those things can matter, says dementia researcher Nathaniel Chin of the University of WisconsinMadison.

Plus there are the things researchers cant control. For example, how does the food interact with an individuals medications and microbiome? We know all of those factors have an interplay, Chin says.

The few clinical trials looking at dementia and diet seem to measure different things, so its hard to make comparisons. In 2018, Radd-Vagenas and her colleagues looked at all the trials that had studied the impact of the Mediterranean diet on cognition. There were five at the time. What struck me even then was how variable the interventions were, she says. Some of the studies didnt even mention olive oil in their intervention. Now, how can you run a Mediterranean diet study and not mention olive oil?

Another tricky aspect is recruitment. The kind of people who sign up for clinical trials tend to be more educated, more motivated and have healthier lifestyles. That can make differences between the intervention group and the control group difficult to spot. And if the study shows an effect, whether it will apply to the broader, more diverse population comes into question. To sum up, these studies are difficult to design, difficult to conduct and often difficult to interpret.

Kaeberlein studies aging, not dementia specifically, but he follows the research closely and acknowledges that the lack of clear answers can be frustrating. I get the feeling of wanting to throw up your hands, he says. But he points out that there may not be a single answer. Many diets can help people maintain a healthy weight and avoid diabetes, and thus reduce the risk of dementia. Beyond that obvious fact, he says, its hard to get definitive answers.

In July 2021, Yassine gathered with more than 30 other dementia and nutrition experts for a virtual symposium to discuss the myriad challenges and map out a path forward. The speakers noted several changes that might improve the research.

One idea is to focus on populations at high risk. For example, one clinical trial is looking at the impact of low- and high-fat diets on short-term changes in the brain in people who carry the genetic variant APOE4, a risk factor for Alzheimers. One small study suggested that a high-fat Western diet actually improved cognition in some individuals. Researchers hope to get clarity on that surprising result.

I get the feeling of wanting to throw up your hands.

Another possible fix is redefining how researchers measure success. Hypertension and diabetes are both well-known risk factors for dementia. So rather than running a clinical trial that looks at whether a particular diet can affect dementia, researchers could look at the impact of diet on one of these risk factors. Plenty of studies have assessed the impact of diet on hypertension and diabetes, but Yassine knows of none launched with dementia prevention as the ultimate goal.

Yassine envisions a study that recruits participants at risk of developing dementia because of genetics or cardiovascular disease and then looks at intermediate outcomes. For example, a high-salt diet can be associated with hypertension, and hypertension can be associated with dementia, he says. If the study shows that the diet lowers hypertension, we achieved our aim. Then the study could enter a legacy period during which researchers track these individuals for another decade to determine whether the intervention influences cognition and dementia.

One way to amplify the signal in a clinical trial is to combine diet with other interventions likely to reduce the risk of dementia. The Finnish Geriatric Intervention Study to Prevent Cognitive Impairment and Disability, or FINGER, trial, which began in 2009, did just that. Researchers enrolled more than 1,200 individuals ages 60 to 77 who were at an elevated risk of developing dementia and had average or slightly impaired performance on cognition tests. Half received nutritional guidance, worked out at a gym, engaged in online brain-training games and had routine visits with a nurse to talk about managing dementia risk factors like high blood pressure and diabetes. The other half received only general health advice.

After two years, the control group had a 25 percent greater cognitive decline than the intervention group. It was the first trial, reported in the Lancet in 2015, to show that targeting multiple risk factors could slow the pace of cognitive decline.

Now researchers are testing this approach in more than 30 countries. Christy Tangney, a nutrition researcher at Rush University in Chicago, is one of the investigators on the U.S. arm of the study, enrolling 2,000 people ages 60 to 79 who have at least one dementia risk factor. The study is called POINTER, or U.S. Study to Protect Brain Health Through Lifestyle Intervention to Reduce Risk. The COVID-19 pandemic has delayed the research organizers had to pause the trial briefly but Tangney expects to have results in the next few years.

This kind of multi-intervention study makes sense, Chin says. One of the reasons why things are so slow in our field is were trying to address a heterogeneous disease with one intervention at a time. And thats just not going to work. A trial that tests multiple interventions allows for people to not be perfect, he adds. Maybe they cant follow the diet exactly, but they can stick to the workout program, which might have an effect on its own. The drawback in these kinds of studies, however, is that its impossible to tease out the contribution of each individual intervention.

Two major reports came out in recent years addressing dementia prevention. The first, from the World Health Organization in 2019, recommends a healthy, balanced diet for all adults, and notes that the Mediterranean diet may help people who have normal to mildly impaired cognition.

The 2020 Lancet Commission report, however, does not include diet in its list of modifiable risk factors, at least not yet. Nutrition and dietary components are challenging to research with controversies still raging around the role of many micronutrients and health outcomes in dementia, the report notes. The authors point out that a Mediterranean or the similar Scandinavian diet might help prevent cognitive decline in people with intact cognition, but how long the exposure has to be or during which ages is unclear. Neither report recommends any supplements.

Plenty of people are waiting for some kind of advice to follow. Improving how these studies are done might enable scientists to finally sort out what kinds of diets can help hold back the heartbreaking damage that comes with Alzheimers disease. For some people, that knowledge might be enough to create change.

One of the reasons why things are so slow in our field is were trying to address a heterogeneous disease with one intervention at a time. And thats just not going to work.

Inevitably, if youve had Alzheimers in your family, you want to know, What can I do today to potentially reduce my risk? says molecular biologist Heather Snyder, vice president of medical and scientific relations at the Alzheimers Association.

But changing long-term dietary habits can be hard. The foods we eat arent just fuel; our diets represent culture and comfort and more. Food means so much to us, Chin says.

Even if you found the perfect diet, he adds, how do you get people to agree to and actually change their habits to follow that diet? The MIND diet, for example, suggests people eat less than one serving of cheese a week. In Wisconsin, where Chin is based, thats a nonstarter, he says.

But its not just about changing individual behaviors. Radd-Vagenas and other researchers hope that if they can show the brain benefits of some of these diets in rigorous studies, policy changes might follow. For example, research shows that lifestyle changes can have a big impact on type 2 diabetes. As a result, many insurance providers now pay for coaching programs that help participants maintain healthy diet and exercise habits.

You need to establish policies. You need to change cities, change urban design. You need to do a lot of things to enable healthier choices to become easier choices, Radd-Vagenas says. But that takes meatier data than exist now.

More here:
How scientists are trying new ways to study diet and dementia - Science News Magazine

The pegan diet requires that 75% of your nutritional intake is plant-based and only 25% of products from animals that are raised naturally, pastured and grain-fed, and unprocessed, statesCleveland Clinic. Further simplified, it requires the dieter to eat a minimum of five cups of vegetables, four servings of carbohydrates, three proteins, two fats, and a dairy substitute daily, per Womens' Health Magazine.

Things that are prohibited in the pegan diet are beer, milk, and starchy vegetables with a high glycemic index. Beans, peas, and lentils, which are important protein sources for vegans, are not required in the pegan food regimen. Some believe, per Women's Health Magazine, gluten has no place in the pegan diet, but Dr. Hyman (via Forbes) states that not everything gluten-free is healthy. The restriction on grain foods deprives the body of fiber that is essential for the body's continued health. The necessary fats for the body come from unprocessed sources like olive oil, nuts, avocados, olives, and seeds (if rendered in the form of an oil that needs minimal processing), per WebMD.

Dr. Hyman, the physician and author credited with the pegan concept, sought after and created a middle ground between two extremes to form a diet that is more sustainable. As such, the paleo diet meets the vegan diet halfway, to form the pegan diet.

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Everything You Need To Know About The Pegan Diet - Mashed

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is any cancer affecting the colon, hence colo, and rectum, hence rectal. It is the third most common and second deadliest diagnosed cancer in the United States, claiming over 50,000 lives every year.

Researchers from Brigham and Womens Hospital in Boston, MA recently observed that CRC tumors with high levels of pks+ E. coli bacteria correlate with diets rich in red and processed meats and empty calories.

They believe that unhealthy foods may stimulate the cancer-inducing activity of colibactin, a substance deriving from E. coli, in the gut.

Their findings appear in Gastroenterology.

Dr. Shuji Ogino, chief of the Molecular Pathological Epidemiology Program in the Department of Pathology at Brigham and Womens Hospital, was the studys corresponding author.

E. coli is a normal part of the gut microbiome. However, certain strains of this bacterium hold a distinct cluster of genes known as the polyketide synthase (pks) island.

These pks+ E. coli strains produce colibactin, a toxic metabolite that can damage DNA and trigger cellular mutations that promote CRC.

Consumption of a typical Western diet also sometimes called an American diet consisting mainly of red and processed meats, sugar, and refined carbohydrates, can cause intestinal and systemic inflammation, precursors to colorectal tumors.

A poor diet is also tied to an imbalance of intestinal microbiota, another factor related to CRC. Furthermore, prior studies have linked E. coli and other bacteria to this cancer.

Consequently, Dr. Ogino and his team suspected that a Western diet might induce a stronger risk for tumors with considerable amounts of pks+ E. coli. Up to this point, though, they did not know whether the diets correlation with CRC varies by gut bacteria.

The researchers combed through two nationwide studies to see how Western diets may influence intestinal microbe activity and the odds of CRC occurrences.

The Nurses Health Study included 121,700 women aged 30 to 55 at enrollment in 1976. The Health Professionals Follow-up Study included 51,529 males ages 40 to 75 years at enrollment in 1986.

These studies provided detailed insight into 30 years of medical and dietary history of its subjects. They presented a unique opportunity to examine long-term dietary patterns of individuals who had not known whether they would develop cancers or not in relation to CRC incidence subclassified by pks+ E. coli levels.

The data were adjusted for potential selection bias and factors such as body mass index (BMI), physical activity, tobacco and alcohol consumption, and family history of CRC.

A total of 134,775 of the two studies participants provided enough dietary information to be included in this analysis. Among these, the researchers found 3,200 CRC cases.

The team also extracted DNA from archived tissue sections of colorectal tumors to find pks+ E. coli strains.

The researchers admitted that their study comes with several limitations.

More studies are needed to confirm how the overall Western diet or specific foods and pks+ E. coli may work together to promote CRC.

Speaking with Medical News Today, Dr. Ogino acknowledged that the research population was mostly non-Hispanic Caucasian. However, he cited evidence of a growing trend of early-onset CRC among other ethnicities.

Dr. Ogino and fellow scientists found sex-specific differences in pks+ E. coli colorectal cancer occurrences, but the underlying mechanisms are still unclear.

Measurement errors and unintentional mixing of the effects of factors may have skewed some results as well.

While colibactin in CRC tumors encourages cancer growth, some researchers believe that a healthy gut microbiome may halt tumor progression.

University of Michigan scientists recently found that the metabolite reuterin, produced by the bacteria Lactobacillus reuteri, shows potent anticancer potential in CRC cell lines and in vivo.

At the National Comprehensive Cancer Network 2022 Annual Meeting, lead investigator Joshua Goyert, of the University of Michigan Medical School Rogel Cancer Center, said that the gut microbiome, and especially reuterin, can reduce oxidative stress in CRC cells and inhibit tumor proliferation and tumor volume in in vivo models.

Dr. Ogino said that this study is among the first to associate the Western diet with specific disease-causing bacteria in cancer.

Ultimately, he believes that this research demonstrates how dietary choices may help prevent CRC.

Dr. Ogino commented emphatically:

As a society, we do not generally recognize the importance of prevention. Rather, we always regret after harms happen (e.g., cancer occurs). We need to change our mindsets and become proactive. Media is very hot about new treatment for end-stage cancer patients, which may prolong life for a few months. While this is important, it is much better to prevent. If we can prevent 10% of colorectal cancer cases, 150,000 new CRC cases each year in the U.S. would become 135,000 new CRC cases. You can see 15,000 people each year do not need suffer side effects of treatment or surgery. This would be a big impact.

Read the rest here:
Western-style diet tied to higher risks of colorectal cancer - Medical News Today

Local nutrition coach Tony LoCicero created Get Toned Diet Coaching, a program working to help those who struggle with weight loss/gain, as well as building muscle mass and giving your body a balanced nutritional outlook.

I try to make it a customized diet that can be done long term. Weve got to figure out something that doesnt disrupt your life too much or come across as too extreme, LoCicero says.

I want to help people reach their goals. I want to educate people on food because I feel so many people are lost in what is good for you and what is not. Theres so much information today and it can be misleading. My goal is to help people understand and be there to answer any questions along the way.

Tony emphasizes that in order to understand fitness and nutrition, it has to be a lifestyle. It has to be a long term goal. You have to find ways to make it fit your lifestyle and reach those goals. Often times people set themselves up for failure when they try to set expectations way too high and be hard on themselves.

It doesnt need to be complicated. Its just food. Youre going to have to put in the time. Youre going to have to put in the effort. Theres going to be times where your family is going out for pizza and youre going to not be able to do that. Its all about training your mind.

Its not like a race. So many people are in such a hurry in life and thats not how it has to be. Its going to take time to lose the fat and become who you want to be.

LoCicero also says how he tells people that there really are no bad foods. Youve got to take it in moderation. If you cut out all the things you enjoy, then how long will you last? Not long. The process is understanding that you can have foods you enjoy, but its all about building that lifestyle and understanding what nutrition truly is.

Get Toned Diet Coaching with Tony LoCicero is available on Instagram @get_toned_diet_coaching and Tony is also available by Facebook.

The rest is here:
Local diet coach looking to change the way people see nutrition - River Valley Now

Bryant Stamford| Special to the Courier Journal

Lately, I have focused on good carbs versusbad carbs, and the champion of bad carbs is soft drinks.

A typical 12-ounce cola contains about 10 teaspoons of sugar, which exceeds the full daily allowance of sugar on a healthy diet. Thats bad news, of course, so why do so many Americans continue to indulge in the health destroying habit of consuming garbage colas like theyre going out of style?

One possible answer, according to some experts, is that sugar is addictive, psychologically and possibly physiologically, and the more sugar you take in, especially in high quantities all at once as occurs with soft drinks, the greater the power of the addiction. Another explanation is that folks are unaware of the adverse health impactbecause they have been consuming colas all their life and not paying a price for it yet.

One price associated with too much sugar intake thatis quite high is developing prediabetes. This occurs when the body stores too much fat, especially around the midsection, which can lead to insulin resistance. In other words, your pancreas gland is doing its job and releasing insulin when you consume sugar. In turn, insulin is required to escort sugar out of the bloodstream and into the cells. When there is resistance to insulin, sugar cannot enter the cells and it accumulates in the bloodstream, leading to a high blood sugar concentration.

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Experts contend that a whopping 35% of the adult American population has prediabetes, and if it worsens over time, which often is the case, it can morph into Type 2 diabetes, when the body has an extreme insulin resistance.

So, what can we do to prevent rising cases of prediabetes?

Its high time we reduced our daily intake of sugar. But we Americans dont give up our guilty pleasures easily, and will do all we can to find an acceptable alternative. In other words, we are not willing to sacrifice much, if at all. This leads us to artificial sweeteners, which are found in thousands of food products, and especially soft drinks.

At first glance, artificial sweeteners seem like a no-brainer, substituting zero calories (kcals) in a soft drink for the fully loaded 150 calories. This, of course, was the sales pitch when Aspartame, one of the leading artificial sweeteners, was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration more than 40 years ago. Americans are fat and getting fatter year by year, and the biggest cause is excess intake of sugar. Therefore, the assumption was that folks would endeavor to reduce fat accumulation by shying away from sugar and toward diet foods, especially diet soft drinks. This, in turn, would help lessen the accelerating fatty trend in our population.

Oops, not so.

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Many who regularly consume soft drinks merely added a diet drink or two to their daily regimen, thinking that its a freebe with no consequences. Still others bit the bullet and shifted entirely to diet soft drinks, but even so, they kept getting fatter.

Consuming diet drinks and still getting fatter isnt fair, plus it makes no sense. Isnt it true that when you consume excess calories, the body gets fatter, and therefore if you consume fewer calories you should lose body fat? Yes, of course. Its the proverbial calories in versus calories out argument. When the out calories are greater, you enter a negative caloric balance and should lose body fat.

So, what went wrong? The answer may be found in the bodys response to insulin.

Recent research indicates that chronic use of diet soft-drinks can alter certain bacteria in the gastro-intestinal tract, which can contribute to insulin resistance. Typically, excess body fatness, especially around the midsection, is the prime factor in insulin resistance. However, chronic intake of diet drinks, even if they reduce calories and body fatness, can still contribute to insulin resistance.

Several years ago, before this topic gained much attention, one of my students conducted her senior thesis research study on this topic. She had two groups of subjects that were very similar (same age, gender, body composition, physical activity level, etc.), except that one group regularly consumed a large amount of Aspartame daily (Consumers), while the other group consumed little or none (Abstainers). Both groups underwent an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) that entailed being fasted for at least 12-hours, then they consumed 50 grams of glucose with blood samples taken every 15 minutes over 90 minutes to trace the impact on blood glucose concentration.

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When you take an OGTT test, the blood sugar (glucose) concentration suddenly spikes upward as sugar rushes from quick digestion into the blood stream. This causes a powerful insulin response from the pancreas gland to move sugar into the cells.In a healthy response, the blood sugar level soon peaks, then comes back down to the resting level. However, with insulin resistance, the blood sugar level remains elevated for a prolonged period.

Results from this study indicated that Abstainers demonstrated a better OGTT, with a lower peak blood glucose concentration and a much faster clearance of glucose from the blood. In other words, Abstainers responded in a healthy way to a glucose challenge, while the response of Consumers was compromised. These findings support the notion that Consumers were, to some degree, insulin resistant when compared with Abstainers.

Over time, this could contribute to increased body fatness that, in turn, could lead to prediabetes, and ultimately to Type 2 diabetes, plus the potential for other negative health implications. Since then, we have conducted several additional research studies on this topic in our lab, and others have as well, and the results support these findings.

The bottom line is, choosing between a sugary soft-drink versus a 'diet'soft-drink is a Sophies choice, meaning neither choice is good. A third and healthier alternative, like drinking water, is a much better way to go.

Reach Bryant Stamford, a professor of kinesiology and integrative physiology at Hanover College, at stamford@hanover.edu.

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Why diet soda is bad for you and not the answer if you're looking for quick weight loss - Courier Journal

For a study, researchers sought to determine if urine acidity can help prevent urinary tract infections (UTIs) and if it is altered by diet. They wanted to see how urine pH affected the rate of recurrent UTIs (RUTIs) following electrofulguration (EF) in three groups of women with varied urine pH ranges and the relationship between food composition and urine pH.

Women in a previous IRB-approved prospective trial documented urine pH and nutrition for a week. There are three urine pH groups: never below 6, never above 6, and above and below 6. A 3-day diet analysis was performed in the study, which comprised classifying different meals by acidity using pH food charts and estimating quantities ingested using a nutritional analysis database. The rate of UTIs after EF and urine pH following acidic meal consumption were studied between urine pH groups. Low urine pH, hypothesized, protects against RUTIs.

There was no change in UTI prevalence, rate, or culture features across the groups of 37/69 patients who received EF with a lengthy median follow-up time (4-6 years). There was no statistically significant difference in the mean amount of acidic meals consumed and the urine pH after each meal.

During long-term follow-up, no connection was detected between urine pH groups, acidic food intake, and rates of UTIs after EF, potentially because there is no link between urine pH and UTIs or because EF already causes a significant reduction in UTI rates.

Reference: goldjournal.net/article/S0090-4295(22)00071-1/fulltext

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Does Urinary pH and Diet Affect the Rate of Urinary Tract Infection Recurrence After Electrofulguration in Women - Physician's Weekly

Everyone is familiar with the sensation of the mouth watering in anticipation of food, but this is not the bodys only response. At the same time, the pancreas starts to release insulin, ready to deal with the influx of glucose into the blood.

This neurally mediated or cephalic phase response has been recognized for some time, but the mechanisms involved were unclear. Now, a study from the University of Basel has shown that a short-term inflammatory response is responsible for this early insulin release.

However, in people with overweight or obesity, an excessive inflammatory response during the cephalic phase can impair this insulin secretion.

This study highlights the complexity of our individual metabolic responses to food, and why understanding chronic low-grade inflammation over time is key in addressing obesity.

Prof. Tim Spector, professor of genetic epidemiology at Kings College London and co-founder of Zoe Ltd, a personalised nutrition company, speaking to Medical News Today.

The researchers identified that an inflammatory factor interleukin 1 beta (IL-1) which is usually involved in the response to pathogens or tissue damage, is responsible for much of this early insulin secretion.

First, the researchers identified the role of IL-1. They found that the sight, smell, or taste of food stimulates the release of IL-1 from microglia in the hypothalamus. This then activates the vagus nerve and increases the secretion of insulin that facilitates glucose uptake and metabolism after eating.

In their study, they placed mice that had been fasted overnight in a cage with a food pellet. The mouse was allowed to find the pellet and take a bite. Immediately after the first bite of food, the researchers took blood from the mouse for analysis.

The mouse blood samples showed no rise in glucose but had increased circulating insulin.

As a control, the researchers placed other mice in a cage with an inedible object that looked exactly like the food pellet. Blood taken from these mice showed no increase in insulin, indicating that real food was needed to stimulate the cephalic insulin response.

To test that IL-1 was responsible for the rise in insulin, they then injected mice with a neutralizing antibody against IL-1 before introducing them to the cage with food. These mice showed no increase in circulating insulin.

This led the researchers to conclude that IL-1 was mediating the cephalic phase insulin release (CPIR).

To investigate the implication of the finding for people with overweight or obesity, the researchers performed a secondary analysis of data from a previous meta-analysis on CPIR in people. The primary analysis found this insulin response was markedly reduced in those with overweight or obesity.

To test this finding, they reproduced the human data in the mouse model. After only two weeks on a high fat diet, mice no longer showed CPIR.

Study lead Prof. Marc Donath, chief of the Endocrinology, Diabetes & Metabolism Department at University Hospital Basel, told MNT why this might happen:

Obesity and diabetes lead to chronic inflammation beyond which an acute sensory stimulation no longer has any effect. Its like a marathon runner: after 42km, he cant do a fast 100m race.

Prof. Spector agreed: The authors conclusions that cephalic insulin response, which causes insulin secretion before any food is consumed, such as when we see food or smell food, is inhibited in people with obesity due to chronic inflammation associated with obesity is likely to be part of the answer.

IL-1 [] signaling seems to be responsible for some of the vagus nerve stimulation that results in insulin secretion after sensory exposure to food, and a dysfunction in this signaling in people with obesity is likely impacting their cephalic insulin response, he added.

Next, the mice were fed a high fat diet and injected with the anti-IL-1 antibody once weekly for 3 weeks, to prevent the release of IL-1. The researchers subsequently detected insulin in the blood of these mice, showing they had a CPIR.

With higher inflammation in obesity, and specifically adipose tissue inflammation, persistent high levels of circulating IL-1B is responsible for the dysfunction resulting in a lack of cephalic insulin response to sensory inputs.

Prof. Tim Spector

So, could this study have implications for the treatment of obesity and type 2 diabetes? Prof. Donath believes it might, given further research.

IL-1 antagonism is being developed for the treatment of type 2 diabetes and its complications. A better understanding of the mechanism of action of IL-1 on insulin secretion could guide us in the development of clinical studies, he told MNT.

This view was reinforced in an article in Cell Metabolism, which described the findings as: an exciting avenue for developing IL-1 as a novel and potentially modifiable therapeutic target to correct autonomic dysregulation of CPIS [the cephalic phase of insulin secretion] in obesity.

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Obesity: How the sight of a meal triggers short-lived inflammation - Medical News Today

You can begin taking care of your heart at any age. This can not only avoid heart diseases but also reduces the chances of having a heart attack or stroke by adopting a healthy lifestyle. Plaque, which is formed of bloods fat, cholesterol, calcium, and other components and supplies the heart muscles with oxygen-rich blood, causes heart disease conditions to develop said by Dr.Preet Pal Thakur Co-founder of Glamyo Health. It can be controlled by healthy habits and most important among all is healthy eating. Here are 5 foods that can help in keeping your heart healthy in long run.Also Read - How to Beat Sugar Craving And Why do Some People Crave Meetha so Much?

Green Vegetables: Leafy green vegetables with a high content of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants include spinach, kale, and collard greens, their benefit doesnt stop with heart health the vitamins and antioxidants found in them can also prevent many types of cancers and strengthen bones. Theyre a particularly good source of vitamin K, which safeguards your arteries and encourages healthy blood clotting. Also Read - Monsoon Hair Care Tips: 5 Foods You Should Consume to Keep Hair Fall at Bay

Berries: The essential nutrients that are abundant in strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, and raspberries are crucial for maintaining heart health. Antioxidants like anthocyanins, which guard against oxidative stress and inflammation that contributes to the development of heart disease, are abundant in berries. Berries can also be a satisfying snack or delicious low calorie dessert. Also Read - Cranberry Juice Health Benefits: From Reducing The Risk of Urine Infection to Preventing Hair Loss And More!

Seeds: Hemp, flax, and chia seeds are excellent sources of fiber and omega-3 fatty acids, which are all beneficial for the heart. Flaxseed lowers risk of developing cancer and cardiovascular disease, and it may also benefit gastrointestinal health and diabetes. Numerous heart disease risk factors, including as inflammation, blood pressure, cholesterol, and triglycerides, can be reduced by adding seeds in your diet.

Tomatoes: Tomato is beneficial for heart patients as it contains a powerful antioxidant Lycopene, it has the ability to scavenge free radicals and prevent oxidative stress. Other nutrients in tomatoes include antioxidants called flavonoids, vitamins B and E, and vitamin K, which is beneficial for bones. Tomatoes also include potassium, a crucial essential for heart health.

Beans: A diet high in beans and other legumes can increase the flexibility of the blood vessels, which lowers blood pressure. Beans are a good source of soluble fiber, which can bind cholesterol and its precursors in the digestive system and eliminate them from the body before they enter the bloodstream. Beans have a number of phytochemicals, such as polyphenols, terpenoids, and anthocyanin, which can lessen oxidative stress and inflammation that can cause heart disease.

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Food For Heart: 5 Healthy Items to Add in Your Diet if You Are Suffering From Any Heart Diseases - India.com

We all know that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Plus, when it's nutritious and rich in proteins, then nothing like it. However, when it comes to making a protein-rich breakfast, many of us resort to making a variety of egg recipes. After all, eggs are one of the easiest things to cook with. You can make omelettes, boil them, stir fry them, or even grill them. An egg dish hardly takes any time to cook. However, if you are bored of that typical taste, how about you try this new recipe of green shakshuka?! A traditional dish in Arab cuisine, shakshuka is an egg-based meal from Israel and the Middle East. Many regional foods have crossed borders due to global connectedness, and shakshuka, an egg breakfast dish, has gained popularity worldwide.

In a typical shakshuka, poached eggs float over a bed of tomato sauce or puree that has been flavoured with common herbs and spices. However, numerous shakshuka variations cater to the distinct flavour preferences of various geographical areas. For instance, in Turkey, eggs are scrambled for shakshuka rather than poached. To suit their tastes, some individuals also add minced meats, vegetables like bell peppers and mushrooms, and even yoghurt to the dish. Another variety of this dish that you must try is green shakshuka.

As the name suggests, it is made on a bed of greens. You can get creative and add your favourite greens as well. But to keep things simple, here we have an easy recipe for you. Check it out below:

Also Read:5 Poached Egg Recipes To Put Together For Breakfast In Just 10 Mins

First, take a pan and heat some oil. Fry the onion and garlic together. Now add spinach and Brussel sprouts and mix again. Add salt, pepper, and red chilli powder. Combine them well. Break two eggs from the top and let them cook. Adjust the taste of the salt and garnish with green onion. Serve with bread and enjoy!

For the full recipe of this green shakshuka, click here.

Try out this yummy breakfast recipe, and let us know how it turned out for you!

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High Protein Diet: This Green Shakshuka Is The Perfect Nutritious Morning Meal - NDTV Food

Carrie Underwood revealed what she eats on the day of a concert during a recent conversation with Audacys Katie Neal. The Pink Champagne singer said she likes to stick to her show day regimen, which includes eating the same thing every time she plays a concert.

The night of a show, Im curious, do you have any pre-show rituals once youve done soundcheck, once youve done glam, once youve done meet and greet, is there anything you like to do every night before you hit the stage that like really puts you in show mode or calms you down or amps you up? Neal asked.

I mean, my show days are like very regimented, Underwood responded. I have a schedule, I know my schedule, I like my schedule. Um, I basically like to eat the same things on every show day, she added.

Whats the same thing you eat every day before a show? Neal questioned Underwood, prompting her to share more about what her meals on show days look like.

Underwood explained that she eats raw, nut butter-based bars for breakfast, hummus and veggies for lunch, and two scrambled eggs and half of an avocado for dinner on show days.

I usually eat like these bars for breakfast. They can be different flavors, but theyre like raw and nut butter kind of based. Lunches are maybe some tu-no not tuna, because I dont eat meat, Underwood said. Something like that or I always eat like Lupini beans, and hummus and veggies are always on the menu.

The Oklahoma native then detailed her decision to keep her show day meals consistent.

You get to a point, where, like if you eat off script in that context, your body doesnt process it as well, or you feel kinda bloaty, or it makes you feel slow or whatever it is, Underwood added. Its like, I know what thats going to do and its good, healthy fats and protein and it gets me through the show without making me feel like I just ate a lot of food, she continued.

Underwood concluded her Reflection: The Las Vegas Residency back in late May at Resorts World. She also shared that shell return to Vegas for more shows next year.

In addition, Underwood will hit the road on her 43-city Denim & Rhinestones Tour in support of her album of the same name, released on Jun. 10. Underwood will kick off the tour, which features support from fellow country singer Jimmie Allen, on Oct. 15 in Greenville, South Carolina.

Most recently, Underwood joined rock band Guns N Roses on stage in London where she joined them in performing Sweet Child O Mine and Paradise City.

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Carrie Underwood Reveals Her Show Day Diet: "Hummus And Veggies Are Always On The Menu" - Music Mayhem Magazine

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