Dietary fats, carbohydrate, and progression of coronary atherosclerosis in postmenopausal women

Dietary fats, carbohydrate, and progression of coronary atherosclerosis in postmenopausal women

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1270002/

Mozaffarian D, Rimm
EB, Herrington DM. Dietary fats, carbohydrate, and progression of coronary
atherosclerosis in postmenopausal women. The American journal of clinical
nutrition 2004;80(5):1175-1184.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1270002/

Abstract

Background: 
The influence of diet on atherosclerotic progression is not well established, particularly in postmenopausal women, in whom risk factors for progression may differ from those for men.

Objective: 
The objective was to investigate associations between dietary macronutrients and progression of coronary atherosclerosis among postmenopausal women.

Design: 
Quantitative coronary angiography was performed at baseline and after a mean follow-up of 3.1 y in 2243 coronary segments in 235 postmenopausal women with established coronary heart disease. Usual dietary intake was assessed at baseline.

Results: 
The mean (±SD) total fat intake was 25 ± 6% of energy. In multivariate analyses, a higher saturated fat intake was associated with a smaller decline in mean minimal coronary diameter (P = 0.001) and less progression of coronary stenosis (P =0.002) during follow-up. Compared with a 0.22-mm decline in the lowest quartile of intake, there was a 0.10-mm decline in the second quartile (P = 0.002), a 0.07-mm decline in the third quartile (P = 0.002), and no decline in the fourth quartile (P <0.001); P for trend =0.001. This inverse association was more pronounced among women with lower monounsaturated fat (P for interaction =0.04) and higher carbohydrate (P for interaction =0.004) intakes and possibly lower total fat intake (P for interaction =0.09). Carbohydrate intake was positively associated with atherosclerotic progression (P=0.001), particularly when the glycemic index was high. Polyunsaturated fat intake was positively associated with progression when replacing other fats (P = 0.04) but not when replacing carbohydrate or protein. Monoun-saturated and total fat intakes were not associated with progression.

Conclusions: 
In postmenopausal women with relatively low total fat intake, a greater saturated fat intake is associated with less progression of coronary atherosclerosis, whereas carbohydrate intake is associated with a greater progression.

Association of fructose consumption and components of metabolic syndrome in human studies: A systematic review and meta-analysis - Nutrition

Association of fructose consumption and components of metabolic syndrome in human studies: A systematic review and meta-analysis - Nutrition

Effect of low-calorie versus low-carbohydrate ketogenic diet in type 2 diabetes - Nutrition

http://www.nutritionjrnl.com/article/S0899-9007(12)00073-1/abstract

Physical Exercise as a Preventive or Disease-Modifying Treatment of Dementia and Brain Aging - Mayo Clinic Proceedings

Physical Exercise as a Preventive or Disease-Modifying Treatment of Dementia and Brain Aging - Mayo Clinic Proceedings





Mayo
Clinic Proceedings

September
2011 Volume 86, Issue 9, Pages 876–884

Physical
Exercise as a Preventive or Disease-Modifying Treatment of Dementia and Brain
Agin

http://www.mayoclinicproceedings.org/article/S0025-6196(11)65219-1/fulltext

Abstract:

A rapidly growing literature strongly suggests that exercise, specifically aerobic exercise, may attenuate cognitive impairment and reduce dementia risk. We used PubMed (keywords exercise and cognition) and manuscript bibliographies to examine the published evidence of a cognitive neuroprotective effect of exercise. Meta-analyses of prospective studies documented a significantly reduced risk of dementia associated with midlife exercise; similarly, midlife exercise significantly reduced later risks of mild cognitive impairment in several studies. Among patients with dementia or mild cognitive impairment, randomized controlled trials (RCTs) documented better cognitive scores after 6 to 12 months of exercise compared with sedentary controls. Meta-analyses of RCTs of aerobic exercise in healthy adults were also associated with significantly improved cognitive scores. One year of aerobic exercise in a large RCT of seniors was associated with significantly larger hippocampal volumes and better spatial memory; other RCTs in seniors documented attenuation of age-related gray matter volume loss with aerobic exercise. Cross-sectional studies similarly reported significantly larger hippocampal or gray matter volumes among physically fit seniors compared with unfit seniors. Brain cognitive networks studied with functional magnetic resonance imaging display improved connectivity after 6 to 12 months of exercise. Animal studies indicate that exercise facilitates neuroplasticity via a variety of biomechanisms, with improved learning outcomes. Induction of brain neurotrophic factors by exercise has been confirmed in multiple animal studies, with indirect evidence for this process in humans. Besides a brain neuroprotective effect, physical exercise may also attenuate cognitive decline via mitigation of cerebrovascular risk, including the contribution of small vessel disease to dementia. Exercise should not be overlooked as an important therapeutic strategy.

Exercise training increases size of hippocampus and improves memory

Exercise training increases size of hippocampus and improves memory

Published online
before print January 31, 2011, doi: 10.1073/pnas.1015950108

PNAS February 15,
2011 vol. 108 no. 7 3017-3022

Exercise training
increases size of hippocampus and improves memory

Abstract

The hippocampus shrinks in late adulthood, leading to impaired memory and increased risk for dementia. Hippocampal and medial temporal lobe volumes are larger in higher-fit adults, and physical activity training increases hippocampal perfusion, but the extent to which aerobic exercise training can modify hippocampal volume in late adulthood remains unknown. Here we show, in a randomized controlled trial with 120 older adults, that aerobic exercise training increases the size of the anterior hippocampus, leading to improvements in spatial memory. Exercise training increased hippocampal volume by 2%, effectively reversing age-related loss in volume by 1 to 2 y. We also demonstrate that increased hippocampal volume is associated with greater serum levels of BDNF, a mediator of neurogenesis in the dentate gyrus. Hippocampal volume declined in the control group, but higher preintervention fitness partially attenuated the decline, suggesting that fitness protects against volume loss. Caudate nucleus and thalamus volumes were unaffected by the intervention. These theoretically important findings indicate that aerobic exercise training is effective at reversing hippocampal volume loss in late adulthood, which is accompanied by improved memory function.

Trans-11 18:1 Vaccenic Acid (TVA) Has a Direct Anti-Carcinogenic Effect on MCF-7 Human Mammary Adenocarcinoma Cells

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3942722/


Abstract

Trans vaccenic acid (TVA; trans-11 18:1) is a positional and geometric isomer of oleic acid and it is the predominant trans isomer found in ruminant fats. TVA can be converted intocis-9, trans-11 conjugated linoleic acid (c9, t11-CLA), a CLA isomer that has many beneficial effects, by stearoyl CoA desaturase 1 (SCD1) in the mammary gland. The health benefits associated with CLA are well documented, but it is unclear whether trans fatty acids (TFAs) from ruminant products have healthy effects. Therefore, the effects of TVA on the proliferation of MCF-7 human breast adenocarcinoma cells and MCF-10A human breast epithelial cells were investigated in the present study. Results showed that TVA inhibited the proliferation of MCF-7 cells but not MCF-10A cells by down-regulating the expression of Bcl-2 as well as procaspase-9. In addition, the suppressive effect of TVA was confirmed in SCD1-depleted MCF-7 cells. Our results suggested that TVA exerts a direct anti-carcinogenic effect on MCF-7 cells. These findings provided a better understanding of the research on the anti-carcinogenic effects of TVA and this may facilitate the manufacture of TVA/c9, t11-CLA fortified ruminant products.

Vitamin D Intake and Risk of Type 1 Diabetes: A Meta-Analysis of Observational Studies

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3798920/

Conclusions

Our findings suggest that vitamin D intake during early life is associated with a reduced risk of type 1 diabetes. There was not enough evidence supporting an association between maternal intake of vitamin D and type 1 diabetes risk in the offspring. Because these findings were largely based upon case-control studies, well-designed cohort studies are still needed to determine the role of vitamin D in the prevention of type 1 diabetes.

Vitamin D and the risk of dementia and Alzheimer disease

Vitamin D and the risk of dementia and Alzheimer disease

• Vitamin D deficiency and the risk of dementia
  Howland Robert H | Published August 28, 2014

Conclusion: Our results confirm that vitamin D deficiency is associated with a substantially

increased risk of all-cause dementia and Alzheimer disease. This adds to the ongoing debate
about the role of vitamin D in nonskeletal conditions.

Neurology® 2014;83:1–9

Reversal of cognitive decline: A novel therapeutic program

Reversal of cognitive decline: A novel therapeutic program

Bredesen DE. Reversal of cognitive decline: A novel therapeutic program.Aging (Albany NY) 2014;6(9):707-717.




"In the absence of effective prevention and treatment, the prospects for the future are of great concern, with 13 million Americans and 160 million globally projected for 2050, leading to potential bankruptcy of the Medicare system."


"Recent estimates suggest that AD has become the third leading cause of death in the United States"



"Neurodegenerative disease therapeutics has been, arguably, the field of greatest failure of biomedical therapeutics development."


"In the case of Alzheimer's disease, there is not a single therapeutic that exerts anything beyond a marginal, unsustained symptomatic effect, with little or no effect on disease progression. Furthermore, in the past decade alone, hundreds of clinical trials have been conducted for AD, at an aggregate cost of billions of dollars, without success. This has led some to question whether the approach taken to drug development for AD is an optimal one."


"Patient one: 

A 67-year-old woman presented with two years of progressive memory loss.


(1) She eliminated all simple carbohydrates, leading to a weight loss of 20 pounds; 

(2) She eliminated gluten and processed food from her diet, and increased vegetables, fruits, and non-farmed fish; 

(3) in order to reduce stress, she began yoga, and ultimately became a yoga instructor; 

(4) as a second measure to reduce the stress of her job, she began to meditate for 20 minutes twice per day; 

(5) she took melatonin 0.5mg po qhs; 

(6) she increased her sleep from 4-5 hours per night to 7-8 hours per night; 

(7) she took methylcobalamin 1mg each day; 

(8) she took vitamin D3 2000IU each day; 

(9) she took fish oil 2000mg each day; 

(10) she took CoQ10 200mg each day; 

(11) she optimized her oral hygiene using an electric flosser and electric toothbrush; 

(12) following discussion with her primary care provider, she reinstated HRT (hormone replacement therapy) that had been discontinued following the WHI report in 2002; 

(13) she fasted for a minimum of 12 hours between dinner and breakfast, and for a minimum of three hours between dinner and bedtime; 

(14) she exercised for a minimum of 30 minutes, 4-6 days per week.

Patient	History, evaluation	Diagnosis	Status
67F 3/3	2yr memory ; FH+	aMCI	Normal x 2.5 yrs; working

"



"The positive results reported here are perhaps not surprising given that therapeutic programs have proven more effective than monotherapeutics in multiple chronic illnesses, such as atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, HIV, and cancer [5, 35]. Indeed, chronic illnesses may be more amenable to therapeutic systems than to monotherapeutics."

Tyrone Hayes + Penelope Jagessar Chaffer: The toxic baby | Talk Video | TED.com

Tyrone Hayes + Penelope Jagessar Chaffer: The toxic baby | Talk Video | TED.com



Filmmaker Penelope Jagessar Chaffer was curious about the chemicals she was exposed to while pregnant: Could they affect her unborn child? So she asked scientist Tyrone Hayes to brief her on one he studied closely: atrazine, a herbicide used on corn. (Hayes, an expert on amphibians, is a critic of atrazine, which displays a disturbing effect on frog development.) Onstage together at TEDWomen, Hayes and Chaffer tell their story.

Glucose Levels and Risk of Dementia — NEJM

http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa1215740#t=abstract

N Engl J Med 2013; 
369:1863-1864 November 7, 2013
DOI: 10.1056/NEJMc1311765


CONCLUSIONS

Our results suggest that higher glucose levels may be a risk factor for dementia, even among persons without diabetes. (Funded by the National Institutes of Health.)

Vitamin C (Askorbinsyra), har ingen nämnvärd effekt på förkylning

Att äta en apelsin för att hålla sig frisk från förkylningar, verkar vara en skröna, och förresten så innehåller Paprika mycket mer Vitamin C än Apelsin.

Apelsin innehåller 66 % RDI/100Gram
Paprika innehåller 140-250 % RDI/100Gram

1. Douglas RM, Chalker EB, Treacy B. Vitamin C for preventing and treating the common cold (Cochrane Review). In: The Cochrane Library, 3, 2001. Oxford: Update Software.
   http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/14651858.CD000980.pub4/abstract
    
2. Anderson TN, Suranyi B, Beaton GW. The effect on winter illness of large doses of vitamin C. Can Med Assoc J 1974; 111: 31-38.
   http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1947567/
    
3. Karlowski TR, Chalmers TC, Frenkel LD, et al. Ascorbic acid for the common cold. A prophylactic and therapeutic trial. JAMA1975; 231: 1038-1042.
   http://jama.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=360168
    
4. Elwood PC, Hughes SJ, St Leger AS. A randomized controlled trial of the therapeutic effect of vitamin C in the common cold. Practitioner 1977; 218: 133-137.
   http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/319446
    
5. Tyrrell DA, Craig JW, Meada TW, White T. A trial of ascorbic acid in the treatment of the common cold. Br J Prev Soc Med 1977; 31: 189-191.
   http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC479021/
   
   
6. Michels AJ, Frei B. Myths, Artifacts, and Fatal Flaws: Identifying Limitations and Opportunities in Vitamin C Research. Nutrients 2013;5(12):5161-5192. doi:10.3390/nu5125161.
   http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3875932/

Interaction between sphingomyelin and oxysterols contributes to ath... - PubMed - NCBI

Interaction between sphingomyelin and oxysterols contributes to atherosclerosis and sudden death - PubMed - NCBI

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23459228


Kummerow FA. Interaction between sphingomyelin and oxysterols contributes to atherosclerosis and sudden death. American Journal of Cardiovascular Disease 2013;3(1):17-26.

Abstract

Despite major public health efforts, coronary heart disease continues to be the leading cause of death in the United States. Oxidized lipids contribute to heart disease both by increasing deposition of calcium on the arterial wall, a major hallmark of atherosclerosis, and by interrupting blood flow, a major contributor to heart attack and sudden death. Oxidized cholesterol (oxysterols) enhances the production of sphingomyelin, a phospholipid found in the cellular membranes of the coronary artery. This increases the sphingomyelin content in the cell membrane, which in turn enhances the interaction between the membrane and ionic calcium (Ca2+), thereby increasing the risk of arterial calcification. Patients undergoing bypass surgery had greater concentrations of oxysterols in their plasma than cardiac catheterized controls with no stenosis, and had five times more sphingomyelin in their arteries than in the artery of the placenta of a newborn. The oxysterols found in the plasma of these patients were also found in the plasma of rabbits that had been fed oxidized cholesterol and in frying fats and powdered egg yolk intended for human consumption. Together these findings suggest that oxysterols found in the diet are absorbed and contribute to arterial calcification. Oxidized low-density lipoprotein (OxLDL) further contributes to heart disease by increasing the synthesis of thromboxane in platelets, which increases blood clotting. Cigarette smoke and trans fatty acids, found in partially hydrogenated soybean oil, both inhibit the synthesis of prostacyclin, which inhibits blood clotting. By increasing the ratio of thromboxane to prostacyclin, these factors interact to interrupt blood flow, thereby contributing to heart attack and sudden death. Levels of oxysterols and OxLDL increase primarily as a result of three diet or lifestyle factors: the consumption of oxysterols from commercially fried foods such as fried chicken, fish, and french fries; oxidation of cholesterol in vivo driven by consumption of excess polyunsaturated fatty acids from vegetable oils; and cigarette smoking. Along with the consumption of trans fatty acids from partially hydrogenated vegetable oil, these diet and lifestyle factors likely underlie the persistent national burden of heart disease.

PLOS ONE: Dietary Glycemic Load and Glycemic Index and Risk of Coronary Heart Disease and Stroke in Dutch Men and Women: The EPIC-MORGEN Study

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3527433/

Conclusion

Among men, high GL and GI, and high carbohydrate and starch intake, were associated with increased risk of CVD.