Bleach bath gives eczema relief

Try a bleach bath for eczema relief.

New research is now validating the age-old practice of adding a capful of bleach to bathwater in order to help relieve itchy symptoms of eczema.
“We have advised our patients of this simple, cost-effective practice for years. But recent research has now confirmed the benefits of diluted bleach baths for patients with atopic dermatitis. The bleach kills bacteria such as staph/MRSA [methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus] that plague our patients with eczema,” says Dr Kent Aftergut, clinical assistant professor of dermatology at UT Southwestern Medical Center.
Dr. Aftergut points out that studies have shown that up to 90 percent of patients with eczema carry staph bacteria on their skin. The bleach works by killing the staph through a mechanism that the bacteria cannot become resistant to.
Dr. Aftergut suggests starting with a capful of bleach added to an entire bath, and no more than a quarter cup of bleach for a standardized bathtub. He has patients soak in this twice a week for at least 15 minutes.
An occasional bath with a capful of bleach added may also be useful for limiting staph infections for others such as athletes and those who frequent gyms, Dr. Aftergut says; however, consulting a physician before starting a bleach-bath regimen might help avoid harmful reactions.
“Staph/MRSA are becoming more of a problem with so many patients. Special antibacterial washes and oral antibiotics can all breed resistance. We feel more comfortable recommending the dilute bleach baths knowing that the practice will not produce more staph resistance,” Dr. Aftergut says.

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Article adapted by MD Only from original press release.
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Contact: Russell Rian>
UT Southwestern Medical Center

Lack of this tiny molecule leads to deafness

Researchers have identified tiny molecules that may lead to big breakthroughs in the treatment of hearing loss and deafness. An international team, including researchers from Tel Aviv University in Israel and Purdue University, found that lack of these molecules causes abnormal development of the inner ear and leads to progressive hearing loss.

Donna Fekete, the Purdue professor of biological sciences involved in the study, said this new information could provide promising leads to treat hearing loss.

“The molecules we identified could be used as a molecular tool delivered directly into the ears of deaf people to induce regeneration of important sensory cells that would improve hearing,” she said. “The molecules also could potentially help people with balance disorders related to inner ear function such as Meniere’s disease.”

The National Institutes of Health National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders, or NIDCD, reports that 36 million American adults have some degree of hearing loss.

In many cases of non-congenital hearing loss, the cause is degeneration of specialized sensory cells in the inner ear, called hair cells. Hair cells convert sound waves into electrical impulses that can be interpreted by the brain. According to the NIDCD, excessive noise, certain medications, aging and disease can damage or destroy hair cells. Because humans are unable to replace lost hair cells, hearing declines as they are lost.

The international research team identified microRNAs – tiny pieces of the genetic building block ribonucleic acid, or RNA – critical to the survival of hair cells. MicroRNAs regulate genes by selectively preventing certain genes from making proteins.

Karen Avraham, the Tel Aviv University professor who led the study, said this research shows that a loss of certain microRNAs can cause deafness.

“We found that hair cell microRNAs are regulators involved in the normal development and survival of cells in the inner ear and are necessary for proper hearing,” said Avraham, who is a professor in the Department of Human Molecular Genetics. “Until very recently, science only knew that mutation in protein-coding genes caused deafness. We went a layer deeper and discovered that the loss of microRNAs leads to deafness as well.”

In recent separate studies conducted in Spain and the United Kingdom, mutations in a single microRNA were reported to cause deafness in humans and mice, showing the importance of microRNAs in the inner ear and the link to human hearing loss, Avraham said.

Earlier research had shown microRNAs to be involved in ear development, but this study is the first to remove the microRNAs at the time when hair cells are just beginning to form, Fekete said. A paper detailing the work was published in the April 14 issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

In addition to Avraham and Fekete, co-authors of the paper include assistant research scientist Takunori Satoh and research assistant Deborah J. Biesemeier from Purdue; Lilach Friedman, Amiel Dror, Eyal Mor, Tamar Tenne, Ginat Toren and Noam Shomron from Tel Aviv University; and Eran Hornstein from The Weizmann Institute of Science in Rehovot, Israel.

The first microRNA was discovered in 1993, and the field has taken off within the last eight years, Fekete said.

“In a sense it is a whole new way of looking at gene regulation that we didn’t know much about 10 years ago,” she said. “Now people all over the world from different fields are trying to figure out the roles microRNAs play and how they can be used to improve human health.”

Fekete and the Purdue team examined several microRNAs in zebrafish to determine what role each played.

“There are hundreds of microRNAs, and the question is which ones are doing what in terms of keeping hair cells alive and developing properly,” Fekete said. “In this paper, we identified two microRNAs that, when removed, reduced the number of hair cells developed.”

The missing microRNAs also each caused abnormal development of larger organs of the ear. One prevented development of the semicircular canals involved in balance, and the other prevented development of an organ called an ear-stone that is needed to sense movement, Fekete said.

Additional unpublished work by Satoh and Purdue graduate student Haiqiong Li in Fekete’s lab expands the list of microRNAs that regulate hair cell numbers to seven, Fekete said.

Her team next plans to investigate other microRNAs thought to be involved in hair cell development and to look into whether overexpression of these molecules could lead to regeneration of these sensory cells from so-called supporting cells. In earlier research, Fekete showed that hair cells and supporting cells have the same biological origin.

“Research has shown that in other animals supporting cells can give rise to hair cells, so the real challenge is to determine why this doesn’t happen in mammals,” Fekete said. “One thought is that microRNAs might be able to turn off supporting cell genes and make them more susceptible to becoming hair cells, effectively getting them to switch fates.”

Fekete said this research is a good example of the importance of studying animal models.

“The genes that regulate hair cell development and differentiation are very similar between zebrafish and humans,” Fekete said. “Animal models, even simple ones, can provide incredibly important data that ultimately can impact human health and disease.”

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Article adapted by MD Only from original press release.
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Contact: Elizabeth K. Gardner
Purdue University

New way to prevent hearing loss

Vitamin supplements can prevent hearing loss in laboratory animals, according to two new studies, bringing investigators one step closer to the development of a pill that could stave off noise-induced and perhaps even age-related hearing loss in humans.

The findings will be reported Wednesday at the Association for Research in Otolaryngology’s annual conference in Baltimore by senior author Colleen Le Prell, Ph.D., a researcher at the University of Florida.

The supplements used in the research studies are composed of antioxidants — beta carotene and vitamins C and E — and the mineral magnesium. When administered prior to exposure to loud noise, the supplements prevented both temporary and permanent hearing loss in test animals.

“What is appealing about this vitamin ‘cocktail’ is that previous studies in humans, including those demonstrating successful use of these supplements in protecting eye health, have shown that supplements of these particular vitamins are safe for long-term use,” said Le Prell, an associate professor in the UF College of Public Health and Health Professions’ department of communicative disorders.

About 26 million Americans have noise-induced hearing loss, according to the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders, the agency that funded the studies.

In the first study, UF, University of Michigan and OtoMedicine scientists gave guinea pigs the vitamin supplements prior to a four-hour exposure to noise at 110 decibels, similar to levels reached at a loud concert. Researchers assessed the animals’ hearing by measuring sound-evoked neural activity and found that the treatment successfully prevented temporary hearing loss in the animals.

In humans, temporary noise-induced hearing loss, often accompanied by ringing in the ears, typically goes away after a few hours or days as the cells in the inner ear heal. Because repeated temporary hearing loss can lead to permanent hearing loss, the scientists speculate that prevention of temporary changes may ultimately prevent permanent changes.

In the second, related study in mice, UF, Washington University in St. Louis and OtoMedicine researchers showed that the supplements prevented permanent noise-induced hearing loss that occurs after a single loud sound exposure. The researchers found that the supplements prevented cell loss in an inner ear structure called the lateral wall, which is linked to age-related hearing loss, leading the scientists to believe these micronutrients may protect the ear against age-related changes in hearing.

“I am very encouraged by these results that we may be able to find a way to diminish permanent threshold shift with noise exposure,” said Debara Tucci, M.D., an associate professor of surgery in the otolaryngology division at Duke University Medical Center. “I look forward to hearing Dr. Le Prell’s work and reviewing her data.”

The research builds on previous studies that demonstrated hearing loss is not just caused by intense vibrations produced by loud noises that tear the delicate structures of the inner ear, as once thought, said Josef Miller, Ph.D., who has studied the mechanisms of hearing impairment for more than 20 years and is a frequent collaborator of Le Prell’s. Researchers now know noise-induced hearing loss is largely caused by the production of free radicals, which destroy healthy inner ear cells.

“The free radicals literally punch holes in the membrane of the cells,” said Miller, the Townsend professor of communicative disorders at the University of Michigan.

Miller is the co-founder of OtoMedicine, a University of Michigan spinoff company that has patented AuraQuell, the vitamin supplement formula used in the studies.

The antioxidant vitamins prevent hearing damage by “scavenging” the free radicals. Magnesium, which is not a traditional antioxidant, is added to the supplement mix to preserve blood flow to the inner ear and aid in healing.

Antioxidant supplements can also provide “post-noise rescue,” Le Prell said. A previous study by Le Prell and Miller showed that antioxidants can protect hearing days after exposure to loud noise.

“We found that the antioxidant combination of vitamin E and salicylate — the active agent in aspirin —effectively prevented cell death and permanent noise-induced hearing loss even when treatments were delayed up to three days after noise insult,” she said.

The researchers are collaborating on National Institutes of Health-funded clinical trials of the vitamin supplements in college students at UF who wear MP3 music players, and noise-exposed military troops and factory workers in Sweden and Spain.

If the trials show that the vitamins are as effective in preventing noise-induced hearing loss in humans as they have been in animals, Le Prell and Miller envision an easy-to-use supplement that could come in the form of a pill for people headed to a rock concert, a daily supplement for factory workers or a nutritional bar included in soldiers’ rations.

“Ear protection, such as ear plugs, is always the best practice for the prevention of noise-induced hearing loss, but in those populations who don’t or can’t wear hearing protection, for people in which mechanical devices just aren’t enough, and for people who may experience unexpected noise insult, these supplements could provide an opportunity for additional protection,” Le Prell said.

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Article adapted by MD Only from original press release.
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Contact: Jill Pease
University of Florida

Researher’s Discover Food Related Clock in the Brain

In investigating the intricacies of the body’s biological rhythms, scientists at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) have discovered the existence of a “food-related clock” which can supersede the “light-based” master clock that serves as the body’s primary timekeeper. The findings, which appear in the May 23 issue of the journal Science, help explain how animals adapt their circadian rhythms in order to avoid starvation, and suggest that by adjusting eating schedules, humans too can better cope with changes in time zones and nighttime schedules that leave them feeling groggy and jet-lagged.

“For a small mammal, finding food on a daily basis is a critical mission,” explains the study’s senior author Clifford Saper, MD, PhD, Chairman of the Department of Neurology at BIDMC and James Jackson Putnam Professor of Neurology at Harvard Medical School. “Even a few days of starvation is a common threat in natural environments and may result in the animal’s death.”

The suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN), a group of cells in the brain’s hypothalamus, serves as the body’s primary biological clock. The SCN receives signals about the light-dark cycle through the visual system, and passes that information along to another cell group in the hypothalamus known as the dorsomedial nucleus (DMH). The DMH then organizes sleep-wake cycles, as well as cycles of activity, feeding and hormones.

“When food is readily available,” explains Saper, “this system works extremely well. Light signals from the retina help establish the animals’ circadian rhythms to the standard day-night cycle.” But, if food is not available during the normal wake period, animals need to be able to adapt to food that is available when they are ordinarily asleep.

In order to survive, animals appear to have developed a secondary “food-related” master clock. “This new timepiece enables animals to switch their sleep and wake schedules in order to maximize their opportunity of finding food,” notes Saper, who together with lead author Patrick Fuller, PhD, HMS Instructor in Neurology and coauthor Jun Lu, MD, PhD, HMS Assistant Professor of Neurology, set out to determine exactly where this clock was located.

“In addition to the oscillator cells in the SCN, there are other oscillator cells in the brain as well as in peripheral tissues like the stomach and liver that contribute to the development of animals’ food-based circadian rhythms,” says Saper. “Dissecting this large intertwined system posed a challenge.”

To overcome this obstacle, the authors used a genetically arrhythmic mouse in which one of the key genes for the biological clock, BMAL1, was disabled. They next placed the gene for BMAL1 into a viral vector which enabled them to restore a functional biological clock to only one spot in the brain at a time. Through this step-by-step analysis, the authors uncovered the feeding entrained clock in the DMH.

“We discovered that a single cycle of starvation followed by refeeding turns on the clock, so that it effectively overrides the suprachiasmatic nucleus and hijacks all of the circadian rhythms onto a new time zone that corresponds with food availability,” says Saper. And, he adds, the implications for travelers and shift workers are promising.

“Modern day humans may be able to use these findings in an adaptive way. If, for example, you are traveling from the U.S. to Japan, you are forced to adjust to an 11-hour time difference,” he notes. “Because the body’s biological clock can only shift a small amount each day, it takes the average person about a week to adjust to the new time zone. And, by then, it’s often time to turn around and come home.”

But, he adds, by adapting eating schedules, a traveler might be able to engage his second “feeding” clock and adjust more quickly to the new time zone.

“A period of fasting with no food at all for about 16 hours is enough to engage this new clock,” says Saper. “So, in this case, simply avoiding any food on the plane, and then eating as soon as you land, should help you to adjust – and avoid some of the uncomfortable feelings of jet lag.”

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Article adapted by MD Only from original press release.
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Contact: Bonnie Prescott>
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center

Researchers Identify Key Proteins Needed for Ovulation

Study Reveals Essential Step in Female Reproductive Process

Researchers from the National Institutes of Health and other institutions have identified in mice two proteins essential for ovulation to take place.

The finding has implications for treating infertility resulting from a failure of ovulation to occur as well as for developing new means to prevent pregnancy by preventing the release of the egg.

The proteins, called ERK1 and ERK2, appear to bring about the maturation and release of the egg.

The study, appearing in the May 15 issue of Science, was funded in part by two NIH institutes, the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) and the National Cancer Institute (NCI).

“Ovulation results from a complex interplay of chemical sequences,” said Duane Alexander, M.D., director of the NICHD. “The researchers have identified a crucial biochemical intermediary controlling the release of the egg. The finding advances our understanding and may one day contribute to new treatments for infertility as well as new ways to prevent pregnancy from occurring.”

The study’s senior author, JoAnne Richards, Ph.D., of Baylor College of Medicine, worked with Esta Sterneck and Peter Johnson, of the NCI’s Center for Cancer Research; with Heng-Yu Fan and Zhilin Liu of Baylor; Masayuki Shimada, of Hiroshima University, in Japan; and Stephen Hedrick, of the University of California, San Diego.

The immature egg is contained inside a covering of cells, known as the ovarian follicle. The follicle is made largely of cells known as granulosa cells. Each month, the pituitary gland releases follicle-stimulating hormone and luteinizing hormone which cause the egg and the ovarian granulosa cells surrounding it to grow and develop into a mature follicle. Midway through the woman’s monthly cycle, the pituitary releases a large surge of luteinizing hormone, which causes the follicle to rupture, releasing the egg cell. The granulosa cells in the ruptured follicle transform into luteal cells.

Previously, researchers did not know how luteinizing hormone triggered the ovary’s release of the egg and the production of progesterone by the granulosa cells. In the current study, the researchers discerned that luteinizing hormone appears to signal the release of molecules known as extracellular-regulated protein kinases 1 and 2 (ERK 1 and ERK 2). In turn, these molecules trigger a chain of chemical sequences that bring about the release of the egg, the transformation of granulosa cells into luteal cells, and the production of progesterone.

ERK1 and ERK2 are a critical nexus between the surge in luteinizing hormone and ovulation, explained the NICHD project officer for the study, Louis V. De Paolo, Ph.D., chief of the NICHD Reproductive Sciences Branch.

“This a key chemical pathway that affects not only ovulation, but egg cell maturation and granulosa cell differentiation into luteal cells,” Dr. De Paolo said.

Although ERK1 and ERK2 are essential intermediaries to ovulation, there are other molecules, yet to be discovered, which presumably also play important roles in the process. The Reproductive Sciences Branch is supporting studies to decipher these other intricate chemical sequences.

“We’re still at the tip of the iceberg,” Dr. De Paolo said. “We need to understand it all.”

While understanding the function of ERK1 and ERK 2 may yield important information for treating infertility in women, this understanding might also lead to ways to prevent ovulation from occurring, for the development of new means of contraception Dr. De Paolo said.

To conduct the study, Dr. Richards and her colleagues used mice that lacked the genes needed to produce ERK1 and ERK2. The ovaries of these mice still produced eggs, but did not release them after exposure to luteinizing hormone. Moreover, the granulosa cells did not transform into luteal cells and begin producing progesterone, the normal course of events when the two genes are present.

In contrast, mice with working versions of the genes for ERK1 and ERK 2 were fertile.

To date, no other genes have been discovered that are essential to both ovulation and the conversion of the other cells to progesterone producers, according to Dr. Richards. An important role of the ERK1 and ERK2, she said, appears to be to stop the granulosa cells from growing, so that they take on their final role of producing progesterone.

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Article adapted by MD Only from original press release.
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Contact: Robert Block or Marianne Glass Miller 
NICHD

Eczema Treated Effectively with Traditional Chinese Medicine

New research where traditional Chinese medicine was found to safely and effectively treat patients with persistent atopic dermatitis – or eczema, as it’s commonly known – could lead more physicians to prescribe complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) to treat the allergic condition. 

In the study presented at the 2009 Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (AAAAI), researchers at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York analyzed 14 patients with persistent atopic dermatitis who received traditional Chinese medicine at Ming Qi Natural Health Center in Manhattan between August 2006 and May 2008. The treatments consisted of Erka Shizheng Herbal Tea, a bath additive, creams and acupuncture. 

The study authors utilized two measures: the SCORAD index to gauge atopic dermatitis severity and the Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI) to calculate impairment to life quality. 

Baseline median scores for SCORAD and DLQI were 89 and 17, respectively. After a median of eight months treatment, the median scores fell to 11 for SCORAD and 1 for DLQI. 

In all but one patient, SCORAD measures decreased between 60 to 90% after 3.3 months of treatment. More than 50% improvement in DLQI scores was documented in all but one patient after 2.4 months of treatment. 

Patients also reported a reduction in the use of steroids, antibiotics and antihistamines within 3 months of being treated with traditional Chinese medicine. There were no abnormalities of liver and kidney function observed. 

While the researchers concluded that the use of traditional Chinese medicine is safe and effective for patients with persistent atopic dermatitis, especially those with a severe case and significant life quality impairment, it is still recommended to speak with a physician before taking any complementary or alternative medicines.

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Article adapted by MD Only from original press release.
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Contact: Megan Elliott
American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology 

The AAAAI represents allergists, asthma specialists, clinical immunologists, allied health professionals and others with a special interest in the research and treatment of allergic disease. Established in 1943, the AAAAI has more than 6,500 members in the United States, Canada and 60 other countries. 

Notes

- This study was presented during the 2009 Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (AAAAI) on March 13-17 in Washington, DC. However, it does not necessarily reflect the policies or the opinions of the AAAAI.

Brain fatty acid levels linked to depression

A group of Israel researchers has discovered that rats with increased levels of the omega-6 fatty acid, arachidonic acid, show signs of depression.  There is also evidence that  a dietary deficiency in omega-3 fatty acids may be associated with depression.  The  ”phospholipid hypothesis” postulates decreased omega-3 fatty acid intake could be responsible for some types of depression.

The details of their findings appear in the Journal of Lipid Research  showing that omega-3 fatty acid concentration in the blood of depressed patients is lower than that in control patients.  Dr. Green in collaboration with Dr Gal Yadid of Bar-Ilan University, Ramat Gan used the Flinders Sensitive Line rats to investigate the link between omega-3 fatty acids and depression. They examined the brains of the depressed rats and compared them with brains from normal rats. Surprisingly, they found that the main difference between the two types of rats was in omega-6 fatty acid levels and not omega-3 fatty acid levels. Specifically, they discovered that brains from rats with depression had higher concentrations of arachidonic acid, a long-chain unsaturated metabolite of omega-6 fatty acid.

Arachidonic acid is found throughout the body and is essential for the proper functioning of almost every body organ, including the brain. It serves a wide variety of purposes, from being a purely structural element in phospholipids to being involved in signal transduction and being a substrate for a host of derivatives involved in second messenger function.

“The finding that in the depressive rats the omega-3 fatty acid levels were not decreased, but arachidonic acid was substantially increased as compared to controls is somewhat unexpected,” admits Dr. Green. “But the finding lends itself nicely to the theory that increased omega-3 fatty acid intake may shift the balance between the two fatty acid families in the brain, since it has been demonstrated in animal studies that increased omega-3 fatty acid intake may result in decreased brain arachidonic acid.”

Although far less attention has been paid to dietary requirements for omega-6 fatty acids, which can be found in most edible oils and meat, perhaps in the future depression may be controlled by increasing omega-3 fatty acid intake and decreasing omega-6 fatty acid intake.

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Article adapted by MD Only from original press release.
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Contact: Nicole Kresge
American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology 
The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (ASBMB) is a nonprofit scientific and educational organization with over 11,000 members in the United States and internationally. Most members teach and conduct research at colleges and universities. Others conduct research in various government laboratories, nonprofit research institutions, and industry.

The manuscript for the Journal of Lipid Research paper can be downloaded from clicking Here

Fat Breakdown is affected by nutrition

Scientists have shown that when either lean or obese individuals exercise after eating a high fat meal, their fats are broken down and oxidized in skeletal muscle, making them healthier. These results show for the first time how a high fat diet and exercise stimulate the breakdown of fats and may help design ways to reduce excessive fat in the body.

Fat is broken down inside fat cells to generate energy by a process called lipolysis. The resulting fatty acids are released into the bloodstream and carried to tissues that require energy. In obese individuals, too much fat accumulates, compromising lipolysis, but the details of how this happens are not well understood. Also, obese individuals can show altered responsiveness to the stress hormones epinephrine and norepinephrine in their subcutaneous fat.

Max Lafontan and colleagues investigated how fat is broken down in both lean and obese subjects who exercised after either fasting or eating a high-fat diet. They noticed that after eating a high-fat diet, fats were broken down in both lean and obese individuals. Under fasting conditions, the breakdown of fats was more pronounced in the lean subjects, but the high fat meal enhanced lipolysis in the obese subjects.

The scientists also studied the effects of long-chain fatty acids (LCFAs) – which are found in high fat diet – on cultured fat cells. They noticed that LCFAs increase lipolysis when it is induced by epinephrine, one of the hormones known to stimulate lipolysis.

By showing for the first time how a high fat diet and LCFAs affect hormone-induced lipolysis in fat cells, this study paves the way for further research on the role of various fatty acids on the metabolism of muscle and blood vessel cells, the researchers conclude.

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Article adapted by MD Only from original press release.
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Article: “Acute exposure to long-chain fatty acids impairs alpha2-adrenergic receptor-mediated antilipolysis in human adipose tissue,” by Jan Polak, Cedric Moro, David Bessiere, Jindra Hejnova, Marie A. Marques, Magda Bajzova, Max Lafontan, Francois Crampes, Michel Berlan, and Vladimir Stich

MEDIA CONTACT: Max Lafontan, Institut National de la Sante et de la Recherche Medicale (French National Institute of Health and Medical Research), Toulouse, France; e-mail: Max.Lafontan@toulouse.inserm.fr

Brisk Walk Helps You Stop Snacking

Researchers at the University of Exeter have found that a walk of just fifteen minutes can reduce chocolate cravings. The benefits of exercise in helping people manage dependencies on nicotine and other drugs have previously been recognised. Now, for the first time, newly-published research shows that the same may be true for food cravings.

Following three days of abstinence, 25 regular chocolate eaters were asked to either complete a 15-minute brisk walk or rest, in a random order. They then engaged in tasks that would normally induce chocolate cravings, including a mental challenge and opening a chocolate bar.

After exercise participants reported lower cravings than after rest. Cravings were not only reduced during the walk, but for at least ten minutes afterwards. The exercise also limited increases in cravings in response to the two tasks.

Professor Adrian Taylor comments: “Our ongoing work consistently shows that brief bouts of physical activity reduce cigarette cravings, but this is the first study to link exercise to reduced chocolate cravings. Neuroscientists have suggested common processes in the reward centres of the brain between drug and food addictions, and it may be that exercise effects brain chemicals that help to regulate mood and cravings. This could be good news for people who struggle to manage their cravings for sugary snacks and want to lose weight.”

Previous research has suggested that 97% of women and 68% of men experience food cravings. Craved foods tend to be calorie-dense, fatty or sugary foods, with chocolate being the most commonly reported. Chocolate has a number of biologically active constituents that temporarily enhance our mood with a result that eating it can become a habit, particularly when we are under stress and when it is readily available, and perhaps when we are least active.

Professor Taylor concludes: “While enjoying the occasional chocolate bar is fine, in time, regular eating may lead to stronger cravings during stress and when it is readily available. Recognising what causes us to eat high energy snacks, even if we have plans to not do so, can be helpful.”

“Short bouts of physical activity can help to regulate how energised and pleasant we feel, and with a sedentary lifestyle we may naturally turn to mood regulating behaviours such as eating chocolate. Accumulating 30 minutes of daily physical activity, with two 15 minute brisk walks, for example, not only provides general physical and mental health benefits but also may help to regulate our energy intake. This research furthers our understanding of the complex physical, psychological and emotional relationship we have with food.”

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Article adapted by MD Only from original press release.
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Contact: Sarah Hoyle
University of Exeter

Spices protect against the consequences of high blood sugar

Herbs and spices are rich in antioxidants, and a new University of Georgia study suggests they are also potent inhibitors of tissue damage and inflammation caused by high levels of blood sugar.

Researchers, whose results appear in the current issue of the Journal of Medicinal Food, tested extracts from 24 common herbs and spices. In addition to finding high levels of antioxidant-rich compounds known as phenols, they revealed a direct correlation between phenol content and the ability of the extracts to block the formation of compounds that contribute to damage caused by diabetes and aging.

“Because herbs and spices have a very low calorie content and are relatively inexpensive, they’re a great way to get a lot of antioxidant and anti-inflammatory power into your diet,” said study co-author James Hargrove, associate professor of foods and nutrition in the UGA College of Family and Consumer Sciences.

Hargrove explained that when blood sugar levels are high, a process known as protein glycation occurs in which the sugar bonds with proteins to eventually form what are known as advanced glycation end products, also known as AGE compounds. The acronym is fitting because these compounds activate the immune system, resulting in the inflammation and tissue damage associated with aging and diabetes.

The researchers found a strong and direct correlation between the phenol content of common herbs and spices and their ability to inhibit the formation of AGE compounds. Spices such as cloves and cinnamon had phenol levels that were 30 percent and 18 percent of dry weight, respectively, while herbs such as oregano and sage were eight and six percent phenol by dry weight, respectively. For comparison, blueberries – which are widely touted for their antioxidant capabilities – contain roughly five percent phenol by dry weight.

Study co-author Diane Hartle, associate professor in the UGA College of Pharmacy, said various phenols are absorbed differently by the body and have different mechanisms of action, so it’s likely that a variety of spices will provide maximum benefit.

“If you set up a good herb and spice cabinet and season your food liberally, you could double or even triple the medicinal value of your meal without increasing the caloric content,” she said.

She added that controlling blood sugar and the formation of AGE compounds can also decrease the risk of cardiovascular damage associated with diabetes and aging. She explained that high blood sugar accelerates heart disease partly because AGE compounds form in the blood and in the walls of blood vessels. The AGE compounds aggravate atherosclerosis, which produces cholesterol plaques.

The UGA researchers tested for the ability to block AGE compounds in a test tube, but animal studies conducted on the health benefits of spices lend support to their argument. Cinnamon and cinnamon extracts, for example, have been shown to lower blood sugar in mice. Interestingly, cinnamon lowers blood sugar by acting on several different levels, Hargrove said. It slows the emptying of the stomach to reduce sharp rises in blood sugar following meals and improves the effectiveness, or sensitivity, of insulin. It also enhances antioxidant defenses.

Hargrove said their findings suggest it’s likely that the herbs and spices they studied will provide similar benefits in animal tests. He points out that because humans have been consuming herbs and spices for thousands of years, they come without the risk of possible side effects that accompany medications.

“Culinary herbs and spices are all generally recognized as safe and have been time-tested in the diet,” he said. “Indeed, some of spices and herbals are now sold as food supplements because of their recognized health benefits.”

Study co-author Phillip Greenspan, associate professor in the College of Pharmacy, noted that most people don’t get their recommended five to nine servings of fruits and vegetables a day. Rather than seasoning their food with salt – which provides no beneficial phenols and has been linked to high blood pressure – he recommends that people use a variety of herbs and spices to help boost the nutritional quality of their meals.

“When you add herbs and spices to food, you definitely provide yourself with additional benefits besides taste,” Greenspan said.

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Article adapted by MD Only from original press release.
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Contact: Sam Fahmy
University of Georgia