This 2023 paper provided mechanistic evidence, evolutionary theory, and testable scenarios for fructose metabolism differences from other nutrients: “The fructose survival hypothesis proposes that obesity and metabolic disorders may have developed from over-stimulation of an evolutionary-based biologic response (survival switch) that aims to protect animals in advance of crisis. The response is characterized by hunger, … Continue reading Fructose and survival
“When Black Friday falls You know it’s got to be Don’t let it fall on me”
This 2015 California human study was of the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (dACC): “No neural region has been associated with more conflicting accounts of its function than the dACC. The best psychological description of dACC function was related to pain processing—not executive, conflict, or salience processing. We conclude by considering that physical pain may be … Continue reading The function of the dorsal ACC is to monitor pain in survival contexts
Three papers on myelin and oligodendrocytes, starting with a 2023 review: “Myelin is the spiral ensheathment of axons by a lipid and cholesterol-rich glial cell membrane that reduces capacitance and increases resistance of the axonal membrane. Axonal myelination speeds up nerve conduction velocity as a function of axon diameter. While myelination proceeds rapidly after birth … Continue reading Maintaining your myelin, Part 1
Two more papers cited Precondition your defenses with broccoli sprouts, starting with a 2024 review of broccoli compounds’ influences on autophagy and cellular function: “Promotion of autophagy has been related to lifespan expansion, tumor suppression, and maintenance of metabolic health. Alterations in this pathway have been related to human diseases or pathological states including neurodegenerative … Continue reading Eat broccoli sprouts to maintain your cells
A 2024 clinical trial investigated effects of people adding a cup of cruciferous vegetables to their daily diet for six months: “We developed a 6-month behavioral dietary intervention (Power to Redefine Your Health [POW-R Health]) designed to increase Cruciferae intake and isothiocyanate (ITC) levels in non–muscle-invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) survivors, with the long-term goal of … Continue reading Eat broccoli sprouts for your bladder?
Starting this blog’s tenth year with admitting to a National Geographic Alaska show compulsion. There’s something fascinating about seeing a subsistence lifestyle that I’d never choose. 1. A recent Life Below Zero: First Alaskans episode “Rite of Spring” included a visit to remains of a childhood home that had been swept away in a 2009 … Continue reading Our grandchildren’s grandchildren
Two reviews on beneficial effects of mild stress, starting with a 2024 paper coauthored by the lead researcher of Sulforaphane in the Goldilocks zone: “This paper addresses how long lifespan can be extended via multiple interventions, such as dietary supplements, pharmaceutical agents, caloric restriction, intermittent fasting, exercise, and other activities. This evaluation was framed within … Continue reading Get a little stress into your life
Four 2023 papers that cited Part 1, starting with a review of hypothetical parameters for taurine clinical trials that aren’t going to happen because: Drug companies can’t make money from a research area that’s cheap, not patentable, and readily accessible. Government sponsors are likewise not incentivized to act in the public’s interest per their recent … Continue reading Taurine’s effects on healthspan and lifespan, Part 2
This post explores CBC ratios of neutrophils-to-lymphocytes (NLR) and lymphocytes-to-monocytes (LMR) as healthy biomarkers. Uses of the neutrophils-to-lymphocytes ratio asserted: A normal range of NLR is between 1–2, and values higher than 3.0 and below 0.7 in adults are pathological. I saw only one study out of 151 references, reference 61 from 2017, that demonstrated … Continue reading What is the health utility of white blood cell type count ratios?
Two 2023 papers, starting with a study of smell and taste disorders: “This study investigates the impact of etiology on the epidemiologic profile, disease severity, type of treatment, and therapy outcome in smell and taste disorders. Hyposmia has a prevalence of about 15%, while approximately 5% of the population suffers from anosmia. Multiple innervation of … Continue reading A smell and taste anecdote
A 2023 rodent study investigated Nrf2’s capacity to cause cell senescence: “The KEAP1-NRF2 pathway is a stress response pathway which has been maintained by natural selection due to its ability to benefit survival of the host organism. One important distinction between this pathway and other stress response pathways such as p53, is that chronic activation … Continue reading Nrf2 and senescence, Part 1
Haven’t curated acetyl-L-carnitine papers recently. Here are three 2023 studies, beginning with a human case report: “It is believed that 75% of the required amount of carnitine is taken from diet and the remaining 25% is synthesized in the body. Long-term use of a carnitine-free diet is thought to increase the risk of carnitine deficiency. … Continue reading Acetyl-L-carnitine dosing
This 2023 rodent study investigated mechanisms of improving stress-worsened respiratory viral infection: “Our study demonstrates that chronic psychological stress significantly increases host vulnerability to influenza A virus (IAV) infection characterized by a distorted gut microbiome and deregulated alveolar macrophages (AMs) response. We show that microbiome-derived Îł-aminobutyric acid (GABA) functions as a tonic signal to support … Continue reading The brain-gut-lung circuit
A 2023 human / primate / rodent / worm study with 56 coauthors exhaustively investigated taurine effects: “We measured the blood concentration of taurine during aging and investigated the effect of taurine supplementation on healthspan and lifespan in several species. In C57Bl/6J wild-type (WT) mice, serum taurine concentrations declined from 132.3 ± 14.2 ng/ml at … Continue reading Taurine’s effects on healthspan and lifespan
Surface Your Real Self 