The human brain, with its 100 billion neurons that control every thought, word, and action, is the most complex and delicate organ in the body. Because it needs extra protection from toxins and other harmful substances, the blood vessels that supply the brain with oxygen and nutrients are highly selective about which molecules can cross from the blood into the brain and vice versa. These blood vessels and their unique network of supporting pericyte and astrocyte cells comprise the blood-brain barrier (BBB). When the BBB is disrupted, as happens with…
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Mediterranean diet boosts endurance exercise within days, study finds
Researchers at Saint Louis University have found that eating a Mediterranean diet can improve athletes’ endurance exercise performance after just four days. In a small study published in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition, investigators found that participants ran a 5K six percent faster after eating a Mediterranean diet than after eating a Western diet. Researchers found no difference between the two diets in performance in anaerobic exercise tests. The Mediterranean diet includes whole fruits and vegetables, nuts, olive oil and whole grains, and avoids red and processed meats,…
Read MoreA common genetic signature has been discovered among three cancer prone rare skin diseases
Through a global gene expression analysis (transcriptomic), the researchers were able to find and confirm a genetic signature common to these genodermatoses in patients’ cells. The profile targets cellular activation and alteration of the dermal microenvironment (lower layer of the skin) which could favour the progression of the disease, as well as skin cancer. Recessive dystrophic epidermolisis bullosa and the Kindler syndrome are diseases that cause fragility of the skin, caused by mutations in essential genes to attach the two layers of the skin. Patients with these diseases suffer from…
Read MoreSmoking and alcohol: Double trouble for the brain?
Along with many other harmful health consequences, smoking tobacco causes chemical changes, oxidative stress and inflammation in the brain. Excessive alcohol use can have similar effects. Surprisingly, however, very few studies have examined the combined impact of smoking and alcohol on the brain. Now, researchers reporting in ACS Chemical Neuroscience have shown that in rats, the joint use of tobacco and alcohol could increase neural damage in particular brain regions. According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, many people who smoke tobacco also drink alcohol excessively, and vice versa.…
Read MoreYo-yo dieting may increase women’s heart disease risk
Yo-yo dieting may make it harder for women to control a variety of heart disease risk factors, according to preliminary research presented at the American Heart Association’s Epidemiology and Prevention | Lifestyle and Cardiometabolic Health Scientific Sessions 2019, a premier global exchange of the latest advances in population-based cardiovascular science for researchers and clinicians. “Achieving a healthy weight is generally recommended as heart healthy but maintaining weight loss is difficult and fluctuations in weight may make it harder to achieve ideal cardiovascular health,” said Brooke Aggarwal, Ed.D., M.S., senior author…
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