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Cells ‘Vomit’ Waste to Promote Healing, Mouse Study Reveals

The AHA! Team — Wed, 03 Sep 2025 05:36:33 +0000

Washington University in St. Louis via Newswise – Newly discovered purging process in gastric cells hints at how injury recovery can go wrong – The researchers dubbed the new purging process “cathartocytosis,” combining Greek root words meaning cellular cleansing. When injured, cells have well-regulated responses to promote healing. These include a long-studied self-destruction process that cleans up dead and damaged cells as well as a more recently identified phenomenon that helps older cells revert to what appears to be a younger state to help grow back healthy tissue. Now, a new study in mice led by researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and the Baylor College of Medicine reveals a previously unknown cellular purging process that may help injured cells revert to a stem cell-like state more rapidly. The investigators dubbed this newly discovered response cathartocytosis, taking from Greek root words that mean cellular cleansing. Published online in the journal Cell Reports, the study used a mouse model of stomach injury to provide new insights into how cells heal, or fail to heal, in response to damage, such as from an infection or inflammatory disease. “After an injury, the cell’s job is to repair that injury. But the cell’s mature cellular machinery for doing its normal job gets in the way,” said first author Jeffrey W. Brown, MD, PhD, an assistant professor of medicine in the Division of Gastroenterology at WashU Medicine. “So, this cellular cleanse is a quick way of getting rid of that machinery so it can rapidly become a small, primitive cell capable of proliferating and repairing the injury. We identified this process in the GI tract, but we suspect it is relevant in other tissues as well.” Jettisoning of waste Brown likened the process to a “vomiting” or jettisoning of waste that essentially adds a shortcut, helping the cell declutter and focus on regrowing healthy tissues faster than it would be able to if it could only perform a gradual, controlled degradation of waste. As with many shortcuts, this one has potential downsides: According to the investigators, cathartocytosis is fast but messy, which may help shed light on how injury responses can go wrong, especially in the setting of chronic injury. For example, ongoing cathartocytosis in response to an infection is a sign of chronic inflammation and recurring cell damage that is a breeding ground for cancer. In fact, the festering mess of ejected cellular waste that results from all that cathartocytosis may also be a way to identify or track cancer, according to the researchers. A novel cellular process The researchers identified cathartocytosis within an important regenerative injury response called paligenosis, which was first described in 2018 by the current study’s senior author, Jason C. Mills, MD, PhD. Now at the Baylor College of Medicine, Mills began this work while he was a faculty member in the Division of Gastroenterology at WashU Medicine and Brown was a postdoctoral researcher in his lab. In paligenosis, injured cells shift away from their normal roles and undergo a reprogramming process to an immature state, behaving like rapidly dividing stem cells, as happens during development. Originally, the researchers assumed the decluttering of cellular machinery in preparation for this reprogramming happens entirely inside cellular compartments called lysosomes, where waste is digested in a slow and contained process. From the start, though, the researchers noticed debris outside the cells. They initially dismissed this as unimportant, but the more external waste they saw in their early studies, the more Brown began to suspect that something deliberate was going on. He utilized a model of mouse stomach injury that triggered the reprogramming of mature cells to a stem cell state all at once, making it obvious that the “vomiting” response — now happening in all the stomach cells simultaneously — was a feature of paligenosis, not a bug. In other words, the vomiting process was not just an accidental spill here and there but a newly identified, standard way cells behaved in response to injury. Although they discovered cathartocytosis happening during paligenosis, the researchers said cells could potentially use cathartocytosis to jettison waste in other, more worrisome situations, like giving mature cells that ability to start to act like cancer cells. The downside to downsizing While the newly discovered cathartocytosis process may help injured cells proceed through paligenosis and regenerate healthy tissue more rapidly, the tradeoff comes in the form of additional waste products that could fuel inflammatory states, making chronic injuries harder to resolve and correlating with increased risk of cancer development. “In these gastric cells, paligenosis — reversion to a stem cell state for healing — is a risky process, especially now that we’ve identified the potentially inflammatory downsizing of cathartocytosis within it,” Mills said. “These cells in the stomach are long-lived, and aging cells acquire mutations. If many older mutated cells revert to stem cell states in an effort to repair an injury — and injuries also often fuel inflammation, such as during an infection — there’s an increased risk of acquiring, perpetuating and expanding harmful mutations that lead to cancer as those stem cells multiply.” More research is needed, but the authors suspect that cathartocytosis could play a role in perpetuating injury and inflammation in Helicobacter pylori infections in the gut. H. pylori is a type of bacteria known to infect and damage the stomach, causing ulcers and increasing the risk of stomach cancer. The findings also could point to new treatment strategies for stomach cancer and perhaps other GI cancers. Brown and WashU Medicine collaborator Koushik K. Das, MD, an associate professor of medicine, have developed an antibody that binds to parts of the cellular waste ejected during cathartocytosis, providing a way to detect when this process may be happening, especially in large quantities. In this way, cathartocytosis might be used as a marker of precancerous states that could allow for early detection and treatment. “If we have a better understanding of this process, we could develop ways to help encourage the healing response and perhaps, in the context of chronic injury, block the damaged cells undergoing chronic cathartocytosis from contributing to cancer formation,” Brown said. Brown JW, Lin X, Nicolazzi GA, Liu X, Nguyen T, Radyk MD, Burclaff J, Mills JC. Cathartocytosis: jettisoning of cellular material during reprogramming of differentiated cells. Cell Reports. Online July 20, 2025. DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2025.116070. To read the original article click here.

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How Bird Songs Can Help Reduce Anxiety

The AHA! Team — Thu, 09 May 2024 20:07:22 +0000

Dr. Caroline Leaf – In this podcast (episode #516) and blog, I talk about one helpful way to improve your mental wellbeing: listening to bird songs! Bird songs have been known to have several positive effects on humans, contributing to our well-being in various ways: Reducing Stress: Listening to bird songs can have a calming effect on the human mind. The gentle and soothing melodies can help reduce stress and anxiety levels, promoting relaxation and a sense of tranquility. Connection to Nature: Bird songs connect us to the natural world, even if we’re in an urban environment. This connection with nature can provide a sense of escapism and rejuvenation, especially for those who may not have regular access to natural settings. Improving Mood: The melodic and often cheerful tunes of bird songs can have a positive impact on our mood. Hearing these sounds can trigger the release of neurotransmitters like dopamine, which are associated with feelings of pleasure and happiness. Enhancing Concentration and Focus: Bird songs are typically gentle and repetitive, which can create a soothing background noise that enhances concentration and focus. This is why some people find it helpful to have ambient bird sounds while working or studying. Aiding Mindfulness and Meditation: Bird songs can be used as a focal point during mindfulness exercises and meditation. The sounds provide a point of focus for attention, helping to anchor the mind in the present moment and promote relaxation. Providing a Sense of Normalcy: Bird songs are a common and natural part of the environment in many places. Hearing them can provide a sense of routine and familiarity, which can be comforting, especially during times of uncertainty or change. Encouraging Outdoor Activities: The lure of bird songs can encourage people to spend more time outdoors, engaging in activities like walking, hiking, or simply sitting in a park. Spending time in nature has numerous physical and mental health benefits. Cultural and Artistic Significance: Bird songs have been a source of inspiration for artists, musicians, and writers for centuries. They have been incorporated into various forms of creative expression, contributing to cultural richness and diversity. It’s worth noting that the positive effects of bird songs on individuals can vary based on personal preferences and cultural backgrounds. Some people may find bird songs incredibly soothing, while others might not experience the same level of positive impact. However, in general, the connection to nature and the calming qualities of bird songs can provide a valuable contribution to our overall well-being. For more on managing your mental health, listen to my podcast (episode #515). Podcast Highlights 1:00 The mental health benefits of birdsong 1:45 How birdsong can reduce stress & anxiety 4:40 Nature & mental health 6:27 How birdsong can help improve concentration & focus 9:00 How birdsong can help establish a sense of normalcy This podcast and blog are for educational purposes only and are not intended as medical advice. We always encourage each person to make the decision that seems best for their situation with the guidance of a medical professional. References – https://www.washingtonpost.com/wellness/interactive/2023/birds-song-nature-mental-health-benefits/ – https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-022-20841-0 – https://neurosciencenews.com/birdsong-mental-health-21639/ – https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/am-i-right/202307/how-bird-songs-improve-mental-health To read the original article click here.

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Critical Life Lessons from the World’s Healthiest and Longest Living Communities + Tips on How to Exercise, Eat, and Manage Your Mind to Boost Your Immune System and Live a Long and Healthy Life with Dan Buettner

AHA Publisher — Thu, 04 Jun 2020 07:00:33 +0000

Dr. Caroline Leaf – Life expectancy and living well seems to be on everyone’s minds these days, especially with the current pandemic, but did you know that around 85% of our longevity is based on our lifestyle choices and environment? In this week’s blog and podcast, I spoke with NYT Bestselling author, explorer, National Geographic Fellow, award-winning journalist and producer Dan Buettner about the world’s healthiest and longest living communities (known as the blue zones), the power of purpose, how healthy eating is affordable and how you too can live to be a 100! As I have said many times before, our mental and physical health are intricately connected. By putting ourselves in an environment that encourages us to live well, we can improve our overall quality of life and longevity. This does not mean that we spend every moment of our day trying to deliberately change our behavior. The blue zones are not about behavior modification; they are about living each day to the fullest. Health ensues when we live our lives well—longevity is based on our environment and how it encourages us to live better, making the healthiest decisions the easiest decisions. Take food, for instance. Say you want to eat better, but around 90% of the 220 food decisions you make a day are unconscious. It is almost impossible to pay attention to all these choices for 14 hours, but if you make changes to your environment, then eating well becomes a lot easier! Rather than trying to remember to do everything, it is better to find people and places that have the healthy eating qualities you want to develop. The blue zones are all about creating environments that make the healthiest choices the easiest choices. You can do this by focusing on several common denominators of longevity, which Dan describes in detail in his book The Blue Zones: Exercise: As I spoke about in a recent blog and podcast (episode #139), movement essential when it comes to our mental and physical health. In the blue zones, people move on average every 20 minutes; they are constantly walking, gardening, getting out, and doing things by hand. They live and work in walkable communities, making movement and exercise an unconscious part of their every day. This way of life is a lot easier than forcing yourself to go to gym every day, so think of ways you can incorporate movement into your day, whether that means dancing from room to room in your house, walking to the local grocery store or taking public transportation. Eating a peasant diet: People in the blue zones have a predominately plant-based diet, with lots of fresh fruits and veggies, nuts, tubers, beans, and whole grains. This diet is actually affordable; healthy eating doesn’t have to be expensive! Yes, it does take more time to cook these foods at home, but doing so can add 8 years to your life expectancy, which adds 2 extra days every day to your life, so you really don’t have time not to cook real, whole foods! Purpose: As Dan notes, purpose is a blockbuster drug. In the blue zones, purpose has two main aspects: passion and This sense of purpose doesn’t stop when people age; there is no such thing as retirement, and both the wisdom of older generations and the vitality of the young are celebrated. There is an overarching expectation that your purpose is helping the community, adding to the knowledge base, keeping people of all ages engaged and helping the survivability of younger generations. Community: Loneliness damages our mental and physical health, as I discussed in detail in a recent blog. In fact, according to research, loneliness can reduce our life expectancy by around 8 years! In the blue zones, there is no time to be lonely: community infuses every aspect of people’s lives, from family gatherings, to intimate friendship circles and spiritual celebrations. They are always bumping into people they know! Downshifting: In the modern world, we are always on the go. We have “hurry sickness”, which constantly keeps us stuck in a flight/fight stress response, resulting in an inflammatory response in the brain and body that impacts our overall health and longevity. In the blue zones, on the other hand, sacred daily rituals are incredibly important, forcing people to slow down and embrace the unhurried side of life, such as ancestor veneration for a few minutes a day, naps, prayers, and social time/happy hour with family and friends. In the blue zones, they don’t let stress run their life, so find ways you can downshift every day and watch your stress decrease and your health improve. It is important to remember that there is no one thing that will make you live longer. Longevity is based on how you live your life every single day. It is about a mutually supportive environment that helps you do the right things for long enough. This is both a gift and responsibility: we all need to think of ways we can make the healthiest choice the easiest choice for us and the people in our community! To read the original article click here. For more articles from Dr. Leaf click here.

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Preventative Health Must Be a Priority — Keep COVID-19 Risk as Low as Possible

AHA Publisher — Wed, 03 Jun 2020 07:00:14 +0000

Dr. Don Colbert – As our country continues to re-open, it’s never been more important to keep yourself healthy. It’s important for the coming weeks. And, it’s important for the coming months and years. Why? You are in control. You can keep your COVID-19 infection risk as low as possible. We’re finding that almost all the COVID-19 severe cases and deaths involving those younger than 80 were in patients who had pre-existing high-risk conditions. And while this can be scary, the good news is that lifestyle changes for preventative health can significantly reduce pre-existing conditions, and therefore your risk of severe infection and death to viruses like COVID-19. Here are the ways you can keep your body healthy to keep your COVID-19 infection risk low and thrive in the years to come. Preventative Health to Keep Your COVID-19 Infection Risk as Low as Possible 1.Quit Smoking There’s little doubt: Being a smoker significantly increased the risk of severe COVID-19 infection and death in this year’s pandemic. Not only does smoking make the lungs weaker, but it also increases the risk of hypertension, another pre-existing condition correlated with severe infection and death from COVID-19. 2. Lose Weight If Obese As the pandemic progressed, researchers found that most of those who were young and had severe symptoms had something in common: they were obese. In fact, obesity among those under 40 years old vastly increased the incidence of serious infections and disease (1). And of course, obesity increases the risk of hypertension, and hypertension played a huge role as a pre-existing condition. 3. Maintain Healthy Blood Sugars COVID-19 has placed a spotlight on diabetes and unhealthy blood sugars as a significant risk factor for infection and severe symptoms of a virus. Diabetes was one of the greatest risk factors, and studies have shown that the vast majority of deaths for those under 80 years old were in people with diabetes or high blood sugars in the hospital. 4. Get Outside as Much as Possible Especially as the days get warmer and we can enjoy more direct sunlight, get outside. This virus, like most viruses, spreads easiest in colder weather, out of sunlight, and when we are confined with others. What’s more, vitamin D may play a protective role against COVID-19, and the virus cannot survive as long when in UV rays. Need another reason? Getting outside into sunlight early in the day improves melatonin levels and sleep, which can boost your immune system and reduce the risk of severe symptoms. Social distance, and get outside every day. 5. Prioritize Your Immune System There are many ways to prioritize and support your immune system each day. These include: Losing weight Maintaining healthy blood sugars Lowering blood pressure Getting outside Exercising Practicing gratitude Reducing Stress Staying hydrated (2) Taking supplements if needed to maintain healthy vitamin D levels Getting at least 8 hours of sleep per night Eating foods high in antioxidants and anti-inflammatory nutrients that boost immune function Eating healthy fats such as extra virgin olive oil and omega-3 fats Taking anti-inflammatory supplements if needed such as fish oil, turmeric, ginger, etc. Avoiding high sugar foods that reduce immune system responses You can do so many things to prioritize your immune system for year-round health and in case of a pandemic. Don’t miss your opportunity now. Use these habits to boost your immune system each day. How Keto Zone Can Help We’ve got great news. Keto Zone can help you accomplish the tips above. The Keto Zone diet is an efficient and effective way to start losing weight. As you lose weight and enter ketosis, you will maintain healthy blood sugars, lose weight and abdominal fat for an automatic improvement in health, and reduce high blood pressure while increasing immune-boosting foods! How to Start the Keto Zone for Free If you are interested in learning how to keep your risk as low as possible with this lifestyle change and weight loss, you can start by joining our FREE Keto Zone 21-Day-Challenge. If you want even more, check out the Keto Zone Starter Kit including Dr. Colbert’s Keto Zone Diet Book. Bottom Line Your preventative health must be a priority to keep COVID-19 infection risk as low as possible moving forward. We are here to help with Keto Zone. You can start for free today! To read the original article click here. For more articles from Dr. Colbert click here.

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11 Free Daily Immune-Boosting Habits

AHA Publisher — Thu, 28 May 2020 07:00:15 +0000

Dr. Don Colbert – As we work to get our daily lives back to normal, it’s a great time to focus on healthy, immune-boosting daily habits. These habits are free, yet potent. And, practicing them each day can improve your overall health, immune function, and wellness. Here are 11 free daily immune-boosting habits and why they work. How Can Habits Boost Immune Function? There are a few different ways our lifestyles can affect immune function. First, they can reduce inflammation and oxidative stress. Next, they can activate immune cells directly. Third, they can indirectly affect your immunity. For example, high blood sugars are associated with increased infection, while controlled ones are not. Lastly, and on the other side, they can negatively impact immune function by reducing the health of immune cells or degrading the body’s overall health. Your daily habits matter. Throughout each day, you can choose reduced inflammation and better immune function. Make your habit choices wisely. 11 Free Daily Immune-Boosting Habits 1. Free Habit #1: Gratitude When You Wake How can you boost your health and immune function right when you wake up? You can be purposeful to start the day with gratitude. Whatever lies ahead in the day, you can be grateful for something or someone to start. How does this boost your immune system? Gratitude is one of our daily immune-boosting habits because it reduces stress and anxiety. It reduces cortisol, which causes inflammation in the body. What’s more, gratitude can improve sleep while reducing stress. A study of 400 individuals found that writing gratitudes during the day and/or before sleep improves both the quality and duration of sleep (1). Another study found that gratitude was linked to a 10% improvement in sleep and a 19% decrease in depression levels in patients with chronic disease and insomnia (2). For an extra boost, combine your time of gratitude with meditation. Focus on the moment, the day, and those things for which you are grateful. Be present in these thoughts, not thinking ahead or behind. Incredibly, this sort of mindful meditation can stimulate the immune system. Its benefits include improvements in specific markers of inflammation, cell-mediated immunity, and biological aging (3). 2. Free Habit #2: Ice-Cold Shower for Better Immune Function Not everyone enjoys an ice-cold shower or burst of cold water in the morning. But for those who can stand it, there are immune-boosting and anti-aging benefits. How? First, cold showers are linked to an improved immune system. A recent study from the Netherlands found that cold showers significantly reduce sick days. In fact, 30 seconds or more of cold showering per day reduced sick days by 29% in the study. Additionally, more than half the participants decided to continue the cold-shower practice after the study since they were convinced by the results (4). Why would cold water improve immunity? It’s thought that cold-water-stress induces the production of catecholamines, which may play a critical role in stimulating the immune system. 3. Free Habit #3: Get Outside into the Sunshine Early There are many benefits to getting outside. And, the earlier you do it, the better. Sunshine and time outdoors are one of our daily immune-boosting habits because they: Increase vitamin D production: It will well-accepted that optimal vitamin D levels are associated with less viral infections. What’s more, optimal vitamin D levels improve health throughout the body, from bones to skin to organs. Improve melatonin levels, especially if you’re out in the early hours after waking. Why does this matter for immune function? Optimal melatonin improves sleep, and sleep is directly beneficial to the immune system. Next, melatonin may actually decrease the cell death associated with viral infections such as that from COVID-19, while increasing anti-viral immunity. Covid-19’s induction of cell death is linked to lung damage and organ failure (5). Improve mood, which decreases cortisol to improve health and immune function. Get outside whenever you can, and aim for early hours if possible. 4. Free Habit#4: Daily Hydration for Health and Reduced Cortisol Did you know that fluid restriction and dehydration may increase cortisol in your body? This becomes especially true if you are participating in an outdoor activity during the summer (7). To reduce cortisol and therefore inflammation, hydrate your body regularly. As a bonus, you’ll improve overall cell health and skin. One recent study has shown that increasing water consumption by 2 liters per day improved skin condition and physiology, even in those who already consumed high amounts of water. The researchers concluded that this increase and improvement in skin health would likely have the most positive effect on those with lower daily water consumption (8). If you want to take the immune and health benefits even further, drink green tea for part of your daily hydration. 5. Free Habit #5: Focus on Anti-Inflammatory and High Antioxidant Foods Throughout the day, choose foods that are anti-inflammatory and full of antioxidants. These foods include: Fish and seafood Healthy fats such as extra virgin olive oil, avocados, MCT oil powder and more Vibrant vegetables and small amounts of fruits Cacao, spices, and herbs such as ginger, garlic, basil and more Sound expensive for a list of free habits? Consider this: You have to eat anyway, so being more mindful about your food is a switch, not an addition. What’s more, there are many wonderfully inexpensive foods that are high on the list. Black pepper, whole or ground ginger, turmeric and/or garlic cloves, spinach, broccoli, and more are concentrated in immune-boosting nutrients and don’t cost much at all. 6. Free Habit #6: Move Your Body Exercise provides a powerful 3-punch combination of immune function, health, and healthy aging. It: Modulates antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects in the body by improving neuroprotective action, increasing circulating of anti-inflammatory markers, and improving antioxidant defenses (9). Improves overall body composition and reduces fat mass. Obesity is associated with a decline in immune function. Decreases blood glucose. High blood sugars and diabetes are linked to worsened infections and disease. 7. Free Habit #7: Keep Foods High in Healthy Fats, Moderate in Protein and Low in Sugar and Carbohydrates Here’s another habit that may seem like it involves buying food (not free)…and it does. But again, it’s just a matter or trading out one type of food for another, so really, it’s a net “0.” By reducing sweets, carbohydrates, and sugars, you can boost your immune system and not overload your body with higher blood sugars and insulin. High-sugar binges can specifically diminish your immune response. Next, adding anti-inflammatory fats improves immune function and overall health. You can find all you need to reduce carbs and add healthy fats within the Keto Zone diet plan. 8. Free Habit #8: Laugh and Enjoy Healthy Relationships What do healthy relationships and laughter have to do with immune function and overall health? Incredibly, the Harvard Study of Adult Development has shown that good social relationships promote physical and mental health, provide a buffer against loneliness, increase longevity, and foster happiness. The Harvard Nurses’ Health Study found similar results. This means less anxiety and cortisol, and better health outcomes. Next, laughter further reduces cortisol, increases dopamine, and increases endorphins. These chemicals decrease discomfort, cortisol (10), and depressed moods (11) while elevating cellular health. 9. Free Habit #9: Starting Mid-Evening, Employ Intermittent Fasting Around 7 pm in the evening, consider starting a daily intermittent fast to boost your health and immune function. Amazingly, there are many documented benefits to intermittent fasting including: Immune function support and potential reduced cancer cell growth (12) Improve cholesterol markers Reduced triglycerides Improved aging Weight loss without negative cellular adaptations Reduced risk of diabetes Reduced risk of cancer and improved treatment In fact, many studies have shown improved aging, brain health, heart health, and blood sugars associated with intermittent fasting (13). To add intermittent fasting, aim to fast 15-16 out of the 24 hours per day. Simply finish eating dinner at 7 pm each night, and fast with only non-carbohydrate liquids (like coffee) until 10 am or so. Then, utilize Keto Zone eating for 8 hours per day. 10. Free Habit #10: Practice Prayer and Faith Prayer reduces cortisol and can improve mental health, immunity and disease outcomes, and physical health. Prayer has been studied for years. It’s been shown to increase the secretion of neurotransmitters, such as dopamine. Dopamine decreases cortisol and promotes relaxation, focus, and motivation. Of course, these are just a few health benefits. Prayer’s greatest benefits lie in our close relationship with God. 11. Free Habit #11: 7 or More Hours Per Night of Sleep Good quality sleep has many health and aging benefits. These include: Reduced daily cortisol Improved immune function Better melatonin levels Less depressed moods Less inflammation Healthy body weight Better heart health It’s a cycle. Good sleep begets good sleep, and lack of sleep increases cortisol for up to 24 hours which negatively affects sleep again (14). Lack of sleep has also been shown to reduce mental performance and alertness while increasing inflammation and cortisol (5). Bottom Line Ready to boost your immune system every day? For free? Follow our 11 free daily immune-boosting habits to start. Then, you can add more by utilizing more foods that boost immune function and other lifestyle habits. We can continue to fight this virus, and grow stronger and stronger each day. To read the original article click here. For more articles from Dr. Colbert click here.

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How Does Your Diet Affect Depression?

AHA Publisher — Tue, 04 Feb 2020 08:00:41 +0000

Sara Ryding, B.Sc. via News-Medical Net – The occurrence of depression has increased drastically in the past few decades. Suicide, the most serious outcome of depression, is one of the leading causes of death in young men. Several links have been drawn between a shift to poorer diets and an increased risk of depression. The Relationship Between Food and Mental Health Diets have changed drastically in the past decades, creating a global movement away from complex carbohydrates and fiber towards processed foods, saturated fats, and refined sugar. The correlation between diet and depression appears unrelated to the type of cuisine commonly eaten and dietary restrictions, such as vegetarianism. The pattern also persists for children and teenagers, where poor diets at young ages are more likely to lead to poorer mental health outcomes. There is some debate on whether significant gender differences in the effect of diet on depression exist, with different studies finding support both for and against. Several studies that have looked at changes in diets to reduce depression have also involved other lifestyle changes, such as exercise and sleep changes. However, these studies did also find the pattern that lifestyle changes do reduce depressive symptoms, meaning improved diet in combination with improved lifestyle can potentially be an effective intervention strategy. Why Diet Can Be an Important Factor Depression has increased by 30% in American teenagers over the past 10 years. Teenagers and children are particularly vulnerable to developing habits that can lead to worse mental health outcomes, and intervention in lifestyle at an early age can help reduce the chance of depression. Diet intervention presents a viable way to influence a seemingly contributing factor to depression. Certain food components in particular, such as sodium, are generally considered biomarkers of an unhealthy diet. Potassium, on the other hand, can be an indicator of a healthy diet high in vegetables and whole grains. This knowledge can be used to intervene with those groups who appear most vulnerable to depression and poor diet. Uncertainties and Limitations While several studies and meta-analyses have found correlations and linear relationships between poor diet and depression, the evidence for this relationship being causal is still lacking. So, while poor diet may have some form of direct or indirect relationship to the risk of depression, there is still not much evidence that a poor diet in itself can cause depression. One of the main drawbacks of studies linking diet to depression is how depression is measured. Several studies use self-reported measures of depressive symptoms or similar, and those studies that do use a clinical depression diagnosis as an outcome measure do not find an association between poor diet and incidence of depression. Only one study so far has found, using a randomized controlled trial, that diet alterations can reduce clinical depression levels. Furthermore, when a psychiatrist diagnosed depression was used, there was no observed association with diet quality. This means the evidence for any causal relationship is further reduced, and it implies that the outcomes of studies that have used other methods to classify depression have merely shown reductions in symptoms of depression, rather than the mental illness itself. A third major limitation of many studies that have found a relationship between diet and depression is the fact that baseline depression severity was not always controlled for. When baseline severity was controlled for, no association between diet and depression was found. Some studies have looked at diet as an intervention strategy, wherein study subjects self-assess their dietary habits. These types of questionnaires are biased, which can help explain the mixed results from longitudinal studies of diet and depressive symptoms. Another limitation of longitudinal studies of diet and depression is that there can be a shortcoming of appropriate active control groups to compare with. For example, it would generally be unethical to request subjects to eat more unhealthy food to compare. Regardless, the lack of an active control group means that such studies do not have an opposite to compare to, and can only compare to those who continued their typical diet as normal. To read the original article click here.

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Want to Live Past 100? Doctor Reveals the Secrets to Living Longer, Healthier

AHA Publisher — Mon, 28 Oct 2019 07:00:44 +0000

Lorie Johnson via CBN News – Would you like to live past age 100? It used to be a rarity. These days, however, people over 100 comprise the fastest-growing segment of the population. Right now there are about 500,000 centenarians worldwide. The United States has the most: 72,000. Studies from the United Nations predict the world will have more than three million centenarians by 2050. That’s good news unless that population suffers from declining health. In fact, many people say they don’t want to live that long if it means their last decade is spent in a nursing home not being able to do anything or remember anyone. Rethink What It Means to be Old However, needing a home without stairs and taking lots of medications don’t need to go hand-in-hand with aging. One of the world’s leading experts on aging says far too many people equate getting old with poor health and plan accordingly. “We base a lot of our behaviors thinking that this is what’s going to happen to us, but in fact, that doesn’t have to happen,” he told CBN News. In his book, The Longevity Paradox: How to Die Young at a Ripe Old Age, Dr. Steven Gundry lists the habits of healthy centenarians. “What we know about super old people who are thriving is that they don’t become infirm, they don’t get cancer, they don’t get Alzheimer’s,” Dr. Gundry said, “These people actually have the physiology, have the workings, of a 50-year-old individual.” Build a Better Gut A number of things separate healthy centenarians apart from their sicker counterparts. However, topping the list of what it takes to live a vibrant, disease-free life well into old age is a healthy gut. That means an intestinal tract brimming with good bacteria. “It’s amazing,” he said, “When we look at 105-year-old people around the world, they carry the diverse gut microbiome of 30-year-old people.” Having enough of the right bacteria can prevent just about every type of disease, including inherited ones. “Whether we turn genes on or off with information, and that’s called epigenetics or epigenomics, and it’s that interplay with actually a lot of material that comes from our microbiome telling our genes what to do,” he said. Dr. Gundry said the key to a healthy gut microbiome is avoiding processed foods, because of chemical ingredients, especially the pesticide glyphosate. “It’s probably the biggest health problem that people are unaware of,” he warned, “It’s in all of our products, all of our cereals. all of our breads, all of our crackers. A recent study of 35 oat products in the United States found glyphosate, including some very dangerous levels, in every one of the oat products including many of our kids’ cereals including our granola.” Dr. Gundry says in addition to cancer and other health concerns, glyphosate can wipe out good bacteria and even cause a ‘leaky gut.’ “You will actually make perforations in the wall of the gut, and bacterial particles and plant compounds and toxins will get right through the wall of your gut,” he said. A leaky gut can cause migraines, chronic fatigue and autoimmune diseases like Celiac, according to Gundry. Think Fast In addition to eating right, robust old-timers go without food altogether for long periods of time. Regularly fasting a minimum of twelve hours within a 24-hour period can trigger the body to eliminate whatever hinders survival. “Fasting, or intermittent fasting, gives us an opportunity to really get all the best cells all the time and that’s what we all want,” said Dr. Gundry. Studies show intermittent fasting helps prevent atherosclerosis, Alzheimer’s disease, heart disease and possibly cancer, all while boosting the immune system. The Problem with Pills Another common characteristic of healthy centenarians is they take few drugs or none at all. While many people, such as diabetics, take specific medication, Dr. Gundry maintains healthier choices can even reverse that need. “I have yet to meet a type two who I can’t get off all medications by teaching them how to eat, he said, “I haven’t met a person who takes a statin drug to lower cholesterol that I can’t get off a statin once I teach them how to eat.” Dr. Gundry says antibiotics and common painkillers can harm the gut microbiome, with even something like an antacid leading to other problems. “And so I see so many people with dementia and congestive heart failure who’ve been taking these drugs chronically,” he said, “In fact, the FDA has a warning on these products that you should never take them longer than two weeks because they’re that dangerous.” Dust Off Those Sneakers Dr. Gundry says exercise keeps the body working well no matter what the calendar says. It improves blood flow, particularly to the brain. Women who exercise routinely during their lifespan have a 90-percent reduction in Alzheimer’s compared to women who don’t. Muscles strengthen bones, thus preventing injury. Turns out, walking against gravity, whether going up or down, is an especially good exercise because it works the area of the body between the knees and the hips, which contains most of our muscle mass. In fact, the five cities worldwide with the highest concentration of centenarians are all very hilly. Those cities are in what’s known as Blue Zones. The only one in the US is Loma Linda, which means ‘beautiful hill’ in Spanish. This California city is not only home to the largest concentration of centenarians in America, but also the largest concentration of Seventh-Day Adventists. That denomination avoids processed foods and drugs while embracing fasting and exercise. Years ago, Dr. Gundry practiced heart surgery in Loma Linda and was inspired by the people and their healthy lifestyle. Not long after that, he shifted the focus of his medical practice to teaching the world how to live strong to a ripe old age. To read the original article click here.

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