Metabolism

Probiotics Linked to Dental Health, Stress Reduction and More

Westerners are living longer lives than ever. However, we are living sicker lives as well. Many people struggle with chronic illness and disorders that affect their daily lives in a variety of ways. Sadly, our golden years are often spent in hospitals and doctor’s offices. Researchers now believe that maintaining a healthy balance of intestinal flora (bacteria in your digestive tract) may be key to improving overall health throughout our lifespans.

Your Gut Microbiome and Your Health

The microorganisms that live in your GI tract as well as other parts of your body are collectively known as your microbiome. We have long known that the microbiome is an important part of health. For instance, we cannot absorb vitamin K without the help of certain beneficial bacteria that reside in our digestive tract. However, scientists now realize that the health effects of your microbiome extend far beyond digestion and absorption. In fact, more and more research indicates that keeping your natural flora balanced with probiotics (supplements that help replenish the “good” bacteria in your digestive tract) may be more important than taking a daily vitamin.

How can probiotics affect health? Sometimes our microbiome, like any ecosystem, can get off-balance. As a result of stress, diet and other external factors, we can end up with too many of a certain kind of bacteria or too few of another. Maintaining the right balance is important, and probiotics are intended to support that balance.

The Known Health Benefits of Probiotics

Probiotics have been shown to support good health in several recent studies. For instance, dental cavities have been linked to an imbalance in bacteria in the mouth and pharynx. Research shows that taking a probiotic containing a less-destructive bacteria called streptococcus A12 may crowd out the bacteria that cause plaque biofilms that are destructive to teeth.

Metabolic syndrome is common in the modern world, with researchers and doctors alike desperate to find an effective treatment. New research suggests that this syndrome, which includes diverse range of disorders from type 2 diabetes to polycystic ovarian syndrome, may also be linked to gut health. Mice who have the underlying hormonal disruption seen in PCOS were found to have changes in their microbiome, including less genetic diversity in their gut bacteria. Taking a probiotic supplement may help many people with metabolic syndrome to lead healthier lives.

Inflammation and Gut Health

How can probiotics affect health in such a variety of ways? The jury is still out, but inflammation appears to be part of the answer. A recent study found that mice given probiotics did not lose as much bone density after menopause. Researchers suggest that maintaining the right gut bacteria balance may reduce the systemic inflammation that contributes to bone loss, which is a common health issue in postmenopausal women.

Modern lives tend to be stressful, instigating the release of cortisol and other stress hormones that can lead to inflammation. The link between inflammation and our microbiome may be part of the explanation for the many healthy benefits of probiotics. In one study, when medical students were given probiotics before a test, they had lower levels of salivary cortisol and reported less anxiety. The benefits of probiotics may soon be tested on female astronauts, who suffer a disproportionate amount of serious infections while in space and negative health effects once back on earth. Researchers believe that the sterile atmosphere of space may be part of the problem, as healthy bacterial levels in the body begin to fall and pathogenic inflammatory bacteria take over. A simple probiotic supplement may keep the flora of female astronauts healthy and support good health in a variety of ways.

The Circadian Rhythm and Your Natural Flora

Another way that your intestinal flora may be affecting your health is through the microbiome’s effect on the circadian rhythm. Mice that have a mutation in certain circadian genes show increased inflammation in their gastrointestinal tracts, more intestinal permeability to harmful substances and poorer overall health. They also have a different balance of bacteria than mice without the mutation, suggesting that the circadian rhythm is somehow involved in microflora balance. The presence of good bacteria in a healthy balance is linked to both a healthy circadian rhythm and lower risk of a variety of common diseases.

Medical research is identifying new links between the gut, the brain, and our overall well-being. It appears that the human body evolved to live symbiotically with a variety of microorganisms. Maintaining this healthy balance by taking probiotics is an important way to support good health.

What You Eat Is Intricately Linked to Sleep Timing, Quality and Duration

Jun 17 by Ewcopywriting Leave a Comment

How do your food choices affect your sleep? If you’ve ever reached for a cup of chamomile tea or a glass of warm milk before bed, you probably have some idea. Although there has not been solid evidence that diet affects sleep until recently, many people in cultures around the globe maintain deeply-held beliefs that some foods and beverages can either help or hinder slumber. New studies linking dietary habits and sleep habits are showing that sleep and diet are indeed interconnected, although we may be wrong about which foods are the best choices.

How Diet Affects Sleep

People have long been advised to avoid spicy and fatty foods before bed to prevent a sleepless night of heartburn, but research suggests that diet affects sleep in other ways. A recent study looking at the relationship between sleep and eating habits found interesting connections. According to the study, people who sleep well at night are likely to take in less caffeine (not surprisingly) as well as less of an amino acid called choline, which is found in eggs and meat. On the other hand, those who sleep only for a very short duration tend to drink less water and eat fewer brightly-colored vegetables.

There appear to be many variables involved in the diet-sleep connection. Researchers have yet to figure out a “Golden Mean” in nutrients that allows for optimal sleep, but the evidence is clear: Diet and sleep habits are deeply and intrinsically linked. What you eat, and when you eat it, can make you fall asleep later, wake up more often, and even reduce the quality of sleep for the duration of the night. However, this is not the only link between diet and sleep.

A Reciprocal Connection

Evidence suggests that not only does diet affect sleep duration, but that sleep can affect diet as well. For night owls, the propensity may be to go to bed late and sleep late; However, our modern schedules don’t often allow for this. As a result, night owls may try to make up for lost hours by sleeping in late whenever possible. Yet ,research shows that people who sleep late are more likely to eat fast food and other foods high in carbs and fat. This may be due to convenience, as people who are often tired are less likely to have the energy to prepare a healthy meal. Additionally, people are generally more impulsive and have less ability to make good decisions when sleep-deprived. A lack of set routines may also be an issue, as people who do not wake and eat at set times are more likely to eat less-healthy meals.

An unhealthy diet can also affect sleep by contributing to obesity. People who have a high body mass index (BMI) show slightly different sleep behaviors than those who maintain a healthy weight. For those with a high BMI, the nightly balance of different stages of sleep is altered in ways that can affect rest and regeneration. This can affect the quality of their sleep and how much energy they have upon waking. For instance, overweight people get less stage 2 sleep and a higher proportion of REM sleep. In addition, people with a high body mass index are at higher risk of sleep apnea and other disorders that can affect sleep quality.

Weight, Diet, and Sleep: The Proverbial Chicken and Egg

Which came first: the high-fat diet or the irregular sleep schedule? This is still unclear, but will likely be the subject of future studies. While obesity is known to cause sleep disorders, sleep disorders are also known to negatively affect the metabolic system. The result is a downward spiral in which people sleep poorly, make poor health decisions that lead to weight gain and suffer even more disordered sleep. While it can be difficult to break this cycle and get your health back on track, it is nonetheless important to your health to do so.

So what should you be eating if you want to sleep soundly at night? Although there is increasing evidence that diet affects sleep, and vice versa, the exact nature of the connection is not fully understood. While revolutionary new insights have been gained as to how when and what you eat affects your metabolism, researchers have yet to discover the exact diet that encourages good sleep. For now, doctors continue to make the general recommendation that people try to attain and stay at a healthy weight by getting plenty of sleep and eating a varied, healthy diet.

Researchers Discover How Coffee Affects the Circadian Rhythm

Jun 03 by Ewcopywriting Leave a Comment

Coffee is an American obsession. While many people enjoy this energizing beverage, many of us also view it as a bad habit, even if a minor one. However, a new chronobiology study on coffee and the circadian rhythm has found that moderate amounts of coffee affect the circadian rhythm in positive ways, and may be especially good when it comes to regulating your sleep-wake cycle.

How Coffee Affects the Circadian Rhythm: Turning Back the Clock

Many of the studies looking at the effects of caffeine on the circadian rhythm have been performed on lab animals rather than humans. Recently, researchers decided to definitively nail down exactly how caffeine affects the circadian rhythm by studying the effects of this stimulant on both live humans and human cells in-vitro.

In a human study, four groups of people were subjected to one of four treatments shortly before going to bed. The first group was exposed to bright light and given a double-espresso strength dose of caffeine. The second group was exposed to dim light and given a double-espresso dose of caffeine. The two other groups were both exposed to bright or dim light but were given a placebo pill. The result? Not only did the caffeine keep participants awake at night, but it completely shifted their circadian rhythm so they produced sleep hormones and fell asleep an average of 40 minutes later—nearly half the magnitude of delay caused by bright light. In short, coffee appears to delay the circadian clock by about 40 minutes, about half as long as does exposure to bright light.

When human cells in Petri dishes were treated with caffeine, the same effect was observed. Researchers found that coffee affects the circadian rhythm in human cells in-vitro by activating adenosine receptors, which are important regulators of internal clocks. In effect, the clocks were held back.

Of Mice and Metabolism: Caffeine and Metabolic Markers

This is not the first study that has found coffee can have powerful effects on internal clocks and metabolism. In prior research, mice were exposed to caffeine. Half of the mice were allowed to eat whenever they wanted while half had restricted feeding times. It was shown that caffeine restricted the gene expression and thus production of inflammatory factors and metabolic markers associated with cancer in the intestines of both groups. In the group allowed to eat freely, it also restricted these factors in the liver. Interestingly, coffee affects the circadian rhythm of different cells in different ways.

A Cure for Jet Lag?

What does this mean for human health? First, caffeine may be used in the future to modify the activity of circadian clocks. This could help in the treatment of jet lag, non-24 hour circadian rhythm disorders and several other sleep disorders. However, caffeine alone appears to have less effect on the liver and possibly other organs with their own internal clock mechanisms. In essence, we may be able to use our new knowledge about how caffeine affects the circadian rhythm to cure jet lag in the brain, but jet lag in the liver will remain an issue. In other words, some organs will still remain in their own time zone.

This research also has potential consequences for people who enjoy a cup of coffee after dinner or otherwise take in caffeine at night. By doing so, you may be delaying your internal clocks and interfering with sleep more than previously believed. Even if you can easily fall asleep after a cup of coffee, your internal clocks have still been altered. A substance that is beneficial to people trying to reset internal clocks may not be beneficial to others.

Because caffeinated beverages are so popular in the United States, it is important to understand how coffee affects the circadian rhythm and other aspects of health. It appears that caffeine can be extremely beneficial in people who need to modify their internal clocks slightly, but that it could have unwanted effects in others who drink it before bed. In short, if you are looking for a warm beverage to enjoy after dinner, unless you’re trying to adjust your circadian rhythms, you may want to reach for the herbal tea.

New Research Helps Explain the Link Between Melatonin and Diabetes

May 25 by Ewcopywriting Leave a Comment

Irregular sleep cycles and melatonin levels can have a detrimental effect on every aspect of health, but their connection to insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes is especially strong. Recently, scientists looked for a mechanism through which the two seemingly-unrelated health issues might be linked. Their research indicated that the melatonin 1B receptor appears to be the connection, a discovery that opens a door for new and innovative treatments and preventative measures.

Shift Work, Melatonin and Diabetes

Shift work has been linked to a variety of diseases, including endocrine disorders such as type 2 diabetes. Melatonin appears to play a huge role in this connection. Produced in response to darkness, melatonin is a factor in a variety of endocrine reactions. It is a cue to the body that we are about to sleep, and that the body can begin the cell repair and other activities that occur when we are deep in slumber.

When people work shifts at odd hours, their exposure to natural light is affected. They may sleep during the day when sunlight is high, and spend evenings or nights under bright artificial lights. This leads to disordered melatonin production. But how can changes in melatonin levels contribute to a disorder of insulin and blood sugar like type 2 diabetes?

Melatonin Receptor 1B: The Missing Link?

Melatonin, like many hormones, exerts its effects by activating cell receptors to set off activity inside the cell. New research has found that one receptor, the melatonin 1B receptor, plays a role in the body’s response to insulin. When this receptor is activated, the cells have less of a response to insulin. This produces higher blood sugar, which is normally a healthy response at night. People who sleep at night need to conserve blood sugar so they do not become hypoglycemic during their overnight fast. However, this response can be maladaptive in people who work at night, as they generally eat meals during the night.

This explains a part of the relationship between melatonin and diabetes, but there is yet another twist. Some people have a genetic variant of the melatonin 1B receptor rather than the one present in most of the population. These people have an increased response to melatonin and thus even more insulin resistance during times of melatonin production. Disordered melatonin production coupled with high levels of melatonin at times when they are eating, as occurs for shift workers, can be especially destructive to these people’s bodies. Over time, the regular periods of insulin resistance can lead to type 2 diabetes. This hypothesis is supported by other research indicating that this same genetic variant is linked to increased prevalence of type 2 diabetes.

A Connection Between Genes, Lifestyle, and Disease

Type 2 diabetes has been assumed to have a genetic component because it tends to run in families. Even when lifestyle factors are taken out of the equation, some people are simply at higher risk. Lifestyle factors also play an important role, but the influence of genes cannot be discounted. Some people are genetically primed to develop insulin resistance and other diseases of glucose metabolism.

Researchers suggest that this new information can be used to help people who carry this genetic variant to prevent getting prediabetes or diabetes. For those with the variant form of melatonin 1B, it is even more important to have regular sleep cycles and maintain a natural circadian rhythm.

Could Sleep Be the Best Medicine?

It appears that for many people, getting quality sleep is especially important to maintaining good health. However, shift work is a necessary part of our society, as the population needs certain services available 24 hours a day. Fasting during night hours and restricting carbohydrate intake to light hours may prevent some of the ill effects of insulin resistance caused by a variant form of melatonin receptor 1B. In addition, shift work could be avoided by those who are genetically at risk of type 2 diabetes.

The number of people who are prediabetic or diabetic in the Western world is steadily growing. Identifying at-risk populations, as well as the behaviors that increase their risk, may help to stem the modern tide of endocrine disease. New advances in chronobiology are helping scientists and doctors to understand the link between melatonin and diabetes in hopes of offering better care to people who desperately need it.

Grape Polyphenols Proven to Help Neutralize Effects of a High-Fat Diet

May 18 by Ewcopywriting Leave a Comment

When it comes right down to it, the typical Western diet is not a healthy one. Americans and a growing number of Europeans eat high levels of fat, including saturated fats that are known to be a health hazard. In fact, modern medical research blames much of the prevalence of high cholesterol, high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease on our diet. While the Western diet may be the cause of many of our societal health woes, there may be simple and healthy ways to mitigate the damage.

Grape Polyphenols and Your Health

Grape polyphenols are organic molecules that occur naturally in grapes and other fruits. They are present throughout the fruit, but especially high in the skins of the fruit and its leaves. These compounds are rumored to have a variety of positive health effects, from improving cardiovascular risk factors to acting as cancer-protective antioxidants. Researchers decided to look at whether these grape compounds really can improve our health and if so, how they accomplish this.

In the first major study of grape polyphenols, researchers tested the effects of supplementing with grape polyphenols on people who eat a diet that is 33 percent fat, which is similar to the diet currently eaten in the United States. The subjects’ diets were also comprised of three percent grapes, which means they were getting lots of grape polyphenols. After 11 weeks, participants saw a reduction in body fat as well as a variety of positive health benefits. Their metabolic profile was better. Their intestinal microbes were more balanced and contained more health-friendly strains. Gut function was also improved.

A second study looked at the effects of grape polyphenols on an even more unhealthy diet, with 44 percent of calories coming from fat. This diet included a wide range of saturated fat to mimic the more extremely unhealthy diets that have been associated with increased disease risk. When people eating this diet also took in five percent grapes, they did not see any metabolic improvement, but their overall health still improved. Subcutaneous fat deposits were reduced, liver health improved and microbial balance in the intestines was better.

The Power of Grapes

Grapes have always been a healthy snack, but this research suggests that they offer more health benefits than the average fruit. There have been many studies linking grape polyphenols to better health, more balanced gut flora and more. In fact, this tiny plant compound is believed to be the reason French people eat a high-fat diet yet enjoy better health than Americans: They drink a great deal of red wine, which contains grape polyphenols.

The effects of polyphenols in humans are not surprising considering their role in plants. Grapes are rich in this compound because it protects them from the sun, prevents bacterial infection, and repels animal predators. In addition, grape polyphenols give red and black grapes their distinctive pigments. Polyphenols appear to play a similarly positive role in the human body.

Adding More Polyphenols to Your Diet

While grape polyphenols are most studied type, they are not the only polyphenols. People who wish to get more of this disease-preventing nutrient in their diet can eat them in a variety of foods including green tea, cloves and chocolate. While grape polyphenols appear to be especially good for health; the other sources of polyphenols have all been found to fight disease and help support a healthy lifestyle. In addition, people can also take a supplement that contains grape polyphenols to get the health benefits without having to eat the fruit.

New information is constantly coming out about the effects of our diet on our health. Grapes appear to be an especially positive choice, with plenty of polyphenols, resveratrol, and other disease-fighting compounds. These little fruits may not just taste great, but protect us from disease as well.

The Circadian System and Glucose Regulation

May 07 by Ewcopywriting Leave a Comment

Glucose metabolism and regulation are central to human health. We depend on a complex system to ensure that glucose is funneled to the areas where it is needed at the correct times and in the correct amounts. Many diseases, including diabetes, obesity and metabolic syndrome have been linked to dysregulation of glucose and insulin. New research suggests that the circadian system and glucose regulation are closely linked.

Glucose Regulation: A Primer

It is crucial to your health that glucose levels remain balanced within a very narrow range. The two hormones in charge of this are insulin and glucagon. Insulin “opens” gates in your cells so glucose leaves the bloodstream and can be used as fuel. In addition, liver cells store glucose so it can be used later. Glucagon does the exact opposite, closing gates on cells and causing the liver to release stored glucose into the bloodstream.

Once in cells, glucose is converted to usable energy in a process known as glycolysis. Glycolysis breaks down glucose into smaller carbon elements that can be used to fuel cells. In addition, some cells undergo a metabolic process called glycogenesis in which glucose is converted to a compound known as glycogen so it can be stored and used later.

The Circadian System, Glucose Regulation and Metabolism

The body controls glucose carefully because it is so important. If cells lack glucose then they starve, but too much prevents key cell processes from occurring. There are many factors involved in glucose regulation and metabolism because it is so tightly controlled. New research suggests that the circadian rhythm plays an integral role.

People who work odd shifts or otherwise have a disrupted circadian rhythm are more likely to suffer from metabolic syndrome. This is due to a newly discovered connection between the circadian system and glucose regulation and metabolism. Glucose control is intimately controlled by circadian rhythm. People who work odd hours have this system disrupted, so they have abnormal fluctuations in insulin and glucagon production. Over time, this can lead to insulin resistance, the problem underlying type 2 diabetes and a variety of metabolic diseases.

Cortisol: The Missing Link?

How exactly does circadian rhythm tie into glucose regulation? Cortisol is suspected as the main link between the circadian system and glucose. Cortisol is one of the main hormones of the circadian rhythm. It also governs blood glucose to a great extent and creates the diurnal rhythm seen in glucose and insulin levels. When people take glucocorticoid drugs that are broken down into cortisol, they often suffer problems with regulating their blood glucose as a side effect. Consistent use of glucocorticoids can lead to insulin resistance.

People who work odd shifts or otherwise live with circadian rhythm disruption have higher levels of cortisol overall. Cortisol normally peaks just before waking and declines slowly throughout the day. This is linked to the drop in insulin in the evening when cortisol levels are at their lowest. Without a normal circadian rhythm, cortisol levels drop more slowly and insulin remains high. Over time this can lead to resistance. Cortisol is likely the link between the circadian system and glucose dysregulation.

We are only just beginning to realize the effect that sleep has on us. Not only is it important to get enough sleep, but to get the right quality of sleep and at the right times. Many modern chronic diseases that are on the rise may be influenced by an epidemic of disrupted circadian rhythm in the modern world. Sleep may indeed be the best doctor and the best medicine.