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Autoimmune

Autoantibodies Caused by COVID-19 Increase Risk of Severe Early COVID & Long COVID

A new report suggests that COVID-19 patients have increased autoantibodies, resulting in an increased risk of severe early and long COVID-19 symptoms. Autoantibodies represent a misdirection of our natural immune response towards “self” tissue. Researchers from Yale School of Medicine tested 194 SARS-CoV-2 infected patients for autoantibodies and found a dramatic increase in autoimmune reactivity compared to…

Cake that looks like a brain

Your Brain Remembers Where High-Calorie Food Is Located: Don’t Bring it into Your Home

People appear to subconsciously remember the location of high-calorie foods better than other, healthier foods, suggesting that bringing these foods into your home may sabotage even the best intentions and strongest will for healthy eating or weight loss. A study published in Nature investigated “high-calorie spatial memory bias” to better understand whether human memory is biased toward…

Alcohol use

Weight-Loss Surgery May Result in Unhealthy Alcohol Use

Nearly 1 in 25 individuals who undergo bariatric bypass or sleeve surgery engage in unhealthy alcohol use up to eight years after surgery, according to a study of military veterans. This retrospective analysis of over 2,600 US veterans with no prior history of unhealthy alcohol use before bariatric surgery found those who underwent sleeve surgery had a 3.5%…

gene-expression

Epigenetic Reprogramming Restores Age-Related Vision Loss in Mice

Intriguing new research shows that it is possible to reverse age-related cellular dysfunction in vivo, specifically age-related vision loss. This suggests that modifying epigenetic expression is a powerful tool to counteract the damage of aging. The study published in Nature sought to reset the epigenome and DNA methylation patterns by expressing transcription factors, which help…

sedentary lifestyle

How Much Exercise Do You Need to Offset a Sedentary Lifestyle?

A sedentary lifestyle is associated not only with a higher risk of early death and also an increased risk of chronic diseases such as heart disease and type 2 diabetes. If you’re like one of the millions of people in a sedentary job or lifestyle, you may wonder how to counteract the negative health impacts…

vitamin D

Vitamin D Deficiency Increases Risk of Severe COVID Infection & Mortality

More research confirms that maintaining optimal vitamin D levels is extremely important for reducing the risk of infection with SARS Cov-2. A six-week observational study of 154 people published in Nature found that 97 percent of individuals with severe COVID-19 had vitamin D deficiency (mean concentration was 14 ng/mL) compared to 33 percent of people…

Vegan foods

JAMA Article Attributes Dietary Benefits to Veganism But Misses Other Potential Contributors

The results from a newly-published trial on the effects of a dietary intervention in overweight adults are impressive: 14 lbs weight loss, increased insulin sensitivity, a 19.3 mg/dL reduction in total cholesterol, 15.4 mg/dL reduction in LDL cholesterol, and reduced fat distribution in the liver and muscles (associated with reduced risk for fatty liver and…

cancer therapy

Nearly Half of New Cancer Therapies Approved by FDA Lack Randomized Clinical Trial Evidence & Only Prolong Life by Weeks

A large number of cancer therapies are approved by the FDA without randomized clinical trials and only increase median survival by 2.4 months, according to a new review article published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA). This may come as a surprise and disappointment considering the urgent goals of cancer research to…

WHO-exercise

Let’s Get Moving! WHO Updates Exercise Guidelines for All Ages

People of all ages, from kids to older adults, are encouraged to limit sedentary behavior and increase daily exercise, according to updated guidelines from the World Health Organization (WHO). These guidelines, which replace 2010 WHO recommendations, highlight the importance of combining aerobic plus strength training, and include guidance for pregnancy, postpartum women, and individuals with…

green-tea-covid

Polyphenols in Green Tea, Chocolate and Other Foods May Protect Against COVID

Some of our favorite polyphenol-rich foods, including green tea, muscadine grapes, cacao, and dark chocolate appear to block an enzyme in the SARS-CoV-2 virus, inhibiting its replication. A docking simulation and in vitro study published in Frontiers in Plant Science found that these flavan-3-ol and proanthocyandin-containing foods can block and bind the function of this enzyme, or protease, which…

melanin-covid

Melatonin May Offer Significant Protection from COVID Infection, and especially for African Americans

Supplementing with melatonin may decrease the likelihood of contracting COVID, particularly among African Americans. Researchers analyzed data from an observational study of over 26,000 people from a COVID-19 registry at the Cleveland Clinic Health System and found that melatonin use is associated with a 52% reduced likelihood of a positive SARS-CoV-2 test in African Americans.…

covid-cold

Two Mechanisms Potentially Improving Acquired Immunity to COVID-19: The Common Cold and Breastmilk

People who have been exposed to a seasonal “common cold” may experience less severe COVID-19 symptoms. While we’ve discussed this topic previously, a study from the Journal of Clinical Investigation reports the first clinical evidence of cross reactivity with the common cold and COVID. This is due to previous immune responses against the four endemic…

viable-COVID

Furin Inhibition Continues to be a Viable Consideration for COVID

Scientists are continuing to explore the role of furin proteases in the development of drugs to address COVID infections. This is a topic Dr. Fitzgerald has written on previously, including a peer-reviewed publication discussing dietary, lifestyle, and natural options to consider for lowering furin levels.

spine

High-Dose Biotin Not Effective for Treatment of Progressive Multiple Sclerosis

High-dose biotin appears to be ineffective and potentially harmful in the treatment of progressive multiple sclerosis (MS), contradicting an earlier study. A randomized trial from The Lancet of over 600 participants with MS found those who took 100 mg of biotin three times per day (10,000 times higher than the RDA) or placebo failed to…

dog-immune

Dogs in the Home Help Shape Children’s Immune Systems

Dogs not only serve as playful and loving family companions, but now research suggests they also help keep kids’ immune systems healthy. A study found pregnant moms with a dog in the home had children with less immunoglobulin E (IgE) allergies. Adolescents who had prenatal exposure to dogs showed nearly a 30% decrease in IgE…