Health & Fitness

This article was previously published January 21, 2021, and has been updated with new information.

Omega-3 fats are important for many reasons. While their brain and cardiovascular benefits are well-established, a lesser known benefit has to do with autoimmune diabetes.

According to research^1,2 published in December 2020, adults who test positive for glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD65) antibodies — a marker for Type 1 diabetes³ — can significantly reduce their risk of adult-onset diabetes by eating omega-3 rich fatty fish.

The study looked at data from 11,247 cases of adult-onset diabetes and 14,288 diabetes-free controls that participated in the Epic-InterAct case-cohort study conducted in eight European countries. As explained by the authors:⁴

"Baseline plasma samples were analyzed for GAD65 antibodies and phospholipid n-3 PUFAs. Adjusted hazard ratios (HRs) for incident diabetes in relation to GAD65 antibody status and tertiles of plasma phospholipid n-3 PUFA or fish intake were estimated using Prentice-weighted Cox regression …

The hazard of diabetes in antibody-positive individuals with low intake of total and fatty fish, respectively, was significantly elevated (HR 2.52 and 2.48) compared with people who were GAD65 antibody negative and had high fish intake, with evidence of additive (AP 0.44 and 0.48) and multiplicative interactions.

Individuals with high GAD65 antibody levels (≥167.5 units/mL) and low total plasma phospholipid n-3 PUFAs had a more than fourfold higher hazard of diabetes …"

Results Support Previous Findings

Some of the researchers from this team first investigated the impact of fish consumption on latent autoimmune diabetes back in 2014.⁵ At that time, they analyzed data from a much smaller cohort that included 89 cases of latent autoimmune diabetes in adults, 462 Type 2 diabetics and 1,007 diabetes-free controls. A food frequency questionnaire was used to determine fish intake along with omega-3 supplementation and vitamin D intake.

Results showed those who ate one or more servings of fatty fish per week had a 49% reduced risk of latent autoimmune diabetes, but not Type 2 diabetes, compared to those who got less than one weekly serving. Similar associations were seen among those who took omega-3 supplements.

The Type of Fish You Choose Matters

While this is good news, it's important to be careful about your seafood choices. Importantly, not all fish contain omega-3s. Only fatty, cold-water fish do. Examples include wild-caught Alaskan salmon, sardines, anchovies, mackerel and herring.

Farmed fish, especially farmed salmon, is best avoided altogether due to the exaggerated potential for contamination. At first glance, farmed fish may seem like a good idea to help protect wild seafood populations from overfishing, but in reality, the industry is plagued with many of the same problems surrounding land-based concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs), including pollution, disease, toxicity and inferior nutritional quality.

Most farmed fish are fed genetically engineered (GE) corn and soy, which are a completely unnatural diet for marine life and are loaded with hazardous omega-6 fats. Others are fed fishmeal, which is known to accumulate industrial chemicals like PCBs and dioxins.

Remember a few important facts: The first is that the omega-6 fats that are fed to these fish are about 90% of the dangerous linoleic acid (LA) that I have recently written about. So, consuming these fish will not correct a high omega 6-to-3 ratio. Additionally, the primary action needed if your ratio is too high is to first lower your LA intake, as I review in detail in my recent article on LA.

According to toxicology researcher Jerome Ruzzin, farmed salmon is one of the most toxic foods on the market — five times more toxic than any other food product tested. Farmed fish waste also promotes algal growth that harms the water's oxygen content, posing risks to coral reefs and other aquatic life.

From a nutritional perspective, farmed salmon have the drawbacks of containing only half the omega-3 of wild salmon^6,7,8 and one-fourth the vitamin D,⁹ while having more than 5.5 times the amount of omega-6.^10,11 Farmed salmon are also routinely exposed to antibiotics and pesticides.

Alaska does not permit aquaculture, so all Alaskan fish are wild caught. They also have some of the cleanest water and some of the best maintained and most sustainable fisheries.

To verify authenticity, look for the state of Alaska's "Wild Alaska Pure" logo. This is one of the more reliable ones, and it's a particularly good sign to look for if you're buying canned Alaskan salmon, which is less expensive than salmon steaks.

In the past, sockeye salmon was another good choice as they weren't farmed. Unfortunately, this has changed. Land-based sockeye salmon farming is now being done,¹² which makes it difficult to know whether the fish is wild or not. For this reason, it may be best to avoid it unless you can verify that it's wild-caught.

Your Omega-3 Index Is an Excellent Predictor of Mortality

Aside from affecting your risk of autoimmune diabetes, omega-3 fats also play other important roles in health. For example, research¹³ published in 2018 confirmed omega-3 fats can reduce your risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD), coronary heart disease and all-cause mortality.

Overall, those with an omega-3 index in the highest quintile had a total mortality that was 34% lower than those in the lowest omega-3 quintile, and a 39% lower risk for CVD. The strongest association was found for the omega-3 docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). According to the authors, "The omega-3 index can serve as a marker of overall health in older Americans."

As detailed in "More Data Support Heart Healthy Benefits of Omega-3s," more recent research found fish oil consumption lowered the risk of all-cause mortality by 13% and cardiovascular mortality by 16%.

DHA for Your Brain Health

DHA is also crucial for brain health. In my book, "Superfuel," cowritten with James DiNicolantonio, Pharm.D., we explain how DHA is an essential structural component of your brain, and is found in high levels in your neurons, the cells of your central nervous system.

When your omega-3 intake is inadequate, your nerve cells become stiff and more prone to inflammation as the missing omega-3 fats are substituted with omega-6 instead.

Once your nerve cells become rigid and inflamed, proper neurotransmission from cell to cell and within cells become compromised. Low DHA levels have been linked to memory loss and Alzheimer's disease, and some studies suggest degenerative brain diseases may potentially be reversible with sufficient DHA.^14,15

DHA also stimulates the Nrf2 pathway, one of the most important transcription factors that regulates cellular oxidation and reduction, and aids in detoxification.¹⁶ Additionally, DHA increases heme oxygenase 1¹⁷ (a protein produced in response to oxidative stress) and upregulates antioxidant enzymes — all of which are important for brain health.

The omega-3 eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), meanwhile, appears to be particularly beneficial in the treatment of depression,¹⁸ as it helps lower levels of tumor necrosis factor alpha, interleukin 1 beta and prostaglandin E2 — three immune chemicals that tend to be elevated in those with depression.

The Many Health Benefits of Omega-3 Fats

Other health benefits of omega-3 fats include the following:

Reducing inflammation — This in turn can be helpful for those suffering with rheumatoid arthritis by reducing stiffness and pain.19 Women who suffer from menstrual pain may also experience milder pain.20,21

Optimizing muscle building and bone strength — Omega-3 fats help your body build healthy muscle mass, including people suffering from cancer who may experience cachexia.22 Omega-3 fats can also help improve your bone strength by improving the utilization of calcium in your body. This may lead to a reduction in the development of osteoporosis.23

Improving metabolic syndrome24 and insulin resistance.25

Improving mental health and behavior — Demonstrated benefits have been shown for children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), including reduced aggression, hyperactivity,26 impulsivity,27 oppositional behavior28 and restlessness.29 Omega-3 is associated with lowered risk for other neurological/cognitive dysfunction as well, including: memory loss, brain aging, learning disorders and ADHD,30 autism and dyslexia.31

Protecting your vision — DHA is a major structural element in your eye and brain.32 Low levels of DHA may increase your risk for age related macular degeneration.33

Reducing your risk of kidney disease34 and colon cancer.35

The Importance of Phospholipid-Bound Omega-3

While fish oil is a well-known source of omega-3 fats, it has several drawbacks, the lack of phospholipids being one of them. DHA and EPA are water insoluble and therefore cannot be transported in their free form in your blood. They must be packaged into lipoprotein vehicles such as phospholipids. This is primarily why the bioavailability of krill oil is so much higher than fish oil, because in fish oil, the DHA and EPA are bound to triglycerides.

When you take fish oil, your liver has to attach it to phosphatidylcholine in order for it to be efficiently utilized. Phospholipids are also one of the principal compounds in high-density lipoproteins (HDL), which you want more of, and by allowing your cells to maintain structural integrity, phospholipids help your cells function optimally.

Importantly, your brain cannot readily absorb DHA unless it's bound to phosphatidylcholine, and while krill oil contains phosphatidylcholine naturally, fish oil does not. As the name implies, phosphatidylcholine is composed partly of choline, the precursor for the vital neurotransmitter acetylcholine, which sends nerve signals to your brain, and choline itself is crucial for brain development, learning and memory.

Research³⁶ by Rhonda Patrick, Ph.D., has highlighted the value of DHA bound to phospholipids, showing this form may actually reduce the risk of Alzheimer's disease in those with the apolipoprotein E4 (APOE4) gene, which lowers the typical age of onset of this degenerative brain disorder.

Two hallmarks of Alzheimer's are amyloid beta plaques and tau tangles, both of which impair normal brain functioning. Alzheimer's patients also have reduced glucose transport into their brains, and this is one of the reasons why plaque and tangles form and accumulate in the first place.

According to Patrick,³⁷ DHA encourages your brain's uptake of glucose by regulating the structure and function of glucose transporters, proteins located at your blood-brain barrier.

While eating DHA-rich fish has been shown to slow the progression of Alzheimer's in APOE4 carriers, taking fish oil has not demonstrated the same efficacy. According to Patrick, this variation in response appears to be related to the different ways in which the two forms of DHA are metabolized and ultimately transported into your brain.

When the triglyceride form of DHA is metabolized, most of it turns into nonesterified DHA, while the phospholipid form is metabolized primarily into DHA-lysophosphatidylcholine (DHA-lysoPC). While both of these forms can cross the blood-brain barrier to reach your brain, the phospholipid form does so far more efficiently.

According to Patrick, people with APOE4 have a faulty nonesterified DHA transport system, and this may be why they're at increased risk for Alzheimer's. The good news is that DHA-lysoPC can bypass the tight junctions, thereby improving DHA transport, and for those with one or two APOE4 variants, taking the phospholipid form of DHA may therefore lower their risk of Alzheimer's more effectively.

Oxidized Linoleic Acid Drives Many Disease Processes

One of the most hazardous fats in the human diet, in my view, is omega-6 linoleic acid (LA). Processed vegetable oils are primary sources of LA, but animal foods such as chicken and farmed salmon also contain high amounts of it, thanks to the fact that the animals are fed LA-rich grains.

There's evidence to suggest excessive amounts of LA play a role in most chronic diseases, especially top killers such as heart disease. Evidence implicating excessive consumption of LA as a direct cause of heart disease includes, but is not limited to, the following:³⁸

The amount of LA in adipose tissue and platelets is positively associated with coronary artery disease, and studies39 measuring changes in LA concentrations in adipose tissue in Americans show concentrations increased from 9.1% in 1959 to 21.5% in 2008. This increase also paralleled increases in the prevalence of obesity, diabetes and asthma. Conversely, the long-chained omega-3s DHA and EPA have been shown to protect against coronary artery disease, which is why maintaining a healthy balance between omega-3 and omega-6 is so important.

Patients with atherosclerosis have higher amounts of LA oxidation products in their plasma, low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and atherosclerotic plaques.

Oxidation of LA begins before any clinical signs of atherosclerosis become apparent.

When the endothelium (the interior lining of your blood vessels) is exposed to LA, LDL transfer across the endothelium is increased and this is an essential step in the atherosclerotic process.

Low LA diets reduce LDL oxidation.

A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials in humans showed that when saturated fat and trans fat are replaced with omega-6 PUFAs, all-cause mortality, ischemic heart disease mortality and cardiovascular mortality increase.

Oxidation products of LA are found in infarcted tissue.

The LA metabolite 9-HODE is a strong promoter of inflammation, and may be both a marker for and inducer of atherosclerosis.

Do You Know Your Omega-3 Index?

An omega-3 deficiency leaves you vulnerable to several chronic diseases and lifelong challenges. Optimizing your levels is truly a foundational strategy to attaining and maintaining good health. The best way to determine if you're eating enough food with omega-3 is to get an omega-3 index test.

The omega-3 index is a measure of the amount of EPA and DHA in the membranes of your red blood cells (RBCs). Your index is expressed as a percent of your total RBC fatty acids. The omega-3 index has been validated as a stable, long-term marker of your omega-3 status.

An omega-3 index over 8% is associated with the lowest risk of death from heart disease, while an index below 4% places you at the highest risk of heart disease-related mortality.

I firmly believe an omega-3 index test is one of the most important annual health screens that everyone needs. GrassrootsHealth makes testing easy through its D*Action+Omega-3 consumer-sponsored research project.⁴⁰ You can find the GrassrootsHealth omega-3 index test kit both in my online store and on the GrassrootsHealth website.⁴¹

Please remember: If you find that you have a high omega 6-to-3 ratio, your primary action needed is to first lower your LA intake.

from Articles https://ift.tt/3iZk2Kp
via IFTTT

July 12, 2018, the FDA convened a public meeting to talk about what to call lab-grown meat. As reported in The Atlantic,¹ at the end of the meeting there was no consensus. The war of words was aimed at choosing an association that would evoke a specific emotional response in the consumer.

Various speakers got up and called the lab growth “clean meat,” “artificial meat,” “in vitro meat,” “cell culture products,” “cultured meat” or “culture tissue.” Each term had its advocates and critics.

For example, the beef producers didn't like the term “clean meat.” Danielle Beck, a lobbyist for the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) told the reporter from The Atlantic the term is “inherently offensive to traditional meat producers, as if real meat is somehow dirty.”²

However, that's exactly what the fake meat industry would like you to believe. In fact, the lab-grown meat market rests on the shoulders of the claim that eating real meat is destroying our planet. Singapore³ was the first country to give regulatory approval for products that look like meat and did not come from real animals.

The decision paved the way for the rest of the world, and today fake meat is becoming so popular that you'll find it in most Walmarts, Targets, other grocery stores and some popular chain restaurants.⁴ The fake meat industry offered their product as a light in a dark world, as many were laboring under the excessive news reports of COVID-19 cases.

It may have seemed that the big tech giants were looking out for the food supply at an unprecedented time in history. But you don’t have to look too deeply into what’s happening to discover that patented fake meat is not about “saving the planet” or “sustainability” but, instead, is just another foray into controlling populations and amassing great wealth.

Lab-Grown Meat Is About Big Business

The food critic for the Financial Times⁵ wrote a piece in early September 2021, in which he made a strong case for how lab-grown meat is not about sustainability or making “green” decisions but, rather about intellectual property (IP) and creating a financial windfall.

He took a historical perspective on IP, listing the patents that have been filed protecting breakfast cereals, carbonated beverages, drugs, vaccines, genetically modified plants and pesticides. In each case the IP owned by Kellogg, Coca-Cola, McDonald's, Big Pharma and agrichemical businesses was the lifeblood of their financial success. He writes:⁶

"Currently, there’s not a lot of IP in the meat industry ... Saving animal lives, preventing the clear-cutting of rainforest, even the reduction of methane farts don’t excite investors — those changes can’t translate to profit.

The holy grail is replacing the meat we consume with a proprietary product, owning the IP on meat. Coca-Cola and McDonald’s managed to grow patented food products into two of the top food companies on the globe by market cap, but a patent on animal-free ‘meat’ could entirely dwarf their achievements."

Bill Gates promotes the idea of eating 100% synthetic beef to fight climate change.⁷ The idea is one of his core tenets in his new book in which he lays out how to eliminate greenhouse gas emissions. Mind you, this book was written by a man⁸ who built a 65,993 square-foot (6,131 square-meter) home with a 23-car garage, 20-person cinema and 24 bathrooms. He owns five other homes, a horse farm, four private jets and a “collection” of helicopters.

According to one study reported in Business Today, his annual carbon footprint is 7,493 metric tons of carbon, much of which is produced by his aircraft. In an article published in Forbes, March 22, 2021, one reporter writes:⁹

“Now, I don’t necessarily agree with Gates. And I hate the idea of governments deciding what their citizens should eat (which seems to be what Gates is suggesting). But my job is to help you make money. And there’s no question that there’s billions to be made in the technology behind plant-based meat.”

Unfortunately, that may be the path that many will take to acquire wealth over health. Beyond Meat is already worth $12 billion¹⁰ and it's projected to double by 2025. And yet, as the Forbes reporter points out, the meat industry is the tip of the iceberg. Synthetic biology uses technology to allow scientists to program life. It reconfigures DNA so that it produces something entirely new.

This is the technology that Beyond Meat uses to create more “realistic” burgers using soybeans. He also points out that Moderna and Pfizer COVID vaccines are made of a synthetic strand of genetic code and goes on to write, “I believe, with the possible exception of artificial intelligence (AI), synthetic biology has the biggest potential of any disruptive technology to radically reshape our world.”

Control Food Supply = Control Populations and Countries

In January 2021, an analysis by The Land Report¹¹ found that Bill Gates owns 242,000 acres of farmland in the U.S. This has made him the largest private farmland owner.¹² During Gates’ interview with MIT Technology Review, Gates said:¹³

“So no, I don’t think the poorest 80 countries will be eating synthetic meat. I do think all rich countries should move to 100% synthetic beef. You can get used to the taste difference, and the claim is they’re going to make it taste even better over time. Eventually, that green premium is modest enough that you can sort of change the [behavior of] people or use regulation to totally shift the demand.”

It is the last sentence in that paragraph that makes the most sense as you consider how Gates and other technocrats are aiming at controlling populations through central production and distribution of food. He says, “change the behavior of people or use regulation to totally shift the demand.” Promoting lab-grown protein is not about sustainability but, rather, about wealth and power.

Using intellectual property, tech giants hope to replace living animals with patented plant- and animal-derived alternatives, which will effectively control food supply. And Gates’ 242,000 acres of farmland spread across Illinois, Louisiana, California, Iowa and nearly one dozen other states¹⁴ appear to be earmarked for genetically engineered corn and soy crops.¹⁵ In other words, he’s farming the basic crops needed for (plant-based) fake meat and processed foods.¹⁶

Lab-grown meat alternatives differ from their vegetarian counterparts by virtue of initially starting with cell cultures from living animals. Mosa Meat grows their meat after harvesting a small number of cells from livestock “who are then returned, almost unscathed, to their fields.”¹⁷

As described in Popular Mechanics, Memphis Meats, in which Gates is a serious investor,¹⁸ tries to avoid animals whenever possible. Instead, they use cells that have been procured from animal biopsies.¹⁹

In other words, when a veterinarian has decided to biopsy an area of an animal to make a medical determination about an abnormal growth, Memphis Meats harvests cells that would have otherwise been discarded and grows those into lab grown meat. Swapping traditional, whole food grown by small farmers for mass-produced fake foods is part of the plan for The Great Reset.

The objective is to control the entire food supply. To that end, researchers and manufacturers are also looking at milk proteins made from genetically engineered Trichoderma reesei fungus to produce a dairy-like protein casein and whey. Popular Science named Perfect Day’s animal-free whey protein as the Grand Award winner in the engineering category of the 100 greatest innovations of 2020.²⁰

The EAT Forum, co-founded by the Wellcome Trust, developed a Planetary Health Diet²¹ designed to be applied to the global population. It entails cutting meat and dairy intake by up to 90%, and replacing it largely with foods made in laboratories, along with cereals and oil.

Their largest initiative is called FReSH, which aims to transform the food system by working with biotech and fake meat companies to replace whole foods with lab-created alternatives. In other words, once tech giants have control of meat, dairy, cereals and oils, they will be the ones profiting from and controlling the food supply.

Private companies that control the food supply will ultimately control countries and entire populations. Biotech will eventually push farmers and ranchers out of the equation and will threaten food security. In other words, the work being done in the name of sustainability and saving the planet will give greater control to private corporations.

Health Dangers Associated With Linoleic Acid

It's important to realize that whether it is plant-based or lab-grown, fake meat is a processed food. Imitation meat is not better, or even equal, to real meat. Foods that are not directly from the ground, vines, bushes, trees, bodies of water or animals is considered processed.

Lab-grown meat starts with a muscle sample from a cow. Once in the lab, technicians separate stem cells from the sample and then multiply those dramatically. The cells differentiate into fibers that form muscle tissue. Mosa Meat believes that one tissue sample can yield 80,000 quarter-pounders.²²

Tissue growth inside an animal occurs when the blood supply delivers appropriate nutrients to produce healthy muscle growth. This requires that the animal is fed a whole and balanced diet, from which the body extracts the necessary nutrients in an appropriate amount to feed the cells.

The human body then extracts the nutrients found in regeneratively and biodynamically pastured meat. However, as science has demonstrated in the last two decades, growing cells on sugar causes growth, but will not yield health. The sheer ability to grow lab-cultured meat does not indicate that the end product will have any health benefit to the end user.

Plant-based fake meat contains excess amounts of omega-6 fat in the form of linoleic acid (LA). This is one of the most significant contributors to metabolic dysfunction. In my opinion, this metabolic poison is the primary contributor to the rising rates of chronic disease. LA leads to severe mitochondrial dysfunction, decreased NAD+ levels, obesity, insulin resistance and a radical decrease in the ability to generate energy.

The genetic engineering used to produce the flavor and texture of real meat does not reproduce healthy fatty acid composition because the substrate is canola and sunflower oils as the primary sources of fat.^23,24 The sunflower oil used in both Impossible Burgers and Beyond Meats is 68% LA,²⁵ which is an extraordinarily high amount.

It is dangerous because LA is susceptible to oxidation and causes oxidation byproducts called OXLAMs (oxidative linoleic acid metabolites). These byproducts devastate your DNA, protein, mitochondria and cellular membranes. This means that fake meat is failing all measures of sustainability and health.

Have You Considered Cultured Meat From Human Cells?

While lab-grown meat and dairy products may sound like science fiction, the next step for food manufacturers comes directly out of the 1973 dystopian film “Soylent Green.”²⁶ The science fiction movie takes place in New York in 2022. In the story, the Earth is severely overpopulated, and people are living in the streets.

For sustenance, people are given rations of water and Soylent Green, which supposedly is a high-protein food made from plankton. In the end, you discover in this futuristic nightmare fantasy of controlling big corporations, that the high-protein drink is actually made from people.

Now, just months away from 2022, scientists are working on lab-grown “meat” made from human cells that are harvested from the inside of human cheeks.^27,28 This grisly product was first presented as ‘art’ by a scientist and founder of the biotech firm Spiderwort. Tech Times reported November 22, 2020, that:²⁹

“A new ‘DIY meal kit’ that can be used to grow steaks that are made mostly from human cells was just recently nominated by the London-based Design Museum as the ‘design of the year.’

Called ‘Ouroboros Steak,’ this is named right after the circular symbol of a snake known for eating itself tail-first. This hypothetical kit would later on come with everything that one person would need in order to use their own cells to grow miniature human meat steaks …”

These kits are not commercially available — yet. But it begs the question of what possesses someone to think that eating a lump of meat made from your own body could be a viable idea? The question must also be raised about whether this is cannibalism.

Those defending the concept claim that since you're eating your own body, it's not cannibalism. However, if it ever becomes commercially available, what's to prevent someone from growing meat from other people's cells — and selling it? And the ick factor aside, how could this impact the spread of disease? For example, tribal cannibalism in Papua, New Guinea,³⁰ led to a prion disease, which nearly wiped out a tribe of people.

In many villages, after an individual died, the villagers would cook and consume the body in an act of grief. Scientists who studied the tribe believe that one person developed a sporadic incident of Crutchfield-Jakob disease, also known as mad cow disease. Eating the neurological tissue then spread the disease throughout the tribe.

It doesn’t take much to imagine that the strange and unusual side effects being reported by people after receiving a COVID-19 injection may have long-term effects on body tissue. What happens when you culture and eat that body tissue, from yourself or someone else?

from Articles https://ift.tt/3p1aXV6
via IFTTT

In an August 21, 2021, newsletter,¹ Dr. Michael Murray discussed the use of quercetin for respiratory infection symptoms. In November 2020, he’d suffered a “very mild and brief bout of COVID-19,” and one of his “secret weapons,” he believes, might have been quercetin.

He also recounts an anecdotal story of a friend who developed suspicious respiratory symptoms. His friend had been taking a number of supplements said to offer protection, but was still feeling awful.

As it turns out, the one thing he’d not taken was quercetin, and as soon as he did, that same day, his symptoms started to dissipate. This experience, Murray says, “is consistent with the results from two clinical trials” that were recently published.

Quercetin seems to be a safe, far less expensive, and easier-to-obtain alternative to hydroxychloroquine, and it works by a similar mechanism, driving zinc into the cells to stop viral replication.

Statistical Improvement in Clinical Outcomes

In the first study,² 42 COVID-19 outpatients were divided into two groups. One group of 21 patients received standard medical therapy consisting of analgesics and an antibiotic (acetaminophen 500-milligram (mg) to 1,000-mg dose if body temperature was higher than 37.5 degrees C — 99.5 F — with a maximum daily dosage of 3 grams, and 500 mg azithromycin for three consecutive days).

The other group of 21 patients received standard therapy plus the equivalent of 600 mg of quercetin per day (divided into three doses) for seven days, followed by another seven-day course of 400 mg of quercetin per day (divided into two doses).

The quercetin used was a brand name formulated with sunflower lecithin, which has been demonstrated to increase absorption in the gut by as much as 20 times, compared to pure quercetin formulations.

The main outcomes being evaluated were virus clearance and symptoms. After one week of treatment, 16 of the 21 patients in the quercetin group tested negative for SARS-CoV-2 and 12 reported that all symptoms had diminished.

In the standard care group, only two tested negative and four had partially improved symptoms. By the end of Week 2, the five remaining patients in the quercetin group tested negative. In the standard care group, 17 of the 19 remaining patients tested negative and one had died.

As noted by the authors, quercetin supplementation “statistically shortens the timing of molecular test conversion from positive to negative, reducing at the same time symptoms severity and negative predictors of COVID-19.”

“These results are impressive and hopefully additional studies will be conducted on hospitalized patients to see how quercetin might be helpful in more severe cases,” Murray wrote in his newsletter.

Quercetin Reduces Hospitalizations and Deaths

The second study³ — a prospective, randomized, controlled and open-label trial — gave 152 COVID-19 outpatients a daily dose of 1,000 mg of quercetin for 30 days to evaluate its adjuvant effects in the treatment of early symptoms and the prevention of severe infection. According to the authors:

“The results revealed a reduction in frequency and length of hospitalization, in need of non-invasive oxygen therapy, in progression to intensive care units and in number of deaths. The results also confirmed the very high safety profile of quercetin and suggested possible anti-fatigue and pro-appetite properties.

QP (Quercetin Phytosome®) is a safe agent and in combination with standard care, when used in early stage of viral infection, could aid in improving the early symptoms and help in preventing the severity of COVID-19 disease. It is suggested that a double-blind, placebo-controlled study should be urgently carried out to confirm the results of our study.”

Mechanisms of Action

As noted in the first study⁴ above, quercetin was chosen based on the fact that it has antiviral, anti-blood clotting, anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, all of which are important in the treatment of SARS-CoV-2 infection. In the second study, more detailed mechanisms of action are reviewed. According to the authors:⁵

“SARS-CoV-2 proteases, like 3-chymotrypsin-like protease (3CLpro), papain-like pro-tease (PLpro), RNA-dependent RNA polymerase, spike (S)protein and human angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (hACE2) are considered possible targets for developing effective anti-COVID-19 drugs.

Recently, molecular docking studies have suggested the possible binding interaction of quercetin with the 3CLpro, PLpro, and S-hACE2 complex. Some recent results, obtained by biophysical techniques, appear to support the results of the molecular docking studies.

Quercetin, a flavonol not naturally present in the human body, is the most abundant polyphenol in fruits and vegetable and is widely used as a dietary supplement to boost the immune system and promote a healthy lifestyle.

Quercetin is characterized by three crucial properties: antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory. The combination of these actions allows quercetin to be a potential candidate to support all unhealthy conditions where oxidative stress, inflammation and immunity are involved.”

Initially, quercetin gained attention as a potential treatment against SARS-CoV-2 infection because it’s a zinc ionophore, meaning it shuttles zinc — which has well-known antiviral effects — into your cells just like the drug hydroxychloroquine.

Some proposed the primary reason hydroxychloroquine and quercetin worked was because of this feature. Of course, you also had to take zinc along with either of them. To effectively act as a zinc ionophore, the quercetin also needs vitamin C.

Since then, other studies, including the two reviewed here, have shown quercetin has other actions that makes it useful against SARS-CoV-2 as well. As reported by Murray in his newsletter:

“In particular, quercetin exerts significant inhibition on the binding of specific spike proteins to ACE-2 receptors, thereby blocking the ability of the virus to infect human cells. Quercetin has also been shown to directly neutralize viral proteins the are critical in the replication of SARS-CoV-2.”

In some studies, quercetin has also been shown to inhibit the release of inflammatory cytokines, which could help alleviate infection-related symptoms and suppress excessive inflammatory responses from occurring. Its antioxidant effects may also help prevent tissue damage caused by scavenging free radicals, thereby aiding in the recovery process of viral infections.⁶

Quercetin’s Antiviral Properties

Quercetin’s antiviral properties have been attributed to three main mechanisms of action:

1. Inhibiting the virus’ ability to infect cells
2. Inhibiting replication of already infected cells
3. Reducing infected cells’ resistance to treatment with antiviral medication

For example, research⁷ funded by the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), published in 2008, found it lowers your risk of viral illness such as influenza and boosts mental performance following extreme physical stress, which might otherwise undermine your immune function and render you more susceptible to infections.

Here, cyclists who received a daily dose of 1,000 mg of quercetin in combination with vitamin C (which enhances plasma quercetin levels^8,9) and niacin (to improve absorption) for five weeks were significantly less likely to contract a viral illness after bicycling three hours a day for three consecutive days, compared to untreated controls. While 45% of the placebo group got sick, only 5% of the treatment group did.

Quercetin Works Against Many Common Viruses

Before the COVID-19 pandemic struck, several studies had highlighted quercetin’s ability to prevent and treat the common cold and seasonal influenza.^{10,11,12,13,14,15,16,17,18} By attenuating oxidative damage, it also lowers your risk of secondary bacterial infections,¹⁹ which is actually the primary cause of influenza-related deaths.

Importantly, quercetin increases mitochondrial biogenesis in skeletal muscle, which suggests part of its antiviral effects are due to enhanced mitochondrial antiviral signaling.²⁰ Quercetin also works against other viruses, as demonstrated in the following studies:

How Quercetin Combats Inflammation and Boosts Immunity

Aside from its antiviral activity, quercetin is also known for boosting immunity and combating inflammation. As noted in a 2016 study²⁹ in the journal Nutrients, mechanisms of action include (but is not limited to) the inhibition of:³⁰

• Lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α) production in macrophages. TNF-α is a cytokine involved in systemic inflammation, secreted by activated macrophages, a type of immune cell that digests foreign substances, microbes and other harmful or damaged components
• LPS-induced mRNA levels of TNF-α and interleukin (IL)-1α in glial cells, which results in “diminished apoptotic neuronal cell death”
• The production of inflammation-producing enzymes
• Calcium influx into the cell, which in turn inhibits pro-inflammatory cytokine release, as well as histamine and serotonin release from intestinal mast cells³¹

According to this paper, quercetin also stabilizes mast cells, has cytoprotective activity in the gastrointestinal tract, and “a direct regulatory effect on basic functional properties of immune cells,” which allows it to inhibit “a huge panoply of molecular targets in the micromolar concentration range, either by down-regulating or suppressing many inflammatory pathways and functions.”³²

Some Brands Offer Greater Bioavailability

While quercetin does have potent antiviral effects, in order for it to work effectively you need sufficiently high dosages to raise the level of quercetin in your body’s tissues.

The relatively low absorption rate of quercetin is why a sunflower lecithin formulation, sold under the brand name Quercetin Phytosome® was used in the two featured studies discussed at the beginning of this article. That’s not your only option though.

Research³³ published in the July-December 2021 issue of the Journal of Natural Health Products Research, found Quercetin LipoMicel Matrix™ has the same total absorption rate as Quercetin Phytosome — and higher peak blood levels.

“Since both of these forms of quercetin produce similar blood levels, they should produce the same effects at equal dosages based upon quercetin content,” Murray wrote in his newsletter, adding:

“My dosage recommendation as part of a nutritional supplement program to support immune function in the prevention of COVID-19 is Quercetin LipoMicel Matrix™ 250 mg twice daily.

And in patients with active COVID-19, my recommendation is … six capsules of Quercetin LipoMicel Matrix™ twice a day providing a total of 3,000 mg of quercetin in this enhanced form. This high dosage should be taken for at least 10 days and then reduced to a maintenance dosage of 250 mg twice daily …

[This] high dosage may not be necessary. But my dosage calculations are based upon likely tissue concentrations needed to exert the strongest antiviral effects. And given the safety of quercetin, there is no harm at this level.”

Early Treatment Protocol Using Quercetin

One doctor who early on in the COVID pandemic brought quercetin into the limelight was Dr. Vladimir Zelenko. As hydroxychloroquine became difficult to obtain, Zelenko switched to recommending quercetin instead, as it’s readily available as an over-the-counter supplement. For a downloadable “cheat sheet” of Zelenko’s protocol for COVID-19, visit VladimirZelenkoMD.com.

Other Health Benefits of Quercetin

There are also other lesser known benefits and uses for quercetin, including the prevention and/or treatment of:³⁴

High blood pressure35,36

Cardiovascular disease37

Obesity38 and metabolic syndrome39 (a cluster of conditions including high blood pressure, high blood sugar, high triglyceride levels and fat accumulation around the waist that raise your risk for Type 2 diabetes, heart disease and stroke)

Certain kinds of cancer, in particular leukemia, and to a lesser degree breast cancer40

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD)41

Gout42

Arthritis43

Mood disorders44

Aluminum-induced neurodegenerative changes, such as those seen in Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).45

Longevity, thanks to its senolytic benefits (clearing out damaged and worn-out cells)46,47

Research has also highlighted quercetin’s epigenetic influence and ability to:⁴⁸

• Interact with cell-signaling pathways
• Modulate gene expression
• Influence the activity of transcription factors
• Modulate microRNAs

MicroRNAs used to be considered "junk" DNA. But far from being useless, research has revealed so-called "junk" DNA is actually microRNA and plays a crucial role in regulating genes that make the proteins that build your body.

The microRNA function as "on/off" switches for the genes. Depending on the microRNA input, a single gene can code for any of more than 200 protein products. Quercetin’s ability to module microRNA may also help explain its cytotoxic effects, and why it appears to improve cancer survival (at least in mice).

from Articles https://ift.tt/3FKdglv
via IFTTT

Oxytocin, a naturally occurring hormone that acts as a chemical messenger in the brain, showed no evidence of helping children with autism gain social skills, according to a large national study.

from Top Health News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/3p1bSVK

In areas where COVID-19 vaccines are limited, vaccinating essential workers before older adults can reduce infections and deaths, according to a modeling study.

from Top Health News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/3lD02Pi

New research suggests that dengue -- a viral infection spread by mosquitos -- could be suppressed in Singapore in a highly cost-effective manner through the release of mosquitos infected with the bacterium Wolbachia.

from Top Health News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/3vnmzTP

In patients with COVID-19, a high body mass index (BMI) is associated with an increased risk of death and prolonged intensive care unit (ICU) stay, according to a new study.

from Top Health News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/3BF2F8N

It’s a common STI, but it’s definitely one that carries a lot of stigma. This National Herpes Awareness Day, we think it’s time to dispel that stigma.

from Health | body+soul https://ift.tt/3DD4PXd

For nearly a decade, scientists have known that HIV integrates itself into genes in cells that have the potential to cause cancer. And when this happens in animals with other retroviruses, those animals often develop cancer. But, perplexingly and fortunately, that isn't regularly happening in people living with HIV. A new study reveals why doctors aren't seeing high rates of T cell lymphomas -- or cancers of the immune system -- in patients with HIV.

from Top Health News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/3lE3RUp

Biologists have found that mother roundworms can pass stress signals to future generations. The biologists report a mother roundworm exposed to a stressor can even under certain conditions pass the memory of that exposure to their grandchildren.

from Top Health News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/2XcXTAE

Converting advances in scientific knowledge and innovations in cardiac care into improvements in patient outcomes requires comprehensive cardiac systems of care optimize cardiac care delivery. New recommendations support policies that standardize the delivery of cardiac care, lower barriers to emergency care for STEMI heart attacks, ensure patients receive care at appropriate hospitals in a timely manner and improve access to secondary prevention and rehabilitation and recovery resources after a heart attack.

from Top Health News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/3BEMqZJ

As the vaccine rollout continues around the country, fewer people are reluctant to roll up their sleeves. It means we could reach a high rate of fully vaccinated people and that’s fantastic.

from Health | body+soul https://ift.tt/3mWIzB8

During the COVID-19 pandemic, addiction treatment providers rapidly pivoted to providing services via telehealth. New research highlights the potential for telehealth delivery to increase patient engagement by improving access and convenience. However, it also finds limited evidence that telehealth results in better retention or other outcomes relative to in-person treatment.

from Top Health News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/3mJz9sg

Testing pooled saliva samples twice weekly for SARS-CoV-2 on a residential college campus yielded a greater than 95 percent agreement with the gold standard for accuracy -- nasopharyngeal diagnostic samples tested singly.

from Top Health News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/3BA69cO

More than half of the 236 million people who have been diagnosed with COVID-19 worldwide since December 2019 will experience post-COVID symptoms -- more commonly known as 'long COVID' -- up to six months after recovering, according to researchers. The research team said that governments, health care organizations and public health professionals should prepare for the large number of COVID-19 survivors who will need care for a variety of psychological and physical symptoms.

from Top Health News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/3v7MZZr

Researchers found that estimated Pulse Wave Velocity (ePWV), a readily available marker of arterial stiffness, has been shown to be an effective addition in identifying patients at risk of mortality in hospital due to COVID-19.

from Top Health News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/3oVlZLH

Researchers have developed a new nanomechanical technique for fast, one-step, immune-affinity tests, which can quantify the immune response induced by different COVID-19 variants in serum. Their technique provides a new tool for tracking infection immunity over time and for analysing new vaccine candidates.

from Top Health News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/2YOHmU8

A substantial number of English communities experienced a decline in life expectancy from 2010-2019, researchers have found.

from Top Health News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/2Xd24MS

The incredible stress parents experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic had a negative effect on the eating habits of their children, according to a new study.

from Top Health News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/2YTbBcL

Researchers can now detect brand new mutations in individual malaria parasites infecting humans. Such high resolution could help us understand how parasites develop drug resistance and evade immune responses, and suggest potential treatment targets.

from Top Health News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/3vfZzpx

Trillions of benign bacteria live in the intestine. They are kept in a continuous balance by the immune system, which thereby makes them harmless to humans. Researchers have been able to show how certain natural antibodies keep these bacteria in check. The findings could make an important contribution to the development of superior vaccines.

from Top Health News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/3AxJc8U

According to time-honored advice, drinking a glass of warm milk at bedtime will encourage a good night's rest. Milk's sleep-enhancing properties are commonly ascribed to tryptophan, but scientists have also discovered a mixture of milk peptides, called casein tryptic hydrolysate (CTH), that relieves stress and enhances sleep. Now, researchers have identified specific peptides in CTH that might someday be used in new, natural sleep remedies.

from Top Health News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/2XcmLIO

Phage therapy is the concept of using viruses (known as phage) to kill bacteria, instead of using antibiotics. Until now, experiments have largely focussed on exposing bacteria to phage in a flask. Now, researchers have developed a new way to mimic these microenvironments, in which a single bacterium would colonize a specific area. Using this method, the team found that in these microenvironments Escherichia coli, a bacterium that is often responsible for food poisoning, does not become genetically resistant to phage, and the majority of the bacterial population is killed by phage.

from Top Health News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/3BEOfWs

Poor timing of influenza vaccination campaigns in the semi-arid region of Brazil led to an increase in premature births, lower birth-weight babies and the need to deliver more babies by cesarean section.

from Top Health News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/3av73vo

As women near menopause, their menstrual cycle length often becomes longer. The timing of these changes could provide clues about a person's risk of developing cardiovascular disease, according to a new study.

from Top Health News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/3DCni6l