Gary Null’s Daily Health News - 10.12.22

Component of citrus fruits found to block the formation of kidney cysts

University of London and Kingston University, UK   October 3, 2022

A study published in British Journal of Pharmacology has identified that a component of grapefruit and other citrus fruits, naringenin, successfully blocks the formation of kidney cysts.

Known as polycystic kidney disease, this is an inherited disorder which leads to the loss of kidney function, high blood pressure and the need for dialysis. Few treatment options are currently available.

The team of scientists from University of London and Kingston University London used a simple, single-celled amoeba to identify that naringenin regulates the PKD2 protein responsible for polycystic kidney disease and as a result, blocks formation of cysts.

To test how this discovery could apply in treatments, the team used a mammalian kidney cell-line, and triggered the formation of cysts in these cells. They were then able to block the formation of the cysts by adding naringenin and saw that when levels of the PKD2 protein were reduced in the kidney cells, so was the block in cyst formation, confirming that the effect was connected.

"Indeed, this study provides a good example of how chemicals identified in plants can help us develop new drugs for the treatment of disease," added Professor Debbie Baines from St George's, University of London.

 

Medical cannabis treats cancer and boosts the immune system, say scientists after reviewing more than 100 studies
Rostock University Medical Center (Germany), October 1, 2022

A review of over 100 studies has shown that cannabis really is medicinal. Indeed, scientific analysis has shown that the cannabinoid compounds found in marijuana can stop cancer cells from dividing and spreading — and can even cut off blood supply to tumors. The researchers say that their findings prove that cannabis can be used as a cancer treatment. Does that mean plants will finally start getting recognized for their medicinal powers? One can only hope.

A team of German researchers, led by Professor Burkhard Hinz, have concluded that cannabis compounds can fight cancer. The scientists, say that an array of cannabinoids have medicinal value. 

Professor Hinz and his team have shown that over 100 different studies have indicated cannabis has the ability to treat cancer.

“In this context accumulating data from preclinical models suggest that cannabinoids elicit anti-cancer effects on several levels of cancer progression,” Hinz explained.

“Clinical studies are now urgently needed to investigate the impact of cannabinoids on cancer growth and progression in patients,” he added.

 

Older adults living unhealthy lifestyles twice as likely to end up in a nursing home
Older adults who lead an unhealthy lifestyle are twice as likely to end up needing a nursing home in comparison to their more active peers, a new study reveals.

Researchers at the University of Sydney found smoking, physical activity, sitting, and sleep quality to have a strong link to nursing home admission rates. Surprisingly, diet quality did not display the same connection.

Smokers were 55 percent more likely than non-smokers to end up needing nursing care. For the study, which is the first of its kind, researchers looked at data on more than 127,000 Australians who took part in a large study on healthy aging between 2006 and 2009. Study authors followed up with these patients for 11 years on average.

The team divided them into the three risk groups based on five lifestyle factors: smoking, physical activity, sitting, sleep quality, and diet quality.

One quarter of participants (24%) ended up in the lowest risk group with a score of nine or 10 points. Almost two-thirds (62%) were in the medium risk group with a score of six to eight points and 14 percent were in the unhealthiest group with a score below five points.

The Australian research team found people over 60 who eat badly and spend too much time on the sofa were 43 percent more likely to end up in a nursing home compared with the fittest retirees. Older people with a moderately healthy lifestyle were 12 percent more likely to need nursing home care than the healthiest seniors.

 

Paternal stress associated with children's emotional and behavioral problems at age two
King's College London, October 11, 2022

New research from the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience (IoPPN) at King's College London and others has found an association between fathers who experience too much stress in the months following the birth of their child, and the child's subsequent development of emotional and behavioral problems at age two.

The research, published in the Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, suggests that new fathers should be assessed for stress during the perinatal period as it presents an opportunity for early intervention to help prevent future difficulties for both father and child.

901 fathers and 939 mothers completed questionnaires on stress, anxiety and depression during pregnancy and three stages in the postpartum period, with a final survey taking place at 24 months.

Overall, around 7% of participating fathers experienced high stress at the first three stages measured in the perinatal period. This then rose to 10% at two years postpartum.

Researchers identified the strongest association between paternal stress at three months postpartum and childhood emotional and behavioral problems at age two, even when accounting for other factors like maternal stress, anxiety and depression. Paternal stress was more strongly associated with childhood outcomes than paternal depression or anxiety.

Dr. Fiona Challacombe, and lead author of the study says, "Our study found that paternal stress makes a unique contribution to child outcomes, particularly during the early postpartum months. Nonetheless, men may be reluctant to seek help or express their needs during this time and may feel excluded from the maternal focus of perinatal services. The rise in paternal stress at two years indicates that this does not dissipate over time—returning to work, chronic sleep difficulties and behavioral difficulties becoming more apparent may all contribute."

 

Stevia - A Natural Alternative For Your Metabolism
Autonomous University of Yucatan (Mexico), September 28, 2022

Stevia's health benefits go beyond sugar reduction -- it could also be a natural alternative for treating metabolic disorders, such as obesity and type 2 diabetes, say researchers. If you're determined to sweeten your foods and beverages, consider using this amazing natural herb.

Publishing their findings in the peer-reviewed Journal of Medicinal Food, the Mexican researchers reviewed both in vitro and in vivo studies which looked at the beneficial effects reported for steviol compounds -- aqueous and alcoholic stevia extracts -- derived from the leaves, flowers and roots of the stevia plant.

These studies analysed the plant's anti-obesity, anti-hyperglycemic, anti-hypertensive and anti-hyperlipidemic effects, all of which make it interesting to tackle the symptoms of metabolic syndrome. This is characterised by factors such as abdominal obesity, inflammation and diabetes, that are associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular diseases.

Stevia contains other compounds, such as phytochemicals, that provide beneficial properties to health.

Theses include: diterpenes, labdabos, triterpenes, stigmasterol, tannins, ascorbic acid, alkaloids, steroids, saponins, flavonoids, b-carotene, chromium, cobalt, magnesium, iron, potassium, phosphorus, riboflavin, thiamine, tin, zinc, apigenin, austroinilina, avicularin, b-sitosterol, caffeic acid, campesterol, caryophyllene, centaureidin, chlorogenic acid, chlorophyll, kaempferol, luteolin and quercetin.

The authors identify three separate rat or mice studies in which orally administered stevia for a period of between three and nine weeks led to a weight reduction.

One study looking for sucrose replacement in beverages found that that satiety levels of SR, aspartame, and saccharose were similar among each other but stevia reduced the glucose and postprandial insulin levels, write the authors.

Other human and animal studies identified stevia as beneficial in lowering blood pressure. For instance, one study, hypertensive patients were given 250 mg of steviosides for one year. "Results indicate that their systolic and diastolic APs decreased after 3 months of starting the treatment without any negative effect on the biochemical parameters."

 

Did the COVID-19 pandemic lead to changes in our personality traits?
University of Illinois, October 1, 2022

Previous studies have shown that levels of neuroticism declined during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. A new study published in PLOS One found that these changes in neuroticism were short-lived and normalized later in the pandemic in 2021-2022. 

However, other personality traits such as agreeableness, openness, extraversion, and conscientiousness declined during the later stages of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021-2022. 

The study found that younger individuals were especially susceptible to changes in personality traits during the pandemic, suggesting a disruption of the personality development and maturation process that normally occurs during young adulthood.

The five-factor model of personality  is a widely used model that describes personality based on the presence of five broad traits. The model includes the following five personality traits:

Extraversion — a tendency for outgoing, energetic, and assertive behaviors
Neuroticism — a tendency for persistent and excessive pessimism and anxiety
Conscientiousness — a tendency to be organized, self-disciplined, responsible, and hard-working
Agreeableness — a tendency to be empathetic, friendly, compliant, and trustworthy
Openness — a tendency to be curious, imaginative, and open-minded
These personality traits remain relatively stable over an adult’s lifetime and are generally unaffected by personal experience. Previous studies have shown that individuals show a small change in personality traits with age. Specifically, conscientiousness and agreeableness tend to increase gradually with age, whereas neuroticism, openness, and extraversion tend to decrease.