We like to stay on top of the latest news in functional medicine and nutrition. If you do too, you’ll find our monthly, easy-to-digest compilation of research and news articles right here. Check back regularly to find updates, or follow us through our newsletters and social media to ensure you don’t miss any.
Clinical remission from UC and Crohn’s with diet alone
Low levels of airborne manganese exposure and Parkinson’s
Methylation adaptogen from cruciferous veggies supports bone health via epigenetic changes
How Inflammation blocks weight-loss
Origins of our microbiome-in utero, birth canal or both?
The downstream effects of acid suppressants
Our Modern Diet Revealed in Our Teeth
High-Dose Vitamin C and Cancer
20 Minutes of Exercise Curbs Inflammation
Polyphenols from plant foods improve athletic performance
Lead induces DNA hypermethylation and weight gain in animals
Stress ages your cells
Flavonoids Fuel Fat-Free Form
Want to Break a Poor Eating Cycle? Change Your Habits…
Clinical remission from UC and Crohn’s with diet alone
Diet is such a powerful tool—in fact, at our clinic we work on the premise that having the diet dialed in can often have the biggest effect on health outcomes. For children with active IBD, 12 weeks on the specific carbohydrate diet (SCD) with no other intervention was successful at reducing IBD clinical signs and symptoms in eight out of 12 participants. In two participants there was no improvement, and two participants were unable to follow the diet.
Low levels of airborne manganese exposure and Parkinson’s
I’ve written about the important connection between lead and Parkinson’s before, but it’s not the only heavy metal that can cause neurological symptoms. From the article: “While these safety standards are widely believed to have eliminated manganism as an occupational hazard, researchers who study the effects of manganese exposure have long suspected that there may still be some health effects at levels much lower than what is allowable per OSHA standards.” I couldn’t agree more.
Methylation adaptogen from cruciferous veggies supports bone health via epigenetic changes
One of our favorite epigenetic methylation adaptogens, sulforaphane (found in foods such as broccoli, cabbage, radish, kale and bok choi), encourages the body to produce more bone-forming (osteoblast) cells and fewer bone-resorbing (osteoclast) cells. Why is this relevant? Our bodies are turning over bone all the time, and having a favorable balance between osteoblast and osteoclast activity helps improve bone density and minimizes bone loss. More about bone health and reversing osteoporosis here.
How Inflammation blocks weight-loss
Is weight loss one of your New Year’s Resolutions? A new study shows that inflammation blocks the conversion of white fat cells to brown (more energy-consuming) fat cells, which would normally be associated with loss of fat mass, via NFκB. This makes sense, since including anti- NFκB and anti-TNF alpha agents through diet or supplements, such as curcumin, quercetin, resveratrol and other phytonutrients, are an effective piece of weight loss plans. More about weight loss resistance here.
Origins of our microbiome-in utero, birth canal or both?
This piece attempts to discredit the theory that a newborn acquires much of its microbiota going through the birth canal. It does posit the interesting idea that the microbiome may be established during gestation. But why wouldn’t vaginal delivery also influence the microbiome? It doesn’t make logical sense to challenge it. Further, during vaginal delivery the baby is exposed to fecal matter more often than not: A birth fmt!
The downstream effects of acid suppressants
Stomach acidity is one of the mechanisms our body uses to protect itself from external pathogens. In this large cohort study, increased PPI and H2 agonist use over 14 years was associated with increased incidence of C. difficile and Campylobacter gastroenteritis. Even before we reach the level of gastroenteritis, in our clinic we see the negative effects of acid suppressants on the gut microbiome, including nutrient deficiencies, small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO), dysbiosis, and increased risk for leaky gut and food allergies and sensitivities.
Our Modern Diet Revealed in Our Teeth
Teeth—both modern and fossilized—offer fantastic insights into our evolution, being the most preserved parts of skeletal remains. But sadly, future anthropologists will likely have a ‘field day’ over our modern chompers. Our culture’s continued tendency towards soft, processed and sugary diets fails to stimulate proper jaw growth and teeth alignment (more orthodontics anyone?), and promote cavities and plaque (linked to systemic disease, not just oral issues).
High-Dose Vitamin C and Cancer
Researchers at the University of Iowa have been explaining why vitamin C has a patchy history as a cancer therapy: they explain that its deleterious effects on cancer cells are achieved by increasing levels of pro-oxidative hydrogen peroxide. Cancer cells are less effective at clearing than normal cells due to lower levels of the enzyme catalase, which normally removes hydrogen peroxide. They argue that the high levels of vitamin C required to achieve this effect are only possible via IV therapy, not through oral administration as is sometimes done. Phase 1 trials have been completed, but further investigation is needed to determine if the treatment improves survival.
20 Minutes of Exercise Curbs Inflammation
Isn’t it great news? Even just 20 minutes of moderate activity (walking at a pace to suit your fitness level) stimulates an anti-inflammatory cellular effect. That’s far less intimidating for many folks who don’t feel ready to do intense activity. Yes, this isn’t the first study to show the anti-inflammatory effects of exercise, but they did show a nice decrease in TNFalpha activity (a key instigator of the inflammation cascade), which is the same mechanism that is targeted by nutraceuticals such as boswelia and curcumin.
Polyphenols from plant foods improve athletic performance
Polyphenols have multiple effects on the body, including antioxidant effects, improved energy production as well as enhanced vascular function. In a recent systematic review and meta-analysis, a minimum of 7-day polyphenol supplementation, especially quercetin, increases athletic performance in healthy individuals.
Lead induces DNA hypermethylation and weight gain in animals
In my research into all things methylation and epigenetics, it became apparent that heavy metals are significantly disruptive to the epigenome. Not surprising, really, that this is one of their effects on the body. What is interesting is the link with excess methylation states, which we should be concerned with as well as methylation deficient states. In this study, lead also induced weight gain, insulin resistance, increased triglycerides and fatty liver.
Stress ages your cells
Telomeres, small compound structures at the ends of our DNA strands, protect our genetic data. Telomeres deteriorate as we age, making protecting telomere length a sound anti-aging strategy. Where does stress come in? The cortisol we release as part of our stress response has been shown to play a role in increased telomere deterioration and associates with shorter telomere length in general.
Flavonoids Fuel Fat-Free Form
Sorry, we couldn’t resist a little alliteration! You might be wondering what flavonoids are, and why they aren’t in your multivitamin. Flavonoids are compounds found widely in plant foods. Recent research has connected higher intake of flavonoids with lower body fat mass. This is critically important since lower body fat mass reduces damaging insulin resistance and inflammation that underpin chronic conditions such as diabetes and heart disease. Some great foods to choose are onions, berries, avocado, olives, pears, tomatoes, cocoa, nuts and grapes.
Want to Break a Poor Eating Cycle? Change Your Habits…
Our food consumption is heavily tied to food cues and our environment. We know that putting ourselves in an environment where there are many poor, high sugar+fat food options makes it very difficult to avoid eating those foods. Likewise, if the people we spend time with are making poor food choices, the chances are we will eat it too. This means that it’s not just about our own conscientious food regulation, but about the environment we put ourselves in. How does your environment contribute to your food choices?
