Adult Obesity Increasing; Worsens Outcomes From COVID-19: CDC

By RTTNews Staff Writer | Published: 9/18/2020 10:51 AM ET

New data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or CDC, show that adult obesity is increasing in the United States, and obese individuals are at heightened risk for severe outcomes from COVID-19.

The phenomenon remains high in 12 states, according to the 2019 Adult Obesity Prevalence Maps. Alabama, Arkansas, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, and West Virginia have an adult obesity prevalence at a rate of 35 percent or above. This is up from nine states in 2018 and six states in 2017.

Combined data from 2017-2019 show notable racial and ethnic disparities persist in adult obesity.

34 states and the District of Columbia had an obesity prevalence of 35 percent or higher among non-Hispanic Black adults.

In addition to the maps, CDC has released a summary statement on obesity and race and ethnicity as related to COVID-19 risk.

The pandemic has increased the risk of severe illness, hospitalization, and death among obese people, it says.

Being obese may triple the risk of hospitalization due to a COVID-19 infection. It has been found that obesity is linked to impaired immune function.

Obesity decreases lung capacity and reserve and can make ventilation more difficult.

It has also been found that the risk of death from COVID-19 increases with a rise in BMI (Body mass index).

Studies have demonstrated that obesity may be linked to lower vaccine responses for numerous diseases.

Obesity disproportionately impacts some racial and ethnic minority groups who are also at increased risk of contracting COVID-19.

The report recommends that being active and eating a healthy diet can support optimal immune function and help prevent or manage chronic diseases that worsen outcomes from COVID-19.

These actions, as well as getting enough sleep and finding healthy ways to cope with stress are found to be helping with weight maintenance and improve overall health.

For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com

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Article written by an RTT News Staff Writer, and posted on the RTT News.com website.

Article reposted on Markethive by Jeffrey Sloe

Acella Pharma Recalls Thyroid Drugs For Sub Potency

By RTTNews Staff Writer | Published: 9/18/2020 8:53 AM ET

Acella Pharmaceuticals, LLC recalled certain lots of hypothyroidism medication NP Thyroid in the form of tablets due to super potency, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said in a statement.

The company is recalling one lot of 15-mg and one lot of 120-mg of NP Thyroid that are packaged in 100 count bottles in strengths of 15 mg, and 120 mg, with expiration dates between October 2020, and November 2020. The drug is originally intended to treat an underactive thyroid.

According to the company, the product may have as low as 87 percent of the labeled amount of Liothyronine (T4), it added.

NP Thyroid is composed of levothyroxine and liothyronine and used to treat hypothyroidism. These lots were distributed across the U.S. to Acella's direct accounts, including wholesalers, pharmacies, and healthcare offices.

Acella noted that if patients are treated for hypothyroidism with these sub potent NP Thyroid tablets, they may experience signs and symptoms of hyperthyroidism, including swelling of the thyroid gland or weight gain, fatigue, increased sensitivity to cold, constipation, dry skin, puffy face, hair loss, slow heart rate and depression.

Newborn infants or pregnant women who take sub potent NP Thyroid also may experience early miscarriage, fetal hyperthyroidism, and/or impairments to fetal neural and skeletal development.

Acella said it has received four reports of adverse events until date related to the recalled products.

"Patients who are currently taking NP Thyroid from the lots being recalled should not discontinue use without contacting their healthcare provider for further guidance and/or a replacement prescription," the company added.

In May, Acella Pharmaceuticals had recalled 13 lots of hypothyroidism medication NP Thyroid in the form of tablets due to super potency.

For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com

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Article written by an RTT News Staff Writer, and posted on the RTT News.com website.

Article reposted on Markethive by Jeffrey Sloe

Eating Fish May Protect Our Brains From Air Pollution

Microscopic particles of air pollution can damage brain cells. Omega-3s could act as a shield.

September 7, 2020     By Nathaniel Scharping

Air pollution is a constant companion in modern society, often even for those of us living outside cities. And it's taking a toll on our health in the form of heart, lung and brain problems. Simply put, the more air pollution you're around, the more likely you are to die earlier (Pope, 2000).

Air pollution may be inescapable, but there's hope. A new study shows that people who eat a diet rich in omega-3 fatty acids seem to be shielded from brain degeneration, even when they live in areas with high levels of air pollution (Chen et al., 2020).

The study, from researchers at Columbia University's Irving Medical Center, backs up years of prior research on omega-3s and the brain. Not only are the fatty acids crucial to developing and maintaining healthy brain cells, they likely also serve to protect them as well.

No Escape From Air Pollution

Even in places where the air isn't visibly dirty, pollution can be an issue. For their study, the researchers focused on particulate matter, a type of air pollution made up of microscopic particles and droplets such as smoke, soot and dust.

Particulate matter has many sources: vehicles, factories, agriculture, and even some natural processes. Wildfires are also potent producers, as millions of Californians were reminded this summer (Thurston et al., 2011).

So, while levels of particulate matter are falling on average nationwide, air pollution is still a serious problem in some areas of the U.S. Scientists classify most particulate matter air pollution into two categories:

• 10 micrograms (or ten millionths of a gram) or smaller, known as PM10. Typical sources include construction-site dust, pollen, and wildfire smoke.
• 5 micrograms or smaller, dubbed PM2.5. These are more likely to come from human-technology sources, especially vehicles.

Both classes are harmful to humans, but the smaller PM2.5 particles can penetrate deeper into the lungs when inhaled, making them potentially more dangerous. And for years, studies have pointed out the myriad health issues that these particles cause. Higher levels of airborne particulate matter are associated with heart and lung problems, as well as with premature deaths in general (Pope, 2000). High PM2.5 levels have also been linked to a number of brain issues, including inflammation and decreases in brain volume among older adults (Wilker et al., 2015).

This kind of brain damage can be a marker for cognitive decline in the elderly, and it can be difficult to recover from. That makes it crucial to prevent damage before it happens.

A Link Between Brain Health and Seafood

For this latest research, the scientists looked at data from a large study conducted between 1996 and 2006 called the Women's Health Initiative Memory Study-Magnetic Resonance Imaging (WHIMS-MRI). It included over 1,300 healthy women between the ages of 65 and 80 who agreed to MRI scans of their brains, and who answered a battery of questions about their lifestyles, diets and more. The researchers also collected blood samples to measure levels of two important omega-3 fatty acids, EPA and DHA, in the women's bodies.

Then, the researchers used national data on air quality from the Environmental Protection Agency to track each participant's exposure to PM2.5 air pollution. With that data in hand, they could cross-reference three key things: air pollution exposure, brain health and omega-3 intake.

After accounting for a variety of factors, the researchers saw two clear trends. Women who were exposed to more air pollution had lost greater amounts of white matter in their brains, as well as brain volume in the hippocampus. But those with a diet that was rich in seafood — and therefore included plentiful omega-3s — had no such brain loss, even when they were exposed to air pollution.

The takeaway was that omega-3 fatty acids are likely to protect against the neurodegenerative effects of air pollution (Chen et al., 2020).

How Omega-3s Protect Our Brains

The researchers propose a few ways that omega-3s might help shield our brain health from particulate matter pollution. Omega-3s help protect and repair the protective myelin sheaths that shield our nerves and brain cells, keeping neurons intact and healthy. The fatty acids also help tamp down inflammation in our brains and bodies, preventing damage to cells (Chen et al., 2020).

The researchers say the effects they saw represent only a correlation, not causation. So, while people who ate more omega-3s were also protected from pollution, they couldn't show a direct cause-and-effect relationship. In addition, their study looked only at older women, so future research could better assess how omega-3s may shield other populations.

Still, scientists have been discovering associations between omega-3s and brain health for years. There’s enough evidence that even healthcare providers consistently recommend we get enough of the fatty acids in our diets.

Of course, omega-3s are good for us for many other reasons as well. They’re crucial building blocks for brain cells, and the fatty acids help keep our brains in top shape as we get older. Protecting us from air pollution is simply one more beneficial effect.

You can make sure your diet has enough omega-3s in it simply by consuming a few servings of seafood every week. Fish and other seafood, like Vital Choice’s wild-caught salmon, are the richest dietary sources of EPA and DHA, and they deliver a liberal helping of other essential nutrients as well, from vitamin D to antioxidants. An Alaskan sockeye fillet comes packed with almost 600 milligrams of EPA and over 1100 grams of DHA per serving.

In our dusty, smoggy, smoky world, these are nutrients that our beleaguered brains truly need.

Sources:

C. Arden Pope III (2000) Review: Epidemiological Basis for Particulate Air Pollution Health Standards, Aerosol Science & Technology, 32:1, 4-14, DOI:10.1080/027868200303885

Chen C, Xun P, Kaufman JD, et al. Erythrocyte omega-3 index, ambient fine particle exposure, and brain aging. Neurology. 2020;95(8):e995-e1007. doi:10.1212/wnl.0000000000010074

DiNicolantonio JJ, O’Keefe JH. Importance of maintaining a low omega–6/omega–3 ratio for reducing inflammation. Open Heart. 2018;5(2):e000946. doi:10.1136/openhrt-2018-000946

Thurston GD, Ito K, Lall R. A source apportionment of U.S. fine particulate matter air pollution. Atmospheric Environment. 2011;45(24):3924-3936. doi:10.1016/j.atmosenv.2011.04.070

Wilker EH, Preis SR, Beiser AS, et al. Long-Term Exposure to Fine Particulate Matter, Residential Proximity to Major Roads and Measures of Brain Structure. Stroke. 2015;46(5):1161-1166. doi:10.1161/strokeaha.114.008348

Witte AV, Kerti L, Hermannstädter HM, et al. Long-Chain Omega-3 Fatty Acids Improve Brain Function and Structure in Older Adults. Cerebral Cortex. 2013;24(11):3059-3068. doi:10.1093/cercor/bht163

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The original article written by Nathaniel Scharping and posted on VitalChoice.com.

Article reposted on Markethive by Jeffrey Sloe

Mediterranean Diet Yields Gut-Linked Health Lifts

Clinical study sees immune, brain, bone boosts from gut biome benefits

02/24/2020   By Craig Weatherby

People across the globe are projected to live longer than ever before.

So, it’s important to find ways of lengthening their “healthspan” — in other words, to help people maintain good health throughout their lifespan.

Exercise and diet are key to healthy aging, but researchers have begun to look at the role played by people’s gut microbiomes.

Now, the encouraging results of a clinical trial show that closely following a Mediterranean-style diet changes the microbiome in ways that should promote wellness and healthier aging.

Specifically, the Mediterranean diet change people’s biomes in ways previously linked to reduced risk for frailty and to better thinking, memory, immunity, and bone strength.

Before we get to the intriguing results of this Europe-based trial, let’s quickly review what the microbiome is all about.

A briefer on the microbiome
The microbiome of an organ such as the skin or gut is the community of trillions of microbes that live within it.

Although these terms are often used interchangeably, a person’s gut microbiome is the genomes (e.g., DNA) of all the microorganisms living in their intestines, while their gut microbiota is the roster of microbes — mostly bacteria, viruses, and fungi — dwelling there.

Most of the microbes in your gut are either harmless or they benefit us by producing vitamins and fibrous, metabolically beneficial compounds like inulin, arabinoxylan, and resistant starch — while helping keep unfriendly microbes from becoming problematic.

The makeup of your microbiome is partly influenced by your personal genetics, and changes constantly in response to diet, physical activity, inflammation, medications, and more.

In addition to a person’s genetics diet, and lifestyle, the composition of their microbiome can either help prevent or promote physical disorders like diabetes and obesity as well as anxiety, depression, and other mood disorders.

Accordingly, an international team — led by Prof. Paul O’Toole of Ireland’s University College Cork — wanted to see if diet can make microbiome changes known to discourage chronic disease and promote healthy aging (Ghosh TS et al. 2020).

“Mediterranean microbiome” exerted healthful effects
For their year-long study, the international team recruited 612 people aged 65-79 — including 286 men and 326 women — living in the UK, France, the Netherlands, Italy, and Poland.

The scientists randomly assigned the participants to one of two groups:

• Maintain their usual diet.
• Switch to a Mediterranean diet (MD), which meant eating more vegetables, beans, lentils, fruits, nuts, olive oil, and fish, but less red meat, dairy, and saturated fats (e.g., butter).

After one year, people in the Mediterranean diet group displayed microbiome changes linked to better cognitive function [thinking/memory], less inflammation, better bone strength, and reduced risk of frailty.

Overall, the Mediterranean diet group enjoyed several benefits:

• Greater microbial diversity (more species — a good thing).
• Fewer pro-inflammatory compounds produced in the body.
• More microbes linked to sharper thinking and better memory.
• More microbes linked to signs of reduced frailty, such as faster walking speeds and stronger hand grips.

At the outset of the study, many of the participants were considered pre-frail — meaning their bone strength and density would likely start decreasing.

And people in the Mediterranean diet group showed fewer signs of risk for frailty while those assigned to the regular-diet group showed more microbiome-related signs of risk for frailty.

What changed in the microbiomes of the Mediterranean diet group?
At the outset of the 12-month trial, the participants’ microbiomes varied by country, but one year later the microbiomes of the Mediterranean diet (MD) group had undergone significant changes:

• More “MD-positive” microbes — in other words, ones that flourished on the diet.
• Fewer “MD-negative” microbes, which either didn’t flourish on the diet and/or couldn’t compete with the MD-positive microbes.

Critically, the MD-positive microbes were types previously linked to less frailty and inflammation, and higher levels of cognitive (thinking/memory) function — benefits that also grew as the number of MD-negative microbes shrank.

Importantly, the extent of beneficial microbiome changes reflected how closely a person followed the Mediterranean diet — the closer their adherence, the bigger the benefits.

Why are the microbiome changes from a Mediterranean diet beneficial?
A closer look revealed that the benefits of the microbiome changes seen in the Mediterranean diet group likely stemmed from two things:

• The MD-positive microbes produce short chain fatty acids that exert effects known to benefit several body systems.
• The MD-negative microbes produce certain bile acids known to raise the risk of bowel cancer, insulin resistance, fatty liver, and cell damage.

Based on prior evidence, the beneficial microbiome changes among the Mediterranean diet group were likely caused — at least in part — by greater intakes of fiber and certain micronutrients: especially vitamins C, B1 (thiamine), B6 (pyridoxine), and B9 (folic acid), copper, potassium, iron, manganese, and magnesium.

Although the team linked negative changes in the control groups’ microbiomes to an increase in fat intake — primarily saturated and mono-unsaturated fats — relative to the Mediterranean diet group, the available evidence does not suggest that relatively high-fat diets are inherently unhealthful.

The trial’s results also showed that the microbiome changes seen in the Mediterranean group occurred regardless of a person’s age or body mass index, both of which can impact the microbiome.

Conclusions and next steps
Although the diet-driven microbiome changes seen in the Mediterranean group were relatively small, they produced big effects in just one year — and the researchers speculate that continuing the Mediterranean diet longer might further enhance the microbiome.

Future studies will need to focus on what key ingredients in a Mediterranean diet — other than the fiber and micronutrients mentioned above —were responsible for these positive microbiome changes.

Other possible microbiome-influencers in a Mediterranean-style diet include specific types of protein, fat, carbohydrates, and antioxidants.

Overall, the encouraging results of this study suggest that the closer you can stick to a Mediterranean-style diet, the more your gut microbiome will shift to a healthful, anti-aging mode.

They also suggest that you don’t necessarily need probiotic supplements to make significant, beneficial changes in your gut — ones likely to benefit mind and body alike.

Sources

• De Filippis F, Pellegrini N, Vannini L, Jeffery IB, La Storia A, Laghi L, Serrazanetti DI, Di Cagno R, Ferrocino I, Lazzi C, Turroni S, Cocolin L, Brigidi P, Neviani E, Gobbetti M, O’Toole PW, Ercolini D. High-level adherence to a Mediterranean diet beneficially impacts the gut microbiota and associated metabolome. Gut. 2016 Nov;65(11):1812-1821. doi: 10.1136/gutjnl-2015-309957. Epub 2015 Sep 28.
• Ghosh TS et al. Mediterranean diet intervention alters the gut microbiome in older people reducing frailty and improving health status: the NU-AGE 1-year dietary intervention across five European countries. Gut. 2020 Feb 17. pii: gutjnl-2019-319654. doi: 10.1136/gutjnl-2019-319654. [Epub ahead of print]

Original article posted on the VitalChoice.com site, by Craig Weatherby.

Article re-posted on Markethive by Jeffrey Sloe