Mind / Body Blog

Sex differences in cardiometabolic disorders

Sex differences in cardiometabolic disorders

Eva Gerdts & Vera Regitz-Zagrosek Nature Medicine (2019)

Abstract

The prevalence of cardiometabolic disorders in both women and men has increased worldwide and is linked to a rise in obesity and obesity-associated associated clustering of other cardiometabolic risk factors such as hypertension, impaired glucose regulation and dyslipidemia. However, the predominance of common types of cardiometabolic disorders such as heart failure, atrial fibrillation and ischemic heart disease is sex specific, and our identification of these and the underlying mechanisms is only just emerging. New evidence suggests that sex hormones, sex-specific molecular mechanisms and gender influence glucose and lipid metabolisms, as well as cardiac energy metabolism, and function. Here we review sex differences in cardiometabolic risk factors, associated preclinical and clinical cardiac disorders and potential therapeutic avenues..

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41591-019-0643-8

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During Deep Sleep, the Brain Does Housekeeping

 

(Reuters Health) – During deep sleep, the brain may be tidying up the detritus that accumulates during a hard day of thinking, a recent study suggests.

Researchers have found that during slow-wave sleep in particular – the type of slumber sandwiched between periods of dreaming – a sort of cleaning fluid pulses into the brain, taking out the trash as it recedes, according to a report published in Science, October 31.

Using high speed brain imaging, the researchers were able to map out a series of events that occur as the brain enters deep sleep and brain waves start to slow and synchronize.

They found that the blood flow to the brain diminishes, allowing for an influx of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), washing away the day’s detritus of proteins and other waste substances that might harm the brain if they aren’t cleared out.

 

https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/920963?src=wnl_edit_tpal&uac=1776MZ&impID=2161771&faf=1

Posted in Affective Neuroscience, Aging, Complementary - Alternative Medicine | Tagged , , |

Alzheimer Disease: An Update on Pathobiology and Treatment Strategies

Review  Volume 179, Issue 2, pp. 312-339, October 3, 2019

Alzheimer disease (AD) is a heterogeneous disease with a complex pathobiology. The presence of extracellular β-amyloid deposition as neuritic plaques and intracellular accumulation of hyperphosphorylated tau as neurofibrillary tangles remains the primary neuropathologic criteria for AD diagnosis. However, a number of recent fundamental discoveries highlight important pathological roles for other critical cellular and molecular processes. Despite this, no disease-modifying treatment currently exists, and numerous phase 3 clinical trials have failed to demonstrate benefits. Here, we review recent advances in our understanding of AD pathobiology and discuss current treatment strategies, highlighting recent clinical trials and opportunities for developing future disease-modifying therapies.
https://www.cell.com/cell/fulltext/S0092-8674(19)31007-4

Posted in Aging, dietary, Fifth Avenue Concierge Medicine, Health, keto, News, Psychiatry/Neurology | Tagged , , , , , , |

A brief diet intervention can reduce symptoms of depression in young adults – A randomised controlled trial

A brief diet intervention can reduce symptoms of depression in young adults – A randomised controlled trial

Abstract

There is strong epidemiological evidence that poor diet is associated with depression. The reverse has also been shown, namely that eating a healthy diet rich in fruit, vegetables, fish and lean meat, is associated with reduced risk of depression. To date, only one randomised controlled trial (RCT) has been conducted with elevated depression symptoms being an inclusion criterion, with results showing that a diet intervention can reduce clinical levels of depression. No such RCTs have been performed in young adults. Young adults with elevated levels of depression symptoms and who habitually consume a poor diet were randomly allocated to a brief 3-week diet intervention (Diet Group) or a habitual diet control group (Control Group). The primary and secondary outcome measures assessed at baseline and after the intervention included symptoms of depression (Centre for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale; CESD-R; and Depression Anxiety and Stress Scale– 21 depression subscale; DASS-21-D), current mood (Profile of Mood States), self-efficacy (New General Self-Efficacy Scale) and memory (Hopkins Verbal Learning Test). Diet compliance was measured via self-report questionnaires and spectrophotometry. One-hundred-and-one individuals were enrolled in the study and randomly assigned to the Diet Group or the Control Group. Upon completion of the study, there was complete data for 38 individuals in each group. There was good compliance with the diet intervention recommendations assessed using self-report and spectrophotometry. The Diet group had significantly lower self-reported depression symptoms than the Control Group on the CESD-R (p = 0.007, Cohen’s d = 0.65) and DASS-21 depression subscale (p = 0.002, Cohen’s d = 0.75) controlling for baseline scores on these scales. Reduced DASS-21 depression subscale scores were maintained on follow up phone call 3 months later (p = .009). These results are the first to show that young adults with elevated depression symptoms can engage in and adhere to a diet intervention, and that this can reduce symptoms of depression. The findings provide justification for future research into the duration of these benefits, the impacts of varying diet composition, and their biological basis.

https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0222768

Posted in Fifth Avenue Concierge Medicine, Health, keto, News, Psychiatry/Neurology | Tagged , , , |

Depressionen: Entzündete Seele

Depressionen: Entzündete Seele

Die Hinweise mehren sich, dass chronische Entzündungen Auslöser für Depressionen sein können.

https://www.zeit.de/2017/29/depressionen-chronische-entzuendungen-psychologie-forschung?utm_campaign=ref&utm_source=twitter_zonaudev_int&utm_medium=sm&wt_zmc=sm.int.zonaudev.twitter.ref.zeitde.redpost.link.sf&utm_content=zeitde_redpost+_link_sf

Posted in Fifth Avenue Concierge Medicine, Health, News, Psychiatry/Neurology | Tagged , , , |