Health News

5-HTP Shows New Promise for Alleviating Symptoms of Serotonin Deficiency

Many people are familiar with the neurotransmitter serotonin. Drugs controlling serotonin levels, such as SSRIs, have been used to treat diverse diseases from clinical depression to chronic pain disorders. The link between low serotonin levels and clinical depression has long been known, but new evidence suggests that serotonin also plays a role in gastrointestinal motility and a variety of other important physiological functions. Because 5-HTP and serotonin are intricately related, as 5-HTP is an important part of the process of serotonin synthesis in the human body, 5-HTP may be helpful in treating symptoms caused by serotonin deficiency.

The Role of Serotonin

Serotonin plays a variety of roles in the bodies of humans and other animals. It is an integral neurotransmitter involved in the processes underlying mood, pain relief, sleep and digestion. Serotonin’s role in digestion appears to be especially important, with over 90 percent of serotonin receptors located in the GI tract. This simple molecule plays an important part in sustaining the human body both emotionally and physically.

Because serotonin is so important, a serotonin deficiency can have a variety of negative health effects, including depression, low self-esteem, insomnia, panic attacks, chronic pain disorders and irritable bowel syndrome. There are many health conditions associated with serotonin deficiency, but pharmaceuticals such as SSRIs are not always a viable or effective solution.

Serotonin Synthesis

5-HTP and serotonin are linked by a process called serotonin synthesis. Serotonin is made in the human body from the amino acid tryptophan. 5-HTP is the last intermediate in this process before the molecule is completely converted to serotonin. Because of its role as a serotonin precursor, levels of 5-HTP and serotonin are directly linked.

Serotonin deficiencies can be due to a lack of precursors, or it can be due to a shortage of the enzymes needed to perform the many biochemical processes involved in creating serotonin. They can also be caused by an imbalance of intestinal flora because these microbes synthesize serotonin as well. The end results of a deficiency vary, but all can have serious effects on quality of life. While doctors have traditionally prescribed drugs preventing serotonin re-uptake to treat certain disorders that involve serotonin deficiency, these drugs don’t address the root issue of having less overall amounts of this key neurotransmitter.

5-HTP and Serotonin Deficiency

Many researchers are finding that supplementing with 5-HTP can help allay the symptoms of serotonin deficiency. Because 5-HTP and serotonin are only separated by one biochemical reaction, taking 5-HTP can produce a noticeable difference in serum serotonin levels. Supplementing with 5-HTP also removes the body’s need to perform all of the chemical reactions needed to turn tryptophan into 5-HTP and then serotonin.

5-HTP has been found in several research trials to be helpful for conditions as diverse as depression, fibromyalgia, headaches, attention deficit disorder and irritable bowel syndrome. How does 5-HTP affect serotonin levels? Not only can 5-HTP be turned into serotonin when the body needs it, but it also can activate certain serotonin receptors to produce the same effects.

Applications of 5-HTP in Modern Health Care

The effects of 5-HTP are still being researched, but it appears to show a great deal of promise as a possible option for certain conditions involving serotonin deficiency. SSRIs and other pharmaceuticals can have unwanted side effects and even cause an excess of serotonin, leading to the deadly serotonin syndrome. Many people are looking for a pure, natural way to safely maintain a healthy mood and alleviate other symptoms of serotonin deficiency.

Serotonin is essential to leading a happy and healthy life in a multitude of ways. 5-HTP may contribute to healthy serotonin balance and to good mental and physical health in a variety of ways. While it is important to talk to your doctor about any supplements, 5-HTP may be the answer to many diseases caused by serotonin deficiency.

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.

New Advances in Mapping the Circadian Clock

May 20 by Ewcopywriting Leave a Comment

From discovering that the circadian rhythm exists to identifying the hormones and genes underlying it, the science of chronobiology has come a long way in the past century. New research technologies and methods have brought even more discoveries in just the last several years. We now know more than ever before about how our biological clocks operate, with new discoveries being released regularly. The latest research provides more insight into the “control center” of our circadian rhythm: the suprachiasmatic nucleus.

The Wiring of the Suprachiasmatic Nucleus

When it comes to the circadian clock, timing is everything, which makes the suprachiasmatic nucleus of the hypothalamus one of the most important regions of the brain. This region is not just centrally located, but central to many essential elements of our internal clocks as well. These internal clocks in turn regulate diverse processes, from metabolism to DNA repair to mental health. While the suprachiasmatic nucleus is small, it can affect almost every aspect of our health.

A new study relating to mapping the circadian clock shines light on the way the suprachiasmatic nucleus, or SCN, is wired. This was previously very difficult because the constant high activity of this region made it difficult to identify patterns. In the recent study, researchers used a toxin from pufferfish to reduce the “noise” in the SCN that had previously made the organ difficult to study empirically. The results? Scientists were able to see that each cell of the SCN appears to have its own innate signaling rhythm. These patterns combine to create the overall pulse of our internal clocks. The innate clocks of the cells are coordinated through a maze of neurons connecting them to other cells in the organ. When pufferfish toxin was used to disable these neurons, the activity went from smooth and coordinated to chaotic. The “wiring” in this region is clearly tightly controlled and interconnected via this neuronal network.

Mapping the Circadian Clock: Hormonal Messengers and the SCN

Neurons are not the only means of communication between the cells of the SCN; neurotransmitters also play an important role. In 2005, scientist Eric Herzog and a team of researchers at Washington University discovered that a hormone called VIP acted as a chemical messenger between cells of the SCN. The importance of VIP, or vasoactive intestinal peptide, was surprising due to the fact that this hormone mainly functions in the gastrointestinal tract. This month, the same team announced the discovery that GABA also plays a role. It appears that GABA has a weaker effect than VIP, yet plays an important role in signaling pathways that set the internal beat of the circadian rhythm.

This brings up an important question: Why do the cells of the SCN communicate in such a wide variety of ways? There is no firm evidence at this time, but researchers believe that the multiple means of communication allows them to respond better and more quickly to changes in the environment. A variety of messengers ensures that messages are always delivered on time.

Health Implications of Mapping the Circadian Clock

Despite new knowledge about the inner workings of the circadian rhythm and the importance of internal clocks in almost every aspect of our health, people in the United States and the rest of the Western world struggle more than ever to get enough sleep. Constant high levels of artificial light ensure that our brains struggle to adjust to nighttime, while other aspects of modern lifestyles often keep people awake well into the night. All of this has a devastating effect on public health in a variety of ways. The rates of diseases linked to disrupted circadian rhythm, such as diabetes, are higher than ever before and increasing steadily every year. Mapping the circadian clock will help scientists and doctors to lower the ever-growing rate of circadian disorders and create better treatments for people who suffer from them.

One takeaway message from the growing body of research in chronobiology and circadian rhythm is that maintaining internal clocks is crucial to whole body health. It may be time for modern people to turn off their alarm clocks and cell phone clocks, and listen to their circadian clocks instead.

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.

Are Brain Salts Responsible for Sleep-Wake Cycle Regulation?

May 13 by Ewcopywriting Leave a Comment

A precise balance of salts in the body is important for a variety of biological functions, from nerve activity to fluid balance. With this in mind, it should come as no surprise that salts are also involved in maintaining a healthy sleep-wake cycle. However, new science reveals that salts appear to play a much bigger role than expected, acting as part of the regulation system of our circadian rhythm.

Electrolyte Balance and Brain Function

When ingested and absorbed into our body fluids, salts such as sodium and potassium become ions. These ions, also called electrolytes, are key parts of many biochemical reactions. They are also conductors of the electrical currents needed for muscle activity, neuron signaling and more. Salt balance is important to health. The role of salt in brain signaling is one reason the body works hard to keep sodium and potassium levels within a very narrow range.

When our neurons receive an impulse, sodium channels along the axon, which looks like a long open tail. Salt flows into the cell quickly, causing the electrical balance to change. This creates a current that is passed down the axon, opening sodium channels along the way. This current is passed to another cell, which repeats the process until the message has reached its target location. The majority of signals in the brain are transmitted using this process. Many disorders that affect both sleep and cognitive function, such as schizophrenia, have been associated with aberrant or faulty signaling of sodium channels.

Salts and Your Sleep-Wake Cycle

Because the brain is dependent on sodium and potassium balance to send and receive information, electrolyte imbalances can have a variety of effects, including disruption of the sleep-wake cycle. When people have even mild imbalances of salts, they will suffer from changes in their sleep patterns, fatigue, fuzzy thinking and even dementia. These are all symptoms we associate with disrupted sleep-wake cycles as well. Are these coincidental side effects, or could salts actually function as regulators of the circadian rhythm? This is what a set of Danish researchers set out to discover.

Salts, Neuromodulators and Sleep

Scientists know that neuromodulators such as cortisol and melatonin play a huge role in regulating the sleep-wake cycle. These neuromodulators affect salt balance by opening sodium channels as a means of signaling. Salts appear to act independently of these hormones, as they are controlled by non-hormonal means. While the relationship between neuromodulators and salts is still a subject of study and debate, salt appears to be an independent variable affecting sleep. When salts were injected into the brains of mice, their wakefulness, or lack thereof, changed in a predictable way. Researchers were able to put a mouse to sleep, or wake them, simply by adding salts. The relationship between neuromodulators and salt balance may actually be the mechanism by which they cause sleepiness or wakefulness.

This may seem far-fetched, but it is not an unusual way to control neural activity. The activity of sodium channels is an important regulator of many brain processes, so many hormones and pharmaceuticals work on cells by opening or closing these channels. It is possible that changing salt levels are an important way that the brain controls the sleep-wake cycle.

The Future of Sleep Disorder Treatment?

Obviously, people with sleep disorders cannot be treated by a shot of salts into the brain as the mice in the study were. However, there may be other applications for these findings. Many drugs act by changing the activity of salt in the brain. For example, many epilepsy drugs block the activity of voltage-gated sodium channels, which transmit most neural signaling. In short, people who suffer from circadian disorders may soon have a medication to help them regulate their sleep-wake cycle if other research supports the conclusion of this study.

While no one should begin eating more salt to treat a circadian disorder, this new discovery is nonetheless promising. Understanding how different variables such as salt balance affect the brain, and by extension, our sleep-wake cycles will allow us to better understand how circadian disorders develop. This can, in turn, lead to more effective treatments for people who suffer from sleep disorders.

The Top Four Essential Pregnancy Vitamins and Nutrients

May 11 by Ewcopywriting Leave a Comment

Pregnancy is a time of high nutritional needs for both the mother and the unborn child. During pregnancy, not only must you support your own body through many huge changes, but you also need to provide the basic building blocks of nutrition so your baby can grow and flourish. While doctors encourage getting as many vitamins and nutrients as possible from a healthy diet, most will also recommend taking a prenatal vitamin formula to supplement the diet. Taking pregnancy vitamins with a full range of essential vitamins and minerals will ensure that you and your baby are getting the nutrition you need during this crucial developmental period.

Pregnancy Vitamins and Minerals: Building Blocks for a Healthy Baby

While not all people have the same nutritional needs, there are a few commonalities that apply to most. This is also true for pregnant women. While all humans suffer health consequences from a lack of vitamins, the effects of vitamin and mineral deficiencies are more severe in developing babies. For this reason, most doctors recommend that pregnant women take prenatal or pregnancy vitamins to ensure the healthiest pregnancy possible. Although a wide variety of vitamins and minerals are necessary in adequate amounts for a healthy pregnancy and baby, four specific nutrients are particularly important.

Folic Acid and Development

Folic acid is one of the most important nutrients for a growing baby. In fact, doctors recommend that all women of childbearing age take this vitamin because of how crucial it is in early pregnancy. In the first three or four weeks of pregnancy, your baby’s neural tube will form into the spinal cord and brain. A deficiency of folic acid can cause defects in this process. Getting enough folic acid is also important throughout the rest of pregnancy, as it necessary for making the red blood cells that carry oxygen to developing organs and tissues.

Calcium: Building Strong Bones and Teeth

Because your baby’s bones and teeth are just developing, they require a great deal of calcium. Calcium is one of only a few nutrients that your body will take from your own stores in order to help your growing baby. This means that women who are not taking in enough calcium for both themselves and their unborn baby must take a supplement, or risk losing calcium from their bones and suffering serious lifelong bone density issues. Many women in past generations lost teeth or suffered from osteoporosis because of pregnancy-related bone loss. The good news is that a healthy diet and pregnancy vitamins should give you and your baby both all the calcium you need.

Prevent Anemia with Iron

When you’re pregnant, your body must make a great deal more blood. Because it is hard to get all of the iron you need to support this increased blood volume from diet alone, anemia is very common in pregnant women. In fact, half of all pregnant women are anemic. Mild anemia will make you feel tired and pale, but severe anemia can compromise your health as well as your baby’s. Anemia is easily treated in most women with high-quality pregnancy vitamins.

Omega-3 Fatty Acids: Essential Elements of Prenatal Nutrition

A growing body of evidence suggests that omega-3 fatty acids, often available in the form of fish oil supplements, are an essential part of nutrition, especially in pregnancy. Two particular omega-3s called eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) are especially crucial. EPA helps your baby build a healthy heart and immune system, and it may even help protect against autoimmune disease. DHA, on the other hand, helps the eyes, brain and central nervous system to work optimally. Because fish is not a huge part of the Western diet, many pregnant women in the U.S. and Europe are deficient in these important nutrients. For this reason, most doctors recommend taking pregnancy vitamins that contain DHA and EPA.

Are All Pregnancy Vitamins Created Equal?

Most prenatal vitamins contain the basic elements needed to sustain a healthy pregnancy when taken in conjunction with a healthy diet. However, there is often a wide range of difference in both quantities of certain nutrients and quality of ingredients among the various pregnancy vitamins on the market today. In addition, many formulas do not contain omega-3 fatty acids because the research on these oils is relatively new and the technology to incorporate fatty acids into a capsule or tablet is cost-prohibitive. As a result, pregnant women must often take an omega-3 supplement in addition to their regular prenatal or pregnancy vitamins. Finding a prenatal vitamin formula that incorporates the omega-3 fatty acids needed for brain and nervous system health is ideal. As with all supplements, you should talk to your doctor about which type of pregnancy vitamin formula is the best choice for you and your baby.

Are you ready to have the healthiest possible pregnancy? Getting the best possible nutrition, including eating a healthy diet and taking prenatal vitamins, is an important way you can support your baby’s growth and help him or her develop the foundation for a lifetime of good health.