Topics discussed in this issue...
- Research suggests nutrient depletions from commonly prescribed drugs are actually the cause of many side effects
- Study sheds light on how oleic acid improves immunity
- Serine for arthritis?
- CoQ10 shows potential as an anti-depressant
- When it comes to colorectal cancer risk, cysteine = good, homocysteine = bad
Research suggests nutrient depletions from
commonly prescribed drugs are actually the cause of many side effects - A recently published review details the enzymatic pathways that various drugs interrupt and how certain drugs deplete very specific nutrients. Nutrient depletions are implicated as a cause of common side effects and even non-compliance.
Study sheds light on how oleic acid improves immunity - By affecting compounds released during an immune response, oleic acid quells inflammation and improves overall immunity. Specifically, oleic acid, abundant in olive oil, inhibits the production of several pro-inflammatory substances, such as Interleukin 2 (IL-2), natural killer cells (NK), interferon-gamma (INF-γ) and vascular cell adhesion molecules (VCAM). Oleic acid also reduces the amount of arachidonic acid (AA) present in cells, which in turn minimizes pro-inflammatory cytokine production.
Serine for arthritis? - Human cells from rheumatoid arthritis patients were exposed to phosphatidylserine and then evaluated for levels of inflammation. The phosphatidylserine significantly lowered inflammation levels in vitro. The same researchers tested phosphatidylserine’s effect on arthritic pain in an animal model and found that phosphatidylserine, which has well-established roles in neurotransmitter function, also decreased arthritic and pain symptoms.
CoQ10 shows potential as an anti-depressant - Four different doses of CoQ10 were administered for three weeks in an animal study on depression caused by chronic stress. Depressive behaviors evaluated as were physiological markers of oxidative stress in the brain. Depressive symptoms were decreased and there was a dose-dependent reduction in damaging chemicals in the brain that are linked with depression. The authors concluded “CoQ10 may have a potential therapeutic value for the management of depressive disorders.”
When it comes to colorectal cancer risk, cysteine = good, homocysteine = bad. - In this clinical trial, levels of the toxic amino acid homocysteine and levels of the beneficial antioxidant cysteine were measured in over 900 women with colorectal cancer and compared to a similar group of over 900 women without cancer. Those with the highest homocysteine (over 9.85 μmol/L) were 1.5 times more likely to have colorectal cancer than those with the lowest levels (>6.74 μmol/L). Conversely, women with the highest levels of cysteine in the blood had a much lower risk of colorectal cancer than those with the lowest levels of cysteine.
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