Curcumin and saffron are effective for the treatment of depression and in reducing anxiety

Leave a comment

Studies have found  many people with Depression have chronic inflammation. Anti-inflammatory medicine could be an effective treatment alternative to generally ineffective anti-depressant medications.

A recent study reported that Curcumin (from Tumeric) and/or saffron relieves the symptoms of depression including anxiety , now often experience by people suffering from depression.

Curcumin has strong anti-inflammatory properties and increase levels of BDNF  – an important  protein found in neuron cells that protects the cells from premature death and also improves their function.

But before you rush to the pharmacy or health food store to buy some Curcumin supplements consult an expert who knows about bioavailability of the supplement or see your local herbalist or Integrative heath practitioner.

 

Efficacy of curcumin, and a saffron/curcumin combination for the treatment of major depression: A randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled study

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0165032716310217?dgcid=raven_sd_via_email

Abstract

Several studies have supported the antidepressant effects of curcumin (from the spice turmeric) and saffron for people with major depressive disorder. However, these studies have been hampered by poor designs, small sample sizes, short treatment duration, and similar intervention dosages. Furthermore, the antidepressant effects of combined curcumin and saffron administration are unknown.

Methods

In a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled study, 123 individuals with major depressive disorder were allocated to one of four treatment conditions, comprising placebo, low-dose curcumin extract (250 mg b.i.d.), high-dose curcumin extract (500 mg b.i.d.), or combined low-dose curcumin extract plus saffron (15 mg b.i.d.) for 12 weeks. The outcome measures were the Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology self-rated version (IDS-SR30) and Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI).

Results

The active drug treatments (combined) were associated with significantly greater improvements in depressive symptoms compared to placebo (p=.031), and superior improvements in STAI-state (p<.001) and STAI-trait scores (p=.001). Active drug treatments also had greater efficacy in people with atypical depression compared to the remainder of patients (response rates of 65% versus 35% respectively, p=.012). No differences were found between the differing doses of curcumin or the curcumin/saffron combination.

Limitations

Investigations with larger sample sizes are required to examine the efficacy of differing doses of curcumin and saffron/curcumin combination. Its effects in people with atypical depression also require examination in larger scale studies.

Conclusions

Active drug treatments comprising differing doses of curcumin and combined curcumin/saffron were effective in reducing depressive and anxiolytic symptoms in people with major depressive disorder.

Artificially sweetened soft drink consumption was associated with a higher risk of stroke and dementia.

Leave a comment

A cohort study published in journal Stroke has implicated diet soft drinks in increasing risk of stroke and dementia. Another good reason to stay away from drinks that are naturally sweetened, better still filtered drink water.

Here’s the study abstract below

http://stroke.ahajournals.org/content/early/2017/04/20/STROKEAHA.116.016027

Background and Purpose—Sugar- and artificially-sweetened beverage intake have been linked to cardiometabolic risk factors, which increase the risk of cerebrovascular disease and dementia. We examined whether sugar- or artificially sweetened beverage consumption was associated with the prospective risks of incident stroke or dementia in the community-based Framingham Heart Study Offspring cohort.

Methods—We studied 2888 participants aged >45 years for incident stroke (mean age 62 [SD, 9] years; 45% men) and 1484 participants aged >60 years for incident dementia (mean age 69 [SD, 6] years; 46% men). Beverage intake was quantified using a food-frequency questionnaire at cohort examinations 5 (1991–1995), 6 (1995–1998), and 7 (1998–2001). We quantified recent consumption at examination 7 and cumulative consumption by averaging across examinations. Surveillance for incident events commenced at examination 7 and continued for 10 years. We observed 97 cases of incident stroke (82 ischemic) and 81 cases of incident dementia (63 consistent with Alzheimer’s disease).

Results—After adjustments for age, sex, education (for analysis of dementia), caloric intake, diet quality, physical activity, and smoking, higher recent and higher cumulative intake of artificially sweetened soft drinks were associated with an increased risk of ischemic stroke, all-cause dementia, and Alzheimer’s disease dementia. When comparing daily cumulative intake to 0 per week (reference), the hazard ratios were 2.96 (95% confidence interval, 1.26–6.97) for ischemic stroke and 2.89 (95% confidence interval, 1.18–7.07) for Alzheimer’s disease. Sugar-sweetened beverages were not associated with stroke or dementia.

Conclusions—Artificially sweetened soft drink consumption was associated with a higher risk of stroke and dementia.

Do you think holistically about your health?

Leave a comment

Looking at your health holistically emphasises the important of the whole body and the interdependence of its parts. This perspective changes our how we talk about ourselves. Instead of saying body and mind, we can say mind-body accepting there is no separation of these two concepts. Some might say they think holistically about their health when in fact they  still  see their  body and mind as separate. Most of us accept distress and mood affect our health, but we might overlook that the internal state of our body can affect our mind,  our feelings and behaviour. The Gut-brain-axis  is an example of the interdependency of many life-sustaining systems that are influenced  by the  constant bi-directional communication between our gut and our brain. It is a reminder we are not in control of our bodies , our bodies are often in control of our minds.

Here’s a some examples of how our body affects our mind/brain.

When you get a cold or flu , the immune system sends messages (cytokines) to the brain to tell you are sick .The brain then does numerous things to protect the body from infection including turning up  the body temperature to create a fever to kill the virus. The brain activates many immune functions  and research has shown these cause behaviours that are characteristic with feeling depressed, for example: – withdrawing from people, fatigue, irritability, and feeling flat.

There are thousands of species of bacteria in your body and some thrive on certain types of food and will perish when deprived of its favourite diet. Bacteria cause cravings for certain foods that it needs. So is it you who craves sugary drinks or your tiny friends/foes? When you change your diet your bacteria population changes and the craving for food will change. When I find some good studies on this I will share them with you.

Food and drink can make you feel anxious, restless, irritable and even depressed. Your gut is constantly communicating to your brain about how it is.  When your gut is under attack from toxic substances from processed foods or drinks it informs the brain so you are aware you have  something inside that probably shouldn’t have. This process activates the immune system and stress system to protect you from the toxic chemicals. These changes affect your mood. There is  research that up to 60% of people who are diagnosed with a gut complaint (e.g. IBS, IBD, SIBO, Gastritis) also suffer from mood disorders (anxiety, depression, OCD). This is more than coincidence. Our guts produce many hormones that influence our mood. One prime example if serotonin . An hormone associated with the brain, which is true to some extend , but serotonin is key to gut motility and most of it is produced in our gastrointestinal tract. When our gut doesn’t work well it can have a profound affect on production of serotonin and this affects our mood.

Don’t underestimate the profound influence your gastrointestinal tract has on how you feel. The reward for giving up junk food is that you are going to feel happier and have more energy.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

More evidence that resveratrol protects our brain and lowers diabetic markers

Leave a comment

red wine

More evidence that resveratrol protects our brain and lowers diabetic markers

Resveratrol, a  phytochermical found in red wine, blueberries, dark chocolate and red grapes, is a popular supplement to take these days. It has a broad range of medicinal effects on the body with claims of anti-diabetic, anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory and neuro-protective properties. Such claims stack up against  many in-vivo and in-vitro studies that demonstrate these properties.

In this recent published study of postischemic mice  (see abstract 1 for the science) the mice treated with resveratrol had less brain damage following a ischemic stroke. Inflammation was also lower in visceral fat tissue and the visceral fat cells had reduced in size.

Another study published this year measured the effect of resveratrol  on out-of-range / unhealthy metabolic markers. The study reported “The data showed that a higher dose of resvervatrol supplementation significantly lowered the concentration of glucose, plasma total cholesterol, total triglyceride concentrations, and hepatic cholesterol in high-fat-diet-fed mice”. (Yu et al, 2016. Resveratrol treatment improves plasma and blood glucose concentration and lipid metabolism in high-fat-fed C57BL/6J mice. 10.1007/s00217-016-2684-2. )

If you are considering taking resveratrol then that could be a good thing. However do you know the correct daily dose for your condition? Do you know this is all your need ? and are you doing this instead making necessary lifestyle changes?

There are no panaceas in nutrition or medicine and it is a foolhardy to self-prescribe supplements if you have a chronically diagnosed condition.  You could be wasting your money and not getting the results you expect. Always consult an appropriately qualified practitioner before taking supplements.

Abstract 1

Resveratrol is known to improve metabolic dysfunction associated with obesity. Visceral obesity is a sign of aging and is considered a risk factor for ischemic stroke. In this study, we investigated the effects of resveratrol on inflammation in visceral adipose tissue and the brain and its effects on ischemic brain injury in aged female mice. Mice treated with resveratrol (0.1 mg/kg, p.o.) for 10 days showed reduced levels of interleukin-1β and tumor necrosis factor-α, as well as a reduction in the size of adipocytes in visceral adipose tissue. Resveratrol also reduced interleukin-1β and tumor necrosis factor-α protein levels and immunoglobulin G extravasation in the brain. Mice treated with resveratrol demonstrated smaller infarct size, improved neurological function, and blunted peripheral inflammation at 3 days postischemic stroke. These results showed that resveratrol counteracted inflammation in visceral adipose tissue and in the brain and reduced stroke-induced brain injury and peripheral inflammation in aged female mice. Therefore, resveratrol administration can be a valuable strategy for the prevention of age-associated and disease-provoked inflammation in postmenopausal women.

 

Comment about study: It is shocking to think that ischemic strokes were induced in mice in this study. But this is typical of the kind of experiments carried out to learn more about the effects of substances on our bodies. Perhaps if we lived in a civilisation without obesity , type II diabetes  and hypertension we wouldn’t have to conduct so many brutal animal experiments to find new medicine. There is something ironic about finding medicine to treat preventable diseases that are in the most attributed to our culture and the life style choices it makes available to us.

 

Green Tea Extract protects against Stroke

Leave a comment

 

A study suggests the  powerful extract of green tea namely EGCG can protect against injury in cerebral infarction a cause of stroke.

 

Here’s the science abstract and it is heavy.  What is saying is that the EGCG can affects biochemistry pathways that cause a cerebral infarction, which is a type of ischemic stroke resulting from a blockage in the blood vessels supplying blood to the brain. It can be atherothrombotic or embolic.

What we don’t know is what dose (the amount of the substance) and the dosage (the frequency of dose and over what timeframe)  could have make the significant difference in preventing stroke. However it is another positive report that EGCG can help prevent debilitating health problems. There are many benefits of green tea, but the best way to receive these benefits is to take a quality supplement containing EGCG. The alternative is  drinking 20-40 cups of green tea a day!

-Epigallocatechin Gallate Inhibits Asymmetric Dimethylarginine-Induced Injury in Human Brain Microvascular Endothelial Cells

(−)-Epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) is the main polyphenol component of green tea (leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant). EGCG has been reported to protect human brain microvascular endothelial cells (HBMECs) against injury in several models. However, the exact mechanism is still unclear. In the current study we found that EGCG protected against asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA)-induced HBMEC injury, and inhibited ADMA-induced reactive oxygen species production and malondialdehyde expression. At the same time, we found that pretreatment with EGCG attenuated the upregulation of Bax and the downregulation of Bcl-2, thus confirming the cellular protective properties of EGCG against ADMA-induced apoptosis. Furthermore, we found that EGCG inhibited ADMA-induced phosphorylation of ERK1/2 and p-38, whose inhibitors relieved HBMEC injury. In conclusion, EGCG can protect against ADMA-induced HBMEC injury via the ERK1/2 and p38 MAPK pathways, which are involved in the underlying mechanisms of HBMEC injury in cerebral infarction.

Source: http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11064-016-1898-9

The incidences of Brain cancer have not increased since mobile phone usage

Leave a comment

We have had mobiles in Australia since 1987. Some 90% of the population use them today and many of these have used them for a lot longer than 20 years. But we are seeing no rise in the incidence of brain cancer against the background rate (Simon Chapman, Emeritus Professor in Public Health, University of Sydney).

The Study

We examined the association between age and gender-specific incidence rates of 19,858 men and 14,222 women diagnosed with brain cancer in Australia between 1982-2012, and national mobile phone usage data from 1987-2012.

In summary, with extremely high proportions of the population having used mobile phones across some 20-plus years (from about 9% in 1993 to about 90% today), we found that age-adjusted brain cancer incidence rates (in those aged 20-84 years, per 100,000 people) had risen only slightly in males but were stable over 30 years in females.

There were significant increases in brain cancer incidence only in those aged 70 years or more. But the increase in incidence in this age group began from 1982, before the introduction of mobile phones in 1987 and so could not be explained by it. Here, the most likely explanation of the rise in this older age group was improved diagnosis.

Computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and related techniques, introduced in Australia in the late 1970s, are able to discern brain tumours which could have otherwise remained undiagnosed without this equipment. It has long been recognised that brain tumours mimic several seemingly unrelated symptoms in the elderly including stroke and dementia, and so it is likely that their diagnosis had been previously overlooked.

Next, we also compared the actual incidence of brain cancer over this time with the numbers of new cases of brain cancer that would be expected if the “mobile phones cause brain cancer” hypothesis was true. Here, our testing model assumed a ten-year lag period from mobile phone use commencement to evidence of a rise in brain cancer cases.

Our model assumed that mobile phones would cause a 50% increase in incidence over the background incidence of brain cancer. This was a conservative estimate that we took from a study byLennart Hardell and colleagues (who reported even higher rates from two studies). The expected number of cases in 2012 (had the phone hypothesis been true) was 1,866 cases, while the number recorded was 1,435.

Using a recent paper that had Davis as an author we also modelled a 150% increase in brain cancer incidence among heavy users. We assumed that 19% of the Australian population fell into this category, based on data from the INTERPHONE study an international pooled analysis of studies on the association between mobile phone use and the brain. This would have predicted 2,038 expected cases in 2012, but only 1,435 were recorded.

Our study follows those published about the United States, England, the Nordic countries and New Zealand where confirmation of the “mobile phones cause brain cancer” hypothesis was also not found.

In Australia, all cancer is notifiable. At diagnosis, all cases must by law be registered with state registries tasked with collecting this information. It has been this way for decades. So we have excellent information about the incidence of all cancers on a national basis.

The telecommunications industry of course also has information on the number of people with mobile phone accounts.

While touring Australia, Davis was confronted with the “flatline” incidence data on brain cancer. Her stock response was that it was far too early to see any rise in these cancers. She was here to warn us about the future.

Author: Simon Chapman, Emeritus Professor in Public Health, University of Sydney. This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article.

There are many plant substances that can help dementia

Leave a comment

I found a comprehensive review of plant substances , otherwise known as phytochemicals and it is open access so you can read the whole article for free.

I said in a previous post there are many safe plant based options for helping relieve symptoms of dementia. Whilst some critiques say there is still  a lack of good quality evidence, there is evidence never the less.

Here is a list of three of the phytochemicals that are being prescribed to treat dementia and have been subjected to various degrees of scientific tests/trials.  There are many other chemicals listed in this article but most of those have less evidence to support their potential and also some of these are not available in Australia so I stuck with ones we can use here.

Berberine

Huperzine A

EGCG (Green Tea Extract)

In addition to this list I recommend

Gingko , Ginseng – Rg2

I will prescribe a formulation and or a combination of products. I recommend formulas for the same reason I  recommend combinations. It is more effective than just taking single herb because you will be  attacking the complex disease from multiple angles.

Open Access Article can be found here.

Natural Phytochemicals in the Treatment and Prevention of Dementia: An Overview
Rosaliana Libro, Sabrina Giacoppo, Thangavelu Soundara Rajan, Placido Bramanti and Emanuela Mazzon * http://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/21/4/518/htm

 

For other herbs I mentioned the research available on pub med

 

 

 

 

 

Heart Burn Drugs Tied to Dementia

Leave a comment

NYT 17 FEBRUARY 2016

​By NICHOLAS BAKALAR

The popular heartburn drugs known as proton pump inhibitors have been linked to a range of ills: bone fractures, kidney problems, infections and more. Now a large new study has found that they are associated with an increased risk for dementia as well.

Proton pump inhibitors, or P.P.I.s, are widely available both by prescription and over the counter under various brand names, including Prevacid, Prilosec and Nexium.

German researchers, using a database of drug prescriptions, studied P.P.I. use in 73,679 men and women older than 75 who were free of dementia at the start of the study. Over an average follow-up period of more than five years, about 29,000 developed Alzheimer’s disease or other dementias. The study is in JAMA Neurology.

After controlling for age, sex, depression, diabetes, stroke, heart disease and the use of other medicines, they found that regular use of P.P.I.s increased the risk for dementia in men by 52 percent and in women by 42 percent, compared with nonusers.

“Our study does not prove that P.P.I.s cause dementia,” said the senior author, Britta Haenisch of the German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases. “It can only provide a statistical association. This is just a small part of the puzzle.
“Clinicians, pharmacists and patients have to weigh the benefits against the potential side effects,” she continued, “and future studies will help to better inform these decisions.”