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.
Exposure to Dioxins in Humans Linked with Hypertension in Offspring
Peanut Oral Immunotherapy Trial Demonstrates Success
Neonatal Vitamin D Deficiency Increases Risk for Adult Schizophrenia by 44%
Does the Uterus Play a Role
Add Prokinetics if Using PPIs
Links Between DNA Methylation and Glioblastoma
Beware Lead in Spices, Including Turmeric
The Brain Microbiome
Exposure to Dioxins in Humans Linked with Hypertension in Offspring
Hypertension can be very responsive to improvements in diet, stress management, exercise and sleep. However, in some cases, hypertension can persist despite excellent adherence to all of these. New research from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine indicates that human exposure to chemicals is associated with higher blood pressure and that the effects may be passed down through generations. Since hereditary health concerns are passed down through epigenetic imprints, working on restoring optimal gene expression is vitally important.
Peanut Oral Immunotherapy Trial Demonstrates Success
Food allergy desensitization made great strides recently with the publication of the recent PALISADE trial, involving nearly 500 peanut-allergic children, teens and adults. Participants underwent 1 year of medically-supervised treatment and by the end, 67% of those in ages 4-17 were able to tolerate a single 600 mg dose of peanut protein, equivalent to 3-4 peanuts. Great to see this important work being done to help reduce the dangerous risks of food allergy. While the peanut preparation used in this trial isn’t yet FDA approved, some board-certified allergists are already implementing similar programs for their patients.
Neonatal Vitamin D Deficiency Increases Risk for Adult Schizophrenia by 44%
Vitamin D is an incredibly important nutrient. Typically associated with bone and immune health, vitamin D status is also relevant for prevention of neurological disorders. Researchers from Queensland University have found that vitamin D deficiency in newborns increases their risk for an adult diagnosis of schizophrenia by 44% compared with controls. This follows research from the same group that found a link between prenatal vitamin D deficiency and increased risk for childhood autism spectrum disorder.
Does the Uterus Play a Role
The uterus has been generally considered as having no role other than during pregnancy. However, new animal research suggests that the uterus may indeed have a signaling role that can affect brain function, and memory in particular. In the study, rats who had their uterus removed found it more difficult to perform memory challenge tests, and had altered levels of circulating hormones. Given that around one third of women have hysterectomies before age 60, the question of how the uterus impacts neurological function becomes an important one to answer. For more about preserving memory and cognitive function as we age, click here.
Add Prokinetics if Using PPIs
Taking acid-suppressing medication, such as PPIs, is a known risk factor for SIBO (small intestine bacterial overgrowth). Stomach acid acts to reduce the bacterial load in food, and avoiding excessive levels of bacteria (both friendly and harmful) entering the small intestine where they can inappropriately colonize. SIBO symptom include reflux, abdominal pain, gas, diarrhea and constipation. For this reason (and others) we strongly argue for judicious use of PPIs, only once all other avenues have been explored. When PPIs are necessary, however, research released earlier this year shows that taking a prokinetic alongside the PPI medication can reduce the risk of SIBO from 13.2% to just 1.8%. Click here for more underlying causes of SIBO that you might be missing.
Links Between DNA Methylation and Glioblastoma
Inappropriate methylation of our tumor suppressor genes can turn off these helpful cancer-prevention genes. These are an important area for cancer research. New research highlights this particular mechanism in brain cancer (glioblastoma) and provides important insight into potential ways to prevent and treat brain cancer through DNA methylation therapies. For more about optimizing DNA methylation and gene expression, click here.
Beware Lead in Spices, Including Turmeric
There is no safe level of lead exposure for children, and we’d argue the same for adults too. Staying vigilant about potential sources is therefore key. Lead investigators working in North Carolina in home where children were found to have elevated blood levels found several potential sources, 89% if which were intended for consumption (spices and herbal remedies). Spices included saffron and turmeric, predominantly from unknown countries of origin. Quality matters, which is why we only recommend sourcing spices and supplements from suppliers that know the source of their ingredients and perform independent testing to verify non-contamination by heavy metals.
The Brain Microbiome
We know that the gut microbiome has powerful effects on our health, and that these are often thought to occur via indirect means. But new research from the University of Alabama now adds to the growing understanding that microbes might also translocate to other areas of the body, including the brain. So far, their team of scientists has found bacteria in every brain they’ve checked, including both healthy samples and those with neurological disease. Pathogenic bacteria, localized in brain tissue, are even implicated in the pathology of Alzheimer’s Disease.
