The Gary Null Show - 02.04.22

Lower Dietary and Circulating Vitamin C in Middle- and Older-Aged Men and Women Are Associated with Lower Estimated Skeletal Muscle Mass 

 

University of East Anglia (UK)

 

Age-related loss of skeletal muscle mass contributes to poor outcomes including sarcopenia, physical disability, frailty, type 2 diabetes, and mortality. Vitamin C has physiological relevance to skeletal muscle and may protect it during aging, but few studies have investigated its importance in older populations. Positive trends were found across quintiles of dietary vitamin C and FFM measures for both sexes, with interquintile differences in FFM% and FFMBMI of 1.0% and 2.3% for men and 1.9% and 2.9% for women, respectively (all P< 0.001). Similarly, FFM% and FFMBMI measures were higher in participants with sufficient than with insufficient plasma vitamin C: by 1.6% and 2.0% in men, and 3.4% and 3.9% in women, respectively (all P < 0.001). Associations were also evident in analyses stratified into <65-y and ≥65-y age groups.

 

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Pre-infection deficiency of vitamin D is associated with increased disease severity and mortality among hospitalized COVID-19 patients

 

Bar-Ilan University (Israel)

 

Vitamin D is most often recognized for its role in bone health, but low levels of the supplement have been associated with a range of autoimmune, cardiovascular, and infectious diseases. Early on in the pandemic health officials began to encourage people to take vitamin D, as it plays a role in promoting immune response and could protect against COVID-19. The study is among the first to analyze vitamin D levels prior to infection, which facilitates a more accurate assessment than during hospitalization, when levels may be lower secondary to the viral illness.

 

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No Amount of Alcohol is Good for the Heart

 

World Heart Federation, January 31, 2022

 

In a new policy brief, the World Heart Federation (WHF) is challenging the widespread notion that drinking moderate amounts of alcohol can decrease the risk of heart disease, and calling for urgent and decisive action to tackle the unprecedented rise in alcohol-related death and disability worldwide. The agency says that the evidence is clear: any level of alcohol consumption can lead to the loss of healthy life. Studies have shown that even small amounts of alcohol can increase a person’s risk of cardiovascular disease, including coronary disease, stroke, heart failure, hypertensive heart disease, cardiomyopathy, atrial fibrillation, and aneurysm. Studies that claim otherwise are largely based on purely observational research, which fails to account for other factors, such as pre-existing conditions and a history of alcoholism in those considered to be “abstinent”. To date, no reliable correlation has been found between moderate alcohol consumption and a lower risk of heart disease.

 

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Israeli Study: Your Cell Phone Is Killing Your Sperm

 

Technion-Israel Institute of Technology and Carmel Medical Center (Israel), February 3, 2022

 

Over the years, science has thoroughly documented the global decline in male fertility, which has been ongoing since the 1940s. Several possible culprits have been blamed such exposure to pesticides, estrogen-mimicking chemicals, and sedentary lifestyles. However, a team of Israeli scientists has found another possible environmental cause. Researchers at Haifa’s Technion- Israel Institute of Technology and Carmel Medical Center, conducted a study involving 106 men who were given a semen analysis. They have found that men who wear their cell phones in their pants pockets, have significantly higher rates of abnormal sperm. 47% of men who stored their cell phones in their pants had abnormal sperm, compared to just 11% for the average male.

 

(VIDEO)

 

Melissa Ciummei - Irish Investor on Vaccine Passports and Digital Currency - 34 minutes

 

(OTHER NEWS)

 

Scotland to Plant Millions of Trees Along Rivers to Save Wild Salmon From the Heat

 

EcoWatch, February 2, 2022

 

In Scotland, the River Dee Board and Trust and fisheries are planting millions of trees along rivers to help save wild salmon from the effects of global warming. Scotland’s rivers are already becoming too warm in the summer for wild salmon to spawn, putting more pressure on these cold-water fish. Wild salmon prefer water temperatures around 10°C (50°F) and cannot withstand the heat of waters at 33°C (91.4°F). Fisheries noted the lowest rod catch of salmon in 2018, when water temperatures for about 70% of rivers reached a temperature of 23°C (73.4°F) at least one day of the summer that year, causing heat stress for the fish. Tree cover can help cool water temperatures, but according to Marine Scotland scientists, only about 35% of rivers in Scotland have enough tree cover for the cooling effect. The River Dee Board and Trust has planted thousands of trees along the River Dee and its tributaries since 2013, with plans to plant over 1 million trees in this area by 2035. Planted trees will include juniper, aspen, birch, willow, and Scots pine. Fisheries are also joining to plant millions more trees along remote streams and rivers to further help conserve the wild salmon population. Aside from providing shade, the trees are also expected to boost biodiversity by providing habitat for insects and small animals. They can also help control flooding and manage nutrients for the soil and water.

 

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CDC Admits Natural Immunity Trumps Vaccine Immunity — 5 Months After Touting Vaccines as Superior

 

Five months after issuing a statement that vaccine immunity protects against COVID better than natural immunity, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention sent a report showing the opposite is true, at least when it comes to the Delta variant.

 

David Charbonneau, Ph.D.,  February 2, 2022

 

A Jan. 19 report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) showed natural immunity against COVID was at least three times as effective as vaccination alone at preventing people from becoming infected with the Delta variant. Overall, the study showed natural immunity outperformed vaccine immunity when it came to preventing infection and hospitalization from Delta. The results contradicted a previous CDC study, published in August 2021, which concluded vaccination was better than natural immunity. The CDC issued a media statement about the August study, which was widely covered by mainstream press. When a much larger Israeli study was published two weeks later, finding the opposite, the CDC did not offer any comment or analysis on the new data. “The CDC is now finally revising its position five months later,” said Dr. Madhava Setty, senior science editor for The Defender. “This is a major problem with the CDC and its data. They have been opaque and late to the game from the beginning.” The latest CDC study examined four categories of people in California and New York between May and November 2021: unvaccinated and vaccinated who survived a previous COVID infection, and unvaccinated and vaccinated who had never been infected. While the highest case rates were among those who had neither previous exposure nor vaccination, the outcomes with Delta for those who were unvaccinated but previously exposed were substantially better than for those whose immunity came from vaccination alone. Unvaccinated, recovered individuals had infection rates 14.7 (N.Y.) to 29 (Calif.) times lower than those who had no immunity, while the vaccinated who had no prior COVID exposure had rates 4.5 (N.Y.) to 6.2 (Calif.) lower than those without any immunity. The results were similar for hospitalization: Those with natural immunity were 2- 6 times less likely to be hospitalized than those with vaccinated immunity alone.